Before we domesticated dogs, they had jobs. In fact, many of today's breeds were bred to do specific work. So dogs get bored when they don't have enough to do, not to mention, chewing is just something dogs do.
With all that in mind, the best thing to do is to get your dog several Nylabones or Kong toys. Many Kong toys have a hole in the middle for kibble or treats to be placed inside. The dog has to "work" to get the kibble free. Several trainers whose work I've read about suggest giving a dog all of their kibble for the day in 3 or 4 Kong toys. They love this! Something to keep them occupied and feed them at the same time. We have to remember that dogs used to have to work to eat, now they only have to go to a food bowl. There's nothing wrong with the way we feed our dogs, but if he's chewing everything in sight, Kong toys are worth the initial investment.
After you have bought your Kongs, anytime he chews on other things you can substitute what you'd like to keep with the Kong.
One other thing, Kong toys are kind of pricey, but so is having to buy another pair of shoes because the dog chewed up another one. Its far more cost effective to budget in a Kong toy a week for several weeks than to have to replace all that a bored dog will tear up. Hope this helps. ... View related article.
I too save junk mail and reuse the blank space for everything. I make grocery lists, scrap paper stacks for beside my phone, daily lists, etc.
My latest use for the influx of paper that comes into our home, including newspapers, finished crossword puzzle books, fast -food drink carriers,etc., is as cat litter. The cat hated it at first, then decided that recycling paper wasn't that bad. It's saving me at least $10 a month. ... View related article.
Yes! I always tend to think how long I worked to buy that purse, etc. Also, I used to point out to my kids that the local doctor worked an hour and their dad worked an hour, but the difference in what they earned was very significant. I let them know that they should consider that kind of thing when they chose a profession. ... View related article.
I agree with Deeli, you've done such a marvelous job of reusing all of your sofa, why not come up with a way to use that material? If nothing else, make a dog or cat pallet out of it.
If there's an upholstery place in your town, maybe they could use the springs.
This is what we all need to get back to. Its the right thing to do, make the most of everything you have. BRAVO!! ... View related article.
Good idea! Stiff towels don't bother me as my mother always dried towels on the line when I was growing up. But they do bother my husband, he likes them soft and fluffy. Thanks for the idea!
I love it when someone finds a new way to save on weddings! Kudos to you for recycling someone's old stuff to be your new treasure. Smart and classy! ... View related article.
Sometimes I take old shoes to the shoe repair place and have them resoled or fixed in whatever way they can. Then I either take them home or give them to the Veterans place around here that runs a resale shop.
The planter idea is good, and I've seen that done in a really cute way before. you can leave them as they are or paint them to match your outside decor.
My daughter has a dog that loves to chew and they can't keep him in toys, so they give him old rubber shoe soles to chew on. I know it sounds counter productive, since nobody wants a dog that thinks it's alright to chew on shoes, but he seems to understand that this is his toy and the other ones are for people. ... View related article.
Yes, thanks, Joanie. i have wondered where you get those products. I always hear about them, but never see them. And by the way, greetings from Walker, LA! ... View related article.
A few years back my daughter ran in a Honalulu marathon for arthritis. They had to raise a certain amount of money (sorry, don't remember the exact amount) in order to be sent to Hawaii to compete. We not only had a spaghetti dinner, we had everything donated so that everything earned was straight profit.
We also earned about $1500 on garage sales. We announced what she was earning money for in the local paper, and people called us and dropped things off and even donated everything they were going to put in a garage sale to us. We picked up everything from couches to exercise machines. You will be surprised at how much people want to help. Many have nothing extra to give but are happy to donate old items that you can sell. We even asked around and found a storage unit place that donated a space to store all the stuff between garage sales.
Also, you can find a sporting event that allows groups to "man" a concession stand and keep the money they earn for the day. We're in Louisiana, and the Saints organizations were great for that, as well as LSU games. You just get together a group of friends that agree to show up and donate most of a day to running one of the stands for a day. To keep it fun, the group always went to eat pizza after the day's work. ... View related article.
