Product Review: Doggles

Doggles are tinted goggles designed to protect a dog's eyes from the sun, flying debris, or accidental injury. Doggles come in an enormous range of sizes, colors, and styles to fit every dog. They are the first eye protection designed just for dogs, and still the best product on the market in my opinion.

Photo by Erin Koski

We jumped on the Doggles bandwagon very early, back when they came in five sizes but only one color. I actually bought these right when I brought Brisbane home as a baby puppy. I expected them to be a passing fad and wanted to grab them while they were available. Expecting him to grow to the 60-lb dog based on his size at 7 weeks, I purchased Large Doggles. A size Medium would fit better, but Briz hates these so the fit has never been an issue. I mostly just put them on dogs to laugh at them. Still, their pretty awesome and I wish they'd been around when I had a dog with glaucoma stumbling around.

When Brisbane was a baby, I used to take him to a morning playgroup at the Camarillo dog park. A hound mix named Stubbs had eye issues caused by flying crud getting lodged in his eyes when he stuck his head out the car window on the freeway. Rather than take this joy from him, Stubb's owner got him a set of Doggles and put them on him faithfully every time they got in the car. The eye issue resolved right away and Stubbs still got to feel the wind up his nose.

Pros: These come in an enormous variety of sizes and shapes to fit any dog. The company continues to improve their products, and if I had a dog that didn't fit any existing products I would probably contact them and see if they could take on the challenge of designing something that would work. The product line has been extended to include goggles with interchangeable lenses, fashion sunglasses, and the EYME UV protection mask that works like a flymask on a horse. Doggles provide UV protection just like human sunglasses. They also stay on thanks to a strap around behind the ears and one under the chin.

Cons: Not every dog will tolerate wearing them. Doggles make Brisbane want to give up at life. He doesn't care how well they accompany his fabulous steampunk outfit, he just doesn't want anything on his head.

Bottom Line: Doggles for dogs with injured or injury-prone eyes. Doggles for dogs that ride in the open air at high speed. Doggles for blind dogs with eyeballs at coffee table corner height. Doggles for desert hiking dogs. Doggles for everyone!

The Truth About Spiked Collars

A spiked dog collar can make a pooch look tough (or silly, depending on the dog), but what are they actually for? Is the purpose of a spiked collar just to make a dog look as badass as possible? Is it supposed to make the dog difficult to grab? Were they originally intended as human fashion accessories that migrated onto our pets, or did that work the other way around?

Photo by Erin Koski

Spiked collars aren't just a fashion statement, they're actually a historic piece of equipment for working dogs. The spiked collar dates all the way back to ancient Greece, when they were first used as neck armor for herding dogs and flock guardians. These brave dogs needed to protect their sheep and cattle from predators like wolves. The neck is the most vulnerable part of the dog, and predators know this. Most breeds have thick, dense fur around their necks, some practically have a mane.

A dog with a neck full of spikes was more likely to walk away from an encounter with a wolf. I used to do medieval reenactment, and of course Brisbane needed to have a period ensemble. His collar is not a deliberate recreation of a historic design, but it is a lot easier to live with.

Photo by Erin Koski

The oldest spiked dog collars tend to have long, nasty spikes that extend several inches from the collar. Some of them are made from twisted metal links with forged spikes. Brisbane's spiked collar was custom made at a Society for Creative Anachronism event, and follows the trend in historic dog collars. As spiked collars became more widespread, the spikes became less nasty and more decorative.

Photo by Erin Koski

The next dogs to sport pointy bits on their necks were mastiffs, the dogs of war, along with guard dogs. Again, these dogs were expected to face combat of some sort, and the wide spiked collars helped prevent anything from attacking their necks. Next, the concept migrated to fighting dogs, bull baiters, and other dogs with tough jobs.

Today spiked dog collars are a fashion statement, but they can still serve a purpose. A heavy spiked collar is protective neck armor, if it is wide enough it will also distribute force and help prevent damage to the throat when the dog pulls on the leash.

With that in mind, spiked collars do not belong on any dog that can be reasonably expected to play with another dog. Wearing a spiked collar around town is cool. Wearing a spiked collar to the dog park is stupid, especially if the outing is for a highly social dog that loves to play. Back when we routinely visited dog parks, I saw plenty of happy, silly dogs attempting to wrestle and play while wearing collars intended to injure dogs that joined them. I'm pretty sure that's not what the owners had in mind, but this doesn't seem like rocket science. Maybe I'm wrong...

Product Review: Premier EasyWalk Harness

The Premier EasyWalk is a front-clip harness designed to discouraged pulling. It comes in eight sizes and seven colors to fit dogs with chests 12"-46" around. Premier also offers a reflective version of the harness that comes in five sizes and two colors.

Photo by Erin Koski

Right now I think this is my favorite band-aid for dogs that pull on leash. Like most no-pull solutions, the Easy Walk is meant to be used as part of a training program with the intention of eventually walking the dog on a flat or martingale collar. Like most no-pull solutions, the average user expects to put it on the dog and instantly solve the problem with zero training. I like the Easy Walk harness because it does that pretty well. It makes pulling annoying or difficult by removing all leverage rather than causing pain or discomfort.

That said, there is some concern that the Easy Walk harness reduces shoulder range of motion even when there is no leash attached. According to veterinarian Dr. Christine Zink, the front strap of the harness sits right above an injury-prone area of the front legs. Dogs wearing the Easy Walk put less weight on their front legs, and for this reason it is recommended to avoid using this harness on dogs that compete in high-impact dog sports like agility and flyball. It is also recommended that handlers avoid running with their dogs in this harness. Now I cringe every time I see a dog running on the off-leash beach in one of these.

Photo by Erin Koski

When properly fitted, the Easy Walk harness should be relatively difficult for dogs to back out of. Still, it's a very good idea to use a martingale collar as a backup, especially the first few times the harness is used. Clipping the leash to both the collar and the harness ring works really well.

The first time I saw an Easy Walk harness was ten years ago, on a husky. The dog was pulling so hard that one of her front legs was completely off the ground, but she continued to haul along on three legs and pull like a proper sled dog. I know now that her Easy Walk harness was not properly adjusted. It was likely too loose, the front strap should never have been low enough to pull her leg completely off the ground like that. Still, this product does has some fitting quirks.

The instructions say that the harness should make a T-shape when viewed from the side. The red harness in these pictures is a size Medium, adjusted with every strap at its maximum length. The front strap is so short that it pulls the top and bottom straps into a Y-shape. Premier makes in-between sizes that are not usually sold in stores, but one of our local spots carries them and was nice enough to let us play with it. Here is Brisbane wearing a size Medium/Large, the next size up. It is adjusted with every strap as short as  possible. The front strap is much too long and sags well below the breastbone where it belongs, at the same time it still pulls the incredibly snug top and bottom straps out of line. The guys at the store referred to it as the "mythical T-shape". Until we tried it out, I was convinced the Medium/Large size would be a perfect fit, but the Medium is actually a lot closer to ideal. Still, it's a good thing I don't actually need this product or I would be out of luck.

I'm not in love with the way the martingale loop on the front of the Easy Walk harness works. I have also used the SENSE-ation harness on dogs that pull, and it doesn't have issues with sagging like the Easy Walk does. I also have yet to use a SENSE-ation harness that had obviously slipped and loosened with use, while I have tightened many an Easy Walk.

Pros: Pretty much idiot-proof, minimal potential to cause harm when used by the average human on their average dog. Works pretty good as a band-aid for pulling as well as a training aid. Lots of sizes, and fun colors to match different doggy ensembles. Also doubles as a Norway harness when someone inevitably puts it on backwards, not sure if this has the same effects on shoulder movement. Ridiculously easy to put on.

Cons: The effects on shoulder movement are currently being studied, but this harness does alter a dog's gait even when a leash is not attached. The directions for fitting this product were apparently written by people who had never actually attempted to fit the Easy Walk on a real live dog. Apparently there is no size that will fit Brisbane in the prescribed manner. A lot of people get really confused about how to put this on despite its simplicity. Come on, there's only three straps, people! They're even color-coded! (Apparently I have superb spatial reasoning that is limited almost exclusively to understanding how dog tackle works.)

Bottom Line: Less aversive than a prong or choke collar, less obnoxious and potentially dangerous than a head halter, more effective than a flat collar. This makes a good training tool, and it makes a good crutch for those that can't be arsed to train. It's a decent way for a small person to control a large dog. I didn't think very much of them when they first came out, but they've grown on me over the last decade.