DIY toys for your doggy friend

You might remember we posted in our blog a few months ago about making your dog a lovely Christmas present. Well we  were feeling creative again and thought we'd give you some ideas as to how to make your doggy pal some fun and interactive toys. Sometimes our doggy friends can chew their  way through their toys like there's no tomorrow, so have a look below for some fun and simple ideas to keep your dog entertained at home. All the toys were tried out by our South East Education Dog Meg.

 

Toy 1: Baking Tray Treat Puzzle*

All you will need is:

• An old cup cake baking tray
• Dog treats
• Tennis balls/Sliotars

 

Instructions:

• Simply place some treats in the baking tray and place the tennis balls on top.

Watch on while your dog investigates where the treats are!

 

This is so simple, not only a fun toy but a great to keep your dog's mind active too! Meg loved this one straight away.





Go Meg, she has her eye

(or in this case her nose) on the prize :)

 

 





Toy 2: The Treat Tennis Ball*

 What you will need:

• An old tennis ball
• Dog treats

 

Instructions:

• Ask a grown up to cut a hole half way through the tennis ball. 
• Open up the ball, and add dog treats, then it's time to play ball. Your dog will have to play and move the ball around to get the treats.

 

Meg loved this one, and didn't stop playing until she was sure all the treats were gobbled up.

What you will need.
 

 



Meg couldn't believe her luck when the treats kept rolling out!



 

Toy 3: Kitchen Roll Toy*

 What you will need:

• An empty kitchen roll or Toilet Roll
• Dog Treats

Instructions:

• Simple add the treats inside the kitchen roll, and scrunch up each end of the roll so the treats can't fall out.
• Give the toy to your dog and look at the fun commence. (there may be a bit of tidying up after your dog is finished with this one)

Meg enjoyed this one, it didn't last as long as the other homemade toys, but still a fun and a toy that can be made in seconds.



Fun Fun!

 

All Gone!!

So there you have it three simple, fun and interactive toys to try out with your doggy pal at home!

 

 

 

*Always supervise your dog while they are playing with these toys!

Ruff love : Staying Safe and Sound with Hounds Pt 2.

Safety around dogs is one of the key things the Education Team talk about in schools, and here on the blog we've already learned about meeting dogs when they are with their owners (W.A.L.T) and about some times that we should leave dogs alone

 

1. When they are eating/drinking 

2.When they are in their bed

3.When they are all by themselves without an owner

 

As well as knowing when it's best to leave dogs in peace, it's always good to know how to behave around our dogs at home or when visiting someone who has a pet dog/dogs.

 

First thing to remember is that dogs aren't people! When we say hello to a friend/family member, we might go up and give them a big hug to show them how much we care about them. Lots of people think that it's okay to do the same to a dog- but have you ever seen a dog hugging another dog? Probably not, and that's because dogs don't really understand what a hug is, and lots of them wouldn't like to be squeezed so close to somebody! There are lots of other ways that we can show dogs affection, like stroking them gently, or playing some fun games with them!

 

 

Next.....we should never put our faces up close to a dog's, even if it's just to say hello.  Can you imagine if somebody did that to you? Put their face right up in front of yours? That could be quite frightening for us wouldn't it, and it's also frightening for your dog!

 



 

Always stay nice and calm around dogs. We shouldn't be making loud and sudden noises around them in case we give them a fright, and we should always move calmly and quietly around them.

 

Always walk your dog with a grown up. If your dog sees something he/she wants to chase, or if he/she gets a fright and tries to run off, you might get pulled off your feet, and have to let go of the lead. A grown up will be more able to hold onto your dog keeping you both safe!

 

Lastly:

 

 Treat dogs with respect and they will respect you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Where in the World: Take 2!

Last November we shared with you some photos of some of the lovely places that the Dogs Trust's Education Team get to see on their travels. Well in the last few months we've been collecting more photos of the gorgeous Irish scenery we get to see travelling around the country visiting schools!

 

Fiona S and Jake stopped in Lusk to get this pic of Jake looking ready to school! They were visiting schools in the Fingal area when this was taken. Jake loves a bit of history, and insisted on getting Lusk Round Tower in the background!

Fiona R and Meg were visiting a Kilkenny school when they took this pic in Gathabawn, Kilkenny. Brrr.... that was a cold day, so Meg stayed in the car!



We all think that Liadh must have travelled overseas for this photo but she promises she didn't! She snapped this pic in Ballyheigue, Tralee whilst visiting a school nearby in Ballyduff.

Dawn spent some time in Leitrim working on a campaign with Leitrim County Council and got to see this lovely view in the village of Drumkeerran.

The Education Team love getting the opportunity to see some really amazing places in Ireland, wind, rain or shine (or snow!) whilst delivering the message of Responsible Dog Ownership to primary aged children. If you would like a visit from a Dogs Trust Education Officer, you can email education@dogstrust.ie  or visit www.learnwithdogstrust.ie to see if you have an Officer in your area. You can also download lesson plans there and find out more about the work of the Education Team!

A day in the life.... Meg's Diary!

Meg, our Education Dog in the South East, visits schools with Fiona R teaching young people all about being a Responsible Dog Owner, and about staying safe around dogs. Fiona tells us that Meg gets so excited every morning when she realises it's another school day, but we wanted to check ourselves what Meg thought of life as a dog with a job! So, we took a sneak peek at her diary... and we thought we'd share it with you too..... SHHHHHHHH... don't tell Meg!

 

Wow, it looks like Meg really does love her job, although we suspected that already!

If you are in the South East and would like to book a visit from Meg (and Fiona!) to your school, you can contact Fiona on 0872965883 or at fiona.ryan@dogstrust.ie .

 

If you would like to see if there's a Dogs Trust Education Officer in your area, book a workshop, or just find out more about the Education Team, you can do all this at www.learnwithdogstrust.ie. 

 

Staying Safe and Sound with Hounds Pt 1.

A few weeks ago with shared with you our WALT safety message of how to meet and greet a dog safely when he's with his owner.

W= Walk up calmly to the owner

A = Ask the owner if you can pet their dog

L = Let the dog sniff your safe hand

T = Touch the dog, where he likes to be rubbed

 

REMEMBER: If there's no owner with the dog, we should leave him alone.

 

Today we're continuing the safety theme and talking about a couple of times at home when we should leave our dogs in peace.

 

1: When a dog is eating or drinking.

We should never approach or try to rub our dogs when they're eating or drinking, after all, you wouldn't like it if you were having lunch and someone started petting you on the head would you?! You'd probably find that a little annoying, and dogs have feelings just like we do so they may find it annoying too!

Om nom nom nom nom - dinner is the best part of my day!- Meg

As well as that, your dog may think that you're actually going to take away his food and eat it! He has no idea that you don't eat dog food (we hope!) and so if your dog is having his dinner, or chowing down on a tasty treat, we should leave him alone, and wait for him to finish.

 

2: When a dog is in his bed.

A dog's bed, or sleeping area, is a little bit like our bedroom. We use our rooms when we need to go to sleep, and also sometimes when we just want some peace and quiet from the rest of the house. Dog's beds are similar. A dog may use his bed to sleep, or if he wants to have some 'me' time and feel safe and secure.

Jake is a BIG fan of his bed- and Fiona never disturbs him while he's snoozing!

So if a dog is in his bed, we should never approach the bed and disturb him. We certainly shouldn't poke and pull at him to get him out of bed, how would you feel if someone did that to you? Not too happy we're sure! We should also never get into a dog's bed/sleeping area with him, apart from the obvious- being covered in dog hair- a dog's bed is his safe place and he may not like you taking it over, just like you wouldn't like having someone invade your room and take it over! So if he's in his bed, we leave him alone.

If you want your pooch to get up, you can call him, squeak a toy, get some tasty treats or whistle! Then he can get up himself without you going near him.

 

 

Remember, the times we should leave dogs alone are:

When they're eating or drinking

When they're in their bed

and

When they're on their own without their owner

 

 

 

 



Tea, Tales and Tonnes of Fun!

Last Saturday the Education Team hosted 'Tea and Tales 2015' at Dogs Trust's Rehoming Centre in Finglas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With 6 speakers, over 30 kids and adults, games, a tour of the centre and lots of cake it was a busy afternoon! 

 

This year all of our speakers were from Dogs Trust, and included Katie the Training and Behaviour Advisor, Catherine the Canine Carer, Sam the Volunteer, Jenny the Vet Nurse, John a Canine Carer who spoke to us all about his time as a Dog Warden and Liadh the Education Officer.

 

 

The Education Team would like to say a big Thank You to all our speakers for taking time out of their very busy days to tell us about their jobs, and answer all the fantastic questions from the children!



Also a big Thank You to those of you who came along and made it such a fab day by having lots and lots (and lots!) of questions for our speakers, we hope that you all enjoyed yourselves!

 

You can keep up to date on future events by following Dogs Trust on Twitter and Facebook:

 

• https://www.facebook.com/dogstrustireland
• https://twitter.com/DogsTrust_IE

Chocs Away this Easter!

Easter is almost upon us and the house is full of chocolate! It’s hard to resist the temptation to give your doggy a little choccy treat. Please remember that human chocolate can be extremely harmful to your dog.

 

 

 

Many people are unaware that chocolate is poisonous to dogs.

• Chocolate makes dogs extremely sick and may even kill them.
• Chocolate contains a chemical called theobromine which is safe for humans but not safe for dogs.
• The darker the chocolate, the more poisonous it is for you doggy pal.
• As a rough guide, Dogs Trust estimates that 50g of plain chocolate could be enough to kill a small dog, such as a Yorkshire Terrier, while just 400g could be enough to kill an average size dog.

Other dangers:

• Risk of obesity
• Dangers of eating the foil wrapping

 

 So that everyone can have an egg-cellent Easter, remember these rules to keep your dog safe:

 

• Keep your "chocs away" in a safe place so your dog can't get to it.

• NEVER feed your dog chocolate that's meant for humans.

• If your Easter egg is missing and you think your dog may have stolen it, contact your vet straight away.

• Look out for any of the following symptoms; vomiting with blood, a sore tummy, extreme thirst, excitability, drooling, rapid heart rate and in severe cases, fits.

• If your dog is displaying any of these signs then take him immediately to your vet.

• The sooner your dog gets to a vet, the greater the chance of recovery from chocolate poisoning.

• If you want to treat your dog this Easter, stick to natural doggy snacks that are kinder to your canine.

  

Don't forget, raisins are also poisonous to dogs so if you're enjoying a yummy hot cross bun, make sure you resist the temptation to share it with your pooch!

 

 

 Happy Easter from the Education Team! xx