New Year's Resolutions

I have never been the person to make New Year's resolutions.  It always seemed like too much pressure.  What if I don't get any of those things done? What if I mess them up royally?  What if half way through the year, I change my mind?  You see where I am going with this, I am sure.  I prefer to set short term goals for myself that are reasonable and attainable. And more importantly, changeable!

When it comes to setting goals for my pets, that's a bit easier.  I always strive to make sure their diets are healthy, their coats well-groomed, and most importantly, their minds and bodies exercised daily.  I love trying new interactive toys for my two collies.  Trying new toys means they get a new brain-buster and I get the added benefit of learning whether said toys might be good to recommend to clients.  I call that a win-win!

Their favorite interactive toy of 2018 was the Bob-a-Lot from Starmark.  Their least favorite was the Pickle Pocket, also from Starmark.  They loved to chase the bobble toy around with their long noses and Ozzie, in particular, liked trying to adjust the treat dispensing door on his own.  The pickle was problematic for two reasons, I think. First, the material it is made out of is sort of sticky, so it stuck to their collie ruffs.  Second, their long noses didn't seem to work well at digging those treats out of the zig-zaggy pockets. I discovered, however, that the pickle toy was great for Freddie, the Goldendoodle puppy who stayed with us for a week. Not only did it not get stuck in his fluff, his face was just perfect for smooshing into the pocket to retrieve the treats.  So, while the pickle wasn't a hit with the collies, it certainly was a hit with a puppy.

When choosing interactive toys for your pets, I think their age is really the least important factor So, while some of the companies selling the toys label them based on pet age, better to look at the difficulty level when choosing a toy.  For example, I met a puppy this week who was already working on Level 4 toys making him an over-achiever for sure!  The puppy level toys were too easy for him and he was bored in 3 seconds or less. Yet Desi, my older collie, loves the puppy level toys and will happily push and pull on them for the rewards.

Bottom line, don't neglect your pet's mental exercise.  When the weather is really cruddy, a few interactive toys during the day can help wear your pets out and save you from tromping around in the rain or snow.  Let me know if your pets have a favorite interactive toy as well.

The favorite! The Bob-a-Lot from Starmark

The Pickle Pocket from Starmark was not a hit!