Tuesday Top Ten: Life Hacks for Dogs

Pug smiling with punk studded dog tagThanks to the good folks at LittleThings.com for these easy tricks to make your dog’s life a little better.

10. If your dogs eat too quickly (and possibly choke themselves), place a ball in the dish with the food to slow them down. You can use a tennis ball, and it will give them a toy to play with when they have filled their tummies!

9. For a cool summer treat, fill a small bucket (think a children’s beach toy) with a few dog cookies. Add water and freeze. As the dog licks the ice block, or as it melts, your dog will discover treats!

8. Do you cut your dog’s nails at home? Ever cut one a little too short and sat there, feeling helpless, waiting for the bleeding to stop? Dab a little flour on the end of the nail, or dip the nail in a small bowl of flour, and the bleeding will stop more quickly.

7. Looking for a new toy for your dog to enjoy? Try putting an empty water bottle inside an old sock. They’ll enjoy the crunchy, crinkling soup when they bat it around and chew on it.

6. Problems with ants around food bowls? I’m not sure why this one works, but it does. Simply draw a chalk like around the dish, and the ants will avoid it. (This also works if you draw a chalk line on your driveway or wherever ants may be sneaking into your house. You’ll just have to re-draw it after each time it rains. yhDoes Cheaper than commercially-available sprays, and non-toxic to dogs and kids.)

5. Tired of smelling your dog’s breath? Mix in a little parsley with his or her food.

4. Another tip for bad breath: rub a little dog-safe toothpaste on a tug toy and let your dog chew on it for awhile.

3. Does your dog get ear infections? Many times this happens because the dog’s ears don’t get dry enough after a bath, and the bugs like living in the moist environment. Solve the problem by putting your dog’s ears up in a shower cap at bath time.

2. Does your dog become a bundle of nerves during thunderstorms? Many times they are reacting to static electricity in the air. Try patting down the dog with dryer sheets to reduce the static they feel.

1. Many dogs get bored during the day and would benefit from a puzzle game that makes them use their minds to find treats. There are lots of different kinds you can buy at the pet store, but an easy homemade substitute is to put treats in some of the wells of a muffin tin, then cover all of the wells with tennis balls. Your dog can pull them out one by one to find the treats.

What do you do to make life with your dog easier and / or better?

Until next time,
Good day, and good dog!

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One thought on “Tuesday Top Ten: Life Hacks for Dogs”

  1. I would love to adopt a dog later. I just lost my buddy a few months ago. That being said — Should you receive any small dogs from the current Texas disaster – I would be more then happy to foster them until the can return home to there owners!
    DEB

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