Few of WDJ’s contributors are shoppers; most of us have too many dogs to support for us to be in the habit of foraging through irresistibly cute items in boutique pet supply stores! But when pressed to think about it, all of us have one or two items in our dog-care arsenal that we couldn’t possibly live without – products that are so useful or so good at fulfilling every aspect of their design, that we use them with our dogs practically every day. Here are some of the products that made their “must-have” lists.
Joyce Chen Ultimate Scissors
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As I reached for my Joyce Chen Ultimate Scissors last night, it occurred to me that they’re one of the most useful items I’ve ever found for those who feed a homemade diet. I use mine for everything because they cut through just about anything easily! They’re also small enough to control even for small cuts. I use mine to cut up liver, tripe, chicken/turkey/duck necks (they work far better than the several pairs of poultry shears I’ve invested in over the years), whole large sardines (sharp enough to cut into meal-sized pieces without squeezing out too much of the innards), vegetables, and even to cut between lamb or beef ribs/riblets. I know there’s more; I don’t think a day goes by that I don’t use them.
The blades are chrome molybdenum stainless steel with a rust-resistant, no-stain finish. The handles are a slightly flexible plastic – strong enough for heavy-duty cutting but easy on your hands. The scissors are supposed to be unbreakable, but cutting through bone eventually causes the hinge to weaken, and I’ve broken a few pairs. When it happens, I’m frantic until I get a new pair. Note that they supposedly have a lifetime warranty, but no one has ever responded to my inquiries when I’ve broken a pair. I’ve used them for about 10 years, and have gone through about 4 pairs, counting my current ones.
The scissors are widely available online, but are harder to locate reliably in stores. The price has not increased appreciably in the several years I’ve been
using them; they’re always a little
under $20. – Mary Straus
Joyce Chen Ultimate Scissors –
$18 from Amazon.com
Joyce Chen, a division of
Columbian Home Products
Terre Haute, IN
(812) 238-5000
http://columbianhp.com/products/joyce-chen.html
Kong
100
My love affair with the Kong began when they were first introduced in the 1980s. Back then they were marketed (and used) as a fetch toy, and my Australian Kelpie adored the erratic way they bounced when thrown, thanks to their novel beehive shape. Then someone discovered that they could be stuffed with food and used as a canine pacifier, and their value to the canine behavior and training world skyrocketed. While still useful as a fetch toy, they are pressed into service far more often in homes, in crates, in shelters, and in training classes, filled with everything from peanut butter and chicken to broth-moistened kibble, frozen, to make a pupsicle that lasts for hours – especially refreshing to a dog on a hot summer day.
Originally created only in black rubber (still the toughest of the product line), they now come in several different colors and sizes, from Chihuahua teeny to Great Dane huge. The line includes a Kong that floats (for dogs who love water games), and another with a weighted base and a hole in the side that the dog pushes around to make treats fall out.
While not totally indestructible, they are one of the hardiest toys on the market, and one that deserves a prominent spot in every dog’s toybox. – Pat Miller
Kong – $5- $14 (depending on size)
The Kong Company
Golden, CO
(303) 216-2626
www.kongcompany.com
Nite Ize Meteorlight LED Ball
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Trade in your tired old tennis ball for some bark-after-dark fun with the Nite Ize Meteorlight LED ball. As winter settles in, the Nite Ize ball is perfect for exercising ready retrievers or ball-a-holics on long, dark nights. The bright LED light (in your choice of solid blue, red, green, or rotating “disco” colors) means you’ll never lose a ball in the dark again. It’s super easy to spot “Spot” as he zooms around the yard with this fun toy. The ball turns on and off with a steady push at a marked point (instructions show you how to step on the ball in a certain way to engage the on-off feature); we’ve yet to experience an accidental power-up or power-off during play.
The Meteorlight Ball is molded from durable thermo plastic rubber, floats, is water-resistant, and includes long-lasting and easily replaceable batteries. The best part? It fits perfectly in a Chuck It tennis ball launcher! – Stephanie Colman
Meteorlight Ball – $10 from Amazon.com
Nite Ize
Boulder, CO
(800) 678-6483
www.niteize.com
Original Sock Dogs
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Plush artist Stacey Hsu is as obsessed with socks as most young puppies. She expertly crafts socks into delightfully adorable, 13- to 16-inch canine companions that sparkle with personality and charm. Her custom creations, modeled after photos of your own four-legged friend, boast a remarkable attention to detail, from the slight cock of a head to the tell-tale flop of an ear. Each custom dog includes an ID tag and a signed and numbered artist’s hangtag. Or choose from a colorful array of whimsical, pre-crafted canine creatures in the Sock Dogs Etsy shop.
One of my neighbors ordered an Original Sock Dog to be modelled after her dog, Bella; the Sock Dog and Bella are shown together here. Notice the heart in place of the Sock Dog’s right eye? That’s in recognition of Bella’s blind eye (the result of an injury that happened to her as a puppy, before she was adopted) – an example of the loving, individualized attention the artist puts into these creations. Plus, Hsu donates 10 percent of every sale to her local shelter. – Stephanie Colman
Original Sock Dogs – $56 for pre-crafted dogs; $85 for custom sock dogs
Original Sock Dogs
Kansas City, MO
sockdogs@yahoo.com
www.sockdogs.com
Green
288
We’ve seen many products that were designed to slow down a dog who bolts his food. Several were bowls that were molded with a few raised surfaces – nothing that really slowed a dog down. Then there are the food-dispensing toys – some of which make it so difficult for some dogs to eat their meals, they just give up. (Not to mention the fact that many of them make a lot of noise as the dog bashes them about.) Here’s the first product we’ve seen that truly slows the dog’s consumption of food, without making it overly difficult or daunting. We tried it with small dogs and large dogs; all of them were able to extract food with a bit of work; perhaps because they could see the food the whole time, none gave up until all the food was gone.
Northmate says Green is made of hard plastic without phthalates, so it can be used outside and cleaned in the dishwasher without posing a risk of leaching. – Nancy Kerns
Green – $35 from Amazon.com
Northmate
Arslev, Denmark
0045-22-82-16-84
www.northmate.com
Daisy Runner and Max Walker
200
I never thought I’d like using a hands-free leash – until I started regularly walking three dogs at once (*my* dog Otto, Tito the former foster, and Diamond, the foster I worried I’d never find a home for). After a few tangled-leash episodes, I went digging through the box of gear that’s been sent to WDJ to test, and came up with Spindrift’s Daisy Runner and Max Walker hands-free system. I quickly learned that it’s much easier to walk multiple dogs when I connect the leash of the dog with the best on-leash manners to a belt designed for this purpose, leaving my hands free to handle the other dogs’ leashes and training treats.
After Diamond found a fantastic forever home (yay!), I found myself continuing to use the Daisy Runner hands-free system – sometimes even when I was walking Otto alone! It’s great when you are walking with a cup of coffee or pushing a stroller; it’s comfortable when you are running! And it’s not just the hands-free concept, it’s Spindrift’s execution of the concept that makes the system so appealing.
The Daisy Runner is a belt, made of 3/4-inch nylon webbing, which is lined with wider neoprene for chafe-free comfort. Reflective piping offers nighttime visibility. There are quick-release leash attachment points on either side of the belt, so you can fasten two dogs to the belt, or put one dog on either side of you. The Max Walker leash has an internal bungee cord that recoils to a short length as long as your dog is at your side, but stretches to prevent jerking your dog hard if he ranges from that position. It has an adjustable loop at one end, so it can be used as a regular leash or fastened to the Daisy Runner. Spindrift makes the Max Walker available in two lengths (4 or 6 feet) with either a metal or plastic buckle on the dog’s end. I like the 4-foot length; it provides the right amount of slack for Otto to jog close to my side without the leash sagging enough to provide a trip- or tangle hazard. And the bungee material has just enough give to allow him a momentary sniff (no more) or provide him with room to dodge out of my path if I happen to stumble (yes, I sometimes text while walking).
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My only complaint: The Daisy Runner comes in just two sizes, medium (29 to 34 inches) and large (35 to 40 inches). A wider selection of sizes, or a revised design that would allow a wide range of adjustment, would enable more people to enjoy the product. –Nancy Kerns
Daisy Runner & Max Runner – $36
Spindrift American Made Dog Gear
Bend, OR
(541) 280-8283
www.spindriftdog.com
Cloud Nine Herbal Ear Wash
288
My previous dog, the sweet Border Collie Rupert, used to be prone to ear infections (it was a symptom of his allergy to a very common food ingredient that took me far too long to identify). Until I determined the ingredient that would trigger an allergic response (of all things, chicken!), he’d come to me at least a few times a month with his head tipped to one side, shaking his head repeatedly in a vain attempt to rid himself of the burning sensation in his ears. Over the years I tried many products to clean and calm his red, irritated ears. But once I tried Halo’s Cloud Nine Herbal Ear Wash, I never used any other product. It never failed to gently cleanse and soothe his ears by the next day.
Cloud Nine contains chamomile extract, sage oil, clove oil, horehound extract, southern wood extract, calendula extract, pennyroyal oil, and St. John’s wort oil in a base of witch hazel. It effectively softens and loosens ear wax and allows you to wipe dirty debris out of the dog’s ear. Plus, it never seems to sting.
My sister recently adopted an almost all-white Jack Russell-mix puppy who is prone to irritated, dirty ears. My sister asked me what she should do for them. I sent a bottle of the Halo ear wash to her via next-day delivery – and she reported that it cleared up her puppy’s painful, red ears overnight. Good stuff! – Nancy Kerns
Cloud Nine Herbal Ear Wash – 4 oz. $14
Halo Purely for Pets
Tampa, FL
(800) 426-4256
www.halopets.com
Planet Petco Undercoat Comb and Slicker Brush
250
All of Petco’s new “earth-conscious pet products” are made with natural, sustainable raw materials. Petco says it donates one percent of the sales of all of these Planet Petco products to nonprofit organizations “that help make the planet a healthier place.”
It wasn’t the Planet Petco or 1% for the Planet labels that led me to try these grooming tools, however. I liked the way they looked and felt in the hand. The handles are made from bamboo – one of the fastest-growing, sustainable woods available. And they work well! The teeth of the Undercoat Comb swivel, which helps when you’re trying to comb out a mat or knot in your dog’s fur. And the tips of the Slicker Brush are coated with a dab of plastic; they don’t stab like needles like some slickers. – Nancy Kerns
Planet Petco Undercoat Comb –$11;
Slicker Brush – $14
Petco
San Diego, CA
(888) 824-7257
http://petco.com/planet.com
Magnet Ball
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My dog and I train for and compete in obedience. My goal is to inspire an animated, heads-up style of heeling in my dog, and I use reward-based training methods that include a lot of interactive play. My dog happens to be a ball junkie, and I’ve seen the Magnet Ball mentioned on different forums as a reward/toy, so I jumped at the chance to try it out.
After excitedly tearing into the package, I was disappointed by a lack of literature with tips on how to make the best use of the toy. I’ve trained with a ball-on-a-rope stuffed down the back of my pants or concealed under my armpit for years, so the magnetic feature was what intrigued me. Instead, all I found was a list of safety information warning me of possible harm when handling the neodymium magnets, which are sewn into oversized packets of strong fabric, which you can use to pull the magnets apart when they attach to each other. The literature warned that the magnets are capable of zapping your credit cards and data carriers, ruining your hearing aids, or jump-starting your pacemaker. I probably should have paid more attention, because the first thing I did when handling the toy was pinch my fingers between the two very strong magnets. Ouch!
It turns out that I didn’t need instructions; the concept is simple. You position one magnet on the inside of your clothing, and then carefully (taking care not to put one’s fingers between the magnets!) position the other one on the outside. Then you just swing the ball by its rope toward the magnets and bam! The ball (which has another magnet inside) jumps right to the magnets on your clothing and hangs on. You can even jog or jump around; the ball holds firm. Did I mention that these are very strong magnets?
For obedience training, I’d use the ball as a visual target on my left, upper-arm (similar to the food-on-the-armband technique) to establish early muscle memory for heads-up heeling. One unique advantage of the magnet ball is that the handler doesn’t have to change body position to reach for the reward (some dogs are extremely sensitive to this, and it alters their position). I quickly taught my dog how to pull the magnet ball from the middle of my back, and used releasing him to it (without changing my body posture) as a reward for proper heeling. Having the reward come from behind me should, over time, help address his pesky forging problem.
At $33 for the complete system (one ball-on-a-rope and two magnets), this is a pricey training tool — especially when I can stuff a regular ball-on-a-rope in the back of my pants for a lot less money. And I’m not crazy about the ball itself; it’s a lot harder than the squishier balls more commonly used on a rope as a training reward toy. In fact, most of the ball-crazy dogs I tested it on initially preferred tugging the rope, and needed some prompting to tug the ball itself.
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Overall, I’d consider this as a specialized training tool for dedicated training junkies, and one that can double as a toy (as opposed to a toy that can double as a training tool). With the magnet inside, it’s definitely not a chew toy, and as with any toys, your dog should be closely supervised when using this device. Especially if he’s wearing a hearing aid. –Stephanie Colman
Magnet Ball – $33
Prodogz
White City, OR
(541) 608-2857
www.prodogz.com
