I would also like to add, what do you use to remove the fur from the couches?

 

1. Shedding- dogs are bathed and blown dry every 2-3 weeks. If showing, then every week (multiple days that week). Bathing and blow drying routine removes the sticky shedded coat that normally would build up under the top coat (ie because of static, etc).

Most of the areas of the house where the dogs hang out the most, including my grooming area, is tile floors. So I just sweep up fur every once in a while and call it done.

2. Teething- I honestly just provide chews and toys and they are OK. I worry more about missing teeth, crooked teeth, etc... than I do about teething. I have not noticed more chewing or fussing with my dogs during the teething stages.

3. Treats- I'm not fussy. I prefer milkbones for my guys - because especially for a young pup, it's basically like serious chew for them - but it's bland and highly digestible for them. Training treats can be as simple as cereal for a very young puppy. Cheerios, Cinnamon Toast Crunch - anything that doesn't have cocoa powder or anything harmful in it, should be fine. You can get string cheese and chop them up for training treats. You can even take a piece of bread and pinch small pieces off for the dogs. I've heard of people giving shredded chicken to pups as treats - but that's going to cause gas and loose poop in many cases, as will a lot of other meats (pork, steak, etc).

A lot of commercial puppy treats have a lot of salt in them (for preservation) - so if you buy a bag of Zukes or whatnot, pack lots of water too.

4. Baths- What shampoo/conditioner do you guys use on your pups? Nothing you can find in pet stores. #1 All Systems Super Cleaning and Conditioning is my go to for my dogs. Doesn't matter if they are showing or not.

However, if you absolutely need to stick with something you can buy local (probably). Tractor Supply Stores usually carry Cowboy Magic Rosewater shampoo. It was originally for horses, but is just fine for the dogs. Cleans their coats, smells good, washes out easy.

5. Hand vac works fine on couches if you are fussy. My guys usually prefer to perch on the big leather ottoman (that's also a fold out bed that nobody likes to sleep on). It's actually pretty comfortable to sit on and because it's leather, it just washes off.

We have a shark rocket ultra light upright vacuum which is a piece of junk - except for the hand vac part.[/QUOTE]

 

1. Shedding- I have a pin round brush and a slicker brush. Both work great for removing loose fur - Chris Christensen makes really nice slicker brushes that last a long time, they're just expensive. I do have a roomba that works well, but it does have to be cleaned out often. I do not bathe all that often, but my dog does swim in a non-chlorinated pool 2-3x a week (no idea how the non-chlorination part works, I know she adds chlorine at the end of the day when all the dogs are done swimming though). Second the blow dryer though, a good force dryer will remove a lot of the loose coat after you bathe, so there's generally less shed afterwards. There was a thread recently about blow dryers.

2. Teething - my dog did have a little bit of a hard time with teething. Ice cubes helped a lot for him, and so did freezing his toys. The cold soothes the inflamed gums (which might be why he's having trouble eating). Have you tried softening his kibble to make it easier for him to eat?

3. Treats - I train a lot with my adult dog and we demo dog at my training place 4x a week, so he gets a lot of treats. I have taken to using treats that are complete and balanced meals so that I don't feel as bad skimping on his meals - I use Stella & Chewy's Meal Mixers (the pork, duck&goose, and lamb stick together the easiest when breaking apart) and Vital Essentials Mini Nibs (I use the duck, but they make other flavors. these are tiny and don't need to be broken apart).

 

For the shedding, I took Luke outside each day and brushed him with an undercoat rake and a slicker brush. Since I did it every day, it only took about ten minutes. I used a Roomba daily. It pretty much kept it at bay. I vacuumed the couch regularly, but I never saw hair a lot of hair on the couch. I bought huge dog blankets from Frontgate and kept my couches covered mostly until I had company.

For Luke I used Groomer's Blend shampoo and conditioner -- just bought it on Amazon. I thought it smelled nice and worked well. When I was waiting to get Logan (current Golden) Isle of Dogs was suggested. I used it on Abby and love it, so that's what I plan to use for Logan. I use a dryer with a lot of force after their shampoo & conditioning treatment.

For teething, I just used toys. We have a couple we can freeze and Logan seems to enjoy the coolness.

For treats I'm using Life's Abundance and breaking them into tiny pieces for training. He much prefers very tiny bits of low sodium ham. Luke liked freeze dried liver treats. Abby gets lean treats as she is trying to drop a few pounds against her will.