Hibernating

Hi blog readers!

For the Love of Pooch is officially on hibernation.

Mochi is a Texan at heart and had a hard time dealing with the winter in Minnesota. All the snow made her shiver. Even with a hoodie, a parka, and dog boots she would shiver every time we went on a potty break. She would come in and shiver some more and looked so miserable. It broke my heart to see her skinny butt suffer.

On my recent trip back to Texas, I brought Mochi with me and she's now staying at home with lots of other doggies to play with in the nice, warm weather. The treat making will resume upon Mochi's return once it warms up in Minnesota.

Until then.... feel free to email me if you have any questions about this blog, dog treats, baking, food, or whatever! Anything goes. Ericachung88@gmail.com.

Gingerbread Dog Cookies (By Mochi)

Hi all, Mochi here. They say that dog is man's best friend. Did you know that (wo)man is dog's best friend too? I wanted to share with you how much I love my human. I've been with my human for 1 and a half years now. I've learn so much about them but there is still so much to learn.

My human's name is Erica. Or that's what all the other humans call her. Here's a quick lesson to all the other pups around here. Humans can get confusing because they don't have tails. They seem to show their state of mind on their face. It can get hard for a 1 foot tall pup like me. Faces are so high up! There are so many combinations.

For example...

This face is the same as our tail wags. It generally means Erica is happy with me and I'm pretty sure I will get a treat soon.

This face is the same as when we have our tails down. It means she's not in the happiest of moods, needs me to sit on her lap, and give her lots of kisses. 

This face is the worse. This is the equivalent of us showing our teeth! I can barely stand looking at it. This is a very very bad sign. I tend to see this face when I dig through the trash or throw up on the furniture or rip up something I thought was mine. Honest mistake. But intentions don't count in the human world. They see a big pile of trash and they don't think about how that trash was tempting our noses and we just had to find out what it was. It's not their fault that they have an inferior sense of smell and do not know how enticing scents can be.Maybe I found a tasty treat in the mean time and maybe that treat ended up causing me to throw up on the furniture.... but it started innocent. Humans just see the end result and that face means a time out in my kennel. 

I like to keep my human happy with lots of hugs and kisses. Right when she walks through the door, I immediately put my paws on her shoulders and give her lots of kisses (and secretly hope she doesn't find my pee stashed in the corner - I swear, still innocent). 

Ta-da! That's all you need to do to have a happy human who will make you tasty treats like the one below!

INGREDIENTS:

(~36 1.5'' cookies)

• 1 C.  garbanzo & fava flour
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 C. skim milk
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tbsp unsweeted & unsalted peanut butter

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.

2. Sift the dry ingredients (flour, ground ginger) into a mixing bowl

3. Add honey, skim milk, and peanut butter. Mix well and knead into dough ball.

4. Roll dough onto floured surface to about 1/4" thick.
5. Cut with desired cookie cutters.
6. Bake for 13-15 minutes until golden brown.

STORAGE:

Store in an airtight container once on counter after thoroughly cooled for up to 2 weeks . Waiting until cooled is an important step; condensation can build and the moisture will cause treats to mold.

For longer shelf life: store in fridge for up to 2 months. Store in freezer for up to 8 months.
Tip: Write date on plastic bag to keep track of expiration date.

Tip: Write date on plastic bag to keep track of expiration date.

First Snow!

The first snow in Minnesota was yesterday. It snowed all day so Mochi and I mainly stayed in. When I took her out to potty, her first reaction was "what the eff???" She was unsure what to do with snow and was shivering when we came in. We revisited snow today while it was sunny and she had a blast running around. She even got a bit of snow on her chin and looked like Mochi Clause.

Mochi Clause

Paw prints in the snow

Puppy Training Tips

Time to put those delicious homemade treats to good use! I love watching this video. Mochi is only 5 months old and had started an impressing repertoire of tricks. Luckily, Mochi is a quick learner and eager to get her treat so she learned her tricks fairly quickly. I had a pomeranian and maltese in the past that took multiple sessions to learn a new trick. 

Puppy Training Tips:

1. Limit distractions. Make sure there is as little competing stimuli as possible, meaning clean up any toys and train in a smaller area with few objects and other people. 

2. Positive Reinforcement only. Puppies need a lot of positive reinforcement and conditioning. Take baby steps and reward graciously when the puppy is doing what you want. Puppies get discouraged with punishment. 

3. Patience. Puppies are babies, don't speak English and can easily be distracted. Be patient with the puppy, he/she will learn what you want with time.

4. Practice. Keep teaching the same trick over and over in 15 minute intervals (puppies have a short attention span!). Once the puppy gets the trick down, reinforce it by doing it at least 6 more times.

5. Show off.  Once the puppy has gotten his/her new trick down, perform in front of others! Get the puppy use to doing the trick in a variety of situations.

Mochi

Look I'm sitting... now give me my treat!

The Dog Behind The Treats:

I'm a sweet, cuddly, friendly, loyal, and smart terrier mix. No one is really sure what I am... vets and other self-proclaimed dog-experts have guessed that I must have these in my blood: Brussels Griffon, Jack Russel Terrier, Norfolk Terrier, Maltese. But who knows... All I know is, I'm unique and no one looks like me! Take that all you Lassie, Benjy, Shiloh, and Airbud look-a-likes that are shadowed by celebredogs.

I have many other cute, friendly, loving friends at the Animal Shelters just waiting to be adopted! We've had a tough life so we know better than to run away when we are blessed with a great gig. We are all vaccinated, neutered/spayed, and microchipped. If you want to get a dog, please think about adopting first! :)

I was adopted at the Town Lake Animal Shelter (TLAC) in Austin,TX by my mommy. She said she looked for a long time until she found "the one" (me!) I was first found unconscious on the side of the road by a good samaritan. They rushed me to the vet hospital where I was found to be intoxicated. Afterward, when they brought me to TLAC, I regained my energy and was ready to play! I have a tattoo on my belly to show my big surgery (spayed). Mommy says the surgery helps me live longer! She also says I'm a gangster because I've been intoxicated and have a tattoo all by the age of 3 months! Luckily, I got out from my situation and into the just-out-of-the-hood-program in a loving home. At the age of 5 months, I already had an impressing repertoire of tricks! Check it out!

I just turned 1 last May (that's practically 6 in dog years) so lately I've been thinking about my future. I can't be sleeping 16 hours a day and destroying chew toys. I'm gonna dream big and be a college graduate majoring in Barketing and PR (Puppy Relations). I've landed my first job as the PR Intern at For the Love of Pooch.... all I do all day is eat treats and rate them. It's an unpaid internship but you do what you gotta do to make it big when you from the streets like me.

Peace, Ruff, and Dog Treats,

Mochi
Offical Taste Tester
FTLOP PR Intern

Pictures:

This is me at a mear 3 months old. Look at my hair! .

This is me with my BFF Leo....We had the best times together

Me and Mommy in Austin.

Me at 4 months old in October 2010

Don't I sit like a lady?