Dog Products | American Dog Blog

Pierson’s new dog toy – The Kyjen Dog Agility Starter Kit

I just got this dog agility starter kit from Kyjen! It is relatively inexpensive and the pieces show that in the quality. But it really is perfect for a beginner like Pierson. It includes a tunnel, the weave poles, and a pole for him to jump over. Here are some pictures of him using it:

Pierson already knows the ‘over’ command from last summer when he learned to jump through a hula hoop.

After a few tries, Pierson understands the ‘over’ command in relation to the agility pole.

Pierson is not sure about the agility tunnel. I have him sit at the end, and place a treat on the other end in order to coax him through.

Pierson sees the treat and cautiously approaches through the agility tunnel.

Almost there…

Through! Getting Pierson to go through the agility tunnel was easier than I thought it would be!!!

I did not set up the weave poles yet. It is still too muddy out. But Pierson has been working on the weave command. For now, we are doing each of the sections of the agility course separately. When he has all the commands down, I will start running him through the course. Hopefully, I will have a video for you in a month or two.

I was not compensated in any way for this review. I bought the Kyjen dog agility starter kit on my own, just for my boy Pierson. You can find one for your dog on my Amazon a-store HERE.

For more great pet photos, check out the Wordless Wednesday blog hop link below or you can find it on our other blog, PetAutoSafetyBlog.com, where I’m showing a cute photo of a Dachshund named Daffy in her new Thundershirt.

 

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Did you see Maya’s review of the NiteDawg light up dog collar from March 2nd? It was pretty cool, right? Except it probably wouldn’t work as well as on dogs like my Pierson with long hair. Well, it just so happens that Pierson won his own light up dog collar shortly after! He won it from the Jones Natural Chews blog! (BTW, if you haven’t seen this blog, it’s fun and super funny.) The light from Pierson’s collar hangs down so his hair doesn’t obscure it. Here are the pet photos of both Maya & Pierson wearing their light up dog collars… into the night.

See how Maya’s dog collar glows around her neck while Pierson’s shines a light?

Despite their light up dog collars, I still managed to trip in the dark.

Maya’s dog collar glows while Pierson’s shines a light. Oooh, scary shadows.

These pet photos aren’t the best. It is so difficult taking photos of the dogs at night. But for some great pet photos, check out the link to the Wordless Wednesday blog hop below:

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This is a Lab wearing the NiteDawg dog collar, but this is not Maya. (product image from SafetyGearOnline.com)

In today’s busy world where you get up early for work and get home late, you probably have to walk your dog when it is dark out. The darkness can be worrisome for a pedestrian, especially when crossing the street. You might see a car coming because of their headlights, but they probably won’t see you until the last moment. So what can you do to protect yourself and your pet? Try a dog collar that doesn’t just glow in the dark, but also lights up in the night.

The NiteDawg is just such a dog collar. You don’t have to wait for a vehicle’s headlights to reflect on the dog collar for the driver of the car to see it. They can see it from a distance because the collar has an LED light.

We received one of these Night Dawg dog collars to try and I really liked it. It was super easy to adjust and fit around my Labrador Maya’s neck. I simply took the light source out, cut it down to size, then put it back into the collar. It was easier than I thought it would be.

I can let Maya wear the collar all the time just like any other dog collar. Or I can put it on her just for when we go out walking at night. The NiteDawg collar has three settings for the light: off, steady-on, and flashing-on. To change the settings, I simply push a little button on the collar.

Maya is on our back porch wearing her new NiteDawg light-up dog collar.

The light runs on a battery. To replace the battery, you would have to remove four small screws on the small battery pack. The round battery is a CR2032 3V battery. A searching on Amazon shows that this battery is inexpensive – about $ 5 for five! By the way, the light switch is water-resistant. It’s not waterproof, so you dog can’t go swimming in it. But it should be fine if you are walking your dog in the rain.

Although I do really like this product, there are two things I don’t like. First, the rubber-like light source was bent from the packaging and is a bit warped around Maya’s neck. I’m sure that over time, the shape will become more proportionate looking. This really wasn’t a big deal, just a minor aesthetic thing. Second, you have to unscrew the case to replace the battery and the screws are really small. It can be a hassle for someone who is older… or in my case, someone who doesn’t have a screwdriver with that small of a head. Oh, I guess another thing which some may not like, the collar only comes in red.

Overall, I think the Night Dawg light-up dog collar is worth the price of about $ 15.00 plus shipping. It is well-made and a super-fun way to walk your dog at night. You can also use it to keep an eye on your dog when you let him out at night to go potty!

We received no monetary compensation for this post. However, we did receive the dog collar to try for free. Our review is 100% our own.

It was difficult getting a good photo in the dark because it came out as a red blur on black. So I put Maya on our snowed-on front porch in front of a light source.

The Kinn Kudose pill concealer base, bottle with apple/chicken baby food in it, and pill casings that will disintegrate when your dog eats it.

I recently had the opportunity to try out the Kinn Kudose pill concealer. When I first saw the product online I was a bit put off by the price. But when I got it in the mail I was pleasantly surprised. This isn’t some cheap flimsy product. It is very well made. And if you are medicating pets regularly, it is very useful.

At first I had a difficult time with it. One of the recipes it suggested was a peanut butter with oil recipe. It calls for smooth peanut butter and that is what I used. But I used Smucker’s Natural Peanut butter which is just peanuts and salt, no sugar or other additives. Even though it was the smooth variety, this particular brand was not as smooth as the peanut butters which have additives. So when I tried to squeeze it out of the Kudose bottle, it wouldn’t work. I guess the peanut chunks were too big and got stuck in the nozzle.

So I went and bought some baby food, which was another recipe Kudose suggested. It suggested chicken and gravy but I ended up buying sweet potato with turkey and apple with chicken. These worked very well and squeezed right out of the bottle. In fact, it came out so easily that the first pill I made was overfilled and I made a mess. But after making a couple more, I was able to make them quickly and easily.

The Kinn Kudose pill concealer with a pill case in it, the bottle on top, and sweet potato/turkey baby food being put inside.

Maya takes medication on occasion. I hate it when I try to hide the pill in soft cheese and she still manages to spit it out. Sometimes I would just skip the pleasantries and drop the pill in the back of her throat and close her mouth to make her swallow it. Not fun, but at least she ate her medication. But with the Kinn Kudose pill concealer, medicating Maya is 100x easier.

While the initial cost of getting the Kinn Kudose base dome and bottles might be considered pricy, it is a onetime cost and well worth it. The only other thing you would have to buy afterwards is more pill cases. These cases are just under $ 5 for over 100 of them.

The pill cases dissolve quickly so that the goodies and medicine you are putting inside gets digested by your dog. So you will want to make a pill as needed, not in batches. Simply open the empty pill casing and put the larger piece in the proper slot of the Kinn Kudose base. Put the medication in the casing. Then take the bottle of whatever goodie recipe you decide to use and set it directly over the pill casing onto the base. The attachment on the bottle makes it very easy to just simply set it and fit it over the top. Squeeze gently until the pill case is full, take the bottle away, then take the other piece of the pill casing and place it over the top.

After medicine is put in the pill and it is filled with the treat (in this case it is sweet potato/turkey baby food), put the pill together.

Ta da! In no time at all and no mess, you have a delicious tasting pill. Both my dogs gobbled it up!

Pierson really wants the pill from with the apple/chicken baby food in it.

Maya really wants to try a pill from Kinn Kudose with sweet potato/turkey in it. No meds this time, just a treat.

For more information about Kinn Kudose, visit their website, Kinninc.com. They also have a pill splitter/crusher so that you can break pills in half or crush them for mixing.

Maya & Pierson Love Their Gifts.

I have received three promotional gifts within the past thirty days. I’m not sure if the gifts were intended to be an exchange for a review on my blog, or whether they were just simply given because I followed these companies on Twitter and Facebook. Well, since I have a blog, I’m going to go ahead and share these companies with you – Purina & Nutro.

Gifts from Purina Dog Chow
A week or so ago, I received a dog water bowl from Purina Dog Chow. It’s great and I already used it when I took Pierson with me to hang out in downtown Lawrence. Yesterday, I received another great gift from Purina – a really cool dog back pack. It is a little small for Maya because the straps won’t fit around her big chest, but it is perfect for Pierson. Now both Maya and Pierson have a back pack.

Pierson Poses with his Perfectly Proportionate Purina Pack.

I’m sure these gifts were given in hopes that I would give a good review. But considering the first four ingredients of Purina Dog Chow, I will not be able to give it. But let me be honest, I’ve had dogs in the past who ate nothing but Purina for their entire lives and they were not unhealthy because of it. And let me be honest again, there were times when I couldn’t afford better food for either myself or my pets. Does that make be a bad dog owner? I did the best I could for myself and for them. I’ve heard people say that if you can’t afford to properly care for your dog, then you shouldn’t have one. But I’ve also heard people criticize others for giving up their pets for that very reason. It can’t be both ways.

With that being said, even though Purina does not have the highest quality ingredients it does meet AAFCO standards. Through my own experience, many dogs will do just fine eating this food. But now that I am educated in pet health it is not my first choice. If times get tough, though, I’d rather get this relatively inexpensive dog food than give up my dogs.

Since I have learned so much about the ingredients of dog food, I think Purina needs to seriously reconsider their dog food ingredients. By-products are far from ideal. Corn is not an ideal ingredient either and should not be the first and most prominent ingredient. So what are the ideal ingredients? I do not feel that I am knowledgeable enough to give you that information. But I have learned that a meat listed with the word meal is better than a meat by-product. And meat it should be listed at least as one of the top three ingredients, if not the very first ingredient. For example, chicken meal instead of chicken by-product.

Gift from Nutro Natural Choice
So what dog food are my dogs eating now? They are trying several brands. Nutro is what they are eating now. I was first introduced to it when I got my dog Pierson. The very same day that I rescued him from the park, I took him to the Pawsh Wash to get rid of his fleas and ticks. They suggested Nutro Natural Choice because of its high protein content and essential vitamins, something Pierson needed greatly since he had been living as a stray for so long.

Nutro recently gave me Nutro dog treats, something my dogs hadn’t tried yet. As I look at the ingredients of the Large Breed All Natural Biscuits, I see lamb listed as the very first ingredient. Whole brown rice is the second. There is no corn and no by-product meats listed in the ingredients at all. And, of course, my dogs love them.

Nutro Natural Choice also gave me tartar control dog treats. As a stray, Pierson’s teeth are not in as good of shape as Maya’s. Pierson is younger, but his teeth are worse. I brush his teeth daily and improvements have been made. But perhaps these tartar control treats can help as well. Both Maya & Pierson love the taste of these treats too. And the ingredients are just as healthy as Nutro’s large breed treats.

Thank you, Purina and Nutro for the wonderful gifts. We love them! I’m sorry, Purina that we couldn’t give a great review for your food. But if you sell those back packs, we will be more than happy to promote them – the dog water dish as well. Perhaps as more people are educated about healthy dog food, you will come to realize that changing your ingredients are in both your best interest and in the best interest of pets everywhere. We look forward to your improvements and will be happy to try your product again when those improvements are made.

Pierson is playing with the Nobbly Wobbly.

Ever since I got Pierson, I’ve gone through more dog toys. Nothing annoys me more than buying a $ 10-$ 15 toy only to have it torn to shreds within a day. And since Pierson is still young, his chewing is worse than Sephi’s ever was and worse than Maya’s.

I’ve talked about the Kong in the past as well as the Kyjen Firehose dog toy, Tuffy’s, and the Buster Food Cube back in December 2010 – HERE. But now I want to share some new dog toys that I have found for my chewing dog Pierson:

Squido
The Squido is very similar to the Kong Wubba but cheaper. Although it did eventually get the material chewed off, it took Pierson two months of periodic chewing to do it. Keep in mind that Pierson did not chew on this toy every single day. He has several other toys to chew on.

Nobbly Wobbly
This one is a cute toy. It took Pierson four months of periodic chewing to break the Nobbly Wobbly. He only broke one of the pieces so I took it out and threw that piece away. But once that one piece was broken out, it didn’t take long for him to chew the other pieces. Still, four months is a long time so I felt like this was worth the money spent.

Busy Buddy Premier Chuckle
This is a great toy because you can put food treats in it. Pierson has not so much as dented this toy. He will chew on it for hours until he gets the treats out. I bet the Busy Buddy is as strong as the Kong. But it has a different shape and it is a different color. Busy Buddy has a bunch of other shaped toys to chew from but purple appears to be the common color (whereas the Kong’s common color is red).

I’ve also talked about the Bottle Buddy dog toys. These tended to last a while with Sephi and Maya but Pierson chewed his up within a week. It wasn’t just the bottle inside he destroyed, it was the doggy and piggy casing too.

I have to mention the Tuffy’s dog toy once again. Pierson finally managed to chew the stuffing out of the center of the Tuffy’s Octopus. But it still has the stuffing in its arms and all eight arms still have the squeaker. Pierson also has the Tuffy’s Gear. He has had it for at least six month now, perhaps longer since I think I bought it for him when I brought him home for the first time in January. And the Tuffy’s Gear is still completely intact. As far as plush dog toys goes, I will never ever again get anything but Tuffy’s.

Pierson’s Tuffy’s Gear dog toy.

If you are looking for some indestructible dog toys, be sure to check out the Tuffy’s and others. My dogs are well-entertained with these toys and I save money. Keep in mind, though, that each dog is different. Some dogs can chew through anything!

Adaptil makes a collar which helps to reduce stress in dogs. This stress can be related to travel, loud noises like thunder, and new surroundings. It works by releasing a laboratory created pheromone which is based on the pheromone released by nursing mother dogs. So a puppy with his mother is less likely to experience anxiety due to not only the mother’s presence but also the pheromones she releases. Can a synthetic pheromone work when mom is no longer around?

I’ve heard the Adaptil collar helps many dogs be more relaxed and comfortable but may not help all. Well, I think my dog is one of the ones it did not help. Pierson is an Australian Shepherd / Border Collie mix. He is a fantastic dog – smart, lovable, and mostly well-behaved. I’ve had him for about 8 months now. He came with several issues. But over that 8 month period, most of those issues have been worked out. The one that hasn’t is his aggression towards other dogs. He walks well on a leash until he sees another dog where he gets all worked up and goes crazy.

I had hoped Pierson’s situation was similar enough to the other stressful situations Adaptil says it helps. The synthetic pheromone helps reduce anxiety in dogs with loud thunder and noises, so why not the anxiety produced by being around other dogs?

The package did not specifically state it would help with this type of situation, so obviously there is more involved with Pierson’s behavior than just simple stress. Perhaps it is the natural suspicion of his breed mix. Or he probably wasn’t socialized when he was a pup (before I got him). Or maybe he had a bad experience with other dogs as a stray.

Despite my lack of success with the Adaptil, I’ve heard too many positive stories to dismiss it. Perhaps it works better in the specific situations it describes – loud noises, traveling, new surroundings. The product is not that expensive so if you have an anxious dog, it is worth a try.

We have been given the opportunity to try some homemade dog treats by Lacey’s Barkery. Lacey is a beautiful Boxer whose family was concerned about how most dog treats in stores are made in China and not regulated by the animal FDA. With all the recent scares about dogs getting sick and even dying from such pet food, Lacey’s family was inspired to make their own dog treats.

Here is what my dogs Maya & Pierson thought of the peanut butter bacon dog treats… “Delicious! I will do anything for these treats.”

They really are delicious. I tried them for myself. Hey, I’m not about to feed something to my dogs that I am not willing to eat. The treats are chewy instead of crunchy. Me personally, I prefer my dogs to eat crunchy because it is less likely to get stuck in their teeth. But that doesn’t take away from the flavor. Besides, if you have an older dog with bad teeth, softer may be best.

We only had the opportunity to try the peanut butter bacon dog treats. But Lacey’s Barkery has other great dog treats too. They have oat treats made with banana, blueberry, sweet potato, carrot, or carob. And they also have dehydrated sweet potato, banana, or apple treats. These dehydrated treats are organic.

Another great thing about these treats, if you use certain promo codes indicated on their site then 10% of your purchase will be donated to an animal charity. So check out Lacey’s Barkery and give them a try!

We were not paid for this review.

I like for my dogs to eat healthy food, but I could never tell which foods were best. They all claim to be healthy for your dogs but which are the best ingredients? When I found this article titled, “A Great Commercial Dog Food“, I found the answers I was looking for.

The first half of the explains what certain terminology means, such as “byproduct” and “meal”. Then it goes on to explain the difference and why one is better than the other. It also talks about other ingredients on a bag of dog food.

The second half of the article talks about a healthy commercial dog food called Nutro. The first time my dogs had it was when I first brought home my dog Pierson. Since he had been living as a stray for nearly a month, the pet store where I took Pierson to get a bath recommended it. Not only did the dogs love it, but I was very happy with the price. Finally, a healthy dog food which doesn’t cost a lot.

If you are looking for a healthy commercial dog food, consider Nutro. Most pet stores should carry it. Also, read this great article, “A Great Commercial Dog Food” found on Hub Pages and written by Hub member DogAdvisor.

Brush your dog’s teeth so they look healthy like Maya’s.

Brushing your dog’s teeth is an unpleasant task for both you and your dog. But for most dogs it is a necessity. Keeping your dog’s teeth clean can prevent health issues and will help your dog keep good strong teeth even in old age. When I got Pierson in January, I could tell by the shape and newness of his teeth that he was only about a year old. This was confirmed by our vet as well. But because Pierson had been living as a stray for nearly a month and eating god-only-knows-what, his back teeth were filled with gunk and plaque buildup.

Basic Tips to Minimize the Brushing Necessity
I seldom had to brush Sephi and Maya’s teeth because they were good chewers. Help your dog keep his teeth clean by giving him chew toys. You should always supervise your dog when he chews. And be careful about the kind of chew toys you give him. Rawhides and such can be okay so long as your dog only chews on them. I can’t give Maya a rawhide because she eats and swallows it in big chunks.

Another thing you can do to help your pet’s teeth is to feed him hard food. Don’t give him canned food. This soft stuff tends to get stuck in his teeth. And unless you brush your dog’s teeth immediately after he eats, soft food can cause faster tooth decay.

Getting My Dog Used to a Toothbrush
Before brushing my dog’s teeth for the first time, I let them get used to the toothbrush. I would show it to them and let them sniff it. Then I would give them lots of praise so they learned to associate the toothbrush with good things. After a few days, I would put the toothbrush in their mouth, but not brush. Again, I would give praise. Over the course of the next several weeks, I built up to actual brushing. I worked my way up from a couple of seconds to several seconds, and worked my way from the front teeth to the harder to reach back teeth. Yes, my dogs hate it. But over time, Sephi and Maya learned to tolerate it. I am still working with Pierson who has had less than two months experience.

Use Toothpaste for Dogs
Do not use your own toothpaste on your dog. It has ingredients in it which can make your dog sick. Unlike us, we learn to spit out the toothpaste. Toothpaste for dogs is specifically designed so that your dog can swallow it without ill-effect.

Using Positive Reinforcement to Brush My Dog’s Teeth
Always try to make brushing your dog’s teeth as positive of an experience as possible. Try not to give treats as a reward as some dog toothpastes say your dog shouldn’t eat or drink immediately after brushing. Give your dog praise or a non-destructible dog chew toy.

Brushing My Dog’s Teeth Everyday
If you brush your dog’s teeth every day, it will get easier and easier over time. The more you do it, the easier it will get. Once your dog gets used to it, some products (like the product I use) allows you to reduce brushing your dog’s teeth to 1-2 times per week.

The Product I Use
I never had to use toothpaste for dogs for Sephi and Maya. I just used a toothbrush only. But because Pierson’s teeth are so bad, I needed to start using toothpaste. After researching online and visiting a local pet store, I found this great product called Tropiclean FreshBreath toothpaste for dogs. This product says I don’t have to use a toothbrush, just put it in my dog’s mouth. His tongue will do the work of spreading the paste around. But it also says that using a toothbrush can help the product work faster and better.

Another great thing about the Tropiclean toothpaste for dogs is that it is one of the products which says that once my dogs’ teeth are clean, I can reduce usage to 1-2 times per week. Tropiclean toothpaste for dogs is a greenish gel and it is easy to apply. No messy tubes. Not only does it help to reduce plaque and tartar, but it also kills the germs that cause bad breath, plaque, and gingivitis.

Brushing your dog’s teeth is not the most fun you and your dog will have together. But with positive reinforcement and consistency, you can make the experience better for both you and your dog. And once his teeth are clean, you can reduce the number of brushing sessions with a product like Tropiclean.