How to Reduce Shedding + A Giveaway!

Tips to reduce shedding in dogs | lolathepitty.com

It’s no lie when I say that every single thing I own is covered in dog hair.

And it doesn’t help that most of my clothes are black and Rio (the main offender) is 95% white.

I’ll be honest, we have never groomed our dogs’ coats much. After all, they’re short-haired dogs and I never believed they needed it that much. And while we can get away with not brushing or combing their coats (it’s not like we have to deal with matting or tangles), it dramatically affects how much they shed, or don’t.

Tips to reduce shedding in dogs | lolathepitty.com

I was always hesitant to purchase one of these FURminator deshedding brushes due to the cost and so I previously settled for a cheap, $5 brush that is now sitting in a Rubbermaid bucket full of other worthless dog products. Well the picture above is the hair that came out after just a couple strokes down Rio’s back…I can tell you this rake-style brush will be well worth your purchase.

I couldn’t believe that Rio had as much undercoat as he did. I’ve already noticed a decrease in the amount of fur that ends up on our floor, bed, clothes, etc. (everywhere).

And the coolest part, yes I’m easily amused, is the little button that ejects the fur. Fly away, fur, fly away.

Tips for reducing shedding in dogs | lolathepitty.com

Tips to reduce shedding:

  • Brush your dog often (daily if you can) using the correct brush for their coat
  • Feed your dog a high quality diet
  • Add flax seed, coconut oil, or an omega-3 supplement (these can help improve skin health, reducing dandruff, and improving coat quality)
  • Regular baths

Tips to reduce shedding in dogs - FURminator deshedding brush for shorthaired dogs| lolathepitty.com

zukes-salmonWell today is your lucky day because Chewy.com (my favorite online dog store) and I have teamed up to bring you an awesome giveaway with not only this brush, but with a large bag of Zuke’s Chewy Salmon Treats. Happy pup, happy owner.

Enter the giveaway below and check your email often! Good luck.

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*Open to US residents only. Winner will be notified via email and has 24 hours to respond.

Gold Paw Fleece Jacket Review

I think I’ve found my favorite dog jacket, ever. And I’ve got a good assortment to compare it to.

The first time I saw a Gold Paw dog jacket was in a Chuck & Don’s Pet Food Outlet. And because I have to touch pretty much everything I see in any store, the first thing I noticed about the Gold Paw fleece was how dang soft it was! Seriously, even my own fleece jacket has nothin’ on Lola’s…

Gold Paw Fleece Jacket Review | Lolathepitty.com

Isn’t the sunflower color stunning? As you can tell, I’m on a yellow kick. The collar, the jacket…

Did I mention we’re giving one of these away? Keep reading. But first – why you need this Gold Paw fleece dog jacket in your life:

  • Fits like a glove (we used Gold Paw’s measuring guide and it was extremely accurate)
  • Super soft (do they make these for people, I think I need a jacket, too)
  • Comes in a variety of sizes. Including medium-dog sizes which always seems hard to fit. Gold Paw offers a range of 13 sizes from Chihuahua to Great Dane (and even custom sizing).
  • The fleece does not bead-up after washing. You know how it goes. It looks good for the first couple wears, then starts getting tiny little balls of fabric that build up and you’re constantly “plucking” them off.
  • Stretches without losing its shape
  • Easy to put on and pull off
  • Warm and stylish without being over-the-top
  • Made in the USA

You have my word! Gold Paw Series’ Stretch Fleece is an awesome year-round popover jacket. Especially in Colorado. All last week it was 70 degrees. And yesterday? It snowed. Hence why we broke out this jacket!

About Gold Paw Series

Founded in 2006, Gold Paw Series is a family-run dog-wear company dedicated to improving the lives of dogs and their owners with thoughtful, practical solutions to everyday problems. All of their products are proudly sewn in the USA, which is also where many of the materials are sourced.

The company is also firmly committed to finding new ways to reduce the impact of products on the environment, from raising the percentage of recycled materials in their textiles to using biodegradable packaging. But delivering exceptional customer service is where the company really shines. Gold Paw Series is so confident of the quality of their products, they offer free repairs for life. Check ’em out! GoldPawSeries.com.

Gold Paw Fleece Jacket Review | Lolathepitty.com

What do you say? Let’s win one of these!

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Natural Dog Company Paw Products Review + Giveaway!

Natural Dog Company Paw Products Review + Giveaway! lolathepitty.com

Natural Dog Company Paw Products Review + Giveaway! lolathepitty.com

I was researching what we could do to protect Lola and Rio’s paw pads (mostly in the winter) when I came across Natural Dog Company.

I wanted to find a product that would protect their paws without having to put on dreaded booties. Those things never stay on!

Now, if you live in Miami you’re probably laughing right now.

But yes, our dog’s can’t stand to be outside for longer than a quick pee when Minnesota winter hits. They start doing the one-paw-up dance while hopping around.

Not to mention, their feet have endured some wear and tear over the past year or so and they lost those soft puppy pads.

So yeah, you can say I was pretty happy when I received a package with Paw Tector and Paw Soother from Natural Dog Company!

The Paw Tector is a wax that you rub on your dog’s paws and it creates a barrier that protects from the frigid cold (or hot!). And it works.

My only problem now is that Rio wants to lick it all off. But that’s fine because they use 100% natural and safe ingredients. I’m thinking about rubbing some on my own heels. Pretty certain it’d work.

Next time around I would consider buying the twist-up version though (which looks like a stick of deodorant) because I found it would be a little quicker to apply.

Natural Dog Company Paw Products Review + Giveaway! lolathepitty.com

Then there’s the Paw Soother, which is an organic 100% all-natural oil and herbal-based blend. Paw Soother is meant to be used on rough, chapped, dry dog paw pads. *Ahem*, Rio.

It has ingredients such as mango butter, rosemary extract, lavender, shea butter, and other stuff that I’m (again) tempted to use on myself.

Did I mention it smells awesome?

Okay – let’s get to the good stuff. A giveaway!

I encourage you to enter your name in the “hat”, because why not? One lucky winner will be shipped their own (beautifully gift wrapped) kit filled with the Paw Tector and Paw Soother. While you’re at it, check out Natural Dog Company’s other awesome products such as their Snout Soother.

*Please note: entries will be verified by Lola. In other words, no cheating.*

Natural Dog Company Paw Products Review + Giveaway! lolathepitty.com
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*Open to U.S. Residents. Winner will be notified via email and has 48 hours to reply before a new winner will be chosen.*

Lola’s Top 5 Dog Toys (+ Giveaway!)

Lola's Top 5 Dog Toys - lolathepitty.com

Lola and Rio love their toys. But we’ve definitely learned a lesson or two on toys that work for them versus others that leave shreds of mess around the house. Or yard.

It is also no surprise that Lola loves tennis balls. But squeaky tennis balls are a whole other story. The peanut butter to her jelly.

So can you imagine the look on her face when her grandma brings over a double-sided tennis ball? Yeah, we have a couple of these laying around our living room at all times.

Which brings us to our first of five of Lola’s favorite dog toys.

One: Kong AirDog Dumbbell

Double-sided tennis ball. Squeaker. Unpredictable bounce.’Nuff said.

Two: Kong Wobbler

We just finally got our hands on one of these a couple weeks ago. I’ll admit, I was hesistant to purchase one because they are around $20, but let me tell you – they are well worth the cost. I fill these with tiny little training treats or even kibble and watch her push this giant toy around the living room. Onto the tile. Down the stairs. Down the second set of stairs. And repeat until all treats or food is gone.

It is hilarious to see the different styles of retrieving treats out of the Wobbler. Lola literally slaps it with her paws and muscles it around until the treats magically pop out. Rio takes a more methodical approach; sniffing the hole, attempting to reach his paw inside the tiny hole and slowly pushes it around with his nose or paw.

Lola's Top 5 Favorite Dog Toys

Three: Hero Discs

We had a little trial and error phase of which canine discs to use that lasted longer than five minutes. Hero brand disc (and a couple others) are our favorites! We have to use a slightly heavier/thicker disc due to her intensity and eagerness to catch the disc. But bring these to the park and you’ll have Lola’s attention over everything else!

Four: The classic Kong

This has to be on the top of the list for Lola and myself. Fill it with peanut butter, kibble, or treats and entertain the pups (or throw around for a fun toy to chase). We probably use our Kong more than any other dog toy in the house. A classic favorite: frozen peanut butter stuffed Kongs when we are going to be gone for a few hours.

Five: Scrunch Squirrel

Stuffed animals have very short life spans around our house. Luckily this is a un-stuffed animal and has an elastic cord in it, making it extra fun to fling around! This squirrel was actually one of Lola’s first toys as a pup. There isn’t much of “Stretchy” left, but we cannot throw him away. Any time we bring Stretchy back out of the dog toy box (yes, this exists), Lola’s eyes light up!


Now, what better way to end an article (teasing you with all these awesome toys) then with a giveaway?

The KONG Company has offered to giveaway an awesome prize pack to one lucky winner consisting of the Kong Wobbler, Classic Kong and the Kong AirDog Dumbbell!

If you aren’t interested in winning these gifts for yourself, please still consider entering and “paw” it forward –  donating the gift to a special dog in need.

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Contest open to U.S. Residents only. Some of the products used in this post were donated by KONG Company. All opinions are honest and my own.

Spot Farms Treats & Giveaway!

Ok, so we’ve seen those dog treat reward continuums, right?

Where the treats range from low to high value (to your dog’s liking) and you decide what treats are appropriate for your dog due to the different distraction level. Well these treats are definitely on the far end of the “highest value” side.

It was a battle of who can do the coolest trick to get the treat as soon as they each got a taste.

Rio is hilarious, as soon as the treats come out, without any word from me, he begins his performance.

“I sat. Okay, that didn’t work – how about down?! Roll over?! Bow? Shake! It’s gotta be shake!  Momma, where are the treats!?!”

Meanwhile, I’m just cracking up at my oh-so willing little guy and Lola patiently waiting in her posture-perfect sit. They are complete and total opposites but I love them both more than I could ever imagine.

Okay, honestly though, I was about to dig into these Spot Farms dog treats myself. Here are the ingredients in the Chicken Strip with Glucosamine & Chondroitin treats:

Chicken, Brown Rice Syrup, Salt, Natural Flavor, Turmeric, Vinegar and Decaffeinated Green Tea Extract.

And the Hickory Smoked Turkey Bacon?

 Turkey, Brown Rice Flour, Honey, Salt, Vinegar, Celery, Natural Flavoring, Black Carrot Powder, Decaffeinated Green Tea Extract, Rosemary Extract and Beet Color.

What I loved:

  • Lola & Rio went bonkers over them, more than usual
  • Great ingredients (especially with Lola and her never ending developing allergies)
  • They’re obviously made in the USA otherwise they wouldn’t even be on this blog
  • The addition of Glucosamine (500mg/kg in the chicken treats), Omega-3’s and other healthy goodness for your dog
  • Antibiotic-free meat
  • Simple, all natural recipes
  • 100% human-grade ingredients
  • Resealable bag

They are on the expensive side though, at $15+ a bag. But that’s really becoming pretty standard now with quality dog treats and these are a 12.5oz bag.

Spot Farms Giveaway - on lolathepitty.com!

Okay, so let’s get to the good stuff: treats for your pup! I’m giving away TWO large (12.5 oz) bags of Spot Farms Treats and ONE training treat pouch!

The two bags of treats are (1) Chicken Strip with Glucosamine & Chondroitin (2) Hickory Smoked Turkey Bacon

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My favorite part about these treats though has to be the notice on the bag: *Made for your pet to eat, not you!. #Dangit

Check ’em out, their treats are now available at Petco, Unleashed by Petco and on wag.com!

spot-farms

The products used in this post & giveaway were donated by Spot Farms in exchange for my honest review.

New Collars & Giveaway!

I’m so excited about these collars. When I began looking on the dogIDs website, there were about 50 different things I could have ordered! I love the sleek look and design of their collars and the fact that the tags are built right into many of the collars!

Lola-dogIDs-Collage

Isn’t this collar adorable!? Lola was wondering why I was creepin’ on her and taking photos from behind; hence the laid back ears. She can never hide her emotions, which I totally love about her. She is 110% personality.

Anyways, here’s what I love about the Soft Grip collar from dogIDs:

*Tough, yet smooth material with stainless steel hardware – I love the way it feels and it won’t corrode.

*There are TONS of colors to choose from. I couldn’t resist this gorgeous purple color for Ms. Lola.

*Waterproof and odor resistant – okay, let’s be serious, you will NOT catch Lola jumping in the lake or swimming but she does manage to get dirty and this collar is so easy to clean – just wipe it off.

*You can change the text on the nameplate at anytime! I was a little worried about printing my phone number on the tag because what if I change it down the road!? But for five bucks, you send them the collar and they update the name tag. Sold.

*No tags jingling or being lost.

We used to have a super cute dog tag with ‘Lola’ printed on it with our phone numbers and yadda yadda, then we accidently hooked the leash to it versus the D-ring, Lola saw a squirrel and it went flying…into 6 feet of snow. Yeah, we never saw that tag again :(. Now I always keep their rabies tags in the car for this same reason, they’ll lose them.

Rio-dogIDs-Collage

Yay! Rio got his first leather collar. Fancy schmancy, huh? In my opinion (as certified crazy dog lady), I believe every dog needs a leather collar. You know, for those special occasions like bringing them to the pet store to pick up poo bags. Rio has already received so many compliments on his collar and questions of, “Where did you get that!?”.

I can’t believe we had to order a 16″ collar for my baby! He’s getting to be all grown up. Being that Rio is Rio and he has this super loving personality, I had to personalize his dogIDs nameplate to something bubbly so I chose, “Hello, I’m Rio”. Whenever we are at the park, he greets every single person and does the ‘lean-against-your-leg’ for pats and rubs. This way, he gets to introduce himself!

This leather collar with last him forever and they get softer & softer with time. And this one is so unique because of the placement of the name plate. Rio is wearing the 1″ wide collar but they also have one that is slightly thinner. And again, you can change the name plate at anytime, so don’t stress too much about what to put on it.

Now, onto the giveaway!

dogIDs.com was awesome enough to offer a matching Soft Grip collar AND leash (valued at $63), just like the one Lola is wearing above – but of course in your choice of color.

giveaway-dogids-lolathepitty

You may enter the giveaway using the rafflecopter widget below. Let me know if you have any questions. Good luck!

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(Giveaway is open to US residents only. Winner will be notified via email and will have 24 hours to respond to claim the prize, otherwise an alternative winner will be chosen. Note: All opinions are honest and my own. DogIDs sent me the collars at no cost for my honest review.)