Indestructible Dog Toys For Aggressive Chewers

July 7, 2015 by Fanna Easter

Best Indestructible Dog Toys

Sharing my home with powerful chewers, I’m forced to find durable dog toys that last longer than a few minutes and keep young dogs engaged for hours. Well, after years of doing research and shelling out lots of hard-earned cash, I finally found a brand whose indestructible dog toys passed our stringent testing criteria. Drum roll please.

1st Place: Jolly Ball Tug-N-Toss

This indestructible dog toy was a hit with both dogs! Stella Mae, our Miniature Bull Terrier, loves the handle on her pink Tug-N-Toss ball. She runs and shakes it so hard that it looks like a blur. You can toss and bounce this toy in the yard plus it floats. While the handle is a huge plus factor, I’ll admit, it’s usually the first thing chewed or pulled off. Our dogs still love playing with the ball even if it has a hole in it though. On average, it takes a few weeks before the handle is removed, which we trade for treats to prevent ingestion of plastic pieces.

2^nd Place: Jolly Ball Bounce-N-Play

Rottweiler With Dog Toy — Sobek with his beloved pink Bounce-N-Play ball. Photo: Fanna Easter.

Basically, this is the Tug-N-Toss ball without the handle. Sobek, our humongous Rottweiler, loves running through the yard, chasing and shaking his large Bounce-N-Play ball at breakneck speed. He paws, pounces and bites this indestructible dog toy for hours, and it still hasn’t fallen apart. It has a million punctures, but still holds its shape.

It was hard determining which ball our dogs loved most. When given a Tug-N-Toss and Bounce-N-Play at the same time, hands down, the ball with a handle won until the handle came off. 🙂

3^rd Place: Jolly Ball Romp-N-Roll

Take the Bounce-N-Play ball and insert a rope through both ends. Now you have a durable dog toy that both dogs can play with at once. Romp-N-Roll ensures tug of war will go on for hours under our dining room table or until either one dog tires out or we’ve had enough of them pulling each other around. Now, this dog toy has been known to hit walls, including us, when flung across the room by an overzealous dog shaking and swinging the rope end. So heads up!

Honorable Mention: Jolly Egg

Personally, our dogs become very frustrated when playing with different-sized Jolly Eggs. So much so, those toys were ignored within a day or two and became odd-shaped lawn ornaments. Now, I’m mentioning this indestructible toy because others have had tremendous success with it. It’s pretty indestructible as most dogs are unable to pick it up, and hence wobbling it around like a heavy egg.

Hurricane Preparedness for Dogs: Plan Now, Worry Later

June 22, 2015 by Fanna Easter

How to Prepare Your Dogs for a Hurricane

Hurricane Preparedness for Dogs — Harvepino/iStock

Living in Louisiana, hurricanes were unfortunately a hidden worry during the summer and fall. You enjoy the beach, but keep one eye on the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. Well, hurricane season is among us so it’s time to prepare or refresh your dog’s evacuation kit.

Never leave your dogs behind. It’s not fair to dump a bag of food on the ground and abandon them. You brought them into your lives, and it’s your responsibility to keep them safe. Bring all of your pets with you–there’s no excuse.

So plan now and worry later.

Evacuation Kit for Dogs

Gather these items, pack in a heavy duty suitcase and store in an easy-to-reach closet. When disaster looms in the ocean, your dog’s kit is ready to go.

Pet first aid kit plus two-week supply of all required dog medication.
Download a pet first aid app for your smartphone. It’s packed with first aid information plus it locates the closest veterinarian when traveling.
Flat buckle collar with current ID tags.
Microchip your dog and register and/or update your information with microchip manufacturer.
Photocopy vaccination records and any other vet information pertaining to chronic illnesses.
Snap updated photos and place in a plastic bag. Store in a folder just in case your dog gets lost.
Purchase a safety kennel lead for each dog. I recommend Mendota British Slip leads, as frightened dogs can not back out of them. The lead has a leather slip to prevent the loop from opening too wide.
Old towels and bedding.
Plastic or wire crate.
Bottled water (two to three day supply).
Dog food (one to two weeks).
- I recommend canned food due to its long shelf life. It’s also very palatable, which encourages eating during times of stress.
- If feeding your dogs raw food, keep a small supply frozen in the back of your freezer and switch out as needed to avoid spoiling.
Poop bags for cleanup.
Waterless shampoo for quick cleanup.

Plan Your Evacuation Route Now

Forced to leave your home within hours is scary. Many times, evacuees are forced to travel further north because pet-friendly hotels fill within minutes so keep a list of pet-friendly hotels within a 60- to 70-mile radius of your home.

Be prepared for traffic jams. It seems everyone decides to evacuate at the same time mostly due to mandatory evacuation per state officials. Your dog must ride inside your vehicle, as it’s unrelentingly hot sitting in traffic jams or just traveling during warmer months. Plan for enough space for your dog to lie down and turn around inside your car or truck.

To Leave or Ride It Out

Oh, this is a frustrating decision. It’s expensive evacuating and then returning home to limited home damage have many people tempted to ride out the next hurricane. As someone who shares her home with dogs, we leave early once we confirm our area is within the path for category 4 and 5 hurricanes! I would rather watch traffic jams from a nice cool hotel room than fight my way through.

Many of us work, and this is usually the last deciding factor on staying or leaving. Speak to your supervisor and ask about hurricane evacuation polices. Many business allow employees several days to prepare and evacuate with their families.

Hanging out and making a last minute decision can be costly. When in doubt, get out and bring your dogs with you.

You may also like: Calming Dogs During Thunderstorms

Walking Two Dogs at Once: Choose the Best Equipment

June 15, 2015 by Fanna Easter

Equipment for Walking Two Dogs at the Same Time

With so many options out there, let’s discuss the easiest and best equipment for walking two dogs at once. As you’re probably aware, equipment is a huge part of setting you and your dogs up for success.

Dog Leashes

Each dog should walk using his separate leash that attaches to a body harness, collar (with ID tags) or head halter. If walking different sized dogs, or senior dogs, I recommend choosing dog leashes of varied lengths.

For young or large dogs, choose a six- to 10-foot leash. This provides more room to move quicker than their slower counterparts. For smaller or older dogs, choose a four- to six-foot leash. Now, some small dogs keep up with the big dogs so it’s all relative to your dog’s needs.

What Doesn’t Work

I don’t recommend two dog couplers, which attach to one leash and two dogs. This just doesn’t work. Dogs vary in size and bump into each other constantly. It’s equivalent to locking elbows with another person while walking. Give your dog some space to move about. 🙂

Keep your flexi leads at home. Walking one dog at a time is difficult, and walking two dogs on flexi leads is a nightmare. Flexi leashes should only be used for dogs, which have learned how to walk politely on leash already.

Dog Collars

For daily walks, I recommend body harnesses or head halters. This prevents constant neck pressure for pullers wearing a collar. Now, don’t forget your dogs’ regular collars, as they usually contain their ID tags.

What Doesn’t Work

Collars that tighten as dogs pull just don’t work. Dogs have learned to pull through the pain, which is counterintuitive to polite leash matters. Plus, constant tightening pressure around your dog’s neck will cause reddening of your dog’s eyes, neck pain and even strangulation.

Need More Hands?

Yes, please! Sometimes it’s easier to attach your dogs’ leashes to a waist belt instead of holding them, but I’ll provide a bit of advice. Both dogs should walk politely on leash before using this type of equipment. Strong pulling or startled dogs can lunge, propelling you forward. It’s hard to pull back using the truck of your body.

Now, you can attach leashes to a waist belt, yet still hold leashes. It just takes some pressure off your hands. This is my preferred way to walk two dogs at once, as my favorite waist belt contains clasps for holding a water bottle and poop bags.

My Favorite Waist Belt

Over the years, I have tried several different types and I always come back to my heavy duty High Sierra Walk-A-Belt. It’s made of wide and heavy duty webbing, yet lined with fleece inside to prevent it from riding up my waist during walks. Plus D-ring attachments are metal and sewn onto the belt for added strength.

When wearing this belt, it’s best to position it around your hips instead of your waist. By wearing it lower, you’re protecting your back. Let’s face it: our center of gravity is usually our hip area. Think about it, when holding your dogs pulling on their leashes, most of us bend our bodies forward for additional strength.

Best Burrowing Bed for Dogs

June 9, 2015 by Fanna Easter

Best Burrowing Dog Bed Ever

Does your small dog adore burrowing under blankets and pillows? Won’t you like to find a bed made for your burrowing beauty? Well I found it and it rocks!

Menusha’s Slipper Bed

This made-in-America bed is perfect for dogs seeking to tunnel and hide in complete comfort. Basically, Menusha’s Slipper Bed has a thick cover sewn on top of an ultra thick cushioned pad and the whole thing is wrapped in microsuede and lined with faux fur.

Let’s chat about the sewn cover, as this is the crème de la crème of this dog bed. The cover’s top is covered in microsuede and the underneath is lined in faux fur. It attaches to the pillow on two sides so your dog can easily tunnel under or pop out. No instructions needed. If your dog loves to burrow, he’ll figure it out in seconds. You’ll giggle watching your dog’s feet sticking out one end or, better yet, slipping upside down with his head and feet poking out each end. 🙂

If that’s not enough, you can choose from designer colors, such as butter, hot fudge, coffee, camel, navy or red. And boy not only does this bed wash well, but it’s also a snap to put the pillow back into place. Honestly, I think the fabric gets softer after every wash. Since the makers understand the antics of most Terriers, they’ve hidden the zipper because, as we all know, Terriers know how to zip just about anything!

Prices start at $86 for smaller slipper beds. Don’t let the price scare you away. They are worth every penny. I can’t tell you how many cheap beds have been destroyed or simply fallen apart within weeks. When tallying $30 per pop, it would’ve been cheaper purchasing a well-made bed in the beginning.

A bit about the bed’s maker: these folks are extremely reputable breeders who actively participate in rescue every day. Before bringing a Menusha Mini Bull Terrier home, you must pass a lengthy, challenging interview process and sign a contract. These folks are the real deal. They take back one of their puppies with no questions asked plus they’re always fostering and transporting rescues to their forever home.

Is this Bed for Puppies?

Yes, but I would introduce it after a year of age, as it will most likely be chewed on. For puppies, I toss old towels and blankets in as bedding. Once chewing subsides, I introduce a well-made bed in their crate.

Choosing a Dog Bed Size

Stella Mae is 28 pounds and 13 inches at the shoulder, and she fits perfectly in the medium slipper bed. She has room to turn around and sprawl out under her cover. The small slipper bed is probably best for dogs under 20 pounds. When in doubt, go a size up. No one likes a tiny bed. 🙂 Dogs more than 30-35 pounds would enjoy the larger slipper bed.

Do know, I don’t make any money off these beds. My goal is to share products that really work, as this is a rarity these days.

You may also like: Choosing a Dog Crate

Dog Gates for Safety

June 4, 2015 by Fanna Easter

Dog Safety Gate Tips

Want to know a quick way to prevent most naughty dog behavior? Ever wonder quick ways to teach dogs polite behaviors? Want an easy tip to help during puppy stage? Install a dog safety gate.

Yes, it’s that simple. Management is often overlooked. Instead, we focus on the grandeur of instant behavior changes in dogs. Well, we all know it’s not that simple. I wish I’d quit eating cupcakes, but that behavior hasn’t changed yet. 🙂 If I didn’t buy cupcakes, then I would not eat them, and folks that’s what you call management!

With all the attractive models to choose from, you can’t go wrong! I’ll tell you another secret: I have three safety gates in my home right now because they’re invaluable safety and management tools. 🙂

Dog gates prevent dogs from:

Chewing walls, furniture and shoes.
Making potty accidents.
Running outdoors.
Knocking over guests.
Jumping on furniture.
Barking out windows.
Digging in trash.
Eating cat poop.
Resource guarding.

RELATED: Dog Time Out

Where to Install a Dog Safety Gate

Entryway

Blocking access to other rooms keeps dogs and puppies from wandering around unsupervised, chewing or pottying indoors. Try placing the dog gate in the entryway to prevent your dogs from jumping on guests or running out an open door.

Garage and Window

Use the dog safety gate as a barrier to keep your dogs in a specific area to prevent garage raiding or barking at neighbors, dogs, cats and squirrels through a window. At night, keep all dogs in the bedroom with you. Use a gate to separate your dog from the kitty litter box. Most cats jump over a gate. If not, choose a gate with a cat-sized opening.

Kitchen

Separating dogs while they’re eating is vital to prevent resource guarding (guarding food). It’s also a good idea to separate dogs when they’re chewing on high value items, such as bully sticks or food-stuffed toys.

Introducing Dog Gates

Easy, just install. Management works many different ways. It prevents your dog from practicing a behavior, which is a huge win! It’s half the battle when teaching your dog polite behaviors. Now, you can teach your dog what to do instead like potty outside, chew bully sticks instead of mold or cat poop, ignore movement outside, and most importantly self settle.

If your dog whines or tries to push through a safety gate, ignore him. He’ll learn it won’t budge. If your dog is persistent, give him a food stuffed Kong instead so he forgets what’s on the other side. Make sure it’s tall enough for your dog’s height so he doesn’t learn to jump over it.

Lastly, introduce a new safety gate when you’re home at least for the first week or two. This way, your dog learns to ignore it instead of figuring out ways around it or panicking due to space restrictions. It’s never a good idea to introduce anything new when you’re not home to monitor.

Best Dog Gate Brand

My favorite brand is pressure mount KidCo Safety Gates. I’ve had them for 15 years and they still work and look great. I’ve not had a dog knock one over yet (knock on wood!)–not even Sobek, my bouncing Rottweiler. With a 4.2-star rating on Amazon, I think you get the point.

KidCo gates range between $60-$150, depending on length and height, with many options to choose from. I’ve purchased cheaper brands and they all ended up in the garbage. My dogs either pushed past or destroyed them.

When in doubt, use a dog safety gate!