Pet Products Review - DoggieLicious Gourmet Dog Treats - Sale

Yes the New Year has started and so have our resolutions.  Because the folks at Doggielicious Gourmet Dog Treats understands that after the holidays you may not be as tempted by treats that look like they came direct from a European bakery so, they're giving us a sale.  Yes, for the month of January, you can receive a 20% discount on your entire purchase order over $20.  Simply use the coupon code DL20D at checkout.

Do go to their site to see the selection of savory and sweet delights made especially for pups with discrimination.  www.doggielicious.com

My personal favorite are the Carob Dipped Pretzels  This lushious pretzel shaped treat are hand shaped and feature just a hint of vanilla and cinnamon to please the puppy palette. Topped off with a hand dipping in carob and drizzled with yogurt.

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3. I will not punish my dog for behaviors that stem from fear.

I will not punish my dog for barking IF/WHEN my dog is barking because of he/she is afraid or frustrated.  I may have to do some investigating to determine if my dog is afraid or barking to demand something.

I will try and remember that aggression stems from fear.  This means that when my dog is behaving aggressively (barking, growling, lunging) the cause was something that upset/scared my dog.

I will NOT make my dog's fear worse by punishing behaviors that my dog is not in control of (flight/flight is a reflex).

I will consider that my dog is frustrated, upset or fearful and needs Classical Conditioning.

I will give my dog only one definition per word.  I will consider that my dog might not be stubborn or stupid, but that she might NOT KNOW what I want.

I will take the time to deliberately teach my dog a new word when the situation calls for it.   I will also help my dog with hand-signals if needed.  I will be patient with my dogs, because while they are good at listening, dogs are limited in their language abilities.  

I will accept that my dog may know the word "DOWN" as a position (one that calls for the legs and belly/side to make contact with the floor).  I will try not to get mad at my dog for not really understanding all of the meanings this word.  If my dog is lying on the couch and I yell at her to "GET DOWN" I will understand that she might just lay there and wag thinking the whole time: "I AM, NOW WHERE IS MY REWARD."

I will remember that my dog is "LISTENING" to both my body language and my words -most dogs are better at reading body language that we realize.  I will try to remember, when my dog fails to respond, or responds incorrectly to my commands that she may have been missing a piece of the puzzle, or that I may have failed to see that she never really knew the word at all, but was "cheating" by reading my body language all along.

Take Home Message:  If your dog isn't doing what you want, maybe they really don't understand your words!  Consider that your dog may be guessing what you want an awful lot of the time, and that your dog might be a very, very good mind reader.  So good that they have you fooled into thinking they understand everything... except when they are being bad.  For more on fool-proof commanding read this.

I will remember that my dog comes from a long line of beggars, scroungers, and clever food-finding survivalists.

I will not hold this survival skill (one my ancestors liked and bred to keep) against my dog.

I will not expect my dog to feign a mere casual interest in food.  

I will try to understand that to my dog, walking around with food (aka: holding an ice cream cone or a sandwich) is practically inviting them to share.  If we wanted to keep it to ourselves we would surely behave this way; bring our food to a quiet corner, hunker down, and eat it quickly! 

I will try to remember that putting food down, or leaving food unattended is the same as putting out an all-points-bulletin "UN-NEEDED, UN-WANTED FOOD!"

Take Home Message: Dogs like food.  Dog's like food a lot.  Dog's don't beg; they ask with their eyes!

Pet Products Review - Happytails Bubbles 'N Beads Shampoo & Conditioner 9oz

The pamplet that came with the product sample sent to me by Happytails Canine Spa Line says: "Inside every mutt there's a mutrosexual just dying to get out".  So I figured what better day to turn my Sheltie Champ into a "muttrosexual" than New Years Eve. With that we tried Happytails' Bubbles 'N Beads Shampoo and Conditioner.

Baths are baths, the experience is never quite fun.  Although this was the first time I've ever used a product with beads in it.  I don't know what the beads do, but it was interesting to watch them dissolve.  The pamphlet says they are "microencapsulated conditioner" which is pretty fancy.  So, the bath is not fun, but the results are.  They should have called Bubbles 'N Beads the "Fluffinator" ! OMG! after Champ dried off, he was a gigantic cute and fluffy monster.  He certainly was clean and his hair very soft.  One thing I liked was that the shampoo did not have an overwhelming perfume as so many of them do.  My one regret was that I did not have a bottle of Happytails' Shimmering Mist to give his bath that extra glimmer.

So as a shampoo I totally recommend Happytails Bubbles 'N Beads.  For ordering, go to www.happytailsspa.com.  At $17 for a 9oz bottle, this is a luxury pet spa product.  But knowing that Happytails at a company only uses the very best ingredients and upholds the higest possible environmental, social and ethical standards, and made in the USA, its worth it.

If you've got a product you think will pass the Secret Shopper test, send an email to SecretShopperBlog@gmail.com