Got a shivering pup looking up at you with those big brown eyes? Given that we coat horses to keep them cosy in winter, coating a dog isn’t so much of an indulgence, really. For DIYers, this dog coat pattern on Circle of Crafters looks like a real winner.

The author, Bobbi-Lynn, has thoughtfully included a range of sizes according to your pooch’s girth, and I’d imagine it wouldn’t be that hard to extend the back measurements to accomodate your favourite sausage dog.

I’m sure this pattern could even be re-jigged a little to accomodate a certain Cornish Rex I know, who has decided to spend winter glued to the heater.

Part of the charm of this page is in the gallery of pooches who are getting the benefit of this pattern. By turns fun (and just a little scary) it’s a great tribute to the versatility of this pattern.

Thanks to Jenny Turner for this great tip — a raw chicken wing stuffed into a Kong so that it’s hard to get out makes a superfast, long lasting challenge for your dog. Just make sure the bone is raw, not cooked, so you don’t end up with expensive holes in poochie’s stomach. Just to be on the safe side, I also wouldn’t give one to the kind of pooch who hoovers chicken bones whole like our Jack.

Bringing up a bouncy pup while running a home business has made me quite the fiend for time management. My latest method for putting together a frozen Kong is fast — even if I do say so myself. A frozen Kong turns a hot dog into a cool customer – and keeps him occupied for nearly as long as a bone.

First – plop two Kongs in mugs to hold them upright.

Then speedily gather together: some kibble; some frozen natural yoghurt (sugar free); a chopstick or other pokey thing, your trusty plastic-funnel-with-the-end-chopped-off; and a spoon.

Right. Spoon the yoghurt and kibble in yer funnel (I’ll leave it to you to work out your quantities. You just need enough yoghurt to act as a binder.) This is where your chopstick comes in handy for poking the mixture into the Kong.

Now wrap your Kong in plastic or whatever, and freeze.

An hour or two later you’ll have a frozen-solid Kong and a happy dog! If you’re leery of giving your dog bones (some people fear bowel perforations, broken teeth, grossness etc) this is a great alternative. We’re having a bone shortage around here lately, so I’m making these all the time and feeling no pain.

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Keeping cats indoors may be a sound moral choice, but it’s challenging when your cat is moping around unhappily, drumming her claws and flicking through the tv channels with heavy distant sighs.

One of the (many) ways we keep our Cornish Rex kitten amused is by mixing up her physical environment all the time. She reminds me of a human toddler in many ways - she’s an absolute fiend for the latest and greatest. Rearrange her space a little, rotate her toys, and she’s one happy puppy.

And how to really rock her world? Build her a temporary space that she can use to launch attacks on Jack. Here’s a little improv she and Jack did for me the other night to a Billy Bragg number:

Naturally, Jack chewed the box to bits first chance he got. An easier way to build a new fort/den/cubby house for a cat? Drape a sheet or beach towel over a chair or coffee table. Easy.

Entertaining the fam’ can be challenging in a city where it costs money to step out the front door and sneeze. But taking poochy to an off leash park and watching him run around with his ears inside out is still one of life’s little tight arsed pleasures. We’re lucky enough to live close to a spot where Jack can swim. But even a water-free dog park is fun if you take a ball and a keyed up dog. Jack does these bizarre sideways backflips when the doggy seat belt comes out.

Here are some links to share the fun:

• Urban Animal’s directory of dog watering holes in Sydney
• A directory of off leash parks in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne
• A directory of off leash dog parks for every state in the USA

Dogs in England and Wales can count themselves very lucky indeed - since 2004, new laws have opened up a snootful of lovely country areas called “access lands”. You can take Little Lord Poochy to any of the areas marked in yellow on these maps. Or you can find out more about walking your dog on Access Lands.