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6 Simple DIY Dog Toys
Dogs are active animals and can quite easily get bored and frustrated with the regular working person's schedule. Read here how to spot a bored dog and how to help them! Luckily toys can entertain and keep your doggo busy while you have other things to take care of! Most dogs love toys, but it can get a little expensive, especially with a rough doggy. And the worst thing is to notice your furry friend really isn't into the new funky toy you just got them. So how about making your own dog toys? It's not such a bummer when they break in battle or maybe you're at a friends house and forgot to bring toys. Here are six simple DIY dog toys you can make in an instant from stuff you have at the house. 1. The Lazy Man's Puzzle The simplest way to keep your dog busy for a while is to hide treats inside a bath towel. Just place some treats on the towel and roll it tightly. After playtime, it's easy to just toss the towel in the washing machine and there's no mess left behind! 2. Recycled Tennis Ball Talking of rough dogs, you probably have some chewed up tennis balls around the house. Let's reuse and recycle them! Cut some slits into them and put small treats in. This simple DIY dog toy will likely keep your pup busy for quite some time. But watch out for loose pieces and don't let your dog eat them. 3. Rag Tug Toy Playing tug is so much fun and takes a lot of energy, so you'll have a calm tired doggy after playing. Make an easy tug toy out of an old t-shirt or other piece of clothing, cotton is a good material for this use. You can go about this a couple different ways: Cut the rag into thin long strips, leave two out and divide rest into three parts and braid. Then tie the ends with the left-over strips. Divide strips into two pieces and start making knots on top on knots until the desired length. You can also place a ball in the middle of the rag, then tie a strip or a string around the rag and the ball and cut the "tail" into strips. Then braid or tie the strips into a 4 or 5 pieces. 4. Container Fun There are a lot of household trash that suit the purpose of a dog toy pretty well! Plastic containers such as water bottles and milk jugs can easily be turned into a dog toy by cutting a few holes in them and putting some small treats inside. Cardboard containers and boxes are handy as well, you don't need to cut holes in them, and destroying some cardboard takes a lot of energy. You can put boxes inside of boxes, or containers inside of boxes to make the game harder. Put some treats in every layer to keep the dog motivated. This might leave a mess behind but will take quite some time for your dog to get through. Remember to keep an eye on your pup, especially if they are the hungry type that may swallow some plastic of cardboard with the treats. If they're the destroyer type, make a container from plastic pipe and lids, then drill in a few holes big enough to let small treats fall out and fill with kibble or small treats. 5. Muffin Tin Game This is a classic! Turn a muffin tin upside down and put small treats in the slots. If this is too easy for your pup you can also put treats in the little tins and put a tennis ball on top of each. That will keep your dog busy a little longer! 6. Crackle Toy If your furry buddy likes noisy toys, put some rocks or other sound effects causing things inside a plastic bottle and put the bottle inside a sock and tie it shut or sow fabric around the bottle. +1 Time Consuming Treats Check out our ideas for entertaining a bored dog here, and DIY treats here! Scratches to your pup! Happy playing, WOOLLY WOLF
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4 Easy Healthy DIY Dog Treats
Treats are great for training and you should always have some on you when you're walking your dog in case they'll try to run away or go to start a fight with some other dog. It's always a good idea to do a little training to keep up the dog's skills, to strengthen trust and to use some of that excess energy. And, making your own doggie treats is cheaper, healthier and more versatile than buying them from a pet shop. Here are four easy, delicious and so healthy DIY dog treat recipes: 1. Chicken & Rice Treats 1 cup of cooked rice 1 cup of cooked chicken (can use canned meat) 2-4 tablespoons of flour (rice or corn flour work great) 1 egg + herbs Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celsius. Put all ingredients in a bowl of a food processor and mix well. Then spoon into ice-cube molds, silicone molds or muffin tins. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until treats are brown and crispy. You can bake them as long as you want to dry them out, just lower the temperature if they seem to get too brown. Cool down and cut into desired sized pieces. TIP: You can also freeze these! Just add a little water or broth in the molds. 2. Easy Baby Food Treats 2 cups of flour (any flour goes, try nut and bean flours plus rolled oats too) 2 jars of baby food (per 120 grams) You can use basically any baby food that doesn't contain ingredients dangerous to dogs. Vegetables, fruits, and meaty mixtures are all good! Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celsius. Mix ingredients into a stiff mixture. Then you can roll the dough into a sheet and use cookie cutters to make funky treats or you can roll balls, cubes hearts, you name it! Bake for 20 to 30 minutes. Cool down and store in a paper or cloth bag, so that the treats won't soften. These can also be frozen to elongate their storage time. 3. Peanut butter & Seed Biscuits 1 cup flour (again any flour goes, try bean flours)1 cup rolled oats1/2 cup seeds of choice1/2 cup broth3 tablespoons peanut butter Preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius. Mix dry ingredients, then add broth and nut butter. Add more liquid if necessary to form a stiff dough. Roll into a sheet and cut into desired shapes. Bake for 10 minutes then flip and bake for another 10 minutes. Cool down and store in a cookie jar or closed treat bag. Be aware that not all dogs can digest seeds or nuts, so you want to consult your vet, try with a small quantity and keep an eye on your dog and their digestive habits. 4. Apple Cinnamon Treats 1 cup rolled oats1/2 cup applesauce or apple baby food dash of cinnamon1 egg Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celsius. Mix oats and applesauce, add cinnamon. Then add the egg and mix well. Spoon the dough onto a baking sheet, a tablespoonful at a time. Bake for 20-30 minutes until golden. Cool down and store in a paper or cloth bag, so that the treats won't soften. Can also be frozen to elongate the storage time. Bon Appétit! P.s These treats are also safe for humans, take a bite!
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3+4 Tips to Spot a Bored Dog & How to Help Them
Being helpful and working alongside humans has been the most natural behaviour for dogs for thousands of years. Sure there are differences in activeness and helpfulness between breeds, but any animal that doesn't get to behave in ways distinctive to their species is going to get frustrated. Most dogs spend their days alone at home and sometimes their humans are too tired to play or go for a long walk after work. So it's no wonder many dogs and their owners are faced with boredom and the problem of how to "treat" it. Here are the most common habits of a bored dog: 1. Chewing Depending on the breed, some dogs love to entertain themselves by chewing. Chewing shoes, furniture, doors, rugs, their own feet or someone else's feet is definitely a sign of boredom. 2. Barking Other breeds are much more inclined to bark when they're frustrated, especially when left alone. Sure, dogs can be trained not to bark with spray collars for example, but training is a lot more effective when the root of the problem is addressed. And this root is in many cases pure boredom. 3. Digging Digging is another activity that dog's may find amusing when bored and that can cause harm to their owners. Digging tendencies can also appear inside the house, even if there's no sand or houseplant soil to dig. Digging on a couch or on a rug can leave marks and is not a very productive hobby for the dog. Then let's move on to some great resolutions to this boredom issue! 1. Make Them Work Dogs aren't built to just be handed food and affection, they like to earn it! Some great ways to make your dog work for their lunch and dinner are frozen treats, chewable bones and sticks and hiding food around the house. Anything frozen takes a lot more time to consume, and you can even freeze a bone inside a cart of water or broth to make it harder for the dog to get to the prize. Playing the hiding game can also be fun! Remember to hide the pieces in places that the dog is allowed to pick food from, so maybe don't hide any on tables, couches, side tables or chairs. 2. New Things Mental stimulation may well be the best way to wear out the extra energy with your dog. That is why introducing new things, places, people and tricks is a great answer to boredom! Change up your favourite walk route or take a drive and walk in totally a new area, meet new people with your dog, take them with you running errands and lastly teach them something new. Especially training stimulates the dog's mind in a way that makes them feel needed, strengthens the bond between you and the dog plus makes them sleepy as ever. 3. Keep Them Busy Puzzles and interactive dog toys are an easy way to entertain the dog while you are away. Even simple dog toys entertain your dog longer if you rotate them and only have a few available at a time. For dogs that love to dig and splash a digging box or a dog pool are great activities. A regular kids sand box or kiddie pool work perfectly! 4. Play Date This one is pretty self-explanatory: give your dog some friends! This is exciting to your dog and takes up some mental space from all that chewing and barking. Meeting other dogs and humans at a dog park or at an agility track is easy, but one on one play dates may be the best way to start. And what would be cuter than two doggies that are best friends forever? Hope this was helpful to you and your dog! Which tip worked the best for you? Did you come up with some of your own? Happy Training, WOOLLY WOLF
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8 DYI Dog Agility Obstacle Ideas
Agility is great exercise for both dogs and their human instructors and it's easy to get encouraged and excited about the small and continuous successes the hobby provides. But starting to train agility can seem expensive and complicated. It doesn't have to be that way! Here are eight do it yourself (DYI) agility ideas for obstacles and tricks to practice with your dog on your own yard, in the park or even in your living room. 1. Pause table The most simple DYI agility obstacle is a pause board. An old coffee table or a wood pallet are great for this purpose and both can be found from recycling centers or charity flea markets for zero or little cash. Stability is the only must-have requirement for a pause-table. 2. Weave poles Create your own weave poles from thin plastic pipes or ski poles that can be padded with pool noodles. Stick 5 to 15 of them into the ground every 20 to 100 centimeters (8 to 40 inches) depending on the size or the dog. 3. "Circle" Circling objects is not a part of official agility training, but is an easy way to start practicing communication. Start with circling a tree, a light pole or the mailbox. Dogs often learn to "circle" while they're on a leash and walk from the wrong side of an obstacle. While asking them to circle, pull gently to the right direction. 4. Jumps Jumps can be easily practiced in nature, but you want to work your way towards obstacles that have room in between the ground and the jump, that can be a bit tricky to some dogs. Cinderblocks are good for this purpose because they are heavy enough to create a steady jumping obstacle. The jump itself should be light weight to prevent injuries, use strips of wood, rope or thin plastic pipe. 5. Dogwalk Dogwalks are fun, but stability in key to keep training safe. You may have a park bench of your own or you could use one in the nearest park. If you have one of your own safely attach two pieces of plywood to each end. Simple as that! 6. Tunnel Agility tunnels can be very expensive, but children's play tunnels get the job done just fine. They are more light and can move around when a dog runs through them so the best thing to do is to pin them down to the ground with string or tent holders. 7. Tire jump This one acquires a little more DYI but can double as a swing for kids. Just use an old bike or car tire and hang it up with two ropes on a sturdy tree branch. Make sure the tire is large enough for your dog to safely jump through. You might want to make sure the tire doesn't move with two additional ropes attached close to ground, or just hold on the tire to keep it from moving. 8. Teeter boards The last one may be the most fun one of them all, a teeter board. You'll need some electric tools for this one, but it will be worth it. Attach a long and wide piece of wood to a piece of tall plumbing plastic pipe using two bolts. Place the pipe directly in the center of the board, drill two holes in it, place a bolt through each of the holes and tighten. To prevent slipping glue a piece of carpet to the wood or paint with anti-slip solution. Check out our beginners guide to agility training here. Then there's nothing left to say but... Ready, set, go!
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6 Tips to Start Dog Agility
1. Start Slow and Steady Some dogs pick up agility pretty quickly, some take longer, anyhow it is going to take some time and patience to master the sport. Keep an eye on your dog for when they get tired or impatient, and cut the training short if it seems to be a bad day. In the beginning gather successes: pick one or two easy tasks and obstacles and practice doing them to give you and your dog a confidence boost. Then move on to harder obstacles and always come back to the ones you know best, when you get frustrated. 2. Pick your Commands Both verbal commands and hand signals are used in agility to guide the dog through the obstacles in the desired order. Dogs can develop a fairly board vocabulary and using hand signals makes learning and remembering a lot easier. When picking the commands you want to use with your dog, pick commands that are short, different from each other and come naturally to you. Still the most crucial point is consistency, practically any set of words or sounds can be used in agility if they’re used consistently. That’s why you might want to write the commands down. 3. Brief But Regular Training As with any other hobby, regular training brings the quickest and best results. Training regularly is a lot easier and cheaper if you DIY some obstacles yourself (read our ideas and instructions here!). Training doesn’t have to or it shouldn’t last for hours and hours, a 15-minute warm-up and another 15 minutes spent training is plenty! Warming up with a walk prevents injuries and burns off some energy that can make training a lot more pleasant. 4. First Accuracy Then Speed Accuracy and speed are both things that judges rate when competing in agility, but getting the speed too high at first will often get you in trouble later. First of all, you should always be able to keep up and have contact with your dog, which high speed will make a lot more challenging. Doing obstacles high speed without thorough practicing also considerably increases the risk of injury for both you and your dog. Once you are both confident with the obstacles,approaching them from any angle and moving around the rink, it's time to work on speed. 5. Prepare for Training and Competing A healthy and motivated but calm dog is the ideal for training and competing in agility. There’s a lot you can do, to make your dog more like these features. Basic training and socializing with other dogs and humans go a long way. Then find the way to motivate your dog, is it treats of toys, consider if your dog is the most receptive at a certain time of the day and start practicing then. Food and a walk are great for calming the dog down a bit if they are too hyped up, other dogs perform better if they’re a little hungry. Practicing in different settings and places with different distractions is a must before starting to compete! 6. Keep it Light & Fun Always keep in mind why you started agility in the first place, maybe to have fun and connect with your pup or to exercise together. If you notice you or your dog are getting stressed or frustrated, take a break, for 5 minutes or for a week, ask help (agility friends are great a great help), do what you have to do to keep training light and fun! Do you still have some questions on your mind? Hit us with them down below!
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5 Common Mistakes Dog Owners Make
It's an exciting time when there's a new puppy in the house. It takes some time to get used to one another and it's often not the first instinct to start training the puppy. Common sense takes you a long way, but you might want to consider these five Most Common Mistakes people make with their new dog. Avoid these and you'll have a happy well-behaved puppy that trusts you. 1. Saying "no" With puppies we often find ourselves saying no to everything and after a while the word loses its meaning to the dog. Use more distracting than saying "no": show them what they can do. Especially when it comes to young dogs that have a strong urge to chew on things, it's good to have a toy or a bone nearby and use them to distract the doggo from ruining your favourite heels. When you say "no" always conclude, giving up will have the same effect as repeating and the word won't be a negative anymore. And don't use "no" with the dog's name or as a synonym for their name, you wouldn't want to be called "No" either, would you? 2. Backing Bad Behaviour We often reinforce bad behaviour unknowingly. Puppies are adorable and know how to use those puppy-eyes, they might be confused and are often impatient. But those are not good reasons to bend the boundaries. Consistency decreases stress and builds trust and respect towards the owner. So don't give them food, open the door et cetera, when they bark or give them attention when they make noise, pee on the floor or chew on shoes. 3. Delaying Training It's a well-meant idea that the puppy has to get used to their new family and settle in before the training starts. But did you know your puppy learns more new things during the first 12 weeks of their life than during the rest of their life combined. So may want to reconsider starting to train your puppy as soon as they come home. Of course they need time and patience after they can be expected to act a certain way, but you want to start guiding them towards that right away. Check 5 Life Skills to Teach your puppy and 5 Simple Commands, that will go a long way! 4. Being Protective The world around can seem terrifying when you have a tiny puppy to take care of but often our natural protective instincts will cause more harm than good. Picking up your puppy when they face new things or situations that may scare them makes the puppy fearful and unsociable. You don't want to console your dog when faced with fireworks or other loud sounds. That will make them more anxious because they'll think something must be wrong for you to show fear and console them. 5. Punishing Too Late Your dog may look ashamed when you come home to a destroyed pile of shoes or a half eaten roast but they are only reacting to your rebuking gestures. Don't punish your dog if you don't catch them in the act. If the bad behaviour takes place when you are not there, you can test the dog for example by going to the other room with food left on the table and sneaking up on them to rebuke. Punishing has to happen together with the behaviour or they won't get it You don't want to punish your pup for potty training accidents, or they might start seeking attention by repeating the behaviour. Just ignore the accident, clean it up quickly and reward them when they go outside. Best ways to punish a dog is to: distract with a loud noise such as a yell or a clap, back the "no" with quickly ignoring them, time-out, vinegar/water squirt bottle, briefly grabbing their fur from the neck if you catch them right in the act, pushing a puppy on their side as a sign of dominance, Keep these five tips and mistakes in mind, don't be too hard on you or your puppy and you'll do great! Happy Training from Woolly Wolf!
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5 DON'Ts For a New Puppy Owner
It's not always easy to train a puppy along with you daily duties and chores but as with all new things, it get's a lot easier after a week or two because practice makes perfect. Before you know it, you and your new family member will learn the best way to do things and everyday life will become effortless! With that, here are five things you want to avoid with your new puppy. 1. DON'T TRICK Don't trick your dog with positive things such as treats and then punish them when they come. Read more about punishing here! Be upfront about what you want, even if it's a bath, putting them in a collar or a crate. Then reward them afterwards with treats and affection when they do obey. 2. DON'T PARROT When asking your dog to do something, don't overuse the commands, or they'll learn to sit only when you say "sit, sit, sit, sit". Speak calmly and clearly with the same tone of voice. When the puppy is still in the process of learning a new command, you want to repeat it a couple times when they do the right thing. But after the dog knows a command, don't weaken the command by constantly repeating it. 3. DON'T BEND BOUNDARIES This can be a most difficult thing to do when you have the cutest new puppy in the house, but the reward is plentiful! A happy dog is a dog that knows their place, knows the rules and is appreciated when obedient. Be consistent with training your dog. Make sure all family members know the rules and don't make exceptions. 4. DON'T REBUKE IF UNSURE Don't discipline your dog if you are not sure they understood the rules or commands. This is where the previous points come in handy: consistency and not repeating the commands. Always make sure you have been clear with what you want and that is is something the dog is able understand and execute. Check out our tips to rebuking here! 5. DON'T DELAY ALONE TIME Young puppies are the quickest to learn, so you want to start familiarizing them with being alone right from the beginning. The first two weeks are crucial to bonding and you don't want to leave your puppy alone for long periods of time. Start with just ten seconds and move your way up. Give your dog a treat and say "wait", then go to the other room. If they bark or start going wild, go back and rebuke them, then step out again. Congratulations, you have dodged the most substantial pitfalls. Next read the 5 Common Mistakes people make in puppy training! You and your puppy will do great!
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5 Steps to Teach Your Dog How to Fetch
A great way to built trust and show your dog that they want to be near you and keep an eye on you is to play! Here are five steps to teaching your dog how to fetch. Ready, set, go! 1. Pick a Toy To start with pick a toy your puppy likes the most: motivating them in the beginning of training is very important. And keep in mind that some dogs learn to fetch a lot quicker, natural retrievers learn it the fastest, because retrieving is in their dna but some other breeds need more time to understand to name of the game. 2. Grabbing First get the puppy excited about grabbing the toy. Throw a toy and encourage the puppy to grab it with excited gestures. When they do grab the toy, reward instantly with affection. This part often comes naturally. 3. Bringing When your pup learns to grab the toy, lure them back to you. If they know the "come" command use that or lure them with another toy or a treat. If you want, teaching the "bring" command can be useful. First start right next to the dog and ask them to bring the toy, then move further. Letting go is the easiest to practice with a treat so they'll naturally let go of the toy to grab the treat. 4. Getting Close If your pup likes to keep the toy, try using a long toy such as a rope. Throw the other end, use "come" or "bring" command and pull them close. Then reward with affection or a treat as they come closer. 5. All the Way If the dog drops the toy before reaching you, try using "come" or "bring" command and backing up a bit. When they come closer, meet them and reward. Work on one step at a time until the dog gets it and Have Fun!
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5 Life Skills to Teach Your Dog Right Away
We have collected an easily accessible list on tips, instructions and tricks to help you with puppy training. Sometimes some retraining is needed with an older dog and these steps can well be applied to those cases as well. Let's get started! 1. Come! The most important life skill is coming when asked to, it can end up saving your dog's life. Everything starts with trust: have fun with your dog (playing tips here!) and reward them instantly when they come to you. Practice the "come" command when there are the least amount of distractions and your puppy is on the right mood to obey your command. Slowly move outside and among the distractions of everyday life. Practice regularly with treats so that this command is solid when needed the most. 2. Walking on a Leash Teach your puppy to keep on eye on you and practice walking with a treat in your hand. Then move on to wearing a leash: when the leash tightens, stop, and as they look at you, ease the leash and reward verbally. Then continue walking. The idea is to teach the dog that pulling won't get them forward. 3. Potty Training Remember that puppies are unable to hold their pee and poo, so take them outside often: after eating, drinking, playing and waking up. When accidents happen, don't give the dog attention, just quickly clean up and move on. Keep walks and going to the bathroom separate, puppies are too excited about world to stop and pee. So when going potty, stay within a close range, maybe walk in a circle, so they get to focus on doing their business. Reward when they go outside. 4. Calming Down Asking your puppy to wait before giving them food, before opening doors and saying hello to someone teaches them patience. You want to also give your dog its own place to calm down, and where they are not disturbed. Remember to teach everybody in the family to leave the dog be, when they are on their bed or in their crate. 5. No! Use "no" carefully and remember to use the same command every time. The "no" command is best saved for situations when the dog is about to do something dangerous to them or people around. Avoid using the dog's name when rebuking them and offer something better as a reward when they obey. Fill us in with your progress and leave your best tricks below! See you in the comments!
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