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Fisher-Price Turns Childhood Faves Into Pet Toys

by Kristen Seymour (Subscribe to Kristen Seymour's posts)
Sep 17th 2010 3:00PM Filed Under: Dogs, Pets News, Pet Product Reviews

Fisher-Price childhood toys turned into pet toys Hollie takes her job as a tester quite seriously. Kristen Seymour

If we were taking a quick poll of favorite childhood toys, it's likely that a number of Fisher-Price classics would make the list. Who among us doesn't have fond memories of pushing around a Corn Popper or making up songs on a Classic Xylophone?

Now, your playful pooch can have the same experience. Sort of. Fisher-Price has just entered the world of dog toys, reinventing favorites to be more pet-friendly -- including adding a peanut butter scent!. The brightly colored toys are just hitting shelves at PetSmart this month.

We checked out the large Ruff-A-Stack and Xylobone ($11.99), as well as a small Chatter Pup Telebone ($7.99). Each of these toys features two separate soft parts (one with a squeaker) connected by a rope. We thought the toys looked super cute, but figured they last about a minute against our power chewing canine testers. We were thrilled to be wrong.

As soft toys with two parts, these have proven to be fantastic for interactive play. We can toss them across the room and swing them around without worrying about breaking anything, and dogs are just crazy for them. The pooches seem to be really attracted to the peanut butter smell, though, so there's been a significant amount of concentrated chewing, but the toys are holding tough!

Bottom line: Although they aren't indestructible, these nostalgia-inducing toys are more durable than they look and were certainly fun for the four-legged testers. And with large and small sizes available in many of the toys, these will work with a wide variety of dogs.

Martha Stewart Pet Products Launch Today

by Kristen Seymour (Subscribe to Kristen Seymour's posts)
Jun 29th 2010 1:00PM Filed Under: Dogs, Pets News

martha stewart crochet dog toys pictureMartha Stewart Pets

Is all your pet stuff -- chewies, brushes, etc. -- junking up your otherwise attractive home? Never fear! Martha is here! The domestic diva and Petsmart are launching Martha Stewart Pets, a collection of pet essentials featuring Martha's classic style and classy colors. Grooming and bathing supplies, toys, collars, leashes and the delicately-described "waste management tools" are a few of the items that will be included.

martha stewart pet grooming supplies pictureMartha Stewart Pets

Standouts include crochet chew toys ($9.99) and a grooming/bathing tote ($19.99), which can be stuffed chock full of the accessories (sold separately) you need to keep your pet looking good.

The collection will be available at Petsmart today with prices ranging from $4.99 to $59.99. Will you be scooping up anything new for your pup?

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Shelter Dogs Celebrate Cinco de Mayo With Puppy Piñata (and we tested it as well)

by Kristen Seymour (Subscribe to Kristen Seymour's posts)
May 5th 2010 11:00AM Filed Under: Pets News, Pet Product Reviews

puppy pinata dog food picturepuppypinata.com

Who says Cinco de Mayo festivities are only for bipeds? We think our party pooches would love to get in on the celebration, and the makers of Puppy Piñata agree. In fact, they're giving hundreds of Puppy Piñata Poncho and Lulu toys away to the deserving dogs of the Humane Society of Broward County in Florida.

Puppy Piñata isn't new to the idea of lending a paw. The company partners with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) International and donates a portion of each sale to the organization. However, this Cinco de Mayo celebration is something new for the 2-year-old company.

"We are huge animal lovers and were looking for a way to give some joy to underprivileged dogs," says Jussi DeFazio, creator of Puppy Piñata. "On this special day, we thought it was the least we could do to brighten their day. We want them to know they haven't been forgotten."

Puppy Piñata is a plush dog toy with a Velcro pouch to stuff with natural treats designed to stimulate a dog's instinct to hunt and work for its food. (If you want to see the toys in action, you can watch videos of them in play here.) We were given a few Poncho toys in both the large and small varieties to test out on a few different dogs.

Combating Your Dog's Cold-Weather Boredom

by Gabrielle Linzer (Subscribe to Gabrielle Linzer's posts)
Feb 24th 2010 3:00PM Filed Under: Dogs, Pet Training

cold weather bored dog picturedanocamera, Flickr

Cold weather often generates a strange phenomenon in well-trained dogs. Shredded toilet paper appears throughout the house, garbage cans are overturned and special "presents" are left for you to discover. Though there may be other factors contributing to your dog's destructive behavior, cabin fever is often at the root of the problem.

Snowstorms and freezing temperatures may keep you from taking your dog for long walks or trips to the dog park, but there are a variety of ways you can keep your canine physically and mentally active throughout the winter.

Provide Interactive Toys
Most dogs love to eat, so why not use food as a motivation to keep their minds busy? Michelle Douglas, President of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, recommends stuffing your dog's meal in a Kong. "This way, your dog will have to work at getting the food and will burn calories in the process." The Buster Cube and the Dog Tornado are other toys that offer your dog the opportunity to work for their meal.

But the toys don't have to feature food to be fun. The IQube challenges your dog to remove squeaky balls from within a plush puzzle-like cube, and comes in a variety of sizes to accommodate both small and large pooches. Babble Balls are another fun -- and noisy -- option. The balls entice your dog by producing realistic animal noises each time he passes by, tapping into his desire to hunt. If, however, your temples are throbbing at even the thought of wild animal calls, Fetch a Bubble may be a good alternative. This clever machine blows chicken-scented bubbles into the air, sending your dog into a frenzy to catch the delicious floating flavor.

Indestructible Dog Toys

by M Rasey (Subscribe to M Rasey's posts)
Jan 25th 2010 4:00PM Filed Under: Pet Product Reviews

indestructible dog toys pictureKong

Most dogs outgrow the need to chew as puppies, but some have an oral fixation that Freud would find noteworthy. If Fido has jaws of steel and has started eyeing your shoes, here are five of the most indestructible dog toys on the market.

1. Nylabones. Nylabones are dog bones made of durable plastic that is made to smell like bacon or chicken. They come in several different sizes and strengths. Be sure to check the rating on the package to ensure the Nylabone is made for heavy chewing. Nylabones can last for a year or more, although be warned that small pieces can flake off during use. Cost ranges from $5 for puppy bones, up to $16 for heavy-duty Nylabones.

2. Buster Cubes. Buster Cubes are hard plastic cubes that trap dog treats inside. Dogs extract the treats by rolling the cube around the room with their noses and paws, or by picking it up with their teeth and tossing it down. Buster Cubes are often recommended by animal behaviorists because they are ideal for destructive dogs who may be bored in addition to having a strong need to chew. This is also a great toy to break out when company comes over. Fido will be so absorbed with the buster cube, he'll forget to jump on the guests. Cost ranges from $15 up to $20 depending on size purchased.

SuperZoo's Innovative (and Quirky) Pet Products

by Steve Friess (Subscribe to Steve Friess's posts)
Oct 8th 2009 5:00PM Filed Under: Cats, Pet Product Reviews, Pet Grooming, Pet Clothes, Photo Galleries

Last month's SuperZoo, the largest pet goods trade show of the year, showcased hundreds of products both predictable (leashes, toys, carriers) and a bit offbeat (licorice dog treats, cat's pajamas, relaxation CDs). There was a lot to choose from, so we at Paw Nation searched high and low for a collection of the most intriguing, useful, strange and ingenious new items hitting pet stores in the coming months.

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Inventive Pet Supplies from SuperZoo
Amazing Treat Machine
It looks like an ordinary cardboard box, but inventor Michael Newman insists it's so much more. The $13 box folds in such a way that when a dog drops a ball into the top of it, the ball plus a treat flies out the front.
AmazingTreatMachine.com

Inventive Pet Supplies from SuperZoo

    Amazing Treat Machine
    It looks like an ordinary cardboard box, but inventor Michael Newman insists it's so much more. The $13 box folds in such a way that when a dog drops a ball into the top of it, the ball plus a treat flies out the front.

    AmazingTreatMachine.com

    Bowzer Buddy
    Marlies Barton came up with the Bowzer Buddy, a $17 purse with an outer pocket for purple, biodegradable bags and a zipper pocket for stashing cash and cell phone. The purse comes in six different colors, holds up to 15 of the bags at a time, and clips right onto the leash or your belt loops.

    Bowzer Buddy

    Dura Doggie Disc
    As a product idea for an entrepreneurship class at the University of California at Santa Barbara, a group developed the Dura Doggie Disc -- a $15 dog Frisbee that also doubles as a water dish and indestructible chew toy. The kids graduated last spring and now are focused full-time on their product. Hopefully they got an A -- it's pretty brilliant.

    Steve Friess/Paw Nation

    Anti-Lick Strip Prevent
    When your pet has an injury, they need to let it heal, but there's something irresistible about licking that dang boo-boo. Nurtured Pets now sells a bandage to deter licking. Sprinkled with cayenne pepper, this thing is less than tasty, plus it uses an adhesive that won't tear off fur. A two-pack starts at $8.95.

    Nurtured Pets

    Pet Top Portable Drinking Devices
    Keeping your pup hydrated on a hike can be a real pain: if you don't have anything to pour the water into, you're pretty much screwed. Seeing a problem in need of a solution, Nick Pappas invented this $8 orange screw-top adapter that fits most standard bottles and dispenses water upon the dog's lick.

    Steve Friess/Paw Nation

    Pooch Power
    Yet another entry in the pick-up-after-'em genre is the Pooch Power system, a four pound cordless vacuum cleaner for dog poop. Just latch a plastic bag to the entry hole, then suck up the droppings on the lawn or sidewalk. The $125 device comes with 25 plastic bags, is battery-operated and rechargeable.

    PetPowerProducts


Pet Product Review: Eco-Friendly Water Bottle Crunchers

by Kristyn Pomranz (Subscribe to Kristyn Pomranz's posts)
Apr 22nd 2009 2:00PM Filed Under: Dogs, Pet Product Reviews
Existential question of the day: Why do dogs love to chew water bottles? Probably for the same reason people bite Gobstoppers -- it's impossible to resist that satisfying crunch.

Fat Cat Inc.'s eco-friendly Water Bottle Crunchers (which won 2nd place in the Best New Dog Products category at the 2008 Global Pet Expo) are "cat"erpiller shaped toys that allow you to insert water bottles (up to 20 oz.) through a velcro flap at the bottom. Just in time for Earth Day!

The benefit of the cruncher cover? Your bottle-bitin' pup can enjoy the gratifying crackle of plastic without accidentally ingesting any dangerous BPA (a chemical found in some plastics which mimics the female hormone estrogen). Plus, the puppet is nearly double the size of a standard water bottle, which seriously diminishes the choking hazard of chewing them.

Better still, once the "cat"erpiller is all crunched up, just remove, recycle and stick a new bottle in. As far as your pooch is concerned, it's a brand new toy to enjoy and destroy.

Buy the Water Bottle Cruncher


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