Life Hacks For Dogs: Ten Useful Tips For New And Experienced Dog Owners!

The Guide To A Happier Dog Ownership

Welcoming a canine companion into our homes can mean a few adjustments in our lifestyles. Whether we have prior knowledge or experience to care for Doggos, it is never too late to pick up a few handy tips— time to make Dog-ownership much more enjoyable for you and your pooch! ☺

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1. Get A Kong

Chew toys have multi-purposes. Not only are they meant for play time and, chew toys are handy tools to keep your Doggos properly entertained when you are busy with something in the house. One such toy is a Kong— a simple rubberized toy with a hollowed out compartment for delicious treats, even a slab of peanut butter. It's not all fun and games, brain stimulation goes on while your Doggo(s) try to figure out how to get to their treats by gnawing and licking.

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Fun Tip #1      Scorching weather? Stuff some healthy frozen treats in! Use peanut butter to hold small treats together. Your Doggo is bound to go bananas ☺

Try a few homemade frozen treat recipes here.

2. Brushing Teeth With Toys

Certain Dogs may give their owners a tougher time when it comes to brushing teeth. Nonetheless, dental and oral hygiene is essential to keep their teeth in good shape till a ripe old age. Struggling in getting your pooch to cooperate? Rub some Vet-approved toothpaste on their toys (i.e. rubber or rope).

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Fun Tip #2      Pick toys preferably with grooves or tiny knobby surfaces. These help scrape some dirt off their tongues and teeth, keeping their breaths fresh too! On top of all that, don’t forget to pop by a trusted Vet for a routined dental check!

3. Greens For Good Breath

While we're on the topic of oral hygiene, add this nifty hack for fresher breath. It's no news that breath freshening treats contain herbs like parsley and/or mint— pop in some finely-chopped fresh parsley or mint into your pooch's food, and freshen up their breaths while they chomp away during meal times!

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4. Recycle An Old T-Shirt

Clearing up some wardrobe space? Don't throw your old clothes away, donate them to the needy. At the same time, save a few old t-shirts (preferably those with stretchy material)— make these into a braided rope toy. 

Steps:

• Give your tees a good wash and dry before cutting them up into strips 
• Braid 3 strips with two knotted ends for a tug-o-war toy!

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Fun Tip # 3      Don’t throw the remainder away, make more braided toys and replace old tattered ones anytime!

5. Reuse Squeeze Bottles

As responsible and considerate Dog owners, we should pickup and dispose of any excrement from our Dogs while outdoors. A bottle of water comes in handy to wash away urine or poo stains, but a squeeze bottle gives added pressure for a quicker and more efficient cleanse! 

Steps:

• Recycle squeeze bottles (for chilli sauce, ketchup, mayonnaise, or maple syrup etc.)
• Wash them with soap and water thoroughly. 
• Fill it up with water, and strap them along for your next Dog walk or outdoor activity with your Doggo.

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Fun Tip #4      Pick squeezy bottles with a secure cap to avoid water-spilage. Better yet if it has a handle, for ease of carrying about!

6. Vaseline On Paws

Damage to a Dog's delicate and sensitive paw pads is something that might go unnoticed. That is also why Dog shoes are invented (not just a fashion statement)— not all Doggos are used to wearing shoes. We use Vaseline for prevention of blisters and abrasions, and it works wonders for our Canine companions too.  

• Apply a small amount of Vaseline underneath each paw pad just before heading out

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Fun Tip #5      Rinse off as per norm when you are home, checking to make sure no dirt is stuck in between or on them☺

7. Buy Carabiners

Yet another multi-purpose tool, Carabiners are perfect for attaching items to a Dog leash, and/or combining two leashes together. Another great usage example is how we could keep one on our Doggo’s leash at all times— free up your hands by fastenening the leash to ourselves or a stationary object anytime with a simple loop technique like such:

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To avoid theft or harm, never leave your Dog(s) alone and unattended to for long periods of time, it’s not safe!

8. Slow Down Food Intake

Got a furry fast eater at home? Improve your furchild's disgestion by getting a slow-feeder bowl, or save a few bucks just by popping a tennis ball into their bowls. Although, this would work best with a big bowl— big enough to fit a tennis ball and also leave some space around for the Doggos to reach in. This results in a longer time to reach for pieces of kibble, and also smaller intakes with each bite☺

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9. Baking Soda And White Vinegar

Baking Soda is an effective cleaning ageant to have in anyone's home, with other uses like facial aid and cooking. Cleaning up your Pet's accidental mess like urine or poo calls for a thorough cleaning with baking soda and vinegar.

• Rub in baking soda on the stained area
• Pour white vinegar and allow to dry
• Vacuum the remaining baking soda right up

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Fun Tip #6      Dogs tend to urinate and/or deficate in the same spots by tracking the scents. Cleaning with baking soda and vinegar is known to even safely rid scent and odor!

View Related:

How To Efficiently Clean And Disinfect Your Pet’s Bed

Flea Treatment And Prevention: Useful Home Remedies For Pet Owners!

10. Cleaning With Rubber Gloves

In case you missed this little viral trick, it is about time you tried it! Using rubber gloves or a rubber squeegee works wonders in cleaning up stray hair on furniture and surfaces!

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• Put on the rubber gloves 
• Dampen gloves a little 
• Swipe against the surfaces and notice how all the Pet hair gets collected in a cluster

Products have also evolved to further equip Pet owners improve their lifestyles— We own a special vacuum head meant to remove Pet hair on furniture. Some brands with Pet hair brushes that are totally effective are Miele, Bosch and Dyson.

Miele Turbo Mini Brush 

Bosch Athlet Animal Pro

Dyson Cinetic Big Ball Animal Pro

Check out this other vacuum tool we found:

Aren't these products interesting and extremely convenient? 

Head down to test the product's suction strength for yourselves, to be assured your Doggo's hair wouldn't be tugged at. This tool is only meant to remove loose hair for medium to long coat Dogs by the way!

You might also be interested in:

Dog Behaviour And Body Language: What Is My Dog Trying To Tell Me?

Can Dogs Get Depressed?: Nine Tell Tale Signs Your Dog Is Depressed or Unwell

Life Hacks For Cats: Ten Useful Tips For Every Feline Lover

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Disclaimer

This article was written with informational purposes, as you know, we’d love to share our collective research and experiences as fellow Pet owners and lovers. It is not meant to alternate in any way as advice or diagnosis of Professionals.

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