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Celebrate Your Dog’s Birthday With A Cake

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4 Dog Birthday Cake Ideas Your Dog Will Love

Dog Birthday Cake Ideas
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Dogs are fuzzy members of our families, so it’s important to celebrate their birthdays or “gotcha” days. And what’s a birthday without a cake, right? Regardless of your dog’s dietary needs, there’s a birthday cake for every dog—even a raw food version. Check out these yummy and tummy-friendly dog birthday cake ideas. By the way, my dogs love the meatloaf cake with mashed potato frosting the most!

Take your dog birthday cake decorations to the next level and be creative! Line dog biscuits around your dog’s cake, top with fresh fruit (no grapes or raisins please!), or mix and match different frostings. Human frostings are loaded with harmful stuff, so choose real foods, such as softened cream cheese or pumpkin instead. Use a bully stick as a candle to add a bit of pizazz. Either way, your dog will love his doggie birthday cake.

1. Meatloaf Cake With Mashed Potato Frosting

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 egg
  • 1/3 cup uncooked oatmeal
  • 6 potatoes

If your dog is allergic to beef, you can use ground chicken, turkey or lamb. Stir in egg and uncooked oatmeal in ground beef. Then, pat mixture into an ungreased loaf pan. If your dog is unable to tolerate grain, omit oatmeal and add another egg to the mixture. Bake for 30 minutes.

While the meatloaf is baking, peel and boil potatoes. Cook until potatoes are soft. Drain potatoes and mash with a potato masher or blender. Once meatloaf is cooked and has cooled completely, remove loaf from pan and frost with mashed potatoes.

2. Raw Ground Chicken With Pulped Apple Frosting

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground chicken
  • 1 cup apples (peeled and seeded)
  • 10-15 blueberries (optional)

Pour raw ground chicken into a loaf pan or large bowl, and cover the top with pulped apples. When serving, spoon mixture into your dog’s bowl or plate. Dot blueberries on top of the apple frosting for a pop of color. Keep chilled, as this is raw food. 🙂

RELATED: Summertime Dog Food Recipes for Interactive Toys

3. Restricted Diet Dog Birthday Cake

Some dogs are restricted to prescription diets, but they can certainly still have a dog birthday cake.

Ingredients

  • Canned food varieties of your dog’s prescription food
  • Prescription dog food biscuits

Mold canned prescription food into a loaf. Use prescription dog biscuits as toppers. When serving, just scoop the loaf into your dog’s bowl. I’m pretty sure your dog will absolutely love it!

4. Store Bought Birthday Cake Options

If creativity is not your forte, purchase a dog birthday cake at your local dog bakery. We did this several years ago, and my dog’s cake looked much better than any of my previous dog birthday cakes! Search for local dog bakeries online, and do know, they usually need at least 2-3 days to bake and decorate your dog’s cake.

Happy birthday from Dog Training Nation! We hope your dog absolutely loves these recipes!

5 Tips To Help You Get The Most Out Of Private Dog Training Lessons

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How to Prepare for Private Dog Training Lessons

Private Dog Training Lessons
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Coming prepared to private dog training lessons will get you the best results. Private dog training lessons usually last 1-2 hours, and a great amount of information is discussed within that short period of time. To maximize private lessons, I recommend following a few tips to get the most bang for your buck. These tips will also ensure a smooth and stress-free private dog training lesson for you, your dog and your dog trainer.

Know Your Dog Training Goals

Before your first private lesson, really think about your and your dog’s training goals. Most pet owners focus primarily on what their dogs do wrong. Instead, flip your thought process around and figure out how your dog should positively respond in a situation.

Focusing on a solution is a game-changer because now you have a plan. Your dog trainer will teach you how to put your plan into action. A solution-focused example is teaching your dog to sit as guests enter through the front door instead of jumping on visitors.

Pack Yummy Treats

You’ll need at least 50-100 pea-sized training treats for each private dog training lesson. Remember, dog training treats are your dog’s paycheck, so reward with super yummy ones. Fresh treats always work best, such as chopped hot dogs, baked chicken or cheese.

Discuss 1-2 Topics Per Private Lesson

It’s so tempting to list all your questions and concerns during a private lesson because this is your chance to finally be heard. However, discussing too much information in such a short time will confuse you and your dog. Instead, choose 1-2 topics to cover per lesson. I ask clients to choose their most pressing issues, and we discuss them during our first private lesson.

Usually, once a pet owner’s main concerns are addressed, the other little things really don’t matter. If you have additional topics, I recommend scheduling another private lesson to discuss. Trust me, if every topic is discussed within a 1-2 hour time frame, it will leave your head spinning in confusion. 🙂

Have Realistic Expectations

Teaching new behaviors to your dog is a process; it will take longer than 1-2 hours. As professional dog trainers, we want instant gratification too, but dogs are living beings that need time to learn new skills. Think about it this way: if dog trainers could wave a magic wand or reset a few buttons on dogs, all animal shelters would be completely empty. 🙂

During private lessons, your dog trainer will show you how to teach your dog. Usually, a dog trainer will explain and demonstrate how to teach your dog a behavior and then provide feedback as you practice. It takes time for humans to learn too, so be kind and patient to yourself.

Move slowly, reward often and remember that practice makes perfect; hence, do your homework. Homework provides plenty of time for both pet owner and dog to learn together, so plan to practice homework 3-5 minutes each day.

Have an Open Mind

This is a huge tip! You’ve probably tried different dog training methods, suggestions or tips in the past, and they didn’t work out well. I highly recommend you open your mind and thoroughly listen to your positive reinforcement dog trainer’s suggestions.

Many times, certain tips and suggestions just need a few tweaks to clear up any confusion. Remember, each dog is an individual, so something that worked for someone else’s dog may not work for your dog. Your dog trainer will provide invaluable feedback, so absorb it like a sponge!

Preparation is key to success! Don’t be afraid to ask your dog trainer for additional preparation tips.

You may also like: Why Group Dog Training Classes are Worth It

Leather Furniture And Dogs: How To Protect Your Furniture

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How to Make Leather Furniture and Dogs Work

Leather Furniture and Dogs
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If you share your home with dogs, you’ve likely searched for and purchased dog-friendly furniture. Like most dog owners, we purchased leather chairs and sofas because they’re easy to clean and puncture-resistant. After a few months though, our leather furniture looked beat up, and I soon learned leather isn’t indestructible. Vinyl and leather furniture options are certainly dog-friendly, but you have to take good care of them for maximum benefits.

Leather Furniture Care

Use a Quality Leather Cleaner

Every 2-3 months, your leather furniture needs a thorough cleaning with a good quality leather cleaner. Leather is tough, but temperamental, so I suggest only using gentle leather cleaners. Everyday household cleaners, vinegar, baking soda and water are simply too harsh and can harm leather. Remember, leather is cow skin that’s been tanned and dyed, so harsh chemicals can cause discoloration and dryness.

RELATED: Dogs and Carpets: 4 Tips to Keep Carpets Clean With Dogs

Gentle leather cleaners will remove stains, slobber and grime, and the before-and-after difference is amazing. Before using leather cleaners, it’s best to vacuum your furniture to remove any dog hair first. Then, spray leather cleaner on a soft white towel and massage the cleaner onto your leather furniture. Over the years, I’ve found small circular motions work best.

Don’t forget to clean all cushion sides and the back of your furniture. I’ve used cleaning products made especially for leather sofas in the past, however, these products either left a sticky residue or streak marks behind. We’ve used Meguiar’s Gold Class Leather & Vinyl Cleaner for years. I swear it’s magic.

Condition Leather Furniture Regularly

After cleaning your leather furniture with a gentle leather cleaner, it’s time to moisturize. If leather is allowed to dry out, it will crack, flake, discolor and become susceptible to punctures. All leather furniture needs to be conditioned every 2-3 months, especially if your furniture sits in direct sunlight, gets regular use or is located in a dry climate.

For years, we’ve used Meguiar’s Gold Class Leather Conditioner and it works wonders! Honestly, it restores leather furniture back to its original condition; I’m shocked every time. We’ve tried leather cleaning and conditioning combos in the past, and they just didn’t condition leather thoroughly. Plus, they wouldn’t last as long. If I’m doing all of this work, it must last. 🙂

Using a clean soft white cloth, pour a tiny amount of leather conditioner on the cloth and start massaging onto the leather. Use small circular strokes, and don’t forget to condition the outer sides, sides of cushions and back of leather furniture. Now, stand back and admire your work. Your leather furniture will look and feel brand new.

UP NEXT: Protect Your Car Interior From Your Dog

7 Tips On Being A Responsible Dog Owner

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Responsible Dog Ownership Tips

Responsible Dog Ownership
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All dogs and puppies need a responsible pet owner. Responsible dog ownership goes beyond meeting your dog’s primary needs, such as fresh water, high quality food and climate-controlled shelter. Responsible dog owners need to meet their dogs’ emotional needs and keep their dogs safe and healthy too.

1. Meet Your Dog’s Emotional Needs

Dogs need more than water, food and shelter. They also need comfort, mental enrichment, kindness and compassion. It’s so important to connect with your dog daily. You can do this by taking a walk around the block, playing fetch in the yard, petting or simply talking to your dog.

When your dog is left home alone, it’s important to provide plenty of mental enrichment. Fill interactive dog toys with food, hide treats behind furniture or scatter your dog’s kibble on the floor. These simple steps will keep your dog mentally fulfilled even while you’re away.

2. Prioritize Regular Veterinary Care

Dogs are stoic, meaning it’s difficult to immediately notice that something is physically or mentally wrong with them. Even if your dog is rarely sick, you should bring your dog in for annual veterinary check-ups. During these check-ups, your veterinarian will carefully examine your dog, perform blood work and make recommendations if needed. When in doubt, have your vet check it out.

3. Keep Your Dog Leashed

Leashes are your dog’s safety lines. Dogs don’t understand that moving cars are deadly or wandering off is unsafe. Leashes keep our dogs safely with us. They prevent dogs from running off and unintentionally scaring or hurting other dogs, people or livestock.

RELATED: What to Do When Your Puppy Won’t Walk on Leash

4. Pick Up After Your Dog

No one likes stepping in dog poop. 🙂 Plus, dog poop spreads disease and intestinal parasites as well as attracts flies. Please pick up after your dog and properly dispose of your dog’s fecal matter. This responsible dog ownership tip even applies when you’re in your own backyard.

5. Train Your Dog

Just like human children, puppies and dogs need to learn polite manners. Enroll your puppy or dog into a group dog training class with a positive reinforcement dog trainer. Your puppy or dog will learn how to behave politely around other dogs and people. Plus, attending weekly group training classes will certainly meet your dog’s mental and emotional needs too. 🙂

6. Groom Your Dog

Regular dog grooming keeps your dog’s skin and coat healthy, and it provides a positive bonding opportunity between you and your dog. Remember, dogs are stoic. Responsible dog owners are more likely to notice lumps, bumps, swelling or painful areas during a grooming session. Brush your dog weekly and bathe your dog as needed. That could be weekly or monthly, depending on your dog’s coat needs.

7. Microchip Your Dog

Take 10 minutes and permanently ensure your dog can be safely returned to you if she should get lost. Collars with ID tags are great, but they can fall off or someone can take them off. It takes 5 minutes to microchip your dog and another 5 minutes to register the microchip with your contact information. Do it. It’s worth it.

4 Tips To Make Working From Home With Dogs Easier

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Working From Home With Dogs

Anchiy/iStock
Anchiy/iStock

Working from home is amazing. I’m able to work while my dogs snore happily in the background or share a spot with me in my office chair. I’ve been lucky, as I’ve been working from home for 15 years now. Despite the convenience of a remote job, working from home with dogs can get a bit loud if you know what I mean. Here are four tips that will ensure peace and quiet during calls with the boss and your clients.

Go on a walk before work

For the most part, a tired dog is a good dog. Before your workday begins, take your dogs out for a 30-minute walk. Instead of walking swiftly, take your time and let your dogs sniff and see what “Facebook messages” were left in the grass by other dogs. Sniffing is wonderful mental enrichment, and it’s just as exhausting as walking quickly around your neighborhood or local park. Once home, make sure your dogs have plenty of fresh water available and start up your computer.

Keep your dogs quiet during conference calls

Working from home means you’re on the phone a lot, so it’s important to collaborate with co-workers on projects through individual phone chats and conference calls. During conference calls, I’m pretty good at figuring out which conference call attendees work from home too because I can hear their dogs barking in the background!

Here’s how to keep your dogs quiet while you’re on a conference call. About 5 minutes before a conference call, give each dog a frozen food stuffed toy and separate him or her. This way, they can enjoy their treats without squabbling. Log in to your conference call with confidence that your dogs are happily and quietly licking away at their frozen prizes, which is entertaining and completely exhausting too. Sure, the mute button is a godsend, but food stuffed toys are better! After your call, pick up each toy to refill after work.

RELATED: Summertime Dog Food Recipes for Interactive Toys

Play midday outdoor games

When employees work from home, they usually skip lunch, or worse eat lunch while working. Take it from me, disengage with your computer and phone for 20 minutes and enjoy your lunch. After lunch, take another 10 minutes and sit outside with your dogs, play a game of fetch or even take a short stroll around your neighborhood. Again, a tired dog is a happy and quiet dog.

Toss treats when the doorbell rings

It never fails; the UPS man always happens to ring your doorbell while you’re on an important call with your boss. Be prepared during important calls by keeping a cup of dog kibble, treats or Cheerios on your desk. Bring your dogs inside your office with you and close the door. When the doorbell rings, toss those treats like confetti. It’s tough to bark at the doorbell while devouring scattered treats on the floor. Tossing treats as a distraction also teaches your dogs not to bark at the doorbell.

If solicitors are constantly ringing your doorbell, place a note on top of the doorbell that reads: “Please do not ring the doorbell or knock. I work the night shift.” Believe it or not, a note works very well. My mother was a night-shift nurse, and this little note ensured she slept soundly during the day.

May your workday be swift and filled with dog snores!

UP NEXT: Protecting Your Furniture From Dog Hair and Nails

Dog Training Nation is a dog training blog for pet owners and dog lovers. We cover a range of topics from puppy socialization tips to dog aggression to dog health. It is our hope you share our content to make the world a better place for dogs.

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