Halloween can be a stressful time of year for pets, with kids showing up at their doorstep all night, and having to resist temptation (in the form of chocolates and candies) everywhere!
Luckily there are a few easy ways you can involve your pet in your Halloween celebration, all the while keeping them safe. You can, for example, make them delicious homemade treats or fun Halloween-themed toys! Does that sound like something you’d like to do? Well good, because it’s super easy and it’ll make your dog very happy! Let’s get started.
Pumpkin puppuccinos recipe
All the ingredients in this recipe are dog-safe, but remember to always feed your dog treats in moderation!
Ingredients:
- 245g nonfat plain yogurt
- 55g pumpkin puree
- 2 tablespoons old fashioned oats
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
How to make pumpkin puppuccinos for dogs:
- Mix all the ingredients with 1 cup of ice
- Garnish with whipped cream
- Serve immediately!
This recipe is best served fresh and shouldn’t be kept in the fridge for too long. While it is technically a drink, it’ll probably make your dog thirsty! Don’t forget to fill up their water bowl!
⏰ Total preparation time: 5 mins
📈 Wamiz dog rating: 10 out of 10. Elton, our office dog, couldn’t get enough.
📈 Wamiz human rating: 8 out of 10. Would it replace a Starbucks drink? Not necessarily. But for a doggy drink, it’s still tasty!
💡 Wamiz tip: Serve the puppuccinos in Halloween-themed cardboard cups so you fully embrace the spooky spirit!
🍏 Nutritionist’s advice: This is a nice treat to give your dog, but if you want to keep it healthy, skip the whipped cream. Dairy doesn’t necessarily agree with dogs’ stomachs, plus, whipped cream is often filled with sugar, which can be very unhealthy for dogs if fed in large quantities. Remember to adapt the size of the drink to the dog. Small dogs shouldn’t have as large a cup as big dogs!
🐈 Suitable for cats: Yes (in very, very small quantities)
This delicious homemade puppuccino recipe will ensure that your dog isn’t jealous of the trick-or-treaters who are getting all the candy, but how do you keep them distracted while there’s all this coming and going in the house? You make them a toy of course!
Braided tug toy for dogs
This toy is great for dogs who love to play tug-of-war. And don’t worry if your dog is extra-strong, this toy is extra-sturdy!
What you’ll need:
- 3 strips of clothing from different coloured shirts
How to make a DIY braided tug toy for dogs
- Make a knot using all the pieces of clothing
- Braid the pieces together
- Make another knot to secure the braided toy
That’s it! It’s as easy as that!
⏰ Preparation time: 10 minutes.
💡 Wamiz tip: Use clothes with Halloween colours, such as black and orange, just to make the toy that much spookier! Make several of these toys - they tend to get damaged easily, especially if you have a tug-of-war enthusiast at home. Having several on hand will ensure that you can always replace any damaged ones with new ones, thus preventing any accidental injuries.
📈 Wamiz dog rating: 10 out of 10. Office dog Loki had a blast playing with it and hasn’t put it down since!
If you're wondering what to do if your dog eats chocolate, be aware that home remedies are not often safe or successful. So needless to say, it's not recommended that you bring your dog trick-or-treating with you on Halloween night - you wouldn’t want them to get their paws on any candies or chocolates!
However, you CAN still provide them with a trick-or-treat bucket. Just fill it with your DIY toys instead of treats!
Mummy trick-or-treat bucket for dogs
You can use this bucket as a practical place to put your dog’s toys away during the whole Halloween season. It will fit perfectly with your spooky decor!
What you’ll need:
- Large plastic bottle
- Scissors
- Glue gun
- String
- Gauze bandage roll
- Googly eyes
How to make a trick-or-treat toy bucket for dogs
- Get a large plastic bottle and cut the top off using scissors
- Poke two holes on each side of the bottle using a glue gun
- Pass a piece of string through the holes to make a handle
- Secure the handle by making knots
- Glue the end of the gauze bandage roll to the bottom of the bottle
- Roll it up and around the bottle until it covers it completely
- Secure everything in place using a little glue
- Glue a couple of googly eyes on!
All done! Now your pooch has a spooky and adorable trick-or-treat toy bucket of his own!
⏰ Preparation time: 15 minutes.
💡 Wamiz tip: You can teach your dog to put his own toys away in the bucket. That way you keep your house clean, but you’re also providing lots of mental enrichment for your pup!
📈 Wamiz dog rating: 7 out of 10. Our most playful office pup, Loki, enjoyed grabbing his favourite toys out of the bucket throughout the day. But let’s be real, this DIY is really more practical for us than it is fun for them!
So what do you think? Which one of these homemade projects will you try this Halloween season?
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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