If the way your dog smells often gets to you, you may be interested in a shampoo that leaves a better scent than the generic found at your local pet store. Gerrard Larriett has sought to provide aromatherapy products for pets (and as a result, their humans as well).  After grooming a dog with his “Happy Jasmine” scented shampoo/conditioner, I was very impressed. It made a very satisfying lather and left the white poodle I was grooming more white than the oatmeal shampoo I usually use. The dog smelled very fresh after drying and didn’t have any “wet dog” scent at all. At $16 for an 8 ounce bottle, it should last you several months if you bathe your dog every 2-4 weeks as recommended by most veterinarians.  Gerrard Larriett Aromatherapy also carries candles and freshening sprays. Check out all their products here.

Four paws out of four! 

The folks over at Max and Coco sent me one of their leashes to review. This company targets large breeds, providing quality collars and leashes to the “over 50  pound” dogs in your life. They offer three color options for both collars and leashes: mustard, mushroom (a beautiful light blue) and chocolate. This is a big leash, but I still really like it. It’s 7 feet by 5/8″ but very soft and pliable and I love the leather and hardware.  If you are looking for a special collar or leash for the  large canine in your life, check out www.MaxAndCoco.com!

RC Pets kindly sent me a second product to review: their No-Pull Harness.  (You can read my review of their martingale collar here) It is very well-made and overall my family likes it a lot. The biggest advantage to other no-pull harnesses is how easy it is to put on your dog. No holding it for ten minutes, trying to figure out which direction is “up”–you can clearly see the white breastplate and you put it over your dog’s head. Then the leg straps go under the legs and buckle easily to the dog’s back and you’re done! It does not apply any tension to your dog’s body unless you pull on the leash, at which time pressure is put on the dog’s armpit area creating discomfort and teaching them not to pull.  It is very sturdy and will withstand much usage! The only thing I didn’t like about it was that the inside of the front breastplate is made of plush fabric that is white. This makes it very easy to see which direction to put the harness on the dog, but it shows dirt easily. However, the white fabric is against the dog’s skin only, so no one sees that except me! Head over to www.RCPets.com to check out their other products!

Note: If your dog has other disciplinary issues besides pulling (giving inappropriate eye-contact, lunging, barking, jumping, etc) you will not be able to give a proper leash correction with any harness since you cannot control your dog’s head and harnesses are not meant to give leash corrections with. This is not a reflection of RC Pets, this is just a fact that I want you to be aware of! 

Three stars!

I will be sending a size small XOXO training collar to one lucky reader! Simply leave a comment below and the winner will be chosen at random before midnight on Wednesday, August 3rd! I will e-mail the winner privately for their address. Tell your friends and “follow Doggie Product Review” to stay informed for more giveaways and all things doggie!

The folks over at RC Pet Products kindly sent me not one, but TWO items to review. The item for today’s post is their training collar, also known as a martingale collar. Here are its features:

• 32 patterns available (this one is the 169 XOXO)
• Soft quality webbing
• Nickel plated hardware
• Reflective label
• Machine washable

A martingale collar has several wonderful aspects to it.

1) The leash attaches to a metal chain which, when pulled tightens the collar evenly around the dog’s neck, offering a swift clean, momentary correction.

2) Because the leash gets tighter when pressure is applied to the leash, a martingale is a truly life-saving option for dogs that have learned to slip out of normal collars or dogs that have long necks and small heads such as whippets and greyhounds. In fact most consider this type of collar to be the best collar for greyhounds.

3) It offers a correction that is a notch above a normal collar, but less intense than a choke chain.

4) Martingales are nice in that you can leave them on your dog at all times with no fear of danger such as is warranted by a chain or prong or head collar which you should not leave on your dog unattended or at a dog park.

5) The collar stays loose until a correction is given, which teaches your dog to walk on a loose leash.

I especially liked the one from RC Pet Products because it was easy to adjust once you slip it over the dog’s head. The material feels very, very nice and this pattern is gender neutral for males or females. The size small fits necks 7-9 inches in diameter and is 3/4″ in width. It fit my miniature schnauzer perfectly. Check out all the other supplies at rcpets.com–they’ve got TONS of dog products! Good luck, contestants!

I will be sending a size small XOXO training collar to one lucky reader! Simply leave a comment below and the winner will be chosen at random before midnight on Wednesday, August 3rd! I will e-mail the winner privately for their address. Tell your friends and “follow Doggie Product Review” to stay informed for more giveaways and all things doggie!

Dear Amanda,

Have you ever heard of the Thundershirt or worked with it?

I have seen these types of tight jackets before. I’m not against them by any means, they certainly do no harm. My schnauzer responds the same way when I put a backpack on him. The dogs focus on being calm instead of beings distracted by other things when they have something on their backs.

Click here to check out a before and after video of the Thundershirt

The only other thing I have to say is that all of these fears that the dogs in the video exhibited can be fixed via leadership alone. My guys used to be afraid of vacuums, but they aren’t anymore because I leash them up and calmly lead them around WITH me when I vacuum. Thus they learn to be empowered (“nothing bad is happening”) and get over their fear very quickly. The most common mistake people make when around fearful dogs is to try to comfort them (which is what you should do for a baby, but not for a dog). They stroke the dog and say things like “It’s ok, you’re safe”. The dog, however, interprets that as reinforcement for the way he’s feeling, thus the human is actually encouraging that fearful behavior. Better to calmly lead your dog without giving any eye contact, talking, or petting. However, like I said, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with this type of product and for those that don’t know how to solve their dog’s fearful antics or can’t show the leadership necessary to help their dog overcome, the Thundershirt is a nice option.

This is the third dog training book by Cesar Millan that I’ve read. (You can read other book reviews here.) This book is different from all his other dog training books for the single reason that he’s not the only contributor–Cesar set aside personal differences and methods and interviewed eleven trainers. Some are positive reinforcement only trainers, others are e-collar trainers, and one is even a movie set animal trainer! It was very, very interesting to get an up-close view at top trainers and their methods. Did you realize there are about six ways to teach your dog to sit: clicker, treats, hand motions, energy, body language, physical touch, and more! It’s all outlined in this book along with the reasons certain trainers have chosen their methods and why they work for them. If you have had hesitations about the methods of Cesar Millan the Dog Whisperer, I urge you to read this book as it clears up many of the misnomers that have been assigned him. If you are considering getting a dog or if you are unsure which training methods you agree with, this book clears up confusion and really outlines what each method is all about. I would have liked to see a more descriptive title–the reader doesn’t get the impression that this book contains Cesar’s rules plus eleven other trainer’s rules as well! I would also have like more color photos in the middle section. There are a handful in there, but it’s always fun to see snapshots of other trainers working in their field. However! I found this video on Amazon that shows video of Cesar’s interactions with the trainers in the book. Watch this 3 minute clip to hear from Cesar’s own lips about his book “Cesar’s Rules: Your Way to Train a Well-Behaved Dog“!

Four paws!

Angels’ Eyes Tear-Stain Remover guarantees the removal of eye stains on your pup in 3-5 weeks. It works from the inside out, eliminating tear, mouth and lick stains before they begin.  Angels’ Eyes causes the hair to grow back un-stained. The powder is made from beef liver and tylosin. Tylosin is an antibiotic that prohibits bacterial protein synthesis–go figure. Some dogs react poorly to Tylosin, responding with vomiting and diarrhea. There are many dog groomers and breeders who swear by this product. The thing I don’t like about this product is that you sprinkle it on your dog’s food everyday for 3 months. After 3 months you reduce to four times a week, and after 6 months you reduce to twice a week. For dogs 12 pounds and up, you need 1 teaspoon a day. It’s a long process which guarantees you to continue to purchase their product for 1/2 a year. I will say, that there is overwhelming proof that it works. Some dogs can detect it in their food, which necessitates being creative. There are other more inexpensive ways to prevent staining such as only giving your dog filtered water and changing from a beef-based food to a chicken-based food. It is also helpful if you are diligent about removing eye “gunkies” everyday and trimming around the eyes to prevent buildup. If you have done these things and your dog still has nasty brown eyes, paws, and lips, I say give Angels’ Eyes a try and let me know what you think!

Three paws!

Yesterday I reviewed three agility books by Jane Simmons-Moake. To continue along the theme I wanted to highlight some agility equipment that can be purchased on Amazon if you wish to teach or supplement your teaching at home.

18 foot Tunnel: $45, not professional grade material but it does teach the job and is more suited to agility than a children’s play tunnel due to the size of the opening and the great length.

Collapsed Tunnel Chute. $46. I feel like this one isn’t quite worth it. I would rather purchase the 18 foot tunnel and just tie a sheet onto the end to teach the “chute” obstacle. Some of the reviews stated that they got it for $10 or $20, but I think they must have raised the price since then. I would check back on this one every few months to see if they lower the price again. For $20 I think it would definitely be worth it!

Petsafe Agility Weave Poles. $56. If you want to teach weave poles for cheap, you can purchase some PVC pipe and drive it into the ground in your backyard. But if you want to be able to mow your yard and still teach weave poles, this product isn’t bad. It also works well if you want to set up a course indoors. They aren’t super duper stable, but they will get the job done. Excelling at poles means practice, practice, practice!

Tire jump. For only $20 this product is definitely worth it. The “tire” they include is basically worthless, but if you purchase a cheap hula hoop (from a dollar store) and replace the tire with the hoop you will be golden. It’s hard to construct something yourself to hold up a hula hoop (believe me, I’ve tried) so $20 for a frame is worth it for me.

Lastly the bar jump. Here is a set of four for $90. I know, you just said “Ninety dollars?” but everywhere else they cost $55 for ONE! These come with a nice carrying case and are adjustable to your desired height.  Again, trying to make PVC jumps yourself can be done, I just found it extremely trying and unrewarding. Spend $90 and skip the stress.

Janes Simmon-Moake  is one of the world’s foremost agility trainers and judge. Her vast agility experience in the US and abroad make her a perfect author. She has written numerous agility training books including a three-part book series entitled “Excelling at Dog Agility”. I read all three very quickly and was inspired to continue to train my schnauzer in agility. In “Book One: Obstacle Training” she explains each agility element and how to properly train your pup for excellence and speed. She also discusses how different breeds are better for agility than others. Book two covers the topic of sequence training: teaching your dog to combine elements effectively and properly. Book three is entitled “Advanced Skills Training” and contains many diagrams for setting up courses and enhancing communication and speed between dog and handler. These are definitely worth having in your library if you are the least bit interested in agility. I have found agility to be a most helpful activity for enhancing my relationship with my schnauzer. Highly recommend.

Four paws!

Mr. Bennett and I at agility class

Clicker training definitely has value especially in the realm of teaching tricks. By conditioning your dog to know that a click means “you did that right”, they catch on very quickly to what they are supposed to perform. Regardless of whether you are using clicker training for dog behavior or tricks, it’s best to purchase a clicker that is loud, easy to use, and will last. For that I recommend the StarMark Clicker. At only $5.50, it is one of the cheapest clickers on the market, as well as the bestselling. The click is very loud. If your dog is on the nervous or fearful spectrum, prepare for creating a positive association. I would take the clicker out on my walk, click and give a treat while walking. Inside, the noise can be quite startling for some dogs at first. The construction is not the best, but the next best model costs $9, so I will stick with the StarMark clicker. Check out this dog’s tricks to see what clicker training can accomplish:

watch?v=5TSAFpaf05g

Three paws!