Sunday, December 25, 2016

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Howliday Mischief!


Recently during our Holiday Photo Shoot, the girls got a little bored!


 Let's play!


Rarw!

"What!? I'm not doing anything!"

Luckily they didn't destroy anything!

Happy Solstice!

Tuesday, December 20, 2016

SPIKE Dog Treats Review & Giveaway

Hi everyone! I hope you're all having a fantastic week! We are super excited because I have a new treat review to share with you! I was recently asked by Petcurean if Zoe and Phee would like to try their Spike treats. I've heard great things about Petcurean before so I knew the girls would be excited to try their treats.

Petcurean is a fantastic company where they create premium quality, nutrient-rich food for both dogs and cats. They also offer a selection of all natural treats as well! The company was started when two good friends got together and decided to open a small family owned operation in Fraser Valley of British Columbia, Canada. They were driven by the idea that pets deserved better food that was made with the same love and care as we put into preparing meals for our own families.

Spike Dog Treats are made with premium quality meat proteins, anti-oxidants and “superfoods” like chia, pomegranate and kale, all lovingly prepared by your friends at Petcurean, who promise you that SPIKE contains only all natural ingredients. Their treats do not conatin any by-products, growth hormones, artificial preservatives, flavors or colors.


SPIKE Grain Free Venison Jerky treats are made using premium quality, grass-fed venison and all natural ingredients. Spike Jerky treats contain superfoods chia, pomegranate and kale which makes them nutrient-rich, high in fibre and packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants!

Ingredients: Venison, pumpkin, molasses, whole chia seeds, pomegranate, kale, mixed tocopherols  (a source of Vitamin E).


SPIKE Grain Free Turkey Jerky treats are made using premium quality, cage-free turkey and all natural ingredients.  Just like the venison treats, the turkey jerky also contain superfoods chia, pomegranate and kale which makes them nutrient-rich, high in fibre and packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. 

Ingredients: Turkey, pumpkin, molasses, whole chia seeds, pomegranate, kale, mixed tocopherols (a source of Vitamin E).


Zoe and Phoenix both loved these treats! They were super excited to try them. They are a jerky-like consistency but are easy to break apart into smaller pieces with minimal crumbling. Both of my dogs considered these to be high value and I will be breaking them up and using them for training. I would definitely get these again and I would recommend checking them out!

ZoePhee was provided with two bags of Spike Jerky Treats to try in exchange for an honest review. We were not monetarily compensated. All opinions are my own. Petcurean is not responsible for the content of this blog post.

ZoePhee is partnering with Petcurean and hosting a giveaway! One of our lucky readers from the US will receive two bags of random Spike Jerky Treats! Enter by following the directions on the giveaway widget. The giveaway is open to residents in the US age 18 or older. I will run the giveaway for about a week and I will contact the winner by email. Winners are always randomly selected by the giveaway widget. Please see the full terms and conditions located on the giveaway widget.

Friday, December 16, 2016

Snowpocalypse 2016



We've recently had some snow storms here! 


It wouldn't be so bad, it's only a few inches but Portland wasn't prepared for it.

There was a lot of traffic and stranded people.


Phoenix was super excited when we took them to go play in the snow.

Zoe wasn't all that thrilled about it but Phoenix loved playing ball in it!


Yay! He threw the ball! 


Do your dogs like the cold?


~Coats are the Extreme Warmers by Hurrta and our review is forthcoming~

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

That one time when Zoe stole her Treat Bag!!!


Road Trip!!! 

A long time ago, before we had Phoenix, I got off work early one day and decided to take Zoe on a short day trip to the beach. I left her alone in the car and she stole her treat bag from the front seat! Luckily, she couldn't get it open!

Sneaky dogs are sneaky! 

Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Hurtta Photo Shoot BLOOPER!


Zoe doesn't like to catch things, a lot of the time she will close her eyes and duck. 

My husband was throwing the dogs snow balls and we caught this hilarious photo!

To see our review on the coat she's wearing please go here: Orange Summit Parka Review

Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Orange Summit Parka Dog Coat by Hurrta Review!

Keep Your Dog Warm, Dry & Visible with the new Orange "high viz" Summit Parka! 

  
The new "high viz" Orange Summit Parka Dog Coat is finally in the US! Hurtta is an amazing company that offers outdoor gear and coats for dogs. They are one of my most favorite companies to work with and we were so excited when they asked us to review the new orange parka! We've reviewed the Summit Parka in the past and it was our very first experience with dog coats from Hurtta. The Summit Parka is still one of my most favorite coats that we've tried!


Zoe and Phoenix spend a lot of time running in forests, fields and rivers. We love to hike and be outdoors but this time of year can be difficult with it being cold and rainy. My dogs do not appreciate being cold or wet. It can also be scary out there with all the hunters roaming around. Keeping my dogs warm, dry and safe is paramount. I have to make sure my dogs are completely visible and I'm so glad that Hurtta has come out with my favorite coat in a bright "hunters safety" high viz orange. 

My husband is also a huge fan of these orange coats, he feels like they are easy to put on and he likes the color. My husband does gets a little tired of all the pink stuff I choose for them and he prefers more gender neutral colors on them when he walks or hikes with them.


The Orange Summit Parka has all the same great features of Hurtta coats, it protects your dog's most important muscle groups, it protects their chest and sensitive abdomen area. The coat has a neck cover for added warmth and protection. The design of the front leg holes for added protection. The coat features a re-closeable opening on the back to feed a leash through to a harness (on sizes 12"-35"). The two smallest sizes has an integrated harness (on sizes 8" and 10"). My favorite feature on the Summit Parka has to be the adjustable back length. There are drawstrings that help you to shorten the coat to the perfect length to fit your dog, even if your dog is in between sizes, as my dogs generally are. 


The coats are made with Houndtex laminated outdoor fabrics. That means that the jackets are smoother, softer and quieter than many other jackets. This really improves the comfort of the jackets and is helpful for dogs who are not used to wearing clothing. The inside of the coat is a soft fleece lining and between the fleece and Hountex outer shell there is a thick insulating layer. These coats are definitely designed to keep your pooch warm on cold winter walks or on frigid morning playing ball on our northern coast! These coats are light weight and really promote freedom of movement, my dogs were able to jump, run and wrestle as if they weren't wearing anything at all.


 These coats are water proof, dirt resistant, machine washable and feature high visibility 3M reflectors!



We've tested these coats in pouring rain, in the forest, in the snow and on our super cold, northwest coastal beaches. The Summit Parka is a fantastic, versatile coat. It keeps my dogs warm, dry, clean and safe with the highly visible colors and 3M reflectors. The coat is easy to put on the dogs, has great coverage, the convenient opening to attach the leash is very helpful. We are visible and safe when we walk at night or sharing the forest with hunters. The parkas are generally the first coat I pick up and pack when we take the girls on trips. 


The Summit Parka is still my favorite coat from the Hurtta line. I always recommend this coat to all of my friends and I would highly recommend you all check it out too! You can also follow Hurtta on facebook as they often run their own contests and giveaways!


If you would like to see some Hurtta coats in action check out our video: Snow Day for Zoe and Phee! (Review on the Extreme Warmer coming soon!) 

ZoePhee was provided with Summit Parkas in exchange for an honest review. We were not monetarily compensated and all opinions are my own. Hurtta is not responsible for the content in this blog post.

Monday, December 5, 2016

Positive Reinforcement: The Training Gift that Keeps on Giving!


So I haven't posted on the Positive Pet Training hop in a while. I've been so busy with work and helping people train their dogs, I just haven't had much time for blogging.

This month I feel like I really do need to participate since the theme is "The Gift of Positive Training". Throughout my journey with my dogs, we've had challenges with both dogs; Phoenix with her fear related people and dog-dog issues, Zoe with her prey drive and resource guarding. Discovering positive reinforcement and force free methods was definitely a gift for all of us. We've all learned how to communicate better and Phoenix in particular has given me the gift of patience and extra empathy. Working with both of these dogs has opened up a whole new world for me and they've helped to get me into the career that I actually want to be in. One of my training videos on YouTube actually helped me get my job! If that wasn't a gift from my dogs, I don't know what is!

I've learned how to work through a lot of issues and also figure out how to manage other issues. Recently with all my "teacher training", I am learning how to effectively use positive reinforcement to coach my husband through a new issue that has come up between him and Phoenix.

Phoenix has had a fear regression, she is afraid to be handled by my husband. They were at the park without me around two weeks ago and I guess she ate too much grass. When they got back into the car she started puking. My husband had to grab her to get her out of the car without getting puke all over her and she was traumatized by the accidental "rough" handling. Since that incident Phoenix hasn't wanted much to do with my husband.

Phoenix will not allow my husband to wipe her paws, put her pajamas on or do any sort of touching where something is being done to her. Petting and playing is still okay with her. We are incredibly lucky that Phoenix just tries to flee versus fight. My husband is understandably frustrated with the whole situation. He feels like we've had her for so long that she should just be able to deal with things. Have you ever tried to have a conversation with a man where he was wrong and you had to tell him he was wrong? LOL!!! Yeah... that went as well as could be expected. I am also learning how to communicate better with my husband about dog stuff.

Don't touch me!

So I've had to bust out my new-found coaching skills and it's been going okay! I'm trying to my best to pick out behaviors my husband does that I like to praise and coaching him through some behavioral training. My husband gets to do all the fun stuff, like feeding, treats and play time. I've also been coaching him through counter-conditioning Phoenix to him touching her. My bosses and my mentor are tickled that I've been using my calm "client voice" on my husband.

I think with a dog like Phoenix, who probably wasn't socialized as a pup, definitely was not handled and went through previous trauma before we got her, things will always be more difficult for her than Zoe or any other "normal" dog. She took a long time to trust us and in some things she obviously still doesn't trust us. We still have some work to do with her and I think my husband is realizing that he has to be more involved with it. Phoenix has taught me so much over the years and I think she will probably end up teaching my husband a lot, too!

Positive Reinforcement training techniques have definitely been a gift to us! It's the gift that keeps on giving as I am always learning something new and able to continually help my dogs. It's a gift that I try to give to others as much as I can, too!

What have your dogs taught you lately?

Sunday, December 4, 2016