Subscription boxes, is it too much?

[DvlshAngel985]

Hi all! I'm considering signing up with PupBox for my puppy that is coming next month. I like the idea that it has training instructions that are age appropriate, and the box "grows" with him. However, I'm of the less is more mentality and hate having too much stuff. Kaji, my yorkie who passed away in October, wasn't very destructive, and as such, I rarely had to buy him new toys.

Does anyone have any experience with PupBox? Does it have quality items? Is it an overwhelming amount of stuff? Is it worth the membership fee? Would love to hear all thoughts.

[Rachael1983]

I know some members have them and like them.

For me personally I don’t see the value added to my monthly spending . Emma is selective with toys/treats etc. so I need to see things before purchasing. so not to be wasteful and reduce clutter it’s something I’ve passed on.

[Lovetodream88]

I get bark box and occasionally we get a toy they pass on but I have lots of family with dogs so I will pass the toy on to them. Mine always seem to like the treats. I have been getting bark box for years back when Callie was an only pup. I’m not concerned about clutter or anything I have dog stuff every where. I call it the pups house and I just live in it lol.

[DvlshAngel985]

Originally Posted by Rachael1983

I know some members have them and like them.

For me personally I don’t see the value added to my monthly spending . Emma is selective with toys/treats etc. so I need to see things before purchasing. so not to be wasteful and reduce clutter it’s something I’ve passed on.

Thanks! Very valid point. Kaji was a picky one as well. I would have never spent the money when really, he only liked the little Kong squeaky balls. I don't know what little JakJak will like, so I thought this was a good way to find out. I still have a lot of plastic/rubber toys somewhere that Kaji did not even touch (gifts from people who knew I had a dog). I don't want to add to the pile.

We'll be at our local pet shop every week for puppy play days anyway. I guess he can pick out his own toys when we go.

[DvlshAngel985]

Originally Posted by Lovetodream88

I get bark box and occasionally we get a toy they pass on but I have lots of family with dogs so I will pass the toy on to them. Mine always seem to like the treats. I have been getting bark box for years back when Callie was an only pup. I’m not concerned about clutter or anything I have dog stuff every where. I call it the pups house and I just live in it lol.

I have dog stuff all over the house too, it just has its proper place. All the collars and buddy belts are in one place, the few doggy clothes I have are neatly folded and put away, and all toys have their place (toy basket or his many beds). Kaji even knew to put his toys away on command. I'm hoping to teach little JakJak the same.

[Lovetodream88]

Originally Posted by DvlshAngel985

I have dog stuff all over the house too, it just has its proper place. All the collars and buddy belts are in one place, the few doggy clothes I have are neatly folded and put away, and all toys have their place (toy basket or his many beds). Kaji even knew to put his toys away on command. I'm hoping to teach little JakJak the same.

My office has a walk in closet that has their clothes, collars, harnesses, meds, carriers, dog puzzles, extra beds and just everything like that. The hall closet has all the edible stuff bones, treats food and so on. Toy box in my office, upstairs and our craft room. The living room has 3 toys boxes one for balls, one for chews and one for regular toys. I have beds in almost every room also. It has its place there is just a lot of it lol. I over did it for Christmas too but in all of Callie’s 11 years I have never seen her have as much as she did this Christmas so I guess it was worth it lol. I guess with 4 have even more then with one but when it was just Callie she had a massive amount of stuff to lol.

[DvlshAngel985]

Originally Posted by Lovetodream88

My office has a walk in closet that has their clothes, collars, harnesses, meds, carriers, dog puzzles, extra beds and just everything like that. The hall closet has all the edible stuff bones, treats food and so on. Toy box in my office, upstairs and our craft room. The living room has 3 toys boxes one for balls, one for chews and one for regular toys. I have beds in almost every room also. It has its place there is just a lot of it lol. I over did it for Christmas too but in all of Callie’s 11 years I have never seen her have as much as she did this Christmas so I guess it was worth it lol. I guess with 4 have even more then with one but when it was just Callie she had a massive amount of stuff to lol.

You sound like you have a ton of space! Makes me jealous. Even in Kaji's 9 years with us, he had stuff, but it wasn't overwhelming. He had a shelf in one of the smaller cupboards for all his food and snacks, multiple beds, but he mostly hung out on the couch or our beds, so the multiple dog beds really weren't necessary. He had his own chair at the dining table for family dinners (I know, I know, not a good habit to establish, but he would just sit there to be with the family. He didn't whine, or beg. He was such a good boy) He had a basket of toys that was never more than half full. He only liked 3 toys, his giant (for him) plush soccer ball, his Kong tennis balls, and a tiny soccer ball. He had more, but he just didn't really care for them. Even bully sticks were not his thing. If I bought him one every 6-8 months, he was happy. He would get so bored of them if I bought multiple. They would just sit there. I stopped buying them. He really didn't need much. What a little odd ball, right?

To be fair to the family, my pups share my space to store their stuff. They are mine after all, that includes all fosters. Communal space only has communal use stuff (TV's, books, etc. etc) so if it doesn't fit in our space, we just can't have it. Plus, Kaji never needed it, neither did the fosters. The fosters just want to feel safe. That made having room to move around that much easier.

[Lovetodream88]

Originally Posted by DvlshAngel985

You sound like you have a ton of space! Makes me jealous. Even in Kaji's 9 years with us, he had stuff, but it wasn't overwhelming. He had a shelf in one of the smaller cupboards for all his food and snacks, multiple beds, but he mostly hung out on the couch or our beds, so the multiple dog beds really weren't necessary. He had his own chair at the dining table for family dinners (I know, I know, not a good habit to establish, but he would just sit there to be with the family. He didn't whine, or beg. He was such a good boy) He had a basket of toys that was never more than half full. He only liked 3 toys, his giant (for him) plush soccer ball, his Kong tennis balls, and a tiny soccer ball. He had more, but he just didn't really care for them. Even bully sticks were not his thing. If I bought him one every 6-8 months, he was happy. He would get so bored of them if I bought multiple. They would just sit there. I stopped buying them. He really didn't need much. What a little odd ball, right?

To be fair to the family, my pups share my space to store their stuff. They are mine after all, that includes all fosters. Communal space only has communal use stuff (TV's, books, etc. etc) so if it doesn't fit in our space, we just can't have it. Plus, Kaji never needed it, neither did the fosters. The fosters just want to feel safe. That made having room to move around that much easier.

We moved about 6 or 7 years ago to a bigger house that is all one story and open concept. I got lucky because there is a hallway off of the living room and it has two bedrooms and a bathroom and that became my area. Mine hang out mostly on the furniture in the living room except if no one is in there and then Joey likes to snuggle in the cloud 9. Our craft room is where I train so I have lots of training things in there like props and such as well as a grooming table. Mine love toys but I have to many I know. I usually go through them every couple of months and “donate”some to my aunts dogs. Callie loves beds so I have a bed buying problem lol.

[aweitzm1]

I use to have the bark box for my two dogs. However, since Thumper cannot have any treats due to kidney disease I stopped the subscription. I found that I never used all the treats each month so I was inundated with them. As for the toys they were ok not great.

[DvlshAngel985]

Originally Posted by aweitzm1

I use to have the bark box for my two dogs. However, since Thumper cannot have any treats due to kidney disease I stopped the subscription. I found that I never used all the treats each month so I was inundated with them. As for the toys they were ok not great.

Thank you for your input. The subscriptions don't sound promising.

[Bonbons Jean]

Bon Bon loves his very small toys, but since he isn’t destructive, he’s got some that are as old as he is. I toss them in the washing machine on the ‘pet bedding’ cycle every so often, or I use a wipe to clean them off. His current absolute favorite is 3” x 2” x 1”. I’m really picky about his treats and get him the organic, holistic ones. When I check the ingredients, I don’t want to see sugar, salt, or flavorings. The subscription boxes have toys that are too big for him to enjoy, and treats that I won’t let him eat.

[lilgidget]

Originally Posted by Rachael1983

I know some members have them and like them.

For me personally I don’t see the value added to my monthly spending . Emma is selective with toys/treats etc. so I need to see things before purchasing. so not to be wasteful and reduce clutter it’s something I’ve passed on.

I feel the same way. Seems a bit pricey.

[DvlshAngel985]

Originally Posted by Bonbons Jean

Bon Bon loves his very small toys, but since he isn’t destructive, he’s got some that are as old as he is. I toss them in the washing machine on the ‘pet bedding’ cycle every so often, or I use a wipe to clean them off. His current absolute favorite is 3” x 2” x 1”. I’m really picky about his treats and get him the organic, holistic ones. When I check the ingredients, I don’t want to see sugar, salt, or flavorings. The subscription boxes have toys that are too big for him to enjoy, and treats that I won’t let him eat.

Thank you for your input. I appreciate it! I also am picky about treats. I would rather give my pups something natural, like lettuce, instead of something processed. Yes, Kaji was a weird one. He loved having lettuce snacks. I hope JakJak will be the same and will love more natural treats.

I will say, Pupbox asks about breed, your dog's size, and age before issuing a box to make sure it's appropriate. However, I think for us it still won't be worth it since I probably will end up with bags and bags of treats I won't give little JakJak.

[Lovetodream88]

Originally Posted by Bonbons Jean

Bon Bon loves his very small toys, but since he isn’t destructive, he’s got some that are as old as he is. I toss them in the washing machine on the ‘pet bedding’ cycle every so often, or I use a wipe to clean them off. His current absolute favorite is 3” x 2” x 1”. I’m really picky about his treats and get him the organic, holistic ones. When I check the ingredients, I don’t want to see sugar, salt, or flavorings. The subscription boxes have toys that are too big for him to enjoy, and treats that I won’t let him eat.

I can’t speak for all of them but bark box has where you can choose the size of your dog so the toys are the right size. There treats are also high quality made in the US.

[JMuedog]

We did a bark box subscription and I found that it was too much stuff! We ended up with a surplus of treats and chews. And I only did 1 box between the 2 dogs. It has been several years since we did it so I can't really recall if we had too many toys. I know Gwenni did destroy a couple toys from the boxes.