Birthday Week: DIY Pet Birthday Bandana

Birthdays call for celebration, and what better way to celebrate than a spiffy new bandana to let everyone know it’s your Birthday!

Birthday Week // DIY Pet Birthday Bandana // Ammo the Dachshund

And because I want everyone to celebrate with me, here’s a tutorial I created to help you make your own pet a celebratory bandana.

Birthday Week // DIY Pet Birthday Bandana // Ammo the Dachshund

DIY Pet Birthday Bandana

Materials:

*some links contain affiliate links

Birthday Week // DIY Pet Birthday Bandana // Ammo the Dachshund

Step 1: Using a ruler and cutting utensil, cut a bandana sized piece of fabric out of your material. We used a bandana I already had as a template, but you can also measure your pet’s neck and add about 4″ to be able to tie it. You might also opt to sew the edges of your bandana to prevent fraying before moving on to step 2.

Birthday Week // DIY Pet Birthday Bandana // Ammo the Dachshund

Step 2: You will need your HOORAY! stamp for this part (my mom carved mine, find out how to carve a stamp here or find out how to purchase one here). Use your sponge brush to apply screen printing ink or acrylic paint mixed with Textile Medium to the stamp.

Birthday Week // DIY Pet Birthday Bandana // Ammo the Dachshund

Step 3: Stamp your fabric in several places, re-applying paint after each one. Then allow to dry.

Birthday Week // DIY Pet Birthday Bandana // Ammo the Dachshund

Adding another color can add to the overall effect.

Birthday Week // DIY Pet Birthday Bandana // Ammo the Dachshund

And when you are all finished you will have a spiffy new bandana that’s perfect for celebrating my Birthday with me.

Birthday Week // DIY Pet Birthday Bandana // Ammo the Dachshund

Happy Birthday to me! Only 3 more days until I’m officially 4 and get to open all my presents!

 

My HOORAY! stamp was inspired by a post on Squirrelly Minds.Ammo the Dachshund

On the Job

You may recall that there are some new changes happening on the family farm, most of which involve building Trooper a super duper new house!

Ammo the Dachshund // On the Job // Construction

And since we consider this the family farm, everyone is expected to pitch in and help with the construction, Trooper and I included. I am certainly no stranger to working hard on the farm, in fact, it wasn’t that long ago that I was just a wee pup being introduced to fence building with the family.

Ammo the Dachshund // Puppy // Farmwork

Ammo the Dachshund // On the Job // Construction

So for our newest family construction project we set out to tackle laying radiant flooring on the basement. I gave Trooper the task of Foreman #1.

Ammo the Dachshund // On the Job // Construction

I on the other hand, took on the job of Foreman #2, mostly because Foreman #2 can get away with taking naps on the job! Trooper is such a sucker.

Ammo the Dachshund // On the Job // Construction

Ammo the Dachshund // On the Job // Construction

On Day #1 of the install I oversaw the installation of the floor insulation which had to be cut and taped into place.

Ammo the Dachshund // On the Job // Construction

My crew worked pretty diligently but by sunset they still had lots of insulation left to install. (those slackers).

Ammo the Dachshund // On the Job // Construction

Ammo the Dachshund // On the Job // Construction

So by Day #2 I decided to get my hands dirty and speed up the process.

Ammo the Dachshund // On the Job // Construction

And wouldn’t you know, with my extra help the install went much quicker and by sunset we were nearly complete! I guess all they needed was a little doxie power! Ammo the Dachshund

 

Stay tuned, as there are lots more construction projects in my near future!

Friday Fetch: Pet Pillows

After spotting a DIY Pet Pillow on one of my favorite blogs, Yellow Brick Home, a few months ago – I figured there had to be a pet pillow out there for the non-diyers out there. Well as luck would have it, I stumbled across a custom silkscreened pet pillow from Broderpress on Etsy.

pet pillow from yellow brick home

DIY Pet Pillow via Yellow Brick Home

You get to submit a photo of your pet, which then gets turned into a custom pillow. Can’t you just picture my sofa filled with a ba-zillion stuffed pillows of the cutest little doxie ever….me!

 

Custom Silkscreened Pet Pillows from Broderpress on Etsy via Ammo the Dachshund

Custom Silkscreened Pet Pillows from Broderpress on Etsy via Ammo the Dachshund

Custom Silkscreened Pet Pillows from Broderpress on Etsy via Ammo the Dachshund

You can fetch your own custom pet pillow from broderpress for $60 Ammo the Dachshund

Imagination Hat – Trip to Outer Space

Since Mom is away this week in Chincoteaugue, Virginia with Minnow the Painting Pony I’m having my own little adventure with my imagination hat.

Ammo the Dachshund - Imagination Hat - Outerspace

I’m glad you decided to join me, because today I’m taking a trip into outer space!

Ammo the Dachshund - Imagination Hat - Outerspace

There are so many stars and planets up here – it’s really quite amazing.

Ammo the Dachshund - Imagination Hat - Outerspace

Mom called last night to check on me, and suggested I pack a lunch and drink plenty of water during my trip to space. Jeeze mom, of course I wouldn’t forget to pack a lunch!

Ammo the Dachshund - Imagination Hat - Outerspace

I do miss my mom, but I am having a blast on the moon! I’m on the lookout for moon martians, because I’m in desperate need of a fetch playmate – it is a bit lonely up here. I’ll keep you posted should I find any. Ammo the Dachshund

My Weekend DIY Dipped Yellow Chair

Sometimes over the weekend I take on a few DIY projects around the house. Mom says I’m her favorite little helper, and pretty much I agree.

ammo the dachshund's diy dipped yellow chair

On this particular weekend I decided to help Mom makeover an old chair we had sitting around the house. The BEFORE was pretty blah, but I knew just what would do the trick after seeing this pretty lady on Pinterest:

Dipped Chairs with Dachshunds

ammo the dachshund's diy dipped yellow chair

So I did what I do best – supervised while Mom taped off each of the four legs with painter’s tape.

ammo the dachshund's diy dipped yellow chair

ammo the dachshund's diy dipped yellow chair

Then Mom gave it several coats of spray paint while I chomped on my ball in anticipation. I would of helped, but as you know, these cumbersome paws can’t exactly work a spray paint can.

ammo the dachshund's diy dipped yellow chair

After a few hours of drying time this baby was ready for a photoshoot, and we all know how I love a good photoshoot!

ammo the dachshund's diy dipped yellow chair

ammo the dachshund's diy dipped yellow chair

My new yellow chair looks fabulous with it’s dipped legs don’t you think? I’m now contemplating painting everything this way……how do you think I’d look dipped in teal – it would be the hot new trend in painted pets. I’m gonna be famous! 

DIY Ombre Pet Bandana

DIY Ombre Pet Bandana via Ammo the Dachshund

Over the weekend mom and I had some fun with a little DIY project. I like to keep up with all the fashion trends, so I told mom I needed a stylish new Ombre Bandana for the summer! Ombre is new it thing, incase you didn’t know.

So here’s my super fun tutorial for a…

DIY OMBRE PET BANDANA

DIY Ombre Pet Bandana via Ammo the Dachshund

Supplies Needed:

  • Hanger (a plastic pant hanger works best)
  • Box of Dye (we ended up using a Royal Blue Color – not the pictured teal dye)
  • Cutting Tool (scissors or rotary cutter work fine)
  • Ruler or tape measure
  • White Fabric or Bandana (we used a white cotton jersey material, but the ombre color may show up better on a different material – we just didn’t have any on hand to experiment with) *we also pre-washed/shrunk our fabric before dying

DIY Ombre Pet Bandana via Ammo the Dachshund

Step 1: If you are using a piece of fabric vs. a pre-made bandana (sold at most craft stores, but better sized for a large dog), cut your fabric into a triangular shape that will fit your dog’s neck. Mom measured my neck then added 4″ to each side on the top to make room to tie it. Ex: my neck measured 12″ so we added 8″ total making the top measurement 20″ wide.

DIY Ombre Pet Bandana via Ammo the Dachshund

Step 2: Mix your dye as per the directions on the box. As a rule always add a little less water to your bucket – you can always add more water to dilute it later.

DIY Ombre Pet Bandana via Ammo the Dachshund

Step 3: Attach your bandana to the hanger.

DIY Ombre Pet Bandana via Ammo the Dachshund

Step 4: Dip the bandana 3/4 into the dye for about 5 seconds, then remove. Try to keep the bandana as level as possible when dipping into the dye.

DIY Ombre Pet Bandana via Ammo the Dachshund

Step 5: Next dip your bandana 1/2 way into the dye for 20 seconds.

DIY Ombre Pet Bandana via Ammo the Dachshund

Step 6: Remove the Bandana another 1/4 out of the dye so that just 1/4 remains in the dye. Leave it there for another 2 – 3 minutes. *you may have to experiment with dye times based on the type of fabric you are using and how quickly it soaks up the dye.

DIY Ombre Pet Bandana via Ammo the Dachshund

DIY Ombre Pet Bandana via Ammo the Dachshund

Remove from the dye and hang until dry.

DIY Ombre Pet Bandana via Ammo the Dachshund

The waiting is the hardest part!

DIY Ombre Pet Bandana via Ammo the Dachshund

When your bandana is dry you will have a stylish new accessory perfect for the summer! Yay!

DIY Ombre Pet Bandana via Ammo the Dachshund

Of course I had to break mine in by rolling in the stinkiest dead animal smell I could find. It was glorious!

Friday Fetch: DIY Healthy Sweet Potato Treats for your Dog

I’ve been posting a lot this week about the new Polka Dog Line at Target, and I couldn’t help but squeeze one more post in about them this Friday – because I found the icing to my cupcake!

Via the A Bullseye View Blog I found a DIY recipe for Healthy Sweet Potato Treats for your furry friend. And never one to pass up a good cookie recipe I wanted to share it with everyone! Not to mention this is super easy to make and only requires two ingredients – the perfect start to your weekend for you and your dog.

diy sweet potato dog cookies

Sweet Pawtato Chips
Makes 32-42 treats 

Made from sweet potatoes (loaded with vitamin C, potassium and fiber) soaked in chicken broth, these thinly sliced treats are a healthy snack solution.

What You Need:
2 medium sweet potatoes
Chicken broth

What You’ll Do:
1. Preheat oven to 400 F.

2. Wash and Scrub Sweet Potatoes. Slice 1/8” thick with a mandolin or sharp knife.

3. Place in small bowl and cover with chicken broth.  Let soak for 1/2 hour.

4. Take slices out of bowl and place on parchment lined sheet pans.

5. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

6. Remove from oven, and allow to cool.

diy sweet potato dog cookies

Make sure you check out the full post for more photos and another recipe for Chicken Dog Biscuits. And you can bet I’ll be begging my mom to make me some of these this weekend!

Images and cookie recipe reposted from ABullseyeview.com 

Ammo’s Guide to Nail Trimmers for Dogs

Nail Trimming, it’s the arch nemesis to many of my four-legged friends – including myself. According to my mom it is a necessary evil to prevent ingrown nails, and trimming them allows me to put my full weight on the ground – instead of my nails, which could cause a deformed gait.

ammo's guide to nail trimming for dogs

So despite the fact that I really don’t like to have my nails trimmed I’m here to share with you my opinion on some of the best and worst nail trimmers out there.

Below is a break-down of some of the tools I have tried.

ammo's guide to nail trimming for dogs

1. Guillotine style nail clippers*

2. Scissor Style Nail Clippers*

3. PediPaws nail trimmer*

4. Dremel*

*contains affiliate links

ammo's guide to nail trimming for dogs

The guillotine style nail trimmer is my least favorite type. Don’t tell anyone I said this, but it makes me cry! Mom also says she finds it awkward to hold and get into the right position and it doesn’t seem to make a clean cut, perhaps that’s why it hurts when it trims my nails.

ammo's guide to nail trimming for dogs

The scissor style trimmer is at the top of my list because it’s quick and painless as long as you don’t trim the nails too short.

ammo's guide to trimming dog's nails

The particular scissor style trimmer that I have is made by JW Pet Company and also has a protective guard on it to help avoid cutting anything else (like little doxie noses).

ammo's guide to nail trimming for dogs

The PediPaws nail sander works fairly well, but I’m not a huge fan of the way it vibrates my nails. I can only tolerate it for so long before I just won’t sit still any longer. It also seems to take a long time to trim the nails. The one nice thing about the pedi paw though is that it has a guard on it with an opening just big enough for a nail to fit through. This helps to make sure nothing else accidentally gets sanded.

ammo's guide to nail trimming for dogs

The dremel tool isn’t something sold specifically for trimming dog’s nails but it’s practically the same thing as the PediPaws. The only difference is that this sands the nail a lot faster, but this also means it spins at a higher rate (and without a nail guard) so you have to be extra careful when trimming with it.

ammo's guide to trimming dog's nails

Now if it was up to me, I’d be trimming my nails myself.

ammo's guide to trimming dog's nails

But, you’d be surprised at how difficult it is when you don’t have opposable thumbs.

ammo's guide to trimming dog's nails

So to get my fabulous mani/pedi look, this is how my mom does it for a difficult nail trimming patient like myself…

She’s super sneaky and waits until I fall into a deep sleep then quickly and quietly snips some of my nails with the scissor style trimmer, making sure to cut my all black nails just before they begin to curve as to not cut the quick. If I happen to wake up (which I always do for my front nails) she feeds me some cookies and leaves me alone until I fall asleep again or sometimes waits until the next day to finish my nails. If she thinks some of her snips weren’t quite short enough, then she’ll break out the dremel or pedipaws to sand them down a bit further. I typically only tolerate the sanders for about 5 minutes so sometimes this is broken up over several days as well.

ammo's guide to trimming dog's nails

As much as I hate getting my nails trimmed I know I look fabulous when it’s all said and done.

So now I want to hear from my fans – what nail trimming secrets or products do you use? 

 

Disclosure: I was not paid or perked to write this review, I just thought it would be helpful to share my nail trimming tips with everyone. 

My New Office

Being a Blogger (and facebook celebrity) pretty much means that I spend a lot of time locked in my office writing away. Only up until recently my blogging space wasn’t really up to my amazing design standards. So after some begging and pleading, and a few sad puppy faces, Mom and Dad agreed to give my office a makeover.

ammo the dachshund new office

Welcome to my new office, won’t you join me for the tour?

ammo the dachshund new office

ammo the dachshund new office

ammo the dachshund new office

ammo the dachshund new office

Fabulous right? The best parts are in the details, because it’s quite obvious that my personal style (and overall good looks) have taken over the space completely….

ammo the dachshund new office

A is for Ammo and everything that is awesome!

ammo the dachshund new office

My Reserve Champ ribbon from the Keystone Dachshund Races last year proudly hangs on my cork board along with my favorite photo of me and Minnow the Chincoteague Pony.

ammo the dachshund new office

Everything about my new office is happy and bright….just like me!

ammo the dachshund new office

ammo the dachshund new office

ammo the dachshund new office

ammo the dachshund new office

ammo the dachshund new office

At the end of the day, the most important thing is the function – and after taking it for a test spin, my new office passes the Ammo the Dachshund standards test.

ammo the dachshund new office

ammo the dachshund new office

ammo the dachshund new office

Suddenly I’m inspired to be way more creative – building more rocket packs, digging more holes, and painting more pictures.

ammo the dachshund new office

There’s adventures to be had right outside my window!

ammo the dachshund new office

Just as soon as I finish my afternoon nap!

Helper Boy

Weekend projects around my house tend to always involve a do-it-yourself mentality.

ammo the dachshund paint helper

And on this particular weekend, mom’s d.i.y. project to update the office took over my sunroom.

ammo the dachshund paint helper

Even though my sunning space was suddenly way more crowded, I was thrilled when mom said I could help, because as you know I’m really really good at helping.

ammo the dachshund paint helper

However, when the paint roller proved to be too difficult for my cumbersome paws I decided to improvise….

ammo the dachshund paint helper

….sadly mom didn’t think it was such a good idea and I was promptly relinquished from my duties as helper boy.

sigh.