Dogs Spin the Wheel for Animal Rescue Causes

What is so cool about the new, exciting game Tail Spin?
1. Adorable trained dogs spinning a giant wheel
2. Display of positive training techniques
3. Awareness for rescue animals
4. Chances for you to win great prizes
5. (p.s. We also have a a chance for you to win a BumperPet dog breed tshirt of your choice at the end of this post!)

Tail Spin is a project by The Dog Saving Network, a group with the goal of improving the lives of dogs through positive reinforcement training, and BumperPet, a designer and manufacturer of products for pet lovers like you and me. Niki Crowe CEO of Bumperpet, says that the company works closely with nonprofits and pledge a portion of every sale to animal rescues. “Tail Spin is just another way we can help raise awareness about a cause we strongly believe in. Plus, it’s totally adorable.”

Each week, you can go to Bumperpet.com and pick three numbers. (No purchase is necessary.) Then, check back on Friday to see one of the adorable trained rescue dogs spin the wheel to pick the winning numbers! Look at Freddy pick last week's winning numbers!!



If you like the work they do and you want to help, you'll have the opportunity to donate to The Dog Saving Network. If you can't donate, you can always share the Tail Spin link and help spread the word about the good work they do. And don't forget to play every week for 7 more weeks and visit the Tail Spin Facebook page,

Here's the rest of the fun! I'm excited because BumperPet gave us a cool t-shirt to review and they're offering one  t-shirt to each of two lucky readers of this blog!! These t-shirts are one of the nicest I've seen. The fabric is super soft cotton, and the design is a dashing silhouette of a dog with words specific to that breed. For instance, pug contains such words as "Sturdy," "Charming," and "Playful."   I chose a golden retriever, with words such as "Loyal," "Friendly" and "Active." There's also a generic dog, cat, bunny and horse.

Enter here to win your choice of one BumperPet graphic breed design t-shirt! (Two winners)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Full Disclosure: We were provided with one t-shirt to review and 2 t-shirts for giveaway. This in no way influenced my review. The opinions expressed here are 100% my own.

About Bumperpet
Bumperpet is an Chicago, IL based designer and manufacturer of products for pet lovers, including breed and pet specific Tshirts, sweatshirts, decals, magnets, pillows and prints, all 100% sourced and made in the U.S.A. Since being founded 2011, Bumperpet has proudly donated a portion of every sale to animal rescue causes. For more information, visit www.Bumperpet.com.

About The Dog Saving Network
The Dog Saving Network (DSN) is a positive reinforcement based training organization committed to raising awareness and finding solutions to the problems faced daily by unwanted dogs in our country. For more information, visit www.dogsavingnetwork.org.





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5 Tips for Positive, Happy Dog Training, and treats

"Bond to the dog with your heart, but train with your brain. In other words, don’t get emotional about your training efforts. Make it fun for the dog." -Joel Silverman

 During Responsible Pet Ownership month, have you decided to work on some training issues with your dog? (Earlier this week, I asked you to help me with some of my training issues!) To make training a positive experience, dog trainer and Bil-Jac dog food advocate, Joel Silverman, offers these 5 tips:

* Keep reading for your chance to win some free Bil-Jac training treats!  :)

5 Training Tips from Joel Silverman:

1. Get to know your dog and build a relationship with him. Find out what he likes and dislikes. Even notice where in the house he prefers to build the bond.

2. Set a goal of what you want to accomplish. If you display any doubt, your dog will pick up on that doubt and be less responsive. Have a game plan.

3. Understand that you will train only part of the behavior in each session. Keep the training sessions short, about two to three minutes. Repeat the session several times a day.

4. Keep it as positive as possible when working with your dog, but understand there is a right way and wrong way for a correction. Corrections are merely “interruptions.” Be open-minded.

5. Always end on a positive note. You want your dog to look forward to the next training session. When it ends, go play with him, take him out for walk and just have a good time with him… maybe he give him a treat.

Bil Jac sent Kelly and Brooks some training treats to try. They love the Gooberlicious peanut butter treats and Chicken liver treats! They're both soft, and small so that they're perfect for training without overfeeding. Chicken liver and chicken are the first ingredients in both these treats.

Enter the Rafflecopter below for your chance to win some Bil-Jac treats for your dog!

a Rafflecopter giveaway



-About Joel Silverman
For over 30 years Joel has worked behind the scenes training animals for movies, TV shows, and commercials. He was hos of the popular television series Good Dog U on Animal Planet, and has a syndicated TV series, Dog & Cat Training With Joel Silverman.

-About Bil Jac
-Bil-Jac is based in Medina, OH and is a family-owned business that stands for more than 60 years, dedicated to the highest quality and freshest ingredients available. Bil-Jac prides itself on catering to the nutritional needs of your pet, using plenty of fresh chicken and protecting essential amino acids. 


Bil-Jac.com   Facebook.com/Bil-Jac    Pinterest.com/Bil-Jac  Twitter.com/Bil-Jac



Want more great pet news, fun content and special bonuses? Subscribe to my free newsletter. Brooks and Kelly hope to see you there! 

 *Disclosure: We were provided with this product to try and one to give away, but this in no way influenced our post. The opinions expressed are 100% my own.

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Brooks' Books- Of Wolves and Westies

Brooks here. I'm so far behind on my book reviews, I'm going to bring you TWO books today. One is The Truth about Wolves and Dogs by Toni Shelbourne. Should I exercise my inner wolf? Aroooo!

The other book is You Tell Your Dog First by Alison Pace. Well, naturally you tell your dog first. Who else would you tell?

Here's mom with the reviews:

The Truth about Wolves and Dog by Toni Shelborne
Veloce Publishing ltd
ISBN 978-1-845844-27-1
$24.95

You've probably heard talk about diet, and how dogs are descended from wolves so they should eat raw meat like wolves. Or about training, and how wolves are pack animals, and you should be the alpha dog to your dog's pack. And then someone may counter, saying that dogs are no longer the same as wolves, they've been domesticated, and thus their needs are quite different.

Well which is true?

This beautiful, coffee-table book takes on the task of explaining the physical and behavioral differences between dogs and wolves, and further, explains that we shouldn't expect our dogs to have the same needs as wolves.
             "(Dogs) have given up a lot to live with modern man and are now so closely linked with us that they have sacrificed the ability to survive long-term in the wild without us."

The subtitle "Dispelling the myths of Dog Training" refers to Shelborne's preference for positive training methods. She encourages the reader to challenge old traditions and misconceptions, and question the advice given by "out-of-touch and out-of-date dog trainers." She dispels the dominance theory of training and explains how to achieve a partnership based on mutual trust, love and respect.

First, you're going to learn a lot about wolves, and packs, and the physical differences between wolves and dogs (wolves have larger brains!), body language, and family life.
 Next are chapters about how to understand your dog. I think that is key to any good dog training, and relationship. I especially enjoyed the numerous photographs of dogs and wolves, with explanation of the body posture and facial expressions and what it meant.
Why is your dog licking his nose?
Is your dog dominant, or in pain?
Are they playing or fighting?
Why does my dog avert her gaze?

This is not a training manual but an excellent reference and myth buster! I think it's a must-read for anyone who wants to better understand their dog.

You Tell Your Dog First
by Alison Pace
Berkley Books
$15.00

I'm a big fan of Alison Pace's fiction books including Pug Hill, City Dog, and A Pug's Tale, so I was excited to read her newest book of personal essays.

Instead of a pug, the cover is graced by a sweet Westie moseying along a city sidewalk.

Pace lived life surrounded by dogs: Joey the St. Bernard, Morgan the poodle, Mischief the English Bulldog, Boswell the Mastiff, Maxwell the Wolfhound/Sheepdog, Sasha the Shar-Pei, Jake the Corgi, and more. So naturally her essays revolve around dogs. Finding an apartment that allowed dogs. How dogs helped her make friends. How dogs affected relationships. Dog-related jobs.

According to Pace, "you tell your dog first about the date you just had...about the questionable results of a medical test...about the good and the bad...about everything."

You will enjoy reading about experiences with many different dogs, or as it states on the back cover, "...the tales of a dog person who found her dog."

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The Two Dogs-- A Trainier's Expert Opinion

When we brought Moses into our home, sometimes things were beautiful with Kelly and Moses. They seemed to okay together. We loved having this beautiful sweet boy. Sometimes Kelly was territorial. I guess that's to be expected. It's tough to share your new home. And Moses had been in several homes recently. He probably felt a bit insecure.

Kelly reacted to sharing her food, toys and me. Moses growled back. Again, I understand both sides.  Sometimes they avoided each other, sometimes they played. Because Moses is so big, he sometimes played a bit rough for her. But not malicious. Kelly wasn't malicious either. She gave warning tussles, but never took it too far.  I think she was just not used to sharing. Once she approached him and tentatively stuck out her little pink tongue and tried to groom him. He wanted no part of that. He was the boss!

When they were separated, they barked and whined. Did they want to be together or not? I was confused.

So the rescue group, which has been amazingly supportive, sent over their trainer. Cyd entered, prepared with a squirt bottle of water and a pocket full of tiny treats. We put the two dogs on leashes and watched them interact.

When Kelly approached Moses, Cyd talked to her in positive, upbeat tone. When Moses tried to mount Kelly, Cyd talked to him in positive upbeat tones. Cyd has a wonderful way about her. I love that she is not correcting, scolding and harsh. I can tell at once that she is in tune with the dogs. Cyd observed keenly, and came to these conclusions:

1. Moses is dominant male
2. Kelly is dominant female
3. Kelly is protective of me
4. The house is on the small side and Moses is on the huge side, so it is hard for him to get away when they squabble.
5. Moses's mounting behavior shows that he wants to be dominant over Kelly
6. Moses will not submit to Kelly-- he won't roll over for her, or allow her to groom him

Cyd helped me understand the dogs' body language. She doesn't feel that they would hurt each other intentionally. But she does feel there is the potential for someone to get hurt, mainly because of the size difference, cramped quarters, and personalities. Would you recommend  this match? we asked. "I think Kelly really needs a submissive male," she said.

She gave us some tips for working on the situation:
1. Separate them with a baby gate, so they can see and interact through the gate.
2. Take them on lots of walks together
3. Relax and talk positively.


Next time: How did it work out?

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