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Basil our dog has a monster appetite. Sometimes he seems like a doggie black hole. But then I remember that a black hole has a one-way surface (the event horizon), into which objects can fall, but out of which nothing comes out. And one only has to glance in my backyard to see that stuff definitely comes out of dear little Basil. But I digress…

To save myself money on doggie treats I have been baking “cookies” for Basil. This is a simple dog treat recipe that I have tweeked from a recipe I Googled a year or so ago. The dog loves them, and at about $0.50 a pound, these are less than a 1/3 of the cost of Milkbone biscuits, so I love them too!

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup hot milk
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup beef or chicken broth
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour, plus extra for rolling
• Crisco to grease the baking pan

Make your own dog treats:

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In large bowl pour the hot milk over the butter. Stir in salt and egg.

Add flour, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing it into the wet ingredients.

Knead the mixture for a few minutes to form stiff dough.

If the dough is still sticky add a little more flour. Pat or roll into 1/2 inch thickness, using more flour on your pin and rolling surface.

Cut into bone shapes with a cookie cutter (or any other shape is fine, your doggie won’t care!)

Place on a lightly grease baking pan.

Bake at 325 degrees for 50 minutes, middle rack. Cool on a wire rack, (they will be harder after cooling).

This makes about 1 1/2 lbs dog biscuits. I just store these in his doggie treat jar, but a ziploc back will do the trick too!

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I saw a really cute dog Halloween costumes the other day

(Cowboy Riding Dog, and Headless Horseman Riding Dog)

and I wanted to try to make my own version, with a monkey (of course!) It was really simple to make, and I wanted to share it with you all!

First gather a few supplies:

• Wide piece of flat elastic 6″ longer than the girth of your dog’s chest (my dog was 26″, so I bought 32″ inches)
• 3″ of Velcro (do not buy the stick-on kind, it will be harder to sew!)
• Long armed stuffed monkey
• Needle and thread
• Thick floral wire

How to make your Homemade Dog Halloween Costume:

1. Start by making sure the elastic is the right size to go around your dogs chest with about 3 inches of overhang on each side. Sew the Velcro onto the flat elastic, making sure that the pieces are on opposite ends and on opposite sides.

2. To get the monkey to sit up you need to give it a wire skeleton. I cut a small hole in the butt of my monkey, and inserted several (maybe 5 or six) L-shaped pieces of floral wire into the body so he would sit up straight. I wanted my monkey to be holding up one arm like he was riding a bull, so I also inserted an extra long piece through his body and up through his arm. Make sure none of the floral wire is sticking out of the monkey; you don’t want it poking your puppy!

3. It is critical that you secure the butt of the monkey to the elastic band so that he is sitting upright! First, measure to the middle of the band, mark it, and start sewing the monkey to this spot. Try to catch some of the wire in your stitches. Another good way to securely attach Mr Monkey is by sewing the side area around the butt to the elastic. I went a good inch up his sides to get him to sit up straight. Try and loop the elastic around your leg to see if you have the monkey on tight enough so he sits straight up. Once he is sitting pretty, secure the legs to the elastic as well.

4. Now you just have to get Monkey on the back of you dog. Attach the band around the wide part of his chest, and loop the monkey’s other hand around your dog’s collar, and you’re all set! If your pup is anything like mine, there will be a period of agitated bucking. I used lots of treats to distract Basil, and he didn’t even notice it after a few minutes. But in the interest of your doggie’s safety, make sure you supervise them when they are wearing their costume!

Have fun, and if you make your own, send me a picture because I would love to see your creation! – mevsthehouse at gmail dot com

Happy Halloween!

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I have a big, destructive dog. So when I saw these Halloween costumes I almost died. They are frickin cute, and he would actually wear them (versus eating them).

I would get the Headless Horseman. It is only $20, and completely worth it.

If you are feeling particularly crafty and you want to make your own, you should see my tutorial – Monkey on My Back Dog Costume. It is inspired by this design.

If you have a dog that will wear costumes for you without ripping them to shreds, you may be interested in a few more I was drooling over, but I wouldn’t dare to try:

The Slick:

The Sweet:

Matching Costumes for You & Your Dog:

and the Pun costumes:

Have a Happy Halloween!

Have you ever come home to the murder of a plush dog toy? It’s awful; stuffing everywhere, pieces of squeaker lying on the floor, a fleece corpse in your dog’s mouth. Several things will run through your head. The first to go through mine is “I paid $15 for that pile of stuffing!”

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Repairing a toy that has a few holes ripped in it is not hard to do. (If it is in several thousand pieces you are on your own) You have the chance to make it better than it was before by adding more squeakers and reinforcing the seams. You will be adding less waste to our landfills. AND you save money. What fantastic incentives! Here are a few tips on repairing a plush dog toy:

What you will need:

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We recently bought a huge dog bed for Basil (he’s 75 pounds now!) Look who is using it…

And he is the only one using it. And it not that Basil doesn’t sleep. We were coming back from the campground on Friday and he was zonked out from swimming….

so cute.

Making your own homemade dog toy is a fun project that is fast, simple, and inexpensive.

The following instructions will show you how to make a braided fleece rope toy. This inexpensive dog toy will cost you less than $5 to make, and shouldn’t take you more than 20 minutes to complete! (Similar toys sell in pet stores for over $10!)

What you will need:

How to make your homemade dog toy:

1. Cut 3 strips from your fleece, the width of the strips is dependent on how heavy you want the braid -
   • 3″ wide for a lightweight toy
   • 5″ for a medium weight toy
   • 8″ + for a heavy weight toy
2. Lay the strips on top of one another and tie one rubber band 6″ from the end.
3. Hold the end with the rubber band between your knees and braid the strips of fleece tightly together.
4. Braid it to your desired length. (remember you will lose some length in the knots)
5. Rubber band the other end of the braid.
6. Tie a loose knot and slide or cut the rubber band off.
7. Pull on the knot as hard as you can to tighten it.
8. Trim the end tabs to about 3″, and cut in thirds.
9. Repeat knotting and trimming for the other end.
10. Tie a knot in the middle of the rope if you like.
11. Now you have your very own homemade fleece rope dog toy!

Additional tips:

• The tighter your knots, the longer the toy will last. So pull them REALLY TIGHT!
  
• Try braiding a round rawhide chew into the fleece for an extra treat.
• Make sure you do not use any fabric that has been treated with chemicals, such as a flame retardant.
  
• You can re-purpose your old and worn fleece jackets instead of buying fleece fabric new. Just cut them into strips.
  
• Inevitably this toy will get all nasty from the puppy lovin’ it will receive, just throw it in the wash to get it squeaky clean.
• If your dog is a heavy chewer or likes to rip apart his toys, do not cut the ends in thirds, it will make them easier to rip.
  
• If you want another great homemade dog toy idea, I recommend the tutorial for Making a Monkey Fist Knot Rope Dog Toy.
  

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Basil is getting to be a big boy! He is now 5 months old, and he weighs 56 lbs. Which means he is basically tearing through his old toys. He is losing a tooth or two a day, and only a few of his toys have withstood the attention…

• His puppy Kong. This was one of his first toys, and it has held up really well. It should even be large enough for him for another month or two!
• Nylabone Puppy Starter Kit – I bought this 3 pack the day before we picked him up, and he has just about worked his way through it, but I think the last one left will hold out another week or so…
• His tennis balls. He likes to fetch them, bu they do not get any chewing attention, so they have survived.

That’s it. We have nicknamed him “Basil the Destroyer”. So I need some recommendations from other puppy parents on which toys have held up for your little chewer. Please.

Making your own dog shampoo is a quick and easy project that can save you plenty of money. This project will take about 15 minutes, and will cost about $5.

What you will need:

• An empty plastic container that hold 24 oz (or more if you are doubling/tripling)
• 1 cup Ivory clear liquid dish soap
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup glycerine
• A funnel
• A container large enough for mixing (I use a milk jug)

How to mix your homemade dog shampoo:

1. Using the funnel, pour the water, apple cider vinegar, clear dishwashing soap, and glycerine into the milk jug.
2. Put the cap on and mix it up! (watch for bubbles!)
3. You can either leave the shampoo in the milk jug or pour it into a smaller container (or containers if you made a larger batch).
4. Label your bottle so you remember what it is!
5. Shake the soap well before you use it (every time!) This mixes up the glycerine.

Try this recipe for a Dog Conditioner made from a rosemary tea for a glossy coat and nice smell!

Why does this mixture work?

• The apple cider vinegar deodorizes and keeps fleas away.
• The dish soap loosens dirt and makes your pup squeaky clean.
• The glycerine moisturizes the skin and helps reduce itching and scratching.
• The water dilutes the chemicals in the other ingredients. You can always add more water to make the solution less potent.

I have tried other variations and never found one that worked as well as this mixture.

Additional tips:

• Liquid glycerin is usually sold in the first aid section of your grocery store or Wal-mart.
• I usually make this in a quadruple batch, mixing and storing it in an empty milk jug
• Do not substitute any ingredients.
• It is always best to talk with your veterinarian before trying any new products, especially if your dog is prone to skin issues.
• Regular grooming can help reduce the number of baths that your dog will need.

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Ok, since I have people asking, here are some updated pics of Basil. He is a little over 10 weeks in the pictures, 11 in the video.

He is almost housebroken, and will sit, lay down, and give up a toy (or whatever he has picked up from the floor) on command. We have just started teaching him to behave when on a leash. He is a really good puppy, and has LOTS of energy.