Dog Gear

Every year we come across a few dog-related items that make an immediate and/or lasting impact on our dogs or our dog-care regimen, and we feature them here. This year, we also asked our readers, via the Whole Dog Journal Facebook page, for their nominations for “Gear of the Year.” Some of the items here are their selections.

As the saying goes, “Sh*t happens,” and as every responsible dog owner knows, cleaning up after their dogs is an absolute must. For those...

When someone first mentioned doggie life jackets to me, I'll admit, I giggled. Dogs can swim just fine, for goodness sake. But then I started thinking about it. Actually, I've known some awful canine swimmers. F.B., my sister's Hound-mix, was one of those dogs. When I was a teenager, I used to take F.B. and my dog (F.B.'s son) to the Yuba River.

There are legitimate reasons why some dog lovers need their dogs to potty indoors. We looked at “dog indoor potty” products to help you determine which you might want to choose from if you are in the “indoor bathroom” club.

Many medications can be compounded into flavored chews or liquid suspensions, but others cannot. For these wrapping the pills in a treat or a pet piller that keeps your hands free of your dog's mouth provide an alternative.

The arguments against bait bags are not so obvious. The most compelling is that the presence of a bait bag is like a flashing neon sign - an obvious cue to your dog that it's training time and treats are handy. I stand firmly in the middle of the bait bag debate. I shop for lots of lightweight, loose-fitting jackets with large pockets so I can stash my bags of treats comfortably on my person without turning on the neon sign. Of course, my dogs know that I have treats in my pockets, but I always have treats in my pockets, so the presence of treats is not the cue that training is happening.

Using a harness for dogs instead of a collar has huge benefits. There are many types of dog harnesses out there, and finding the best adult dog or puppy harness might seem like a daunting task. This Whole Dog Journal review of harnesses does all of the trial and error work of finding a quality harness for you! For dogs who pull on leash, WDJ strongly prefers harnesses over choke chains, prong collars, shock collars, and even flat collars and head halters.

Gear of the Year features the most exciting, useful products we’ve used and enjoyed over the past year.

We’ll admit it: We’ve been sleeping on the job. Our test dogs – and their test families – have been trying out dozens of beds, seeking to discover the qualities that contribute to a pooch’s good night’s sleep . . . and which construction details help us keep the beds clean and in one piece. We’ve identified a list of features that a good bed’s gotta have, and a few things that make some beds hard to live with.

Summer is in full swing, and dog owners all over the country are hiking and camping with their canine companions. WDJ decided to take a look at several of the products on the market that are designed to make hiking with our dogs more fun and easier for dog and/or human: a canine backpack, two pairs of doggie hiking boots, and two portable food and water bowls.

Here at WDJ, we’re always on the lookout for products that improve life with our dogs in any way. Every year, we talk with our experts and determine the toys, training and care tools, and treats that provide the biggest lift to them and their canine companions. These are their top picks for 2024!

In our March 2011 issue, we introduced you to a very small sampling of some of the neat “assistive equipment” options that are available to help our canine companions who have limited mobility or other physical issues. We received such a great response that we thought we’d share with you a few more finds that can help make life easier for you and your dog, particularly if he or she is aging or has orthopedic or neurologic issues. Remember: the products mentioned here are only the tip of the iceberg. There are numerous companies making innovative assistive products; what we’re hoping to do here is to get you thinking about some of the possibilities!