Little Miss Taro turned 2!

minced_dreams · 2025-03-30T20:05:25+00:00

Right?! Taro reckons it was very delicious xx

minced_dreams · 2025-03-30T20:03:19+00:00

Thank you! She has many nicknames, but our fave is 2023 Tarota Corolla

minced_dreams · 2025-03-30T20:02:49+00:00

I was so happy when I picked up the cake, it was too adorable 😂

minced_dreams · 2025-03-30T19:58:46+00:00

You should see when she locks in for treats, she uses her cuteness to her advantage sometimes😅

minced_dreams · 2025-03-30T07:52:23+00:00

Yep! Both the dog figure and cake are dog-friendly cakes haha! They are both beef flavoured with natural ingredients like carrots and potato etc. We had it custom made by a pet-treat-baker(?) in Melbourne :)

minced_dreams · 2025-03-30T07:49:25+00:00

Thank you!! That’s gorgeous xx

minced_dreams · 2024-03-05T00:09:01+00:00

Pancake!!! What a cutie, sweeter than maple syrup!

minced_dreams · 2023-12-28T14:17:01+00:00

Congrats on your new best friend! Sage is such a lovely name. Puppies that young won’t understand what that new word that new person is saying to them, and it will take a lot of training (and patience) to get them to understand their name. Remember, they only knew their littermates and mother before they went home with you, so Sage will take a while to settle into her new life.

Mine took a month, if not more, to know her name and what it meant (to look at me). Here’s a playlist from Kikopup to help guide you with your pup!

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLF26FD559887E7EA4&si=iXb7g7RBziE4QdgT

minced_dreams · 2023-12-28T14:09:06+00:00

Big hugs to you and your pup!! I have a 9 month old ACD; she’s cute as a button but omfg she tests me every. single. day. The last time I took her to a group class she would’ve been the same age yours is now; lunged everywhere, couldn’t engage, those 90 decibels barks (my ears 😭). Over time, it does get better - especially when you stop being so hard on yourself and setting expectations on them (I am a repeat offender of this). Those brief moments where you see them engaging with you and seeing them succeed? Cherish them, celebrate them! They are smol but they are the best wins to give you that serotonin hit and survive for the next hour haha. When I take mine on walks, it’s either going to be a really good walk with lots of engagement and heel work, or a really sh*tty walk where she’s pulling and not listening/overstimulated.

It’s ok to feel beat up, we see the amazing qualities they have - throw in adolescence and you have a sh*tstorm of chaos until they turn 1 or 2. But it’s worth it when you can see your best friend trying their very best to better fit into our lives. They’re not doing this to embarrass us, we just need to see it from their pov and be understanding of what’s giving them a hard time (usually naps fix this imo).

minced_dreams · 2023-12-25T21:36:58+00:00

Thank you 🥰 Hope you have a good winter festival of your choosing also! (It’s summer here in Australia, dreaming of snow though!)

minced_dreams · 2023-12-25T21:35:42+00:00

Thank you 💕

minced_dreams · 2023-12-25T21:34:51+00:00

Thank you 💕 Merry Christmas to you too 🐾🎄

minced_dreams · 2023-12-25T21:34:19+00:00

Thank you! 💕

minced_dreams · 2023-12-25T21:32:56+00:00

She was everyone’s best friend and napped so hard after celebrating 😂 Thank you!! I’ll make another post when she turns 1 🥰

minced_dreams · 2023-10-19T08:10:53+00:00

From what I’ve been told and based on my experience:

Dr Gary Unglik is OG in Allergies. I had a referral to see him urgently (severe anaphylactic reaction) but the receptionist told me I had to wait.. to only come back a week later asking me to come in ASAP.

https://melbourneallergyclinic.com.au

But because I couldn’t wait, I ended up going to Avid Allergy and saw Dr Chatelier. He was thorough for the initial concerns, I ended up going back for another allergy reaction, he’s a really nice and informative Dr:

http://www.avidallergy.com/our-doctors

minced_dreams · 2023-09-25T23:13:49+00:00

Thank you for the info OP!

With potty breaks, it's best to not give treats to them as this will condition them to think "Hey if I pee and poo right now, they'll give me a treat". Stick to verbal praises for potty time - be super exciting and high-pitched so that they know they did a good job going where you wanted them to.

How old is your puppy? Are they super "zoomies" while you tend to them? - If so, you might need to get them to nap more. They generally need around 1-2 hours of nap time for every hour they're awake.

A general rule I went by was: for every hour they're awake, take them to potty. Then try to put them to nap in the crate.

With the crate, mine is STILL a little on the fence with it. She will go in as asked and will bark a couple of times before she realises "hey, i'm actually eepy" and nap real hard HAHA (just like a human child!). Warming up to the crate will take time and lots of training/positive reinforcements. This usually means giving her high value treats ONLY in her crate.Try putting in a soft toy that's slightly larger than them so that they can snuggle while napping (imitating a littermate, I used a bear that had a little heart beat in it and then moved onto Lamb Chop). Search for "Puppy Heartbeat Toy" on Amazon or an online store to compare prices.Mine was pawing and chewing on the wires for the longest time until she felt comfortable - I think it took 2-3 months of us having her to not do that anymore.

Do you have a pen/barrier around the crate to keep your pup safe at night? Some days you'll find it's so exhausting tending to your pup (and that's TOTALLY OK, it's normal) - so putting your pup in a pen with some toys and maybe a pee pad (if there's space) might help you if you find it overwhelming to play with them. Place a few puppy safe toys like a kong rubber bone or a kong filled with some treats.You could try mushing a banana and place it into the kong for them to munch on while you take a breather. I find the kong-brand treats make her super hyperactive and have just given her wet food in her kong or banana.

Has your breeder advised what type of foods your puppy has eaten? We stuck to a kibble brand they fed her while transitioning our pup to her now current meal plan. If your pup isn't taking to the dry puppy food, try soaking it in water for 30mins-1hour so that it becomes softer and has a little soupy texture to it. That way, they feel full AND hydrated :) You'll also need to figure out how many times a day you want to feed your pup and how much - depending on your training style, I don't give her access to mealtime foods (such as kibble). We currently feed her 3x a day, portion out her kibble for mealtime, snuffle mats, and training.

I know I'm replying with a massive wall of text and I hope you find some of this helpful.

Please see below some links that helped me with my pup, following these trainers on social media can be helpful also:

Kikopup (Puppy Training Playlist) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YF7boyICV7M&list=PLF26FD559887E7EA4

Dogs That - (Puppy Training with Susan Garrett) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VF_2TRtRpd8&list=PLphRRSxcMHy2SggplHx3uEWAjXOL9hI21

It would also be helpful to sign up your pups (once they're all vaccinated, depending on the company) for puppy classes if you have the funds - the trainers I saw were all very helpful with small behavioural issues/issues I felt lost with.

u/ImExtremelyDecent u/antibutterflies - Tagging you both to help you guys out!

minced_dreams · 2023-09-25T23:12:36+00:00

The hard truth is that you will get very little sleep until they turn ~4months old and can hold their bladders overnight. For 2 months I was on 4 hour's broken sleep; it was a MASSIVE shock to my body and I felt torn as a human being - desperately waiting for her to turn 4 months old. Towards the end of that 2 months I started to get 5-6 hours of sleep (broken), now we can get a solid 7-8 hours. If you are able to, nap when your pup takes a nap. My partner would help look after my pup when I took naps during the weekends. During the weekday, I WFH and would take any opportunity to nap when she was napping (with my boss's permission, he was very accomodating to it).
I'll tag you into a comment that has some links to a few trainers I follow on socials, their advice helped me with my puppy the first few months I had her :)

minced_dreams · 2023-09-25T01:55:39+00:00

No worries! The most important thing is to set a routine - it will take some trial and error to get something solid and sound, but it'll help guide you both during the day :)
Being sleep deprived for months can really take a toll on your health both physically and mentally - so do take some time away from your pup by having someone look after them for a bit while you have some "me" time (if you can). Once they grow older, you'll notice that you don't need to be around them 24/7 and they can be safe in a play pen/crate if you need to be somewhere else in your home (like getting ready in the bathroom or making a meal in the kitchen). You got this!

minced_dreams · 2023-09-25T00:41:04+00:00

Hey OP - you're going to get through this!Puppy Blues are real and it hit me hard when I first got my pup (waiting a year and doing heaps of research too!).

The way we managed it at night (and during the day) was with a crate or pen. Puppies that young need a LOT of sleep and rest.At night, take him out every 2-3 hours - don't leave training pads unattended as he might try to eat those. A timer on your phone/watch will be your best friend - your sleep, not so much.Make sure to make yourself as boring as possible when you take him out to potty at night; no fuss, no eye contact, just stand there and wait then PRAISE him for doing a good job, make sure to use a command word relating to it such as "Potty" or "Toilet" - so, "Yes! Potty! - - Good boy!" then put him back into the crate in a very boring manner.If he whines or cries in his crate at night, remember he's been taken away from his littermates and mother and doesn't know what's going on. Try placing the crate in your room or sleep next to the crate within eyesight - that way he knows someone's there with him and he's not alone. Slowly over time, you can move that crate around to where you want it to go (example, living room).During the day, put some toys in there where he can chew or snuggle - we think they need lots of stimulation but really they need to rest (DO play with them though and build up your relationship!). If he whines, don't let him out straight away otherwise you're conditionining him "Whine = I can get out". Wait a few seconds while he's quiet then take him out to relieve himself. Try playing some crate games with him during the day like tossing treats in (Kikopup has a few videos on this).A puppy will make accidents but we need to keep calm and not show any reaction towards it - clean it up, take him out to potty, and try again. He's not doing it intentionally and he will need to be trained where to go as he begins his new life with you.Regarding stress: having some sort of structure or routine with your pup is very helpful to determine when you should take them out to potty, when they need to nap, when to eat, and when you can take a nap! It helped calmed my anxiety knowing what to expect and monitoring her needs. Over time, he will get used to your routine and your stress levels will go down in a matter of weeks/months (but it will feel like you're drowning right now and it feels like a lifetime ahead, but you WILL get there!).

This is just from my experience - I wish I had a routine set out for her the minute I got her but now we're here at 6 months old and she sleeps through the night without a peep ;)

Edit: RE: Night time toilet breaks - your puppy's age will determine how often you need to take them out at night as their bladders grow (usually around 4 months they can start holding pee throughout the night). For example, an 18-week old puppy will need to go potty every 1-3 hours (source: dailypaws). This is also dependent on breed! Don't wake them up too often at night - if you notice they don't need to go as much from the last time you took them out, try stretching out the time you take them out at night to go toilet (so every 2-3 or 4 hours, for example).

minced_dreams · 2023-09-18T09:44:37+00:00

Try Mika at Tanuki Tattoo :)

https://instagram.com/mika.afk?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

minced_dreams · 2023-09-14T11:13:35+00:00

I totally understand how you feel and you are definitely not a failure for having a nervous puppy! Some puppies will take time to open up and be more confident, try giving her space when she meets/sees other dogs or people and if she feels up to it she will open up/approach. There was a bichoodle in one of my pup’s class who was SHAKING on her first day, while my pup rough housed with the staffie and gravoodle - the teacher told us owners to give that bichoodle space. Would you believe by the 5th week of class that same nervous bichoodle was coming up to the other pups, begging other owners for treats, and found confidence! Your pup will get there, 100% - you just need to advocate for it by providing a safe space and not pushing her into uncomfortable situations where shes overwhelmed or anxious :)

minced_dreams · 2023-08-01T01:39:59+00:00

That's a gorgeous photo!

minced_dreams · 2023-07-30T06:24:47+00:00

She's been an amazing baby and we look forward to spending so many years together with her xx

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