That said, both full-grown Maltese and Bichon Frisé are very much different in many areas from physical appearances to temperament and behavior. So don’t their charms be your only deciding factor when considering your next furry companion.

Coincidentally, both Maltese and Bichon Frisé are purebred hypoallergenic small dogs.

Maltese vs. Bichon Frisé

Physical Appearance

Temperament and Needs

Behavior

Activity & Exercise & Training

Health

Download a free copy of Maltese vs. Bichon Frisé

Source on Intelligence Ranking:
The Intelligence of Dogs: A Guide to the Thoughts, Emotions, and Inner Lives of Our Canine Companions
Page 192 to 193

What Is Advantage Flea Treatment For Dogs?

Advantage for dogs is an effective topical flea treatment to stop fleas from biting within 5 minutes and kills 98 – 100% of the fleas within 12 hours after its initial application. Advantage also kills flea larvae, preventing and treats flea infestation and it keeps working after the first treatment for at least 4 weeks even between swimming or bathing or exposure to sunlight or rain—Advantage is a water-resistant topical solution. It also helps secondary problem for dogs who suffer from flea allergy dermatitis and tapeworms. Keep in mind, Advantage does not kill ticks which many still have the misconception.

Age Appropriate: Any size dog from as young as 7 weeks old. That said, there are different types (Green, Teal, Red, and Blue) of Advantage for different size of any adult dogs.

Not Suitable To Use On: As with any product, consult your veterinarian before using Advantage on debilitated, aged, pregnant, or nursing dogs.

Side Effects: Individual sensitivities, while rare, may occur after using any pesticide product for pets. If signs persist, or become more severe, consult a veterinarian immediately. If your dog is on any other medication, consult your veterinarian before using this product.

Direction For Use: Again, to be used externally. Place the tip of the applicator through your dog’s fur to the skin level and squeeze the tube twice to expel the entire contents directly onto the skin. Apply to the skin on the back between the shoulder blades on dogs under 20 lbs. For larger dogs, the same applies but squeeze appropriate amount to 3 to 4 parts of the body working on the whole back down to the tail.

Caution: Do not get this product into your dog’s eyes or mouth. If you have more than one dog, keep them separated from each other for about half an hour to prevent them from licking each other’s application sites.

Note: Due to many counterfeit products in the market—online and offline, please make sure you purchase only EPA and FDA approved. From the exterior and the leaflet of both legitimate and counterfeit products may look very much identical. The way to determine you are getting a legitimate Advantage product is to examining the actual applicator tubes that are inside the carton. There should be a EPA registration number, the signal word WARNING, a reference statement for directions for use, manufacturing company’s name (Bayer), and the active ingredient statement (9.1% imidacloprid) listed on the tube label.

Where To Get the Best Price on Advantage for Dogs?

After shopping around for my furry customers, I’ve narrowed down to seven online pet stores which sell legitimate Advantage Flea Control for dog at very reasonable prices with great customer services and reliability that you sure to get your order delivered promptly. The one store that stood out for unbeatable price is VetShop.com—a rather new online pet store that sells over-the-counter medication for dogs and cats.

Note: The prices listed above are for small dogs under 10 pounds.
* indicates that there will be a shipping cost incurred depending on the order amount.

As with any medications that require regular use, it would be prudent to find stores that do not impose additional charge for shipping as this can really add up to your monthly spending expenses. Here’s the list from no shipping cost to minimum purchase requirements.

• VetShop: no minimum purchase needed
• EntirelyPets: on orders over $85
• VetMedicines: on orders over $39
• TSCPets: applicable to all Advantage (and other) product plus 5% off on orders over $100 (coupon code: FIVEOFF)
• PetCareRx: applicable to all Advantage (and other) products
• ThePetPlace: on orders over $100 (coupon code: FREESHIP), otherwise $8.99 flat rate shipping within US.
• ThePetStoreOnline: on orders over $75; same day ground shipping

Please remember to check out my pet coupon page for any further discount. Happy bargain hunting.

Capturing The Moment

One of the most valuable tips about pet photography is to capture your dog’s personality. And this must be done on your dog’s time, not yours. Whether you are using digital camera or traditional film camera, have the battery charge or film loaded always. This allows you to catch the moment before your dog rushes away in an ethereal flurry of fur.

Striking That Perfect Pose

Traditional portraits usually have the dog looking straight at the photographer, and this can be boring if most of the pictures are captured in this manner. When it comes to posing, think natural—where your dog is at his natural self, acting and behaving as he normally does during his daily routine. In this type of environment, your dog will exude his best personality whereas traditional portraits don’t. This is not to say that traditional portrait has no place in pet photography. Let’s face it, all breeds, be they pedigree or designer dogs, look the same.

Every dog is capable of having at least one personality that distinguishes him from other dogs. Here are some favorite poses that capture your dog’s personality when he:

• is lying on his back with his legs curl in the air
• is yawning or sticking out his tongue
• is resting his jaw on a pillow contemplating his next adventure
• cocks his head to a side wondering what’s for dinner
• engrosses with his toys or treats
• looks at the oven and salivating at the cookies
• is chewing your shoes!

The bottom line is to photograph your dog when he’s at his most natural whatever he is doing or how you see him in his daily routine.

Getting That Perfect Picture-Framed Shot

Whichever style you fancy—posed or candid—the best photograph is best taken from the subject’s level at an appropriate distance. Dogs usually connect well with you (the photographer) when these two factors are employed.

• Level: Be on the same level with your dog so that your dog does not look out of proportion. Otherwise, your dog might end up with legs either too long or too short. So lie on your belly or knee or crouch down and photograph it from your dog’s eye level.
• Distance: Don’t make your dog come to you; instead, do to where he is most comfortable. That said, don’t get too close to your dog’s face as you will end up with a picture of a very big-headed dog. Also, some dogs don’t react well when camera shoves close to them especially when flash is on—not forgetting the red-eye effect I wrote in the first series. A safe and comfortable distance would be about 5 to 12 feet depending on the size of the dog or try to fill the frame of the full body. If you need to get a closeup shot, use a zoom lens.

And to finish off that perfect picture-framed shot, I can’t leave you without mentioning about composition. There are two types of composition or style—vertical (portrait) or horizontal (landscape). Whichever style you choose, it depends on the shape of your dog you are photographing.

The general rule is to photograph a long-bodied dog (e.g. Dacshund or Lhasa Apso) with a vertical shot. This is to ensure that your dog won’t look longer than it should be. And if you want only headshot, use a landscape composition. All these rules don’t really much if you use a digital camera and do the photo editing and cropping using the same principle.

Hiring a Professional Pet Photographer

If all these tips are too overwhelming for you and you want to take the load off and hand the job to a professional photographer, by all means do so. But before you schedule that appointment, here are some few tips for the benefits for all parties—photographer, your dog, and you.

Bring your dog to the photo session at least half an hour early to help him relax and get used to the place.
Try to schedule for a time when your dog is a little sleepy or has woken up as it will be much easier to keep him still.
For an active photo shot, then reversed technique is the better option, find a time when your dog is more playful and energetic.

Of course, these tips aren’t applicable to all dogs as dogs are individuals. You have to be the judge of your dog’s temperament and find the right time for that photo session.

In conclusion, whether you choose to be the photographer or hire one, photographing your dog should always be a fun experience for all involved. The key is to have lots of patience, and take many pictures. You’ll probably take a whole lot of bad photographs just to get that one special shot, but after all, even professional photographers use numerous rolls of film just to capture one perfect picture. Always have your camera nearby—you never know when you will need to grab it quick!

Pet Photography Tips Series

• Pet Photography: Tips on How To Photograph Dogs – 1
• Pet Photography: Tips on How To Photograph Dogs – 2
• Pet Photography: Tips on How To Photograph Dogs – 3

Background, Props, Costume for Pet Photography

I can’t stress enough the importance of choosing the right background when taking photograph of your dog. Even if your camera-friendly dog is so willingly to smile for the camera at your disposal but with the wrong background can have a disastrous outcome. Yes, even the most beautiful dog with the perfect pose can’t salvage much if the wrong background is used unless some extensive photo editing is done.

• Background: Whether it’s indoor or outdoor shooting, try to choose plain-colored backgrounds as they are more effective to bring out your dog’s features. As to colors, choose contrasting color to your dog’s coat, however, avoid white or pale pastel colors as they tend to bounce off light in several directions which sometimes can make the picture looks overexposed. For pattern coated dogs, choose very solid colors like dark gray, blue, and black. And if you have a white- or light sable-colored dogs, you can try pattern backgrounds but keep it to two basic or three-tone colors.
• Props: As to props (e.g. box, couch) the same theories go. If possible, avoid them. What we want to achieve is capturing the essence of the dog. Keep this in mind: Less is more!
• Costume: I’m not a big fan of dressing up dogs, especially for a lengthy period. Also, most dogs don’t like wearing costume. That said, some dogs do look much more adorable when the right costume is on. So if decide to doll your dog up, first priority is selecting a costume for your dog, is to only select an outfit that ensure maximum comfort. Next would be color, choose one that compliments and yet contrasting to your dog’s coat. Simply put it, that the outfit shouldn’t outshine the dog but enhance his coat color. Usually single-color-coated dogs tend to do well with almost any color outfit. As for pattern-coated dogs, use single colored outfit.

Camera-shy and Camera-friendly Dogs

When it comes to photographing humans who are generally tense in front of camera, there is a way to work around it; such as playing music of their choice to relax them, coaxing them with compliments, and/or creating an environment that is less threatening to the subject. Although these methods can be applied to dogs as well but the first method may not yield much result even if we use customized music for animals (did a book/music review on Through a Dog’s Ear).

That said, there are some breeds need not have all these preps to get them smile for the camera. Usually these are medium to larger breeds with medium to light coats, such as Golden retriever, Labradors, Whippet, and Beagle—these are some of the most photogenic and camera friendly dogs.

This is not to say all small and toy breeds with dark coats look ugly in picture which give us the most grief when photographing them. Of course, there are some exceptions to this theory as I pointed earlier in the first article about black coated dogs (but this has more to do with the after effect rather than the nature of the dog’s behavior in front of the camera). From personal experiences, I found smaller dogs tend to be camera-shy mainly due to their ultra sensitivity to light—particularly to flash. Extra care must be taken when photographing small dogs otherwise they will shut their eyes and might watery eyes afterwards.

Catching Your Dog’s Attention For the Camera

Not surprisingly, catching your dog’s attention is one of the greatest challenges in pet photography. There is a variety of ways you can employ, for examples, noises, props, and treats are the most effective ways to do so.

• For noises, you could use squeaky toys or tap his food bowl or make funny/familiar noises to get your dog to look at you. Dogs will react to sounds they are familiar with. Dogs with very short attention span, it’s best use as many sounds you can think of to keep him focus on the lens.
• For props, you could use toys, leash, opening and closing door. If you have a high-strung or high-spirited dog, the latter two methods may not be feasible. For all you know, your dog might just rush to the door begging to go for a walk. Another effective props would be tissue paper or small piece of cloth. Throw it up in the air gently.
• And if your dog is motivated by food, then small pieces of treats could be used—an useful technique to ensure your dog is obedient before the camera. Your helper need to show your dog the treat and gradually walk a few steps backward with the treat still in his hand. Take this opportunity to capture the shot while your dog is fixated where his treat is.

Basically, you have to find what trigger your dog’s attention or what make him ticks in order to keep him still for a few seconds.

All the above methods do require a helper to make photographing your dog a breeze. The helper could either stand behind you or at a near distance between the camera and your dog. Don’t worry if your helper’s is captured in the picture, you can always crop that person out of the shot later using photo editing software.

Once you found that moment, freeze the action by using a fast shutter speed, usually equal to or faster than 1/500 of a second (most digital cameras do the work for you). Avoid shutter lag—the time between when you press the shutter and when your camera actually takes the picture—by lightly pressing the shutter down about halfway so that you’ll be ready and focused for the shot.

Pet Photography Tips Series

• Pet Photography: Tips on How To Photograph Dogs – 1
• Pet Photography: Tips on How To Photograph Dogs – 2
• Pet Photography: Tips on How To Photograph Dogs – 3

Which Camera is Best For Pet Photography

You need not have to have a professional Hasselblad camera in order to take a good picture of your dog. Although any basic digital camera will do the work, I’d suggest get a good-quality one that has single-lens reflex with a variety of lenses. Another two important features I like on a digital camera are automatic setting and zoom feature (more on this later).

I suppose the plus side to digital cameras is that you can easily erase the images that don’t worked out. Furthermore, you’ve the facilities to edit the photos using some photo editing software. Another benefit about digital photos is that they can be transfered via electronically via email and online picture gallery.

Now, if you are into the old school type of photography like I occasionally do, I suggest you use a 400-speed film—best for action photography—produces crisper pictures even if there is movement. And on very rare occasions, I use Polaroid; and surprisingly I’ve a few came out very well with good composition.

So, it’s pretty clear I favor digital cameras than anything else.

Outdoor or Indoor Pet Photography

The environment in which you choose to photograph your dog will have a huge impact on how the final image turns out. Most photographers would favor outdoor shooting than indoor. In most cases, I agree. However, if your home has plenty of natural light, it will do just as well if not better; mainly due the fact your dog is in a familiar setting. With this said, there are always pros and cons in both situations than just about lighting and familiarity alone.

Outdoor Photographing:

• Distraction: Dogs tend to be at their most natural stage in familiar environments. If places your dog never been before, he is more likely to explore every nook and sniff at poles/trees. And if your dog is the territorial sort, it would be difficult to get many decent shots with four legs on the ground.
• Restriction: There are many places do not allow dogs to go off leash. This can be a hindrance—juggling both camera and leash with only two hands. Unless you can find a friend or relative to help you with, it would be particularly impossible to do take nice photographs or any at all.

Outdoor pet photography is still possible if you start with your own backyard. Not only there won’t be any distraction and restriction imposed on you, your dog will feel much comfortable and happier being photographed in his own surroundings then to be taken somewhere else.

• Sunlight: Although I said earlier that natural lighting is good, but too bright or direct sunlight can be counter effective. It creates large shadow, and with the wrong light it can alter the natural coloring of your dog. Your dog will appear yellowish (if it’s taken on green pasture) or whatever the surrounding color bounces off. One exception to this is when you have a black coated dog where bright light can bring out shading and texture more effectively.

The best to time to photograph your dog is on an overcast day, either early in the morning or late afternoon or when the sun isn’t too bright.

Indoor Photographing:

• Red-eye effect: Often you’ll see dogs’ eyes turn out red or green in pictures. This happens because the flash reflecting off the back of the eye when the pupils are dilated. The downside to using flash it can be too bright for dogs and most often then not they’re fighten of it. Hence you’ll find your dog turning away from you whenever he knows you’re about to take a picture of him.

The best way to avoid the red-eye effect is to take your dog photo without using flash—in a place with a lot of available light indoor such as a well-lit room or one with many windows.

If using of flash cannot be avoided, then take photograph your dog at a distant. Or use one with a swivel head, if your flash can’t be removed from your camera, try diffusing the light from the flash by tapping a piece of cheesecloth over it. This is helpful in eliminating glare from tanks as well.

Also, shoot from an angle to avoid getting a blinding white spot and remember to clean the front glass of the tank thoroughly—dirt on glass can become gleaming spots when the flash hits them.

Pet Photography Tips Series

• Pet Photography: Tips on How To Photograph Dogs – 1
• Pet Photography: Tips on How To Photograph Dogs – 2
• Pet Photography: Tips on How To Photograph Dogs – 3

Pimples usually occur on younger dogs, however, bigger dogs such as Mastiffs tend to get them regularly throughout their adulthood. Pimples can appear at any part of the body but most commonly found around the the face area—chin, upper lips, and nose.

As to why dog have pimples, there are many reasons to it:

• Usually it is caused by a bacterial infection, which get trapped under the skin inside a blocked oil gland.
• It may occur when normal scatting irritates hair follicles and causes inflammation of the glands.
• Dogs with excess oil secretion have a genetic tendency to develop pimples.
• Just like humans, it can also be caused by allergies or hormones that are out of balance.

When dog pimples burst, the result is a lot worse than you can image. The contents can eat into the skin and cause a secondary infection. Hence, it is best to take a proactive approach when there are only one or three pimples found. If you notice several pimples bursting at once and causing your dog great pain and itch, do not delay, get to the vet as soon as possible.

What Are To Be Avoided:

To Squeeze or Not To: In most cases, it’s best to avoid squeezing. I know it can be very tempting to squeeze out the pus, avoid it if you don’t know how “ripe” the pus is. Furthermore, squeezing pimples can be a very painful experience for your dog. If the pus isn’t ripe and you intend to squeeze it (that if your dog doesn’t mind the pain for 2 seconds), you may cause infected material to spread beneath the skin and causing it a deeper infection.

Acne Cream: Although there are many drug store products formulated for human do help aid common canines aliments, however, in the case of acne or pimple creams this does not apply. These products use harsh chemical or medications hence it’s not advisable to use it on our dogs to control or eliminate pimples. It would probably worsen the situation.

Plastic: This is a very rare case, few dogs do get allergy reaction to plastic and will break out in pimples when their faces touch the bowls. You might want to change their food and water bowl to ceramic or metal. Honestly, I won’t put high hope on going this route but it’s worth a shot to root out all possibilities.

7 Natural Remedies To Zip Out Pimples on Dogs

Heat Pad: Similar to our facial regime—a facial stream before extracting blackheads—we apply heat to the affected area but without squeezing the pimple. Heat will help to open blocked pore and increase circulation making it easier to flush out the pus. Apply warmth cotton pad on the affected area for few minutes or until it turns cool. Do this twice daily preferably before bed and nap time.

Anti-bacterial Shampoos: Or hypoallergenic pet shampoos, by using these shampoos will help open blocked pores and allow pimples to heal more quickly. I won’t recommend using it on a daily basis if your dog has pimples all over the body; doing so will strip off his natural coat oil resulting more skin problems then you begin with. Unless it stated clearly on the label that daily use is okay otherwise avoid it. Having said, shampoo their face daily especially breeds with pendulous lips (e.g. Great Dane) or have flat face (e.g. Pekingese). These breeds often get food stuck in between their facial folds and these leftovers are prefect breeding ground for bacteria.

Aloe Vera: Aloe vera gel, be it from plant or formulated ones found in the drugstore, is not an ingredient that will eliminate pimple—far from it. However, aloe vera gel does help ease the discomfort caused by the painful pimple. After you wash the infected area with or without anti-bacterial shampoo, apply the area in gentle circular movement with your clean fingers.

Spayed/Neutered: If your dog tends to get pimple on a regular even if you clean your dog thoroughly after every meal, generally this is due to hormones imbalance. The best way out is to have your dog spayed or neutered. That said, it isn’t foolproof that your dog will never develop any pimple thereafter. Rather it’s a case to case basis, however, it will dramatically reduce the amount and frequency; and will any luck, zero pimple for good.

Echinacea: Echinacea is a perennial herb, commonly use in many herbal medicines to aid aliments such as reduce inflammation and infections in dogs and humans. It is given orally either in table or liquid form. You can find them in health food stores or at any holistic or some traditional veterinary clinics. Check with your vet for the proper dosage for your breed. Alternatively, you can try homoeopathy approach using Newton Homeopathics Skin Care to relief of itching and pain associated with eczema, pimples, hives, mange, and other skin eruptions.

Calendula: Like Echinacea, Calendula is a also a perennial herb commonly use as herbal remedy to quell skin infections and speed healing. Calendula is a concentrated tinture. The way to use it is to soak a cotton pad in the tincture mixture (tinture to water ratio is 1:1) and squeeze out the excess. Then apply it to the sore area and hold it for about 3 minutes twice daily. If this sounds too much work for you, try Animals’ Apawthecary FidoDerm Herbal Spray—an all-natural herbal remedy. Not only it rids the pimple away it also soothes the skin as it has aloe ingredients in it.

DermaIonX: DermaIonX is a proprietary of homeopathic complex. It isn’t a pimple or acne solution supplement per se, however, it does help to relief many types of skin irritation and also promote healthy and strong skin. From personal experience, this liquid supplement has solved my Kiki’s, a sprayed Silky Terrier, occasional pimple outbreak and skin rashes. Ever since I put her on DermaIonX, she has been pimple- and rashes-free for the past six months.

Whichever remedy you decided to employ, keep in mind that clean environment plays a great part to keep the outbreak at bay.

From your description, I’m quite positive that your dog hasn’t broken his tail. To begin with, a broken tail can be flaccid and lifeless if there is nerve injury to the tail. It may also be swelling at the site of the fracture.

Furthermore, a broken tail is painful on touch and movement and your dog can be reluctant or unable to wag his tail at all. If you try to lift his supposedly broken tail to examine, your dog may yelp or even bite you. In some instances, defecation can be difficult in some dogs if they cannot lift their tail to poop—some owners often misunderstood this as constipation.

I would suggest a trip to your local veterinary clinic. An x-ray together with a physical examination by the veterinarian and history of trauma to the tail will help confirm the diagnosis and rule out other medical causes. Spinal and nerve problems environment influences or other medical conditions that affect the mood of the dog can also result in your dog wagging his tail less vigorously.

Also do watch out for any other signs of illness like lethargy, decrease in appetite, and/or depression. Make sure you leave nothing of this information out when consulting your veterinarian.

GollyGear

Was it me or do you feel that winter comes a little early this year? It’s only beginning of December and I’m already feeling the icy wind. Can you image how fido (especially for those smooth-, short-, and single-coated dogs) would feel without any clothing to keep him warm during these cold seasons.

Keeping your dog at home all day long until Spring comes or crank up your heating system isn’t a feasible solution or environmental friendly to say the very least.

Here are two chic sweaters for your little pooch—Dublin Knit (top) and Houndstooth. There are 4 different sizes from teacup to medium. Both sweaters are made of acrylic hence they are sold at a very reasonable price range from $10 (xxs) to $21 (medium). To sweeter the deal, GollyGear is having a 10% off on any order. Code: joyjoy. Expiry date Jan 5, 2010.

Don’t let the chill keep your dog from having fun this winter. Go out and go out in style!

MegaCalendars and Calendars

Before you kiss goodbye 2009, you would want to welcome 2010 with these adorable dog calendars. There are many types of calendars to choose from; such as desk, wall, and address book calendars. Of course not forgetting the evergreen individual dog breed calendars or the bestselling assorted dogs calendars.

Who should you it from?

Both MegaCalendar.com and Calendars.com don’t differ much when it comes to prices or maybe half a dollarish cheaper in Calendars.com for some less popular dog calendars.

Navigation wise, again Calendars.com seems to be a bit easier when you want an overview on all the dog calendars. Having said, if you do know exactly which dog breed you want to be your 2010 calendar then both are equally easy to navigate using their search tool.

As for selections, MegaCalendars.com has more but most, if not all, are on individual breeds. Whereas Calendars.com has both assorted and individual dog breeds calendars.

Currently only Calendars.com has these promos:

• Free shipping on any order. Code: AF1109FS01
• One Day Only. 15% off on any order + free shipping. Code: EM120915 ( valid on Dec 8 )
• DogBreedStore: 20% off + free shipping on orders of $25 and more. EM1109DBS20 ( expires Dec 9 )

At the end of the day, it voices down to which kind of calendar would best suit your needs. But one can’t deny that 365 Dogs Page-A-Day Desk Calendar is a must-have whether or not you have other favorites. There are 313 pages of glorious color photographs including short health care tips, quotes, breed facts, trivia, and lore. It’s sold at $12.99 (before discount) at calendars.com.

Care4Hire: Petsitter and other care services

For those who are traveling home (me, for example) to celebrate these festival gatherings and unable to bring our precious with us, one of the best options is to get a petsitter.

Currently, Care4Hire is offering a free 14 day trial not just for pet parents looking for pet-sitters but also for families seeking for babysitting, elderly care, housekeeping, and tutoring services. Upon signing up, you get immediate access to caregivers’ profile with detailed characteristics, experience, availability including pictures. You also can post a profile to caregivers listing your detailing needs, hours, and expectations.

After the free 14 day trial, and should you decided to stay on, Care4Hire online matching database service fee is either $79/year or $9.99/month in addition to $34.99 one-time payment for the first month.

Wysong: Holiday Stockings

The best way to a dog’s heart is through his stomach. Not just any dog food/treats but Wysong’s. And not just for your dog but all your friends’ and families’.

One of the best Christmas gifts for dogs and cats this year is Wysong Holiday Stockings. Each stocking contains:

• 1 Bag of Dog Treats ($0.99)
• 1 Small Bag of Dream Treats ($2.89)
• 2 Single Dream Treats (0.69 ea.)
• 2 Pouches of UnCanny (2.09 ea.)
• 1 Au Jus Turkey 5.5 oz can ($1.79)

and along with lots of free Wysong health information and product literature! Read my review if you’re new to Wysong’s line of dog foods. All these items (valued at $11.23) in each stocking are priced at $9.99 + $5.00 S/H. What will make this deal even sweeter is to use my special coupon code SMALLDOG18 and get 18% off the sale price. It may not be much for one stocking but with 5 stockings (WS limits to 5 stocking per order due to high demand) it comes close to $9 off of the total sales price.

DogTagArt: Dog Tags

If dog food as gift isn’t your cup of tea and you want to make a strong and lasting statement, may I suggest DogTagArt’s dog tags. These aren’t your regular plain dog tags that wears off easily or get chewed into pieces. DogTagArt’s dog tag is a combination of unique Art design (designed by a list of artists…and it could be you) and made of indestructible material—tags are guaranteed never to wear out (check out their train test video here).

They have slightly over two hundred designs to choose from. Prices range from $9 to $14.95. You do get $2.00 off when you use this coupon code: HOLIDAY2OFF!. It’s valid until this Dec 25th. Any other promo offers by DogTagArt, please check out my pet coupon page.

Ever since, I always make sure my dogs’ needs and gifts are in the top priority. I start shopping for their gifts and treats as early as 1st week of November to avoid disappointment. This year is no otherwise.

Let’s start things off with offers from now to Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and gradually leading up to Christmas.

OnlyNaturalPet: 3 Days Sale

Just received ONP last minute information so I thought I casually mention their 3 Days Only Sale (now to Nov 22nd) – 15% on all ONP products if you can catch the deal. They have quite a big range of house brand products that you can find it here (best sellers) and here (sale items). Two worthy mentioned products are ONP Pure Salmon Oil and ONP Super Daily Canine Multi-Vitamin.

All the discounted prices are listed as it is, no coupon code needed.

PetNutritionProducts: Black Friday/Cyber Monday Deal

(PetNutritionProducts is no longer a merchant participant with smalldogsparadise.com so all listed offers are invalid.)

Not exactly something most of us pet parents would get for our companions this Christmas, but it never hurts to get some essentials stock up. And since PNP offers a special Black Friday/Cyber Monday deal—10% site wide in addition to their many existing discounted items, all the more reasons to shop at PNP. Some worthy essentials are:

• Brewers Yeast supplement ($7.39, 1000 chewables). Read my earlier articles on the importance of supplementing our dogs here.
• Natural Balance Dog Food Roll trial size beef or lamb ($24.69, 36 x 2.75 oz). Most commonly used as training treats, but it need not be for this holiday season especially training lessons will be minimized or postponed.
• Oatmeal Shampoo ($20, 25ml). Need I say more why you should shampoo your dog preferably before in-laws come over for Thanksgiving?

While you at it , don’t forget to throw Dental Breath Mints ($3.70, 40 tables) into the cart before check out. You don’t want your guests be turned off by your dog’s breath when he greets them at the door!

All prices mentioned above are before the 10% discount. This offers is valid from Nov 27th to Nov 30th. No coupon code needed.

PetCareRX: Now to Cyber Monday

One of the most affordable pet pharmacy (prescription and non-prescription) store online. Some of their worthy mention are Advantage Flea Killer and Frontline Plus which can be found here. They have different offers on different days but the best offers would be Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

• Nov 23rd – 26th: 15% off orders over $50
• Nov 27th (Black Friday): 25% off ALL orders!
• Nov 28th – 29th: $10 off orders of $35 or more
• Nov 30th (Cyber Monday): 25% off ALL orders!

In addition to the above offers, you’ll receive free shipping on orders over $35.

Being the holiday season, I will be posting more special dog supply deals in 3 or more segments, so keep your eyes peeled. Also, don’t forget to check out my pet coupon and exclusive coupon pages for more updates.