From toys to treats: These Indian pet brands offer behaviour-centric products

Did your angel on fours turn up her nose at treats from the best ship? These pros know what your dog wants

Dogs and cats engage with the world primarily through their sense of smell. So a happy food bowl must have many fragrant ingredients; and toiletries must have milder scents lest they cause migraines. In toys, puppy teeth look for taste, texture, smell and sound, which is why plastic and silicone ones lose appeal fast. We’ve rounded up some home-grown brands helmed by animal behaviourists who know how canine and feline minds work.

For the love of dogs

Gaya(tri) the indie and Deepti Rao are the nose and brain behind this toy brand that pioneered snuffle mats in India, and followed them up with stretchy tugs, non-tangling long leads (up to 40 feet), snuffle balls and kebabs, and licky mats. The products range from R350 to R2,300, and each is a behavioural solution: The snuffle toys tire the dog’s nose as s/he sniffs out treats, while the licky mat keeps them engaged during baths and drives. The felt tugs are soft, an appealing texture for mouthing dogs, and stretchable to keep piranha teeth far from 
your hands.
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To Buy: fortheloveofdog.co.in

Canine India

On the topic of treats, this one is not for the faint-hearted. Julia Harish dehydrates all parts of all animals—duck, quail, lamb, fish, goat, sheep and buffalo—to make organic chewies for cats and dogs. Following nose to tail policy, what you see—hoofs, fur, ears, trachea, tongue, claws, offal—is what you get. Admittedly, all of these play a part in rounding up nutrition for your pet, as well as keeping teeth plaque free, and your furniture, gnawing-free.
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To Buy: canineindia.in

Georgina’s kitchen

Lady Fleur January and Lord Tweedmouth’s human, Lee Georgina, is a holistic nutritionist whose Instagram feed is a treasure trove of household ingredients that are superfoods. She’s the Rujuta Diwekar of pets. Her website has vegetarian and non-vegetarian meal toppers, meal bases and supplements that amp up the nutritional value of plain kibble. If you are a vegetarian, bending the rules for your dog, these freeze-dried non-vegetarian ingredients (fish flakes for R1,700, dried duck eggs R750) might ease the nausea. Otherwise, there are plenty of vegetable bisques and powerful kelp and mushroom blends (R300 to R1,900).
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To Buy: georginaskitchen.com

Back in the day

Sasha, first among Freagles (Beagles freed from laboratories), is a social activist. Her human Chinthana Gopinath reaches into Ayurveda to make cleansers and curatives for mange, ticks, itchy skin and all-round stinkiness that are light on the environment and the dog. Scooby Dub Dub (R850) is a spa-worthy experience. Mix the powder with coconut oil, marinate the dog for 30 minutes before bathing. You can also dust your dog with it to keep parasites away.
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To Buy: backintheday.in

Coach the pooch

The horrors of rawhide sticks and bones—their extreme chemical bleaching process and low digestibility is by now well-known. So what can a teething puppy sink her teeth into? Yak milk bones or churrpis, which citizens of the Himalayan states masticate on, are great for dogs. Rich in calcium and hard to wear down, one bar can last even a week. Roohi Kulkarni, human to Maya and Moh, sources hers straight from the Northeast and the medium-size (R250) beats a commercial large one. For senior puppies, microwave it for one minute to turn it into a puffy khari biscuit. She also has yakie poppers.
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To Buy: coachthepooch@gmail.com

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