Tag: summer fun


Oct
2021

How to keep your pets cool and comfortable in summer

categories: Summer Love

Summer is in full swing for us and while we as a family absolutely love the summer months, the intense heat of our summer days can leave you feeling drained and Zara is not immune to this and neither is Ollie or the bunny girls. 

Most dogs and pets in general can suffer from heat stroke really quickly and most pet owners know that heat stroke is no joke! I am very aware of how hot it gets for us and I am constantly making sure Zara, Ollie, the bunny girls and us stay cool and comfortable so we can enjoy our beautiful hot sunny days to the fullest. 

frozen summer dog treats

So here are some tips and things I do to make sure we all stay cool during our hot summers. 

*this post contains affiliate links.

Water Toys

Water toys in summer are an absolute must have! We have a few gems we found on Amazon and in the shops. Zara is a water goddess and loves nothing more than a water toy or shell pool to splash around in. She loves sprinkler toys and there are some fabulous ones available! Our latest water toy is her sprinkler pad which is great for Gia too. The two of them can sit for hours playing in the water together. 

Zara’s sprinkler pad

Zara’s Sprinkler Flower

Zara’s Water Fountain

Kids Shell

Dog summer water toy
dog summer water toy

Cold Water + Ice Treats

Cold water and Ice treats are a must for all of us. You can make them interesting by adding fruits and veggies. The bunnies particularly love a fruity ice treat. I usually pop a blueberry, chopped strawberries or chopped carrots in each ice mould before filling it with water and freezing. Zara loves eating ice and it definitely helps in keeping her body temperature down. I also make sure she has a big ice block in her water bowl all afternoon so she has lovely cold water to drink. Ollie drinks Zara’s water too and I have noticed he quite enjoys it when its really cold. Of course you can make yummy frozen yoghurt treats and doggy ice cream too but on a hot day I find those can make Zara extra thirsty so I prefer fruit and water to be honest. 

ice treats for bunnies

Frozen Water Bottle

When I know it’s going to get really hot I freeze a few full water bottles. Once frozen I wrap a small towel around them (to prevent ice-burn) and I give it to Ollie to lie next to for his afternoon nap. When the bunnies are really hot I give them one too. 

keeping your pets cool in summer

Swimming

As you know Zara loves nothing more than swimming in the big pool. She’s a fish in a rottweiler body! This is the most effective way to cool her body temperature down fast, but not all dogs love to swim and that’s ok! Water toys are just as much fun and absolutely help in cooling down. Gia is learning to swim too so the two of them have great fun in the pool together. 

swimming fog
dogs swimming

Offer a Fan or AC

We have both fans and air-conditioning in all areas of the house, our summer is too hot not to have these things. Zara quite enjoys both! On extreme days I put the AC on and she takes up position right under it and enjoys her afternoon snooze. Ollie also enjoys the AC on a hot afternoon. Otherwise I put the fans on to circulate the air and this works well too. 

sleepy dog

Some Don’ts 

I never let Zara sunbathe on extremely hot days. Our sun is too powerful and she gets really hot really quickly and ends up coming inside panting like she’s just been on a 5km walk! We also never walk Zara past 10am, even at that time our temperatures are getting high. We usually do early morning or late afternoon past 4pm or even later. We try not to run around and play too much during the hottest times of the days either and that’s why we have so many water toys- so we can still have plenty of fun while keeping cool even tho it’s roasting hot! 

summer dogs

Thank you for reading, we’re off to enjoy some summer fun 🙂

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Oct
2018

K9 Connectables Product Review

categories: Product Reviews

When the Petbound team contacted us to review the K9 Connectables toy range, I was so excited! Zara sure was going to love this one. 

K9 Connecatables are a group of toys that connect together forming an interactive toy for your pooch. You can stuff them with treats or smear peanut butter inside and your pooch has to use her brain and work out how to get to the treat. 

k9 connectables

When we received our K9 Connectables I was immediately impressed with the quality and the durability of the toys. Remember that no dog toy is indestructible, but these are strong and I know Zara is going to have hours of enjoyment with them. The colours are also bright and fun making the toys visually appealing.

We received the K9 Connectables 3 pack. Is Zara spoiled or what! In it includes ‘The Original’ which are two ball like connectables and they also fit into ball launchers for you to throw, ‘The Dentist’ which are bigger than the balls and promote dental hygiene, and then ‘The Tech Bone’ which is the bone shaped one which all the others can connect to. 

k9 connectables

It was time to get creative and make Zara work for her treats. Zara is extremely intelligent and catches onto things really quickly. But this she had to think about… Each connectable has levels of difficulty. As you connect them together you can click them in once for easy, twice for medium, three times for hard and the Tech bone allows you to click four times which is super dog hard. 

I started with the easiest setting on The Original connectables, I placed a treat inside and connected them together and just watched how Zara thought about how she was going to get to that treat. It was a total disaster on my part because I put treats that were small enough to slip through shapes on the side. So my princess learnt very quickly that rolling them got her treats… Now it was time for me to rectify that and teach her she needs to break them apart to get the treat. So I showed her the two separate balls, changed the treat, clicked them together and watched as she frustratingly tried to get her treat. She soon realised that rolling it this time was not getting her a reward so she tried a different tactic, us using her paws and jaw to pop them apart. Success! 

 

k9 connectables k9 connectables

k9 connectables

The K9 Connectables are different from any other interactive toy Zara has ever played with. These are awesome! Even on the easy setting it is challenging for your pup, and so it should be! Zara is hugely food driven so once she knew there was a treat inside she did not give up until she broke the K9 Connecatbles apart. And i’ll be honest it took her a while, which I love because it really made her think about what she needs to do for her reward. These are without a doubt fantastic mental stimulation toys for your pooch. 

Then it was time to enjoy them in another way… When I read on the packaging that the float, my heart skipped a beat because I knew this would be another way Zara would love these toys. Everyone who follows us on Instagram will know just how much Zara LOVES to swim! It is her happy place for sure, being in her pool. So now it was time to put these K9 Connectables to the test in water. I didn’t use treats or anything like that. I simply used them as some fun pool toys. 

k9 connectables

k9 connectables

Zara couldn’t get enough of them. They were all floating around her, she grabbed them, flung them around and literally had a party for one with her K9 Connectables. 

She began biting down on them and I for sure thought they would split but they didn’t. It turns out they are made from a special soft but durable material called TPE (Thermoplastic Elastomer – essentially a soft plastic) and this makes them super awesome for your pup to bite down on. They are also certified to be completely non toxic, BPA and phthalate free, another tick of approval! 

k9 connectables

k9 connectables

All in all these K9 Connectables are fantastic toys. I absolutely love them and so does Zara! I am blown away by how much they made her use her brain to figure out how to get her treats. She will be getting these toys everyday to keep her mind stimulated. Thank you to Petbound for sending us these super fun toys to review. Zara gives them a five paw rating and so do I! 

You can view the full range of K9 Connectables on the Petbound Website www.petbound.co.za

They also offer a variety of other goodies to spoil your pets! 

Follow Petbound on social media too | Facebook | Instagram 

Thank you for reading.

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Sep
2018

Does your dog love water?

categories: Holiday fun, Zara

Yay! Summer is back and we’re having tons and tons of water fun again. Zara is one big water obsessed pup! She absolutely loves any water, be it the pool, the sprinkler, the bath or shower-with us in it! She loves nothing more than getting her fur soaked and having a bit of fun. 

When we got Zara there were two things I insisted on, one was proper puppy training which she still does two years later. And the second was she would not be scared of water. Our perseverance paid off, and now she is a total water baby. 

zara swimming

Not all doggo’s love water, Oscar was one of them! He hated having a bath even though I bathed him from a tiny pup. I would also take him into the pool and hold him tight so he could get used to it but he absolutely hated it and that never changed. He would sit and watch from a distance as Zara would behave like a complete loon with the sprinkler. He would watch her swim in the pool while he lay on a beach towel soaking up the sun instead. She would try and get him to join her but he was having none of it-haha!! 

If your pup hates water but you would like to try and get him used to it here are some simple tips for you to try, but remember do not push your pup too hard. It could have the total opposite effect, so tread carefully….

Oscar suntanning

Start small 

Fill a kidies pool with a small amount of water to start off with and gently encourage your pup to climb in. Reward them with a treat and or some praise for any interest in the pool he might have. Never splash the water at your pup or make loud demonstrative moves. The aim is to show your pooch there is nothing to fear here. As your pooch gets more comfortable you can fill the pool with more and more water. 

Make it fun 

Make water fun by adding in his favourite toys. Because Zara is so food driven, I added chopped up apple pieces to Zara’s little pool. They were floating treats teasing her as they moved around. She soon got the idea that she would have to put her head in slightly to get the treat. She learnt and its because of that, that she now submerges her whole head to get a pool toy! She has even learnt to blow bubbles through her nose so the water doesn’t go in. One clever pup I tell you 🙂

pool toy

Moving to a bigger pool

Once your pup is comfortable playing around and splashing in a small amount of water, it’s time to move them up to a bigger pool or lake. If your pup cannot stand comfortably in your pool then it’s a very good idea to invest in a doggy life jacket! (Click here to shop) Our pool is a steel structure and canvas pool so luckily Zara is able to stand in it. Gently bring your pup into the water and continually praise him for being so brave. Encourage him to swim, with you right beside him holding his under belly. Show him that swimming can be fun. Slowly build up his confidence as you did with the small pool. 

Swim together

Once your pup is totally confident you can both enjoy swimming together. You can swim out and ask him to come to you or even throw his favourite toy or ball and ask him to bring it back for you. It’s important to continue to praise your pooch for doing so well. The more you praise and make swimming fun, the easier he will understand that it’s not that scary after all. 

When it comes to swimming, your pups safety should be your top priority. Never push your pup too hard. Keep the lessons short and sweet, any progress is great progress. Take breaks and keep it fun. Our pups love having fun with us. Never leave your pooch unattended near the water, no matter how well they’re doing. Your pooch can panic if left in the water and you leave his sight. 

puppy swim

But most importantly have fun with your pup. We love nothing more than swimming with Zara on a hot summers day.

Thank you for reading

*this post contains an affiliate link.

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