February 8, 2012

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H2O4K9 Dog Water Bottle And Bowl – Video Review

May 23, 2011 By 2 Comments

This is the third and final in our series of H2O4K9 Dog Water Bottle And Bowl Reviews.  Our first review covered the basic specifications and our first impressions after receiving the H2O4K9 dog water bottle and bowl package in the mail.  Our second review covered our initial reaction to our first field test.  We actually brought the H2O4K9 Water Bottle out on several outings including our Scavenger Hunt at Fashion Island, our snow outing, bass pro shop outing and our movie outing at the District in Tustin.

H2O4K9 Dog Water Bottle And Bowl – Video Review

Before we get to the H2O4K9 video review here are some quick specs on the H2o4K9 Dog Water Bowl/Bottle and neoSLING:

  • 18/8 Stainless Steel Bottle
  • 100% Recyclable
  • Fits Backpacks / Cup Holder and Bike Cages
  • Great Clip to attach the H2O4K9 Bottle to your belt
  • Weights less than 1 lb
  • NeoSLING - is a stylish, comfortable, and convenient way to carry water for you or your dog wherever you go.

Without further adieu here’s our H2O4K9 Video Review:

H2O4K9 Video Transcription

Welcome to the PuppyInTraining.com H2O4K9 Dog Water Bottle and Bowl Review.  There’s our product tester, Stetson checking out the H2O4K9 Dog Water Bottle.  As you can see there’s a little carabiner clip so you can clip your bottle to your backpack.  The bottle is a very sturdy construction and made of stainless steel and as you can see the lid acts as a water bowl.  I’m using the H2O4K9 lid as a water bowl I’m going to see if Stetson wants a sip of water.  Unfortunately, Stetson wasn’t too thirsty.  That’s okay because now I can show you how easy it is to add unused water back to the bottle.  The H2O4K9 Dog Water Bottle and Bowl is very well-constructed and felt solid in my hands.  It is much nicer then many of the plastic bottles we’ve reviewed in the past.

We decided o put the H2O4K9 to the test by taking it on one of our outings to the District in Tustin.  I strapped on the neoSLING to carry my H2O4K9 and took Dublin for a stroll.  After walking around the District for over an hour our guide dog puppies Dublin, Baron, and Yuki were pretty thirsty.  Here’s Dublin checking out the H2O4K9 Dog Water Bottle and Bowl.  Now he’s taking a few sips.  Dublin splashes water around no matter what bowl he drinks out of.  Now here’s Yuki.  She’s much more graceful when drinking water.  As you can see here the H204K9 Dog Water bowl fits Yuki and Baron’s mouth perfectly as if it were designed for a Labrador Retriever.  The only thing we didn’t really like about the H2O4K9 was the two piece design.  We prefer to see a model where the bottle and bowl are connected in one piece while our pups drink.

Thanks for joining us for the H2O4K9 Dog Water Bottle and Bowl review.  If you’d like us to review one of your dog or puppy products visit PuppyInTraining.com and fill out our contact form with your information.

In case you missed our first two reviews check out:

H2O4K9 Stainless Steel Dog Bottle And Bowl Review – First Test

H2O4K9 Stainless Steel Dog Bottle And Bowl – In For Review

My final thoughts on the H2O4K9 Dog Water Bottle And Bowl

We love the construction of the H2O4K9 Dog Water Bottle.  It’s a very solid stainless steel bottle and 100% recyclable.  We love the fact that it’s such high quality compared to most of the plastic bottles we come across in most other dog water bottles and bowls.

The Neoslingis very easy to throw over your shoulder and is very comfortable when transporting the H2O4K9 Bottle.  However, I mostly travel with a backpack when on outings and would normally just toss the bottle in my backpack.  We also tried clipping the H2O4K9 to our backpack using the carabiner, but we found it a little awkward and annoying with the bottle swaying side to side.

As we mentioned we’d love to see a one piece construction that has the bowl attached to the bottle.  We’ve seen this in several plastic bottle/bowl combos, but we would quickly purchase a nice well constructed H2O4K9 stainless steel bottle over the cheap plastic bottles we normally see in the stores.

Have you used an H2O4K9 Dog Water Bottle?  If so, let us know what you think about this dog product.

Filed Under: Dog Bowls, Dog Products, Puppy Training Videos Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Tazlab Aqua-Fur Travel Dog Bowl Review

October 7, 2009 By 2 Comments

As I’ve mentioned in the past we love to travel with our dogs.  Also, as a Guide Dog puppy raiser we are always out and about with our dogs and we are often in need of portable travel dog bowls for both food and water.

This past weekend we were lucky enough to participate in the Orange County Transit Authority (OCTA) bus training.  It was great fun and we were allowed to not only give our puppies a chance to get used to riding the bus, but also we had the opportunity to visit Knott’s Berry Farm with our puppies.  OCTA was kind enough to set us up with free passes into Knott’s for the morning of our bus training.  Not only did we have a chance to do all this great training, but we also had the opportunity to test some of our travel dog bowls.

This week we’re covering the Tazlab Aqua-Fur Travel Dog Bowl.

Tazlab Aqua-Fur Travel Dog Bowl Review

As I mentioned earlier we had a chance to put the Tazlab Aqua-Fur Travel Dog Bowl to the test on our OCTA bus trip to Knott’s Berry Farm.  Here are the specifications on the bowl.

Product: Tazlab Aqua-Fur Travel Dog Bowl
List Price: $15.00
Product Features:

  • Folds up flat!
  • Made from food-grade silicone.
  • Guaranteed not to wet through.
  • Available in 4 Great Colors.
  • Perfect for dogs on the go!

Product Description

Hiking and biking, climbing and riding, one constant exists when adventuring with dogs: they need water and food. Cumbersome metal bowls do not fit well in backpacks, and they slide around the back of the car. Sewn fabric bowls just don’t stand up as tall as we wish they would, Tasman has a hard time when the bowl tries to close around his snout while he is getting a drink. Tazlab came up with the Aqua-Fur, the cutting edge in dog travel bowls, made from FDA approved food grade silicone which does not off gas, does not contain BPEs, does not have any nooks and crannies for bacteria to breed in, and best of all it folds up to stash just about anywhere. Just like silicone bakeware the bowls are dishwasher safe, which means that when it gets all slobbery and caked with food it is a breeze to sanitize. You can even bake a bowl shaped cake if you feel like it! Our silicone travel bowl is a drooly dream come true for every dog lover!

Puppy In Training Video Review

We took the Tazlab Aqua-Fur Travel Dog Bowl to Knott’s Berry Farm, but we didn’t get any video footage…any good footage that is…I have a video of Sidney drinking water out of the Tazlab bowl, but I only captured the top of his head and about half the bowl in the video.

Anyhow, here’s a video of Stetson, Linus, and I showing how the Tazlab Aqua-Fur Travel Bowl works.  Check it out:

I hope you enjoyed the video of Stetson, Linus, me, and the Tazlab bowl.

My Thoughts On The Tazlab Aqua-Fur Travel Dog Bowl

We love the Tazlab Aqua-Fur Travel Dog Bowl!  It’s a great travel dog bowl for both food and water.  As I mentioned earlier we grabbed our Tazlab dog bowl, threw it in our backpack, then spent the day riding the bus and walking around Knott’s Berry Farm.  When my Guide Dog Puppy In Training, Sidney was thirsty I whipped out the Tazlab Dog Bowl, unfolded it, and poured water.  Sidney had no problem drinking out of the bowl.  When we were finished I picked up the bowl folded back together and put it neatly in the pocket of my backpack.

As you can see from the video above the bowl can be used easily to give your dog food or water.  As mentioned in the product description section it is made of food grade silicone and has no nooks or crannies for bacteria to breed in.  If you’ve been keeping up with our dog bowl reviews then you know that we’ve been having some trouble with plastic dog bowls, bacteria, allergies, and canine acne.  Perhaps a silicone bowl is the solution.  I actually asked the makers of the Tazlab Aqua-Fur Travel Dog Bowl if they planned on making a bowl to help slow down fast eaters made of the same food grade silicone.  Unfortunately, not at this time.

Pros:

  • Folds up nice and compact making it easy for storage and travel.  We prefer just tossing it in one of the pockets in our backpack.
  • Food grade silicone seems like a possible solution for the issues we’ve been having with Stetson’s canine acne.  I’ll have to use the dog bowl more often and see how Stetson’s chin reacts.
  • Very durable
  • Doesn’t leak…it even says you can bake a cake with it…maybe in our next review…

Cons:

  • If you’re using it as a travel dog water bowl then you have to guess how much water your dog will drink then toss out or try to siphon the water back into your water bottle.
  • It was a little tricky to figure out how to fold the bowl back up at first.  However, it  only took a few minutes to figure it out how to fold it back together (I know I’m reaching on the cons, but we have to list something for you).

Overall, we love this bowl for traveling.  You can use it for either a food or water bowl (or even to bake a cake…).  It’s folds up nicely and is easily stores away in the tiny pockets of your backpack.

If you travel a lot with your dog and need a nice compact travel bowl then we highly recommend the Tazlab Aqua-Fur Travel Dog Bowl.

Has anyone else out there used the Tazlab Aqua-Fur Travel Dog Bowl?  If so, let us know what you think of this bowl in the comments section below.

Filed Under: Dog Bowls Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Pet Top Portable Drinking Device Review

September 29, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Over the last few weeks we’ve been reviewing dog bowls specifically dog food bowls for fast eating dogs.  I had perfect test subjects: Stetson and Derby my two Labrador Retrievers.  If you know Labrador Retrievers then you know these guys love to eat.  If you’re interested in checking out the bowls we reviewed then go to this page: Dog Bowl Reviews.

As a Guide Dog puppy raiser we are out in public all the time and we need dog food and water bowls for traveling.  Well, dog water bowls aren’t always “dog water bowls.”  In the case of today’s review our “dog water bowl” is actually just a device used for dispensing water out of an ordinary plastic water bottle.  Confused?  Well let me enlighten you with this weeks Dog “Product” review…The Pet Top Portable Drinking Device.

Pet Top Portable Drinking Device Review

We first saw the Pet Top Portable Drinking Device at the OC Pet Expo a couple years ago and used it quite a bit with both Stetson and Derby.  Here are the specifications on the device:

Product: Pet Top Portable Drinking Device
List Price: $5.99
Product Features:

  • Designed to supply a neat and clean water supply to your pet when your on the go.
  • Fits most standard water bottles.
  • Unique ratchet-action keeps the Pet Top® portable drinking device open at your desired setting while in use, so your pet gets the right amount of water throughout!
  • Dishwasher safe

Product Description

Our unique patented Pet Top® portable drinking device for pets is designed to provide a neat and convenient water supply for your pet when you’re on the go and can’t be bothered with the mess, hassle and waste of pouring water into a bowl.

Take the Pet Top® portable drinking device with you to the park, in the car, on a walk, or anywhere your pet needs a drink. It’s small enough to fit in a jogging pack, purse or pocket when not in use. And since it fits most standard water bottles, you’ll always have a ready source of water nearby. You can even reuse a water bottle.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0028CJ6X0?ie=UTF8&tag=minlikwat-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0028CJ6X0

Puppy In Training Product Review

Pet Top Portable Drinking Device Video Review

Once again Stetson is our trusty test subject.  He was pretty thirsty on this day and did a great job licking away at the Pet Top Portable Drinking Device.  Take a look at the video:

What did you guys think of the video?  The Pet Top Portable Drinking Device worked as advertised and I can confirm that it does fit on pretty much every water bowl I’ve tried.

My Thoughts on the Pet Top Portable Drinking Device

What are my final thoughts on this product.  Well for starters it worked great and is very portable.  One of the main features I like about the Portable Drinking Device is the fact that I can grab this little orange cap, a couple water bottles, Stetson, Linus, and I can share the water very easy and conveniently.  It’s easy to keep clean and my dogs required very little training to use the device (I just had to wait until they were thirsty).

The one thing I didn’t like about this device and actually a bit of a deal breaker for taking with my Guide dogs was the fact that the water dripped outside Stetson’s mouth.  This was really unavoidable even after adjusting the water flow by tightening up the cap.  If I’m in doors with one of my guide dog puppies I can’t have water dripping all over the floor or carpet I need something better suited for indoors.  Also, another negative about loosening and tightening the cap: if the cap is too tight very little water comes out and it takes forever to quench your dogs thirst.  If you loosen the cap then you end up with a bigger mess of water on the floor which is not that big a deal as long as you’re outside.

To sum up:

Pros:

  • I love how portable the device is.  It’s fits easily in your pocket (in my cargo shorts)
  • It’s great how it fits on most any water bottle
  • Easy to keep clean and interchange water bottles between people and dogs

Cons:

  • Water drips on the ground.  How much depends on how much you loosen or tighten the cap for water flow
  • Even when you have the Pet Top on very loose for maximum water flow Stetson sat there for minutes drinking water (I time lapsed the video to speed things up)

It’s great that it fits on any water bottle, but we’re trying to be more green and eco-friendly by avoiding the plastic water bottle – I originally had this as a con, but in reality I’m sure you can find a used water bottle just about anywhere from anyone of your friends which does promote recycling.

Overall we really enjoyed the Pet Top Portable Drinking Device and we would recommend it to people as long as they know that some of the water will drip to the ground.  Of course this is not a problem if your just taking your dog to the park, camping, or hiking.  However, if you need to give your dog water indoors you might need a device or dog water bowl that does not drip or cause a mess.

Filed Under: Dog Products, Shelter Dogs Tagged With: , , , ,

Contech DrinkBetter Dog Water Bowl Review

September 15, 2009 By 1 Comment

Does your dog drink water too fast?  This week we have the Contech DrinkBetter Dog Water Bowl which was designed to slow down fast drinking dogs.  Both Derby and Stetson have choked on water trying to drink too fast so lucky for us we found the DrinkBetter Dog Bowl.  This bowl matches the Contech EatBetter Dog Food Bowl and together the two make a great matching set.  As I mentioned about the EatBetter Bowl this water bowl is very solid and made of a more durable heavier plastic then the other bowls we reviewed.

Without further ado here’s our Tuesday Dog Bowl Review:

Contech DrinkBetter Dog Water Bowl Review

Today’s dog bowl is not for food, but instead we are reviewing a dog water bowl that is meant to slow down the fast drinking dog.  The Contech DrinkBetter Dog Water Bowl is designed with a floating plastic object that slows down water drinking.  Did the DrinkBetter do as advertised and slow down our fast drinking Labrador Retrievers?  Check out the video below to find out.

Product: Contech DrinkBetter Dog Water Bowl
List Price (Amazon.com): $26.10
Product Features:

  • Prevents dogs from drinking too fast.
  • Helps dogs avoid soaking their ears and muzzle.
  • Minimizes the mess left by a sloppy drinker.
  • Ensures your dog’s comfort with a smooth and ergonomic design.
  • Sturdy non-skid design, constructed of K-Resin SBC — a high-quality food-grade polymer.
  • Capacity: Approximately 16oz or 500ml.

Product Description:
The Drink Better® pet bowl encourages dogs to drink at a slower, healthier rate, and make less mess while they’re at it. Besides making a wet mess, dogs that drink too fast can experience digestive problems such as indigestion and vomiting, and light-haired dogs may experience staining of the muzzle (from chlorinated water).

The Drink Better bowl uses a floating obstacle to control the flow of water, encouraging dogs to drink slower and take only as much as they need, without soaking their ears and muzzles or slopping water around the feeding area.

Product Image


Puppy In Training Product Review

Product Video Review

Both Stetson and Derby decided to put the Contech DrinkBetter Dog Water Bowl to the test.  Does the floating obstacle actually slow down their drinking?  Unfortunately, this time around we don’t have a stainless steel bowl for a direct comparison.  However, I think after watching the video you will get the idea of whether or not the bowl is slowing down their water drinking.

My Thoughts On The Contech DrinkBetter Dog Water Bowl

Now that you saw the video what do you think?  I know you can’t decide conclusively until you compare next to a regular stainless steel water bowl.  Well, trust me when I tell you that the Contech DrinkBetter Dog Water Bowl definitely did slow down both Derby and Stetson.  However, the bigger issue was the fact that they spilled a lot of water each time we tested the bowl.  Labrador Retrievers aren’t the most gentle dogs and both Stetson and Derby make a mess with their regular water bowls (they drool well after they’ve finished drinking water).  The problem was that the DrinkBetter Bowl was much messier then their regular water bowls not from drooling, but from poking at the floatation obstacle.

By the way, I must point out that I let Stetson and Derby use the DrinkBetter Dog Water Bowl for about a week before filming the video.  When I first introduced the bowl Stetson and Derby both practically flipped the bowl trying to get to the water.  They did much better in the videos and over time I think they would both get used to drinking properly and slowly from this bowl.  However, that brings me to my next point…

The Contech DrinkBetter Dog Water Bowl is too small for large dogs like Stetson and Derby.  The capacity is 16 ounces and if you fill it too high you will definitely have a messy floor.  I experimented with filling it the bowl to different heights settling in at about 1/2 full.  The more water you add to the bowl the bigger mess you get.  Unfortunately, I did not get extended use out of this water bowl because it’s just too small for my dogs.

Pros:

  • Just like the Contech EatBetter Dog Bowl the DrinkBetter Dog Bowl is a very solid construction.  I wish all the bowls I reviewed were made like these two Contech Dog Bowls.
  • This Dog Water Bowl does slow down fast drinking dogs.
  • The DrinkBetter and EatBetter Dog Bowls make a nice matching set.

Cons:

  • My dogs made a serious mess drinking water out of the DrinkBetter Bowl – this can probably be alleviated by added less water and submerging the floatation obstacle a bit, but my dogs are stubborn and like using their paws and noses to make a mess with the floating obstacle.
  • It took a few days before my dogs figured out how to get water out of the bowl.
  • This is the medium DrinkBetter bowl and it is too small.  At the time of this writing their is no larger DrinkBetter Dog Water bowl.

Overall we liked this dog water bowl.  However, because the bowl is too small for our Labradors we only tested it for a couple weeks as we have some thirsty dogs.  Also, we have read that larger breeds would do better with this bowl if we kept the floater at a lower depth.  Unfortunately, we did not test a deeper floatation which may have caused the mess we were getting on our floor.  We’ll try that in the future and report back our experience.  However, if you do watch the second half of the video you can see that Stetson is clearly getting used to using the DrinkBetter Dog Bowl.  As I mentioned earlier I think it just takes some training and time to get a dog used to this bowl.

Have you tried the Contech EatBetter Dog Bowl?  Tell us about your experience in the comments section below.

Filed Under: Dog Bowls Tagged With: , , ,

Not Quite A Dog Bowl

August 28, 2009 By 1 Comment

Welcome to part 3 of our dog bowl series.  Today we cover two water dispensing devices.  Our third product actually is a dog bowl, but didn’t fit in our two original categories:

  • Slow down the fast dog eaters
  • Traveling dog bowls

However, instead our third dog product – the Chatter Bowl is meant to keep your dog company when your not home.  I picked up these dog products over the past few years and figured they fit in the category of dispensing food or water to your dog so we can consider some of these products in-place of dog bowls.

Just in case you found us and missed our first two overview articles on dog bowls then check out these links:

  • Dog Bowl Reviews – This article is an overview of dog bowls to slow your dogs eating and drinking.  Great bowls for fast eating Labrador Retrievers.
  • Dog Bowls For Traveling – This article covers not just dog bowls, but other dog products good for dispensing food and water while traveling.

Not Quite A Dog Bowl – Well One Is…

  • Lixit Dog Waterer L-100 – these little guys have been around for a while.  Just attach to your outdoor faucet and teach your dog to lick it.

dog waterer

water dog

  • Large Chatter Bowl – Does your dog miss you when your not home.  Try the chatter bowl.

chatter bowl

We are reviewing one bowl a week every Tuesday for the next few months.  If you are interested in any of these dog bowls or products then be sure to visit the Puppy In Training website every Tuesday for our weekly review.  You can also subscribe to our RSS feed to automatically receive all of the Puppy In Training posts.

I’m sure there are many other dog food bowls and dog water bowls out there including a variety of other water and food devices.  If you’ve come across an interesting dog product you think we should review then please let us know in the comments section below.

Have you tried any of these products?  What did you think?

Filed Under: Dog Bowls, Dog Products Tagged With: , , ,

Dog Bowl Reviews

August 26, 2009 By 22 Comments

Some people are looking for a beautiful custom made ceramic dog bowl that matches the interior of their house like any other piece of art. Others however look for a functional dog bowl, one that gets a specific job done. A dog bowl for most people provides your dog’s meal and a place to drink water.

Do you think I’m looking for a dog bowl as a piece of art or for it’s functional purposes?  That’s right when I look for a dog bowl I try to find one with a purpose.  Take a look at the bowls we’ve collected and reviewed below:

Dog Bowls

That’s Linus, Derby, and Stetson trying to figure out which bowl will hold their next meal.  Not all the dog bowls reviewed are in this picture.

Be sure to check our website every Tuesday for the latest in-depth dog bowl review.  We will continue reviewing dog food and water bowls every Tuesday for the next few months.

Dog Bowls With A Purpose

As a Guide Dog Puppy Raiser and a Labrador Retriever owner we run into two problems quite often.  First of all, as a puppy raiser I take my dog everywhere and often times need a nice traveling dog bowl for both feeding and giving my puppies water.

Second, I have Labrador Retrievers and if you know Labs you’ll know they don’t eat food they gulp down food.  Early on I noticed this was a problem with Stetson.  As a puppy he would eat so fast he’d either start choking on his food or he would vomit shortly after eating.  This happened probably about every other meal.

We tried several different dog bowl options and received many suggestions from our friends and family which led to our very first dog bowl review.  We picked up the Brake-Fast Dog Food Bowl from Linus’s trainer and it helped slow down the eating frenzy.

However, shortly after using the Brake-Fast Dog Food Bowl Stetson began breaking out all over his chin.  He had canine acne and our veterinarian told us the most likely cause was using a plastic bowl.  According to our vet the plastic bowls harbor more bacteria and end up causing canine acne in some dogs.  He suggested we switch back to a stainless steel dog bowl.

That’s where our dog bowl journey begins.  We didn’t totally rule out plastic bowls, but we did keep in mind that a plastic dog bowl might cause acne in our dogs.

Dog Bowls For Fast Eaters

  • Contech EatBetter Dog Bowl – Another dog food bowl with obstacles.  A slightly different configuration then the Brake-Fast Bowl.

contech eatbetter dog bowl

Dog Pause Food Bowl

metal brake fast dog bowl

Dog-Water-Bowl

Those are the contenders for dog bowls that will help slow down a fast eating dog.  I’m sure not everyone runs into the problems associated with a speed eater like my Labrador Retrievers.  We will continue our series on Dog Bowl Reviews over the next couple days.  Tomorrow we’ll cover Traveling Dog Bowls and Products and Friday we’ll check out the ever so popular category of Not Quite A Dog Bowl (most of these products are good for traveling with your dog).

This list may grow over time as I’ve already seen some other products I’m interested in reviewing so check back often to see if your favorite dog bowl is under review.

Are there any dog bowls you think I should add to this list?  What dog bowls have you used to slow down a fast eating dog?

Beginning next Tuesday (every Tuesday we will reveal a new dog bowl review) we will start releasing in-depth reviews of each dog bowl.  Some reviews will include exclusive video footage and all reviews will have great images and detailed reviews from our staff and our dogs.

Filed Under: Dog Bowls, Featured Tagged With: , , , ,