As the holiday season approaches its peak, many people are busy picking out gifts for their loved ones. Of course, many of you also have their young ones at home this year. Our canine patients are thrilled about this. Why not have the kids make something for Fido? When you have your youngsters make crafts for dogs, you end up with occupied children and a happy dog. Talk about a win-win! A local vet offers some suggestions in this article.
If there’s one thing that dogs of all shapes, sizes, and colors love, it’s snacks. Have the kids do a bit of holiday baking for Man’s Best Friend! This doesn’t have to be very complicated. You can make your pooch some simple dog biscuits by combining a 1/2 cup of oats, 2 cups of pureed pumpkin or sweet potato, an egg, a ½ cup of natural peanut butter (no xylitol!), and 3 cups of whole wheat flour. Once you have everything mixed into a batter, roll the dough out. Use a cute bone-shaped cookie cutter to divide them (and keep them easy to distinguish from your cookies). About 20 minutes at 350F should do it, but you can always add more time for crunchier treats. We suspect Fido will approve either way. You can find more recipes online. Stick with ones that use dog-safe ingredients.
Toys are very fun for dogs, but they’re also very good for our canine pals, both physically and mentally. Here’s one super easy option: cut an old towel or tee shirt into thin strips. You can use a few different-colored ones if you like. Braid the strips together, and then braid those braids together. When you have a decent-sized rope toy, just tie the end off in a big knot. You can also make variations of this type of toy. Try incorporating things like tennis balls or different braided shapes.
It’s very important for dogs to sleep comfortably. A new bed is a great gift! You can go easy with this one, and have the kids sew and stuff a blanket. Or, if you want to make something a bit more involved, have them upcycle a piece of furniture. You can turn a coffee table upside down, repurpose a hard-shell suitcase, or even make Fido a pallet bed. Paint and stain will make it look nice. Just make sure there are no sharp edges.
Another option is to have the children decorate a treat jar for Fido. You can start with any simple ceramic jar or vase. A plain cookie jar is fine. They can use paint, stencils, or other mediums to decorate it and make it look nice. Put pawprints on it, or your pup’s name.
Happy Holidays! Please contact us, your local vet clinic, if there is ever anything we can do for you. We are here to help!