At Your Service Dog Training

At Your Service

  • Home
  • About
  • Services
  • Blog
  • Contact

(413) 336-0598
sharon@atyourservicedogtraining.com
  • Service Dog Training
  • Puppy Training
  • Pet Dog Training
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Testimonials

Great Gifts for Dog Lovers

December 11, 2019 by sharon 2 Comments

It’s the time of year when many of us are thinking of what to get for family, friends, and coworkers. If those people happen to have dogs, we’ve got some great ideas for you! Here are some of our favorite gifts for dog lovers, with prices ranging from $3 to $300.

Microspikes are wonderful for those of us who must walk our dogs on snowy, icy dirt roads or woods trails at this time of year! Even if you’re walking a Chihuahua, if you don’t have traction, you can slip or fall. For a large dog, all the more reason to have a solid grip (and a well-trained dog that doesn’t pull!).


Chuckit! Max Glow Ball is a ball your fetch fiend will love. It doesn’t erode the teeth like a tennis ball, it bounces high, and this one glows in the dark. So even during these very short winter months, you can play fetch in the mornings or evenings.


Food tubes! A food tube is any squeeze tube into which you put a treat your dog loves, such as peanut butter, cream cheese, or canned (paté-style only) dog food, such as Wellness CORE or Just for Puppy. Food tubes are great for a number of reasons: the food is high value, it is great for little dogs because you can give them just a tiny lick (so they don’t fill up fast), it leaves your hands clean, your fingers don’t get pinched by excited dog teeth, AND during cold winter days you can keep your gloves on! My current favorite tube is the humangear GoToob, but my old standby that is also terrific, super cheap, and can hold a lot of food is the Coghlan squeeze tube.


West Paw Toppl is the next generation of natural rubber treat-dispensing toy. You can screw two of them together to make a treat-dispensing feeder ball for dry food or treats, or use one and stuff it with canned food or peanut butter or yogurt. This toy is similar to a Kong in the way it can be used, but if you often end up with a lot of food left in the Kong, the Toppl is a great option because it is easier for dogs to get all the food out. If you have a destructive chewer, the Kong Extreme is still the best bet.


Let’s Go Design dog-walker’s jacket is the purple jacket many of you have complimented me on when I show up wearing it at lessons. It is my all-time favorite jacket! It is extremely versatile and practical. It is waterproof, warm, has a ton of pockets, can be converted into a vest or lightweight raincoat, has a poop bag dispensing pocket, and the belt is an extra leash. The piping is reflective so you can be seen by approaching cars at night. I wear it as my winter coat all winter, and in the spring and fall, I remove the fleece layer and use it as a windbreaker or raincoat. Sometimes I wear the inner shell as a fleece jacket on its own. It comes in red, black, blue, and purple.


Flirt poles are dog toys that are basically “cat toys for dogs.” It is a stick, with a rope attached to one hand, and then a toy (usually a plush squeaky toy) dangling from the rope. You can make one or buy one. You can make a little one for a chihuahua with a drumstick and a piece of string or a massive PVC-pipe affair with durable rope for a 70-pound pitbull. They are a great way to exercise a dog in a small space, and you can use them for training “drop it” and impulse control in high-arousal states, too. An inexpensive and easily available option is the Tail Teaser. My poodle puppy loves it more than anything else on this earth! If you have a big, strong dog and want something more robust, check out Squishy Face Studio.


Did you know that not all DINOS are extinct? I’m talking about Dogs In Need Of Space, of course! If you have a DINOS, you and your dog might appreciate this bright yellow vest that says PLEASE GIVE ME SPACE.


Spray cheese, otherwise known as “cheese in a can,” is a trainer’s secret weapon. Inexpensive and readily available at most grocery stores (look in the snack aisle, not in the dairy aisle!), it is the highest-value treat which is also clean, neat, inexpensive, and easy for us to dispense. No, it is not health food! But it is a very high-value food that can be dispensed through a muzzle or gate or crate door, sprayed quickly and easily into a Kong, Toppl, bone, or trachea. I always have a can in my trainer’s bag.


A magic wand is the perfect gift if your loved one who just wants their dog to behave! Use the wand to gently tap the dog’s nose three times, say the magic words, and sprinkle the pooch liberally with magic dust. But if that doesn’t work, the dog might need training! In that case, the perfect gift is a gift certificate for training with At Your Service. We offer behavior consultations, service dog classes, private lessons, and day school. Contact us to ask about gifting someone in your life the joy of a better-behaved dog.

What is your favorite gift for the dog lover in your life?

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: dog toys, gifts, holiday

Public Access Classes

For dogs that have completed at least intermediate manners training and are ready for advanced public access training, including stand-stay, curl up under chairs and tables, etc. Our next class starts soon. Space is limited.

Service dog training from anywhere in the country

We are specialists in service dog training! Online lessons are a safe, convenient way to receive expert, individual training instruction.

Subscribe by Email!

Enter a word or phrase to search our archives

Certified Professional Dog Trainer

Certified Professional Dog Trainer

Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner

Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner
APDT Professional Member

Licensed “Be A Tree” Presenter

Doggone Safe Member
CATCH Canine Trainers Academy Official Mentor Trainer

Recent Posts

  • “It’s the cat’s meow!” — Scholarship recipient Cindi Gazda & service dog Zoe
  • Prepare Your Dog for Your Return to Work: Preventing Separation Distress in the Age of COVID
  • Great Gifts for Dog Lovers
  • “Here to Help, Not Judge” –Trainer Alex Wise
  • Dog lovers in MA – Support this bill!

Top Posts & Pages

  • Service Dog Training
  • Service Dog Scholarships
  • Open Bar/Closed Bar (Desensitization and Counterconditioning)
  • About
  • Service Dog Academy - Our Service Dog Board-and-Train Program

Feeds

  • RSS - Posts
  • RSS - Comments

Join us on Facebook

Join us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

My Tweets

Categories

  • Behavior modification
  • Chews & Feeder Toys
  • Choosing a Dog Trainer
  • Desensitization and Counterconditioning
  • Dog Behavior
  • Dog Bite Prevention
  • Dog body language
  • Dog gear
  • Dog Health
  • Dog Safety for Kids
  • Dog Safety Tips
  • Dog training
  • Dog training resources
    • Dog Training Books
    • Dog training videos
  • Enrichment
    • Dog toys
  • Events
  • Fearfulness or anxiety
  • Featured
  • Holidays
  • Horse training
  • Just for Fun
  • Management (Prevention)
  • or equipment
  • Pre-Adoption Consulting (Finding the Right Dog)
  • products
  • Reactivity
  • Service Dogs
  • Train the Trainer – pet professional consulting
  • Training
    • Barking
    • Car reactivity
    • Group dog training classes
    • Jumping
    • Loose Leash Walking (Heel)
    • Nipping
    • Pet dog training
    • Private In-Home Dog Training
    • Puppy training
      • House breaking/House training/Potty training
      • Puppy Socialization
    • Recall (Train Your Dog to Come when Called)
    • Service Dog Training
      • Assistance Task Training
      • Public Access Training (PAT)
      • Service dog laws and legalities
  • Uncategorized
  • Virtual online dog training

What Our Clients Are Saying…

TJ Legg
Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner
"It’s just brought so much pure joy! My dog and I like each other a lot more now." -- Sam Legg with TJ
APDT Professional Member
"She has worked miracles with my dog!" -- Gail Mason with Dazzle

Social

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
Certified Professional Dog Trainer

Copyright © At Your Service Dog Training, LLC · All Rights Reserved



Are you sure?

Do you really want to delete card?

This process cannot be undone.

deleting...

Card has been deleted successfully.