On the Eighth Dog Day of Christmas, . . . .

The Twelve Dog Days of Christmas

Day Eight: Good Dog Books

Still can't find the perfect gift for a reader this holiday season? Check out these three new excellent books from 2013 and 2014.

Bloodhound in Blue: The True Tales of Police Dog JJ and his Two-Legged Partner, by Adam Russ (Globe Pequot, 2013, 274 pages, $24.95)

Bloodhound in Blue is an easy interesting read, the story of a Utah peace officer, the bloodhound he trained, and how they both changed policy in police departments across the nation. Well-written, it tells the tale of long frustrations and well-earned victories as Officer Serio and JJ his bloodhound changed thinking by being patient - and successful in finding bad guys as well as lost children.

Uplifting, Four-legged "Monster" Tracker

JJ the bloodhound had a 90% find success, better than humans in the police department. He was the first tracking canine: others were patrol or attack dogs.

Interspersed with facts about the breed, Bloodhound will make you more aware of how helpful our best friends can be!
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Animal Madness: How Anxious Dogs, Compulsive Partos, and Elephants in Recovery Help Us Understand Ourselves, by Laurel Braitman (Simon & Schuster, 2014, 373 pages, $28)

Best of the Current Quintet

Recent months have seen an inordinate number of incredibly fascinating dog books: among them Chaser, Decoding Your Dog, Citizen Canine (see below), Travels with Casey (also reviewed on DogEvals), and now, Animal Madness (also reviewed on DogEvals), which may be even better than the first three (but it's a close call)!

Entrancing

Though written by a PhD in Science History, Animal Madness is not a dry text but surprisingly fast-reading. Opening with the author's own dog who may have been 'mad' in having a mental illness/behavior issue - separation anxiety (SA) - Braitman then takes us around the world to talk to experts in animal topics, wild and domesticated and tame, and the situations they must adapt to, successfully or not. From elephants to parrots and beyond.

Another easy read, Madness can be skipped from section to section but the thread of Braitman's personal experience of having an SA dog is the glue that holds various chapters together and ends the stories with closure.

Dr. Braitman can also be heard giving a TED talk. Neither the talk nor the book should be missed!

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Citizen Canine: Our Evolving Relationship with Cats and Dogs, by David Grimm (Public Affairs [Perseus Book Group], 337 pages, 2014, $26.99)

Family. Person. Citizen.

Recent history of the canine-human relationship has evolved so that our dog has become nearly a member of the family, followed by a few cases of Fido being considered legally a person, so is 'citizen' far behind?

Dr. Grimm, a geneticist and journalist, traces the canine story over the past several decades and centuries as Dog has gradually moved into our homes and into our hearts.

This third easy-reading book is as fascinating as the previous two. Learn about the amazing origin of the ASPCA (betcha can't guess how it got started!). Are animal abusers really more prone than non-animal abusers to become serial killers?

The author, like Dr. Braitman, is fortunate to have face-to-face conversations with the movers and shakers of the dog world of scientists, veterinarians and trainers. And he doesn't leave out cats, either!

Tomorrow: It's a Wrap!

On the Seventh Dog Day of Christmas, . . . .

The Twelve Dog Days of Chirstmas
Day Seven: Broken Bones, Not What You Think!

Dog Jewelry

Dog jewelry is catching on. Jewelry depicting dogs, for you, has been around quite a while and now we have jewelry for dogs. And even, jewelry for you and your dog!

Broken Bones is more than the name implies: a charm for you plus a charm for your dog's collar - each is one half of a dog bone. One half has a paw print and the other half has a hand.

Simply the nicest idea I have seen - ever! And, so reasonable in price, you can afford more than one set - one for you and one to give away to your best friend's best friend.

Nothing says, "I love you," like a couple of Broken Bones. Stay connected to your dog even when you are not together. Your pup wears one half of the Broken Bones charm and you wear the other half.

We just love our set!

Tomorrow : Three Good Dog Books

On the Sixth Dog Day of Christmas, . . . .

The Twelve Dog Days of Christmas

Day Six: Enriching Eating

Slow Feeding Faves

Now that another year has passed and I have a few more food puzzles (or I should say Mia the Lab has a few more), I have slowly decided upon my favorites for various types of canines.

For example, older dogs like easier puzzles. Puppies are funny. Labs tend to use their paws to force food out when they are very hungry (always) or upend the puzzle so kibble falls out (not their original purpose).

As a human, I favor the food puzzles that are easy to clean and transport. I like the ones with fewer parts as well – like, one.

Eating Slow is Catching on.

Nina Ottosson started this craze in Sweden and it caught on quickly in the UK and the States, as well as all over the canine world. Her first puzzles were made of pressed board but now there are plastic, easy to clean, colorful versions that are of varying difficulty. Some even can now be of varying difficulty all by themselves. Here is one I just don't think my dogs will 'get' but then i don't have a Border Collie! You can move the colored pieces around to make it harder.

Other companies have caught on, too, and produce their versions. I still favor the Maze but I also like the miniGreen. Northmate, who makes the Green, has several fun videos on its webpage. We are getting used to the Green!

Grazing on the Green

The Maze by the makers of the original BusterCube comes in three colors (three shades of grey, actually – dark gray, light gray and black) and may still be my fave. It looks like a labyrinth but Maze is a better name!

Dogs love it when it is filled with kibble. One client even told me it slowed down his dog’s gulping so much that he had time to finish his dinner before his dog finished hers! Fun!

Other Slo-Bowls

Created by the BusterCube folks, the Maze is an original but now Kyjen has joined in with products such as the Flower, the Coral, and the Drop - in summer orange, mulberry and Caribbean blue - and in two sizes. It could be expensive if you can’t make up your mind which color or shape!

Read more about it here.

Tomorrow: Broken Bones!

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On the Fifth Dog Day of Christmas, . . . .

The Twelve Dog Days of Chirstmas
Day Five: PJs for Fido, and Kitty, too!

What will they think of next?

I have heard of PajamaGram but I only recently found out about PajamaGram for Dogs. After all, dogs are part of our family, along with Kitty, so why not?

Nordic Pattern

Hoodie-footies for Fido, loungers, Santa snuggle hats, faux leopard collars, argyle pajamas, drop-seat PJs, along with the requisite toys and treats. I would love to see the Glow-in-the-Dark outfits, wouldn't you! Or anything on cats!

PajamaJeans, fleecies, thermal PJs, velour - oh, my! I am speechless.

However, I do like the family sets for men, women, boys and girls to mix and match the patterns so why not include the family dog and cat?

Tomorrow: Slow down eating, Fido!

On the Fourth Dog Day of Christmas, . . . .

The Twelve Dog Days of Christmas
Day Four: What's in Your DogBag?

Last year we featured dog baggie-bags that Velcro on to your dog’s collar and hold the empties – small enough that you and Fido will forget it’s there yet big enough to hold a few.

This year we are introducing you to another fashionably homemade product of Montana Precious Gold Golden Retriever Rescue: the shoulder dog-bag holds everything you need to walk the dog. 

Just sling it over your shoulder and go – there is even a special outside pocket from which you can pull pooch bags.  How handy is that? 

Orange Woof

Mine are really fashionable – yes, I have two. I use one as a purse and another on dog walks.

Brown Bones

Read more about it here.

Tomorrow: K9 PJs

On the Third Dog Day of Christmas, . . .

The Twelve Dog Days of Christmas

Day Three: Christmas Collars

Classics Abound

Just like last year, the best dog collars are still the Comfort Flex and Spiffy Dog collars for comfort and, from Planet Dog and The Good Dog Company, hemp collars for the environment as well as for softness. For the ‘preppie dog,’ nothing beats a stylish collar from Preston. From Maine to Colorado and into New England, here are my holiday choices for your best friend.

1.    Comfort Flex makes lightweight collars in bight colors like Christmas green (below) for active sporting swimmerdogs (or raindogs)(or snowdogs). Quick drying. Lightweight comfort.

2.    SpiffyDog Air Collars are another favorite of mine, especially the snowflake collar below (similar to the Confort Flex line). Watch the video here. And they have spiffy sales!

3.    Planet Dog in Portland, Maine, has extremely soft collars made from hemp. And, while you’re on their webpages, check out the lovely ‘lab’s life’ video, A Day in the Life of a Planet Dog Dog.

4.    The Good Dog Company out of Colorado started a hemp canvas line. I especially like the BFF design and the corduroy items.

5.    If you have a preppy pup, you will love Preston collars, harnesses and leashes, available from Agatha and Louise, Purveyors of the Finest Dog Gifts and Accessories. And check out their collar flowers, too, like the Rose-Red below.  How about a collar called Black Dog for your Black Lab? or Yellow Lab or Chocolate?

Read more about it here.

Tomorrow: Delightful DogBags