Handy Hints For Pet Owners:
*Four things pet owners should never be without: Baking Soda, White Vinegar, 20 Mule Team® Borax, and Lemon Dishwashing Detergent.
Bath when a tub bath isn't convenient: As pet shampoo, rub baking soda into
pet's fur. Then comb or brush out.
Does your dog have that unpleasant "wet dog" smell after you bathe him? - Mix a handful of baking soda in pet's bathwater and he'll emerge much fresher smelling.
If you use doggie litter - put 1 cup baking soda in with whatever type of litter material you use. It will help to neutralize the acidic urine which minimizes the ammonia smell.
Ants in the dog food bowl: Place the bowl of food in a low pie pan filled with water.
Chewing Inhibitor: Rub clove oil on the wood
Chewing Inhibitor: Spray the wood with antiperspirant spray or if you have white woodwork or furniture that is being chewed, you can just smear the stick kind on as it is usually white. It will pucker their tongues!
Digging Holes in the Yard: Sprinkle cayenne pepper into the holes....no more digging....stings their toes.
Convenient Flea Shampoo: Bathe your dog as usual, but use lemon dishwashing detergent. Suds up really well and allow the detergent to remain on the coat for about 3 minutes. Before rinsing the detergent out, use a flea comb to comb out any flea eggs so they can go down the drain.. *If eggs remain in the coat, they will hatch within 2 weeks. This bathing method does not kill the flea eggs.
Flea Rinse: After using your favorite doggie shampoo, add a couple of drops of Tea Tree Essential Oil or Lavender Essential Oil to the final rinse.
CITRUS REPELLENT: Cut a lemon into quarters and place in a jar or bowl. Cover the lemon quarters with boiling water and let it marinate overnight. The next day you will have a flea repellent that you can use in a spray bottle. Spray all over except for armpits and privates.
Rid bedding of fleas: Wash your dog’s bedding regularly because no flea can make it through a hot wash cycle.
Rid your furniture of fleas: Vacuum very thoroughly and sprinkle a light layer of table salt over your upholstery and carpets and leave overnight before vacuuming again to run the fleas out.. Empty your vacuum bag!
Make your own flea and tick dip: Steep two cups of fresh Rosemary leaf in two pints of boiling water for 30 minutes. Strain the liquid, discard the leaves and make it up to one gallon ( 8 pints) with warm water. Pour this mixture over the dog until it’s saturated. Do not rinse off and allow the dog to dry naturally .
INTERNAL FLEA REPELLENTS: Garlic or . Brewer’s yeast tablets help to make your dog less attractive to fleas because the smell is excreted through the skin.
Homemade Dog Treats From Leftovers: Cut up leftover pork chops, steak, or even chicken into small cubes. Microwave until dry and rather hard. Dogs love these treats and they don't mess up your pockets. They can be frozen and used later too.
House Training Aide: Attach a bell on a string to the door you want your puppy to go out to potty. Make sure the bell is low enough that the puppy can reach it. Every time you take the dog out to potty, shake the bell. After a while your pup will ring the bell himself to let you know he needs to go outside to potty. I learned this from one of our first dogs. We had one of those chain locks down near the bottom of the door and each time we opened the door it would rattle. The dog started going to the door and rattling the chain when she wanted to go outside to potty.
Pet Urine on Carpet
First, blot up what you can with paper towels. Mix one teaspoon mild
dish-washing detergent in one cup warm water, dip a clean towel in the liquid
and, working from outside in, dab at stain. Do not over-wet. Rinse with fresh
water and blot dry. Next, add one-third cup white vinegar with two-thirds cup
water and dab on stain. Rinse with water; blot until dry. Once area is totally
dry (after at least 24 hours), sprinkle entire carpet with baking soda or rug
deodorizer. Vacuum after a few hours.
Pet Urine & Sour Spilled Milk Odors:
Neutralize urine and sour spilled milk odors from rugs, mattresses and mattress
covers by dampening the spot and sprinkling 20 Mule Team® Borax over it. Rub the
20 Mule Team® Borax into the areas and let dry. Brush or vacuum to remove the
dry Borax.
Urine stain remover solution:
Here are the ingredients to make a urine stain remover solution; 1 16 oz. bottle of Hydrogen Peroxide, 1 Tbsp. of Baking Soda, 1 Teas. of liquid dish detergent (regular or antibacterial). Mix all ingredients into a plastic or glass bowl (do not use metal). Stir with a plastic spoon (not metal!) until completely dissolved. Place in a plastic squirt bottle. Test the solution on a small, hidden part of your rug, carpet or furniture. Completely saturate the urine stain and allow the solution to soak in. Do not blot. Do not scrub. Do not walk on the spot. Allow to air dry. Once dry, vacuum up any residue left by the baking soda.Fly Repellent:
2 cups vinegar 1 cup Avon Skin So Soft 1 cup water 1 Tbs Eucalyptus Oil 1 Tbs Citronella Oil Put in spray bottle and spray dog's coat as needed. Keep out of eyes. A good product for the sensitive areas of the face and head is Farnam Roll-On Fly Repellent. Also: putting apple cider vinegar in the dog's water will help repel flies and fleas. If your dogs don’t like apple cider vinegar in the water bowl, dilute it 50/50 with water and spray them.Toys: A long tube sock knotted a couple of times works just as well as the expensive stuffed toys or rope chews.