Thursday, July 18, 2013

Doggystyle: How do you Integrate your Pup's Stuff into your Home?

We just had a friend visit who mentioned how nice it was that even though we had our two pups, it wasn't like they really took over much space in our home. Which is kind of funny because looking back, when I first adopted Miss M her big crate was prominent in the middle of my living room and her toys were scattered in every room of the house. It was always a big deal to have visitors. I think we've come a long way, and here are some things we've learned since then:

Use Human Products:
We found that the biggest way to hide our dog things is to not buy specific dogs things but to buy human products that we use for the dogs. Instead of beds in our living room we have nice floor pillows where the pups lay, we use Serving bowls as dog bowls, and we make our dog treats look nicer with modern storage canisters. And it actually saves money.
We wrote more about it here.

Have a Designated Space for Everything:
Miss M wonders why she doesn't get a personalized toy bin
While each of our pups have their own raingear, coats, hoodies, and toys, we've learned to keep everything hidden away, but still easily accessible. We use stackable bins to store the pups' gear, but still keep everything within reach. Mr B has this personalized toy bin. And we keep all of our dog-walking gear organized in our front entry. We wrote about it here.

Integrate the Crates:
The crates have been the hardest thing to work with, but we know it's important to keep them because they provide the pups with a safe private space. Having a dog who is able to be crated also makes it easier if you need a friend to watch your pup while you're away. Since Mr. B has crate anxiety, we actually traded his crate out for a tepee. We wrote more about it here.
And while it took us awhile, we finally realized that Miss M's crate could like nicer for us, and be more fun and den-like for her, when we got a Molly Mutt crate cover. We wrote about it here.

These are things that work for us, what are some ways you integrate your pups' stuff into your home?

Also:
The well-scented dog home
Easy cleaning with pups
And we always have this secret cleaning weapon

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love the steps you take to make it all work, your home is LOVELY! I think it starts with picking dog stuff that humans visually like. Stuff that fits the decor of the home, otherwise it stands out, as dog stuff. Thank goodness for changeable covers!

Anonymous said...

Dottie absolutely loves her crate, she was crate trained as a puppy.

Boomer hates his crate, it's been tough getting him to even go in there without bribery... maybe a teepee is what we should try next!

Two French Bulldogs said...

To do a very good job at integrating
Benny & Lily

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