This is our second summer in our house, but our first summer with two dogs instead of just one. Mia and Mae looove to play outside together in our backyard. With the heat cranking up in Charlotte the past several days, I have been trying my best to keep them cool, happy, entertained, and out of mischief. We have a fountain in our backyard that they get into if they are not preoccupied with other things – so keeping them busy is a mission of mine. I have found some awesome and affordable products for the dogs this summer that I wanted to share. Our dogs are a bit spoiled, but it’s so fun to watch them enjoy their backyard or a hike or long walk.
Frisbee
Last summer, Mia broke her back tooth while playing with a hard frisbee. She loves playing with frisbees so much, but I didn’t want to risk her breaking any more teeth. Now I will only buy them soft plastic or fabric ones. If your dog likes frisbees, I highly recommend this brand. This is our second one and the girls love to chew on it or have us throw it for them. It’s durable so they can chew on it till their heart’s content, but soft enough to not hurt their teeth when they catch it.
Paw Cleaner – Mudbuster
The Mudbuster is one of my favorite doggy purchases that I’ve ever made. I bought it for Mia when we first moved in last summer and we used it all year. It’s especially helpful on rainy days when the yard is muddy, but even after hikes, it’s nice to be able to quickly clean their feet without having to bath them.
Splash Pad
I got the girls a splash pad a few weeks ago. This is probably one of my most extra dog mom moments, but it has been in the 80s and 90s here and I can’t leave them out in the backyard to play for super long since it is so hot. The splash pad gives them a chance to hang out outside for a few hours and stay cool. It’s not an everyday activity in our backyard but on the weekends, it’s fun to watch them play in it. It’s super easy to set up. You just hook it up to the hose and turn the water on. Once the wall fills with water, the water starts to come out in holes around the wall like a fountain. The girls took a little coaxing at first, but eventually really liked it. I think the splash pad might be a gateway for a doggy pool (which will probably be my next purchase 😇).
Collapsible Water Bowl
I love having this collapsible water bowl with us in the car so that we can give them water easily on hikes without having a bulky bowl bouncing around the car or crammed into a bag. I just fill a half-gallon jug with water and ice for them and then pop the bowl open and fill it up when they need water.
Lick Mats
Both of the girls used to look so depressed during bath time. They would just stand there with their head down moping or try to jump out. After a few escape attempts, we decided to buy these lick mats to make bath time more enjoyable for them and for us. We just load them up with peanut butter and then stick them to the wall. It keeps them preoccupied while we wash them and they love it.
I hope you try out some of these products! They definitely make summer more fun for our pups and easier for us.
Always,
