25 Dog Hacks You’d Wish You’d Known Sooner
by dogtoyadvisor | Last updated on November 18, 2020
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While it absolutely horrifies us that people can give up or abandon their dog, we do admit living with dogs can become despairing at times.
Dogs are messy, sometimes (okay, often) smelly and pretty much love to chew and eat anything they find.
They shed, bark, are needy and very dependent on their humans.
And, of course, they need walks and play time often, regardless of weather, your working schedule or how tired or sick you’re feeling.
Why We Still Love Our Dogs
They also love you unconditionally from the first day they enter your life to their last breath.
Fiercely loyal (even the ones that are friendly to just about anyone, trust us, they still love you more), protective and very eager to please you, even if they have no idea how to do it.
They entertain us and when we’re sick or in a bad mood, always find a way to make it better. As far as we’re concerned, that’s some serious magic right there.
The only real fault dogs (pets in general) have is how short their lives are and how much we miss them when they’re gone.
25 Hacks That Will Make Your Life Easier
Living with dogs doesn’t need to be so troublesome!
Your home doesn’t need to be covered in hair and in disarray all the time.
There are simple hacks you can use to give you more time to spend with your dog instead of cleaning.
We’re talking about 25 ways to make your life with your dog easier, without breaking the bank or filling your home with silly gadgets you’ll never use again.
1 – Use a Rubber Glove To Remove Hair From Furniture
Any rubber glove will do, just put it on and rub the furniture with it. It will gather the hair easily.
2 – A Squeegee Works Great Too!
It you happen to have a window squeegee, try using it to remove hair from furniture and watch how easy it is to keep your home dog hair-free.
3 – Dryer Sheets Will Also Get The Job Done
Rub the sheet on the hair-filled fabric and catch each and every bit or hair on it.
4 – Or Packing Tape
There’s nothing simpler. Catch every bit of dog hair with a packing tape strip.
It’s a particularly good tip for when you’re at work and notice you’re dog left a bit of hair on your clothes while you were saying goodbye in the morning.
5 – Use Baking Soda AND Vinegar For Urine Stains
Don’t worry, the vinegar odor goes away quickly. Just spray the stay with vinegar, then cover it with baking soda and leave it overnight. The next day, just vacuum it and be done with it.
Read also: How to Remove Urine Stains From Everything
6 – Get A Grass Pad To Teach Your Dog Where To Pee Inside
Dogs love peeing in the grass. A perfect way to keep your dog from peeing everywhere inside your home is to give him a grass pad to use.
Made with real grass, he’ll never want to pee anywhere else.
7 – Use An Enzymatic Cleaner
If you want to go pro about it, all you need is an enzymatic stain remover for dog urine and other smelly stains.
All you need to do is spray the stain with it.
8 – Use Wet Wipes For Your Dog’s Paws
Using wet wipes or a wet towel to clean your dog’s paws when he gets home.
Not only will it keep your furniture clean, if you allow your dog to go on your bed and sofa (we do!), but it also prevents him from licking whatever he stepped on while out (chemicals, poisonous plants, filth).
It also allows you to catch those tiny nasty ticks that can sometimes hide between his paw pads.
Read also: How to Keep Your House Clean With Pets
9 – Tire Your Dog Quicker
Choosing hills, slopes and uneven ground to play fetch with your high-energy dog means he’ll get tired quicker, from all the running up and down.
10 – Keep Him Busy For Longer
The one thing we use when we leave our dogs home alone and want to keep them entertained for longer is the trustworthy Kong. We fill it with fruit or peanut butter and freeze it.
Then, just before leaving, we give it to the dogs. Emptying the frozen keeps them busy (and happy) for longer than your average toy.
Read also: 10 Best Toys to Keep Your Dog Busy
11 – Make Him a DIY Toy
If you’ve forgotten his toys and need to keep your dog entertained, there are several ways to make him toys, using t-shirts, rope and plastic water bottles.
A simple egg carton filled with treats will keep him busy and engaged for as long as it takes him to solve the puzzle of actually opening the box (destroying it doesn’t count!).
Read also: 7 DIY Dog Toys From Things Around The House
12 – Use Bubbles
Teach your dog to chase soap bubbles (he’ll probably do with without being taught anyway). It’s simple, inexpensive and it provides hours of fun.
Read also: 15 Fun Games to Play With Your Dog
13 – For Dogs Who Eat Too Fast
One way to keep your dog from devouring his food is to add a ball to the bowl. He’ll have to move it around to get to the kibble.
14 – When You Want To Feed Your Dog Outdoors
But don’t want the ants to join him for dinner. Just draw a thick chalk circle around the bowls and they’ll keep their distance.
You can also place the food bowl inside a container with some water.
Ants don’t swim!
15 – Use a Collapsible Water Bowl To Keep Him Hydrated Outside
No need to carry bowls or other bulky water containers. A simple collapsible water bowl is all you need.
Inexpensive, light and so easy to take just about anywhere.
Read also: 15 Dog Products Every Dog Owner Must Have
16 – Elevate Your Dog’s Food Bowl
Particularly if you have a large dog, elevating his bowl makes it easier for him to eat and it helps with joint and arthritis issues for older dogs.
It prevents all sorts of gastrointestinal issues and it’s particularly good for senior dogs.
Plus, it really helps with messy eaters!
17 – Make Him a Cake
For his birthday or just because he’s such a good boy.
Get a cake mould (silicone ones are the best), fill it with chicken broth or water with fruit, wet food or just his favorite treats. Freeze it, unmold it and watch him get his reward.
18 – Make Him DIY Dog Treats
Did you just run out of treats? Or does your dog have special health needs that make it impossible for him to eat most stored bought treats?
You can make him DIY treats in mere minutes!
Read also: 6 DIY Dog Food Recipes You’ll Have to Try
19 – Brush Your Dog Often
Using this inexpensive but very effective brush, spend just a few minutes a day brushing your dog. This will reduce the shedding dramatically, especially during shedding season.
20 – Distract Your Dog During Nail Clipping
This is easy to do, just offer him his favorite treat. Peanut butter works particularly well around here.
The clipper you chose is also important.
It needs to be the most comfortable for you, so you’ll be quick about it. This is our favorite:
Read also: How to Cut Dog Nails Without Being Afraid
21 – If You Cut The Nail Too Short
Sometimes you can clip your dog’s nail a bit too close to the quick and make it bleed.
Make a paste with flour and baking soda or cornstarch with water and apply with a bit of pressure to make the bleeding stop.
To avoid cutting the quick and make it easier to trim your dog’s nails you can use a nail file.
22 – Make Your Dog a Bed That Smells Of You
Use old sweaters, pajamas, whatever you have that’s old and smells of you. Place it on his bed or use it as filling for his bed. Either way, it will be his favorite spot when he’s home alone.
Read also: How to Stop Dog Separation Anxiety
23 – Use A Rope Toy To Brush Your Dog’s Teeth
If your dog hates having his teeth brushed, add toothpaste to it and watch as your dog brushes his own teeth.
Read also: 3 Tips to Clean Your Dog’s Teeth Without Brushing
24 – Protect Your Dog’s Paws With Vaseline
In very hot or very cold weather, your dog’s paws need protection.
Rub some Vaseline or paw butter and keep him safe.
We usually use this paw butter, because we love the scent and because it doesn’t grease up our floor (not as much as Vaseline, at least).
25 – Use Ice to Cool Your Dog on Hot Days
During those summer days, it’s easy for your dog to get hot.
You want him to have fun and enjoy the nice weather but stay safe.
The best way to do that is to get him his very own dog pool and fill it with water and ice.
You can also drop ice cubes throughout the day in their water bowl during the summer months.
Just be careful and don’t let your dog eat them.
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Giving a dog ice on a hot day can cause him to overheat and die. If he consumes too much ice it screws up his internal thermostat and his body tries to warm him up. In severe cases can lead to death.
Hi Shawn.
Thank you for your feedback.
As far as our research shows us, that is true for when you have an overheated dog which, contrary to what people may think, can get sicker if you try to cool him down to quickly.
Our article speaks only of things you can do keep your dog from becoming too hot and, according to our vet, providing icy treats or placing ice cubes on the water bowl are great ways to do so.
Thank you again,
Sandy
I give our two pit bull’s an ice cube each about once a week and they both LOVE it and look forward to the refreshing c ool treat.
Hi Davis.
We’re so glad to hear that, it does help with the heat.
Thank you for your feedback,
Sandy
Yes! My vet told me to NEVER give my dog water with ice in it.
I give frozen cubes of low sodium chicken or beef broth for a cool treat in hot weather.
Hi Tami.
Thank you for your feedback. I bet your furry babies loved that!
Sandy