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Archives for November 2016

Getting Holiday-Ready with RELIQ

November 28, 2016 Leave a Comment

It's Dog or Nothing | Getting Holiday-Ready with RELIQGetting Holiday-Ready with RELIQ

I’m not sure how we’re about to enter December already, but whether we’re ready or not, it’s here! With as much joy this time of year brings, it also prompts a bit of stress. The stress of finding the perfect gifts, having a recipe (not to mention an outfit) for every holiday party, and most significantly, preparing to host guests in your home.

While Great Pyrenees don’t have typical “doggie odor”, we now live in the Pacific Northwest. Pyrs may be “immune” to the typical smell, but no dog can avoid the horrid wet dog smell. Candles can help mask, or even eliminate, the smell, but unless you beat the smell at its source, it will always exist.

What’s the obvious solution to beat the smell? Give them a bath, of course. But once again, you must truly eliminate the odor. Too many dog shampoos only mask the odor, leaving you with a scented wet dog. That’s almost worse than pure wet dog smell! If the shampoo does truly eliminate the odor, it’s often full of chemicals that really shouldn’t be put on dogs or leaves your dog’s coat with a “waxy” feeling.

It's Dog or Nothing | Getting Holiday-Ready with RELIQ

Thankfully, RELIQ offers shampoos that eliminate the smell without covering your dog in harmful chemicals. Their secret – volcanic minerals and nano-science.

Unlike most pet shampoos that utilize herbal extracts and vitamins to nourish your dog’s skin and coat and eliminate the odor, RELIQ recognizes that these ingredients aren’t enough to truly eliminate the smell. Instead, they use proprietary volcanic minerals to eliminate the odor-causing bacteria and effectively clean your pet’s hair and skin. Because RELIQ completely eliminates (rather than masks) the odors, your pet will stay fresher and cleaner for even longer. No more trying to mask the smell to avoid the dreaded “b word” for as long as possible 😉

Why RELIQ?

It's Dog or Nothing | Getting Holiday-Ready with RELIQ

Aside from complete odor elimination, RELIQ products have several other benefits:

  • Gentle, easy-rinse formula
  • Natural, fortifying vitamins and minerals
  • Safe for dogs who lick their fur post bath (I’m looking at you, Mauja)
  • Natural relief of itchy skin
  • Moisturizes skin and coat
  • Environmentally-safe
  • Groomer-friendly formula to avoid dry, blistered hands

RELIQ also offers 5 different scents, each with a unique purpose. While all 5 scents contain the key minerals eliminate odors and promote healthy skin/coat, you can then pick a formula specifically for your dog’s needs. For example, I choose different formulas for Mauja and Atka. Mauja is currently using the Lavender formula for a calm mind and Atka uses the Green Tea formula for a deeper clean.

Helping Mauja’s Itchies

It's Dog or Nothing | Getting Holiday-Ready with RELIQ

If you’ve been following us recently, you know that Mauja has been dealing with some horrendously itchy skin, which is causing rashes all over her belly. We are still working with the vet to try and figure out the source of her recent itchiness, but it was recommended to try bathing her in an oatmeal shampoo to alleviate her discomfort. Not only could I not find one that smelled nice, but it didn’t seem to work very well.

After a few failed attempts, we tried the RELIQ shampoo because it is said to be extremely nourishing. While it hasn’t solved her itchiness since we don’t know the root of the problem, it has definitely been more effective in offering relief than any oatmeal shampoo we’ve tried.

Beyond Shampoo

It's Dog or Nothing | Getting Holiday-Ready with RELIQ

RELIQ offers several other products for keeping your dog healthy. My current favorite is the Light-Activated Odor Eliminator for Dogs. If you have a Great Pyrenees, you know they shouldn’t be bathed very frequently. However, there is no avoiding the wet weather this time of year! If Mauja and Atka are getting a bit of wet dog smell, I’ll spritz them with the Lavender Odor Eliminator. Unlike other products on the market that only mask the odor due to large particles, he nano-enhanced minerals are able to break through the odor molecules and instantly dissolve them.

For dog’s with really itchy, red skin, RELIQ has a Skin Solution product to fight the microbes that lead to skin allergies and hot spots. This is actually our next step with Mauja. Since we’ve loved the other products so much, I’m hoping the Skin Solution can help her itchiness even more.

It's Dog or Nothing | Getting Holiday-Ready with RELIQ

We’ve also been using the Ear Solution as a natural alternative to traditional ear cleaners. Since it is a non-alcohol formula, it doesn’t have the typical chemical smell associated with ear solutions. As much as Mauja and Atka hate their ears being cleaned, they tolerate the RELIQ Ear Solution more than others we have tried. I think they don’t mind it as much because the lack of chemicals makes it a non-stinging solution.

Holiday-Ready Thanks to RELIQ

As we’re preparing to have guests in our home over the next month, I plan to keep plenty of RELIQ products, specifically the Odor Eliminator Spray on hand to keep the fluffies smelling fresh. If I’m going to put a lot of effort into keeping the house clean and smelling nice, I don’t want it to be tainted with scented wet dog smell!

Ready to try RELIQ products yourself? Use code “ITSDOGORNOTHING” for 30% off your RELIQ purchase!

Pin It!

It's Dog or Nothing | Getting Holiday-Ready with RELIQ

Disclaimer: I received the product mentioned above and compensation in exchange for my honest review. Don’t worry – an advertiser will never influence the content of this blog and It’s Dog or Nothing only shares products we love and believe in.

Filed Under: Reviews, What's New Tagged With: dogs, ear cleaning, great pyrenees, grooming, shampoo

The #WellnessPet Difference – Giant Breed Edition

November 11, 2016 3 Comments

Do you feel completely comfortable with the food you are feeding your giant breed dog? While we feed a rotation diet that includes "all life stages" foods, large breed formulas are great for peace of mind about nutrients. Check out our preferred large breed formula!

The #WellnessPet Difference – Giant Breed Edition

This post is sponsored by Wellness and the BlogPaws™ Pet Influencer Network™. I am being compensated to help share the availability of Wellness Products at PetSmart, but we only share information we feel is relevant to our readers. Neither Wellness nor PetSmart is responsible for the content of this article.

While I feed “all life stages” food sometimes, my preference is usually to feed a formula targeted at large breed dogs. I prefer large breed formulas, especially in busy times, because I don’t have to worry that Mauja and Atka are getting enough nutrients. Specifically, I’m concerned that they are getting the necessary amounts of omegas, glucosamine, and chondroitin. While these nutrients are good for any dog to have, they are especially important for giant breed dogs to maintain healthy skin, coat, hips, and joints.

When feeding an “all life stages” food, I supplement the fluffies’ diet with salmon oil and a hip and joint supplement. This provides me with added comfort, but it’s also additional products I have to buy and ensure I have on hand. A quality large breed formula decreases the need for additional supplements and adds simplicity to my busy life. Thankfully, Wellness® offers several large breed formulas, including one of our absolute favorites.

The Wellness Difference

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At Wellness, we do whatever it takes to create the healthiest foods for the pets that depend on us. Food feeds their souls, sustains their lives, and protects their bodies. That’s why our diverse team of animal lovers, nutritionists, and vets has only one mission: To help you provide your pet a healthy, happy, long life through the power of natural nutrition.

The Wellness Difference is about being more than natural. And it’s not about what is left out = no fillers or artificial ingredients – these are a given for us. True Wellness is about what we put in – a small number of simple, pure, authentic ingredients. We believe this is the way to make superior food for our animals.

Do you feel completely comfortable with the food you are feeding your giant breed dog? While we feed a rotation diet that includes "all life stages" foods, large breed formulas are great for peace of mind about nutrients. Check out our preferred large breed formula!
Atka trying to decide which Wellness product he wants at PetSmart this time!

The focus on ingredients that are included, rather than ingredients left out, is one of my favorite things about Wellness. They’re not focused on simply leaving out unhealthy ingredients. Wellness wants to include the best ingredients to provide high-quality nutrition for your dog. More importantly, you don’t have to worry about Wellness simply adding the latest buzzword to their label.

Wellness® CORE® Large Breed

There are a few distinct differences between the regular CORE line and the large breed CORE formula. In my opinion, the most important difference is the level of glucosamine and chondroitin. While the original CORE formula contains 250 mg/kg of glucosamine and 200 mg/kg of chondroitin, CORE large breed boasts 750 mg/kg of glucosamine and 250 mg/kg of chondroitin. The higher levels will help to keep your giant breed’s hips and joints healthy for life.

Do you feel completely comfortable with the food you are feeding your giant breed dog? While we feed a rotation diet that includes "all life stages" foods, large breed formulas are great for peace of mind about nutrients. Check out our preferred large breed formula!

The second difference is the size of the kibble. If you have a giant breed, you know your dog could easily snort the pieces of kibble up his nose. Big dogs want big kibble that doesn’t get stuck in their teeth! Can’t argue with that 😉

Feeding a large breed formula isn’t a must for your giant breed, but it definitely makes life simpler by including the necessary supplements in the food. Regardless of the CORE formula you choose, you’ll be giving your dog a high-quality, high-protein food filled with all the nutrients your dog needs to thrive.

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Be sure to stop by your local PetSmart and check out the extensive line of Wellness CORE and Wellness® Complete Health™ products! You can follow Wellness on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and PetSmart on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as well.

If you have a giant breed dog, have you tried the Wellness CORE Large Breed formula? What’s your dog’s favorite Wellness product?

Pin It!

Do you feel completely comfortable with the food you are feeding your giant breed dog? While we feed a rotation diet that includes "all life stages" foods, large breed formulas are great for peace of mind about nutrients. Check out our preferred large breed formula!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Wellness. The opinions and text are all mine.

Filed Under: Reviews, What's New Tagged With: complete health, dog food, great pyrenees, natural, nutrition, wellness

Handling Stressful Vet Visits

November 10, 2016 2 Comments

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Practicing “focus”

Between the issues both Mauja and Atka have been experiencing, we’ve been at the vet a lot. Atka doesn’t mind vet visits. In fact, I think he enjoys them. Any situation that offers him snuggles and treats is great in his mind!

Unfortunately, Mauja doesn’t share the same level of enjoyment in vet visits. To her, they are pretty much the worst thing ever. She pants, whines, and makes noises I never knew a dog could make. Obviously, vet visits are something we will never be able to avoid completely, so I had to figure out a way to survive these visits.

When Mauja’s anxiety was at its peak earlier this year, it was impossible to get her to focus on anything when she was in an uncomfortable situation. This made training and desensitization extremely difficult. She wouldn’t take treats and praise didn’t phase her. Eventually, we made the decision to start her on Prozac so we could actually reach her brain. Since starting the medication, we’re finally able to work through difficult situations.

If we're not working, she's distracted by even the tiniest noise.
If we’re not working, she’s distracted by even the tiniest noise.

The best way that I’ve found to survive these stressful situations is to keep her mind busy so she can’t focus on the extra stimuli. I keep her busy and distracted by “playing games” and doing basic trick training. Now, Mauja definitely isn’t a “trick dog”, but she does know a few basics.

We try and find a quiet corner in the waiting room to sit and work. I always go to the vet with a bag full of because I know I will be using a lot as we wait! Some simple tricks we use include:

  • Sit
  • Down
  • Stand
  • Shake
  • Touch
  • Leave it
  • Focus

“Leave it” is a very versatile game because it’s easy to mix it up and it’s also the one we play the most. Mauja knows how to leave treats on her paws, my hand, my legs, the bench, and anywhere else I can come up with in the waiting room.

Our second favorite is “focus”. For us, focus means to look at me until I give the release. In very stressful situations, I’m thrilled to get just a few seconds of uninterrupted focus from Mauja. One year ago, I never would have gotten her to look at me.

Not the best picture to tell, but here Mauja is displaying "whale eyes" Whale eyes are a commonly overlooked sign of stress where the dog shows the whites of her eyes.
Not the best picture to tell, but here Mauja is displaying “whale eyes” Whale eyes are a commonly overlooked sign of stress where the dog shows the whites of her eyes.

This technique, if you can even call it that, can be used in so many different situations. This was one we frequently used at BlogPaws this year to survive really busy events. I’d love to hear if you use this method to decrease your dog’s stress as well!

How do you handle stressful situations with your dog?

Positive Pet Training Blog Hop


Filed Under: Fluffy Life, What's New Tagged With: anxiety, focus, great pyrenees, trick training

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