Chow hounds, anyone? If your dog, like mine, is a nano second nosher, finding fun ways to slow them down is not only important, but health-conscious, too. Rapid eating is a cause of bloat, a potentially deadly condition in dogs. This effective toy, originally created to enrich the lives of shelter dogs, does the trick and is the next in our DIY Holiday Gifts for Your Dog Series.

It was created by Beth Patterson, founder and editor of Daily Dog Tag, and Alice G. Patterson (are they sisters?) for Pet Appreciation Week last September, and was photographed by Alice in her home. Lovely!

All you need for this is a chicken nesting box, pvc pipe and end caps. And, some tools. The whole shebang costs about $14.00. Full instructions are here.

photo courtesy of
Alice G. Patterson Photography

Our DIY Holiday series is brought to you courtesy of Earth Heart, making beautiful aromatherapy mists for dogs. I’ve said it in every one of these posts and I’ll say it again. 🙂 I’m making sure to have Canine Calm in my house over the holidays. It’s soothing aromatherapy oils and gorgeous scent make it the perfect “prescription” for an anxiety-free dog.

The cool illustration above is done by Griffin Thorne Illustration. All photography is courtesy of Alice G Patterson Photography: http://www.agpphoto.com/

Do you have a rapid eater? What do you use to slow them down? Share your suggestions with us below!

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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…