If you’ve been keeping up with us on social media, you probably know that we’ve recently welcomed a new pup to our home. Little Miles brings our grand total to 3 furbabies. Some people may look at our very dog-friendly lifestyle and wonder how we do it - how do we get 3 dogs to get along in one household? How do we make sure they’re all reaching their health and nutritional goals? How do we have any room left on the couch between the three of them?!

Of course, there are additional responsibilities that come with introducing more dogs to your family. However, a multi-family household has a handful of benefits you just can’t get with an only dog. Here are the pros and cons of having a multi-dog household: 

Pros

• They’ll keep each other entertained and exercised! When your dog has a playmate around, they’re able to play tug-of-war, fetch, and wrestling when you’re not around to initiate playtime. You may find your dogs like to race each other. Whatever the play style, they’ll be able to take the often time-consuming task of exercising your dog off of the table.

• Having another dog around helps with puppy training. If you introduce a puppy to your family, chances are they’ll follow in your older dogs’ footsteps. You may find your puppy is easier to train as it will pick up cues from its pack leader.

• What’s cuter than one dog? Two dogs! We all want to spoil our dogs with the most love and attention, but we find our hearts are even fuller when there are more dogs around to take care of. You’ll have a lot more love in your household with multiple dogs.

Cons

• Introductions can be difficult. If your dogs aren’t introduced properly, you may find their transition period tumultuous. Sometimes dogs just don’t get along, and having two dogs in one house that don’t get along is never a good time.

• You’ll probably have more expenses with multiple dogs. While you’ll probably find that food costs really aren’t increased by a lot, having to pay two vet bills can be prohibitive to some pet parents.

• You’ll have more cleanup to do. Multiple dogs means multiple sources of shedding, dirty paws, and wet fur. Of course, we love these little things about our dogs, but for a head of household that already has their hands full, cleaning up after multiple dogs might just not be in the picture.

When it comes down to it, the right number of dogs for your household really depends on your unique situation. Take into account whether or not you have a yard, the amount of space in your home, and your emergency budget cushion. If you have room in your home and your heart for another dog, why not adopt? To learn more about the best nutrition for your new dog, browse through our shop or send us an email!

Here in Central Florida, our pups get the luxury of playing outside year-round. But with all that outside play time, they’re sure to get dirty. Why not clean them up for a good cause? The Shampooch! Orlando dog wash party is back for its 12th year in Thornton Park, and Pawsitively Pure will be a vendor for the event. 

This year, the Shampooch event will benefit the Poodle and Pooch Rescue of Florida. Each year, Shampooch chooses a dog-centric charity to benefit with their soapy dog takeover of Downtown Orlando. We’ve had so much fun at the event in previous years. Dogs of all shapes and sizes are welcome to get a good scrub. They’ll also have nail trimmers available at the event!

There will be plenty of other vendors at the event this year, including food vendors, shopping, and a photo booth. Join in a number of raffles, or have fun at the dunk tank. This year, Shampooch will have a kid zone, complete with a splashing pool and a play area. This event is open to the whole family.

To learn more, click here to visit the Shampooch event page on Facebook. 

As a responsible pet parent, you already know that there are some foods that aren’t safe for dogs to eat. While animal nutrition is an oft-debated topic, veterinarians have determined that a number of human foods, like grapes and chocolate, should never be fed to dogs. Unfortunately, there are some foods made for dogs that aren’t safe or healthy for your pets, either. 

If you pay attention to the news, you’ll notice that a number of dog food brands have been recalled due to health and safety concerns over the years. A dog food recall was what prompted us to build the Pawsitively Pure line of human grade dog foods so that we can make sure our dogs are only getting the best of the best. 

It can be difficult to navigate the pet food aisle and determine the healthiest treat for your dog. The next time you go shopping, avoid these 5 types of treats: 

1. Rawhide. It may be surprising that this comes in on the dangerous list, since you can find it all over the shelves at a number of pet supply stores and grocery stores. However, rawhide presents a major choking habit for dogs. Also, the white rawhides are often treated with nasty chemicals to give them their bleached appearance.

2. Treats with sugars high on the list. Believe it or not, some dog treats are just as loaded with sugar and high fructose corn syrup as human treats are. Soft and chewy treats tend to have more sugar than others. Refined sugar has no place in your dog’s diet. It can lead to obesity and serious heart issues.

3. Treats with wheat as the main ingredient. While a dog’s diet does have some place for grains, you should use treat-giving as an opportunity to bolster your dog’s nutritional intake. It’s more effective to offer treats that are based in protein and whole foods, rather than wheat filler.

As we mentioned above, you should use your treat time as an opportunity to provide your dog with more of the whole nutrition they need to thrive. Pawsitively Pure’s healthy dog treats include wholesome ingredients like pumpkin, blueberries, and oats to give your dogs the flavors they love without any of the bad ingredients they need to avoid. Browse our store to try some of our treats for yourself!

Just like human children do, your dogs go through a number of transitions as they age from puppyhood to adulthood.  They learn important skills, they meet and interact with their peers, and they get more familiar with your rules and expectations. Along their journey, you learn a lot, as well! You discover how to communicate with your dog, how to read their body language, and how to work with their unique likes and dislikes.

What’s also similar between dogs and humans is that if your puppy meets certain key landmarks when they’re still young, they’ll have an easier time transitioning to adulthood. Here are a few of the things you should do now to help your dog live a well-adjusted adult life: 

• Make sure your dog has had plenty of opportunities to socialize with other dogs. Watch their behavior in group settings and one-on-one settings with other dogs. Be sure to monitor their behavior in a variety of situations, like when food is present and when toys are involved. By identifying aggressive play behaviors at an early age, you can correct the issues so your dog has no issues being out in public.

• Learn to read your puppy’s “signs.” Every dog will give you signals about their needs and wants in unique ways. It’s important to learn how your dog signals that they need to go outside so you can allow them to eliminate before it becomes a desperate situation. It’s also important to pay attention to the signs that your dog isn’t feeling well. Dogs tend to hide their illnesses as an instinctive measure to protect them in the wild. 

• Socializing with humans is just as important as socializing with other dogs. Your dog will need to be prepared to interact with the veterinarian, the mailman, and people passing you on your daily walks. Make sure your dog is familiar with human touch and gets interaction with people of all different ages, including children (if you can do so in a safe situation!). 

Training your dog isn’t just for you to be able to show off his cool tricks. A healthy training regimen during puppyhood can help your dog transition easily into a happy, healthy adulthood. And with a happy dog in your household, the whole family will have something to smile about every day. Need to stock up on treats to help the training process? Shop our delicious, human-grade treats here.

Feeding “people food” to dogs has long been a controversial topic. Across the internet, you’ll find a variety of posts telling you which foods are safe, which foods should never be fed to dogs, and which foods are hotly contested. All this information becomes even more confusing when you consider that many dog food companies that produce human-grade, raw dog food are hitting the scene. Are dogs supposed to eat human food or not?!

Everyone is different with their dogs’ behavior standards. While some people are laxer with table scraps, others have more rigid rules about where and when their dogs can eat people food. Whichever way works for you is fine! If you have questions about what human foods you can feed your dog, here are some quick tips:

• There are a number of human foods that have nutritional value for dogs. Human foods and dog foods aren’t as mutually exclusive as you may have initially thought. Lots of our whole, natural foods provide the same nutrients for dogs as they do for us. As a rule of thumb, processed human foods should not be added to your dog’s diet. Stick to whole nutrition as much as you can.

• Some foods are absolute no-gos. While a lot of human foods are fine for dogs to eat, they don’t process all foods the same way we do. To that end, there are a handful of foods you should keep away from your dog at all costs. These include chocolate, avocado, grapes, onions, and xylitol. The ASPCA has a helpful list of foods to avoid when it comes to feeding your pup.

• Snacks should never replace your dog’s regular diet. Never rely too heavily on snacks as dietary supplements for your dog. You should only be giving your dog table scraps on occasion. If you’re concerned or confused about the best treat-giving schedule for your dog, have a conversation with your veterinarian. No matter how healthy your table scraps are, your dog should get the majority of their calories from their dinner.

Human food generally isn’t as bad for dogs as people make it out to be, but it shouldn’t be your dog’s main source of nutrition. Feed your dog treats in moderation! If you want human-grade food that you know will be good for your dog, grab a bag of Pawsitively Pure dog treats. Browse our shop now and bring some home!