{products i love} Top 20 puppy shopping list items

Feeling overwhelmed about what you will need for your new puppy? Here are my top 20 favorites products for puppies. It covers just about everything except for the food and water bowls! Happy puppy stuff shopping!

1. Plastic or Wire Crate

Start crating your pup early and they will soon love their “house” in no time. I always suggest to give a special treat or Kong filled with peanut butter each them they go in their crate. There are many options for bedding available, personally, I like to put a big fluffy blanket or bunch of towels so the puppy can kind of nest and get cozy, and also get used to my smell even more. Plus it’s easier to wash frequently than a dog bed.

2. Petstages Heartbeat Pillow

New puppies may have a hard time sleeping through the night at first b/c they miss the heartbeat of their littermates. This pillow mimics the sound of a heartbeat. Or you can go the old fashioned way and buy a ticking alarm clock at Bartell’s. Also you can put a Nalgene bottle of warm water in the crate so it feels like a warm body next to them.

3. Baby Gate 

When not in the crate, make sure your pup is in confined areas so you can keep an eye on them!

4. Grain-Free puppy food 

There are a ton of good puppy foods out there, and majority of them will be grain-free. Talk to someone at your local pet store to help you decide what is best for your pup. I like to go to Mud Bay Granary, All The Best or Petapoluza. Nick at Petapoluza is especially knowledgable and helpful about dog foods and only carries the highest quality labels.

5. Merrick Lamb Lung treats 

These treats are great because they are easy to break into small pieces for little puppy mouths and lots of training, and they don’t smell horrible but the pups love them!

6. Treat Pouch

Be it a treat pouch, a ziploc in your pocket, or just a pocket full of treats, make sure you are armed with treats at all times! You want to always be prepared to reward your pup for all the new behaviors he is learning!

7. Nylabone puppy teething pacifier

I don’t know what it is about this toy, but pups seems to love it!

 

 

 

 

8. N-Bone Puppy teething ring 

This little ring gets soft and gummy for young puppies teeth. Bambi lived on these for several weeks.

 

 

 

 

9. Kong Activity Ball

This is a great toy to stuff with treats when you put your pup in their crate.

 

 

 

 

10. Kyjen Plush Puppies Hedgehog 

This is a ballwalkpark puppy gift basket classic. Everyone loves a squeaky hedgehog! Until the squeak drives you crazy..

 

 

 

 

11. Kyjen Hide-A-Bee toy 

The squeaky bee is another ballwalkpark classic. The bee is smaller and easier for pups to hold onto. Still soft and squeaky fun!

12. Poop bags and bag dispenser

These little poop bag dispensers help prevent the unthinkable: getting caught without a bag! Always gotta be prepared….

 

 

 

 

13. Pet Force Stain and Odor Remover

Accidents will happen. If your puppy can smell where the accident was, they will be more likely to have another one in the same place. This enzyme cleaner takes away all of the smell better than anything I’ve found. It’s also ultra concentrated so a little goes a long way. You can find it at Mud Bay.

 

 

 

 

14. Microfiber Towel

We are in Seattle. Muddy paws are an inevitable part of life. This ultra-absorbent towel will make your dry-off job that much easier.

 

 

 

 

15. Multipet’s Chilly Bone

Run this bone under the water, put it in the freezer, and give to your pup for some soothing relief.

16. Wonder Walker Body Halter

A must-have for leash training! Check out my blog last week about the Wonder Walker body halter here.

 

 

 

17. The Grrrip Two Handled Dog Leash

I like this leash because it has a handle close down to the dog’s neck also so you can keep them on a short lead at corners, cross walks, or in crowds. Bailey and I used this thing walking around Greenlake every single day for almost 4 years. Whether it’s this leash or not, I highly recommend a flat nylon or rope leash as opposed to a retractable leash.

 

 

 

 

18. Chuck-It Ball Launcher

Pretty much the greatest invention ever. My profession pretty much relies on this handy little tool, considering I can’t throw more than ten feet on my own… A great way to exercise your pup once they are a little older!

19. Pet Hub Link Tag

A QR code (“quick response”) on a pet ID tag links to your pet’s online data to show emergency contacts, medications, dietary information, and much more. Modifying your data is immediate, free, and does not require a modification to the physical ID tag.

 

 

 

 

20. Healthy Paws Pet Insurance

Health Insurance is a MUST! Rates are reasonable, starting around $25-$30/mo depending on breed and depending on which plan you choose you can receive up to 90% of your vet bills back on accidents, illnesses and genetic problems. Healthy Paws is a great local Seattle company. I have had nothing but wonderful experiences with them and highly recommend!

Click the image below to save 10% off FOR LIFE!

Dog pumpkin carving stencils (and pics of our Bailey and Bam-O-Lanterns)

Pumpkins carved to look like our dogs, Bailey and Bambi

We are getting into the Halloween spirit here at the ballwalkpark house! This week I carved pumpkins of Bailey and Bam – a term I would like to coin – the Bam-O-Lantern! I am pretty impressed with how they turned out – I have NO artistic talent whatsoever. It’s all about the stencil, seriously. If I can do it, anyone can do it! I have attached the links for the stencils. You can find a bunch of different breeds at The Better Homes and Gardens link. The French Bulldog stencil was harder to find, so I attached the link for that as well. Enjoy and happy carving!!

Bailey and Bam model with their pumpkins

Better Homes and Gardens dog breed stencils

Labrador Retriever pumpkin carving stencil

Frenchie pumpkin carving stencil

Who is Katie Johnson

Those of you who follow the ballwalkpark facebook page might recognize the name Katie Johnson. Who is Katie Johnson you ask? She a dog lover, an old coworker, and possibly ballwalkpark’s biggest supporter. She “likes” about 80% of my posts, and usually within minutes of being posted. She will sometimes comment on a particular picture which made her smile that day, which in turn, makes me smile. 

Ok, beyond an avid dog photo lover, who is this woman? She is a woman who I worked with at a miserable telecomm company prior to ballwalkpark. Think a real life version of “The Office”. She would often stop by my windowless box (also known as an office) and listen to my grand ideas of escaping the office life. One day, I presented her with the ultimate idea. I was going to be a dog walker. I was going to call the company “ball walk park” because those are the words I would say to my dog to get her all riled up to play. Believe it or not, I was totally unaware that there was a whole industry of professional dog walking, I thought this was a whole new concept. A couple google searches later, I realized I was totally wrong. There was a dog walking world and I was going to be a part of it. It was happening, I had already devoted every minute in the windowless box to researching and planning. There was no talking me out of it. 

Katie was one of the very first people I told about my grand plan, and her reaction was not totally what I had hoped for. I remember these words like it was yesterday, after a good hard laugh, she said “You are the only person in the world who would leave a salaried job with benefits in the middle of a recession to go walk dogs.” Ok, so maybe I hadn’t totally thought this through, and maybe my 24 year old brain made a lot of justifications to make my grand plan make sense, but I was still determined and had already told my boss when my last day would be. 

Katie was very supportive over the next couple months and stopped by daily to give input on logo colors, service area, fee schedules and more, but never let me forget how crazy she thought I was. Up until my last day with the company, she made sure I knew I was kissing a salary and health insurance goodbye. I wasn’t listening. My response was always that no matter how horrible of a day I was having, the dogs could never fail to do something that would make me smile, and even if just one smile, it was more than was happening in that windowless box. 

I totally underestimated how often the dogs would make me smile, make me laugh uncontrollably, and make my heart hurt when they are no longer a part of my life. Through the pictures I take each day, I try to share these smiles and laughter with all of you, and especially you, Katie Johnson! Your support over the last four years has meant more to me than you would ever know. I am so happy to know my pups are making you smile too! 

So that everyone, is the mystery behind Katie Johnson. 

 

New Years Resolution update: 1 down, 2 to go

My new years resolution is actually going even better than I thought! My resolution was to teach all of my pups to ride in the back of the truck. I had three main suspects, Cooper, Otis and Achilles. They had their various reasons for getting to ride in the back seat, each of which I have tried to tackle over the past few weeks. I am proud to report that Cooper has been converted to a backseat rider, Otis is making great progress and Achilles is next.

Cooper has riden in the back of the truck to and from the park for 3 park trips now. He doesn’t voluntarily get in, I have to hold his collar and walk him to the tailgate, but as soon as we get there, he leaps right in. He is such a good boy in the truck, he doesn’t try to jump out when I load other dogs, he just rides quietly. He has been so good, he even got to increase his schedule from 3x/wk to 4x/wk! I couldn’t accomodate that change before because I didn’t have enough spots in my backseat on the other days…. All it took was the magic mozzarella and proscuitto (itty bitty minuscule pieces go a long ways!) from Trader Joe’s! So proud of Coop!!!!

Otis has been a backseat rider because he just got too excited when he was in the back of the truck. He would start barking and screaming when we got to Montlake and still had at least 20 minutes until we got to the park. Once we were at the park, as soon as I even cracked open the tailgate window, he would launch over my head and jump out and start barking. Needless to say, it was a little chaotic and didn’t set a good example for the other dogs. My solution was to start putting Otis in a crate in the back of the truck. So far, it has been working out great! He loves riding in the crate. I think it makes him much calmer.  It seems that Otis just really needs personal space and having a little distance from the other dogs really has made a difference. He goes in the crate even when it’s just left open. He has been laying down the whole way to the park, only barks for a minute and is quiet when I ask him, and doesn’t launch over my head when it’s time to get out! Today he even got out of his crate, grabbed his ball, and quietly waited for me to let everyone out. We will have to see if this becomes a habit, but so far, I like what I’m seeing!

It’s funny that with these two dogs, Cooper and Otis, I had just accepted their quirks about the back of the truck and gave into letting them ride in the front for over a year (or more). Once I set my mind to making a change, it hasn’t been that hard!

Next up is Achilles. He is gladly launching into the back seat now, which is a huge improvement from me trying to shove his 160lbs in there against his will. At this point he is a little too comfortable with the back seat. As soon as I am confident Cooper is comfortable with the new routine, and Otis is more settled, I will start working on Achilles. In the meantime, he makes sure to let me know he is there!

ballwalkpark’s 3rd birthday!!!

Three years ago today was my first day of ballwalkpark!

I want to give a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who has believed in, supported, and shared your pups with ballwalkpark. I love this business, I have the most amazing employee, Nancy, the most amazing clients and of course, the most amazing dogs. I can’t believe how fortunate I am to have all of these people and dogs in my life. Thank you to all of you who have grown with me over the years and patiently taught me how to run this business better. I have learned so much from my clients and their dogs, and am lucky enough to call many of them great friends and some have even become family.

Several times a week, I can’t believe that this is really my job. I used to be the person that would beg to come over and meet a friend’s new puppy, now people I don’t even know call me and pay me to come play with their dogs!

Even after the worst days, I can’t help but laugh. When I tell my fiance about my day and tell him I got pushed down in a mud puddle, tripped, bit and had to clean up puke out of the front seat and diarrhea out of the back of the truck, I can’t help but laugh. After a hot shower and a good dinner, I have totally forgotten about the day and am ready to see the pups again in the morning. It feels so good to wake up and want to go to work every day!

The absolute best thing that I have experienced in this business is gaining the trust of my clients. There is no greater compliment than when I ask my clients if I can take their dog somewhere or do something and the response is “whatever you want, I trust you”. Even more than that, being trusted to take a pup to the dog park. I know that Nancy and I love these dogs and truly do treat them the same (if not sometimes better!) than our own dogs, but for our clients to know and believe that means so much to us. Watching these pups grow up, learn new tricks, and develop a bond with the pack is such a rewarding way to spend the day.

When I started dog walking three years ago, there were about 20% of the dog walking businesses that there are now. Back then, dog walkers had a reputation of being weird, fanny pack wearing, socially awkward with a manly voice (which was never really true to begin with, but the stereotype was definitely there). I have consciously reminded myself to brush my hair, occasionally lint roll the dog hair, put on clean clothes even if they are going to get immediately dirty again. In many ways I have resisted letting myself be the stereotypical dog walker (and will continue to!) but I admit that I have really adopted certain parts of the dog walker lifestyle. Here is what 3 years of ballwalkpark has done to me:

• I always speak for myself and the dogs, even when I am alone, (i.e. can you hold the door for us?). People must think I have an imaginary friend.
• Every coat pocket has treats and poop bags, if the pocket hasn’t been chewed out yet
• I can pick up a poop, kick a ball, and tell a dog to stop humping, simultaneously, all while on auto-pilot
• I know every single back street route between Queen Anne and Magnuson park
• I make the weird dog walker sounds at the park. I don’t know why or how this happened, but it has. Anything to get those dogs to follow me!
• I am able to identify each of my dogs by their bark and their poop
• My natural reaction upon walking in a dog owner’s house is to drop on the floor and play with the dog
• I should own stock in Lululemon and laundry detergent
• I have over 30,000 dog pictures. My computer has crashed numerous times. My external hardrives are full.

Three years feels good. I feel confident while still challenged. I am so grateful for all of you who have helped me get to this point, your support has meant the world to me. I don’t know exactly what the next three years will look like, but I have some ideas I am pretty excited about. Stay tuned!

Rowdy sibling walk

Bailey and Otis are basically brother and sister, they have spent more time together than apart in the last 3 years. They stay at each other’s houses, spend holidays together and go on vacation together. They had me cracking up on our walk this morning.

Bailey and Otis went on a nice foggy walk in Volunteer park this morning

And Bailey pulled out a trick she hasn’t used in over 7 years – biting and jumping at the leash like an unruly puppy

She was very proud of herself

I decided it was time for a little romp in the park

The pups are rowdy this morning!

Bailey and Otis take it upon themselves to uphold the leash law

These two fight like the brother and sister that they are

Nice teamwork!

New Years Resolution: Battle of Achilles

Well today was interesting in terms of my back of the truck goal.

As we were about to leave the park I took Achilles out by himself, on leash, to try and coax him into the truck with a piece of chicken. I had set the treat pocket thing on the tailgate on the other side of me. He would get half way up and then back down again. When he was backing down, he swiped the treat pocket.

Normally I would just grab it back, but this is the 160lb Great Dane who swallows tennis balls whole. I really didn’t want him to swallow the entire (full) treat pocket.

Resourceful thinking kicked in and I grabbed a cookie a client had given me earlier in the day from my dashboard. I broke up the cookie and put it on the ground and luckily Achilles chose the cookie and coughed up the treat pocket. 

After this small victory, Achilles was a little too excited to jump in the backseat and ended up catching his leg on something and falling back out which totally freaked him out. From there on it was like trying to tame a bucking bronco. Needless to say, today was not Achilles’ day for the back of the truck.

On the other hand, Cooper was a rockstar and rode to and from the park in the back of the truck! He was not totally convinced about this idea, but he was a really good sport. I gave him treats every time we stopped and he didn’t even charge when I opened the gate to let Miles in. Good boy, Coop!

New Years Resolution: week 1

Casual Friday…. Back to resolution training on Monday.

New Years Resolution part 3: one way ticket

I just absentmindedly deleted my picture evidence, so you are just going to have to trust me on this one: Cooper rode to the park in the back of the truck and Achilles rode home in the back!

Cooper was not at all interested at first, so I put him back inside and drove around the block. I was hoping that theory about dogs not having a sense of time would work on my side and he would think he missed out on his park trip. When I came back 2 minutes later, he still wasn’t terribly excited about the truck, but a running start did the trick and we were off to pick up Miles. He actually seemed pretty happy back there with Miles and Bonita, not anxious at all. He didn’t even try to linebacker charge me when I let Miles in.

Achilles was totally under the trance of the magic cheese and didn’t even realize he was jumping in the truck until it was too late. He was not stoked about being back there but hopefully the magic cheese will bring him back there tomorrow.

I am very proud of both of these guys!
If you didn’t watch Cooper’s video yesterday, you should go watch it now!

New Years Resolution Part 2: Cooper

If this isn’t the highlight of your day, I can’t imagine what is. A HUGE thank you to Nancy’s wonderful husband, John Holm, for his video editing skills and excellent song choice. The video I sent him was about 10% as cool as what he made it.

So, as illustrated by this video, Cooper hopped right into the truck under the influence of the magic cheese/prosciutto combo. The following times were a bit tougher to convince him about, then he decided it was a good idea to convince me to get in the back while he drive, but overall I would say it was a success!

We will definitely be revisiting this exercise as he could totally plow me down as soon as he decides he doesn’t want to be in the back anymore. The goal is to convince him that the back is the place to be. Stay tuned!

New Years Resolution update 1

As a part of my New Years resolution to teach all of my park dogs to ride in the back of the truck, Achilles and I had our first lesson today.

Achilles is a 2yr old, 150lb Great Dane with a lot of spirit and a hint of a stubborn streak. He is bigger than me in size and weight and so far I’ve been happy to get him in the truck any way I can. If I try to push/pull him he throws a fit like a bucking bronco and after successfully staying on my end of the leash, we have to take a few laps to settle down before trying again.

Considering the scenario I just described is just to get him in the back seat, I thought I had my work cut out for me today. To prepare, I brought a nice selection and Trader Joe’s cheese and prosciutto. Random, but it’s easy to cut, easy on the stomach, and something I knew he couldn’t resist.

Much to my surprise, Achilles didn’t even hesitate to jump in the truck on the first try for that cheese. We practiced several times and then I turned on the truck and started closing the tailgate and letting him get comfortable with that. He decided that was as far as our lesson would go today, but I am so very proud of him!

Next step is to try the Trader Joe’s magic cheese while another dog is in the truck. I do believe there will be a day when I don’t have Dane slobber on top of my head (he rests his head on mine while I drive – endearing and gross). Stayed tuned and wish me luck!