Halloween can be a strange time of year for dogs. Children show up on their doorstep, ring the doorbell, and interact with their owners several times throughout the evening. It can be a stressful experience for nervous dogs. BUT - if you distract your pup with some treats and toys of their own, it can be a fun night for them too!
Below is a recipe for Halloween-themed dog treats and DIY dog toys. Keep your dog busy with these on Halloween night and you are sure to keep them happy - even with strangers at the door!
Pumpkin and cinnamon oat dog biscuits
All the ingredients used in this recipe are perfectly safe for dogs! But, while this is a healthy treat, make sure your dog enjoys them in moderation!
Ingredients:
- 380g whole wheat flour or whole-grain flour
- 90g of whole oats
- 330g pumpkin puree
- 2 to 4 tbsp of water
- 2 tsp of ground cinnamon
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven at 175°C. Prepare an oven tray with baking sheets
- In a bowl, mix the whole wheat flour, the oats, pumpkin puree and cinnamon together
- Add water to make a workable and rollable dough
- Roll out the dough
- Cut into desired shapes
- Bake your biscuits for 30 to 35 minutes
Once you’ve finished cooking the biscuits, turn off the oven and leave the biscuits inside until the oven is completely cool. This will help keep them hydrated.
⏰ Total preparation time: 45 minutes
📈 Wamiz dog rating: 8 out of 10
📈 Wamiz human rating: 7 out of 10 (it's not as sweet as the treats we're used to on Halloween night - but that's probably best, right?)
💡 Wamiz tip: Use Halloween-themed cookie cutters in the shape of ghosts, bats, and pumpkins to make your dog's Halloween-themed biscuits! This will make their treats extra-spooky!
🍏 Nutritionist's advice: You can use any extra pumpkins you have at home to make the pumpkin puree from scratch. Just cut your pumpkin into several slices, remove the stem, any stringy bits and seeds, then place it into the oven. Once it's cooked, it'll be easy to scoop the flesh out. You can also do this with a butternut squash. However, if you don't want to make your purée from scratch, you can buy it ready-made from the store. Just make sure the one you pick has no added salt, sugar, or spices.
🐈 Suitable for cats: Yes, in small portions
Making delicious Halloween dog biscuits so your dog can join in on the yummy treats is great, but how do you keep your dog busy while there's all this commotion going on outside? You make DIY toys for them of course! Here's how:
DIY sock fetch toy
This toy takes seconds to make and you can easily personalise it. Plus, it'll keep your dog's attention away from all the scary ghouls and ghosts coming to the door!
What you'll need:
- Balls (tennis balls, for example)
- Socks
How to make a DIY sock fetch toy for dogs
You can make this toy in less than 30 seconds - and it’ll be a guaranteed hit for your pet. Here’s all you need to do:
- Place a ball inside a sock
- Push it to the toe end of the sock
- Make a knot on the leg end of the sock
And you’re already finished! Easy, right?
⏰ Preparation time: This toy will take less than 30 seconds to make.
💡 Wamiz tip: To make things extra spooky, you could pick out Halloween-themed socks - like pumpkin or bat socks for example!
📈 Wamiz dog rating: 10 out of 10. Our youngest office dog, Loki, could not stop chasing after his new toy!
If your dog's not really big on fetch, don't worry, we have another option for you!
DIY tug toy
Though it looks a little more complicated to make, it really isn't! It'll only take a couple of minutes, and the tug-of-war fans out there will love it!
What you'll need:
- Old clothes
- Scissors
How to make a DIY tug toy for dogs
This toy may be more suited to dogs who like playing tug-of-war, but it’s also a little more complicated to make. Don’t worry though, we’ll guide you through it! Here's what you need to do:
- Get some old clothes
- Cut 4 long strips of clothing using scissors
- Make a knot with all 4 strips to tie them together
- Make square knots using all 4 pieces of clothing
- Make a knot at the end
And you're all done! You may need to master the square knot before attempting this DIY, but once you've got it down, trust us, it's really easy!
⏰ Preparation time: Around 10 minutes.
💡 Wamiz tip: Take the time to play with your dog. This toy is a lot more enjoyable if there's two players in the game!
📈 Wamiz dog rating: 10 out of 10. Office dog Loki was a big fan of this toy, and would love it if we made more!
Liked the above recipe? You'll like these too:
- Chicken Stock and Parsley Frozen Dog Treats
- Frozen Carrot Treats
- Frozen Strawberry and Banana Smoothie Dog Treats
- Frozen Watermelon Dog Treats
- Fruit and Frozen Yogurt Dog Bone Treats
- Honey dog biscuits
- Minty Frozen Dog Treats for Bad Breath
- Peanut Butter Banana Dog Biscuits
- Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream for Dogs
- Peanut Butter Banana Pupcakes
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