Living La Vida Holoka


5 Easy Ways to Bond with Your Dog Everyday

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It’s National Pet Month! Celebrate by keeping your relationship strong and growing with these easy ways to bond with your dog everyday. It’s as simple as taking a walk together or treating them to Nudges® Chicken Jerky Dog Treats!


May is National Pet Month, but every month is National Pet Month around here! Hunter is a lucky dog! He’s with me day in and day out. I usually keep my day pretty busy, but there’s always room for a little playtime with our pup! When my husband comes home from work, the fun continues with evening walks or a game of fetch in the yard.

Hunter gets lots of love and attention from both of us. He trusts us equally and is pretty good about listening to us. We definitely have a strong bond with our dog and work to keep it strong and growing!

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No matter what stage of life your dog is in, it’s important to keep strengthening your bond. There are little things you can do daily to keep building your relationship. Just like our relationship with others, your bond with your dog requires trust, communication, and having lots of fun together!

There are certain activities that we started at an early age with Hunter that we continue to do daily and weekly. It’s as easy as keeping healthy grooming habits, going for a walk, or giving them a special treat to reward them for good behavior!

Make a grooming schedule

Ever since Hunter was a puppy, we started a weekly grooming routine. It might seem funny to brush your dog’s teeth, but it helps keep them fresh, strong, and clean! Not only that, Hunter trusts us enough to get up close and personal in his mouth without any aggressive behavior. We also use that time to clean his ears (he loves a good ear cleaning because it’s like getting a massage!), brush him, and give him a trim, if necessary. Now, Hunter knows when it’s time to get groomed and doesn’t put up a fuss to have it done.

Keep training your dog daily

Hunter learned commands pretty easily as a puppy. But he still has some stubborn ways about him. It’s in his breed! So it’s important to keep on top on training no matter how old your dog is. Keep correcting those bad habits, but be sure to give your dog lots of praise, or even a treat, for listening to commands! They say you “can’t teach old dogs new tricks,” but you can help them remember the ones they already know!


Give them quality treats

Hunter is family and we don’t feed our family just anything! So we take special care to include simple, natural ingredients in his diet. That includes treats! Every dog loves being rewarded, so we give Hunter Nudges® Chicken Jerky Dog Treats. USA chicken is the #1 ingredient and they’re made without corn, soy, or wheat. These treats are all natural and made in the USA. These protein-rich treats are a great way to show your pup how much you care!

It’s National Pet Month and your pet deserves something special to celebrate your bond! You can find Nudges® Chicken Jerky Dog Treats in the pet aisle at Sam’s Club. Follow this link if you want to earn a free gift card! All you have to do is download the Shopkick app and get rewarded for purchasing Nudges dog treats! Shopkick is one of the few ways that you can find additional savings at Sam’s Club.

Take time out of your day for playtime

No matter how busy I am during the day, there’s always time for playtime! Even if it’s just a short break from work, I’ll make sure that Hunter gets that necessary brain stimulation to keep him occupied and out of trouble! Maybe it’s a quick game of ball outside or tug-of-war with one of his favorite toys. Playtime is good for both of us! It keeps me from sitting at my desk all day and it makes Hunter happy to spend some time playing with me! 

Explore the outdoors together

We love being outside this time of year! Whether we’re working in the yard or hanging out on the deck, Hunter is always outside with us. The fresh air is good for all of us! Since Hunter’s such a social dog, he loves being outside, visiting with the neighbors, or meeting new friends at the park, or during walks around the neighborhood!


Seeing Hunter live his best life makes us happy! These simple bonding activities have become a big part of our daily routine. Celebrate National Pet Month with your best friend by treating them to Nudges® Dog Treats. These soft, natural treats are a great way to show your dog how much you love them!

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How do you keep your bond strong with your dog?

Slice and Bake Christmas Pinwheel Dog Treats

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Treat your dog to some holiday “cookies” of their own with this Slice and Bake Christmas Pinwheel Dog Treats recipe made with healthy pumpkin and Greek yogurt!


Oh what fun it is to bake during the holiday season! In fact, it’s really the only time of year that I truly enjoy baking.  The rest of the year, I try to avoid it.  I’d like to think that I’m a decent home chef, but I never really got my mother’s incredible baking gene.  Still, I decided to make time to whip up batches upon batches of Christmas cookies this year (with the help of Betty Crocker sugar cookie pouches).  The tins are stacked and ready to be turned into assorted cookie trays for our holiday gatherings.  But there was one last holiday treat that I really wanted to make – dog treats!


I love spoiling the family dogs.  It’s so much fun to see them get just as excited as the kids in the family when you bring them a new toy or treat!  So while the family is indulging on all of their holiday sweets, I thought I’d make some simple “cookies” for all of the dogs to enjoy.  

These Christmas pinwheel dog treats are made with a whole wheat base, pumpkin, and Greek yogurt.  Hunter is on a mainly grain-free diet, but we slip in some extra treats every now and then. 

Honestly, I don’t really think Hunter’s skin issues are as affected by grain as they are by the environment, but it’s still not a bad diet for him to be on.  For the holidays, we’ll let him go off his diet a little bit – kind of like the rest of us!  

Let’s break down the ingredients

 
If your dog is truly allergic to grains, use your favorite substitute flour in this recipe. I’ve used coconut flour in the past. I had some leftover pumpkin puree in the freezer, so I decided to use it in this recipe. Pumpkin is a great source of vitamins and good for digestion making it a really beneficial ingredient.

I recently learned that dogs can have Greek yogurt.  As long as it’s plain and unsweetened, they can enjoy small doses of it.  Greek yogurt has probiotic benefits for dogs, too.

Since these are Christmas treats, I decided to give them a fun, peppermint swirl look to them.  I used just a couple drops of red food coloring for one half of the dough.  If you’re going to use food coloring, I highly suggest using a natural food coloring.  The rest of the dough has no coloring in it.  The orange tinge is from the pumpkin.

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Slice and Bake Christmas Pinwheel Dog Treats

Slice and Bake Christmas Pinwheel Dog Treats

Ingredients

  • 2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 egg
  • Water
  • Red food coloring

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 and prepare baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In the bowl of a mixer, combine the flour, pumpkin, Greek yogurt, and egg. Combine just until dough starts to form.
  3. If the dough seems dry and crumbly, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time, until the dough sticks together. The dough should be slightly stick, but easy to work with.
  4. Turn the dough out on a floured surface.
  5. Cut the dough in half. Add a couple drops of red food coloring to half of the dough.
  6. Roll each portion of dough out until it's about 3/8 inch thick.
  7. Stack each layer of dough on top of one another and roll up, jelly style, to create a long log.
  8. You should be able to cut through the dough right away. If it's not firm enough, stick it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
  9. Cut the dough into slices and place on a cookie sheet.
  10. Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden brown on the outside.
  11. Allow the treats to cool completely. Store in a sealed treat jar or gift in a small cookie tin.
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These treats will be slightly soft in the middle fresh out of the oven. Allow them to cool completely on wire racks and they should be crisp and airy. It was like Hunter knew I was making them for him.  He couldn’t wait to try one!  I ended up giving him two and storing the rest in a small cookie tin.  Now that I know they’re Hunter approved, I can’t wait treat the rest of the dogs in the family to some homemade treats for Christmas! 

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10 Fall Toys and Treats Your Dog Needs if They’re Basic AF

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If your dog loves all of fall’s best trends, too, they’re bound to love these 10 Fall Toys and Treats Your Dog Needs if They’re Basic AF! Leggings and puffy vest not included!

 

Does your dog like hiking, taking rides to Starbucks, tagging along to the orchard, or photo bombing your selfies?  Welp, your dog might be basic AF!  All kidding aside, there are some really adorable items on BarkShop right now so your dog can enjoy the best parts of fall, too!

You’ve got to have a cozy flannel and some warm boots when heading out to enjoy the fall weather!  Now your pup can have them, too!  Your dog can also enjoy a PSL and a barrel of apples in fun, plush form.  Don’t forget that selfie stick for photo opps!  And remember to keep those hashtags handy when you post your pics on Instagram!

When your dog is finished tagging along during all of your fall festivities, let them unwind with some seasonal treats!  Perhaps of slice of pumpkin pie, an apple cider donut, or a PSL flavored treat!  And if your dog really wants to chill out at the end of the the day, try a CBD biscuit made with cranberries and blueberry!  Read more about CBD for dogs here. 

Okay. So maybe your dog really isn’t “basic AF,” but grab one of these seasonal toys and treats anyway for them to enjoy this fall!  Use code LLVH at checkout and score your pup a free treat with your order of $10 or more!

  1. Flannel Shirt Dog Toy
  2. Homestyle Pumpkin Pup-Pie
  3. Puggin’ Spice Latte
  4. Pumpkin Spice Treats
  5. Blueberry & Cranberry CBD Biscuits
  6. Apple Cider Donuts
  7. Hashtag
  8. Profetchional Selfie Stick
  9. L.L. Bark Boots
  10. Johnny Apple Squeaks

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How to Naturally Combat Fleas with Essential Oils

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Naturally combat fleas with essential oils and other natural repellents that will keep your dog itch-free and happy!


We recently had a minor flea problem with Hunter.  Hunter loves hanging outside, so it’s no surprise that it was bound to happen. Especially with so many other animals (cats, squirrels, rabbits, foxes) running through our yard! 

A couple weekends ago, we were outside grilling and had Hunter sitting by us.  Like everyone else in this house, Hunter has seasonal allergies.  Sometimes he gets this skin irritation that leaves him with dry patches.  So I was checking up on him and that’s when I found it – flea dirt.

If you don’t know what flea dirt is, it’s actually flea feces.  Pretty disgusting.  As pet owners, we’ve basically researched everything we could possibly research, so I identified it right away.  Upon further investigation, I found an adult flea.  I gasped and then I lost it.  My husband and I searched through his fur again, but the flea was gone and we never found it again.


After reading up about fleas (quite the cringe-worthy topic to explore), it was recommended to check any bedding that Hunter sleeps on.  Hunter sleeps in a crate, so I immediately pulled out his mat and – yup – I found more flea dirt.  Based upon what I read, I started tackling our little flea problem by throwing Hunter’s mat, collar, and pretty much all of the blankets in the house in the wash with hot water.  Hunter also got a good, thorough scrub in the tub.  

Since we only found the one flea and the flea dirt was gone after washing both Hunter and everything else in the house, I started looking up natural ways to prevent fleas from coming back.  There was a lot of information about essential oils.  So we decided to take a natural approach to our little problem.


Take a natural approach to combating fleas with these essential oils!

 
Just like essential oil use for humans, it’s important to dilute your oils before applying them to the skin. Always do your research, especially since certain essential oils can be toxic to your pets.

Tea tree oil

Tea tree oil is considered to be toxic when used at full strength on cats and dogs.  It’s a powerful oil used for antibacterial and anti-fungal purposes.  When diluted correctly, it can also be used to treat fleas. 

While I don’t suggest using it in a homemade spray, I would suggest diluting it and adding a little to the outside of your pet’s collar.  You could even add a drop to your pet’s shampoo.  Always watch for signs of irritation and discontinue use immediately if irritation should occur.

Peppermint oil

Peppermint oil is a natural pest repellent that smells great!  While it won’t kill any fleas your dog or cat may have, it’ll prevent them from coming back.  You can make a spray with apple cider vinegar and water to spray on your pet.  This also works with lavender oil, too.

Rosemary oil

I also wanted to fight the fleas internally.  Rosemary is supposedly very good for healing the skin.  So I got Hunter grain-free treats with rosemary extract in them.  This oil can be toxic to cats, so I would recommend using it only for dogs.

Eucalyptus oil

Eucalyptus will always be one of my go-to oils.  It’s one of my favorite smells that pests hate.  It’s also very soothing and can be used directly on the outside of your pet’s collar.

Lavender oil

Lavender is another oil that bugs hate, but smells great to us!  Add a few drops to your pet’s shampoo to help calm your itchy dog!

Natural essential oil sprays

We used Vet’s Best Flea + Tick Spray on Hunter and his crate bed and blankets.  I sprayed it on Hunter and massaged it into his skin after he was bathed.  It made him smell amazing!  This spray is formulated to kill fleas, flea eggs, and repel pests.  I highly recommend it!


I used a combination of these oils in my diffuser, on Hunter, and on Hunter’s bed and blankets.  After using some of these natural flea repellents, we noticed that Hunter wasn’t scratching as much as he was.  We never saw any other signs of flea dirt and we seem to have nipped this problem in the bud! 

If your pet has a flea problem, it’s always good to check with your vet first.  Please don’t rely solely on what worked for us.  Every animal and every flea situation is different.

How do you naturally combat fleas?

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