One of the biggest parts of my life is our sweet pup, Hudson. If you have followed me for any time now, you know that he is my sidekick, best friend and cuddle bug. We do pretty much everything together, from cooking dinner, to weekend runs to Home Depot, he’s always by my side. Since it’s been a little over a year now since we brought him home and he shows up on my Instagram page almost every day, I figured it might be time to share a little bit about what we have learned in the last year of owning him. Here are some of the things we have learned in owning a dog and what I wish I knew before, plus some of our and Hudson’s favorite pet products.
first things first…
If you don’t know Hudson, let me introduce him quickly! I wrote a lot about him here, when we first got him as a puppy, but if you are new here, he is our Irish Goldendoodle. Irish Doodles are pretty common, but what makes him a little different is that “Golden” in him. His dad is a poodle and his mom is an Irish Setter x Golden Retriever. He has a beautiful apricot color and he is such a sweetheart. He acts a lot like a Golden Retriever, but I would say that he is a little more high energy and he does not shed. His coat does require that he sees a groomer. Hudson has a very friendly personality and he meets friends everywhere he goes – both human and animal friends. He does great with kids and definitely prefers to be with his humans at all times.
What We Have Learned After One Year of Owning a Dog
TAKE TRAINING SERIOUSLY – START EARLY AND BE CONSISTENT
A couple of months before we got Hudson, we started doing our research and watching training videos together every night. We really liked Zak George Training on YouTube. Both Eddie and I grew up with dogs that were well trained by family members and we wanted the same for our dog, especially because we knew we wanted to start a family soon and we love to have people over. However, training a dog is no small task and we are by no means experts, but we did take it seriously and I am so glad we did. I think the number one piece of advice I have is to be consistent. Work with your pup every night, even if it’s just for a couple of minutes. Hudson remembers and picks up on things very quickly and I could tell he was off when we would skip a few nights.
DON’T GET UPSET
Introducing your dog into your home is a huge adjustment, for you and for them. It’s really important to be patient with them. I caught myself getting really upset with Hudson a few times after he got ahold of something valuable to me. But it’s all part of the learning process. Getting upset, yelling, and punishing isn’t always the answer and more often than not, it hurts more than helps. There’s always a better solution than getting angry.
WHAT WORKS FOR SOMEONE ELSE, MIGHT NOT WORK FOR YOU
When we got Hudson I received so many recommendations for products and advice, and some of it has worked great, others have not. You will find what works for you and your pup in time and for us it was a lot of trial and error. For example, we had all kinds of toys for Hudson, only to find out he destroyed all of them within minutes. There is only one kind of bone we can get him that he cannot destroy and he absolutely loves them. It’s the only toy he has now.
THEY MAKE LIFE SO MUCH MORE EXCITING
It’s definitely going to be hard in the beginning and a big adjustment, but dogs make life so much more fun and exciting. We absolutely love having Hudson in our family and he brings us so much joy every single day. I think we have laughed more this year than ever before.
Product Favorites
I hope you found this helpful if you currently own a dog or plan on owning a dog soon. They really are the best and I wish you the best of luck!
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