Raising a Doodle: Heartwarming Stories from Dog Parents Around the World

by Theresa Piasta, Audrey Courchesne

Overview

Raising a Doodle: Heartwarming Stories from Dog Parents Around the World is a source of guidance and support for new and experienced doodle parents alike. With interviews featuring dog experts who cover practical advice on training, health, grooming, and canine therapy, plus heartwarming stories and beautiful photos from more than a hundred members of the Puppy Mama community, this book is your guide to doodle parenthood.

You’ll find:
● Tips for training and socializing your doodle
● Guidance to help keep your fluffy best friend healthy
● Stories about unconditional love and canine therapy
● Photos that make you smile
● And so much more!

No matter where you are on your journey with your pup, learn and laugh alongside puppy parents who understand the challenges and the joys of raising a doodle.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781684630219
Publisher:	SparkPress
Publication date:	11/04/2019
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	280
File size:	94 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Theresa Piasta is the Founder and CEO of Puppy Mama, a pet-tech company enhancing the lives of dog moms. Together, the Puppy Mama community is advocating for a more dog-friendly world and for the healing power of canine therapy. Before founding Puppy Mama, Theresa Piasta was a Vice President at JPMorgan and an Army Captain. From 2008-2009, Theresa served 14 months in the Iraq-War, earning the Bronze Star Medal for her leadership. Theresa attended the Stanford GSB Ignite program in 2016 and received a BA in Economics from Wellesley College in 2006.

Audrey Courchesne has been writing for as long as she can remember, building a career in publishing, marketing&communications after receiving an English degree from Wellesley College. She shares in Theresa’s passion for supporting women and creating community and has loved connecting with doodle moms from around the world to help to tell their stories. A New Englander at heart, Audrey lives in Alexandria, Virginia with her husband and three little ones. She grew up with a shiba inu, and while she doesn’t currently have any furry children, if her kids have their way, she’ll be a Puppy Mama before long!

Table of Contents

Preface viii

Introduction xii

Part 1 Doodlemania

Chapter 1 Doodle Love 2

Stories of unconditional love and joy from our Puppy Mama community

Chapter 2 The Rise of #Doodle 17

From "airedoodles" to "yorkiepoos"-how poodle mix breeds have taken our lives (and Instagram) by storm

Part 2 Raising a Doodle

Chapter 3 Building a Lifelong Bond 40

Tips for your very first days at home with your doodle puppy

Chapter 4 Speaking Puppy 55

Tips on reading your pup's body language and interpreting vocalizations

Chapter 5 Training Your Doodle 76

Answers to all of your crate and potty training questions

Chapter 6 Raising a Social Butterfly 99

How to socialize your doodle with people, dogs, and vacuum cleaners during the critical phases of puppyhood

Part 3 Life with Your Doodle

Chapter 7 Plus One 122

Friends, family, children, intimacy-with a doodle in the mix, relationships get interesting

Chapter 8 Caring for Your Doodle 165

From soothing itchy ears to maintaining those pearly whites-tips to keep your doodle healthy and happy

Chapter 9 Smart with Heart 190

Highly intelligent and full of personality, our doodles make us laugh and smile each and every day

Chapter 10 Canine Therapy 215

The healing power of canine companionship

Chapter 11 Oodles of Doodles 238

More stories from the doodle parent community

Doodle Parents Unite! 249

Preface

Preface Dear Reader, I have an (embarrassing) confession. Being a “Puppy Mama” wasn’t exactly Plan A. After college, I spent four years active duty in the U.S. Army, did a fourteen-month tour in Iraq, then headed to Wall Street. (Basically, I traded one high-stress job for another.) My life situation in Manhattan—the cramped apartment, the early morning rush to the trading desk, the evening networking events—just wasn’t conducive to properly caring for a dog. So it wasn’t in my plan. However, in 2014, my husband and I moved our lives to San Francisco. On those brisk, beautiful mornings, I would walk to work from South Beach along the Embarcadero waterfront and see dozens of people running, playing, and laughing with their dogs. I stopped to chat with them, I started learning the breeds, and before I knew it, I wanted to be the one running, playing, and laughing with a puppy of my own. Enter The Waffle. My cavapoo, Waffles, is a thirteen-pound ball of pure joy. She has never failed to put a smile on my face. Her love is contagious — she spreads laughter and happiness to everyone she meets. Just watching her proudly twirling and dancing on her hind legs to win smiles and affection from others fills my heart with happiness. She reminds me every day to embrace life and to make each day count. Most importantly, she inspired me to build a community of women who love their dogs like family. I wanted the community to be judgment-free, empowering women to live the lives that make them the happiest and healthiest—lives that include their pups. The women in the Puppy Mama community understand how special this relationship is. And some of the most passionate members of our community are our doodle mamas! They share amazing stories, post beautiful pictures of their adorable pups, and connect with each other in person and over social media. For many women, sharing their experiences online has led to friendships with other dog moms offline. Doodles help their moms in so many ways. Women'share that they are happier and more fulfilled with their pups in their lives. Many have expressed that their doodles fill voids in their hearts that they did not even know were there in the first place. Their pups get them out to exercise and to meet and connect with new people, and help them to focus on the present. Even during bad days, doodles help women to forget their troubles with their playful antics: from showering them with kisses to looking like they found heaven in an exciting new stick. Coming home to a doodle is never lonely, with a ball of fluff running at you with so much love and excitement because you finally made it back home to them. In 2014, I witnessed the happiness my neighbors were experiencing with their dogs on the Embarcadero. Today, seeing all of our members share their joy in our Puppy Mama community is truly beautiful. I am so excited to help you on your journey as you experience the remarkable love that dogs can bring to our lives. Theresa Piasta Founder of Puppy Mama