# Help us with our new BIG dog website



## MyBIGdog

We have recently launched our new website aimed at large and giant dog breeds in the UK. We basically cater for the needs of large dog owners providing a "one-stop-shop" for all their needs.

It is very early days in terms if our business but we are looking at populating a "breed specific" section where by we list recommended products based on that particular breed. We own Rhodesians Ridgebacks and almost everything we sell so far has been pretty well tested by them but we are looking for any large dog owners out there to recommend any products that they have found particularly good for their breed....

Our site can be found at www.myBIGdog.co.uk

We really appreiciate your help with this

Sarah


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## Polimba

Nice site, it's good to see things geared to large dogs. I often have a problem with items not being alrge enough.

I have a Ridgeback too


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## purrr

will be having a look at that with having 2 large dogs and soon be getting a huge dog


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## purrr

just a quick question can i pay for a item via paypal???


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## MyBIGdog

Purr, really sorry - we are in the process of adding Paypal to our site but is taking a little longer than thought and we were a bit keen and added the Paypal logo too soon!! Probably wont be for a few week till this is tested properly and in place but our checkout is using Sage Pay and 3D secure and so is all super super safe and secure.


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## MyBIGdog

also what are your large dogs and what is your GIANT dog gonna be???


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## MyBIGdog

Polimba - Thanks for the kind words- yeah we have another Ridgeback Puppy at the moment who is 18 weeks so growing at an alarming rate and pretty mischievous! We have spent a huge amount of time researching foods for Ridgebacks etc and are currently feeding them Applaws dog food but wondered what do you use?


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## Dogless

The site does look nice; I also have a ridgie and often have to get shops to order in the 'large / extra large' versions of items for me as they seem to stock up to medium in a lot of cases!


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## purrr

MyBIGdog said:


> also what are your large dogs and what is your GIANT dog gonna be???


i have 2 GSD'S but one is huge and we are finding it really hard to get a collar to fit him right, also im getting a great dane puppy soon so once he is fully grown its gonna be hard to find a collar that fits, i don't like the one's that clip together as iv not found them to be safe enough in the past with a big dog that will/does pull i like the buckle collars, will keep checking the site for paypal to be added


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## SixStar

Site looks great - I've two giants so I'm sure I'll be a very regular customer - very few places seem to stock the XL sizes of dog things.


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## MyBIGdog

Dogless said:


> The site does look nice; I also have a ridgie and often have to get shops to order in the 'large / extra large' versions of items for me as they seem to stock up to medium in a lot of cases!


Yeah, we found exactly the same thing and so we thought we would tackle this issue and do it ourselves! We are still finding that when we are buying in products to test before we add them to the site they are really not suitable for large dogs dispite what the claims the manufacture claims.


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## MyBIGdog

purrr said:


> i have 2 GSD'S but one is huge and we are finding it really hard to get a collar to fit him right, also im getting a great dane puppy soon so once he is fully grown its gonna be hard to find a collar that fits, i don't like the one's that clip together as iv not found them to be safe enough in the past with a big dog that will/does pull i like the buckle collars, will keep checking the site for paypal to be added


When we got our first ridgeback we decided to "treat" ourselves to a nice quality leather collar and lead set. We bought what turned out to be a collar by creature clothes and I could not recommend these strongly enough (exactly why we stock them on our site!) Worn every day and looks better now then when we got it- not cheap at all but well worth it. For a alternative we tested loads of cheaper collars but were not impressed until we came accross Ezy dogs which have faired really well for a good price. Know what you mean about the buckle verses clip issue and we opt for a buckle ever time as Ridgeback can be pretty power (i bet just like your GSD!) - have you come across anything that's worked/failed? How have you faired with a head collar?


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## MyBIGdog

SixStar said:


> Site looks great - I've two giants so I'm sure I'll be a very regular customer - very few places seem to stock the XL sizes of dog things.


Thansk for the compliments! I guess from your footer you have a Mastiff and a Bernese? Lovely!!!
How have you faired with collars and harnesses especially with the mastiff?


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## MyBIGdog

SixStar said:


> Site looks great - I've two giants so I'm sure I'll be a very regular customer - very few places seem to stock the XL sizes of dog things.


Thansk for the compliments! I guess from your footer you have a Mastiff and a Bernese? Lovely!!!
How have you faired with collars and harnesses especially with the mastiff? Have had lots of feedback on collars for mastiffs but fee seem to opt for a harness


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## MyBIGdog

Sorry - my posts are playin up!?!

Thansk for the compliments SixStar! I guess from your footer you have a Mastiff and a Bernese? Lovely!!!
How have you faired with collars and harnesses especially with the mastiff?


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## toffee44

I really struggle with harness for my big guys, an OES and a rottie cross. 

Good to see a fair priced website for the big boys and girls  

Will you be getting a wider range of harness's??


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## MyBIGdog

Definitely expanding the ranges across the board over the next month or so- started out with a pretty limited range but these all products that we know and are confident that they are truely suited to big dogs. 

What harnesses have you tried that have worked/failed with your dogs?


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## Big Guy

Hi MyBigDog

I have looked at your site, which is easy to navigate through. I'll be popping back for product updates once you get a few more items on there 

We have a 7 month Great Dane and key issues for us have been car harnesses, beds and toys!

Car Harnesses - extra large sizes usually mean "will fit a Labrador", though I would recommend the Clix one you have advertised - unfortunately Deco has now outgrown this and it's been hard to replace it. We have, with an Ancol harness, but the positions of the clips make it really hard to fit on him and stresses both us and him! We are now looking for something else.

Beds - even the ones on your site won't fit a full grown Dane, due to their small size and thinness - unfortunately I think that's why most owners end up buying a separate sofa for the dog  

Toys - the best toys for us have been the large rope based ones for tugging with (like in your picture, but not advertised for sale  ) and any form of ball - tennis balls are not suitable due to their small size (and Deco loves to remove the coating ) Kong Wubba's are great, but the stitching and material did not withstand much tugging - he's had 2, but the second was destroyed in minutes.

But these are just our experiences, so I am sure you will get many other owners come forward with their positive and negative experiences.

I have signed up for the newsletter, so look forward to the updates as they come through 

Good luck with the website :001_smile:


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## MyBIGdog

Thanks for taking the time to go through things in such detail - really helpful so thanks again!

Car Harness - we use the exact Clix harness on the site for our big ridgeback - hes big for ridgeback (he's about 48kg) and works a treat but fully appreciate that a great Dane is whole different story. Have got some Ancol products coming in our next delivery but haven't looked at their car harnesses in much detail so can't really comment - will certainly bear your predicament in mind and let you know what we come up with.*

Beds- Am really conscious that our range of beds is pretty rubish at the moment. Especially for great Danes, wolf hounds, etc As you probably see we only stock Outhwaite beds at the moment and they are by far our best sellers but I know we need to seriously broaden this out. Outhwaites did make larger sizes but have now stopped :-( Gonna order in some XL Kruuse beds to see of the quality can match the outwaite.*

Toys- Which rope toys are you lookin at? If there is a picture anywhere on our site we should have it for sale. Check out the Nuts for Knots rope toys- they are really heavy duty and a pretty good price. We don't really give our dogs tennis balls because they also just spend their whole time removing the coating but nothing's better for a long walks entertainment- far more interested in them than the frisbees etc.*

Thanks again for sharing your experiences and will PM you when we find some items we think might be helpful


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## MyBIGdog

Sorry keep trying to post but saying that they need to be moderated befor approval- any ideas?


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## Barryjparsons

Multiple posts from a new member will sometimes require authorisation to stop potential spamming especially if there are links or photos. Your post will appear but there may be a delay

Good luck with the business.


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## MyBIGdog

Thanks Barry ( if you can actually see this) that makes sense.

And sorry if duplicate posts come through later on!!!


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## purrr

Big Guy said:


> Hi MyBigDog
> 
> I have looked at your site, which is easy to navigate through. I'll be popping back for product updates once you get a few more items on there
> 
> We have a 7 month Great Dane and key issues for us have been car harnesses, beds and toys!
> 
> Car Harnesses - extra large sizes usually mean "will fit a Labrador", though I would recommend the Clix one you have advertised - unfortunately Deco has now outgrown this and it's been hard to replace it. We have, with an Ancol harness, but the positions of the clips make it really hard to fit on him and stresses both us and him! We are now looking for something else.
> 
> Beds - even the ones on your site won't fit a full grown Dane, due to their small size and thinness - unfortunately I think that's why most owners end up buying a separate sofa for the dog
> 
> Toys - the best toys for us have been the large rope based ones for tugging with (like in your picture, but not advertised for sale  ) and any form of ball - tennis balls are not suitable due to their small size (and Deco loves to remove the coating ) Kong Wubba's are great, but the stitching and material did not withstand much tugging - he's had 2, but the second was destroyed in minutes.
> 
> But these are just our experiences, so I am sure you will get many other owners come forward with their positive and negative experiences.
> 
> I have signed up for the newsletter, so look forward to the updates as they come through
> 
> Good luck with the website :001_smile:


am getting a great dane puppy at the weekend, and have also found it really hard to find a dog bed that will be big enough for him so if you have any luck find one could you let me know please 
thank you x


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## MyBIGdog

Thanks for taking the time to go through things in such detail - really helpful so thanks again!

Car Harness - we use the exact Clix harness on the site for our big ridgeback - hes big for ridgeback (he's about 48kg) and works a treat but fully appreciate that a great Dane is whole different story. Have got some Ancol products coming in our next delivery but haven't looked at their car harnesses in much detail so can't really comment - will certainly bear your predicament in mind and let you know what we come up with.*

Beds- Am really conscious that our range of beds is pretty rubish at the moment. Especially for great Danes, wolf hounds, etc As you probably see we only stock Outhwaite beds at the moment and they are by far our best sellers but I know we need to seriously broaden this out. Outhwaites did make larger sizes but have now stopped :-( Gonna order in some XL Kruuse beds to see of the quality can match the outwaite.*

Toys- Which rope toys are you lookin at? If there is a picture anywhere on our site we should have it for sale. Check out the Nuts for Knots rope toys- they are really heavy duty and a pretty good price. We don't really give our dogs tennis balls because they also just spend their whole time removing the coating but nothing's better for a long walks entertainment- far more interested in them than the frisbees etc.*

Thanks again for sharing your experiences and will PM you when we find some items we think might be helpful


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## Manoy Moneelil

Nice site, all the bits I clicked worked.

Clearly a lot of work well executed.

When looking at some of the dog-jackets I wondered if you only hold these large sizes in stock or work on a retail-reseller arbitrage process, in which case might you not also offer other sizes? Although your USP is the BIG dog theme many of us have multiple dogs but of different sizes; 6Kg, 24Kg and 47Kg.

We certainly don't dress them the same but it would make sense to place an order with one supplier than split it two or three ways.

Not sure if you will be able to add a signature line yet (when you are past newbie probation), but that would be a place to put a small link to your site.


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## Jugsmalone

It's a great site

I have been trying to locate a car harness for my dog and I've just checked your site, unfortunately you do not stock a size big enough. Not to worry as I've tried lots of places with no luck.


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## MyBIGdog

Hi Jugsmalone - what breed/size/weight dog is this for- might be able to point you in the right direction


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## Jugsmalone

MyBIGdog said:


> Hi Jugsmalone - what breed/size/weight dog is this for- might be able to point you in the right direction


He's an American bulldog, weighs 65kg and his chest size is 56 inches.

Any help would be really appreciated.  I've been looking for 3 months. :rolleyes5:


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## Dober

Excellent website, really nice and easy to navigate  A small nit-pick, but you've spelt 'Dobermann' the Ameircan way.

I have quite a few of the products I can see on your site.

I'd add the following to the dobe section:

- The black kong toys
- Crash matt style beds
- Water proof coats (as they are a single coated breed)
- Clicker training accessories
- Agility equipment
- Leather collars

Heres a good website I use which has breed-specific sections for products. Doberman Pinscher : Dog harness, Dog muzzle, Dog collar, Dog lead - The best dog training equipment!, Fordogtrainers.co.uk I like the fact that they have pictures of the products on Dobermanns


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## MyBIGdog

That is a tricky one - can see why you have been struggling - will ask some of our suppliers and a friend has just bought a car harness for their Mastiff so will let you know what it is and how they have got on


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## Polimba

MyBIGdog said:


> Polimba - Thanks for the kind words- yeah we have another Ridgeback Puppy at the moment who is 18 weeks so growing at an alarming rate and pretty mischievous! We have spent a huge amount of time researching foods for Ridgebacks etc and are currently feeding them Applaws dog food but wondered what do you use?


Until recently we were using a mixture of Nature Diet and Wadfcol, but we've recently changed to ND and Skinners Premium large bite.



MyBIGdog said:


> Car Harness - we use the exact Clix harness on the site for our big ridgeback - *hes big for ridgeback (he's about 48kg)* and works a treat but fully appreciate that a great Dane is whole different story.


We need to see pictures. Zimba is 58kg, he could do with being a bit more slender but he's always been on the large side, we get other RR owners who are shocked by his size. But he's actually Lab sized in my head 

I also have problems with car harnesses, hence why Big Guy bought my Clix XL harness for her Dane pup.


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## MyBIGdog

Will come back to you on the food aspects Polimba as i know my partner has done far more research than me on this aspect. Seems to me to be a bit of a mine field the more you delve into it...

Here is a picture of me and our RR's Raspy and Rapunzel (the pup) Raspy seems BIG to us but maybe its because we are comparing him to our puppy at the moment! Know what you mean about the BIG/small thing with Ridgebacks - we will get someone coming up to us on a walk and they will be amazed at how big he is for a Ridgeback and then two minutes later the next person will say he's pretty small compared to theirs....?


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## MyBIGdog

Dober said:


> Excellent website, really nice and easy to navigate  A small nit-pick, but you've spelt 'Dobermann' the Ameircan way.
> 
> I have quite a few of the products I can see on your site.
> 
> I'd add the following to the dobe section:
> 
> - The black kong toys
> - Crash matt style beds
> - Water proof coats (as they are a single coated breed)
> - Clicker training accessories
> - Agility equipment
> - Leather collars
> 
> Heres a good website I use which has breed-specific sections for products. Doberman Pinscher : Dog harness, Dog muzzle, Dog collar, Dog lead - The best dog training equipment!, Fordogtrainers.co.uk I like the fact that they have pictures of the products on Dobermanns


Thanks for the email and sending through that link - some great products that are really tailored to the breed. Also thanks for the clarification on the spelling of Dobermann - knew there were two ways of spelling it but picked the wrong one!

Out of interest what collars do you use (if you know the brand) and whats the quality like...?


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## Dogless

MyBIGdog said:


> Will come back to you on the food aspects Polimba as i know my partner has done far more research than me on this aspect. Seems to me to be a bit of a mine field the more you delve into it...
> 
> Here is a picture of me and our RR's Raspy and Rapunzel (the pup) Raspy seems BIG to us but maybe its because we are comparing him to our puppy at the moment! Know what you mean about the BIG/small thing with Ridgebacks - we will get someone coming up to us on a walk and they will be amazed at how big he is for a Ridgeback and then two minutes later the next person will say he's pretty small compared to theirs....?


What lovely dogs - we also get 'he's huge!' from one person then 'he is much smaller than my friend's' from the next. Very odd!!


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## Dober

MyBIGdog said:


> Thanks for the email and sending through that link - some great products that are really tailored to the breed. Also thanks for the clarification on the spelling of Dobermann - knew there were two ways of spelling it but picked the wrong one!
> 
> Out of interest what collars do you use (if you know the brand) and whats the quality like...?


No problem  I've got loads of collars. I believe, but am not 100% sure, that this website is the actual manufacturer based in Israel. I think you can have them unbranded, but if you order from that website they come with 'For dog trainers' stamped in the inside. If you look at this website, www.DTdogcollars.com, you can see that this is the same stuff but differently/re-branded. Im not sure if its the same company or another American company that rebrand it. Either way, the quality of all their is excellent. Their harnesses are amazingly priced and excellent quality.

My boy has these:








and this









Amongst a quite a few others :blushing:


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## MyBIGdog

Manoy Moneelil said:


> Nice site, all the bits I clicked worked.
> 
> Clearly a lot of work well executed.
> 
> When looking at some of the dog-jackets I wondered if you only hold these large sizes in stock or work on a retail-reseller arbitrage process, in which case might you not also offer other sizes? Although your USP is the BIG dog theme many of us have multiple dogs but of different sizes; 6Kg, 24Kg and 47Kg.
> 
> We certainly don't dress them the same but it would make sense to place an order with one supplier than split it two or three ways.
> 
> Not sure if you will be able to add a signature line yet (when you are past newbie probation), but that would be a place to put a small link to your site.


Thanks for the compliments Manoy - taken us over a year to actually get the site built and populated - we have taken all the photos ourselves which is a much bigger job then we first thought!

unfortunately as you can probably see on the site, we have a pretty limited range and this is certainly true with the coats. Just the Outhwaite brand at the mo (as this is what we have always got for our Ridgebacks) and in a very limited range of sizes. As there are so many sizes, Colours, types etc we really are just skimming the surface of their range alone but we can order in any size you wish.

Also, Thanks for the note regarding the signature line - will look into this


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## MyBIGdog

Dober said:


> No problem  I've got loads of collars. I believe, but am not 100% sure, that this website is the actual manufacturer based in Israel. I think you can have them unbranded, but if you order from that website they come with 'For dog trainers' stamped in the inside. If you look at this website, www.DTdogcollars.com, you can see that this is the same stuff but differently/re-branded. Im not sure if its the same company or another American company that rebrand it. Either way, the quality of all their is excellent. Their harnesses are amazingly priced and excellent quality.
> 
> My boy has these:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> and this
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Amongst a quite a few others :blushing:


Thanks for the other link as well. I was a little nervous of the quality of them because, as you said, they are very cheap but thanks for letting us know they are good quality and value for money. Interesting about the reselling/rebranding aspect- would really like consider this further down the line.


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## Polimba

MyBIGdog said:


> Will come back to you on the food aspects Polimba as i know my partner has done far more research than me on this aspect. Seems to me to be a bit of a mine field the more you delve into it...
> 
> Here is a picture of me and our RR's Raspy and Rapunzel (the pup) Raspy seems BIG to us but maybe its because we are comparing him to our puppy at the moment! Know what you mean about the BIG/small thing with Ridgebacks - we will get someone coming up to us on a walk and they will be amazed at how big he is for a Ridgeback and then two minutes later the next person will say he's pretty small compared to theirs....?


 They are beautiful, awesome in fact 

I'm puppy broody now 

Before we got Zimba we went to a ridgeback show and saw the biggest Ridgie I have ever seen, and it was a female, she was gorgeous but the size of a pony  They do seem to vary in size quite a bit, but I suppose all breeds do.

One toy I have found great is a bungee toy, it's a rubber rugby ball on a bungee and it's lasted ages. It's great for tug and fetch....well being a RR he fetches twice then realises I don't want because I keep throwing it away, so goes off to do his own thing


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## SixStar

MyBIGdog said:


> Sorry - my posts are playin up!?!
> 
> Thansk for the compliments SixStar! I guess from your footer you have a Mastiff and a Bernese? Lovely!!!
> How have you faired with collars and harnesses especially with the mastiff?


Yup! I've a 2 year old Bernese, and a pup from the same breeder joining us in the summer, and a crossbred Mastiff.

I've always struggled finding things for Blue - he's a Neapolitan Mastiff x Great Dane. He got the height of the Dane with the build of the Neo and is a huge boy at 73kg and 30'' at the withers!

His collar from custom made because I couldn't find a big enough size in a good quality leather (as was his beastly 56'' crate!) and I have very, very few suitable toys for him - just a Kong, a Boomer Ball and a Nylabone really. I couldn't find a coat for him so he wears a small pony rug in very cold weather


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## MyBIGdog

Polimba said:


> They are beautiful, awesome in fact
> 
> I'm puppy broody now
> 
> Before we got Zimba we went to a ridgeback show and saw the biggest Ridgie I have ever seen, and it was a female, she was gorgeous but the size of a pony  They do seem to vary in size quite a bit, but I suppose all breeds do.
> 
> One toy I have found great is a bungee toy, it's a rubber rugby ball on a bungee and it's lasted ages. It's great for tug and fetch....well being a RR he fetches twice then realises I don't want because I keep throwing it away, so goes off to do his own thing


Thanks for the compliments! Seeing she is now 16weeks the "puppy novelty factor" has worn off and we are now going into the "destructive, I have found the confidence to leave my owners side and run off", phase!

Know what you mean about the fetch game with Ridgebacks - yep ours always go off and "does his own thing" - just had a quick search for "rugby ball bungee dog toy" etc and didn't really come up with much- don't suppose you know the brand by any chance as im intrigued as we havnt got any bungee style toys so far.


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## MyBIGdog

SixStar said:


> Yup! I've a 2 year old Bernese, and a pup from the same breeder joining us in the summer, and a crossbred Mastiff.
> 
> I've always struggled finding things for Blue - he's a Neapolitan Mastiff x Great Dane. He got the height of the Dane with the build of the Neo and is a huge boy at 73kg and 30'' at the withers!
> 
> His collar from custom made because I couldn't find a big enough size in a good quality leather (as was his beastly 56'' crate!) and I have very, very few suitable toys for him - just a Kong, a Boomer Ball and a Nylabone really. I couldn't find a coat for him so he wears a small pony rug in very cold weather


WOW!!! "_he wears a small pony rug_" that's amazing- please, please, please send us some pictures! Do you kind me asking who made the custom crate? We are struggling to find crates that are any bigger than what we use ourselves for the Ridgebacks. How does Blue fair with rope toys?


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## SixStar

MyBIGdog said:


> WOW!!! "_he wears a small pony rug_" that's amazing- please, please, please send us some pictures! Do you kind me asking who made the custom crate? We are struggling to find crates that are any bigger than what we use ourselves for the Ridgebacks. How does Blue fair with rope toys?


I'll dig some pics out.

Our crate was actually from Australia from these guys - Custom Cages - Ute - Pet - Dog - Trailers We had it delivered to friends of ours in Oz and then they sent it over here for us - horribly, horribly expensive but Blue was a rescue dog with a catalogue of problems and he needed a crate, no two ways about it! Some rope toys fair better than others - some last a few weeks but others he has unravelled and had resembling dinosaur sized dental floss in a matter of minutes


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## MyBIGdog

SixStar said:


> I'll dig some pics out.
> 
> Our crate was actually from Australia from these guys - Custom Cages - Ute - Pet - Dog - Trailers We had it delivered to friends of ours in Oz and then they sent it over here for us - horribly, horribly expensive but Blue was a rescue dog with a catalogue of problems and he needed a crate, no two ways about it! Some rope toys fair better than others - some last a few weeks but others he has unravelled and had resembling dinosaur sized dental floss in a matter of minutes


Wow Australia!! Also just wondered what sizes his collar and coat are as at present we can get coats up to 30" and collars up to 26" but these are only products we've used ourselves and know the quality!


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## MyBIGdog

Polimba said:


> Until recently we were using a mixture of Nature Diet and Wadfcol, but we've recently changed to ND and Skinners Premium large bite.


I've heard very good things about the nature diet and in the future we are hoping to sell a more natural range of dog foods. Our 2 are currently on Applaws large breed which is relatively cheap in comparison to other foods of similar quality and dried food is just easier for me personally!
So any recommendations for different diets is great


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## Dober

MyBIGdog said:


> I've heard very good things about the nature diet and in the future we are hoping to sell a more natural range of dog foods. Our 2 are currently on Applaws large breed which is relatively cheap in comparison to other foods of similar quality and dried food is just easier for me personally!
> So any recommendations for different diets is great


Orijen and Acana are excellent foods I use, I'd love it if there were more UK suppliers. Orijen is quite expensive (about £60 for a 13.5kg bag) but there are people who will pay it and it would mean you would be catering for other markets.

Fish4Dogs is growing in popularity too, they do some excellent treats.


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## MyBIGdog

Dober said:


> Orijen and Acana are excellent foods I use, I'd love it if there were more UK suppliers. Orijen is quite expensive (about £60 for a 13.5kg bag) but there are people who will pay it and it would mean you would be catering for other markets.
> 
> Fish4Dogs is growing in popularity too, they do some excellent treats.


We will hopefully be selling Orijen and Acana but were just in the process of setting up a trade account with them. I will look into fish4dogs. Thanks


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## newfiesmum

MyBIGdog said:


> We have recently launched our new website aimed at large and giant dog breeds in the UK. We basically cater for the needs of large dog owners providing a "one-stop-shop" for all their needs.
> 
> It is very early days in terms if our business but we are looking at populating a "breed specific" section where by we list recommended products based on that particular breed. We own Rhodesians Ridgebacks and almost everything we sell so far has been pretty well tested by them but we are looking for any large dog owners out there to recommend any products that they have found particularly good for their breed....
> 
> Our site can be found at www.myBIGdog.co.uk
> 
> We really appreiciate your help with this
> 
> Sarah


I have newfoundlands and there are two things you really need for this breed - a powerful dog blaster and a comb that does not pull. Mine has teeth that spin, so they don't get caught in the dogs' fur. I can't tell you where I got it, as I have had it for years, but it is so much better than the normal ones.

I couldn't manage without the blaster. It removes all their loose fur. Otherwise you could go on brushing till kingdom come!


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## waller540

The website looks great. Let me know if you want to discuss any sort of partnership with us over at Dog Walkers City.


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## MyBIGdog

Big Guy said:


> Hi MyBigDog
> 
> Beds - even the ones on your site won't fit a full grown Dane, due to their small size and thinness - unfortunately I think that's why most owners end up buying a separate sofa for the dog


Just spoken with Outhwaites dog beds as we are getting a crazy amount of feedback from people all having trouble finding a dog bed big enough for giant dog breeds that also excellent quality. They said that they are hopefully bringing out a 120cm bed in next couple months but unfortunately they cant go any bigger at this stage to current production methods. I would guess that you would be needing something more along the lines of 150cm for a Great dane to be comfortable?


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## Dober

Oh, could I also add Cozies pet beds. The make Large, Extra Large and Mammoth/Giant beds for dogs and are excellent quality once again. They are made of a really tough, unrippable material (I think maybe kevlar or something?) and I'm going to buy my third one at Crufts (two for the house, one for the car) Again they're not cheap, but they last for life.

They have a special start thing in the middle, which means they wont explode if a big heavy dog jumps on to them.

Cuddly toys, Famous Brands, Great Quality Gifts for Christmas, Valentines, Birthdays, Easter, Anniversary Cozies










She'll have a stand at Crufts if you're there.


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## MyBIGdog

What an adorable photo and what a great looking dog bed. Have checked out their site and agree they are on the pricie size but as my grandmother use to tell me "in life, you get what you pay for". A great range of sizes too. Think we came across these guys when we were first researching stock and ruled them out as we thought that they would be too costly for most people but since starting this thread I think the lack of decent alternatives and hearing you guys problems with beds then we need I get these in. Will give them a buzz tomorrow to get things moving. 

Unfortunately we are stuck watching Crufts on TV this year as with starting the business and all we couldn't make it. :-(


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## MyBIGdog

waller540 said:


> The website looks great. Let me know if you want to discuss any sort of partnership with us over at Dog Walkers City.


Just taken a look at your site and back at cha- your site looks wonderful. Really interesting business and would love to work together. Will add a limit on our site tomorrow.


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## AmberNero

PADDED big dog car harnesses. You have a good range of harnesses, but I'd love to see an option where the back clasps are padded.

Perhaps a bigger range of raised dog bowls?

Large breed (specifically greyhound) dog boots?


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## MyBIGdog

AmberNero said:


> PADDED big dog car harnesses. You have a good range of harnesses, but I'd love to see an option where the back clasps are padded.
> 
> Perhaps a bigger range of raised dog bowls?
> 
> Large breed (specifically greyhound) dog boots?


Very good point with the padded dog harness - cant say I have seen one to date but will add it to our research list as it makes perfect sense.

Yeah, our raised dog bowls are not brilliant as they do not hold a huge amount of food- well not enough for our greedy dogs anyway!

We did discuss buying in dog boots but decided not too as we wondered if there would be enough demand. Can you recommend any brands so we can reconsider?

Thanks for the help!


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## newfiesmum

AmberNero said:


> PADDED big dog car harnesses. You have a good range of harnesses, but I'd love to see an option where the back clasps are padded.
> 
> Perhaps a bigger range of raised dog bowls?
> 
> Large breed (specifically greyhound) dog boots?


I had a lot of trouble finding raised dog bowls which were high enough and big enough. Considering it is mostly giant breeds which need them, it was daft that the bowls were so small. I found mine on an Ebay shop who specialise in big dog stuff as well as all sizes, but they were the only place and she ordered them in specially.


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## Dober

MyBIGdog said:


> What an adorable photo and what a great looking dog bed. Have checked out their site and agree they are on the pricie size but as my grandmother use to tell me "in life, you get what you pay for". A great range of sizes too. Think we came across these guys when we were first researching stock and ruled them out as we thought that they would be too costly for most people but since starting this thread I think the lack of decent alternatives and hearing you guys problems with beds then we need I get these in. Will give them a buzz tomorrow to get things moving.
> 
> Unfortunately we are stuck watching Crufts on TV this year as with starting the business and all we couldn't make it. :-(


I agree with you 'Get what you pay for' a lot of the time, the price had me think a little as I bought two XLs, plus I need another XL for the car which is making the bed total about £450. I think that a lot of people would not pay that and would make do with a bed from [email protected], but at least you're catering for another market. My justification was that my dobe is a bed chewer (he will literally shred them to pieces when left alone for a couple of hours) and I had already been through about 4 £60.00 beds. Since having this, he hasnt even tried to wreck it so I've saved money in not buying him new ones!


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## MyBIGdog

Dober said:


> I agree with you 'Get what you pay for' a lot of the time, the price had me think a little as I bought two XLs, plus I need another XL for the car which is making the bed total about £450. I think that a lot of people would not pay that and would make do with a bed from [email protected], but at least you're catering for another market. My justification was that my dobe is a bed chewer (he will literally shred them to pieces when left alone for a couple of hours) and I had already been through about 4 £60.00 beds. Since having this, he hasnt even tried to wreck it so I've saved money in not buying him new ones!


Good morning!

Thanks for email. Really want to get these in stock as they look great but agree that they might be outside of a lot of people budget. Having said that I think the quality will speak for itself I think that do many people have wasted money on cheap alternatives that I think could justify getting a few in. Probably be 1-2 of the larger sizes in a variety of "sensible" colours ie blue and black. This obviously means we don't tie up to much money in stock but the great thing about beds etc is that they don't perish over time or indeed really become dated and so can happily sit in our store room.

Thanks again for the lead!


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## Dober

MyBIGdog said:


> Good morning!
> 
> Thanks for email. Really want to get these in stock as they look great but agree that they might be outside of a lot of people budget. Having said that I think the quality will speak for itself I think that do many people have wasted money on cheap alternatives that I think could justify getting a few in. Probably be 1-2 of the larger sizes in a variety of "sensible" colours ie blue and black. This obviously means we don't tie up to much money in stock but the great thing about beds etc is that they don't perish over time or indeed really become dated and so can happily sit in our store room.
> 
> Thanks again for the lead!


No problem, its nice to support small companies!  I dont know if she offers some sort of direct ship/ship to avail option, but it might be worth checking so you dont have to hold any stock.


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## MyBIGdog

newfiesmum said:


> I have newfoundlands and there are two things you really need for this breed - a powerful dog blaster and a comb that does not pull. Mine has teeth that spin, so they don't get caught in the dogs' fur. I can't tell you where I got it, as I have had it for years, but it is so much better than the normal ones.
> 
> I couldn't manage without the blaster. It removes all their loose fur. Otherwise you could go on brushing till kingdom come!


Hi we sell a comb/brush that's very similar to the furminator and we've had reports of it being excellent at removing dead hair from long/thick coated dog owners, and we will be expanding our grooming range in the future. I'm not sure what a dog blaster is though?!


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## newfiesmum

MyBIGdog said:


> Hi we sell a comb/brush that's very similar to the furminator and we've had reports of it being excellent at removing dead hair from long/thick coated dog owners, and we will be expanding our grooming range in the future. I'm not sure what a dog blaster is though?!


The furminator is next to useless on my two. It is no better than a rake and I could keep going for days and it would never get the loose fur out. This is a dog blaster: 
Metro Blaster | ChristiesDirect.com

They go from about £100 to about £500. They are powerful hairdryers for dogs, but they are great for blowing out all the loose fur when used on a dry dog. I usually get them out in the garden and use it there; the lawn gets covered in fur.

Mine isn't as posh as that one, but that is the idea.


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## MyBIGdog

newfiesmum said:


> The furminator is next to useless on my two. It is no better than a rake and I could keep going for days and it would never get the loose fur out. This is a dog blaster:
> Metro Blaster | ChristiesDirect.com
> 
> They go from about £100 to about £500. They are powerful hairdryers for dogs, but they are great for blowing out all the loose fur when used on a dry dog. I usually get them out in the garden and use it there; the lawn gets covered in fur.
> 
> Mine isn't as posh as that one, but that is the idea.


Thanks will look into those as well!


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## MyBIGdog

Dober said:


> No problem, its nice to support small companies!  I dont know if she offers some sort of direct ship/ship to avail option, but it might be worth checking so you dont have to hold any stock.


We did look into several suppliers who offer direct drop shipping but we have made a conscious decision to actually buy in as much stock as is feasible so that we can offer the best level of customer service. We also like to include little special offers, discount vouchers and flyers in our packaging to try to make it a little more personal.

Tried contacting them today but of course we got the answer phone as they are at Crufts. - will try next week!


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## hazyreality

I like the Dogmatic for larger dogs, it seems to be a better fit, and looks most robust than the normal Halti 
Dogmatic Headcollar
Although I don't have one for Sabre as he already has a halti and he's too old for walks now so thats rarely used. 
If I had a new large dog, I would go for the Dogmatic and/or the GenCon GenCon All-in-1 
These are the only thing that will stop 3 Ridgebacks I have walked from overpowering me and just taking off, before these, you needed 3 strong people, with these, just one person.
Also, rather than putting headcollars under harnesses, could you have them seperate or rename the link "Harnesses and Headcollars"? On my fist quick look I assumed you didnt have any headcollars on there 

From what I have seen at the kennels, alot of large/giant breeds have sensitive stomachs. Natures Diet is a good and popular food, as are the Natures Menu tins. 
I personally like Chudleys food, Sabre is on senior which is chicken and rice and he is really good on it http://www.chudleys.com/
Burgess Supadog also seems good (we had to stop it as its lamb and rice and he now cant have lamb!)

Alot of places sell the J.W and Hills so not sure whether it would be worth it with all the competition (just me personally)

Will keep thinking of things, its a great idea 

*Heidi*


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## hazyreality

newfiesmum said:


> The furminator is next to useless on my two. It is no better than a rake and I could keep going for days and it would never get the loose fur out. This is a dog blaster:
> Metro Blaster | ChristiesDirect.com
> 
> They go from about £100 to about £500. They are powerful hairdryers for dogs, but they are great for blowing out all the loose fur when used on a dry dog. I usually get them out in the garden and use it there; the lawn gets covered in fur.
> 
> Mine isn't as posh as that one, but that is the idea.


I agree with the dog basters. I have a grooming parlor that I can borrow(how lucky am I ) that has one of these, and its a godsend for getting the undercoat out of Sabre!

Oh and I just thought, I knew a lady who bred Danes and had crates for night-time. One of her boys was so big, even the biggest crate wasnt tall enough. Not sure what make or where she got them but she had a pen sort of crate instead, very large and very sturdy with no top to it.

*Heidi*


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## Polimba

MyBIGdog said:


> Thanks for the compliments! Seeing she is now 16weeks the "puppy novelty factor" has worn off and we are now going into the "destructive, I have found the confidence to leave my owners side and run off", phase!
> 
> Know what you mean about the fetch game with Ridgebacks - yep ours always go off and "does his own thing" - just had a quick search for "rugby ball bungee dog toy" etc and didn't really come up with much- don't suppose you know the brand by any chance as im intrigued as we havnt got any bungee style toys so far.


I got the toy from here, it's the bungee rugger Toys


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## Barryjparsons

If you are looking for a crate manufacturer, these only supply to the trade but they are made in their unit so potentially you may be able to spec a bigger xxl crate or pen.

Contact us - Mike Taylor Manufacturing The world's premier fold flat dog crate


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## MyBIGdog

Barryjparsons said:


> If you are looking for a crate manufacturer, these only supply to the trade but they are made in their unit so potentially you may be able to spec a bigger xxl crate or pen.
> 
> Contact us - Mike Taylor Manufacturing The world's premier fold flat dog crate


Good mornin! Thanks for the link. They look great! Will give them a buzz on Monday and see what they say- agree, think that we might need them to go a bit bigger than what they currently list.

Thanks again for the link!


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## MyBIGdog

newfiesmum said:


> The furminator is next to useless on my two. It is no better than a rake and I could keep going for days and it would never get the loose fur out. This is a dog blaster:
> Metro Blaster | ChristiesDirect.com
> 
> They go from about £100 to about £500. They are powerful hairdryers for dogs, but they are great for blowing out all the loose fur when used on a dry dog. I usually get them out in the garden and use it there; the lawn gets covered in fur.
> 
> Mine isn't as posh as that one, but that is the idea.


Thank for the link! 

Just been checking out some reviews on these and see what you mean - found nothing but praise. Will love to build up these (as they are a bit in the pricie side) but saying that paying £200 isn't unrealistic especially if they are as good as everyone is saying!

Thanks again


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## newfiesmum

MyBIGdog said:


> Thank for the link!
> 
> Just been checking out some reviews on these and see what you mean - found nothing but praise. Will love to build up these (as they are a bit in the pricie side) but saying that paying £200 isn't unrealistic especially if they are as good as everyone is saying!
> 
> Thanks again


You could start with the cheaper ones and see how they go. Not everyone needs something as powerful, but you did say breed specific stuff.


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## MyBIGdog

hazyreality said:


> I like the Dogmatic for larger dogs, it seems to be a better fit, and looks most robust than the normal Halti
> Dogmatic Headcollar
> Although I don't have one for Sabre as he already has a halti and he's too old for walks now so thats rarely used.
> If I had a new large dog, I would go for the Dogmatic and/or the GenCon GenCon All-in-1
> These are the only thing that will stop 3 Ridgebacks I have walked from overpowering me and just taking off, before these, you needed 3 strong people, with these, just one person.
> Also, rather than putting headcollars under harnesses, could you have them seperate or rename the link "Harnesses and Headcollars"? On my fist quick look I assumed you didnt have any headcollars on there
> 
> From what I have seen at the kennels, alot of large/giant breeds have sensitive stomachs. Natures Diet is a good and popular food, as are the Natures Menu tins.
> I personally like Chudleys food, Sabre is on senior which is chicken and rice and he is really good on it Chudleys - Comprehensive Range of Dog, Feline and Pet Foods | Nutritional Pet Foods : Chudleys
> Burgess Supadog also seems good (we had to stop it as its lamb and rice and he now cant have lamb!)
> 
> Alot of places sell the J.W and Hills so not sure whether it would be worth it with all the competition (just me personally)
> 
> Will keep thinking of things, its a great idea
> 
> *Heidi*


Thanks for spending the time list all those points and the words of encouragement!

We have used Dogmatic head collars on our RRs for a number years and would certainly sing their priases! Unfortunately it has, just last week, worn through but that is after an incredible amount of use so can not complain in any way!

We did also try the Gencon head collars but found they did slip off a bit where as this obviously isnt an issue with dogmatic. The only reason that we haven't got Dogmatics in place yet is that you simply needed to buy a lot at one time from the supplier and were initially concerned that we would be tieing up cash in one product. This was several years back when we were first scoping out the feasiblity for a large dog only website and can justify building stock levels.

With the foods we have contacted 4-5 new suppliers this week with plans on getting them in stock (actually we have tried lots more but so many of the smaller ones were at crufts and so just got an answer phone!) I think you make a valid point regarding brands like James Wellbeloved, Hills, Royal Canin etc as the competition is overwhelming- specially at some of the crazy prices those guys can offer it for. The more we research the natural styles of food the more sense it makes to focus in on such products.

Thanks again


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## MyBIGdog

newfiesmum said:


> You could start with the cheaper ones and see how they go. Not everyone needs something as powerful, but you did say breed specific stuff.


Definitely! - your breed specific experience is absolutely priceless to us so thank you for sharing


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## JamesNeal

Thanks for the dog bed. Arrived today and is a perfect fit!!!


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## MyBIGdog

Polimba said:


> I got the toy from here, it's the bungee rugger Toys


Thanks for this link- don't think I would of ever found it on my own! Had a look and they appear to make all the bungee products themselves. Quite a lot of references to South West Agility Training on their site who supply a wide range of their products at wholesale and turns out they are actually based in Cornwall, just like us. Have fired them off a quick email asking for all the trade info and will let you know when we get them in stock.

Thanks again for the link!


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## Your Halo

I don't know if this will be any help to any of you but I just bought an extra large dog bed from these people and its HUGE - it would easily fit both of my Rottweilers in it and it would take a giant. Its deep, thick centre padding which can be removed for washing and incredible quailty for the price.

kumfipet | eBay


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## Barryjparsons

Your Halo said:


> I don't know if this will be any help to any of you but I just bought an extra large dog bed from these people and its HUGE - it would easily fit both of my Rottweilers in it and it would take a giant. Its deep, thick centre padding which can be removed for washing and incredible quailty for the price.
> 
> kumfipet | eBay


They also sell direct from their website and supply to the trade. Very happy with our 34 x 44 xl super jumbo duvet bed from them.

I did email them to ask if we could get a bigger one but they didn't respond.



















Edit: looks like it could do with a clean, damm that flash


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## JamesNeal

Hi guys 

Thanks a lot for the Kumfipets link. Taken a look at their site and were amazed at how cheap they are! How has the stuffing stood up to the extra weight of a bigger breed?

Have emailed them for a price list but guess I will probably need to follow this up with a call on Monday. 

Thanks again for the link


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## Barryjparsons

I can't comment on longevity as we have only had it a couple of months but he has dragged it round, humped it and generally tested it and it is fine. The only downside is that the surrounding nest doesn't have a removable cover so just has to be scrubbed off. 

The padding still looks about 90% of volume to when it was delivered.


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## MyBIGdog

Have done a bit more reading up on the the Kumfi pet beds and seem to find nothing but praise! - will definitely be contacting them on monday -thanks again


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## astro2011

Ohh I like this! My 5 and a half old Alaskan Malamute is now moving onto large collars so I'll def be having a look, and hopefully have an order in soon


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## newfiesmum

I had a lot of trouble getting a magnetic collar to help with Joshua's arthritis as they only go up to 26" and he was 28". I did get one eventually, but it only had one magnet instead of the three or four in better makes. It is something to think about.


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## MyBIGdog

astro2011 said:


> Ohh I like this! My 5 and a half old Alaskan Malamute is now moving onto large collars so I'll def be having a look, and hopefully have an order in soon


Hi Astro - we don't have a massive range of collars at the mo but are about to put in a big order for Ancol large dog collars as well. Just let us know if thee is anything you would like us I get in


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