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Aikiou Dog Bowl – Review – Putting It To The Test

March 7, 2011 By 1 Comment

A few days ago we told you about the latest product, Aikiou Dog Bowl that we received in the mail for review.  In case you missed that initial review check it out here: Aikiou Dog Bowl – In For Review.  Our Black Labrador Retriever, Stetson sunk his teeth into (literally) it and had a his first few chances to use the Aikiou Dog Bowl during mealtime.

Aikiou Dog Bowl Midweek Review

As I mentioned we recently received the super cool Aikiou Interactive Food Bowl.  We’re still debating whether it’s more of a dog toy or a bowl.  Anyhow, we grabbed our ultra fast eating champion, Stetson and let him put the bowl through it’s initial test.

Tail Of The Tape

The Challenger (The Product): AIKIOU DOG BOWL

Aikiou Dog Bowl

  • 13 x 2.5 x 13 inches; 1.6 pounds
  • Interactive dog bowl or is it a toy?
  • Slows down eating
  • Aids in digestion
  • Durable Plastic

The Champion (Product Reviewer):  STETSON

  • 75 pounds of Black Labrador Retriever (he’s put on a few pounds since this picture was taken)
  • Always Hungry
  • Sniffing Champion
  • He hearts food
  • Has already taken down the other fast eating dog bowl challengers

Stetson’s initial reaction to the Aikiou Dog Bowl was “What the heck is this thing? and how do I get the food out of it?”  He was able to get the food out of the initial exposed compartments, but didn’t immediately figure out how to slide the levers to get to the food in the opposite compartments.  I showed him once and from then on he figured out how to slide the levers with his nose and paws.

The spinning disc at the top of the Aikiou bowl was even more difficult.  It took several attempts with help and guidance from me to show Stetson how to spin and rotate the disc.  His initial response was to just slide the entire dog bowl around the room hoping treats would magically fall out.  However, after working on spinning the disc for Stetson he figured out how to rotate the disc by just using his nose on his own.

In just a few short days Stetson has mastered the Aikiou Dog Bowl and eats out of the bowl once in the morning and once in the evening.  Just as advertised this bowl has drastically increases the time it takes Stetson to finish the same meal of food he polishes off in seconds with a regular aluminum dog bowl.

However, how much time it take now will be shown in our upcoming final video review of the Aikiou Dog Bowl.  Also, we will discuss why we will or will not continue to use the Aikiou Dog Bowl as Stetson’s regular feeding bowl.

Stay posted through our RSS feed or subscribe to our email feed and don’t miss Stetson’s upcoming video review of the Aikiou Dog Bowl.  If you missed our initial review then check it out immediately at Aikiou Dog Bowl – In For Review.

Once again we are very interested to hear your thoughts on the Aikiou Dog Bowl or any other dog bowl you might be using to slow down your dog’s fast eating.  Please leave us a comment in the comment section below.

We received a free review copy of the Aikiou Dog Bowl.  We do our best to present the good and the bad of every dog product we review and try to not be biased for or against any manufacturer.

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Aikiou Dog Bowl – In For Review

March 4, 2011 By 4 Comments

We recently received a free Aikiou Dog Bowl (pronounced “IQ”) for review from Aikiou the maker of interactive dog feeding dishes and toys.  My initial reaction when I was first contacted by Aikiou was “Awesome! Another great dog bowl to test and see if it slows down Stetson’s speed eating.”  If you’ve been following us for a while then you may have seen some of Stetson’s previous forays into dog bowl review and testing.

Aikiou Dog Bowl

Most of the bowls we’ve tested in the past have some kind of obstacle(s) to slow down fast eating dogs.  However, the Aikiou Dog Bowl was quite different.  When it first arrived in the mail I was trying to decide whether it was actually a dog food bowl or was it more of an interactive dog toy?

I figured since it held food it must be more of a bowl and less of a toy (although I’d have to say it’s a little bit of both).

Here are the stats on the Aikiou Dog Bowl:

Product Dimensions: 13 x 2.5 x 13 inches; 1.6 pounds

Product Features:

  • Encourages your pet to eat more slowly, which reduces digestive problems and discomfort
  • Help to prevents the storage of excess fat (since your pet is eating more slowly, it will feel full sooner)
  • Provides a food hunting activity your dog needs for stimulation of the brain and the other senses
  • Helps reduce stress and anxiety through play
  • Use for each meal or at desired intervals

Aikiou Dog Bowl

My First Impression Of The Aikiou Dog Bowl

COOL!!!  I was very excited to see such an innovative new doggy bowl!  I was excited to let Stetson give it a try.  My initial reservations were:

  1. It’s made of plastic and our veterinarian has told us that Stetson’s acne may be a result of plastic bowls.  We prefer the aluminum dog bowls over plastic
  2. Would Stetson be able to figure out how to get to the food…He’s pretty smart and very determined when it comes to finding and eating food.  In fact, Stetson lives for meal time.  When I come home midday (non-mealtime) he doesn’t even get out of bed to greet me.  However, if it’s in the morning or evening right before meal time he comes flying out of the bedroom begging for food.  I don’t think food drive is much of a problem with Stetson.
  3. Would Stetson have any problems getting the food out of the small compartments.
  4. Stetson is a violent eater.  Will the Aikiou Dog Bowl be durable enough to withstand Stetson’s exuberance?

Over the next week we plan on putting the Aikiou Dog Bowl through the ultimate test.  Stetson and I will do our best to poke, prod, lick, scratch, and do whatever it takes to produce a thorough review of the Aikiou Dog Bowl.

Stay posted through our RSS feed or subscribe to our email feed and don’t miss Stetson’s upcoming video review of the Aikiou Dog Bowl.

Have you tried feeding your dog using a bowl that helps slow his eating?  Have you ever tried the Aikiou Dog Bowl?

We received a free review copy of the Aikiou Dog Bowl.  We do our best to present the good and the bad of every dog product we review and try to not be biased for or against any manufacturer.

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What Is The Best Dog Brush?

January 31, 2011 By 6 Comments

What is the best dog brush is a great questions after all you don’t want your dog’s shedding fur all over your house and brushing your dog helps to stimulate the follicles and skin to produce natural oils keeping skin and fur healthy.

I actually have a promotional package I received with several FURminator products in the package (I just gave this away at our latest Puppy In Training Facebook Contest).

I’m always on the look out for new dog and puppy products and great place to look is on Amazon’s Pet Supplies best seller list (Affiliate Link).  Today I noticed the number 1 and number 2 top sellers were  the Furminator deShedding Tool or the Furminator Brush.

In my opinion is the FURminator deShedding Tool the best dog brush?  You’ll notice that whenever I pose a question my answer is almost always “It Depends” and in this case the answer once again is “It Depends”.

FURminator deShedding Tool Review

Product Features

  • Quickly and easily grabs and removes loose and undercoat hair
  • Uniquely designed stainless steel 4-inch blade
  • Reduces shedding up to 90 percent
  • Ideal for all long- and short-haired shedding dogs over 50 pounds
  • FURejector button removes loose hair from blade with ease

Product Description

Reduce your pet’s shedding by 90 percent with the FURminator deLuxe deShedding Tool. Its premium stainless steel fine-toothed 4-inch blade does not cut, but reaches deep to grab and remove loose hair and undercoat hair quickly and easily, leaving a shiny, healthy topcoat. By removing loose, dead hairs, the tool also eliminates shedding and the cleanliness and allergy problems that accompany it. Less hair on your dog means less hair on your furniture and floors. The innovative ergonomic handle makes the tool easy to grip. The FURejector is a conveniently placed thumb button that lets you empty the collected fur from the shedding blade safely and quickly. Just push the button, and the fur is easily released. Get fast, amazing results every time with both long- and short-haired shedding breeds. Reduces shedding better than any brush, rake, or comb, and brings out the pet’s natural oils, which promotes healthier skin and a shiny coat.

My FURminator Brush Review

I have a Furminator Brush, but not the one with the FURejector.  However, I do have the regular brush and I must say it is great at removing fur from your dog.  Lets go over the Product features as described above:

  1. Quickly and easily grabs and removes loose and undercoat hair – YES - A definite yes from me and my three dogs!
  2. Uniquely designed steel 4-inch blade – YES – I’ve seen competitors with very similar designs.
  3. Reduces shedding up to 90 percent – YES – I’m not really sure, about exact numbers, but I’m going to hazard to guess that yes it does reduce shedding by up to 90 percent.
  4. Ideal for all long – and short-haired shedding dogs over 50 pounds – YES – I have Stetson and Dublin who have short coats and Linus who has a longer coat.  The FURminator works well with both dogs.
  5. FURejector button removes loose hair from blade with ease – N/A – My version of the FURminator does not have the FURejector so I have no comment here.

Be careful when using the FURminator brush – the blades inside the are sharp and you need to be somewhat careful when using this device.  This brush is better at removing dead fur and undercoat on your then any other brush I’ve used in the past.  I highly recommend it if you’re interested in reducing the amount of fur floating around in your house.

Have you used a FURminator brush before?  If so we’d love to hear what you thought about this brush.  Does it work well with you dog and does it keep your home fur free (or at least a little more fur free).

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Is It Time To Buy Some Christmas Dog Toys?

December 2, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Every holiday season we buy Christmas Dog Toys for our friends and family (doggy friends and family).

Of course Stetson, Linus, and this year, Dublin will get great puppy toys and treats from Santa Claus.  We received an email this morning from Amazon.com announcing a 4 for the price of 3 special on some of their doggy toys.  Amazon already has steep discounts compared to our local pet stores.  So, instead of procrastinating and waiting until Christmas Eve to do all my shopping we went ahead and ordered some great dog toys and products through Amazon’s 4 for 3 Special.

Christmas Dog Toys – 4 for the price of 3!

Here are some of the details on the Amazon’s 4 for 3 Special:

  1. Add at least 4 eligible items to your shopping cart
  2. Proceed to Checkout
  3. On the final Checkout page, we will discount the lowest price item.

Here are doggy toy (actually pet supply) section that advertises as 4 for 3 special: Pet Supply 4 for 3 Special.

Amazon is a giant store.  There were 4,161 items in the 4 for 3 specials for pet supplies.  So what special items did I end up buying?

Holiday Toys For The Dogs

I’m not too sure if this is a special offer for the holidays or something Amazon runs on a regular basis, but it’s a great way to get an added discount on already heavily discounted pet toys.  Here are the 4 doggy toys I ended up getting for my boys:

  • Invincibles Plush Snake Dog Toy, 3 Squeakers, Green/Black – This snake claims invincibility, but I think my dogs can prove them wrong.  A couple weekends ago Guide Dog Puppy Baron visited us and brought the Kyjen snake.  Dublin and Baron had many tug of war battles with the toy and it proved fairly durable…however, I don’t think it could stand several weeks of intense battles between Stetson, Linus, and Dublin.

  • Hide-A-Squirrel Pet Toy, Large – In the past we’ve purchased several of the hide-a-toys and our dogs love them.  We even still have a few pieces left from our two year old Ginger Bread House Holiday Dog Toy.  My brother’s German Shepherd mix, Georgie loves his hide-a-toy.  It’s also a bit of a puzzle for the dogs as they learn to extract the squirrels from their plush home.  That actually sounds very familiar to what my dogs do to the stuffing of the majority of their toys.

Hide A Bee Dog Toy

  • Hide-A-Bee Pet Toy, Large – We love the Kyjen Hide-A-Toy’s so much we decided to get the boys a Hide-A-Bee dog toy.  We also noticed on the Amazon.com page that people use the Hide-Bee-Hive to stuff not only the bee’s but doggy treats as well.  It’s a lot of fun for both you and your dog!

Angry Birds Dog Toy

  • Hide-A-Bird Puzzle Plush Intercative Dog Toy, Large – Yep!  We went crazy with the Hide-A-Toys on this Amazon order, but we (the dogs) love playing with them so much.  The Hide-A-Bird dog toy was/is the actual dog toy Georgie loves playing with at my brother’s house.  Every time I think about my dogs playing with this Hide-A-Toy I think of Angry Birds…not sure why I just awesome a bird would be angry after getting thrashed around by a couple dogs.

Those were our four dog toys for the price of three.  Oh yeah, and did I mention that here in California we don’t get charged sales tax on the items we buy from Amazon.com!!!

Anyhow, if you’re interested in the 4 for 3 discount check out this page before you start shopping: Amazon’s 4 for 3 Special.  Then go to this page to see the products advertised as 4 to 3: Pet Supply 4 for 3 Special

Christmas is right around the corner so make sure you don’t miss out and start shopping early for your favorite Christmas Dog Toys.

What do you think?  Have you taken advantage of Amazon’s 4 for 3 Special?

By the way, we include affiliate links in our links back to amazon.com.  When you buy an item from amazon through these links we receive a small commission from amazon.  It helps us pay for the cost of running this website.  Thanks and we appreciate your support.

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How About A World Cup Dog Jersey?

June 25, 2010 By 3 Comments

Are you caught up in the excitement of the World Cup?  Do you already have your favorite World Cup Jersey while you cheer for your country?  I’m a fan of hockey, but every four years I must admit I flip the channel to see what’s going on with the World Cup.  On the other hand, I have several crazy friends from Ireland, England, and other countries who are fanatical football fans (for us Americans…soccer).  Now if you’re one of those fanatical fans then you might be interested in a new product I recently came across: World Cup Dog Jersey!

World Cup Dog Jersey

Earlier this year we won a contest for a world cup dog jersey.  At the time we didn’t think to much of it, but we were a little bummed when we found out they did not make large dog sized jerseys.  We ended up ordering the USA small jersey for my dad’s Cairn Terrier.  Here’s a picture of him sporting his fancy new jersey:

I’m very impressed with the material and quality of the jersey.  The material is very light weight and feels very similar to the material from my Nike Dry Fit Golf shirts.  Here are a few more World Cup Dog Jersey details:

  • Constructed of breathable micro-mesh fabric.
  • Stretchable neck and waist for comfort.
  • Vibrant colors. Wont fade.
  • 100% polyester.
  • This is the same jersey your National team is wearing. Now your four-legged friend can also sport this jersey!

By the way, the United States is not the only country available you can also get a dog jersey in the style of: Brazil, England, France, or Germany.

If you’re a fan of the world cup and a dog lover then I suggest you check out the website.  I’m not too sure if they will be able to get your favorite world cup dog jersey delivered by the end of this years world cup, but I’m sure you’ll have something for your dog to be proud of for the next World Cup!

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Natural Balance Dog Food Recall

June 21, 2010 By 1 Comment

There have been several dog food scares over the past few years.  However, this is the first time a dog food recall has caught my attention.

I was scrolling through my news feed on facebook and came across a short status update from Pawsible Marketing regarding a pet food recall.  It caught my eye because the dog food under question was from the same company that produces Linus and Stetson’s food.  I immediately clicked over to the article and found out the recall was for Natural Balance Sweet Potato & Chicken Dry Dog food.  I breathed a sigh of relief as Linus and Stetson eat Natural Balance Potato and Duck (allergy formula) and we haven’t had any problems with their dog food.

Natural Balance Dog Food Recall

I went straight to the Natural Balance home page to get the latest update on the recall and found a letter from the President.  Here’s a short excerpt from the letter.

Our 5 lb. and 28 lb. Sweet Potato & Chicken Dry Dog food, manufactured on December 17, 2009 with a “Best By” date of June 17, 2011 is being voluntarily recalled. A random sampling of this product tested positive for Salmonella by the FDA. In my mind, I asked, “How can this happen? I spent over $900,000 putting in our laboratory to test our products before we release them.” We tested samples from the production run when it was manufactured six months ago, and the results came back negative.

If you’d like read the full letter than check it out here: letter from the president.

If you read the entire letter it is reassuring that Natural Balance does do extensive testing on their food and also that they have not had a single complaint about this product.

As I mentioned before we haven’t had any problems with Natural Balance and we plan to continue feeding Linus and Stetson the Natural Balance Duck and Potato.

Did this dog food recall affect you at all?  What kind of dog food does your dog eat?

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My Next Dog Car? The Dog Friendly Honda Element?

March 16, 2010 By 5 Comments

I’ve been talking about getting a new dog car for what seems like forever (over two years anyways).  A few months back I went to the Los Angeles Auto Show and came away with a few new ideas for a dog car, but didn’t actually pull the trigger on purchasing a new car.  So I guess I’m going to have to drive around in the 2K Green CRV for another few more months years.

Anyhow here are a few pictures from the show.

My Next Dog Car

Lexus LFA

It might get a little cramped in this bad boy with three two oversized dogs.  Also, the price may be a little steep at $350,000 and Lexus is hand picking the people who will be allowed to purchase one of the only 500 cars going into production.  I guess I might have to pass up on the Lexus LFA as my next dog car.

Fiskar Karma

I know what you’re saying…you need a four door car for those dogs of yours.  I hear ya, we’ve also been talking about going green and getting an eco-friendly dog car…something that gets good gas mileage and has minimal impact on the environment.  I give you the Fiskar Karma…What say you?

The Karma uses plugin technology along with solar panels to power it’s engine.  It can go up to 50 miles before burning any fuel…and it has 4 doors…perfect for dogs? no?

Okay, maybe this is a little over the top as well and I’m not even sure how much it would cost for this dog car.

Dog Friendly Honda Element

Yep, we did talk about the dog friendly Honda Element just before we visited the LA Auto Show and much to our excitement Honda impressed us with their new upgrade to the boxy SUV car minivan wagon.

That’s me in the front seat of the Dog Friendly Honda Element.  You can kind of see the rubber mat with bone shaped notches.  Also, the seat covers had doggy designs as well.  You can’t see it in this picture, but there were also climbing latches in the back seat to tether your dog’s leash to the floor.

Me again with baby going up the dog ramp.  I’m not sure if it’s a standard sized crate, but it fits nice an snug in the rear storage are of the Honda Element.  You can also see the dog ramp in this picture.

Here are a few other accessories included with this Dog Friendly package.  There was also a list on display of all the additional upgrades included with the dog friendly model of the Honda Element.

Dog Friendly Honda Element Accessories

  • Rear Car Kennel
  • Pet Bed
  • Stowable Ramp
  • Dog Pattern Seat Covers
  • All Season Dog Bone Floor Mats
  • Spill Resistant Water Bowl
  • Electric Fan
  • Tote Bag
  • Dog Friendly Emblems
  • A Leash, Collar, and Dog Tag
  • Dispensor Bag

All of this for an additional $995 on top of the regular price for the Honda Element EX.  It’s nice to see that Honda is thinking about us dog owners.  However, I still have two glaring issues that keep me from purchasing a Honda Element.

  1. First, the fuel economy is not good on this car.  EPA City/Highway driving: 19/24mpg.  That’s just not cutting it.
  2. Second, the clamshell doors.  As I’ve mentioned before my RX-8 had the clamshell/suicide doors and they drove me nuts trying to get people and dogs in and out of the back seat.  A car as large as the Element could very easily have regular doors.

So now I sit back and wait for Honda to redesign the Honda Element.  Hopefully they will bring the fuel economy up or possibly add a hybrid version to the lineup and remove those awful clamshell doors.

I also looked around for the dog friendly Toyota Venza, but Toyota did not bring any of the dog friendly accessories to the LA Auto Show.

What kind of dog car do you own?  I’d love to hear about it and perhaps you can convince me to trash the old CRV for a new dog friendly vehicle.

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Pet E.R. Guide Review

November 24, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Are you the type of person who always takes his dogs on vacation?  If so, then the Pet E.R. Guide might be something to add to your dog traveling kit.

The Pet E.R. Guide

So what exactly ist the Pet E.R. Guide?  It’s a book/directory that lists 24-hour and after hour veterinary facilities in the United States.

PetERGuide_small

I mostly travel locally with my dogs, but we do make the occasional trek outside of the county.  Not long ago we made a trip up to the Sequoia’s, camped, hiked, and fished.  Everything went well and at the time I never heard of the Pet E.R. Guide and never even thought about emergency veterinary service for my dog Linus.  However, looking back at our little adventure things could have gone south on several occasions:

  • When we were asleep in the tent I remember hearing this horrible sound I first thought could have been a bear (I was groggy).  Actually it was just Linus making that familiar sound right before he vomits.  We weren’t too sure what upset his stomach, but noticed some bits of food that we believe he picked up down by the river.  Fortunately, after throwing up on our sleeping bags he felt much better, cuddled up, and went back to sleep.
  • While hiking down the river we came to a waterfall where we all got into the water for a photo opportunity.  Linus didn’t want to join us and just stayed along the river edge.  However, after hearing our excitement he decided to hop from rock to rock to get to our position.  He nearly fell over the falls onto jagged rocks (about a 10 foot drop) and I’m almost positive he would have broken some bones if he had fell.

Lucky for us neither of these incidents resulted in a trip to the Emergency Room.  However, you can see how easily an accident could happen.  The Pet E.R. Guide lists hundreds of 24 and after-hour vet facilities throughout the US and could have been indispensable on our trip.

By the way, it had crossed my mind that there might be a directory for emergency veterinary clinics somewhere online.  I did several searches in Google and did not come up with a good source.  So as I’ve mentioned earlier if you are the type who likes to travel with your dog or pet I highly recommend getting a copy of the Pet E.R. Guide.  It could save your dogs life.

We received a complimentary copy of this book for purpose of reviewing.  This article contains affiliate links.  If you click the links on this page and make a purchase we will receive a small monetary commission that we will use to help cover the costs of running the Puppy In Training website.

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Dog-Friendly Toyota Venza

November 17, 2009 By 5 Comments

We’re just a couple weeks away from the LA Auto Show and I’m hoping to get a glimpse of the Dog-Friendly Toyota Venza.  We are also hoping to see the dog-friendly Honda Element as well.  Unfortunately we only saw the plain old vanilla versions of the Honda Element and saw nothing of  the dog-friendly accessories for the Toyota Venza at the OC Auto Show.

Dog Friendly Toyota Venza

Dog-Friendly Toyota Venza

So what is it that we hope to see at the LA Auto show?  Well, the Toyota Venza was designed with the dog owner in mind.  Toyota is offering pet accessories for the Venza.  Here’s a list from Suite 101:

  • Waterproof hammock style seat covers
  • Pet ramps for easy access via the rear hatch
  • A booster seat pet restraint system, complete with adjustable harness
  • A zipline for the rear seat, with matching harness pet restraint system to allow for movement while keeping pets restrained during an accident
  • A dog leash tether to keep dogs from jumping out of the car or into the driver’s area
  • An adjustable pet barrier to keep pets in the back seat or rear cargo area

I’m glad that Toyota has decided to keep the dog owner in mind when designing their latest vehicles.  Even if they do not have the Venza pet accessories on display at the LA Autoshow I’ll have to take a closer look at the car to see if it meets my needs.  Who knows?  The Toyota Venza may be my next Dog Car!

As you all know I’ve had my eye out for the perfect dog car for the past 2 years.  My tastes have adjusted over that time and not only am I looking for a great dog car, but one that is eco-friendly too.  Unfortunately, larger cars such as the Venza don’t usually get great gas mileage while green cars that get good gas mileage are often on the small side for me and my two large dogs.  Is there a happy medium?  If you’ve already found the perfect eco-friendly dog car I’d love to hear about it in the comments section below.

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“Dog Friendly” Dog Car – Honda Element

October 19, 2009 By 5 Comments

It’s been a while since I talked about dog cars.  I’ve been on the look out for a new car to accomadate my dogs for quite some time now.  My 2000 Honda CRV has been holding up very well, but I must admit it’s not the greatest dog car.

Earlier this year I heard about the Dog Friendly version of the Honda Element.  I heard that they had the dog friendly Honda Element on display at the Orange County Pet Expo last April.  Unfortunately, I did not see the Element at the OC pet expo.  However, I have been thinking about it from time to time.

This past weekend we visited the Orange County Auto Show at the Anaheim Convention Center.  I was hoping to catch a glimpse of the new Dog Friendly Honda Element.  Once again I was met by disappointment.  They had the Honda Element SC, but it did not have any dog friendly upgrades.

Dog Friendly Honda Element

Today I received an email from a friend from the Car and Driver blog titled: Honda Element Adds “Dog Friendly” Package.  I was happy to finally receive some definitive information on perhaps my future dog car!  November 16th, 2009 is the release date and it’s listed on Car and Driver as a canine convenience package.  Here are the details:

  • There is a special kennel made of seatbelt like webbing that fits conveniently in the hatch.
  • There is also a soft floor in the back to keep your pooch nice and comfortable.
  • There is a special ramp in the back to allow your dog to walk rather than jump into the vehicle.
  • Dog designs on the rubber car mats, seat fabric, and exterior of the car.

The price tacks an additional $995 on top of the regular price of the Honda Element.

The Honda Element and I

I had already heard that the Honda Element was a great dog car.  If you read the dog cars blog then you’ll know they give the Honda Element their highest marks even writing “best dog car, ever!”  The Honda Element has received all these great dog car reviews and now to add on top of that the “Dog Friendly” package?  How could I go wrong?

I actually test drove this car about two years ago and I’m sorry to say I wasn’t extremely impressed.  I loved the plastic floors and the roomy interior.  The boxy shape makes it easy to accomodate even the largest kennels.  However, that boxy shape may be part of it’s downfall (in my mind).

First of all, I’d like a car that gets good gas mileage afterall we’re trying to be eco-friendly and the Honda Element is not the greenest of vehicles (gas mileage is somewhere in the low 20′s).  this is perhaps partially due to that boxy design that gives it such a spatious interior.  Second, I’m not a big fan of the suicide doors (doors swinging the opposite direction).  The car appears to be large enough to accomadate regular doors.  In my experience it is much more difficult to load and unload dogs, people, large items with suicide doors.

We are trying to raise Stetson and Linus as green dogs or eco dogs.  Our latest goal is to work on our eco dog training.  You might be wondering what exactly is eco dog training?  Well, we like to think of eco dog training as a slight modification on regular dog training.  We’d like people to make eco-friendly choices when it comes to dog training, dog food, dog products, dog cars, or even when choosing your next dog.

The Dog Friendly Honda Element’s poor gas mileage is the main reason why we will not choose it as our next dog car.  Our goal’s have changed over the years and as EcoDogs we hope to find a dog car that also does less harm to the environment.

How about you?  Have you found the perfect dog car yet?  Is it an eco-friendly dog car?

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