5 Ways to Celebrate Your Dog (Beyond Walks)
Our dogs bring us so much joy and companionship, they really do come into our lives and change them for the better. We show the world how much we love them back with wonderful walks and an extra treat or three, but I believe dogs deserve to be well and truly celebrated!
I'm going to share with you five fun ideas for how you can celebrate your dog and deepen that everlasting bond you share.
Plan A Dog Friendly Adventure Day
It's time to break free from that routine walk around the local park and take your dog on an adventure!
Hit up a new spot like a woodland trail, a dog day out to the beach or exploring a dog friendly cafe. Even just heading to some new roads or local parks can be a wonderfully enriching experience for your dog - full of new sights, sounds and smells to take in. The novelty will be stimulating for your dog and they'll appreciate your effort.
Enrichment Playtime at Home
It's time to dust off those enrichment toys and snuffle mats for some quality mental enrichment games for dogs at home.
Don't have any equipment for doggy mental stimulation? You don't need it! One of my favourite games to play with my dog was hide and seek, and 'find it' is a great game of hiding treats for your dog to sniff out.
Enrichment games engage your dog's mind as well as their body, creating a very happy hound indeed.
Create a Dog Keepsake
Immortalise your dog's personality with a keepsake that lasts a lifetime.
Get artistic and conduct a mini photoshoot yourself, or have a crafty afternoon together with some paw print art. Not feeling very creative? Why not commission a custom pet portrait and let someone else (me!) do the leg work for you.
Cook a Homemade Treat Together
Oh how I love the internet, it is chock full of simple and safe dog friendly recipes from frozen pup-sicles to peanut butter dog biscuits.
Homemade dog treats are a beautiful way to spoil and celebrate your dog. You get to spend some quality time doing something fun for them, and they get healthy dog snacks at the end of it. What's not to love?
Make Them Part of Your Daily Rituals
Your dog doesn't really need the big gestures, let's be honest. What they really want is to be included, and to be present with you. That's what we should truly be celebrating and encouraging.
So, include them. Get them involved in your daily routines and be mindful about it. Family reading time, morning coffee on the sofa or in the garden, your exercise regime - think about all your habits and consider how many of them could be shared with your dog. I bet it's more than you realised. Bonding with your dog never looked so simple.
Dogs enrich our lives, and celebrating them doesn’t have to be extravagant. Why not try one of these ideas to celebrate your dog this week?
I'd love to see you and your dog doing some extra bonding so please do share your photos on Instagram or TikTok and be sure to tag me so I can share!