Yay! It's BarkBox day!

Rini with today's BarkBox

Yay!! Our BarkBox arrived! Rini is excited!! My whippets loooove BarkBox. If you'd like to try BarkBox, use this link and both you and I will get a free box. =)
https://www.barkbox.com/r/JOW0F21DZ0

BarkBox is a monthly surprise box with 2 toys, 2 bags of treats or cookies, and a chewie -- all corresponding to the month's fun theme. There are options available for extra toys, and there is a free upgrade for super chewers. Every toy is guaranteed, so if your dog doesn't like it, or destroys it in 5 minutes, you can contact them for a credit in their BarkStore (with free shipping).

We have the "extra toy" option, so each month we get 3 premium guaranteed chew-proof toys instead of two. They have all been a hit with our whippets except for one, and BarkBox quickly offered a $15 credit to their store when I emailed them -- with free shipping, and didn't require me to return the toy. The themes are also fun -- my husband Derek loves the packaging, it always has fun stories and illustrations.

My dogs have become convinced lately that every single box that comes into the house is actually BarkBox, and they are disappointed when allowed to inspect and they discover a box is a non-BarkBox. Fiona's longtime conspiracy theory about the UPS man continues to stand, however. She doesn't seem to credit him with the monthly arrival of the BarkBox. 

The only whippet book you need

http://amzn.to/2tfANFe

This is the BEST book about whippets ... it answers many of the questions you might have. It's a quick read and inexpensive. It covers the basics about the breed, pros and cons, quirks, and really captures the essence of whippets. It answers a lot of the basic questions about whippets, and can also teach experience whippet owners a thing or two. 

It was written by experienced sighthound breeder Dr. Caroline Coile, and is a must-have for any whippet lover's library.

http://amzn.to/2tfANFe

Kong frog toys are a big hit!

Rini with her granddaughter Brienne

We just got an order from Amazon, containing 3 of the medium-sized Kong brand toy frogs, and they are a big hit with our whippets!

They're a great size for whippets, and the fur on the toys is as soft as silk. They come with a squeaker in their heads and a velcro pocket in their backs with an extra squeaker included. You can open the velcro pocket and put in the squeaker, then if your dog "kills" the squeaker, you can replace it with a new one. I love this feature!

So far I've had a hard time convincing the younger puppies (Brienne and Jaime) not to take the frogs outside, they love to play keep away with them.

I highly recommend these toys, they're a great deal on Amazon right now at $4.69 with Prime shipping -- here's a link:  http://amzn.to/2nZUJg7

Timbreblue whippet tested and approved! 

The best way to make a whippet happy....a cozy cave!

We've discovered that whippets love cozy caves more than anything in the world. Cozy caves are a type of dog bed that has a built-in cover, sort of like a built-in blanket and your whippet can "nest" in the cozy cave without needing assistance with covers. They're just a requirement for any whippet owner, and multiple whippets require multiple cozy caves. The following is a link to the large-sized cozy cave, but you might want to look into the extra-large if you have the space and multiple dogs. Cozy caves rule!!

>> Find Cozy Caves on Amazon

Top 5 favorite chewies at Timbreblue

Ceri wants to know if there are chewies!

My dogs consider the UPS guy "the chewie man" because I order so many chewies from Amazon, and they greet him with enthusiasm! Rini and Ceri can spot an Amazon box from across the room!

Chewing is an essential part of keeping your whippet's teeth clean -- and keeping her entertained! We have tried all kinds of chewies, and there are tons of good ones, but these are the kinds we tend to order again and again.

1- Braided bully sticks

Bully sticks last a lot longer than most chewies, and braided bully sticks last even longer. This brand has very little mess or odor, and our dogs just love them. Beware, they are very addictive and your whippets will quickly learn what the words "bully sticks" mean, and will come running!

• Braided bully sticks: http://amzn.to/1QhCk7c

2- Beef tendons

Tendons are a bit faster to chew than bully sticks, but they cost a good bit less, as well. My dogs absolutely adore them, and I've heard only good reviews from other whippet owners, as well. My dogs go absolutely NUTS when they can smell beef tendons inside an Amazon box -- there is no fooling them! I tend to order the bigger bag and just keep them on hand. This brand is not messy or smelly.

• Beef tendons: http://amzn.to/1XtR6Hm

Also excellent are buffalo/bison tendons, cheaper than beef but a tad more messy. Buffalo tendons should be fine unless you have a white couch or carpet. They are basted, which makes them taste better to the dogs, but can leave a little bit of residue. If you do have light furniture, these would make a nice crate reward treat.

• Buffalo tendons: http://amzn.to/1XtRjdU

3- Rawhide mini bones, twists, and flips

Rawhide has gotten a bad reputation in the past few years, but it's a tried-and-true safe chewie for dogs and lasts a good long time. Whippets adore the tiny twisted bone-shaped rawhides, either plain or flavored.

You can also get rawhide twists (our favorites are Dingo brand) which last a little less time, but are smaller to store.

Chew flips last longer than any of the other rawhide products. Green Cow produces all-natural, made in the USA chew flips in a big 5-pound bag. Our dogs love them and they last for a long time! Natural rawhide bones, twists, and flips have no mess and no odor.

• Mini bones: http://amzn.to/1U4fAaD
• Twists: http://amzn.to/1VhNl6v
• Chew flips: http://amzn.to/1QhC3B5

4- Knuckle bones

Knuckle bones are an excellent way to naturally clean your whippet's teeth. They ADORE knuckle bones, even puppies who are too small to pick them up! Keep an eye on your dog though, if she chews too emphatically she could crack a tooth. Knuckle bones can be a bit messy, so you might want to try them as a crate reward treat. They last months and months!

• Knuckle bones: http://amzn.to/1XtRaXI

5- Chew hooves

Hooves are a natural source of protein, made from trimmed and sanitized cow hooves, and provide a firm chewing surface for whippets with an entertaining shape that helps massage gums and clean teeth. Chew hooves last a long time, and although they occasionally disappear under the sofa, when found again they provide tons of more entertainment for your dog. Chew hooves are another "very hard" chewie that could cause tooth fractures -- keep an eye on your whippet to make sure she doesn't chew too hard. No mess and no odor.

• Chew hooves: http://amzn.to/1XtRbuJ

Let me know in the comments if you have other suggestions for chewies that your whippets particularly loved -- I'm always looking for new ideas to entertain my oh-so-spoiled hounds!

Drinkwell pet fountains -- a great way to keep fresh water available 24/7

I am often asked about products that I recommend for our puppy owners. I try to recommend items that are easily available via online shops and not too expensive. This is the first of a series of posts that I will share with you to let you know what works in our home and what we recommend. I invite comments and thoughts from readers about what works or doesn't for you, either way.

As breeders, we advise puppy owners to keep fresh water available 24/7. Sometimes this is easier said than done, especially when a hyperactive puppy can drain a water bowl in a couple of quick minutes. It can also be difficult to keep a water bowl full and fresh in a multiple dog household, such as ours. If you manage to keep enough water on-hand, it often develops that weird algae scum stuff and then you end up having to scrub water bowls every time you turn around.

I recommend the Drinkwell pet fountains for dog and cat households. We have used Drinkwell fountains for over six years (the same exact fountains, they last forever) and are delighted with them. I have tried three brands and find Drinkwell is the longest-lasting and best made of the water fountains available today.

As an added benefit, if you prefer your pets drink filtered water, the fountains have a carbon filter to purify the water they drink. You need to plug in your fountain for it to work, but they have fairly long cords, so you can stretch it around a corner if needed. It's a two-prong plug, so if you need to plug it into an extension cord, you can do that.

The Drinkwell fountains have a reservoir that you fill from the tap.Our main fountain is the "Big Dog" size, and it lasts two or three days in a 5-dog household, so it would last about a week for a smaller household. The reservoir bottle is inverted, so it keeps the water sealed and fresh until it is circulated through the fountain. When it enters the fountain, the water passes through a carbon filter to purify it, before cascading through the fountain opening into the bowl below. Many dogs and cats prefer to drink the "waterfall" and others prefer the bowl. You can adjust the flow of the fountain to make the stream faster or slower. We also keep the smaller "Original" sized fountains in the bedrooms where the dogs sleep at night. I usually end up refilling the smaller fountains every night before bed.

Maintenance of the Drinkwell is quite simple. Every 2 or 3 days, I unplug our fountains and take them into the kitchen. I dump all of the water out of the fountain and reservoir, and then spray the fountains out with the spray nozzle on my kitchen sink. The pressure of the spray dislodges any "water scum" that may have accumulated. I spray carefully around the moving parts, like the paddle that adjusts the flow speed. I put some fresh water in the reservoir bottle and shake it around to rinse. Usually that is all that is required to keep the fountains clean and working well. You can spray the carbon filter with your spray nozzle or firm pressure from the sink to rinse it thoroughly. I replace the carbon filters once a month. A refill pack is about $2 per filter.

Once a week I take the whole thing apart (which is easier than you would expect -- directions are included with the unit, and once you have done it you know how it goes together) and scrub with soap and water. I keep a scrubby sponge under my sink for the pet fountains. The whole scrubbing endeavor takes about five minutes from disassembly to final rinse. I rinse the whole unit with my sink spray nozzle. Fill the reservoir with water, pour it into the bowl, then plug in the base and allow it to circulate through the unit. Then fill the reservoir again and invert it in place. Ready to go!