USA Today
Dec 30, 2009
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/pawprintpost/post/2009/12/dog-and-cat-resolutions-for-2010-tell-us/1
The American Kennel Club came up with a list of fun resolutions for pets. And I’ve been thinking about several for my dogs. Scout is going to try walking off leash this year (and not run away), a behavior atypical for most Shiba Inus. Ted, who can scamper off leash and return, is [...]

Part 4 of 4: Holiday Newsletter Series
Greeting and happy holidays,
Below you will find Part 4 of our 4-part Holiday Newsletter Series written by Team Dogasaur.
Dogasaur is always seeking ways to improve that benefit our members , visitors and four-legged friends.
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Thanks,
Josh
The Spirit of Giving (4 [...]

To paraphrase Virginia Woolf, sometimes you just need a room of your own. But why stop there? If your dog is small enough, give him a house. While the neighborhood dogs languish in their kennels, yours can be the lord or mistress of the manor with this customized cedar mini-mansion. Suitable for indoor or outdoor use, the showcase of the Room with a View Dog House is a side stairway and rooftop balcony, perfect for au natural sunbathing.  Raising the roof is no problem since the it’s removable, but when clouds are overhead or a chill is in the air, there’s plenty of room to spread out inside — this is a house, after all. Due to the all-wood construction, you can’t have a fireplace, but it will be warm and dry. And it’s compact enough to take along on the road, meaning your dog can leave and stay at home simultaneously. And that’s just one more thing to lord over the local pack.

*Removable roof and bottom panels for easy cleaning (affixed with screws).

*Raised bottom design keeps pets dry.

*Constructed specifically for your dog’s size and space requirements.

*A Dogasaur “Daily Woof!”

Admittedly, the storage of dry dog food isn’t a big problem. But it’s hardly a source of pleasure either. The dog food manufacturers don’t spend a lot of time on packaging so the sacks are bulky and ugly. And, no matter how tightly you close the bag, the dry food is like a magnet for insects (or grizzly bears if you live in an Alaskan cabin).  Hence the HyperBin, which serves to seal your dry food stash in a zip-top container that keeps bugs and ants out and the smell and freshness in. Made of heavy duty clear plastic impregnated (that plastic gets around these days, doesn’t it?) with nylon fibers, this rip-stop spawn is transparent and durable. It has two zippers, two handles and a removable liner for easy cleaning. Really, could you ask for anything more?

* Collapsible; easy-to-release latches spring it to life.

* Holds up to 20 pounds of dog food, measured either in weight or volume. They explain it but we’re still not sure they know what they’re talking about.

* 12 inches tall, 11 inches in diameter. So however much it weighs, it’s gotta fit in this space.

* A Dogasaur “Daily Woof!”

Don’t be so sure you’re the reason your dog can’t stay out of your bed. It probably has less to do with you than it does the fact that your bed is substantially more comfortable than his.  Reclaim your solitude with this cozy dog bed from top bed designers Chi Wow Wow. Its zip-off cotton outer shell features a cool design and camo background which will hold its hues after multiple washings, and the bedding material is of a high quality, so you’ll have to beg little Gidget to crawl under the covers with you.  The bed is 30 inches around and four inches tall and is perfect for small dogs–but only for small dogs. Note that this designer bed cannot be returned, due to health and safety concerns, so make sure it’s the right size. For as they say in Hollywood, there are no small beds. Only small dogs.

* “Awesome Design”

* High quality materials inside and out.

* Sturdy yet lightweight and portable.

* A Dogasaur “Daily Woof!”

We don’t know about you, but each time we go to the dentist we get the usual lecture about how we’re not brushing our teeth the right way. Well, if we can’t get our own teeth right, just imagine what we’re doing to our dogs’ teeth!  Consider the Triple Pet Toothbrush: It has three flexible sets of bristles so the top and both sides of each tooth are all brushed simultaneously. You simply align the center brush with the top of the tooth and start brushing. The center brush cleans the tops of the teeth, while the two side brushes are set at 45 degree angles to gently clean both sides of teeth and massage the gums.  Oral-B, eat your heart out.

*Toothbrush is 7″ long, brush heads are 3/4″ long x 1″ wide.

*Padded ergonomic handle provides a comfortable, slip-resistant grip, even when wet.

*Cleans canine teeth of all sizes.

*A Dogasaur “Daily Woof!”

All tennis balls are not created equal. Especially when, as in Air Kong Squeaker Football’s case, they come in the shape of a pigskin, rather than the standard round shape. Unlike their tennis brethren, the irregular football shape doesn’t just add heft, but adds more unpredictability to the bounce, which will up your level of amusement, if not your dog’s.   The fun doesn’t stop there. They are non-toxic, squeak when they are squoken to and float should one of them end up in a pool or lake. They are strong enough to withstand the roughest abuse, but are encased in a durable soft felt cover that is gentle to a dog’s tooth. (When you think about it, that’s pretty amazing stuff.)   Football just not your thing? Well, fear not. Air Toys come in other shapes, including a bone, donut and a stick. But let’s face it. If you want your dog to be cool, you’ve got just one real option here.

*Small measures 4”.

*Medium measures 6”.

*Large measures 8”.

*A Dogasaur “Daily Woof!”

It may look like a sado-masochist’s (wet) dream, but The Calming Face Wrap is indeed a sheep in wolf’s clothing. And, let’s face it: Even the cut est dog’s persistent barking can force you into the most gruesome revenge fantasies. So if your dog is driving you and the neighbors crazy, you can be forgiven for trying the strap-on approach.  Invented by the developer of the Anxiety Wrap, the device is a lot gentler than its image suggests. Based upon a holistic approach to behavior modification, it maintains light, maintained pressure around the face and the mouth. This pressure triggers the dog’s sensory receptors into redirecting their focus and helps calm them.  Over time, the increased positive sensations it sends to the brain retrains the dog, replacing the habitual unwanted behavior with a more relaxed and quieter pet. And if it raises a few eyebrows among the neighbors as to your dark side, so much the better.

* An effective component to a more holistic approach to behavior modification.

* Free on-line and toll-free telephone support.

* 100% unconditional replacement guarantee covering workmanship.

* A Dogasaur “Daily Woof!”

The book Excel-erated Learning, has a subtitle (Explaining, in plain English, how dogs learn and how best to teach them), that almost gives away too much of the rest of the story.  At least the book, written by Pamela J. Reid, Ph.D., lives up to its billing by helping you understand the learning process and the whys of the canine behavior. She encourages the reader to figure out how to apply the information to your dog, how to choose between a variety of training methods and what you need to bring to the table. In other words, there are no 12 steps to happiness here: Only the foundation for you to live up to your dog’s lofty expectations of you.   Not only is it a good read, but by buying it you are doing your share to help prolong the literary tradition. It’s probably a losing battle–with the onslaught of electronic readers like the Kindle, books as physical entities are poised to go the way of the LP, CD and DVD: extinction. Can virtual pets, that leave virtual messes and hang out in your iTunes library, be that far behind?

*Subjects covered include lingo, classical and operant conditioning, single-event learning, signal control, aversive control, negative punishment, behavior modification and social learning.

*Available in paperback only; 172 pages.

*A Dogasaur “Daily Woof!”

The whole organic and supplementation market puts many scientists in a bind, because they want more studies and more evidence before they take a stand. But that doesn’t bother consumers, who feel a lot better for going organic and taking nutritional supplements.  And it’s not just our own diets that are being affected. If these things work for us, the thinking goes, it might as well work for dogs too. Skin & Coat Tonic, for instance, combines a blend of specially selected herbs, nutrients and biochemic tissue salts that keep the skin and coat healthy and glossy.   It is used by show animals to give them a “competitive” edge, uses certified organic ingredients and has no side effects, so it can be used indefinitely. Somehow, it doesn’t just maintain healthy skin and hair but it also bolsters the immune system, the liver, the kidney and the thyroid.

*High rate of reorder proves customers are happy.

*Results usually appear within two to three weeks

*Has no side effects, so can be used indefinitely.

*A Dogasaur “Daily Woof!”