The Bed of Dreams!

Lily is a fussy little so and so when it comes to beds, especially at bed time! I've lost count on how many beds i've specifically bought for her, which she's either sat in once or ignored, Lily sleeps upstairs separate from the rest of the pack (there's no actual reason for this, she just always has done!) she has a fabric crate set up with her favourite toys, a ridiculously overpriced bed - that was bought to match the decor upstairs and a big furry blanket; but will she sleep in it? No way!!
It's gotten to the point that i've given up trying to get her to sleep in one so I let her sleep in my bed! Naughty, I know! But that was until I took delivery of the bed of dreams!

I was very kindly contacted by Dee from Slumbering Hound after i'd asked for ideas/if anyone would be interested in being a part of my Christmas blog series (more on that soon!). I was so excited as everything on Slumbering Hound is just gorgeous!
Dee kindly sent me one of their Luxurious Slumber Beds with a tiny heart and a smooth haired dachshund embroidered in the corner, its absolutely gorgeous! The bed itself is red with white polka dots and lined with the softest sherpa fleece, the design of the bed features a lined pocket which allows the dogs to burrow in and snuggle up, keeping them warm and cosy.
The bed cover is removable and can be washed, replacement inner cushions are also available direct from SH.

Despite Lily's usual bed dislike she dived straight into this one and refused to get out! It has honestly taken three separate attempts to take photos because each time she has snuggled in and fallen asleep!
However, the real test would be at bed time; we followed our usual routine before I took her upstairs, she once again got straight into her bed and stayed there, she didn't even ask for her bedtime biscuit!

 

We absolutely love this bed, it's beautifully made and definitely worth every penny! I've looked at similar beds from a very well know brand before and the Slumbering Hound Slumber Bed is honestly so much better! If you've got a dachshund like Lily who feels the cold then this is the ultimate bed; I just wish I'd found one sooner!
Dee also included a red and white rope toy, which Sev loves! :-)

What we're wearing:
Lily's Collar

Thank you for reading;
Jaime, Lily & Sev xo

October Favourites

Most of this months favourites are items that I picked up at Discover Dogs (all of them except the shampoo actually!)

Firstly is a bow from one of our favourite shops, Mabel&Mu! I was able to finally meet Deborah after talking to her online for over a year! :) This little halloween bow is just adorable and really added a finishing touch to my halloween photos!

Secondly is this shampoo, Puppies and Gentle Skin from Bonnie & Bailey, I was kindly sent this to test out, I've used it on Ava and Sev a couple of times this month and really like it! The smell is lovely and it made both dogs coats super soft and shiny! After using it on Sev last week before a show he went on to win his second Best of Breed against some top dachshunds!

You're probably fed up of this next one, seeing as i've shared my love for it all over the internet! But it's this gorgeous harness by Teddy Maximus, I won't go on about it but the link to it's blog post is here!

And lastly is a supplement! If you read my raw feeding blog post you'll see i'm a fan of kelp but the variety i'd been feeding was expensive and only available ion tiny quantities - not helpful when you've got 3 on it! At Discover Dogs I visited the Dorwest stand, I've used and swear by Dorwest for years now so decided to pick up a tub of their Kelp Seaweed powder, they come in four different sizes and are cheaper than the previous brand I was using. Kelp is a great all rounder but S&L have it mainly for skin and coat!

Got some exciting posts planned for the next couple of months! :)

Thank you for reading! 

Jaime, Lily & Sev xo

My latest obsession; Tweed!

I've always liked a nice tweed, especially in the autumn and winter months, so heres a round up of my favourite doggy tweed essentials!

Firstly we have some more festive pieces, the bow is called "The Scot" by Bob's Boutique I've had this one stashed ready for Christmas time for months! It's the perfect size and is really well made!

I also picked up this bandana by Chloe from her etsy store, Chloe Suzanne Designs, it's no longer in her easy shop which is sad, because it really is lovely!

And lastly we have a variety of tweed pieces from our favourites at Teddy Maximus, all except the pink bow where Discover Dogs' purchases that I haven't shared yet, including one of their brand new products!
Firstly we have Sev's new Sand Shetland Wool Waxed coat, I wanted something smart but practical for Sev and this coat is definitely it! This coats outer layer is olive green coloured waxed cotton which is waterproof so perfect for winter walks and lined with TM's gorgeous Sand Shetland Wool making it warm and cosy!

And the biggest chunk of the post is from the TM Pink Shetland Wool collection which I absolutely adore! This fabric is just stunning and i'm obsessed! The bow is something you're probably all fed up of seeing this now, but I still love it!

Now we have two of my Discover Dogs purchases; I finally picked up one of "The Cromwell" wool collars, i've been admiring these since Holly launched last year, not sure why it's taken me so long to buy one, but i'm glad I did! (this one is being put away until Lily's birthday in December!) the workmanship on these is just stunning, the leather is embossed on the inside and is finished with brass hardware which really adds to the luxury!

And my last purchase which is super exciting as Lily is the first dog to own a Pink Shetland Wool Harness! I was so ridiculously excited to see these on Holly's stand that I didn't even ask how much it was! (oops!) I've never tried a jacket style harness like this on Lily before, but i'm super happy with the fit, they feature velcro on both the chest area and around the waist ensuring a perfect fit. These like the collars just ooze luxury, it's almost too nice to use! The harnesses come in three fabrics and have only just launched to buy via preorder - we would totally recommend them! :)

Thank you for reading,
Jaime, Lily & Sev xo

Raw Feeding Update

One of the questions I get asked the most on twitter is "What do you feed them?!" The simple answer is raw!
I first wrote about putting Lily onto raw in February 2015, which is linked here, and since that post 4 out of 5 of our pack is now raw fed, this post will mostly be explaining what raw and supplements I feed the dachshunds, Lily & Sev.

Why Did I Choose Raw?

I moved Lil's onto raw almost 2 years ago after trying a ridiculous amount of brands, both kibble and wet due to her issues with her coat and skin. When we took Lily on she was very skinny and her coat dull and lack lustre, often is was getting quite patchy and flaky in places, this resulted in numerous vet visits, creams and special shampoo but to no avail, so after much research I decided to move her onto raw!
Within weeks her coat improved and was no longer dry, she was at a healthy weight and didn't poo anywhere near as much!

Since then we've moved Isla onto raw and Sev and Ava came to us already being fed a mixture of raw and kibble, we've even bought a second dog food specific chest freezer!

What Do I Feed?

The dachshunds have a mixture, they are fed twice a day each of them gets about 20g of Barking Heads Fat Dog Slim kibble (which they don't really need due to their main meal being the raw in the  evening. but they like it and it is low fat and natural so no complaints form me! 

For their main evening meal they currently have Nutriment - one 500g tub will last my two and Isla the GSP for two days. But I do occasionally buy Natural Instinct as a treat, the dogs will happily eat either :).
Twice a week I like to give mine a either a Nature's Menu chicken wing, duck wing or half of a duck neck. I give these as they are brilliant for teeth cleaning and both of mine can be trusted to chew them sensibly (I wouldn't advise giving these if your dog bolts their dinner down and doesn't chew. My two are always closely supervised whilst eating wings/necks!).
I also give mine scrambled eggs and dehydrated sprats as part of their meal as an occasional treat which they both love!

(apologies for photo quality, these are iPhone snaps that i've taken over the passed month)

Supplements?

I'm also a very big fan of supplements; my two take various depending on what their needs are at the time, but currently Isla, Lily and Sev are taking Dorwest's Omega Star oil, Sev and Isla have been on this since it's first trial in May and their coats have never looked better, Sev's coat stays soft and shiny and i've found it rarely tangles since he's been taking it. Would highly recommend this and it's definitely the best oil i've tried.
Lily is currently having a scoop of Lintbells "Yumega Boost" powder in her pm feed which is and old favourite of mine, i've written and in depth post about this which is linked here. Lily gets thinning watched in her coat during the winter so she's back on this to encourage coat growth.
And lastly they have a scoop of Seahorse Atlantic "Kelp Care" this is another coat/skin product, Lily takes it as it helps with pigmentation (Lily loves to sunbathe which can lighten the coat in chocolates!) Sev has it because it has numerous health benefits such as joint care, immune care and as mentioned previously coat care!

If you're unsure about raw the main brands that sell it, Nutriment/Natures Menu/Natural Instinct have nutritional advisors that have been very helpful to us in the past! I've also found a group on Facebook "Raw Fed Dachshunds UK" which is a very friendly and informative group!

Hope this has helped answer some questions, if theres anything else anyone would like me to answer, please feel to tweet me! :)
Thank you for reading,
Jaime, Lily & Sev xo

Discover Dogs 2016!

Super exciting post today! Earlier in the week I was lucky enough to win a pair of tickets to Eukanuba's Discover Dogs which is held in London on the 22nd and 23rd of October (next week!!)

I'm super  excited to be able to attend! I won't have the dachshunds with me as we'll be going up via train and I also won a pair of tickets to arrive at the Excel centre via the Emirates Air Line (a very fancy cable car apparently! and I don't think the dachs would enjoy that very much!) But being dogless means that i'll be able to visit lots of our favourite brands, both old and new!

We are going on the Saturday, so if you're going to also be there please let us know as it'd be lovely to meet up! :)

I've already written a list of places to visit and things to buy, should keep me in blog posts for the next month anyway!

Thank you for reading, and hope to see you there!
Jame, Lily & Sev xo

September Favourites

Can't believe September is over already and that we're into October! I actually started planning the Christmas blog series/posts earlier - eek!

Firstly we have a re-occouring favourite, the Lily's Kitchen Fish Chews, they get a special mention this month as sadly they're being discontinued - sob! Luckily i've started an unintentional stockpile... haha!
We love these and they are by far the best flat, fish skin chew on the market they retail at £3.99.

Secondly we have an item that we where kindly sent earlier in the month; The Poop Pot! As bizarre as this sounds its actually a really nifty little product, it's main purpose as the name implies is to store your used poo bags until you're at a bin etc, but they can also be used as a travel water/food bowl - which is what we've been using ours for. We received the size Large which is a perfectly sized collapsable travel bowl, not only is the design/packaging ridiculously cute, but it's really handy! Once they're back in stock I'll definitely be ordering the size small!

Another product that we where sent that I love is the Gencon All in One! This is magic, I swear! I've been testing the Gencon on our rather headstrong GSP Isla, all month. The simple head collar simply slides over the head and nose and stops the dog from pulling without being harsh, rubbing the face or riding up to the yes as various other brands we've tried do! Isla has previously tried many different head collars to stop her pulling the predecessor to the Gencon was a right faff to put on and often rubbed Isla's face, but we've had none of that with the Gencon! It's easy to slide on and off and adjust (I did a bit of experimenting as the website tells you that the All in 1 fits all breeds, and the same head collar genuinely did fit everyone from Ava to Sev!). Such a fab item and is now my go to when walking Isla!

And lastly we have Sev's harness from Puppichic, I have also written a separate post one which i'll link here. This really is a lovely harness, it doesn't rub and is very comfortable, it didn't squash Sev's coat either which lots of harnesses do! The link to buy your own is here.

Thank you for reading,
Jaime, Lily & Sev xo