It’s hard to believe Stanley has only been here a week. He’s already had a bunch of firsts:
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First trip up the stairs
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First walk down the street
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First time finding his potty pad on his own
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First bath
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First time playing with toys
He’s doing really well overall, and I keep having to remind myself of how new this all is — especially when I feel frustrated.
Potty Progress & Outdoor Adventures (or lack thereof)
Stanley still wants nothing to do with the outside world, and honestly, I don’t blame him. It’s been cold, rainy, and this morning we even had snow flurries. He still has occasional accidents indoors, but he did make it to his potty pad all by himself today, which feels like a win.
He’s starting to learn our daily routine:
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Wake up
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Potty pad
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Breakfast
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Play and training time
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Morning nap in my lap while I work
If I’m sitting, he wants to be on me. I’m sure that’ll get old at some point, but for now, I love it.
We’re still doing three meals a day, with more play, training, and at least one trip outside — even though he’s not a fan yet. Long term, I definitely want him going outside to potty; I don’t plan on keeping pads in the house forever.
Feeding Stanley: Finding the Right Fit
Right now, I’m transitioning him to Happy Howl, a shelf-stable, human-grade wet food. It’s moist like canned food but easier to store and serve. I love that it’s pre-portioned with measurement markings on the box — and it even came with a big metal serving spoon, which is oddly charming.
I’ve also tried:
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Sundays: Jerky-like texture. Stanley likes it as a treat but doesn’t eat it in larger amounts.
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Spot & Tango: Their “UnKibble” is air-dried. I gave him a couple of pieces to sample and he devoured them. Definitely something to explore further.
I just ordered another shelf-stable option called Top Shelf Dog. Heads up that their website seems to work much better in Chrome than Safari. For Stanley’s size, it should cost about $17.50 per week, compared to $21.25 for Happy Howl, so it’s a bit more economical. We’ll see how he likes it.
I’m also still waiting on my first shipment from The Pets Table, which offers both fresh and air-dried options.
Stanley’s turning out to be a bit of a picky eater, so I think wet food will likely be the best long-term option. I’ll probably add a high-quality dry food he can eat free-choice. Right now, I’m leaving out the bland prescription dry food I got before I adopted him. He’s not excited about it, but maybe he’ll nibble.
Happy Howl seems to be out of stock on their dry food right now, but I’d definitely consider trying it if we stick with their wet food.
The Ideal Setup?
In a perfect world, I’d love to find one company that offers both a shelf-stable “fresh” wet food and a quality dry option. If Stanley continues to like Happy Howl, I might pair that or Top Shelf Dog, with Sundays or Spot & Tango as a secondary option. Another route could be using Happy Howl/Top Shelf Dog for his main meals and supplementing with a premium dry food I can grab as needed, without relying on a subscription.
Ollie does offer both fresh and dry foods, which is appealing — but I’m not thrilled about dealing with frozen meals.
I signed up for a free puppy pack from Kinship. It has some coupons, samples, and info all in a cute box.
I plan to donate most of it to the local shelter, and I’m going to pick up the free bag of Iams puppy food. Not sure if I’ll keep it as extra for Stanley or just donate it to the shelter as well.
If you’ve been through the puppy stage or have a picky eater at home, I’d love to hear what worked for you — drop your tips, food recs, or just tell me your favorite first-week puppy memory in the comments!
