[Basil_the_Spoo]

Many of us take careful thought and consideration to go above and beyond for our curly hair poodles. Some might say poodle's are the most spoiled.

What are some of your favorite ways to spoil your poodle?

Let's include all animals (cats, horses, other dog breeds, etc) too if you would like because I know some of you have a lot of love to give.

 

[fjm]

Poppy's spoiling mostly revolves around her health needs:
Chicken breast for taking medicines and adding protein to her canned hepatic food
Home made treats that she can eat lots and lots and LOTS of without getting a tummy ache!
Comfy jumpers to keep her warm now her hair is so thin
Very slow, gentle sniff walks with plenty of encouraging treats
Plenty of trips outside and not worrying about some inevitable puddles (and worse) inside...
Cuddles and snuggles and plenty of patience ("Poppy, you can't need to go out again! It's only 15 minutes since the last time...")

Pippin-cat gets puppy pads all over the house in addition to a tray, as he struggles at times. Plus at the moment he's getting umpteen meals a day as he has been feeling poorly and not eating properly. And he doesn't get shouted at when he hauls himself onto my bed at 5am and tromps up and down pretending to look for a comfy spot while intimating that it might be time for breakfast...

Sophy and Tilly are not really spoilt - having the run of the house, access to beds, chairs and sofas, home-cooked meals and treats, cuddles and attention on tap, walks for Sophy and free access to acres and acres of gardens and fields for Tilly, and generally having the house run around their comfort and happiness isn't spoiling, it is just life!

 

[Oonapup]

I don't think Oona is particularly spoiled, but I do arrange my life around her, and some folks might see that as spoiling because they are more used to low-maintenance pets or only have experience with dogs that are already mature and well-adjusted. I honestly feel that is the case with my husband (and in-laws), since his family has always had dogs but without putting this amount of effort into training and safety, and some of them have come out fairly well adjusted. So he thinks raising dogs doesn't require all this fuss. Those dogs were raised in the country, and have had very different lives than city dogs - several of them couldn't walk nicely on leash and would not have tolerated the hustle and bustle of the city very well, but that didn't matter too much for them.

things that might seem/look like spoiling to others, but which are actually not:

• Let her sleep on the furniture (sofas, tho not our bed)
• Bring her with me a lot (COVID social-distance visits are good for bringing the dog around because they're outdoors! And they are some of the few opportunities to socialize her with friends who we'll one day want to have in our homes again! However it does mean that friends don't get my full attention since I'm partly focused on the dog)
• Take lots of training classes, be visibly working on training a lot during "daily life"
• Generally thinking, talking and planning a lot about her behavior and safety (researching training, seatbelts, light vests, etc)
• grooming her like a poodle (I think this makes the effort and expense of grooming visible, whereas people think of the retriever-y clips as more "natural)

I don't see these things as spoiling. These ones though might qualify:

• Knitting her a coat <3
• Letting her lick my face <3 <3
• Excessive snoot kisses <3 <3 <3

 

[Darling Darla]

I bought my horse a horse for his 20th birthday 🥳 They get an apple or a carrot almost daily.
I have 7 dogs and they get attention and lots of love daily. 3 are poodle.
My cat lives outside and get canned food each night for supper.
My 3 little goats get treats and have a heated house all winter.
My cockatiel is 16 and has his own radio and very specific about his music. 80s metal. 😂

 

[reraven123]

I got a kitten for my Giant Schnauzer bitch. She loved cats. She loved all kinds of little animals. If she saw a cat while we were out walking she would do her best to sidle up to it in hopes that it would play with her, but they always ran away. Then her prey drive would kick in and she would chase them, but her feelings were badly hurt that they would not play with her. So I got her one of her own. She loved that kitten, and later cat, and the cat loved her. Their favorite game was for Raven to try to get as much of the cat into her mouth as she could. The cat loved this game and would lay there sopping wet and purring as loud as he could. That was a long time ago, I only have a few digital pics of her, but that's her on the right.

 

[PowersPup]

I don't think Oona is particularly spoiled, but I do arrange my life around her, and some folks might see that as spoiling because they are more used to low-maintenance pets or only have experience with dogs that are already mature and well-adjusted. I honestly feel that is the case with my husband (and in-laws), since his family has always had dogs but without putting this amount of effort into training and safety, and some of them have come out fairly well adjusted. So he thinks raising dogs doesn't require all this fuss. Those dogs were raised in the country, and have had very different lives than city dogs - several of them couldn't walk nicely on leash and would not have tolerated the hustle and bustle of the city very well, but that didn't matter too much for them.

things that might seem/look like spoiling to others, but which are actually not:

• Let her sleep on the furniture (sofas, tho not our bed)
• Bring her with me a lot (COVID social-distance visits are good for bringing the dog around because they're outdoors! And they are some of the few opportunities to socialize her with friends who we'll one day want to have in our homes again! However it does mean that friends don't get my full attention since I'm partly focused on the dog)
• Take lots of training classes, be visibly working on training a lot during "daily life"
• Generally thinking, talking and planning a lot about her behavior and safety (researching training, seatbelts, light vests, etc)
• grooming her like a poodle (I think this makes the effort and expense of grooming visible, whereas people think of the retriever-y clips as more "natural)

I don't see these things as spoiling. These ones though might qualify:

• Knitting her a coat <3
• Letting her lick my face <3 <3
• Excessive snoot kisses <3 <3 <3

I can relate to your poodle puppy passion - I have the same obsession with Topper (except for the grooming). I'm retired now, so my life really does revolve around my puppy. I figure that the more time I invest in him now will pay off in a wonderful dog in the future. I think the last three items - knitting the coat and all the kisses - might be spoiling. I think anything that strengthens the bond between the dog and human partner is necessary and is not spoiling.

 

[Oonapup]

I can relate to your poodle puppy passion - I have the same obsession with Topper (except for the grooming). I'm retired now, so my life really does revolve around my puppy. I figure that the more time I invest in him now will pay off in a wonderful dog in the future. I think the last three items - knitting the coat and all the kisses - might be spoiling. I think anything that strengthens the bond between the dog and human partner is necessary and is not spoiling.

I don't do all her grooming, as I'm just learning how, but paying someone else to a really nice job, as we just have, may play to the spoiled poodle stereotype even though it's just a choice the same as one would have with any long coated non shedding dog. I love to knit, and I figure I've knit my family members lots of stuff, Oona deserves a hand knit item, and a dog sweater is a fun challenge.

 

[Bailey_Whiskey]

I never thought I was spoiling my dogs. But my friends think otherwise.
1. I spend more on their food per month than mine.
2. I think more about what goes into their mouth than mine.
3. I let them get away with almost everything (like stealing my food).
4. We bring them out whenever we can (in our country, it’s a big thing, dogs aren’t allowed in many places)
5. I gave up years of holiday because I wanted to be with them whenever I could.
6. I am a trained groomer (not practicing though) but I would very much rather pay to get them professionally groomed so they look nicer.
7. I spend more time and make more excuses to be with my dogs than my friends.
8. I schedule my life to fit around my dogs.

 

[Vita]

I spend more money than I need to in feeding my toy poodles. It bought maybe 20 different brands of kibble for at least a year before I found a kibble Bella would eat without going a hunger strike (Royal Canine Puppy). Sachii is more easy going about kibble.

The thing is, this picky little girl trained me to share my people food every day.

Re: breakfast! 🐔 I got into the habit of buying bulk chicken, baking then freezing in 2 or 3 day portions. Other times I'll feed them homemade hamburger, eggs, and leftovers. My own diet is 80% veggies now, so I wouldn't buy all that other stuff for myself, it's primarily for them. They're lucky they're toys and don't eat as much as a Spoo!

 

[Streetcar]

There are things I'd so love to share with Oliver, just they don't work for our life right now. And actually, partly because I don't have to please a human life partner, to me most any pet interaction isn't spoiling, just rather more our life partnership in action. I realize many may not see things as I do, and that's okay 😊.

 

[Spottytoes]

Hmmmm....Do I/we actually spoil Bobby....
Yup! I/we do try very hard to not let him think he is getting his way though, for example, if he started to bark just for attention he is totally ignored. If he jumps up for attention....back is turned. We try really hard to make sure he isn’t a demanding spoiled dog. 😉 But yes, Bobby is definitely spoiled. Let me count the ways.
1. The dog has way too many toys. LOL!!!
2. I have spent way too many hours and too much money finding the perfect leashes, collars, harnesses, etc.
3. I’ve sewn a coat for him and a collar for him, not to mention the ones I’ve purchased.
4. And of course, there is the hunt for the perfect foods.😉
5. There are the training classes, etc.
6. He sleeps with us at night and is basically our fluffy Velcro sidekick.
7. Oh yes, there is the grooming...I’m always looking for the perfect grooming products and we all know the attention given during grooming sessions. Bobby always gets extra treats and snooter kisses during our grooming sessions.
8. And of course, there is the love, living life together, the sweet talk, the play and fun, the cuddling, the attention...such an easy, fun dog to spoil. It’s all good by me! 😊

Or cat, Winston is definitely spoiled. He’s 17 years old and considering his age, he’s in pretty good shape, no major health issues that we know of and he looks pretty good. He’s definitely spoiled and demanding as cats can be...such as meowing loudly when his food isn’t ready at the exact time. LOL! He also sleeps between our heads on the pillows. Not our preference but it’s not worth the the “wrath” we would experience if we tried to change his ways. LOL! He has all of his special places and preferences and he is very set in his ways and most definitely, spoiled. Anyone with cats understands. 😉

 

[Piper 2020]

Alf's taxi when he gets tired or doesn't want to get his feet wet.

 

[ThePoodlesMoody]

I made it a goal to take Apple Butter to all of our state parks. She's only 6 months old, so I don't want her doing too much exercise on her young joints. So what do I do? Let her walk, then carry her, the let her walk, then carry her. I'm picking all of the easy level grass trails to start with and planning our trips accordingly. She has her own dog water bottle, which I carry. I bring her a snack too so that when we stop at a bench we can enjoy a nice view and also a snack together.

This dog has been in SO many stores. HomeGoods, Home Depot, Total Wine, Restoration Hardware,The Container Store, other liquor stores, Floral and garden centers, hardware stores, Scheel's.... I will go to a dog friendly store to pick something up and drive a little out of my way to get things! I'm trying hard to really socialize her well, and I live in Minneapolis so there are lots of people and things she needs to experience.

I currently get her groomed way more often than she needs. I do this because I want her to build up those good grooming experiences!

She has a barkbox subscription. She has a matching custom made hoodie with me. Uhhhh. Yep. She is spoiled.

 

[Liz]

When I bought a new desk, one of my criteria was to have enough space for Mia to lie down underneath, near my feet. The legs on the desk I chose are wide enough apart to fit a large dog bed (nearly 36" x 24" with a little scrunching in the corners) and the wires are safely out of the way.

 

[Dianaleez]

I toss the dog treats that Normie doesn't like.

It's that or make a casserole for the family.