Gus' First Visit with Furry Uncle Banzai

Gus' dog uncle, Banzai, lives on Whidbey Island with his humans, Arlo and Judy. Gus went for a visit when he was 8 weeks old. It wasn't love at first sniff for Banzai, but I think Gus loved him. The cute pictures below, capture the fun Gus had on his first visit!

Such a little pup! 

Don't you want to play with me?!

Please!!!!!!

Lucky Puppy Has a Full Time Nanny

Gus is such a lucky pup! He has the best auntie Maija, that has been his full time nanny while his parents go to work. Nanny Maija is great! She trains, walks, feeds, plays, takes Gus new places... the list goes on and on. He is so well behaved because of this awesome gift we've had from Maija. Maija is leaving for doggy school on June 9, so Gus will start his doggy daycare adventure at The Whole Pup while his mama finishes out the school year teaching. Next school year we hope he might be trained to stay at home alone. 

Car Rides and Truck Rides

Gus liked car rides from the beginning. He loves to ride in his mama's bug with the convertible top down and his daddy's big truck. He goes on the Whidbey Island ferry once a month to visit his vet and he doesn't mind the ferry either. He is a very flexible puppy and not afraid to try new things. 

After I had been taking Gus for rides for a few weeks, I knew I wanted to get him a puppy seat belt. Not only was I worried about him at every stop light and turn, but his grandma kept bugging me about keeping him safe. 

So Gus and I went on a trip to Mud Bay Pets to find a seat belt! The lady there was so nice and helped me get a very wiggly and excited puppy into a seat belt. At 3 months old a large belt fit Gus! We got the Bergan brand puppy seat belt and I would highly recommend it!  

Right away I was so happy with this $30.00 purchase, not only did I have peace of mind while we were driving all over town, but Gus seemed happier and more secure. My attention was also put back on the road and driving and not my little guy.

Tasty Treats

Gus loves treats! We went a bit overboard with treats when he was little because he didn't want to eat very much of his food and we thought he was too skinny. Now we are more stingy with treats... he gets treats for doing the right thing, tricks, being a good boy, or to keep him busy when he goes into crazy puppy mode. 

One of his favorite treats are Bully Sticks. These are a little more expensive than other treats, but they are totally worth it. Sometimes he will spend a half hour alone in his kennel with a Bully Stick. The small, spiral shaped ones were good at first when he was a small pup, but now we have to get the thicker stick type, which will last a few days.

He also loves Himalayan dog chews, jerky treats, freeze dried chicken, and milk bones. 

Gus with a Himalayan dog chew!

Toys, toys, toys...

Gus loves toys. Big toys, small toys, wet toys, and furry toys. Gus also thinks a few other things should be toys; like shoes and socks. He is very good with his stuffed toys and doesn't tear things apart. Blue was the same way, he had some of his stuffed toys for years and would never ruin them.

Blue and his toys!

 I find toys at many stores; some of my favorites are Mud Bay Pets, Petsmart, Petco, Ross, Home Goods, Target, Wal-Mart and QFC. It's funny the different things you can find in the small pet aisle at your grocery store, but some of Gus' favorite toys come from there. If you have a dog or puppy I highly recommend getting a toy that you can put treats into, that way they have to work a little to get a treat. 

Water is one of Gus' new found toys, he loves drinking and playing with water in the bath tub. 

Stole my Heart the First Night

We brought Gus home on March 8, 2014! He was so little and sweet. Right away I could tell he was a cuddler. The first few days he only had eyes for David, which was fine with me, I just didn't want him  to be sad and miss his 9 brothers and 1 sister. 

The first few weeks Gus Gus got up every two hours to go potty; such a good puppy he only ever had a few indoor accidents. He was such a funny, clumsy pup- falling here and there. He couldn't even get up on his stacked beds for awhile, which was so cute and funny to watch him try to climb on up. David, Gus and I fell in love right away. 

Heart Shape on his Belly

Princess and the Pea

Our empty house had been filled with puppy love. We still have a huge whole in our hearts from our loss of our big baby Blue, but we feel that Blue helped us find Gus.

Big Blue