PupBox Review

With baby Bindi's arrival, I decided to check out PupBox; a pet subscription box focused on puppies! I had seen advertisements online for this box and was intrigued by the high quality toys and treats pictured along with the fact that some of the boxes included “accessories” for both the puppy and their human,

PupBox Basics

PupBox contains toys, treats, chews, and accessories that are all handpicked based on your pup's age and physical characteristics. As your puppy grows, the box changes to meet your puppy’s developmental needs. Each month you receive 5-7 products along with training tips. The company notes that all treats and chews are sourced in the USA. It is also good to note that they do not include any rawhide products in their boxes. Instead they use alternative chews like bully sticks, ears and bones that are not as hard to digest.

PupBox has you start by completing a questionnaire so they can get to know your pup. The questionnaire itself is written in a fun, whimsical way. It starts by asking the basics like your pups name, date of birth and gender. Then it asks for an approximate size as an adult (itty bitty, smallish, mid side or large & in charge) so appropriate toys and chews can be picked. It then asks for coat type (short, medium/long & hypoallergenic) and asks for you to upload a pic of your pup (this is optional.) There is also an area to add any known allergies or notes you may have (like if our dog is a more aggressive chewer.)

Finally you get to choose your plan. At the time of writing this, they had 1 month, 3 month, 6 month and 12 month options available.

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Our Review

For Bindi’s questionnaire, I put down smallish and medium/long coat. She has no Known allergies so nothing to note there and I uploaded a photo because why not?!

Bindi was very excited to get her “own” box. At first she through it was a prop for trick dog work and immediately started to offer behaviors on and around it. Once I opened it up though she realized there were goodies inside and jumped right in (literally.)

So what was in my first box? We received the following incredible items:

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GoDog Small Rainbow Bee Plush Toy – I love GoDog Toys! They are made with Chew Guard Technology so are tougher and last longer than standard plush. This toy is just fun. Besides who can resist a busy bee (those who have seen the movie Best in Show will understand.)

Flavorit Bone in Medium Mint – This toy helps to satisfy a dogs natural urge to chew while freshening up the breath, caring for the teeth, & keeping from boredom. It is infused with food-grade flavor to help keep your pups interest. Better yet it has tiny holes all over the bone where you can spread your dog’s favorite treat (like peanut butter or yogurt!)

X-Small Leaps & Bounds Chomp and Chew Tennis Ball Toy – This adorable hippo toy is ideal for chewing and fetching. It’s the perfect size for small to medium sized puppies.

Dogsbutter Immunity and Digestion Peanut Butter – This peanut butter is made without any hydrogenated oils or added salt/sugar which makes it a healthier treat for your pup. It’s perfect for using with the Flavorit Bone provided.

PupBox Alien Cheese & Bacon Dog Treats – The shelties love these treats. They easily break into smaller treats for training purposes.

PupBox Training Tote - This is a nice little treat bag. It’s perfect for training at class or on-the-go.

Training Guide – They also provided a guide with some training tips specific for Bindi’s age range (3 months.)

Packing Sheet – They also include a personalized packing sheet that not just lists what was included but goes into some detail as to why it was included.

Bonus the inside cover of the box has an area for keeping track of things like your dog’s height and weight as they grow.

Update

Right as I was getting ready to publish this our second PupBox arrived. I am happy to say I was again very pleased with the contents and quality of the items provided. Here is a breakdown of what was in box 2:

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ZippyPaws Lady Bug Puzzle Toy - This fun toy challenges your puppy to borrow out the lady bugs from the leaf for fun, interactive play. Each lady bug squeaks as well to excite your pup!

Planet Dog Orbee-Tuff Bone – This fun bone toy is buoyant and bouncy for varied fun. You can add a treat for more fun.

Value Size Blue Buffalo Wilderness Trail Treats Chicken - Made with more of the delicious chicken your dog loves, BLUE Wilderness Wild Bits are the soft-moist and meaty treat made to satisfy their wild side. Made with DHA which is an important fatty acid found in mother’s milk, DHA helps promote cognitive development in canines. Both of my girls love these.

N-Bone Puppy Teething Ring Pumpkin Flavor Dog Treats – Perfect to satisfy your puppy’s natural urge to chew and soothe sore gums from teething. Fortified with DHA and beneficial fatty acids to promote a healthy brain, ideal skin health, and a shiny coat. These chews are completely edible and digestible. Bindi loves these!

Barkworthies 5-to-7-inch Beef Scapula – This single ingredient chew is highly digestible. It’s great for teething puppies!

Of course this box also contained an age appropriate training guide and packaging sheet. They also included additional training information on how to socialize your puppy during the time of COVID-19.

Conclusion

We were VERY happy with this box! Everything provided was high quality and Bindi (and Reba) enjoyed the contents. I felt the toys provided were perfect for Bindi’s age. The treats were enjoyed by both. I liked the addition of the training pouch for the owner. The training guide provided was actually very useful. They were good, age appropriate tips for puppy owners.

If you are getting or have a puppy I would recommend looking into this box. The items provided are truly customized to be appropriate for the age of your puppy and the whole experience has just been fun.

As always, please monitor your dog when they are playing with their toys to make sure the "fit" and toy type are appropriate for them.

4 Paw Trainer Rating
4 Paw Dog Rating

4 Paw Trainer Rating

4 Paw Dog Rating

If you are interested in learning more about PupBox or would like to subscribe, you can click here to go to their website and get your first box for 50% off!

If you are interested in finding out more about the individual items included in the box you can click on the corresponding pictures below.

KONG Box Review

Pet subscription boxes are trending in the market right now but what boxes truly live up to the hype? I have purchased pet subscription boxes in the past and while they were fun, I ended up with a bunch of toys and treats that I could not use. When I heard about the Kong Box though it got my attention.

See like many dog owners out there I use KONG products often with my dogs and recommend them to students, puppy buyers etc. My dogs love the KONG treats/chews and their toys have been fun and good quality. KONG was offering a "cancel at any time" guarantee so I figured what the heck, let's see what this newest box is all about.

The KONG Box Basics

So what exactly is a KONG Box? A KONG Box consists of hand-picked toys, chews and treats that Kong sends out either monthly or bi-monthly (a feature which I love) to your dog. Each Box consists of two toys (one training toy and one personality toy) and three treats/chews along with recipes and tips. Your first box also includes a KONG Classic (which I keep a couple on hand for each dog so I can always have one filled and ready to go!)

KONG tries to match up the best items for your dog based off of a quick questionnaire you complete when registering. When I signed up my sheltie Reba they first wanted to know if she was a Puppy, Adult or Senior dog. Then they asked me if she was a Small, Medium, Large or X-Large size dog. Next they wanted to find out about her chewing habits (Teething, Average, Power or Aging chewer.) Lastly they asked if there was a special area that I could use help with for her. My options were the following: Chewing, Digging & Barking, Teething, Separation Anxiety, Crate Training, Weight Management, Boredom and None of the Above.

Next they asked how often I would like to receive the box: monthly or bi-monthly. I love that they have a bi-monthly option. When I had three dogs I went through toys and treats much quicker than I do now with just Miss Reba. Plus, when we add another puppy to our pack, I can sign up for the "puppy" version of the box and alternate months! There is the economic factor too.

Our Review

For Reba's preferences I put that she was an adult, average chewer, medium size (she fits into the small dog weight but KONG has some guidance about sizing on the website and I know the medium size KONG's fit her better) and that she could use some help with boredom as she has been a bit lonely since Nina's passing.

As soon as I brought the KONG Box in the house Reba started bouncing up and down with excitement. Perhaps it was the keen sense of smell picking up on something or the excitement she was feeding off me but she knew that box and contents belonged to her! When I put it on the ground she started standing on and pawing at it. Then I opened the box and the fun started.

Box Opening
Box Opening
KONG Box Intro
KONG Box Intro
Fun Packaging!
Fun Packaging!
Reba checking out (and loving) the contents
Reba checking out (and loving) the contents

So what was in the box? We received the following awesome items:

KONG Classic Medium - KONG Classic's rubber material helps satisfy a dogs' natural chewing instinct. They are also great for things like separation anxiety, teething, crate training and just fun entertainment. The unpredictable bounce to them make them an exciting and interactive toy. They are perfect for "stuffing" treats and food into!

KONG Goodie Bone Medium - Similar to the KONG Classic, this toy is bone shaped and has "goodie gripper holes" on the end for stuffing treats into. It makes a great food dispensing toy.

KONG Ballistic Gliderz - This durable toy is part of KONG's ballitic family. The lightweight yet durable design creates an erratic flight pattern that entices dogs. It also contains a squeaker and can even float.

KONG Stuff'N Sweet Potato Spread 5 oz - Made with human-grade ingredients this easy to squeeze tube is perfect for filling KONG toys or for training.

KONG Ziggies Chicken Large - These delicious chews were designed to be highly digestible and are perfect for stuffing into KONG toys. As an added bonus, they also help to freshen your dog's breath.

KONG Digestibles Smoky Beef 4 oz - KONG Digestible are a safer rawhide with patented holes that make them more than 90% digestible. This proprietary design speeds up hide softening and fluid absorption. The multiple holes aid in faster, more complete digestion. All with a smoky taste dogs love. As with all rawhides please monitor your dog when using these chews. Whenever I use chews of any kind with my dogs I "trade" them for something else when the chews are getting smaller for safety purposes.

Receipe & Tip Cards

 

KONG Box Contents
KONG Box Contents
Classic KONG & Goodie Bone
Classic KONG & Goodie Bone
KONG Ballistic Gliderz
KONG Ballistic Gliderz
KONG Treats
KONG Treats
KONG Recipe Cards
KONG Recipe Cards

Not captured on film is when Reba tried to pull a fast one on me and sneak the bag of Digestibles out of the box and hid them in her bed. Nice try girlie. I have a feeling she is already planning her sneak attack for the next box!

Conclusion

Needless to say Reba was VERY happy with the box. The Ballistic flyer has been her toy of choice for the last two days. Not only are these products my girl loves but they are things we will actually use. Reba just had a KONG with the new spread in it today. The best part, this box was also a great value. I priced these items individually on Amazon and the total at the time I wrote this review was just over $65. The KONG Box was $28! Now you do get the bonus Classic KONG in your first box, which for my size was a $10 value, but even without that it's still a good value. All delivered right to my door where I can watch my girl get excited box after box.

If you are looking for a dog subscription box, or if you are someone who frequently uses KONG products, this is one box you will want to look at. As a dog trainer and dog sports competitor I have seen the value of KONG products. As a dog lover, I appreciate having good quality products to provide my dogs with.

As always, please monitor your dog when they are playing with their toys to make sure the "fit" and toy type are appropriate for them.

4 Paw Trainer Rating
4 Paw Trainer Rating
4 Paw Dog Rating
4 Paw Dog Rating

If you are interested in learning more about KONG Box or would like to subscribe you can click here to go to their website.

If you are interested in finding out more about the individual items included in the box you can click on the corresponding pictures below.

Stay tuned for the next box!

reba box outside

O2COOL 5″ Clip Fan Reviewed

Summer is almost here! With that comes another challenge: keeping our dogs cool in the heat. Today I want to share with you one of the tools I use to help keep my dogs cool and comfortable during the summer; the O2Cool 5" Clip Fan.

About

The O2Cool 5" clip fan features 5" blades and has two speeds: low and high. They run off 4-AA batteries and the manufacturer states the run times to be 14 hours on low and 11 hours on high. The fan head rotates and pivots so you have complete control of the airflow. The sturdy clip opens approximately 2.25" and can attach to many surfaces.

My Review

I love this portable fan! It is my to go to fan when heading outdoors to train or to clip on crates inbetween runs. I can just toss it in my training bag and run.

 

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o2cool clip

The convenient clip allows me to easily attach the fan to a fence for outdoor training. With a fully adjustable head I can make sure the airflow is hitting my dog. Once adjusted you can easily "lock" the position into place so you don't have to continuously adjust it. The fan also easily attached to the lip around the door or my Ruff Tough (now Ruff Land) crates as well as the bar on my soft side crates.

The 5" blades throw off a decent amount of airflow for their size and overall the fan is quieter than similar fans from other manufacturers I have tried. Now don't get me wrong, these fans do a great job for their size but the 5" blades can only do so much. If it is really hot, or if I will be at an all day trial/show, I will bring out my O2COOL Desktop fans or my Ryobi fans. If you are looking for a smaller, more portable fan though the O2COOL 5" Clip fan is a great choice.

4 Paw Trainer Rating
4 Paw Trainer Rating
4 Paw Dog Rating
4 Paw Dog Rating

To purchase or find out more about these awesome portable fans click here or follow the link below. I have found great deals on these on Amazon.

Happy Howie’s Premium Meat Rolls

A few years ago, I used a competitor’s meat roll. However, changes to formula caused the texture to change and the treats became crumbly when cutting them up. I would go to reach in my pocket or treat bag and come out with a handful of crumbs instead of a treat. No trainer wants to deal with that! Plus my sheltie Reba started to turn her nose up at the treats. A friend told me about Happy Howie’s and I have been using their meat rolls and recommending them ever since.

About

Happy Howie’s Premium Meat Rolls are made and sourced in the USA. They are becoming popular with trainers across the country. Unlike many other meat rolls that are intended to be used for meals, Happy Howie’s meat rolls are specifically formulated for use as treats. These 1 lb or 2 lbs rolls are currently available in 3 flavors: Beef, Turkey and Lamb.

My Review

Let me just start by saying I love these treat rolls. You have complete control as to how big or small the treats are making it perfect for dogs of all sizes. I tend to cut up some smaller pieces for training and a couple bigger strips to bring ringside that I can tear pieces off of while warming up. The best part, no crumbling! These amazing rolls do not crumble when you cut them or put treats in your pocket! They are also perfect for treat dispensers like the Treat & Train.

Since you are cutting your own treats, one thing you need to keep in mind here is how many calories your treats end up being. This can be especially important for dogs on a diet or less active dogs. The good news is I did some of the leg work for you! Here is the calorie break down from the manufacturer:

Beef  = 70 calories per ¼” slice

Turkey = 44 calories per ¼” slice

Lamb = 60 calories per ¼” slice

My crew has enjoyed all the flavors but beef seems to be the most popular here. Even picky dogs I have worked with love these treats. Once the rolls have been cut, they do need to be refrigerated. They will remain fresh for up to two weeks. You can also freeze them for extended use.

Conclusion

I love these treat rolls and so do my dogs. I have used them with success both personally and with students. Being able to control the size of the treats and not have them be crumbly is well worth the little bit of effort it takes me to cut and refrigerate them. I highly recommend them. My dogs and I each give these treats 4 out of 4 paws!

4 Paw Trainer Rating

4 Paw Dog Rating

To purchase or get more information about the Happy Howie’s Premium Meat Rolls click the links below. Stay tuned for our next review.