February 8, 2012

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Orange County Pet Expo 2012

February 4, 2012 By 1 Comment

It’s early, but I’m already getting excited for the Orange County Pet Expo 2012!  It’s one of my favorite events of the year because they always have awesome new dog toys and products, great demonstrations and events, as well as tons of wonderful informational pet booths across the Orange County Fairgrounds.  Not only is the OC Pet Expo a ton of fun, but for the past 3 years I’ve also worked the Guide Dogs of America booth with my Guide Dog Puppy In Training (this year I’ll probably work the booth with Apache).

Also at the Orange County Pet Expo are hundreds of local animal rescues with puppies, kitties, dogs, and cats.  We even saw rescue pigs at the pet expo last year.

In case you didn’t see our OC Pet Expo Video from last year here it is:

I hope that little Puppy In Training TV video got you pumped up for this years Expo!

Lets check out the details for this years OC Pet Expo 2012.

Orange County Pet Expo 2012

EVENT: America’s Family Pet Expo
WHEN: April 20-22, 2012
HOURS: Friday, 10AM – 6PM; Saturday, 10AM – 7PM; Sunday, 10AM – 6PM
WHERE: OC Fair and Event Center
88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Show Prices:

General Admission – $12.00
Seniors 60 & over – $10.00
Children 6-12 – $6.00
5 yrs and Under – FREE

Here’s a little excerpt from the America’s Family Pet Expo:

See more than 1,000 animals including dogs, cats, equine, birds, fish, llamas, pot bellied pigs, goats, rats, reptiles, rabbits, miniature horses and more on display in fun and interactive stage shows, competitions and demonstrations. Featuring over 400 exhibitors and rescue groups including Bow Meow Pet Products, No Stray Left Behind, Forever Wild Exotic Animal Sanctuary, Southern California Labrador Retriever Rescue, and more!

Last years Orange County Pet Expo was a lot of fun.  If you watched the video then you would have seen that Dublin and I worked the Guide Dogs of America booth, checked out the many different animals, and watched a couple of demonstrations.  We even came home with a few goodies for Dublin, Stetson, and Linus.

I know it’s a few months out, but don’t forget to mark your calendars and let your friends and family know that the America’s Family Pet Expo is coming to the Orange County Fairgrounds April 20th – 22n.  This is a don’t miss event if you’re a pet lover and live in the Orange County, California area.

How about you?  Have you visited the OC Pet Expo in the past?  Are you going to the Orange County Pet Expo 2012?  Let us know in the comment section below.

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Puppy In Training TV – Ep12 – Orange County Pet Expo

September 25, 2011 By 3 Comments

I’m sure many of your have been following the Puppy In Training blog for quite a while now so it’s no secret that the Orange County Pet Expo is one of our favorite events of the year.  In fact we probably never would have started this blog if it wasn’t for the OC Pet Expo.

A few years ago, before we decided to adopt a puppy, volunteer with a local dog rescue, foster puppies, or raise guide dog puppies we visited America’s Family Pet Expo in Costa Mesa, CA.  It was at the expo that we first began thinking about how we could spend our free time volunteering to help puppies and dogs.  We visited many of the animal rescue booths, guide and service dog booths, and watched many of the different demonstrations from elite dog trainers on how to train a puppy and puppy training tips, shutzund training, police k9 search and rescue, and even basic dog obedience training.

Fast forward to today…

  • We’ve helped rescue and foster several litters of puppies and dogs.
  • We’ve been raising guide dog puppies for the past 5 years.
  • We started our Puppy In Training Blog to help others with puppy training tips from our experiences as Guide Dog Puppy Raisers.
  • We even started our own little YouTube Series called Puppy In Training TV!

This weeks episode of Puppy In Training TV is all about this years Orange County Pet Expo.

Episode 12 – Orange County Pet Expo

If you’re interested in sponsoring an episode of Puppy In Training TV visit our sponsorship page.

Orange County Pet Expo Transcription

PuppyInTraining.com Logo and Website Address

Dublin and I took a trip to one of our favorite events…the Orange County Pet Expo! My name is Colby and I’m raising Dublin! a Guide Dog puppy In Training, welcome to episode 12 of Puppy In Training TV!

Guide Dog Puppy Training Starring DUBLIN
With Linus Aussie Shepherd Rescue
Also Colby The Human
And Stetson Career Changed Guide Dog

Every year the America’s Family Pet Expo comes to the fairgrounds in Costa Mesa, California. It’s one of our favorite events and this year Dublin and I worked part of the day at the Guide Dogs of America booth.

We got to the Pet Expo a little bit early before our shift so I let Dublin check out some of the animals at the show. We saw horses, we saw sheep and chickens and other animals inside the petting zoo, there were also donkeys at the oc pet expo, here’s dublin getting a little bit closer to that donkey, Dublin even relaxed in a down position and got almost nose to nose with a Llama!

There are tons of exhibits and demonstrations at the orange county pet expo. of course our favorites are the dog exhibits…However there are also exhibits for birds, fish, reptiles, and other small animals. my mom goes back every year to check out the cats, and of course there’s just about everything a pet lover can ask for at the OC pet expo.

After getting a short preview of the pet expo we followed this pug and group of horses over to the Guide Dogs of America booth. We hung out for a couple hours with some of the other GDA pups and puppy raisers and talked to people about the guide dog puppy raising program.

The OC Pet Expo gave us a great opportunity to walk Dublin through crowds. We’ve done the same kind of walks through shopping malls, but we have never walked through this many people or had so many distractions. Dublin did great walking through crowds and wasn’t afraid of the people or other animals…maybe a little to gung ho as he was pulling a bit on his lead.

One of our favorite events to watch is splash dogs…WOH! Lets watch that again…some of those dogs can really fly and this dog gets some serious air.. Dublin do you think you could do that?

It’s been a while, but we used to foster dogs for a local rescue so I like stopping by to at least say hello at the pet expo. If you’re looking for a dog or puppy please check out your local animal rescue or shelter or another great place to check out is petfinder.com.

It was a long day so we grabbed some food and got ready to head out.

We tried to get as much done as possible while we were at the expo, but there’s so much to do at the OC Pet Expo we felt like we could have used a 3 day pass. In 5 seconds here’s a list of other things we did or wanted to do that we didn’t capture with our video camera…

K9s for Disabled Kids
Police And Search Dog Demo’s
Does Your Dog Need A Job
Assistance Dogs the How And Why
Shutzhund Mondio Ring Dog Sport
The Art of Dog Protection Training
10 Most Common Reasons Dogs End Up In Shelters
Let Your Dog Follow His Nose
Dog Training Secrets Revealed
Pet Products
Parade of Dog Breeds
Those Jumping Scotties
Pet Adoption Fashion Show
And Tons of Other Non-Dog Exhibits

Thanks everyone for joining us and we’ll see you in our next episode or Puppy In Training TV.

Please Subscribe

If you’d like to sponsor an episode of Puppy In Training TV visit PuppyInTraining.com

Final Thoughts On The Orange County Pet Expo

If you’re a pet lover I highly recommend you attend the OC Pet Expo next year.  As I’ve mentioned it’s definitely one of our favorite events of the year.  There’s tons of great information, demonstrations, exhibits, dog adoption and rescue booths, and of course we will most likely be manning the Guide Dogs of America booth again next year.

Dublin did very well with all the crazy sights, smells, distractions, crowds, and other animals at the OC Pet Expo.  However, there was a lot going on and this is definitely not an event we would recommend for a younger guide or service  dog puppy in training.

Remember if you’d like to sponsor an episode of Puppy In Training TV visit our sponsorship form.

Have you visited the Orange County Pet Expo in the past?  If so, what was your favorite part?

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Dog Products At The OC Pet Expo

April 19, 2011 By 3 Comments

Every year we go to the OC Pet Expo we come home with a bag full of dog products for Stetson, Linus, and this year Dublin to try out.  After last years Orange County Pet Expo besides getting good deals on little stuffed doggy toys we also came away with two doggy toys that we had been eager to try.  The first was the Amazing Treat Machine Interactive Dog Toy which we never got around to testing.  However, we plan on giving Stetson a shot at reviewing the Amazing Treat Machine and add it to his list of dog product reviews.  The other big product we bought from last years Pet Expo was Vetericyn wound and infection treatment spray.  We were hoping this spray would help with Stetson’s dog skin allergies.  Again we did not get a doggy product review posted to the web.  However, we plan on putting together a full review of Vetericyn in the coming weeks.

The Dog Products from OC Pet Expo 2011

Upcoming Dog Product Reviews from OC Pet Expo 2010

The Amazing Treat Machine Interactive Dog Toy – Fun interactive cardboard pet toy.

Amazing Treat Machine - Dog Feeder

Vetericyn Wound & Infection Treatment - One step wound and infection treatment based on microcyn technology that works naturally with your animals immune system.

Vetericyn for Dogs - wound and infection spray for animals

Once again we got a few plush toys that the boys will most likely shred to bits in a few minutes.  We were hoping to find some awesome new dog products at this years Orange County Pet Expo and while we did come across several items we were interested in purchasing we only came home with one NEW dog product we plan on reviewing on the website.

So what is the one product we plan on reviewing?  Lets start off with an awesome idea we had years ago:

Way back in 2005 when I took my Aussie mix Linus on a camping trip we wondered through the near pitch black forest at night me with my trusty head lamp and Linus and his black fur blended right in with the darkness.  At the time I thought wouldn’t it be cool if Linus had a fancy headlamp just like the one I was wearing, but a canine version.  After much (or maybe just a little) inner debate I assumed most dogs would be annoyed wearing a headlamp on their head just like most dogs hate wearing silly antlers or santa hats during the holidays.  So I dropped the entire idea.

Fast forward to the 2011 OC Pet Expo.  Almost directly across from our Guide Dogs of America booth was a small booth with a Golden Retriever wearing a nice little LED light around his neck.  The dog product was quite simply called the PupLight Dog Safety Light!  Very cool and because it was around his neck it didn’t bother him much…it was only like wearing an extra collar.  While we still think our canine headlamp idea is still pretty cool the PupLight is much more practical.

Upcoming Dog Product Reviews from OC Pet Expo 2011

PupLight Dog Safety Light – PupLight makes walking a dog at night enjoyable by illuminating the path ahead.

PupLight Dog Safety Light

So stay tuned for our upcoming PupLight Dog Safety Light Review!

One final note on dog products at the Pet Expo Orange County: we were also looking to grab some antlers and saw a number of exhibitors selling both venison and deer antlers for dogs, but ended up coming away with neither.  Some of our fellow guide dog puppy raisers purchased some giant elk antlers for dogs that were about a foot long and two inches in diameter.  We also saw some much smaller antlers that were only about 4 inches in length and probably less than a half inch in diameter.  And finally we also saw a few that were sheered in half (we heard do not buy the antlers that are sheered in half as they don’t last nearly as long)  We weren’t too sure which would work best for Stetson’s powerful jaws so we decided a little more online research would be best.

By the way, after shopping around at the OC Pet Expo we thought we might be able to find better deals online.  However, the best deals were indeed at the Pet Expo along with the fact that you could haggle with the exhibitors, get bulk discounts, and also when the exhibitors saw Dublin in his Guide Dogs of America jacket they automatically gave us a better deal.  So next year we’re going to make sure we bring a fat wad of cash to spend on our three pups.

Did you get a chance to visit this years Orange County Pet Expo?  If so, did you find any cool dog products or watch any of the shows?

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Orange County Pet Expo 2011

March 1, 2011 By 18 Comments

The Orange County Pet Expo 2011 is one of my favorite events of the year and it’s right around the corner!  If you’ve been following my blog for a while then you may have caught some of my glowing reviews of the OC Pet Expo.  This event is held every year in the middle of April at the Orange County Fair Grounds in Costa Mesa, CA.

We don’t have all the details yet, but two of our favorite organizations are usually at the Pet Expo in Orange County.  Guide Dogs of America usually have a booth and in our 2010 OC Pet Expo blog post we had a map of the exact location.  However, I’m not yet sure where the GDA booth will be this year.  I’ll try to get a another post up on the blog when I have that information.  Dublin and I will most likely volunteer to man the booth for at least a few hours on either Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.  We’ll keep you informed on that as well.

Our other favorite non-profit organization is Cuddly Canines.  We volunteered as foster parents several years ago and still keep them close to our heart.  Hopefully some day in the future we can help them again.  They usually has a booth at the Pet Expo and I’d expect to see them again this year.  They rescue puppies and their mothers mostly from the Riverside Animal Shelter

Orange County Pet Expo 2011

EVENT: America’s Family Pet Expo
WHEN: April 15, 16, and 17, 2011
HOURS: Friday, 10AM – 6PM; Saturday, 10AM – 7PM; Sunday, 10AM – 6PM
WHERE: OC Fair and Event Center
88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Show Prices:

General Admission – $12.00
Seniors 60 & over – $10.00
Children 6-12 – $6.00
5 yrs and Under – FREE

They have a 2 dollar discount if you order your tickets online.  Here’s a link to the two dollar discount.

Tons of cool stuff happens at the OC Pet Expo including Splash Dogs, K9 Demo, Dog Rescues and Adoptions, Pet Products, Dog Breeds, Therapy Dogs, Assistance Dogs, Guide Dogs, Service Dogs and those are just a few things I can remember off the top of my head.

We love the Orange County Pet Expo and highly recommend you attend if you live in the Southern California area.  Some of our favorite Dog Products have come from past Pet Expos including several of our travel dog bowls, dog toys, dog collars, and many other great pet products.  Don’t just trust us go see the Pet Expo in Orange County for yourself.

Hopefully we’ll see you there and remember Dublin and I plan on working the Guide Dogs of America booth so pay us a visit if you decide to make the trip to this years Orange County Pet Expo.

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Orange County Pet Expo Recap

April 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment

It was a great and busy weekend for me starting on Friday with the Orange County Pet Expo.  The Pet Expo actually wasn’t the only event I had scheduled this weekend after volunteering for Guide Dogs of America all day Friday I hopped on a plane to Las Vegas for a friends bachelor party.  I scheduled an early Sunday morning flight back to Orange County in attempt to make our guide dog puppy training train trip to Universal City.  Unfortunately, I was too tired to make the final leg (train trip with Guide dogs) of my weekend.

Anyhow I wanted to give you guys a short recap of my experience at this years OC Pet Expo.

Orange County Pet Expo Recap

Did anyone get a chance to stop by the GDA booth over the weekend.  I was there from 10am to 2pm on Friday. Some of our other friends manned the booth the rest of the afternoon while I grabbed lunch and walked around the pet expo.

I was a little too tired this year to hang around for the demonstrations.  I did catch a few of the splash dog contestants jumping into the pool.  I caught a glimpse of the K9 demonstration, but overall I just checked out the latest pet products,  the different dog breeds, some of the other service dog organizations, and the cat and dog rescues.  We even saw one of the therapy dog groups we hope to one day join.

Overall it was a great experience my feet were barking by 4:30pm so at that time we headed home.

Interesting Dog Training Opportunities

While we were working the Guide Dogs of America booth we were visited by two of the other exhibitors at the Pet Expo that really caught my attention.  The first was Beach Animals Reading with Kids also known as BARK.  We visited an attended a BARK group meeting a few months ago. BARK is a volunteer program that encourages children to increase their reading skills by reading aloud to certified therapy dogs.  I’ve been procrastinating with Stetson, but I really want to get involved in a Therapy Dog program like BARK.

Next, a couple of young ladies stopped by to say hello and also introduced us to K9 Nose Work. From their website:

“Dogs have an amazing sense of smell and a natural desire to hunt. The sport of K9 Nose Work is designed to develop your dog’s natural scenting abilities by using their desire to hunt and their love of toys, food and exercise.”

COOL!  Stetson loves to sniff!  This would be an excellent sport for him to take up.  We’ll be investigating this in the near future.

Any New Pet Products At The Pet Expo?

So now I guess you’re wondering what about the latest and greatest pet products.  Well we did walk away with a few purchases that we plan to review in the coming weeks.  The pet-friendly Honda Element made it’s debut at this years OC Pet Expo.  Unfortunately, I did not come home with a new dog car.

However, I did find a new dog bowl for Stetson.  Well, it’s not exactly a dog bowl, but it’s the latest in a long line of dog bowls/products I found to help slow down Stetson’s fast eating.  It’s called the Amazing Treat Machine and I plan on getting a review on the site as soon as possible.  Also, I want to see if it’s viable solution as Stetson’s new dog bowl.

One pet product I did not buy was a new bed made out of PVC piping.  It was a little pricey at $70 and I’m going to see if it’s something my dad can custom make for Stetson and Linus.  Here’s a photo:

If you’re wondering who our dog bed model is that’s GDA Puppy In Training Winter.  We hung out most of the day greeting people at the GDA booth.

In the past I’ve also talked about Stetson and his dog skin allergies.  Well, we found something to kill the bacteria on Stetson’s skin and hopefully relieve him of his itching.  The product was recommended to us by good friends from Sudsy Dog Wash.  The stuff is called Vetericyn and is said to kill 99.999% of bacteria, single-cell organisms and fungi.  YAY!  hopefully no more dog skin allergies or itching for Stetson.

That’s about it for the 2010 Orange County Pet Expo.  Hopefully you had the chance to visit.  If not, there’s always next year.

Tell us about your experiences at the 2010 OC Pet Expo.

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OC Pet Expo 2010

April 15, 2010 By 1 Comment

Tomorrow is the start of the the OC Pet Expo 2010 at the fairgrounds in Costa Mesa, CA.  As usual Guide Dogs of America will have a booth.  We were all set to volunteer on the first day of the Pet Expo, but we haven’t heard back on what time.  So for those of you keeping track we will most likely be a the GDA booth from either 10am-2pm or 2pm-6pm on Friday.  Here’s a map of the fairgrounds and the location of the GDA booth:

I believe that’s the same place it’s been for the past few years.  If you have a pet or hope to someday have pets I highly recommend visiting the Orange County Pet Expo.  If you are at the Pet Expo this Friday then please stop by the Guide Dogs of America booth and say hello.

OC Pet Expo 2010

EVENT: America’s Family Pet Expo
WHEN: April 16, 17, and 18, 2009
HOURS: Friday, 10AM – 6PM; Saturday, 10AM – 7PM; Sunday, 10AM – 6PM
WHERE: OC Fair and Event Center
88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Show Prices:

General Admission – $12.00
Seniors 60 & over – $10.00
Children 6-12 – $6.00
5 yrs and Under – FREE

If you want to know more details take a look at our longer post on the Orange County Pet Expo or visit the official site at http://www.petexpooc.com.  Hope to see you all there!

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Orange County Pet Expo 2010

January 12, 2010 By 5 Comments

Every year I get excited when I think about the Orange County Pet Expo.  The OC Pet Expo is usually scheduled from Friday to Sunday in the middle of April and this year is no different.  In 2010 the Pet Expo in Orange County is going to be held from April 16th to April 18th.  Right now it’s only January and I’m already getting excited.

Here’s a look back at some of the articles I wrote on the Orange County Pet Expo over the past few years:

America’s Family Pet Expo in Orange County, CA
Orange County Pet Expo 2008
Orange County Pet Expo 2009

The OC Pet Expo is one of our favorite events and way back in 2006 it was the trigger that got me started on guide dog puppy raising and rescue dog fostering.

Orange County Pet Expo 2010

EVENT: America’s Family Pet Expo
WHEN: April 16, 17, and 18, 2009
HOURS: Friday, 10AM – 6PM; Saturday, 10AM – 7PM; Sunday, 10AM – 6PM
WHERE: OC Fair and Event Center
88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Show Prices:

General Admission – $12.00
Seniors 60 & over – $10.00
Children 6-12 – $6.00
5 yrs and Under – FREE

We’ve had a ton of fun the past few years at the OC Pet Expo.  Back in 2008 Stetson was still a Guide Dog Puppy In Training and was allowed to accompany me into the Pet Expo.  I decided last year Derby was a little too young and inexperienced to attend the event.

The exhibitions at the OC Pet Expo are great for the entire family.  Last year we watched the Police Dog demonstration, the dog agility relays, Splash Dogs, visited the GDA booth, and the many dogs and dog rescues.

If you’re looking for some of the latest and greatest dog products then look no further than the Orange County Pet Expo.  Last year we picked up the Water Rover – Portable Dog Bowl.  If you’re looking for a great water bottle slash dog water bowl then check out the Water Rover.  We love using it on all of our outings especially on hikes or on our Guide Dog field trips.

Of course, dogs aren’t the only attraction at the OC Pet Expo.  There are also cats, birds, fish, snakes, lizards, llamas, ponies, rabbits, and many more.

So, if you’re a pet lover like me than visit the Orange County Pet Expo 2010 this year…you won’t regret that you did!

Did you got to the Pet Expo in Orange County last year?  If so, we’d love to hear what you thought about it in the comments section below.

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