Dog Blog - Dog Product Reviews

Our tester for the Burrow Bed was Bonnie, a 6-year-old Whippet.

The burrow bed is an innovative idea, designed for those dogs with a drive to nestle into small spaces whether for warmth or safety. In Bonnie’s case she’s always seeking warmth since she is a short-haired dog living in New England. The burrow bed appeared to be the perfect solution to keep her out of our beds during the day. It’s basically two pillows in one that the dog can snuggle in between. It’s fleece covering is soft, warm and easy to remove for cleaning via the velcro closure.

The bed is a bit difficult for a larger dog to get used to. I still have to help Bonnie get into it. I think she is nervous about getting stuck on the way in since the pillows are secured tightly. Once inside, however, she sleeps cozy and comfortable for hours. Sometimes she prefers to sleep on top as well, when the need for warmth isn’t as strong. Either way, its a great bed. Perhaps in another version the maufacturer might allow opening on two ends so the dog doesn’t have to go in and turn around but could simply burrow under and stick her head out on the other end. - Doreen Howell, Marblehead, MA

With so much talk these days about Labradoodles and Yorkipoos, I thought the “designer dog” trend might be getting out of hand. What will they think of next? So I’m asking you to tell us the funniest, most outrageous mixes you can think of. Here are a few to get you started:

• Bearded Chin (Bearded Collie & Japanese Chin)
• Boy Toy (Boykin Spaniel & Toy Poodle)
• Bull Shitz (Bull Terrier & Shih Tzu — Thanks, Lisa Robinson!)
• Havapinch (Havanese & Doberman Pinscher)
• Cheese-eating surrender monkey (French Poodle & pretty much anything else)
• Chocolate Malt (Chocolate Lab & Maltese)
• Annoyed (Anatolian Shepherd & Samoyed)
• Great Scott (Great Dane & Scottish Terrier)
• Cold Duck (American Eskimo & Duck Tolling Retriever)
• Brittanytese (Brittany Spaniel & Maltese)
• Nopeeking (Norfolk Terrier & Pekingese)
• Jack in the Box (Jack Russell & Boxer)
• Sushi (Sussex Spaniel & Shih Tzu)
• Pie in the Sky (Pit Bull Terrier & Skye Terrier)
• Hairy Rat (Harrier & Rat Terrier)

Here’s a great site that has dozens of breeds (some of them really obscure). See what you can come up with.

In San Diego, I stumbled across a new trend in dog treats … dehydrated sweet potatoes. I thought they were chicken chews (another trend). When I picked one up, it was thick, heavy, hard like jerky, and wrinkled. The manufacturer told me it was a sweet potato. How cool is this?

Yams are packed with vitamins and minerals, calcium and fiber. They're naturally sweet and great for dogs who want a vegetarian alternative to rawhide. They're also good for dogs with wheat or corn allergies. Sweet potato chews can be kept for six months (longer if you refrigerate them).

I was so impressed with these chews that I decided we should carry them on FunStuffForDogs.com. I've ordered a couple of cases that come in resealable plastic bags. We need to get our crack-shot photographer, Dianne Coburn, to take some fabulous pictures so you can see the texture and color online. We should have them up and ready to buy in a week or so.

I'm very excited about these. Finally, a vegetable alternative to rawhide that dogs love, isn't greasy, doesn't stain the carpet, and provides a good chewing experience. Please tell me how they do with your dog. Write a product review or add your two cents to an existing review. - Lisa Woody

I’m off to Global Pet Expo 2006 in beautiful San Diego, CA tomorrow, to find the latest, greatest, up-to-datest products for dogs and their people. I’ll let you know what I find in the 12,000-square-foot New Products Pavilion, where 150 new products will be on display. I’ll report back on what I find, and cherry-pick the coolest, fun stuff to carry on our site. I’m in San Diego from Wednesday through Sunday. Stay tuned for updates from the show. - Lisa Woody

I was at a dinner party last year and we got to talking about our dogs. A couple started talking about the songs they sing to their dogs. They even gave us a tast of the little theme songs they have for when their dogs get a ride in the car or have dinner. I almost fell over, because my husband and I do that, too. I thought we were the only ones (and kudos for that brave couple for bringing it up, because I never would have mentioned it).

Here’s a totally unsolicited sampler of the songs we sing to our dogs:

• (To the tune of “Flipper”) - “They called him Raleigh, Raleigh, Raleigh the collie. No one could be, fluffy as he …. “
• (To the tune of “I Want Candy”) - “I want kibble”
• (At mealtime, to the Christmas carol tune) - “It’s the most wonderful time of the day!”
• (From The Donner Party’s song, adopted by Home Grocer.com) - “Would you like to have something to eat? Would you like to have biscuits and meat?” (Drives ‘em crazy at mealtime.)
• I used to sing to my dachshund, “I’m a little Dachshund, short and stout. Here is my tail and here is my snout.”

I think this is much more prevalent than previously realized. We’re all just (understandably) reluctant to talk about it. But I’m totally intrigued by this. So help me out. What songs do you sing to your dog when you go for a ride, or go to the dog park, or get ready for bed?

I have a 1 year old schnauzer mix named Harley. No one is exactly sure what he is mixed with. Guesses have ranged from Deer Hound to German Wire Haired Pointer, none the less he is a spunky, energetic pooch who brings hours of joy to my home.

Along with joy comes destruction, Harley has become quite the "enthusiastic" chewer in the last few months and has shredded up slippers, carpet, quilts, socks etc.

I have spent quite a bit on toys only to bring them home and have them totally annihilated within 10 minutes. I realized after 3 stuffed sheep, 2 stuffed bones and a fabulous striped stuffed dog had been brutally decapitated and mutilated that Harley was in need of a stronger toy. Tennis balls don't last 5 minutes, nor do toys made from real fire hoses. Harley also has issues with rope bones; not only does he untie the knots, but he unravels them and then spreads the strings all over the floor.

Through all the destruction and wasted money, I did finally find one toy that has lasted Harley over 6 months, the Petstages Orka Jack, even though Harley pulled out and shredded up the rope inside it, the jack itself still remains in tact. He has chewed, gnawed and scrapped his back teeth all over it and it has stood up to a lot of punishment. He seems to love how it feels when he chews it and loves to chase after it as it bounces randomly around the room due to its unique shape. This one has definitely lasted the longest out of all toys, I have accepted now that just because I like the cute fuzzy stuffed toys doesn't mean that Harley is capable of playing with them, so now he only gets very hard, durable rubber toys and real bones to play with but his Orka is his favorite!

- Susan Raymond, Houston TX

Pill Pockets, from S&M Nutec, are made with real beef and are a nutritious supplement to a dog's regular diet. You put a pill in the opening, then press the ends together. They make medicating your dog much easier and more pleasant for the dog.

Our testers were Luna Bell (1year old), Lady (2 years old) and Ike (2.5 years old), all Jack Russe Terriers from Slidell, LA.

They love them. Each Pill Pocket is soft and molds around the pill, so it won’t fall out. The dogs have never spit another pill out. Pill Pockets come in 3 sizes. It is the easiest , quickest, and cleanest way to get pills in your dog, and the manufacturer says that unlike using table scraps, Pill Pockets do not promote begging.

Luna has allergies and takes Benadryl Daily. She has a Pill Pocket first thing every morning  when we get up. Even during Hurricane Katrina we packed her pill pockets and she didn’t miss a dose. Ike usually can’t be fooled by much, but he even falls for the pill pockets. He doesn’t need medicine every day, but cries to have his pill pocket treat when Luna gets hers. I just give him an empty one.  They come in a bag that can be resealed and one bag has about a month's worth of treats for us. I sometimes get the large size and break them into pieces to make them last longer. They cost about six dollars a bag, depending where you get them.  

I  felt it was so cruel to shove pills down my dogs throat , only to have them spit it out soon after. It was upsetting to my dogs and stressed me out.
It also is quicker and much cleaner than using a fattening treat to bury it in. Lady has weight issues and should not eat extra  fattening human  treats. No mess—NO stress. My dogs love it and cry for it as a treat. They still have not caught on that it has a pill in it. Thank God for Pill Pockets!

- Kelly Stein

Dogswell LLC manufactures Happy Hips with glucosamine and Breathies treats for, well, dog breath. Our tester was Sapoo, a 14-year-old Toy Poodle from Grass Valley, CA. Sapoo has been using these treats for 8 years.

She can't get enough of these treats, and she's extremely finicky. We're especially pleased because treats low in fat — for dogs with pancreitis — are hard to find.

These work as promised, and are fantastic, especially for dogs with pancreatitis – these are safe!

- Shawna Fritzler

The fountain is the best water delivery system I’ve found for my dogs.  My tester dogs are Chelsea, Apollo, Lacey, Sabrina, Noble, Whidbey, Jake and Clancy, ranging in age from 18 mos to 11 years and in size from 25 to 160 pounds.

None of them is very interested in drinking water that has been standing for more than a few hours, and I’ve seen them walk away from a water bowl that was filled in the morning. 

I’ve tried the water systems that have a large filler bottle that dispenses water as it becomes low in the bowl. But that doesn’t solve the standing water problem and it’s more cumbersome to refill every few hours.  With the Drinkwell Fountain, I know my dogs are getting fresh, cool, filtered water all day and night.  As advertised, they drink more frequently and for longer periods of time.  I’m planning to buy a second one to keep upstairs! 

Cleaning the fountain is easy (although having to pick up the entire unit to clean it is a bit cumbersome).  All parts are easily accessible.  AND, none of my dogs have tried to chew on it or carry it off!  It’s attractive enough to put in any room and the gentle flow of the water is great as an indoor water feature!

My little guy, GW (Geroge Washington) received this musical  birthday cake on February 22 from a friend in Texas for his second birthday.  He just absolutely loved it as you can see. 

Once he hit the noisemaker that played the birthday song (and it plays through TWICE),  he got spooked and left the toy alone for a while. He then went back to it and had a ball playing with the candles, but he stayed away from the cake part. He is a Pembroke Welsh Corgi. He does not usually play very long with any toy, but the candles kept him busy for quite a while.

Muriel Pontbriant, Webster, MA