Stylish Paws

21
Dec
2015

DIY Christmas Fun…

Who doesn’t love a bit of DIY during the holiday season, especially when it’s for your best friend? For most of us, our pets are part of the family and will travel with us on holiday, have a present under the tree and a stocking hung up. Oscar’s favourite morning of the entire year is Christmas morning! He gets to finish off the cookies and milk which ‘Santa’ didn’t finish, and then he gets to find his presents and open them up. He is a real professional at finding which presents are his under the tree. He then takes them to his chosen spot, tears them open and enjoys whatever is inside. He truly is a very happy doggy on Christmas morning! Naturally I love nothing more than to watch this happy moment take place.

Because Oscar is a really spoilt pup, it is sometimes difficult choosing gifts for him, so I often opt for the DIY option. So here are a few of this years DIY Christmas fun…

Homemade candy cane:

We all love our Christmas sweets and treats-which are not pet friendly. But that doesn’t mean Oscar can’t enjoy a bit of candy of his own…

Ingredients

3 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup powdered milk

1 cup milk

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla essence

Red food colouring

Directions

Preheat your oven to 160 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, add all the ingredients (except the food colouring) and mix together. Break your dough in half and add some of the red food colouring to one half of your dough. This may get messy but it’s ok 🙂 Knead the food colouring through your dough until it is the desired red you would like. Break off a small piece of the plain dough and a small piece of the red dough and roll each one out into a thin strip. Then plait the two colours and make a candy cane shape. You can brush with an egg wash if you like and bake at 160 degrees for +-20 minutes or until cooked. Place them on a cooling wrack to cool. Wrap them up and put them under the tree or in your pets stocking for them to enjoy.

Paw frame:

This one is for us humans to cherish our pups forever…

What you will need

A picture frame

A piece of card board

Paint

Your pups paw

A marker pen

A damp cloth or doggy wet wipe

Directions

Write your pups name on the piece of cardboard with the marker pen. Then pour a little paint into a container and carefully place your pups paw in the paint and place it onto the piece of board. Press gently to get their full paw print. Lift and wipe his paw clean immediately, either with a damp cloth or a doggy wet wipe. Wait for the paint paw print to dry, place it in the frame and hang it up on your wall. Just a little something special.

Treat jars:

Christmas is all about over indulging, so why not let your furry love over indulge a little too…

Ingredients

3 cups flour

2 small bananas mashed up

1/4 cup natural peanut butter

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

Directions

Preheat your oven to 160 degrees. Mix together all the ingredients in a bowl. Then tip it out onto a floured surface and knead until all the ingredients are mixed. You can add food colouring to make your pups treats festive. Roll out the dough and use cookie cutters to cut your shapes. Place them onto a greased baking tray and bake for 15-20 minutes or until cooked. Let them cool, place them in the treat jar, decorate the jar and let your pooch enjoy delicious snacks all through the holidays.

Paw print tree ornaments:

Why not let your pup have his own tree decorations? In our house, Oscar has his very own tree decorated with paw imprint ornaments, doggies that look like him and bones-some are edible and some are not.

Ingredients

1 cup flour

1/2 cup salt

1/2 cup water

Directions

Preheat your oven to 80 degrees. Mix together the flour, salt and water. Roll it out and using cookie cutters cut out the shapes you would like most on your tree. Keep in mind your pups paw needs to fit on some of them. Gently push your pups paw to make an imprint into the dough. Use a straw to make a hole to thread some ribbon through and place them on a baking tray and bake for 2-3 hours or until hard and dry. Let them cool, then begin decorating with paint and glitter. Go wild and have fun! Hang them on your tree every year 🙂

Handmade rope toy:

Oscar has loads of toys, but somehow he always knows which ones are bought and which ones are handmade-the handmade ones being his favourite option to play with.

What you will need

Two or three old t-shirts

Scissors

Directions

Cut the t-shirts into 2cm wide and the length of the t-shirt strips. I used red and white t-shirts to keep with the festive season theme. Pull the strips together and tie them at the top, you can either knot it or use another piece of material to tie it. Then plait them all the way to the bottom and either knot or tie at the end. Wrap it up and watch your best friend have loads of fun opening up his gift.

Free gift labels:

You can’t give your furry love a gift without his name on it, so here are some super cute free printable labels you can use for your Christmas gifts this year.

click here to download your free Christmas tags

Most of all, Stylish Paws and Oscar would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas! Have fun, be safe and enjoy the Festive Season with your furry loves and family.

Thank you for reading

01
Dec
2015

December Time!

categories: Calendar

It’s December… Summer, fun and festivities are upon us! Have fun and make memories. Download your free Stylish Paws calendar.

Download your December calendar here

25
Nov
2015

Christmas proof your home.

categories: Holiday fun

It is exactly one month today until Christmas Day and if you haven’t already put up your Christmas tree and other festive season decor, I’m sure you will in the next week or so. I put our Christmas tree and decor up on Sunday and of course Oscar was right by my side, sniffing tinsel and stealing baubles just to make sure he approves of this years colour theme. I have always loved decorating our house with Christmas cheer, however Christmas decor can be dangerous for our furry loves and the festive season as a whole can be stressful for some of our pups, so here are some ways to Christmas proof your home and make the festive season enjoyable for your entire family…

Decorations: Christmas means tinsel, ribbons and lights all of which can be a hazard to your pooch! It’s not a bad idea to anchor your Christmas tree securely so your pup can’t push it over. Hang breakable, glass ornaments well out of reach. Cats absolutely love tinsel! Try and decorate your Christmas tree with the tinsel towards the top and woven tightly in between branches.

Festive plants: I love decorating our home with festive plants and flowers but unfortunately these plants are toxic to Oscar! Please keep poinsettias, holly, mistletoe and amaryllis out of reach!

Santa costumes: Although there is nothing cuter than dressing Oscar in a Santa Clause outfit, I have to be mindful of his comfort and tolerance level! Please make sure your pups festive outfits are loose fitting so they are able to walk, hear and breathe easily.

Gifts: Oscar absolutely loves opening his own Christmas presents but I have to be careful he doesn’t swallow any wrapping paper or ribbons too! He loves tearing paper apart and just making a fun mess for himself to play in. Be sure to watch your pup carefully around loose bits of wrapping and ribbons left on the floor as these can be a hazard if swallowed!

Loud noises: Oscar gets spooked by his own shadow so Christmas crackers and fireworks are a big NO-NO in our home! Please be mindful of your pets when having fun with party poppers, popping champagne, Christmas crackers and balloons, all of these loud noises can send your furry love into a panic.

Fun: Remember Christmas time should be fun for your best friend too. Involve him wherever possible! Play a game with their new toys, take them for extra long walks and make time for special time with your pooch-a cuddle goes a long way.

Above all else, be safe and enjoy yourselves this festive season!

Thank you for reading.

18
Nov
2015

Oscar’s Schnoz!

categories: Oscar

Who doesn’t love the feeling of a cold wet nose transferring all the love in the world to you?

Oscar is a cross Basset Hound and Bulldog-Yes a very cute mix 🙂 And Oscar definitely has the nose of a hound! It never stops working, even when he sleeps he lets me know that his nose is his most prized possession. He absolutely loves wondering through fields and sniffing new blades of grass, forgetting that he has ears. When I get home, his favourite thing to sniff for information is my handbag. His head goes right inside and he has a good old sniff, he will then decide if he needs to be annoyed with me for being with other animals or not. I often notice that Oscar’s nose will be wet one moment and dry the next. At some point during pet parenting we have all had that someone tell us “If your dogs nose is dry and warm then he is sick”. So I decided to do some sniffing of my own and find out exactly what Oscar’s schnoz goes through on a daily basis…

A wet nose: Oscar’s nose is wet for a reason!

It secretes a lubricating mucus that allows him to pick up and identify different scents.
Oscar’s nose is everywhere, constantly sniffing away, eating and drinking which causes him to lick his nose too. This keeps it clean, cool and wet.

A dry nose:

There are many reasons influencing Oscar’s dry nose.

When he wakes up from a nap, his nose is often warm and dry-which is normal and ok.
Oscar loves sun bathing. This will cause his nose to become dry too. I often spray some sun cream on his nose when he is in the sun to prevent his schnoz from becoming dry, burnt and cracked.
Does your pup love sitting by a warm heater or fire during the winter months? Oscar does, and this will also influence his dry nose.
During hot summer days I make sure Oscar has access to fresh cold water at all times, dehydration will result in your pups nose being dry too.

Just some facts:

Us humans inhale and exhale through our nostrils, your pup however inhales through his nostrils but exhales through the slits on the side of his nose.
Each dog on the planet has his own unique nose print, just like our finger prints.
Your pooch can really smell your fear! Fear automatically raises your heart rate, which releases chemicals in your body that dogs can tune into. He can also smell your anxiety and sadness-so there is no fooling your best friend!
Dogs sniff each others bums to gather important information, if they are a boy or a girl, if they are friendly or if they have met before. They also pass on messages via urine. The dog park is kind of like a newspaper for our pooches-I wonder what Oscar is telling the other dogs when he pee’s on every single tree he passes 🙂

So there you have it, it is safe to say that when your pup has a dry nose it doesn’t necessarily mean he is sick. Rather look out for other visible signs of illness such as lack of appetite, lethargy, vomiting etc…

Enjoy those cold wet nose kisses-I do!

Here are some cute wall art vinyls for your home. Click on the link below the images to place your order.

Click here to order your wall vinyls

Thank you for reading.

05
Nov
2015

DIY: Dog Grooming

categories: DIY

Oscar has never been to a doggy salon. I don’t know who would experience more anxiety-him or myself! But that doesn’t mean he is not groomed at home. Oscar gets attended to on a daily basis, whether it’s a simple brush of his coat, teeth cleaning or ear cleaning. I wouldn’t say Oscar loves his scheduled bath days, but he does love the feeling of being clean and of course he gets extra kisses and cuddles when he is soft and smelling like vanilla and sweet pea. I take huge pride in the fact that Oscar is so well home groomed.

How often should your furry love get bathed? I believe it is a personal choice. Sure, it is not good for your pup to get bathed daily. They have natural skin oils just like we do and if you bath them too often you strip away those oils. I bath Oscar once a week-depending on his weekend activities. If he decides to go rolling in sand and is filthy from head to toe, he definitely gets bathed. Other times he goes two or three weeks without needing a bath.

So here are some DIY grooming tips for you and your furry love…

Brushing: I believe it’s a good idea to brush your pup daily. This allows you to check for ticks and fleas or lumps and bumps that should not be there and it’s also a little bonding session for the two of you. If you have a long haired dog, daily brushing or combing will help get knots and tangles out. Daily brushing also helps with hair shedding.

Getting Wet: Always use the best quality dog shampoo and conditioner you can afford and buy ones that suit your pooches fur (curly, long, short, dry etc). Please do not use human shampoo’s on your pup! Always rinse the product off your pups fur thoroughly. Be careful not to scold your pup either. A lukewarm bath or shower is best for your pooch.

This was Oscar’s first bath!

Drying:

Oscar hates the hair dryer, and for him getting towel dried is a bit of a game. If your pup doesn’t mind the hair dryer be careful not to burn him. Always set it on the coolest setting. Plan your pups bath times. Don’t bath him at night if he does not enjoy being blow dried. You do not want him sleeping with wet fur all night. Instead plan a mid-day bath where you can run around and have fun while he gets dry.

Teeth: Oscar doesn’t enjoy getting his teeth brushed, even after 12 years! But I insist of course. Use a properly designed toothbrush for your pooch and use special pet toothpaste. NEVER use human toothpaste! Brushing your pups teeth helps you to check for any changes in his gums too.

Ears: I never let water get into Oscar’s ears while bathing him. I am very careful around his face. I do use a cotton bud to clean the visible gunk that accumulates in his ears. I never go deep into his ear! Oscar has long Basset Hound ears which are usually prone to ear infections. I believe that as a result of my careful ear cleaning he has never had an ear infection in his life. He has had his ears syringed a few times at his vet which clean the entire ear our properly. Speak to your vet about getting your pups ears cleaned.

Nails: Oscar is pretty patient and lets me do just about anything to him-except cut his nails! This is his vets job! For some reason Oscar absolutely hates this part of his grooming schedule and it’s a rather traumatic experience for both of us. Luckily he only needs his nails cut ever three months. If you are lucky enough to cut your pooches nails, please be careful not to cut them too short and cut into the quick. Not only will you get blood everywhere, it will be painful for your pup. If you are unsure, I recommend going to your vet or doggy salon for this one.

In-between: When Oscar is in-between his baths, I usually rub him down with doggy wet wipes and spray him with doggy perfume. This keeps him smelling and looking fresh without having to bath him. Always remember to apply a good quality tick and flea repellent to your furry love! They are on the market for a reason so please use them.

Grooming your pooch is bonding time for the two of you so have fun with it.

Thank you for reading.

02
Nov
2015

Happy November!

categories: Calendar

It’s November and another month to download your free Stylish Paws calendar.

Download your free November calendar here

28
Oct
2015

Happy Halloween!

categories: Oscar

Happy Halloween (for Saturday)! Oscar and I enjoy dressing up for all occasions, and halloween is no different. Oscar is the best model and dresser-upper! Somehow he just understands that I would like a super cute photograph of him in his crazy outfit to share with the world. Other times, he knows that its super cute to just run around the house looking like a dog ghost or play in the garden with his doggie-sunnies on. Either way Oscar is absolutely fine with dressing up, which of course makes my heart explode with love and happiness!

Halloween is an occasion where anything goes and you can be as crazy and creative as you want. The crazier the better, but please be careful as to how far to go with your pets. After all their safety always comes first!

Here are some fun and safe ways to enjoy halloween with your pets…

Dressing up: When it comes to dressing your pooch up in cute and funny costumes, you need to know their limits. The costume should never affect your pups ability to see, walk, breathe or hear. Your pup should be comfortable. You can visit the Stylish Paws online store for some cute Angry Bird dog jackets www.stylishpaws.co.za/shop2

Sweets: It is a well known fact that sweets and chocolate are a definite NO for our furry loves! Keep all sweets and chocolate out of reach to your pooch, but don’t exclude them in getting some tasty treats. Make them some of their own halloween goodies to enjoy. Below are a few ideas-

Scary carrot fingers

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup flour

1 egg

1/2 cup shredded carrots

1/3 cup fat free milk

1 tbs olive oil

1 green pepper

Directions

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees. Mix together the egg, carrots, milk and olive oil, then add the flour and knead the dough. Break off tablespoon sized pieces and shape them into fingers. Place them onto a greased baking tray and cut a piece of green pepper to make the finger nail. Bake them for 20 minutes. Let them cool and dry out over night. Let your pooch enjoy his halloween fingers! Store them in an airtight container or freeze them.

Pumpkin Fro-Yo

Ingredients

1 jar pumpkin puree

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 cup natural Greek yoghurt

Directions

Blend all the ingredients together until smooth. Pour the mixture into ice trays or halloween shaped moulds (I definitely need to get some). Freeze for a few hours. Let your pup enjoy his fro-yo treats! Keep frozen.

Decor: Halloween decor is fun, but you need to be careful of chocking hazards when choosing your fun decorations. Dangling cob webs and plastic insects can catch your cats attention and can be a hazard. Keep candles on high tables and shelves or use battery operated ones instead. Raw pumpkin lanterns are the perfect decoration.

Trick or treating: When you take your furry love trick or treating to show off his fabulous outfit, please pay attention to his mood and anxiety levels. Your pooch may not react to people dressed up as well as you think he will.

Most of all, have fun with your pets and neighbours! Halloween is a night filled with silliness. Look after your furry loves and enjoy dressing up with them.

Thank you for reading.

15
Oct
2015

Frozen Pup Treats

categories: Recipes

Summer is here and we hope you are having as much fun as Oscar and I! Having pool parties, picnics in the garden and late evening walks. When temperatures are extreme, Oscar doesn’t enjoy being active. And that includes getting up to drink his refreshing water! So I came up with a solution that not only keeps him cool and hydrated but entertained too. He gets to enjoy delicious frozen treats and he doesn’t need to move from his comfy spot under the tree.

We all love popsicles and frozen yoghurt…. So why not make some that your furry love can enjoy too. Here are 10 really easy recipes that your pooch will love!

Strawberry ice:

Ingredients

A few strawberries chopped up small

Distilled water

Ice tray

Directions:

Place a few pieces of chopped up strawberry in each compartment of the ice tray. Fill with the distilled water and freeze. Oscar loves this one! Keep them frozen.

Rooibos tea ice pops:

Ingredients

2 Rooibos tea bags

2 cups of boiling water

1/2 tsp cinnamon powder

squirt of honey

Ice tray or popsicle maker

Directions

Steep the rooibos tea bags in hot water for 10 minutes. Remove the tea bags and add the cinnamon and honey. Stir and place into an ice tray or popsicle maker. Freeze for a few hours and let your pooch enjoy. Keep them frozen.

Peanut butter and banana frozen snack:

Ingredients

1 banana

Natural Greek yoghurt

Smooth peanut butter

Silicone cupcake moulds

Directions

Thinly slice the banana. Place a dollop of the natural Greek yoghurt into the silicone cupcake mould and place a slice of banana on top. Then place a dollop of peanut butter on top of the yoghurt and banana slice. Freeze for a few hours. Let your pup enjoy his snack! Keep them frozen.

Rooibos tea and mint ice:

Ingredients

2 Rooibos tea bags

2 cups boiling water

Fresh mint leaves chopped up

Ice tray

Directions

Steep the rooibos tea bags in boiling water for 10 minutes. Remove the bags. Place a few pieces of chopped up mint into each compartment of your ice tray then fill with the rooibos tea. Freeze for a few hours. Keep frozen.

Apple and parsley:

Ingredients

Unsweetened applesauce

Fresh parsley

Fresh mint

Ice tray

Directions

Sprinkle the freshly chopped up parsley and mint into each compartment of the ice tray, then place a dollop of the unsweetened applesauce on top. Freeze and let your furry love enjoy. Keep frozen.

Banana and coconut:

Ingredients

1 can coconut milk

1 banana

Silicone cupcake moulds

Directions

Slice the banana. Pour the coconut milk into the silicone cupcake moulds until they are half way. Place a slice of banana into each one, then fill them to the top. Freeze for a few hours. Your pups will love this one! Keep frozen.

Frozen watermelon

Ingredients

Seedless watermelon

1 cup fat free milk or coconut milk

Popsicle maker

Directions

If you can’t find seedless watermelon, make sure you remove all seeds from the fruit! Place the chopped up watermelon into a blender, add the milk and blend on a high speed until the ingredients are nicely blended. Pour the mixture into popsicle moulds or an ice tray and freeze. Keep frozen.

Strawberry frozen yoghurt

Ingredients

Strawberry yoghurt

Natural Greek yoghurt

Ice tray

Directions

Place a dollop of strawberry yoghurt in each compartment of the ice tray, then place a dollop of Greek yoghurt. Freeze for a few hours and let your pup enjoy-this is one of Oscar’s most favourite frozen treats!

Peanut butter frozen yoghurt

Ingredients

Peanut butter

Natural greek yoghurt

Ice tray

Directions

Place a dollop of peanut butter in each compartment of the ice tray, then place a dollop of Greek yoghurt. Freeze for a few hours and let your furry love enjoy.

Giant frozen treat:

Ingredients

Cubed fruit (watermelon, apple, strawberries, blueberries etc)

Distilled water

Big bowl

Directions

Fill your bowl with distilled water and simply add all your fruit and freeze. Your pup will have fun licking and enjoying the fruit surprises that pop out every now and then!

We hope these frozen treat recipes keep your pup cool, hydrated and entertained this summer 🙂

ps- All these recipes are as yummy to humans as they are to our furry loves!

Thank you for reading.

08
Oct
2015

Keeping your pets cool in summer

categories: Summer Love

Just like we need to keep our pets warm in winter, it is important that we keep our pets cool in summer. Oscar is prone to over heating so I have to be aware at all times and make sure he is kept cool on hot summer days. Dogs are prone to heat stroke because they don’t sweat like us humans do. They mainly cool themselves down by panting.

Here are a few ways I like to keep Oscar cool in summer:

I take him swimming. Oscar has his own little splash pool which he likes to sit in and cool off. Some dogs love to swim, so this is a great way for them to cool down. You can also fill the splash pool with ice and see what your pooch does-I’m not sure oscar will enjoy this idea haha!

You can tie a wet bandana around your pooches neck. I like to soak it in ice cold water then tie it around Oscar’s neck. It works like a charm.

Because Oscar loves to laze around, his favourite spot is under the air-conditioner. If you don’t have an air-con, a fan will also do the trick.

If your furry love has a long thick coat, consider taking them to a groomer. The groomer can take care of the thick undercoat and make sure your pup feels the cool breeze. Beware when shaving your pups fur completely as this can cause them to get sunburnt. The top coat of your pet protects their skin from the sun as well as allows them to feel the cool breeze.

Your furry love can also get sun burnt in the same way we can. There are pet sun screens available so make use of them. Their nose and ears are particularly susceptible to sun burn, so apply a little sun screen to these areas if they are going to be exposed to the sun for a while.

Remember to exercise your furry love either in the early morning or late afternoon. NEVER walk your pooch during the heat of the day! When walking your pooch be sure that the pavements and other surfaces are not too hot as this will cause blisters and burns on your pups paws.

Make sure your furry love has access to clean iced water at all times. There is nothing more refreshing than drinking a glass of ice cold water on a hot summers day-give your pooch the same!

Most importantly, enjoy being outdoors and having fun with your furry love. Make summer memories you will never forget!

Thank you for reading.

02
Oct
2015

It’s October!

categories: Calendar

Happy October everyone! You can download your free Stylish Paws October calendar.

Download your October calendar here