We are lucky to have a lot of dog-friendly restaurants in Seattle. I love taking Chester and Gretel with me to a local pub or cafe on the way back from our hikes.
I will admit they are not the best behaved dogs though. I see some dogs in restaurants quietly laying at their owner’s feet. These dogs don’t stare at people eating at the next table or try to say hi to everyone who walks in. They are clearly trained well. Chester and Gretel are not so I have to use the bribery and distraction techniques to make them look like really good dogs.
Usually this involves feeding them a whole bag of treats during our meals out. As you know, I watch their calorie consumption closely. The treats I use for this are usually the 3-calorie training treats but even those can add up.
In addition to the calories, I end up with beef or chicken or whatever flavored crumbs on my hands. If I am not careful I end up eating the crumbs it with my fries.
I thought I would try one of those “lick” treats – the ones that are gel or liquid with essentially no calories. Besides saving calories, this kind of treat would keep me from getting dog treat residue under my fingernails and on my food.
We like to support local companies so I was thrilled to meet a woman who makes one of those “licky” treats – Leanlix – right here in Seattle. Leanlix is different than other “licky” treats for three main reasons: it is a solid formula that won’t run on your hands; it eliminates the need for a roller ball, which some vets think could be a choking hazard if the dog bites it and it pops out; and the lanyard allows you to keep it (only the large size comes with a lanyard) handy for a quick training reward.
I also LOVE that the creative flavors include things like Grace D-lux With Cheese (hamburger flavor with natural cheese), 1/2 Eaten PB&J Sandwich, Dishwasher Dinner (roast turkey leftovers) and Cupcake on the Counter (raspberry with vanilla cake batter).
The other awesome thing about Leanlix is that it comes in two sizes.
The regular size is about the dimensions of a small, round deodorant stick. That size comes with a lanyard you can hang it around your neck so you can get to it quick. My favorite size is the small one that looks like a tube of chapstick. That one is super handy to keep in your pocket (note to self: Do not accidentally confuse it with the chapstick).
We are taking a road tip soon to a famously dog-friendly town (more details to come). I am tucking a couple of these away to use when we eat out at restaurants.
You can see in this Get Jesse (a local news character that investigates stuff) video that Leanix was a hit at our local dog park.
urban hounds says
August 3, 2013 at 4:43 AMvery cool idea. I love eating out with my dogs, now if only they will
urban hounds
Hailey and Zaphod's Lady says
August 3, 2013 at 6:34 AMThat is cool and looks yummy!
Leslie says
August 3, 2013 at 6:38 AMVery cool. Thanks for the tip. To add one more reason as to why the rollerball types of these things may not work for your dog: she might be afraid of it. Yup, that’s right, Bella is afraid of the rollerball in lickity sticks. This might be an excellent alternative for us. Thanks!
PS – LOVE the names of the flavors. BOL!
Jessica Rhae says
August 3, 2013 at 10:48 AMI never though about a fear factor Leslie. it makes sense though. Those roller balls can make a lot of noise. I think any “non traditional” treat like this can take some sort of learning curve but this one shouldn’t be so scary 🙂
jan says
August 3, 2013 at 7:19 AMI am constantly amazed at the clever and resourceful why didn’t I think of that ideas that other dog lovers come up with.
I blame my dogs for not inspiring me enough.
Jessica Rhae says
August 3, 2013 at 10:48 AMHa, ha. I like to blame the dogs for everything 🙂
Champ's Mom says
August 3, 2013 at 11:20 AMOh awesome! I have the same issue when I’m eating sometimes and don’t want to handle dog treats (unsanitary and all). Usually I solve that by bringing “people” food like ground turkey, lean hamburger, or eggs, but I’m all for total hands-off food ideas!
I’ll have to look into these. I’ve only seen those Lickity Sticks with the roller balls.
BTW, I just bought a “TreatToob.” I have yet to use it, but it seems like a great product! I’ve heard it can be messy with yogurt, but I bet it will work great with canned dog food, pb, etc.
Jessica Rhae says
August 3, 2013 at 11:29 AMI have seen the TreatToob but wasn’t super impressed. I admit I didn’t look into it that much though.
It is nice to not involuntarily (I have been known to try one on occasion) eat dog treats when I am enjoying a lunch out 🙂
BoingyDog says
August 3, 2013 at 2:19 PMPretty cool. I was using Lickety Stick for Kayo but I switched back to treats after awhile. But it’d be great to try this out – I’ll look for it online. The flavors sound great as well as the ease of use and carry. Thanks for this post!
Jessica Rhae says
August 3, 2013 at 4:20 PMDid you switch back for variety or was there an issue with the Lickety Stick?
BoingyDog says
August 3, 2013 at 11:41 PMKayo really enjoyed the lickety stick but it was hard for me to get at in a pinch. I’d have to grab it out of my pocket or treat bag, then unscrew the top. That was hard to do with just one hand. When I needed to give her a treat fast, like when someone would just start petting her without asking, it was faster to give her a treat I could easily grab.
But I’m interested in checking out the Leanlix because it looks like a pop-off cap and not a screw cap, and the fact that you can wear it around your neck makes it so easily accessible.
Tim says
August 3, 2013 at 7:14 PMThanks for the tip we are going to have to try this!
houndstooth says
August 3, 2013 at 7:57 PMI haven’t seen Leanlix around here anywhere, but our dogs are big fans of Lickety Stiks which is similar. I love the lanyard idea! We take ours to the nursing home with us for visits, and that way if one of the residents is really determined to feed them something, I can let them use that without worrying about tongues getting too close to fingers. It works great for teaching tall dogs to heel, too! lol
Jessica Rhae says
August 4, 2013 at 7:12 PMYes…only for TALL dogs when heeling. I don’t think my back could hack that with mine 🙂
Jackie Bouchard says
August 4, 2013 at 9:44 AMHuh, never heard of that. Will have to check it out. I bet Rita will like that. Rita likes her Likety Stiks. We let her lick it while we brush her, as she doesn’t really like getting brushed!
Jessica Rhae says
August 4, 2013 at 7:13 PMShe probably likes getting brushed now 🙂
Garth Riley says
August 4, 2013 at 10:29 AMWe have never heard of LeanLix, so thanks so much for the info!
Garth
Yes I Know My Dogs Look Funny says
August 4, 2013 at 12:09 PMWe have tried some of the lick treats with the roller ball. Blue wasn’t interested at all and Bettina thought it was great the first time and not so much any time after that. If Leanlix makes it our way we’ll give it a try. I need something with which to bribe Bettina on our walks. Otherwise she stops and sometimes the only way to get back to the car is to carry her back!
Jessica Rhae says
August 4, 2013 at 7:14 PMI have to bribe some of the dogs I walk with treats too 🙂
Kimberly Gauthier says
August 4, 2013 at 7:35 PMI’ve heard of these and added them to a list of safe treats on my site. What I love is the idea of taking them on walks and using them for training. Our dogs would really respond to these – thanks for writing about them. It’s the reminder I needed to buy them.
Jodi says
August 6, 2013 at 9:55 AMI had one of those roller ball treats (in my swag bag) and I used it for freestyle class and it made Delilah super thirsty.
This looks like it might work a bit better.
emma says
August 6, 2013 at 11:27 AMSince we were puppies in Germany, we learned right away to eat out with Mom. We park under the table and that is it except for the one day when Katie got up to turn around and found out that she was taller than the table which means that everything on the table pretty much slid off. It was a true accident. If the dogs like those lick things that would be great, but we have tried a few and neither of us dogs like them. Wonder what dog friendly place you are headed for?
Jim says
August 23, 2013 at 5:24 AMI thought it was chap stick at first glance lol. Very cool ideal for a treat.
Monique says
September 18, 2013 at 4:22 AMOmyword this is so handy! I love taking my dogs on hikes but it’s always uncomfortable having them stare at the poor hikers that are sitting and trying to have a quick snack during breaks. Will see if I can find these in South Africa. Please check out my blog: http://www.dogsbynature.blogspot.com/