12 Days of Christmas Gift-Giving Guide

Every year we compile a list of 12 different companies or products for the first 12 days of December, that also donate to animal charities. We’ve been doing this list for over 5 years now and every year we introduce a variety of new companies that offer so many great products that also help our furry friends. I love researching and finding these companies that also share the same values we have here, at Doggie Dreamz.

Day 1: To kick off our list, we chose Grounds and Hounds. We love this coffee company and they have some kick-ass apparel too. What’s even better than their dog-themed coffee; is that they donate a portion of their profits to animal welfare charities. And now through the end of 2021, 100% of the profits from Rescue Roast will go to The Sato Project and will be used to fund the transfer of homeless pups from Puerto Rico to families looking to give them a happy home.

Day 2: Glad Dog is an online marketplace that recycles unwanted children's stuffed toys and makes them into pet toys. They sanitize them, remove hard eyes and noses and they offer the toys at a discounted price. For some of the toys, they even remove the stuffing if your dog likes to tear it open. They then donate 100% of their profits to fund initiatives to help pet overpopulation, provide food and medical care for dogs.

Day 3: Bird Dog coffee offers a variety of coffee blends all featuring your favorite hunting dog. And they have a Boykin Spaniel Rescue Roast which they donate 10% of the proceeds go to the Boykin Spaniel Rescue. The Boykin Spaniel Rescue raises funds to help every Boykin Spaniel with the medical and emotional assistance they need and help in finding their forever homes.

Day 4: Furever Home Friends makes adorable books about shelter dogs and matching stuffed animals for any child who loves dogs. They also donate 10% of our profits to no-kill animal shelters in Chicago. Currently, their main beneficiary is ALIVE Rescue.

Day 5: Puppies make me happy; The perfect name for a company that is all about clothing the stylish dog mom. And they donate a portion of their sales to a new animal rescue every quarter.

Day 6: Shop Dog Threads; is another clothing company that makes adorable matching outfits for you and your dog! 2% of all sales are donated to non-profit animal rescues to assist in their life-saving efforts. They choose a new rescue organization every quarter and this quarter they are donating to Pet Haven MN.

Day 7: Petit Vour, which is an ethical beauty and fashion company. Through the end of December 2021, they are donating 15% of every curated box to Austin Dog Rescue when you use code DONATE15.

Day 8: Wicks for Wags, makes candles, and donates a portion of the proceeds to animal shelters and rescue groups around the United States to help and protect animals in need.

Day 9: Fit 4 a Pit, designs apparel for dogs with a stocky upper body, which is characteristic of the pitbull breed and harder to find at other retailers. They also donate at least 15% of their profits each month to pit bull-friendly rescues, advocacy groups, and other non-profits. They also donate all of their sample products, overstock, and irregular items.

Day 10: Rescued Dog Wines are a great company that makes award-winning wines that use certified green sustainable grapes. The best part is that 50% of their profits go to animal rescue organizations. As their website says "their business is producing fine wine and their passion is to help animals find forever homes."

Day 11: Heartbarks make beautiful custom cutting boards. And with every purchase, they directly donate funds to a rescue in need. Currently, the animal rescue they are donating to is Lucky Dog in Arlington Virginia. Lucky Dog Rescue routinely rescues dogs who are facing imminent euthanasia due to overcrowded high-kill shelters. They transport these dogs to adoptive and foster homes across the US.

Day 12: Perkie Prints; We adore this company. They have excellent customer service and the quality of their products is top-notch. They take cute photos of your pet and transform them into art! And they donate a portion of every purchase to animal charities. They currently are donating to D.A.S.H, a local no-kill, volunteer-run organization that rescues and rehomes animals in need. Perkie Prints helps sponsor animals rescued by D.A.S.H. to raise awareness, support adoption and spread the word about a pet in need of a home.

We hope you have enjoyed our gift-giving guide, and that your 2021 holiday season is filled with love and belly rubs!!

CBD products and your Pet

Back in April of 2019, I wrote an article titled CBD Products and your Pet. Since then several companies and pet influencers have jumped on this growing trend in the pet health industry. Being that it has been over 3 years since I researched this topic and there have been numerous studies done in that time to examine the efficacy of CBD’s effectiveness on dogs and cats. I wanted to update my previous article with the newest information to help anyone reading this make a more informed decision about using CBD. I will link all the studies I reference as well as the veterinarian that helped me in my research, Dr. Robert Silver.

Dr. Robert Silver is a veterinarian with over 38 years of experience and he established the first holistic veterinary practice in Boulder Colorado. Dr. Silver’s first tip is to look for CBD products that companies have provided a certificate of analysis. A certificate of analysis is given to a CBD product that has been tested by a third-party laboratory and examined for quality. When looking at a products certificate of analysis make sure you look for the name of the laboratory that ran the tests, ensure the batch number is the same as the products batch number, look at the cannabinoid and terpene profile, look at the heavy metal analysis as well as the pesticide analysis. Click here for more information about a products certificate of analysis.

Several studies have shown the efficacy of CBD in pain management for epilepsy, cancer, and arthritis within canines. Anxiety in dogs is another area that studies have shown improved with the use of CBD. Dr. Silver says hemp or CBD products should not be a stand-alone treatment they are meant to be a part of a regimen in conjunction with other therapies and medicine to help these issues. CBD and hemp are not a cure by any means they aid in health issues without the possible exposure to toxins that may be in further medical protocols. 

Since CBD is an anti-inflammatory it has also been shown to help dogs with IBS or IBD and chronic diarrhea. It’s important to keep in mind that every dog is different. Dr. Silva recommends that you use a lower dosage 2x a day. He also recommends taking the dosage right before a meal. Studies have shown it is 4x as effective when consumed this way. 

When figuring out what dosage to give your dog you have to think about if your dog is overweight and since over 90 percent of pet owners with obese animals don’t know their animal is obese, please consult your veterinarian. Also, he says veterinarians are finding lower dosages of CBD for anxiety are more effective than higher dosages. Start with a 1/4 mg per pound twice daily. Give this dosage for 7-10 days and see if you notice any improvement.

As with any holistic or alternative medication source, always consult your veterinarian and monitor your dog's behavior carefully. This article is just to provide information and always speak with your veterinarian when thinking about adding any treatment to your dog's health regimen. 

Is your dog's gut, healthy?

Recently, I attended a virtual Pet Health Summit and the information I learned was fascinating. One of the seminars was with Dr. Lu Fenny and Dr. Katie Woodley, both are Holistic Veterinarians and they discussed the importance of our dog's gut health. Your dog's overall health is directly linked to their behavior and I wanted to share this information to help anyone who doesn’t know where to begin healing their dog's gut. These items discussed are directly from the pet health summit seminar I attended and are recommendations given by Dr. Lu Fenny. I am not a veterinarian and am not giving you medical advice. Please consult your veterinarian when considering revising your dog's diet.  

Signs of bad gut health 

-diarrhea or mucus stool 

-large gas production 

-vomiting 

If your dog is showing any of these signs of bad gut health speak to your veterinarian on ways to improve your dog's diet. Here are some facts that were shared by Dr. Lu Fenny about dogs' gut health and ways she recommends to help heal their gut.

Several studies show a direct link between gut health and anxiety in dogs. I will link those studies here (2019) (2020) (2020). It is known that 70 percent of a dog’s body's serotonin production happens in its intestines. Serotonin is the key hormone in regulating mood, learning, and happiness. This helps explain why, if your dog's gut is not functioning properly or is weakened, then this will affect their personality. 

Start with baby steps in the process of healing your dog’s gut. Introducing fresh food like veggies and whole grains while discovering what they like and will tolerate. Try adding more water to their dry food, as well as bone broth. Dr. Katie Woodley recommends when transitioning your dog onto a new diet; add 25% of new food to old food and do this for 3-5 days, then slowly increase the new food. As long as your dog doesn’t have any issues like diarrhea or vomiting. Pre and Probiotics are a good addition to any dog's diet. There are several strains and options. Remember every dog is different so which pre and probiotic your dog will tolerate or benefit from is very individual. So observe your dog's behavior and eliminations when transitioning to a new food. 

Slow and steady is the key, with transitioning your dog's food. When healing the body through Holistic methods, it does take longer because holistic medicine usually heals the root problem. Therefore results are not immediate. So be patient and speak with your veterinarian if you have questions. 

Engagement and why it’s important

The term engagement gets used often in the dog training space, but so often when I am explaining the benefits to my clients; I am often met with the response “I wish I knew about this sooner.” Building engagement with your dog is teaching your dog that listening to you is rewarding. We are building value over you and what you say to your dog. This is such a simple concept and sometimes people think dogs automatically come wired this way. However, that is not true. Dogs need to learn that listening is not only important but it is rewarding for them as well. Dogs that don’t learn this at an early age can develop nuisance behaviors such as leash pulling, incessant barking, and leash reactivity.

Dogs are one of the few animals, besides humans, that make eye contact with other species. This quality has been bred in dogs to establish a stronger connection with their human. However, this trait needs to be encouraged and doesn’t happen automatically. Trainers will encourage this through a variety of different games like “Look At Me”. The “Look At Me” game is when you reward your dog for making eye contact with you, through a reward-based system. One way is to put a treat in front of your dog's nose and bring the treat right between your eyes and as soon as your dog makes eye contact you reward them with that treat. Eventually, adding the cue “Look At Me”. Another way to pay this game is to show your dog that you have a treat or a toy in each hand, hold out your arms in a T, and then cue your dog with the “Look At Me” and when your dog makes eye contact with you instead of looking at your hands for the treat or fun toys, you reward them.

If you have a puppy, another way to build engagement with them is to hand feed them. Hand-feeding has other benefits as well, especially with a puppy. It helps build the bond between you and your puppy as well as help work on your puppy's bite inhibition. Hand-feeding is when instead of putting your dog’s food in a bowl for them to hover over and eat; instead put their food in your hands and feed your puppy one kibble or bite at a time.

Hide and Seek isn’t just for kids. Playing Hide and Seek with your dog while you are walking them or playing with them in the backyard helps condition your dog that you are the reward. You can play this by hiding behind a tree or bush and then calling your dog’s name. When your dog finds you, make exaggerated movements and give them lots of high praise. Playing Hide and Seek is also helpful if you have a dog that likes to run away from you as a game. If you become the object of play; you can condition them to stop the urge to run away from you.

One of the best ways to build engagement between you and your dog is by doing trick training. This is especially helpful if you have a dog that is part of the working breed families. Dogs that are working breeds have a high drive to learn and have a job. By training them to do specific tricks, like “Take a Bow” or “Twirl”; helps fulfill your dog's desire to have a job as well as have fun with you which strengthens your bond.

These are just a few examples of ways to build engagement with your dog. As a dog trainer, when I see dogs with leash pulling behaviors or are highly reactive, more often than not, these dogs have a low level of engagement with their owners. If you’re noticing that your dog isn’t very engaged with you, I recommend contacting a dog trainer or dog behaviorists to help you build that engagement with your dog. You will notice a big difference in your relationship with your dog as they learn to trust and focus more on you.

3 Keys to Successfully Training your Dog

It can be daunting when you first start to look into dog training. There are countless blog posts, articles, TV shows, and YouTube videos to help assist you. All of which seem to have different philosophies and techniques. How do you know where to begin?

I always tell my clients, if there is one thing you take away from our time together it is to remember the 3 keys of dog training. Consistency, Clarity, and Patience.

Consistency: Being consistent is when you repeat an action or process the same way over time.  This consistency builds a pattern for your dog, and dogs are excellent at picking up on patterns. If your dog can count on you every day before their meals to ask them to demonstrate the cues and behaviors they have been taught; those cues and behaviors get easier and more second nature for your dog.  Just like any athlete that wants to compete in a sport, the more they practice the mechanics of that sport the easier and more advanced they will become.

Clarity: We can often take for granted that our dogs understand us so well when they don’t have to ability to speak. It's important to remember that your dog is an animal, living in a human world. Animals can’t communicate the way humans do. Animals rely heavily on body language, tone of voice, and training to understand what humans are trying to communicate. It's important to look at what you are asking of your dog and examine if you are communicating with them clearly. Not just your words but your body language and tone of voice as well. If you are asking your dog to walk calmly beside you in a straight line moving forward, but your head and shoulders are turned to one side (usually looking at your dog or trying to maneuver the leash) that can be a confusing situation for your dog. Your body is telling them to focus in one direction while your words are saying another. This is just an example of how we need to be more aware of the clarity not only in our words but also in our tone of voice and body language. This will help us be clearer in communicating with our dog.

Patience: Training your dog is not a straight linear line towards progress. There will be ebbs and flows during your journey in training your dog. Just like humans, dogs have bad days too. It's important to not get discouraged during these days when you feel your dog is not listening. Remember to have realistic goals and expectations for your dog as well as for yourself during the training process.

By doing these 3 things when training your dog, you will be setting them up for success!