Happy Festivus!

Break out the unadorned aluminum pole, it's time to celebrate Festivus! I'm a big fan of winter holidays, and this is a particularly silly one. It's a rejection of the holiday consumerism that pervades the month of December, and gets right to the heart of family get-togethers. That's right, I'm talking about the Airing of Grievances. Let's take a moment to talk about the ways in which companies have disappointed The Dog Geek over the last year.

Feats of Strength!

Kong, your Squeezz Crackle ball couldn't handle being squeezed and crackled.

Petsmart, your Puppies backwards-R Us treat spinner couldn't handle even a tiny amount of regular dog play.

Zack & Zoey, you turned out to be a regular Pet Edge brand, and not some adorably personable company with a charming backstory.

Loot Pets, you totally abandoned your geeky premise and sent us a regular dog-themed subscription box. There are tons of regular dog-themed subscription boxes out there, I got yours purely for the geekery. You got rid of the geekery slowly, sending regular toys instead of geeky toys, and fewer items in every box, until your finally abandoned the concept altogether, and that's when you lost a customer. It was a fun six months though, and those first few crates were awesome. The pet shirts never fit right though, you must all have super wide pug-shaped dogs or something.

Sileo, you did nothing for Ranger's fireworks fear. I think we're going camping for New Year's just to get away from the possible fireworks noise.

Company of Animals, your Pet Corrector needs to come with instructions about using it in the vicinity of other pets. It has a very non-specific, area-wide effect, so it "corrects" basically every single dog in agility class when some clueless student chooses to use it for their dog's leash reactivity.

Outward Hound, your dog backpack was awkward and uncomfortable and felt ridiculously cheap and flimsy. Like, I understand making things for a certain price point, but that felt like some serious dollar store shit.

Reviews.com...your research sucks. Bigtime.

Chuckit, your Floppy Tug was surprisingly non-durable.

Zukes, your Power Bones treats show a distinct lack of knowledge about the canine metabolism. I expected better of you.

Thank you for joining me for this little wallow in negativity. the Dog Geek will be back to the usual upbeat outlook following the Feats of Strength.

Product Review: Top Paw Angler Fish Stuffy

Normally when I walk into Petsmart, I don't even notice the racks of Top Paw and Grreat Choice plush toys. I just find most cheap mass-market plush toys to be totally unappealing. Emoticons? Sports balls? Anthropomorphic food? My inner hipster shouts "No way!" But a few weeks ago I found a plush angler fish amongst the more typical starfish and seahorses.

Photo by Erin Koski

So at this point I should probably confess that I have a collection of stuffed sealife. No, not normal stuffed animals like otters and sea turtles. I have an octopus, a manta ray, a manatee, an ocean sunfish, and probably a few I can't recall just now. It's a very specific niche into which the Top Paw anglerfish fits perfectly.

Do I still think the vast majority of dog toys look incredibly stupid? You bet! Loofah dogs? Misshaped alligators and teddy bears? Hedgehogs in every shape, size, and color? Everything has been done to death, and the toy companies try to liven things up by giving their animal toys huge heads, or round bellies, or long necks. It's just not an aesthetic I find appealing.

At this point, most of our stuffies are either dinosaurs, stuff we got in subscription boxes, or toys my mother randomly give the dogs when I'm not looking. There's nothing better than arriving home to a shredded teddy bear and not being sure if we've destroyed a family heirloom. (But seriously my mother is awesome for spoiling her granddogs!)

Photo by Erin Koski

Pros: It's an anglerfish. How often do you see a plush anglerfish, let alone a plush squeaky dog toy anglerfish?

Cons: That little fishy lure didn't hold up very well, though to it's credit it's still attached and recognizable.

Bottom Line: I don't actually wish that companies would make more offbeat plush toys that appeal to my weird little foibles, because that would mean those toys were actually popular, and if they became popular I wouldn't like them nearly as much.

Product Review: Top Paw Easy On Prong Collar

Top Paw's new Easy On Training Collar is one of the several new styles of prong collars to hit the market in the last couple of years. Unlike traditional prong collars that tighten with a chain loop, and must be unclipped at the chain or have the links themselves separated, this one uses a nylon strap that unbuckles. It is available in four sizes, and the collar can be custom fit by adding or removing links.

Photo by Erin Koski

I don't use prong collars on my dogs, for a number of reasons. The biggest is that a prong can increase reactivity and make dogs more worried about whatever they may be reacting to. I have used prongs on some large and physically insensitive client dogs that did not have reactivity issues. They aren't torture devices in the right hands, and I like them a lot better than choke chains for average pet owners and their undisciplined Labradors.

This particular prong collar is interesting enough to be worth discussing, which is why I put it on Brisbane long enough to take a picture. I've seen a few people use these, and I always worry a little bit when I see them take the collar off or put it on. See, the prong collars with the chains that open with a snap open up all the way, and to put them on you must thread the chain back through the other end of the collar.

The Easy On prong collar does not open up all the way. The two halves of the plastic buckle do not slide all the way through the metal part, so the collar just opens up wider while remaining in a circle. To put it on, you have to slip it over the dog's head. Though the prongs are dulled, they could still potentially catch an eye or sensitive bit of mouth when pulled over the dog's head. For this reason, I strongly recommend the prongs be flipped inside out when putting the collar on or taking it off. It adds a few seconds to the procedure, but I think it's worth it to minimize poking a dog in the eye.

Photo by Erin Koski

This is an easier prong collar for the general public to use, but I don't find it quite as versatile as the traditional ones. With a chain loop, the leash can be clipped to the rings on either side so that the collar does not tighten. This makes the collar less severe. The Easy On prong collar has a single leash ring that tightens the collar when pulled. There is no secure attachment point that does not tighten the collar.

Pros: Much easier and faster to put on than a traditional prong collar with a chain. Does not require unlinking. Easier to use with sore or arthritic hands.

Cons: Does not open fully, must by pulled over dog's head. Leash cannot be attached in a way that does not tighten the collar.

Bottom Line: Call me crazy, but I'd actually rather see a dog walking somewhat decently on a prong collar than gasping and straining against a flat collar while putting unnecessary wear and tear on their trachea and neck nerves and stuff. Use a prong, use a head halter, use a no-pull harness, use a regular harness, train them to walk nicely or use a bandaid for the problem, just do something.

Puzzle Toy Review: Puppies R Us Adjustable Treat Spinner

I found this Puppies 'R Us Adjustable Treat Spinner on uber-clearance at PetSmart, and for $2 I couldn't say no. It's part of the ultra-cute "make puppy toys look like baby toys" concept that capitalizes on our desire to humanize our dogs as much as possible. This toy looks like an adorable spinning top. It is intended for kibble and kibble-sized treats, and can be adjusted to make it drop more or less food as it moves.

Photo by Erin Koski

Puzzle Toy Rating

Capacity: 1/5

It's really quite difficult to load more than ~10 pieces of food into this toy without it all spilling out.

Loading Speed: 3/5

We learned from the included instruction sheet that the clear part on top can be unscrewed, but it took an enormous amount of effort accomplish that. Doesn't make it much easier, though.

Photo by Erin Koski

Unloading Speed (standard dog): 3/5

Most of the food just sort of falls out of it as soon as you touch it, even with the aperture set quite small.

Unloading Speed (superdog): 2/5

It took Brisbane slightly longer to empty this toy than it does for him to eat a bowl of kibble.

Size: 2/5

This to is marketed for puppies, but would work well for small dogs too. Ru could certainly use it with ease. It's a bit small for anyone bigger than Brisbane, though.

Durability: 1/5

It turns out all that soft plastic is super fun to rip off, according to Sisci. I had originally taken this to be a fairly durable toy that could be left unattended with normally non-destructive dogs, but Sisci spent about ten minutes shredding the rubbery coating off the bone-shaped top bit. The bottom is

It only looks like a chew toy.

covered in blue rubbery stuff which also took some damage. Structurally the toy is fine, but aesthetically it's not quite as cute now.

Noise: 4/5

All that soft rubber makes this a fairly quiet toy on hard floors. At least before they shred it off.

Locatability: 3/5

The fact that it's a top means it tends to stop rolling before it ends up under the furniture. However, the convenient bone/handle on top makes it very easy for the dogs to carry around and drag away to their lairs.

Washability: 5/5

Comes all the way apart for easy cleaning. Not dishwasher safe, though.

Versatiliy: 4/5

The size of this toy makes it usable for rats, bunnies, and other small animals. The complexity makes it usable by ravens and crows, and we will be passing it along to our friend Xhuuya the raven now that Sisci is done demolishing the pretty bits.

Photo by Erin Koski

Total: 28/50

Product Review: Companion Road Angel Wedding Dress

This little wedding dress with matching veil is by Companion Road, and Petsmart house brand. This brand seems to have been replaced with the Top Paw and Martha Stewart product lines, but the Companion Road stuff can still be found at various discount stores. This dress comes in five sizes to fit dearly beloved dogs with chests 12-23" around.

Photo by Erin Koski

With ribbons, lace, and trim, this is a fancy little dress! The veil is actually my favorite part though, I love the way it fits on Ru's tiny little head. The fabric is a bit stiff, but it's thick and sturdy if not the finest quality.

This little wedding dress is definitely a costume rather than an everyday outfit. It has to be hand washed in cold water if it gets dirty, while most of Ru's outfits are machine-washable.

Pros: Perfect for dog weddings, photo shoots, and looking adorable.

Cons: Pretty limited range of uses, really.

Bottom Line: When you need a dog wedding dress, this one will do.

Product Review: Starmark Petsmart Exclusive Treat Ringer

The Starmark Treat Ringer is a Petsmart Exclusive food toy. It features an inner rod that holds edible Treat Rings, surrounded by a tough plastic rim. It comes in three different shapes, a ring, a bone, and a horseshoe. The ring is supposed to be the easiest, and the horseshoe the most challenging. This is a toy designed for power chewers and dogs that destroy everything.

Photo by Erin Koski

I spotted the Starmark Ringer toys at Petsmart and then failed to find them on the Starmark website when I wanted to learn more about them. On a subsequent visit to the store, I learned that these toys are sold exclusively at Petsmart. I was familiar with this concept, but had only ever seen My Little Ponies and dinosaurs as store exclusives at Toys'R'Us and Target. Exclusive dog toys are a whole new thing.

I bought this toy on our trip to Idaho, where I was able to test it on a variety of different dogs. My cousin's weird little curly-tailed mix was happily tearing chunks off of our Everlasting Groovy Ball within moments of claiming it, so I even had a power chewer test drive it.

I'm guessing Molly is a border collie/beagle/pug cross. 

How Long Does It Take?

The Starmark Treat Ringer horseshoe comes with five treat rings pre-installed. They take quite a bit of manual dexterity and some force to put on the toy, and are quite difficult to remove. The dogs mostly have to lick and nibble with their front teeth in order to liberate the treats. 

The only treat rings available for the toy are chicken-flavored, and contain "natural chicken flavor". It's pretty far down the ingredient list though, and Brisbane had already inhaled a bowl of Molly's chicken-filled food the day I bought the Ringer, so I let him play with it. Brisbane spent just under five minutes removing a single ring from the toy. Molly took about two minutes to pull one ring off, and only left some minor tooth marks instead of demolishing the Ringer. Theoretically it would take Brisbane 20+ minutes to empty the ringer of its original complement of rings, while Molly might take only ten minutes.

I liked how focused all of the dogs were on this toy. Sisci and my cousin's pit bull puppy both worked for a while on it, and were engaged until the toy was emptied. My aunt's little chihuahua/rat terrier mix spent half an hour trying to free a ring before he needed a break.

Pros: Tougher than other Starmark toys. Challenging yet engaging. Suitable for dogs of any size.

Cons: Might be tough enough to break teeth. Treats only come in chicken flavor. Cannot hold hold any other sort of treats.

Bottom Line: I think that "Petsmart Exclusive" thing worked, since I've started going there specifically to look for toys only available there. 

Product Review: Top Paw Step-In Vest Harness

The Top Paw Step-In Vest Harness is designed to distribute pressure while protecting the throat. It is lined with a breathable mesh to help keep it comfortable in warm weather. This harness comes in a wide variety of colors and patterns to fit dogs with chests 16-32" around.

Photo by Erin Koski

I hate step-in harnesses. Whoever invented these things never had to make a dog or toddler step into anything on purpose. They never sit right. Either the front is too low across the upper arms with the buckle in front of the shoulders, or the straps are digging in behind the elbows. It's not even a sizing issue, this picture is of 22" Sisci wearing a size medium for dogs 23-28" around. The next size up might sit far enough back to clear her elbows, but it would also be 6" too big?

Brisbane and Ru both have similar fitting issues with most step-in harnesses, and I always have to wonder who the hell these things are made for. Whilst searching for information on this Top Paw harness, I found the dog it fits. Her name is Edie the pug, and like most pugs she is very wide and barrel-chested and basically the opposite of my dogs. The harness fits her perfectly, sitting high enough in front without pulling into her armpits, with the buckle at or behind her shoulders. Amazing!

Pros: Apparently fits stout, cobby bodies very well. Breathable and easy to adjust. Does not have huge dangly leash attachments hanging off the buckle. Machine washable.

Cons: Does not fit narrow sighthoundish chests very well, being too big in some places and too small or short in others. Wide neck straps may interfere with shoulder movement, not an issue for most dogs but something to watch for canine athletes.

Bottom Line: If it fits, it fits. I will definitely have to keep this harness in mind for dense dogs.

Product Review: Conair Pet-It Curry Comb

The Conair Pet-It Curry Comb is part of Conair's line of brushes designed to be held in the palm of your hand. This one has flexible rubber fingers for massaging the skin and coat. It is smaller than most similar grooming tools, and suitable even for tiny dogs. It comes in yellow from a variety of retailers, and pink exclusively from PetSmart.

Photo by Erin Koski

When Brisbane had his dramatic shavedown, the vet recommended I wash him every few days in an anti-fungal shampoo. She instructed me to scrub his skin really well with a rubber curry comb to help work in the medicine.

I couldn't find either of my old rubber curry combs, so I grabbed this one while we were at PetSmart. It fits nicely with my pink and purple grooming stuff, and I like my pink  Conair nail clippers a lot.

The size of this rubber curry is really nice, it's actually smaller than Ru. I wouldn't feel ridiculous scrubbing a maltese with it.

Pros: It's pink! Palm design makes it easy to hold securely even when wet and soapy. Small dog friendly.

Cons: Clear plastic is tough to keep clear, it tends to collect soap scum and looks gunky unless I devote some time to actually scrubbing the brush itself.

Bottom Line: I found my Kong Zoom Groom brush yesterday, but I think I'll keep this one in the grooming bag anyway. It works better for Brisbane and his sensitive skin.

Product Review: Conair Pet Nail Clipper

The Conair Pet Nail Clipper is a scissors-style clipper available at PetSmart. It features a no-slip grip and is available in two sizes. It's also pink. That's basically why I bought it. Nearly all my grooming stuff is pink of purple. This is a decent clipper, though.

Photo by Erin Koski

As a dog nerd, I find myself geeking out about weird stuff on a regular basis. Dog toenails are one of my geek specialties. I mean, most people can manage to hack a dog's nails shorter, just like most people can make a lasagna or paint a recognizable picture of a hippopotamus.

To trim nails really well though, it helps to know a bit about the anatomy of the toenail and the quick inside. If you're really nerdy though, you end up wanting to know everything you possibly can about managing dog toenails. You end up learning about trimming angles, how to shorten a quick, how to cut black toenails. dremeling and filing, how long toenails affect the dog's posture and joint health, what dewclaws are actually for...

I work at a doggy daycare facility that offers assorted grooming services including nail trims. This means I get to practice cutting a lot of different toenails on a lot of different dogs. It also means I get to find out what makes a good and bad nail trimmer. Sharpness is really the most important thing, more so than having a big trimmer for a big dog or a small trimmer for a small dog. A sharp trimmer allows me to take small slices off the nail, which is much more comfortable for the dog. You can tell a nail trimmer is dull when it takes a lot of force to chop through the nail. This is because it is breaking the nail rather than cutting it. Not comfortable for the dog, not good for precision trimming either.

Pros: Nice grippy handle even when wet. Sharp enough to cut small slices off both large and tiny toenails. It's pink.

Cons: I'm not sure how long it will stay sharp.

Bottom Line: I need to figure out how to sharpen nail clippers.

Product Review: Martha Stewart Step-In Harness

The Martha Stewart Step-In Harness is a Petsmart exclusive. It is constructed from nylon webbing with a decorative ribbon overlay. This harness is available in a variety of colors and patterns, and four different sizes to fit dogs with chests 9-39" around.

Photo by Erin Koski

Like the Kong-brand products that aren't treats and toys, the Martha Stewart products are Petsmart exclusives intended to capitalize on a famous brand name. While I find the colors and patterns of the Martha Stewart products to be adorable, they often have flaws.

I just don't feel like this harness is all that well thought-out. Many of the Martha Stewart products make me think they were designed by people who were told "make a dog harness that's different". It's not different to solve an existing problem with step-in harnesses, it's just designed different for the sake of being different.

Photo by Erin Koski

This is a size Medium harness, designed to fit dogs with chests 13-23" around. That's 10" difference. Darla is about 21.5" around, so this harness should fit here with more than an inch to spare, right? Unfortunately, the front strap is seriously lacking in adjustability.

Like a lot of nylon harnesses, the strap ends are very bulky. They are doubled over and sewed for an inch where they attach to the hardware. There is also a plastic keeper by the ring to keep the strap from gaping. The doubled section of the strap will not fit through the adjustment slider or the keeper, so there is this triple-thick section that eliminates several inches of adjustment.

The different-for-the-sake-of-being-different part of the Martha Stewart harness is that there is one of these bulky adjustment things on either end of the front strap, with the center strap sewn down in the middle. Each side only adjusts about 1", for a total of 2" difference. It's pretty short. The result is that the buckle tends to sit on the back of the dog's neck, in front of the shoulders.

Pros: Lots of cute colors and patterns, with bows and flowers adorning some of the current models.

Cons: Size range is significantly smaller than advertised due to excessively bulky strap ends.

Bottom Line: This design probably works better on a larger scale where the doubled section doesn't comprise two thirds of the strap.

Have you used any of the Martha Stewart products from Petsmart?

Chihuahua Fashion Moment: Top Paw Licensed T-Shirts

Ru has a Top Paw Licensed My Little Pony t-shirt, and it is awesome. Mostly because it has a My Little Pony on it. See that pony? That's Princess Sparkle from the 1986 Princess Pony collection. I own this pony. I own many, many ponies.

Photo by Erin Koski

Top Paw is a Petsmart house brand, and they offer everything from collars to beds to apparel. Their licensed character offerings have included 80's cartoons, super heroes, and the Muppets.

I like the quality of most of the Top Paw clothes I've seen, but unfortunately they just aren't made to fit Ru. He's just too long and skinny, so I have to choose between shirts that are pretty short like this one, or ones that are so wide that the slithers out through the neck. I only bought this particular shirt because, dude, My Little Pony.

I kind of feel like myself and most of my friends have similar issues finding people clothes that fit. We discuss the fit models on which the clothes were designed, and how their bodies must differ from ours. Clearly the Top Paw fit models are wide, short-backed dogs. Maybe French bulldogs. Definitely not slinky-uahuas.

Puzzle Toy Review: Toys'R'Us Treat Puzzle Dog Toy "The Everything Puzzle"

The Toys'R'Us Treat Puzzle Dog Toy is a board game style puzzle toy sold exclusively at PetSmart. It features four treat compartments that each open in a different way, and for this reason I have dubbed it "The Everything Puzzle". It needed a name, too, because PetSmart currently has three different Toys-backwards R-Us treat puzzles available on their website, with nothing to differentiate them from one another either in the name of the product or the packaging itself.

Toys'R'Us Treat Puzzle Dog Toy

Kyjen Paw Flapper

Toys sold under the Toys-backwards R-Us brand have been appearing at PetSmart for a while now, and they often seem to be familiar toys with a new label. Check out this Treat Puzzle Dog Toy, for example. Doesn't it have an uncanny resemblance to Kyjen's Paw Flapper. It's obviously the same toy, and PetSmart has likely licensed both the toy design and the Toys-backwards R-Us logo.

Photo by Erin Koski

Kyjen doesn't have anything like the Everything Puzzle, though. This one is both unique and challenging. The four treat compartments each open in a different way. There is a yellow door, a green drawer, an orange disc, and a round red plug. The orange disc sits firmly under two little flaps, and must be both spun and slid for removal. The red plug is round on the bottom and sits in a round depression with a little treat cavity below.

Photo by Erin Koski

Rather than reinforcing puzzle-solving skills by having the dog repeat a task several times, this toy requires four separate actions to defeat. It is difficult to open just by shaking, kicking, or even flipping the whole thing. This makes it a great challenge for Brisbane.

Puzzle Toy Rating

Capacity: 4/5
I can fit at least half a cup of food in here, probably closer to a whole cup. That drawer in particular is quite roomy.

Photo by Erin Koski

Loading Speed: 5/5
Open compartments, dump in food, close compartments.

Unloading Speed (standard dog): 5/5
I'm not sure Uly would figure this out given an entire day to ponder.

Unloading Speed (superdog): 4/5
Brisbane spent a good ten minutes getting a quarter cup of kibble out of The Everything Puzzle even though he had seen it before.

Size: 3/5
The pegs on most of the parts of this puzzle would be difficult for a dog with  larger mouth. Brisbane has a little bit of trouble with them, I'm sure a large or jowly dog would fair much worse. At the same time, I think that Ru would have a tough time spinning the orange disc or opening the drawer with his tiny mouth and utter lack of strength.

Durability: 3/5
This puzzle is made for use under close supervision and won't hold up to much chewing, but it also feels pretty darned sturdy. There is no thin or bendable plastic in this puzzle.

Noise: 4/5
It can be a little rattly when Brisbane is kicking it across a hard floor, but overall it's not bad.

Locatability: 5/5
Close supervision means never having to look under the furniture for this toy. I'm pretty sure those removable red and orange parts would disappear in some households though.

Hoardability: 1/5
No stealing and no moving means no hoarding.

Washability: 4/5
Hard plastic should make for easy cleaning, but I'm pretty sure there's no way I could clean the space behind that green drawer.

Total: 38/40
I think this is my favorite board game so far.

Product Review: Top Paw Pink Leather Spiked Rhinestone Collar

The Top Paw Pink Leather Spiked Collar is a decorative flat buckle collar by Petsmart's house brand. Top Paw collars are available in a variety of sizes, colors, and styles.

Photo by Erin Koski

I'm not a terribly classy person, I tend to dress casual and comfortable. Sometimes I feel like putting on something fancy, though. Sometimes I wear a tiara just for the hell of it. This Top Paw collar is a lot like that. We have a lot of fun and functional collars, but this one is fancy. In between the stainless steel spikes are diamond-colored rhinestones. Also it's pink. Yes, my dogs are all boys. Boys can wear pink.

As far as leather collars go, this one is in the middle of the range. It's not high fashion like Coach. It's not an uber-fancy top-quality collar like the ones from Woof Wear. Still, it's a solid collar with reliable hardware and nice-quality leather. It's pretty and fancy and looks nice. The color will last a long time, and I expect the rhinestones will stay on through normal wear.

Pros: Made from durable, quality leather. Top Paw branded stainless steel hardware will stand up to just about anything. Spikes and rhinestones on the same collar are awesome.

Cons: Made from single-ply leather which can stretch over time.

Bottom Line: I wouldn't use this as a walking collar for a dog that pulls, but as a tag collar it's lovely. I wish they made one in Ru-size.

What's with All That Kong-Brand Stuff at Petsmart?

Anyone who has set foot in a Petsmart store in the last year must be aware of the proliferation of Kong-branded products. Far from the usual toys and treats, these items include beds, crates, collars, leashes, and even life jackets. Meanwhile, the Kong Company website continues to feature their usual product line and fails to mention anything about these other items that bear their name and logo. So is that harness actually made by the same company as those beehive-shaped rubber toys or not?

Photo by Erin Koski

Technically, no. The harnesses, collar, beds, and crates bearing the familiar red KONG logo are produced by Petsmart. The Kong Company merely sold them the rights to slap the Kong name on everything. This was a brilliant move, as Kong is a household name that is practically synonymous with durability. When consumers see a dog bed or a leash with this trusted brand name on it, they assume it is another quality product by a familiar company.

The down side is, of course, that Kong designed the logo, and pretty much everything else was developed and manufactured by Petsmart and assorted third-party suppliers.

Photo by Erin Koski

While searching for the whole story behind the Kong-brand products, I happened upon this post on the Complaints Board website. The poster related an issue they had with a Kong-brand crate, and shared the reply they received from the Kong Company. Here is their explanation:

"We have licensed our brand name to Petsmart recently on a variety of products that fall out of our normal toy and treat lines. KONG has worked with PetSmart to develop these products. While these products are marketed under the KONG brand, PetSmart has retained the direct contacts with the manufacturers. Because of these contacts PetSmart would be better equipped to handle your questions with the specific products."

Product Review: Bret Michaels Pets Rock Rolled Leather Collar

The Bret Michaels Rolled Leather Collar from the PetSmart Pets Rock collection is a flat buckle collar. This is from a line of rockstar themed products endorsed by an actual rockstar, and many of their products are actually quite snazzy.

Photo by Erin Koski

As Pets Rock collars go, this one is pretty sweet. It's simpler than the ones encrusted with spikes, studs, and chains. The buckle keeper is emblazoned with Bret Michaels's signature, and the rolled part is narrow.

As rolled leather collars go, this one isn't that great. The function of a rolled leather collar is to avoid corners or edges rubbing against the dog's coat. The rounded section of leather slides along the hairs without pulling them. The Pets Rock rolled leather collar is more folded than it is rolled. The leather is folded in half and stitched down, but it's been scraped so thin on the inside that the entire thing just collapses into a neat square.

Pros: Skinny minimalist design, bears rockstar signature logo, probably made from cow.

Cons: Isn't actually round.

Bottom Line: All the classic rolled leather style with none of the function. Most of PetSmart's Bret Michaels collars rock a little harder, but this one's a decent price for a thin, strong, simple leather design.

Product Review: Kong Harness

The Kong Harness is a Roman-style harness with a nifty handle on the top for keeping a good grip on the dog. It features buckles on both sides of the chest strap so there is no need to lift the dog's feet through any part of the harness. The Kong harness is available in four colors and four sizes to fit dogs with chests 12-38" around.

Photo by Erin Koski

This is actually the harness that came with foster dog Uly, but it's quite nice so I thought I'd share. Many Roman harnesses only have clip on the chest strap, the harness is put on by dropping the neck strap around the dog's neck, lifting one front leg over the bottom center strap, and then buckling the chest strap.

Photo by Erin Koski

The Kong harness buckles on both sides of the chest strap, so putting it on means dropping the neck strap around Brisbane's neck, pulling the center strap between his front legs, and buckling each side of the chest strap. The design is similar to the Kurgo Go-Tech Adventure Harness.

The Kong harness is highly adjustable, everything but the back center strap can be adjusted to fit
the dog. The bottom center strap is not adjustable on many Roman harnesses, which can mean the difference between a good fit and an ok fit. Happily, this strap can be adjusted on the Kong harness, allowing it to fit stocky, wide, and narrow dogs. Both sides of the neck and chest straps can also be adjusted, making five different adjustment points.

These harness fit a pretty wide range of sizes as well. Brisbane is wearing a size Medium and the neck strap and chest strap are each adjusted to about 2/3 of their maximum length. The Extra Small harness has a chest strap with a range of 6", the Large has a range of 14". Brisbane would fit in both the Medium and Large harnesses, while Ru would fit in the Extra Small.

Pros: Highly adjustable to fit a wide range of body types from sighthounds to bulldogs. Handy handle on top for steering blind/geriatric dogs, or restraining dogs for flyball, lure coursing, or any other super-exciting dog sport. I imagine this would also be a good choice for a mobility-assistance dog.

Cons: The sizing sliders on this harness slip a little bit, so it loosens up over time. Not a big deal for the most part, but could be a potential issue for escape-artist dogs. High-profile handle could potentially get stuck on things during everyday wear, particularly while hiking.

Bottom Line: This is not a harness that I feel the need to own personally, however I see a lot of applications for a highly adjustable harness with a big 'ol handle on the back. If I could only have one harness for Brisbane, this would be a good choice.