June 2021 - Stylish Paws

Month: June 2021

24
Jun
2021

The Best Dog Toys to Stuff

It’s winter and we all love a little extra to nibble on right. I have noticed Zara seems extra hungry lately and I have put it down to the colder temperatures.

Instead of just giving her extra treats to enjoy I wanted to give them meaning and make her work a little. So I went looking through her stash of goodies and these are her top five favourite toys she loves when stuffed with her favourite yummy extras.

Kong

The Kong is most famous of all the stuffers. It’s a favourite for most pups too. Zara loves a good old stuffed Kong! You can stuff pretty much anything inside, keep it fresh or freeze it. You decide!

My favourite stuffings for Zara are scrambled egg with grated cheese all layered up, yoghurt with fruit bits, mince meat cooked or raw just to name a few! There are LOADS of ideas.

Nook and Snoop Balls from Planet Dog

The Nook and Snoop ball combo is still one of the most challenging interactive/treat dispensing balls Zara has ever had! I love them both to be honest. When they are together Zara finds it extremely challenging to get them apart. I have to make sure I fill the bigger Snoop ball with something Zara REALLY loves to give her enough enthusiasm to make sure she gets that little Nook ball out!! You can use them separately too which I sometimes do. The Snoop ball is a great one for whole treats or kibbles, but you can also stuff it with yoghurt or cottage cheese. Zara loves the Nook ball with peanut butter stuffed inside it. I highly recommend this combo!

Flavorit Bones from Petqwerks

The ultimate chew toys are from Petqwerks. They are the only chews that have managed to live up to Zara and her powerful jaws! These flavorit bones are the original ones and I would recommend the Barbone Flavorit bones if you have a strong chewer. These are great because you can spread peanut butter over the indents. Zara licks them for ages! We have a 30% discount code for you if you want to spoil your pups with awesome Petqwerks toys: visit www.petqwerks.com code: ILOVESTYLISHPAWS30

Bionic Ball from Outward Hound

This little Bionic ball was Oscar’s and he loved it. The quality is great, it still looks like new after all these years! Oscar loved having his peanut butter smeared in this little ball. It has been passed down to Zara now and although it may be slightly small for her she still enjoys it. They do come in different sizes. It’s a great little ball to play with and to stuff! Smear peanut butter all around it or any other pet friendly spread. It’s a quick and easy one to do and still does the trick of entertaining.

K9 Connectables

The k9 Connec table toys are little gems. There is lots of nooks and crannies to hide things like blueberries or chopped up carrots etc. Choose what your pup loves to eat! I do try keep it mostly healthy but of course there are spoils with biltong and cheese hidden in these toys. They are a challenge to get apart but the challenge is worth the filling that’s waiting! There is also the choice of using the specifically designed k9 connectable treats which fit perfectly into the bone shaped indents.

Bonus Idea

Homemade Kong

For something completely different and completely edible for your pup, make a homemade kong.

De-core an apple and simply stuff it with peanut butter. Your pup can enjoy the entire thing! Zara loves these and I don’t give them to her often enough, that will change! You can opt to peel the apple if you have a fussy eater. Whatever works for you!

You can spoil your pups with any of these goodies available in our Amazon store 🙂

Click here to shop in the UK

Click here to shop in the USA

*Should you wish to spoil your furry loves with one or more of these goodies, we receive a small percentage of the commission (at no extra cost to you- It’s just Amazon being nice to us)

Thank you for reading.

10
Jun
2021

Winter doggy Boredom Busters

categories: Winterwonderland

It’s winter here in Africa and although it might not be in the minus temperatures, for us this is freezing! No one enjoys winter in our house at all but I am starting to notice that Zara seems to be the one struggling with the colder days and nights the most.

As most of you know, Zara has tons of energy! On some days it seems to be a never ending supply. And while she absolutely loves nothing more than playing with her baby sis Gia, these days I have noticed she prefers getting out of bed a little later, curls up on the couch at any chance she gets or comes to sit on my lap whenever it’s available.

Gia has to call her to come and play, which is never usually the case. I’ve never had to make sure Zara is stimulated enough ever before but this cold spell has made me think of how I can keep her from becoming a total couch potato during these colder months.

I did some research and noticed a few trending games I could play with Zara, including baby sis Gia of course. None of these require too much space or equipment yet they’re all mentally stimulating and engaging. Sometimes a little mental stimulation is as good as an outing! So here are our favourite winter doggy boredom busters…

Hide the treat using cups

-3 cups

-treats

Simply place one treat under one of the cups. Slide them around and then tell your pup to find the treat. Oscar used to love this game and he was extremely good at it being a hound. This is a great one to play with both Zara and Gia. Zara has to find it before baby sis does. I do use a treat that both girls can enjoy, blueberries work well.

Hidden treats in a blanket

-a blanket or towel

-treats

Gia loves helping with this one and enjoys watching Zara find all the hidden treasures. Open up your towel or blanket and sprinkle your pups favourite treats all over. Then roll it up and tell your pup to find them. This is a play on a snuffle mat so you could use a snuffle mat if you have one. A blanket or towel is just something different to use to change things up for your pup.

Hide and Seek using treats

-space to hide the treats

-treats

Another great one to include Gia, she was able to choose all the hiding places but then had the challenge of not showing Zara where she had hidden all the treats, she had to learn that pup had to find them! This one needs a little more space, be it inside or outside. Simply hide some yummy treats in different spots and then let you pup find them. This one brings great excitement for us!

Nina Ottosson Brain Games

-Nina Ottosson interactive brain games

The Nina Ottosson range of interactive games are great! We have quite a few and Zara does enjoy them to a certain extent. She can’t get to the treats quick enough which forces her to get a little frustrated. I also can’t refill them quick enough which also causes her some frustration. These play sessions are always shorter but fun nonetheless.

Click here to purchase some from our Amazon store.

Nina ottosson dog games. winter doggy boredom busters

Training

-space to train

-training treats

Zara loves learning new things, she always has. She was exceptionally good at puppy training and always the star pupil in her different classes. Zara listens and can perform many different tasks when I ask her to so I have decided she needs to pick these up again, recap and remind her that she can listen- haha! Plus learn something new. I haven’t decided what the new command or trick is going to be yet but I will be sure to share it on Instagram so keep a lookout 😉 Training practice is the perfect excuse to get your pup off the couch and learn something new while having fun and bonding!