Search Results for: blog basic dog treat recipes

Treats for Pets with Dietary Restrictions

When it comes to food, my two dogs are very different. Lally is the sort of dog who will only eat when she’s hungry; I could leave a bowl of food out all day and she’d regulate herself. Moose is a chow hound; he’ll eat until there’s nothing left and then eat some more. I can’t leave food out for him, because he’d never stop eating! It’s very hard to manage Moose’s weight when he never turns down food. The vet suggested that we avoid chewy snacks — they generally have a higher fat content than crunchy, dry snacks have. … Continue reading →

Teach Your Dog How to Lay Down

If your dog already knows how to sit, it will be relatively easy to teach him or her to lie down. This is especially easy if you have some kind of irresistible treat to work with. (For my dogs, that would be anything involving chicken.) Step One: Ask your dog to sit. Always start with the basics! Step Two: Stick that irresistible treat in front of his nose. Step Three: Slowly move the treat down towards the floor. Step Four: Say DOWN or whatever command you’ve chosen as your dog begins to follow the treat and lie down. Step Five: … Continue reading →

Cooking for the Dog

I wish I could tell you that since this week is National Turn Off Your TV week that I had fun non-TV activities planned for every night of the week. The bad news though (and the honest answer) is that I don’t. The good news is that boys are thinking of things to do on their own. We are in the process of training our puppy, and are going through a lot of dog treats. So tonight we made homemade dog treats. The boys have wanted to do this for a while and there never seemed to be a good … Continue reading →

Talking to the Owner of a Chained Dog

If you are concerned about a dog who lives his life on a chain, you aren’t helpless! There are lots of different things you can do to try to help. Keep a few things in mind: Be constructive, but not critical. Most people don’t react well to criticism. Try to educate the owner. It is possible to teach the owner how to treat his dog as a living, loving family member. Helping an abused animal a little bit is better than doing nothing. You may not be able to save the dog and find him a new home, but you … Continue reading →

How to Decide What to Feed Your Pet

Sometimes standing in the pet food aisle feels like shopping for things like body wash or shaving cream; with so many options how does one ever decide what brand to buy? When it comes to pet food, the decision carries more weight. I might randomly pluck a bottle of soap off the shelf, but I want to put greater thought into what I’m feeding my pet. But all those options can be overwhelming, and I sometimes wonder if they aren’t all the same. The truth is they probably are. My dog had some digestive problems in the winter so I … Continue reading →

Frugal Living Month in Review: August 2008

With August passed, it will be hard to hold on to summer, but fortunately, we have a lot of memories of the “dog days.” We also have lots of great articles about saving money, something that is pretty important these days. Take a look at what was posted in August. August 1st Frugal Living Month in Review: July 2008 July went by so quickly for us! There were so many fun and frugal activities and events for us to explore, from a science camp to free movies and sand sculpting. I hope your July was equally fun and frugal. Summer … Continue reading →

DIY Training Tools

There are lots of tools out there to help train your dog — from clickers and training discs to fancy treats and toys. But if you’re a frugal sort of person, you might prefer making your own training tools at home! Training discs are great for distracting your dog and giving you the opportunity to grab his attention. Basically, they’re a series of metal or plastic discs on a ring. Guess what — you can get the same effect from a home-made shaker. Take an empty soda can and rinse it out. Drop a small handful of pennies inside and … Continue reading →