Dog Fashion Giveaway Today

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

© Carrie Boyko
Fun Prizes for Feminine Fidos

We're going to have some fun today. Giving out prizes is always a great time, but girl goodies is something I don't get much of these days. This just adds a little bounce to my step, even with the boring job of packing up the mailings!

© Carrie Boyko
Baseball Themed Bow

Shall we get started? Okay, let's start with the Baseball Bow, as the first drawing. This adorable, sports-themed bow from Puppy Kisses, is perfect for the baseball-loving owner, and will be oh, so cute on the the Bow Wow in the family. 


Our winner of this great tomboy bow is Princess Sarah. Now there's just one thing left to say about this:  "Lets go out to the ball game!"


Next up are the 3 Hot Pink Fabuleashes. It will certainly be easy to spot these winners on the street, with this glitsy glamour showing off their adorable faces. The three lucky pups to get a beautiful Fabuleash are: Ruby, Beth Lee from Facebook, and Kiko.

© Carrie Boyko
Burberry-Look Set

Winner #5 gets the Burberry-look collection, sure to align her with the designer crowd. I wish I could offer up Paris Hilton's phone number, but sorry--it's unlisted! This lucky winner gets the Burberry-look bow from Puppy Kisses, along with the beautiful, coordinating tan Fabuleash; it's simply fabulous!  Be sure to enjoy this ensemble with a day on Park Avenue. Shopping is the perfect way to show off your fashion savvy. Congratulations to Maizey for winning this pairing.

© Carrie Boyko
Puppy Kisses Polka Dot Bow
Pairs with Fabuleash in Hot Pink

Wrapping up this fun, fashion bonanza is our Hot Pink Polka Dot Ensemble, again a combination of a Puppy Kisses bow and a Fabuleash in beautiful hot pink matching colors. Now this, ladies, is the feminine couture embodied--perfect for your Spring and Summer sun-dresses. I'm sure you're all clamoring for this one, but only one lucky Fido wins the goods: Daisy


Winners all happy? I'm sure. This was a ton of fun, as I was able to enjoy it vicariously through you. With only male dogs in the house these days, I don't get much fru-fru! Bandanas is the extent of our fashion statement. 


Winners need to get in touch at LetsAdoptaDogPark@gmail.com to provide addresses. I'll notify you if I have contact information. Packages will go out within 1 week of receipt of address. Enjoy, and feel free to leave a comment about your beautiful feminine fidos.


Before I head out, I'd like to leave you with a few extra blogs to explore. Blog hopping is a ton of fun, so feel free to enjoy the bounce. This Sunday's hop is called Swinging By Sunday, and is sponsored by Chubby Cheeks Thinks! Be sure to stop in and thank them for hosting.

Full disclosure: The Fabuleash and Puppy Kisses products described in this post have been donated to All Things Dog Blog for an independent review. I have not been paid to provide my opinion of these products, and the opinion provided is my own. Thank you to Lizzi and Cocoa of Cocoa's Corner from 20 Something Saver, for their help as models.

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All Things Dog Blog Goes to the Meet and Greet

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

Hello! And welcome to All Things Dog Blog. Today I'm here to join Dogtipper in the Meet and Greet Party. Paris has invited us to tell you a little about ourselves, so here goes.

© Carrie Boyko
A Dog Park Moment

All Things Dog Blog is on a mission to bring you the resources you need to help your family live harmoniously with your dogs. We provide help in many ways; I'd like to tell you about a few of our services.


As a mom of three full grown kids I understand the challenges of holding it all together in all phases and stages of life. And, oh, did I mention the pets? That's where we specialize--helping you bring your family and your dogs into alignment with your life, without too terribly much pain (wink).


We would like to help:

1. Our most popular posts are our problem-solving articles. For example, I have offered up ways to manage a houseful of company with pups as guests,  given tips on exercising your Fido when you can't join in, shared our natural ways to manage fleas, and much more in my archives of 1000+ articles. Need help finding something? Drop me an email and I'll be glad to help: LetsAdoptaDogPark@gmail.com.
2. Our team of experienced dog trainers is here to assist you with your dog behavior problems. Even those of you who may be 'experts', could sometimes use a different take on the situation you are too close to it.
3. Our All Things Dog Blog family, including our dogs, live a largely green and organic lifestyle, while offering you tips for trying it out yourselves. Some will work for you; some will not. We invite you to ask questions.
4. Holistic veterinarian, Dr. Pat Bradley, answers your questions on natural ways to help with Fido's health.
5. We also enjoy experimenting with natural treats made here in our own kitchen. Watch for our organic recipes that you can try at home.
6. Product reviews are the newest addition to our site, and are being well received. Today's Kurgo Cargo Cape, for instance, has quite a nice list of entries already. We offer weekly giveaways that you can learn about in our sidebar, so be sure to check it regularly for what's new in our giveaways.
7. Our first annual Super Dog Sunday event brought dozens of blogs together for a blog hop that included photos of all our dogs in their favorite teams' theme. That event was a blast and I hope you'll take a minute to click the link and watch the slideshow of some favorite photos.

© A. Boyko
Carrie and Oliver Pledge
to Be the Change

Feel free to subscribe at the top right or follow me through Google Friend Connect (in my lower sidebar) or Networked Blogs (this one is new to us--we could use your help populating the widget!). You can also keep up with our updates and join in the conversation at our Facebook page and on Twitter. Happy tails!

And as always, don't forget to visit 5 Minutes for Fido, where Tanner and Oliver spout off their opinions and generally offer up silliness.

Pet Lovers Keep Up with FidoUsing These iPhone Apps

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

© courtesy L. Glavin
Cocoa Has it Covered with Her iPhone

Pet lovers will be barking the news about these great iPhone apps. Here's the list so you can check them out for yourself. Many have similar features, but all are free or low cost:

1. Pet First Aid offers lots of helpful info, including videos, and includes a section where you can list health records for reference. $3.99
2. Spot Light GPS Locater tracks your pet through a signal from their collar. This one is available for iPhone and Blackerries.
3. Pet Phone allows you to keep track of your pet's health, including appointments, allergies, weight tracking and more. You can track an unlimited number of pets for $4.99.
4. Paw Trotter helps you locate pet friendly parks, beaches, hotels, stores, and of course, vets, groomers and boarding. You can even get reviews on each.
5. Pet Acoustics offers relaxing sounds especially for pets, for a mere $1.99.
6. Pet Snap is a pet photographer's dream, offering 32 sounds to attract a pet's attention, as well as zoon and framing features.
7. DIA Webster has visuals of a pet's body with interactive versions of their systems. 
8. Vet DVM sounds too good to be true for a free app. You can record audio or video questions for their veterinarians, get referrals, and even second opinions.
9. Petcentric Places gets high ratings from Dog Jaunt for locating nearby vets, daycares, dog parks, dog sitters, dog walkers, groomers and pet-friendly hotels.
10. Pet MD offers all sorts of apps from locaters to health and emergency information.
11. Paw Nation comes from the folks at AOL, and offers animal news of all kinds, videos, photos and even pet horoscopes.
12. Pet Minder is a planner for your pet--appointments, medicine reminders, play dates and more.
13. Paw Card helps you make a medical ID card for your pet that tracks their meds, weight, vaccinations and other health info.
14. All Pets Radio Player is an all day radio show with pet news, tips, resources and non stop pet talk.
15. Shake and Bark does what it says. You assign a recorded bark to a photo, and then shake the phone to hear the bark.
16. Dog Tricks and Bark Machine isn't the greatest at offering tips on how to teach the tricks, but still, it's free. Check out the link for more iPhone apps reviewed by Pet Project Blog.
17. Dog-A-Log helps you identify breeds by photos and description while you're out and about.
18. Off Leash helps you locate nearby places to walk Fido. 
19. Fido Factor  offers a place for you to keep track of your favorite Fido-friendly places. Each new listing and review prompts a donation to charity.
20. Rate My Puppy allows you to post, rate and rank pictures of posted pups. It's all about the fun!
21. Dogbook gives you a place to make a journal of your pup's life, and connect with other dogs, by breed, as friends. The best feature is the "Arf" Alerts for lost or found dogs.

Do you know of others? Feel free to leave a comment with the names of more great iPhone apps for our readers to check out. We appreciate your input. Happy tails!


And as always, don't forget to visit 5 Minutes for Fido, where Tanner and Oliver spout off their opinions and generally offer up silliness.

Source: Top 30 iPhone Apps for Dog Owners

Kurgo Pet Cargo Cape:Review and Giveaway

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

© Carrie Boyko
This Packaging will Attract
Northerners' Attention, I Suppose

Is your car like mine, full of pet fur? Help has arrived just in time for your summer outings.


This week I had some fun cleaning up my car a bit. You know how pet fur is; it gets in every crack and crevice in your car, as well as sticking to the upholstery. I've found the cure for that problem, and am here to share it with you--the Kurgo Cargo Cape. 


Tanner and I got a chuckle out of the photos on the box. It's snowing outside and there's snow all over the car in the photo. That'll never happen here in Central Florida, but we have other fun things to contend with like mud after a thunder storm and dirt from the dog park. It's nice to have an attractive way to protect my upholstery from stains and messes that would take time to clean up.

© Carrie Boyko
Ready to Install

Let's get it installed and see how Tanner likes it. I've set aside an hour, not really knowing what's inside that package--clips? snaps? adjustments?  Pages and pages of instructions? We'll see.


After removing the folded up Cargo Cape from the box, I simply unfolded it and found that instructions were basically not necessary. Super simple installation!

© Carrie Boyko
Quick and Easy!

Well, that was certainly painless. I flipped the straps over the headrests, made a quick adjustment and unfolded the cape. Viola! I'm done. "Look, Tanner. We'll have time for a test ride and a snack." That got his attention.


Tanner jumped into the car and showed me the pouch for carrying his treats. He's definitely ahead of me today. See that black corner by his paws? It's a mesh pouch with a sturdy Velcro closure to store your important....treats, I suppose.

The black section at the very back of the car is made of heavy rubber-like material that will stay put because of the weight. There should be no issues with it flipping up. If you want extra security, you can secure the Cargo Cape to your carpet with a Velcro strip that is located under the label tab. There are other Velcro strips attached underneath for secure positioning. These are all optional, and I found they were not necessary to keep the Cargo Cape in place.


Tanner's attention is growing impatient as neighbors are walking by gawking at our attractive photo shoot. One asked where they could get one and which cars it fits. I checked the website and learned it is a universal fit, made especially for mini-vans, SUVs and Station Wagons. Do they still make Station Wagons? Hmm.....  Back to business.

Now I suppose you'd like to see how it looks with the seats upright. I rarely ever have my seats up, as I'm always trucking dogs everywhere, but let's give it a shot:

© Carrie Boyko
A Nice, Clean Cargo Area

This is great looking and neat as a pin. If I decide to drive passengers, I can simply raise the seats, and the underneath area will be clean and fur-free. That's a big plus--no vacuuming at the last minute.


The Cargo Cape is machine washable, so if we ever have a really big mess, like upturned groceries, I can just toss it in the washer for a quick cleanup. What's more, it's waterproof, so there won't be a leak to the carpet or upholstery underneath. I like that--simplicity.


As I mentioned above, the Cargo Cape is made with a universal fit. That means that the zipper is offset to the left slightly, as most seats are made to split for foldup at about that point. 


On the right hand rear corner of the Cargo Cape, there is an inset water bowl holder. I had to go check this out when I read it on the package. I guess I thought it was just decoration. Oops. It's made of a thick piping, stitched to the top of the Cargo Cape, to keep a water bowl from slipping around. Even if you don't use it for a water bowl holder, it looks attractive; that's a plus.


I can't imagine driving down the road with a water bowl in the back, but there are spill-proof models now, so I suppose some folks do this. I'll be reviewing one of those soon, so we'll see how well it works. I'll keep you posted.


Finally, the bumper shield is a nice feature to keep your pups from scratching the back of your car as they jump in. You simply flip it out from underneath the back whenever your pups are loading or unloading. It's made of heavy duty, rubberized material that hangs down over your back bumper to protect it from scratches--nice feature.

© Carrie Boyko
The Cargo Cape Keeps Your Car
 Clean and Safe from Damage 

The top of the Cargo Cape is made of a canvas-like fabric, with a vinyl backing to keep liquids from leaking through. It made a good first impression for its purpose. Now I'll give it the real test--dogs! 

Time lapse blogging:  Well, now that I've had my Cargo Cape installed for a week, and we've used it to shuttle dogs to the dog park and around town on errands, I can say it seems to be quite functional for it's purpose. It doesn't fly up or out of position when the windows are open and it's very easy to clean up a muddy paw print. I keep a rag in the car for messy paws, so I just dampened it and wiped it off. No problem.

Finally, it looks extremely nice and I found it vacuums up easier than upholstery. I have to say that was the biggest feature, after the protective quality. The way dog fur sticks to upholstery, it can be an extremely difficult job to vacuum. The Cargo Cape was a breeze to vacuum up when I got a bunch of sand in the back. All in all, I'll give it a big thumbs up. It's staying in my car to protest it from life with dogs!

Oh! I almost forgot. I have a free Kurgo Cargo Cape for one lucky winner. This is a $60 value, so don't miss out, unless you have a Mini Cooper or a pickup truck--LOL. Actually, I think you could use it there also. 

If you're just going to give it up and buy your own, you can order online from the link above, or check their locater for other retailers, both on and offline.

This drawing will be held strictly from comments on this post,the Facebook comments about this giveaway, and @Tweets about this post or giveaway. I want to make sure it goes to someone who really wants it and can use it. 

© Carrie Boyko
Large Linen-Look Tote Bag

After the drawing, all leftover entries will go into the main pot for general dog giveaways--those giveaways that are pertinent to just about every dog or dog owner. Other rules: You must be 18 or older to enter; this giveaway is void where prohibited, and is only available for North American addresses. Entries close at 5:00 PM on Friday, May 6. The winner will be announced on Saturday, May 7, so be sure to grab a FREE email subscription if you plan to enter. I wouldn't want you to miss the announcement for this prize, or the upcoming giveaways of Fashion accessories and the dog lovers handbag giveaway announced in yesterday's post. Ooo la la! Good luck!

Green Dogs Delight in Greenies;Did We Forget Mom?

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

© reader copyright on file
Milele Shows Off
Her Love for Greenies

Do you realize that a week from Sunday is Mother's Day? OMG! I've been putting this off, but it's time. I'm bringing out the big guns. Who remembers the handbags I brought in a while back? I thought I would set up a little store on the site, but for now I've decided that I'm not really liking the whole record keeping, inventory, and sales tax thing. Ya know? 

I've decided to stick with what has been working: product reviews, strategies for happy dogs and happy families, and the Ask the Vet and Ask the Dog Trainer columns. After all, Tanner and Oliver need to eat.

© Carrie Boyko
Small Linen-Look Handbag

So, on to the handbag giveaway. Let's start with 1 tote bag and 1 small handbag. I've selected these two for the Mother's Day giveaway. The tote is large enough to carry your laptop, made from a soft woven fabric with a zippered top and fully lined interior, including a pocket. The small linen-look handbag is also lined with a zippered top and interior pocket. Both have squared bottoms and double webbing handles. They are perfect for that mother in your life that is totally smitten with pups.

The handbags come from a small community of ladies in Thailand that hand make these bags. The detail of the hand stitched decorations is just adorable. This is, hands down, the cutest thing I found in Thailand during my visit with our son over the holidays. I've brought these home for YOU. So enter enthusiastically and have fun with this! I have a feeling the competition will be intense, so I'm going to lay down the law: 

RULES:

• One entry per day per person, via comment here on the blog, Facebook, or @Tweet.
•  Stop in at our Facebook page and hit the "Like" button; follow us on Twitter.
• An email subscription would be much appreciated, as well as provide you with ready access to our daily posts. I wouldn't want you to miss out on the news that you won an adorable handbag. The subscription box is at the top of the sidebar. Be sure to visit your email immediately after you fill in the box. When the verification email arrives momentarily from Feedburner, click the link inside to activate your subscription. Now you're ready to receive my posts daily without any extra effort.
• Email submissions will be taken only in photos (dogs only, please) or essay form. Your topic is "The Essence of Motherhood" (as it relates to you, your dog, or your mom).  Send photos or essays to LetsAdoptaDogPark@gmail.com. A winning essay may be published here, and we will acknowledge your copyright.
• This prize is available to any winner, anywhere. I'm not going to limit this to North American addresses. All you folks in Europe, Asia and outer yahoo are welcome to join in!
• You do need to be 18 or older, and this giveaway is void where prohibited.
• There's absolutely no way I can get it to you or your mom in time for Mother's Day, so consider a certificate, or print out the photo. I will mail it to your mother in giftwrap or a giftbag, if you request. (Yeah, I know. I'm a sucker for a loving daughter).
• Entries close Thursday evening, May 5, 2011 at 5:00 PM. sharp. The winners will be announced on Friday, May 6. Please check the blog on Friday and get the mailing address to me at your earliest convenience, to avoid an angry mother. That just wouldn't fit the theme, here!

Now, back to the Greenies giveaway. The winning dogs are:

Large: Kouga

Medium: Roxy (Katie's)

Petite: Bosco

Teenie: Ruby

Send your address to LetsAdoptaDogPark@gmail.com. Shipments go out within 1 week of receipt of your address. Congratulations to these pups who will have sparkling teeth for Mother's Day. Won't she be proud!


To those of you who did not win: Your entries will go into the big drawing box for general drawings coming up. There are plenty more great dog gifts where these came from, so stay tuned to the blog or your email subscription. Don't have one yet? It's free to sign up in the top of the sidebar. Nothing could be easier. Simply fill in your email address and you'll receive a confirmation from Feedburner. Be sure to click the link inside this email in order to activate your subscription. Happy tails!


Now, let's go hopping. Friday we're joining the group at A Mommy's Sweet Blog Design and Hoppin' Weekend,  and Saturday we'll be hopping right along with the usual Saturday Pet Bloggers Hop. Our hosts there are Two Little Cavaliers, Life with Dogs and Confessions of the Plume. Be sure to pop in and thank all five of our hosts for their gracious hospitality. Enjoy your tour:

Pup Profiles: Sullen Sully? Never!

As told by Patti Smith

© courtesy P.Smith
Sully Monster?

My nickname is: Sully Monster

The thing I hate the most is: being left at home while mom goes to work


My most embarrassing moment was: rolling off of the bed while mom was rubbing my belly

My favorite physical activity is: running like the wind at the dog park

Did you enjoy this profile of our readers' dog, Sully? Your dog can be featured in the Pup Profile column also. Simply answer the same 4 questions and submit a photo of him--no humans, please! This is all about the pooches. We look forward to receiving your submission at LetsAdoptaDogPark@gmail.com.


Recent Pup Profiles:

• Maya Papaya
• Poodle Packmates
• Baxter

Visit Adopt a Dog Park

Help protect our precious dog parks

© Carrie Boyko, all rights reserved

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The Year of the Rabbit

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

© Carrie Boyko
We'll Miss You Robby

Today I learned that this year is the Chinese Year of the Rabbit. For our family, it started that way. Our first annual Easter Rabbit Adoptathon was moderately successful and a ton of fun. We tried to educate our readers about the joys and the considerations of rabbits as pets, after which we offered an adoptathon to help homeless bunnies find furever families. 


Unfortunately, Robby, our family's rabbit, only lived to see the beginning of this event that was planned in his honor. As the day of the Adoptathon went on, he became lethargic and stopped eating. The rest, as they say, is history. 

Robby lived a full 9 years, a good life for a rabbit who has always had a loving home. He came into the world as the adoptee of my son, a college student at the time. Marc enjoyed having a quiet roommate that did not have nightly drunken brawls like many college roommates. They shared a small, but adequate space together, until the new school year placed Marc with a roommate that preferred an animal-free environment. Imagine that!

Robby came to live in our home in 2003. We successfully taught Xena that Robby was off-limits for playing, feeling that she was too large and heavy to play safely. Ever the mother, though, she still attempted to wash his ears and watch after him. It was no surprise to me, as she had done the same with our cat, Patches, when we adopted her in 1998.

With many opportunities, we thought perhaps Patches and Robby might hit it off, but alas, Robby continued his aloof attitude toward this much-too-playful, like-sized housemate. Patches was curious, but not enough to encourage play or even camaraderie. The two simply watched one another from a safe distance, sharing only a modest interest in the other's activities.

When Tanner joined our family in 2006, Robby was a well-established member of the family, and Tanner thought he seemed fair game as a playmate. And I have to give it to Tanner, he made every effort to befriend Robby, learning to get down and play at Robby's level. He learned to be quiet, still and gentle, but never did have the satisfaction of a good romp with Robby. It just was not meant to be. Robby was far too smart to allow it.

If Tanner was not enough of a nuisance, Robby's resolve was really put to the test when Oliver was adopted by my daughter in 2007.  Much smaller than Robby when he arrived, Robby finally found himself with a diminutive packmate-wannabe, but nevertheless a much too rambunctious one. Oliver never quite grasped the concept of "The bunny doesn't want to play". He was certain that he could eventually convince Robby to be his bunny-buddy. 

Robby remained with us until Marc finished graduate school in 2009 and moved into an apartment of his own. No one could tell him whom he could live with any longer; he paid the bills and chose the roommates. It was at that time that he requested HIS bunny back. Who were we to refuse him?

Robby was a good traveler, venturing north to Virginia in the back of our car, to settle in with his original roommate in a new home. This home turned out to be the perfect place for two young men--plenty of space to hop around exploring, without Xena, Tanner, little Oliver or curious Patches poking around. 

© Carrie Boyko
Robby and Marc--BFF

Robby lived out the remainder of his 9 years getting daily ear rubs and forming an extremely strong bond with his roommate--something my furry family could not successfully accomplish. Cheers to Marc for making that happen. And to Robby, we hope you and Xena will finally come to terms at the Rainbow Bridge, where we're certain there will be a 24-hour salad bar to suit Robby's insatiable appetite for veggies.

Dog CPR Skills Add to Your First Aid Tool Kit

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

This video offers a step by step approach to giving a dog CPR, something that we all could benefit from learning. I especially appreciated her tips on administering CPR to a smaller dog, since she is demonstrating on a large pooch. There are a couple of differences, so listen carefully.

An important point to make light of is the possible need to continue CPR in the car. Melanie suggests calling out for help immediately, so that others can handle transportation while you continue to administer CPR.

This very educational video offers clear and precise technique for up to 20 minutes of CPR, checking for pulse or heartbeat about every minute.

Dog Walk Motivation Running High,Thanks to the Walking Challenge

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

Back in March I announced my entry into a Dog Walker's support group of sorts. I officially started April 1, the day my round of two back two back groups of company left town. It was good timing.

I am finding that the idea of having someone expecting to hear my progress is motivation in itelf. My original plan was to check in with Katie, our fearless leader, at the end of each month. But today she beat me to the punch. I guess that's good, as some of us may not have been sticking with the plan. She was on her cheerleading tour, making sure everyone is paying attention to keeping on track.


I've had one hiccup this month--a 3 day long migraine that put me in low gear, to be sure. I have not been having migraine headaches for about 5 years now, but early this week that changed. 


I'm not sure what brought it on, other than the voluminous flowers that erupted on the Jasmine outside. I'm deathly allergic, but have never had a migraine reaction that I recall. Whatever caused it, it was a bad one. I'm back on track as of today. Yesterday and today Tanner, Oliver and I did some extra tracks through our suburban area, exploring nearby neighborhoods in the cool morning air. This is my favorite time of the year to walk; it was glorious. Tanner and Oliver thought so too.


We took a few detours to avoid large areas of Jasmine. Hopefully this helped to keep me from getting another whopper. Since I pledged to walk 2 miles a day, every day I miss means 2 more miles added to another day. What was I thinking? I didn't even allow myself a day off! I guess I'll learn from this experience. Hopefully you'll consider this when you pledge your miles.


Today I joined the Facebook page for Katie's site and the group, and updated her on my progress at her site: Lessons from 4 Legs. I think she was pleased and this made me feel proud, if only because I made up 3 days of 'sick time'. 


I was surprised that I had not already "Liked" her FB page, and pleased to see everything that is going on there: polls about what reinforces your dog, giveaways, Earth day ideas for your dog and much more. Looks like Katie and I are on the same page about living a greener lifestyle.


Enough rambling, I'm really here today to invite you to join Katie's Walking Challenge. She is extending the membership option through the end of June and enticing members with a nice prize package. I guess I should tell you it's free. The goal is simply to help everyone join forces to encourage one another. 


I'm curious about her prize package, but she's not naming everything except to say it will all be homemade, so I guess it will be a surprise. I like surprises, don't you? And it sounds sort of Etsy-ish; cool!


Before I wrap this up, I thought I'd share another idea I got from Katie (she's a bubbling bonanza of bow wow ideas!). I mentioned that I've been scribbling my miles on my planner and it's rather messy, crowded, etc. She then proceeded to introduce me to a really cool online place to track your exercise: Map My Walk. I checked it out today and wish I had started it from the getgo. It's a super cool way to keep track of your fitness, nutrition, goals, events and more. There's even a mapping function and you can access it with your iPhone or Blackberry. Who needs a planner? I'm really old school, huh?

So, if you're in need of some moral support to get in your daily walks with Fido, this may be your ticket. Just stop by her site, leave a comment with your name, your dogs' names and the number of miles you plan to walk for the remainder of the year. You can check in periodically and update her on your progress. She keeps a record in her sidebar, so

there you have your ultimate motivation.

Imagine having your name in someone's sidebar with an obvious "I'm behind on my dogs' walks" sign hanging there. Yikes! Hope to see you there soon. Happy tails!

© A. Boyko
Biking Counts Too!
Oliver Wants to Race

And as always, don't forget to visit 5 Minutes for Fido, where Tanner and Oliver spout off their opinions and generally offer up silliness.

Dog Training vs. Leadership: A Fine Line?

Guest Post by Michael Baugh 

  © Robyn Arouty
Stella

I was looking at my dog, Stella, this morning and wondering to myself, does she really want me to be her leader?  It was obvious by the look on her face that she was definitely interested in my poached egg.  She was sitting obediently across the room, wagging fiercely and staring adoringly.  Egg?  Absolutely.  Leader?  I don’t know.

A lot of trainers, even some respected reward-based trainers, are still big on the idea of establishing yourself as a pack leader and garnering your dog’s respect.  You have to admit, that’s a pretty heavy burden for a lot of people.  The evidence is in on social hierarchy in dogs.  They don’t form packs with alphas like wild wolves.  Add to that, I’m not a dog.  And anyway, where am I leading her to?

Here’s the real deal.  I have a well developed cerebral cortex (if I do say so myself).  I have a car, and credit cards, and a groovy smart phone.  I can also, on a whim, buy eggs and poach them for breakfast.  I’m a human being with opposable thumbs.  By definition I am the dominant species in the room.  So what’s up with this leadership stuff and all the hang ups about respect?  I already feel pretty good about myself, and Stella’s a cool dog.  I’m okay with both.

I do worry some about the other dogs and their people.  Folks who bully themselves into leadership roles and demand respect often get nasty (think middle management).  The dogs suffer, and honestly I think the people do too.  Training is never about who is in charge.  It’s about how you and your dog are communicating.  Is your dog getting what she wants from you?  Are you getting what you want from your dog?

I love it when Stella looks at me like that.  She loves this little morning routine.  I dip a tiny piece of crust in the egg yolk and toss it her way.  It’s training blasphemy to feed from the table and that makes me love it even more.  She and I have been at this for 18 months now and I’m hoping for about 15 more years of it.  We’re learning to understand each other.  I’ve got all her stuff, the car, the smart phone and the thumbs.  She’s got all the tricks, the impeccable manners, the face of an angel.  We trade freely.  The more I get what I want, the more she gets what she wants.  That’s training.  I’m not much worried about who’s leading whom.  I doubt she is either.

Perhaps one night I will find her at my laptop with a headset and a microphone on, like those dogs in the movies trying to take over the world.  I guess then I’ll really have egg on my face, won’t I?

 © Roby Narouty
Michael, with Stella

Michael Baugh CPDT-KA, CDBC is a science-driven, reward-based, dog trainer in Houston, TX.  He’s the director of training and behavior at Rover Oaks Pet Resort.





A NOTE FROM CARRIE: Just for fun, folks, we're trying out a few new blog hops to see who's out there looking for information on how to make life with dogs a little easier. Today we'll check in with Mommying on the Fly to find out if there are moms out there that need help with their furry kids. Welcome to our new visitors, and be sure to leave a comment.

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