We are a busy family, but one thing that helps keep us on track are a consistent routine to take care of our favorite furry friend. Whenever I talk about our family I include our newest addition, our dog, Tundra. He’s like the fluffy toddler in the house who is always napping, asking for attention, and will destroy your toys if you leave them where he can get to them.
When we brought Tundra into the family it took some time for him (and us) to adjust. Even now at 18 months old he’s still adjusting to certain things about our family and home.
But he can count on certain times when he knows we’ll give him plenty of love and affection even if we can’t sit and pet him all day like we wish we could.
Our family’s routine centers around family time and Tundra time! We make sure he gets plenty of love, attention, and care all day long.
Morning Walk
Whenever possible my husband and I take him on a morning walk for about an hour. It’s a great start to our day and his. My husband and I talk and make plans for the day. Tundra gets lots of exercise and he loves to see all the neighbors and his pet friends along the way.
Naptime At Work
Once the family is all off to work and school I get started on my work at home day. The dog often cuddles up nearby and takes a nice long nap. In the winter I encourage him to lay on my feet to keep them warm!
Afternoon Playtime
As each person comes home in the afternoon (or if I leave and come home) Tundra gets a ton of attention, snuggles, pets, and some playtime. The kids may throw the ball with him in the backyard, take him for a short walk, or just use him as a pillow while they do their homework.
Dinner As A Family
“Dinner time!” That call can be heard in our house nearly every night when dinner is ready to be served. Whenever we can we enjoy a family meal at the table. Not only is it good for us to sit together as a family to catch up on our days and discuss family plans, but the act of eating together truly does bring us closer. Cooking healthy meals is an important part of that routine, too. We cook almost every night. It’s a lot of work some nights, but it’s so important to us to eat healthy food, too. And when I say the whole family comes to the dinner table I do mean the WHOLE family including the fluffiest family member, Tundra.
He has his own spot in the dining room for dinner. We serve him dinner along with everyone else in the family so he can eat with us, too. He may not be much for conversation, but he sure knows how to chow down! It’s one of the small things we do to make him feel like a member of our pack-we all fine together whenever possible. Once he’s done chowing down he takes his spot under the table to capture any fallen food.
Evening Pets
Tundra takes advantage of anyone who is home in the evening and snuggles up on the couch after dinner. He may even hop into the chair you were planning on sitting in just to get some more belly rubs.
Bedtime Routines
While our kids are older and manage their own bedtime routines we noticed as soon as he came into our family that the kids all added a little snuggle time before bed to their routines. As they each get ready for bed one after the other Tundra gets a lot of snuggles, pets, and often an invite to join them upstairs.
He spends some time hanging out with the kids while they get ready for bed or read before it’s time for lights out.
After all the kids are in bed he gets extra snuggly with one of the adults that’s still up or takes a little snooze. When it comes time to go to bed he prefers his crate, so we tuck him in with a treat and a kiss goodnight.
When people say they wish they had their dog’s life? That’s exactly how I feel! He naps, he gets all the cuddles he wants, and he eats a healthy nutritious meal twice a day. I could get used to that.
Healthy Meals With Beneful
While Tundra would probably prefer to sit in a chair and eat what we’re serving we know that wouldn’t be good for him. He is a dog after all! But we know he needs the same thing we do at the table-good for him ingredients like real meat, vegetables, and a variety of food that’s healthy.
Creating healthy meals for our family is a nightly occurrence, and we give the same care and attention to Tundra’s meals, too. We rely on Beneful to give him a 100% complete and balanced dinner that’s good for him and comes in flavors he loves.
If you have your own pup at home you can probably relate to the idea that our dog is a member of the family. He stays by our side in the kitchen as we cook (helpfully cleaning up crumbs) and can’t wait until we serve his dinner.
This cooking show for two aptly called Dinner for Two is exactly what it looks like in our house most nights!
Beneful has a ton of flavors to choose from for your dog including:
- Beneful Originals With Real Beef
- Beneful Incredibites With Real Beef
- Beneful Healthy Weight
- Beneful Chopped Blends With Beef
Kelly
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Beneful. The opinions and text are all mine.
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