Pet friendly products we’ve tried and tested in May

It has been so long since we’ve done a tried and tested round up.

But during lockdown, we’ve tried out some products that we would highly recommend.

Like many owners, I’ve found myself shopping more when we’ve not been able to get out  so much.

In this post, we share how we got on with five new products, Dog-G8, Leo, Charley and Me Tote bag, K9Connectables, Anicura Insect Repellent and the Umi training pouch.

Do you worry about your dog dashing out of the door when post or deliveries arrive?

Or maybe like me, your dog isn’t supposed to go upstairs? We’re renting at the moment and this is one of the clauses in our lease.

This is where the Dog-G8 comes in. It’s a sturdy but stylish concertina style gate that you can put on your front door to protect your dog, and any callers.

It’s made of mild steel and you can use it to block off a part of a room, or your stairs, and when you don’t need it, it folds neatly away.

Pet entrepreneur Julie Maxted and her husband Peter came up with the idea after seeing owners struggle with baby gates and tatty looking partitions.

They have all kinds of uses – the innovative couple say they range from owners using them on the front door to fitting them to caravans.

We were gifted the Dog-G8 and bought additional links to fit it across the bottom of the stairs, and other clients have used them as room dividers.

They made in Britain, easy to install and the standard Dog-G8 for doors is 50 cm and there’s also Dog-G8 Plus for stairs and doorways which is wider at 94.5cm.

A standard DogG8 to fit to a door costs £47.95 and the DogG8 Plus is £82.95  from DogG8.com or Amazon.co.uk

Paws up if you love twinning with your dog?

A few months back when we went to Robin Hood’s Bay on a staycation (remember those?) we bought a Salty Sea Dog nautical collar and lead.

Patch looked very dapper and drew lots of admiring glances in the various pubs and eateries while sporting it!

Kim from Leo, Charley and Me has since started creating matching cotton tote bags too and kindly gifted us one to try.

It’s very well lined so it’s comfy under your arm and washable – lucky as Patch PEED on it when I put it on the floor to take a photo.

On the outside are two pockets – ideal for treats and poo bags.

Inside is another pocket which you can use for your phone and it’s really spacious.

It’s fab for those who love matching their dog and Kim is making masks in her signature fabrics too.

Tote Bags start at £22 from LeoCharleyandMe.co.uk 

During lockdown you might have tried all kinds of things to keep your dog entertained and if so you will love the K9Connectables Puzzle Pack.

It’s a trio of toys which all connect together but have different functions and each section has its own bone shaped treat dispenser.

There’s a ‘Tech Bone’ which is shaped like a regular stick style toy but comes with pockets where you can insert treats.

There’s the ‘Original’ which is shaped like a ball – and can be thrown like a ball – and again, it has sections to add in treats or something for your dog to lick like peanut butter or cheese spread.

Finally, there’s the ‘Dentist’ which contains grooves to clean around your dog’s teeth and gums – although we would recommend brushing too.

Patch loves chasing and chewing on toys  so it is perfect for him.

We were kindly gifted the Puzzle Pack along with treats to place in the little bone inserts.

We put the puzzle together and Patch played with it in the garden, first working out how to get to the goodies.

Then, he took the different sections apart and chewed on the Tech Bone.

It’s a brilliant, fun, and durable toy. Patch chews through so many toys but this is really robust.

We love the story behind the brand as well. Founder James McIlvenna created the toy for his destructive Labrador pup Sandy.

These are pawfect for dogs who love a challenge and for owners who might need some distraction free time to get work done.

K9Connectable Puzzle Pack – from £18.99 for the pack and from £4.49 for the treats at K9Connectables.com or Amazon.co.uk.

As the weather keeps warming up, so do the pesky flies, wasps and bees.

We go on lots of long walks and hikes with Patch and with a short coat and delicate skin, we don’t want him getting nipped.

At the same time, we don’t want to use anything too harsh, so when Anicura asked us to try their insect repellant we were really pleased.

It’s a water based spray with natural oils, minerals and vitamins so it’s kind to skin and fends of insects, fleas, ticks and other creepy crawlies you don’t want on your dog.

Patch has a thing where he doesn’t like being sprayed, he goes mad and woofs at you. So I put some on some cotton wool and wiped it on him.

The scent is pleasant but not overpowering, like citronella, and it didn’t seem to irritate him either, as some dogs don’t like to smell nice do they?

It’s free from steroids, parabens and peroxides so totally kind to fur and skin and smells lovely too.

Insect repellant, £9.99 for 50 ml from Anicura.co.uk

Do you find bits of cheese and mashed up treats in your pockets?

I’m always putting titbits in my coats for Patch while out on walks.

Or I’ll want to give him a treat and find myself fishing around in my walking bag in various pots and tubs.

When we did our training with Sue McCabe, she said to get an easily accessible treat pouch and I’ve finally got round to it in lockdown.

This Umi one costs less than a tenner and it’s a silicone, wipe clean pouch with a little magnetic closing button at the top to keep treats safe.

It’s really easy to clip on your trousers or coat and dip into when you want to treat your dog.

Ideal when you’re training and it stops your clothes stinking of cheese or sausages!

Umi training pouch £9.99 from Amazon

If you have a pet friendly product and you’d like to talk about a review, visit the Contact Me page.

To read more round ups of goodies and gadget for your pup, you might like to read Pet Friendly Products we tried in August, Pet Friendly Products we tried in May or Pet Friendly Products we tried in March.

* We are unable to review pet food. Patch is on a set diet and we feel it is unfair to switch his foods, but he is very yappy to try treats!