By Guest Author Laura Buttner, from LovePup

Five at Home Activities Your Hoomans Can Do That Will Benefit Us Doggos

 

 

If your hooman is home a lot more now and feeling a bit down, here are five things they can do to keep happy and healthy… whilst benefiting us pooches too.

 

Hi Pupsters!! DeeDee here and thank you for reading my first blog, paw-written of course.

Word at the park is that there are a lot of hoomans staying home at the moment and most of them are feeling quite down about it. I don’t know why as us dogs think it’s the best thing ever!! Full time affection? Yes please!

So, I got my furry head a-thinking and came up with 5 ways they can keep busy and take their mind off things that may be worrying them whilst totally benefiting us doggos too. Read on fur-friends…

1.  Doggy Day Spa

 

 

I don’t like hearing the b word (bath) anymore than the next dog. But when Laura calls out ‘spa time’ I’m running to the bathroom. Indulging in all natural and amazing smelling products whilst being pampered top to tail is much more enjoyable. Follow my lead…

Cleanse: Fill the bath or basin with nice warm water and prepare to cleanse the furs. Use a natural scented wash that’s gentle and soothing for the skin. I love the 100% natural Hooper Ruff Dog Washes especially their Cedarwood Dog Wash as it’s very calming, keeps my furs healthy and silky plus assists to repel pesky ticks and fleas.

Soothe: After drying off after your spa bath, soothe tired and sore paws with a relaxation paw massage. I like to lay on a pillow with some cucumbers on my eyes and listen to Enya while Laura massages Gemma & Ollie’s beautiful smelling organic Lavender Paw Balm into each of my paws. It’s so soothing and helps to protect our delicate paw pads.

Relax: As I’m laying there totally zen, Laura likes to take my relaxation to the next level and spritz me with an Aromatherapy blended spray. Our friends from Genki Pet make the most gorgeous blends and their Stillness & Calm blend is perfect for deep relaxation and also comes in handy for when I’m feeling anxious.

By this stage you should be snoring away in doggy dreamland. Enjoy!!

 

2. What’s Cookin’

 

 

I just love the smell of baked cookies from the oven…. but then I’m told ‘they’re not for you’… umm, unfair! So, bake me something I can smell and eat… please hooman?!
This super easy recipe has only 4 ingredients, is natural and healthy plus extra delicious!!

 

HEALTHY PEANUT BUTTER & BANANA DOG COOKIES

Ingredients: 3 cups of rolled oats, 2 bananas (mashed), 1/4 cup of natural peanut butter, 1/4 cup of coconut oil

Method: Preheat oven to 180°C and line baking tray with baking paper.

Combine all 4 ingredients into a large bowl and mix together.

Add extra oats if needed.

Knead mixture on a floured or non-stick surface.

Using a rolling pin, flatten to 1cm thickness.

Use a cookie cutter or knife to cut out treat shapes and place on baking tray.

Bake in oven for 10-15mins, until edges are golden.

Place mixing bowl on floor for dog to clean with their tongue.

Once treats are cool store in a glass jar or plastic container and give to your dog when they are being good. (which is always, derr!!)

 

3. Get Tricky

 

 

The perfect opportunity to score some of those yummy treats we had made for us is training time. And no boring sit, stay stuff! Let’s have some fun with our hoomans and learn some cool tricks like ‘sit pretty’ or ‘roll over’ or aim for the stars and learn to play the piano!!

There are plenty of training videos you can find on YouTube but we came across this pawsome repertoire of 27 Dog Tricks You Can Teach Your Pup Right Now by Love Your Dog.

Some of these tricks may take some time to learn so just remember practice makes pawfect.

 

4. Wardrobe Overhaul

 

 

Paws up if your wardrobe is getting a bit out of control? Or even getting bigger than the hoomans? Time for a big clean out!

Pull out all your things – collars, leads, harnesses, bandanas, bows, outfits, toys and blankies. Then we are going to make two piles. Get the hooman to hold each item in front of you and do one bark for keep and two barks for throw out (or donate).

Once we have our ‘keep’ pile it’s time to give everything a good wash. Follow the items care instructions otherwise we recommend hand washing to be safe.

After everything is clean and dry it’s time to organise and put away. Do you have a spare cupboard or shelf? Some storage boxes or shoe boxes? Find somewhere where you can keep all your things neatly stored. Maybe even organise things in colours or seasons. You’ll feel so much better once it’s all done plus it’s always good to make room for new accessories.

 

5. Chillax

 

 

After all these activities your hooman may need to sit down and chill.
So let’s join them.

If they look a bit sad or worried jump right up on their lap and stay there until they start smiling again. There is actually scientific proof that us doggos can help to relieve our hoomans stress levels and also get their oxytocin pumping which promotes feelings of happiness. How cool are we?!

Enjoy some good quality time chillin’ with them because one day they will go back to their busy lives and us doggos will think back to these days and remember how much we loved having them at home.

I hope you enjoyed my 5 activities and would love to hear from you if you gave any a go or tag us in your cute pics.

Stay safe, be good and thanks for reading!!

 

About our guest author:

The LOVEPUP team is made up of Laura & Dee Dee.

Laura does all the designing, fabric finding, cutting, sewing, packing and posting.
Dee Dee oversees Laura’s work and nothing is sent until she gives the ‘paws’ up.

LOVEPUP is proud to support Second Chance Animal Rescue, a pro-life charity that rescue and re-home dogs and cats. We donate a portion of every sale to help our fur friends find their forever homes. This organisation is close to our hearts as they rescued Dee Dee and gave her a second chance with Laura back in 2013.

You can check out Lovepup’s fabulous designs here: