Stop Wasting Money and Get These 10 Pet Gifts

Jack Jack is turning two in December and all I can think about is what do we get him to celebrate. I’m sure many of you may be thinking about your pup and how do you stop wasting money and get the best pet gifts. Your dog may be the first or last one on your list, but either way, I have you covered. Some of these toys have already been JJ tested and approved. And others have been on his (our) wish list for a while. If you have a heavy chewer like we do you may run through toys quickly. That can get expensive. When we first got JJ we felt like we wasted money all the time. Some toys didn’t last a day. Now that was frustrating.

To save you time and heartache I have a list of the best toys that have withstood JJ’s puppy teething and his adult aggressive chewer behavior. This will also help to stop delivery drivers from coming to your home daily. Think of the peace and quiet you’ll have if your dog isn’t always on alert for new packages. It helps us tremendously especially on the days when we have headaches. Jack is a loud barker so it can drive us crazy at times when we’re trying to have a conversation and he barks at a neighbor or delivery person walking by. That is why I am happy to share our secret with you. Consider it an early holiday gift from me to you.

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Stop Wasting Money and Get These 10 Pet Gifts

• Dog Toy Puzzle Rubber Ball: You can put treats in it. And your pup will play for hours trying to get them out. JJ would step and pull on it trying to get the treats out. All we hear is his feet running across the floor trying to figure it out. Getting this one gives you time to yourself too if you need it. When we don’t put treats in it JJ likes to bring it to us and play toss/tug of war so if you want to play with your pup you have that option too. The ball is durable and hasn’t torn from him pulling. And he’s had it since he was 2 weeks old so definitely worth it.

• Interactive Puzzle Game: This is great to combat your dog’s boredom. You can hide treats underneath, teach them to wait for you to put it down and then let them go crazy. Just make sure when they’re done you pick up the bones so they don’t start to chew it if they get bored again. We like to make it challenging for Jack by putting a little water in the tray with his treats and freezing it. He has mastered turning over the bones to get to the treats, but the ice slows him down. And it’s easy to clean.

• Kong: They have different sizes based on your dog’s size and chewing aggression. This is the best toy on the market in my open. It has tough rubber that isn’t hard on their teeth. You can fill it with bacon and cheese treats (Jack’s favorite) or Peanut butter. I suggest freezing it overnight so that they aren’t done eating it in 5 minutes. When we take Jack to daycare that is what we get him. It’s like ice cream to him. A nice little treat for our hard working pup.

• Chuckit! Flying Squirrel Spining Dog Toy: It’s like a frisbee, but it glides further so if you have a runner this is perfect for a day at the park. It was even safe for us to use in the house during quarantine. Mr. H and I would play keep away and JJ would run back and forth to get it from us. Make sure to let your pup catch it every once in a while or they will get bored. When JJ catches it he runs around the apartment trying to keep it from us. It’s so cute. My only other suggestion is to not play in the mud with it. You will never be able to get the stains out. We had to replace ours.

• The Jolly Egg: This one is great because they can’t get their mouths around it to break it. And it rolls like an egg so they will have trouble stopping it. JJ likes to use both paws and pounce on it. The funny part is that it slips from under him and he’s on the chase again. You will find this entertaining. It can be loud so here are a few suggestions:
  • Make sure to play on carpet
  • Put your breakable decore away
  • Or go to the park with grass.

• Outward Hound Interactive Puzzle: When you’re ready to level up. This is a great challenge for your pup. Jack hasn’t mastered how to turn the bones and pull the orange levers yet. He just scratches at the orange handles until he has shaken the board enough for the bones to fall into place. This takes him some time. See a theme here? Challenging them to think criterically wears them out and a tired puppy is a happy and obedient puppy.

• Outward Hound Light Weight Dog BackPack: If you have what they call a working dog then this is great for him or her. You only fill it with his essentials like water that weight about 10% of their body weight. It’s great if you go on long walks or hikes with your pup. If you are short on time, but need to exercise your dog 30 is equal to an hour of exercise for a large breed. Life happens and sometimes we run late for work or what not and can’t walk our dog for 2 hours a day. This helps to keep your pup happy and tired. There goes that phrase again. I promise you it works. We’ve never had him chew our shoes or destroy our furniture because we followed this idea.

• Wobble Wag Giggle Ball: Now it doesn’t sound like a giggle to us more like aliens, but Jack goes bananas for this one. He likes to play hockey with it. He will take his rubber bone in his mouth and use it to push the ball around the house. It can be loud so I would suggest playtime between 12 pm – 6 pm if you have neighbors. It’s the courteous thing to do. How it works is that as it moves the air that gets into the ball makes the sound, which is what drives him crazy. Dogs love noisey toys just like children, lol.

• Chuckit! Fetch Medley Ball: If you take your pup to the park do not leave the house without this and the Sports Ball Launcher. This is great if you can’t throw far. Jack really gets running when we play with this one. You can have a great time playing catch and not injury yourself trying to hurl the ball across the field. And the balls are made of rubber so they are very durable. You’ll be able to make plenty of trips with this set.

• Dog Twister Interactive Treat Puzzle: This one we got JJ for Christmas so I can’t give a review on this one yet. I’ll have to update you on it. It’s by the same company as his other puzzle so I don’t think we will have any problems. This is a level 3 puzzle so it should challenge him.

• BONUS: Petzos – Canine Cookies: They have peanut butter & banana in them and are a great gourmet all natural dog treats. He loves a good cookie so we treat him every once in a while. JJ will sit, lay down, and shake to get one of these treats. Not sure what it is about them, but we don’t mind giving them to him since they are so health.

And if you just got a puppy be sure to also check out my previous post 18 Tips on How to Make Your Quarantine Life Easier with a Puppy. I told you I would help you stop wasting money. What pet gifts would you get for your favorite canine?

Until next time…