Harnesses, Puzzle Toys, and More!

Clients often ask me which products I use with my dogs.  There is a variety that I regularly use for different purposes.  From training treats and squeeze tubes to harnesses, interactive feeding toys, and more, you can find them all at the following link: Recommended Products

You might have questions about their use.  Here is some additional information about some of the products.

Interactive Feeding Toys

Ten minutes of mental exercise is equivalent to one hour of physical exercise. A great way to implement daily mental exercise is by putting your dog’s food into interactive toys. These are best for dogs that have scheduled feedings and eat their entire meal in one sitting.

Some of the recommended toys are harder than others. For example, the Bob-A-Lot has two chamber doors that can be moved to make the food harder to fall out as your dog knocks it around.  Start with it on the easiest setting when introducing it to your dog.  The goal is to stimulate his mind, not to frustrate him. Slow

feeders are recommended not only for dogs that gulp their meals, but I use them when working with dogs that guard their food.  The feeder allows me extra training time with the dog because it slows down how fast they can eat.

Collar and Harness

The martingale collar and 2 Hounds Design Freedom Harness are my go-to products.  Properly fit, the martingale collar will not allow your dog to slip out of it.  At the same time, it will not act like a choke chain that continues to tighten,  closing your dog’s airway.

While the 2 Hounds Design collar is listed as a “no pull,” it will not prevent your dog from pulling.  However, when you clip the leash to the front of the harness, it will partially direct the momentum back towards you, decreasing the pull. The straps also do not loosen nearly as quickly as other harnesses.  While this is not to be used in place of training to teach your dog to walk on a loose leash, it can assist you while you train your strong puller to do so, while limiting the risk of him slipping out of it.

Treats

Extremely special, high valued treats are important to have handy when working with your dog on their behavior modification plan. More about that is explained in the Fearful Dog and Reactive Dog Webinars.  The Purebites treats are freeze-dried and easy to put in your pocket, compared to treats that need to be in a sealed bag to stay fresh and various lunch meats.

Safety

Two products that fall under this category are the Baskerville Ultra Muzzle (please refer to “Changing the Stigma of Muzzles” blog for helpful information about why we use muzzles and the benefits of training your dog to enjoy it) and the PetSafe SprayShield.

The SprayShield is as a deterrent to off-leash dogs that come towards you and your dog.  While some dogs may be friendly, it is important to have various ways to deter those that are not.  The spray has a “powerful citronella scent” that is used to distract the attacking dog in hopes off allowing you and your dog to escape.  It does not cause harm as mace does.

Please note that none of these recommended products are tools to correct bad behavior from your dog. They are only to assist you with our positive reinforcement-based training and management plans.