Label Maker Ideas for Dog Owners

1. Food bins: the date you opened the bag

Dry food goes stale weeks after the bag is opened. If you pour it into a storage bin, label the bin with the food name and the date you opened the bag. When you switch brands, the label tells you which bin holds the old food.

2. Portion size on the scoop or lid

If more than one person feeds the dog, put the amount right where people look: on the lid of the bin or the handle of the scoop. It ends the "I thought you fed her" double breakfast. Use a laminated label here, because scoops get washed.

3. Treat jars, sorted by purpose

Training treats, chews and the special treats for nail trims all look the same in a cupboard. A simple label on each jar keeps them apart, and it helps a pet sitter use the right ones.

4. Medication and supplements with the schedule

Label each bottle with when it's given, in the words your vet used. For a dog on more than one medication, a small label on the shelf edge with the daily schedule is easier to follow than reading every bottle. Always keep the original pharmacy label visible and add yours next to it, not on top of it.

5. Vet records folder

Vaccination certificates, microchip number, insurance policy and the vet's phone number. Label one folder and keep everything in it. When a groomer, kennel or new vet asks for vaccination proof, it takes ten seconds to find.

6. Crate note for sitters and dog walkers

A small label on the crate or by the leash hook with the dog's name, feeding time and an emergency phone number helps anyone looking after your dog. Keep it short. Long notes don't get read.

7. A grab-and-go walk bin by the door

Keep one bin per kind of walk: a rain bin with the raincoat, boots and a towel, and a summer bin with the water bottle and a cooling vest. Label the bins, and getting out of the door on a wet morning takes one grab instead of five.

Not sure what goes in a rain bin? Our sister store DogTrekly has a printable rainy dog walk checklist that's a good starting point.

8. Leash and harness hooks, by size

Two dogs, two harnesses that look almost the same? Label the hook, not the harness. Labels on fabric peel off quickly, but a hook label stays put for years.

9. Travel bag checklist

Stick a short checklist inside the lid of the travel bag: food, bowls, leash, poop bags, medication, vet records. Check it before every trip and nothing gets left behind.