Don’t leave your pets out of the Halloween celebration!

This year, bring the whole family into the fun by carving a pumpkin in the image of a dog…or a cat, or a dog…witch?!? Yup! 🙂

 

 

 

 

These DOGTV stencils will help you get everything going in the right direction. Just click on any of the images to print a pdf of it.

Here’s how to get this project done:

1. Print out the DOGTV stencil on regular 8.5×11 size paper. 
2. Tape onto your hollowed out pumpkin.
3. Carefully use a knife or speciality pumpkin carving tools to follow the lines. It can be helpful to use a tool to punch the outline out before you start to carve. As a back up, a tack will work.
4. Be sure to cut out the pumpkin where it says “cut” and only shave the pumpkin where it says “shave.” Shaving adds some different color, like the photo above.

We’ve created these three speciality stencils for you to pick from – we don’t want leave cats out of your Halloween celebration!  Add the adorable witchy hat adds a little spook to your pumpkin.

Place a flameless LED tea light inside the pumpkin for a spooky glow that will reflect your design perfectly. Flameless candles are very inexpensive and much safer for homes with dogs. You can find them online at Amazon or in your local store.

Pumpkins are not just for carving!

Remember that pumpkins are not only fun to carve, they are great for your dog’s digestive system. If you’re only going to have your pumpkin on display for a few hours, you can take some time to cook it afterwards. Wash the entire pumpkin and rinse well. Here’s how:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cut the entire pumpkin up into large chunks and drizzle lightly with olive oil.
3. Place cut side down on a baking sheet.
4. Roast until soft, about 40 minutes.

After it’s cooled down, remove the skin and mash with a food processor (or with a potato masher). Don’t overfeed pumpkin to your pets, a little will do your pets a lot of good, but too much can cause digestive problems. Most dogs do well with a teaspoon of pumpkin per 10 lbs of dog weight. If your dog is only 10 lbs, don’t feed more than a teaspoon. If your dog weighs 60 lbs, you should stay under 6 teaspoons.

It’s a great way to introduce your dogs to the Halloween Holiday! Have fun and show us your pictures using #dogtv on Instagram!