Summertime goodies

Benny here!
Being the wonderful dog that I am, I have decided to let all of you in on a few secrets of mine! Here are some products and ideas I use to keep cool during the Summer months!



1. Chilly bone. You can find these bad boys online or at Petsmart! You simply wet them down and then freeze them! They're flavored, too. This is a fantastic Summertime treat.

2. Frosty Paws. Our family is very anti-Purina products, but this was the only way to get the idea across. Frosty Paws has made an "ice cream" treat for dogs. We love the idea, but don't agree with the ingredients used, so we've made our own version of the Frosty Paw!

You need:
a small jar of turkey or beef flavored baby food
a 6 oz cup of plain yogurt
a tray for making ice cubes

Add the turkey/beef flavored baby food with the plain yogurt, mix and freeze in the ice cube trays! When completely frozen, simply take out a "cube" and give it to your dog! Ikea makes larger flexible ice cube trays for bigger cubes...you know, for bigger dogs!

You can try any flavor baby food as long as it does not contain onion, onion powder, raisins, prunes and try to avoid garlic.

We also recommend using plain yogurt and honey! These are healthier ways to give your dog an "ice cream" type treat without the gross additives and preservatives found in commercial doggie "ice cream" treats! Avoid feeding human ice cream! This contains lots of sugar that isn't necessary or healthy for dogs to consume.

3. Zoom Groom! When a bath is necessary, mom uses a Zoom Groom to scrub down our coats. It feels really good! It's best to use outside or in a tub you don't mind having lots of hair in. It removes a lot of loose hair from every layer of the coat!

4. A doggie pool! This is my very favorite part of the Summer season! Mom bought us a child's pool from Wal Mart for a little under $10! We were nervous to use it at first but after we realized we weren't going to drown in it, we have had a blast using it ever since. In fact, I think there are videos of us using our pool on this blog somewhere...

You must be sure to watch your pups around any kind of pool, and make sure any pieces your dog may chew off need to be thrown away immediately!

5. Classic Kong! You can't go wrong with a Kong! Our favorite stuffing for a Kong includes:

Solid Gold canned dog food
or
Chicken gizzards
or
Organic peanut butter

You stuff a whole bunch of any of those items into the Kong, freeze the Kong with the contents inside, and then give to your pup & watch him go nuts!

We AVOID the treats Kong prepares for these toys. The Kong company make cans of squishy stuff to fill the Kongs with, but mom thinks they are full of gross ingredients and prefers fresh vegetables or high quality wet dog food instead.

Other great Summertime ideas
Mom will fill a bowl of ice cubes for us and we run back and forth grabbing ice cubes and munching on them!

Remember that dogs need fresh cool water at all times! Also, mom makes it a rule that we're not allowed to play outside if it's hotter than 90 F degrees, UNLESS we have a cold kiddie pool or shade with lots of COLD water. Heat stroke can and will happen to dogs left outside in the heat! Be considerate to your pooch and look after his well being!

Sincerely,
Benny