Pumpkin Dog Art!

It’s time for pumpkin-carving again and for the fourth year in a row, we’re featuring pumpkin stencils of various breeds of dogs so you can carve your pumpkin to look just like your best pal.  To see the various designs and the pictures of the carved dog pumpkins, click here.

Free pumpkin-carving stencils are available for these breeds:

1. Chihuahua
2. Yorkie
3. Labrador Retriever
4. Poodle
5. Scottish Terrier
6. German Shepherd
7. Bulldog
8. Golden Retriever
9. Boxer
10.  Dachshund
11. Jack Russell Terrier
12. Beagle

Ike and Petey Playing with the Unstuffed Otter Dog Toy from happydogspay.com

The Drury household just welcomed a wonderful new dog named Ike, a Border Collie-Lab mix, to their home in Marietta, GA.  Ike and “King-of-the-House” Petey, the family Chihuahua,  have become fast friends by playing tug-of-war for hours with the Go Dog Unstuffed Otter Dog Toy.  The Otter is 34″ long and allows the two dogs to get used to playing with each other without being right in each other’s face.  Sometimes having the right toy can facilitate play between dogs, especially as they’re just getting to know each other.  Petey and Ike are now on their way to becoming best buds.

The Otter Dog Toy is available at happydogsplay.com.  The Otters only have stuffing in the their heads and the rest of their bodies are stuffing-free so there’s nothing for your dog to pull out.  There’s a squeaker in the tail and a “grunt” squeaker in their head. This dog toy was made for non-aggressive chewers who like to carry their toys around, whip them around,  tug on them,  shake them, roll on them or sleep with them. This is a giant toy–it’s almost three feet long–and is a dream-come-true for any big dog who needs big toys.  Or big dogs who want to play with little dogs.  Or little dogs who like big toys.

The Wolf, Squirrel and Otter are all available from happydogsplay.com

Along with the Otter, there’s also a Wolf and Squirrel Dog Toy that are made by Go Dog.  All three of these unstuffed toys are:

• Double stitched at stress points
• Run through a metal detector after production to insure safety
• Meets the Child’s Safety Standards
• Made from new material that is safe, non-toxic and machine washable
• Tested by happydogsplay.com to make sure there are no heavy metals or lead present

There’s a new sport for dogs called “K9 Nose Work”  that tests your dog’s ability to use their sense of smell to find food that’s hidden from them.  Well, isn’t that what our dogs are doing all the time?  At least mine are.  In fact, Birdie, my 1 yr old rescued Lab, has now learned to open the kitchen cabinets where I used to keep dog food and treats and now keep only canned food.   She did bring me a can of dog food in bed the other day which she took from the cabinet hoping I could open it for her while still in bed.  She obviously wanted to eat but didn’t want me to have to go downstairs to feed her.  She’s so thoughtful.

So while Birdie continues to search for hidden food at home, I just started taking classes in “K9 Nose Work” with Happy, my new Lab/Shepherd mix who I adopted in January, and we had our first class Tuesday night.  Here’s how the sport/game works:  there’s a large room with various-sized cardboard boxes placed around it and one of them has some of  the treats  that I brought from home that I know Happy loves placed in it.   After getting a verbal release, while either on or off her leash, Happy is allowed to start hunting for the hidden food and goes from box to box to see if she can find it.  Well, not “see;” I mean “smell” if it’s there.   Along with the certified K9 Nose Work instructor Jenny West Schneider from Camp Canine, we would watch Happy pick up the scent and make sudden U-turns to check out the box where she thinks the food is hidden.  After she would find the food, Happy was allowed to eat it and was also given another treat by Jenny to reward her for her successful “hunting.”

Happy learned the game quickly and I could tell she loved this new game because she wagged her tail the whole time she was playing.  Being happy isn’t unusual for Happy because that is how she got her name after all but she seemed totally engaged in the game and each time it was her turn, she was ready to search again.

There are no rules for “K9 Nose Work” except that the room is kept quiet while dogs are doing their searching so that they wouldn’t be distracted by anything.  When I held the leash on our first few hunts, I had to hold it loosely and just follow wherever Happy wanted to go even though she’s looked back at me a couple of times to see if I knew where the food was.

And I love this new game too because I enjoy  just being in Happy’s company so much and just seeing how quickly she picked up the game made me very proud of her.   “K9 Nose Work”  is a sport where dogs can win various titles if they perform various scent searches but there is no competition between dogs.  It’s a sport where there’s no stress, no contact with other dogs, no commands and no winners or losers.  It’s kind of the anti-sport for those of us who just like to spend  fun time with our dogs and don’t feel a need to make them do anything that seems forced.  It’s really just a big game of hide and seek with the food treats hiding and the dogs seeking.

During the week between classes, Jenny gave us an assignment to continue the box work at home.  Off we go to do our homework…..

If you’re interested in taking “K9 Nose Works” classes or if you need a dog trainer for individual lessons or classes, contact Jenny at Camp Canine.  She teaches only positive training techniques and has graduated from several of Pat Miller’s courses as well as many others.  I highly recommend her.

When rescue groups get together, they create a sea of look-a-like dogs like you’ve never seen before.  I felt like I stepped into the Boxer territory in my Land of Dog when I attended “BoxerStock,” a fundraising event for Atlanta Boxer Rescue,  an organization dedicated to the rescue and adoption of Boxers in the metropolitan-Atlanta area and also to provide support and education for Boxer guardians.   Right now on their website,  http://atlantaboxerrescue.org, there are boxers ready to be adopted.

When you get to know a certain breed of dog and you like their characteristics, you may want to get another of this kind of dog but you don’t want to support breeders because you believe there are enough dogs in the world who need home.  That’s where Rescue Groups come in.  When a Boxer is left at the Atlanta SPCA or any other shelters in the Atlanta are, the people at the kennel will call Atlanta Boxer Rescue because they know they’ll find a good home for the dog. It’s a win-win-win for the person, the dog and the shelter.

So if you’re looking for a particular kind of dog, check out your area’s rescue groups.  In Atlanta, visit  STOP’s (Stopping Pet Overpopulation Together Society) website for a list of all the rescue groups in this area.

happydogsplay.com was a vendor at Boxerstock so you’ll see lots of pictures of boxers and some pictures of the hdp.com booth.   If you’re interested in buying safe, non-toxic, double-tested dog toys and goods and gifts for dogs and dog lovers, visit our website.  Our collection of dog-centric items is not available anywhere else.   Check us out and you’ll see what I mean.

Most dog people I know have  experienced some version of  ”dog-in-the dishwasher” but a friend sent me this picture today and I was especially delighted that the dog actually got in the dishwasher to lick the dishes. My dogs would only lean into the dishwasher and just lick what they could but this pointer rescue knew exactly how it should be done.  (Don’t let your dogs see this because it might give them ideas.)

Jake (the yellow lab): Why didn't I ever think of jumping in the dishwasher to lick the plates? When do I get my turn?

As if we didn’t know, an article out today says that even when times are hard,  dog lovers continue to make sure our dogs have everything they need to have long, healthy and fun lives.  Here’s what the article from the Huffington Post said about the “Pet Pampering” business:

Birth rates may decline during a recession, but our furry friends are lapping up the cost savings of many childless homes. HuffPost blogger and animal expert Wendy Diamond reports:

“With 62% of American households owning at least one pet (up from 56% in 1988), and 37.2% of families owning dogs and 32.4% owning cats (thus 7.6% must own at least one of each) Americans have embraced their pets as members of their families. Growing trends such as the celebration of pets’ birthdays with puppy parties and feline fiestas have created an entire luxury market of paw pampering products that will have your furry friend barking for more.”

Even Martha Stewart and GNC are cashing in on the lucrative pet pampering industry, which is expected to grow 5 percent this year to $47.7 billion. Compare this to $45.5 billion in 2009 and $38.5 billion in pre-recessionary 2006.

A Golden enjoying the heck out of playing with the IntelliBone.

So if just reading this inspires you to want something new for your dog, happydogsplay.com recently added more smart puzzle dog toys that will challenge and entertain your dog in the same way that developmental toys do for kids.  (Those who know me personally know that I know nothing about developmental toys for children but I read this comparison on a website and thought it might explain the concept of smart dog toys to most people.)

We now carry plush puzzle toys like the Hide-A-Squirrel toy that has three toy squirrels (each with a squeaker), hiding in a plush log challenging your dog to find and remove them.  The IntelliBone, featuring a plush bone surrounded by removable plush rings, provides your dog a different kind of challenge because they have to learn to pull the rings off the bone which is quite tricky.

As with all dog toys sold by happydogsplay.com, the plush puzzle toys are made with non-toxic materials and tested thoroughly for safety first by the manufacturer.   And then when we receive them at our office in Roswell, GA, they’re  tested again by happydogsplay.com to check for ourselves that there aren’t unsafe levels of Lead, Mercury, Cadmium and Chromium. We use a local company that specializes in testing for lead and other heavy metals using the X-Ray Flourescence device that is commonly used to test children’s toys.

All happydogsplay.com dog toys are tested to make sure they don't contain lead or other heavy metals.

We’ve also added an agility starter kit that provides you beginner’s equipment to see if your dog has the aptitude for agility sports before you spend a ton of money getting into agility training for real.

And just for the record, happydogsplay.com is not about “pet pampering” because we don’t believe that there is such a thing.  Our dogs need stuff to be happy and happydogsplay.com provides that stuff; and dog people need to be happy and we provide that stuff.   Dog are NOT a blessing in disguise–there is no disguise involved.   They make us happy and we make them happy.  What more could we want?

(If you’re wondering, the other recession-proof businesses are family movies, donuts, marathons, fireworks, iPhones, tattoos, fantasy sports, gum and whale watching.)

With the all-new Aikiou (pronounced IQ) bowl, you get the latest interactive dog puzzle toy and a dog dinner bowl all in one.  What will they think of next?  (Personally, I’d love someone to invent an interactive dog toy that vacuums your house when your dog plays with it.)

First we had the Nina Ottosson smart dog toys from Sweden and now we have the all new Aikiou bowl from Canada.  The people who invented the Aikiou bowl want your dog to play with their food and they mean that quite literally. The Aikiou is a “revolutionary” dog feeding bowl that challenges your dog to use their primal instincts to hunt down their hidden food and turn mealtime into a walk on the wild side even if it’s just your kitchen.  And, the Aikiou bowl can be used as a  fun and challenging interactive dog puzzle toy that will make your dog smarter by stimulating their brain and relieving boredom along the way. This video will show you the the Aikiou in action.

The manufacturers of the Aikiou give this explanation of why your dog might enjoy eating their meals out of the Aikiou bowl:

“By necessity, animals in nature spend much of their time hunting and foraging for their meals. Dogs in particular are adept at seeking and finding food. Unfortunately, this innate problem-solving skill is often under-exericised in domesticated animals sometimes leading to unwanted behaviours around the home. The Aikiou (IQ) bowl was developed with this in mind. Food is hidden inside the bowl’s many compartments, which your dog can access by sliding the doors open or spinning the central wheel. Allowing your dog to exercise his or her problem-solving instincts with the Aikiou bowl is fun and rewarding for both you and your pet.”

The Aikiou is for big dogs....

...or small dogs.

Or, like the Nina Ottosson interactive puzzles, the Aikiou bowl can a be another “board game” where you hide treats for your dog and watch how clever they are at finding and removing them. You hide the treats in different slots or a combination of slots and then your dog uses their nose or paw to slide or twist the openings to find the treats. To keep your dog from getting bored or catching on, you can hide just one treat or hide many treats and keep changing where you put them.

If you do use the Aikiou as your dog’s bowl, one great benefit is that for dogs who inhale their food, it will slow down their eating because they’ll now be playing hide-and-seek with their food.

I’m not so sure that the Aikiou bowl will make your dog feel like a wild animal again but no matter what, it can be fun for you and your dog to play with together.  And we all need more family time with our dogs.

The Aikiou is available now at happydogsplay.com for $24.95.

by Charmaine Ham

I’ve had dogs for 21 years but it wasn’t until last Fall we took our dog on vacation for the first time. We had reservations but since we knew we’d be gone a month, we couldn’t be w/o Max! We made it fun, bring besides food, his dishes, & his dog bed a bag of new dog toys. We thought if we presented a new toy it would make vacation fun.

The biggest fun was actually walking him in a dog friendly neighborhood. He enjoyed the various smells and scents (he’s beagle/Jack Russell mix) and many people walked their dogs. Even more dog friendly was the beach — oh how he loved walking on the damp sand. If it weren’t for me, he’d walk all day! One time we saw people riding their horses in the surf and I had to pull him back on his leash because he was so curious! I didn’t want him to be stomped on or spook the horses, yet he had never seen horses before.

We did all the work as we were busy cleaning out an inherited house to get ready for rental. So Max was the only one who got a vacation! Then to top it off, we only got breaks when our friends stopped to visit, and as usual, he thought everyone came just to visit him!

I recommend taking a pet on vacation, and do your homework to make the proper preparations. I promised Max we’d go walk the beach again and hope to return this Spring.

Max always wondered what it would be like to go on vaction

Charmaine and Max on their first vacation

Max now knows that vacations are fun but that they also can wear a dog out