Welcome to five six days of giveaways!
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Over the last few months, we tested and curated a slew of pet products. Many didn’t make the cut. But for those that did, for the next five days, I’m going to share the best of the best – the perfect holiday gifts for you and your pets. Because these are so highly recommended by me and my crew, and thanks to the generosity of all the different brands, we’re offering a giveaway of every single recommendation!
So, let’s get started, shall we? (First, take a moment to review all the logistics.)
Today I’m sharing with you my top 3 toy recommendations. From classic to clever, these toys make the perfect gift for any dog.
The Classic
Like red lipstick or a LBD, the KONG is a classic must-have.
We love to stuff ours full of healthy snacks and pop them in the freezer. The boys love the icy treat, and it keeps them busy for longer than any chew. But here’s why I think this is the PERFECT gift: You can never have too many! If you give one to a dog person who didn’t already have one, great! If someone already had one, also great! Because keeping multiple in rotation with a few pre-stuffed and stashed in the freezer means you’ll always have one on hand in a pinch. Bonus: KONG now has stuffers to make filling them a breeze! KONG Classic $6.99 to $21.50 depending on size on Amazon, and around $6 for KONG Stuff’N depending on flavor
The Puzzle
Nina Ottosson is world-renowned for her incredible puzzle games for dogs and cats (and pigs! and ferrets! and parrots!). We played with the DogWorker and had SO much fun.
It’s hilarious to watch each of my three guys go at it because they all approach problem-solving very differently. Lucas starts pawing and pawing, no strategy, just brute strength. Cooper, on the other hand, starts poking and pushing and nosing, trying to see which piece does what until he starts to make a little progress. Emmett… dear, sweet Emmett… puzzle games are not his forte. He tries to go at them with his teeth, but the website outlines a really careful way to introduce your dog to the puzzle and help them work through it. Emmett’s still trying, but that’s sort of the beauty of this: It keeps him busy, occupied, and thinking! Yes, it’s pricey, but the durable wooden construction and longevity of the toy – plus, you can configure it in several different ways to keep it fresh – makes this a fabulous gift for the clever dog in your life. It’s currently unavailable on Amazon, but this is a similar product that we have and also love.
BONUS: The generous folks at Nina Ottosson have provided a discount code for everyone! Use the code “vipdog” in the Nina Ottosson webshop to receive 10% off your purchase. AND they ship worldwide!
The Innovation
As you know, we’ve dealt with a lion’s share of anxiety around here. We love ThunderWorks products for help with stress, and wouldn’t you know, they’ve come out with a playful stress buster: ThunderToy!
Made from high-density rubber, the toy is designed to be stuffed. It gives your stressed-out pup an activity to help distract, and it redirects your dog from chewing your shoes/wall/sofa. We tested it with Cooper while I was out of town – always stressful for him – and it was fab! Plus, it’s super adorable! This would be a great gift for a pet loving friend who’s dealing with anxiety in her pet. Or, if you love a stressed-out pooch, this would make the perfect stocking stuffer for your little one! $12.95 from ThunderWorks
We LOVE all three of these toys. I think they make the perfect gifts this holiday season. But now’s your chance to win one of the three gift recommendations! (Three winners total, each winner gets one of the prizes listed above.) This is a Rafflecopter giveaway… the widget should pop up below after a few seconds. If you’re reading this through a reader like Feedly, you probably have to click the link to get to the widget.
A big, huge, heartfelt thank you to KONG, Nina Ottosson, and ThunderWorks for providing these fabulous prizes!
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I’m a big fan of Kong: http://www.somethingwagging.com/does-a-dog-live-here-wordless-wednesday/. Can you tell just by looking at my dish storage? 🙂
We probably don’t need another one. But I know my local shelter would be happy to have one.
Thanks for hosting the fun giveaway.
Phenomenal idea, Pamela! We love KONG, too. It’s one of the few things we have that last.
Lucy loves her KONG, I give it to her as I’m leaving the house and she brings it to me upon my return, kind of our own game we play. She will bring it towards me, then turn and run with it in her mouth about 2 or 3 times before she gives it to me and, gives me her “welcome home kisses”.
That is so sweet, Kathy! It probably keeps her busy – and happy! – all day.
Yes, I believe Kongs may be our best friend, but I’m going to check out that Thundertoy.
YES! The opening is different from a KONG. It has little flap things that make the dog work much harder to release the goodies.
This is such a fun idea! All of those toys sound awesome. We have used Kongs many times and are always interested in trying new puzzles. These are all great ideas for gifts. Thanks for the opportunity to win one.
The puzzles are SO much fun! I love doing “thinking” activities with these guys, and puzzles are so perfect, especially as a bad-weather activity!
Hershey would solve that puzzle the way she solves everything else, chewing.
Ha! That’s exactly Emmett’s move. We ended up having to back up and go through the instructions on the Nina Ottosson page to help guide him a bit, but our test version definitely has a handful of Emmett-sized bite marks…
How fun! Thanks for hosting, and all the great ideas!
It was a lot of fun picking all the products! Such an exciting week for me! 🙂
All great toys! We have one interactive game for the dogs, but I’d like to try a different one too. I never heard of the ThunderToy, but it would be great for the girls who both hate thunderstorms. The Kong is a classic of course and we have a few of those kicking around!
I like trying a new interactive game – or alternating between a couple – because I want them to still be challenging. I’m afraid if I only work with one, they’ll “get” it. Well, Lucas and Cooper will. Sweet Emmett… not so good with the puzzles. 🙂
Kongs are a huge hit in my house as well as at my shelter so we’d be thrilled to win anything! Titan is so spoiled though, if we won any of the above, it would definitely go to my adopted children at the shelter. Thanks again for the opportunity!
That is so generous and thoughtful, Bren!!