Thursday, December 31, 2015

New Year's Eve Safety for Dogs


It's New Year's Eve and we are not excited about it. Unfortunately, holidays involving loud bangs are never fun when you have two noise phobic dogs. Last year New Year's Eve wasn't that bad compared to the 4th of July. I'm really hoping that we will be ringing in the New Year quietly without too many fireworks going off.

Many pets are terrified of fireworks and other loud noises. These sorts of noises are hard to predict and even harder to work on with training. My dogs are usually over threshold immediately upon hearing the bangs or pops. Zoe is specifically terrified of the screamers but all bangs are scary to her.

Fireworks can cause a great deal of stress in dogs. Some signs to look for would include:
  • Shaking or Trembling
  • Drooling
  • Barking or Howling
  • Refusing to Eat Food
  • Pacing, unable to settle
  • Trying to hide or trying to get into or out of the house, fence or enclosure
  • Loosing control of their bladder, bowels or anal glands. 


Things we can do to help our dogs get through the night:

Exercise your dog early and make sure to walk them before it gets dark. I'm planning on running the girls several miles out at the big park in the afternoon. Hopefully they will be tired and sleep through any festivities that happen.

Keep your pets indoors! Many pets who are left outdoors during fireworks end up panicking and getting lost. If you must go outside, keep your dog on a leash attached to a harness. Harnesses are a lot harder to escape from. Pets should also be wearing ID tags with your most current information.

Close your curtains or blinds. Turn on your TV, fan or radio to provide them with some background noise and distraction.

Some dogs find hiding in their crate to be comforting. My dogs love their crates and I will often throw a blanket over their crates, too which gives them an extra sense of security.

If your dog will take food, you can try to keep them busy with a food puzzle toy, like a stuffed kong. 

Medications: Some dogs do just fine with the noises but other dogs, like mine, are not easily calmed by petting or talking to them. They are just too upset by the noise. If nothing seems to work for your pet, you should speak to your veterinarian about appropriate medications to help them get through the holidays.

A word on over-the-counter remedies: We have tried many, many of these over the years and have not had any luck with them. Don't make the same mistake we did and ask your veterinarian for their advice right away if your dog is fearful.

Pets who are very frightened and who might hurt themselves should never be left alone.



Do your pets do okay with loud noises? What do you do to help them out if they are scared?

We hope everyone has a wonderful and safe New Year's Eve!


Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Vera Premium Health & Wellness Treats Review


Hi everyone! I hope you're all having an awesome day! Today we are doing another review for Vera! We reviewed their Premium Deli Style Treats a while ago and my pups loved the treats so much that we couldn't say no when we were asked if we'd like to try their Premium Health and Wellness Treats.

Vera Premium Treats are made with wholesome ingredients that contain 95% real meat! The treats are made with the highest quality butcher cuts. There are no artificial colors, by-products, corn, wheat or soy and there are no ingredients from China. The treats are made in the grassy rolling hills of Ireland about 5 miles from Dublin!


Joint Care Chicken Fillets
Ingredients: Chicken, Salt, Glycerin, Potassium sorbate (A preservative), Salmon Oil, Sodium ascorbate (A preservative), Ground Limestone, Glucosamine hydrochloride, Chondroitin sulfate.


Skin and Coat Chicken Fillets 
Ingredients: Chicken, Salmon, Glycerin, Salt, Potassium Sorbate (A Preservative), Sodium Ascorbate (A Preservative) Omega 3 & 6 Fatty Acids


The girls loved these treats just as much as they enjoyed the other treats that Vera sent us! The treats are a jerky-like consistency and are easy to cut up. I love that they have health benefits for their hips, joints and skin. I like to feed these as training treats and I measure out the amount that Vera recommends and I just cut them up and put them in my treat bag. We have had no tummy upsets or any other issues.

I would recommend checking Vera out! You can find their treats exclusively at Petco.

ZoePhee was provided with a sample of treats from Vera in exchange for an honest review. We were not monetarily compensated and all opinions are my own.
 

Monday, December 28, 2015

New Trick! Teach Your Dog to Close Their Crate Door!



This is our very first ever trick training tutorial! 

I am still very camera shy so I used captions instead of talking.

I hope you guys like it! This is a pretty simple trick to teach if your dog likes their crate and knows how to play tug.  The girls learned it in about 5 minutes. I had my husband video the whole process of me teaching it to Zoe. At the end you can see the completely finished version with Phoenix.

Note: If your dog is a chewer, I would not recommend leaving any "chewable" items with them in their crate. We are mostly just doing some fun tricks to prevent rainy day boredom and this one is easy to do!

Sunday, December 27, 2015

Pesky Balls!


This is not what you were thinking! Oh no, we are talking about chuck it balls! I'm pretty sure Zoe thinks that fetching balls is dumb. Princesses should not have to fetch anything but she does it to humor me and we did train it! Every once in a while the balls don't quite cooperate with her and I get these funny photos.


 I think this one is so funny! She was really into it here!

Do your dogs fetch?

Happy B&W Sunday everyone!

Friday, December 25, 2015

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!


Merry Christmas everyone! We hope you all have a fantastic day! 

The girls are happy the holidays are almost over so they can stop wearing their Santa Hats! 


Zoe says that Gingerbread Men make excellent pillows! 
(Especially after you've killed them a little)

What did your pets get for Christmas?

Thursday, December 24, 2015

Christmas Eve! TBT

Phoenix at the Space Needle

Merry Christmas Eve and Happy Holidays everyone!

Last year we went to Seattle for the day on Christmas. It was such a fun day and the weather was amazing, too! I figured I'd share some of our photos from the day. 


The girls were a little bit nervous with such a huge crowd running around but I think they did a great job posing in front of the twinkling lights! 

Zoe does a rebound off of me, while Phee waits politely.

We had a really awesome time and I was so glad we got to go! 

I'm not sure what we're going to do this year! How are you spending your holiday? 

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Sojos Simply Lamb Dog Treats

chewy.com
Zoe says, "Let's get this party started!"

Hi everyone! I hope you're all having a fantastic Tuesday! It's time for our monthly chewy.com review! If you didn't know, Chewy.com is an awesome company that ships all of your favorite pet products right to your door! They have amazing customer service and their shipping is incredibly fast. They are one of our favorite companies! We received our treats as part of the chewy.com blogger program in exchange for an honest review.


Sojos Simply Lamb Treats

This month we are reviewing Sojos Simply Lamb, these treats are a single ingredient treat made with 100% human grade lamb. Zoe and Phoenix were very excited when Mr. N was kind enough to share some of his with them on our walk last week and they were even more excited when they realized they had their own bag!

Sojos Simply Lamb Treats

The treats are:
  • Made from 100% raw freeze-dried lamb
  • Perfect for training & rewarding
  • Made with natural, human-quality ingredients
  • No artificial preservatives
  • No artificial flavors or colors
  • Made in the USA
 Ingredients: Lamb

Sojos Simply Lamb Treats

I've been using these treats for training and the dogs have been having a blast doing their tricks for them! The girls consider these to be high value, so they work extra hard to get them! The treats break apart easily and the only down side is that they are a tad bit greasy, which is sort of weird for freeze dried but that's okay! Zoe and Phoenix really liked these and I would definitely get them again! I would recommend checking out Sojos Simply Lamb and if your pooch doesn't like lamb they have several other proteins available! They also come in turkey, beef, venison, salmon and boar!

ZoePhee was provided with a bag of Sojos Simply Lamb from Chewy.com in exchange for an honest review through their blogger program. We were not monetarily compensated and all opinions are my own. Chewy.com is not responsible for the content of this blog post.


Monday, December 21, 2015

Who Killed The Gingerbread Man???


Somebody killed the Gingerbread Man!


Zoe says, "It wasn't me! He's my friend!"



"Just kidding! It was TOTALLY me!"


"He's fine, really! I swear!!
..... for now."


Well Zoe, I guess... No blood, no foul? 

Well in Mr. Gingerbread Man's case no stuffing, no foul? 


Saturday, December 19, 2015

Not Morning Dogs! Sisters on Saturday


Happy Saturday everyone!

I woke the girls up early to go for our meet up with Mr. N the other day and they weren't very impressed with me. You see, these dogs are not "morning dogs". They don't like getting up early and Phoenix has even been known to go back to bed after we've told her we are going "bye bye". Once you get them up and going things are fine but waking up is hard. I don't blame them.

I'm sorry for the quality of this photo and the zombie eyes, I took it with my cell phone. I had to be quick because the girls don't often cuddle. Zoe can be a bit guardy and it scares Phoenix. I came back in from "putting my face on" and Zoe had gotten in bed with Phoenix.

Every time I asked them if they wanted to go the park, they would pick their heads up and drop them right back down. It was the most hilarious thing ever!

Is your dog a "morning dog"?

Friday, December 18, 2015

Meet up with Mr. N!


The past few weeks, the rain has been absolutely awful! I was so relieved when we finally caught a break! Since it wasn't pouring buckets, we decided to have a fun meet up with Mr. N from Tenacious Little Terrier out at Thousand Acres (aka The Big Park)!



Zoe loves being chased and they had a fun time running around together! 


None of the dogs were that impressed with the log I chose for a group photo! LOL!


Phoenix and Mr. N play on the beach together!


Mr. N helps Zoe look for bunnies!


Time to go!


The dogs had so much fun running around together! Zoe did end up photobombing Mr. N's chewy.com review but his mom will probably tell you more about that!

It was an awesome day and it didn't even rain on us and wasn't windy. A total win in my book! The dogs didn't even get that dirty! We did almost 5 miles but I'm not exactly sure what it was exactly because I forgot to turn the mapper off when I got into the car and drove off.. Ooops!

I hope everyone has an awesome weekend!

(No small terriers were harmed in the making of this blog post, despite the bitey face photos that I got of my dogs!)

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Bokeh Throwback

Phee!

Here's a "bokeh" photo from last Christmas! This is one of my most favorite ones that I took! 
Phoenix was really getting into modeling around then!

Do you have any favorite "holiday photo" memories of your furkids?

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Sleepy Santa Hat Sneak Attack


Zoe was really sleepy, so I figured it would be a good time to "sneak attack" her with a Santa Hat! It totally worked! She doesn't really mind it, though!

Do your pets let you dress them up?

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Boosters Dehydrated Raw Treats


Hi everyone! I hope you're all having a great day! Today I have a review for you on some fantastic dehydrated raw treats from Boo Boo's Best!

Boo Boo's Best is a small business that came about when the owner's dog, Boo Boo became sick after eating commercial dog food. After switching her dog to raw food and doing a ton of research, she discovered that many dogs were having the same problems and she decided to get her Certificate in Canine Nutrition from the Natural Academy of Health Sciences! Along with her holistic veterinarian and a holistic pet care coach, she began developing her own 100% natural dog food and treats!

The owner of BooBoo's best feels that less-frequently used proteins like rabbit, goat, kangaroo, pork, bison and mussels are less likely to cause allergic reactions than more commonly used proteins like chicken. I tend to agree and have heard that these sorts of proteins can be really beneficial to dogs with allergies or other food sensitivities. 

All of the food and treats from Boo Boo's Best are made from wild or grass fed animals. They do not contain any grains, corn, soy, gluten or artificial ingredients. The treats are made in the USA in California.

We were sent a package of Kangaroo Boo to try! Zoe and Phoenix were so excited for them! Boosters can be used as treats, meal toppers or you can even stuff them in food toys. The treats are a jerky-like consistency and are a decent size. They are easily broken apart and we've been using them for training. They come in 2 or 5 ounce packages.

The ingredients include: Wild Australian Kangaroo, Durham Ranch Bison Heart, Bison Fat, Organic Zucchini, Green Beans, Pumpkin Puree, Papaya, Blueberries, Organic Virgin Coconut Oil, Tocopherols (Natural Vitamin E).



Both girls have been really enjoying these treats! I like that they are already a smaller size so that I don't have to spend a ton of time cutting or breaking them up. We've been using them as training treats and my dogs consider them to be high value. The package lasted me a long time, as we've gotten towards the end of the package the treats are a little more crumbly so I will probably use them as a meal topper, too!

I would recommend checking out Boo Boo's Best! Zoe and Phoenix are loving their treats!

Sorry about the dark photos! We are having nonstop rain and we haven't seen the sun in days! 




Monday, December 14, 2015

Unhappy Feet! Paw Infections.

She hates her boots. :(

As you can tell, Zoe is not very impressed with me! Poor Zoe is having her feet problems again. It's been nonstop raining and during the rainy season she gets this weird contact allergy thing in between her pads and sometimes between her toes. Her feet do not like wet grass at all.

This year I tried an experiment with benadryl and keeping her mostly to the dirt for potty walks but because she's such a princess about where she goes potty, that plan didn't really work out. Even with drying them thoroughly with a towel every time she comes in and washing them with anti-bacterial soap once a day, the infection happened anyways.


This is what her paw currently looks like. She also has a second infection in one of her back paws, too. I've been treating her 3x a day with her special spray from the vet. The photo above is actually pretty mild from what I've seen them do in the past. We've been keeping a very close eye on her and making sure she does not lick them. She's been pretty unhappy about that, too because she would prefer to spend her day in the bedroom.

I can't really win with her. She hates her boots but her paws hate the grass. I feel so bad about all of this. Boots it is until the rain takes a break! Poor thing.

Does your dog have contact allergies? 



Sunday, December 13, 2015

Friday, December 11, 2015

3 Tips for Exercising Your Dog Indoors on Rainy Days!


It's raining, it's pouring.. the dogs are sort of snoring... Oh and it's flooding and we have a giant sink hole across the street, too. I know..... I know..... I'm terrible at poems. Sorry! Anyways, Happy Fit Dog Friday everyone! We've been having the worst rain ever this past week and it's not going to get any better. So what is a fit dog to do when a fit dog can't run outside because she's a princess and hates the rain?

Note: The following things are in addition to our regular training sessions. :)

Phoenix with her Buster Cube

Puzzle Toys!
Seriously puzzle toys have been our saving grace. I have a bunch of different kinds of them but the ones that roll and really get the dogs moving are the best kind for indoor fitness. When the weather is really bad, the dogs will get all their meals in puzzle toys. Having to work for their food really keeps them busy. It's also really fun watching them work the food out of them!

Phoenix with her Tiger Toy

Tug and Fetch
Luckily you can play tug anywhere and it's another great exercise and dogs love it. Phoenix is a huge fan of playing tug and she also loves fetch. They are both super easy to do and if you play the game with rules, it also becomes a training session so you work the mind and body. With tug the rules are as follows: the dog must not take the toy until they are given the cue (get it), the dog must out (drop it) when asked and the dog must not bite my hand. 

We are lucky that our apartment is a decent size for fetch.. Our place isn't huge but we do have a long hallway so I can stand from one end of the apartment and toss the toy down the hall. Fetch is fun and I like to play it with rules, too. Sometimes I will ask for a sit before I throw the toy, or I will even ask for some impulse control (making the dog wait before dashing off after the toy). 

Phoenix on her wobble board. Check out our DIY tutorial and make your own!

Wobble Boards and Other Conditioning Equipment
A few years ago we made our own wobble board (link is in the caption of the photo) and it was one of the best projects we've done. The wobble board is great for indoor exercise. It works their leg muscles and their core. My dogs love their wobble board and we use it all the time. It's also great if you want to get your dog into agility training because it helps the dog to get used to standing on stuff that moves. After using the wobble board, Zoe in particular, was not afraid to learn the teeter. With our wobble board, we practice balance and position changes, like going from sit to stand or sit to sit pretty.

We also have a fitness ball that I will put the girls up on and it works their body very similar to the wobble board but the texture is different and it helps to provide some variety in our conditioning exercises. 

What is your favorite indoor activity for your dog?

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Warm Your Pet after a Cold Outing with Bone Broth from THK


It's been pretty cold and miserable here! Let's face it. My dogs are princesses. They don't like the cold and winter walks are a total pain. Getting them warmed up after a walk in the rain is a must, so I was definitely excited when The Honest Kitchen asked me to review their new and improved Winter Warmer! Bone Broth with Tumeric is a functional liquid treat that can be served to both dogs and cats! Tumeric is a great ingredient and has been studied for it's antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties!

The Bone Broth can be served between meals, poured over kibble to add extra flavor, used to hydrate a meal from The Honest Kitchen or my favorite way is to give it as a treat after coming in from walking in the cold! The Broth is very versatile!

Ingredients Include: Beef bone broth, parsley, pumpkin, turmeric extract


Bone Broth is incredibly easy to make. You just add one heaping tablespoon into a cup of hot (not boiled) water and stir. Allow the product to cool to your pet's liking. My girls like it served warm.


Bone Broth is about 59 calories per cup and the directions are to give 1/4 cup per 25lbs of body weight. The package contains enough dry mix to make around 10 cups of broth.

Phoenix and Zoe share a cup of Bone Broth from THK

I usually make a full cup of this up and let the girls share it. 


Zoe and Phoenix both really like the Bone Broth and they did having it. There were no tummy issues. I like that it's full of nourishing, mineral-rich ingredients and that it's really easy to make. It is green so I wouldn't recommend putting it down on lightly colored bedding (whoops) or light carpet. It could get messy.

Bone Broth is a great treat and I would recommend checking it out!

Have you ever tried The Honest Kitchen before with your pets? Did they like it?

ZoePhee was provided with a package of Bone Broth in exchange for an honest review. We were not monetarily compensated and all opinions are my own. The Honest Kitchen is not responsible for the content of this post.

 

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Fill Your Dog's Holiday Stocking with Zuke's: Genuine Jerky Steaks! Giveaway!

Genuine Jerky Steaks

Happy Tuesday everyone! I hope everyone is having a great day! Today we have a really fun review and giveaway brought to you by Zuke's! Zuke's is a fantastic company that makes a variety of delicious dog treats that your pup will be drooling over. We've done several reviews for Zuke's in the past and they are one of our favorite brands! My dogs absolutely love Zuke's and we buy their treats regularly!

 (1) One lucky reader will win the full line (3 bags) of Genuine Jerky Steaks!

Genuine Jerky Steaks™ combine the delicious flavor of omega-3 rich, grass-fed, New Zealand Beef with fresh veggies like carrots, potatoes, or sweet potatoes. These savory slices of real meat are naturally nutritious and preserved without added nitrates or nitrites. So soft that you can tear ‘em into smaller pieces!

Genuine Jerky Steaks
 

The Genuine Jerky Steaks have 3 flavors: Beef & Carrot, Beef & Potato, Beef & Sweet Potato.
Follow the link to check out their ingredients.

Features and Benefits Include:
  • Pure New Zealand Beef: 100% grass-fed beef full of protein and omega-3
  • Free of nitrates and nitrites: Zuke's only use natural preservatives
  • Healthy veggies: Visible chunks of healthy veggies for extra vitamins and minerals
  • Grain-Free: perfect for pets with special dietary needs

Genuine Jerky Steaks

These treats smell absolutely amazing, they smell exactly like people beef jerky and I was almost tempted to try them myself. Both of my dogs were so excited about trying them! The treats come in huge chunks (pictured in the second image), but you can tear off pieces or cut them down to your preferable size. I've been cutting them down and using the treats for training. My dogs consider Zuke's to be so high value that they will do anything to get them!

I would definitely recommend checking the Zuke's Genuine Jerky Steaks out! My dogs LOVE them!

ZoePhee was provided with the full line of Genuine Jerky Steaks from Zuke's in exchange for an honest review. We were not monetarily compensated and all opinions are our own. Zuke's is not responsible for the content of this blog post.

ZoePhee is partnering with Zuke's to host a giveaway. The giveaway is open to USA residents age 18 or older. No purchase necessary and void where prohibited. The giveaway is open for one week and the winner will be randomly selected by the giveaway widget. Please follow the directions on the widget to enter. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to my email before I move on and choose someone else. The winner will be announced on the ZoePhee facebook page so I would recommend following us!