TL;DR What’s the secret to happy pups? Pretty simple, Love, Attention and Lots of Playtime on their terms.

For me, love comes naturally; I love my dogs unconditionally. I love them just as as I would a 1-year-old baby or a 3-year-old toddler, that is completely and without judgement. There’s no such thing as a “bad” 1-year-old; they have no ill intent, and neither do my dogs. I truly believe dogs are incapable of it are incapable of it. And I also wear bite resistant gloves when I clean my Boston’s teeth, she has tiny shark teeth.

Babes and Alf have very different personalities. Babes is incredibly chill. She’s a total couch potato with periods of high high energy throughout the day. Babes is happiest if I take her everywhere I go. She loves meeting new people. She loves meeting new dogs. She loves going everywhere And doing anything. Well, as long as the temperature is between 70° and 75°

Alf, on the other hand, is not fond of new experiences. I adopted him when he was a year old, and he already had some significant challenges. Alf prefers calm, quiet environments where he feels in control. I was advised to expose him to various stimuli, but when I tried, he seemed miserable. He dislikes loud noises, other dogs, and is initially wary of most adults. Alf is happiest after spending 2 or 3 hours in his cozy crate, which he treats like a safe cave. Once rested, he comes out to play with Babes on his own terms. And they play like crazy! They roll around like armadillos, play fight, fetch, and chase each other. They truly have a blast together.

So the big secret is of course not a secret at all, just love your pups and let them love you, each other and everyone!