Cutting your Huskies Nails

Odin has extra long nails as he doesn't run on concrete much. We try to keep his running on grass and at the dog park to avoid cuts and scrapes on his paws. 

We have found that we need to cut his nails at least twice a month to keep them healthy. 

Here is a diagram of how to cut your pups nails. 

Step 1

Check with your veterinarian to have them show you the proper way to cut your huskies nails. 

Step 2

Now that you have spoken to your vet and they have explained the proper way to cut your pups nails, note where your dogs quick is.

Step 3

Cut your dogs nails in the proper place. 

Step 4

Continue to cut your dogs nails as needed. 

These are the steps we take with Odin and it works for us. Hopefully this helps you keep your pups nails healthy.   Remember to consult your vet before doing any time of cutting. 

What foods you CAN and CAN'T give your Husky

Image from Petcarerx

Here are a few things that are safe to give your pup:

Eggs

Apple Slices

Chicken

Green Beans

Salmon

Oatmeal

Sweet Potatos

Peanut Butter

Yogurt

Things you should never give your pup: 

Caffine 

Aprocots 

Onions

Garlic

Salt

Grapes / Rasins

Gum

Chocolate 

Alcohol 

We also give Odin carrots wich has been approved by our vet. He loves to eat human food but we try to limit it to only things that our vet has told us is ok. 

Again check with your vet to see what things you can give your pup before giving him any new food treats. 

Image from Petcarerx

Potty training solutions for Huskies that live in apartments

We live in an apartment complex on the third floor. 

It isn't always practical to take Odin all the way do to the grass to relieve him, so we came up with a solution. 

We recently purchased this potty turf and potty training got a lot easier. 

It fits on our patio and is easy to use. 

Most potty turfs come come in several layers that use potty pads, and turf. Ours has both. There are several on the market and I suggest researching what will work best for your husky. 

A few things that have helped make potty training easier is we take these steps every time:  

1. Take him out first thing in the morning

2. Take him out after each meal

3. Take him out after each nap

4. Take him out after playtime

5. Take him out right before bedtime. 

When we started he was a little reluctant to use the potty turf but after rewarding him when he did, he caught on right away. 

Again research what will work for your pup, and be consistent on training. 

On The Go Essentials for Huskies

With a lifestyle that is always on the go, I wanted to do a post about the On The Go Essentials we have for Odin. 

Most of these items we keep in the car and have them on hand all the time. 

A must is a seatbelt leash. We have one that is made of all metal pieces so that if there is an accident Odin will be safe and secure. 

A harness is also a must for us. We wanted to keep Odin secure but didn't want to use his normal collar to do so. So we decided to get a body harness to distribute his weight and the pressure of the seatbelt in case of an accident. Choose one that has metal clips so they do not break or snap on impact. 

A travel bowel. We keep 2 in the car. One for water and one for food. We also keep a separate water bottle just for him in the car at all times. 

A seat cover. This is mostly for us. It helps keep the back seat clean and free of dirt getting no the seat. 

Waste bags. You never know when your little pup will need to go, so we keep plenty of these on hand with us when we go places. 

A food / treat jar. We keep both food and treats in the car at all times. We keep food in the car in case we are out past Odin's dinner time. It helps keep him on a feeding schedule and is easy to give it to him while we are on the go. We keep treats in the car for the obvious. If we go into a store, or out in public and we want to keep his attention we give him treats for good behavior. 

I am sure there are a ton of other on the go essentials on the market, but these are just some of the things that we use. 

I would suggest shopping at your local pet store to find what your pup will need on the go. 

Cost of Owning a Husky Puppy

Husky puppies are so cute, and may  be temping to get, but have you thought about how much that little husky puppy will cost you in the first year?

Here are some facts about the fist year thanks to Petsplusus.com

We have had Odin for a little over 5 months and he has almost hit his annual cost. 

Phew it might be because his mommy went a little over board when we first got him in toys, beds, treats, leashes, and collars. It all adds up. Plus the cost of a good veterinarian, shots, flea medication, heart guard, and so so much more. 

Just keep in mind these costs that WILL come up in the first year that you own your husky puppy and make sure that you are finically able to give your pup the best care before you bring your puppy home. 

Teething Toys for Huskies

I wanted to do a post on a few things you can give your husky to help with teething. 

Odin has recently been teething, and has a constant need to have a toy to chew on. 

Here are a few things that we found really helped him with teething. 

Bone Toys

Nylabone® Dura Chew Original Bone Dog Toy

Nylabone® DuraChew Double Action Chew Bone Dog Toy

Nylabone® Puppy Chew Bone Puppy Toy

Nylabone® Puppy Chew Dental Dog Bone

Kong Hard Plastic Toys

KONG® Original Dog Toy

KONG® Squeezz Stick Squeaker Dog Toy

KONG® Squeezz Dumbell Dog Toy

Rope Toys

Chuckit!® Flying Squirrel Dog Toy

Chuckit!® Amphibious Fetch Dog Toy

Natural Toys

Dentley's® Nature's Chews Natural Flavor Large Breed Jumbo Elk Antler Dog Treat

Dentley's® Nature's Hoof Dog Bone

We learned the hard way that when he doesn't have enough toys to chew on he will find his own. This time was our coffee table leg. Luckily we are able to get a replacement part, but learn from us, and get your pup toys to chew on. 

We also have noticed that when we take him to the dog park or a walk he is less likely to chew things that are not his. So get your pup outside and get him some excersise to prevent him from chewing on your things. 

Teething For Huskies using the Kong

Odin had recently been teething and we wanted to find him a treat that he could enjoy while helping him with his teething. 

We went to out local pet store and found the Kong toy, so we decided to give it a try. 

Odin loved it for a few days and then lost interest. 

So I decided to look into what yummy treats I could add to make him more intrested in it. 

I found a puppy safe recipe that included bananas, peanut butter, and greek yogurt, and small treats.  

First you take equal parts of the bananas, peanut butter, and greek yogurt, and mix them until you get a consistency that is thick. 

Once you have mixed your bananas, peanut butter, and greek yogurt, add in some small treats and put the mixture into your Kong toy. 

Your pup will have a yummy treat that he or she will have to work for to get and will also get teething relief by chewing on the Kong toy. 

This worked amazing for Odin, and we hope it works for you!

Photo and recipe thanks to http://www.fivedogfarm.blogspot.com/2013/05/how-to-stuff-kong-elvis-presley-style.html

Introducing Odin

Jake and I are excited to officially introduce the newest member of our family, Odin our little puppy!

 He is a 12 week old alaskan malamute, husky mix. His dad was a 90 pound alaskan malamute, and his mom was  a 50 pound siberian husky. We think he will be around 60 - 70 pounds when he is full grown. 

 He is playful yet calm. He loves to chew his toys. 

He is learning sit, leave it and come! 

Loki is slowly warming up to him and we hope by the end of the month they will be best friends! 

A little about his name; we currently have Loki the cat, and Thor the fish, so naturally we wanted to choose a name that would fit in our little family. After looking over all of the Thor characters we decided on Odin. Odin is Thor and Loki's father and is a strong alpha male in the movie. We wanted a strong name for our pup and decided Odin was it. 

We have had him for a little less then a week, and he has already stolen our hearts. 

Here are a few things we did as a family this week to bond: 

Coming home for the first time

First trip to the dog park. He loved it. He ran like a crazy pup, and tired himself out in 15 minutes

His first bath. He was a stinky puppy when we brought him home, so a bath was much needed for both him and us!

His first hike was a success! He loved laying and rolling around in the fresh clean grass. However we did find 2 ticks on him later that day. Luckily enough we caught them before they embedded. 

His first time at the beach. He enjoyed running around on the sand, digging holes, and chasing waves. 

Cheese! He is the cuttest thing ever when he smiles for the camera. He shows his little front teeth and give the cuttest look!

Our Handsome Boy

We are so excited to have this cute little fur ball in our lives and can't wait to watch him grow and become a part of our family.