Gnawin’ Forever Treat Toy Product Review

A dog chew that will keep Goliath busy for an hour or more? You bet! This toy/treat combination is delightfully befuddling, keeping your dog busy and happy for much longer than a rawhide chew.

My Dog is a Democrat!

My dog’s meals, home, health care, and transportation are provided at no cost to him by people who go out and work every day. Holy cow! My dog is a Democrat!

Dog Population

There are more dogs living in London than there are people living in Norway. Learn more dog population factoids here.

National Dog Day

August 26 is National Dog Day. Started by self-styled “pet lifestyle expert”/interior designer Colleen Paige, National Dog Day is intended to raise awareness of all the ways in which dogs enrich our lives, and to get people to donate to shelters. The organizers’ website encourages people to host a variety of events to celebrate, including dog costume parties, adoption fairs, or buy things from their sponsors such as photo sessions, boutique items and treats. Hmmmmm … They also created National Puppy Day, National Mutt Day and National Pet Day. Sounds like a marketing machine over there. Oh, well. We’ll do our part. FunStuffForDogs.com offers a coupon code worth 20% off any purchase of $25 or more. Enter coupon code NATIONALDOGDAY during checkout.

I feel better already.

10 Reasons to Adopt an Adult Dog

Let’s face it; puppies are work. Next time you’re looking for a dog, consider the many advantages of adopting an adult dog.

What Kind of Dog Are You?

There’s a fun website that’s been around for a while. It’s for a British comedy called Gone to the Dogs. But the best part of the site is the game that tells you what kind of dog you would be. Go to http://www.gone2thedogs.com/ and click “GAME” on the left side of the screen. After you answer each question, don’t forget to click the “Next Question” button on the right.

Somebody has put an awful lot of work into this quiz, both from the programming and design aspects. It’s great fun to play.

I’m a Hamilton Hound, a Swedish hunting dog that look similar to the American Foxhound. Who knew?

Lisa

Take Your Dog for a Walk

If your dog is getting antsy, anxious or destructive, there’s one thing that can help more than any toy, training device, music CD or drugs: go for a walk. A 30-minute walk every day cures most dogs of most vices within a few weeks. Dogs are meant to roam. A house or a yard are confining to them. Letting a dog out in the yard does nothing to cure his “cabin fever.” You know how you feel when you’ve been in the house with the flu for three days? You need to get out. You need fresh air, sunshine, a change of scene, somewhere to go. So does your dog. So if you see him/her becoming restless, barking more, getting into things he/she shouldn’t, chewing up you bedspread, digging and being more aggressive toward others, start walking. You’ll be surprised what it does to not only burn off excess energy, but strengthen your relationship with the dog.

A walk will also focus your high-energy dog before attempting any task such as training, putting medication on, traveling in a car, etc.

Dog Backpack Tip – What to put in it

A lot of people use back packs to increase the effectiveness of their daily walks.

High-energy dogs, nervous or anxious dogs and other dogs seems to respond to having a “job” (hauling around a backpack with some moderate weight in the packs). Plus, it uses up to three times the energy … a 15-minute walk has the impact of a 45-minuted walk with a backpack weighted appropriately.

But once people get their backpack, they wonder how to weight it appropriately. How much weight is enough? How much is too much? How do you get your dog used to a packpack and how do you gradually increase weight?

Here are some tips from www.FunStuffForDgos.com.

• Put the backpack on without anything in the pockets at first. Let your dog get used to it. Go for 2-4 walks with the backpack empty.
• If your dog is ignoring the backpack after 2-4 walks (many dogs even become eager to put it on once they connect the backpack to a walk), begin adding weight a little at a time. Go by the size of your dog. For our Irish Setter, I started with a 12-ounce bottle of water on each side. For a Cocker Spaniel, I would start with an orange or something of similar weight.
• Be sure you have even weight on each side of the backpack.
• Go for 2-4 walks with each weight before adding more. Keep the first walk with the new heavier weight short; don’t try to do a two-mile hike if you’ve just added weight.
• Do not add more than 10% of your dog’s own weight to the backpacks. For a 25-lb dog, don’t add more than two and a half pounds total (a pound and a quarter on each side).
• In the summertime, larger dogs can haul chilled bottles of water. This can help cool the dog.
• Owners of small dogs sometimes use beans to add weight to their dogs’ packs. Beans conform to the dog’s body, making the load comfortable. Plus, you have good control over exactly how much weight you add, and can add more in small increments.

View backpacks here: http://www.funstufffordogs.com/Qstore/Qstore.cgi?CMD=009&DEPT=1147968493&BACK=A0009A1B01193942869B1C01193943113C1F01193942869F1G01193943113G1I000010I1J01194355435J1

- Lisa Woody

Lucky Dog Radio Show

 Have you heard about The Lucky Dog Show?

It’s a new weekly radio show that talks about hot trends and cool products for dogs and the people who love them. If you love shopping and dogs, this show was made for you. Every Saturday morning, you can listen from anywhere in the world as The Lucky Dog Show dishes up the best in dishes … plus toys, treats, beds, apparel, summer and holiday items and much more.

 The Lucky Dog Show is all about the coolest, freshest stuff for dogs. Visit www.luckydogshow.com for details on upcoming shows, how to call in, and when to listen.

Videos of Dog Products

Do you have a video of your dog using a product from FunStuffForDogs.com? We’re looking for videos to add to the product pages of our site. Send yours to lisa (at) funstufffordogs.com.