Handmade Dog ID Tag

Need a new dog tag? This darling one from Etsy is hand stamped and includes your dog’s name and your phone number.

The handmade dog tag includes a cute charm (in the display, it’s a paw print, but you can choose something else) and it’s made out of copper.

If boyish and rustic is more your dog’s style, this concave aluminum dog tag is sleek and modern. Plus, it comes with an adorable story about a pizza loving dog.

What kind of dog tag hangs from your dog’s collar? Something handmade or mass produced? And, even if your dog is microchipped, a collar and tag are still smart ideas just in case he decides to sneak out and hang with the neighbors.

Dog bark too much? Here’s how to fix it

If your dog barks too much and drives you crazy, there is hope! But first, you have to do a little sleuthing.

If your dog barks because he’s bored, keep him entertained with a Kong or other toy. How to tell if it’s boredom barking? Usually, he’ll either bark unfocused-ly (like he can’t see anything to bark at, but he wants to be ready) or he’ll bark just once every few minutes.

If your dog barks because he’s highly reactive and *everything* needs to be barked at (including the shadows in the living room), train the Quiet command and get in the habit of stopping the barking after no more than 30 seconds with a sharp, “Quiet” and then a treat when he shuts up.

Finally, if you live on a busy street, or somewhere where there really *is* a lot to bark at, block your dog’s view a bit. It’s stressful for your dog to feel like he’s in charge of the neighborhood watch, so make sure to give him just enough to look at. (If the neighborhood kids walk past your house each day at 3 and that sets off an hour of barking, feed your dog dinner at that time, in the back of the house so he can’t see them.)

In all three cases, training the Quiet command will really help, as will minimizing things to bark at. You don’t want your dog to stop barking altogether–most of us appreciate that our dogs can alert us to someone approaching the house–but you do want to keep your dog’s barking from getting out of control and the quiet command will help you do that.

Dog toy box

And I thought Vance was spoiled because he has a toy box overflowing with toys… But, his box is cardboard (though I did cut a front opening so he can reach in more easily), and although I briefly considered covering it in wallpaper, it’s still just regular cardboard-box colored.

These dog toy boxes, on the other hand. They’re gorgeous! And they’d look really lovely in our living room. With intricate detailing and cute bun feet, they look like a regular piece of furniture.

Then again, if we brought one of these dog toy boxes home, my family would *really* talk about how dangerous it’s going to be when the hubster and I have kids.