I know–it’s late to be talking about gifts for pets and pet lovers the week before Christmas. But the adventure of life never ceases to remind us that plans are just that. Plans. Which have to be changed when life interrupts our carefully-constructed calendars.
I love the holidays, now that I’ve decided to focus on doing things that were loving, fun and kind, (including to myself). Most of what I purchase for Christmas presents are books for young people; I give home made food and a few beautiful things to adults. But what about our pets? What does Larry the Labrador want? Simon the Siamese? Skip and Maggie would like a 400 acre farm with more sheep and a much bigger field in which to work. Regrettably, Santa’s pockets are not deep enough to even dream of such a thing, and I know I’m not alone in there being a disconnect between dreams and reality.
That’s why I thought it would be fun for us to brainstorm what we can “gift” our dogs/cats/etc without spending any money. Money is tight for many, and material things cost a lot beyond the purchase price (manufacturing, shipping, etc.). Then, of course, there are the now infamous supply chain delays. (One of my local pet stores, Mounds, had shelves so bare I thought they were going out of business. Nope, just supply train troubles.)
So what can we do for our dogs and cats without spending any money? Lots. Here are some ideas, I’d love to hear yours:
A LONG WALK IN NEW PLACE: Dogs are essentially predators who evolved to move over large areas and discover what’s over the next rise. New is fun for predators–who knows what you will find? It doesn’t matter how many activities you do with your dog; going on a walk in a new place can’t be replaced for mental as well as physical exercise. Yesterday Jim and I took the dogs on a walk in an area we rarely go, and even though they were on leash, they loved it. For that matter, so did we. Boredom is the killer of joy, discovery is a portal to it. (This, of course, doesn’t apply to shy dogs or dogs who are truly frightened of new places. For those dogs, the gift is accepting that, and settling for a routine that makes them comfortable.)
Here are Skip and Maggie on a trail we rarely use in Blue Mounds Park:
TAKING AWAY ACCESS TO TOYS FOR AWHILE: Everything that is routine loses some of its sparkle over time. We all know this from our own experience: The shower that felt amazing after camping for a few days. The comfy bed you thought little about until you slept in a bad one on vacation. I see no reason why dogs can’t habituate to pleasure as can humans, so it might be worth thinking about only leaving some toys out and keeping others back, then switching every month or so. That toy you bought six months ago will feel “new” if Sassy hasn’t seen it in months.
A MASSAGE: Almost all dogs love a good massage, especially if given mindfully. Just plain old petting is nice, but it’s a far cry from a carefully done massage. Chewy has a short video with a few different techniques that is worth a look (but wait, really, lighting a candle? Please don’t give you dog a chance to burn your house down if she jumps up and runs into the flame.) In my experience most dogs like long, slow stroking best, always with a lighter touch than you would use on a person. There are lots of websites that have ideas about massaging your dog, here’s one from PetMD with a variety of techniques. My own dogs adore having the area between their eyes stroked up toward their forehead, as well as continuous, slow stroking on the sides of their head, and on either side of their backbone. If you’re really into it, check out the International Association of Animal Massage and Bodywork. There’s obviously a lot more to therapeutic massage than I can mention here, but it’s a great subject to learn more about. And, hey, it’s good for us too, right? (If there are any massage therapists reading this, please jump in here! If I got something wrong, let us know, or add other ideas; we’d love to hear them.)
Here’s Maggie after a brief massage. I think she found it relaxing. What do you think?
TEACH A NEW TRICK: Why not give your dog or cat the gift of a new trick to perform? Tricks are fun for all of us, in part because there is none of the judgement and stress if they don’t perform them. Aunt Polly may be invested in your dog learning “four on the floor” when she comes to visit, but if Sassy doesn’t “look sad” on cue, who cares? All you need are some really good treats (as defined by your dog), and an idea of what you want your dog to do. Need some ideas: I love the Kikkopup videos, which has some some great trick training videos for free on line.
SAVING SCRAPS You don’t have to buy food scraps, they just happen, unless you are Maggie and would eat the bowl your food comes in if you could. Of course, what scraps to avoid is important. No chocolate, onions/garlic, avocados, foods with xylitol, (some peanut butters, gum, candy, etc.), grapes and raisins, or foods with caffeine. (See here for a list from the AVMA.) That said, there is sooo much that dogs can eat, and love to do so. Our dogs get lots of meat scraps (not too much fat ever at one time please), potatoes, cooked green beans, broccoli, carrots, and on and on.
Here’s some turkey soup I made last weekend, after Jim stashed the turkey and bones in the freezer for me while I was in San Antonio. I show this because after I boiled the bones for the stock, I let the pile of bones cool and pulled off the remaining pieces of meat. (I’d cut up the best turkey meat to add to our soup later after all the stock and veggies were done.) All those meat scraps are now in a bowl for our pets, who get it as part of their dinners and as training treats. Granted this took time to do, and some of us don’t have it, but it if you do, scraps like this are gold for dogs. They beat a new tennis ball or stuffed toy every time. And the soup wasn’t bad either.
SILENCE IS GOLDEN: I think our dogs are sometimes exhausted by how much we talk to them. I say this as someone who is sound sensitive herself, and who has famously sound sensitive Border Collies. But think about how tiring it must be to try to figure out what your human is saying, especially when they use synonyms, change their tone, and use words inconsistently. (Not that I would ever do anything like that myself.) How about deciding to say as little as possible for an entire day for your dog? (Emergencies excepted, of course!) Try it, I suspect you’ll find it interesting at worst, and at best, it’ll teach you a lot about your dog and how you can communicate more effectively. Now that’s a gift worth keeping.
WHAT ABOUT YOU? I’d love to hear your “no cost” ideas about ways that you gift your own dogs. I’m sure you’ll add to my dog’s gift list and they will be happier for it.
If you’d like to read more about Christmas gifts for dogs and dog lovers, you can go back to a post from 2015, HOLIDAYS SCHMALIDAYS, which includes gift ideas for dog lovers and my favorite recipe for dog treats. I wrote another post last year, GIFTS FOR ALL OF US, that has some more ideas. (And the same recipe! Ha, do I like to cook or what?).
MEANWHILE, back on the farm: I’m back from Texas. It is heaven to be here, and was hell to leave my sister (who, fyi, had two huge surgeries one and two weeks ago, if you didn’t catch last week’s post). Thank you for all your kindnesses, it means a lot. She is on a very long road of recovery, but is a warrior with incredible spirit.
I thought you’d get a kick out of this photo I took of Jim and Maggie yesterday. The dogs get no treats from us ever while we’re eating. No exceptions. Except, uh, for popcorn. I have no idea why we made it an exception; perhaps because eating popcorn is a family event? What I love about this photo is Maggie’s paws on Jim’s leg. “Do. Not. Forget. I. Am. Here.”
Here’s another photo to smile about. It was taken a second after the one up above under “walk in new places,” and it’s pretty clear what the message is from Skip. “Yo. What’s the hold up? Can we get moving please?”
Here’s the lovely Maggie on another walk, underneath a great sky. Skip has returned back to me and is yet again wondering why I’m standing still. Patience, Skippy, patience.
That’s it for photos for this week, still spending a lot of time on life’s unplanned adventures. I hope your adventures this week are good ones, and remember, all you anyone really wants from you is your attention and your love. Unless you’re Maggie. And you have turkey.
Kat says
This year I think what all my critters would like most for Christmas is for things to get back to normal. Once we get through this week normalacy should begin returning but this week will be a significant departure from same. D’Artagnan and The Great Catsby (diabetic cat) will be traveling with us across the state while we attend services for my mother. (Mom has been in and out of hospice care for the last six years so it’s not as if this is unexpected but all the services etc., add some complications to our norm) Catpurrnicus and Furbonnaci will hold down the home fort with someone coming in to feed them for the time we’re gone. It’s going to be interesting. On the plus side everyone in the family will be delighted to spend time with D’Art and my son and I will be able to personally monitor Catsby. And D’Artagnan will get plenty of walks in new places.
Frances says
A walk in a new place would be top of the list for all three of my dogs, I think. At the moment we are restricted – Poppy is recovering from a major bout of diarrhoea (she has liver failure and occasionally it affects her that way); Sophy was spayed 5 days ago and has also had a bad night of diarrhoea from the combination of meloxicom and anaesthesia; and Freddy is under 5 months so is more into zoomies than long walks. But by Christmas we should be back up to our compromise mile or two twice a day, which is about right for everyone, and I hope to be staying with my sister where there will be lots of unfamiliar places to walk.
For now I plan on giving them more one to one time with me, something which tends to slip in our household of one human, three dogs and a cat. Even 5 minutes of massage, silly games or individual training is highly valued. And on the day itself there will be home made dog treats – little ones to hunt for and big ones to chew – and extra chicken all round (Sophy cannot tolerate turkey!).
All good wishes for your sister’s steady recovery.
Wendy K says
Great list! And I love how your photos capture Skip and Maggie’s personalities.
Searching games are another fun and free activity. We do “Hansel and Gretel” trails of treats or kibble; either having someone hold the dog or putting her in another room while the trail is laid.
I also save small Amazon boxes, sprinkle a few treats in each and place them around the living room (or whole house in advanced stages) for my dog to find.
She also loves a plastic sweater box that I’ve loaded with toys and empty plastic beverage bottles (plastic neck ring removed for dogs who might chew it off). I sprinkle kibble among the stuff for her to sniff out. That’s her consolation activity when I leave the house without her. Sometimes she then scatters the bottles on the floor and plays with them.
Sandi says
Hi Trisha!
My pups are extremely happy with the fresh coat of snow we received this week, We toss them a ball to play with in the snow and they toss it, hide it and run around with it, it makes two happy and tired pups.
On the cold days when going outside in Wisconsin isn’t a lot of fun we play find it. I put both dogs in a stay and I run around hiding treats throughout the house. I roll up rugs and put treats in them, hide treats in blankets, behind doors. They are getting to be experts using their noses so we keep making find it more and more complicated. They love it! We also go on walks with different dog friends. Having a buddy to sniff and discover with is wonderful to them!
Merry Christmas!
Tammy says
I love your list, Patricia, and the other ideas people have offered so far. As others have said, old amazon and other shipping boxes are great for hiding kibble or food around the house and doing nosework. I’m all for free fun with our dogs and here are some things we do:
Our dogs have had endless fun with an empty quart milk bottle (cap removed) with an old piece of dog-safe rope attached to the handle and knotted at the end. They tug, they run with it, I can tug with them.
I made a flirt pole out of an old broom handle (the kind that has a top with a hole for hanging the broom, through which I put the rope), a spare piece of rope and a tug toy. One dog could care less but the other one thinks it’s grand fun.
Our older dog loves a good game of hide and seek around the house. When she finds me I leap out and scream like the bogeyman and chase her and she just loves it. I also roll around the floor at least once daily with each dog for what we call “upside down snorty play.”
When there’s not snow on the ground, kibble tossed into the grass is a great way for them to forage part of their meals, a real live snuffle mat.
And I hike almost daily with our adult dog and rotate through about 20 different hiking trails on different mountains to keep it interesting for both of us.
Amy says
We just took our lab and Aussie for a walk in the new dog park in Oregon, WI, at Anderson Friends Park. They were so full of joy running through the new place— even the Labrador was full of bounce. And they’d come back to us after running off to sniff and explore with huge grins on their faces.
KC Wilson says
My daughter used a Kikkopup training tip for her young BC, Cricket, and we call it “The Magic Leash” trick. I don’t know what Kikkopup calls it but it’s a miracle. When her puppy got overly tired and ramped up, the method was used to calm her down. Now that her dog is 1.5 years, towards evening when we’re all tired, the leash goes on and Cricket chills at our feet.
Barbara Armstrong says
Love your post thank you.
Great reminder of all the ways to gift our pets and ourselves.
I can really relate to walking on a different trail. When the weather and no vehicle around our girl drags all fours and often refuses going on the same route.
I have one for you. Rosie loves playing hide and seek when we are on a woodland trail.
Have a happy holiday season everyone as best you can during these crazy times
Barbara and Rosie
Trisha says
Kat, I am so sorry about your mother. I know it’s not unexpected, Jim’s mother’s death was the same, but somehow, weirdly, it’s still a kind of a shock. I’m so glad your family will get to enjoy the wonders of D’Art (and your son too!)
Elle says
Thanks for the ideas and for sharing the sweet photos of your family. I am sad that you include garlic and avocados on your list of unhealthy foods though. I ha e used fresh garlic in reasonable amounts for repelling fleas and many other benefits. Avocados not pits or seeds are also safe and nutritious. I have done a lot of reading from vets and Canine nutrition experts that verify this. Can I recommend a new book The Forever Dog by a vet and nutrition expert for this and other helpful nutrition information.
Tina S. says
This is a great list, thank you!
Our dogs love to snuggle in bed with us, but no humans get any sleep when that happens, so a treat for them is some early morning snuggles in bed.
Teddy says
KC Wilson: I would be delighted to learn the “magic leash trick”! If you are able to find out what Kikopup calls it, I’d be very grateful!
Thank you to everyone for these ideas!
I know the point of these was “Free and Fun,” but I’ll also toss in that I’ve bought enrollment in obedience classes for Jan.-Feb. We were enjoying them (and Agility and Noseework) before COVID, but have taken a VERY long break since March 2020. Although we’ve provided tons of walks, hiking-oriented travel, and some daycare time, I think our dog will be very happy to have that particular type of attention and activity again, even if it’s “work.”
LisaW says
Olive is slowing down but she loves playing ball inside and out, some days she likes, some days she loves, and some days she abhors our morning orchard walks, she loves her evening chew, she loves to play find it after breakfast, and she loves to snuggle.
She likes riding in the car less and less, which is unfortunate because we love road trips and taking her to new places. She likes being in the car and will go to sleep immediately when the car stops, but when we start moving again, she gets nervous. She’s also more noise sensitive now that she’s an elderly dame. Toys that crunch or crinkle or creak are not fun for her.
When she was in lock down and rehab for her blown CCL, I would play “quiet” games with her. One game was to take three tall, empty, upside-down yogurt containers and hide a special morsel under one. Then I’d move the containers around like the old shell game, and when I stopped moving them, she’d have to paw which one she thought held the treat. She got the correct one ~80% of the time. I also would bring in a few of her stuffed toys and ask her to go get the bear or the bunny, so she’d learn the names of the animals. This game was more fun for me than Olive! She loves learning new tricks, but some of the games we tried were not her cuppa, which Olive being Olive instantly made her opinion known.
Glad you are back home — both for you and your family and it might mean your sister is on the long but sure road to recovery.
Happy Holidays and may 2022 be kinder and gentler to all.
Patricia Edie says
My husband and I are new owners of a rehomed mix Husky who was abandoned. We have never had a dog and this is a new experience for us. Needlesstosay, our lives will never be the same. We know so little about dogs that when our son suggested we obtain some of your books, we jumped on it. We need to start at the beginning…with the basics. Kodi is a 6 year old, neutered male, mixed breed husky. He is very mellow and except for wanting to run when we go out for a walk, he spends a lot of time lying at our feet. He has separation anxiety so it is difficult to leave him alone. But we are retired and home most of the time. We wish he could talk to tell us what he needs and likes. He turns his nose up at most dog treats. He has been well-trained in the past, doesn’t get on furniture, is housebroken, and sits on command. I look forward to growing old with him.
Karen says
One year when Cash (Border collie) was on required leash walking for some minor injury on his birthday I gave him his favorite not always available toy, a deflated soccer ball, and we went to get a good look at the horses who had just moved next door.
Terrie says
My dog would like the foster dog to get adopted for Christmas. He is thoroughly sick of her and would like to snuggle with me without another dog trying to shove her way into the middle
Katie Traxel says
My first greyhound learned to come and stare at me while I sat on the couch until I got up and fluffed her feather/down dog bed. Usually once an evening. In her last 6 months, at age 14, she would do that same thing but would do it about every 30 mins. The best gift I gave her in her dotage was getting up every time and fluffing that bed. She paved the way for many more greyhounds over the years but she the first and very special.
Deborah Mason says
For birthday and Christmas parties for our “pound puppies”, we take several empty toilet paper tubes, crimp an end, add a couple treats & crimp the other end. Sometimes we dole them out one at a time per dog, sometimes we put them out & just let them at it. They also love egg cartons with a treat or two in each cup. They love to tear up cardboard, so this is a double good toy/treat for them. They even bring back most of the bigger pieces to us. (That’s where doling them out one at a time makes clean-up easier.)
When I was a kid, my parents would take the top off a can of tuna, then wrap it for our big lab to open & eat.
Beth Meltz says
I keep coming back to “time”. They crave our time and attention. We are their whole worlds. So, for Christmas I will give my Emily (and cat, Rhubarb) my time and attention. Of course, that is everyday, around here!
Deborah Mason says
add-on — I forgot to mention ‘Chuck-It snowballs”. When the snow is just right (moist & soft) I slap the Chuck-it into the snow, give it a twist and I have a perfect ball to throw. Our older dog loves to jump up to catch them; the younger one is learning. No need to return the balls (to trade for kibble & another throw). Plenty of snow to toss balls until I get tires.
Ashley says
I also love long walks in new places, I also am semi nomadic and travel often, so Ringo gets to sniff lots of new scents. Right now we’re settled in at my parent’s house for about a month over the holidays, which we visit every winter, so he’s becoming reacquainted with his old walking routes and the wonderful dog parks of the Twin Cities. I wonder if he remembers them from last year? He’s also a glutton for belly rubs, and I’ve taken to starting every morning giving him a nice long one while I sip my coffee.
Last winter for xmas I gave him a rabbit pelt to play tug with with, which he was a huge fan of and has by now mostly shredded.
Chris Johnson says
I love how each dog has one ear up in the second photo from your walk!
Kathy says
For my guy, it would be going for a walk and letting him stop at all the spots he’d like, just for a minute or so, then on to the next one. It’s the only way I have to let him run free here in the desert with all the pointy, prickly things.
It’s probably not the best thing to do, but it’s a rare treat for him
Susan Kocher says
This is great, and a good reminder! My dogs also adore a massage–my muscular Rat Terrier really digs a slow deep-tissue massage down his back and sides, and getting his legs stretched waaaay out; my hyper BC-Pap prefers a gentler touch, but he’s getting into it. It took a while to get him to lie still, lean in, and enjoy it—but every night at bedtime, he loves it more.
Favorite gift for both of them: 10 minutes with the flirt pole I made from a piece of ¾” PVC with a rope running through it, a tattered old home-made tug toy tied on one end and a handle for me on the other. Cost: about $4, except I had all the materials on hand as leftovers from other projects. I can make it longer or shorter as we play, and while it’s a fun game of “keep-away” for a little while, they always figure out the trajectory and dart in for the Win!
BTW Patricia, I remember many years ago when you did a weekend seminar in Durham NC and you were talking about cues/sounds and how they might be perceived by horses and dogs. You and I had a conversation at lunch about how dogs perceive (or don’t perceive) words that we say to them in high-pitched vs “fun” growly tones, long and drawn out vs. clipped, etc. I mentioned to you how I had been thinking about this after learning to speak Thai, a language with 5 tones, such that a word spelled “khao” could mean 5 different things depending on the tone, while to English-speaking ears they’re all the same word. And that for many adult English speakers in my experience (as a Peace Corps volunteer) never did master the tones or even hear them, even after a decade or more. I suspected it takes dogs a while to generalize our words as “words” when we say them so differently all the time–not to mention when other family members also use those cues to the same dog.
I urge my dog training students to use a salient, happy, high-pitched tone for verbal cues and to try and say it the same way all the time. Confusion is stressful to dogs; clarity is appreciated!
Jann Becker says
Besides the popcorn, Maggie might be going for the remote! “What channel was Animal Planet again?”
Bruce says
A long walk in a new place is Red Dog’s favorite thing. Fortunately, going on disc (“Frisbee”) golf outings to new courses makes both of us happy. We have done trips of up to 2 weeks, playing 3 to 6 hours per day, day after day. I know Red Dog loves disc golf outings because as soon as I pull appropriate attire from the drawer, I have a dog glued to my side.
Our dogs also love raw vegetables: carrots, lettuce, anything crunchy. They seem as excited about raw veggies as they do about meat scraps. Probably better for their weight, too.
The dogs love fuzzy blankets and fuzzy bathrobes, too. Preferably smelling of the humans, so no cost involved.
The picture of post-massage Maggie is lovely. Red Dog does that when she wants attention. My usual response: “Honey, somebody dumped a pile of dog parts on the couch.” Followed by a belly rub, of course.
Wanda Jacobsen says
As I am baking for the holidays, I try to squeeze in some oven time and bake a batch of peanut butter treats for the dogs and share them with friends’ dogs. One cannot beat “homemade”.
Patti says
My dogs range between 9 and 13. With the weather turning cold they are looking for the warmest places to rest. I leave blinds open to provide warm places to lie and move dog beds to be included where family is gathered and to choice warm spots. Near heaters and firemplaces.
Margaret says
Kate’s idea of the perfect Christmas present would be for me to let her eat all the goose poop at the pond.
Kate is doomed to disappointment.
Kristin says
Awww, my dog loves popcorn, too — cheesy popcorn, that is. I had to stop buying it, because I can’t resist those puppy dog eyes and we’re supposed to be watching his weight. So Aki and I suffer cheesy popcorn withdrawal together. The sacrifices I make for this dog! LOL.
I’m planning to keep all of the boxes we get from various family members’ gifts and giving him the mother of all “box games” (what we call hiding treats in boxes of various sizes, nested like Russian dolls). I usually have a few shipping boxes piled up in a corner, and Aki will nudge them with his nose to request a game. It’s fun to watch him try to work it out. Sometimes he goes for brute strength and just pummels them with his paws and tears at the corners (which is most entertaining to watch); others, he makes a controlled attempt at pulling the smaller boxes from within the larger ones, using his teeth. But I also bought him gifts, because he is the most fun on my list to buy for. I also have some homemade treat recipes I want to try.
I would love to take Aki for a nice long walk in a new place as a gift, because he loves a sniffari more than anything, but we’re still working on our reactive rover/frustrated greeter protocol and I have my management in our usual walking park and trails down pat. That is, except for the coyote who hangs around said park and trails and is now a potential wild card on every walk — four encounters and counting! I really don’t want to have to curtail Aki’s woodland walks, although I already have, in a way, because I don’t want to get unexpectedly face-to-face with our new canid friend. Gorgeous creature, and very chill the few times we have found ourselves within 50 feet of him/her on the trail, but I have a healthy fear of/respect for their wildness.
What Aki would probably like for Christmas is to properly greet the big floofy white dog at the end of the street (at whom he whines out the car window on our way to the park each day), or for us to break down and adopt a sibling for him because he would love a conspecific playmate/companion. His reactivity has nothing to do with how he plays with dogs once he meets them. He even does well with puppies and small dogs, to my surprise. Maybe the greatest gift I could give Aki is to trust him more, but I’m afraid of setbacks (and the pandemic has already set back our training quite enough).
Debbie Gary-Taskey says
Time spent together is the most valuable gift with no cost. Walks are always on the list, too. I try grooming my own dogs, so an at home ‘Spa’ day always feels good. And instead of buying dog treats, making them at home is fun and healthy. Merry Christmas and All the Best in the New Year
Enna says
I love your ideas for Christmas gifts! I had to laugh when I read the massage. Our little on loooves cooked chicken, so we wrap up a good chunk and on Christmas day we put it under the tree and tell her to ‘find’. After she has unwrapped and devoured it lol, she gets a massage and tummy rubs. So precious <3
Connie Bergen says
I certainly relate to the idea of finding new places for our walks – there are only a few routes we (senior BC and I) can take in our neighborhood before we get to busy main streets. One of her favorite places visit is our local plant nursery – it’s dog friendly, very big, and full of new smells, not to mention staff and other customers who want to give her some pets (and here in Houston, it’s open year-round). And I always love all of your photos.
Melanie Hawkes says
The best thing I did for Upton over Christmas was put my air-conditioning on as we had 4 days over 40°C (104F) in Western Australia! We only had short walks in the mornings too. And I discovered he likes ice blocks. It’s his 8th birthday soon so I’ll use some of these ideas to spoil him then. Was too hot to do much at Christmas, although he’s loving me being home a lot more lately (thanks to mask mandates in force – not easy for me to wear one when my disability means I can’t reach my ears). Best wishes for 2022 😀