Dog Gear

Whole Dog Journal frequently brings you reviews of products we have tested on real dogs and with real dog lovers. We’re always looking for new and particularly useful products to recommend to our readers (and to use for our own dogs!). We limit our attention to products that provide an actual service, that help owners keep their dogs healthy, happy, safe, and well-trained. As 2010 begins, here's looking forward to some of the year’s best bets.

Whole Dog Journal reviews a useful tick-removal tool, Premier’s Spill-Less Smart Bowl, Squeaker Kong, an awesome owners’ guide to veterinary care, and a rubber stick. Tick-removal tools are in constant use in our homes, because we spend a lot of time with our dogs in the woods. At last! An accurate, thorough canine health book by a vet who promotes the best of conventional veterinary medicine and is aware of its shortfalls, too. Dr. Nancy Kay, a veterinarian who practices in Sonoma County, California, explains the basics of responsible healthcare and what dog owners should know. Premier’s Spill-Less Smart Bowl isn’t spill-proof, but this product doesn’t need to be wrestled apart – it’s just one piece.

Walking with a dog in the dark can present a number of challenges for many dog owners. You may not be able to see well in the dark; this can make you take a hard step off a curb or trip on a rise in the sidewalk. Finding your dog's poop at night (so you can pick it up and dispose of it properly) is also a problem. Although definitely in the minority, some people walk their dogs off-leash at night. I've met a number of people at night who were walking off-leash dogs on the wide trail that tops the river levee that parallels my town's main street. If I wasn't a dog person, I would probably be unnerved by the fast approach of a strange dog in the dark. And as it is, if the dogs were mine, I'd be worried that one of them would wander off or get lost if I couldn't keep sight of them.

Well, I’ll start off by admitting that there is no single perfect dog coat. Or, I should say, if there is a perfect coat, I haven’t seen it. Fortunately, there are plenty of very good coats that can suit most of any dog owner’s selection criteria. We actually started our quest by looking for two different coat types: a super-warm coat, and a garment that would keep a dog dry in the hardest rainfall. We tried (but didn't think it would be possible) to find a coat that provided extraordinary insulation and the ability to keep a dog dry (and we were right; we did not find such a coat). Although we like all the coats that we feature in the following pages, we appreciate them for different reasons. Your dog and his special needs will have to inform your choice, based on the features of each coat. Each is ideally suited for a different climate, purpose, and type of dog.

There are millions of pet products being marketed to dog owners for direct use on, in, or around their dogs and puppies: foods, treats, supplements, toys, training tools, garments, medical supplies, grooming tools and unguents, beds, fences, and crates.

What’s the most environmentally responsible thing to do about dog poop? Home composting systems solve the problem at home; we reviewed one in June 2000, and still use it today. But when you’re out in the world with your dog, you have to use something to pick it up and carry it to a trash receptacle. (Of course, carrying the poop to a composting facility, rather than a trash can, is the most environmentally friendly thing to do; however, few people are motivated enough to do this.)

Our favorite dog care products from this year's reviews.

Why is it that most of us dog owners love buying dog-related stuff? I’ve never examined the impulse, but I’ve certainly given in to it. A novel new toy for my dogs to run and play with, a leash that feels just right in the hand, a spill-proof water bowl . . . I never know what I’ll find (and immediately want) in the aisles of my local pet supply store, on line, or in the latest catalog deposited in my mailbox.

The best leash-walking products are effective in helping the owner train the dog not to pull (that is, they provide a large enough window of opportunity for the owner to successfully train the desired walking behavior), minimally aversive to the dog, easy to use, well-made, and affordable. (We put price last, since most owners of leash-pulling dogs would pay almost anything for a product that really helps them!)

I have some good news to report and some bad news. First, the good news: Happy Dog Toys is really on to something. Their products are highly appealing to playful people, so much so that they can’t wait to go try them out with their dogs. The bad news? None of the three interactive toys I tested performed quite as well as their packaging suggested.

When someone first mentioned doggie life jackets to me, I'll admit, I giggled. Dogs can swim just fine, for goodness sake. But then I started thinking about it. Actually, I've known some awful canine swimmers. F.B., my sister's Hound-mix, was one of those dogs. When I was a teenager, I used to take F.B. and my dog (F.B.'s son) to the Yuba River.

To most people, the word “house-trained” refers to a dog who has been trained not to urinate or defecate indoors. For my parent’s generation, this bit of training was usually accomplished by Mom, who stayed home while the rest of the family went to work or to school. As double-income families became the norm, the home-alone dog was faced with a serious problem. By the time you add a lunch hour and commute time onto an eight-hour work day, a house dog may have to “hold it” for as long as 10 hours before someone finally comes home to let her out. Her legs are probably tightly crossed for at least the last two.