Power Treating: Long Dog Hikes

 Carrie Boyko, CEB

©AllThingsDogBlog.com
Ready to Head to Linville Falls
Can you see Oliver?

In this photo, we're just getting ready to start the hike to Linville Falls, where you'll find stunning views at several levels of both the falls and the river as it gorges through the turns in the rocks. Breathtaking, and not at all accommodating of photography. There's just no way to capture the whole experience when it is 360 degrees around you. Don't miss this spectacular hike along the Blue Ridge Parkway, and be sure to take your dog. You'll find more tips at the link.

Before you head out, be sure you're properly prepared: water, a power snack for both you and Fido, first aid kit, leash, and comfortable shoes or paw pads, depending on your species.

We visited in mid-September and clearly the rains had been good. There were areas where mud was unavoidable, but Oliver was a trooper and came home with the muddy paws to prove it. But I digress....

We chose ORGANIX Jerky Chip Cookies with 12% protein and organic ingredients to power Oliver's energy level for this demanding hike. Park rangers rate hiking difficulty to aid trail blazers in their choices. The hike to the Falls is rated "Difficult" and I can vouch for that. I had to stop a couple of times and catch my breath when we were heading up steps that were literally made of tree roots and rocks, covered with mud and puddles. Oliver, on the other hand, seemed to power along like the Eveready robot. I guess that ORGANIX cookie he scarfed down before we left did its job!

© AllThingsDogBlog.com
Looking Down on One Side of Linville

After a water break, another healthy snack, and a a photo session at the top levels, we all headed back down, finding that gravity made the descent a bit easier. We all felt better when we powered back up.

Watch for more helpful tips on your hiking adventures with fido, coming soon. Meanwhile, be sure to head on over to PetSmart to grab some Jerky Chip Cookies for your dog's power hikes.

Happy tails,

The All Things Dog Blog dogs eat ORGANIX, which is why we're super excited to share their banner ad on our site. Tanner wants you to know that his favorite Jerky Chip Cookie flavor is Chicken, but Castor and Pollux has several flavors available for your discriminating pooch. All opinions you find here are completely our own. 

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Happy 12th Birthday Wiggle!

Today is Wiggle's 12th birthday.  

Wiggle has had a quiet day and we've looked back on his previous birthday's since he arrived in 2008.

2008 -  6th Bithday:

2009 - 7th Birthday:

2010 - 8th Birthday:

2011: 9th Birthday:

2012: 10th Birthday:

2013 - 11th Birthday:

And today, 12 years young:

He's a bit greyer, a bit slower, more wobbly but I'm hoping to celebrate more birthdays with my special, sweet, wonderful Wiggle!

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Wiggle - Day 2,286

I wasn't the only one taking photo's at the Dogs Party last weekend - here are some of our favourite photo's of Wiggle taken by other people and shared on the LRSE&C Facebook page:

Today's blog entry is dedicated to the Mattacks family, in memory of beautiful Petal.  Sleep peacefully, special girl xx

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Doga Variations: Side Angle Yoga Pose

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

Are you tagging along on this Doga journey with us? Earlier we posted a series of short instructional doga videos, created especially for All Things Dog Blog Readers. Now we're circling back to share some variations on ways to make the poses a bit more easy. Sometimes we even share a tougher version, but it's all in fun. We want to inspire you to try including your dog in a home workout that will help you both bond more closely.

Today's pose is the Side Angle pose. You'll find the original video yoga instruction here. The classic version is a bit intimidating for some, but the images above show several ways that you can modify your angle to make it easier on your body. Take your time, working a single variations for as many practice sessions as you need, before moving down to a lower modifcation. Yoga should feel good, not hurt!

© AllThingsDogBlog.com
Add Challenge in Small Increments

If you're already on top of the classic pose, try adding some weight or not using the floor to support yours. I've worked up to using my little 10-pound Oliver as shown at left. Believe me, that small dog feels quite a bit heavier when I hold him like this. It's a great workout for my oblique and ab muscles, especially after I hold him for a few extra breaths.

Since this photo session, I've been able to work my stance lower, continuing to improve my balance and stability, while still holding Oliver. #GottaLuvBonding

Just to be clear, there are still days when I do not feel up to this level of a workout. I often drop back to easier versions when I'm overstressed or tired. Floor poses and inverted ones seem to energize me. 

Join me next week when I'll be sharing some ways to work on your balance with the

Airplane pose. If you don't have a larger dog like Tanner, you can use a chair, wall or dresser to aid your balance. Never fear, I'll also be offering some versions that don't have you lifitng your leg like Fido. ;)

Before I close, here's a list of our variations posts that you may find helpful in modifying your own home practice:

• Doga Easy Seated Pose with Pups--modifications
• Doga Modifications for Wide-Legged Seated Forward Fold
• Doggedly Seeking Yoga Pushups
• Improving Your Cobra Pose with Fido's Help
• Doga Bonding with No Hands
• Fido Helps with Forward Fold
• Doga Fun with Warrior I and II

Namaste,

If you're new to Doga or Yoga, please be sure to do these three things: (1) Get your doctor's permission to start this or any other workout, (2) Check with your vet to make sure your dog is able to participate in simple Doga exercises safely, and (3) visit our introductory post where I've outlined a few tips that will help your experience go more smoothly and enjoyable. Keep in mind that you can always stop if a pose is uncomfortable, returning to a relaxing pose.

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Home Sweet #FidosFreebieFriday!

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

It's so much fun to go on vacation, but also great to be back home. This week's arrival meant another Event Barkers Twitter Party to promote, along with some ModaPet bowls to give away, all after announcing 11 Halloween prizes and finally shipping our gator safety goodies off to their long-awaited new homes. What a busy week it has been already!

Now let's get to today's Fido's Freebie Friday. Bloggers are invited to list below 

their currently open giveaways, freebies, and prizes for pets and pet lovers so that readers may visit and explore items to win. You can help to get more awareness by sharing the badge you see in the top of my post. Feel free to put it in your sidebar, if you wish, but don't feel obligated.

Fido's Freebie Friday opens each Thursday afternoon for linkups at 4:00 PM ET, and renews each week at the same time with a new listing.  Link up anytime during the week--24/7. We make it easy to be seen here by keeping our rules simple:

•You have up to 45 characters to describe your prize and include an expiration date.

•Fido's Freebie Friday Blog Hop is open to posts with prizes for pet products or services, including pet-related or pet-themed items for owners. Use your specific post url to link up.You'll find assistance at our HELP PAGE, where there is other useful information for bloggers doing giveaways and reviews. Your hosts are All Things Dog Blog, DogTipper and To Dog With Love. 

Happy shopping! 

Individual rules of entry and guidelines for winning may apply to each listing. All Things Dog Blog, DogTipper, and To Dog With Love take no responsibility for the legality of the rules governing the listings on other sites and giveaways that are posted here. We simply provide this forum as a gathering place for pet product giveaways to be offered. Please consult All Things Dog Blog's Giveaway and Contest Rules for more detail. Fulfillment of each giveaway is done by the blog conducting the giveaway, not by the hosts of this giveaway hop; please contact the giveaway host with any questions regarding a giveaway or giveaway prize.

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Win Colorful Dog Bowls for Fido!

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

Win a ModaPet Bowl
 for Your Dog!

I can see from my stats that you guys are enjoying reading up on ModaPet's beautiful and Eco-friendly dog bowls. We love them too!  Between their lightweight and microwavable features, they're great for the RV and we love all the colors you'll find them in. They're also safe for the dishwasher and are BPA-free. Did you check it out here at ModaPet?

Now it's time to launch a giveaway. Three lucky winners will score the bowl of their choice--size, color, style. You'll find a wide variety of colors and several sizes to suit your pup and your decor. Have fun shopping, and dream of your favorite kitchen and dog bowl combo. :)

For the RV, I chose colors that photograph well, and that are very different. Oliver and Tanner easily knew which bowl was which when I served breakfast. Take a look at the closeup below and you'll see that Oliver's bowl (the teal blue one) is clearly smaller than Tanner's orange bowl.

Breakfast is Served!

The giveaway widget below will accept your entries when it's awakened. Sometimes you have to click on the title above to arouse it--works every time! Entries will remain open until midnight October 9. Winners will be announced Friday afternoon, October 10. 

Good luck!

ModaPet provided these bowls for us to use, review and share a giveaway. Products will be shipped from ModaPet. We were not compensated to provide our opinions in the review or to manage this giveaway.a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Non-Slip Dog Bowls for Home and RV

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

© AllThingsDogBlog.com
Waiting Permission for Breakfast--RV Style

While on a 2-week trek up the Blue Ridge Parkway, the All Things Dog Blog crew had a chance to try out our new Moda Pet bowls in the RV. After our first trip we had quickly discovered that we needed some sort of non-slip bottom to keep our dogs' bowls from sliding around while Mario Andretti was at the wheel. That's my nickname for hubs, who is ever the safe driver, but it's fun to joke about crazy driving when a u-turn is a necessity. Thankfully, the RV we chose is quite capable of making a safe u-turn without it becoming a 3-point turn--never a good thing.

Back to the bowls. Our contact at Moda Pet sent us two bowls that were ideally sized for Tanner and Oliver. We had our choice of colors--lots available--and were able to make sure the dogs each got a differently shaped bowl in a unique color. This is not only good for the dogs to keep their bowls straight, but it helps the cook get the right amount of food in the correct bowl. Ahem!

So, you may be wondering, what else can she say about these bowls. Surprisingly, there is much! They are extremely lightweight so as not to add to the already overloaded RV for a longer trip this time. Made of a microwave safe material, I was easily able to warm up the water that Oliver's kibble is softened with. Yes, he has a special need to eat his favorite ORGANIX dinner in a softer form, the result of a throat injury last year. All is well and this bowl was a great addition to the RV easing this task.

While the RV doesn't have a dishwasher on board, the bowls did get tossed into ours at home for a good cleaning after our trip. Who doesn't love to have a machine wash their dishes?!!!

© AllThingsDogBlog.com
Now Let's Eat!

Now for the EcoPetStrategist's (yes, that's me!) comments: These bowls are BPA-free and made with food grade plastics, which is an extremely big deal for me being a cancer survivor. Score one for Moda Pet! You can follow @EcoPetStrategy on Twitter for more Eco-friendly pet lifestyle tips. While you're there, be sure to follow @ModaPet and Like Moda Pet on Facebook.

You'll also find ModaPet on YouTube and Pinterest. What's next for ModaPet? Maybe Instagram, my new fave for sharing!

Ready to order your non-slip, Eco-friendly ModaPet bowl? You can order online or find a store near you here. We especially love the wide variety of styles, colors and sizes available, making it possible to match your decor and your dog's size requirement. Now go explore, and get ready for our upcoming giveaway.

Happy tails,

Tanner and Oliver were asked to try out the ModaPet bowls in our RV, and we were thrilled to give them a test run. We loved their many features we have shared above, but were not compensated to share this information with you.

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