I have to admit I get scared when I see a dog left tied up outside, unattended. I know we’re really busy and, sometimes, it seems like there’s no choice. You can’t bring the dog in; they’re too big, the store doesn’t allow dogs, you just have to grab a coffee or a container of milk. Two million dogs were stolen in 2012, almost 10 times more than bicycles!  We have to live our lives and that includes spending quality time with out dogs. That’s why I’m happy to report that I recently came across a brand new dog anti theft device I think you should know about.  With a product like this, you and your pup can go about your errands with a little more peace of mind, and who doesn’t love that!

The product I’m referring to is called Safespot and its slogan is, “You lock your bike, why not your beagle?” Well, that’s true and, given the statistics, it doesn’t make any sense why anyone wouldn’t secure their dog.

Here’s what I like about this product:

* it’s an all-in-one collar and leash that has a simple, yet potentially very effective locking system. The way it works is you literally lock the collar around your dog’s neck with a key, and lock the handle of the leash around whatever object with the same key. Both ends are easily adjustable via a button and the leash will secure to almost any stationary object.

* the leash is steel cable reinforced so, unless a potential thief is trolling around with a strong wire cutter, it does act as a good deterrent.

*  you can use the all-in-one as a regular collar and leash, unlocked.

Here’s a demonstration video of how it works:

[youtube id=”WksDZBgNyL0″ width=”620″ height=”360″]

The one thing I don’t like about this product is that it’s heavy, so it isn’t appropriate for smaller dogs, under 15 lbs. I talked to Pawz, the company that developed Safespot and also makes the colorful, rubber dog boots you see everywhere, about any plans to make a lighter version and they seem open to it, if the market demand is there. Considering how many small dogs I see tied up around Manhattan, I think it won’t be long before we’ll have that option. If you have a small dog and want to try Safespot, I suggest contacting the company and telling them you’d be interested in a smaller and lighter version.

If you’ve had any experience with this product, I’d love to hear from you. And, if you have any questions or comments, please let me know.

Be aware and share this post! 🙂

Until next time…

Dr. Brian Hare & Pup

Does your dog march to his own drummer or does he look to you for direction? Is your dog a good problem solver? Do purebreds see the world differently than mixed breeds? Is trying to be the alpha dog really effective? These questions and more prompted me to wonder, what makes my dog tick and, do dogs think like people? What I learned surprised me and I think it will surprise you, too.

There is only one science-based “test”  I’ve found for dog owners to answer these questions. It’s called Dognition and I learned about it from the amazing trainer and Animal Planet star, Victoria Stilwell. Dognition was co-founded by Dr. Brian Hare and his wife, Vanessa Woods. Dr. Hare is a scientist and an associate professor of evolutionary anthropology at Duke University, as well as a member of Duke’s Center for Cognitive Neurosciences.  Vanessa is a scientist, author and journalist.Together, they’ve clocked in years of research in a canine cognition laboratory and are now sharing this knowledge with us. And what’s even cooler, is each of us who completes Dognition becomes part of a massive body of thousands of citizen scientists contributing data that is helping to improve the lives of dogs everywhere.

So what exactly is Dognition and how does it work?

It’s a series of science-based games you play with your dog that determine how he or she thinks in five key categories:

* Empathy – reading and responding to the emotions of others

* Communication – using information from others to learn about the environment

* Cunning – using information from others to avoid detection

* Memory – storing past experiences to make future choices

* Reasoning – inferring the solution to new problems

Once you complete and record the results, the Dognition team of experts is able to tell you what “type” of dog yours is. There are 9 personality profiles. Is your baby an Ace, a Maverick, a Charmer, a Socialite, a Protodog, a Renaissance Dog, an Expert, a Stargazer or an Einstein? I couldn’t wait to find out!

My Experience

My husband and I did the exercises with Sophie. They recommend you do these with a partner. It’s not absolutely necessary, but it helps. The exercises are all treat-based motivation, which was just fine with our little treat-monger, but they clearly involve problem solving, bonding and memory, among other things. It takes about an hour to do, and I’d recommend not doing them all in one sitting as it could get tedious for your dog. But, when we broke it up, Sophie had fun with them and it was interesting to see how she responded. Sophie turned out to be a Renaissance Dog. When we looked at Sophie’s personality and at the test results, it made sense. She was very bonded, but also down the middle between self-reliant and collaborative. She did fit her profile and it’s helped us find some better ways to work with her on training.

What I think is so important about being a part of Dognition is the kind of huge impact it could have on everything from how we train our dogs to moving away from something like Breed Specific Legislation, which has helped to create a prejudice, often unfairly, against certain breeds like pit bulls. If we find behavior isn’t breed specific, that immediately dismisses the idea that all pit bulls, or any kind of dog, for that matter, are dangerous and bad.

The Dognition Interview

So I was really excited when Dognition co-founder, Vanessa Woods, agreed to share her insights with us in an interview. Read on to find out some fascinating facts about our dogs.

B&S: You and Brian co-wrote a great book called The Genius of Dogs about how our dogs are smarter than we think. Was that the catalyst for Dognition or did the company come about beforehand?

VW: It all happened at the same time – we gave birth to a baby, the book and the company! Brian came up with the idea for Dognition at a dog training conference. The trainers were so interested in the experiments we were doing and wanted to know how they could do them at home with their dogs. He realized that they could and the concept was born. We’ve found from the Dognition data we get back, that what people are doing from home with their dogs was mirroring the data from world-class research, so this is a real thing and people are helping to make real findings!

At the Duke Cognition Center, Brian was having about a thousand people a year come through but he also had so many people waiting; it became kind of like a Justin Bieber concert! How do you get in? Is there somebody who knows somebody? People really loved doing this and wouldn’t it be great if they didn’t have to come to the Center to do it?

B&S: Simply put, what is Dognition’s mission?

VW: Trying to figure out what strategies dogs use to navigate their world.

B&S: How do you utilize the citizen scientist concept at Dognition?

VW: One of the limitations for scientists is that a really large study for us is like 50 dogs. Brian’s area of research is not extremely well-funded. So we’d have all these interesting questions, but no way of answering them because we just don’t have the number of dogs needed for the research to mean something. When thousands of people put together the data for hundreds of breeds, then we really can find out the answers to these questions.

B&S: I read that dogs come close to babies in communication skills. Is this true and how?

VW: One of the things Brian found out early in his research was that dogs use social cues in the same way that infants start to use social cues. So when you do the communication exercise with Sophie, sometimes she would follow your pointing cues and sometimes she wouldn’t, right?

B&S: That’s right, kind of like she does on her walks.

VW: LOL. When she was following your pointing cue, that’s what human infants do. And what they’re doing is they’re reading your intentionality. A point can mean anything to any animal. But what it means to a dog and to a human infant is, you know something that, perhaps, they don’t know, and you are giving them a signal to try and help them. This ability in babies leads to all sorts of other forms of cooperation and to language; it’s a building block for many of the skills that we think of as uniquely human.

What do the different personality profiles mean?

B&S: Take us through the different profile categories.

VW: These categories are created on a scale from social to non-social. They’re kind of a category to describe your dog’s way of thinking. To give you a couple of examples, the Renaissance Dog, like Sophie, is good at a little bit of everything; the dogs who are more independent problem solvers, they would be the Mavericks and Stargazers, who prefer to solve problems on their own. Then, there are the more collaborative dogs like the Socialites and the Aces, and they are really paying attention to their owner’s body language and faces to see what they’re doing.

B&S: This sounds like Dognition can have huge implications on dog training. Will trainers have to work with a dog’s profile to figure out the best training techniques?

VW: Trainers have already written back saying Dognition has been helpful to them and that it gives them more information in finding out what kind of dog they’re dealing with so they can better implement their training techniques.

Purebreds & Mixed Breeds

B&S: The research talks about differences you’ve found between purebred and mixed breed dogs. What were they?

VW: We found that purebred dogs are more on the collaborative end of the scale. They’re more dependent on human social cues, which is interesting because, purebreds were originally bred to be working dogs in areas like herding and hunting. They had to pay a lot of attention to human social cues to do their jobs. With the mixed breeds, we found they were much more reliant on memory. Their memories were amazing and that’s what they were using to solve problems.

B&S: You and Brian did a pictorial blog post on the Huffington Post this year,  illustrating ways where dogs showed their smarts. One was that they selectively choose to obey what we tell them. I’m probably not just speaking for myself here, when I say that that kind of thing can drive us dog parents a bit nutty. What are our dogs thinking?

VW:  Most of the time, dogs are very collaborative and they want to do what you say. The fact is, they’re really smart and good at reading our social cues. And, like kids, they’re not above using this information against you. So, they can use when you’re paying attention or not in getting their own way, like in sneaking a muffin off the coffee table or getting into something else they shouldn’t. They can pay very close attention to where your attention is focused, or not.

Is the alpha dog really the leader?

B&S: We’ve read for years that we have to be the alpha; that dogs follow the alpha dog. Well, Dognition has turned that notion on its head. What did you find?

VW: From the research we did, the whole alpha dog idea was based on a very outdated wolf model. That being said, the model we should be using is to look at the population of dogs who live without humans, which are the feral dogs. The feral dog society is a very different one from the wolf society, and they are actually drawn to and do actually follow the dog who has the most friends, not the most dominant dog.

B&S: So being nice to our dogs pays more dividends than we thought!

B&S: I read about the dog who learned 1000 words. Can other dogs do this too?

VW: We know that one dog can. I’m not sure how many people have taken the time to teach their dog 1000 words, but yes, they can. They learn similarly, again, to human infants. The really impressive thing is, in the dogs tested, they can hear a word once or a couple of times, and they’ll remember the word a month later. It makes us wonder if dogs know exactly what we’re saying and are just selective on deciding how they’re going to behave.

B&S: Dognition has a very impressive group of people on its Experts Panel, including world-class trainers, doctors, behaviorists. I see you’ve recently added Victoria Stilwell. How does the panel work with you to help strengthen what you do?

VW: The people on the panel are incredible thought leaders in terms of our relationship with dogs and living with dogs. We can just reach out to them for input from their own vast experiences. People like Victoria can send through issues that are important to her, and this can contribute towards the growing community and the conversation that we have with people. We’re just scientists but we recognize that there’s a whole world of people out there who are improving the lives of owners and their dogs. It’s just wonderful to be able to have access to them.

Dognition Shelter Program with Petfinder

B&S: Tell us about the amazing Dognition Shelter Program with Petfinder.

VW: We’re working with Petfinder to distribute thousands of Dognition Toolkits free to shelters and foster homes they work with and those people can run Dognition with their dogs. When people go to adopt dogs, they’re saying there’s a trend where certain dogs are avoided based on their appearance, like a dog that’s not so pretty or a scary looking black dog. Dognition gives a potential adopter a story based more on how the dog thinks than what they look like. The idea is they can either take a dog that has already done Dognition, or they can do Dognition with them at home. It gives shelters more real ammunition to say there’s more to this dog; they’re really unique and special in their own way, and this is how.

B&S: How can this help communities evolve away from Breed Specific Legislation and the prejudice towards certain breeds like pit bulls?

VW: We actually are asking people to sign up their pit bulls so we can do research on the breed. There’s no conclusive scientific evidence that says pit bulls are any different than other dogs. In fact, science suggests there’s more difference between individual dogs within a breed than there is from breed to breed. You can learn so much more about your dog and how they think than just judging them on their appearance. And, you can contribute to the world’s fact-based understanding of pit bulls.Dognition helps you do that.

###

Dognition toolkit for one dog: $19.00 (monthly and annual memberships are also available)

Hope you enjoyed my experts interview with Vanessa Woods. You can try Dognition and find out what your dog’s personality profile is here.

Please reach out with any comments or questions about it. Tell me what you found out about your dog. Look forward to hearing from you!

Until next time…

Want to be stylish and do some good this holiday season? WagAware is a great gift idea. WagAware makes the first and only charm to promote dog rescue and adoption and an unprecendented 50% of profits go to rescue organizations. Celebrities like American Humane Association supporters Betty White, Kristen Chenoweth of Glee, Lisa Vanderpump of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, and young Danielle Fishell of Girl Meets World (remember Boy Meets World?), among others love this dog tag and so do we!  Hats off to The Pet Blog Lady for bringing it to our attention.

There are 6-8 million dogs and cats entering shelters each year, as per the 2013–2014 APPA National Pet Owners Survey (estimated by The Humane Society of the United States using statistics provided by The National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy). Homeless animals need all the support we can give them. Your dog can be at once conscious and stylish in this lovely tangerine orange and chocolate brown WagAware charm and you’ll know you’re doing your part towards helping to rescue and find loving, forever homes for dogs in need. Besides looking great, the this piece is lightweight, noiseless and glows in the dark!

 

 

When you purchase a WagAware charm, your money goes towards helping to raise awareness and funds for homeless dogs and, ultimately, to help reduce the mass euthanasia – 2.7 million  – of the healthy, adoptable dogs and cats in the US every year. (statistic taken from the 2013–2014 APPA National Pet Owners Survey and estimated by The Humane Society of the United States using statistics provided by The National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy)

The WagAware charm retails for $14.95. Can be worn on a pet’s collar or keychain.

Check out WagAware at  www.wagaware.com.

 

Lisa Vanderpump & Giggy

 

Would be great to know if you have a personal experience with WagAware, or if you have any questions or comments about this post. Reach out! Would love to hear from you.

Be aware & share!

Until next time…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve lived with animals all my life and they’ve always been part of the family. But when I was growing up, no one ever thought about pet insurance. I don’t think it even existed. And once it did, I never really gave it much thought. Like many of us, I have a bit of a jaundiced view of insurance companies. When Sophie came into our lives three and a half years ago, we visited the topic again asking ourselves, is pet insurance worth it? Listen to our story and judge for yourselves. But for us, the answer is a resounding yes.

I did a lot of research into different companies, once we decided it might be a good idea. A lot of them offer similar plans; most don’t cover regular check ups or pre-existing conditions. We decided to go with Trupanion, because we liked that they covered 90% of covered costs for treatment of injuries and illnesses and I got a good feeling about the people I spoke with there while doing my research. So, we enrolled Sophie, who was a puppy at the time, our two cats, Isabel and Lola, both 10 years old then and we even enrolled my daughter Morgan’s dog, Mackey. Morgan had recently graduated from college and was working, but couldn’t afford pet insurance and we didn’t want her to be blind-sided with an enormous bill if anything ever happened to Mackey.

Sophie’s Story

For about a year, things were pretty uneventful. Everyone was healthy, apart from temporary small things here and there. And Trupanion would pay the 90% promised of our bills. All good. Then, when Sophie was almost 2, she had an accident playing in our apartment. She was running after a toy and slid on our wood floors smack into a standing lamp base. She yelped; her little back leg was hurt. When she was still limping the next day, we took her to our vet, who diagnosed her with what’s called a luxating patella. Some of you may know what this is as it’s not that uncommon but it does often go undiagnosed. It’s when a dog’s kneecaps pop in and out of the groove they belong in. It’s usually not very painful for the dog, but it is uncomfortable and they will often take a hop step when they feel it, to help the knee pop back into place. They are rated in severity of how often the kneecap is out of joint by numbers, with 1 being the least amount of time and 4 being the knee is out most of the time. We were told Sophie was about a 3. The major issue with luxating patellas is, over time,  they can cause early onset arthritis from all of the rubbing of the bones and cartilage as the kneecap slides in and out of it’s groove. This freaked us out.

About 2 weeks later, when Sophie had already healed from her bruised back leg, she was playing outside running and jumping, and she yelped again. This time it was

Sophie Playing

the other back leg! Again to the vet, again diagnosed as having a luxating patella in the other leg,this one closer to a 4. To make a long story shorter, we found a great orthopedic veterinary specialist out of state called VOSM, Sophie was examined there and had x-rays. It was recommended she undergo physical therapy in water, which we did. She was eventually re-checked, had more X-rays and more physical therapy. It all added up; the PT package of visits alone cost over $1000! When you add on office visits and x-rays, you can just imagine how much that could cost. But, Trupanion was there and  paid the 90% of it, no questions asked. Today, thank goodness, Sophie’s knees have improved, she’s had no other incidents and she seems very stable.

That, in itself, was a great relief and having insurance in place so we didn’t have to stress additionally about the money was amazing. But that’s not the major reason we are so grateful to Trupanion and to having good pet insurance. The major reason is Isabel, our orange tabby.

Isabel’s Story

Isabel is a beauty and rare, to boot, because she’s a female orange tabby in a world filled with almost all male orange tabbys. About 9 months ago, she started losing weight. Her appetite was still great; Isabel could eat for her country! But she was starting to look thin, so I took her to our vet just to make sure there was nothing to be concerned about. Apparently, she had gone from 11.7 lbs to 9 lbs, which is a huge jump for an cat! We knew something potentially serious was going on. The several tests the vet performed over the next couple of weeks were inconclusive, but did prompt a recommendation that we go to a 24-hour emergency hospital nearby with an expert oncologist on staff for more in-depth tests. The final and conclusive procedure involved putting Izzy under anesthesia and cutting out a piece of her intestines to determine whether she had Inflammatory Bowel Disease or lymphoma. What we found, unfortunately, was that Isabel had intestinal lymphoma, an incurable cancer where the afflicted cat can live 6 months to 2 years, but not usually longer. Her red blood count was so low, she was one step away from needing a blood transfusion. By this time, she was down to 8 lbs and looking pretty bad. But she was still eating, which was the one positive. We were desperate, looking for ways to help her and prolong her life.

Our oncologist, the amazing Dr. Tim Rocha, put her on a chemotherapy drug they often use with cats, but Isabel didn’t do very well. Chemo is so hard on the body for

Pensive Isabel

both humans and animals. I’d been doing some research and, through a friend, found an experimental drug called Lymphocyte T-Cell Immunomodulator or LTCI, which hadn’t been tested much on cats with lymphoma but they were having great success with it for feline leukemia and, unlike chemo drugs, without any side effects. We thought, what did we have to lose? Maybe it could help. We put Isabel on it about 6 months ago and she’s been doing amazing! She’s gained back weight and is now about 9.5 lbs. Her red blood count shot back up pretty quickly and has been at normal levels for 5 months. Her appetite is still great and, for the first time, we’re hopeful we can prolong her life significantly. We have a lot to be thankful for, just in time for the holidays.

Throughout this very difficult process with Isabel, I had been in regular communication with Trupanion. Everyone I spoke with were always professional, yes; helpful, yes. But they were more; they were compassionate and kind and really tried to go out of their way to help us. They paid out several thousand dollars for Isabel’s care, giving us peace of mind and confidence that we could do our best for her and not have to think about the money. You can imagine what a godsend that is when you’re talking about a family member, especially one who relies so heavily on us to take care of them.

I ended up becoming friendly with one of the woman at the company who, prior to working there was a client. She’d had an experience with one of her dogs who was ill and Trupanion had come through for her. She was so impressed with the company, she made a video about her and her dog and why she wanted to work there, sent it to them and she got the job! She became one of the Trupanion employees who take their pets with them to work every day. Apparently, there are over 80 dogs in the office!  I just loved that. Check out this great video of them all doing a fire drill.  [youtube id=”jSdV5RuW068″ width=”620″ height=”360″]

In Summary

So as we’re rapidly approaching the holidays, I thought what a great gift to give to your pet, yourselves, your children. It’s peace of mind, really. How great not to have to worry that giving our dog or cat the best care available is beyond our financial reach. We can be there for them in such an important way when they really need us most. I know how much it meant to us and, especially, to Isabel.

Trupanion gives free quotes and a discount on enrollment. If you’re interested, you can find them here.

Would love to hear your stories about your pets and insurance or help with any questions you might have. Please reach out and comment. And, be friendly and share!

Until next time…

(Disclaimer: I am an affiliate of Trupanion and our three animals are Trupanion clients)

I saw the sweetest paw print holiday tree ornament we can create ourselves.  I was so inspired, I decided to make the final post in our DIY Holiday Gifts for Your Dog about accessories. I can’t wait to share this with you and it’s pretty simple to make.

Paw Print Tree Ornament

Paw Print Ornament

This DIY tutorial from sewdoggystyle.com is a great one. It’s very clear and not difficult to do, and if I say that, you can do it too. It requires very few items – basically some Sculpey, that clay-like or playdoh like substance you can buy in craft stores; your dog’s paw and any decorations you might want to include. Not bad, right? So take a look and, if you have any questions, please reach out for answers.

Jingle-Bell Collar

Francesca’s Jingle Bell Collar

This is a Martha Stewart special on her very own Frenchie, Francesca. An unusual, decorative and festive collar for the holidays with little jingle bells attached. Reminds me a little of those bells that are hanging from the doorknob as Christmas decorations. Martha lays out exactly what materials you’ll need and a step-by-step instruction of how to make it. She recommends using a wide silk taffeta or a flat weave ribbon for this project, as you’ll need to iron in box pleats and you’ll want the ribbon to hold the pleats. You’ll need to be at least a beginning sewer to do this, but her instructions are very clear, even without the diagrams. And the finished collar, maybe in a holiday red, green or blue, is beautiful!

Wood Dog  Bowl Project

These dog bowls from abeautifulmess.com are really cool. You will need one of those wood burning tools, which may be a stretch for the less crafty of us. Other than that tool, all you’ll need are two wooden bowls, some letter stickers and that’s it. If you like wood burning projects, abeautifulmess will have more of them.

Woodburned Dog Bowls

Winter Dog Boots

This is both a cozy and very practical gift for your dog if you live in a climate that gets any cold. I know Sophie’s little feet get very cold in the winter pounding those freezing pavements of New York City, especially if there’s some snow on the

Dog Booties

ground. And what I like about these boots, is you can tailor the pattern not only for size, but for the height of the bootie, depending on whether you have a few inches of snow or just a dusting. The tutorial is from DomestikGoddess. I love that name, don’t you? She even includes a link to a page which teaches your dog to wear boots, in case they won’t tolerate them at first. DomestikGoddess gives us a home drawn pattern which may not be to-the-letter perfect, but the design and instructions are simple and clear enough and the style is such that this will work just fine. If you’re a sewer, you can use some fleece and velcro you have around the house from other projects. I would choose a vinyl or other soft plastic for the sole of the bootie to protect your dog from the salt, wet and dirt of winter.

Pet ID Tags

Pet ID Tags

I love these from MakingItLovely. Easy to make, looks beautiful and is practical. And if you’re not very crafty re designing your own dog tag, she’s made a template that is really nice with a link to it. This is a great DIY project. Who can’t use a charming, funky or classic new dog tag? Make it to taste. BTW, that’s Murray sleeping it off. It’s tough being an artist’s dog model!

Summary

Hope you’ve gotten some good ideas from our DIY dog gifts series. I’ve gotten some good ones myself! I think I’m going to make some adorable booties for Sophie and some new ID tags. She doesn’t like wearing the rubber material booties  like little balloons and she likes the heavier dog boots even less. She’s a sensitive little flower! 🙂 I’ll let you know how it goes.

Please let me know how your DIY projects go, if you have any questions and please send pictures of your dog(s) in their finished pieces. Would love to put them up on the site. Look forward to hearing from you!

Until next time… 

Leather Collar w/Conchos & Studs

Welcome back for the second in our DIY Holiday Gifts for Your Dog series; this one on homemade collars and leashes. I thought I’d possibly find some very plain examples of what you might make at home, but I was really pleasantly surprised to see some beautiful and very stylish pieces. And because we”re doing this ourselves, it’s costing a fraction of the price we’d spend in a store. You will need a sewing machine at home to do some of these projects. Let’s take a look at some examples I really like.

The collar on the left is made by Makezine. It’s gorgeous, however, I thought it was a bit complicated, which is why I didn’t include it below in our collar section. However, if you want to attempt it, just follow the link.

Leashes

Dye-Dipped Leash

Dye-Dipped Leashes

Here’s one of my favorites from Capree at Curbly Original. Remember how the thick, soft rope lead was all the rage a couple of years ago? Well, this version makes it fresh, once again. It is incredibly cool and your own vision and creativity will define the color(s) you choose and how subtle or bright you want your leash to look. If you want to inject a holiday flair, choose colors accordingly. And it’s very easy to make. You could probably apply the same process to making a matching collar, or make a collar to match the leather clamp covers from an old belt. Capree takes us through a clear step-by-step approach with corresponding photos. I love love the ombre colored example and how dipping the rope in the dye for varying lengths of time gives the lead that look of color gradation. Very nice! The leather finish to hide the metal clamps with a complimenting colored thread makes for a terrific looking end product. This is a great one! Here’s a picture of the completed leash.

Leather Braided Leash

Leather Braided Leash

Here’s a very classic leather braided leash from Sketch42 that looks like you might have purchased it from a designer store. And very easy to make and doesn’t take a lot of time, which,  if you’re like me, you don’t have a lot of anyway! 🙂 So this is a good thing! She even links to sources for the materials you’ll need. Here’s a picture of the finished piece.

Nylon Webbing/Ribbon Leash

This project from TotallyStitchin requires a little more experienced sewer. Stacey Roseberry gives us instructions on how to do, with pictures at various stages of the process. I like these leashes. You can create a one of a kind piece, depending on which

Ribbon/Webbing Leash

ribbon you choose to compliment the nylon webbing. Choose a ribbon with a holiday pattern and you have a great gift idea. And she gives a link to create a matching collar too! Here’s a picture of the ribbon/webbing leash.

Collars

Yarn Appliqued Nylon Collar

Yarn Appliqued Collar

I love this collar idea from Madknits at Instructables. It is beautiful and special looking. And, it’s easy to make! All that’s required is some nylon webbing in your choice of color, the hardware for the collar and some special yarn you may have around the house or you may choose to buy. The yarn is what makes this look, so maybe splurge a little bit on something you really love that looks great. Some placements of the yarn on the webbing and the hardware on the collar, some stitching on the machine and, voila!, you have yourself a unique piece that your dog, big or small, will look great in and can play in, so it’s practical, too! I really love this idea. Here’s a picture.

Paracord Collar

This is a fun and not too difficult project and the result is a durable, practical and great-looking collar! I like this tutorial from

Paracord Collar

Handsoccupied. The instructions are clear and the pictures chosen to illustrate each step of the process are great, very helpful. They chose a rainbow paracord, but you can choose any color you’d like to make this collar. Here’s a picture of the finished project.

Vintage Canvas Belt Collar

These are a great DIY collar idea with a hipster vibe. If you have any old canvas belts lying around where the canvas colors and pattern look cool, you could use that. Otherwise, you may want to take a look in a thrift store for this kind of

Canvas Belt Collar

item. HueandHum have a good tutorial but the pictures really tell the story. This project involves ripping out the stitching from one side of the belt where the leather straps are secured to the canvas, but just enough to slip the canvas out, cut it to fit your dog’s neck, leaving a 1/2″ seam allowance, then inserting it back in between the leather pieces and re-stitching it up. She also cut  a small, maybe 2″ piece of the canvas to sew onto the collar to hold the dog’s tag ring so you can attach the dog tags to it. Remember to slip the keyring on the canvas before you stitch it to the collar. Not a very time-consuming project. Re-sewing the leather might be a bit challenging and you will need the proper needle to do it. But makes a lovely looking collar that is different than what you’ll see around.

Recycled Belt Leather Collar

Another quick, easy project from Instructables. A lot of us have these great looking, worn in, soft leather belts that we just

Recycled Leather Belt Collar

don’t wear anymore for whatever reason. What a great way to recycle it and put it to good use. And it can look great. I think the more worn the better and the longer your dog wears it the better it will look, if the leather is of good quality and you take care of it.

Well, there you have it! Some ideas for holiday gifts or projects for your dog that you can do with the family or in some spare time yourself. Any of these that you choose will result in a beautiful gift for your dog that you can feel really good about.

Enjoy!

Until next time…

Pet Craft for the Whole Family
Buy it Here

Sophie and I were having one of our play sessions today, something we both really enjoy and I thought to myself, she’s a very lucky girl; she’s got lots of love, good food, good friends and yes, lots of toys. And as I looked around at those lots of toys, I thought it would be great to find some great homemade options for those of us this holiday season who are a bit crafty, who may be on a budget or may just want to experiment and have the fun of making something for their dogs themselves. So this will be a series of DIY holiday gift ideas for your dog that also look great. Let’s start with toys.

I get a really good feeling when I make something myself. It may take me a little while, because I’m not very experienced on a sewing machine and I get a bit nervous, but when I follow through and finish the project, it’s such a great feeling! So when I was looking for fun DIY dog toy projects to recommend to you, I made sure they are not too difficult to do. In other words, something I could do if I set my mind to it. Here are some I’d recommend. Like with any homemade toy, please always supervise your dog’s play with them. Better safe than sorry.

Pet Craft-28 Great Toys, Gifts and Accessories for Pet Lovers (above) is a very cool book I found on Amazon that tells you how to make all sorts of pet crafts. It’s broken into four sections, one of which is dog and cat toys. But also included are sections on pet accessories, crafts for kids and pet celebration-oriented crafts. A great book to have around the house. It’s author, Heidi Boyd, has written twelve craft books, specializes in kids’ crafts and is a regular contributor to Better Homes & Gardens, Crayola Kids magazine and Family Fun magazine.

Debbie Colgrove has a clear, step-by-step way to make a plush dog bone toy. You can vary the size of the pattern, which she has a link to, depending on your dog’s size

DIY Dog Bone Toy

and choose a fabric that is as durable as you need it to be, depending on how big or aggressive a chewer your dog is. I like that this toy, when completed, looks homemade in a charming way and, if you wanted to make it a holiday gift, you would choose fabric with holiday colors. I would stay away from fabric that has metallic threads. It may look great but is probably not a good idea for your dog. Stick with 100% cotton, whether it be a strong twill or canvas or a thinner cotton for a small dog who doesn’t play hard with his toys. You can also either use two layers to make the bone stronger if the fabric isn’t too thick (I wouldn’t recommend two layers of canvas, in other words), or you can line the inside of the toy with a washed muslin so the cotton fibers are closely knit and strong. And I would find a safe filler like polyfill to stuff the toy. Here’s a picture of the finished dog bone toy.

DIY Pom Pom Ball

I love this fleece pom pom ball from Sherri Osborn. It is easy to make, her instructions are clear and it’s such fun. Sophie loves her toys that have streamers, bits she can tug, swing around. Again, you can choose holiday colors for your fleece or, if you are someone who sews and have some leftover fleece around the house, you can use that too. If you want to get even more creative, you can make a dual colored ball. And, if it’s cotton you have around the house instead of fleece, this toy will work with that, as well. When you’ve finished, your dog will have a colorful pom pom that she can play with for hours. Here’s a picture of the finished pom pom toy.

ChemKnits has a great, adorable pattern for a knit dog ball. The complete knitting pattern is there. I’m not a knitter, so I can’t tell you if it’s an easy pattern, but if you are, please get back to me and let me know if this is clear and concise and not too difficult to do. There is a video tutorial on the site of how to “felt” your knit dog ball so that the stitching is

DIY Knit Ball

no longer visible and the ball is much tighter. The recommendation is that you don’t overstuff the ball with polyfill so that, when it shrinks a bit from the felting process, it isn’t too tight. I love the end result; a fuzzy, soft ball that the little dog in the story and videos, Indiana, seems to really love. One of the videos also gave me a good idea for a toy storage bin for Sophie! And please, as with all knit dog toys and some of the other handmade toys, supervise your dog while playing with it.

The Bark Post has a wonderful page called 33 Dog Toys You Can Make From Things Around the House, that takes you through

Rope w/Sweet Potato Chew

everything from pull toys made with old t shirts or old rags, to crinkly soda bottle toys, to brain teasers, to frozen toys for your dog. Easy to make and very practical and a great way to put to good use old stuff like jeans, t’s, bottles and rope. There are too many to go into here so click on the link and see what tickles your fancy!

And for those of you who might be interested in a book on how to make your own dog toys that you can keep on your shelf and refer to over and over again, here’s a good one from Amazon called

DIY Dog Toys-Buy It Here

Silly Dog Toys: 12 Easy Projects That Will Make Your Dog Smile. You can check it out here.

I hope I’ve given you some ideas for fun, easy toys to make for your pup. If you get started now, you’ll be able to get at least one done in time for the holidays, maybe more. I would love to hear from you on how things worked out and please reach out if you have any questions.

Let your creative juices flow and have fun!

Until next time…

Christmas Darlin’

“Sleigh bells ring…are ya listenin’? In the lane, snow is glistening. A beautiful sight, we’re happy tonight. Walkin’ in a winter wonderland.” I’ve been singing that song for days now and that tells me I’m already getting into the Christmas spirit. I love this time of year! I love the lights, the festivities, the glow that seems to hover over everything. Are you getting into the Christmas spirit too? I hope so, because we’re going to make it very easy to find festive, fun and beautiful holiday dog outfits for your special one or ones. There’s a winter wonderland of Christmas goodies to discover together so let’s get started!

I have to start with fancy clothes because they are so much fun. I’ve found some beautiful ones for you and I hope you like. First let’s look at dresses. Most are expensive here as they are truly special and different than what you’ll see in the stores. It was hard choosing which ones to feature!

Christmas-Themed Clothing

Dresses

Black Harness Evening Dress

Christmas Couture Black Harness Dress

I love love this dress. To me, it’s a dog’s evening dress. I can’t even call it the Little Black Dress, because it’s fancier than that. And it’s a harness and dress in one. Made of crackled wet look velvet and embellished with lots of rhinestones and a silver beaded bow, this is a major statement dress. Stunning on a black or white dog especially. There are rhinestone-encrusted adjustment slide buckles and a rhinestone D ring, conveniently placed at the bottom edge of the harness, just under the bow so it works well for a car seat, too, in case you’re transporting your little one to a fabulous holiday party! And, the harnesses are constructed so there is a hammock like effect on the underside of the dog so there’s no pressure placed on the dog’s neck or throat. Just stunning!

Where: PoshPuppyBoutique.com

Sizing: XS-L (Size chart available on landing page for this item)

Price: $132.00

Christmas Couture Poinsettia Tutu Dress

Poinsettia Confection

Here’s another beauty! This intricate party or evening dress is made of  layers and layers of olive green tulle attached to a crocheted olive green elasticized halter tube (think our tube top but for your dog’s body, with an elasticized halter to fit over your dog’s head). Hope that gives you a better idea of how this dress goes on and off. Sitting atop the back is an intricate poinsettia and leaves appliqué completing this look that is fit for your princess. I do recommend this dress for medium to smaller dogs, because I think on a larger dog, it might look like a bit too much. I would dry clean this item.

Where: PoshPuppyBoutique.com

Sizing: XXS-S: generally fits girths 8-12″; S-M: generally fits 12-17″; M-XL: generally fits 16-22″ girths. (Sizing recommendation and chart available on landing page of this item)

Price: $135.00

Kringle Satin Harness Dress

Kringle Satin Harness Dress

This very stylish and sexy harness/dress is made from a deep red satin jacquard with red satin lining. The harness is backed with a strong nylon webbing underneath so it’s very durable. The black shimmer trim belt with black gem buckle finishes this smart look. Very fashionable. And just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, there are rhinestone encrusted adjustment slide buckles, snaps and a D ring to attach your leash.

Where: PoshPuppyBoutique.com

Sizing: XS-L (complete size chart on landing page of this item)

Price: $110.00

Pets Rock! Fancy Santa Dress

Pets Rock! Santa Dress

Christmas meets rocker grrl with this fun, sexy outfit from true rocker/entrepreneur Bret Michaels’ pet line. Made with a red velour bodice and a red tulle skirt, the look is finished with a white faux fur bodice trim, a red velour harness embellished with sequined fleur-de-lis crosses and a faux black leather belt. Super cute and love that the materials are faux. I recommend hand washing this item and laying flat to dry. No heat.

Where: Amazon.com

Sizing: XS, S, M only

Price: $16.99

Sweaters, Harnesses  

If you are going to be at home in a more relaxed atmosphere and you’re not planning on dressing up, here are some great options to bring some Christmas spirit and cheer into your dog’s wardrobe during the holiday.

Rudolph Hoodie

Rudolph Hoodie

You can’t go wrong with this adorable, practical, looks good on all sizes Christmas hoodie, made in the USA of soft red jersey. Topping it off with a white faux fur hood, matching white trim around the armholes, pockets and back and the cutest felt Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer appliqué on the pocket and, voila!, you’ve got a great Christmas gift or outfit. I would hand wash this in cold water and lay flat to dry.

Where: PoshPuppyBoutique.com

Sizing: XXS-XL (Sizing chart available on landing page of this item). Fits on back like a t-shirt, so won’t necessary cover the entire back.

Price: $53.00

My First Christmas T-Shirt

My First Christmas T-Shirt

For those of you with a new puppy or rescue, this is a cute item celebrating his or her first Christmas holiday with you and your family. I love the splash of color and dazzle with the rhinestones on the black background, where they really pop. Made with a cotton/spandex blend to hold it’s shape, this t also comes in a tank for those of you who don’t like sleeves on your dog. This is machine washable and they say it can be tumble dried, low heat but I would lay it flat to dry, just to protect the stones.

Where: Amazon.com

Sizing: XXS – L

Price: From $16.86-$18.61, depending upon size.

Green Snowman Tank

Snowman Tank Christmas T-Shirt

Love the color of this green T and the rhinestone snowman detailing on the back. Made with a cotton/spandex blend which will hold it’s shape, this is a machine washable item which I would lay flat to dry, again, to protect the stones. Has nice rolled hems. This is also available as a dress with a little flouncy skirt. Cute!

Where: Amazon.com

Sizing: XXS, XS & S.

Price: From $17.69-$23.05 depending upon size

Peppermint Harness Vest

Love the crisp, clean and bright look of this harness vest with candy cane striping along the  bottom and down the center back. Fabric is

Peppermint Harness Vest

a cotton twill. Accents include blue Swarovski crystal “buttons” down the back and a white grosgrain ribbon bow with a peppermint striped covered button center. Completely lined. A nice wide velcro closure for the neck and belly. Reinforced, triple-stitiched D ring attachment. This is really lovely.

Where: PoshPuppyBoutique.com

Sizing: XS: 10-12″ length, S: 12-14″, M: 14-16″

Price: $40.00

Beary Merry Christmas Sweater and Toy

Beary Merry Christmas Sweater

This is a gorgeous and very cozy sweater made from ultra soft shabby yarn. Cranberries and blues in color, with a wonderful custom knit teddy bear toy soldier appliqué on the back. You can see how much meticulous work went into the making of this garment. Each teddy toy soldier has gold bead embellishments with a black sequined belt. The scene sits on a cream and glittery gold colored soft yard background with iridescent hand sewn sequins at the garment’s edge. And almost the best part is that each sweater comes with a surprise for your dog: a matching plush teddy bear toy soldier dog toy, with a squeaker inside! This item is not returnable or exchangeable.

Where: BitchNewYork.com

Sizing: XXS-L (Sizing chart available on landing page of this item)

Price:  $76.00

Rockin’ Around Christmas Sweater

Rockin’ Around Christmas Sweater

Another beautiful sweater made of super soft shabby yarn in cream, speckled with gold lurex. This is a sweater to rock at parties, for sure! With bright colored hand-crocheted Christmas ornament appliqués, hand-beaded in sequins, crystals and pearls, with satin bows to finish the look, this designer sweater is a head-turner! Please measure carefully as this item is not returnable or exchangeable. 

Where: BitchNewYork.com

Sizing: XXS-L (Sizing chart available on landing page of this item)

Price: $72.00

Christmas-Themed Accessories

Neckwear

The Haute Collar

Red Velvet Haute Collar

I love this accessory. And in the spirit of full disclosure, I also designed it. This red cotton velvet men’s shirt collar accessory is one of our Couture by Sophie designs for dogs (or cats). It’s lined in red satin and has a Swarovski crystal closure. It says luxe all the way and is a favorite of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills‘ Lisa Vanderpump for her Pom Giggy. The velvet Haute Collar also comes in a leopard and a blue velvet. Sizing is very specific so measure carefully. This is a dry clean item.

Where: CouturebySophie.com

Sizing: P: 8-10″; XS: 9-12″; S: 12-14″; M: 14-16″; L: 16-18″

Price: $68.00

Bling Star Xmas Bow Tie

Bling Star Christmas Bow Tie

This is such a gorgeous bow tie. Just the right amount of sparkle for the holidays with an important looking crystal stone in the middle. Comes in Christmas red or green (as shown) and in two sizes. Hand wash gently, cold water. Rinse with mild softener and lay flat to dry. Please measure carefully as this is not returnable or exchangeable. 

Where: BitchNewYork.com

Sizing: Mini: 4.3″ x 4.3″ (fits neck circumference of 6.2″-12.5″); Big: 5.5″ x 5.5″ (fits neck circumference of 10.2″-16.5″)

Price: $37.00

Stars Smoocher

Stars Smoocher

I love this collar embellishment! You don’t need anything else to create a festive “outfit” for your dog except this. Made with a stretchy red and green fabric with little metallic red and green stars at the ends, this collar is, indeed, a statement piece. Please measure carefully as this item is not returnable or exchangeable.

Where: BitchNewYork.com

Sizing: S (8-11″ neck), M (12-15″ neck), L (16-19″ neck), XL (20-24″ neck)

Price: $4.00

Christmas Velvet Collar

Christmas Velvet Dog Collars

These sweet collars come in Christmas red or green and are made with a nice cotton velvet embellished with alternating pearls and Austrian crystals. They are 3/8″ wide so great for smaller dogs. Note that the collar sizes are measured from end to end, so you’ll want to add 2″ to your dog’s neck measurement to choose which size fits best. These collars are not returnable or exchangeable. 

Where: BitchNewYork.com

Sizing: 8″, 10″, 12″, 14″

Price: $8.00

Christmas Tree Bow Tie

Christmas Tree Bow Tie

Great for a dog of any size or color as this comes in black or white, these Christmas tree bow ties are a great way to have your dog looked festive without all of the clothing. We know some of our dogs just don’t like to wear clothes and we don’t want them to suffer for us. These are easy and fun, so you can tailor your choice to suit your dog’s personality.

Where: BitchNewYork.com

Sizing: 9-16″ neck; 3.5″ long x 2″ high

Price: $8.00

Christmas-Themed Toys and  Treats

Toys

Christmas Wrapped Box Toy

Xmas Wrapping Gift Box Toy

This toy is great fun for your dog as they can rip it apart. Let me explain. 🙂 The wrapped box is really made up of four separate rectangular pieces that come apart to make four toys. You can put them together for your dog to rip apart over and over again. How many times is your pup encouraged to tear something up? Two of the pieces are embroidered in Christmas green, one with “naughty” and one with “nice.” Cute!

Where: BitchNewYork.com

Price: $40.00

Elf Tough Ball

Christmas Elf Tough Ball

This toy is great for the tough chewers, as it features the patented Chew Guard technology, which helps the toy stand up to a lot of wear and tear. This technology adds a very strong, durable liner to the plush toy that reinforces it. And all seams are triple stitched.

Where: PoshPuppyBoutique.com

Price: $17.00

Holly Dog Bone

Christmas Holly Bone

This plush, cute white dog bone with black paw prints and a sprig of holly has a squeaker for hours of fun play.

Where: BitchNewYork.com

Price: $6.00

Treats

Italian Christmas Cookies Boxed Treats

Christmas Italian Dog Cookies

These paw and bone print treats for your dog are made with organic and natural ingredients and are wheat, corn and soy free. They are hand made in New Jersey from locally sourced, human grade ingredients from the U.S. Nothing but the good stuff. 12 treats to a box. These are small, so ideal for small dogs. However, other larger treats in bulk are available as well. Note: These treats are perishable and should be enjoyed within six (6) months of purchase. They can also be frozen. 

Where: BitchNewYork.com

Price: $30.00

Summary

Whew! We’ve covered a lot of ground! There are so many great and fashionable items available, it was difficult to choose which to include. I’ve offered a price range in each category. Would love feedback on what I’ve selected and what, if anything, you’d have liked to see more of/less of. This is a work in progress and want you to be a part of the journey.

Thanks for reading and have a wonderful and safe holiday!

Until next time…