Dog Day Gift Guide 2021 – Treat Your Dog to the Best Gear!

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Dog Day Gift Guide 2021 - Treat Your Dog to the Best Gear! 1

Dog Day Gift Guide 2021 – Treat Your Dog to the Best Gear!

National Dog Day Gift Guide 2021 – The Engearment Team (and their dogs!) have put together this gift guide for dogs. You are sure to find the perfect dog gift!

To say we love dogs here at Engearment, is an understatement.  Humans best friend deserves the best, and this gift guide is our personal favorites for our pooches.  Each item has been thoroughly tested and approved by our doggos!

From treats to gear, this dog gift guide is here to help you find the best gift for your dog(s)! Two paws up 🙂

Life Handle Dog Leash- Hands Free

Jace Jackson

The Life Handle Leash Bundle is fantastic for regular walks, hiking, and is especially great for running. Put it on and forget it’s there while you and your pup enjoy your time outside – it’s truly that simple.

Life Handle Dog Leash - Comfortable for both dog and human!

Life Handle Dog Leash – Comfortable for both dog and human!

At just under $60, this is a great value, too. Many other “hands free” leashes are nearly the same price just for a longer piece of webbing and a plastic clip – not coming close to matching the thoughtful design of the Life Handle. I find myself looking forward to using this leash (almost as much as Samson does).

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Female (sling) side of the HUB — Such a clever design!

Lastly (and most importantly), Samson gives his stamp of approval since dad now has another free hand, which means double the ear scratches!

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Kurgo Surf and Turf Life Jacket

Andrew Piotrowski

 

The Kurgo Surf and Turf life jacket has two large handles on the top of the PFD that make pulling your pup to safety much easier. The PFD is packed with features but is low weight, not bulky, and most importantly keeps your best bud afloat.

Kurgo Surf and Turf Life Jacket

Kurgo Surf and Turf Life Jacket

Key Features:

2 Grab Handles: There are two different handles on the top of the PFD that are great tools for helping to pull your pup out of the water. Both are located in the middle top section of the PFD, one runs the width of the PFD and the other runs top to bottom.

Kurgo Surf and Turf Life Jacket

Kurgo Surf and Turf Life Jacket

The two different directions allow you to get a good grip despite what direction your dog might be heading. Keep in mind that they are not designed to carry your dog by, the goal of these is to give you a secure placed for one hand while the other reaches around your dog while pulling them out of the water.

Kurgo Surf and Turf Life Jacket

Kurgo Surf and Turf Life Jacket

Chacos Z Cloud and matching dog collar and leash

Kate Agathon

Did you know that your favorite sport sandals also have their own line of matching gear for our adventure dogs?

Chacos has machine-washable dog collars (MSRP $15 – $20) and leashes (MSRP $15.99 – $25) in a variety of prints and colors that match your sandals.

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As someone with pet supply store experience and familiarity selling multiple brands of dog leashes, harnesses, and collars, I can attest to the quality behind Chaco’s dog line.

 

Constructed from the same durable polyester jacquard Chaco webbing as its legendary outdoor footwear, the collars and leashes are not your ordinary dog accessories because of their thoughtful design and durable materials. You won’t have to worry about the nylon fraying, or the plastic hardware breaking.

Chacos Z Cloud and matching dog collar and leash

Chacos Z Cloud and matching dog collar and leash

The Engearment team shares some of our favorite hacks for taking our adventure dogson the road.

 

  • Beef jerky makes a delightful treat for both humans and puppers.

  • Musher’s Secret balm helps revive dry paws after a long day of talus hopping (and it also helps prevent snow from sticking to their paws in winter)

  • Bring your dog their own dedicated bottle of water and collapsible bowl… Pour the unused water from the bowl back into their water to make it go further!

  • Pack out your poop bags! To make it less stinky, carry poop bags in an empty peanut butter jar, an old (and well-marked!) Nalgene or a 2L dry sack like you can get from Sea to Summit.

                                                                                                                  -Jace

Medical supplies for dogs- don’t forget them!

While there are a few dog medkits out there, I prefer to supplement my kit with some dog supplies. I always bring a small container of Miracle Care Kwik Stop Styptic Solution quick clot for dogs. Nails can rip, break, or tear on trail and this stuff works wonders!

I also usually bring a small bottle of eyewash. My boys end up wrestling on sandy beaches!

Finally,  always have either a buff or bandanna on them when on-trail. This can be used for a variety of medical applications. Bright colors are best!!

                                                                                                              -Andrew

I bring freeze-dried, high-protein raw food such as Primal’s Lamb Formula Nuggets because they are lightweight and don’t take up much space in your backpack.

Their size makes them portable and they can be crumbled, given whole as snacks, or can have water added.

When hiking or camping in the desert, I bring Ruffwear’s Swamp Cooler jacket because it keeps Utah cool- necessary for a dog with a double coat.

                                                                                                                             -Kate

Treating your puppy like a farm dog means you need to do a lot less for them as they age. I actually do very little for Baggins. He drinks out of streams and needs very little paraphernalia. A bit of food is all I bring for him.

I treated Baggins the puppy very much as my son Cai as a  toddler. Meet them where they are at and bring them into your world. As they get stronger they can do more and hopefully, they love and have not been put off.

Make sure the people you go out with are happy to have a dog around (especially in winter). If you have a puppy and a friend has an outdoor dog that you appreciate, get them out together. A good role model sets them up well!

Just because you think your dog is the best ever, doesn’t mean others will. Be prepared to handle her/him if others are uncomfortable around them.

Food motivation is fantastic. Keep treats close at hand if you need your dog to behave.

Love and praising good behavior go a long way.

Here are some winter quick tips:

  • Pam spray oil works as well as Musher’s Wax for keeping paws moist and protecting them.

  • Leave nails long in the winter. His 4 paw drive is amazing!

  • Have strategies in place in case things go wrong (I also bring my First Aid kit). Practice them. Then put negative thoughts to the back of your mind and enjoy the moment.

-Wil

What dog parent doesn’t like customized stuff?

Made locally in Denver, Furbaby Forever pet portraits take a photo of your dog and turns it into realistic looking stickers, key fobs and even coloring book pages with your doggo’s mug.

A local rescue volunteer has stickers made of every dog fostered, and found they make terrific “Gotcha Day” pet adoption gifts (because we all know that outdoors people LOVE stickers).

Put them on your Nalgene, your cooler, on your car.

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Baggins being Baggins

Baggins being Baggins

So what do you get the dog lover in your life? Or, if you are a dog lover, what do you purchase for your best furry friend as a National Dog Day gift?

 

Here are a few ideas that Baggins, our dog, and I have been testing to see if they make a true impact on our lives or if they are just a fun idea. 

Wil Rickards

Baggins at camp

Baggins at camp

It’s also worth knowing a little more about Baggins to understand if we share things in common and if our advice will be helpful. 
Baggins is an Australian Shepherd, and he lives up to the breed’s reputation of being hyperactive. Doctors would try to feed him Ritalin if he were human, and teachers would constantly direct him to sit down. He is fantastic. He is also loud; his lungs are so vast he could inflate our large car air mattress with a single breath. At least that’s how it feels when he blows my eardrums out through my mouth if I make the mistake of being at his level when he has something to say. He likes to herd any human in his vicinity, and yet he is highly affectionate in an off-hand, disinterested kind of way. He particularly loves his backcountry friends. Anyone he skis with is “good people.” 
There is a reason he loves them; he associates them with his favorite places. Baggins is happiest at the top of a snow-covered mountain; he loves charging full-tilt down a powder line. He is also in heaven scrambling up rocky crests or spending days out sleeping under a tarp. He likes a good view. A summit can only look better if ravens are playing with the thermals and strafing the cliffs. 
Quite frankly, he is the most badass dog I know, and I now hardly ever go to resorts because if he sees the skis go on the roof and does not have an invitation, he becomes quite upset. Because of this and his need for daily exercise, he is the sole reason I am not 400 lb and suffering from diabetes. Baggins is the best $200 I ever spent. Bar none. He is also the best friend an outdoors person could ever want.

The Mountainsmith K9 range is definitely worth any dog lover having on their radar. 

Baggins is a glorified farm dog, and we treat him that way. He does not go to the vet unless it is for shots and annuals. Yes, he drinks from creeks, and I have had to pluck 50 or so porcupine quills from his body in one sitting, the last ones with the aid of a pair of pliers. Until recently he has never had any luxuries in the backcountry. That changed with the Mountainsmith K9 bed.
Mountainsmith K9 bed and Kurgo car door guards and shades

Mountainsmith K9 bed and Kurgo car door guards and shades

After unboxing, I threw it on the floor in the living room, and he immediately lay down on it. I was pleasantly surprised. Life improved when I used it while sleeping on the mattress in the back of the car. Usually, he is like my son as a baby. If there was any way someone was going to turn in their sleep and lie diagonally, causing me to wake up cramped, uncomfortable, and with a cricked neck, then it was them.
Now Baggins stays put on his bed. Under a tarp, it is even better; I sometimes used to open an eye to spy him coming back from a midnight stroll. Now he remains still. Brilliant. And the best part is that he carries it himself in his Mountainsmith K9 Dog Pack. He even now sits still while I fish. I would never have imagined that.
Mountainsmith K9 dog pack

Mountainsmith K9 dog pack

The Mountainsmith K9 Dog Pack is another winner. Again, highly adjustable, Baggins took to it like a duck to water. I think he feels special carrying it. It certainly causes a little swagger. He has also been getting even more compliments than usual. People laugh when I tell them the dog is carting his bed, food, and a beer. Seriously though, he sometimes shoulders a beer. I told you he was whip-smart, but more on that later. 
So far, watching him, he has fared well with the extra weight and the shift in the center of mass. It is great to watch him bound over logs and bunny hop through tall grasses. However, he occasionally has to be redirected to avoid narrow spaces and sometimes comes to heel when I least expect it and in a way that, if I am not ninja-like, might threaten to knock me off my feet. I am sure this will diminish over time.
Mountainsmith K9 dog pack

Mountainsmith K9 dog pack

Where I am seriously impressed is how much of a beating these bags take. Baggins thinks nothing of rubbing up against trees and rocks, and he squeezes through gaps between boulders. In this hot weather, he evens wades into water covering the bottom of the bag. There have been no leaks yet. 
Best of all, he now carries an empty plastic peanut butter jar, and I no longer have to carry out his turd bags. I look forward to a day when I walk a trail without poop bags festooned everywhere. 
The Mountainsmith Backbowl is simple. It packs flat, holds liquids and solids, and it assembles in seconds. You can even pour a beer (there’s that word again) into it, and it unfolds flat to clean up easily. 
I remember seeing Mountainsmith for the first time when I first moved out to the United States in 2000. They made sturdy equipment then, just as they had done since the ’70s. That ethos still lives on. Their emblem logo consists of an anvil for a reason. 
So yes, two thumbs and four paws up all around for Mountainsmith. These are perfect gifts for the backpacking dog. Take it from someone who thought this kind of paraphernalia was unnecessary. Life becomes much easier when your dog has a space they know in the backcountry, and you do not have to carry any of their stuff.
Baggins sits in the trunk of my car. Thankfully he never tries to come forward, so why am I excited about the Kurgo Car Door Guards and Shades? I bought a Nissan Pathfinder because it is big enough to sleep in the rear with Baggins and my son while also accessing most Trailheads in Colorado. We often wake up ready to roll out and go on our mountain missions, and I am happier when the windows do not fog up, and I do not wake drowning in a sea of condensation.
Kurgo car door guard and shade

Kurgo car door guard and shade

Since acquiring the Door Guard, we always sleep with the windows open, even when the mosquitoes sound reminiscent of a band of drones performing on the main stage at Glastonbury. And, let me tell you, those little bloodsuckers often have the mother of all sound systems; thrash metal has nothing on them. So just knowing that I am neither going to wake looking like Joseph “John” Merrick nor subjected to more blood-letting than a vampires’ tea party is a beautiful thing.
Throw in the additional pockets to place and organize stuff, and we have the best solution for making the back of our car a welcoming if bijou bedroom for the night. 
If you have a dog that likes to sit on the back seat and ride with the windows down, this is just the ticket. Mind you; observers will miss out on the spectacle of flowing hair rippling in the wind; your fur baby will be much safer, though.
If your dog does sit on the back seat, it is well worth contemplating the Kurgo Journey harness. The design incorporates a short leash that is attached to a safety belt. The winning feature of this harness, though, is the metal buckles. I would not use a climbing harness with plastic fasteners, so why am I ok with the concept for my dog. One benefit includes dogs not chewing the buckles. Furthermore, they will not explode when subjected to large forces. Finally, if Fido likes to come and lick your face when driving, this will also free you from another distraction. Another top tip while I am at it – our phones will happily read our texts if we ask them. (Sorry, I will get off that soapbox now.)
Kurgo Journey Harness

Kurgo Journey Harness

 

Talking of smartphones, the Lifekey Fetch Digital Pet ID is another exciting concept receiving attention on our hikes. Baggins now wears a little tag on his collar. Marked with an icon screaming for you to put your phone close to it, you are pointed towards an app to download.
Fetch ID

Fetch ID

 

Then, if you do as requested, you find out information about the dog at hand and details for contacting its owner. Fantastic. Will it replace a chip? Probably not, yet concerned individuals can now help reunite an errant dog and their human without the aid of a vet or pound. The app is beautifully straightforward and easily downloaded for both iPhone and Android. The tags themselves are robust, quiet, and light. This strikes me as a great addition to the dog safety equipment market. 

 

Was the 4th of July a nightmare for you? Fireworks went on for well over a month in our neighborhood, and it was sad to see our fearless dog reduced to a cowering, whining shadow of his usual self. Watching him trying to outdig a mole in our cupboards was depressing; it was also destructive. During those moments, Baggins was no longer himself. He was terrified and could not respond to commands. I hate seeing him like that. Thankfully our friends at Miraflora sent us some Even Pets CBD Dog Chews to try. The verdict? If I gave the full dose to him early enough in the evening, then he was far calmer. I will not claim he became oblivious; he certainly did not stumble around like a stoner. He just appeared to be far more able to deal with the situation. I encourage others to experiment and see if it is a potential solution for their dog’s woes.
One of the exhibitors at OR I aligned with the most was Christian from Uncharted Supply. His product Wolfpack, which will soon be available, has probably the best and my most feared origin story. Ultimately, Christian’s dog Barron was severely cut in a skiing accident. While waiting for the result of surgery, Christian thought about how he might prevent others from feeling the same kind of helplessness. The result was a well-thought-out dog first aid kit that the dog carries to always be with them. Check this out. You are welcome.

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Finally, we have been hinting at it throughout the article 10 Barrel Brewing has introduced a beverage for your favorite furry friend. Good Sit Pup Ale is a non-alcoholic canine easy lapper jam-packed full of glucosamine. With the profits going to several shelters, what is not to love? Time to share a brew with your best pal.
Will Rickards

 

Klymit Travel Dog Bowl

Every dog owner should have at least one packable bowl for their dogs. Preferably two (one for water and one for food). Klymit sent over the Travel Dog Bowl for my dogs Riley and Chloe to try.  These bowls are bigger than the normal collapsable bowl we are used to.  But this was a good thing.  They pack up even slimmer than the silcone bowls we have used.

The fact that tey are made from 100D Superfabric has been the icing on the cake. They withstood months of use and abuse. The deeper bowl also allows for more water or food.  Win/win.

Klymit Travel Dog Bowl

Klymit Travel Dog Bowl

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