Dogs, cats and other pets can get bored just like we do. I struggle around snacking and over-indulge in bad TV. Keeping our minds and bodies active is important for our health, and environmental enrichment elevates your dog’s physical and emotional health. Why not provide your dog with an eco friendly house?
When Shadow-Pup feels bored, he terrorizes Karma-Kat. Oh, they love to play together, but he overdoes things and can get too rough when he feels bored. He’ll also demand more attention from his humans. That takes the form of staring and barking at us (READ MY MIND!), or bringing toys to play, or even indulging in zoomies—racing around and around the house l
There are many ways you can add some stimulation into your pet’s world. That doesn’t have to be expensive or time-consuming. Check out these easy and go green pet-parent projects you can try this spring.
Make a dog bed or pillow out of your old clothes
Recycling your old clothes is a great way to give them a second life. Take an old sweater or something with a thicker material and turn it into a comfy pet bed or pillow. Here’s an easy tutorial to follow. If you’re like me, you’ve got lots of old pillow cases. Or, you can get an old sheet, stuff it full of clothing that’s not fit for donations, and stitch up the sides. You can get stick-on Velcro from sewing stores, too, if you’re not handing with a needle and thread. Your dog will love cozying up on a bed that smells like you! And BONUS…if the dog rips it apart, you aren’t out a bundle on a fancy high-dollar dog bed.
Tie up your clothes for tug toys!
This is great for those of you who don’t sew. Take your old socks–you know, gather up all the odd ones your washer didn’t eat–and stuff them inside each other. Tie them together for a longer tug toy. That works great for small to medium size dogs. For bigger dogs, an old pair of jeans or yoga pants offers more stretch-and-shake worthy sizes. And BUNUS…they smell like you! Oh, and there are RULES to follow in tug games, like teaching when it’s appropriate and how to keep the game going. My colleague Trish McMillan has a great resource here for tugging.
Pick eco-friendly companies that make dog toys
Many dog toy companies are paying close attention to their carbon paw print these days. Choosing safe dog toys is job one for pet parents. I love all the Planet Dog toys because they’re made with recycled materials—and you can even return chewed up toys to them to recycle. Shadow-Pup still plays with toys we got over a decade ago for Magical-Dawg. Checkout these other eco-friendly pet-toy companies listed on sustainablejungle.com.
For more help with your bored dog, get the QUICK TIPS book, below (click on the picture).
Take a walk! or a car ride!
A ramble through the park, or the woods, or a car ride to enrich your pup while de-stressing you both. Consider how else you might consume valuable resources while you de-stress. Shadow loves car rides, where he gets to sniff the breeze and see all the different sites. And we’re lucky to live on 13 acres to ramble.
Being eco-friendly in all areas of my life is something I try to do to stay healthy, and treat my world right. I still need to work on it, though. Which of these little projects are you going to try? Let me know by commenting below.
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Stay up to date with the latest book giveaways and appearances related to my September Day pet-centric THRILLERS WITH BITE! Amy Shojai, CABC is a certified cat & dog behavior consultant, a consultant to the pet industry, and the award-winning author of 35+ pet-centric books and Thrillers with Bite! Oh, and she loves bling!
Every year, I write about our old cat needs. While Karma-Kat has just reached middle age, cats age at different rates. When do you consider your cat old? Is your old cat a senior kitty by age 8, or 13, or…when? For cats, what is old? Here’s how the experts define ‘old age’ in cats…
Can we take a minute to talk about something almost every pet parent deals with?
Although pet hair and odors are a small price to pay to have our furry ones at home with us, the fuzz and funky smells can sometimes seem overwhelming!
This morning as I stared into the face of my grinning Shadow-Pup and dodged his bruising tail flagellations, I envied him. And I envied my Karma-Kat and Trinity-Kittty who still hadn’t roused themselves from daily 16-plus-hour sleep marathons. I mean, I really had a moment of green-eyed angst that Shadow lives a dog’s life and the cats lives in a dream-world (literally!) while my husband and I bust our buttons keeping them in kibble. But is this a fair assessment? Just for fun, here’s a comparison.
Yes, cat separation anxiety affects many felines. When school restarts, and the kids go back to class, your cats (and your dogs) may suffer from separation anxiety. The signs of distress are very different, though. I encourage you to read on to learn about tips for helping your furry family members adjust.
We very often hear about doggy angst during a beloved human’s absence, but what about cats? Yep, it’s exactly the same—only different. Here’s how.
WIth back to school this month, you may wonder how to deal with dog separation anxiety. Whether the adults change work schedules, kids have less time to play with Fido, or college and classes means routine goes out the window, dog separation behaviors cause stress for everyone. Will canine separation anxiety become a problem for your dog? After summer vacation with the kiddos, dogs left behind at home can mope and feel awful…and so can cats. Any kind of absence might result in canine separation anxiety. Here’s what you need to know.
It’s National Pet Health Month! Each November, we celebrate old dogs during their “official” month. But when is your dog considered old? We love our senior citizen dogs for the special joy they bring every day. But once a year, we celebrate old dogs during November Adopt A Senior Pet Month.
What is considered “old?” There are individual differences between pets, just as there are for people. While one person may act, look and feel “old” at fifty-five, another fifty-five-year-old remains active with a youthful attitude and appearance. Aging is influenced by a combination of genetics, environment, and health care over a lifetime. The oldest dog on record was an Australian Cattle Dog who lived for twenty-nine years and five months…
I’ve written about how to care for an elderly dog before, but this post addresses how to know when your canine friends become old dogs.
Have you ever considered holistic medicine for your pets? There are many questions about what is holistic pet care. Is it the same thing as what your regular vet offers? There are many names for offering traditional medicine for pets. Some call it alternative medicine or natural healing. But are there specific definitions, and is holistic pet care a good choice for your cats and dogs? August 30 is National Holistic Pet Day, so it’s a good time to revisit asking these questions.
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