How many dog beds are in your home?  Dog beds are like shoes ……you can never have too many and there’s no such thing as an “everyday” one.  I like to give my dogs options when it comes to their comfort.
There are the beds that allow digging to ensure just the right fluff, Annie is very particular about her comfort, the fluffier the better! Then there’s the tiny square flannel bed that ensures warmth.   This bed allows the K9 body to curl up into a ball half its true size while sleeping and their nose is buried so deep that I wonder how they can breath:  Toula and Annie each have their own signature “ball snooze.”  When Keegan sleeps like this he basically looks like a dust ball.
Next is the orthopedic bed: let’s face it, this is a bed for all ages of dogs!  This is the Ahhhhh bed that beckons my dogs to sleep on their side and stretch out and enter the dream world.  Cole has recently taken a liking to this bed and I’m please to see the “point” dog get some Z’s!  Of course if Cole likes this bed then Max likes it too….there are no reservations for this bed as it is on a first come bases, the boys are starting to grasp this at bedtime.
Every home needs a dog bed that replicates a couch …the one with a cushion and sides.  Annie, Keegan and Max have select times of enjoying this bed,  Toula and Cole find it to be over rated and never sleep in it.  Toula’s favorite bed, if I dare call it that, is a leather chair that was purchased from the set of Cripple when we finished filming.   During filming Toula found the leather chair to be comfy, so I bought it for her. She certainly earned it! 
The most stylish dog bed is Annie’s thrown: a plush bean bag bed.  This bed is Annie’s and never has another dog ever even put a paw on it.  Not because of rules I’ve invoked, rather it is an understanding of the pack: only the Queen Annie shall lay in the thrown.   There was never a fight just a K9 understanding,  and I’m sure the rest of the dogs think its over rated anyway!
So what is the total dog bed count here at WHATADOG?  Dare I admit that there are at least twice as many beds as dogs?  And let’s not forget the summer “outdoor” beds for R&R while laying around the campfire…
So next time you see dog beds in a store ponder which one your dog would like….and what the heck buy it because you can never have enough dog beds!

http://www.petfinder.com/before-pet-adoption/misconceptions-pet-adoption.html

I’m currently working on teaching Toula (right) a new trick and Cole (left) decided that he wants to learn it too!  So now the “competition” is on as to who will learn it first.   This will involve two different teaching methods …teaching dogs is not cookie cutter, you have to tap into the dog’s individual personality and always make it fun for the dog!

Keegan did his own hair this morning …he is calling it the “wild child” do! 

It’s difficult not to notice how happy Toula is…..all the time.    If she is not sleeping she cast a perpetual smile which of course is contagious.  And what exactly makes Toula such a happy dog?  I have to attribute it to the social skills and bonding we when she was a puppy.  One of which was making sure all the training we did was fun!  Those components make her a confident dog whose mission, I’m certain, is to simply bring me lots of laughter and unconditional companionship.  When Toula smiles and her tail wags it safe to say you will see a smile on my face too!
Take the time to enjoy your dog’s happiness ….it will make you happy too!

Team WHATADOG had been enjoying the summer and honing their skills on the paddle and bogey boards.  Keegan enjoys solo surfing on the bogey board and is getting to be a pro at riding the waves.  Toula, Max and Cole and Keegan enjoy riding the paddle board as a pack.  I make it a point to include my dogs in all things fun, however Annie has decided that fun and water are for the other dogs!  Enjoy the hot weather and make sure your dogs get plenty of water and limited exposure to the hot sun.