Happy Birthday HUXTABLE the Poodle

Huxtable, toy parti poodle, turns 2 years old. 

I can't believe how time flies, well, yea I can, but you know what I mean, lol... Huxie is already 2 years old! So he's still a young pup, but he's definitely finding his voice. He used to never bark, now he's asserted himself my personal body guard, lol. 

Let's see, what else has changed in the last year of having this adorable toy poodle...

- He went through his coat change. I used to be able to skip some brushes, then brush him out before going to the groomer and everything would be fine and he could get any clip/cut of my choosing. Well, earlier this year I tried that method and the groomer had to cut him down. His fur grew back, but again we had to cut off a lot of fur (this time I actually wanted the clip though). So his puppy fur is pretty much gone, and now if I want him to sport the longer continental clips or saddle clips I'll definitely have to brush him daily and take extra good care of his coat because it's thicker and coarser (which is technically a good thing for poodles because it makes it easier to style them however you want)

- He's gotten more assertive. As I mentioned earlier he has definitely found his voice. Now it's just a matter of training him when to and not to bark. At first I really liked it since he wasn't much of a barker to begin with, but now he's doing it a little more than I would like so I'm finally trying to reign it in. But he's still really amazing about it because he's as quiet as a church mouse and very chill when I bring him into stores no matter the surrounding. He also doesn't bark when we're at events, I'm thinking he may just sense the need to be calm. 

- He communicates even more and makes new sounds. Sometimes the things that come out this dog's mouth amazes me, in a curious type of way. When he was a baby/toddler he pretty much signified his wants or needs by different barks and whines-- he had 3 main ones. Now, well, he has a whole host of sounds... different barks, different moans, different whines, and this very curious speech like thing he does from time to time especially if I'm about to go in the store really quick and leave him in the car (windows down of course, in the shade, and close to the front of the store).

If I think of anymore changes I'll add them, but those are the main ones for now.

So What Is Huxtable's Human Age?

In the past people said 1 year equals 7 human years for all dogs, but we now know that's not entirely true. It's sort of different for each breed to some extent, but it's definitely different for each size dogs. For a big dog 7 years, medium dog 5-6 years, and small dog 4 years. Which makes waaay more sense, especially in the case of toy poodles who live to be 20 years old or older (usually 18 at the youngest).

So for Huxtable at two years old, he's still in the young child phase at 8 years old, by the old standard he'd be 14 which is still young, but 8 or even 10 just seems more fitting especially in regards to his personality and changes. 

How Was This Year's Dog Party?

This year we didn't have the fully decorated dog party that we did last year, but he got plenty of toys treats and love and had a few photoshoots :-). I'll post more photos later.

A Dreamy Poodle

A very fluffy Huxtable

I really do love the look of brown and white parti poodles. Their chocolate faces, amber brown eyes, liver colored noses, lips, and paws. Just so adorable, I can't wait to get another poodle. I think I'll get a girl, either parti colored -or- lately I've been considering a solid chocolate girl which would match Huxtable adorably as well. 

Parti Poodle Puppy Doll

So I ran across this adorable little hand-made parti poodle doll. I want to believe it was partially Huxtable inspired, lol... it looks like Huxtable as a young pup after he's gotten his hair washed and blown ;-).  Brown face, all white on front, brown on the sides, white legs, and brown tail :-) Adorable!

 

 

Would love for them to send me one, but if you want one you can get it HERE. 

Dancing Poodle: Huxtable Partying

Huxtable doing the Tootsie Roll :-)

Here are the photos still by still of his little french circus dog trick :-)

The dancing poodle Huxtable, he's truly a "party" poodle!

Huxtable the Poodle

Toy Parti Poodle

Toy Poodle

American Apparel Dog Clothes: Hoodies and Shirts for Pets

Huxtable, the hipster poodle 

I lucked up and got a Groupon for American Apparel. I believe it was $20 for $40 worth of items or something of the like. When I saw the deal I immediately purchased it because I had been eyeing a few of their dog items for Huxtable. 

Ater searching American Apparel's website, seeing the instock and out of stock items, I finally decided to purchase 2 hoodies and 2 shirts.

 The Package

The Goods 

- Gray American Apparel Dog Hoodie

- Navy American Apparel Dog Hoodie

- Navy Blue and Red American Apparel Dog Jersey/ Raglan/ Baseball Tee

- Black and Red American Apparel Ringer/ Rib T-shirt

 

The Rockstar Dog

 

Huxtable's Review: I love my american apparel clothes, they're so comfy! I love to snuggle up in my hoodie during cold fall and winter days. 

Huxtable's Mom Review: My little poodle has alot of dog clothing, and the pet clothing from American Apparel are amongst my favorite. The material for both hoodies and shirts are very soft, they fit well, easy to put on, and they are great basics that easily coordinate with a dog's wardrobe, lol. But best of all, Huxtable seems to really like AA jackets and tees. He'll curl up tight sometimes in a ball, then cock his head forward to put the hoodie up... poodles, lol, they're so smart.

Size: Huxtable was about 6lbs pounds in the photos above, he's about 7lbs now. While toy poodles usually wear smalls, I decided to get him a medium so that he would be comfortable fur and all. They fit perfectly! Poodles are slim, but they have long bodies so it's important to compensate for that by maybe going up one size, especially if they are very fluffy and furry.

When fur filled and wearing a continental clip, AA pet size medium fit best. After Huxtable got his short clip, a small would have definitely worked better. So make the decision based off the predominate clip/cut your pooch sports. 

You can get your dog American Apparel Pet Clothing, Here -or- Here. 

"Mom said she put my hair like this too keep it out my face and to keep my ears  from being chewed on while I ate my bone, but I hope she stops because it's embarrassing"... 

A Touch of Masculine: Bow ties for Huxtable

 Huxtable, the Poodle in his blue & white chevron dog bow-tie. 

Let's face it, poodles are pretty... no matter how you slice it. And the more groomed you keep them, especially if you keep any part of their hair long, well, the prettier they're going to look. So to combat the "awww, she's so pretty" comments I get from time to time I decided to always keep my little guy bow-tied up. To be honest, I find that most people just tend to call your dog the sex of their own. I for one am quicker to say "he" than "she" because I have a he. Others ask and even look. But their are those who see those long pretty ears, that banded top knot, and big pretty amber brown eyes and can't resist telling me, "how beautiful and pretty she is", lol... so for them (and for me) (and for him) I keep little dog bow ties for Huxtable. 

When I first got Huxtable, dog bow ties were unreasonably expensive. I would look for hours to finally find a nice patterned one for less than $25. Now you can easily find adorable ones for less than that, some even $5-$7. I tend to get most of them from one of my favorite online stores-- etsy.com. 

My little dapper poodle, sitting in his car seat tentatively waiting for dad on a rainy Sunday morning.

Poodle Snack Time, Walking for Treats

Hux, chillin in front of the pantry... patiently waiting for a mid day snack. 

walking toy poodle

After awhile he'll start doing tricks to speed up the process of getting a treat :-)

Sporty Pooch: Toy Poodle & Basketball

Huxtable has a new hobby, shooting hoops with mom and dad at the park. He can't quite dunk, but he loves the cardio of running up and down the court :-)

Huxtable's New Cut: Low Poodle Clip

A few months ago, little Hux was in need of a cut. Although I was giving him his brushings, it seemed like he was growing a new layer of hair underneath which caused lots and lots of tangles and some mattes... (sadface). So I was basically forced into getting Huxtable clipped down (extra sadface). And because he had to be cut down I decided to try one of my favorite short poodle clips.  I'm not exactly sure if this clip has a name, but a white poodle by the name of Gunther sports it on the regular and looks so handsome! Huxtable isn't a standard poodle so I figured the clip probably couldn't look exactly the same, but I hoped it would look very similar, neat and attractive (plus top knot).

 Gunther in his lovely short cut. 

The groomer did an excellent job on the clip, but I found the ears and hair to be a little lacking. A little bit of tangled/matted hair had to be cut from his head and ears as well so I'm thinking he just left all the hair he could so that he wouldn't have to grow too much back, but I wish he would have evenly clipped the ears and blended the top knot or atleast styled it in a complementary way. All in all I was happy with the results, he really does know how to blend. I can't stress how important it is to have a groomer that owns a poodle-- I think it really makes a difference. 

I have a couple pics of Huxtable in his new clip... they're sort of blurry since they're from my cell phone. I wish I would have gotten one at the groomers like I usually do.

I think the clip came out cute, just like Gunthers-- low in the middle, then fuller on the arms and legs, fluffy tail, and neatly cut poodle feet. 

 Toy parti poodle in short clip; 
After some research I realized it's a model / town and country clip. It''s like a blend between a lamb clip and a town and country. 

I'm going to try and find more pics of the clip so hopefully there's more to come

Poodle Climbing Fence Play Pen Video

Huxtable's Great Escape

Huxtable escaped his play pen while being babysat (dogsat technically) one afternoon... after escaping several times it was caught on video (via phone)... every time he escaped he just simply laid on the bed and watched tv :-). It might be time for a bigger play pen for this toy poodle.

Btw, the play pen is Midwest Gold- Zinc Indoor/Outdoor Exercise Pet Pen. They also have it in black, but the gold matched my decor better.


poodle escaping play pen

Geared Up Poodle: Running Errands with Mom

Huxtable in his cute little doggie sweater and jacket running errands with me a few months back. Though I initially didn't want to cut his fur down, I will admit it made dressing him up in clothing much easier and more practical.  He wasn't used to a low clip so he highly preferred wearing atleast one layer of clothing, and the low clip made them look and fit more neatly. 

Huxtable the Poodle

Huxtable, a chocolate and white toy poodle, casually poses giving me a "pretty boy" look. 

Hipster Poodle: Vintage Glasses and T-shirt

Huxtable, the hipster poodle, sporting vintage brown and clear reading glasses and a red and black American Apparel ringer t-shirt.

How a Poodle Travels: Louis Vuitton & Designer Bags Only

 Huxtable, "Traveling in a Louis bag is quite delicious"

Some days my LV Speedy doubles as a dog carrier... and with his chocolate face he blends right in-- making it even easier to carry him out and about. :)

Toy poodle in louis vuitton speedy purse

Poodle Hikes: Huxtable Conquers Arabia Mountain

A poodle in the wild

Mr. Huxtable the Poodle came along with mommy and friends as we explored Mt.Arabia. 

I dressed Huxtable in a cotton shirt just so that less of his thick fur would be exposed. He was still sporting an overgrown continental clip so I wanted to decrease or eliminate the chances of bugs or ticks attaching themselves to those vital areas of his body. And luckily it worked. He also wore a tick/flea collar while on the trail. (I only use flea/tick collars when Huxtable goes on hikes, mountain trails, etc.)

 A Good Omen: While hiking the mountain we discovered a heart shaped puddle. 

 Having a toy poodle is super awesome and extremely convenient when it comes to traveling, going to stores, even feeding and clothing, but when it comes to going on hikes I wouldn't mind a miniature or standard. Hiking with a toy poodle is fun in ways, but I found myself concerned with him being so close to the ground-- which means a step in the puddle gets more than just his feet wet and bugs can more easily latch on to certain areas. But when it comes to the question of, "can they keep up?", well that's an easy one to answer, "they sure can." They're a ball of energy that will easily outrun and out stamina the average human... I guess that's a benefit of having four legs. Plus, as many forget, poodles are retrievers and hunters by nature, it wasn't until the French got a hold of them did they become known for just being pretty lap dogs, lol. All in all poodles are a perfect blend of calm and adventurous, they know when to simmer down and when to run wild... making them great outdoor companions. But again, a miniature or standard would be a much better fit for the serious hikers and outdoorsmen, even if only just for the peace of mind in knowing you have a bigger more "sturdy" dog. 

Dapper Dog: Fancy Poodle

Toy poodle wearing a tie

Mr. Huxtable sporting a simple yet fetching getup... collar & black bow tie. He's such a dapper dog :)

Huxtable Tours the Atlanta Beltline Art

Huxtable sitting on an artsy bench

Today Huxtable decided that we needed to go out, but not just down the street to the park he wanted to have an "experience" as we walked. So I decided it'd be a good day to explore the "Art on the Beltline".

Huxtable loves Art! Check out Huxtable below posing or interacting with the different outdoor art installations along the Atlanta Beltine:

  Artist: Misao Cates, "What Ties Me To You"

An interactive work, What Ties Me To You asks the Atlanta BeltLine traveler to contemplate the connection of the individual to the greater world. What ties a person to a loved one, a community, the world around them? Travelers are encouraged to inscribe their thoughts onto a length of ribbon and tie it to the posts, thereby integrating the individual ribbon into the community wall.

 "Startle" by Leslie Tharp

This piece really highlights how small young Huxtable is, lol.

 Huxtable running from a UFO

Cash Barnes, "Take Me to Your Leader".

This is easily one of our favorites, mainly because I got an awesome photo of him above 

running from the crashed UFO. 

 Aaron Benoy, "Pseudolampyridae"

 JD Koth, "WigWam"

 David Landis, "Northern White"

 Alex Rodriguez, DMD "Whirling Wheels"

 Harry Zmijewski, "River Bend"

 Kyle Brooks, "Faces, a.k.a. Eyes and Friends or &@^%@$#&^"

 Along the way we took a break and chilled at the skate park (also on the trail)

The Beltine is basically a new above ground transit system that Atlanta is building that will run alongside all the major Atlanta neighborhoods, "Downtown, Inman Park, Old Fourth Ward, Castleberry Hills, Reynoldstown, Midtown, Grant Park, etc". They're using the train tracks from the old railroads as well as new ones to complete the task. The Atlanta Beltine will also have a walking trail that runs alongside it, that trail is pretty much completed-- joggers, walkers, bike riders, etc use it daily. To liven the trail it was decided that art could be placed throughout the trail-- creating a cultural experience for all those who walk the Atlanta Beltine. There are a few permanent collections, but most of the art changes each year.  You can learn more about it, here. 

(from Fall 2012)