Help us Decide on a Halloween Costume for Rocco and Giveaway from Petco

It's hard to believe that Halloween is already right around the corner, and here's your chance to win a fun Halloween costume for your dog from Petco!

Read all the way down to enter, but first, please help us decide what Rocco should be for Halloween!

I think this Taco Dog Costume from Petco suits Rocco perfectly. He also seems comfortable in it, which gives it extra high marks from us.

Rocco's wearing a medium and it's a perfect fit.

I love this Football Costume from Petco. And since I also love carrying Rocco around like a football, I think this is super cute on him.

Rocco's wearing a medium/large which fits his length but it's a little big around his body which makes it slip a little.

I think it would fit perfectly on a pug-shaped dog or similar shorter-backed dog.

This Bat Sweater from Petco has eyes that light up and it's also super cute on Rocco.

It's also a comfortable fit in a size medium.

This Sushi Costume is actually meant for a cat, but Rocco squeezed into it with no problem!

It comes in one size -- to fit most kitties -- and I think it would be adorable on a tiny dog too.

It's a bit short on Rocco's back but fits perfectly around his body.

Don't tell Rocco I posted this photo of him in the Devil with Tutu costume from Petco!

I was going to find a girl dog to model it, but it looked so good on him I couldn't resist.

This also comes in one size fits most -- for small dogs.

Rocco also got a visit from these fun Halloween toys from Petco! You can check out all the costumes, toys and treats from Petco's Halloween Bootique here!

Let us know which costume you like best and then enter our giveaway below!




Win a Halloween Costume from Petco!

Enter via Rafflecopter below to win either an adorable Devil with Tutu Costume or a sporty Football Costume from Petco (modeled by Rocco, above!). Sizes available for small to medium sized dogs only.  U.S. winners only.

Good Luck!

Disclosure: Petco sent us a box of adorable Halloween goodies (modeled above) and will provide the giveaway prizes. All opinions expressed herein are our own.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

How to Use a FitPaws Wobble Board for Agility Training

When Rocco was a wee pup -- not too long ago! -- I bought a couple of items from FitPaws to help him feel comfortable walking on a variety of surfaces as well as for balance and core strength training.

Today I'm going to show you how we've used the 20" FitPaws Wobble Board to help prepare Rocco for the agility teeter AND to teach a two-on, two off contact.

When Rocco was just a few months old, he practiced walking across the Wobble Board. He felt the motion of it tipping and also learned to balance in the middle. He learned that it was fun to hear the noise it made as it tipped back and forth -- getting him prepared for the motion and noise of the agility teeter.

The folks at FitPaws say that balance training can help dogs with body awareness and self-confidence as they learn to master a changing and unstable environment. Puppies can be started early with balance training, like Rocco did, giving him a good head-start on getting in top condition both physically and mentally!

Check out how some other pups use FitPaws Wobble Boards for balance and core strength training and then see how Rocco practices his two-on, two off contact technique in the video below!

Rocco knows that "feet" means that his two rear feet should be on the board while his front feet are off.  That translates to him learning that he should pause briefly in that position on the bottom of agility contact equipment -- the teeter, A-frame and dog walk. That technique is used to help dogs understand they need to drive all the way to the bottom to each piece of equipment and not fly off from potentially unsafe heights!

The Wobble Board adds the extra challenge of motion, and by starting early, Rocco gained lots of confidence on things that move. How does your pup feel about things that move underfoot? 

The fun and games continue every Friday with FitDog Friday, the weekly Blog Hop brought to you by To Dog With Love, SlimDoggy and Peggy's Pet Place to promote a healthy active lifestyle for pets (and their people, too!) and to help combat pet obesity. Join in every Friday by linking up your FitDog story or visiting the blogs in the Hop.

Adventures in Pet-Sitting: How to Become One, How to Find One

Last week we set off on an adventure to add a pet-sitter to Rocco's "staff"! We found a terrific sitter on Rover.com and we were all set to have our first "meet and greet" so we could see if Rocco and his new pet-sitter would be a good match.

But before we met, our potential sitter let us know that she'd be moving about 30+ minutes away. And since we were specifically looking for a sitter located near us, we decided to continue our search on Rover.com. The good new is, that's easy to do since Rover allows you to search by zip code and there are at least 20 sitters located close to us.

BUT, since our potential sitter KristyAnn B. looked like a terrific sitter with TONS of positive reviews, we just couldn't let her go! So we asked her what she loved about Rover.com and how it helped her grow her own pet-sitting business.

Photos courtesy of KristyAnn B.

KristyAnn also is a fabulous photographer. Those are photos of her charges, above, as well as a nice photo of KristyAnn sharing some puppy love!

KristyAnn has been a Rover.com pet-sitter for about a year and a half. Here's what she has to say:

Me: Why did you join Rover.com?
KristyAnn: I joined Rover.com to expand my business. I am a member of another site as well and I wanted to see what Rover had to offer.

Me: How has Rover.com helped your pet-sitting business?
KristyAnn: I can safely say I doubled my client base. Plus I like the added customer support. When I started I had random questions and Rover's customer support staff was very helpful. I also like the live chat option and they are very quick to respond.

Me: Do you have any suggestions for pet owners to help make their pet's visit more comfortable?
KristyAnn: Always be upfront and honest about your pet's bad traits so that we have a clear picture of how to care for your pup. Try to set up a meet and greet before the stay so you have a chance to meet the sitter and see where Rover will be staying.

Thanks KristyAnn! We wish you were staying in the neighborhood!

To list your pet-sitting business on Rover.com,  all you have to do is create a free profile, set your own price, and decide if you want to watch dogs in your own home or travel to the owner's home. Read more about becoming a Rover.com dog-sitter.

Join the Rover.com Twitter Party on Thursday, Oct. 3 to learn more!

Here's a way to learn even more about Rover and get answers to your questions! On Thursday, October 3 join the #RoverChat on Twitter from 9-10 EST and follow @RoverDotCom. Hope to see you there!

Special Offer for To Dog With Love readers

Check out Rover.com and be sure to use coupon code TDWL25 to get $25 off your first visit!  You can redeem the code here now and it will be there for you to use until the end of 2013!

Are you a pet sitter or do you use a pet sitter? How did you find your pet sitter? And would you offer pet-sitting services in your own home? Let me know in the comments below!


Disclosure: We are being compensated for our honest review of Rover.com services. All opinions expressed herein are our own, and at To Dog With Love we only share information we think will be of value and interest to our readers. 

Watch us "Play" on Homes.com Today!

Our backyard is featured as a place to "play" on Homes.com today! It's all part of the Homes.com Inspiring Home Moments campaign.

Some of you may remember that I bought my backyard (and house) so that Cosmo would have a place to play.  Before that, we lived in a condo and it was tough raising an active dog without a yard. That's ultimately why we started doing agility, so that Cosmo would have an outlet and a place to play.

But now, it's been a lot easier raising a young pup like Rocco with our own place to play unleashed. And, we have a place where we can practice agility skills everyday. Short little practice sessions work great, especially with a young pup.

So what's the biggest thing you've ever bought for YOUR pet? Let me know in the comments below. And then check out our home story on Homes.com!

Droolworthy Meals from Ideal Balance and a Gourmet Giveaway!

There's good reason Rocco's face is all slobbery and wet!

He just dove into a bowl of Hill's Ideal Balance Braised Lamb and Vegetables Recipe and now he's begging for more!

We like feeding a combination of wet and dry food and now Ideal Balance offers a whole menu's worth of options for both dogs and cats -- including treats -- to ensure pets are getting complementary natural nutrition.

That means that the folks at Hill's have developed an entire meal line-up for dogs and cats that provides natural ingredients in perfect balance -- with no corn, wheat or soy and no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives.

And the treats look mighty tasty too in flavors like Oven-Baked Naturals with Lamb and Apricot and Soft-Baked Naturals with Duck and Pumpkin!

Rocco had a big time digging into his yummy bowl full of Ideal Balance Braised Lamb and Vegetables and now TWENTY lucky To Dog With Love readers will get the chance to win a terrific Hill's Ideal Balance gift basket filled with yummy goodies!

Enter to win a dog or cat gift basket from Hill's Ideal Balance!

A look at some of the items you might win! Dog not included.

Enter via Rafflecopter below. Twenty lucky winners will receive a totally awesome Hill's Ideal Balance dog or cat gift basket that includes the following:

Ideal Balance Dog gift basket:

• Hill's Ideal Balance Grain-Free Natural Chicken & Potato Recipe Adult -- 3.5 lb bag
• Hill's Ideal Balance wet food -- 6 cans
• Hill's Ideal Balance Treats -- 2 bags variety
• Dog bowl
• Blanket

Ideal Balance Cat gift basket:

• Hill's Ideal Balance Grain-Free Natural Chicken & Potato Recipe Adult -- 2 lb bag
• Hill's Ideal Balance wet food variety pack -- 6 cans case
• Hill's Ideal Balance Crunchy Naturals with Real Tuna
• Cat bowl
• Place mat

Entries open to U.S. only.  Good luck! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I have been compensated for completion of this article. Hill's Pet Nutrition, Inc. is not responsible for the content of this article.

Help Your Pet Look Fabulous with a $150 Giveaway from Pet360!

Pet360 is giving away a Deluxe Grooming Package for Dogs and Cats!  One winner will receive a prize package worth approximately $150.00 in fabulous grooming products. 

Take a look at what you can win and then enter here until September 30.

• Earthbath Hypo-allergenic fragrance free wipes for cats and dogs
• Earthbath totally natural pet care eye wipes
• A Furminator de-shedding brush (exact product depends on whether winner is a cat or dog)
• Four Paws Ultimate Touch Safety Pet Nail clipper for dogs & cats
• Furminator de-shedding spray 
• C.E.T. Toothpaste and Fingerbrush for dogs & cats
• Pearhead Pawprints Wall Frame to showcase a picture of your pet looking furry and fabulous

There are LOTS of great products here. In fact, I just purchased the Earthbath grooming and eye wipes for Rocco and they work great to keep his long coat fresh. We also use the C.E.T. Toothpaste and brush and Rocco loves the poultry flavored toothpaste! I think he'd consume the whole tube at once if I let him.

Don't forget... the giveaway ends on  September 30 so enter here now!

Good luck!

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Pet360. I am being compensated for spreading the word about Pet360.com, but To Dog With Love only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers.

Hiking with Dogs at Red Top Mountain

Rocco pauses on a log on the White Tail Trail at Red Top Mountain

Last weekend we joined up with one of our favorite dog hiking Meetup groups for a hike at Red Top Mountain State Park in Cartersville, Ga.  One of the fun things about Meetup groups is discovering places we haven't been before. And while I've been to Red Top Mountain, I didn't know about the Iron Hill Bike/Hike trail, the 3.9 mile trail we tackled with our Meetup group last weekend.

Red Top Mountain was once an important mining area for iron, and this trail is named for the soil's rich red color caused by high iron-ore content.

One of the nice things about this trail it winds along the banks of Lake Allatoona, and there's a nice spot where dogs can swim. However the park rules say that pets should be kept on a leash at all times with a maximum leash length of six feet. So the dogs in our group waded in, but there wasn't a whole lot of swimming.

After our walk along the scenic Iron Hill Trail, we decided to explore a few more trails in the park. Red Top Mountain has more than 15 miles of hiking trails including:

• The Lakeside Trail, a .75-mile paved trail suitable for wheelchairs that includes a reconstructed 1860s log cabin
• The WhiteTail Trail, a 1-mile trail that leads to a scenic point at the edge of Lake Allatoona

We decided to explore these first since they seemed most scenic.

First we explored the paved Lakeside trail, above, which included the 1869 homestead, benches along the banks and a dock with a lovely view of the lake.

Then, we headed to the White Tail trail -- named after Rocco's white tail... or maybe not! This is the trail that winds up at a scenic point overlooking the 12,000 acre Lake Allatoona. Rocco and I enjoyed the view from the rocks. 

We'll have to go back another day to check out the three other trails that range from .75 miles to 5.5 miles in length. 

Special Prize Giveaway by Cloud Star

This week we will be randomly selecting one of the commenters from the FitDog Friday blog hosts: SlimDoggy, Peggy’s Pet Place and To Dog With Love.  The selected commenter will receive a sample pack of dog treats courtesy of Cloud Star, makers of Dynamo Dog Functional Treats.  Make sure to share your FitDog Friday thoughts in the comments below and on our co-hosts blogs and you may win a great prize for your fit dog!

The fun and games continue every Friday with FitDog Friday, the weekly Blog Hop brought to you by To Dog With Love, SlimDoggy and Peggy's Pet Place to promote a healthy active lifestyle for pets (and their people, too!) and to help combat pet obesity. Join in every Friday by linking up your FitDog story or visiting the blogs in the Hop.

Why Rocco Needs a Pet-Sitting Staff

Rocco and I on a recent adventure!

Why, you might wonder, does Rocco need a pet-sitting staff when he is such a great traveler and adventurer?

Even though we love doing things and going places together, there are some times when traveling with your dog just isn't the right thing to do... business trips, for example. Not everyone is keen on having my wonderful pup show up at a meeting (hard to believe, I know!)

So why does he need an entire STAFF, you ask?

There's nothing worse than getting caught in a situation when you have to travel and all your trusted pet sitters aren't available. Trust me, even with the wonderful staff we've already assembled, it's happened to me.

Too bad Rocco can't always come along

That's why I started checking out Rover.com, a pet-sitting community that connects dog owners with sitters for in-home dog stays. I was looking for a pet-sitter who would be convenient, trustworthy and would watch Rocco in their own home.  I like the idea of that personalized attention and I think Rocco is happiest in a home environment too.

So I did a quick search to see what I would find and I found a few pet sitters who were located close to me. A few looked like good prospects to add to our "staff" with lots of positive reviews and extra credentials like certifications in dog first aid and CPR and access to round-the-clock veterinary assistance.

And then lo and behold, as the pet-sitting gods would have it, I received an opportunity to join the Rover.com ambassador program and help spread the word about their pet-sitting services. So I looked a little deeper.

I learned some more cool things about Rover.com like...

• Rover.com is the largest online dog care community in the country with thousands of hand-selected and insured dog sitters
• Rover offers 24/7 vet advice through their Ask-A-Vet service
• They also provide photo and video updates (something I LOVE to see when I'm on the road without Rocco)
• 95 percent of Rover sitters are rated 5-stars by fellow members -- their highest rating

In the next few weeks I'll be sharing more of my own experiences with Rover.com. Next week, we have our first Meet and Greet. That's where Rocco and I will meet the sitter I selected from our Rover search. We'll go to her house so we can see how Rocco fits in and I can ask more questions and see if it's the right fit for us.

Special Offer for To Dog With Love readers

Check out Rover.com and if you book a dog-sitting visit, be sure to use coupon code TDWL25 to get $25 off your first visit! 

Rover.com Twitter Chat!

Here's a way to learn even more about Rover and get answers to your questions! On Thursday, October 3 join the #RoverChat on Twitter from 9-10 EST and follow @RoverDotCom. Hope to see you there!


Disclosure: We are being compensated for our honest review of Rover.com services. All opinions expressed herein are our own, and at To Dog With Love we only share information we think will be of value and interest to our readers. 

Meetup for a Dog Hike

We love finding new places to hike with our dog hiking Meetup Group.

Rocco takes in the view from our hike last weekend near Atlanta. Want to know where we were? Come back this FitDog Friday to find out!

For the DIY Pet Parent: Recipes to Make Your Own Healthy Dog Treats

Today we're bringing you a guest post by Paige Weaver, an animal activist, artist and mom originally from Florida. She provides some great suggestions for homemade treats below... which we'd try if we had the inclination to actually cook something! We also like raw veggies and some tasty made in the USA treats and chews... so there are plenty of options for everyone!

There have already been 23 recalls or expanded recalls on pet foods and treats so far this year, the Humane Society reports. You just can't be sure what you're giving your beloved pet is safe, and one vet told WebMD that more pet owners are experimenting with homemade dog food as a result.

But food safety isn’t the only reason to make your dogs homemade treats; as Americans learn more about the importance of a fresh, healthy diet, we’re inspired to provide our best friend with the same.

What to Avoid

A 100 percent homemade diet requires a time commitment that few pet owners are prepared to make, but supplementing nutritious commercial food with homemade snacks provides a good balance. Preparing your own treats reduces the possibility of your dog eating unsafe food and gives you an opportunity to experiment without completely changing Fido’s diet. However, as you practice being your dog’s personal chef, be sure to stay away from this list of doggie-toxic foods provided by the Humane Society:

• Alcoholic beverages
• Pits and seeds, such as apple seeds
• Chocolate and candy
• Garlic
• Grapes
• Macadamia nuts and walnuts
• Mushrooms
• Onions
• Potato leaves or stems and tomato leaves or stems
• Raisins
• Tea and coffee

Recipes

There are lots of safe and healthy recipes for dog treats. Here are a few tasty snacks to get you started:

Yam and Turkey Meat Balls

Mix one pound ground turkey, one egg, one-half cup oat bran and one large yam that’s been baked until tender, cooled, peeled and smashed. Form the mixture into meatballs about the size of a walnut (or smaller for small dogs), and bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for approximately 20 minutes.

Refrigerate only as many meatballs as you will use in two or three days, and freeze the rest. The oat bran and yam in these treats is especially good for a dog’s digestive system.

Yogurt-cicles

Mix one cup of cooked, chopped chicken with one cup of plain Greek yogurt. Freeze the mixture in ice cube trays. Slide the trays into freezer bags for long-term storage. These are especially good to help keep your dog cool on a hot day.

Carrot Chips

Thinly slice several carrots (use a mandolin slicer if possible), keeping the slices at about 1/8-inch. Lightly toss the carrots in a few drops of olive oil and place on an oiled cookie sheet. Cook at your oven’s lowest temperature, essentially dehydrating the carrots. Cooking time will vary according to your oven, but may take two or more hours.

Remove the chips when they feel crunchy but not tough. Let them cool overnight, and place in a sealed plastic container for storage. If the chips become soft or limp, throw them out.

The same method can be used to make yam or zucchini chips and even jerky treats. When drying meats in the oven, turn the slices over about halfway through the cooking process. Allow the jerky to air dry for 48 hours before packaging and reprocess any soft or limp slices.

Have you tried any recipes like those mentioned above? Which ones have worked best for you? We haven't tried these yet because, we don't know how to use the oven  don't cook much, but these sure look tasty! 

Today we're also joining up with the Tasty Tuesday blog hop brought to you by our pals at Kol's Notes and Sugar the Golden Retriever. Check out some more tasty treat ideas at the blogs at the hop below!

Happy Birthday Rocco Havanese!

They sure grow up fast, don't they?! Rocco is one today!

He's grown up to be a beautiful boy. Can't believe he was just a wee pup not too long ago!

Here are a few pics from age 10 days to seven months.

And here he is from eight months to today! Look how much his coat has changed.

We can't wait to see what the next year will bring!

How to Get Started in Dog Agility

Now that Rocco's almost one (wow,  how fast they grow up!) his agility training is stepping up and he's getting ready to start training on full-sized equipment.

Dogs should be at least one, and sometimes older -- especially for larger dogs -- before they start training on full-sized equipment. Why? Because young pups' growth plates haven't closed yet and they can be more susceptible to injury.

Up until now, Rocco's been jumping with the bar set around 4-6 inches off the ground. Now that he's a year old (almost!) he'll start training by jumping at the 8-inch height that he'll jump in competition.  The height a dog will jump in agility is determined by their height at the withers (shoulder), and any dog that measures under 11 inches (like Rocco) jumps 8 inches in AKC agility. (Heights vary with other agility organizations).

We're training with the intent of competing someday.  But anyone with the desire and a healthy dog can learn the game of agility and have fun with it, whether they aspire to compete or not.

Agility competitors walk a Jumpers With Weaves course
 to plan their strategy before competing at a local trial

How to get started

Getting started is as easy as taking an agility training class in your area, but the first thing to remember is to be patient! The competitors you may see at agility trials or on TV have been training for years. They didn't learn these moves overnight!

It takes time and patience, so remember to keep things positive and have fun with your pup. Even the smallest victory -- like holding a stay in front of a jump -- is worth celebrating.

Here are a few tips and resources to help you get on your way.

• Check out an agility trial in your area to learn more about the sport, and you’ll have the chance to chat with local competitors too. Between runs, agility competitors are typically happy to share information with you about how they got started and where they train. 
• To find an agility event in your area, look on the sites of some organizations that host agility events such as the American Kennel Club (AKC), the United States Dog Agility Association (USDAA) and the North American Dog Agility Council (NADAC).
• Locate a training club or facility in your area and take a class.  The AKC and USDAA offer some listings on their sites. Instructors at many dog training facilities may also be able to provide recommendations too.
• Whether you have aspirations to compete or just want to have some fun and exercise with your dog, taking a class from an experienced instructor will help you learn to run competently and safely.
• Learn basic obedience such as sit, down, stay and come. In your first few agility classes, you may spend time brushing up on basic obedience before getting on any equipment. Remember to be patient. Spending extra time on the basics is well worth the effort!

Most importantly, have fun! Agility is a super way to form a special bond with your dog.  Enjoy the time you spend training with your dog and you’ll both have fun playing agility for years to come!

Rocco says, "Wheeeeee!"

The fun and games continue every Friday with FitDog Friday, the weekly Blog Hop brought to you by To Dog With Love, SlimDoggy and Peggy's Pet Place to promote a healthy active lifestyle for pets (and their people, too!) and to help combat pet obesity. Join in every Friday by linking up your FitDog story or visiting the blogs in the Hop.

Guess why Rocco is flying!

First, Rocco is pretty excited and flying high because Monday is his birthday and he'll be one year old! Wow, how fast they grow up!

Next, he wants you to come back on Friday to find out what he's up to here. (It's not too hard to guess, but we thought a little suspense would be kind of fun!)

Happy Wordless Wednesday! Now let's see what everyone else is up to.

Paw Shui Tips From Eric Stromer and a $25 Petco Gift Card Giveaway!

Creating a safe and comfortable home that's also stylish and pet-friendly is the wining combination for us.  We recently had the chance to chat with do-it-yourself expert Eric Stromer about how to create the perfect "Paw Shui" for your pet home!

Eric teamed with Petco to bring us the tips in this video that will help make your home a pet haven. So check it out and then read all the way down for a great giveaway from Petco!

What does Paw Shui mean to you?  For us it means that we have great flow and energy in our home.  To Rocco, that means the path from dining room to kitchen to living room forms a perfect racetrack around the center of the house... perfect for zooming!

What else makes our list for pet-friendly home decor?

• A pet bed in every corner (well, almost)
• A crate that does double duty as a side table like this one.
• A storage center for leashes, waste bags, treats, grooming items, etc. 
• And, of course, fabrics and finishes that are easy to clean and don't attract pet hair

Win a $25 gift card from Petco!

To give you a head start on creating your own Paw Shui, we're hosting a $25 gift card giveaway from Petco. Simply enter via Rafflecopter below for a chance to win. U.S. winners only.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: Petco provided the $25 gift card for giveaway and arranged the interview with Eric Stromer. All opinions expressed herein are entirely our own and we were not compensated for this post.

Hill's Ideal Balance: Behind the Scenes

I love looking behind the scenes... whether it's taking a peak behind the scenes of the making of a commercial or learning about the making of a new line of dog food.

Today we're going to show you a little bit of both!

The Making of New Hill's Ideal Balance Dog and Cat Food

If you've been shopping for pet food recently, you may have noticed something new from Hill's that doesn't look anything like the company's other brands.

Its pretty packaging with a burst of daybreak behind the silhouette of a dog or cat sets it apart from other brands. And Hill's Ideal Balance, the new, natural pet food recipes for dogs and cats, is different in other ways too.

Hill's sought significant consumer input on its pet food to better understand what pet parents wanted in a natural pet food. Ingredients such as fresh fruits, vegetables and meat-based protein were on the tops of their lists, while ingredients like corn, wheat and soy ranked lower.

Hill's listened to consumers who stressed that they wanted more from their pet food than the same ingredients other brands offered -- they wanted those ingredients in the correct proportions.

From there, the pet nutritionists at Hill's developed a recipe with a careful selection of high quality, natural ingredients to create great tasting pet food recipes with optimal levels of over 50 nutrients. That means it was formulated with not too much and not too little of the key ingredients that help promote your pet's best health -- the key ingredients consumers said they wanted.

Hill's Ideal Balance has no corn, wheat, soy, artificial colors, flavors or preservatives, and it provides perfectly balanced natural nutrition, guaranteed.

Pet parents have already given Ideal Balance lots of great reviews and you can read some of them here.

We'd like to join this little guy on his journey
to Ideal Balance, what a pretty path! 

Introducing the Hill's Ideal Balance TV Commercial

We love the blend of live action with animation that brings the story of Ideal Balance to life in these TV spots.

In separate commercials, a dog and a cat journey through the balanced elements that make up Ideal Balance: Perfect proportions of what pets need to be healthy -- not too much, not too little.

Take a look at the making of "Not Too Much, Not Too Little," the story of a journey to Ideal Balance!

Try Hills' Ideal Balance for Free!

Hill’s website offers all sorts of information on the products, including where you can purchase them, online or in your neighborhood – and you can even try it free with this rebate offer! (From the rebate offer link, click on "Discover Perfectly Balanced Food for Your Dog OR Your Cat" and then scroll down to find the rebate offer.)

Disclaimer:  I was compensated for completion of this article. Hill's Pet Nutrition, Inc. is not responsible for the content of this article.


Small Dogs Can Learn to Swim Too!

If you think swimming is best left to Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers, think again!

Small dogs can learn to swim too, but not all dogs or all breeds are suited for swimming.

It's best to know your own dog and introduce him to swimming slowly, so you can determine if he's suited for the sport. That way you can ensure he'll have a fun experience if he does turn out to be a water-lover.

Now 11 months old, Rocco works on his swimming technique!

I first introduced Rocco to the water when he was about eight months old and he took his first swim strokes at about nine months.

Now at 11 months, he's really taken to the water and as you can see above, he's maintaining a nice, horizontal position in the water by using both his front and rear legs equally. He's calmly swimming to the steps and he's keeping his mouth closed so he doesn't take in any extra water.

Dog can learn and build confidence by watching, so Rocco also got some help from his pal Miko who showed him that swimming can be fun!

Of course, it's always safety first in the pool. And the first thing Rocco learned was to swim to the steps. In fact, his first time in the pool all we did was hang out on the steps and play in the water. That also helped build his confidence and his love for the water.

While the pups were swimming, we also had two people in the pool... one to start them out right by holding them in a horizontal position and one to help guide them to the steps if needed. Never leave a pup unattended near a pool!

After some fun in the pool, Rocco and Miko took a quick break poolside...

And then it was off to the races!

There's nothing more fun than following a swim with a wet zoooom!

The fun and games continue every Friday with FitDog Friday, the weekly Blog Hop brought to you by To Dog With Love, SlimDoggy and Peggy's Pet Place to promote a healthy active lifestyle for pets (and their people, too!) and to help combat pet obesity. Join in every Friday by linking up your FitDog story or visiting the blogs in the Hop.