Dog Supplies

Review by R. House:

Don’t waste time with the cheap dog-bone clickers. This is reliable and you never find you’re mashing the “wrong end” and failing to make the noise precisely when you need to. This was just the right clicker for me and my GSMD puppy when we were both learning marker/clicker training technique. That said, I finally switched to using my voice (I follow Ed Frawley’s training advice and now YES! takes the place of click). Why? because with a leash, treats, and other gear there’s one less thing to manage by hand, I never misplace my voice, and am always prepared to emit the behavior marker at the correct time! The switch from clicker to voice was no problem for either me or my dog, and there are still uses for these excellent clickers in training.

Review by Crazy Glue:

Some reviewers mentioned the click was too loud. And I must admit it is indeed loud. I was very aprehensive about purchasing it because of this problem. However, I heard so much praise about clicker training that I bought it with the intention of muffling the sound by adhering some sound absorbing materials to the clicker to reduce the loudness of the click. Well, as soon as I got my hands on it I discovered an easy way to reduce the loudness of the click. Here is how:

Simply place the clicker with the orange button facing down on or just before that fatty tissue part of your palm that the thumb extends out of. Then apply firm pressure to the back side of the clicker by folding your four fingers on top the clicker. Make the pressure just firm enough so that clicker sound holes are pressing against the fatty tissue of your palm, then when needed just apply a little more pressure with the four fingers on the back of the clicker to make it click. If you have the clicker positioned at the proper angle the lanyard hole will be inline with the middle of your wrist.

Review by C. Trump:

The Tell Bell has worked extremely well for us as we have used it for almost a year now. We have been so exceedingly thrilled with our Tell Bell that we have purchased numerous Tell Bells for friends! I’ve been truly impressed with the quality and innovative design specifically made for dogs, which makes it comfortable to ring. A cheap bell from the store was not designed for a dog’s paw and seems like it would annoy their paw when they stepped on it. Bells that hang on the door are not as effective as they scratch and ruin the door and would make noise when you open it. Additionally, we found that watching the instructional DVD as a family helped us all to get on the same page with her training, and the booklet was helpful to refer to and review the training details.

Everyone who has visited our house has been so amazed that our dog rings the Tell Bell to go potty. I’ve even had a repairman who noticed the paw on the bell and couldn’t believe that she would ring it to go outside, and he was so impressed when she actually did it! Initially, we started another potty training method, and then switched to the Tell Bell, so it did take our dog a little longer to figure it out. We just kept being consistent knowing that it would work. It took us at least 6 weeks or more; however, once she got it, she got it. Our entire family was filled with such joy when she finally figured it out! That joy remains with us every day as it continues to be so much fun to hear her ring the bell to go outside. It always brings a smile to our faces.

We have 2 Tell Bells, one at the garage door, and the other at the back door. We’ve successfully trained our dog to ring the bell at the garage door when she has to go potty, and the other bell at back door when she wants to go outside and play. It’s convenient that each Tell Bell comes with 2 bells. Right after she learned to ring the bell, all of my kids walked out of the garage door to go play, and she whacked at the bell over and over again because she wanted to go outside to play with them. It was too funny! Through the consistent training that they teach on the DVD, she eventually learned how to use the bells properly. Our Tell Bells have also visited several people’s houses and she has used them successfully, even in strange homes.

The Tell Bell works well! We give the Tell Bell the highest recommendation possible. It’s a quality product with a remarkably effective training technique that has worked well for us, as well as the numerous people we have given it to as a gift.

Review by Marie Spencer:

The Tell Bell is awesome. My dog started ringing the Tell Bell on her own within two weeks. I do work from home so this helped, plus my kids and husband were faithful in putting her paw on it and ringing it every time we thought she should go out. It took almost 3 more weeks more before she was fully trained and was ringing it every time she needed to go out. It works great and I loved the manual and DVD. It was real clear on how to train a dog that my kids were on board and could follow the steps. Also, it was great to receive two Tell Bells in a box. We keep the extra one in a traveling bag for our dog. In fact, I need to get another one for our basement door, since my kids are down there a great deal. Having a Tell Bell trained dog makes having a dog so much easier! You don’t have to guess when you’re busy working and the kids never have to wonder when the dog needs to go outside. This is an awesome product and our entire family loves it! We have told so many people about it, and our friends think it is so cool that our dog rings a bell to communicate with us when she needs to go outside to use the restroom.

Review by Bill:

I bought this having read the other 5-star reviews, including the one that says the hammock has a “chemical or dirt” smell. Well, now that I’ve got the hammock, it’s so incredibly easy to use and setup, I can’t believe I was putting down an old blanket before. But the other reviewer was right: That chemical/dirt odor (and seriously, I couldn’t have come up with a better description than dirt, myself!) is really strong. It probably will wear off eventually, but leaving it out in the sun, spraying it with Febreeze, and even washing it on the mild cycle with hot water and “fluff” drying it without heat (DO NOT TRY THIS as it tears the nylon backing!!!) have not rid it of the smell. If the smell ever goes away, I’d rate this as a 5, but for now, I’m optimistically giving it a 3. Might not be a bad idea to check the other hammocks available out there and spend a bit more money to see if you can get a non-dirt-smelling seat cover!

Review by Peekablue:

I am a Vet Tech, so I am able to take my dog to work with me & I take him almost every day. He is a Golden Retriever, so he sheds A LOT. My GMC Jimmy’s back seat is pretty much covered with hair & it kind of smells like dog in there. Well, I recently purchased a new car & definitely do not want the back seat to be trashed like the old one is.

This cover is very easy to install. There are four adjustable straps that fit around the head rests of your seats. They have clips for easy removal & replacement. It fits pretty well in the back seat of my car, which is a 2008 Pontiac Grand Prix. It took me 10-15 minutes to hook everything up & get the straps adjusted just right. There are velcro slits that allow for access to seat belts. There is also a velcro slit at the edge of the seat which enables you to open it to allow a human passenger to sit in the back without removing the entire cover.

As for cleaning, I just run it through the washing machine, on the gentle cycle, & hang it to dry over my shower curtain. I think the instructions say not to put it in a washing machine but I have not had any problems, so far (after about 5 months of use).

My dog looked at it a little funny when he first saw it but he jumped right in & seems to ride comfortably, if not more so, since he doesn’t fall off the seat when I have to hit the breaks.

The down sides:

It doesn’t “grab” the dog hair, so the hair is free to just float around in the car.

The part that comes across the back of my front seats & acts as a barrier does not stay taught, so my dog could easily come up front if he wanted to. Fortunately, I have him trained to stay in the back. Also, it’s still a good idea to use a seat belt harness with this product.

Review by blst:

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/RVJF76APZQ083 Hope this video can give you some idea. She’s been playing with this one for about a month, but she does not seem to have lost her interest. Recommended.

Review by A. Thompson:

I was nervous when buying this because I wasnt sure if this was the whole set or just replacements- I was pleased when it arrived and was the whole set.

My dog has a great time with this toy. The little squirrels inside the trunk are squeaky toys, which she LOVES. The box came with instructions on how to modivate and teach your pet to use it. We put a small treat in the bottom and she had a great time digging it out. The whole process for removing the squirrels takes her less than a minute now, so if there is not a human near by to restock the trunk, she moves on to something else. This is not something I would leave her with and expect it to keep her occupied for the day.

I would say that if your pet enjoys this general type of play (stuffed things, digging, hide and seek) this is an EXCELLENT toy and alot of fun.