It's Christmassssss!!

Like me, I'm sure your pooch is one of the family so of course they deserve their own present on Christmas day! I've searched high and low to find the best doggie Christmas Hampers, all come gorgeously wrapped and are certain to make their tail wag on Christmas day! 

1. Puptart's Christmas Box 2 (£24)

Includes: 

1x Snaffles Party Mix treat bag 
1x Pup Tart Bow Tie (blue leopard) 
1x East End Best Friend giant pom pom toy (pink)

2. Hugo & Hennie Luxury Dog Christmas Hamper (£46.95)

Includes:

1 Cuddle blanket

1 Soft bone toy

1 packet of Hungry Hector dog treats

1 packet of venison sausages

1 Beco toy

1 Christmas pupcake

3. Mr Barker's Bakery Maxi Christmas Hamper (£20)

Includes:

Small antler bar

Anco Root

1 Packet of homemade turkey and cranberry treat biscuits

1 Packet of turkey and cranberry pupcakes

1 packet of Woof and Brew

4. Paws & Purrs Luxury Christmas Dog Hamper (£29.99)

Includes:

Christmas dinner in a can by Lily's Kitchen

Anter chew

Luxurious dog shampoo by John Paul Pet

Lily's Kitchen liver treats

Bone toy from Mutts & Hounds

Tail-Wagging Picks: Dog's Trust Calendar

The Dog's Trust do brilliant work. I remember doing a bake sale with my two friends when I was about 10 to raise money for The Dog's Trust and managed to get myself featured in their magazine. Ecstatic does not even describe how excited I was about it at the time! And I still enjoy supporting them today.

It's 2014 calendar time and I love the one that the Dog's Trust create every year, not just because it shows cute pooches every month but each month features a heartwarming real-life story of dogs they've helped all round the country. 

Whether it's a gift to yourself or others it's for a great cause, and you get to coo over cute doggies all year round! 

You can get it here

Review: Cruelty free moisturisers

I believe that we shouldn't make animals pay for us looking good which is why I shop for cruelty free make-up and skincare products. I'm really into my beauty products and I'm always on the look out for a great moisturiser. I love products that make you feel pampered and thought I would let you in on my top 5 cruelty free moisturisers (Men - this isn't just a woman only post, they'd make your skin great too!). 

I'm not a preacher in any way and don't like blogs that constantly preach to others to do what they do/buy what they buy etc, but I just want to encourage thoughtfulness with make-up and skincare products and to maybe appreciate the background of the products you buy. I hope this post shows that there are so many amazing products out there that are cruelty free, there's no need to buy anything else! 

So when possible look out for the bunny symbol which is the international gold symbol for companies that are cruelty free. 

1. Body Shop Vitamin E Intense Moisturiser (£12)

I've bought this moisturer a couple of times now which proves to me that it works and is good value for money. It leaves my skin feeling smooth and fresh and stops drying out in these cold winter conditions! I buy the intense version as I tend to get very dry skin in winter but they also have a version for normal skin. 

2. Origins Gin-Zing Energy Boosting Moisturiser (£23)

You may have heard rumours about this one and I can tell you they're all true. Origins Gin-Zing eye cream and moisturiser has featured on almost every beauty blog going and there's almost definitely a reason for it. This little beauty illuminates your skin and smells great.  

3. Marks & Spencer Pure Daily Skincare Moisture Plus Miracle Balm (what a mouthful!) (£9.50)

If you're looking for an inexpensive moisturiser that'll do the job then look no further. M&S's Miracle Balm makes you skin feel velvety soft and prevents dryness. It's also multi-purpose so you can use it as a cleanser or a mask as well although I just use it as a moisturiser underneath my make-up. 

4. Arbonne RE9 Advanced Restorative Day Cream (£40)

The pricey option but they do say that you get what you pay for. After about a week of testing Arbonne's day cream I really did notice a difference with my skin. I had a glow and actually got a comment about how good my skin looked so 'is it worth the money' you ask, I say yes.

5. Liz Earle Skin Repair Moisturiser (£19.25)

I've always been a fan of Liz Earle and her simple but effective beauty products. As a company they have great principles showing you can create exceptional beauty products without the need to damage others or the environment. The Lavender Cleanse and Polish is a personal favourite before bed but the Skin Repair Moisturiser is also a winner. 

*China have a rule that all beauty products HAVE to be tested on animals. If you do make sure you stick to products against animal testing then watch out as a few companies who have previously been against animal testing in their products have now gone against that to benefit their profit margins in order to be able to sell in China. Full story can be found here. 

The Downward Dog. Doga - what's it all about?

Watch out, there's a new craze making it's way over the pond from the trendy New York gym studios. Doga has hit the capital and as an existing lover of yoga and obviously of dogs too I was intrigued to find out more about it. 

Doga involves stretching, massage and chanting and is meant to create a unique bond between you and your dog through the calming, happy environment yoga creates. 

Dr Robin Brennen, chief of veterinary medicine at the Bidawee Animal Shelter in New York, hosts classes run by dog trainer and yogi Kari Harendorf. She says that 'Dogs are naturally very inquisitive creatures and at the beginning of the class they were all tussling, yipping and barking, but you can see a change in energy levels and a drop in stress and anxiety as the class continues.' For Dr Brennan, the animals most benefit from the bonding experience with their owner, rather than exercise, particularly if they spend a lot of time on their own. The impression I get is that Yoga is meant to benefit both you and your dog in a physical and mental way.

It seems like a great way to do some excercise with your dog that isn't the normal walking in the park but is it the next big thing to build a bond between you and your pooch or one step too far into barking mad territory? It's an interesting concept, feel free to make you're own mind up, but for now I'm still a little dubious! But you never know, watch this space...

Spolight on: The Stylish Dog Company Beds

The three most important things your dog needs; lots of lovely walks, tasty food and an incredibly comfy bed to sleep on. Luckily The Stylish Dog Company have got the last one covered. They offer a range of gorgeous hand-made beds that your dog will love and are a stylish addition to the home. 

The Stylish Dog Company offer a range of beds from trendy wooden beds to (my personal favourite) luxury corduroy beds and also offer a waterproof cushion liner to stop the damp doggy smells from wet and muddy paws seeping through to the inside cushion (the outside covers are all machine washable). The corduroy beds also apparently repel pet hair as well which is a big plus! 

www.thestylishdogcompany.com has the full range of beds plus loads of other stylish doggy items. 

Red Dotty Bed (£55)

Latte Luxury Corduroy Bed (£99)

Chic Wooden Dog Bed (£195)

Tail-Wagging Picks: Top 5 British Made Dog Collars

If you have to splurge on one thing for you pooch it has to be the collar. It's an item that's worn most of the time so make it one that's going to get them noticed for all the right reasons!

I love to support all things designed and made in Britain. Why shop anywhere else when you can find gorgeous collars like these in the good old UK?

Hiro + Wolf Emerald Dog Collar (£27.50)

Bone & Rag Brown Leather Collar (from £45)

Woof! Studded Leather Collar (£85)

Love My Dog Pixley Harris Tweed Pink Collar (£29)

Mungo and Maud Navy Leather Plaited Collar (£99.50)

Something for a Monday...

So it's a Monday, not everyone's favourite day of the week. Don't worry, here's a few dog's who may just cheer you up!

Tail-Wagging Ideas: Sketch your pet

Ever wondered how your special pooch would look as a cute caricature? Sketch Your Pet brings out the personality of your dog in a lovable illustration. I absolutely love the idea, just check out a few examples on Jonathan's website - Harry the Spaniel is a personal favourite!

You can choose from a classic pencil & ink sketch for £60 or a full colour illustration like Buddy above for £125. All you need to do is fill out the online form with a few photos. The waiting list is currently 4 weeks but I can imagine Christmas gets busy so I think I need to get my order in quick!

Happy birthday! In search for the best doggie birthday treats

So Alfie's birthday is coming up at the end of the month and to mark his 11th birthday I want to get him something special. As Alfie is a big fan of his food there was no question about what to get, a yummy doggie birthday cake. 

These are my top 5 birthday treats....

Bed & Biscuits Celebration Carob Cake (£15)

Carob is a safe chocolate alternative for dogs that is non-toxic. All their products use sugar free frosting which I really like as I don't really understand the need to add sugar to any dog food. Alfie's teeth aren't in the best shape to be honest and added sugar definitely won't help! At a hefty £15 it's the most expensive birthday treat here but it's definitely the biggest too!

Daisy's Dog Deli Roast Chicken Dinner Birthday Bone (£9.99)

Daisy's Dog Deli use their very popular muffin recipe to create this extra special dog bone. All their recipes ingredients are 100% natural, they don't add any salt, sugar or fat and all ingredients are human grade (good enough to be used in recipes for human food), so your dog is sure to get a tasty treat. They have four different birthday bone flavours - lambs liver, sausage, roast lamb and the roast chicken bone. Mmmmmm!

Doggie Patisserie Happy Birthday Cake (£12.50)

This cake by Doggie Patisserie is the most birthday cake like and does use the most 'human-like' ingredients including desiccated coconut and white chocolate icing (described as being doggie safe). Definitely an occasional treat as I feel it may pile on the pounds but it does feed 8 so it could be eaten over a few days as it should keep. Oh and it can be personalised for free too and gift wrapped so it does make a lovely birthday treat.

Alpha & Ruby's Happy Pupcake (£2.99)

These pupcakes are incredibly cute! They come in three different colours with a biscuit top and I absolutely love the packaging. Alpha & Ruby also promote the fact that they only use 100% human grade ingredients and are gluten and wheat free which is great. At £2.99 they're very reasonable and a size that Alfie would enjoy as some of the other cakes are rather large and may be a bit over-facing, even for one greedy dog!

Bertz Pet Bakery Cupcakes -pack of 4 (£8.50)

These cupcakes can also be personalised which I love and are presented in a gift box. Each cupcake has a signature peanut butter base and are even safe for humans to eat as the ingredients are peanut butter, flour, molasses, water, yoghurt frosting and carob. Not bad for £8.50 and they do look gorgeous but I'm sure Alfie would prefer something with a bit more meat?!

Now decisions decisions...

Welcome to The Tail-Wagger

Welcome to The Tail-Wagger, THE blog for stylish dogs and owners alike. The Tail-Wagger praises all the lovable pooches in our lives and celebrates being a dog owner. 

I've grown up with dogs and am a dog groomer with my own business by profession. I work with dogs every day and come into contact with a variety of dog owners, trainers, walkers etc and have consequently built up an array of knowledge that I hope to enjoy sharing with you all. At the end of the day, dogs (of all kinds) are an extremely important part of my life and I'd love to think that through the ideas, tips and features of this blog it makes the lives of pups a little bit more special. 

So if you want a dose of something doggie, whether it's an uplifting story or a fresh new product that's going to make your pup's tail wag then make sure you check back with The Tail-Wagger. 

Enjoy!