jetcitywoman

Thank you! Can I add this to my site as a product review? Lookin good! And he's so adorable too. Love me some greyhound puppy eyes! I don't have larger sizes, but I do now have extension straps in stock. I had a few monstrously large hounds (and by that I mean swoon because I love those big boys) come by my booth with noses too long to fit a muzzle comfortably. So I went out and asked my supplier for a solution!

I just added a measuring guide to the whippet muzzle page today. Sorry about that. Sometimes I don't think of handy things like that until either someone asks or I notice that a customer has trouble. (People occasionally buy an item and then want to send it back because it doesn't fit. I can't blame them if I don't have a measuring guide!) I think they'll fit a bit loosely at first, but grow into (and then of course, out of) them. They fit snouts between 6 - 9 inches long.

Susan, I want to thank you very much for this suggestion! I reached out to them and we've been in a very nice email discussion designing a new product for me. They are SO easy to work with and are exactly what I was looking for! It's looking like we're going to have a very good business relationship!

That's good to hear. I wanted to add my opinion, for what it's worth. I've found that with greyhounds, a gentle, respectful approach works much better than forcing your way on them. Especially in the first year (or two, depending on the dog). Most of them don't tolerate being manhandled very well, until they know they can trust you not to hurt them intentionally. Before that point where they trust you, it's better to perhaps leave the jammies on, or bribe them with treats to go out in the yard, or whatever. Basically I'm saying that in the early times trust-building is more important than just about anything else.

Hey all, for those who almost bought a muzzle from me at Gettysburg or Dewey but found that it was just a touch too small for your dog, I have the solution now in stock. We have extension straps for the muzzles, made from the same high quality leather as the muzzle straps, and made by our Irish muzzle supplier. This means our muzzles can now fit Borzoi! https://www.somethingspecialpetsupplies.com/collections/featured-products/products/muzzle-extension-strap

Good point about the dangly things. Or worse than getting a claw caught... for those that play bitey face, getting a tooth caught! OW! So I'll nix that idea. I looked at the Bold Lead Designs site and liked it very much. Also saw that they do sell wholesale! Yay! So I'm going to reach out to them. I'm also attending a pet products tradeshow in June where I'll find suppliers for more products.

Yikes, okay so she sounds like she's clearly in the "special" category. as in raccoon level intelligence. I was just thinking that I could offer both the collar and loop style keeper but also just the little loop style keeper. I'm playing with ideas for new products. Since the Irish muzzles are my best sellers, it seems to make sense to branch off from that with accessories for muzzles. Also here's a really out of the box idea.... muzzle charms? Like collar charms but smaller and less dangly, and they attach to the side of the muzzle, purely to look cute? Stupid idea or does it have possibilities?

Hey, I wondered about that too! I've never owned an escape artist but did once witness a little galgo take his muzzle off. It was impressive. But it did make me wonder if a dog who is that good at figuring it out might turn the muzzle AND keeper into a choking hazard! Maybe two keepers, one on the back of the neck and one from the chin strap to the collar at the throat? Or would that be worse? Thank you, I will check them out and see if they do wholesale!

OMG, I just realized that I forgot to include my new url! It is sitstaysafe.com Both url's will take you to my shop for the rest of this year.

So I'm considering finding a leather worker who will make leather strap muzzle keepers for me. When I do a google search, I only find this kind of keeper: To be clear (because in this picture the muzzle and the keeper are the same color) the keeper is just the white buckle collar with the loop on it attached to the muzzle strap. What I had in mind was just a short leather strap with a buckle that can go around the muzzle strap and the dog's normal collar. Basically just the loop part of what you see in this picture. Do you guys think that design would be more versatile/useful than the kind pictured above? I think if I needed a keeper, I'd find that additional buckle collar to be a hassle. But that's me. Opinions?

I just saw this thread. Was it a muzzle you bought from me? They're made from nylon plastic so should be pretty hard for a dog to break, so if a dog managed it I'd love to know so I can be aware of that possibility. I try to keep on top of my product quality, so I want to know when things don't measure up.

I met another shop owner at a pet show two months ago who sold the Gunner Kennels. He said that most of his sales of them were to people in other countries so he always lost money on shipping and customs duties. It was very strange. I think Gunner could do better by drop-shipping, but they stopped doing that too. I'll keep my eye on them to see what they end up doing.

Thanks! I'm considering selling the Gunner Kennels, too, but they're large and bulky so shipping them is likely costly. Maybe I'll get a few in stock just prior to events like Dewey and Gettysburg, though.... need to think about that. I had a really, REALLY good talk with Lindsey from CPS. Manufacturers hate them, of course. Manufacturers are not allowed to volunteer or offer products for testing in order for CPS testing to be completely unbiased. What surprised me, though, was that she said retailers also hate CPS. She said based on her attempts to talk to retailers (large and small), CPS certifications - or really, the lack thereof - hurts their sales of most products. She said most retailers are only in it for the money and don't care if they're selling dangerous products. Well, not me. So that's my differentiator, also. I love the CPS and what they do, and I see a clear market niche in aligning with them. As I get CPS-certified products into my inventory I'm going to market them like crazy and drop the non-certified alternatives.

Hi Everyone, I've purchased a new domain and have started re-branding my shop. I'm going to take this whole year to change over the brand so that I don't lose anyone who knows the current name. For the rest of this year my shop is called: Sit. Stay safe! by Something Special Pet Supplies Starting next year we'll drop the last part and only be called Sit. Stay safe! Over the past two years of running the shop I've had the most success selling the Irish muzzles, and no success at all selling things for birds, bunnies and cats. Also with the dog products, toys and slow feeders and such can easily be found on Amazon, Petco and etc. so those didn't sell well for me, either. What I decided to do was get rid of all that stuff and focus my shop around the muzzles and similar items.... so safety products for dogs! In the last 6 months I've also stumbled over (and then met and joined forces with) a non-profit organization called The Center for Pet Safety. They are like the pet version of the Consumer Products Safety Commission.... they do scientifically robust safety testing of pet products. By aligning myself to them, and using them as a resource for selecting which products I sell, I know that I can offer truly safe products. Why is that important? Most things manufactured for pets (and heck, people too) claim to be safe, but are not actually tested. (check out their videos for the car restraint systems and kennels that fail crash testing, you'll be shocked) You cannot trust manufacturer claims. CPS certification on the other hand, can be trusted! The first product I'm working on acquiring for my shop are CPS-certified car restraint systems. It will be a while before I get them in stock but I am doing research and connecting with the vendors/manufacturers. In the meantime, my line up includes: The super-popular double-padded Irish muzzles, feather-light coursing muzzles, and whippet muzzles high quality life jackets (that actually fit greyhounds too!) Puplights Rechargeable LED leashes, collars and harnesses (I may drop the harnesses when they sell out and only continue the collars and leashes) Doggy boat ladders! Doggy pool steps! HarnessLeads Spook Harnesses Furniture steps to help ailing small doggos get on the couch/bed Car back seat hammocks

Would you do me a favor, and take a picture of the back seat cover you got and post it here or PM it to me? I'm having a hard time visualizing that it's not wide enough, so seeing it will help me a lot. I can't imagine you're the only one with this problem, so there has to be a wider product out there somewhere. If I have a picture maybe I can "shop" it around to some suppliers and see what they say about it.

Along with what the others are saying, I think it's good to remind (everyone) that dogs are very good at training US, and I think this might be what's going on here. He's learned that when he fusses, he gets fed. You'll have to counter-program that. I would suggest using distraction training techniques for this, and keep him on a reliable schedule. When he learns that he can't train you anymore to get whatever he wants, he will find security in knowing that his next meal is coming on the schedule he's used to.

Hmm, I don't know about wider. They do make these blanket/pad things that go on the floor of the cargo area of an SUV, but I don't know how they would work along the back seat. I'll keep my eye out for wider hammocks.

Hey guys, I am refocusing my product lines to just be safety products for dogs, so that's what I'll be bringing to Gettysburg. (No more toys.) If it's okay, I'd like to gauge interest in various things. Would you guys be interested in seeing/trying out any of these: life jackets car safety harnesses (dog in back seat) hammocks for back seat in car? un-crushable travel kennels that fit in an SUV something else? (I'll be adding all of those and more to my shop this year, but asking this now will help me know what to prioritize.)

Not at all, but maybe Nittany does. (The group who organizes the event.) There are a couple of other events on Sunday's schedule: the fun run and a speaker.

Yep, just checked the schedule and the Saturday night dinner is in the hotel ballroom. Oh, and it reminded me that the Sunday vending officially closes at 3pm, not 5pm like I originally stated. Sorry about that! Since I'm fairly local, I could "go the distance" and still have time to pack and drive home on Sunday night and get to work on Monday. I'll think about doing that, just to see what the Sunday shopping crowd is like.

I'm pretty easygoing as a vendor, so I'm willing to give it a try and see how it goes. The only thing I worry about is that if there aren't enough sales on Sunday to warrant staying until 5pm, it will be hard to take down the booth early and load up into the car. Not impossible, but it's really hard (and actually looks bad) when there are some customers shopping but some of the vendors are closing up shop. I guess I'll have to think about it some more.

It looks like they're heavily moderating posts now, too. I just posted something and got a message that it had to be approved before it would be visible. Sadly, that's probably the best approach for the wild, wild west of Facebook, although I know some people migrated over there because they didn't like the moderation here.

Thanks, Tricia. I think that's the common understanding (mine too). But I'm curious if that's changing with some people now, or if Nittany is just testing the waters.

So vendor registrations have begun, so it's time to do a little more planning. To start things off, I have a question for attendees. This year Nittany has set the Sunday vending hours to be 9 - 5. I know in the past lots of people leave for home on Sunday morning, but this new time makes me wonder if people are staying later to get a little more shopping in. What does everyone think about the new hours? Have you all been wanting more vendors to stick around on Sunday?

If any of you are going to Dewey this weekend, I'll have three different slow feeder bowl designs for sale. Come and browse, see if you like any.