Dog days: Six super ideas for seasonal celebrations with your pet
Cave beds recreate the comfort, protection and warmth of an ancient den, and are beloved of sight-hounds and thin-skinned dog types. From a selection on Etsy from €40 from Aurorawilc (seller).
Dogs can find this time of year a bit tricky. There’s all that extra noise, stress and stimulation with strange, shrieking visitors crashing through the house. The kitchen is buzzing, but they are largely not allowed a morsel of that tempting, extra grub. Here are just a few ideas to mark the turning of the season with some positive presents and plans to deepen that precious relationship into the New Year.
If you have a working type dog like a collie, you’ll understand their insatiable love of play, mental challenge and a desire to herd anything, including you, the kids, the cat and inanimate objects around. A large, sturdy, bouncy herding ball is every suburban collie’s dream, as they can nose it about and experience it “react” in safety. This play is dubbed urban-herding in Germany, where the balls are wildly popular. Obviously, you should use large, inflated balls in an enclosed garden or large run area with fencing high enough to keep the ball in if it goes airborne (it certainly will).
The dog might seem to be hysterical, but it’s expelling huge amounts of pent-up, natural energy, which will make it a healthier, more relaxed, content dog with increased calm and greater cognitive abilities. It’s not just collies that love ball play, so if you see this behaviour (nudging a football around regularly), try your pet with a larger, dedicated dog herding ball. Yes, two or more dogs will also adore a herding ball knock-around, and because they cannot “catch” the ball, there’s less likelihood of aggression. With flat-nosed breeds or older dogs, ensure they don’t overtire themselves with excited play. Prices range from €20, suppliers include Amazon.ie.
We cannot always be there, and even when monitoring pets via a smart camera, the guilt is real. What about a little intelligence training while you’re gone for a couple of hours? The Trixie Dog Activity Memory Trainer is a lovely bit of kit, you can use at home and take with you when you travel to any dog-friendly hotel or B&B.
The first challenge for your dog is to work out the connection between the button and the food dispenser. Every time your dog presses the large button (detached from the feeder), it makes a sound, indicating that a treat is waiting back in the dispensing tray.
If you have two pets, it’s possible to select a different sound for each dog so that you can train them to respond to their individual signal. Once your dog has identified the connection between the button and the snack dispenser, move the button to different locations further away from the dispenser, increasing the challenge; various suppliers, including Zooplus.ie, €37.50.
Many dogs are den rooters when it comes to sleepy time, invading your bed covers or actively seeking something to slip into or underneath. Lurchers, whippets and Italian greyhounds have a particular love of the total body hug, but plenty of other breeds and sugar-plum individuals enjoy the complete comfort of a tented snuggle too.
If your dog is turning over their blankies to make a bed, they would probably adore a cave bed. Cave beds with a flurry interior (rather than rigid igloos) that open with the shove of a long nose are not something I’ve found in Irish pet stores. Seek them out online. Ensure your bed is machine washable, as most are not waterproofed but focused on sensory comfort. Some brands include a removable hood in upholstery-grade fabrics. These introduce more of a cavern than a clam, with prices from €120 up. Try Kona Cave (Konacave.com) and Charlie Chau (Charliechau.com). Budget soft cave beds from a selection of Etsy sellers from €40.
You just want 30 minutes to yourself. It could be a dog with eyes like melting Cadbury's Buttons eyes riveted on the car keys, or a half-grown pup planning trouble. Toys with a little work and a delicious reward can unleash what both of you really need — total, all-consuming distraction. Dubbed by some customers as the ultimate dog treat toy, Woof, the Pupsicle dog treat has been designed to withstand love from even your most enthusiastic chewers.
Homemade frozen popsicle treats, or shop-bought joy, can be loaded easily into this dishwasher-safe occasional toy. With a tough, dense rubber (non-toxic, BPA and phthalate-free), the Power Chewer will ensure that all pups have a chance to experience its benefits. The crew at Happy Tails says: “DIY options include pet food, peanut butter, bone broth, pumpkin (for digestion) and more.” Small to X-large depending on breed/size, from €22.99-€28.99, Check this Irish firm out for their excellent range of natural goodies from the US, and their dedicated dog bakery, which includes birthday cakes; 36 Woof Pupsicle treats from €17.99, Happytails.ie.
This year, an old pony of mine cantered over Rainbow Bridge. The vet who put her to sleep cut off a hank of her tail, and when I called in to pay the invoice, a beautiful, tenderly washed braid of Bambi’s tail secured with gilded ties lay waiting for me. Thank you, Alison. You don’t have to lose them to enjoy a remembrance of your pet everywhere you go. A detailed piece of jewellery is one way to celebrate your beloved furry friend or gift a friend something very personal. Print kits are brilliant for recording the nose or paw-prints of your cat or dog (I presume rats, guinea-pigs too).
These prints are then returned to a dedicated jeweller who will make up a piece with a scaled imprint of your animal’s unique touch. Charmbee in Kilrush, County Clare, offers solid silver bracelets (10-day turnaround) — finished with a little flower with a T-bar clasp, boxed in a leatherette and velvet-lined jewellery box. An ideal gift for Christmas or a spring wedding. Priced from €98 for a necklace and €165 for the Paw Print Bracelet with the print-kit included, Charmbee.ie.
I want to thank the firm of Canine Connect, a dog training specialist based here in Cork, for its guide “Mark the Moment” exploring positive, humane training and what’s called marker training. This feature was promoted by the CSPCA recently, so thank you to their wonderful crew, too. What’s marker training? The feature explains, “Training isn’t just about asking for behaviours — it’s about making sure your dog understands exactly what earned reinforcement. That’s where the marker comes in.
A click or a word at the right instant turns trial-and-error into clear communication, helping your dog learn faster, stay engaged, and enjoy the process. Used with intention, marker training doesn’t just teach behaviours — it builds a language between you and your dog.”
Now you can find the full article online at Canineconnect.ie, but I wanted to take this chance to encourage you to clicker train your dog, horse or cat. I’ve done it myself, and it’s a fantastic aid. We use the Coachi Whizzclick, which combines a clicker and whistle for recall, distance control and clicker training. It's just €8.99 at Petmania.ie.
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