At Battersea, we know that enrichment is vital for your dog. If your dog isn’t feeling stimulated, they can become bored or frustrated. This can lead to them developing unwanted habits as they try and find an outlet for their energy, so it’s best to try and keep them engaged. Plus, you can have fun with them in the process!
We also know it’s important to make our dogs feel special, and what better way than with an occasional homemade dog treat, or with a fun new homemade dog toy that you can get the whole family involved in making? Let’s take a look at some dog-friendly activities that are fun for all the family (with parental supervision).
If you're ready to find a cottage with a fantastic kitchen where you can cook up all kinds of goodies for yourself and your canine companion, start searching through our collection of dog-friendly holiday cottages across the UK.
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Make some tasty dog treats
Happily eyeing up whatever is on your dinner plate, fickle pups pick and choose what they like in their own bowl, so why not make them some delicious dog treats and find something they’ll truly love?
We’ve got some easy, simple recipes to make at home, from healthy dog biscuits to puppy popsicles for the summer. Our DIY dog treats are sure to get your pup’s tail wagging and mouth watering!
These treats are great to make in your holiday cottage or take away on your trips as a taste of home for your pal. Delicious, homemade and free from additives, they’re healthy and tasty, and let your four-legged best friend know just how much you love them.
Battersea's homemade dog biscuits
Remember, these are a treat for your dog, so you should only make them occasionally and ensure they’re fed to them in small amounts, alongside a well-balanced diet that is appropriate for their age and lifestyle. Watch the video below.
Ingredients
- 1 banana
- 60g sweet potato, mashed
- 160g oats/oat flour
Method
Peel and chop your sweet potato then boil in a saucepan of water for about 10–15 minutes, until soft. Once thoroughly cooked, drain and set aside to cool completely.
Tip your oats into a blender and pulse them into flour. Alternatively, you can use ready-made oat flour.
Add your banana to a bowl along with your cooled sweet potato. Blend until smooth using a hand blender. Then, add in your blended oats or oat flour.
Mix all the ingredients and then bring them together with your hands to form a dough. Wrap the dough in cling film and leave it in the fridge for at least 6 hours, or overnight. It’s important to do this, as it will allow the oats to absorb some moisture and won’t swell in your dog’s stomach.
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees. Lightly flour your work surface and roll the dough out to be about 1cm thick. Cut out the biscuits, using whatever shape you like.
Place them on a lined baking tray and bake in the oven at 180 degrees for 30–35 minutes. When they are thoroughly cooked through, remove them from the oven and leave to cool completely.
Once cool, they are ready for your dog to enjoy! These biscuits will keep fresh in a sealed container for up to two weeks.
Pawfect for: An occasional treat or an aid to training your dog.
Homemade peanut butter dog treats
Ingredients
- 140g whole wheat flour
- 110g smooth peanut butter
- 85g mashed banana or unsweetened apple sauce
- 60ml chicken stock
- A cookie cutter (bone-shaped to make it even more appetising!)
Method
Preheat the oven to 170 degrees/gas mark 4. In a bowl, mix together the flour, peanut butter, and either the apple sauce or mashed banana until all the ingredients are combined.
Press the dough into a ball and roll out with a rolling pin until it is roughly 0.5cm thick.
Place the cut-out shapes onto an ungreased baking tray and put in the oven for around 18 minutes, or until golden brown.
Keep the biscuits in an airtight container for your pup to enjoy either as training treats or when he’s been a super good boy!
Pawfect for: Training food and small treats to keep your happy hound satisfied.
Beetroot, cranberry and honey gummies
Ingredients
- 1 beetroot
- 25g cranberries
- 2 packs of unflavored and unsweetened gelatin
- 80g honey
- Shaped moulds
Method
Thinly slice the beetroot and put in a saucepan of 250ml of cold water, followed by the cranberries which need piercing with a cocktail stick.
Turn up the heat and let the water simmer for around 20 minutes, before switching off the hob and letting the pan cool down completely.
Strain the cranberries and beetroot, keeping the water in a saucepan.
Sprinkle the gelatin into the juice and allow it to sit for 5 minutes, before turning the hob onto a low heat and stirring the mixture until it is fully dissolved, then add the honey and continue stirring.
Pour the mixture into the moulds and allow to set in the fridge – your canine will be chomping at the bit to get their paws on these sweet treats!
Pawfect for: A doggo with a sweet tooth that will appreciate all your hard work!
Pumpkin and yoghurt dog treats
Ingredients
- 200g pure pumpkin puree
- 250g plain yoghurt
- Jumbo ice cube tray
Method
Mix the pumpkin and yoghurt in a bowl and pour into the ice cube trays.
Freeze the mixture for 24 hours and pop out of the moulds whenever you want to treat Fido to a frozen delight – quick, simple, and delicious.
Allow the ice cubes to melt slightly before feeding them to your dog so he or she doesn't get the treat stuck to their tongue!
Pawfect for: Hot dogs in the summer sun that need a little pick me up to make it through those long, hard afternoons of sleeping.
Sweet potato dog chews
Ingredients
- It's easy – you only need sweet potatoes!
Method
Preheat the oven to 120 degrees/gas mark 1, then wash and dry the sweet potatoes.
Slice them thinly, lengthways, at around 0.5cm centimetre thick, then lay them out on a baking tray on top of some greaseproof paper.
Cook the slices for 3 hours, turning halfway through, so they shrivel slightly and dry up.
Keep them stored in the fridge to stop them from becoming mouldy, and let your pup enjoy chomping on chewy deliciousness.
Pawfect for: Dogs that love to sniff out every odd sock and slipper possible around the house.
Create a homemade dog toy
When your playful pup needs to burn off some energy after all those tail-wagging treats, why not give them a homemade dog toy that they will truly treasure?
Battersea's homemade ring ragger dog toy
A homemade ring ragger toy is great for a tug game with your adult dog or puppy. They can be especially good toys for young puppies with sensitive gums, just don’t tug too hard. It’s a good idea to have two toys to hand when playing in order to encourage constructive play and stop your dog from being too possessive over one particular toy.
You should always monitor your dog when they are playing with these types of toys to make sure they don’t tear off any bits of material and ingest them.
To make a DIY ring ragger dog toy, you will need:
- A pair of scissors
- An old jumper – we recycle old Battersea uniforms to cut down on waste
Step 1
Start by cutting the cuff off the jumper. This will form the base of the toy. If you have a bigger dog, you can make the ring ragger bigger by using the neck or bottom of the jumper, instead of the sleeve cuff.
Step 2
Next, cut one long strip of material from the rest of the jumper. Make this piece as long as you can to make sure it will go all the way around your jumper cuff.
Step 3
Tie the long strip onto the cuff, at the middle of the strip, making sure you have an even amount of material on each side of the knot.
Step 4
Take your strip on the left-hand side and pass it around the front of your cuff and over to the other side to make an 'L' shape. Then, take the strip on the opposite side and pass it over your first strip, and around the back of the cuff, passing it through the loop that you have made with the strip on the left (this part is a little tricky, so you may want to check out our video). Pull both strips as tight as you can, trying to cover the material underneath.
Step 5
Repeat the last step, but this time start your knot on the opposite side. So this time, you will be making a backward 'L' shape with the strip on the right-hand side.
Step 6
Keep repeating this process, alternating sides each time, until you have gone all the way around the cuff. You may sometimes need to shuffle the knot upwards to overlap with the previous knot and keep the material underneath covered. Tie to finish and then cut off any excess material.
Canine Cottages and Battersea
Canine Cottages and Battersea are teaming up to form a partnership built on shared values, allowing Canine Cottages to support Battersea in its incredible work, ensuring our beloved dogs have all the love and attention they deserve.
You can sign up for The Battersea Way, Battersea's pet advice email, or treat your dog to a well-deserved holiday by browsing our dog-friendly cottages.
Battersea Dogs & Cats Home is a registered charity in England and Wales (Registered Charity No: 206394)
Disclaimer: Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information at the time of writing,
please ensure you check carefully before making any decisions based on the contents within this article.