Therefore, Send Not to Know for Whom the Bell Tolls, It Tolls for Thee*

  

      A few months ago I saw an item at Mollie's Pup-Purr-ee in Danville that I knew had the potential to simplify my life.  After some consideration I decided on the leopard print (from the "Classic Personality Collection") and I headed home to install the item.  Set-up was simple at home and I read the directions carefully so I would know just how to introduce this item to my dog, Xena.
     This is the point at which I will spoil the suspense and just tell you that the item is called "Poochie Bells" and it is basically 4 jingle bells strategically placed on approximately 24 inches of decorative ribbon.  The idea behind Poochie Bells is for your dog to learn to ring the bells and thus signal to you that he or she needs to go out.  No more "accidents by the door" the website claims although accidents weren't my dog's problem- I just wanted to know when she needed to go out.
     So I began training Xena to use the Poochie Bells.  Every time that I saw her standing by the door I would gently touch her nose to the bells so that they softly jingled.  I won't say that she got the concept overnight but we persevered and soon the day came when I observed her jingling the bells without my interference. Recalling that specific moment I have a picture of her face as she somewhat tentatively brushed the bells- her expression was speculative but also contained the dawning realization of what she had just done.  I believe that she thought at this moment how this item had the potential to simplify her life.  At that time I was so very proud of my dog and I hastened to open the door for her.
     Now, I have always known how infinitely trainable dogs are.  I know that so well that I also know it is advisable as an owner to keep one step ahead of your dog.  It wasn't long before Xena was making use of the Poochie Bells seemingly every waking minute.  Requests to go out happened principally when I happened to be at the computer and so within sight of the door.  Requests to go back outside seconds after having been let out were frequent.  The jingling of the Poochie Bells (jingle, jingle, JINGLE) was often accompanied by a pointed stare at myself and jingling became more insistent (JINGLE, JINGLE, JINGLE) if my response was not quick enough.  Once I realized that I was the one being trained I contemplated linking the bells to some other task in order to turn the training back on to her.  By that time, however, I was really sick of the jingling (and I like all things Christmas- thanks Xena!) and I put the bells away.  You could say that I threw in the towel at that point.  Score= Xena-1, Laura-0.
     If Xena were human she might be wondering why the training seemed to be going so well only to have her owner lose interest.  It's all about motivation and reward for both of us.  I thought that Xena was rewarded for jingling the bells by the act of me opening the door and letting her out.  It was my mistaken belief that by putting the Poochie Bells into action I was initiating and shaping my dog's behavior.  Little did I realize that my dog was shaping MY behavior at the same time by initiating the jingling.  That realization (and the jingling) took some of the reward out of it for me, I have to admit.
     I don't mind being bested by my dog.  She is smart and observant and I know that.  The bells are up on a counter, far away from the door.  Now if I happen to jingle the bells by accident Xena shoots me a perky look.  She's ready to start the training again.  I think I'd like to get through the holidays first.

The Cats are Happy! The Fun Kitty Egg-Cersizer by Premier

     We have been waiting patiently for this toy to arrive.  Our anticipation was very keen because it is a new product from Premier Pet and we like Premier.  Additionally, this particular toy has the added advantage of being highly recommended by the U.C. Davis Behavior Service, a fact which I discovered while doing an internship with them in April.  Could it really be far superior to Premier's own Fun Kitty Twist N' Treat?  I was itching to find out.




     Well, the Egg-Cersizer is more than just a plaything.  As well as being an interactive treat-dispensing toy you can use it to feed your cat his meals.  I found that my rabbit likes it, too.
     In a previous blog (February 2010) we reviewed Premier's Fun Kitty Twist 'N Treat.  The idea was simple- load the toy with kibble or treats, set the opening to easy or more difficult, show your cat that the toy contains food and away you go.  The Twist 'N Treat is able to contain about 1/8 cup of kibble or treats.  It's spaceship shape and relatively small size makes it easy for your cat to swat it across the floor.  Definite fun as a treat dispenser but what if your cat's meal is say, 1/4 cup?  Two Twist 'N Treats?  You can do that or you can get the Egg-Cersizer.
     The Egg-Cersizer is, well, egg-shaped and has some generous and adjustable holes around the top.  It also has a tabbed exit for kibble at the bottom (think Squirrel Dude).  It can easily hold a meal's worth of kibble which makes it ideal for feeding your cat.  This can be great for the very food-driven cat.  If you have a food-driven cat you already know that free-feeding is a disaster if you want the cat to remain a healthy weight.  Even if you feed a reduced calorie food your cat will still overeat.  The Egg-Cersizer can be a great way to make your chubby cat work a little for his meal.  While he is burning some calories batting the toy around he is also exercising his brain and this makes for a happier cat.
     Our guest reviewer, Sluggo, took on the Egg-Cersizer recently.  Amy, his owner, set the toy to the easiest setting (all holes open) initially until Sluggo got the hang of what to do to enable the kibble to escape.  When Sluggo was consistently getting an easy payoff Amy gradually closed the holes to make the toy more challenging.  Well, Sluggo was already hooked so he didn't notice that he had been working a little harder to get the kibble.  Now Sluggo gets his meals via the Egg-Cersizer.  We don't know whether he has lost any weight but he is, at least, entertained at mealtimes now.
     The Egg-Cersizer comes with complete instructions on how to stuff it and how to best introduce it to your cat.  They stress that you first observe how your cat reacts to the toy before you stuff it and walk away.  You don't want your cat to become frustrated and lose interest.
     We give the Egg-Cersizer an Excellent as to playability.  I think it is easily workable as a toy or a meal dispenser.  Durability is also Excellent as long as it is used correctly and it's use is supervised initially.  Safety is also Excellent as there doesn't seem to be any way in which a cat could become entangled in the toy or bite parts off.  The only question with this toy is- How many you will need?