Dog Visibility Guide - Lights, LED Collars, Reflective Vests and more

The holiday season is just around the corner, so it was time to create our gift recommendation list for dogs for 2022! We only recommend products that we tried and liked because we all want to find gifts that will be a success. In times of overconsumption, we want to provide a list of functional and well-made products to ensure they will not just sit in the corner or be thrown out after a few days.

We know how hard it is to find exciting or unique toys the dogs will not ruin in the first 5 minutes, so Zulu and Mia worked hard to test out a few options for you over the last weeks! They are not super hard chewers, but both of them are hard on their toys, so our requirement for this list was to find toys that the dogs are excited about, AND the toy needs to survive at least three days of play.

Do you have a dog who only cares about food? Here are a few ideas on how to make their holiday season even more special! ;) All the high-value treats in this article can be combined with a puzzle toy or a treat dispenser to create the perfect Christmas gift bundle! Bonus Bites Freeze-Dried Treats Mia-approved high-value treats for your Christmas list! The Bonus Bites Freeze-Dried Training Treats are single-ingredient treats, so you can safely give them to dogs with food allergies.

Dog puzzle toys are here to entertain and challenge our dogs, but they are meant to be used with supervision. Many articles confuse them with treat dispensers that can be used while the dog is left alone. For example, a Kong or similar hard rubber toy that can be stuffed with treats is an enrichment toy but not a puzzle toy. Puzzle toys are meant to provide mental stimulation and can be used to redirect the dog’s attention when they are stressing about a thunderstorm or need to be on crate rest after surgery.

What is a Coyote Vest? How does it protect a dog? Why would a dog need a coyote vest? We have another article going into all these topics, but I wanted to have a summary here as well. Coyotes typically stay away from people and dogs, but our town has a serious problem with coyotes who were born in the town and are not afraid of cars, people, or even big dogs.

While many think dog and human treadmills are the same, and companies are just trying to make more money by repacking them into seemingly dog-specific products, there are actually a few significant differences. Five reasons why dogs shouldn’t use a human treadmill Some dogs can run on a human treadmill, but regularly exercising the dog on a treadmill is not great for either the dog or the treadmill. Here are a few reasons why.

What is a dog treadmill? How does it work? Treadmills provide a way to exercise the dog when the weather doesn’t allow it to do that safely outdoors. There are motorized and non-motorized dog treadmills. The motorized ones are similar to the human treadmills, with a few crucial differences that we address in a separate article. The non-motorized versions work by the dog powering them and pushing back the “carpet/belt” or slats in case of a slatmill.

What is canicross? Canicross is a sport where people and dogs run together. Sometimes the dog runs by their person, but most of the time, they run up front, pulling on a bungee leash while taking verbal cues for direction. What do I need to start running with my dog? You don’t need specific equipment if your dog jogs next to you without pulling on the leash, but you want to invest in proper, well-fitting gear if your dog pulls you.

Have you heard about the new Non-Stop Dogwear Freemotion 5.0 harness? We loved the original Freemotion harness, and we were excited to test the new one! The photo below shows the original version that we reviewed in 2019. The most obvious difference is that the original harness only came in black, while the 5.0 has bright orange sections. They also added a small reflective loop to the top (above the shoulders), an existing feature of the Nansen nome harness 5.

Coyotes vs. Dogs Typically coyotes are shy and avoid people whenever possible, so most people don’t need to worry about them. Unfortunately, we are having severe coyote problems in our town. These coyotes were born in town; they are not afraid of people, cars, or sounds. They attacked on-leash dogs and even killed and took dogs from a leash over the summer. They are mixed with wolves and dogs in our area, so most of them are Mia’s size.