#first dog

When President Richard Nixon resigned from office in disgrace in 1974, he left behind a complicated and tarnished legacy. But one thing was certain; the man loved his dogs.

We’re welcoming the return of the tradition of presidential pets in the White House today, and what we hope is a will become a new tradition of welcoming rescue dogs (from our home state of Delaware, even!) to the office, with this clip from a 1966 video of Gene Michelon, the Director of Public Affairs for the Republic Steel Corporation, interviewing Nixon about government and political affairs

This was the first interview in Republic Steel’s "Why Politics?" series, filmed by Cinecraft. It features Nixon’s musings on why "average" people should become active in politics, what characteristics make a good politician, the impact of political life on politician’s families, and why viewers should not sacrifice their freedom for peace. This clip, however, is mostly about the loss of Checkers, his most famous pet, and his fondness for his clever new poodle, despite it being a “woman’s dog”.

1. Exercise!

It may seem obvious but dogs, love and need exercise! If you have a dog, the chances are you know how excited they get before going out for a walk, because they start acting like a child just before Christmas!

Ok that's great, but how can you actually  help your dog get more exercise. The most obvious way is to take dogs for a walk. You will be surprised how nice, relaxing and great this can be for your own mental health too! If you ever go for runs too, then maybe consider taking your dog

2. Water

We tend to be pretty good at remembering to give our dogs food. Mostly, because it is super exciting when we get to give our dog a Pawdington's meal!

But water is much easier to forget! Why? Because its not something that naturally falls into a routine. When it comes to food, we typically eat at certain times of day, and so when it comes to those times, its a case of: "I need to eat, and I should feed my dog too". But of course in many ways, forgetting to give your dog water, can be a lot more dangerous than not giving him/her food.

My advice is just to tie your water giving in to a routine. Perhaps every time you give your dog a meal, you give them water too! If it is a hot day, then chances are your dog is going to need more water, so remember to check more regularly, and ideally tie that to part of your daily routine too. Try and make sure the water is fresh too.

3. Provide Reasonable Shelter

Ideally your dog will be in your house, and will have its own bed, with which he/she can make their own kingdom! Some dogs do live outside, but if you are going to do this, make sure that your dog has a place where they can stay warm, dry and happy (ideally a kennel or equivalent).

4. Visit the Vet

We recommend visiting the vet once a year. You don't need to be paranoid that your dog could have some secret life threatening condition all of the time. But by taking your dog to the vet once a year, you increase the probability of spotting an issue, before it becomes more serious! Additionally, there are smaller things that the vet will be able to tell you, that you might just not realise e.g. if your dog is overweight, or has dental issues etc.

5. Don't Let them be Lonely

Dogs need attention. When you have a dog, you are that dogs world! They don't have a job to go to, some unique hobby or a game show that they want to watch. Life is much simpler for a dog. And because of that, the role that you play in their life is so much more important. Try and make sure that you give your dog some love every day! I'm sure that you will naturally want to do this anyway, but never forget about your pets emotional needs! :)

Why not try Pawdington's

Pawdington's is delicious, nutritious, healthy pet food for dogs! You get the meals delivered to your door each week! Not only that, but you can choose the meals for each day. This means that your dog doesn't have to get bored of eating the same meals every single day! Why not give it a try? You will get free shipping (always) and a special discount on your first order!

I am not currently in a position to get my own dog as I don't live in my own place, but I want to be very prepared when that time comes, and would like some advice about choosing the dog you want and preparing for it

I am specifically interested in a dog who I can do dog sport with. I don't have previous experience but have done lots of research and been interested for a long time. I would probably start with agility and rally, and then I would like to possibly try barn hunt and or dock diving. Ofc all of this is just ideas and can/will change based on what my dog enjoys and our trainer(s) recommend. For lifelong work/sport I am very interested in both Schutzhund and Cadaver work. 

There are so so many great dogs and dog breeds out there, and I feel like every time I take a “match with a breed” type quiz I get something new. I am very very interested in the Cane Corso, but my complete list of interesting breeds is: Kishu ken, Akita, Border Collie, Ibizan Hound, Belgian Teruvian, German Shepherd, in no particular order. 

I would be looking for a puppy from a responsible breeder, as I believe for my first solo companion and working dog the health, support, and knowledge I would gain from a breeder would set me up for the most success.

Does anybody have experience having or choosing between any of these dogs? How did you choose your dog(s)? Any advice on preparing for a specific breed and how it is different than just general prep for a new dog?

Apollo Update!

- Loves, loves, loves to cuddle! For like a minute then he’s up and running.

- Loves to explore! He’s not afraid of going around and smelling new things. He has an older brother, a 2-year-old German Shepherd mix named Max and he follows him around. Both are pretty chill when they are outside.

- Potty trained! At a month and a half, he already knew where he can go potty. He’s still learning but that’s okay.

-His blue eye is on his left side and his left ear sticks up. He has a brown eye and his right ear is folded over. His mom is husky and we think he might be half Bernese Mountain dog or Jack Russel Terrier. We’re leaning more towards JRT.

- Knows my voice and waits for me to pick him up when needed. My friend and I are trying to get him used to arms so when he goes to the vet or the groomers, he doesn’t panic or try to bite. He follows me pretty well without a leash inside the house.

- Pretty good on the leash and likes to take walks.

- LOVES to give kisses! That’s his favorite thing to do apart from playing around.

- Only issues are his claws. We’re waiting until he’s about 5 or 6 months to get them cut down some so they’re not too sharp. We don’t do it because we don’t want to injure the claws or cut the quick*.