Product Comparisons: Hands Free Leashes

Product Comparisons: Hands Free Leashes

Outward Hound Hands Free Hipster Dog Leash Storage Accessory 5ft Leash Included

When I first got this Hands Free Hipster, I found it to be quite useful for walks, but as I started to take Thornwald out to stores, I found that I did need something that was not as uncomfortable. The product's pockets are hard to use and with clicker training, the pockets weren't in the right location nor were they the right size for treats. The leash that was included was an average leash, but with a larger dog, it was not a very strong leash. I liked that the leash was a dual clip leash that allowed me to clip it to any belt. I used the leash more than I actually used the hipster.

Ruffwear Roamer Leash

This was my most recent product and I wish I would have know that they also sell ones that do not extend. I found this in a hiking/outdoors store so the product was stronger than the other two options. At the bottom of the leash is a traffic handle so that I can walk Cash into a crowded area without worrying about him running off. With him training in public, I wish there was a D-Clip to keep the traffic leash short if I need to hold something at the same time as needing the leash shorter. I've been considering some options, but it would have been a nice feature. 

PetSafe Pet Hands Free Leash, Black

This was the first option that I had found and bought. I had connected my treat bag to the belt and used this for quite a while. It's a basic product that does what it says it is supposed to, but it is not an extremely strong product--If your dog does not stay nearby you through training, he might try to run off and you will most likely go with the leash. If it's a larger dog, he might be able to break the leash if he tried hard enough. For dog leashes, it's rather flimsy. It did work for Thornwald when he was a young service dog in training, but a larger dog might require a sturdier option. 

Overall, I found that each of these options did what they were supposed to do--free up your hands when walking your dog (or in my case, when I was shopping), but I find that the Ruffwear product is far superior to any other hands-free product that I have seen. The actually leash part is strong and durable--and multipurpose! The clasps on the hip clips and also for the dog clip are far sturdier than most that I see at pet stores. If you are looking for quality, durability, and longevity, I'd suggest their leash over the two other choices.

I bought the product at Eastern Mountain Sports, but they have the entire range of leashes on Amazon. I definitely suggest looking at the flat ones as well and looking at the many colors they have for each leash!

Product Review: Top Paw 3 'n' 1 Wet-Dry Glove

I was not sure how I was going to feel about this glove, but I had previously been using the Kong Zoom brush for his baths and I wasn't getting close enough to his skin. I just started using the  GNC Vitamin Enriched Natural Herbal Shampoo and I wanted the shampoo to get to his skin. The size of the bristles made it seem like I was able to wash more of his skin. It also seemed to distribute the shampoo well. Although, he is still itchy (you can't bathe dogs too often), I think this product was better than your hands, a traditional brush/zoom brush, or a wash cloth. 

Pros: the bristles allows you really work the shampoo into the dogs skin; having it on your hand allows for it to bend better to the dogs natural shape; it wasn't sharp and it helped shed some of his hair and retained it within the bristles. 

Cons: the size was too big for my hands (one size); it says you can use it to get pet fur off of furniture, in the bath, or as a regular brush, but I find that other than its use in the bath, it's not the best for the other two uses.

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Dog Treat Reviews: Natural Value: Sweet Potato Krisps

When shopping at our local GIANT grocery store, I noticed some dog treats that were being hung up like chips. I was immediately interested when I saw that they were made rom sweet potatoes. This product was from the brand Natural Value, which claims that this product is made 100% in the United States. These treats (and all of their other treats) are 100% natural. They also claim on the bottom of the package that their product is a "Healthy Treat for Dogs", contains "no additives" and "no preservatives." It is also low calorie, low fat, soy free, gluten free, and wheat free. I do not remember how much the product did cost me, but I believe it was only around $2 or $3.

The ingredients listed are sweet potatoes and rice flour. Well, actually, only one sweet potato is listed, but that seemed a bit odd to me. The feed instructions were actually quite detailed. The calorie content was 2,904.5/kcal/kg metabolized energy and you are to provide 1 treat per 5 pounds per day. They even provided a cute math problem if you did not know how to set up the equation.

Cuteness aside, did the product taste good? Well, I was not about to taste a product that was meant for dogs so I had my trust sidekick do that honor. Cash tried them and he did not hold back when eating them. I almost didn't get a picture! Even thou

Unless there's a recall or I find incriminating evidence against this company, I do find this product to be a good treat for my dog. He likes it and it's made from healthy ingredients. I saw that they do sell them at some dollar trees. If that's so, the price is well worth the product! I give it a 8/10 only because the product, because it is a light, crispy piece, easily breaks into little pieces at the bottom of the bag. It makes it inconvenient to give to your dog.

If you would like more detailed information about this product, here is the link to the product on the brand's website.

Positive Reinforcement vs. Negative Reinforcement

Before volunteering for Susquehanna Service Dogs, I had never considered the difference between positive and negative reinforcement. It was something that never really came up in conversation. I was always passionate about positive reinforcement for humans, but I had never considered either side for animal training. Then, I started volunteering for Susquehanna Service Dogs. They started by teaching us about associating positive behaviors with positive emotions or food. This of course would work differently based on the subject, but for the labs, it works. As they handed me this (not actually) small bundle of joy, I started to use clicker-based training and regular dog food to show him that certain behaviors were preferred. Whenever he did something that was not appropriate, I would redirect his attention with a sharp distracting noise, another command, or a toy, depending on the situation. 

Now is this just for service dogs? And my answer is no. When I picked Cash up, he rarely looked at people in the eyes and was afraid to make mistakes. His past owners laid the groundwork to his training, but whenever he does something wrong (either on purpose or unintentional), he would back up and look afraid. I knew he had been negatively trained. He was afraid of humans hurting him and he wasn't sure why he was hurt in the past. 

This is the reason why I am so supportive of clicker training. The purpose of clicker training is to associate specific behaviors with a positive memory--thus encouraging the behavior. Ignoring other behavior and encouraging the positive behavior. For Cash, I would have him on a leash and I'd talk to him and he'd look up at me (not fully at first, but I gradually increased my standards) and I'd click and treat. He started associating our interactions with a positive feeling. When he had an accident (with his body formerly in starvation mode, it happened a few times), I lowered my voice and pet him. I gave him a treat. I made sure he knew he was not in trouble. 

For cash, his behaviors that I'm trying to discourage are mostly just distraction and marking his territory. I distract him marking his territory and am working in the bathroom cue (I'm considering the bells), and I make a loud disturbance noise and keep walking when he tries to mark items. He's starting to get better with that and I am quite pleased. 

So does this mean that clicker training is the only type of training that should be used? I have no idea. I am not an expert, but the idea that a simple click whenever the dog does something correct and it's associated with a positive action. Relatively until the positive action is not needed... That means there's something there. 

If you think your shock collar works better, think again. Fear creates servitude, but no loyalty. Maybe not every dog is fearful, but if I escaped from someone that shocked me when I had no idea what I was doing wrong... I'd run like hell. It's the association and consistency that negative reinforcement is lacking. 

I recommend reading:

It not only will make you think about training dogs, but also how you interact with people. It's a great read and I highly recommend it. 

My Weekend Adventure:My First Roadtrip

Cash went on his first road trip to my parents house. This was a bit nerver wracking for us because I am moving in with them soon due to medical problems and their cat hates other animals. Good thing Cash likes car rides! It put him in a good mood! 

When we finally got to my home town, we visited a few places and he even got to play with a cat. 

Everything was working out and my parents cat, Clark, although scared, was more cautious than hostile. We got home in the evening and the next morning was our reunion so we had to get things ready for that. 

The next morning, Cash and I got ready as normal when my Dad left the door open and Cash got out. He ran around all of our neighbors' yards and "marked his territory." He finally stopped about a half hour later, but I wasn't happy and I definitely need to find a place to work on recalls with him. For him, he just wanted to secure the place--he didn't want to run from me. 

After his morning exercise, we left for the reunion. It's by a pond and at first, I was sure that Cash would not be in the pond, but I finally let him run around and swim without a leash. He had a blast and even chased the paddle boat. 

His favorite activity of the day was watching volleyball. He ran back and forth with the ball barking along with the game. I've decided that he's not allowed at soccer games. He'd go insane. 

He made a lot of friends and hopefully, started to get over his fear of toddlers. By the end of the night, I forgot to take him home before the fireworks so I ended the night with a panicked Labrador lapdog. I felt bad, but we both survived.

Sunday, we spent most of the day at home. And Monday, we took a walk around town. Nothing too exciting until later when we visited the cats again! Cash really likes cats. Maybe someday, him and Clark will be friends? Ok, probably not. 

-Esther

I Bought My Best Friend

For some people, they don't understand the special bond that many people have with their pets. It's how real their dedication is to you and the joy when you get home from work--try finding a human with that kind of consistency. But, at the same time, we purchase and own our furry "best friends." 

I believe the way that society treats pets is a main factor in why we have so many pets that are mistreated and it's not headline news--that we can just kill animals because there's just too many without any remorse, but refuse to eat a hamburger because your against eating meat. Why aren't we upset about about these animals (an unknown number to me) being killed for no reason? At least the cow was killed to feed someone. 

This is what the pet industry is about--money and convenience. It has nothing to do with the lovable animal that you promised to love. Would you move and not take your child with you? Animals have a shorter life than children and are far cheaper, but since they are pets, they are traded and discarded without a second thought. And if they aren't raised well (by someone that couldn't care less) they end up practically unadoptable by most people's standards. And why? Because a family was too lazy to teach them basic manners--bet people would be up in arms if a child acted as badly as some animals. 

As much as I hope "paying" for my best friend means that the money goes towards helping animals, it will not go far if people do not take pet "ownership" seriously. 

Right now, I do not hold any cards in the shelter business, but I would like to volunteer in shelters and train dogs to make them seem more appealing. I want to teach people simple ways to make their dogs behave better. I'd like to show anyone going to adopt a dog or that refuses to spay/neuter dog the sad/scared eyes of the overpopulated shelters. Don't send this new family member back there and don't take a chance that a new generation will struggle to stay alive because there's no one to adopt them. Maybe seeing this for themselves will open their eyes--or maybe it won't 

There's nothing wrong with purebreds. There's something wrong with taking a chance for puppies when you aren't taking care of them yourself or have people to adopt them out to... Meaning they will most likely end up either strays or surrendered if not adopted out. 

For me, Cash is one of the sweetest dogs that I have ever met. And raising Thornwald taught me a lot. It's not about whether or not they were breed to be a certain temperament or if they were adopted as from a shelter, it's how you treat them and appreciate the love that they will almost always give to you. 

Our problem is how we think about pets rather than pets being the problem. Think about it.