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!

Firstrax Port-A-Crates: Definitely Not Aussie Proof!

    Jinx has been with us since Thursday and as he (and our dogs) is used to being crated at night and when the humans are missing his mom Tracey sent him along with a very sturdy looking soft-sided crate that she often uses at Agility and Flyball competitions.  Tracey won this crate new a couple years ago in a Flyball raffle and since then it has always been one of her favorite travel kennels.  Well, this weekend sort of brought an end to that love affair.

  The kennel was manufactured at the end line of a company called Backyardpets, which has since started operating under the Firstrax label (it took a lot of trademark research to figure that out).  Until recently they offered this exact kennel as their Firstrax Port-A-Crate E-28.  They've only just stopped manufacture on this specific item, but continue to have similar products on the market like the NoztoNoz line.  Therefore, this negative experience should be taken with that in mind.  The crate was a few years old and the new crates on the market from this company are somewhat different, though not much.  However, I'm sure many people still own this crate and should be aware of its....how should I put it....limitations!

   We'd planned to take the dogs hiking on Saturday, but it was so cold that we decided to leave them at home while we ran errands, putting them safely away in their respective crates.  About three hours later, Chris and I came home and opened the door to find Jinx eagerly awaiting our entrance.  That's funny...I don't remember leaving a dog running loose...how did he open his crate zipper without thumbs?  The answer: he didn't.  He just clawed his way out!  The super heavy-duty rubberized mesh was no match for a determined Aussie!  Luckily, there was no damage to report (other than to the crate itself), though I'm worried for Jinx's safety when his mom shows up to find her favorite crate in tatters! Just kidding.

  

   He must be a contortionist to have fit his butt through that hole...but I guess like mice, if it's a big enough hole to fit the head through the body will always follow!  Maybe Jinx's dad Steve was right when he resignedly explained why this happened: "Jinx is a freak."  A circus freak more like!  My curiosity implores me to try to get him to do it again so I can watch, but Tracey wants to try and repair the damage, so no fun can be had.   

  The company must be aware that this and others of their crates are not without fault, for they sell replacement covers at a little more than half ($65) the original price ($106) on Amazon!  That's great if your dog is at home as Jinx was when tragedy strikes, but if Jinx had been in the crate outside at a trial (as he often has been) when this happened he would have been long gone.  He could have ruined someone's run, been badly hurt or lost or at the very least ruined Tracey's day!  This crate appeared to be very sturdy, but this experience is perhaps best a reminder that soft-sided crates need to be used with care and supervision: No matter how durable the company claims they are!

A Tail of Things To Come...Our Weekend with Jinx

   Sorry we've been a bit out of touch lately!  We've had a house guest since Thursday morning in the form of our friend Jinx!  It's been fun, but we are all a little tired now (especially Jinx's ears, which Cassie seems to find endless fun in biting).  You may remember Jinx from the Bacon Bubbles review.  In honor of his visit we have a few reviews coming up this week that we think you will enjoy!   While I work on putting them together and recovering from the mealy here's a preview!

• Bitter Apple: Other uses for the dog owner's long time love!

• Wildcatch For Pets' Salmon Jerky:  We were asked by our local organic dog food store (Bentley's Specialty Pet Foods of Hedgesville, WV) to give some feedback on these as they were a new product Jeff (the store's owner) just put on the shelves!  We are happy to oblige!

• The BackyardPet company's Soft-sided dog crate:  From a company that's now owned and run by Firstrax (Model E-28), it's something else that claims to be durable and still isn't Aussie proof!  

Bacon Bubbles...Fun with Kids' Toys

   Though most of the time I blog about products specifically manufactured for the dog market, there are certain toys made for kids that are fun for dogs too.   Most of the props I've picked up for our tricks class have been kids toys and Cassie has never seemed to realize!   Another toy that I have used just about every sunny day is our bubble blower.  Most dogs love to chase things that move and floating, swishing bubbles are almost irresistible.  They're actually a lot of fun for owners, as well...I have trouble not laughing at the excitement a little dish soap can produce!

   You have several bubble options when you walk into the kids aisle at any local store (Walmart, Target, ToysRUs).  There are bubble machines that sit on the ground and blow a constant stream of bubbles, there are hand held bubble guns that shoot bubbles at your whim without much mess and there are the traditional old fashioned loop on a stick bubbles.  I use a bubble gun mainly out of convenience and the fact that they are still pretty cheap.   I paid only $3 at Walmart for the one I use, unfortunately mine seems to be out of manufacture now.

   If I were to pick up a new bubble gun it would be something like the Sizzlin' Cool Exstream Bubbles, available from ToysRUs for about $7 or the Toy Galaxy Bubble Blower Gun available on Amazon for a comparable price.  I like a bubble gun, because it allows you the freedom to direct the flow and direction of the bubbles, helping to ensure that your dog doesn't jump to high and that the game can instantly stop when you say.  The problem I've found with the stationary bubble machines is that the dog doesn't chase the bubbles, but instead will stand right in front of the blower trying to bite them as they come out (and that's not nearly as amusing as running wildly around for them).   Also, the gun will encourage you to stay out with the dog instead of leaving it alone with a tray full of bubble liquid in the bubble machine (that could cause a very upset tummy if lapped up all at once).

     The great thing for dog owners is that thanks to the geniuses at the Happy Dog Toys company you can purchase bubble liquid that is flavored for your dogs.   These bubble replacement packs come in Sizzlin' Bacon, BBQ Chicken and Peanut Butter flavors and are only $5 for a pack of two.  You can get hours of play out of each bottle.  Amazon suggests some "puppy" bubble guns and machines, but don't spend the extra money.  Just buy the cheapest bubble gun you can find and then keep one of the bottles it came with; you can clean that out and then fill it up with the flavored bubbles to use with your gun.

    Normally the dogs are a little less distracted and more focused on the bubbles (it was a windy day).  This game will keep your dog amused and moving on a sunny afternoon for as long as you can keep from dying of laughter...The only word of warning is that you will want to supervise children and dogs with the bubbles, because your dog will probably get very excited and a child could be mobbed as the bubble source (you can see what I mean at the end of the video)!  Always better safe than sorry!

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?