2013 was a good year for
Lexi, my eight-and-a-half-month old puppy. She was born, for one, and she found her forever home with me. So she's pretty much winning the jackpot so far.She's also becoming a discerning consumer, and since I see tons of pet products every day, I gave her a sniff of a bunch of different toys, treats, and more, to see what she likes best.
Since Lexi is part
Rhodesian Ridgeback, I've already begun taking steps to keep
hip dysplasia and arthritisfrom affecting her. Ridgebacks are known for these health problems, and Lexi loves to jog with me, which can sometimes contribute to these issues later in life.I've started giving her a joint mulitivitamin, but she hates pills. These Greenies Pill Pockets completely mask the "medicinal" flavor that some pills and multivitamins have, and she wolfs them down. I had tried using peanut butter to cover the vitamins, but Lexi would lick the peanut butter off and leave the pill on the ground in a sticky mess. Pill Pockets keep it clean and simple.
Lexi does have to spend some time away from me when I'm off at the PetCareRx office (working on testing products for OTHER dogs, and yep, she gets jealous). A plethora of toys at home helps her to stay entertained without me. And no toy can better keep her mind off of being alone for part of a day than the Kong Classic. Filling it with a treat or some peanut butter gets her chewing, working, and stimulated to try and get the prize inside.
I'm no Mariano Rivera, but I've got a decent arm. And Lexi loves to run. For a few weeks, I was wearing my arm out tossing long balls at the park for her to run after. But the real issue was picking up drool-covered tennis balls over and over again. Especially now that the weather has turned freezing, and there isn't much worse than cold wet drool. The Chuckit lets me pick up the ball hands-free and toss it without throwing out my shoulder.