National Peanut Butter Day

Did you know that National Peanut Butter Day just passed on January 24th? If there was ever a holiday that our dogs could get behind, this one is it! Except for March 1^st, which we just discovered is National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day. Most of the dogs we know would definitely raise a paw to be included in that group!

In honor of both holidays, here are a few ways to use peanut butter that‘ll make your dogs flip with approval:

The Peanut Butter and Banana Kong (aka “The Stuffed Elvis”): Plug the small hole at the top of the Kong with a dab of peanut butter. Mash up one banana with a spoonful of plain, organic yogurt and fill the Kong. Plug the large hole with peanut butter. Freeze, if you’d like the treat to last longer, or serve right away.

Peanut Butter on the Move: If your dog really loves peanut butter and will gladly work for this reward, then it might be the best treat to have on hand while doing training outside and on walks. But how do you give peanut butter as a treat when you're mobile? Squeeze it from a packet! Try your local natural grocery store for individual packets of organic peanut butter. Cut off a corner and squeeze out some p.b. for your dog to lick. It’s the perfect high-reward treat on the move! 

The Cover Up: If your dog is currently on some sort of medication and hates taking their pill, try hiding it in a spoonful of peanut butter!

P.B. and Pumpkin Delight: Here’s an easy recipe for treat that your dogs will surely love. Combine 1 cup canned organic pumpkin, 1.5 cups organic peanut butter, 2 cups of what flour, and two organic eggs. Mix until the form a thick dough. Roll dough into balls, then flatten with fork. Back for 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool and serve!

Is anyone else dreaming of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich right about now? Before we head off to the kitchen we want to know: what are your favorite ways to give peanut butter to your pups? Let us know on Facebook!

5 Ways to Keep Dogs Happy Indoors

1. Make them work for their meals: Whether you have an active dog or a couch potato, making your dog work for his meals is a great way to turn a five minute meal into an hour long challenge. Our favorite way to do this is to use a few Kongs and, instead of feeding your dog in a bowl, pack the kibble into the Kongs. Plug the hole with peanut butter or wet food and freeze overnight. Now your dog can spend a while slowly eating their meal from a toy. It’s physically and mentally more challenging and keeps them busy while you get ready for work or make your own dinner.

2. Create an indoor agility course: If it’s been raining all week or too cold to get out, try making a little home-made obstacle course inside. Take a broom and place it on two chairs. Teach your dog to jump over it. Now lower the broom so its on a few stacked books. Teach your dog to crawl under it. Viola! Instant agility course!

3. Teach them tricks: Training is good. It’s that simple. But you can make training fun by picking a few simple trick to teach your dog. What’s the easiest one we know? Puppy Pushups! Ask your dog to lie down, then sit back up, then lie down, then sit up. Simple and good for their brains and bodies!

4. Change up their toys: Instead of giving them all their toys at once, try rotating their collection, so that they’re always excited about seeing an old friend.

5. Massage them: It’s good for our soft tissue and it’s good for our dogs too. Use simple long strokes down their back and gentle circular motions on their ears to relax them. A few minutes a day of massage is a great gift to any pup!

Tips for a Dog on Bed Rest

A friend of ours is spending the week playing nurse to her nine year old Border Collie after she had a very large lump removed from her belly. This energetic gal acts like a dog a third of her age and doesn’t want to let a stomach full of staples slow her down one bit. So, it’s up to our friend, the human one, to keep her dog resting, even when her dog is wanting to run, run, and run some more.

It got us thinking about ways to keep our dogs safe and sane when they need to stay still or take it easy. Here are a few tips we came up with:

1. Don’t feed meals out of a dog bowl. Use dog puzzles instead. Since dogs in recovery can’t burn off their energy running and jumping, use meal time as a way to keep them occupied and working for as long as possible. Skip feeding out of bowls (how long does it take your dog to wolf down his meal that way…two minutes?) and stuff a Kong with their meal instead, then freeze it. If you have a large dog, fill up 2 or 3 Kongs per meal. In addition to Kongs, there are a ton of dog puzzles on the market. You have your pick of a variety of levels of difficulty, from simple dispensers to complicated wooden games. Whatever you choose, it’ll take more time and energy (mental and physical) for your dog to eat that way.

2. Avoid other dogs on your walks, unless they can respect your dog’s boundaries. Our friend’s dog would love to play with every dog she meets on her walk, but while her stomach is healing, it’s a no-no for her to wrestle and jump. Well meaning dog owners often approach other people walking dogs, in the hopes that their dogs will meet and play, but it’s always a good idea to ask permission first. Since we all forget to do that sometimes, as a precaution our pal is crossing the street and avoiding dog-dog interaction for a bit. If you see them hiding from you, it’s nothing personal, they just can’t play with you right now!

3. Bust out the crate. Maybe you haven’t used a crate in years, since your dog is housetrained and doesn’t tear up your shoes while you’re at work, but now might be the right time to dust it off. Whether you’re busy cooking dinner or away at the office, dog’s that need to stay still will be better off with some clear boundaries.

4. Teach them a new trick. They may not be allowed to catch a Frisbee, but they can learn how to take a bow! It takes metal energy for a dog to learn a new trick (it takes some thinking on our part too), so spending a few minutes in the morning and again in the evening working on new tricks is a great way to keep them busy and working, without moving around too much.

Our friend only has a few more days of keeping her dog still, but they’ll be long ones. If only dogs understood why we need them to rest! Have any tricks of your own? Let us know on Facebook!

Supporting Shelters and Veterans

Today we’re celebrating two very important groups: animal shelters and veterans! This week is HSUS’s National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week, founded in 1996 to recognize and promote the invaluable role shelters play in their communities and to increase public awareness of animal welfare issues and shelter services. And of course, today is Veterans Day. We are forever in debt to the brave men and women who serve our country. If you’re looking for a way to support our veterans and shelters at the same time, here’s two groups that are helping veterans on both coasts:

P2V: Inspired by his own struggles with post traumatic stress and his subsequent healing, with the help of a rescued pit bull puppy named Cheyenne, David Sharpe founded P2V (pets to vets). P2V helps provide support to veterans who suffer with PTSD, while also finding homes for some of the shelter pets by connecting these two groups. P2V provides veterans with accessible, cost-effective animal assisted activities as they pursue rehabilitative and therapeutic care in DC and NYC.  

Pets for Vets: Shelter dogs in need get a second chance at life while giving veterans a second chance at health and happiness. The bonds of friendship formed between man and animal have the power to ease the suffering of our troops when they return from overseas. Based in Southern California, Pets for Vets, matches trained companion animals with service men and women who would benefit from the additional emotional support.

We’re so impressed with these two organizations and their work to support veterans and shelter pets by connecting these two groups to help support and heal each other. It’s a win-win for the animals and the veterans. Do you have a favorite compassionate community program? Share it with us on Facebook!

Tips for a New Dog in the House

We’ve been celebrating Adopt a Shelter Dog month the past few weeks, with tips on how you can help your local animal shelter (here  and here) and last week we took a look at how to find the right dog for your family. This week, let’s talk about setting your new dog up for success!

Be Patient, Be Realistic. In your mind, you know that you just adopted a dog and you understand that this dog is now a part of your family. So exciting! So why is your new dog hanging out in the corner, looking confused and uneasy? Try to remember that your new dog only knows it’s in a strange place, with people he doesn’t know. Newly adopted dogs don’t automatically understand that their life just took a turn for the better. All they know for sure is that they were at a shelter and now they’re somewhere new, with a few strangers that keep staring at them and smiling. Give them some time to adjust. They didn’t get the memo that life is about to be awesome, but they’ll figure it out in time! Some dogs settle in the first day, some the first week, and some take a few months before they totally relax into this new, safe, loving place. If only they spoke the same language as us, they’d learn this faster, but in the meantime, be patient.

Refresher Lessons: One of the pleasures of adopting an adult dog is that they’re often already housetrained or know basic obedience. However, it’s important to remember that although a dog may know the rules in one place (his old home, the shelter), it doesn’t mean he’ll automatically understand that the same rules apply in this strange place (his new home). It’ll be a big help if you spend some time doing a refresher course (alone, with a trainer, or in a class). Learning together will be a bonding experience for you and your new dog and it will help them learn the routines and rules of their new home.

Make Good Choices (so they don’t make the wrong ones on their own): Before you even bring your dog home form the shelter, think about this: where will they sleep at night and hang out while you’re at work? If you plan on crating your dog, be sure to get a crate before you come home with the dog. Crates may look like a jail cell to you, but many dogs find them to be a safe, quiet spot where they can go when they feel overwhelmed or tired. It’s also a safe place for them to hang out when they can’t be supervised. If exercised properly beforehand, crates, with a soft blanket inside, can be a comfortable place to spend a few hours. Left alone in the house, roaming freely, your new dog may feel uneasy (Am I supposed to guard this place? Taste the woodwork and shoes? Pee on that soft rug over there?), but in the crate they’ll know what to do: have a snack and a nap.

Keep them on Leash: Here’s an easy one, learned from experience. New dogs don’t know the property lines, the command “come”, and sometimes they don’t know their names yet! Don’t open the door, let them run out, and assume they’ll come back. Until they know the drill, keep them on leash.

Want more tips for bringing home a new dog? Check out the ASPCA’s list, then head down to the shelter to meet your new best friend!