15 Genius Dog Hacks That Will Make You Say: “Why Didn’t I Think of This Sooner?“
by dogtoyadvisor | Last updated on November 18, 2020
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Living with a dog can be stressful, tiresome, nerve-wrecking and even expensive.
Dogs require attention, care, training and a whole of a lot of patience.
But we’ve learned it doesn’t have to be quite as hard, that there are things you can do and hacks you can use to make your life much simpler and happier.
And that’s what this post is all about, the best tricks we’ve learned to make living with your dog a whole lot better!
15 Hacks For Making Your Life With Your Dog Easier
Without wasting anymore time, we’ll get right to it.
From toys to grooming without forgetting hygiene, we cover all you need to know to live with your dog peacefully.
15 clever hacks you’ve (probably) never heard before but that you’ll wish you knew sooner.
1. Get Your Dog to Trim His Own Nails
Dealing with dog nails can be a nightmare.
It’s something both you and your dog probably hate.
Well, we found a way for your dog to keep his paws trimmed all by himself!
Much like cats and there scratch pols, all they need to do is scratch.
Place a treat under the plate and make sure your dog sees you do it. Them just help him scratch away.
It’s the best of both Worlds, your dog will see it as a game or a challenge and his nails will benefit from it.
Then, of course, he’ll get the much deserved reward.
2. Get Your Dog to Eat Slower
Dogs love food, so much so, often they’ll eat it without even chewing.
And that’s just not good for them.
One way to slow your dog down during meal time without spending money on fancy dog plates is to place a ball on the dog plate, over his food.
That way he’ll have to work around the ball to get his kibble.
3. Cool Your Dog Down
Keeping dogs cool in hot temperatures can be difficult. Plus, they just love the sun!
Luckily there are several things you can change, like adding ice cubes to his water bowl.
Or getting a cake tin and mixing water (or chicken stock) with treats, fruit or kibble.
Then just offer it to him.
4. Keep Your Dog Distracted
Dogs need grooming in order to remain healthy and comfortable.
Unfortunately, they don’t really care about that and all they know is how much they hate the handling and fussing that happens during nail trimming, baths, ear cleaning, etc.
Luckily, dogs are very partial to food, so we found that the best way to persuade a dog to collaborate is to essentially distract him with food.
This works like a charm! Keeps our hands free and our dogs focused on it.
It has really changed things around here.
5. Keep Your Anxious Dog Calm
Not all dogs are alike. Some dogs are confident and fearless while others are anxious and insecure.
This can happen for a number of reasons, from personality to traumatizing life experiences.
When we first adopted our dog, Dobby, he was so scared of pretty much everything he was barely functional so it became imperative to find ways to help him.
One unusual trick we found is insecure dogs fare much better outside when clothed.
Choose a comfortable, warm coat or vest or get a soft cloth to wrap around his torso and chest. Introduce it to your dog carefully and just a couple of seconds at a time, if he’s afraid of it at first.
Once he gets used to it, you’ll see how much of a difference it can make.
6. Comfort Your Dog While You’re Away
Most dogs really hate it when you leave.
Some will handle it relatively well, others will get revenge on you by peeing or ruining your belongings, some will just cry until you return.
There is a very simple trick you can do to make your absence a bit less hard on him.
Get an old sweater and wear it for a couple of hours before you leave.
Them, place it on his bed or the sofa, wherever he likes to sleep. Your scent will comfort them and keep him calmer.
7. Challenge Your Dog and Keep Him Mentally Stimulated
Dogs require stimulation. They need to be challenged and use their brains daily to be healthy.
Idle dogs are more prone to be anxious and stressed.
The good news is you don’t need to spend a lot of money on interactive puzzles and fancy toys.
Get an egg carton and place treats inside it.
Present it to your dog and supervise to make sure he doesn’t just destroy the box and get it over with it.
8. Make Your Dog Toys He’ll Love
Dog toys cost a lot of money and, if your dog is anything like ours, don’t really last that much.
But, in truth, you don’t need fancy toys for your dog to have fun so, why not make your own DIY toys?
For our dogs, their favorites are when we make a large braid from old t-shirts for tug-of-war and fetching or the plastic bottle that you place inside a sock that makes the perfect, noisy chew toy.
9. Tire Out Your Dog Quicker
Anyone who’s ever had a high-energy dog will tell you they’re impossible to tire out.
So, if like us you’ve decided it would be a good idea to add a Jack Russell to your family (two in our case), you know how destructive and crazy a high-energy dog can be when you don’t tire them out.
Well, a bit of creativity is required.
If your dog loves playing fetch like ours do, why not make it a bit more tiresome for them do to it? Like playing fetch uphill or even up a stairs.
Simple enough and you’ll see the results immediately.
10. Make Your Own Flea Shampoo
Yes, of course you can buy a flea shampoo for your dog, but did you know you could also make one?
By mixing one cup of liquid dish soap, one cup of vinegar and a quart of warm water you’ll get a natural, practically chemical free shampoo that will make sure your dog remains flea-free.
Just rub it on him, leave it on for about five minutes and rinse.
Related: 5 Tips to Get Rid of Fleas
11. Make Your Own Dog Stain Remover
The same can be said for your cleaning products.
Yes, an enzymatic cleaner will do wonders fro your home but let’s face it, sometimes dogs will have peeing accidents and you’re not prepared.
If your dog decides to pee on a rug, for example, now you’ll know what to do.
Soak up as much urine as you can with paper towels or a towel.
Mix vinegar with dishwasher soap and apply. Then cover the stain in baking soda.
Wait for it to dry and vacuum it.
12. Clean Your Dog’s Paws Easily
Making sure your dog’s paws are clean is important.
Not only for the sake of keeping your house clean but also because there is a lot he can step on while out that he may lick later and become ill.
You can get one of those plastic water bottles and fill it with water and place each paw inside. Then dry them out with a towel and they’re ready to go.
But for us, the bristles on this next product really make a difference on those muddy days.
So, particularly if you have a hairy dog, this is what we recommend.
It’s such a quick solution to use!
Even if your dog doesn’t particularly like his paws being handled (we know ours don’t), it’s in and out in just a few seconds.
13. Make Sure Your Dog Always Knows Where to Pee
If you’re living your dog alone for long periods of time, he will need to pee.
Yes, you can use pee pads or newspaper but they’re just so messy!
That’s why we use an artificial grass pee pad instead!
First of all, it’s the closest thing there is to real grass, meaning your dog will want to pee there.
Second, it’s perfect for potty training your puppy because it makes the transition from indoors to outdoors much easier.
And last, but most certainly not least, it’s just so each to clean, just rinse all the layers and you’re good to go.
Related: I Had No Idea It Was This Simple To Stop A Dog From Peeing Inside
14. Always Know If Your Dog Pees Where He Shouldn’t
Because knowing is the first step to taking care of any problem.
So, imagine the following scenario (or maybe we should say think back to last time it happened).
You step into your home and a strong pee scent immediately takes over your senses.
Or maybe you’ve just sit down on the couch and realize it’s stinking.
Or look up and down, search high and low, glue your nose to the ground but can’t quite say where your dog has peed.
Well, it happened to us so often, we decided to take action by getting a simple, inexpensive, UV flashlight.
Darken your room, turn the UV flashlight on and prepare to be grossed out!
15. Keep Your Dog’s Teeth Away From Your Belongings
Having a dog in your family that keeps chewing on chords, rugs or other belongings is not only troublesome, it’s also dangerous.
They might get electrocuted, they might choke or require emergency surgery for an obstructed bowel.
So, the best thing you can do is to deter that behavior, even when he’s home alone.
How do you do that? You make everything taste awful!
You can purchase a bitter spray or you can make your own natural version!
Just mix 2 cups of apple cider and a cup of white vinegar. If you don’t like the smell of apple vinegar, use lemon juice instead in the same quantities.
Shake it and spray away, keeping in mind that it’s not the best option for wooden furniture because it may discolor them.
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