Wildcatch For Pets Salmon Jerky

    Jeff, the owner of our local organic pet food store (Bentley's Specialty Pet Foods) clued us into the new Wildcatch For Pets Salmon Jerky treats the last time I was in and I have to confess the dogs really loved them!  Wildcatch normally spends their time manufacturing for the human population, so you can be pretty sure that the quality's going to be high.  They boast that 47% of the Salmon Jerky comes from protein and of that 95% comes from all natural sustainable wild salmon.   What's in the other 53% of these treats is always of note for me, because I try to feed as grain-free as possible.  The answer: mostly organic Brown Rice flour.  Since they're just for a treat I'll let them get away with that.  I should note that this formulation seems to be somewhat new for Wildcatch, which had been producing a product called Wild Sky Sockeye Salmon Jerky Treats that look very similar to this and are still the only thing advertised on their website...so I think it's just a marketing change.


    I brought these home the day before Jinx came to stay and from the video I think you can tell how popular they were.  I nearly lost some fingers there Mr. Jinx!  I mainly judge the quality of the treat by how well the dog works for it and how much focus it generates...this one was a clear success!

   The real test came a few days later when Cassie had her first hydrotherapy appointment.  We're still trying everything to work on this puppy sit, which is getting better, but just won't go away (we're still working out on our FitPaws Donut, with some success).  Cassie's not afraid of water, but she's never been terribly fond of swimming.  Therefore, keeping that doggie-nose pointed forward and walking on the underwater treadmill for the first time required some very powerful motivators, namely: cheese and Salmon Jerky.  I wish I could have taken video, but I was so focused on keeping her moving in the pool that I didn't have a free hand.

     Once she was harnessed up and inside the tank the water was filled up to just below her withers and she was huddled in the corner of the tank giving me an annoyed look as if to say: "What are you doing to me now?"  The goal was to turn her around, align her on the treadmill and then keep her walking for the next 20-30 mins.  We started with dry biscuits the physical therapists kept on hand.  Needless to say an epic failure, but I let them try it anyway.  I then moved onto Pure Bites Liver, which was still not enough to entice her normally greedy butt out of the corner of the tank.  Finally, I switched to string cheese and finally we had movement!  She was very slowly lured away from the corner and onto the treadmill, but once the belt started moving she quickly lost interest even in cheese.  So, I brought out the big guns: Wildcatch Salmon Jerky!

    As soon as I dropped my hand over the edge of the tank she was instantly moving forward, led by her ever curious twitching sniffer.  That the best thing about these treats: they're super smelly!  The physical therapists even commented on how strong smelling they were.  I say if it worked, it worked...we all seemed to survive the stench!

  Without a doubt, these treats are great motivators.  The dogs loved the taste and the smell and the jerky texture was solid enough that you could break them up with little-to-no mess.  What I didn't like so much was the price.   I paid almost $10 for a 5oz bag.  That means I probably won't buy them too often, but instead saving them for special day treats.  Anytime I have a competition, a really hard trick, or a place where I'm going to need extra focus Wildcatch Salmon Jerky is a great treat!

JW Pet Co's Cuz: A Life Saver For An Anxious Dog

   Sorry in advance for the long review, but I write a great deal about Cassie and her exploits and thought for a change I would bring you up to speed on Tobey!  This is the story of how a simple toy, the JW Pet Co Cuz saved Tobey from himself.

   Tobers is a four year old Min Pin/Rat Terrier mix (we think) who came to my parents at about four months old.  Before he was picked up by the local animal squad it's believed that he spent much of his life, as my mother puts it with a pouty face, "on the mean streets."  As a result of this harsh upbringing, he came with some very significant guarding and aggression issues (not great in a house that at that time had two other dogs) that we have worked very hard to get him through.  In the beginning he was always tense, almost on a razors edge even when he was sleeping and would easily become fixated on guarding places, food, toys and people.  With some positive reinforcement and handling training and some exercise he has come a long way.  He still has a few grumpy moments, but his real 'problems' have pretty much disappeared, especially now that he's the only dog at my parents'.

   When he moved in it was also difficult to teach Tobey to play.  He was (and still is) very food motivated, so teaching tricks was easy, but really playing with him was hard to even get started.  I found he liked to chase balls, but was not happy to bring them back.   People often don't realize when they adopt a shelter dog that many have missed out on those important weeks of puppyhood where they learned things like socialization, sharing and yes, even play! This is no excuse not to adopt an older dog, but still an important factor to keep in mind.  Many shelter dogs will need some help learning the basics of what we consider 'doggie-hood.'

    My mother, for instance, was very sad that Tobey was not acting like a 'normal' dog and determined to find a toy he would like.  After some tennis balls and soft toys (which he liked to sit on), she brought home a red Cuz that came to be known as Tobey's friend.  This one toy would, in my opinion, go a long way to helping Tobey overcome not only his guarding issues, but his general day-to-day rubberband-like tension.

   It started out simply enough.  We gave him the toy and treated him for sniffing it and then picking it up.  After a little while we took it out back and gave it a toss and off he went as if it were a tennis ball.  We stood there watching him run like a shot in the direction the Cuz had disappeared and then started across the yard after him ready to lure it away with a treat when he ran off with it.   To our surprise a great squeaking could be heard and from the other end of the yard Tobey came charging with the Cuz in his mouth giving a squeak with each stride.   He loved it!  When he reached us I quickly pulled out a treat and as he opened his mouth I said: "Drop it" and placed the treat in his mouth.

  From that moment he wouldn't let the Cuz go...he raced around the house by himself squeaking the Cuz as he ran, he would chase the Cuz when we threw it for him and bring it back.   Interestingly, he would even lie on his blanket and just squeak the Cuz with his eyes closed.  I wish I had pictures of this, but sadly I don't.   The Cuz did more than give Tobey an outlet for his nervous energy (though that did help I'm sure), it's hard rubber had just enough give to make squeezing it pleasurable.  As when people who are stressed grind their teeth, nervous or anxious dogs often carry a lot of pent up energy in their jaws.  T-touch massage techniques teach you to massage the anxious dog's jaws by holding thier heads or using a circular motion, but for Tobey (who didn't like people touching his face), chewing on the ball seemed to relieve his anxiety.  The Cuz acted as a self-soothing device and allowed Tobey to see that when he was more relaxed the world wasn't such a scary place!

   He has gone through many Cuzes since that first one and now doesn't really need to use it that much, though he still loves it.  Since then he has learned to love other types of play as well and I am thinking about starting him at home with some agility training very soon.   He's very smart and still super fast!

  Though this is a great story it's not much of a review, so here you go:

   The Cuz, like most JW Pet Co toys is very durable.  The hard pliable rubber is a joy for dogs to chew, but seems to outlast even the strongest chewers I've seen!  Cassie has a few of these types of toys and they have lasted well over a year.  With Tobers, his first Cuz lasted about a year before the squeaker fell out inside of the Cuz and a new one had to be purchased.  We've since bought him two others and the squeaker always seems to be the fail point.   They bounce very well and because of the odd shape and the feet at the bottom the bounce is unpredictable, making the dog have to think while they are chasing it.  The squeaker is the best part; it gives a loud and satisfying sound that seems to drive the dogs crazy!

  Cuzes come in a variety of sizes (S,M,L) and colors, including: red, green, purple and yellow/orange.  They also come in both a Good Cuz  (no-devil horns) and a Bad Cuz (with devil-horns)...Tobey started out with the Bad Cuz, reflecting my mother's feelings at that point in his life and now has two Good Cuzes.   You can buy a Cuz at Petsmart, Petco, Amazon or many other places online from between $5-$10 depending on size and style.   They're a great foundation to JW Pet Co's squeaky toy line from which many other shapes can be purchased, even a Cuz with a fluffy tail!  Overall, a stimulating alternative to a boring old tennis ball and one that will last for ages!

FitPAWS and a Visit from Our Friend Jinx

'Puppy Sit'

   For the past month in both Obedience and Agility our trainers have commented on Cassie's rear end/core weakness, which has resulted in a stubborn tendency toward what I call a 'puppy sit'.  It's probably not something skeletal (we've had x-rays done), but rather a failure on my part to enforce 'proper' sitting.  It wouldn't be that big of a deal to me, but it's a sign of her overall fitness.  So we've been working on it with exercises of various
kinds and I'm now considering buying a device from the FitPAWS series.

   FitPAWS are basically just oddly shaped exercise balls that you inflate (like my $10 one from Target), except that they are designed to work your dog's muscle groups in a manner that's easy and safe.  The other main difference is that the plasticky material is much thicker than that of an ordinary exercise ball and, therefore, is able to stand up better against trimmed dog nails.

   FitPAWS are a bit expensive for the average canine enthusiast (coming in between $30 - $110 depending on the size and product), but I've heard of many people having real success with them.   They are targeted at two main audiences: owners who need to rehab injured or older dogs and owners who do any sort of sport with their dogs.  I'm not sure they are a must have for everyone, but there are many of us who could find them helpful either to fix an existing problem or to prevent damage to our pets' joints through total body strengthening.  We exercise to prevent damage to ourselves, so it only makes sense to do the same when we are asking a lot of our dogs!  Personally, I have dogs on both ends of the spectrum (Cassie needs strength for agility/obedience, Lilly needs rehab for her arthritis and coordination), so it's worth a try.

   Because even I like to 'try before I buy', my friend Tracey very kindly agreed to visit with her dog Jinx and two of the FitPAWS products she has purchased.  Jinx is already very strong due to the fact that he competes in both agility and flyball.  He also happens to be an Aussie of similar size to Cassie, which helped with figuring out product sizing.  Tracey had never put Jinx on the FitPAWS, so what you see in the video are his first attempts.  Tracey has purchased both the FitPAWS Peanut (size 60 cm) and the Donut (size Large).  Both are intended as the introductory products in the FitPAWS line.

   All three dogs (Jinx, Cassie & Lilly) had a go, but Jinx was the only one we filmed because of a combination of camera angle problems and Lilly not liking other people touching her.  Jinx was also the strongest and the best listener.  He's also quite handsome!

  We put a towel over the FitPAWS initially, because Cassie's nails are a bit long right now and I thought Lilly might need some extra grip...Jinx did fine with the towel and better without it, so I think in future I'll remember to trim Cassie's nails before we have a go!  Cassie also didn't seem so eager to bite the FitPAWS when the towel was on!

   My thoughts:  The FitPAWS took awhile to get inflated (thank goodness Tracey has strong arms), but once it was inflated it seemed very sturdy.  We had a lot of fun with the product and it did seem to tire the dogs, which is a good sign that they were working.   You can see with both products that Jinx is constantly having to readjust his position, meaning that he was constantly working many muscle groups at once!  I liked the Donut best for Cassie & Lilly, because it's both more reasonably priced and I would be able to work both dogs (one at a time, haha) on the Large size by myself.

  The Peanut was also easy to use and made the dogs work harder, though I think if I bought it for Cassie I might step up a size to the 70 cm.  Tracey intends to use the 60 cm for both Jinx and her Jack Russells, so it made more sense for her to have an inbetween size.    The Peanut was a little cumbersome to use with one person and worked better when there was a 'feeder' person at the front and a 'manipulator' at the back.  Though with more practice we might be able to manage alone.  Maybe it was just the natural exuberance of the Aussie, but unlike the dogs on the DVD Jinx and Cassie were very excited about doing something new and needed a extra guidance.  They certainly did not just lie there and allow us to bounce them up and down.

   Do I think they are worth the money?...yes, to some people.   Am I going to buy one myself?...yes!  I'm putting my order in for the Large Donut today!  We're going to fix this 'puppy sit' if it's the last thing I do!  I'll keep you updated on our progress.

Do you think your dogs could benefit from some added fitness?