BEHAVIOUR AIDS FOR DOGS
I am in the camp that believes your companion animals deserve treats at Christmas too. Sure, they don't know it's Christmas, but they are part of the family and they should share in the extra love that gets spread around during the holiday season. It could be as simple as picking up some of their favourite yummy treats.
Our beagle mix rescue dog, Jolene, received a few gifts from The Company of Animals this year to help with some of her quirkier habits. World-renowned animal psychologist Dr. Roger Mugford founded The Company of Animals in 1979. The company is based on a 100-acre working farm in Surrey, England - it's home to the Training and Behavior Centre, which specializes in dog training, among other things. Therefore, The Company Of Animals is in a unique position to research and develop new products to help resolve pet-related behaviour and training problems. They strive to develop products that help owners and their pets enrich their lives together.
Gift number one for Miss Jolene is the GREEN Slow Feeder. I realize that dogs tend to eat quickly. I've had other dogs in the past. But I've never seen a dog quite like Jolene. She would swallow the whole bowl of food in one go if she possibly could. The behaviour worsened recently when we got our second dog, Ace. Jolene is so afraid that he will steal her food that she literally began choking every time she ate. I was afraid I would have to give her the doggie Heimlich a couple of times. Seriously.
The GREEN slow feeder has been amazing! Instead of the seconds it took her to eat a meal before, it takes Jolene about 20 to 25 minutes to eat a meal now. Lest you think that is cruel, it actually is quite the opposite. According to The Company of Animals, slowing down eating reduces the risk of bloat and the unpleasant after-effects of eating too fast, resulting in a happier, healthier dog. I believe it satisfies some of Jolene's natural desires to "hunt" for her food. The feeder is designed to look like big tufts of grass. Ace knows that this is Jolene's dish so he patiently watches while she eats her meals. The GREEN Slow Feeder works with both dry and wet food, and washes up in the dishwasher.
That same hunting instinct means that Jolene spends car rides mining for crumbs the kids may have left on the floor and on the car seats. It makes for a bit of an unpleasant ride when she nabs a stray plastic sandwich bag or a wad of tissue. Enter her second gift, the CLIX CarSafe Harness. It keeps Jolene safe and secure (and unable to hunt for food) while we're driving.
The success of this one can depend on your dog, because a very active dog could twist himself around while wearing the "seatbelt." (I had a black lab that would do that.) Jolene is okay with it though. The CLIX CarSafe harness has soft neoprene padding covering all points of contact, with particular focus on a central chest protector. It's very easy to use - we actually use it for walks (with a leash attached) too!
Jolene's third gift is an interesting one. She is kind of an anxious little girl sometimes. We're not quite sure what she experienced in the year before we got her. But we discovered that she is calmer and less prone to licking the carpets when she wears a snug sweater. So we decided to give the Anxiety Wrap a try. The Company of Animals says it's like "a therapeutic hug" and I believe it. It's a soft, smooth, stretchy fabric that fits snuggly over your dog's back and abdomen. Somehow it offers soothing properties. Jolene isn't a big fan of the leg straps, so we just snap them above her butt. There are different sizes, and you want it to fit a bit snug. I think we chose a bit too big for Jolene. If your dog is between sizes, I might go with a smaller size. It has velcro areas so you can adjust the fit too.
Ace will be getting presents too, but I gotta admit he doesn't have as many "issues" as Miss Jolene (bless her sweet heart). Treats and toys are good for him. Are you getting gifts for your pet(s) this Christmas?
Find It:
Web - The Company of Animals
Facebook - CompanyofAnimals
Twitter - @CoAnimals_US
The Company of Animals Giveaway!
The Prizes - 1 GREEN Slow Feeder, 1 CLIX CarSafe Harness & 1 Anxiety Wrap
Eligibility - Canada, U.S.
Enter using the rafflecopter widgets below until January 12, 2015. There are three separate widgets so you can choose the item(s) that best suit your dog(s).
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*I received product for review purposes. Thank you for supporting the awesome companies that partner with Woman in Real Life!
My dog would benifit from the wrap b/c he has anxiety 24-7.
ReplyDeleteHe never stops and is so seldom fully relaxed.
I hate it for him b/c he's a great fun dog when he is able to relax.
kayleefaith1228@aol.com
I understand how you feel! You hate to see them like that. (And it's stressful for you too!) Who knows what's going on in those little heads? :)
DeleteMy dog would benefit from the safety harness because it looks more comfortable than the one she has and it will keep her safe.
ReplyDeleteMy dog could benefit from the GREEN slow feeder because my puppy eats to fast.
ReplyDeleteMy dog would benefit from the CarSafe Harness because she would have to sit still in the van.
ReplyDeleteMy puppy can not handle being alone. Somebody always has to be with her.
ReplyDeleteI like and would benefit having the slow feeder because it will slow down the eating. Rusty eats like a maniac.
ReplyDeleteRusty would benefit from the harness to keep him safe in the car.
ReplyDeleteMy sisters dog Suny would benefit from the Anxiety Wrap for Dogs. Her dog goes a little nuts when she leaves the house.
ReplyDeleteI would love to win for my sis and BIL who have two large dogs - the car harness would be perfect for the younger as he is high energy and has a hard time staying still
ReplyDeleteMy dog would benefit from the slow feeder because I've tried others and they are ineffective!! This one seems to actually work!
ReplyDeleteMy dog would benefit from the slow feeder as she gulps her food and I seriously do not even think she chews it.
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain. I don't think Jolene chews much either! ;)
DeleteMy dog would benefit from the dog harness as it would help keep him safe when we travel.
ReplyDeleteMy dog would benefit from the anxiety wrap as he gets very anxious when we travel and I hope this would make him feel calmer.
ReplyDeleteMy dog would benefit from the anxiety wrap because he is so anxious and like to bark a lot. The harness/ car seat would be great for travel and the slow feeder because my other dog eats too fast :( I have 4 dogs lol
ReplyDeleteYou have your hands full, huh? ;)
DeleteMore than half of the presents under the tree are for my dogs, so I couldn't agree more!
ReplyDeleteMy Mags might enjoy the slow feeder, not because she's a fast eater, but she's fussy and sometimes won't eat when a new foster arrives. Maybe this will make meal time more interesting for her?
And any one of my fosters would love the car harness and anxiety wrap. We actually got a ginormous pit bull-boxer mix earlier this year who was on Prozac for anxiety, and we did a bunch of training with the Thunderwrap for him.
Aw, that's so sweet that you foster and that you helped to train the pit bull-boxer! :)
DeleteLeslie:
ReplyDeleteIf I'm not focusing on my pet, instead of the road while driving, then we are all safer.
leslieannstevenson@yahoo.com
My dog would greatly benefit from the anxiety wrap since she is a very timid and anxious dog. She was abused in her previous home and gets easily scared. Thunder and other loud noises are a big issue too, and I think this would help a lot.
ReplyDeleteMy dog has had separation anxiety since the day I picked her up at the shelter. She was a nervous wreck at the shelter as well, so I try to take her with me whenever I can. She likes car rides and enjoys being in the car, but sometimes it just isn't possible to take her with me all the time.
ReplyDeleteas my pooch is aging, he seems to be a slow picy eater, so the feeder he would benefit from
ReplyDeleteOMG that slow feeder could be the answer to our fat beagle problem! Doc eats so fast, and we've been having a very hard time keeping him on a diet!
ReplyDeleteJolene is mixed with some type of pointer so she is more muscular than a regular beagle. (Not tending to the chub, ha ha.) But the slow feeder definitely helps her with her tendency to lick the floor. She gets her "lickiness" out through eating now. ;)
DeleteMy dog would benefit from the harness bc I always worry about her when we're in the car! And the feeder would help her slow down!
ReplyDeleteMy dog Artie would benefit from a Slow Green Feeder because he gulps his food way too fast.
ReplyDeleteArtie would benefit from a car harness because he loves to stand on the center console in my truck.
ReplyDeleteRanger nearly inhales his food! The slow feeder would be very good for him.
ReplyDeleteRanger tries to jump out the window so the car harness would keep him safe.
ReplyDeleteWe have 2 dogs, one of which is a great dane. She gulps down her food too...no chewing at all I swear. I worry about her getting bloat and we've thought about even putting a big rock in her dish so she has to eat around it to slow her down. The green feeder would be great to try for her. Although, knowing her she might just pick it up and tip it over to get all the food. She is a "special" kind of giant dog! lol
ReplyDeleteOur 2nd dog is a shih tzu (my little love bug!!) that I think could use the car harness. He adores going in the car and has a hard time not jumping on my lap when I am driving.
ReplyDeleteOk, back to my great dane. She is terrified, TERRIFIED, of noises. Shake a plastic bag at her and she bolts. And fireworks send her under the nearest bed..although she doesn't fit under beds so just her nose is under the bed. She could totally benefit from the anti anxiety wrap.
ReplyDeleteMy dog would love the green because she gets an upset stomach quite frequently and this seems like it would really help!
ReplyDeleteMy pup has recently been acclimating to a new environment. New city, new house, new routine, new friends... mary987 (at) hotmail (dot) com
ReplyDeleteBecause I've tried lots of slow feeders. I've seen this before - and would love to try it on my hungry hungry rat terrier :)
ReplyDeleteMy dog would benefit from the green feeder because he eats so fast he throws up!
ReplyDeleteDigicats {at} Sbcglobal {dot} Net
The car harness would be great because my dog loves to ride and I am always afraid he will get hurt if I ever slammed on the brakes hard!
ReplyDeleteDigicats {at} Sbcglobal {dot} Net
My dog would probably love the anxiety wrap because when he is left along for even a few hours he gets very nervous and upset.
ReplyDeleteDigicats {at} Sbcglobal {dot} Net
My dog gobbles down her food. I would love to try the slow feeder to reduce the risk of bloat. I have witnessed it with a friend's dog. Thankfully, she got him to the ER vet in time to save him but it was TERRIFYING.
ReplyDeleteMy dog usually rides in the back of my SUV. The CLIX harness would help to secure her and I wouldn't have to constantly wash doggie nose smears off of the windows. :)
ReplyDeleteOne of my foster pups is terrified of storms. I have fashioned a compression aid for her with an Ace bandage but I imagine this Anxiety Wrap would be even more effective in calming her.
ReplyDeleteI already scatter my dogs' food on the floor to slow them down. The slow feeder would be great - I'm always stepping on pieces of kibble!
ReplyDeleteHe would benefit because he is always trying to sit my knee! Or he's trying to climb over the back of the seat. I rarely drive without a dog wrangler because it's just not safe! He's normally very well behaved but as soon as he gets in the car he gets so excited!
ReplyDeleteKellyPC
My dog would benefit from the slow feeder because she often gulps her food and then throws it back up. (Judy Cowan)
ReplyDeleteQueenie eats so fast -- we try to slow her down but haven't been able to. Would really to to see if this would help.
ReplyDeleteFang doesn't sit down in the car -- this would be great to keep him in one place.
ReplyDeleteQueenie has anxiety issues when it thunders and Gunner has issues when we go away. Would love to see if this would help either one.
ReplyDeleteMy dog would benefit from the slow feeder because it takes her 5 seconds to eat 3/4 cup of her food and then she returns to begging. Would be good if it would last her longer than that 5 seconds haha
ReplyDeleteMy dog would benefit from the car harness because she gets scared in the car, and she's clumsy, she'd feel safe and so would I
ReplyDeleteMy dog would really benefit from slow feeder. I think it is a great idea to help teach dogs to slow down their eating.
ReplyDeleteMy dog would benefit because everyone in a car should be kept properly safe.
ReplyDeleteMy dog tends to go through anxiety. This would be an awesome prize to help him ease that.
ReplyDeleteOne of our canine family members 'wolfs' down his food - have tried putting water in his kibble bowl so it floats - helps a bit, but the Green Slow Feeder would be perfect!
ReplyDeleteOur same little guy who wolfs down his food has anxiety issues. Rescue remedy, a wrap and more have been suggested - so far we just use a halti on his walks....... The wrap would be great to try on him. Thanks for the chance.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter doesn't harness her dogs when they're in the car. But I'll bet she would if she had a comfortable harness like this for him! Thanks for the chance
ReplyDeleteMy dog would benifit from the wrap because he has anxiety. He is scared of loud noises such as fire works and thunderstorms. He doesn't like being home alone either. I nervous about putting him on meds.
ReplyDeleteMy youngest girl would benefit from the anxiety wrap because she has horrible anxiety. I would love to be able to take her out but she gets extremely worked up in new places.
ReplyDeleteBoth my girls wolf down their food, especially wet food, and I would love a way to be able to slow them down.
ReplyDeleteMy dog would benefit from the CarSafe Harness because it looks better than the one we have for the car and we always make sure our dogs are buckled in too! (Judy Cowan)
ReplyDeleteMy poor boy has bad anxiety during thunderstorms and also when we are cooking...(I guess too many times with the smoke alarm going off??). This wrap would be amazing for him.
ReplyDeleteSamantha (samdaleo)
jamesmadison1974@gmail.com
I believe all three are great products. But the thunder wrap gives dogs with anxiety a mellow out like no tomorrow. Our little pooch would need this. Only if I could afford one. But if I won one she would def. wear it.
ReplyDeleteI have doxies and they would benefit from all 3- calm and slowing down are good things
ReplyDeleteMy dog would benefit from the slow dog feeder because just the other day he was choking from eating too fast and got it caught in his throat. He just gulps it down. It's hard to get him to go slower. Since then we have to put a few pieces down at a time.
ReplyDeleteThe harness would be great for any trip in the car, just because it'll keep him safe. The anxiety wrap because he's getting old (14 years) and it'll help relieve his soreness.
ReplyDelete