Ever since we bought our new couch, Mal and I have been losing a never-ending battle against pug fur. (It still amazes me, for such a little dog, Murphy can shed SO MUCH fur. It’s insane. I know the pug people feel my pain.) We recently bought a Dust Buster thing, and we vacuum the couch almost every day, but we just can’t win, so we considered other solutions.
Last week, Mal brought home a dog bed for Murphy so he can sleep on the floor next to the couch or even in the dog bed on the couch to at least contain the pug fur in a smaller space.
If you’re a long-time reader, you might remember Murphy’s affinity for dog beds. Actually, it’s more like a love-hate relationship. He either tries to rip them to shreds or he humps the crap out of them. Basically, there’s no gray area for Murphy when it comes to dog beds. Mal and I knew this full well going into our newest pug experiment, but it had been a few years since we tried the whole dog bed thing with Murphy, so we thought maybe he would calm down a bit about it.
Well, we were wrong. So very wrong.
Murphy went into full on freak out mode as soon as he saw Mal with the dog bed.
Mal could barely walk into the house without Murphy trying to rip it out of his hands! Haha!
The freaking out continued inside too.
Eventually, Murphy got so worked up about the bed, I decided to take him for a walk to calm him down a little. (He really wasn’t digging his new dog bed.)
When we returned from our walk, Mal had put some treats and Murphy’s favorite bone inside the dog bed to try to change his mind about it.
This actually kind of worked, so we decided to feed Murphy his dinner in his bed too. (If you haven’t noticed already, this dog is highly motivated by food.)
Finally, we fed Murphy treats in his bed to get him to lay down and relax in it.
Later that night, we tried to get Murphy to stay in his bed on the floor next to the couch, but, of course, he wanted to be right next to us on the couch. We eventually moved his bed onto the couch with us, and he actually settled down and fell asleep in it.
The next day in the middle of the afternoon, I found him snuggled up in his bed (on the couch, of course). Maybe he was changing his mind about it after all!
What a weirdo.
On Friday, I decided to buy Murphy a bigger dog bed since he didn’t quite fit in the first one, and I figured he’d be able to get more comfortable, especially since he was kind of digging the whole dog bed thing.
(I love how Murphy brings his favorite toys into bed with him! So cute.)
Since then, Murphy has pretty consistently slept in his dog bed. We haven’t gotten him off the couch quite yet (we probably never will), but at least the pug fur is more contained!
Health News & Views
Do your New Year’s resolutions include goals like healthy eating and regular exercise? Well, both of these require proper snacking!
It’s important to eat a snack or two a day if you want to stick to a healthy eating plan. If you go too long between meals you can end up famished, which makes it a lot more difficult to make healthy choices. Snacking keeps your blood sugar levels steady, so you’re better able to control your cravings and make better decisions about what to eat. Additionally, snacking before a sweat session lets you work out longer and harder, so you’re able to achieve your fitness goals more efficiently.
That said, here are seven nutritious snacks to carry with you when you’re on-the-go. They’ll help keep your hunger at bay throughout the day and give you energy when you need it. Happy snacking!
Questions of the Day
Has anyone had success with training their dog to get off the couch? Any tips for us?
Any ridiculous dog bed stories to share?