Benny's Diet Requires Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch Dog Food . . . It's Such A Good Thing That He Loves It!

The Good: Great nutritional benefits, High-quality ingredients, Benny loves it
The Bad: Exceptionally expensive
The Basics: Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch dog food meets Benny's special dietary needs and while it is expensive, it has helped him get up to a healthy weight and he loves it!


My poor Benny! It did not take my wife and I long to realize that our latest rescue dog had some pretty serious issues. As he became healthier, he started to exhibit food allergies and one of his eyes became drastically worse than when we got him - as an corneal ulcer manifested! With Benny's near-constant scratching, it became very easy for my wife to diagnose his food allergy. Since Benny's diet had always (since we got him) been grain-free, his itching indicated a different type of food allergy. My wife did a lot of reading on the subject and determined that Benny probably needed to consume novel proteins.

While she initially sent me on a futile quest to the local bison farm (yes, I live now in an area where there are multiple bison farms!), we ended up stocking up on Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch dog food the moment Benny responded favorably to it. And he has. For the past two months, Benny has been eating Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch and he no longer itches compulsively after eating!

Basics

Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch dog food is a premium dog food and it is not something carried at my local grocery store. The 28 lb. bag lasted Benny a month and that's a pretty big expense for dog food for us.

A single serving of Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch dog food for a dog like Benny (he's an English Setter who has gotten up to a healthy fifty pounds) is supposed to be 2 1/4 - 2 3/4 cups per day, so the 28 pound bag lasts only a month! The Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch dog food is made up of little discs that are 3/8" in diameter and 1/8" thick. The Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch dog food smells appropriately fishy.

Ease Of Preparation

Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch is a fully-prepared dry dog food; there is no preparation required for dispensing it. The Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch has directions for dispensing based on specific canine weight ranges and Benny has had no issues with devouring his 2 1/4 cups each day.

Benny’s Reaction

The Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch smells very fishy, but not in an unpleasant way. Instead, the Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch dog food is aromatic in a way that implies the fine ingredients it possesses!

Benny devours the Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch dog food each time it is put before him. Benny consumes this dog food eagerly and when he hears the bag being opened, he comes running for his meals. The Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch dog food sits in Benny's stomach well; his stool has become more firm and regular while on this diet. As well, he does not itch after eating any more, which seems to indicate it has solved his food allergy issues!

Nutrition

Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch dog food is quite nutritious. Made primarily of herring meal, potatoes, and peas, the first twelve ingredients are natural and recognizable and most of the middle ingredients are, too! The Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch dog food has no corn or wheat in it, which is good for a finicky dog like Benny who needs more protein, so it is considered grain-free.

According to the guaranteed analysis, Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch dog food has at least 32% crude protein, 18% crude fat, 1.2% Calcium , but no more than 4% crude fiber and 10% moisture. This is a great food for all dogs. As a dry dog food, it is highly recommended that you have adequate water available for your dog when serving it Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch dog food. Because it is a hard dog food, the act of dogs eating it helps to clean their teeth, which is a nice benefit of the Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch dog food.

Overall

Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch dog food is wonderful for dogs with dietary issues, which make it worth it for anyone who loves their special needs canine!

For other dog food reviews, please be sure to check out:
Rachael Ray Nutrish Just 6 Lamb Meal & Brown Rice Recipe Dog Food
The Honest Kitchen Grain Free Base Mix
Cesar Canine Cuisine Filet Mignon

9/10

For other pet product reviews, please check out my Pet Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2018 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Entirely Average Dog Treat: Benny Likes The Zuke's Z-Bone With Apples!

The Good: Decent ingredients, Dental benefits, Benny likes them
The Bad: Smells terrible, Environmental impact of the packaging, Expensive
The Basics: Benny' actually liked the Zuke’s Z-Bone With Apples, so I suppose the scent is more offensive to humans than dogs!


My poor Benny! Benny, the English Setter my wife and I adopted back at the beginning of July probably has a food allergy (gosh, I hope that's what it is because my wife has tried everything to alleviate poor Benny's constant desire to itch). Benny's skin is redder than most and his hair was initially patchy, because of how much he scratched at his body, but after various medicines, baths twice a week and now a special diet food he seems to be getting better. Odds are, the special diet food the veterinarian prescribed for Benny is what is actually showing the positive results we have started to see.

But, even with the change for Benny's diet, he craves the occasional treat and finding one that fits into his new dietary needs has been a little difficult. Benny found a treat he generally enjoys with the Zuke's Z-Bone With Apples dog treats.

Basics

The Zuke's Z-Bone With Apples are a treat that is in the same snack niche as Greenies. Made to look like a green-brown bone, much like Greenies - save that Greenies are green, the Zuke’s Large Z-Bone With Apples are more brown in its coloring - the Z-Bone With Apples are supposed to be difficult for the dog to chew, which helps them scrape the plaque and tartar off their teeth. When Benny actually consumed the Z-Bone With Apples, they did actually clean his teeth like they were supposed to. The fact that Benny wanted more and more of the Z-Bone With Apples seems to indicate that they work and English Setters, at least, like them!

The Z-Bone With Apples Treats are brownish-green and shaped like a bone, though they are flat on the longest portion. Each large Z-Bone With Apples is 4 1/2” long and 1 11/16” wide at its widest point and 1" thick. Each Large Z-Bone With Apples is a 2.5 oz. treat that comes individually as a wrapped bone-shaped treat.

Ease Of Preparation

The green ground potato and pea "bone" is designed to help fight plaque and tartar build-up by having a texture to it and being very hard. The bone-shaped treat is smooth until the dog bites into it and fractures it. Then it becomes very mealy and the texture helps remove matter from a dog's mouth. Because the bone is too big to simply be swallowed, the Z-Bone With Apples effectively brushes the dog's teeth and tongue using friction whenever the dog bites into it to split it and swallows it, dragging the bolus across their tongue. Benny's experience with the Z-Bone With Apples seemed to prove that it worked for that purpose!

Preparing the treat for consumption is very easy; simply unwrap the individually-wrapped bone treat and give it to your dog. I highly recommend having water nearby for the dog to drink as they eat the Z-Bone!

Benny’s Reaction

The Zuke's Z-Bone With Apples smell like apple cider vinegar. The aroma is much more like apple cider vinegar than apples and that is not very appealing to me. Fortunately, Benny was enticed by the aroma of the Z-Bone With Apples. Woken up from a sound sleep, Benny actually got very excited about the Zuke's Z-Bone With Apples.

The Zuke's Z-Bone With Apples is big enough that it forces even a decent sized dog like Benny to chew up the bone to break it up and consume it. As a result, the physical action cleaned Benny's teeth well. Unfortunately, because of the somewhat vinegar scent to the Z-Bone With Apples, the treat did very little for Benny's breath (which, to be fair, is not terrible to begin with). The fact that Benny enthusiastically consumed the Z-Bone With Apples almost justifies its price!

Nutrition

These treats are pretty decent for dogs, especially those who have allergies to various meats. The package recommends that dog owners have clean drinking water available to their dog when they feed them this treat. This treat is a dietary supplement, not a full meal. Z-Bone With Apples in the large size have at least 9.5% crude protein, 1% crude fat, and no more than 5% crude fiber and 20% moisture, so those looking out for their dog's specific dietary needs, that might help. They are made primarily of ground potatoes, ground peas, and vegetable glycerine. There are a fair amount of preservatives in the Z-Bone With Apples, which explains why the ones we got last week had a June 15, 2019 expiration date.

Overall

The Zuke’s Z-Bone With Apples is expensive, but does what it promises as far as enticing Benny to eat them and cleaning his teeth, even if it does not overly freshen his breath!

For other Zuke's dog treat reviews, please check out my takes on:
Zuke's Crunchy Naturals Baked With Peanut Butter & Bananas Dog Treats
Zuke's Roasted Chicken Recipe Mini Naturals
Clean Berry Crisp Z-Bones

5/10

For other pet product reviews, please visit my Pet Review Index Page for an organized listing of reviews on the subject!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Helping To Train Benny: Zuke's Crunchy Naturals Baked With Peanut Butter & Bananas Treats Work!

The Good: Decent ingredients, Benny seems to like them, Good dental benefits
The Bad: Comparatively expensive.
The Basics: Zuke's Crunchy Naturals Baked With Peanut Butter & Bananas dog treats are helping Benny learn new tricks while keeping his teeth clean!


One of the things that ster, Benny, is how member of our family very long at as not been a member of our family very long at as not been a member of our family very long at all, but already, he knows a decent number of commands. A big part of that is finding the right treats that Benny responds to as positive reinforcement for the tricks he is asked to do. One of the treats that easily falls into the "right" category are the Zuke's Crunchy Naturals Baked With Peanut Butter & Bananas dog treats.

In fact, the only serious detraction to the Zuke's Crunchy Naturals Baked With Peanut Butter & Bananas treats is the expense of the 12 oz bag. These are an all-natural treat and they are an expensive treat!

Basics

The Zuke's Crunchy Naturals Baked With Peanut Butter & Bananas are a treat that is in the same snack niche as Milkbone dog biscuits, save that these are much smaller and intended to be a reinforcement tool for dogs while training them. Shaped like a tan/brown mealy pill-shaped treat, the Zuke’s Large Crunchy Naturals Baked With Peanut Butter & Bananas are just large enough to require most dogs - including my English Setter - to chew the hard treat up, which provides the dog with positive dental benefits from them. When Benny consumes the Crunchy Naturals Baked With Peanut Butter & Bananas, they clean his teeth.

The Crunchy Naturals Baked With Peanut Butter & Bananas Treats are tan ovals with a flat bottom, that are quite hard. Each one is 1 1/4" long and 1/2" wide and thick. The bag of Zuke's Crunchy Naturals Baked With Peanut Butter & Bananas treats is 12 oz. and comes with at least one hundred twenty treats in the bag.

Ease Of Preparation

The brown pressed oatmeal and banana treat is designed to give the dog a hard, flavorful treat that acts as positive reinforcement for good dogs. Preparing the Zuke's Crunchy Naturals Baked With Peanut Butter & Bananas treats for consumption is very easy; simply open the bag, pull out a few of the tiny treats and give them to your dog. I highly recommend having water nearby for the dog to drink as they eat the Zuke's Crunchy Naturals Baked With Peanut Butter & Bananas treats!

Benny’s Reaction

The Zuke's Crunchy Naturals Baked With Peanut Butter & Bananas treats smell very lightly of peanut butter. That said, the scent is strong enough that when we play the "hide them" game with Benny, he is able to sniff them out. The aroma may not be particularly potent for humans, but it is more than enough for a dog to find them when the Crunchy Naturals Baked With Peanut Butter & Bananas treats are hidden. Benny chews these treats up as soon as he is given them and he is enthusiastic about them whenever he is offered the Zuke's Crunchy Naturals Baked With Peanut Butter & Bananas treats. The fact that he chews them up means that Benny gets the dental benefits these hard dog treats off him, which is a nice selling point for both Benny and his human companions!

Nutrition

These treats are fairly good for dogs. The package recommends that dog owners have clean drinking water available to their dog when they feed them this treat. This treat is a dietary supplement, not a full meal. Crunchy Naturals Baked With Peanut Butter & Bananas treats have at least 11% crude protein, 6% crude fat, and no more than 1% crude fiber and 12% moisture, so those looking out for their dog's specific dietary needs, that might help. They are made primarily of oatmeal, pearled barley and rice bran. There are only a couple of preservatives and these treats are vegan-compliant and corn, wheat, and soy free! The package we picked up two weeks ago had a June 10, 2019 expiration date.

Overall

The Zuke's Crunchy Naturals Baked With Peanut Butter & Bananas treats are a decent reinforcement treat for Benny and enough to recommend to anyone with dogs that are still being trained!

For other Zuke's dog treat reviews, please check out my reviews of:
Roasted Chicken Recipe Mini Naturals
Zuke's Clean Berry Crisp Z-Bones
Zuke's Clean Cherry Berry Z-Bones

8.5/10

For other pet product reviews, please check out my Pet Review Index Page for an organized listing of my reviews on the subject!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Zuke's Roasted Chicken Recipe Mini Naturals Are A Wonderful Reinforcement Treat!

The Good: Decent ingredients, Benny seems to like them
The Bad: No real dental benefits, Comparatively expensive.
The Basics: Benny has been learning new tricks and Zuke’s Roasted Chicken Recipe Mini Naturals dog treats have been a part of his education and reinforcement!


There are a number of brands that I have had very mixed experiences with. Zuke's dog treats, for example, have had incredibly varied reactions with the three dogs I've had that have tried their products. One of the first treats I tried with Benny, my new English Setter, was a Zuke's treat and he was not exactly wowed by it. But, as my wife and I have worked to train Benny using smaller treats that are good for reinforcement while teaching him new tricks, the Zuke's Roasted Chicken Recipe Mini Naturals have been effective. The Zuke's Roasted Chicken Recipe Mini Naturals are enjoyed enough by Benny to make them worth trying, at least as a reinforcement tool!

Basics

The Zuke's Roasted Chicken Recipe Mini Naturals are a treat that is in the same snack niche as Greenies, save that these are much smaller and intended to be a reinforcement tool for dogs while training them. Shaped like a dark brown-red disc, the Zuke’s Large Roasted Chicken Recipe Mini Naturals are too small to have actual dental benefits. When Benny consumes the Roasted Chicken Recipe Mini Naturals, they do not actually clean his teeth.

The Roasted Chicken Recipe Mini Naturals Treats are brownish-red discs, that are fairly soft. Each one is 7/16" in diameter and 1/4" thick. The bag of Zuke's Roasted Chicken Recipe Mini Naturals treats is 6 oz. and comes with at least a hundred treats in the bag.

Ease Of Preparation

The red pressed chicken and ground rice treat is designed to give the dog a quick flavor hit of positive reinforcement by dispensing the treat. Preparing the Zuke's Roasted Chicken Recipe Mini Naturals treats for consumption is very easy; simply open the bag, pull out a few of the tiny treats and give them to your dog. I highly recommend having water nearby for the dog to drink as they eat the Zuke's Roasted Chicken Recipe Mini Naturals treats!

Benny’s Reaction

The Zuke's Roasted Chicken Recipe Mini Naturals treats smell very strongly of meat and salt. The smell of these dog treats is virtually identical to that of human jerky or Slim Jims. The moment the bag of the Zuke's Roasted Chicken Recipe Mini Naturals treats is opened, Benny comes running. He will go wherever the treats are placed or tossed. When getting him to do tricks, Benny responds to seeing one in my fingers and he eagerly laps them up as a reward for his compliance.

Nutrition

These treats are fairly good for dogs. The package recommends that dog owners have clean drinking water available to their dog when they feed them this treat. This treat is a dietary supplement, not a full meal. Roasted Chicken Recipe Mini Naturals treats have at least 10% crude protein, 7% crude fat, and no more than 2% crude fiber and 30% moisture, so those looking out for their dog's specific dietary needs, that might help. They are made primarily of chicken, ground rice, and ground barley. There are a lot of preservatives, so these treats are not considered all-natural! The bag we picked up two months ago had a February 20, 2019 expiration date.

Overall

The Zuke's Roasted Chicken Recipe Mini Naturals treats are a wonderful way to get Benny to do minor tricks with a transaction benefit. Benny enjoys them enough to do quite a bit for a treat, which makes the Zuke's Roasted Chicken Recipe Mini Naturals treats well worth picking up!

For other dog treat reviews, please check out my reviews of:
Zuke's Clean Berry Crisp Z-Bones
Zuke's Clean Cherry Berry Z-Bones
Greenies Breath Buster Bites Crisp Apple Treats

8/10

For other pet product reviews, please check out my Pet Review Index Page for an organized listing of my reviews on the subject!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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The First Real Dog Food Hit With Benny Is Rachael Ray Nutrish Just 6 Lamb Meal & Brown Rice Recipe

The Good: Very nutritious, Good ingredients, Benny enjoys it quite a bit
The Bad: Comparatively expensive, Benny does not absolutely love it
The Basics: Rachael Ray Nutrish Just 6 Lamb Meal & Brown Rice Recipe dog food is the first hard food Benny has gravitated to consistently, even if he is still not super-eager for.


Benny, my family's new English Setter, has been a picky eater the last few months since he joined us. When we first rescued Benny, he was very underweight and he was still resistant to trying new foods more than once. For the first month and a half of Benny being in our home, we worked hard to blend hard foods and wet foods in order to entice him into eating, getting hydrated, and getting his weight back up into a healthy bracket. The longer Benny has been with us, the more we have weened him off the inclusion of wet foods in his diet and worked to find him a dry food that he actually enjoyed on its own. Rachael Ray Nutrish Just 6 Lamb Meal & Brown Rice Recipe dog food is the first dry dog food that has succeeded on that front.

The Rachael Ray Nutrish Just 6 Lamb Meal & Brown Rice Recipe grabs Benny enough to bring him back to the food dish meal after meal and he always seems to get around to eating it. Benny likes and will eat the Rachael Ray Nutrish Just 6 Lamb Meal & Brown Rice Recipe food day after day, though sometimes, it still takes a little additional enticement in order to get him to eat his whole bowl's worth of food.

Basics

Rachael Ray Nutrish Just 6 Lamb Meal & Brown Rice Recipe dog food is a pricier dog food, though I picked it up as my local grocery store was putting it on clearance. The 28 lb. bag has lasted Benny a month and it is likely to take another month for him to finish it off.

A single serving of Rachael Ray Nutrish Just 6 Lamb Meal & Brown Rice Recipe dog food for a dog like Benny is supposed to be 3 cups per day, so the big bag lasts about two months! The Rachael Ray Nutrish Just 6 Lamb Meal & Brown Rice Recipe dog food is made up of little spheroids that are 1/2" in diameter (on their widest axis). The Rachael Ray Nutrish Just 6 Lamb Meal & Brown Rice Recipe smells more mealy than meaty.

Ease Of Preparation

Rachael Ray Nutrish Just 6 Lamb Meal & Brown Rice Recipe is a fully-prepared dry dog food; there is no preparation required for dispensing it. The Rachael Ray Nutrish Just 6 Lamb Meal & Brown Rice Recipe has directions for dispensing based on specific canine weight ranges. The amount of food a dog is given varies surprisingly little, but for Benny, in his weight bracket, Benny gets 3 cups over the course of the day.

Benny’s Reaction

The Rachael Ray Nutrish Just 6 Lamb Meal & Brown Rice Recipe smells more grainy than it smells like something meaty and inviting in that way. Despite that way, whenever Benny hears the little pellets hitting his metal dog dish, he comes running.

Benny eats the Rachael Ray Nutrish Just 6 Lamb Meal & Brown Rice Recipe dog food right away the majority of the time it is placed out in front of him. Despite him consuming this food frequently, Benny will not come running for the Rachael Ray Nutrish Just 6 Lamb Meal & Brown Rice Recipe. At least once a week, Benny will walk over to his dish, smell the food and then walk away. The fact that, even though Benny enjoys this food, he does not eagerly consume it each and every time is a little bit of a detraction for me. Despite that, Benny eats this food more consistently than any other dog food and he does not need it extensively doctored to bribe him into eating it, which is a nice change from every other dog food we have tried with him.

Nutrition

Rachael Ray Nutrish Just 6 Lamb Meal & Brown Rice Recipe dog food is actually very nutritious. Made primarily of lamb meal, brown rice, and ground rice the first seven ingredients are natural before becoming a chemistry equation I can only assume has to do with preserving the food and keeping it formed. The Rachael Ray Nutrish Just 6 Lamb Meal & Brown Rice Recipe dog food has no corn in it, which is good for a finicky dog like Benny who needs more protein!

According to the guaranteed analysis, Rachael Ray Nutrish Just 6 Lamb Meal & Brown Rice Recipe dog food has at least 20% crude protein, 13% crude fat, 1.5% Calcium , but no more than 7% crude fiber and 11% moisture. This is not a bad food for dogs at all. As a dry dog food, it is highly recommended that you have adequate water available for your dog when serving it Rachael Ray Nutrish Just 6 Lamb Meal & Brown Rice Recipe dog food. Because it is a hard dog food, the act of dogs eating it helps to clean their teeth, which is a nice benefit of the Rachael Ray Nutrish Just 6 Lamb Meal & Brown Rice Recipe dog food.

Overall

Rachael Ray Nutrish Just 6 Lamb Meal & Brown Rice Recipe dog food is a bit more expensive than some foods, but given that Benny enjoys it so much and has made it possible for me to finally stock up on some food for him, it is enough to justify the expense.

For other dog food reviews, please be sure to check out:
Purina Moist & Meaty Steak Flavor dog food
The Honest Kitchen Grain Free Base Mix
Cesar Canine Cuisine Filet Mignon

8.5/10

For other pet product reviews, please check out my Pet Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Functional, Absolutely Wrong Size: Greenies Breath Buster Bites Crisp Apple Treats Are A Mixed Bag!

The Good: Benny enjoys them, Good ingredients, Dental benefits
The Bad: Comparatively expensive, The exact size to get caught in a dog's throat
The Basics: Greenies Breath Buster Bites Crisp Apple Treats are like a breath mint for dogs and they work, but they require more work than they ought to to keep dogs safe.


Benny, our new English Setter, has discovered the joys of cat litter. I swear, no sooner does one make the comment that one's dog does not appear to be interested in the litterbox than all of a sudden, the dog goes right for the cat cookies. Benny's new culinary interest has necessitated finding a treat that will effectively clean out his mouth and scrape the litter off his teeth when he manages to sneak back into the cat room. For that, we went with Greenies Breath Buster Bites Crisp Apple Treats.

Greenies Breath Buster Bites Crisp Apple Treats work - in fact they freshen Benny's breath in a nice way - but they are just small enough that they could easily get stuck in a dog's throat, which means that I have to break up the treats when Benny has them. This, sadly, undermines the point of the treats, which is to get a dog to masticate and chew the treats apart to freshen breath.

Basics

The Greenies Breath Buster Bites Crisp Apple Treats are a treat that is part of the expanding line of Greenies flavors as the company has diversified from their tradition Greenies dog treats. Made to look like a tiny dark green half-toothbrush, half-bone, the Greenies Breath Buster Bites Large Crisp Apple Treats are supposed to be difficult for the dog to chew, which helps them scrape the plaque and tartar off their teeth. Unfortunately, the tiny "bones" are just small enough that Benny has tried - every time! - to simply swallow them. The choking risk is very real, but given that I quickly recognized the threat, I started to alter just how Benny was given these treats.

The Crisp Apple Treats Treats are dark green with one end shaped like a bone, the other shaped like a toothbrush, with sides that are flat and the brand name embossed on one side. It is 1 1/2” long and 5/8” wide at its widest point and 3/8" thick.

Ease Of Preparation

The green pressed pea flour and glycerine "bone" is designed to help fight plaque and tartar build-up by having a texture to it and being very chewy, while freshening breath. The bone-shaped treat is smooth until the dog bites into it and fractures it. Then it becomes very mealy and the texture helps remove matter from a dog's mouth. Unfortunately, because the bone is small enough that it can simply be swallowed, the Crisp Apple Treats is not as effective in its stated goals as some of the other Greenies treats.

Preparing the treat for consumption should be very easy; simply open the bag, extract a single bone treat and give it to your dog. These Greenies require pet parents to split the treat in half or in thirds so that the dog does not simply swallow it. Broken up thus, Benny has been more inspired to actually chew the treats, as opposed to when he is given them intact. I highly recommend having water nearby for the dog to drink as they eat the Greenies Breath Buster Bites Crisp Apple Treats!

Benny’s Reaction

The Greenies Breath Buster Bites Crisp Apple Treats smell vaguely fruity in the bag. The treat is not one of the more aromatic Greenies treats. That, however, does not stop Benny from getting excited about the Greenies Breath Buster Bites Crisp Apple Treats when I open the bag of the treats. Benny chews up the fragments of the Greenies Breath Buster Bites Crisp Apple Treats when I give them to him and they effectively make his breath smell like something other than cat litter! Benny's breath does not end up smelling like apples, but these treats do effectively eliminate any foreign smell.

Nutrition

These treats are quite good for dogs, beyond their dental benefits. The package recommends that dog owners have clean drinking water available to their dog when they feed them this treat. This treat is a dietary supplement, not a full meal. Crisp Apple Treats have at least 26% crude protein, 5.5% crude fat, and no more than 6% crude fiber and 15% moisture, so those looking out for their dog's specific dietary needs, that might help. The Greenies Breath Buster Bites Crisp Apple Treats are made primarily of pea flour, gelatin and glycerine. Fairly far down the ingredients list there are dried apples, so these are quite good for dogs. There are not a lot of preservatives, so these treats are actually very natural! The Greenies Breath Buster Bites Crisp Apple Treats seem to have a decent shelf life despite the lack of a ton of preservatives.

Overall

The Greenies Breath Buster Bites Crisp Apple Treats are decent, but between the expense and the work needed to make certain a dog does not inadvertently choke on them makes them less worthwhile than spending the time needed to just brush a dog's teeth!

For other Greenies treat reviews, please check out my takes on:
Greenies Bursting Blueberry Treats
Feline Greenies Oven Roasted Chicken
Senior Greenies

6/10

For other pet product reviews, please click here to visit my index page on the subject!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Simple, But Effective, Benny Loves Trek Treats!

The Good: Dental benefits, Benny enjoys them, High-quality ingredients
The Bad: Comparatively expensive
The Basics: Treat Simple Trek Treats are expensive, but Benny enjoys them, making them worthwhile for training our English Setter!


My dogs, past and present, have never been pretentious. The lovable cocker spaniel my wife brought to our relationship would eat anything and the Siberian Husky we had for years had flexible tastes, though she was a bit more discriminating. Our new English Setter, Benny, is a bit pickier, but he does not seem to have only expensive tastes, which is nice. Despite that, I have been thrilled to give him some very different treats for him to try. One of the high-quality treats that has been a part of Benny's training that has been effective for reinforcement are Trek Treats.

Treat Simple Trek Treats smell surprisingly grainy for a wheat, corn, and soy-free dog treat that is made primarily of oat and pork. These are a high-quality alternative to Milkbone treats and Benny has responded to them with more enthusiasm than the less-expensive treats.

Basics

Treat Simple Trek Treats are an all-natural treat for dogs. They are a hard dog treat, so they have a decent dental benefit for dogs, helping them to scrape plaque and tartar off their teeth when they chew them.

The Trek Treats are tan bone-shaped dog treats. Each snack is 1 1/2” long by 1 1/8" wide and 5/16” thick. The Trek Treats come in a 5 ounce resealable bag, which has at least forty treats.

Ease Of Preparation

The hard treats with very human-friendly ingredients (honey and chia seeds!) are easy enough to dispense. Preparing the Treat Simple Trek Treats for consumption is very easy; simply open the bag and remove a treat for your dog. I highly recommend having water nearby for the dog to drink as they eat the Trek Treats!

Benny’s Reaction

Benny has eagerly consumed the Trek Treats each time we have given them to him. Benny goes through a variety of treats each time he comes in from pooping; whenever we go for the bag of Trek Treats, he actually jumps up and down for the treats. He is enthusiastic for the Trek Treats in a way that he is not for some of the other treats we give him under the same circumstances. Each time he is given a Trek Treat, he eagerly consumes it, never leaving crumbs or ever dropping the treat from his mouth.

Nutrition

These treats are quite good for dogs, especially those who are on a generally grain-free diet. The Trek Treats are wheat, corn and soy free. Dog owners should have clean drinking water available to their dog when they feed them this treat. The Treat Simple Trek Treats are a dietary supplement, not a full meal. The Trek Treats have at least 11% crude protein, 10% crude fat, and no more than 3% crude fiber and 8% moisture, so those looking out for their dog's specific dietary needs, that might help. The Trek Treats are made primarily of oats, pork and honey, so they have great ingredients. There are no recognizable preservatives, so these treats are actually very natural! The treats we picked up two weeks ago had a September 10, 2018 expiration date, so for an all-natural dog treat, they are still worth stocking up on!

Overall

Treat Simple made a treat Benny truly loves with the Trek Treats, but given that they are at least twice the price of a comparable bag of Milkbone dog treats makes it a little tougher sell for a thrifty dog owner like me.

For other dog treat reviews, please check out my takes on:
The Lazy Dog Cookie Co. Banana Safari Snacks
Greenies Bursting Blueberry Treats
Blue Dog Bakery Peanut Butter & Molasses Treats

8/10

For other pet product reviews, please check out my Pet Product Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Dog Treats For Hipsters (Not Their Dogs!): The Lazy Dog Cookie Co. Banana Safari Snacks Underwhelm!

The Good: Wonderful, quality, ingredients
The Bad: No dental benefits, Expensive, Benny is not at all excited by them.
The Basics: The Lazy Dog Cookie Co. Banana Safari Snacks might make high-quality dog treats, but this is one I couldn't coax Benny into eating more than once!


I understand the appeal of high-quality products for people and their pets. I get it, there are people who want to eat healthy and will pay a premium for that and there are pets who have allergies and need to be on special diets. Despite that, sometimes, I encounter a product and I roll my eyes, thinking "who is this product really for?" Such was the case when I received a bag of The Lazy Dog Cookie Co. Banana Safari Snacks. I understand that some dogs might needs wheat, corn and soy free treats, but I've never had a dog that actually ate bananas.

Benny, my new English Setter, is no exception to that trend.

The Lazy Dog Cookie Co. Banana Safari Snacks smelled great, proving their wonderful and natural ingredients, but Benny was entirely indifferent to them, proving to my wife and I that the treats were meant to appeal to dog owners more than their canine companions!

Basics

The Lazy Dog Cookie Co. Banana Safari Snacks are an all-natural treat for dogs. They are a soft treat, so they have no noticeable dental benefits for dogs. Or rather, they would not have real dental benefits for dogs if a dog would even eat them!

Banana Safari Snacks left me ultimately unimpressed because Benny could not be enticed into trying them more than once. The Banana Safari Snacks Treats are tan lumps that are reminiscent of macaroon cookies in their shape. Each snack is 1 1/4” in diameter and 1/2” thick. The Banana Safari Snacks come in a 5 ounce resealable bag, which has at least twenty treats, as the treats are approximately .25 oz. each.

Ease Of Preparation

The fresh-baked treats are soft and mealy; this is actually a fairly messy treat when the dog actually tries to eat it. Preparing the The Lazy Dog Cookie Co. Banana Safari Snacks for consumption is very easy; simply open the bag and remove a treat for your dog. I highly recommend having water nearby for the dog to drink as they eat the Banana Safari Snacks!

Benny’s Reaction

Benny was entirely unimpressed by these treats. The first time we gave him a The Lazy Dog Cookie Co. Banana Safari Snacks, he took it in his mouth, walked two steps, dropped the treat and turned and looked at me with an expression that was the English Setter equivalent to "what the hell did you just give me?!" Benny tried one, fracturing it easily into two pieces and a lot of crumbs, then swallowing the pieces. Benny did not feel inclined to clean up the pieces.

The subsequent attempts to feed Benny The Lazy Dog Cookie Co. Banana Safari Snacks resulted in Benny dropping the treat from his mouth and leaving them. Perhaps the best commentary I can make on how unappealing these treats were to Benny was the fact that as I wrote this review, I opened the bag and removed the treats for measurement and Benny, who is nearby, did not even lift his head to try to look at them. These are aromatic enough that Benny can smell them and he cares so little about them that he does not try to get at them and will not eat them when placed right before him.

Nutrition

These treats would be pretty good for dogs if only the dog would eat them. Dog owners should have clean drinking water available to their dog when they feed them this treat. The The Lazy Dog Cookie Co. Banana Safari Snacks is a dietary supplement, not a full meal. The Banana Safari Snacks have at least 10.93% crude protein (which is an oddly specific amount for a minimum!), 15.28% crude fat, and no more than .83% crude fiber and 12.08% moisture, so those looking out for their dog's specific dietary needs, that might help. The Banana Safari Snacks are made primarily of rolled oats, Honey, and palm oil. There are no recognizable preservatives, so these treats are actually very natural! The treats we picked up two weeks ago had a September 2, 2018 expiration date, which surprised me.

Overall

The Lazy Dog Cookie Co. seems to be a decent company, but their Banana Safari Snacks were solidly rejected by my dog and my wallet!

For other dog treat reviews, please check out my takes on:
Greenies Bursting Blueberry Treats
I And Love And You Chicken + Duck Recipe Nice Jerky Bites
Blue Dog Bakery Peanut Butter & Molasses Treats

1.5/10

For other pet product reviews, please click here to visit my index page on the subject!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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It's A Good Thing Benny Loves Greenies Bursting Blueberry Treats . . .

The Good: Benny loves them, Good ingredients, Dental benefits
The Bad: Comparatively expensive
The Basics: Benny's first real treat love are Greenies Bursting Blueberry Treats, which he continues to be thrilled by.


My wife often advises me to be conservative with treats when we get a new pet in our family, but sometimes a deal is too good for me to pass up. When my local discount store was suddenly overstocked with Greenies Bursting Blueberry Treats, I made a risky choice with our new dog, Benny. After Benny showed that he enjoyed one or two of the Greenies Bursting Blueberry Treats, I made the risky decision to buy the store out while the treats were comparatively cheap. The risk was that Benny's initial interest in the Greenies Bursting Blueberry Treats would fade after he had more of them, that the novelty of the treats would wear off too quickly and he would become indifferent to them.

Well, a month after my big purchase, Benny is still entirely enamored with Greenies Bursting Blueberry Treats, making my investment an incredible deal for Benny and I!

Basics

The Greenies Bursting Blueberry Treats are a treat that is part of the expanding line of Greenies flavors as the company has diversified from their tradition Greenies dog treats. Made to look like a dark green half-toothbrush, half-bone, the Greenies Large Bursting Blueberry Treats are supposed to be difficult for the dog to chew, which helps them scrape the plaque and tartar off their teeth. Benny eats the Bursting Blueberry Treats properly, which leads them to clean his teeth like they were supposed to.

The Bursting Blueberry Treats Treats are dark green with one end shaped like a bone, the other shaped like a toothbrush, with sides that are flat and the brand name embossed on the side. It is 4 7/8” long and 1 1/4” wide at its widest point and 3/4" thick. Each Large Bursting Blueberry Treats treat comes in an eight-treat bag and is intended for a dog that is 50 - 100 pounds (which Benny has finally reached!). The treat bag lasts for at least a week and at their regular price they would be cost-prohibitive; fortunately, I got an incredible deal on them and at less than $.25/treat, they would absolutely be worth stocking up on. Most people, however, would not be able to get them so inexpensively, making them a little tougher to so eagerly recommend.

Ease Of Preparation

The green pressed wheat flour and glycerine "bone" is designed to help fight plaque and tartar build-up by having a texture to it and being very chewy. The bone-shaped treat is smooth until the dog bites into it and fractures it. Then it becomes very mealy and the texture helps remove matter from a dog's mouth. Because the bone is too big to simply be swallowed, the Bursting Blueberry Treats effectively brushes the dog's teeth and tongue using friction whenever the dog bites into it to split it and swallows it, dragging the bolus across their tongue. And it absolutely works for Benny.

Preparing the treat for consumption is very easy; simply open the bag, extract a single bone treat and give it to your dog. I highly recommend having water nearby for the dog to drink as they eat the Greenies Bursting Blueberry Treats!

Benny’s Reaction

The Greenies Bursting Blueberry Treats smell delightfully of blueberries. The fruit scent is entirely realistic and surprisingly inviting. Benny goes right for them, just on the smell alone!

Benny loves the Greenies Bursting Blueberry Treats. Whenever he hears the bag, Benny comes running for a treat. Whenever the bag is opened, Benny rushes for the treat and when I play with him with a treat in my hand, he is thoroughly engaged and interested by it. It takes Benny about fifteen minutes to go through a single Greenies Bursting Blueberry Treat . . . though he has a strong tendency to save one end of each treat to play with after he is done consuming most of the treat. Each Greenies Bursting Blueberry Treat actually cleans his teeth and these treats have helped give Benny fresh breath and clean teeth, which is very nice for my wife and I, who spend a lot of time with our new dog up in our faces!

Nutrition

These treats are quite good for dogs, beyond their dental benefits. The package recommends that dog owners have clean drinking water available to their dog when they feed them this treat. This treat is a dietary supplement, not a full meal. Bursting Blueberry Treats in the Large size have at least 30% crude protein, 4% crude fat, and no more than 6% crude fiber and 15% moisture, so those looking out for their dog's specific dietary needs, that might help. The Greenies Bursting Blueberry Treats are made primarily of wheat flour, glycerine and wheat protein isolate. Fairly far down the ingredients list there are actual blueberries and apples, so these are great for dogs. There are not a lot of preservatives, so these treats are actually very natural! The Greenies Bursting Blueberry Treats seem to have a decent shelf life despite the lack of a ton of preservatives.

Overall

The Greenies Bursting Blueberry Treats might well be Benny's favorite new treat and having stocked up on them, I am thrilled that he likes them so very much!

For other dog treat reviews, please check out my takes on:
Zuke's Clean Berry Crisp Z-Bones
I And Love And You Chicken + Duck Recipe Nice Jerky Bites
Blue Dog Bakery Peanut Butter & Molasses Treats

9/10

For other pet product reviews, please click here to visit my index page on the subject!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Zuke's Clean Berry Crisp Z-Bones Prove An Unfortunate Point!

The Good: Decent ingredients, Dental benefits
The Bad: Benny lost interest in them very fast, Environmental impact of the packaging.
The Basics: Benny's initial interest in the Zuke’s Clean Berry Crisp Z-Bones faded ridiculously quickly, making for a less-impressive treat than I initially thought.


When a new pet joins my family, my wife and I do everything we can to make that animal feel welcome and loved. One of the ways we do that is providing the new addition with treats and foods that meet their preferences. As a reviewer, I get psyched about the new treats and foods my animals get to try and with Benny, our new four year-old English Setter, I have been excited about seeing what he likes. The thing is, Benny has been a member of our family for less than a month now and my wife warned me almost immediately that I should let him get comfortable here before using him too much for reviews. This point was truly driven home to me with the Zuke's Clean Berry Crisp Z-Bones.

Zuke's Clean Berry Crisp Z-Bones were one of the first treats Benny responded positively to in his first week with us. I picked up one of the Clean Berry Crisp Z-Bones on a lark at my local discount store and we gave Benny one when he came in from pooping early on. I figured it might be a good reinforcement tool for him and he devoured the first one with enthusiasm that he had not shown any other treat at the time. So, after I got back from my recent trip, I figured a good way to show Benny that I was still his new guy (and give him affection) was by stocking up on the one treat that I knew he liked and giving it to him as a positive reinforcement treat.

Sadly, Benny has been utterly indifferent to the Zuke's Clean Berry Crisp Z-Bones since that first one.

Basics

The Zuke's Clean Berry Crisp Z-Bones are a treat that is in the same snack niche as Greenies. Made to look like a dark brown-red bone, much like Greenies - save that Greenies are green, the Zuke’s Large Clean Berry Crisp Z-Bones is supposed to be difficult for the dog to chew, which helps them scrape the plaque and tartar off their teeth. When Benny actually consumed the Clean Berry Crisp Z-Bones, they did actually clean his teeth like they were supposed to. But, just like the dental floss that remains unused in my medicine cabinet, the key to the effectiveness of this product is getting the consumer to actually use them . . . and Benny hasn't wanted any of the other Clean Berry Crisp Z-Bones I have opened up for him.

Clean Berry Crisp Z-Bones left me ultimately unimpressed because Benny could not be enticed into trying them again. The Clean Berry Crisp Z-Bones Treats are brownish-red and shaped like a bone, though they are flat and have the brand name embossed on the side. It is 3 1/2” long and 1 3/8” wide at its widest point and 3/4" thick. Each Regular Clean Berry Crisp Z-Bones 1.5 oz. treat comes individually as a wrapped bone-shaped treat and it would be reasonably priced at $1.00/ea., if he would only consume them.

Ease Of Preparation

The red pressed potato flour and glycerine "bone" is designed to help fight plaque and tartar build-up by having a texture to it and being very hard. The bone-shaped treat is smooth until the dog bites into it and fractures it. Then it becomes very mealy and the texture helps remove matter from a dog's mouth. Because the bone is too big to simply be swallowed, the Clean Berry Crisp Z-Bones effectively brushes the dog's teeth and tongue using friction whenever the dog bites into it to split it and swallows it, dragging the bolus across their tongue . . . if a dog actually can be coaxed into consuming it.

Preparing the treat for consumption is very easy; simply unwrap the individually-wrapped bone treat and give it to your dog. I highly recommend having water nearby for the dog to drink as they eat the Clean Berry Crisp Z-Bone!

Benny’s Reaction

Benny ate one. He refuses to eat another one. And I've given him the option several times in the last two weeks.

Nutrition

These treats would not be bad for dogs if only the dog would eat them. The package recommends that dog owners have clean drinking water available to their dog when they feed them this treat. This treat is a dietary supplement, not a full meal. Clean Berry Crisp Z-Bones in the regular size have at least 9.5% crude protein, 1% crude fat, and no more than 5% crude fiber and 20% moisture, so those looking out for their dog's specific dietary needs, that might help. They are made primarily of potato flour, peas, and tapioca. There are not a lot of preservatives, so these treats are actually very natural! The bone we picked up two weeks ago had a December 10, 2017 expiration date.

Overall

The Zuke’s Clean Berry Crisp Z-Bone is a good idea, but one that flops because Benny cannot be enticed into using them.

For other dog treat reviews, please check out my takes on:
I And Love And You Chicken + Duck Recipe Nice Jerky Bites
Pedigree Filet Mignon & Bacon Flavor Stackerz
Purina Busy Real Beefhide Rollhide

2/10

For other pet product reviews, please click here to visit my index page on the subject!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Benny's First Proper Review! I And Love And You Chicken + Duck Recipe Nice Jerky Bites Helps Him Train!

The Good: Healthy, Good ingredients, Wonderful aroma, Benny loves them!
The Bad: No real dental benefits, Comparatively expensive
The Basics: Benny enjoys the I And Love And You Chicken + Duck Recipe Nice Jerky Bites as part of his training; they make a good, if expensive, reinforcement tool.


Just over two weeks ago, my wife and I took in a delightful new dog, a three or four year-old English Setter we've named Benny. Benny is picking up the slack left by Myah's death back in March. My wife has been training Benny pretty much non-stop since she got him and she very quickly found that he appeared to have issues with grain in his foods. As a result, she right away started looking for grain free treats for Benny. We have finally gotten to the point where Benny is no longer freaking out about everything and he has started to display preferences for various foods and treats we have been giving him. So, tonight, he is starting his reviewing with me! Benny's first treat he is endorsing are the I And Love And You Chicken + Duck Recipe Nice Jerky Bites.

I pretty much hate the name "I And Love And You"- what the hell does that even mean?! - but it is hard to deny that the company makes treats that my dog loves. Benny has been willing to do uncommon (for him) tricks in order to be rewarded with even a single Chicken + Duck Recipe Nice Jerky Bite! The I And Love And You Chicken + Duck Recipe Nice Jerky Bites are reminiscent of beef jerky. Given the lack of a dental benefit to the I And Love And You Chicken + Duck Recipe Nice Jerky Bites, it is hard not to consider the I And Love And You Chicken + Duck Recipe Nice Jerky Bites as very expensive for what they are. Benny, however, is not bound by my budgetary concerns, so he seems to like the I And Love And You Chicken + Duck Recipe Nice Jerky Bites quite a bit.

Basics

The 4 oz bag of I And Love And You Chicken + Duck Recipe Nice Jerky Bites is regularly about $6 online, which seemed pretty expensive to me, though I suppose that's a similar price for a similar quantity of human grade beef jerky. Each treat is approximately 1 1/4" long, 1" wide at the widest point and about 3/8" thick. These treats have a bit of variation in size and shape to them, though they are all about the same general proportion and are all rectangular.

The I And Love And You Chicken + Duck Recipe Nice Jerky Bites dog treats are brown strips of meat. The strips are fairly hard, but each has some flexibility to them. The bags of I And Love And You Chicken + Duck Recipe Nice Jerky Bites include a deoxidizer packet which should not be consumed by any animals!

Ease Of Preparation

The I And Love And You Chicken + Duck Recipe Nice Jerky Bites are a fully prepared treat; one need only open the resealable bag and dispense a treat. For Benny's weight - as a full-grown English Setter - he should have only have a couple of treats a day. On average, he gets only two to four per day; the I And Love And You Chicken + Duck Recipe Nice Jerky Bites are intended for dogs five or more pounds in weight.

Benny’s Reaction

Opening the bag of I And Love And You Chicken + Duck Recipe Nice Jerky Bites reveals a treat that smells just like human grade beef jerky. Benny seems to recognize the scent and comes whenever the bag is opened. This is one of the few treats he is actually responsive to by smell so far!

Benny loves the I And Love And You Chicken + Duck Recipe Nice Jerky Bites! He eagerly takes each Nice Jerky Bite from my hand whenever they are offered to him. Benny is still slowly gaining weight so he is able to be be satisfied by a single treat at a time.

The softer-than-some treats I And Love And You Chicken + Duck Recipe Nice Jerky Bites have minimal dental benefits for dogs, especially big dogs like our English Setter. Because the snacks are so easy to eat, Benny seldom even chews them for more than five to ten seconds. It is hard to extol the dental benefits of something that is on the lips and teeth for only a few seconds.

Nutrition

The I And Love And You Chicken + Duck Recipe Nice Jerky Bites dog treats are very healthy. With at least 27% crude protein, 19% crude fat and no more than 1% crude fiber and 22% moisture, the I And Love And You Chicken + Duck Recipe Nice Jerky Bites offer decent nutrition to dogs. Made entirely of Chicken, Duck and glycerine, I And Love And You Chicken + Duck Recipe Nice Jerky Bites are quite good for dogs. The Chicken + Duck Recipe Nice Jerky Bites have a decent shelf life of several months, though it is hard to imagine active dogs allowing them to last that long. The I And Love And You Chicken + Duck Recipe Nice Jerky Bites last for well over a year, which surprised me given how few preservatives are in the treats (ours had an expiration date of September 2018).

As with all dog treats, it is highly recommended that when you give your dog I And Love And You Chicken + Duck Recipe Nice Jerky Bites, make sure they have a decent supply of clean water available. I And Love And You Chicken + Duck Recipe Nice Jerky Bites treats are not intended to replace dog food.

Overall

Benny, admittedly, loves the I And Love And You Chicken + Duck Recipe Nice Jerky Bites. Given the lack of a positive dental benefit to Benny, the I And Love And You Chicken + Duck Recipe Nice Jerky Bites are a tougher sell for me. They are a wonderful "once in a while" treat, but not an essential, must-stock-up on dog treat.

For other dog treats, be sure to check out my reviews of:
Purina Busy Chewnola Dog Snacks
Blue Dog Bakery Peanut Butter & Molasses Treats
Zuke's Clean Cherry Berry Z-Bones

7/10

For other pet products, be sure to visit my Pet Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Not A Decent Way To Control Big Dogs: The Easy Stop 16' Retractable Leash Disappoints.

The Good: Light, Easy to use
The Bad: Operating issues, Low durability, Cheap
The Basics: The Easy Stop 16' Retractable leash was no match for my Siberian Huskey.


So, I'm down to it - the final review of a product from Myah, my Siberian Husky who died back in March. She was an energetic and amazing girl and her lift was far too short. She also had a lot of different things she tried in her lifetime, which is why I had such a cache of reviews for dog products following her death. It is somewhat sad that Myah's final review is for a product that we had such negative experiences with, but after writing an initially good review and putting it in the docket, Myah pretty much destroyed the Easy Stop Retractable Leash.

Leashes are something I have not had to review a whole lot of since I got my Siberian Husky, Myah. But a little over a year ago, my Flexi leash (reviewed here!) gave out and I was in a bind to find a leash locally. At the time, I was shopping at a little local pet store and I bought a comparatively cheap lead for Myah just to get me through the weekend. "The weekend," as it turned out, lasted a whole year. The cheap leash designed for a 50 pound dog worked surprisingly well for a whole year until, the day before Christmas, Myah tugged on it the right way (or the wrong way, I suppose) and destroyed the spring inside it. Fortunately, the day after Christmas, I was able to find a new leash at the local Tractor Supply Store. Only marginally more expensive than the light, dirt cheap lead I bought a year prior, the Easy Stop Retractable Leash is actually designed for dogs up to 96 pounds (Myah is about 80 pounds now!).

Less expensive than the major brand named leads, the Easy Stop 16' Retractable Leash was $29.99 locally and if it lasts at least a year and a half, it is not actually expensive. Unfortunately, it lasted until February 25th - just under two months! - with daily use before Myah did one good tug while it was in a locked position and the locking mechanism, a key selling point and function of the leash, broke.

The 16 foot tape on the Easy Stop 16' Retractable Leash is intended for large dogs up to 96 pounds. The Easy Stop 16' Retractable Leash is produced in many colors, but we found ours in black and it looks pretty good.

For those unfamiliar with a retractable leash, the principle is simple; unlike the classic leash that is a set length, the retractable leash is essentially a handle with the leash itself coiled inside. The leash then becomes a variable length which allows one to maintain better control of their dog or allow their dog to have a little bit of free range and room to run. Retractable leashes store nicely because the spring-activated mechanism which retracts the leash pulls the leash into the housing of the handle when one is done. Virtually all retractable leashes work on that principle.

The Easy Stop 16' Retractable Leash is a below average retractable leash, despite having a few extra bells and whistles than the standard retractable leash. The Easy Stop is intended for large dogs, weighing less than ninety-six pounds. The reason for the weight restriction is the length of the leash and the gauge of the nylon leash. Even bigger dogs would be unlikely to snap this cord, unless they chewed it first. So, for big dogs, this is perfect, except that the mechanism cannot resist the full weight of a dog tugging on it. The tape might not snap, but the stopping mechanism gave out. The tape in our Easy Stop retractable leash was actually sixteen feet; with the hook, it added three and one-quarter inches. The handle is seven and seven-eighths inches long, five and a quarter inches tall and one and three-quarters inches wide), so the grip on the handle is large enough for big hands, even while wearing winter gloves.

The Easy Stop Retractable Leash is outfitted with a steel g-hook which attaches to the dog's collar. In fact, this style of hook is ideal for leashes as it cannot be slipped by the animal; it requires something or someone with opposable thumbs to press down the release and negotiate it out of the metal clasp on the collar one attaches it to. After the dog is attached to the leash, simply wrap your fingers around the grip on the handle and let the dog go! As someone with big hands, the Easy Stop's handle fits nicely in my hand and I have not felt like I could not control Myah while using this leash.

Usage of this particular retractable leash is remarkably easy and it does have a feature many other retractable leashes do not. The Easy Stop 16' Retractable Leash has a separate locking button from the usual stop. Retractable leashes are designed for controlling the length of the leash and the Easy Stop Retractable Leash is no exception. If one's dog begins to get beyond a comfortable length for the owner - or people in the vicinity - one need only press a button on the Easy Stop's handle - it is like a trigger easily activated with one's forefinger - and the leash stops coming out of the handle. The stop function was strong, right up until the moment a decent tug snapped the internal mechanisms, and Myah has not managed to slip me when I hold the stop button down.

The added feature the Easy Stop Retractable Leash has that many others I've tried do not is a locking function for the stop button which is controlled by a second button! The stop button may be held down, but the moment it is released, the dog has full reign again and the cord retracts or lets out more of the leash. But on the top of the Easy Stop 16' Retractable Leash, activated by one's thumb, is a simple slide button that locks the safety web in place. Until the lock function is released by manually pulling back the slide button, the lead is locked in place.

The Easy Stop 16' Retractable Leash came with a decent amount of promise, but it was poorly made and Myah, who never really tugged all that much, managed to make the leash worthless without actually trying as the stopping and retracting mechanism was broken unfortunately easily.

For other dog product reviews, please check out:
The Honest Kitchen Embark Grain Free Turkey Recipe dog food
Deerfield Dog Lodging
American Kennel Club Pet Bed

2/10

For other pet product reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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