Products I Can't Live Without: Dog Edition
- emilyajames95
- Jan 24, 2020
- 15 min read
Zero shame in my dog mom game. ZERO. You know those Pinterest moms who make the most beautiful vegan, gluten, nut, dairy free perfectly portioned home cooked meals for their kid's lunches? That's how I am, but with my two dogs, and probably a thousand times more annoying. If it hadn't been for our one dog's severe allergies, I probably wouldn't be this invested in my dogs food and every day items, but here were are.
I've recommended the following companies, products, and treats to so many people in passing, the vets office, family and friends that I thought it was time to make a formal list here. Now before we get started: these are some companies and products that I personally and honestly couldn't live without - that being said, there are a million dog companies and similar products on the market, I can't possibly try them all. However, of all those I've had the pleasure in trying, these are definitely my top 8.
1. Tactipup:
There's two items I've purchased from Tactipup and I plan to purchase many more in the future. When Anoeska, our now 12 year old German Shepherd, retired out of the military she came with a choke chain and a typical leather collar. However, over time we found the choke chain to be annoying to walk her with and the leather collar was a pain in the butt to use. That being said, we started searching for a new collar. We kept finding great prices on fun, colorful, sometimes light up options. Yet after a few weeks or months they would break. Either the clasp would go, the fabric would stretch out, or it would start to smell and discolor. THEN we found Tactipup!
Their collars and leashes are made with tactical and stylish fabric. They have tons of options, however we fell in the love with the 1.5 inch Extreme Tactical Collar with personalization, along with the Extreme Biothane Leash in black. I loved the ability to personalize the collar with the name and color of your choice (people have also had their phone number/contact info embroidered on the collar as well), along with being able to add patches. We chose a black collar with turquoise thread for Anoeska's name on the collar, along with a black and white American Flag patch. This particular collar that we went with has a handle, and we love it! The handle gives us that little sense of extra comfort that we can hold onto her closer, more securely without exerting energy on our end. It's also nice when we are at the vets office, or as silly as it sounds, taking pictures - we can easily hold her close to us without the need for a long leash that can get in the way depending on the situation. Since these items are hand-made, personalized and not mass produced the shipping did take a bit - however, COMPLETELY WORTH THE WAIT.
We have been using this collar and leash for about 1.5 years now; looking at them though you would think we just purchased them a month ago. Both items have held up extremely well: no rusting, no fading of colors, no stretching. 100% worth the price! We will be purchasing another leash and collar for Lion (our Belgian Malinois) at some point soon because we find ourselves using Anoeska's leash and collar on him so often since it's easy to put on and take off. Also, the leash is so easy and comfortable to handle. We had multiple leashes cause brush burns, bruising, and just be flat out uncomfortable when using. Our dogs are big; and even though they know how to walk on a leash, sometimes they get excited and pull. The Tactipup leash has never once cause any sort of pain for either of us, or any friend or family member that has used it while walking our pups. We have also never once been concerned that the leash would snap or break. It is by far the sturdiest, yet most comfortable collar and leash combo we have ever owned!
2. Hurtta: Summit Parka:
Now our next item, I'm not going to lie it can be pretty pricey - however, it doesn't have to be! I purchased the Hurtta Summit Parka at a local small business pet shop (The Dining Dog and Friends) in January 2019. When I purchased this at The Dining Dog and Friends I want to say it was about $80-$90. Now that's a pretty hefty price tag for a dog coat. However, THIS IS BEST MONEY I HAVE EVER SPENT ON A DOG PRODUCT, HANDS DOWN.
Anoeska, GSD doesn't necessarily need a coat for warmth with how long her fur is. However, her fur holds in moisture for HOURS. If it rains or snows she is soaked within minutes and it's nearly impossible to get her 100% dry (yes, we have used a hair dryer on our dogs before...). This coat was mostly purchased in order to keep her dry, yet in her older age making sure she's as warm as possible while outside was also super important to me. It is incredibly difficult to find coats for big dogs. Most companies, their XXL is for a dog averaging 50lbs. So finding a coat or sweater for our 90lb and 110lb dogs was a struggle and one of the main reasons I didn't mind spending the money.
Let's get into some details here: this coat is fleece lined on the inside, and a water proof breathable fabric on the outside. It comes in multiple colors and super easy to put on and take off! You just slip the hood over your dogs head and then snap together the buckle around their waist. There's also 2 loops you can put around the dogs back legs very easily to make sure the coat doesn't slide around on them. There are also tons of draw strings to customize well to your dogs specific needs. For instance, there's a draw string on the booty region that we have scrunched up on Anoeska so that when she uses the bathroom her tail is able to stick out from the coat.
We used this coat for every snow and rain storm, multiple times and couldn't imagine life without it now! It's such a relief to know that her entire body is covered, she's warm, comfortable and when we get home we won't have to worry about drying her off for hours. We liked this coat so much that I knew we needed to get another when we adopted our second dog. Now by the time we were ready to buy a second one, this specific version was being discontinued to make room for a newer version. But guess what that means, DISCOUNTS. I found multiple sizes and colors still available on Chewy.com for 60% off during Black Friday, plus additional discounting for promotions going on during that time. I ended up getting Lion's coat for less than $30! I did check again recently and Chewy still has so many versions of this original coat on sale for 40%+ off depending on the size.
My biggest recommendation is to not be afraid to size up. Most coats have you measure all aspects of your dog - mostly looking at chest size. Then when you receive it half of your dogs back is exposed. I wanted as much covered as humanly possible, so for both our dogs we purchased the second biggest size (after measuring I went with the size that included all of their needs perfectly, mostly their back size) and it fits both of our pups perfectly. Anoeska is smaller in overall size/stature compared to Lion, however she has a bigger chest - this coat covers her whole body comfortable with the scrunched booty. Without scrunching anything this fits Lion's entire body too with room for him to gain another 50lbs, which is why I love all of the straps and customization of this coat. SERIOUSLY YOU NEED THIS.
3. TrueLove Soft Dog Harness:
I mentioned above how much we loved the Tactipup collar for Anoeska, and this product doesn't change that at all. Even though Lion is trained on leash and really doesn't pull a whole lot, he's a big boy. So if he get's a burst of energy or gets excited about something he will absolutely drag you behind him. Having a collar for him unfortunately felt like a torture device for both of us - he would be chocking, gasping for air and let's be honest so would I as I'm running behind him. I looked around for reviews of dog harnesses, and this is the one I decided to go with based on other customer experiences.
Just like above, it's so difficult to find well made, inexpensive products for big dogs. This harness had multiple color and sizing options, making it perfect for us and in budget at only $27.89 for the XL. Again, we purchased the same size for both pups and they fit perfectly with the option to adjust straps for their individual needs.
A few things that really made this harness stand out against the others: the handle on the back, GAME CHANGER. Just like the Tactipup collar it's nice to have the extra sense of security to be able to pull my dog back or redirect them if they get excited. With our dogs also being so big for their breeds it's nice (for us at least) the handle falls just below or at waist height for my husband and I, making it easy to keep them close to us if needed without strain on us. Something else I like about this harness is the two different leash attachment options: one option for on the dog's back, and a second option on the dog's chest.
We've attached Lion's leash to both options and they work great for different scenarios, both options we feel as though we have complete control over his pulling tendency WAY MORE than we would with just a collar. If we are in a situation with lots of stimulation (other dogs, other people, treats/toys) where he feels compelled to try and sneak backwards away from us, we like to use the loop on his back for the leash attachment. This gives just a bit more security to us that he won't somehow escape out of the harness when he tries to back up. 99% of the time we use the leash attachment on the chest - this works more as an easy walk harness, forcing him to stop or turn towards us if he attempts to pull. The attachment on his chest has made walking him a thousand times easier and more enjoyable for all involved!
Some harnesses we saw online had the complaints of rubbing up against the dogs skin too much. We personally have not seen that in either of our dogs - then again they only wear their harnesses if we are walking or out in public, so maybe one to two hours maximum at a time. We just enjoyed all of the different options this harness presents, two leash positions, a handle, and adjustment ability is something we struggled to find in other harnesses for our dogs size and our budget.
4. Butcher Block Pet Treats:
These amazing treats were another find at The Dining Dog and Friends. Now it doesn't look like they currently offer shipping based on their home website, yet it does give grocery store and partner stores where the treats can be found: Safeway, Acme, Kroger and more. I also found them for purchase online here: https://www.petflow.com/heartland-premium
As I've mentioned before Anoeska has severe allergies to a whole laundry list of things making finding treats extremely difficult. Have you ever read the ingredients on your dogs treats? It's actually terrifying and extremely eye opening. If Anoeska didn't have her allergies I probably would have never thought twice about dog food and treat ingredients and would have fed her Blue Buffalo, Greenies, Milk-Bones, etc. I will never go back to those treats or brands knowing what I know now, even with Lion having zero allergies I still won't do it. My goal is to always find treats or dog food with ingredients I can pronounce and understand, along with trying to stay below five ingredients.
I discovered these treats and chews from Butcher Block and couldn't believe it was everything I was looking and hoping for! Everything is single ingredient, made in the USA, and extremely well priced! We have purchased Beef Tip, Lung, and Liver dog treats along with Beef Pizzle/Bully Sticks, Beef and Lamb Trachea and so much more! I also love how much you get in a single bag. Some other treat brands we've used before run out so quickly, or the quantity just doesn't match the price to me. We use treats as rewards, training, but mostly when giving Anoeska her pills morning and night (this means at least 1 treat depending on size twice daily... meaning we go through treats pretty quickly). These treat bags last us so long! We've stocked up on multiple bags during 30% off, or buy one get one half off sales at The Dining Dog and Friends usually lasting us 3-4 months for maybe $20 total for two dogs. We also don't normally run out of treats, we just get excited by new sales and got back for more before we have run out of our last stock pile.
We also gifted these treats and chews to family and friends for their pups with severe allergies, and the loved them! Seriously, it is so difficult to find single ingredient treats made in a healthy way for your dogs to chew and digest for a cheap price - I dare you to try and do it at your local pet store... we searched isles with employees multiple times, seriously you will be just as shocked as we were. Just give them a try, and I'm sure you'll be like us and never go back!
5. SleekEZ:
With having a longer haired dog finding the right brush was crucial for us. When we first adopted her she absolutely hated being brushed and wouldn't sit still for it. We tried the FURminator, wire brushes, your standard two sided brushes and nothing was working for her. I saw an ad on facebook for SleekEZ and read through hundreds of rave reviews and knew we needed to try it out. GAME CHANGER. Anoeska now loves being brushed and will actually run over when we get this one out, laying still in front of us for up to thirty minutes. This brush also does wonders for getting both her layers (yup! German Shepherds have two coats). We could practically create a second dog with all of the fur we manage to brush out of her comfortably.
Our other dog, Lion, also loves this brush - however we do not brush him nearly as often with his short hair. We purchased the medium sized brush for our bigger dogs and it's the perfect size for brushing them and for us to handle. There is a smaller size for dogs I would recommend maybe 60lbs and below, just my opinion though! There is also a larger brush for horses - this size brush would have been absolutely massive for our dogs and couldn't imagine using it on a dog, would definitely stick to using for horses for this size.
6. Natural Dog Company:
Another product we couldn't live without is the snout and skin balm from Natural Dog Company! Anoeska's allergies cause her to have some itchy skin issues and hair loss on her chest. She also suffers from an extremely dry snout during the winter, it gets so bad and looks so painful - although she never seems bothered by it, it bothers us. We've tried a few different balms for her nose and they worked, absolutely not going to knock those other companies down, however they were very difficult to use. We had a hard time getting the product gently onto her skin, it seemed to hard in the packing and wouldn't transfer easily from packing to either my skin or Anoeska's skin.
We found these at the counter of our local pet stores (can also be found online!!) And decided to try them out, especially after our other balm from a different company... kind of started to rust... really odd and immediately threw it out. We purchased the snout and skin balm in the travel stick options. SO EASY TO USE. It's like using a chap stick - so easy to twist more product out and apply it directly from the container to the dog's nose (or skin/paw depending on the product). It also works extremely well, we saw almost instant moisture and results on both Anoeska and Lion when using! I also really enjoy the idea that these are small, easy to travel with and again inexpensive (we are all about saving money here!). Also, in looking at their website they have some great bundles for pawdicures, itchy skin, travel kit bundles. I haven't used these bundles or any other products, YET, but I do plan on purchasing some more when we run out with how beautiful the results have been for our dog's skin issues.
7. Real Dog Box:
I've talked about this company before, however I will never stop raving about them - even though I did recommend another treat brand above, this group is special and perfect in its own way and deserves its own mini post. This company offers a subscription service for treats and chews. If you want a super in depth review check out my other post on here completely dedicated to them!
This group has the same qualities as Butcher Block, where everything is single ingredient. Something I love about this company is their transparency on their website and social media platforms: answering every and all questions from customers, showing the process of how their treats and chews are made from start to finish, along with being super picky about their suppliers. We have used this company for the past 1-2 years for our dogs treats and chews. It's just so inexpensive, easy and convenient. I don't have to think about "am I going to run out of treats?" for Anoeska's pills because they auto renew/ship my box every month. They change up their treats and chews as well so it's not the same thing every month. I also really loved that I could customize treats/chews based off of my dogs allergies or pickiness - for example, my dogs were not a fan of smelts. It was so easy to reach out to the customer support through email, DM's, EVEN TEXT MESSAGING. Within seconds their customer service had made a note in her account to never send smelts again. Now whenever smelts are in the monthly box we receive a different seafood treat. Highly recommend for anyone looking for inexpensive, dried treats and/or chews without having to worry about what's in your dogs food and without having to leave your home to source out the perfect treats.
8. Kong:
This one may seem a little silly to some people, and this one was on my list of companies/products to talk about anyway - however, I decided to ask my husband "what dog products do we use that you feel were the best investments we made, or we couldn't live without?" I was genuinely curious to see his response. He didn't even take a second to think, "KONGS!" Then when he really thought about it he also named off a few of the products above: real dog box, the summit parka, and tactipup.
Our dogs are both retired military working dogs. Anoeska was in the Navy for 7 years, retired out at 9 years-old when we adopted her. Lion was in the Navy for 5 years and retired out at 7 years-old when we adopted him. For those who don't know military working dogs don't just get treats and toys whenever they want like your typical pet dog. Kongs are the dogs payday in the military. So when a dog is training to seek out drugs, explosives, etc. when they do a good job/accomplish their task the handler will throw them their kong with praises up and down. However, the dogs only receive that Kong for a few minutes before it is taken away. This helps their prey drive and just overall drive to succeed and please their handler/complete tasks. THAT BEING SAID, our dogs are obsessed with Kongs. They will do absolutely anything to get their Kong and will not leave home without it. We've had to bring Kongs to vet appointments, physical therapy, to family and friends house just to keep them entertained and happy. Now if we took a Kong away our dogs aren't going to go into a panic and die... I mean Lion might... but it's just their safety blanket and there's honestly no point in us taking away their toys. They earned their retired life and they aren't harming anyone or themselves with having the Kongs easily available.
Kongs are also the only dog toys that our power chewers can't destroy, or at least can't destroy within 2 seconds. We currently have 3 XXL extreme Kongs, 1 XL extreme Kong, 1 extreme kong ball, 1 extreme kong bone (we actually might not have this anymore, it may have been destroyed lol), and 1 red kong ball (only Anoeska can be trusted with the balls, Lion will destroy them if left alone for more than an hour with them). These toys are amazing for our power chewers, we can trust them to be left alone with them and not be destroyed - again the extreme ones, not the red ones. Anoeska is also absolutely obsessed with the Wubba's from Kong, which for her surprisingly last! We can usually make it to an average of 1 month before it starts coming apart, although we had a few real champs that made it 3+ months! We have tried other companies such as bullymake box and didn't enjoy it, too many negative experiences with their customer service and the toys overall. Our dogs only like rubber toys and it's SOOO difficult to find rubber toys that last and won't flake off in chewing. We tried buying super tough plush toys from different companies, and that just ended in stuffing everywhere. We were spending too much money on toys that wouldn't make it through the night. Kong has stood the test of time multiple times for us! I do wish they were a little more reasonable in price though... then again we are buying the extreme XXL... but unfortunately nothing else will really last for us. So I 100% recommend stocking up when they have sales!
There are definitely a few other companies and products that we have tried and truly enjoyed, however they just didn't make it to this list. Looking back at this list, a lot of these items we truly loved because they were inclusive to our dogs allergy needs and to our dogs sizes. It's so incredibly difficult to find clothing, harnesses, etc., for big pups - let alone without breaking the bank, so if you know of a company that you love and feel we need to try out PLEASE send them my way!!
Thanks for reading my bible here of all the products and companies that our family can't live without! Let me know if you try any of the above for your pups, and what your thoughts are - can't wait to connect! (:
Comments