Samson

Sugar staffer LilPeaPod has a usual route for Samson's daily potty walks – she heads over to a small patch of grass nestled a few blocks from her apartment. And since Samson is so darn cute (and totally irresistible), it seems he's found himself a few friends along the way:

Every day at lunch I take Samson on his usual potty walk route. We walk by a few shops on the way, but there is one salon in particular that Samson has taken a shine to. Why? I think it might be cause of the free doggie biscuits the awesome salon owner gives him when we pass by. I could be wrong, but I doubt it.

Aww, it's good to see that smooshy is making friends! I can say for sure that North knows exactly where to go in our neighborhood to load up on some free yums. Do your pups remember where the freebies are in your town?

Training a puppy is one thing I can't say that I miss. It can be very time consuming and takes some serious dedication just to get your pup to "sit," "lie down" and "stay"! And don't even get me started on potty training! Yeesh! So recently, LilPeaPod shared her secret weapon to getting Samson to pay attention: Simon and Huey Training Treats!

Samson still likes his Zukes Minis, but after I got a free sample of Simon and Huey's from Babies, Samson was all over it! He really likes the Peanut Butter Molasses line that also stuffs oats, honey, and unsweetened carob into their soft little treat. He can't get enough, and now he even knows how to "stay"!

The great thing about Simon and Huey is they only use all natural ingredients, so you won't find anything in their treats or food that you can't pronounce. Plus, the company was started after the founders began making homemade food for their own pups, so you can trust they won't skimp on the goods. Congrats to Samson on learning the basics! He's getting so big, isn't he?

I'm totally not partial to one pet (besides my own of course) believing that every animal is super adoro no matter what the species! But when Sugar staffer LilPeaPod sent me the link to Samson's entry page on the Worldwide Fido Awards website, I knew I had to call in the troops to help him make a big finish!

If you aren't familiar with the Worldwide Fidos, let me fill you in: You can submit videos of your pets in any of the six categories (cutest, best trick, best voice, owner look alike, most outrageous, and best dressed), for viewers to vote online. From there, the top six in each category are tallied and flown to LA for the televised finals. The winners are crowned in a special broadcast and get to proudly wear the title of Worldwide Fido 2008!

Make sure you check out Samson's crazy cute video here and vote, vote, vote! Hopefully, we'll see him at the finals!

The temps have been rising this past week here in San Francisco, and it looks like dog mommy Lilpeapod picked up some Yöghund frozen yogurt to help cool little Samson down. Frenchies are known for their intolerance to heat, but I get the feeling he's doing just fine by the looks of things! Lilpeapod says that Samson is now a big fan of Yöghund, and of my little guy:

After hearing that it was one of North's faves, Samson just had to have the Peanut Butter and Banana flavor Yöghund fro-yo. He wants to do everything North does!

Have your pets indulged on Yöghund? Oh, and has anyone seen the new Vanilla Blueberry flavor?

I know a lot of pet owners who don't like to cut their pet's nails in fear of cutting too far, which usually leads to a trip to the groomer, but what about those pets that wear down their nails naturally just by walking? This question comes from LilPeaPod about her smooshy, Samson:

We had Samson's nails clipped for the first time by our vet tech the day he got his final shots. She did a great job, and Samson didn't fuss much at all. The problem is, now that we are able to take him out on walks, a few of his nails have worn down to the quick! I'm not sure if this is a problem or not, since he doesn't seem to be in any pain and they aren't bleeding. I'm worried, but don't want to stop walking him now that we're in the middle of potty training, and he really does need his exercise. Any advice?

If lil Samson could speak, I know he'd be saying "numnumnumnumnum!" When our latest Sugar pal made a surprise office visit last week, I used the opportunity to get the onsite taste tester to try some new treats.The essential omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids from the wild fish in Yummy Chummies ($5) give pooches healthier hearts, coats, and skin. Samson wanted to dig right in and sat just like a good boy for these perfectly sized training treats! I'd say my one complaint would be they have a fishy scent, but the first ingredient on the label is Wild Alaskan Salmon after all! As a bonus, mom lilpeapod said he had no troubles with potty (if you know what I mean) later that day either . . . even with his sensitive tummy.

Because I'm not the only one who loves this smooshy, check out his Sugar invasion when you read more

Am I the only pet owner who's tried to shove a bowl of water under my pup's dangling tongue . . . only to have him turn his nose up at it? I didn't always realize that just because his tongue was out, didn't mean he wanted a drink. Dogs hang their tongues out when they are hot (sometimes they're also thirsty), but it's actually a way to cool themselves off. Typically, pups pant and breathe in air through their noses and release the air through their mouth – when the mouth's open, the saliva can evaporate, producing a cooling effect! So, if your choosy pooch doesn't choose water when he's outside like Samson here, just know his body's working to further cool down his blood flow just by that cute technique.

Thankfully, Samson's last round of shots are complete, and he can now get outside and walk off all that energy that kept him up at night! But dog mom LilPeaPod has a new worry on her mind other than his sleep habits: he puts everything in his mouth! Samson is a curious creature that seems to love to taste and smell everything, even (gross) his own poop!

There are plenty of dangers out there in the city and LilPeaPod's worried the next thing he puts in his mouth may be harmful, and he won't be as lucky as the Australian pup that ate the poisonous frog and lived to tell about it! So help a girl out and share your stories and secrets about how you got your young pets to stop eating everything in sight!