Soiled or wet tips should be disposed of. Wrap old tips in old paper and dispose of these in your green waste bin - these tips are compostable. If you don't have a green-waste bin, they should be placed in with the regular trash [they are not recyclable]. Dispose of them before or on bin day and don't leave them around for your dog to get sniffy with.

Always  SEEK VETERINARY ADVICE if your dog swallows a tip. Our tips are cotton with paper stems [NOT plastic], cut short, so they should pass easily. And while Essential Oils are toxic for pets, in large quantities.

If you notice any change in behaviour, seek immediate Veterinary attention. Essential oils are like any botanical and can be harmful in large quantities. It is rare for dogs to have issues after swallowing a tip, as there is a minute quantity on 1 tip, but we don’t know your dog.

If your dog swallows the hide vessel, SEEK IMMEDIATE VETERINARY CARE. Some dogs may pass a tin, and others may not. Please seek assistance.

Always use care in setting out your hides, especially if you have a dog with a tendency to retrieve the hide vessel.

If you can't smell them OR they smell funky [and there is nothing wrong with your sense of smell], it is time to replace them! In saying that, I can barely smell Anise, even when it's fresh and I'm right on top of it!! Always pay attention to how your dog is working the odour too - if you think it is taking longer for your pooch to find the hides and your tips are a little old, this could be a sign they need replacing.

Just as an FYI - I have used some jars of tips for 12+ months with no issues. Personally, for training, I use my new + old tips - and varying numbers of tips - my friends tips, my trainers tip and trial tips! Lulu is exposed to a lot of different odour and would suggest you mix up your source exposure because every bottle of oil will vary slightly - this is nature afterall and there will be variations.

To fridge or not to fridge, that is the question?!

Everyone does this differently. Personally, I just keep these in their tightly closed glass jar, within an air-tight container in a cool, dry, dark place, away from sniffing noses. If you live in a particularly consistently hot climate, you might keep them in the fridge but it is not necessary.

Subjecting the tips to heat, means these tips will dry out / need replacing, more quickly. Oil is not water though and they will not dry out overnight.

If you do store your tips in the fridge, we recommend grabbing them out and bringing them to room temperature before use, as Anise in particular will crystalise/ turn powdery in the fridge. However, it never hurts to play around with your hides, regardless of where you store them - you never know what conditions you will get in a trial - and it is also worth knowing how odour moves and how your dog will work it when it is really cold/warm!

It is ALWAYS best to store all tips back in their jar and not stored in hide vessels in the cupboard or fridge. If you don't store them together, they will dry out more quickly.

Drop us a quick message with your details and we will supply a code to provide a small industry discount on our odour tips.

It is highly likely that your oil tips and the new tips are from different sources. Remember, oil is a botanical and like any living thing is affected by many variables [sun / water / soil etc]. Each season of growing and processing will produce variations, as will using oils from sources in different parts of the world. Oils can be from different regions, different growing climates and even different countries. All of this will affect how they smell. In our experience, thus far, the dogs have still responded to the signature odor of the essential oil.

How long is a piece of string?

Your tips can be used many times! Remember to always contain them in something (tin, tube, vial, etc.) to minimize contamination of your environment AND of the swabs themselves. Best practice is to remove the clean swabs from their hide container and place them back into the jar of swabs after use so they can “re-cook” + refresh.

As long as the swabs are not contaminated, you can reuse them many times. If you have swabs that have become contaminated with dirt or other substances you should probably just dispose of them.

They are still usable hoever, remember how a dog can make an association with whatever odor is paired with so you will want to change things up and use the clean swabs, too.

The longer scented swabs are outside of an air-tight container the more the odor will dissipate. Odor does not go away but the strength can decrease. If the swabs still look clean but the odor seems weak, it might be time for a new jar.

12 months is a good period if you only use them once or twice a week.