Tales of Teddy

uncompromising quality and love for dogs

Search results for

teddy loves

All Posts Teddy Loves...

Teddy Loves…. A Snow Day

dog coat, dog collar, snow, snow day, dog coat

It’s trying hard to snow in London right now. The sky is white/grey and there are some snowflakes drifting down. This weekend, Teddy’s hoping for a proper snowy blanket. Two years ago, Hampstead had a good few inches of the white stuff (see above). Agreed, that’s not much by Canadian standards, but here in the UK, trains stop for less. Ted’s waiting, dog coat at the ready.

All Posts Teddy Loves...

Teddy Loves: Dog Blankets on Fireworks Night

dog blankets

Whenever life gets a bit much – too many children rushing and screeching, too much vacuum cleaner action, strange visitors sitting on the (his) sofa – Teddy retreats under the coffee table. He’ll be there tonight – Bonfire Night – when the firecrackers and noisemakers make him jump and shiver with nerves.

It’s about this time of year that dark murmurs seep onto the social media feeds of animal lovers. With Diwali just gone and Bonfire Night upon us, there are plenty of dog owners who would like to ban all but professionally organised fireworks displays. I get it. Although I love seeing multicoloured pompoms glitter in the sky and I can watch Catherine wheels until I’m dizzy, the firecrackers and noisemakers make life hell for our pets.

How brilliant the Italian province in Parma that recently brought in laws forcing residents to use silent fireworks in order to lessen the stress to local animals. If the last few nights are anything to go by, Hampstead residents have not yet discovered the noise-free option. While there are many ways to help alleviate the stress of fireworks night for your dog, (see Dogs and Fireworks), we will be doing two things that work for Ted.

First, we’ll make up his customary, super-cosy nest. This year it will be tricked out in some style, using three of our Better Dog Blankets. We wind them round and pile them high to make one seriously cosy sanctuary. A couple of Teddy’s preferred fluffy toys will be woven in, and the whole lot stowed in his safe place, under the coffee table. Once he’s curled up tight, with his head tucked into the pile, the shivers abate and he’s just about oblivious. I’m happy to think that, quite aside from their lovely looks, our Better Dog Blankets – with all their softness and cosy heft – are sincerely valued.

The other precaution that we observe at this time of year in cracker-crazed Hampstead is a tip from The Dog Nanny: on evening strolls we ensure Teddy’s collar is tight enough that should he bolt, he won’t be able to slip it.

All Posts Teddy Loves...

Teddy Loves: A French Dog’s Life

dog friendly holidays

An Englishman we came across in the south of France told us his wife wouldn’t forgive him: he’d not let her bring the dog on holiday.

“I didn’t realise! You can take dogs everywhere over here. Even into restaurants,” he said.  “It’s strange. The only place that they are banned from is the beach.”

Maybe it’s not so strange. The French like their dogs and the beaches down south get ridiculously hot. But in clothes shops, boulangeries, smart hotels, cafes (I didn’t check out the boucherie because that would be too much like temptation for Ted), dogs are welcome.

When we travelled up the coast and wanted to hire bikes to cycle around Ile de Re, Teddy was provided with his own special tagalong trailer – we didn’t even have to ask. He was grateful for the water bowls frequently on offer. I was charmed by the various ladies who often stopped to admire Teddy’s sharp summer haircut. Teddy was a bit of a rarity. Local dogs wear their hair shaggier, look altogether more windswept – in this smart French version of the seaside, which doubles as Paris-on-Sea, the tousled hairstyles beloved of French Vogue clearly extend to canines, too.

One evening we sat in a glorious courtyard in the middle of France, all old stones, wild flowers and pretty ironwork, in a chic little restaurant surrounded by vineyards. While we ate, Teddy happily patrolled beneath the table. We counted six dogs escorting their owners that evening: a perky Jack Russell with a pink diamante collar, a small Yorkie sitting quietly on the lap of his owner (a man in white denim with long, flippy, hair just like his dog’s), a statuesque white greyhound who sat bolt upright on her own travel rug, two conked out poodles and an utterly huge Bouvier des Flandres, who proceeded to park his massive furry flanks directly across the serving route, right between the tables. No one suggested moving the hot dog. Instead, a waiter smiled indulgently at the living, panting rug, brought him a trough of water and spent the rest of the evening carefully negotiating the space around him.

None of the dogs whined, growled or cocked their legs. Perhaps they’d all read the memo about How Dogs Should Behave in Restaurants. Or maybe it comes au naturel to dogs (even English ones) when they are in France.

All Posts Teddy Loves...

Teddy Loves: Shades of Schnauzer

dog show

While I watched Crufts dog show last week, I listened to the television commentators shower praise upon the toy dog group.

These dogs were “Stylish and curvaceous” and “Fine-boned, dainty and freemoving”. We witnessed a “Gorgeous silky top coat”, some “High stepping action”, a restrained but no less welcome, “Level top line”, as well as a pair of “Lovely candle flame ears”. Perhaps the sweetest tribute was to a Pomeranian who was aptly described as, “A little ball of fluff on fine dainty legs.”

Dog show or fashion catwalk? When Crufts comes round it inevitably reminds me of my old job as a fashion editor. All the effort, the judging and the jargon appear so eerily familiar. Although there is one aspect that doesn’t bear comparison: the majority of handlers who take the dogs through their paces are missing a sartorial trick and I can’t work out why.

If my aim was to show off the glorious results of getting my dog’s bone structure right, the coat immaculate, ears at the correct tilt and tail just so, I would do my utmost to make sure that whoever was holding their lead, faded into the background and let the dog shine. The thing I can’t fathom is how it isn’t second nature.

After two years of living with Teddy, in all his tones of glorious grey, I can’t seem to get dressed without pulling on some semblance of #shadesofschnauzer. It’s seeped into my subconscious. My wardrobe is full of it. My home is full of it. And it’s no coincidence, I’m sure, that Teddy gets copious compliments when he’s sitting on a grey sofa/rug/blanket or when we’re both dressed in shades of dove, granite or steel. I’m very happy to take the back seat. Over to you, Dalmation fanciers.

All Posts Teddy Loves...

Teddy Loves: Football Scarves for Dogs (Dog Clothes)

dog clothes

We’ve seen Arnie– a stylish little Mini Schnauzer, often tricked out in smart accessories and dog clothes – trotting about Hampstead for a while now. Both he and Teddy clamour to get close to each other, and then enjoy an intricate face-off when they’re nose to nose.

Of all the Hampstead Schnauzers (Teddy, Arnie, Toby, Max, Humphrey, Clemmie – and counting), Arnie has always been most easy to recognise from afar: he sports a vintage-look golden bow tie.

We saw him recently though, and discovered that he’s moved on from bow ties to football scarves. His human has set up an online store Arnie’s Petshop selling dog accessories, specializing in football-scarves-for-dogs.

Very kindly, Ted was presented with one, so now he can proudly display his allegiance to this urban dog’s favourite, Chelsea FC. Fingers crossed that this small hairy hooligan doesn’t disgrace the team.

All Posts Teddy Loves...

Teddy Loves… dog decor

dog decor

“If you pay attention,” the noted New York interior designer Bunny Williams recently told The Wall Street Journal, dogs, “Will always show you the coziest places in the house to curl up.” I’ve come to realise this is a version of dog decor

Now that the nights are drawing in, and there’s a chill in the air, Teddy is back to pinching my favourite spot – chosen for its snug, draught-free angle – on the sofa, making full use of available cushions.

He will start-off, curled-up in what’s known in specific Instagram-ese as a #schnauzerball, with his feet tucked under him, tail wrapped round him, keeping warm and cozy (this also keeps vital organs protected, which is why you’ll often see outside dogs napping similarly coiled up). Then Teddy will drift into his dead-dog pose, as if he’s just keeled over on his side. He will stretch his short legs out stiffly. Initially I thought the leg stretching might be a winning subconscious attempt at contact – now I feel sure it’s just a bid to shove me along the sofa.

Teddy relishes this coziest of corners. And it’s clearly worth noting. If we ever get round to redecorating our house, perhaps a question worth asking is not ‘Where can I imagine sitting to read a book?’, but ‘Where would discerning little Ted most like to kip?”

All Posts Teddy Loves...

Teddy Loves: Going Naked and Hates Dog Raincoats

dog raincoats

Now that the rainy days of autumn have arrived, I keep seeing dogs in dog raincoats. Yesterday I counted four urban dogs trotting about the streets of Hampstead showing off their wet-weather gear and two decked out on the Heath.

Last year I went through a period of zipping Teddy into what I considered a stylish doggy waterproof. I thought it might be a neat way to avoid washing him after our daily wet and muddy Heath walks. Teddy thought otherwise. He hated his rustling jacket and refused to budge while wearing it. (See the photo of him sporting said item in A Schnauzer Spooked, and you might agree with my husband: Teddy felt it damaged his street cred.)

But it has got me thinking. Does a hairy dog like Teddy need a raincoat? The temperature has not yet properly dropped in London but it is wet. Teddy shivers even after he’s been washed in perfectly warm water, so how thoroughly should I be drying him after he’s been drenched in a downpour?

“It’s not a problem for dogs to get wet,” says vet Rodney Zasman. “After a good shake they soon dry off.’ He points out that some breeds, like Labradors and other Retrievers, have ‘waterproof’ coats that are well-suited to wet conditions. Regardless, though, he says, “I would always dry a dog after it is wet. It just helps the body temperature to return to normal quicker.”

So, we’ll say no to the raincoat, but put a towel by the front door. Teddy (and his finely tuned sartorial senses) will be pleased.

All Posts Teddy Loves...

Teddy Loves… Dog walks

dog walks

You see the world differently when you have a dog. Or maybe you just see the world more. If I didn’t have Teddy in tow, I wouldn’t walk half as much as I do. I recently read somewhere that if you really, really care about your dog, you should take them on different dog walks daily, shake it up a bit, keep it fresh.

I have two thoughts about this. First of all, even the most routine walk is new when you keep your eyes open. When I’m walking Ted – which tends to be a stop start/affair as he sniffs/piddles as much as he can get away with – I notice gardens, I notice people, I notice other dogs (not always for the most heart-warming reasons – Teddy can be growly on a lead), and sometimes I even find myself stopping to smell the roses. The thing is, if I’m absorbing so much on the same daily walk, how much more must Teddy be getting with his superior sensory synapses pinging away?

But then of course, having read that article, comes my second thought: if his walks get more interesting then this sweet little urban dog might feel even chirpier, and I don’t want him to miss out.

So now variety is the thing. If guilt hadn’t led me to it, I might never have walked along the canal to Kings Cross – currently mid-re-vamp – with its natural swimming pond/art installation that sits like a very cool, natural jewel amid the cranes and coffee shops. I could easily have picked up an Edwyn UK neckerchief for Teddy in our lovely local dog emporium, Hair of the Dog, but then we would have missed out on a Saturday wander about Spitalfields Market to buy an neckerchief from the designer herself. With an hour to kill, I wouldn’t have led Ted on a walking tour of Portobello Road where we discovered the dog-friendly Pedlars store with its easy little coffee shop at the rear. And we wouldn’t have ended up at the local’ish reservoir for a Ted-driven sniffathon while my children learnt to sail. The point is that without Ted I might not have not ventured forth. I’m still not convinced that Teddy really cares whether his walk consists of the same run across Hampstead Heath or the same turn about the streets of Hampstead (in fact I’m sure he relishes making his mark on his home turf), but it turns out this guilt trip might have been beneficial for both us. Another thing to thank dog for.

All Posts Teddy Loves...

Teddy Loves: A Groovy Dog Artist

dog artist

I wrote about Rafael Mantesso – a dog artist – and his beautiful bull terrier named Jimmy Choo a while back when the illustrator’s Instagram account featuring his trusty dog went viral (see Friday Find: Jimmy Choo the Super Dog).
Clever Jimmy Choo (the ritzy-glitzy shoe brand, not the roman-nosed dog) picked up on Mantesso and together they have come up with a capsule collection of small leather goods for humans (from £210), and two collars for dogs (in high-shine silver or encrusted with studs, naturellement).
Even if you are more of a wellies-and-webbing dog walker, please take a look at the brilliant short animated film that goes with the collection, A Day in the Life. It’s surprisingly groovy: that’s one hot dog.

All Posts Teddy Loves...

Teddy Loves: Muddy Paws and Dog Clothes

dog clothes

While muddy paws and dog clothes are part of our daily routine in London right now, things are looking particularly picturesque on my doggy Instagram feed. I’ve watched a beautiful German Wirehaired Pointer walking frosty wooded trails in Canada @wagwagandwagmore. I’ve seen a Beagle dramatically reflected on the ice as she pulls a skater along in Sweden @sickanthebeagle and the skies on the @chocolat0324 feed from Japan always look blue, the days crisp, and the featured Mini Schnauzer always, but always, looks impeccably groomed. There’s a Vizsla in Australia @ben757 who runs proud and statuesque on endless beautiful beaches. And as New Zealand revs up for summer, the Airedale on @blogmollydog bounds about in lush greenery and here’s my point: I’m suffering severe weather envy, because in London right now, Teddy is mainly mired in mud. Even in Scotland, where some fairly unrelenting grey skies loom, my friend @theworldaccordingtoharris has some enviably low temperatures to firm things up and ensure his Dachshund belly doesn’t get entirely bogged down.
Teddy, a fairly stoic Mini Schnauzer, is unconcerned by the sludgy stuff, but me? I’m tired of the squelching, the slipping, the unrelenting brown-ness of it, but mainly I’m tired of clearing it up.
If you don’t want to bath a dog twice daily (the time, the effort, Teddy’s skin and Teddy’s psyche won’t allow it) and you don’t want the whiff of eau-de-dank-dog or small piles of mud dust about the place, what do you do?
Well, there’s always a bespoke Dog Cottage. This is the ultimate outdoor kennel, complete with heating, shingled roof and your choice of tasteful, Farrow & Ball paintwork. Pop your dog in here to dry off and they’ll not be wiping themselves off on your soft furnishings; you’ll have no mud-smeared skirtingboards or pawprints sullying your home. Since I like my dog in my house, not outdoors, this one’s not for me but I’m sure someone might like one (if not for their pup, perhaps for their children?).
Our groomer gave us the most practical way to stop the trail of mud indoors: she keeps Teddy’s paws trimmed and fluffy furnishings clipped back (a Yorkie I know has her underbelly shaved for the same reason).
A friend offered another suggestion: keep a towel and a supply of dog wipes and treats by your front door. When you come in, have your dog linger on a moisture-trapping doormat and work on that sit/stay command while wiping clean the paws, undercarriage, etc.
If you need to drive home, post-walk, with a mucky dog, a Dry Dog Bag might be worth a try. It zips around the dog, allowing them to dry off and shed dirt neatly within the bag, minimizing the muck left in your car.
Then of course, there’s the all-in-one dog coat: the canine onesie. Teddy hated his at first (see Teddy’s Tales: A Schnauzer Spooked) but as you can see from the picture above, he’s getting used to his dog clothes – needs must.
I’ll be adding the sit/stay/wipe-down to my current mud-avoidance tactics which include a dog onesie, a regularly shake out of the sheepskin rug that Teddy goes to sleep on after his walk (excellent because it gathers and traps the mud dust while he dries out in comfort), and a liberal spritzing of Cire Trudon Sancti Room Spray around the dog bed area. (The smell of incense hanging in the air puts any hint of dank dog firmly in the background.)
I read some advice somewhere about rubbing a damp dog with a scented tumble dryer sheet. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that!