Join #FidosFreebieFriday to #TreatRight

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

The Event Barkers social media team just announced another exciting Twitter Party, sponsored by Merrick Petcare--#TreatRight. The grain free and gluten free dog treats to be promoted will be given away in big batches to 10 lucky winners. Be sure to RSVP and enter the pre-party giveaways using the link below!

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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Wiggle - Day 2,311

Today Wiggle came to work with me.

We had arranged to do a Pets as Therapy visit after work and it was easier to go straight there rather than home and back so I was glad to be able to take Wiggle into the office.  Sofy stayed home with a tasty stuffed Kong and was sleepy when we got back.

Wiggle had met the office dog Lilly before so she was happy to share the office:

After lots of meeting and greeting, Wiggle took a short nap:

Then some more wandering around with Lilly:

Wiggle decided to lay under my desk but Lilly wanted him to come out and play:

After Lilly had gone home, Wiggle had a rest before it was time to leave and go and visit the lovely residents at the care home:

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My Merrick #TreatRight Review

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

© AllThingsDogBlog.com
Let's Get to Work, Mom!

As we prepared for the announcement of the #TreatRight Twitter Party and this product review, I prepared a photo shoot set. Tanner and Oliver now know that the appearance of the yoga mat means that their company is requested. I always invite them to join me for yoga practice, no matter what I'm working on. Their companionship is not only important for our bonding, but helps them become comfortable with the funky things I try, even when I'm not including them in a pose. 

Tanner and Oliver do get a fab benefit for joining me. They get a #TreatRight snack from

© AllThingsDogBlog.com
Have Treats. Will Travel.

one of our favorite treatmakers. Today they'll be noshing on Grammy's Pot Pie from Merrick's Kitchen Bites line. Doesn't that sound like a delicious homemade dinner? These treats are oven-baked with deboned meat as the first ingredient. Merrick adds fruits and veggies and bakes these treats to their crunchy, USA-made goodness. 

There's no corn, soy, or wheat in the Kitchen Bites treats; these babies are grain free and gluten free! Inspired by Merrick's award-winning classic canned foods, they're available in 6 flavors that will have you and Fido salivating. In addition to Grammy's Pot Pie, there's Cowboy Cookout, Turducken, Brauts-n-Tots, and the Wingalings that come in two flavors--Applewood Bacon Flavor and Hickory Smoke Flavor. This is country dinner treat time at its best!

Next up is the Power Bites line. These tiny, soft and chewy treats are packed with the highest protein in the industry, using meaty recipes and no sorbic acid--perfect for training your smart dog to do all his great tricks and nice behaviors. All natural and perfect for your higher energy Fido or training that needs a little extra encouragement. 

courtesy Merrick Petcare

Your dog's dental specialist will be pleased to know that Merrick now offers Dental Chews called Li'l Brush Bones. Clever, right?!! Oliver just finished his second one and there was no coersion required to encourage him to chow down. He was super eager to jump right in and work his jaws to clean his choppers.

The Merrick Jerky Chip Treats come in 4 oven-baked flavors to please your dog with the most discriminating palette. Look for chicken, beef, lamb and salmon flavors, all boasting their protein as the first ingredient. And remember, all of these Merrick treats are Grain Free and Gluten Free. Yum!

Let's wrap this ambitious review up with some important facts:

• Find a store near you using this Store Locator.
• Place an order online at this wide assortment of pet product online shopping sites.
• Don't miss the Merrick #TreatRight Twitter Party on Sunday, October 26. hosted by Event Barkers. Visit the link to enter our pre-party giveaways and RSVP for the fun.

See you at #TreatRight!

We are working with Merrick Petcare through our partnership in Event Barkers, a social media promotions company specializing in Twitter Parties for the pet industry. We only promote products we have checked out. You'll find additional details on our partner sites at DogTipper.com and ToDogWithLove.com. Join us!

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Join Us for #TreatRight with Merrick

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

Many of you know that I'm a big fan of Castor and Pollux. We feed the ORGANIX organic dog food to our dogs. While the boys do enjoy a snack or two here and there for their modeling work, we're lucky enough to get samples to try many of the Castor and Pollux brands, including Merrick's great line. 

Merrick is the parent company to Castor and Pollux, so we feel great about noshing on Merrick snacks when they arrive for us to taste test. I'll share Tanner and Oliver's thoughts in a review coming up this week. 

Today I'm acutally here to tell you about another fun Twitter Party to celebrate Merrick's line of treats and their healthy philosophy on treating responsibly. You guessed it; the prizes will include a boatload of treats. What's not to like about that?! I especially love the creative names for their treats; they just scream delicious!

Merrick and the Event Barkers team want to remind you to follow some basic health guidelines for responsible treating. We'll be sharing more of this wisdom at #TreatRight on October 26.:

• Not too many; not too large 
• Watch total calories of food and treats
• Think about fiber
• Consider clean teeth a priority
• Enjoy seasonal treats for Halloween
• Focus on grain-free, gluten-free, all-natural treats to leave allergies and toxins behind
• Steer clear of ingredients from China!

NINE prizes (approx. $70 value) at the #TreatRight party will include a Merrick treat box (includes five bags of Merrick all-natural dog treats) and a 4-pound bag of Grain-Free Chicken or Grain-Free Real Texas Beef dry food. One Grand Prize package (approx. value $120) will include a Merrick treat box (includes five bags of Merrick all-natural dog treats); 12-pound bag Grain-Free dry food with the winner's choice of protein; and $40 in additional wet food, dry food or treats (winner's choice). Watch for more details on the treat flavors coming mid-week. 

Lots of Rewards for Doga Practice Today!

Meanwhile, you can get started entering to win one of our pre-party prizes worth over $70 each, along with RSVPing for the #TreatRight party below, using the Giveaway Tools entry widget. If the widget is being persnickety, simply offer to give it a Merrick treat by clicking on the post title above. The entry form will come running for a yummy snack!

Good luck,

We are working with Merrick Petcare through our partnership in Event Barkers, a social media promotions company specializing in Twitter Parties for the pet industry. We only promote products we have checked out. You'll find additional details on our partner sites at DogTipper.com and ToDogWithLove.com. Join us!

Entry-Form

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Wiggle - Day 2,307

Wiggle had a bath today.  Despite being rubbed and cuddled in towels and then wearing his snug fleece to dry off, he still decided to look sad and woeful.  Poor Wiggle!

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Dogs Love the Child's Pose

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

We have worked our way through the modifying tips in our doga workout till we're finally back at Child's Pose. This is one of the most relaxing poses for me, offering an opportunity to join the dogs on the floor--which they love--and completely put my mind at rest as I work through the breathing. You'll find the original video yoga instruction (It's short!) here. 
I've had more emails and DMs about Child's Pose than most of the others, so I'm going to offer a number of ways to make it a little less challenging. Pick those that work for you and go from there. Take your time, remembering to use each exhale to sink further into your stretch. You'll likely be as amazed as I was. Let's get started by working through the numeric modifications I've placed in the collage above:

1. If you're okay being on your knees but finding that sitting on your feet doesn't work comfortably, try these tips. Roll your feet out and turn your toes of each foot in toward one another. This creates a cupping effect for your backside. Add a blanket or thin pillow to pad the area. One or both of these tips should make it possible for many of you to sit on your feet. If not, no worries. I'll address some other options below.
2. Stretching first toward the sky, lift your head, arms and chest, while allowing your shoulders to remain down and directly over your hips. After a few breaths, pivot forward keeping your back straight and going only as far as you're comfortable. Engage your core muscles to hold your position, breathing in and out a few times before returning to the beginning, if lowering is not an option for you. Listen to your body and heed it's warnings.
3. Here's where your big dog may come in handy as a block. Calling him to you, ask him to sit in front of you and use him as a block to aid in your somewhat lower position. This takes some of the work from your abs, while allowing you to bond with Fido. He'll know he's being your helper and will likely beam with pride. Tanner often breaks into a smile after I get settled using him as a block. I just love watching that smile of his.
4. If you decide you're going to take it a little lower, you'll need space. At this point, ask your dog to slide back. Tanner has a Back Up command; does your dog know Back Up? It's very handy and easy to teach with a pocketful of treats and a daily session, but let's get back to the Child's Pose. Placing your hands on the floor, slowly slide them forward--keeping your back straight--till you're as low as your muscles will allow today. Some days you'll find you are able to take it much lower, while others will find your muscles are very tight. Keep pumping that water to hydrate your thirsty muscles.
5. When you're low enough to snuggle, by all means grab your dog and enjoy this bonding time. This is just a short distance from placing your head on the floor, which is the ultimate Child's Pose. No need to worry about that goal today. Just find time to bond with your dog while you're at the same level as he is. Our dogs love this!
6. Moving up to the large image in my collage, you'll find that Oliver has taken an opportunity to try out the saddle position. Who knew!  He's not really taking to it like crazy, but he does give it a shot every now and then. I'm not pushing it, but if I place a treat on my back while I languish in the Child's Pose, he'll often get curious and hop up to snag the yummy. Today's snack was a Good Buddy treat by Castor and Pollux, in a new Fall flavor: Pumpkin and Apple. Doesn't that just shout Halloween?!

courtesy Amazon.com

Now let's touch on another tip to help as you approach the bottom of the Child's Pose. Using a block or your large dog's back as a block, you can rest your forhead on a comfy spot to keep from having to hold yourself as you hover above the ground. Of course hovering is great for your core muscles, but there's just so much of that you can do. There's a lot you can do to adjust your poses with a set of yoga blocks, and they're cheap as exercise aids go. You'll find a very reasonable brand at this link on Amazon. Be sure to grab 2 so you can keep one on each side. Sometimes moving to grab your block is hard as you continue to progress, and you'll wish you had that second block. Pick your color from this surprising selection. And check out some ways you can use them to modify your position:

Now let's get back to your feet. Some of my readers have told me that their knees are not flexible enough to make sitting on their feet an option. Here are some other ways to work this pose if you're having knee issues. Don't fight the pain. Yoga should never hurt!

• Sit on a chair to work the Child's Pose, using the back of another chair to gradually fold forward. The ultimate goal would be to place your stomach and chest in your own lap, but if you never get there, that's okay too.
• If you're facing the seat of a chair, place a block or a dog (only if he's happy there) on the seat to use as a resting spot for your forehead. Engage your abs and don't forget to start at the top with a good vertical stretch.
• Follow the rest of the strategies above once you're comfortably seated in a chair and are facing another chair to use in place of the floor. Your knees should be happy now, yes?

Are you interested in trying these Good Buddy treats? They come in 3 mouth-watering flavors: Cheddar Cheese, Peanut Butter, and Pumpkin and Apple. Let's try a giveaway and see what you guys can tell us about your doga practice or other ways that you exercise and bond with your dogs. 

These favorites of Tanner and Oliver's definitely have a #DogaTreats quality. We like to make sure the boys #TreatRight, and at under 22 calories for a full-sized cookie, these are low-calorie and delicious. That's important so that I can offer a bonding snack to reward the boys for joining me, while assuring that I'm not over-feeding them in high calorie treats when they're not burning lots of energy. We'll save the higher-calorie snacks for hiking and other high intensity activities.

Now it's your turn to Tweet about your workouts with Fido and his #DogaTreats. Even if you don't participate in yoga, I'm sure many of you have an exercise regimen that includes your dog. Walking definitely qualifies! Tell us about it and include both the hashtags #DogaTreats and #TreatRight. You can Tweet or Instagram a photo using the hashtag. This giveaway has been extended through midnight Thursday, November 6. We can't wait to see your pictures and your Tweets. 

Not into Twitter or Instagram pics? It's okay. You can just RT mine if you've got a Twitter account: 

Hope u r tuning in 2nite 4 #TreatRight 2 learn healthy treating tips. Tanner+Oliver r ready: http://t.co/ONOoS77ys9 #DogaTreats
— Carrie Boyko (@AllThingsDog) October 26, 2014

This giveaway will remain open through Thursday, November 6. I'll report the winners' names here Friday, November 7. Ready, set, go!

PS. One stat I tend to watch is my top 5 blog post topics. Today I checked this after not paying attention for a good while. Turns out one of my top 5 is 8 Things I Have Learned from Practicing Doga. Enjoy!

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.

All Things Dog Blog currently shares an advertisement for Castor and Pollux Pet. We choose to work with this company because we have found their products to be of superior quality. 

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Kurgo Winners Grab First Aid on the Go

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

Take Care While Hiking

Thanks to all of you who showed your interest in and support for making sure your pets are well cared for when they need first aid while out and about with you. Many of you indicated a need to add a first aid kit to your car as well as to have one for outings like Fall hikes. 

Just today we finally had a slight reduction in the usual Florida heat. It's 81 degrees and glorious. After work we'll be taking an extra long walk just to celebrate this spectacular weather. Hallelujah!

I'm excited to announce the winners of our 5 Kurgo first aid kits that strap onto your belt or backpack for easy, hands-free carrying while you're out walking or hiking. Congratulations to Megan S., Abby C., Bryn N., Brynn D., and Joann S. It's wonderful to see familiar names that have stuck around, and also grand to hear new names that have just joined out readership. Welcome aboard!

I'll be in touch with our winners via my AllThingsDogBlog@gmail.com email account.

courtesy Kurgo.com

Watch your inboxes and your spam files to assure you don't miss your email. I'll need your correct full name and a shipping address. Feel free to email me directly if you prefer not to wait. 

For those of you who are not on the winners' list this time, I encourage you to soak up the review and the information at the giveaway post. Perhaps then you'll want to order yourself one on the Kurgo website to make sure you're prepared. Thanks again for joining us.

Happy tails,

A Kurgo First Aid Kit was provided to us for review and trial. The comments above are completely my own observations. I was not paid to provide this review or the giveaway.

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