Winners! Instagram Guessing Game for Dog Treats!

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

On a whim last week I tossed in a #Good Buddy giveaway with an Instagram post. Tanner was busy having himself a Fetch game that was more fun that life itself. We have an advanced version of Fetch that requires Tanner to retrieve multiple toys from the swimming pool before any additional ones can be tossed in. The rules may sound beyond your average dog, but Tanner figured it out fairly quickly after discovering that I was not going to toss until he retrieved. And retrieve he did!

Now that Tanner has successfully retrieved as many as 12 toys from the pool without a single additional toss, he'll soon be moving up to the next level of this advanced game--13 toy Fetch! I hope you'll get behind him and give him some encouragement. This isn't easy for a toy-crazed, water-loving Retriever. He has trouble deciding which toy to bring to the pool edge first, so many a toy gets dropped before any make it to land. It is quite entertaining to watch him as he picks up and then drops multiple toys before finally getting one toy to the side. And often, that very toy ends up back in the drink. Silly dog!

Some of you are probably wondering what the answer to the Instagram question is: "How many Fetch toys does Tanner have?" I pulled them all out of toy baskets in various locations--at least I think I have them all--and started to count. I knew there were more than 18 but was surprised to see how close I had come in my estimate--19! Wow!

I'll admit that many of these toys only get tossed in occasionally, being that their condition is quite tentative and I worry we'll be having a funeral soon. We've all but planned one for Firefly, but Tanner is having none of it. This is one of his favorite toys, and for good reasons. It's soft, light, squishy and fun. What's not to love, right?!!!

I got to wondering how long Tanner has had this toy. Surprisingly it has held up quite well for a fabric toy. Who knew that this toy has lasted 3 1/2 years of daily fetch play. That's nothing short of amazing. I guess a funeral will be due when the toy finally kicks the bucket. We'll keep you posted. Who wants to step up for a eulogy?

Now it's time to announce the winning guesser, the first person to guess the number of Fetch toys that Tanner has. The correct answer is currently 19, giving the winning entry to @jjmentos of Instagram. I'll be in touch, but if you see this, please email me your address at AllThingsDogBlog@gmail.com. Congratulations!

Thank you all for playing, and watch for another game soon.

The @CastorPolluxPet treats were provided by my advertiser, Castor and Pollux Pet. No compensation was received for running this IG giveaway, but CP is my primary advertiser.

Sharing Your Dog on Instagram Video

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

Buffer

Instagram's foundation was in still photos. After the launch of Vine, it became clear that short videos definitely had a place in the world of social sharing. I'm hooked for sure. 

While Vine is perfect for sharing a brief trick or short clip, Instagram is my go to choice when I need a few more seconds to get the point across. Let's try one and you'll quickly see how incredibly easy it is to share those action-packed moments that you want others to enjoy along with you.
My plan was to take some quick videos of Tanner playing Fetch and swimming. That's always fun and easy to get great light for. Unfortunately Tanner has a boo-boo (otherwise known as a hole in his forehead) and he's been ordered to stay out of the pool until the stitches heal. He's not the happiest boy in the wake of this news. Walks just are not the same as swimming :(
I thought I would opt for an Oliver feature in this lesson and get back to Tanner when he's whole once again. Be patient; now both boys are under medical care. 
Oliver at something on the beach this weekend that has not set well on his tummy, and Tanner has a 1-inch patch of fur to regrow as well. I guess we'll see how vane he is when I start bringing out the camera for a snapshot with a blaring patch of fur missing on his face.  Now let's get started: As long as you have an updated version of the Instagram app on your iPhone or Android, you're good to go with this lesson (check out this post for help on getting the app), so stay with me. Let's start at the beginning:

It really is that easy! If you'd like to enter an action video with your dog in our #FueltheLove #BarkFriday video contest, you'll be looking at a huge prize: a $100 Gift Card to spend however you wish on anything you like. For more tips on Instagram videos, visit their help page.
Here's how: 

• Use the instructions above to create your video on Instagram (or Vine).
  
• Before sharing be sure to add this statement to the comment section: 'I #FueltheLove on #BarkFriday with @ZukesPets'
• Visit our Social Media Sharing widget at this link to enter your video for the $100 Gift Card AND $100 in Zuke's treats. Wow!

Our video entries are extremely low, so this is an opportunity for you to win big. Now go for it!

Important Note to Party Participants: This Twitter Party will use two hashtags. Please use #BarkFriday #FueltheLove to follow all the fun!

Event Barkers is working with Zuke's to help them gain online exposure and share the news of their new products. Watch for more excitement with a Blog Hop of assorted giveaways and newsy topics about Zuke's--hosted at DogTipper.com and AllThingsDogBlog.com---to open here and on participant's blogs on Friday, November 15.
Note that due to shipping regulations over the border, the prizes in this event are only available to U.S. addresses. Thank you for your understanding.

We Double Dog Dare You: Getting Started with Instagram

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

Buffer

It's a miserable, yucky, rainy day here in Florida. That's just the perfect time for me to focus on sharing some tips to get you started with Instagram. I'm a newbie too so we can learn together. Help is on the way.

Oliver and I just tested out a still shot above and a video to see how easy it is to maneuver without any instruction. Success! Now I'm looking up Instagram's official help page to make sure I don't lead you astray.

The Instagram video is super easy too. In a matter of a couple of minutes I took this quicky of Oliver performing his "Speak" and had it up in this post. Go ahead and watch it so you'll know what his voice sounds like. He's a really tough Rambo, yeh?!

Are you ready to get started? Grab your iPhone and head for the App Store to download Instagram to your device. You'll find the app available for your Android in GooglePlay. Once the download is complete, tap the Instagram logo to open the app.

Tap Register to create a Username and Password. You'll need to fill out some profile information also. Tap Done and you'll be ready to take your first pic to share. Seriously!

Tap the camera button to take your first shot. It's in the center at the bottom of your

screen; it looks like the one here at the right. If you don't like your shot, just hit cancel in the upper left corner and try again. If you want to share the pic, you can add effects to edit the pic. Learn more about this at this link and the previous one. I'm eager to play around with the filters that change the color and look of my pics. That's next on my To Do list!

Now it's time to share your first pic. After you're done applying effects or filters, hit Next in the top right.  You can still change your mind and edit the photo further by hitting the Edit button at top left. 

The screen is fairly self explanatory. Add a caption or hashtags so others can find your masterpiece. If you'll be joining #BarkFriday #FueltheLove, don't forget to add this statement with the 2 hashtags in there to get credit for your image entry: "I #FueltheLove on #BarkFriday with @ZukesPets". You'll get the maximum number of points for image entries, and you're free to enter daily using a different action-packed photo or video each day. My napping shot of Oliver would not qualify for entry, but the video would.

The photo map and location are optional--your choice. Now select the social media sites you'd like to share your image with. Finally, hit the Share button  at the top right. Viola! You're done!

Now let's view it. Go back to your device's homepage and click the Instagram button again. It should reopen to your Instagram home page. Select the icon at the bottom right (it looks like a flag to me) and your profile page will appear with any/all of your photos ready to select and share again. 

Watch for another lesson on how to proceed with resharing your pics and more, coming soon. Videos are up next. Stay tuned!