Tag: lifestyle

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Do you love animals but can’t have a pet? This article’s for you.

by Hemant Mathy M S

When I was younger, I always wanted a pet. It’s pretty common, right? You ask your parents for a dog, or a cat, or some other animal to care for and forge a special bond with. Unfortunately, my parents never budged and I had to settle for a pet rock.

Now as an adult, I still want a pet. However, my parent’s sentiments haven’t changed either. So, I thought: If I can’t bring the dogs to me, maybe I should bring myself to the dogs.

In December 2020 I joined The Woof Agency, a highly recognised agency that works with various pet brands and petfluencers, and of course is the one that gave birth to Pawjourr and this blogsite.

I was excited, as it was a brand new opportunity for my to hone my skills and learn a thing or two, especially in an industry that I’ve never experienced before (and not to mention play with some dogs). I’ve heard about creative agencies for F&B and other retail brands, but never for pet brands.

The day before my first day, I was genuinely unsure of what to expect going in.

However, what I definitely did not expect was to be greeted by Oolong, a 3-month old Husky. I was pleasantly surprised, and suspected that there would be more doggo’s to come.

Oolong, the 3-month old Husky

I was right! With each passing day, I was introduced to my colleagues various pups. Ranging from Corgi’s, Miniature Schnauzer’s, and many more breeds, I found myself getting acquainted with how to feed, carry, and generally look after a dog to ensure they’re healthy and well behaved.

Fifi, the Miniature Schnauzer

It was a major culture shock, as I had to strike a balance between finishing my reports and compilation decks, as well as giving out treats and giving A-star belly rubs to all the puppers. It was an exhausting challenge but I was up for the task!

On most days, I would end up taking one too many breaks to just hang out with them, since having a pet in close proximity to me the whole day was such a foreign concept. Roughly 1 month into my employment here, I’m proud to say I’ve accomplished the following:

  1. Pet (5) dogs
  2. Carried (3) dogs
  3. Fed (2) dogs
  4. Cleaned up (1) dog’s poop
  5. Cleaned (1) hamster cage

What I’ve Learnt

The one lesson I’ve gained so far is that caring for a dog is no easy feat. Majority of the time owning a dog means that you’re preoccupied in making sure it doesn’t eat any questionable items off the floor, nor letting it run off into the wilderness without your knowledge.

Sure, your friends and family are going to love playing with them, but in the end you’re the one in charge of their well-being. Sometimes, the process could make you go a little crazy and even overprotective.

And if anyone is considering getting a dog, here’s my suggestion: spend the day with a friend who owns a dog, and see what the experience is like.

If you can’t handle cleaning up after them, nor able to withstand the slobber that will eventually soak your pants, maybe it’s better to admire them from a distance for the time being.

However if you CAN, then feel free to browse through the various stories written by fellow pawrents on the website to learn more about the process of getting a dog in Singapore.

If the question in your head is “should I work in a pet-friendly environment” though, then my answer (with 97% certainty) is to go for it.

Not only do you get to slowly learn how to care for a pet without having to immersive yourself completely, you can also carry it around with you as a stress reliever for meetings that should have been an email instead.

Give this article a like if you enjoyed what I had to say! Also, let me know in the comments if there’s any other topics you’d like me to talk about 🙂

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Ever tried munching on your doggo’s food? ?

Hands up if you are one of those crazy pet parents who tried their furkids’ food just to know how it tastes like ??‍♀️

Source: https://funvizeo.com/324bf80cfbd9a3c1/human-food-dog-food

Well, check out Furry’s Kitchen who recently partnered with celebrity chef Justin Quek to conceptualise a 3-course degustation meal at a pop-up restaurant called Terrier that put the brand’s home-cooked food to the ultimate taste and quality test with some of Singapore’s top food influencers.

Furry Kitchen shouldn’t be a stranger to most pet owners, given that they have been establishing a pretty active presence within the local pets community such as events & campaign with pet influencer marketing agency, The Woof Agency.

Stephen Chua, Founder of Furry’s Kitchen said: â€œThis experiment challenges the perception that food for dogs tastes unpleasant and is made with undiscernible ingredients and preservatives unfit for human consumption.

Just like how we love to indulge in a delicious meal and feed ourselves and our loved ones with only the best ingredients possible, our furry friends deserve the same and can enjoy the same quality and freshness in their diet”.

The purpose was to break down the notion that food that dogs eat is unfit for humans. Guests were blown away by the flavour profiles, quality and freshness of the ingredients, giving their stamps of approval & demanding seconds. Some even likened it to grandma’s cooking.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/embed/dCOW851K4Ck

Chef Justin Quek added: “As with any social experiment, we had to keep certain variables under wraps to ensure the most unbiased results. We wanted to know if by removing the negative perception of dog food, we would discover that human-grade food made for dogs could taste both delicious and nutritious too. 

The dishes the food influencers enjoyed have all been taste-tested and quality-checked by me personally. You have my word that I only serve my guests food that I believe in, and food that meets my standards”.

While of course there was an element of surprise, the majority of the influencers taking part in the experiment appreciated that they had not eaten dog food, just human-grade food prepared for dogs. They understood that all ingredients such as beef, salmon, brown rice, potatoes and broccoli are sourced from the same SFA-certified suppliers used by local Singaporean restaurants, promising the same quality for humans.

Benefits of HCF feat. Furry’s Kitchen

Similar to hooman, there are different diets that you can put your furkids on depending on your budget, lifestyle and personal preference. Home-cooked food (HCF) has remain as one of the top choices amongst pet owners for its:

  1. High-Quality Proteins & Fresh Ingredients

Furry’s Kitchen is about providing your dog with high-quality proteins, fresh vegetables and fruits. Their approach is similar to how we feed ourselves and our families. They call it “balance over time”, which will, over time, meet your dog’s needs if you vary the diet enough over a week or two. Feeding a wide variety of meat and vegetables give your dog the nutrition it needs.

2. No Preservatives & Additives

Only using the good parts of the animal. No by-products. They also say no to preservatives, additives and fillers. Their recipes are made by hand in small batches and gently cooked to retain their nutritional value. They only source our ingredients from the same suppliers who supply to restaurants in Singapore, the same quality fit for humans.

3. Nutritional Needs

Nothing gives more flavour and health benefits than fresh and quality ingredients. A diet full of high quality, fresh, minimally processes ingredients help to support the immune system and all other body functions essential for everyday health. Without it, your dog will be more susceptible to disease. They also retain a lot more nutritious value compared to processed foods.

HERE’S OUR TAKE:

At the end of the day, there are pros and cons to different diet and pet owners should do proper research (not just on the nutritional value) but also to take into consideration your lifestyle and budget — e.g. it can get pricey if you are a multi-dog household or owns a large breed who eats a lot more than your small dogs.

You can also check out some articles to learn more about HCF from our resident doggo owners here.

Last but not least, check out Furry’s Kitchen influencers #approved goodies here!

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Guide to bringing your dog to Sentosa

As boring as Singapore may be, we are lucky to be able to enjoy free access to Sentosa beaches till the end of the year!

1. Booking a slot & getting there

If you’re bringing your dog along, you can book a slot at Tanjong Beach and choose either Zone 1 or Zone 2. For us, we prefer the Zone 1 area as there is more space for off-leash zoomies! You will have to choose between an AM or PM slot as well.

Things to bring:

  1. Bathing supplies for your doggo (shampoo, towel, SPARE TOWEL)
  2. A ground mat plus enough items to weigh down the sides
  3. Extra disposable sheet for your doggo to rest on, because they can get very dirty (optional)
  4. Water and treats
  5. Extra hooman to carry all the belongings while you handle your dog ?
Map to TBC
Tanjong Beach Club Directions

Park right outside Tanjong Beach Club and you can easily walk to Tanjong Beach in just a few minutes. Don’t forget to watch out for oncoming bikes while bringing your dog to the beach area!

If you did not book a slot, you may not be able to access the beach if they are filled! You can always try your luck at the counter outside the beach but that’s subjected to availability on the day itself. I suggest booking at least 3 days in advance to secure a time slot.

2. Unleash the zoomies!

Only unleash your dogs if you are confident of their outdoor recall with distractions. There have been cases of dogs going missing at Sentosa without a leash. Don’t forget to put on your dog’s ID tag as well!

Things to note:

  1. Not all dogs you meet at the beach is friendly, always be ready to mediate a fight
  2. There will be many children at the beach, if your dog is not 100% friendly with kids, keep a safe distance and politely tell them to give your dog some space if they intend to approach, you do not want to risk anything
  3. Do not let your dog eat sand! Check out the article written by Taro
  4. There may be some trash lying around the shore, make sure that your dog does not ingest them
  5. Don’t forget to drink up
  6. If your dog is extremely food-motivated, ensure that they do not snoop around other beach go-ers bags! (#guilty)

It is crucial to keep a safe distance from other beach go-ers. There are designated spots for different groups of beach goe-ers to lay their mats. You will be asked to leave the beach if you do not comply. Keep your masks on at all times unless you are heading for a swim as well.

Once your dog gets wet, you can only expect him to get even dirtier with all the sand and dirt getting trapped on his fur, especially for thick-coated dogs. If you leave your pet’s harness or collar on while they are swimming, you may possibly expect them to get some abrasion a few hours later.

Meet your trusted furriend which your pet can get along with and have crazy zoomies together!

3. Time to clean up

There is an outdoor bathing point outside the beach, next to the public toilet at the carpark. It has been implied as a washing point for dogs already. You will be required to exit the beach area and remove your tag after leaving the beach.

Here’s where your bathing supplies and extra hooman will come to use. The wash point is pretty small and there are two working water taps. Get your extra hooman to help push the tap while the main handler shampoo the dog. Definitely not easy, but it could at least get rid of most of the sand trapped in your dog’s fur. I would recommend having a proper bath once you reach home.

Thick-coated dogs may not dry in time before heading back home and that’s where your extra towel comes to use. Lay it out in your car and let your doggo have a good sleep while you are all sweaty and dirty, chauffeuring your little king home.

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My dog is not my child, She’s my EQUAL

Photo Credit @fambam_sg

The human-dog relationship is perhaps the hardest to define in the 21st century. It’s so contentious and filled with so much noise that we don’t even know what to believe anymore.⁠ I get it that we want to be progressive and not think of our dogs as property hence we don’t want to be called an owner. I get it that we want to acknowledge our dogs as living, sentient beings.

I grew up with dogs and never once we treated them like property. But we did respect how they are wired. We recognised that they have needs different from us, humans.⁠

In recent times, I cringe inside when people refer Lady-Mae as my child. Or, if they refer to me as her Ma-ma. If you’re very observant, you’ll see my eyes doing a squint.⁠ ⁠I struggle with this definition a lot because to be seen as a parent and child relationship is almost as if I’m saying that she’s helpless and that she doesn’t know anything.

I struggle with it because firstly, the dog is only helpless from birth to week 5. By the time most dogs are in homes at 8 weeks old, they already know a lot about being a dog. Their mothers have taught them what it means to be a good dog. How hierarchy in a pack works and how they should behave.

When we think about a dog as a child, we end up having misconceptions of the dog world or can have unrealistic expectations.⁠ For me, Lady-Mae is my cross-species friend. Lady-Mae is my equal.

We are on an exchange programme for the duration of her life. I teach her things about the human world. In return, she teaches me things about the dog and the natural world.⁠⁠

The reason why we need to provide our dogs direction and guidance (leadership) is because they will respond in the way they are wired – the dog way. In order for them to learn appropriate behaviours that will suit our human world, it’s our responsibility as their handlers to teach them. In exchange, they give us insight into the natural world like how their view of dominance isn’t how we know it to be in ours.

Dogs live in a highly structured society. In a pack, there’s always a leader. Their leader is a calm and confident dog. Fairness is something that doesn’t apply to dog because they have no concept of favourites. Every dog within a pack knows where they stand and what they must do. E.g. the higher ranking dogs in a pack always eats first followed by the middle of the pack dogs and finally the followers. The reason why we can have a few high ranking dogs together is because they respect each other’s ability to lead and they give way to one another. There isn’t such a thing as ego in a dog. All these problems are a result of us, their humans.

Puppies know that if they misbehave, the older dogs within their pack will discipline them. That’s how they learn social skills. So, it’s highly inaccurate to say that our dogs are helpless. They know a lot more than we do about the dog world by the time they come to live with us. Our responsibility is to continue that education that their mothers began so that they will grow up to the be dog that they were born to be.

I find that when we define our dogs as our children, we place upon them the burden to fulfil some of our emotional needs that our dogs will never be able to replace. Also, we then begin to see tools that we can use for training as needs. E.g. Food, Toys, Affection. When we treat our dogs like children and provide these as a need instead of something that they have to earn, we end up with behaviour problem dogs.

We then forget that the leash is an extension of us and we tend to see our collars and leashes as accessories. The collar and the leash are powerful tools for us to help our dogs navigate our human world successfully.

Also, how can we explain why this same species is also trained to be protection, service, medical alert, bomb explosive detection, search and rescue etc dogs? I find this disparity baffling that just because my dog is a pet dog so it’s a kid? And all the other working dogs out there aren’t?⁠⁠

Why are we so much more ready to be a parent to a dog than to another human being? Is it because the dog is able to validate our need for significance that we disguise it as unconditional love? Is it because the dog is forever so-called dependent on us vs kids will grow to be independent?⁠⁠

Or is it that our misplaced hearts yearns for unconditional acceptance and that we’ve chosen Man’s Best Friend to do the job because they instinctually will return to us their love and devotion.

⁠⁠How did we end up being so messed up about nature? I don’t have answers. But here’s how I see the human-dog relationship.

Lady-Mae and I are like salt in each other’s lives. If you go out to buy an excellent piece of steak, you’ll come home and season the steak with salt. A good chef would not add pepper to the steak because pepper doesn’t bring out the flavours already present in that piece of meat. Pepper ADDS to the flavour. Salt, on the other hand, DRAWS out the flavours that are already present. This is why we pay so much for dry aged meat. It’s the work of salt in the meat being air dried over a period of time.

Similarly, in our human-dog relationship, we cannot change our dogs to be humans. Neither can we be dogs. If we use the same understanding we have about salt and steaks, we know that we can be like salt. We can be agents to help our dogs thrive in our complex human world by drawing out the best of them. Similarly, our dogs too, draw out the best of what’s already present in us.

And, this is how we’re Equals.⁠

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How to plan a pet-friendly wedding in Singapore

So I officially got married on 17 October!

If you live in Singapore, you would know that we are not exactly the best when it comes to available pet-friendly venues. As a crazy #dogmum, I wanted Milky to be part of this important milestone since he is part of our family.

1. DECIDE ON A VENUE

Open Farm Community has a lawn for couple to walk down during the ceremony

For us, it was pretty clear that Open Farm Community would be one of our top choice since we have been there before with Milky. We love the food, the servers were really nice to Milky and simply put, we like the place.

It was also an easy choice since we don’t have too much options out there, especially since Milky is considered a large dog and most places (even pet-friendly ones) are not excited about bigger doggo 🙁

Some Important things to check also include:

  • Where can your dog sit / be at during dinner?
  • Would it be too warm, especially for double-coated dogs?

We spoke to the wedding coordinator from Open Farm and confirmed that there will be 4 portable air-con units placed around the dining area (even though it’s outdoor).

TDLR; Visit the restaurant with your dog & see if you vibe with the place.

2. MAKE SURE YOUR GUESTS ARE OKAY WITH DOGS

Milky & Tay waiting at the end of the lawn

We created a Facebook event and invited our guests from there – we made it very clear that Milky will be present on the day and if anyone is uncomfortable, they would (unfortunately) have to un-invite themselves since we weren’t budging on anything lesser.

3. ON-THE-DAY LOGISTICS

Thank you @furriesferry!

(a) Transportation

We knew that it was going to be a super hectic day, so we arranged for Furries Ferry to transport Milky to & fro from the venue. Andrea & team were super friendly and responsive via Whatsapp – highly recommend their service!

Between Hillview <> Open Farm Community, we paid $30 in total for both trips.

(b) Person-in-charge

Assign one of your friend to be the person-in-charge of taking care of the dog. You and your partner are going to be super busy on that day, so it’s important someone is there to take care of your furkid (especially if s(he) is a big dog and needs a bit of space)!

You will need to entertain your guests & making sure everyone is still enjoying themselves, so be sure there’s someone who can help you on that.

(c) Don’t forget food and toilet break

Don’t forget his food! When we were eating, Milky was drooling on the side (even though he had his meal earlier that day). We also brought him out for his twice-a-day walks but still got someone to walk him around every now and then as he doesn’t like to be leashed up.

Also make sure that your dog is good with strangers, loud noises / crowd and always has a bowl of water to quench his/her thirst.

For Milky, we made sure that there are portable air-cons around so that he doesn’t feel too warm.

Henlo, it’s time for belly rubs

4. HAVE LOTS OF FUN

Have lots of fun! It can be a little tough to coordinate around, especially if your dog is large and you cannot just pop them on your leg and carry them around.

But it’s all worth it – I’m not sure if Milky had as much fun as us hee hee, but he sure looks happy in all the photos!

Henlo, I’m Milky and I’m a good boy
Milky getting all the attention from everyone
Milky posing like the supermodel he is
Milky tired liao + 80% drunk husbando

Hope this article has been helpful for anyone thinking to host your wedding with your furkids! x

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How having a dog changed my life.

Processed with VSCO with p5 preset

It’s…. officially 9 months 5 days since I had my first dog, and it’s been a helluva ride for me. Well, do not mistake me when I say that. This helluva ride kinda changed my lifestyle, my habits for the better, though twenty percent of the time, I had my eyeballs rolled after every mess my dearest pup made:)


TIME AND COMMITMENT

My fiancĂŠ and I decided to get a dog as we were living in the same house and working in the same company. COMMITMENT, I would say is the distinguishing factor whether or not, you should, or SHOULD NOT have a dog. Living with a puppy is honestly underrated and definitely incomparable, to taking care of a baby as many would say.
We were really blessed to have flexible working hours to deal with the puppy period as the first few weeks of your life with them, is gonna be disastrous.

You cant get mad at this puppy face isnt it.
  • Meals

Prepping their meal isn’t as simple as what many thought it would be and to further clarify this misconception, it definitely isn’t just scooping a cup of kibbles and expecting them to feed on it for all of their meals, their entire life. Every individual puppy is different and do keep in mind that their body changes and reacts to different types of food as they grow.

We did have had quite an experience with my sheltie’s meal since he was a puppy.
From raw to kibbles, to freeze-dried, to raw again and then to home-cooked.
Was indeed a stressful process I would admit. HEH!

They could be receptive to raw at first but allergies could kick in after.
They could be receptive to kibbles at first but decided to be picky after.

The list continues and to sum it up, every type of food, be it commercial food, home-cooked, raw … etc, they each have their own benefits but it boils down ultimately to how your puppy reacts to each type of food and the commitment of every dog owner to formulate the meals of their pups accordingly so they can eventually live a long and healthy life.

  • Daily walks / Dog runs / Cafes

Oh.. daily walks. Some people lament the need to walk their dogs daily and soon after, they no longer walk their dogs anymore.

This is when commitment kicks in as walks are what your pups look forward to every day where they can run wild, play at dog runs, or even just a 45mins walk outside wherever. Pretty similar to the kind of break we look forward to after staying at home the entire day.

Walking them daily exposes them to different environments instead of being a country bumpkin. Some puppies react very much as they were not exposed to cars, people jogging, the sounds of the birds chirping …etc when they are young and become fearful as they age and these certainly are not fears that could be eliminated overnight. This is only just an example of my experience having a sheltie, however, there could be other problems owner faces depending on the breed of their dog.

Commitment to walk them daily eliminates bad behaviour and is a good form of exercise to correct them of their bad habits and to develop a healthier relationship between you and your pups:)

Let them have their fair share of playtime too. Cafes are really heaven for them.

  • Trainings

Obedience training, focus training, toilet training, or whatsoever training you have enrolled yourself and your pups into, please do not give up halfway as these are the essentials and know-hows which will definitely be useful to you and your pups. All in all, don’t get one if you cant commit and don’t resent them if they were to pee on your couch or your bed or your favourite cushion in the future. #JUSTSAYING

  • Showers

Be sure to shower them weekly / twice a week to keep them clean. You don’t want bugs or fleas up their fur. As my sheltie has dry skin issues, he has to be showered weekly with medicated shampoo. The process is really tiresome but you get a puffy, pleasant smelling, and happy puff at the end of the day.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND SACRIFICES

Waking up at several intervals during the night to clear his poop was a test for us. Both me and my fiancĂŠ struggled so much as we were logs before we had him. Puppies poop like there’s no tomorrow, and just so you know, they eat their own poop like it’s the best dessert they ever had. And yes, this is gonna be repetitive for the first few weeks. Ingesting too much poop is definitely not healthy for them in the long run and it could become a habit which would be hard to correct in the future.

It was madness for us at night and we were soulless in the day when we headed for work. But seeing how much he has grown and learned when and where not to poop, we know the sacrifices were not wasted.

As it’s only just me, my fiancĂŠ, and my pups living together, we could barely head out for a long period of time. Well, not until hapsie is an adult. heheh.
Staycations were also a no for us, temporarily. Covid’s here anyway.

HOW IT EVENTUALLY CHANGED MY LIFESTYLE

Having our own personal time has became a bonus for us.
Without a dog, you can travel whenever you want to, enjoying impromptu plans with friends and families, spending some time chilling while watching Netflix, popping chips into your mouth.

But when you have one….. you have to feed him on time, spend time walking him, playing with him, teaching and training him. Your energy will be drained by the time the sunsets. Zero time for dating or even just mere chilling. Times where we left him at the groom for about an hour or so, was the only personal time we had to have a cup of coffee, to lay back and chill for a bit. We even had to drop him off at our parent’s place occasionally to attend meetings/appointments and only fetch him when our day ends.

Waking up early has become a habit as we had to feed him. We use to be logs who only wakes up in noon. Now our body clock has changed.
Weekends have also been busier than before as we’ll bring him out to cafes, dog runs to meet his siblings and friends as weekdays were only walks and journey to the office together. Chilling and lazing on a weekend has become a once in a while event. It did change my lifestyle to a healthier one and I’m thankful for this change. 9 months into having a dog and I’m enjoying every second of it. Looking forward to having him celebrate the different milestones I’ll be achieving in the future and I’m really grateful for the change he has brought upon us.

—

Ah, not forgetting the twenty percent of the mess I mentioned earlier, its nothing more than having holes in your favourite shirt, clean socks which are soaking wet, strings in your pants shredded, and tissue paper pieces all over your floor 🙂 But don’t worry, after all the mess that’s been made, you’ll be sure to see their most innocent, brightest smile which you can never get mad at 🙂

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Why My Dog Loves Going to School

Processed with VSCO with hb1 preset

“Your dog goes to school?!”

I get that question a lot and I’m proud to say yes, he does! And he enjoys school more than any other human kid!

Why?

Because his school, which is called Doggie Retreat, doesn’t do typical boring school stuff where they simply learn. The doggos there actually have fun and have the best time of their lives.

So what is it about Doggie Retreat that Chandler loves?

GETTING PICKED UP BY THE DOGGIE SCHOOL BUS

On mornings when he’s going to school, he gets extra excited. The moment he sees me prepare his lunchbox, he knows it’s a school day and he gets himself all prepped up.

And when he sees the school bus, it’s as if I don’t exist anymore!

MEETING HIS FURIENDS

Just like us humans, they also have their own circle of friends in school. I just love seeing how his social life is thriving! Haha.

HE IS THE SELF-ELECTED CLASS PRESIDENT

I pack treats and food for him in his lunchbox and as it turns out, he shares them with his classmates! Because of this, I keep on saying that he looks like the Class President! Haha.

WALKIES

Chandler gets overly excited and tends to bark a lot when I walk him, but when he’s with Doggie Retreat, he doesn’t only cooperate, he can even go on pack walkies!

And most importantly, he’s happy!

BEACH TRIPS

It’s like a school field trip whenever they go to the beach. I love seeing Chandler’s and all the doggos’ smiles whenever they’re there. Needless to say, it seems like these doggos are living better lives than their pawrents who are working hard while they enjoy the beach!

THE BARKDAY PAWTIES

Yup, you’ve read that right. They celebrate the doggos’ birthday parties – with cake, party hats, and all!

THE STAFF IS LIKE FAMILY

As a pawrent, I know trusting other people with our furkids could be challenging. But time and time again, I’ve seen how the Doggie Retreat staff is more than just mere people who look after him. They’re family. They shower him with love and care as if Chandler is their own dog. That’s why I trust them wholeheartedly whenever Chandler is under their care.

Choosing to send Chandler toDoggie Retreat school is one of the best decisions I’ve made as a pawrent. It’s not just a matter of him having a place to stay or having company while we’re at work or on a holiday. It’s him being happy and having a great time. And now you can see why.

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Tips when you’re considering getting a second dog

Disclaimer: I am not a professional. This article is written based on personal experience and what I wish I knew before getting a second dog.

Let’s break this down for you, there are essentially four parts – Living with two dogs: the advantages, What to think about before getting another dog, Introducing the dogs, What does the dog owner need to do.

Are you spending your life with a dog and are you about to get a second one? It’s the best decision ever, both for you and for both dogs. Of course, adding a new pet into the family can be easier said than done, but you just need to find a way for the two dogs to live in the same house together. Here are our tips!

Living with two dogs – the advantages

Why is two better than one? Having another dog will bring an extra dimension to your life – first of all, two dogs keep each other company when you’re out, they can play and do activities that we humans are not able to appreciate and they can communicate objectively in their own language.

But for us, too, it means getting twice as much affection and making a lot of laughter.

Left: Bella (9 month old) , Right: Snowy (25 month old)
What to think about before getting another dog

At first, a new arrival might cause a bit of trouble with the dog you already have, so it’s really important to take a few things into account:

1) GENDER

Let’s assume that you’re having a opposite gender dog to the one you already have; that way, you will have to prevent certain issues. Make sure you spay them, otherwise you’re not going to end up with two litters of puppies every year. Two females generally get along well, but watch out for short tempers when they’re on heat.

2) AGE

Don’t bring a puppy into a home with an older dog as the pup will be bursting with energy, wanting to play just when the older dog wants to rest and be left alone. Instead, it’s the best to adopt a puppy if you have an adult dog (or another puppy of the same age) to avoid them competing over toys.

Tug-o-war

3) BREED

Some breeds are more territorial and possessive, while others are more ready to accept control or instruction and tend not to create conflict. The first sort would find it very difficult to share their rooms, toys and owners with another dog, and would really not welcome the arrival of a second dog. Its better to get a new set of things for your new pet.

Introducing the dogs

Before bringing the new dog home, it’s always a good idea to let them meet in a “neutral” place that neither of them knows, such as a park. This is going to give the two pets some time to get to know each other to peacefully play. When going home, the first dog won’t feel threatened or lose its place. The human has to make sure the new arrival doesn’t upset our first pet.

What does the dog owner need to do

Make sure to keep paying the same attention to your first pet as before, so that it doesn’t feel suspicious; if the two dogs fight, don’t pay more attention to the little one just because it’s more vulnerable, or yell at the older one, or they feel like they’re losing their place as the pack leader.

Another tip is to pay attention to the small everyday things that are really important to Rover.


For example, when you get home from work, greet the older dog first; or if you get out of the car, let the older dog first. At feeding time, keep the bowls separate but serve them at the same time, otherwise there’s bound to be trouble!

Milk time !
Bella bite broken every toys.
Bella’s paw on Snowy’s face

It really doesn’t take much to get two dogs to live happily in the same house.

What strategies did you use? Let us know in the comment below or dm us on our Instagram @snowyxbella , or what are the topics you would like us to share! 🙂

Example – Dog-friendly (cafes, restaurants, hotels, daycare, services, fun places) , Organised for a doggie pawty, Training, Dog parks, Life (tips – photos, recipes – how to dehyrate treats), Shop pet suppliers (accessories, shops on stores/online/instagrams), etc…

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Community Stories

The No Sweat Meal Prep for Busy Dog-moms

Disclaimer: I am neither a professional nutritionist nor a vet. This article is written solely based on personal experience and what I wish I knew when I first got Ori.

Time for pictures > Time for cooking

If you are like me and tired of cooking the same food over and over and over again, then this article is for you. I used to cook enough for 2 meals each day and it got tedious. First, I could not vary his proteins much (Erm, how much variety of meat can you find in our local supermarkets?). Second, what a waste when I buy offals and throw away the bulk of it because Ori should only have 5% of such proteins. Third, it got boring.

I chanced upon @aki_no_kumo’s food preparation one day and I knew then that that was what I wanted to do for Ori. It’s been working well for two months now and I hope that this little tip will help you as well.

Part 1: The nutrients dogs need

I found most of my information on DogAware.com but also chanced upon information from @thelazygoldiemax (who has nicely summed everything up in this article: Home-Cooked Food – Facts and Myths). Truffleruffel also wrote a fantastic article on a Beginner’s Guide to Home-Cooked Food so do check those links out.

In general, dogs require 2-3% of their body weight in food every day and with no thanks to my post-graduation-not-really-functional-brain, I armed myself with my trusty phone calculator and headed down to my nearest supermarket. 

Love how easy meal prep becomes with these babies!

Oh, I should mention that these silicon food containers are life savers. Each compartment has a capacity of 100ml (perfect for each meal for my 9.5kg furkid). Do also note that the weight of raw food =/= cooked food so you’ll have to account for that when shopping. Since I mix kibbles with HCF, this was not so important for me as I can top up the balance with kibbles.

Part 2: Ingredients

I like ingredients that are readily-available in our local supermarkets. If you’re looking to vary your proteins, there are many online suppliers that can provide others such as lamb, crocodile, kangaroo, yada yada yada.

Again, check out the links above for ingredient ideas!

* You do not have to include everything in this list all the time. I mix the portions up and exlude/include items each week depending on my mood. 

Part 3: Getting to work

Your job will be 10x easier if you have a meat grinder, which sadly, I don’t, so a pair of food-grade scissors are now my best friend. I like to cut everything in as small a piece as my patience can manage just so they’re easier to contain.

Throw in all the meats and turn on the gas for a good steam. Remember to stir it occasionally. 

While waiting, I cut the vegetables. A blender will save your life, but since mine is spoilt, I use this opportunity to practice working my fine motor skills and chop everything up instead.

Got these cutting boards from Modori because how can anyone resist its look?

Put the chopped/blended vegetables in bowl in the fridge and wait for the meat to be ready. 

Part 4: It’s ready!

All you need to do is to partition and contain the meat into the different silicon boxes.

I prefer adding some vegetables to top it off but you can always vary portion sizes to suit your dog’s needs (e.g. 1 container for meat, another for vegetables; half for meat, half for vegetables). The key is, it should be something that works for you. 

Add the remaining soup and top it up with water to form a perfect cube. Freeze your food prep and it is now ready to go!

Part 5: The yum yum in their tum tums

Defrost one portion overnight (it helps, trust me) and simply add hot water to mix it all up before serving. Reheating vegetables releases nitrates, and ingesting anything high in nitrates increase the chance of developing cancer, which is why I don’t cook the vegetables first. I was not able to find the original study I read this and am unable to provide the link here. This is when I add Ori’s supplements (e.g. Coconut oil, rosehip powder, egg shell powder) as well as his portion of kibbles. 

And voila! One happy pupper and a happier hooman who no longer needs to cook each and every day. 

Do leave a comment or drop me a PM over at @orithespitz if you have any queries!

P.S. I store other canned/packaged food too and I use them to take cooking breaks in between cycles. Can’t be cooking a week’s worth of food on days when I reach home late, can I?

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Community Stories

Why do we use e-collar on Porkchop

In our previous article, we mentioned about the arduous journey that we took to tackle Porkchop’s excessive barking. We tried various methods and finally settled on using e-collars. With all the commotion going around about e-collar bans, we thought that this would be a good time to share our reasons on why we continued using the e-collar and our experience using it as part of the training. (we said part because you will know when you read more below)

Just to be very clear, the e-collar that we used was the mini Educator and this article will be referencing this tool only. You can check out the link here for product specifics. We do not support any other brands as we do not have any experience using them. We also don’t want to provide a blanket statement that all e-collars are harmful. From our experience the mini Educator works for us.

It is not painful.

The mini Educator does not electrocute your dog like a criminal. It delivers a tapping sensation similar to vibration but more intense. More intense like how? Well the best way to gauge this was to try it for yourself.

When we first got introduced to it we had a face to face meet up with our trainer who let us try on the collar first hand and we did not feel any pain. It was uncomfortable yes, but not painful. It did not cause our skin to itch or make us jump. The key thing here that our trainer did was to help us understand the tool, what it is, how it works before you get into it. He educated us to make sure that we understood this is a tool to help us say no to Porkchop in an annoying way and that the e-collar brand that we were getting was equally important. Don’t go around buying cheap $10 ones because that would be a whole different story.

The critical point here is to manage the intensity. With the mini Educator, we are able to control a huge range of intensities. However, we are taught to manage the levels according to Porkchop’s state of excitement and reaction. The idea here is not to make him jump or squeal. Just a slight irritation for him is enough to get him to understand or remind him.

It is consistent.

When we read up more on dog training and got ourselves educated, we realized that one key thing to success was consistency. We had to make sure that our actions and our training were always the same so that Porkchop got it. After understanding how the Educator works, we used the Educator to help us to achieve this.

One of the main difference we found when we were trying leash correction vs mini Educator was that the leash correction was highly dependent on us executing it correctly without going over the line and hurting Porkchop, but yet managing to provide the correction effect that we wanted him to have. That brought out a lot of trial and error on our part because we didn’t know what level of leash correction he needed in which situations which meant that our efforts were very inconsistent. The leash techniques varied from person to person which also added to the inconsistency.

With the Educator, it was really clear for him and us. If we needed to correct the behaviour, we tapped and it was the same consistent stimulation throughout. If the situation was more distracting or he did not respond, we tapped at a higher intensity. It allowed us to change and adapt to situations easily, providing a consistent way to say no.

It allows us to capture timings accurately.

Like any form of dog training, the important part of correction is to catch the behavior at that instant and correct it. For us, it was difficult to capture the barking behaviour at home because we were not always beside him or near enough to correct. By the time we went over to correct, the timing was gone and he was unable to comprehend the reason for the correction. What we needed was a tool that could help us to capture that moment quickly. When he barks, we tap straightaway and he stops because he knows he is not allowed to bark. With this consistency and accuracy, he is now less sensitive to strangers outside the door and does not bark at them much anymore.

It works for us.

From our previous article, we mentioned about excessive and attention barking which was one of the key issues we had when we first got Porkchop. Honestly as first time pawrents we started off with zero knowledge of how to train him and we thought that reward based training would suffice, since he did follow and managed to learn sit and stay at home through this training method. Well, it works. To some extent.

It became a different story when we brought him out to dog parks or walks. He didn’t have any food drive and was not responding even when we brought his favourite treat to get him to listen. He did not come when we called him and just ran off because other dogs were more interesting than us. Besides the excessive barking which made the whole family wakes up at 4am in the morning, he also had really bad leash pulling issues. It always felt like he was walking us whenever we brought him out on walks because he was just so excited and stimulated by the surroundings and wanted to rush off everywhere.

We needed an effective way to say no.

After we got the Educator, we used it as a tool to tell him no. When he pulled us on walks, we tapped to say “hey, that’s not right” and he came back immediately. We then added this training with reward based training. When he obeyed and came back, we praised him, gave him our pat of love and rewarded him with a treat.

See what we did here? We did not just tell him no. We also rewarded him to tell him yes. This was what we meant by part of the training – we did not discount reward based training and only stuck with the Educator. What we learnt was to use a hybrid of training methods so that Porkchop knows very clearly what’s yes and what’s no. It works for us. It is a case of negative reinforcement used in conjunction with positive reinforcement. These two methods work brilliantly hand in hand for us.

Our stance.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CE5OgvOpMKJ/

Having a dog is like having a child. You care for them, you train them, you love them and you want to keep them safe. There are many ways to do this and it’s up to the parents to make decisions based on what works for their child. You can’t tell every child that you will buy them an iPad if they do well in exams every year. It might work for some children but it might not work for others. (Some might even just be happy with a lollipop)

In all honesty, we did face backlash from our family when we first started using the Educator. Everyone felt it was inhumane, thought that it sent shocks into Porkchop’s body, he looked pitiful etc etc. However, we then educated (no pun intended) our family by letting them try the Educator on themselves and also taught them how to use it when we were not at home with Porkchop. The result was that it corrected his behavior really well and our family was impressed by how well behaved he became. Porkchop’s grandparents even started to advocate the Educator and shared with close friends his success story.

For us, we understand that every dog is different and we feel that as an owner, it is your responsibility to train your dog and make sure they are obedient. What we need is not a ban but a close look at the products in the market on a case by case basis to understand what works and what doesn’t. Next, set up an education system for owners to learn how they can use the tools correctly and accurately. If we can have lamaze class for first time parents, shouldn’t we have some form of education workshop for pawrents as well?

In short, don’t blame the tools. The pawrents who are using it should be responsible and educated to use them correctly so that they don’t anyhow.

Resources

If you would like to read up more on the mini Educator and training, check out the links below:

Ecollar demo on humans: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CB4ARLVBL4f/?igshid=1qeurohoqd2ek

Operant conditioning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUA5kCZe8nY

You can also check out Porkchop’s e-collar journey on his Instagram highlights for ‘Pork 2.0’.