Products both Erik and ourselves love
Erik turned 1 years old in April and we’ve had him for 1 whole year (plus 3 months by the time I’m finishing this post off)! Time goes exceptionally fast, although I can’t remember what life was like before him. My life pretty much revolves around this handsome boy! Being a first time dog Mum (lol, I hate calling myself a dog mum but I also don’t want to call myself a dog owner either), I didn’t really know what to expect. I thought that he’d sleep much more as a puppy and we’d be able to do stuff in the house without him creeping up behind us or whining for our attention, but no. It really wasn’t like any dog owner made it out to be! It’s been hard work but we are getting there. Lock down and working from home certainly wasn’t the best start for him but as life slowly starts to return back to normal, he too will have to get used to us going to work and also going out and having a bit of a social life.
I wanted to share some of the bits and pieces we have continued to use for him and also a few things we have had our eyes on for a while. To us, long lasting, good products are what we look for, not only for Erik but in general too. If you’re a first time dog parent, some of these pet products may take your fancy!
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Food & treats
There are so many different dog food brands on the market and I really wanted to make sure we were feeding Erik the best that we could. I wouldn’t want to eat crap food, I wouldn’t feed anyone crap food and I certainly didn’t want to feed my dog crap food. I read a lot of reviews and both Josh and I agreed on Arden Grange. He’d been on the puppy/junior food for about a year and a couple of months ago we started introducing the adult food into his diet by mixing it in with the rest of the puppy/junior food. We add hot water and let it soak through before putting it in his slow feeder bowl. You don’t have to add hot water but I just thought it might make it a little tastier for him.
His slow feeder bowl was something we got really early on. He loves his food (just like his Mama, lol), and was scoffing it so fast, making himself burp and sometimes sick. The bowl does make him eat it a little slower and I’d recommend it if you have a gannet of a dog like ours. Just recently, we have stopped using the bowl because he has slowed down eating a lot and we have stopped putting water on his food which we think he prefers now.
We fill the Kong with peanut butter and put it in the freezer. This is a great long lasting treat which we tend to use when leaving Erik for a while. I do buy the big Asda’s own peanut butter, cause it’s purse friendly and it doesn’t have Xylitol as one of the ingredients which is harmful to dogs, so always check the label!
Sprats and Bonio’s are always in our cupboards, on hand for treats. The sprats smell gross (dried fish) but they’re oily and really good for your dogs coat. He loves them too but we don’t love his breath after he’s had a few!
Other
We didn’t want Erik to wear a collar so we scoured the web for a well made, comfortable slip lead. I found the brand Mendota from Leading Dog and bought 1 x 3/8 6 foot lead to use when Erik was a puppy and then 1 x 1/2 4 foot lead that we now use. I’d like a 1/2 6 foot lead so it gives him a little more room to walk but really it is better to keep him close by on a short lead, as there’s more control.
The flashing collar is something I’ve had my eye on for ages. I need to actually purchase this now the nights are starting to draw in. I’ve searched high and low for a good quality light up collar to use when we do have to walk him at night during the Winter months and this one seems to be the best quality.
Our ‘dog bag’ i.e. the pop up tent you can see below is our most used doggy product. Erik uses this to travel in the boot of our hatchback and uses it to sit under my desk when he has to come work with me. Now that we no longer need a cage for him, he also uses this to sleep in at home. We went for the medium which is fine for him because he tends to curl up but if you did want a little extra space, the size large is an option.
The Olivewood chew was something I bought months ago and it’s still going strong. Erik loves sticks and tends to have this habit of chewing them, eating them and then throwing up on the rug… which isn’t ideal so this is one we can give him at home without making a mess and not worry about him getting any splinters in his mouth or throat.
I really hope you enjoyed this post and if you have a new companion or are looking to get one in the future I hope it’s helped you find some great doggy products.
