review – YourDesignerDog

Savor the Flavor of Delectable Delights By #NaturalBalance

yourdesignerdog — Wed, 15 Jun 2016 07:00:29 +0000

As most of you know, my dog is a very picky eater. The problem has gotten worse in the last year or so because the veterinarian wants Sadie on a prescription dry food to help support her joints. Sadie seems to realize that this kibble is very healthy for her, because she tries to avoid it at all costs. It’s like Sadie can smell the glucosamine and refuses to eat anything with that smell. So I’ve been working hard to try to mask the smell and find creative ways to get Sadie to eat her prescription food. Otherwise, Sadie has made it very clear that she would rather starve than eat plain prescription kibble. It was starting to seem like no matter what I tried, I would end up hand feeding her at least the first few bites to make sure she ate something. But recently feeding time has become much easier thanks to Delectable Delights Wet Cups from Natural Balance.

Delectable Delights are a series of savory wet food options from Natural Balance, made to provide a complete, healthy meal for adult dogs of all breeds and sizes. There are four flavors: Duck’en-itas (duck and chicken), Woof’erole (tuna and turkey), Fish ‘N Chicks (salmon and chicken), and Surf ‘N Turf (tuna and chicken). All four flavors are grain free, so they are a great choice for dogs with allergy issues. And each flavor not only contains healthy protein, but also vegetables like sweet potato, pumpkin, and green beans which help keep your dog healthy and happy. Each wet cup has a broth base, keeping the food moist and delicious for your dog. And as you can see from my photos, the meat and vegetables actually look appetizing, almost like a homemade stew instead of the unidentifiable mush of some other types of wet food for dogs.

Even though Delectable Delights contain a full meal in each wet cup (based on the size/weight/activity level of your dog, you may need more than one wet cup for a complete meal), Sadie and I only use a portion of a wet cup as a topping for her prescription kibble. This enables Sadie to stick to her veterinarian recommended joint support diet, but gives us a way to make her meals much more palatable. Personally Sadie seems to prefer the Duck’ en-itas flavor. I usually warm a few spoonfuls in the microwave before mixing it in with her prescription dry food, thus making a flavorful, moist meal for my pup.

Find out more about Natural Balance and all their healthy pet food options by visiting them on Facebook and Instagram. As a good pet parent you’ll feel great when you learn about the Buy With Confidence program that ensures all Natural Balance products are satisfaction guaranteed.

Visit Natural Balance on Facebook for all the latest updates on their products and to get a coupon good for dog or cat food!

Want your dog to savor the flavor of Delectable Delights for free? Then enter the contest below to win one wet cup of each flavor for your dog to enjoy!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Keep Curious Dogs Safe with COVERPLUG

yourdesignerdog — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 10:30:52 +0000

When bringing a dog into your home, one of the most important parts of preparation is dog proofing. Whether it’s a tiny puppy or an older rescue dog, you can never tell how a dog will react in a new environment. Your previous dog may have stayed away from garbage cans and electrical cords, but that doesn’t mean a new dog will behave the same way. So great products like the COVERPLUG really help to make your home safer.

One of the main ways dogs, especially puppies, learn to identify objects is by using their mouths. If your dog encounters an electrical outlet and becomes curious, your dog will most likely sniff and then lick the outlet. This could have disastrous, even deadly consequences. But this kind of disaster can easily be avoided by using COVERPLUGs. All you need to do is take the COVERPLUG and gently push the two prongs on the backside of the cover into the circular ground holes of your electrical outlet. The cover fits securely in place, enclosing the entire outlet and wall plate. COVERPLUG won’t fall out of place or get knocked off by a wagging tail, but can easily be removed by some gentle tugging from an adult. It’s a quick, non-permanent dog or baby proofing solution for electrical outlets.

If your dog is like mine, he or she may enjoy the occasional nap under the bed or the couch. These locations are very important for dog proofing, as it is hard for you to watch your pet while he or she is under the furniture. You may have electrical outlets behind the couch or the bed and you can’t tell your pet to stay away from them if you can’t see what’s happening. With outlet covers like COVERPLUG, you don’t have to worry about what you can’t see, because you know your pet will be safe.

Dogs can be unpredictable in their attention. You never know when they may get a crazy idea in their head to suddenly examine an object that they’ve ignored for years. Sadie has done this on many occasions, so to me it makes perfect sense to cover our outlets, because you never know if Sadie may one day wake up and wonder what the heck those little white/black circles are. It’s also worth mentioning that you may want to consider outlet covers if you decide to change the faceplates around your outlets. The new plates may smell different, making your dog curious enough to investigate the outlet.

The COVERPLUG is proudly made in the USA. The surface of the COVERPLUG is designed to be painted to match your wall color, so that the cover will seamlessly blend in with any wall. Or you can go the opposite route and make a fun project of creatively decorating your COVERPLUG so that you have a new little piece of artwork on your wall.

Visit COVERPLUG.com to find out more and get your own package of two COVERPLUGs on Amazon for $8.95.

Or you can win a set right now! Check out the giveaway below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This post is part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie, Love is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

This post is also part of the Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog.

This post contains affiliate links. YourDesignerDog was given a free product to try in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts and impressions about said product.

Hot Dog Collars – a Review and a Contest!

yourdesignerdog — Thu, 12 Mar 2015 08:00:22 +0000

I was really excited when Sadie and I were give the opportunity to try out and review some products from HotDogCollars.com. In case you don’t know, Hot Dog Collars is an online store that sells a variety of pet products. Even before we were contacted about this review, Sadie and I had purchased quite a few collars from their website, so we already knew they had a great selection of high quality items. For this particular review we chose to focus on one of the leashes by Yellow Dog Design, the Rubit heart dog tag clip, and the personalized dog collars by Yellow Dog Design.

The first item we received from HotDogCollars.com is a designer leash by Yellow Dog Design. It’s a great looking dog leash, five feet long with a nickel plated clip on one end to hook to your dog’s collar or harness and a loop on the other end for a secure grip. The material, which is a cotton/poly blend, seems very durable and is even machine washable. It feels very comfortable in your hand during those long walks, unlike the scratchy fabric of some other leashes. And these leashes by Yellow Dog Design were made in the USA! But the factor that makes this leash special for me is the pattern. Hot Dog Collars offers leashes in a wide variety of colors and patterns to fit any style or occasion. I chose the pink and black polka dots to match Sadie’s favorite collar. The price for this leash is $13.45 from HotDogCollars.com

The next item to review from HotDogCollars.com was the small heart Rubit dog tag clip. Having tried out a Rubit dog tag clip, I can honestly say that we will never go without one ever again. The Rubit dog tag clip allows you to secure your dog’s ID tags with a keyring onto the Rubit, which then clips onto your dog’s collar. The clip is made of lightweight aluminum, so it’s durable, but won’t add extra weight around your dog’s neck. The main purpose of a Rubit dog tag clip is to make life a zillion times easier when changing your dog’s collar. No more struggling to pry open the keyring enough to slip the tag out. No more broken nails or sore fingers. You just unclip from one collar and clip onto the next. Hot Dog Collars offers the Rubit dog tag clips in a number of different colors, sizes, and styles starting at $5.79.

The last item we chose to review is one of the personalized collars by Yellow Dog Design. This time we picked out the red kilt pattern to match Sadie’s winter coat. But to be honest, Sadie actually has one of these collars for almost every season and occasion. She’s got one for Christmas, Easter, St Patrick’s Day, Valentine’s Day, birthdays, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Fall, Winter, and the Fourth of July, just to name a few. That is how much we love these Yellow Dog Design collars from HotDogCollars.com. But the vast selection of collar designs isn’t even the best part… these collars can be personalized! You can put your dog’s name in a variety of colors right on the collar at no additional cost. And I even had little paw prints added on either side of Sadie’s name to make the collar even cuter (added graphics do cost $1.99 extra). We’ve owned one of these personalized collars for almost two years now and it’s still vibrant with perfectly intact text, no chipping, cracking, or fading. Even with the personalization, the collar is machine washable. The price for the personalized collar starts at $13.95 for a size small (add $2 if you choose additional graphics) from HotDogCollars.com.

On a personal note, these personalized collars have actually helped Sadie get more comfortable when meeting strangers. When we last travelled, people often came up to Sadie to say hi. She would wag her tail and sniff the new people, but she was hesitant to get close enough for a stranger to touch her. Many people then noticed Sadie’s name on her personalized collar and would start talking to her by name. Sadie would relax much faster and be more willing to interact with someone new when they called her by name. So I’m grateful that these collars can be a good tool to help my dog be happier and less stressed when meeting new people.

Now I’d like to announce the contest. Hot Dog Collars has offered one $50 gift certificate for one lucky winner. All you have to do to win is go to the YourDesignerDog twitter feed and be the 10th (tenth) person to retweet my tweet that begins “Get personal with personalized dog collars from @hotdogcollars”. (Contest begins at 9AM Thursday March 12th, 2015 and continues until winning conditions are met.)

And now I’ll end my review with a photo of Sadie enjoying one of the treats that come with every order you get from HotDogCollars.com.

This post is part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

This post is also part of the Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog.

YourDesignerDog received no monetary compensation for this post. I was given a choice of complimentary items to try out and give honest feedback. All opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts on these products. This post contains affiliate links.

#Cube – The Digital Picture Frame for Instagram

yourdesignerdog — Thu, 19 Feb 2015 09:00:09 +0000

Today Sadie and I are going to tell you about a really interesting new gadget we got to try out called the #Cube. It’s like a digital picture frame that uses your Instagram account. As you know, I’m constantly taking new photos of Sadie, and the #Cube is a great way to show them off. The 8 inch square screen is bright and vibrant, giving more life to the photos than a standard digital picture frame. Plus the #Cube updates over WiFi, adding new photos every time you or your friends and family add new photos to Instagram.

The #Cube is really easy to set up. You plug it in and use the touchscreen to connect to your WiFi. Then you just enter your Instagram login information and a slideshow of your feed starts right away. The #Cube uses your WiFi to automatically add any new photos your Instagram friends have uploaded, so that your feed slideshow is always up-to-date. You can also scroll through the photos on your own with the touch screen, as well as click on individual photos to read the description, comments, likes, date posted, etc. And you can find out what user posted a specific photo, along with the number of photos and followers for that Instagram user all in one place.

There are three buttons on the top of the #Cube, along with the touchscreen. The left-most button is circular in shape and functions as the power button. The middle, square shaped button is the menu button. With the menu button you have the ability to search for specific hashtags to see photos about specific topics. You can also choose to view a feed of the most popular photos currently on Instagram. There is also a settings menu, where you can adjust the brightness of the screen, control the speed of the slideshow, and read the user guide, among other things. The third button is heart-shaped and gives you the ability to easily like/favorite whichever photo is currently on the screen.

Another feature of the #Cube, which I use all the time, is the ability to search for a specific Instagram username and view just that person’s photos. It’s a great way to see what a specific friend or family member has been up to lately. I also like to use the #Cube to show off my recent Sadie photos by selecting my own username as the basis for the slideshow. And I think the #Cube would be a great gift to a less tech-savvy friend or family member. You could help them with the initial set up, and then it will continuously bring them all the newest photos from their loved ones.

The #Cube has a built in speaker to view any videos in your Instagram feed. It also has a four-hour battery, so you can enjoy your Instagram feed completely wirelessly. The software on the #Cube comes with lifetime updates to ensure seamless, easy use of the product. The #Cube comes I’m three colors: black, white, and the classic model which, as you can see from my photos, is designed to look like the Instagram app’s icon. Find out more about the #Cube and buy one of your own from hashtagcube.com and Amazon
for $149.00.

This post is part of the Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog.

This post is also part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

YourDesignerDog did not receive any monetary compensation for this post. I was given a free product to try out and review. All opinions are my own unbiased observations about this product.

I Love My Dog Shampoo!

yourdesignerdog — Thu, 20 Nov 2014 11:00:27 +0000

Let me start this out by saying that I was always perfectly happy with Sadie’s current shampoo. I’ve tried many brands, but someone in the family usually had an issue with the smell or some allergen relating to other shampoos. So I’ve always just stuck to the same puppy shampoo I’ve used on her since day one, with no plans to change brands. Until now. After trying I Love My Dog shampoo by Lovely Fresh I’ve realized that I was just settling for any old shampoo. But not anymore. From now on Sadie will be using I Love My Dog Shampoo during every bath.

Basic facts:

All natural
Uses neem oil and oatmeal to soothe sensitive skin
A 17oz bottle costs $14.95 on Amazon
Made in the USA!
100% money back satisfaction guarantee

As everyone knows, you want to get your pet’s bath over as quickly as possible, because bath time is typically not fun for you or your pets. Using I Love My Dog Shampoo actually cut Sadie’s bath time in half. The shampoo began to lather extremely quickly, coating Sadie in suds in no time. With other shampoos I usually have to go back and get more out of the bottle to make sure Sadie’s coat is thoroughly covered, but with I Love My Dog Shampoo one dollop was more than enough.

After massaging the shampoo into her fur, I grabbed the shower head and took a few of the photos you see here. It was a bit tricky trying to hold the camera, snap pictures, and spray Sadie with the water, so I gave up after only a couple of minutes. When I put the camera down and focused again on finishing Sadie’s bath, I couldn’t believe the shampoo had mostly been rinsed out of her fur already. Normally it takes me a good five minutes or more to get shampoo completely out of Sadie’s fur because I tend to use quite a lot, but the I Love My Dog Shampoo rinsed out in the time it took me to take a few photos.

Once Sadie was finally all dried off, the first thing I noticed was that she feels amazingly soft. And not only does my dog feel super soft, but so do my hands. An unexpected benefit of this shampoo is that it left my hands feeling soft and moisturized for the rest of the day. This shampoo is perfect for all skin and coat types, and is mild enough to nourish even sensitive skin.

The next thing I noticed was the pleasant smell. When using the shampoo it only has a light, citrusy scent. The scent is even lighter once Sadie was dry, leaving her smelling simply fresh and clean. This was important to me, as I mentioned earlier that my family has had issues with the strong scents of other shampoos myself and the groomer have used on Sadie. This shampoo is not simply covering up odors with perfume, it’s actually giving your dogs a deep cleanse that leaves them looking and smelling great for days (or maybe weeks, but you’ll probably never know since your dog will most likely get themselves dirty again by then, lol).

Find out more about I Love My Dog Shampoo on their website, lovelyfresh.com. You can get your own bottle for $14.95 from Amazon.

This post is part of the Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog.

This post is also part of the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie, Love Is Being Owned By a Husky, and M.K. Clinton.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.