Towards the end of last year our spunky little pup went from bouncing around our house to limping and spending afternoons with little play. At about 8 months old Henry was diagnosed with hip dysplasia. Our vet gave us a run-down of the diagnosis and what Henry’s life may look like from that point on. Heartbroken by this news, we hoped that Henry could still live a long and healthy life.
Fortunately, Henry’s vet felt his case was not severe and since he was healthy and young, he would likely adapt and grow just fine. We were instructed to keep Henry away from dog parks {due to potential rough play}, not allow him to run on concrete, and to start him on joint supplements. His vet said joint supplements may be the only treatment Henry would ever need. She also advised us to ensure he maintained a very healthy weight and an active lifestyle. Good thing Henry is a skinny guy to begin with.
The Back Story
Henry’s symptoms started after he had emergency surgery to remove something he should not have eaten {and would not have passed safely on its own}. Fortunately, the object did not do any internal damage and the surgery was successful. We were actually amazed at how quickly he healed. Within the week of his surgery, we noticed that Henry started limping and eventually stopped walking completely. Seeing Henry suddenly struggle was devastating.
We took him back to his vet to discuss his current state post-surgery. Even though he was limping, he wasn’t showing signs of pain when the vet examined his leg. When dogs undergo surgery, their legs are strapped open in stirrups to help keep them positioned properly. Henry’s vet felt that he was experiencing a little discomfort from the surgery due to the stirrups. His vet prescribed him an anti-inflammatory to take for a few weeks and suggested we keep his activity limited. She gave us instructions to ween him off the medicine and to check back with her in roughly four weeks.
Henry seemed to be back to himself after a few weeks, but after being weened completely from the anti-inflammatories, his limping and discomfort started coming back. Henry was due to have few teeth pulled {read more about there here} and his vet recommended he have a hip x-rays taken at the same time. Both the dental work and x-rays would require him to be under anesthesia. The x-rays ultimately confirmed that Henry was suffering from hip dysplasia.
The Treatment
After his diagnosis, his vet sent us home with a main stream brand of chewable joint supplements. As we neared the end of that bag, I began researching other options. Since I knew that Henry would likely be on joint supplements for the rest of his life, it was important to me that he was taking a high quality product. I started looking for an alternative joint supplement that had simple, easy to read ingredients.
My research led me to Doggie Dailies. Since about February of this year, Henry has been taking Doggie Dailies Advanced Hip and Joint Supplement for Dogs. Within about two weeks, my husband and I noticed a huge change in Henry’s mobility. His limp and any hesitation he had in his hips were gone. After a few months, we could not believe how much strength he gained. Our wood floors had previously been a bit of a challenge for him, but with his new found strength he was finally in total control of his movements. Henry recently had his hips x-rayed again and I can happily report his condition has not progressed at all since his diagnosis!
Doggie Dailies has had a huge impact on Henry’s life. He is happy, healthy and loves a good run around the yard. My husband and I often joke that Doggie Dailies’ supplements have help Henry sprout a new leg {just kidding of course!}. I whole heartedly recommend Doggie Dailies joint supplements to all pet owners I meet. But remember, every dog is different, so your dog’s results to Advanced Hip and Joint Supplement for Dogs may not be the same as Henry’s. Our vet told us that certain products “click” better with certain dogs. For Henry, that product has been Doggie Dailies.
A big thank you to Holly at Doggie Dailies for sending Henry a box of goodies and providing him with a discount code to share with our followers! Shop through this link or use code REDROSE15 for 15% all Doggie Dailies products.
Disclaimer: I am participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. All opinions/recommendations are my own.
About one year ago we brought home our F1b goldendoodle, Henry! He has been a handful at times, but we love having him as our dog. We saw his litter the week before we actually took him home and were not sure which puppy would be ours. I had my heart set on a girl pup, but Henry won us both over. I will always remember the day we brought him home. It is one of our most memorable moments during our 1st year of marriage. Becoming puppy paw-rents was kind of a big deal.
Rewind to our puppy planning. Around Christmas of 2017, my husband started throwing around the idea of getting a puppy. Although I had grown up with a dog, I wasn’t really sure I wanted another. Don’t get me wrong, I think dogs are great, but with our busy schedules, I wasn’t sure it would work. We had also recently renovated the majority of our house, so the thought of it being destroyed by a puppy made me cringe. That feeling didn’t last too long because soon enough I was researching puppies.
I knew that if we were going to bring a puppy into our home I wanted to be overly prepared. My research included carefully considering breed {including size, health and temperament}, crate training and house training. I even took it as far as calling local vets and training facilities to get an idea of 1st year expenses. I also asked friends and family if they could recommend any dog walkers. We are fortunate that Henry now has the best dog walker ever! She walks him every weekday and it is so comforting to know that he is getting extra love and play time.
I loosely narrowed my search down to three breeds; goldendoodles, cockapoos and wheaten terriers. We were hoping to find a medium sized dog that would not shed. We were open to both adoption and breeders, but we went down the adoption route first. I signed up for petfinder.com and joined dozens of local Facebook and Instagram groups. In the spring of 2018, we found a few great dogs that we attempted to adopt, but none worked out. Honestly, the process was a little discouraging because one of the organizations I tried to adopt through made us feel very unworthy and unfit to own a dog. We knew that was far from the truth!
As summer quickly approached, I started to lose hope and thought we would wait until the following year. My husband is a teacher, so were hoping to bring a new dog or puppy home at the start of summer vacation. One of my cousins remembered that a friend of hers had gooldendoodles that happen to be from a local LI breeder. I debated calling for a few days because I just thought a puppy wasn’t in our cards. On my way to a work event, I figured I would just try calling the breeder. I wasn’t sure if she would have any puppies available or if she was still breeding at all. To my surprise, she lived in a nearby town and expected to have puppies in need of homes by the following week. My jaw dropped! After all this time, there was a puppy 1) near by, 2) available and 3) fit our criteria. At the end of that week, we planned to meet her and her puppies. It all seemed too good to be true, so I figured that once again our puppy plans would unravel, but I was wrong.
The woman we got our dog from was very friendly and kept a tidy home despite raising puppies and a few dogs of her own. There were nine puppies in Henry’s litter. We looked at each other and immediately knew one of them was going to be ours. We decided to leave a deposit and went straight home to start getting our home ready for a puppy. To read more about our puppy planning click here and here. I cannot stress enough how important it is to prepare yourself for bringing a puppy home. It is a big commitment.
We went back to the breeder’s home on a Sunday {it was actually Father’s Day}. There were three puppies left to choose from; 2 boys and 1 girl. It took us a little while to decide, but Henry ultimately won us over. I couldn’t believe after dreaming of a girl puppy, we were taking home our little guy. I’ll never forget having him crying on my lap the whole car ride home. When we got him home, he settled into his new house very quickly.
After being home for about an hour, we knew that we needed to decide on a name for the puppy. My husband and I met while at college in the Hudson Valley. We always knew that if we were to ever get a dog her or she would be named after our school or the area. After making a list of potential names from around the campus, we narrowed down our puppy name options to Henry or Hudson. You all know which one we chose.
Now jumping into where we are today. Looking back on the last year, I can’t imagine life without a dog. There’s nothing better than waking up or coming home to a happy pup wagging his tail for you. However, it has not been easy. In fact, there were many times it has been more difficult than we expected. I grew up with a dog, but she was a fraction of Henry’s size. He is currently weighing-in at 43lbs. Most people assume he weighs 15-20lbs more than he does based on his size. When we were looking into getting a puppy, I thought 30lbs would be a good size, but I knew Henry would be bigger. Big dogs have also intimidated me a bit because I grew up with a 15lb shih-tzu. His size has definitely made some of the typical puppy traits like jumping and biting more of a challenge.
Since the day he came home, he’s been very mouthy and thinks his mouth is how he shows affection or gets attention. Honestly, this was not the behavior I expected from a goldendoodle based on everything I’ve read about the breed. We’ve tried many different approaches to correcting this problem, but none have yet to resolve the issue. I have also worked with trainers on correcting the behavior. Mouthing aside, he’s also very tall and can swipe things off our counters. He has also recently started jumping up on guests. To work on this problem, we always keep low calorie treats in our pockets and constantly ask him to “sit.” Henry knows this command, so that is where we try to focus his attention. A trainer told me that focus is actually Henry’s #1 issue – he doesn’t have any! He’s 100% still a work in progress when it comes to obedience.
In addition to a behavioral issues, Henry has had a few health concerns. Henry was diagnosed with hip dysplasia at 6 months old. Fortunately, he has responded extremely well to daily joint supplements (read more about that here). Our vet said that joint supplements could be all he needs for a long time. We will focus on keeping him at a healthy weight and active daily. His only limitations are that he is not allowed to go to dog parks (potential rough play could injure him) and he can’t run on concrete. Since taking the joint supplements, his progress has been amazing. He has become very strong and has excellent control when he turns and pivots (disclaimer: I am not a vet or an animal expert).
Henry was also diagnosed with a few dental issues early on. He didn’t show signs of pain or discomfort, but our vet kept a close eye on the development of his teeth. Without getting too much detail, Henry’s bite was off and his dental development was slow. Our regular vet actually sent us to an animal dentist who we saw for check-ups over 3 months. Henry had surgery to remove 2 adult teeth that were misplaced and a few baby teeth that were not falling out on their own. The vet also “opened up” his gum were an adult tooth was impacted which helped it drop down. Since that surgery, he’s been totally fine in the dental department. Now, I am trying to get him used to me brushing his teeth.
On the positive side, Henry took to both house and crate training really well. He hasn’t had an accident in our home since August or September. Overall, he really didn’t have many accidents. We were very focused on following a strict schedule to house train him — and it worked! He also still sleeps in his crate when we’re not home and at night. Even when we’re home, he goes in on his own to nap. Henry picks up on new commands quickly. Most recently we’ve taught him how to “catch” toys or treats and to go to his “spot” (outside bed) and his “bed” (living room bed). I am hoping by the end of this summer I can teach him how to catch a Frisbee. Overall, he’s an extremely happy, goofy pup. He loves to play, run around and snuggle once he tires himself out.
Henry requires a fair amount of exercise which includes at least 1 walk per day and play time in our yard. We also keep a variety of toys for him, including puzzles, for him to have in the house. He has a ton of thick hair, so I comb and brush him every week. The Safari brand brush and comb are my favorites for keeping his coat knot-free. If you want to keep your doodle’s coat on the longer side, it does require a fair amount of upkeep. We take him to the groomer every 6-8 weeks because his hair grows fast and it’s difficult to bathe him at home. I am really happy with our groomer! The first time I brought him in, I showed her pictures of goldendoodle cuts that I liked and a few that I did not. I always ask to keep Henry’s nose/snoot full and round, not trimmed and pointy.
Now that we have Henry, I can’t imagine having a small dog! I love Henry’s size. He is the best snuggler and fun to play with. I am so happy to be Henry’s puppy mama.
If you recently brought home a puppy or are thinking about it, be sure to follow me on Instagram, Pinterest and read my previous puppy blogs! And, if you have any questions about Henry or his training, leave them below.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. When you purchase an item through an affiliate link, I may earn a small commission. All opinions/recommendations are my own. Thank you for shopping through my links!
Welcome back! Today, I am talking must-have puppy products. I am sharing five products that we’ve bought for Henry that we can’t live without. If you’re new here, you should also read about Henry’s first day home. Before getting Henry I started a puppy wishlist on Amazon. This helped me prepare and prioritize. It was a lot easier to get carried away with puppy purchases than I thought it would be. To no surprise, I blew my mini puppy budget – whoopsie! At least I now have a bit of an excuse when Amazon orders arrive; “Oh that box? It’s for Henry!”
Crate
Although we have not actually purchased a crate yet (we’ve borrowed two) I think it’s an absolute necessity. Henry loves his crate. Using a crate really helped us house train him. It’s also a safe and cozy area that is 100% his space. We even take the crate to my parent’s house when he stays there for the afternoon. As long as he has his crate, we know Henry will calmly settle into his new surroundings. I have a separate blog post all about our house training experience and tips {read it here}. He started in a 24 inch crate and is currently in a 30 inch crate. We think he will probably need a 36 inch crate for good, so that will probably be the size we purchase {update 12/3/19: We did purchase the 36in crate, but ultimately had to also buy Henry the 42in} . If our moms didn’t have extra crates lying around we probably would have went with a 36 inch crate with a divider from the start. The dividers adjust the puppy’s space as he grows and are a much more affordable option than buying multiple crates.
Puzzle Toy
Henry currently can’t play outside because he doesn’t have all of his vaccines. Although I know it’s best to keep him inside for now, I totally feel bad for him! The poor guy is growing like a weed. I know he can’t wait to get outside and stretch his long legs. There are times that Henry has a ton of puppy energy. We knew we had to find a way to keep him entertained for his first few months indoors. I found this puzzle on Amazon about a week after brining him home. It’s a great way to keep him occupied even if it’s just for 5-10 minutes. I also feel like I am giving his little brain a good challenge {he’s actually a very fast leaner}. As the weeks pass by, he completes the puzzle more quickly. It was really cute to see him progress. In the beginning, he only used his snoot to push the covers. Eventually he realized he could use his paw to move them too.
Activity Ball
To keep his attention longer than the puzzle we bought him a ball that holds dry food. This ball is hands down Henry’s favorite toy. It’s pretty much our favorite toy too because it keeps him running around and occupied for a while. The ball comes apart in three pieces; top, middle disc and bottom. On the bottom you place dry food {we usually do about 5-10 pieces}. Next, you cover it with the disc, twisting it to adjust the size of the hole. Last, you put the top back on. The disc and the top piece have holes in them. As Henry pushes the ball around food slowly falls from the bottom, through the disc hole and eventually through the top hole. Henry loves food and loves chasing this ball around the house. It’s a great toy for indoor exercise.
Safari Comb
My cousins also have a goldendoodle and they recommended that we purchased the Safari comb from Amazon or Chewy. Goldendoodles don’t shed or shed very little, so their coats are prone to matting. I think Henry’s fluffy hair is the cutest and want to keep him that way. To help prevent a horrible trip to the groomer that results in a close shave, I bought this comb. It is really great for combing close to the skin where the hair mats. This comb has about 5 teeth with slightly jagged edges. These edges must be why the comb works so well. The Safari comb is great for de-tangling. I try to comb Henry at least 2x per week. It’s not his favorite, but he’s slowly getting use to it. I’m not sure how much his hair will change, but most of his body doesn’t seem to tangle. The area on his lower back by his tail tends to get the most knotty. Each time I comb him the comb picks up a good amount of hair. I usually try to comb him when he’s sleepy, so he doesn’t fight it. I also really like the Safari double sided brush.
Bitterapple Spray
Overall, Henry is an awesome puppy. He’s been fairly easy to train, has had minimal accidents and picks up on new commands quickly. However, the worst and most difficult characteristic is play bitting. I am pretty sure he thinks everyone is part of his litter! Fortunately, he doesn’t have much interest in chewing our furniture. We are his preferred chew toys. I have watched a lot of training videos on YouTube {Zac George, Ceasar Milan} and with their tips I am slowly seeing some improvement. For the limited house hold objects that he does try to chew, we use the bitter apple spray to deter him. Growing up this stuff didn’t phase my family shih-tzu, but Henry HATES it. I think it’s definitely worth a try if your puppy is in a biting phase.
If you have any puppy product recommendations, please share them in the comments below!
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