June Favourites

This month I decided to not only write a blog post on my favourites, but also film it. Which you can view here! I have a mixed audience on who likes to watch videos, and who likes to read, and then there are some that like both. Which is awesome because I like creating on both mediums and like the challenge of working out different videos vs posts. June went by super quick, and really, I am writing this nearly a fortnight into July so this year is just speeding by.

Product: Oh My Fluffy Dog Tug Life Hoodie
Of course, I feel like this wouldn't be a true favourites post without the Tug Life Hoodie which I have been living in since I got it. I am the point where my personal Instagram is covered in photos of me wearing this hoodie, but they are from all different days, I swear. This is currently my only sweatshirt that has a hoodie and a pocket, which makes it my staple to grab when I am heading out the door. It is perfect for the gym as it is not too thick so keeps you just warm enough, while having the pocket to hold your phone. I have to admit, it is not the thickest or cosiest sweater I own. It is not fleece lined, it's more the backside of the fabric that you can feel on the inside of the hoodie, if that makes sense. It is still warm, but on these horrible Wellington days I do need to layer it with either a long sleeve shirt underneath or my thick rain jacket over top. The colour is a perfect olive green, which not only compliments any skin colour, it also goes with a lot of different coloured clothing. They are also still in stock on the website! If you want to get this, or any other product that Oh My Fluffy Dog makes feel free to use my discount code DAISY15 to get a cheeky little discount.

Treat: K9 Naturals Green Tripe Booster
These treats are actually made to put on your dogs food as a topper, or supplement. I sometimes do that when I am being lazy and don't want to trick train Diego that day. Mainly though, I use these for trick training. They are freeze dried so are the perfect consistency for training, they break easily, are chewed quickly, and come in a range of sizes for any dog. They absolutely stink, so watch out for that as it does leave smelly residue on your fingers, but Diego sees the scent as a plus side so depends how you look at that one. Diego will do anything for this treat, and it can keep his attention for a whole training session which is a win in my opinion. At the moment we are teaching a combination of new tricks, muzzle training and keeping up recently learnt tricks and this has been my staple treat to feed Diego. It is super easy to quickly treat him, and continuously treat him without worrying about him choking or getting too full. This product is also 100% tripe so you have no fear of what you are putting into your dogs system. Speaking of system, Green Tripe is amazing for your dogs digestive system and I am not sure if it's this product or a combination of what I am feeding Diego at the moment but his stools have been a lot nicer to deal with. Sorry TMI.

Toy: Kong Genius Leo
This toy I originally got sent from Animates with a bunch of other awesome goodies. I used it for a few weeks, but within the first couple of days the top ripped a bit as I show in my video. After that I kind of was discouraged and used it less compared to my other boredom breaker toys. It wasn't until recently, when I started to try and feed less treats to Diego with his morning breakfast, that I started using it. The Original Kong requires either a fair bit of peanut butter or other sticky substance, or to be prepped the night before if you are wanting to fill with kibble. This one is perfect for filling with only kibble, or adding a small amount of treats to it. The openings are actually super hard to open, and only recently have I worked out the perfect technique on how to squeeze the sides to pour kibble in. Before that, I spent ages individually pushing bits of kibble through. This is obviously annoying and time consuming, but it does get better and easier once you learn the technique. With the openings being hard to open, it means kibble doesn't just fall out when rolled around. Diego has to both squeeze and move the Kong to get any kibble out. This takes a fair bit of time, and to make it harder I sometimes smear a tiny bit of peanut butter onto the inside of the opening, so that the kibble will stick to it. I have come home from work to him still trying to take pieces out. Obviously that top nodule can easily be chewed off, but in saying that I have been using this for over a month nearly every day and that piece is still holding on for dear life. I think the rest of the toy is as sturdy as a normal Kong.

Photo & Walk: Beach Trip
As I said in the video, it was tough to decide both what my favourite walk of the month was but also my favourite photo. I do think that the photo of Diego on top of the Rimutaka Trig with the sunset in the background is amazing, but because I have shared that around and already written a blog post on that walk I decided to chose my other favourite. The picture and the walk are from the same day which makes this write up a lot easier for me. My mother, mother's boyfriend, sister and I had all decided in the morning, when it was sunny, to take the dogs to the dog beach. Diego hadn't been in a while because of his reactivity, but with a ball I thought I could cope with his reactivity alright to go down to the beach. Diego absolutely adores the beach, and will happily spend hours running around the dunes, in and out of the waves and finding new sticks to chew on. We got there when the weather had started to get a bit colder, more windy and with a very slight trickle of rain coming in. However, it was amazing to see Diego so happy running full speed around with Chico and Ollie. It was great to spend time laughing with my sister, Summer and taking a bunch of cool photos that I will remember fondly. It was a cool walk, not for it being new, but for it not being done in a while and doing it with people I love. I am definitely going to start taking Diego back down to the beach more now that I have somewhat of control over his reactivity and know a lot of his triggers. The photo I have chosen as my favourite is one of many that I really appreciate from that day. It is super unflattering of me, but it shows the mood perfectly. The sky being completely clouded over, me in my beanie and Tug Life Hoodie; Ollie being right in the middle of things, but still steering clear enough that Diego doesn't tell him off; and Diego looking lovingly at his ball with his tongue twirling in a perfect circle.

I would love to know your current favourite dog products, let me know in the comments!