Havanese National Specialty & Fido's #FreebieFriday

Rocco checks out the ducks on the grounds at the Wyndham Hotel in Orlando

We're in Orlando this week for the Havanese National Specialty Dog Show. We had fun competing in agility, earned a qualifying score in our first Rally trial and passed our CGC test here! 

Rocco's relaxing now that his events are over, and we're both watching the show dogs perform.  We've met a lot of great dog people and received some good training tips too.

Now, it's time again for Fido's Freebie Friday, the weekly blog hop for pet-related giveaways!
Check out all the goodies in the Fido's Freebie Friday giveaways listed below. You can enter them all or add your own! We make it easy by linking them up all in one place.

Here's how to participate

The rules for Fido's Freebie Friday are super simple. Here's all you need to know to link up:

• You have up to 45 characters to describe your prize and include an end 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.
• Or simply enter the giveaways that interest you for a chance to win some fabulous prizes!

Fido's Freebie Friday opens each Thursday afternoon for linkups at 4 p.m. ET, and renews each week at the same time with a new listing. Link up anytime during the week!

Your hosts are DogTipper, CatTipper and To Dog With Love.

Good luck!

Individual rules of entry and guidelines for winning may apply to each listing. DogTipper, CatTipper 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 products to be offered. 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.

Fido's Freebie Friday With Friends

Rocco with his Havanese pals Nicky and Sophie

This past week was super hot in Atlanta so we didn't spend too much time outside. Good thing Rocco's Havanese pals came over to play.  They spent more time playing chase indoors, but we did take a quick outdoor break for this photo shoot. 

People often ask me about Rocco's coloring and they're surprised to find out that Havanese come in so many colors. You can see Rocco and his pals Nicky and Sophie are very different but all delightful little Havanese! 

When you're taking a break from the heat, check out Fido's Freebie Friday, the weekly blog hop for pet-related giveaways!

Check out the goodies in the Fido's Freebie Friday giveaways listed below. You can enter them all or add your own! We make it easy by linking them up all in one place.

Here's how to participate

The rules for Fido's Freebie Friday are super simple. Here's all you need to know to link up:

• You have up to 45 characters to describe your prize and include an end 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.
• Or simply enter the giveaways that interest you for a chance to win some fabulous prizes!

Fido's Freebie Friday opens each Thursday afternoon for linkups at 4 p.m. ET, and renews each week at the same time with a new listing. Link up anytime during the week!

Your hosts are DogTipper, CatTipper and To Dog With Love.

Good luck!

Individual rules of entry and guidelines for winning may apply to each listing. DogTipper, CatTipper 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 products to be offered. 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.

Fido's Freebie Friday Goes to the Dogs

Rocco and his Havanese pals at last weekend's agility trial

It's time again for Fido's Freebie Friday, the weekly blog hop for pet-related giveaways!

Last weekend we headed to an agility trial in Pendleton, SC and met up with our pal Amanda and her four Havanese. All but Jovi, the red Hav in the top middle (who's still too young to compete), competed at the trial and all did great! Rocco earned his AXJ title (Excellent Jumpers) and nabbed another qualifying run in Masters Jumpers. 

We posed the dogs, above on the area steps facing the agility field. 

Getting back to Fido's Freebie Friday... there's still time to enter our giveaway for an adorable Molly Mutt duvet cover. But you better hurry... the giveaway closes in a few days!  You'll find those and all sorts of other great goodies in the Fido's Freebie Friday giveaways listed below.

You can enter them all or add your own! We make it easy by linking them up all in one place.

Here's how to participate

The rules for Fido's Freebie Friday are super simple. Here's all you need to know to link up:

• You have up to 45 characters to describe your prize and include an end 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.
• Or simply enter the giveaways that interest you for a chance to win some fabulous prizes!

Fido's Freebie Friday opens each Thursday afternoon for linkups at 4 p.m. ET, and renews each week at the same time with a new listing. Link up anytime during the week!

Your hosts are DogTipper, CatTipper and To Dog With Love.

Good luck!

Individual rules of entry and guidelines for winning may apply to each listing. DogTipper, CatTipper 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 products to be offered. 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.

It's a Three Havanese Fido's Freebie Friday

Rocco and his Havanese pals Nicky and Sophie

It's time again for Fido's Freebie Friday, the weekly blog hop for pet-related giveaways!

Rocco had a busy week last week, playing host to his Havanese pals Nicky and Sophie. And as you can see, Havanese come in all sorts of pretty colors! They're all staring me down here because they were taste testing Vita Bone treats.  And the verdict is,  they are very yummy! 

Check out all the goodies in the Fido's Freebie Friday giveaways listed below, including a giveaway for Vita Bone dog biscuits and chewys! You can enter them all or add your own! We make it easy by linking them up all in one place.

Here's how to participate

The rules for Fido's Freebie Friday are super simple. Here's all you need to know to link up:

• You have up to 45 characters to describe your prize and include an end 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.
• Or simply enter the giveaways that interest you for a chance to win some fabulous prizes!

Fido's Freebie Friday opens each Thursday afternoon for linkups at 4 p.m. ET, and renews each week at the same time with a new listing. Link up anytime during the week!

Your hosts are DogTipper, CatTipper and To Dog With Love.

Good luck!

Individual rules of entry and guidelines for winning may apply to each listing. DogTipper, CatTipper 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 products to be offered. 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.

2015 Havanese National Specialty Agility Fun!

Rocco puts on his game face!

We're in Chicago this week at the Havanese National Specialty dog show, competing in agility! The show offers competition in agility, obedience, rally and conformation.

Working Out Agility Kinks

Rocco tears it up through the tire

Last weekend we took home more learnings than ribbons from our AKC agility trial. Yup, that's right, even Rocco's not a rocket all the time!

We did have one qualifying run, in FAST, which is a run where you devise your own course based on getting the most points in a set amount of time. It also includes a distance challenge where you send your dog out to complete a series of obstacles (usually two or three) without crossing a designated line (a real line tapped into the dirt).

Run Rocco Run!

Rocco at one of our recent agility trials in November

The past few weeks I've been working on recovering data after my computer imploded. Happily, all my data including photos/video were saved and I came across some agility video from last month that I never shared.

AND, since I've got some nifty new video editing tools, I played around a bit with one of Rocco's November agility runs. So today, here's a bit of the agility fun we had this fall. This was one of Rocco's first standard runs in AKC Excellent Standard.  Enjoy!





Happy FitDog Friday! What do you have planned for the weekend?

The fun and games continue every Friday with FitDog Friday, the weekly Blog Hop brought to you by To Dog With Love, SlimDoggy and My GBGV Life to promote a healthy active lifestyle for pets (and their people, too!). Join in every Friday by linking up your FitDog story or visiting the blogs in the Hop.

Agility Practice with Pals

Last weekend we had an off weekend from agility trials, but instead we headed up the road to get in some practice with our pals Johann, Gracie, young Rach and their mum.

We met up at the Canine Ranch which is like a Disneyland for dog sports, but on this day we were focusing on agility.

It's about an hour drive from where we live, so it's not a place we can go every day. But I like taking Rocco to different venues so he can get used to practicing with all sorts of new distractions around him.

We had a fun time alternating our runs with Johann and Gracie, and even young Rach got a chance to try out a few new things with the help of his mum.

They had a nice course set up with the opportunity to practice a lot of handling skills we're working on like rear crosses, backside jumps and a fast entry to the weaves coming out of a shoot,

We got our last run of the day on video… a little bit slower than the first ones, but still a great job and a lot of fun running with Rocco! Take a look!

After practice we took a walk around the grounds which includes a nice wooded path alongside a creek.

We did all that before lunch time, so after agility practice and our walk, we found a nice place for lunch where we could eat outside and relax. It was another fun day with pals and a great day to get outside and run around!

We have another agility trial this weekend and then the next few weekends off. What fun activities do you have planned for this weekend?

The fun and games continue every Friday with FitDog Friday, the weekly Blog Hop brought to you by To Dog With Love, SlimDoggy and My GBGV Life to promote a healthy active lifestyle for pets (and their people, too!). Join in every Friday by linking up your FitDog story or visiting the blogs in the Hop.

2013 Most Popular Dog Breeds: Choose the Right Pup for You!

Rocco does what Havanese do best…. zoooom!

The AKC today revealed its most recent most popular dog breed list (based on registrations). And while I eagerly searched for my breed -- the Havanese -- I also hoped the breed hadn't risen too high on the list.

Why is that?

Because much as we love being popular,  that also can sometimes lead to irresponsibility… among both dog breeders and dog owners.

Snow Zombies vs. Snow Zoomies #AtlantaSnow

Zombie Rocco

Sometimes Zoomies can lead to Zombies, and in Atlanta yesterday that was unfortunately for some… all too true.

If you were lucky enough to be at home when the snow started falling, it was a fun event for dogs and people too. But our hearts go out to all the folks who were stranded on the streets, schools and businesses last night.

Ironically, our pals -- Garth Riley (the dog) and Kona at K9Karryall -- found that Zoomies autocorrects to Zombies!

Bring on the Zombies… I mean Zoomies!



Check out the rest of our pals at the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop!

Barn Hunt Part II: Finding the Rat!

Rocco is introduced to the rat, who is safely ensconced
in his PVC pipe shelter

Two weeks ago we told you all about our introduction to Barn Hunt at a fun day event.

At the fun day, we learned about Barn Hunt runs and what's expected of you and your dog when you compete. We also got the chance to try a couple of runs and Rocco got his first experience of finding a rat in a tube!

Read more about what Barn Hunt is all about in our last post. Today, we're going to show you how Rocco found the rat!

First, Rocco was introduced to the rat, who is kept safe and snug in a little tube filled with rat litter. To the right you can see Rocco checking out the rat in the tube.

A Barn Hunt course with tunnels, climbs and PVC pipe rat tubes.

Then, Rocco got his chance to find the rat in the Barn Hunt ring. Here's where it gets a bit more tricky.

THREE tubes are placed in the ring -- one with a rat, one just with litter and one that is empty. Not only does your dog need to find the tube with the rat, but then YOU, the handler, must recognize your dog's indication that he's found the rat, and then YOU must declare with certainty "RAT!"

So you can't say something like, "hmmm, I think that may be the tube with the rat." Here's where you must know your dog well enough to recognize his sign of finding the rat. Excellent dog/handler communication is key!

You'll see in our video that first, Rocco gets the chance to see all three tubes and signal to me which one contains the rat. Then, in a second run, he must find a rat that is hidden underneath some loosely piled straw, making things a bit more challenging.



Different breeds and different dogs may signal the rat with different levels of exuberance, In Rocco's case, he paused in front of the rat and then sat. I learned that was his way of telling me he found the rat.

There are lots of guidelines you must follow in order to received titles in Barn Hunt. You can find all the details in the Barn Hunt rules.  One thing that's an automatic disqualification is if a dog eliminates on the course (which is basically anything coming out of your dog that shouldn't be!).

We, a-hem, may have to work on that some. I mean the hay bales look an awful lot like the pinestraw in our backyard!

We had a fun day and got to experience the whole thing with our pals Johann and Gracie and their mum! You can read about their experience here!

We're also super excited to join our FitDog Friday co-hosts Peggy's Pet Place and SlimDoggy for this year's K9Kamp. Held twice a year (January and June), K9Kamp is a blog hop event where you can get fit with your dog! The challenge will be issued on January 24th, so be sure to and stop by to check out the challenge so that you can participate.  Then, at the end of K9Kamp, join our blog hop (co-located with FitDog Friday!) and share your experience. Everyone is invited and we'll have prizes too! 

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!). Join in every Friday by linking up your FitDog story or visiting the blogs in the Hop.

Happy New Year 2014 from Rocco Havanese!

We took a look back at Rocco's New Year just one year ago and look how much he's grown! In 2013, at just three months old in the photos above, Rocco approached the new year with some hesitation.

This year he's ready to jump right in with all four feet, and so am I!

Happy New Year to all! Here's to the best year yet!

Wordless Wednesday: Falling Leaves

Learning Agility Handling Skills

These photos were pulled from the video footage below. Scroll down to see Rocco in action!

For today's edition of FitDog Friday we thought we'd bring you some rare footage of Rocco running agility! It's rare because at 12 months old, he's just started to put together sequences and this is one of the first agility videos we've shot of Rocco.

In this video, we are practicing handling skills using jump and tunnels.  The idea is for Rocco to stay focused, watch my cues for twists and turns and most of all have lots of fun!  Take a look!

To prepare for these types of handling challenges we've:

• Practiced with Rocco running on both my left and my right
• Approached jumps from different directions and angles
• Practiced front crosses -- where the handler crosses in front of the dog to change direction -- and started working on rear crosses
• Worked on motion and timing -- so that Rocco can read my cues and know when to turn
• Trained at various agility fields, to help Rocco work through all the distractions

We've still got some rough edges to work out but we've only just begun! Learn more about how to get started in agility here.

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.

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!

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!

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.

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.