Pet Expo Time; Should I Take Oliver?

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

© All Things Dog Blog
Do I Need the Suitcase or My Snoozer?

© All Things Dog Blog
How's This?

It never ceases to amaze me how Oliver senses the least little change and knows exactly what is up. He also figures out a way to get his own message across, like this image where he was clearly saying, "I want to go too".


I considered taking him along in his Snoozer rolling carrier. He loves riding in it and would be a great "magnet" for me. However, the decision was made when I considered the issues of taking him outside--it's a 20 minute walk to the exit :(--and how to carry other materials when my hands need to roll him. So Oliver is staying behind, sadly. 

© All Things Dog Blog
When Will She Return?

Little does he know that he has a date to play with some of his favorite friends at doggie daycare, where he enjoys a rich social life, along with Tanner, who will be boisterously running the big dog area's tag games.


When I return home, he'll no doubt be waiting for me at the front door, pondering how to greet me before Tanner gets to me. "It's okay, boys. There's plenty of mom to go around. I'll be ready to kick back for some puppy time after long days on my feet. Be ready!"

Mutt Mischief: Fun for All!

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

© OkGo

Don't try this at home without your clicker, much patience, and lots of training treats!

Mutt Monday Looks for Your Pet Topics

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

What's new in your pet world? Whether you're a blogger or a reader, I'd love to hear from you. News, changes, questions, new products? Whatever it is, feel free to spill in the comments section. It's always open for business.


Mutt Monday is intended to be an Anything Goes Pet Topics blog hop, where blogs can link up multiple posts of interest to many pet parents. Join in and browse the assortment below to see what's floats your boat. You can even use the "Like" links by each listing to vote for your favorites. 


Speaking of your favorites, how about we give a prize to a blog who gets the most votes? I'm liking this. We'll run with it for 3 weeks, and the winner will be the blog whose post gets the most "Likes" during those 3 weeks of Mutt Monday. The winner will be announced on Tuesday, March 13. 

© All Things Dog Blog
Toby's New Toy!

Bloggers may feel free to link up as many family-friendly, pet-related blog posts as they wish to each of the Mutt Monday hops: today, March 5 and 12. The winning  blogger will receive 30 days of advertising on All Things Dog Blog as well as another link in the winner's announcement.


Now let's get on with the excitement of gift giving. Two weeks ago I offered up an adorable monkey toy by Nylabone as a thank you for #MuttMonday participation. To enter, I requested either a linkup by a blogger or Tweets by anyone who wished to participate in the giveaway. And participate you did; thanks for joining in. The winner of the monkey toy is Michelle M and her dog Toby. Michelle happens to be one of the bloggers who linked up; you may enjoy visiting her blog, My Tail Hurts from Wagging So Much.


Watch for future giveaways to encourage more Mutt Monday action. Thanks again, and don't forget to vote for your favorites below:

Weekly Wag #9: Sit & Stay More Fetch Preparation

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

© All Things Dog Blog
Tanner at Attention

© L. Glavin
Nice Stay, Tanner

Welcome back for more Weekly Wag fun and bonding time with your dog. If you've joined the group to give feedback and win prizes, be sure to leave your comments at the first post at this link. That's where I'll draw a winner from at the end of March. I'm thinking this first giveaway will involve a dog training video and something fun for Fido as well. 


Speaking of March, we're working on getting our dog ready to play a fun game of Fetch. You know, the kind where he actually brings the toy back to you and releases it so you can throw it again. 

© L. Glavin 
Waiting Patiently For the Throw

This week let's practice helping our dogs understand the concept of wait for the throw. Practicing Sit and Stay while you prepare to throw the ball, position yourself or wipe the slobber off of the toy is a great way to help Fido get the message that you set the pace of the game. I never throw the ball until Tanner is sitting nicely and making eye contact. Actually, he's probably watching the toy, but it's the same concept--focus.


Plenty of praise when your dog is sitting patiently will work wonders, but so will waiting until you get that behavior, before you toss the ball. After many repetitions of this, he'll get the idea and suddenly he'll want to Sit and Stay for you, just to get you to throw it. It's magical when you see them have that revelation. It all clicks and the game begins to get more and more fun.


Can you guess what we'll be working on next week? No hints, just make sure to join us. And if you've missed any of our earlier Weekly Wags, you can catch up here:

#8 Preparing for Fetch Training: The Exchange Game

#7 Make Crate Time Great Time

#6 Taking a Woodsy Hike with No Sweat

#5 Disc Dogging for You and Bowser

#4 Bond by Teaching Toy Names

#3 Photo Fun: Say Cheese!

#2 Stay and Come to Get in Shape

#1 Scentwork

Sign up here to win prizes!

This post is part of the Saturday Pet Blogger Hop hosted by Life with Dogs, Two Little Cavaliers, and Confessions of the Plume. You are welcome to link up here, or check any of their sites for their rules of participation. Happy hopping!

#Fido's Freebie Friday Tweets-a-Flying!

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

© All Things Dog Blog
Treats for 3 Helpful Tweeters

Thanks for everyone who was helpful in getting the word out about Fido's Freebie Friday and our new, longer hours. Are you loving that we're open for linkups all week long now? Hope so!


I apologize for my late posting of winners this evening. Sometimes life gets in the way of blogging, although generally it's the other way around. I've pulled a Tweetreach report to generate your tweets, and drawn three winners from the complete list. The winners of a bag of treats are @JBjerga, @Joyfullmom2 and @L_A_Frances.


Each of the winners will receive a DM as notification. Please reply with your mailing address to AllThingsDogBlog@gmail.com. Your prizes will go out on Monday. 


Thanks again for your help and especially for the hard work you put into all those Tweets--wowzer! I'm impressed. Have a great weekend.


The TidNips treats provided in this giveaway were acquired as conference swag--free product for promotional exposure.