Orapup Review

Orapup Review

Today I am going to do a review on one of my favourite products from my daily grooming routine, the Orapup. I originally found out about the Ora Pup because I use an Ora Brush (the same sort of product but for humans) as part of my daily routine. I was on their website ordering a new Orabrush when the ad for the Orap
up showed up. I absolutely love my Ora Brush so I took a chance and ordered one for Khazi. Make sure to read the "Please Note" sections at the bottom of the page before you purchase.

Visit their website and order HERE

Price Guide

Name	Description	Value	Price
Orapup	1270 Bristle Brush with Scraper, your choice of colour	$11.99	$11.99
Beef and Bacon Lickies	Squeeze Bottle, Fights Plaque, All Natural Enzymes, 20 Uses	$8.99	$8.99
Cinnamon Chicken	Pump Bottle, Fights Plaque, All Natural Enzymes, 20 Uses	$10.99	$10.99
Cherry Chicken	Pump Bottle, Fights Plaque, All Natural Enzymes, 20 Uses	$10.99	$10.99
Starter Pack	1 Orapup (blue), 1 Beef & Bacon Lickies, 2 free human Orabrushes	$34.98	$20.00
Pick Your Colour Pack	2 Orapups (your choice of colour), 2 Beef & Bacon Lickies, 4 free Orabrushes	$69.96	$33.00
Shipping	Shipping to Canada and UK		$5.00
Shipping	Shipping to US		Free
Shipping	Shipping anywhere else		$10.00

I bought the Pick your Colour Pack and it arrived in the mail 2 weeks later. It is very simple to use (don't feeling like reading? See the steps below with pictures). All you have to do is squeeze some of the Lickies gravy onto the Orapup brush and hold it for your dog to lick.  As your dog licks the gravy off the brush it's tongue is being cleaned by the bristles and scrapers built into the brush. You will notice a difference after the first use, at least I did. Khazi's breath has never actually been too bad but there was a noticeable difference in the smell. I could put my nose right up to her mouth and not smell a thing, not even the smell of the Beef & Bacon Lickies. It was very easy to get Khazi to use this product, in fact she LOVES IT. You can use this product daily or you can use it only as needed. I use it every night as part of Khazi's bedtime routine. I like to use it after brushing Khazi's teeth because she sees it as a treat and I can use it as a reward. She is happy to wait through the brushing process because she knows she will get her Orapup when we are finished. I  like to give her a dental chew or dental toy after I finish her oral care routine for good measure but it isn't necessary. 

The products actually last quite a long time. The Lickies say they are good for 20 uses but I have found they last MUCH longer than that while still using enough to get the job done. I have had my Orapup for 10 months (290 days) and I have used 3 and 1/2 bottles of Lickies.  I am not sure how often you are supposed to replace the Orapup itself but after 10 months my brush is only now starting to show wear and tear. They are also very easy to clean, the Lickies formula is water soluble so they just need to be rinsed after every use. I rinse it in very hot water and give it a quick scrub with a toothbrush. The site says you can also throw them in the dish washer every once in a while but I usually just soak it in boiling water with a drop of mild soap. 

Step 1: Gather your supplies

Step 2: Squeeze a fair amount of the Lickies onto the Orapup

 (Try to cover most of the Orapup)

 Step 3: If it is your first time using the Orapup and your dog is apprehensive put some of the Lickies on your finger for your dog to lick.

Step 4: Hold up the Orapup and let them lick

 Step 4: When your dog is finished take away the Orapup.

 There is not usually this much of the Lickies left over but she was kind of upset by the fact that I was doing part of her bed time routine in the early afternoon. It has never been this messy before either.

 This is a close up (somewhat) of the bristles and scrapers that clean your dog's tongue.

 Step 5: Clean your Orapup by holding it under hot water for about 30 seconds until the Lickies are gone. The hotter the water the faster the clean. It is easiest to wash the Orapup immediately after use and before the Lickies dry and get sticky. If you want a more thorough clean you can stick it in the dishwasher or use boiling water and mild dish soap.

All Clean!

Step 6:  Now put your Orapup and Lickies away so it is easy to find for tomorrow or whenever you choose to use it next. 

*Please Note* The Orapup website and their video add both make it seem that you no longer need to brush your dog's teeth if you use this product but that is not the case. The Orapup eliminates smells from your dogs mouth caused by bacteria on their tongue and while it does have ingredients in it to break down plaque it is not a substitute for brushing their teeth. It is an aid in oral care and a fantastic solution for bad breath but nothing more. While I love this product I am disappointed by their misleading advertising. If you would like to see their ad you will find it HERE

*Also Note* This product will usually work if used properly, if you have used it properly and your dog's mouth still smells there may be an underlying oral health issue. Be vigilant about your dog's oral health and be sure to follow up with your vet if you suspect a problem. Here is a factoid for you via Entirely Pets: 80% of dogs have some sign of gum disease by the age of three (crazy right!?)

A Tough Day

A Tough Day 

Today's post is going to stray from my usual posts about my dog. I was going to write a little something about why I didn't keep with my promise to post my review and I found that for my own sanity I needed to vent a little. I can't talk about my day out loud because the words don't come out properly and I get too sad to keep my thoughts together, so here we go.

  I left the house at 9 this morning to house sit for a neighbour. I hadn't gotten even a minute of sleep during the night because I have severe insomnia, at that point I had been awake for over 24 hours. I usually look after their dog but today was different, my client's sweet husband passed away after a long struggle with cancer. He died a few days ago and today was the funeral. People sometimes read in the paper that there is a funeral and take it to mean the house will be empty and easy to break into so they hired me.

 If I were to try to explain the wife's character all you would need to know is the way she greeted me. I asked her how she was doing and she said "oh, don't worry about me, how are  you feeling today" when I told her I was fine and asked again how she was she said "you better not be lying to me". Honestly what other person cares about how someone else is feeling during the worst day of their life.

 I found it very difficult to be in their house because the atmosphere felt so wrong and empty with out him around. His wife who is always happy was trying to keep up a fake smile to stop herself from breaking down, it was painful to watch. I asked her if she needed a hug and she said she would love one but if she hugged me she would break down and wouldn't be able to pull herself together for the funeral. I wasn't quite sure what to say so I was happy when she started giving me little tasks to help her out. She needed help getting the stitching opened on her jacket pockets because her hands were shaking so much she could hardly hold the scissors. After I had finished she took me around the house to show me all the flowers she had received, I have never seen so many flowers in my life. It was amazing to see how many lives he had touched, a few of the bouquets were from couples he had married before he had retired as a reverend. She read the cards to me and I could see the tears welling up in her eyes but she still kept up that smile. As they were leaving I kept drawing a blank on what to say, the first things that came to mind were "have a good time" and "good luck" so I ended up just saying good bye. After they left I just kind of sat there for a while doing nothing other than thinking. Eventually the feeling of emptiness in the house got to me so I turned on the TV. I was only half watching The Princess Bride when there was a little knock at the door. It was my client's three year old daughter. She rushed right into the house not even caring that she didn't know me and went up to her grandfather's chair, looked at me and said "where's G-Bob? He is always in his chair".I kind of died inside when she said that.  I didn't want to say anything wrong so I didn't want to answer thank goodness her father walked through the door with her 16 month old sister and answered it for me. Playing with the girls was a good break, the house felt happy again and they were real sweet hearts. The three year old was actually incredibly intelligent, she was drawing flowers and when I asked her what kind of flowers they were she answered "Bellis Pereniss" (the scientific name for daisies) then she said "do you know what that means?" thank goodness my mom is a gardening buff so I did know what she was talking about. I said "yes you are drawing dasies" and she replied "you're right, good for you" SERIOUSLY SHE IS THREE! On the way out she was concerned that I would be in the house alone so she asked "Do you know the number for 9-1-1?" What a cutie!

 When the girls left I was feeling much more comfortable than I had felt in the morning and I was actually able to have a 20 min nap. I woke up to people knocking on the door, my client brought some of her her friends and family back to the house so my duties were over. I was about to leave when she came up to me and said "I'll take that hug now" I gave her a big, warm, long hug and I could feel her crying. She got her self together and walked me to the door, we said our goodbyes and I went home.
I was so happy to be home with my family, days like today make you really grateful and aware of life. I eventually crashed on the couch and slept for 6 hours, the whole time I dreamed of my client's husband and what a lovely man he was.

A Quick Update and a Look Ahead

A Quick Update and a Look Ahead

I just finished writing my next post (Orapup review) but I don't have any pictures yet so instead here is a quick update and look at the future.

Whenever I inquire about specialty grooming tools or even just cheaper tools everyone tells me to go to Ren's Pet Depot but as it is quite a far drive I have never been able to go. Luckily I have an appointment in that area on Monday so I FINALLY get to go. I am so excited, I have a huge list of things I want to purchase, although I will have to pull back a bit because I have been looking at their products online and my shopping cart total is around $1000. Did I say pull back a bit? I meant a LOT! I am really weird about shopping for anything though, I find tons of things I want to buy online but when I finally get to the store my mind starts saying "$3.00, well that's too expensive I better put it back" I really never get what I want or need but I do save a lot of money. I will be shopping with my mom though and she always helps to figure out what items I actually need to buy before I walk out.

I really want some big ticket items like a heavy duty dryer, professional clippers and shears, an XL crate and other things like that. I will be surprised if I actually bought any of them but we'll see. The one cheap item that I found online that I really want to try is dog face wash. I have written a post in the past about how to make your own dog face wipes but I want to compare my version and the store version to see what I should do differently. Khazi's beard tends to get pretty stinky from being wet all the time (from drinking not drool). Hopefully later next week I will have my full haul and maybe some pictures of the facility.

As for the more distant future, I plan to attend a huge pet convention called The All About Pets Show between April 18th and April 20th. I still have to buy the tickets but I am so ready to go! I can't wait to see the grooming seminars and hopefully find some new doggy gadgets and DIY ideas.

I have started working as an apprentice dog trainer so I hope to post something about the experience soon but who knows, time does have a way of slipping through my fingers. I thought about making a post about it when I started working and that was 6 weeks ago. I have been very busy with my pet care business as well, for the first time in my life I am booked up for five months in advance. Trying to book our Annual camping trip was no easy feat.

That brings me to my next point, in the distant future of July I will be taking Khazi camping for the very first time, in fact it will be her first road trip (other than when we picked her up). I have been looking at a bunch of dog camping gear and I think I will be able to make some awesome DIY's with interesting products I have found. I can't wait to see Khazi on the beach and swimming, she is going to be one sandy dog. When we come home I will probably have to make some post about how to remove 10 lbs of sand from your dog's coat :P.

That's the catch up and the look ahead, hopefully I will have the pictures to go with my Orapup review tomorrow but I have a crazily busy weekend.

XOXO J and Khazi

March Bark Box Review and Discount

March Bark Box Review and Discount

Last month I decided to splurge on a frivolous product and I joined the rank as “one of those dog owners” by purchasing a Bark Box subscription. O.K., so I probably already hold that title but this definitely seals the deal.

So what is a Bark Box? It is essentially a gift of the month club but for dogs. On the 15^th of every month the people at Bark Box ship a box full of Canadian or USA made dog treats, toys and/or various supplies to your door. You get to specify the size of your dog and you can even give it as a gift to a friend or a shelter dog in need. Bark Box also helps dogs in need by donating 10% of their profits to various dog causes such as city and county shelters, rescues, breed specific rescues, sanctuaries, search and rescue organizations, military dog organizations, shelter volunteer training programs, and low cost spay and neuter programs. To learn more about what they do click HERE. 

 The pricing varies on how many months you sign up for but the jist of it is, the more you spend the better deal you get. You can sign up for $29/ month for 1 month $24/month for 3 months (you save over 17%) or $19/month for 6 months (save over 34%). There is a $5/month charge for shipping if you live outside the contiguous 48 states, which I do (Canada). Below is a copy of what I paid for my subscription, you will notice a $12 discount, this was the deal at the time,  if you are interested in a discount of your own click  HERE

6-month BarkBox $114

1 Shipping Add On $30

Subtotal: $132

Discount: $-12

Paid: $132

Don’t let this number discourage you, you essentially get back what you spend every month. The value of your box will far outweigh the price you are paying so if you are one to spoil your dog on a regular basis you will actually be saving money. For example, including shipping the boxes cost $22 a month and the retail value for the items I received this month is $63.17. That is a saving of $41.17 on the same types of products that I will probably purchase anyway.  

The other complaint people has was that they were disappointed with the length of time the product takes to ship but I totally disagree. They ship the box on the 15^th and I received my box on the 18^th, I was really shocked because I was expecting an extra-long wait considering that the company is based in the USA and I live in Canada.

The truth is it is a fairly big chunk of money to spend at one time, but it is also worth the price not to mention,  ridiculously exciting and fun.

March 2014 Bark Box Rating: 4/5

From the second I ordered it I couldn't wait to get it in the mail. I have always been a sucker for surprises and I was not disappointed. Khazi was pretty happy too, it was like she knew the box was for her. The second it came into the house she was sniffing it and prancing around, it must have smelled good because that isn't normal behaviour for her.  Our box contained two toys, and three bags of treats all of which fit the breakfast theme of the box.

I apologize in advance for the state of the products in the pictures, we were too excited to play and try the treats to take nice pictures. Hopefully next month I will be more prepared and you will get to see Khazi going through her box.

Aussie Naturals Bacon Toy: This was Khazi’s favourite item, as you can probably tell. She grabbed it the second I opened the box and immediately dug in like it was a real slice of bacon. It lasted about forty second before I had to take it away from her. I think I will be able to mend it and in the future it will be a toss around toy not a chew toy. It was made out of soft leather and coconut fiber and had a squeaker as well as being multi scented. This toy seems to be made specifically for the Bark Box so I can’t put an exact price on it but the average price for their toys is about $13.

Twistix Yogurt and Banana Oral Chews: Khazi has always loved oral chews, usually more than she likes regular treats. If you give her the choice between an oral chew and a treat she would definitely choose the chew. She was apprehensive to these at first for some reason but after I ripped off a piece to give to her she dived right in. These chews are supposed to freshen breath, and remove plaque and tartar, they are made in the USA and cost $21.23 from Amazon.ca.

Baker’s Best Wild Pacific Maple Glazed Salmon with Blueberries: O.K. this was the one let down of the box and the reason the rating was 4/5. Khazi hated these, I have no idea why because she has other treats with the same ingredients and she likes them but I guess when you mix them together they don’t taste good. They were also very hard and she usually likes chewy treats. She sniffed it and backed off then took the treat and spit it on the carpet. This item is not one we will be keeping; it will be going to Khazi’s Miniature poodle friend Kiya.These treats are made in Canada and they cost $5.99 on Amazon.ca

Wagatha’s Apple, Banana and Maple Organic Breakfast Biscuits: Khazi tried to open this box up her self, she was ready for some delicious breakfast treats. She is a big fan of apple treats so this was a great addition to our box. These treats are made in the USA and cost $10.95 on Amazon.ca

The last item in the box was one that was not on the Bark Box info card. We got a little business card note inside stating that there had been a change. So instead of getting a Safemade Biggie Bone which costs $20 (Plus Shipping) from safemadepet.com I got a Bumi from Zogoflex.

Zogoflex Bumi: This is a toy that you can tug, pull, flex, throw and float and the best part is that it is made out of 100% recycled materials. It also says on it that you can have it replaced once for free and the product you return will be recycled into becoming another toy. You can also send it in for recycling when it has seen its last days. This is the large toy and I am very happy with it. My girl is really into tug so I think we will be using this toy more than she would use the Biggie Bone. The one flaw that it has is that it is a bit too floppy so if your dog is a beginner at tug or if they have a soft grip it may not make the best tug toy. Not to worry though, you can use it in one of the many other ways I previously listed. This product is made in the USA and costs $15 from Amazon.ca

                                         

WE CAN"T WAIT FOR NEXT MONTH"S BOX!!!

*If you find your dog doesn't like something in your box a great alternative to giving it to a friend is to donate it to a shelter. 

Pet Party Printz Wrapping Paper Review - Khazi's Birthday Series

Khazi just had her birthday yesterday so I thought this would be the perfect time to do a review on Pet Party Printz Premium Gift Wrap for your Pet.

I found out about this product just before Christmas because I was reading an article about dogs getting sick from eating wrapping paper. I was scared of that happening to Khazi because she has always had a love for eating paper and I really wanted her to participate in unwrapping Christmas gifts. I had read that newspaper usually works because of it's soy based ink but tape and string is still a problem. I did some Googling and found this product at petpartyprintz.com. (warning to head phone users, the site has music in the background) It is non toxic soy based formula that is safe for your dog if they accidentally ingest it, it even comes with it's own pet safe adhesive. You can order from their site but I chose to go through Amazon.ca it cost me $4.95 a pack. Each pack comes with 7 square feet (39x26 inches) of wrapping paper.

 I bought two packs one for Christmas which was the "red nose doggie" design and one for her birthday, the one in the pictures called "doggie treats". I got free shipping because I ordered $25.00 worth of other items. If you wish to buy wrapping paper for Christmas with a Christmas theme I would suggest ordering it a few months early because they do sell out fairly quickly. My requests were put on back order because they had run out of all the Christmas designs but luckily they came in the day before Christmas eve.

 As much as I love this product, it does have two flaws and both are related to the adhesive. The strip of adhesive they give you looks very wide (3 cm, sorry I don't know this in inches) but the actual sticky part is only 1/2 a cm wide. This means it is harder to keep your paper secured and wrapped nicely. Wrapping a few days ahead of time is out of the question because the tape unsticks and the wrapping opens, it does this even if you have used a lot of the adhesive. This being said I think I will still continue to purchase this product, it ends up costing me about $10.00 a year and it gives me peace of mind about her safety. Unwrapping gifts is part of the fun of getting gifts, it is something she loves to do and I love watching her do it. I tried to film her unwrapping her gifts for her birthday so I could post them unfortunately this time she was so excited about getting her pupcake she paid less attention to the gifts.
.

Instructions on using the adhesive

Khazi got most of her birthday gifts earlier in the week because I couldn't wait to play with them. I still wanted her to have something to unwrap that was a surprise on her actual birthday so I went to Pet Smart and got her three squeaky plush toys on clearance from valentines day for about $3.00 each.

The brown strip is the adhesive 

Wrapping...

All wrapped and ready to go!

Pupcake Recipe - Khazi's Birthday Series

Today was Khazi’s second birthday (the first birthday she has had while living with us) so I decided to make her a special dog birthday cake a.k.a. a pupcake. This was my first time cooking the recipe and I am happy to say she LOVED it! I actually hate baking so it goes to show how much I love her, it also helps that she begs to eat my cooking while the rest of my family begs me to keep it away from them :P. Although I did see my brother walk away with a pupcake because he said they smelled good, he brought it back when I told him it was a dog treat. This recipe will make a dozen standard sized cupcakes and your pup (or maybe your brother) will want every last one.

Pupcake with icing

Pupcake Ingredients

2 cups shredded carrots
3 cups spelt flower (I wanted to use gluten free flower but I ran out)
½ cup spelt flakes
2 apples or ½ cup unsweetened apple sauce
2 tsp cinnamon
3 eggs
1-1 ½ cups of cranberries

Icing Ingredients

2 ½ tbsp. sun butter (I am allergic to peanuts)
2 Tbsp. plain yogurt

Making Apple Sauce

There is nothing wrong with using store bought apple sauce for this recipe if it is unsweetened. I didn’t have any on hand so I made my own. Making apple sauce is very easy, all you need to do is to wash your apples and put them in the microwave for 2-3 minutes. Check your apples regularly because one of my apples cooked faster than the other, obviously the larger the apple the longer the cook time. I used one large apple and one medium apple. The apple will start to leak juice and split a bit, the skin should be a bit firm but when you poke underneath the skin needs to be mushy. Once you have found the proper consistency you can either mash it by hand or put it in a food processor. I just used a fork and pressed down on the skin, it fell apart right away so I mashed with the skin intact. I chose this method to save myself from having to do extra dishes and the mashing process only took a minute or two anyway. I removed the seeds as I found them, and when I was finished I was able to scoop the sauce right off of the skin.  You can also add the skin to the recipe if you wish but my dog doesn’t like it.

Making the Pupcake Batter

Preheat the oven to 350

Lightly oil your cupcake pan

Thaw frozen cranberries in the microwave for 30 seconds with a tiny bit of water.

Mix together the carrots, eggs, and apple sauce in a large bowl

In a separate bowl, mix together the flower, spelt flakes, and cinnamon

Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until the batter becomes doughy and sticky. It is easiest to use an electric mixer.

Put the batter into the pan, filling it to the top. Don’t worry about over filling because the pupcakes don’t rise very much.

Next add your cranberries by pushing them into the top of the batter. I used four cranberries in each pupcake.

Bake for 20-23 minutes and let them completely cool before icing.

How to make the icing

The icing is the easiest part of the Pupcake, all you have to do is to put the sun or peanut butter into a bowl with the plain yogurt and mix until smooth. If you find it is too thin you can add more peanut butter and if it is too thick add more yogurt. Put the mix into a freezer bag, cut the corner and you are ready to ice your pupcake. Make sure your pupcakes are fully cooled before adding the icing or it will melt. 

Pupcakes straight out of the oven

Iced Pupcake

My pup is growing up. Don't worry we didn't light the candle, or even give it to her, this was for picture purposes only.

She licked all the icing off first then managed to eat the entire pupcake in one bite. She was loving the icing so much the floor got a bit messy, I need to remember to give her a plate next time.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KHAZI, I LOVE YOU!

What's in my Bag- DogTraining Edition

What's in my Bag? Dog Training Edition

The following pictures will show you what I bring with me to my dog training sessions. I have packed for agility training but most of the items are not agility specific. Let's get started.

The bag is an Aeropostale leopard pint large tote. I chose this bag because it was spacious, durable, cheap and I didn't mind getting it dirty. It cost me about $5.00 on clearance, I originally bought it as a dog supply bag for my pet care business. The poop bag holder is from Earth Rated and cost $2.00 which I bought from my dog training facility.  

The green bag inside is a purse organizer that I bought on Ebay for $1.00 with free shipping. It is a fantastic deal and it will really help to organize your supplies. The lump of material is Khazi's tug toy,  I did not spend anything on the Tuggie because I make and sell them. The Tuggie is her absolute favourite game to play and it is essential for agility training to use as motivation. I bought the water bottle is from Costco. It is the Contigo brand with the automatic seal, they cost about $15.00 for three bottles of different colours. I always make sure to have a lot of water when training because both Khazi and I get tired and hot fairly quickly. The ball is a standard $0.99 tennis ball from Pet Smart, this was actually left over from my fly ball class, I generally don't use it in agility.  The little container is for holding extra treats so I can refill my treat pouches, agility is all about the rewards. I got the container for 2 for $1.00 at the dollar store.

 From Right to left: extra poop bags, a free pass to free play that I won during obedience training, more treats of a different kind, a pop up water bowl and a training tab I made. The only thing I actually bought from these items was the bowl which. I got it from pet value for about $7.00.

 These pockets contain more training aids. The yogurt container lids are used to teach targeting specific objects or places, I have to bring these to each class, it is a requirement. There are two treat pouches holding a different type of treat in each. I do this to keep Khazi interested in the reward. The red bag cost me $3.00 from the Dollar Store but I didn't like it because you need to have belt loops to keep it up and I always wear yoga pants to class. The blue bag cost $15.00 from the training facility and it was much more practical. I was going to have a DIY treat bag but I needed it immediately so I bought one. It is hard to see in this picture but the last item is a clicker from Pet Smart that cost $0.99. Clickers are not used in the agility course but I like to have it with me so I always know where it is. On a side note, don't ever use a clicker in agility training if your teacher has not made it manditory. One lady in my class had one and every time she would use it all the dogs lost focus and waited for the treat that comes after the click. It was very frustrating.

 This a picture of what is in the last pocket of my training bag... a dog car harness.

I had lost this 6 months ago (since we got her) and just found it today. This will stay in my bag whenever I take her out so I can be sure of her safety in the car. It cost me $35.19 from Pet Value.

That is everything that I carry with me to agility. If you decide to make a training bag for yourself I would suggest adding a mini first aid kit, I was planning on doing so but I haven't finished it yet. I hope this helped you to get prepared and stay organized. If you have any questions or comments do not hesitate to contact me.