How to: Homemade Dog Treats, Toys, and Shampoo

When we adopted a one year old chocolate lab in early summer, both animal shelters that we visited told us that they were so full that they could not accept another animal until adoptions clear space.  I read that this is true across the country.  Part of the reason is that so many people adopted pets when they were isolated by municipal Covid measures.  Later, some people had to go back to work, leaving an anxious dog alone to tear up the house or yard.  Another reason may be that the rapid rise of inflation has increased the costs of both human and pet supplies. So Fido is returned.

One amelioration of the latter issue is that many foods, hygiene supplies, and toys can be made, cheaply, quickly, and easily, from scratch.  Below are a few that I make for our dog, Buddy.

DOG TREATS

Dogs go through packages of dog treats fast, and they can be pricey.  But they are SO EASY to whip up at home from common ingredients and MANY websites offer great recipes. Just search for home made dog treats.  I have made several dog treats.  The simplest is:

2 cups flour (any kind)

½ cup peanut butter

Enough hot water to make a firm dough

Knead, flatten, and cut into preferred shapes and sizes. 

Cook at 350 degrees.  The duration depends on the thickness of your biscuits and how hard and shelf stable you want them to be.  For example, ones that are ½ inch thick and cooked for 20 minutes will have a brownie-like texture.  Thinner and 45 minutes yields a harder product.

I vary the recipe by adding salmon oil, oatmeal, pumpkin puree,  chopped dates, toasted barley.  The latter three provide fiber/roughage.

One great idea (again, for roughage) is to slowly dry (in an oven or dehydrator) a sweet potato or yam that has been cut into thin rings.  When the tuber is leathery hard, string it on a leather strand, like a necklace, for the dog to chew.

DOG SHAMPOO

The dog shampoo I make is very similar to the people shampoo that I also make, with castile soap, water, a bit of vinegar and a drop or two of essential oil.  I do not use nearly as much of the last ingredient for the dog as I do for us, since his nose is so much more sensitive.  After I brush him, I dip a cloth into the shampoo and rub it into his hair, with special attention to the insides of his back legs, that can have been splashed with urine.  I have read that once a month is about the right frequency.

 

DOG TOOTHPASTE

My son kindly sent me some purchased dog toothpaste and several plastic finger “brushes.”  My dog enjoys the almost daily ritual when I rub the nubby finger over his teeth and gums.  When I finish this tube, I will make my own.  Of the internet sources I have read, I have found that some ingredients used by people (including us) like baking powder and hydrogen peroxide are NOT appropriate for dogs since they do not spit out the residue as we do.  Coconut oil (which we use for oil pulling) IS OK for dogs, as are aloe vera and olive oil as bases.  Look up homemade dog toothpaste.

 

DOG TOYS

Our 5 acre woodsy property on a lake offer a variety of outdoor entertainments for a dog who likes to

run, grab sticks, and play in the water.  But how will be entertain him during our long Alaska winters, particularly during snow and rain storms and deep cold when we are not too enthusiastic about spending much time outside?

All dog owners know how fast their pets can tear through purchased toys.  Even Kong toys, which cost $15 + and are marketed as tough and long lasting, remained intact for less than a day with Buddy, although the sad remnants remained play worthy, longer. 

The internet offers lots of creative ideas for homemade toys. I have tried several to good effect and concocted some others:

·         I save food grade plastic containers, like peanut butter and popcorn jars.  First he rolls and sniffs, licks, plays with them.  Once he crunches the side of the container into an hourglass shape, I shove a dog treat into the lower portion.  He enjoys the mental stimulation of figuring out how to get to the treat. 

·         I tie string, rope, or paracord from the spiral staircase, looped through a dead tennis ball, rubber toys, or a pierced plastic jar.  The thinner strings he breaks and then plays with that.  The paracord lasts longest before he bites through it to release the toy. 

·         Cardboard toilet paper rolls or small cardboard containers taped shut with a treat inside.  At first he played very gently with these, but now they last about a minute.  Still, sometimes that is all the distraction one needs to redirect behavior.

·         Three rags or old socks wrapped around dog treats or peanuts and then tied, one inside another, entertain him for about 20 minutes.  

·         We bought bags of golf balls, tennis balls, and what look like croquet balls at thrift shops for very little money. Buddy strips the shell off the golf ball in an hour, shreds the tennis ball in two hours, and peels the skin off a baseball in about two hours, after which he unravels the tightly wrapped yarn over several days.   

·         Of course he loves sticks and slim logs and we have lots of those.   

 

I think I derive as much enjoyment from creating these supplies as he does from utilizing them.