Dogs and Sticks

Rocco already loves to retrieve, and there's nothing better than a big stick!

The bigger the better!

Check out more fun at the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop!

A Happy Travel Tail and Giveaway! #DogTested

With a young pup in the family,  I find we're doing an awful lot of driving -- to training classes and fun outings like dog hikes and dog shows, and simply to run errands so that Rocco will be a fearless traveler.  So with all those miles we're racking up, I thought it would be fun to check out the Subaru Dog Matchmaker on the Subaru Dog Tested Facebook app.

Turns out a bone-chewing, squirrel-chasing young Havanese is best suited for a Subaru Impreza.  And with all the miles we're covering, we are super impressed with the 36 MPG highway rating. That IS something to wag about! 

Check out the app yourself, and while you are there you can make a Canine Driver's License, like this one! Just a note... you'll want to use an imaginary address since your pup's license will be visible on the site. 

As part of the Subaru Dog Tested Facebook app, you can also "Put Your Dog in a Subaru" and "Ask an Expert". It's all in good fun, just like the Subaru Dog Tested commercials.

By the way, did you know that Subaru owners are two times more likely than the average car owner to have a pet? We imagine it must be because of its award-winning safety features, generous cargo room and the incredible mileage you'll get on those numerous dog outings. Drive two hours to an agility trial?  No problem when you get 36 mpg!

More fun stuff!

Kick off your weekend with even more fun and a chance to win some awesome prizes!

Enter via Rafflecopter below and you might walk away with a nice bonus to buy plenty of extra treats for you AND your pup! One first-place prize winner will receive a $350 Visa gift card and one second-place prize winner will receive a $150 Visa gift card. The winners will be announced within 48 hours after the contest closes. Giveaway runs through Sunday, February 24 at 11:59 p.m. ET. You can enter once every day until then, so you better get started!

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This post is sponsored by Subaru. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about the Dog Tested. Dog Approved.™ campaign, but as always, To Dog With Love only shares news for things we support.

Does Your Dog Shred Paper?

Who me?

Was your dog born with the paper shredding gene? Ask most any Havanese owner and they'll tell you their pups love to shred. 

Caught you red-handed!

The scene of the crime

The artist... at work

Paper shredding is rather amusing, until you have to clean it up.  But it also can be dangerous if your dog swallows large amounts of paper. Rocco seems to be a purist, enjoying the sport of shredding rather than consuming it. But I still think it would be fun to train him to retrieve paper instead of shredding it.

Other things you can do to avoid toilet paper shredding:

• Store your toilet paper out of the reach of young pups
• Take it off the toilet paper holder, but place it high enough so your pup can't reach the loose roll (clearly I forgot to do that!). Or simply keep the bathroom door closed!
• Keep your pup occupied with approved items like a stuffed Kong and other play and training activities that you can supervise

Perhaps most importantly, as a new puppy owner I am constantly reminded that Rocco should never be left unsupervised, even for a moment. He enjoys his comfy crate and it's the perfect place to let him safely rest while I'm occupied with other things. 

Do you have a good solution for paper shredding?

Your Pet Love Tail Could Land You a Spot in an Iams National Ad!

Puppy love tails!

This Valentine’s Day pet lovers can celebrate their heartfelt love for their four-legged friends through the Iams Love Tails contest. Beginning February 14, Iams will search for real stories from pet owners about the unique bond they share with their dogs and cats. And, the winning two and four-legged “family” will star in an Iams national advertisement! Consumers can log on to the Iams Facebook page from February 14 through March 3 of this year, and follow the easy steps to enter the contest.

Building off the highly successful Keep Love Strong advertising campaign unveiled in November of last year, which features heart-warming ads inspired by real stories, this contest is designed to find the very best Love Tails featuring the special connections people share with their animals.

Iams Love Tails Contest Details

• Submit your story from Feb. 14 through March 3 by visiting the Iams Facebook page and following the easy steps. (Note: You'll submit your photo and story on the Tongal entry page. Look for the red SUBMIT button on the right.)
• Phase 1 (Love Tails submission phase): Share a photo and tell Iams in 500 characters or less about the unique relationship you have with your dog or cat and how Iams helps you show your love.
• Once the submission phase is over, Iams will select 50 stories (25 dog and 25 cat) as semi-finalists.
• From the semi-finalist Love Tails, Iams will select 10 finalists (5 dog and 5 cat) and each will win a cash prize and free Iams food for a year.
• In April, Iams will ask its Facebaook fans to choose their favorite Love Tail from the group of finalists and one grand prize winner will be selected.

Note: While this ultimately is a video contest via Tongal, you can choose to only participate in Phase 1 (submit a photo and brief essay) for a chance to have your story filmed and featured in an Iams national ad.  See Phase 1: Love Tails for more information. 

Wordless Wednesday: Social Media Dog

Photo by Phyllis Ensley

Rocco gets a lesson on how to check his Twitter account on an iPhone. It's never too early to teach a young pup social media skills!

Meetup for a Dog Walk on Freedom Parkway Trail

Rocco's ready to blaze a trail on our group dog walk Sunday

If you're looking for a fun activity to do with your dog and other dog lovers, check out the dog activity groups on meetup.com. This past weekend, Rocco and I went on our first walk with the Mongrels Mania group.  If you're in the Atlanta area, check them out! They plan lots of fun dog-friendly events.

This particular walk meandered along the Freedom Parkway Trail in Atlanta. We covered about six miles, roundtrip from Candler Park to the Jefferson Street Bridge near downtown Atlanta.

Rocco quickly made friends with the other fur pals in the group.

And he immediately connected with another Havanese!

There are plenty of interesting things to see along the route.

We worked our way over to the Jefferson Street bridge where we enjoyed the view of the Atlanta skyline.

And stopped by the Carter Center on the way back. Rocco enjoys the fountains!

Around the back of the Carter Center we found a beautiful duck pond with a view of the city.

The dogs and people had a terrific time.  To find a dog-friendly Meetup near you, go to meetup.com and search for "dog" or any interest of your choice near your city. You'll find all sorts of activities for all types of dogs.

Do you have a favorite Meetup group?

Is your car dog tested, dog approved?

Is that Rocco test-driving a Subaru?!

Even before I brought Rocco home, I knew he was a precocious pup. He was up for a good game of tug before he was eight weeks old and he wasted no time in settling into our home and devising his own agility course -- zooming around, over and under the tables and chairs in our living and dining rooms!

But I never thought I'd catch him testing-driving cars. Ok, he wasn't REALLY driving, but he did take a virtual test drive at the Subaru Dog Tested App Facebook landing page.

Come to think of it, why WOULDN'T you take your dog to test drive a car. After all, I let Rocco redecorate my living room with toys, balance discs and wobble boards. He needs to feel equally comfy in our car, right?

When it comes to cars, we both agree there needs to be plenty of room for dog crates and dog accessories and a smooth, safe, comfortable ride. And when Rocco gets old enough, he'll certainly go see Grant Weber, Subaru Canine sales associate. He's the nice fellow featured in the latest Subaru Dog Tested, Dog Approved ads.



One thing about Grant that's pretty cool is that he knows a growing family can be a pawful. That's why he makes it easy to buy a safe, puppy-friendly new Subaru. Check out the adorable pups in the latest Subaru ads!

Grant's all the dogs' favorite sales associate in the Subaru Dog Tested, Dog Approved campaign. And he certainly does a good job catering to all dog's needs. Even lap dogs get a chance to go for a spin with the help of Grant. 

You can check out more Dog Tested fun on the Subaru Dog Tested App Facebook Landing Page.

This post is sponsored by Subaru. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about the Dog Tested. Dog Approved.™ campaign, but as always, To Dog With Love only shares news for things we support.

Do You Trust Your Chicken Jerky Dog Treats?

You can win these Made in the USA
dog treats from Hill's

Chicken jerky treats for dogs have certainly been a hot topic for the past few years. Throughout 2011, the FDA saw an increase in the number of complaints it received of dog illnesses associated with chicken jerky products imported from China. And it seems we keep reading about these stories.

The good news is there are plenty of treats made and sourced right here in the USA. I know lots of my friends look for the Made in the USA label before buying any treats.

So we were excited to hear from our pals at Hill's about a fun giveaway for Made in the USA dog treats. Read all the way down to enter!

What Hill’s wants you to know is their entire line of Hill’s® Ideal Balance™ treats are all made in the USA, naturally preserved with no artificial colors or flavors and made from only the best ingredients.  

So whether you choose the Ideal Balance Jerky Strips with real chicken or the one's with real beef, you can buy them with confidence.

Rocco wants you to know that Hill's Ideal Balance Jerky Strips
 with Real Beef are made in the USA too. Rocco's doing a good job
learning to pose for pictures, don't you think?! 

Enough talk... let's give away some treats!

Enter to win 

Enter via Rafflecopter below to win TWO bags of Hill’s® Ideal Balance™Jerky Strips with Real Chicken.   So you can share one and spread the love or just keep them all for yourself! We'll pick 10 WINNERS!

Prizes must be mailed to a U.S. mailing address. Enter by February 16 for a chance to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Catching Treats On the Go With the Bark4Green Dogs

We love the dog videos Keith Hopkin has been creating. Here's his latest featuring the dogs of Bark4Green, a small dog treat company based in Miami and run by a husband and wife team.

Watch how much fun their dogs have, hanging out and catching treats! The treats look pretty swell too. According to the Bark4Green website they use all natural, human quality ingredients and the treats are made in the USA. Their packaging is 100 percent biodegradable too. Wheeee! 

Young Pups Learn the Show Dog Ropes in AKC 4 to 6 Month Beginner Puppy Competition

Rocco shows what he's made of!

This weekend we headed out to the dog show in Atlanta where Rocco had his first  experience in the conformation show ring. In the breed rings, dogs can start competing when they are six months old. But the AKC has introduced an event where puppies can get some experience starting at four months old!

Rocco stands on the table for examination by the judge, just like the big boys 

 While the pups are put through the same paces as the more experienced dogs, the intent is for 4 to 6 Month Beginner Puppy to be a fun and inviting experience for the young ones, while they get the added benefit of puppy socialization.

What do you think Kate's telling Rocco?

Rocco and his sister Kate both competed, taking the intention of this event to heart, having a friendly romp in the ring while the judge wasn't looking!

Kate shows her winning form while Rocco takes a little longer to compose himself

But when it's time to show, the pups get back to it! Here you can see why Kate won Best Puppy in her class while Rocco took an admirable Best of Opposite (meaning he was the best boy, since Kate -- a girl -- won top honors).

Then we headed over to the Havanese breed ring, where the pups are a little older and wiser.

Just about every weekend, there are dog shows like this one being held in towns across the country. They're great fun for the whole family and there's great shopping at the vendor booths too! To check out the show schedule in your town take a look at the event schedule here.

Watch the #PuppyBowl with New Co-Viewing App! #SubaruBP

Earlier this week we shared a sneak peak at Subaru's new Dog Tested, Dog Approved commercials.  They'll air during the big game this Sunday... the Puppy Bowl, of course!

And now we've learned Subaru is planning to make Puppy Bowl viewing even more fun with a new co-viewing app. To prepare for the big game, you can download the app now via this link: http://blogp.ws/Wxa8ia. But you'll have to wait until the airing of the Puppy Bowl at 3 p.m. ET/PT Sunday on Animal Planet to experience the exclusive Puppy Bowl and Subaru content. It will also work during the re-air (check local listing). 

The app is available for tablet and mobile devices and works in unison with the broadcast.  Check out the following link for more: http://animal.discovery.com/tv-shows/puppy-bowl/games-and-more/puppy-bowl-plus.htm

Each year Subaru of America celebrates the love between owners and dogs with the Dog Tested. Dog Approved.™ campaign. This year, Subaru introduces Grant Weber, Subaru Canine Sales Associate. Having sold Subaru vehicles to only dogs, there’s simply no better friend to man’s best friend. No matter size, breed, or temperament, he’ll find the right Subaru for your needs. So if you’re a dog, and you’re looking for a Subaru, head on down to see Grant Weber. You’ll leave with your tail held high.

This post is sponsored by Subaru. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about the Dog Tested. Dog Approved.™ campaign, but as always, To Dog With Love only shares news for things we support.