Products We Recommend
Here are products and services that we recommend for our puppy owners. Every recommendation is something we use ourselves!
Feeding & Chews
West Paw Toppl
We love these so much we send one home with every puppy! Toppls come in three sizes (small is perfect for our minis) and are made of a durable dishwasher-safe plastic that is easy to clean and load with food. You can use raw or canned food and freeze them so they take longer for your puppy to eat which is perfect for when they get up too early in the morning or when you need to leave them alone during the day. You can also stuff them with frozen fruit, cut up pieces of meat or fish, soaked kibble, the possibilities are endless!
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Get them locally at Animal Magic Pet Boutique, The Wild Side Pet Boutique, or Oliver's Raw, or online at Homes Alive Pets.
Yak Cheese Chew
Another product we send home with our puppies! Yak cheese chews are tasty, have no odor, and last longer than bully sticks or pig ears. They can be fragile when dropped onto a hard surface but will last several weeks when chewed. Once the yak cheese chew gets chewed down to a dangerously small piece you can microwave it for 20-40 seconds and it will puff up so your dog can eat it like a snack! We love the Churpi Durka brand and our dogs have preferred those over any other brand.
Get them locally at Animal Magic Pet Boutique or Oliver's Raw, or online at Churpi Durka.
Big Country Raw
Our dogs are raw fed and we only feed Big Country Raw brand raw food. They are found in most raw food stores and have lots of different protein options to keep variety in your dog's diet or keep them to a certain amount of proteins if they have allergies. They have a lot of different raw meaty bones available for chewing and supplements for various dietary needs.
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Buy locally at Animal Magic Pet Boutique or Oliver's Raw.
Training
Baxter & Bella Online Dog Training
We are proud to be a partner with Baxter & Bella Online Puppy School! They have so many videos on housebreaking, crate training, basic obedience, common behavioural problems, and so much more! Plus they offer a lifetime membership for about the same price as an in-person 6 week puppy class so you have access to all of their videos plus 1-on-1 live video support with a trainer for one price! Our puppy buyers receive a special code to get 25% off.
Best Paw Forward
We recommend Best Paw Forward in Nanaimo for puppy classes and basic training! They have several class options to suit your needs and use current, positive methods to teach your dog critical thinking as well as helping you understand how your dog thinks and learns. See their website for more details.
Extension Dog Sports
For agility training we recommend Extension Dog Sports! Kat Mitton is an experienced agility coach for handlers and dogs of all levels and has a sports foundations class for puppies or beginner dogs to get the basics down to ensure dogs are doing things safely. She has group classes and private or semi-private lessons available as well as special classes for reactive dogs.
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Not in Nanaimo but want to learn agility? Contact us for recommendations for trainers in your area.
Storm Haven Acres
Storm Haven Acres is where we do barn hunt, wall climb, and weight pull. They will also be adding lure coursing soon! Follow their Facebook page for updates and when lessons are available to book. They hold barn hunt trials 3-4 times a year and wall climb competitions periodically in milder times of the year.
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In the Lower Mainland? Check out Fraser Valley Ratters for barn hunt lessons.
Celtic Paw Dog Training
We take our scent detection classes at Celtic Paw with Lisa Affi. Lisa is an experienced dog trainer specializing in scent detection and is able to help you teach your dog the sport of scent detection whether it is just for fun or if you have competition plans. There are classes for all levels and they are suitable for reactive dogs as only one dog runs at a time. Lisa's website is still under construction so please contact her for class information.
Susan Garrett's Crate Games
Susan Garrett's Crate Games are a fun way to teach your dog to love their crate. This makes crate training and housebreaking much easier! Her online program is easy to follow with simple steps and videos to explain each step of the process.
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Regardless of whether you are introducing a puppy to a crate for the first time, a rescue dog, or retraining an older dog, “Crate Games” presents a clear plan to teach your dog how much fun life is when he plays along with your game. Watch your dog’s confidence grow as he masters amazing self-control, a speedy recall, sit stay, distance work, working through distractions, motivation, and drive – all from games of choice your dog will love to play!
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Crate games are $19.99 USD for 30 days or $29.99 for a year.
Susan Garrett's Shaped By Dog
Susan Garrett also has a podcast, Shaped By Dog, which covers pretty much any training issue you can think of! Here is her playlist for videos specific to puppy training.
Blue-9 Pet Products
Our favorite training table is the Blue-9 Klimb! They have removable legs that store inside the table, can be locked to a second Klimb to make a longer platform, and are portable and easy to clean. We use ours for station training inside the house and outside for agility training. They also have a bed topper (sold separately). We also like their Balance Harness as it is highly adjustable which makes it easy to fit any type of dog.
Apparel
Hurtta
Hurtta makes raincoats, winter coats, slush suits, and harnesses. We love their Monsoon Coat for rainy days. The coats are highly adjustable and have a slit so the tail can be carried upright. They have reflective accents for walking in the dark. Most of our dogs are a size 12 and Pippa is a size 14. We also love the Hurtta Training Vest! It has a lot of useful pockets that are perfect for holding all of your training items.
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Buy locally at Animal Magic Pet Boutique or online at Homes Alive Pets.
Canada Pooch
Canada Pooch is one of our favorite Canadian brands! They have lots of different apparel for both dogs and humans. Our favorites are the Everything Fanny Pack, the Shiny Puffer Jacket, and the Chill Seeker Cooling Vest. They also have parkas, slush suits, rain jackets, T-shirts, and more!
Buy locally at Animal Magic Pet Boutique or online at Canada Pooch.
Amazon Affiliate Products
These are products we recommend that you can buy through our Amazon Affiliates links. We do earn a very small commission on our Amazon Affiliates links but each product listed is something we have personally bought and recommend for others.
18" X-Pen - No Door
X-pens are a great way to keep your puppy contained or to block them from areas you don't want them to access. We love this 18" X-pen because it is easy for us to step over and our adult dogs to jump over but most puppies are unable to get over it. If your puppy is a jumper or climber, though, you may need a 24" or taller one!
30" X-Pen with Door and Cover
X-pens are a great way to keep your puppy contained or to block them from areas you don't want them to access. This 30" X-pen has a door and a removable cover so it's perfect for puppies who try to escape! We also love how it comes with corner brackets to help the pen keep its shape even with a naughty puppy pushing at it.
Soft-Sided Foldable Pen
Soft-sided enclosures like these are perfect for travelling with your puppy! We like to use these to bring to friends or family's houses where the puppy can have their own private space to feel safe, or where the puppy can remain enclosed while still absorbing the sights and smells of the outside world. Soft-sided enclosures are not 100% escape proof, and should always be used under supervision.
Full-Body Snowsuit
I was suspicious at the price of only $25.99 when I first ordered this coat for my dogs but was amazed at the quality and the fit! The liner is sherpa-like material and the outer shell is waterproof making it a perfect coat for cold winter and helping to protect the legs and lower body from snowballs. For boys, the chest portion may come down a little too far so they may end up peeing on the coat. Comes in 8 cool colors including gold, silver, purple, black, blue, green, pink, and red! Most of our dogs wear size XL and our larger dogs wear an XXL.
Messy Mutts Stainless Steel Bowls with Silicone Lids (3-Piece Set)
Since we feed raw, we needed dishes that were dishwasher safe and had lids to stack them in the fridge and differentiate which dogs' meals were which. These Messy Mutts bowls are perfect for that! They come in 3 sizes (we use Medium which holds 1.5 cups) and each 3-piece set has three different colored lids. Perfect for multiple dog households or meal prepping for a single dog. The lids and bowls are dishwasher safe and ours have stood up for years of frequent washes and still look brand new. These dishes also fit into the Messy Mutts silicone placemat, if you have a messy eater or a dog who likes to slide their bowl around!
Snuggle Puppy Comforting Toy
A puppy's first time away from home and all of their littermates and mom can be a scary time! This Snuggle Puppy toy helps simulate the presence of a littermate by providing a warm fuzzy puppy with a realistic sounding heartbeat and a heating pack to make the puppy feel comforted. We send one home with all of our puppies!
Male Belly Bands
These belly bands are great for stopping unwanted leg lifting or marking in males. While they are not recommended for preventing accidents while housetraining, they are great for intact males who have been marking, or when visiting a friend's house or hotel when you aren't sure if your dog will understand that he is not to eliminate indoors. They come in several sizes and colors and can have a removable inner pad for extra absorption or you can use an incontinence pad or sanitary pad to reduce time between washing.
Car Camera
Want to keep an eye on your puppy in the back seat or kennel while you're on the road? This baby video monitor plugs into your car's cigarette lighter and has a long cord that will reach even the far back of the vehicle. It comes with a mount to attach to the back of a headrest but with a little craftiness you can attach it to the outside or inside of a kennel or crate! Make sure to keep the cord out of reach of the dog so it doesn't get chewed. The camera is full color and has a night vision mode for when it is too dark. Want a wider range of view to get the entire backseat or the entire view of a large kennel? Glue the fisheye lens from this kit over the lens of this camera to see everything!
Puppy Sling
We absolutely love this puppy sling for early socialization! We take our puppies everywhere when they are in their most impressionable age for socialization and this sling can allow the puppy to feel safe and warm while still experiencing the sights and sounds of the outside world. They can be fully zipped inside or their head can pop out. The sling is adjustable and comfortable to wear and has a small pocket to store your belongings. It comes in several colors and can hold a dog up to 12 pounds.
Shampoo Nozzle
Want to make it easier to wash your dog at home? This nozzle attaches to a regular hose and can hold shampoo so the water and shampoo come out at the same time meaning you don't have to lather it up yourself or waste tons of shampoo trying to get it all over the dog's body! We have been using this nozzle in our professional grooming salon for ten years and highly recommend it! While it does have several hose settings as it is supposed to be for car washing or gardening, we recommend using the "shower" setting for washing dogs.
Dog Treat Maker Mold
This silicone dots mold is perfect for creating your own bite-sized treats! We have made liver treats and all kinds of other treats with it. The mold fits into a standard cookie sheet or can be easily cut to fit into a toaster oven or dehydrator. It is easily washable and dishwasher safe. It's also very easy to remove the treats from.
Y-Front Adjustable Harness
This is the harness that all of our dogs are currently wearing! It is fully adjustable (though with some smaller poodles we have had to take the neck in slightly) and comfortable and has a leash clip on the front or back. There is also a spot to attach an LED light for night walks and the white stitching is reflective. It comes in ten different colors including black, dark blue, light blue, purple, red, green, brown, grey, orange, and pink.