StickySheets are large sheets that are sticky on one side to help get pet hair off of your furniture. In other words, they’re like a lint roller on steroids.

Each sheet is 23″ x 35″ and comes in a pack of 6, and you can use each sheet a few times before throwing it away. StickySheets sent me a test sheet to try out. I decided that the best way to get a good idea of how well it would work was to attack the backseat of my car. I don’t have a cover right now, so my backseat looks a lot like it’s wearing a bearskin rug. It’s mostly Lulu hair (she gets nervous and excited in the car and sheds like crazy), but there’s some Beans hair there too, but you can’t see it because it blends in.

Yes, I actually drive around in a car that looks like that.

The best way to apply StickySheets, because they’re so large, is to do it by section. First, we put the sheet down with the backing paper side on the seat. Then we reached underneath and began to slowly peel away the backing, while smoothing down the sheet onto the seat.

Then we rubbed and smoothed our hand over the surface, applying a lot of pressure. Lulu’s hair is very thick and course and often doesn’t come off of fabric without a fight.

We tucked the sheet into the nooks and crannies.

Then, after we thought we’d given it our best, we slowly pulled off the sheet. We reused the same sheet on the seat backs and seats, about a total of four times. We could have used it more, but our seats were so hairy that there was practically no sticky surface left.

Voila! While we didn’t get every single hair off of the seats, I’d say this is a huge improvement and will dramatically reduce the time I have to spend vacuuming my car. Also, I think I can make the assumption that I have much more dog hair on my car’s backseat than the average person has on their furniture, so I can say that StickySheets are worth a try!

Check out how much hair came off! Gross. Note to self: time to invest in a backseat cover.

Have you ever tried to vacuum your dog in an attempt to rid it of all that excess hair before it ends up on your rugs? I have and it’s not easy. The Dyson Groom is a new tool that tries to help you get to the root of your dog hair problem. Dyson sent me a Groom to test out on my Dyson DC24 and here’s how it went…

The Groom is a self-cleaning, mess-free vacuum attachment that fits most Dyson vacuums and attempts to nip shedding problems in the bud by going directly to the source.

Since the Groom is best used on dogs with medium or long hair, I brought it to my parents’ house to test on my parents’ flufftastic Golden Retrievers Max and Emily (below), who don’t mind being vacuumed. In fact, they were surprisingly calm and seemed to find it relaxing. However, they weren’t fans of the camera — they would NOT stop moving for one second for me to take a decent photo.

I didn’t think this was going to go as smoothly as it did.

So how does it work? Well, you pop it onto the vacuum hose like any other attachment and then you brush it over the dog like you would a regular pet brush. The tool has stainless steel bristles that remove loose hair and dead skin gently without tugging or pulling. You can push down on the trigger to allow more hair to be picked up if your pet’s hair is dense. Then the vacuum just sucks up the hair that gets caught in the bristles. Check out my video below for a demonstration.

Technically speaking (read this sentence with a James Dyson accent): “As the pressure is released from the tool’s handle and the bristles retract, full suction is transferred to capture hair hygienically in the vacuum.” And in my words, “Cool! Check out how it sucks up the hair so fast”:

Using this thing was so easy that I didn’t even need to look at the instructions (but they’re there if you need them!).

Don’t forget behind your ears!

Some of you are probably thinking, “But my dog hates the vacuum!” A good tip for dogs scared of the vacuum cleaner: brush them with the tool while the vacuum is off and then turn it on later to suck up the hair.

Now if only it also cut hair…

The Groom is available on Dyson’s website for $69.99.

Poor Lulu and Beans had only one dog bed. I made it for them in 2006 and at the time I thought I was the best dog mom ever, making them their very own custom pet bed. But then, after a while it began to get kind of stinky and dirty and I quickly realized my novice sewing faux pas: I never added a zipper! Since the bed was oversized for Lulu, there was no way that thing was going in the washing machine. And, one bed for two dogs? That was poor planning, Mike Brady-style. So now, here we are, over four years later and they are still using that one smelly, unwashed, lumpy, dirty, full-of-holes-with-stuffing-coming-out bed (as you can see above). How embarrassing, especially for someone who runs a blog dedicated to awesome dog products! For shame!

Well, a brand new company based in San Francisco called P.L.A.Y. (Pet Lifestyle And You) asked me to do a review of some of their pet beds and I agreed without a thought. I figured it’s time to ditch the bacteria trap for something shiny and new.

P.L.A.Y. Owners Will and Deb were inspired by their cute little pug Momo, and being as cute and special as she is, Momo deserved a better bed than Will and Deb could find. When they introduced me to P.L.A.Y., after falling in love with Momo, I moved on to look at the beds and zeroed in on some stylish ones for my little dudes. I was relieved that they offered large-sized beds for Lulu. They even have an artist collection with one-of-a-kind designs created by San Francisco artist David Collins. I might have received one of those to give away, too, but you’ll have to stay tuned for more about that…

A few days before Christmas, the beds arrived so this was the perfect present to give to my pups. We received the large Serengeti for Lulu and the small black and white Camouflage for Beans.

Lulu checked out the box.

It took Lulu about 2 seconds to dump her old bed and cozy up with the new one. After about 5 minutes, she fell asleep on it. She’s been pretty much attached to it since Day 1.

Then, Beans discovered it.

Lulu: “Hey, is this guy for real? Um, can I get a little help here, please?”

It’s kind of obvious who’s the boss, here.

When it comes to pet beds, I often have issues with ordering via the internet, which is why I like reading reviews online and other blogger’s experiences. You get a better sense of the quality, and this is one instance in which a product arrived and I was pleasantly surprised at the craftsmanship.

What impressed me on my initial once over were a few main things:

First, the thickness and comfort of the fabric. I was expecting a thin cotton and it’s actually a hefty twill. I also didn’t expect Lulu’s bed to be velvety soft and textured. I’m not much of a leopard print type of gal but a modern monochromatic leopard print accented with bright orange? Yes, please.

I was also impressed with the amount of fill. A lot of beds look deflated or flimsy even before your dog lays on them. These were properly filled and pillowy (no lumps!).

Another thing I really like about them is the attention to detail. The boxes were nicely printed with their logo and website, the zipper has P.L.A.Y. printed on them, the hang tags are very well designed, and the beds themselves were well-wrapped and protected during shipping.

I am going to enjoy being able to actually remove the covers and wash them, ideally more than once every four years.

For those of you wondering about eco-friendliness, each bed is stuffed with filling made from recycled plastic bottles — 92 bottles in a large bed!

P.L.A.Y. also sent me one of these small Paw beds, which Beans uses on his favorite chair and on the sofa. It just about fits him perfectly.

We said “see you later” to the old bed. Beans got a little over-excited about having his very own bed:

OK, he’s really yawning there, but this photo never gets old. Expect to see it a lot.

We’re going to use these beds for a while and see how things go, and I’ll be sure to update you in a few months with how they’re holding up. It’s been about two weeks since the beds came and the large bed is — by far — getting the most action. Beans likes to lay against a warm body in the colder months and since both dogs can very comfortable fit on it, there’s some serious snuggle action going on.

In the meantime, check out P.L.A.Y.’s website and Facebook page.

I started using a new oil for my dog’s dry skin and allergy problems: Aunt Jeni’s Enhance Fish Oil. Previously, I was using Nature’s Logic North Atlantic Sardine Oil, which worked just fine, but we decided to try a new brand.

This Aunt Jeni’s stuff is hard to find but it is AMAZING. Beans’ coat feels like BUTTAH. I have noticed a decrease in dry skin flakes, too. The dogs are still a little itchy, but it’s allergy season so it’s expected. I am definitely buying this stuff again.

My dogs are fairly laid back with a few exceptions. One is when someone they love comes over to the house. They get very over-excited. Second, is when someone rings the doorbell or knocks at the door. They begin to bark like crazy hopping around for absolutely no reason. It drives us crazy. So, I was really excited when this product arrived at my doorstep (and, ironically, the dogs barked when they heard the FedEx guy drop it off at the door).

The Pet Corrector is from the UK-based dog training company The Company of Animals. The device is basically a can of compressed air that makes a loud, hissing sound when you press the nozzle. This sound is designed to stop unwanted behavior such as barking, jumping or stealing food. While it may not cure the problem right away, it interrupts the behavior enough for the dog to stop.

I have been using this product with my dogs for about 2 weeks now, during which we’ve had multiple visitors to our door. I absolutely love it. The dogs immediately stop their barking and stare at the can. It distracts them enough to forget why they were barking. One thing that I’ve noticed with my dogs is that I need to get close to them and spray it at them and not just randomly in the air. Otherwise, it’s not as effective.

I think now, it’s time for me to get a little more serious and start associating the word “quiet” with the Pet Corrector. That way, eventually, they can be trained to stop barking after I say “Quiet!” without having to use the spray.

Like I said, it’s been about 2 weeks and the can is starting to run out. I think it is worth investing in a few cans for training, associating the spray with specific words and behaviors and then you can probably begin using the can less and less until you don’t need it anymore.

Pet Corrector is now available outside of the UK: in Walmart Canada for a limited time and you can get it on Amazon.

I have to give a shoutout to Kyjen. This big box of dog stuff arrived on my doorstep and when I opened it up, something squeaked and Beans’ ears went like this: ^-^.

If you don’t know Kyjen, they’re the makers of the Outward Hound line along with a boatload of other dog toys and accessories. I was hesitant to get any toys because my dogs are aggressive chewers and can eat their way through just about anything. They also disembowel just about every stuffed toy they get and kill the squeakers within 5 minutes. Kyle from Kyjen assured me that I might be surprised at how my dogs interact with their toys. I was intrigued so I agreed to give ‘em a shot. What did I have to lose?

The package contained an Invincibles 6-squeaker snake, a Ricky Raccoon squeaker mat (out of the corner of my eye this thing looks just like Beans — they’re the same size!), a Heavy Duty Travel Bowl, a 2-in-1 Porta-a-Bowl, and an Excursion Dog Backpack.

Ah, Kyjen, where were you when we lived in San Diego and went hiking?

OK, so back to the toys. They are huge! Ricky Raccoon (above) is as big as Beans and the snake (below) is as long as Lulu! The best part about these toys is that they don’t have stuffing inside. I don’t buy my dogs toys with stuffing anymore because they’re chewers, and if I leave the room for one minute and come back there’s always turtle or bunny insides all over my floor.

How silly is this face?

I’m also hesitant about squeakers. Lulu is like a fox when it comes to squeakers. She hunts, finds them and punctures them and then they squeak no more. But, Kyjen’s toys’ squeakers are puncture-proof. They keep on squeaking even when they’ve been punctured. It’s definitely true — they do seem to still squeak!

So, I broke out the camera and let the dogs loose with the toys.

Here they are checking them out: *sniff*sniff* They had a great time playing all afternoon. It was funny to watch them try to decide which toy they wanted. They always seem to want what the other one has. There was also some intense tug-o’-war with the snake.

Lulu on the hunt for squeakers.

Beans gives hugs and kisses to his new friend. We call him Sammy the snake.

So, what’s the verdict? I don’t know how this is possible but I still have two squeaking toys on my floor. However, there was some carnage. Ricky’s tail actually had some stuffing in it — leave it to Lulu to find it and de-stuff. Also, the last squeaker in the snake’s tail has been removed and destroyed. Overall, I’m surprised that these toys are still in such good shape.

Remember back when I posted about these Greenies Pill Pockets? Well, I invested in a bag of the Roasted Duck and Pea Formula, which they call their “Allergy Formula,” so that I can give Lulu some pills at night. I got the capsules, but they also have a tablet size.

The bag was somewhere around $8, which I thought was a little high, but I’m sure you could get them on sale or use a coupon. Certainly not a product you would want to purchase if you give your dog a pill once or twice a day every day all year long. However, these are great for when you need to give your dog some medicine for shortened periods of time.

I opened up the bag and — wooooo, man — let me tell you that these are stinky. In trying to describe the potent smell I have come up with phrases like “peanut butter of pantries past” and “wet cat food with a side of nose plugs.” I think those are accurate. Of course, the smell doesn’t bother my dogs as I had two very interested spectators at my side the minute I cracked open the bag.

In case you’re wondering what they’re made of, here are the ingredients directly from the bag: Duck, glycerin, dried peas, natural flavors, vegetable oil, water, salt, potassium sorbate (to preserve freshness), xanthan gum, citric acid, preserved with mixed tocopherols (a source of Vitamin E). No old peanut butter here!

These are so easy to use. You simply insert the pill(s) into the hole in the treat and then use your fingers to mash the opening together so that the pills don’t fall out. You can fit two small capsules or one large capsule inside each one.

Despite the funky smell, I’d say these are one of the better ways in which I’ve distributed meds to my dogs. Lulu practically swallows the treat whole. I would definitely buy these again.

Andrea over at Bocce’s Bakery sent me some of her Grandma’s Apple Pie snacks for my puppies. They’re a really good size for my dogs — not too big yet satisfying enough. Not much I can say about the bone-shape except that I still find it adorable even though it’s pretty played out.

The ingredients: organic oat flour, local NY organic apples, local NY clover honey, fresh ground organic peanut butter, and organic non-fat yogurt. Sounds like something I would have for breakfast. I like that they don’t have too much grain in them and that she uses local ingredients. And PB. My dogs, like most dogs can’t get enough peanut buttery goodness.

And with the sound of the bag, like clockwork, the dogs appear. “Mom, can we have one?”