5 Thoughtful Christmas Gifts For Dog Lovers

December 8, 2015 by Fanna Easter

Gifts for Dog Lovers: Christmas Edition

We all have those people in our lives who are completely obsessed with dogs, and I’m usually that person within a group of friends. Every Christmas, my dear friends and family hunt for the perfect gift for dog lovers that will bring tears to my eyes as I rip open the wrapping paper. Personally, I appreciate dog-themed gifts chosen specially for me to wear or admire. If the dog lover in your life is anything like myself, she’d rather sport a darling T-shirt featuring a dog than a Chanel blouse any day!

Over the years, I’ve given and received the best dog lover gifts ever, which I’ll totally share with you! Hopefully, your friend beams with admiration when she unwraps your special gift because it warms the paw prints in her heart.

Hoodie & T-Shirt

A couple of months ago, I was fortunate enough to bump into a vendor selling darling hoodies and T-shirts with special messages about dogs. It was funny because draped across the front of one was my personal motto I had had for years, so I jumped at the chance to purchase “Dogs Are My Zen” hoodie and T-shirt from Dogs Is Good (DIG) Company. Their mission statement will make any dog lover cry good tears. Plus, they offer clothing gift options for men too!

Trust me, these DIG hoodies and T-shirts are far from frumpy looking. They’re fitted just in the right place and very slimming on plus-sized women too (which is incredibility hard to find!). Oh, and the material is so soft and dreamy plus the color choices are amazing. I purchased a large gray “zen” hoodie and medium blue “zen” T-shirt, both of which fit perfectly and were true to size. And yes, I purchased these gifts for the dog lovers in my life. 🙂

Prices: $23.99-$51.99

Jewelry

As a dog lover, you can never have enough paw print or bone-shaped earrings. Since I work with dogs, I prefer stud earrings, as ones that dangle can easily get caught in fur or become a distraction. However, you can choose earrings based on your friend’s personal style from a huge assortment of paw print earrings at Etsy. The best part is you never have to worry about purchasing the right size because earrings always fit. 🙂

Prices: $10-$75

Mugs

Everyone needs glassware and stylish dog-themed mugs make great gifts for dog lovers. You can certainly choose novelty mugs with humorous sayings, but personally, I adore fashionable dog-themed mugs I can use every day. Want to take it a step further? Borrow a photo of your friend’s cherished dog and create a personalized mug at Zazzle.com. You’ll certainly warm his or her heart forever. When purchasing mugs, I recommend buying a set of two, so they can share with a friend while sipping their warm beverage.

Prices: $2-$10 per mug.

Artwork

Want to make a dog lover cry? Frame her favorite dog picture or, better yet, commission it to an artist for a one-of-a-kind art piece. If you want to keep it a surprise, dig around your friend’s social media page to locate the perfect photo, save it and memorialize it. About 15 years ago, I lost my first Rottweiler a couple of months before Christmas and my mother memorialized him in a bronze statue. To this day, I still cry when I think about opening her thoughtful gift. His statue is still on my mantle.

Enlarging and framing a picture is inexpensive now, especially if you increase the size using the local pharmacy kiosk (located in the photo sections). From there, you can pick up a frame according to your chosen size.

If you’re going the artwork route, my favorite artists are Rachel Victoria and Art Paw by Rebecca Collins. They do beautiful work. If you’re crafty, try layering different filters over a photo for a beautiful effect in Photoshop. If crafting is not your thing, download the Portrait Painter app and create breathtaking images. It’s super simple!

Prices:

Enlarging and framing pictures: $50-$150
Artwork: $100-$250
Portrait Painter app: $15 (worth every penny)

Donate to Their Local Rescue Group

For some reason, we forget this option. However, it’s every bit as meaningful to help dogs in need, especially during the holidays. Make a donation to a local rescue group or sponsor a dog in need in your friend’s name. Print and frame the donation along with a picture and bio of her sponsored dog, then gift wrap and place under the tree. Expect tears. 🙂

Price: Invaluable

Happy Holidays and don’t forget to hug your dogs!

5 Fun Stocking Stuffers For Your Dog

December 7, 2015 by Fanna Easter

Stocking Stuffer Ideas For Dogs

Stash a few fun and interactive toys in your dog’s Christmas stocking this year. Our dogs rely on us for entertainment; they don’t have TVs, laptops or phones. It’s up to us to keep them mentally fulfilled daily. All five stocking stuffers below will keep your dog busy for hours. Plus, a few can be fun games that can be played anywhere anytime.

During the peak of the holiday season, aim to play with or provide a food stuffed toy to your dog at least twice a day. This will keep your dog happily fulfilled, as you chat away with Aunt Edna over Christmas yams.

Pickle Pocket Toy

It’s lime green, flexible, easily washable, and it has crevices for hiding food. What more could you ask for in a stocking stuffer, right? The Pickle Pocket toy is perfect for dogs that are super skilled at removing food from toys. This dog toy takes lots of patience and persistence; that’s for sure.

Smear peanut butter, cream cheese or yogurt into each crevice and freeze overnight. Your dog will have to dig in the toy for hours. Make it harder by stuffing hard treats deep into the crevice pockets; your dog has to work really hard to loosen those treats. As a rule, the Pickle Pocket seems to be easier for smaller dogs and a bit challenging for larger dogs. If it’s too complicated and your pooch gives up, bring out the Kong toy.

Tug Toy on a String

Tug toys on a string are much more fun than a regular tug toy and they’re totally portable! This dog toy has a plush squeaky toy at the end of a long rope, which you fling around the yard (or living room), as your dog stalks, bounces and chases it. Think of it as fly fishing; you bounce the line around, mimicking a running squirrel, while your dog has a blast.

While playing with tug toys on a string, keep the plush toy ground level. This prevents dogs from springing up and injuring themselves. You’ll be shocked how quickly this wears your dog out, so keep sessions under 10 minutes. If your dog catches the toy, but refuses to give it back, check out this video demo for tips.

WATCH: Teach Your Dog The Tug Game

Bubbles

So often, I simply forget dogs love to chase bubbles. Choose bubbles specially made for dogs, as many toy store options contain toxic chemicals. Some bubbles are even peanut butter scented, so make sure to give those a try.

To get started, blow a few bubbles at your dog’s level (shoulder height) so she can see them floating past her. Many times, dogs don’t really know to look up, so blowing bubbles over their heads is useless. Once your dog is focused on the bubbles, start blowing them higher.

RELATED: Under $20 Dog Gift Ideas

Bully Stick Chew

For the most part, bully sticks are easier to digest. When giving your dog a bully stick, make sure it’s big enough for her to chew and not swallow whole. This stocking stuffer needs supervision, so make sure you’re watching your dog when she enjoys her chew toy. During the holidays, once festivities have slowed down, I’ll bring my dog into the family gathering to chew her bully stick. As I’m chatting away, I’ll hold one end of the bully stick, so my dog can happily chew the other end. This way, I’m able to keep my dog entertained while I chat with family.

Please don’t give your dog rawhide even if it’s candy cane-shaped or red-and-green-colored. Rawhide is downright dangerous, as it’s one of the main causes of intestinal obstructions. Don’t believe me? Ask your vet. 🙂

Good Ol’ Tennis Ball

The tennis ball is a tried-and-true toy of the ages, which makes it the perfect stocking stuffer. Most dogs will lose their biscuits for a quick game of toss. If your dog is mad about playing ball, the holidays are a perfect time to replenish your supply. For most dogs, tennis balls are usually the most loved. Just make sure to supervise your dog around tennis balls, as these objects can be easily chewed and swallowed.

Happy Holidays! Don’t forget to hug your dogs!

How to Stop a Dog From Eating Too Fast

November 18, 2015 by Fanna Easter

Stop Your Dog From Eating Too Fast

How to Stop a Dog From Eating Too Fast — studioportosabbia/iStock

If your dog inhales his food like a Hover vacuum cleaner, then you know the struggle. Eating too fast can result in choking, gagging, vomiting and swallowing excessive air, which causes bloating (accumulation of gas in the stomach). So it’s important to slow down your dog’s eating habits.

For the most part, I’ve always shared my home with fast eating dogs, so I’ve gotten used to this behavior. However, just because I’m used to it doesn’t mean it’s allowed to happen. I take many precautions to stop my dogs from eating too fast, which I’ll happily share with you. 🙂

Spread Out the Goodness

By far, this is the easiest (and cheapest) way to make your dog eat slower. Take your dog’s daily meals and spread them out on a rug or smooth surface. At first, you should make it easy for your dog to eat by sprinkling food in clumps on your cement patio (weather permitting).

Once he gets really good at eating his food spread out, increase the distance between the kibble by fanning out his food in a larger smooth-surfaced area. By increasing the distance between the kibble, you’re forcing your dog to search for each kibble. To make it even harder, sprinkle his kibble on a large rug where he must hunt through the fibers for his food. This makes a great rainy day game. If you want to make it even more challenging, sprinkle his kibble in a shag rug. It could easily take 30 minutes for him to find all his food.

Refrain from tossing your dog’s kibble in the yard. It’s very difficult for your dog to find each and every piece plus it attracts ants and rodents. Tossing your dog’s meals into your yard is like tossing a free meal out, which isn’t fair to your dog. Don’t be surprised if your dog starts fighting wildlife once he learns you give out his meals on a daily basis.

WATCH: How to Stop a Dog From Eating Too Fast

https://youtu.be/C6jR5Pawwt0

Slow Feed Dog Bowls

Slow feed dog bowls are flat on the bottom and usually contain lots of hiding places for your dog’s food. You fill these dishes with food and place them on the ground during meal times. While they’re interactive, they don’t move. They sit in place like your dog’s regular food bowl.

Lately, there’s been an explosion of dog food bowls promising to slow your dog’s eating habits, but I don’t believe these bowls work for all dogs. Most dogs that eat fast slightly suffer from an underlying anxiety, which can cause them frustration while trying to chase or lick food trapped between barriers and crevices. If they can’t get to the food fast enough, most dogs will flip over the food bowl to gain access, then it’s a feeding frenzy.

If you decide to give an interactive feeding dog bowl a whirl, make sure it’s big enough for your dog. Choosing a dog bowl too small will surely cause frustration. When introducing your dog’s new dish, make the game easy in the beginning–no one wants to keep chipping away at a new game that’s way too hard, especially when you’re hungry! Check out interactive feeding dishes here.

Interactive Dinner Toys

These dog toys are filled with your dog’s daily meals. You give them to your dog with which he can chew, paw and lick clean. For the most part, these toys promote gnawing and chewing, which is very satiating and will certainly extend dinner meals from 10 seconds to 20 minutes, depending on the chosen toy.

When introducing an interactive dinner toy, make the game easy for the first few days. Loosely sprinkle food inside and outside the toy, so your dog learns to associate food with the toy. Over the next few days, start to tightly pack food in by using peanut butter or wet food as a binder. My favorite interactive dinner toy is the Kong Wobbler. It’s really good!

Try rotating between each option to make eating even more challenging for your dog. Soon your dog will learn to enjoy eating slowly!

Stop Using Retractable Dog Leashes in Public Places

November 16, 2015 by Fanna Easter

Why Retractable Dog Leashes Don’t Work

Oh, I know I’ll ruffle some feathers with this topic, but it needs to be said again. Stop using retractable dog leashes in public. They’re dangerous. Never use a retractable dog leash at the vet’s office, park, festivals, farmers’ markets, large retail pet stores, neighborhood or any public area where your dog comes into contact with other dogs or people.

Terrible Retractable Dog Leash Story

Today, I had a run-in with a Terrier mix wandering inside a large retail store on a retractable dog leash and it didn’t end on friendly terms. Thankfully, I didn’t have a dog with me or it would’ve been much worse.

As I browsed through dog toys, I heard dog nails tapping along the concrete floor next to me, which was followed by a low deep growl. As I slowly turned around, I saw teeth and a little dog lunging for the back of my leg. When I stepped away to throw a toy between us, I noticed his pet owner wasn’t standing there. He was on a retractable leash that extended from the next aisle.

I prayed for patience and then shouted, “Somebody better come get this dog now.” A 20-something woman causally walks over, picks up her dog, smiles and attempts to walk away like nothing ever happened. Oh, no honey, this happened to the wrong person today. She got an ear full about the dangers of retractable dog leashes and I further explained I had every right to file charges and a complaint.

RELATED: Walking Two Dogs at Once Tips

Honestly, You Know You Can’t Control the Leash

Retractable dog leashes are impossible to control. The stop button never really works, especially when a dog is charging forward. To make matters worse, once pet owners realize their dog is running forward, it’s too late to press the stop button. Face it, you have no control–even the best dog trainers are unable to properly control a retractable dog leash.

Plus, retractable leash burns are painful and happen quite often. If you haven’t experienced a burn from a retractable leash, consider yourself lucky. They feel like rope burns. Not only can leashes cause you or a dog harm, but they can also lead to a lawsuit if they wrap around a stranger’s leg. I’ve watched young children knocked off their feet when a dog charges past them wearing a retractable leash. These things are downright dangerous. Understand, this is not a big dog problem. Little dogs can cause just as much harm by tripping someone. Little dogs are usually the ones getting hurt by wearing this type of leash, as they can easily get stepped on or walk up to the wrong dog.

They also break easily! I’ve watched hundreds of dogs charge forward and break the leash off their retractable device. The pet owner just stands there shocked, holding the retractable handle. Yes, many of these dogs ran into moving traffic and didn’t survive.

Lastly, if your dog wanders over and attacks another dog, person or child, you’re 100 percent liable. If you knowingly walk an aggressive dog on a retractable leash, you should be prosecuted.

Your Dog Must Stay Four Feet Next to You in Public

When asking dog owners why they use retractable dog leashes over conventional leashes, most mention they want to offer their dog more freedom during walks. I’m totally for allowing dogs to sniff and explore things, but putting a dog on a long retractable leash is going a bit too far. I’m sure you’ve heard the old saying, “Give someone too much rope and they’ll hang themselves.” Well this most certainly applies to retractable leashes. Dogs don’t understand other dogs and people aren’t dog-friendly, so offering them free reign to wander about is a recipe for disaster. Also, if your dog encounters a chicken bone, you’ll never know he gobbled it up because he was 15 feet away.

Please leash your dog with a sturdy four- to six-foot leather or nylon leash instead of using a retractable leash. Dogs should stay next to you. Allow sniffing and exploring, but with supervision.

Where Can You Use a Retractable Leash?

Only use a retractable leash in a fenced backyard. Yes, they’re that unreliable. I’m angry because these types of accidents can easily be prevented by not using retractable leashes ever.

Thanks for listening. Please pass the message on. No more retractable leashes please!

You may also like: Protect Your Car Interior From Your Dog

Best Head Collars for Boxers

November 12, 2015 by Fanna Easter

Boxers and Head Collars

Head Collars for Boxers — MarcinSl1987/Deposit Photos

Head collars fit over your dog’s muzzle and clip behind the ears with the leash attached under the chin. This collar controls your dog’s head kind of like a bridle on a horse–the body will follow the head. Head collars are great for powerful pulling dogs or overly rambunctious dogs like the Boxer!

Types of Head Collars

Head collars come in a few varieties, depending on the brand. Below, I’ve listed three of the most popular brands that I’ve personally purchased for my Boxers. Finding the right dog head collar for your Boxer’s face shape is imperative, as some of those small variations might hinder the collar’s effectiveness.

Halti Head Collar

The Halti head collar has a nylon nose strap that fits over the dog’s muzzle with additional nylon straps that reach behind the dog’s ears and clip. There are additional smaller straps located underneath the muzzle that are attached to an O-ring. This is where the leash clips too. Most of the straps on the Halti head collar are adjustable, so you can fit them according to your dog’s size. However, in my experience, the extra straps around the mouth sometimes aggravate the dog and don’t always work best for shorter muzzle dogs, such as Boxers.

Gentle Leader Head Collar

Gentle Leader head collars have one nylon strap that goes around the dog’s nose and two additional straps that attach behind the dog’s ears with fewer straps around the muzzle. The Gentle Leader has an O-ring that hangs on a strap under the dog’s chin where the leash attaches. The cool thing about this collar is it has a clip where you can adjust the tightness around the muzzle. This collar also has adjustments around the ears to fit a wide range of dogs. This type of dog collar was always more practical for both my Boxers.

Walk‘n Train! Dog Head Collar

Walk’n Train! head collars are similar to the Gentle Leader head collar in design. It only has one main strap around the nose, two straps going around the ears, a strap with an O-ring where the leash clips and an adjustment clip under the dog’s chin to maintain a proper fit. However, there are some differences that make this collar stand out, such as a pad on the nose strap to add comfort for the dog. Overall, this was my number one choice in terms of head collars for Boxers because of the minimal straps and muzzle adjustments along with the nose pad. As you know, Boxers are short-muzzled with short slick hair. The one strap around the muzzle is versatile for any sized muzzle and the padded strap prevents any chafing or irritation on their noses.

Pros and Cons of Using a Head Collar on Your Boxer

Pros

In my opinion, I love the head collar for Boxers! They’re a great tool to help control these exuberant, loving dogs that tend to be powerful pulling dogs.This type of head collar redirects your dog’s attention quickly and easily with little to no force, and can be used by anyone. They come in all different colors and sizes, and are available at your local pet store or even Walmart.

Cons

With anything, there are cons to using a dog head collar. Nothing is perfect. The main cons for this type of collar are having to properly fit the collar and desensitize your dog to wear the collar as well as your Boxer’s ability to get the collar off. You can usually overcome these obstacles by making a positive association with wearing the head collar.

Fitting Your Boxer for a Head Collar

Last, but definitely not least, how do you actually fit your Boxer in the proper head collar? Choose a head collar that best fits your Boxer. As I said above, I recommend the Gentle Leader or Walk’n Train! head collar due to the minimal straps.

Now that you’ve chosen your collar brand, read the back of the package to see what size it suggests for your size Boxer. This way you have somewhere to start. Unclip the neck strap, hold one side in each hand, place the high around your dog’s neck and clip it behind the ears. Then, tighten the adjustable straps to make the collar snug, but not too snug where your Boxer can’t open his mouth and pant. You should only be able to fit two fingers between the collar and your dog’s neck.

Next, pull the nose loop through the bracket and place it around your Boxer’s muzzle. Move the adjustable clamp where the nose strap is below your Boxer’s eyes. Don’t make it too loose that he can take off the collar with his paws. All Boxer owners know how talented their Boxers are with their paws. 🙂

If you have a friendly dog, I suggest taking him to the pet store with you and asking one of the employees to help you select the proper dog head collar. This will prevent ill fitting collars and possibly negative associations to the collar. Make sure you bring your Boxer’s favorite treat to make that positive association.

For additional information on the collars mentioned above, check out the links below.

http://www.coastalpet.com/products/product/wthh1.aspx?style=06100
http://www.companyofanimals.us/brands/halti
http://www.petsafe.net/gentleleader

NEXT: Should You Let Your Dog on the Couch?

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