It’s at times like these that you really begin to wonder what it would be like to live like a dog. All your time would be spent playing in the garden, eating, chasing those pesky cats and napping. Wouldn’t it?

Well now, there’s chance to find out, with a Pets Eye View Camera. This clever little gadget allows you to see life as your dog sees it. The digital collar camera fits around your pet’s neck and films every bit of mischief that they get up to.

I dread to think what the results would be if my dog, Bobby, wore one. But at least we would find out just how he manages to escape from the garden every day.

Bobby, planning his escape route

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It’s a dog’s life

We’re not talking on the scale of Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross, but it is a controversial subject nonetheless.

I’m talking dogs in clothes.

Some people hate them, but I think they can be great fun.

There are so many amusing outfits available from completely pointless cowboy outfits to the more practical rain macs.

My dog Bobby, is the proud owner of quite a few ensembles and accessories. And he looks adorable in all of them, particularly his dinner jacket and top hat.

I don’t think dogs should be continuously dressed up and used as toys (Paris Hilton style), but the odd dressing up session can be fun, so long as the dog is comfortable with it.

Just make sure that your dog doesn’t become a complete fashionista. It could end up costing you a fortune.

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On the dogwalk

Dog crates are meant to be a safe haven for your dog with some training methods advising that you put your puppy/dog in them for long periods of time.  I don’t really believe in this, though I the dog crate did come in handy.

Max used to be a nightmare whenever I cooked; jumping up, licking the side board and often steeling food.  I then started putting him in the cage whenever I cooked, at first he made a fuss and lots of noise, but very soon he got used to chilling out while I cooked in peace.  We’ve now gotten rid of the dog crate as it was quite space consuming however, Max now knows to behave and leave me to cook in peace.

Another great use for dog crates is to put puppies in at night.  According to friends it speeds up the process of teaching your puppy toilet manners.  Dogs are unlikely to go to the toilet in what they perceive as their bed and therefore hold it until you get up in the morning.  Leaving you to get up with no nasty mess to deal with!

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Dog Crates Have Many Purposes

Yes, I agree there are a lot of toys that can be used for either dogs or children, however, there is one point that we need to watch for.  I avoid any children’s toys that feel to have beans in the bottom (usually to make the toy stand up) or anywhere else for that matter.  Dogs have teeth and although children are just as capable of pulling a toy apart, if they do so, they usually cry when the beans come out and an adult is never far away (or shouldn’t be) to clear up.  Not so with dogs.  Dogs won’t cry, are often alone and will usually try to eat anything that looks edible.  So avoid any toys with beans anywhere in them and if they are meant for older children, don’t leave the dog alone with them.

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Watch out for bean bag dog toys

Dog toys are not cheap.  I used to be able to pick up dog toys for £1 or £2 from the market but no longer.  Now, even the toys on the market are expensive and only 50p or so less than if they were bought from the top notch pet shops in the high street or industrial estate.  I am not entirely sure why this is the case, where exactly did all the cheap dog toys go to?

I do not mind paying for a more expensive dog toy, but they seldom last any longer than the cheap ones and to be honest, my dog just likes having new things (much like her mum ) so I’d rather buy cheaper and more often than spend £5 on a toy she’s bored of in a day or two.  Bring back cheap dog toys!

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Where did cheap dog toys go?

The problem, however, as I soon found in just a few months of owning a dog is that the colour the companies use can stain.  This stain is not only unsightly when it gets all over the carpet and nicely cleaned floor, but also stains the dog’s mouth.  In some cases, this might not be such a huge deal but my dog is beige and white, so a bright red or green mouth can be difficult to turn back to its initial glorious white in a hurry.  Mind you, she does look funny!

It does make me think though, what sort of colouring or flavourings are going into this treat food?  Is my dog likely to be hyper as children do with these things?

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Beware of staining dog food

In the dog world, promotional merchandise is just as effective and possibly even more so, although it seems to me that few companies use them.

For instance, if you visit the James Wellbeloved websites, as I’ve mentioned before, you can get free samples of their dog food and they also have them out on the shop floor at Pets at Home stores and other pet shops too.  They also have free pet treats on the counter, although I’m not sure if they can really be classed as promotional merchandise when the store doesn’t advertise the brand.  I guess it’s still a promotional item for the store itself though – I know my dog loves it when we get to the till and she gets a free dog biscuit.  I have bought products that have been promoted using this method and I think the best promotional merchandise items are the ones that you’ll actually keep and use, so let’s have some more please!

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More Promotional Merchandise

Isn’t it funny how we feel the need to label and stereotype people?  People from Liverpool get a pretty poor stereotype as we imagine youths running round in hoodies, terrorising people and stealing anything that isn’t nailed down.

In the last couple of years, I wonder if the hoodie is perhaps making a comeback as I’ve seen a lot of people, older and more respectable people than you might imagine, wearing them.  In fact, companies are even getting personalised or custom hoodies made now for staff and team events.

Whatever we follow as fashion, we even feel the need to inflict it upon our pets, which in most cases usually means the dog.

Years ago, it was enough that we made and bought little jackets for our dogs to walk in.  This I could bear because at least it served a purpose.  Yes, dogs have their own fur coats so should not need jackets for protecting them from the cold but as we cut or groom our dogs, as I do with my own dog, then sometimes it makes sense.

However, the latest fashions from humans have now become the latest fashion for dogs too.  Yes, you can now buy your dog little dog boots, dog jackets – in many styles from camouflage to burberry check, dog hats, diamonte collars, t-shirts, jumpers and now even a hoodie!

So I guess if the trend is to purchase a custom hoody for ourselves, it doesn’t take much of a leap of imagination to see us buying custom hoodies for our dogs and even a matching set.  What is the world coming to?

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Popularity of the custom hoody

In past articles, I’ve mentioned about picking up the free samples of dog food from places like Pets at Home and such like and I’ve also talked about the free samples of dog food that you can get online from dog food suppliers, but although these are great, there are other ways to save money too.

If you haven’t already, make sure that you sign up to supermarket storecards like Tescos Clubcard or Sainsburys Nectar card because they send out mailings quite frequently and many of these contain promotional vouchers or discount vouchers.

You are more likely to get the promotional vouchers for dog food if you do on occasion purchase dog food from the supermarket itself.  Asda is slightly different because any discount vouchers they offer are in their monthly magazine, which you can usually pick up at the end of the month from the checkouts.

There are also plenty of online promotional vouchers you can pick up so just keep your eyes open and when you find them be sure to use them if they’ll save you money.

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Promotional vouchers to the rescue

This weekend, I paid a visit to a certain national pet store in order to purchase some Christmas presents for my dog and my mother’s dog (yes, the dogs get presents too as all true dog lovers will know!)

I bought my dog a large reindeer soft toy, a selection box and some treats for normal day to day use too, and I bought my mother’s dog a smaller version of the same toy and a raincoat – that might seem a little extravagant but it’s what my mum wanted for her dog so it’s for her too in a way.

Whilst I was wandering round I saw several promotional items, including free sachet samples of dog biscuit food, free dog treats at the counter for your dog and some free 2009 calendars, which are ideal because the customer will no doubt keep them for a whole year and constantly be reminded of the company.  Plus, I got some freebies, hurrah for promotional items!

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Useful Promotional Items