#ad Come check out some of our #NudgesMoments with our Peanut Gallery and all about Pet Safety during the dog days of summer

This is our Peanut Gallery, as most of you know, they are the love of my life. Well, besides the kids and my hubby. They truly are like family and we treat them just like that. Summer is upon us and that gave me a few ideas to share pet safety and some tips on positive reinforcement dog training. So take a few minutes and hang out with us. You will be glad you did.

Many of you know that my Baby “Charlie” was poisoned by dog treats that unknowing to me, where “Made in China”! It was a horrible time for both our family and certainly for Charlie. Never ever will I put my fur babies in jeopardy like that and have to pray for them to survive. For my pets safety I will only buy products that are Made in America 100%. Some products will say they are made in the USA, however they are packaged in China, or part of the product was produced in China, not good enough. I will buy only 100% Made and produced in America! I rather spend an extra dollar but know that my dogs are safe and happy with what they eat and we can create #NudgesMoments.

A while back I found on one of my weekly Walmart trips a good looking new dog treat in the dog food section. Like any new product or treats I inspected the packaging and took a closer look, I even went as far as checking out the Product Company and website right there in the store, if you ever had a very sick pup, you will understand the feeling, pet safety first. I loved the idea that these treats are made in the U.S.A and are free of fillers and made with real American meats.

Yes… you heard that right made with AMERICAN meats!! That was very impressive and after further inspection I decided to take a few bags home with me for the babies, I knew they had been begging for treats, but I wasn’t buying them as often as I had. Made in the U.S.A. treats are not that easy to find and are a little pricy, so treats in our home, really were “treats”.

My Walmart had the Nudges Treats in the same isle as all the other dog treats, making it easy to pick up a bag or two during your regular grocery shopping and with under $3 for a 3 oz. bag or a little under $13.00 for a 18 oz. bag of pure goodness for your fur baby, not a bad deal at all. I loved the price, the peace of mind that my dogs are safe while getting a treat and of course that every bit of the product is made in the U.S.A.

Nudges treats come in a few different flavors and each of my dogs has their favorite. Be sure to check out some of the pictures, the pups will tell you their favorite. As far as the flavors, there is Beef, Bacon and Duck, as well as Health and Wellness Chicken which is a Walmart Exclusive.

I love that the treats are soft, making them easy to break apart if you have a smaller dog, or like me, have to feed a crowd. Unlike other chicken treats I was able to break pieces off without trying to break a nail. We’ve all been there, I know. The product smells just like if you open a bag of Beef Jerky for yourself. I was really tempted in tasting it, it smelled that good!

My Peanut Gallery is happy again that Mom picks up treats and spoils them rotten, so I wanted to share a few tips to keep your pets happy and healthy this summer as well.

Pet Safety this summer is very important

• Always have plenty of fresh water available for your pets, whether they are inside or outside pets; warm days they are just like us and need to drink a little more. You want to make sure they stay well hydrated.
• Don’t ever leave your pet inside the car, no matter what! Even with windows open your pet will get heat exhaustion very quickly and in many cases not survive. Think twice if you take your pet for a ride.
• Don’t over feed with treats. Treats are just that. They shouldn’t be a meal substitute. You should positive reinforce your pet with a treat if they did something special or just paid attention to you. My dogs always get one treat right before we leave for the day. They all know it and run circles in front of the treat cabinet. One bag will last us a week or longer.
• Watch your pet closely after feeding a new dog treat to make sure no allergic reaction occurs. Just like us humans they could be allergic to chicken (like my son…Crazy I know) or anything else.
• Lots of play time needs lots of rest on hot days so your dog can adjust to the dog days of summer and if they lay around all day, why not… let them… they are dogs after all.
• Watch what you feed them. Spend an extra buck or two on food that you know what’s in it and where it is from. You will thank me later.

As you can see, we love our babies very much and spoil them rotten. They get lots of play time, lots of treats and even more love from all of us. I couldn’t imagine life without these three little rascals and they make every day different and special, all in their very own way.

So if you are like us and spoil your fur baby rotten, be sure to pick up a bag or two of Nudges the next time you are at your local Walmart and give them a positive reinforcement dog training that they so deserve with a piece of Nudges Chicken, Beef or even Duck.

A Few Training tips…
Just so you can enjoy your Fur Baby as much as we enjoy ours

1. Give small pieces or treats, don’t over feed them just for sitting down.
2. If you have more than one pet, they will learn quickly from each other. Have them sit down and only the one that sits will get a treat; give it a day and you will see how fast the other learned that no sitting no treats.
3. Don’t push your pet to too much, they are animals after all. If they get tired, let them rest and pick up your training session another day.
4. Go over the same comment for days, it will take some dogs longer to learn a command. But once they listen to “sit” or their name be sure to reward them with a small treat and keep reinforcing it.
5. Don’t punish, hit or kick your dog because he wasn’t behaving correctly, they don’t know better, be patient and keep reinforcing their commands and over time things will get easier for both of you and well … Don’t forget to give treats!

See it all can be so simple, just show them love and they will shower you with kisses and love in return,no matter what. My babies may be mad when I leave in the morning but when I return at night they are excited and happy to see me. Now try that with your husband after a fight …. Happy Dog Days of Summer!

For information and how you can create your own #NudgesMoments be sure to visit Nudges on the web and you can even download a Coupon to save you money while spoiling your fur baby. #CollectiveBias