Fresh Preps

Hey, y'all! Today we will dedicate our Friday post to preparing for tomorrow. And I shouldn't have to remind you about tomorrow, of course. If you DON'T know what tomorrow is… DEFINITELY come round our blog tomorrow and find out! You'll have fun with the unique blog hop created by us, and hosted by yours truly, Earl's World!, and Jessica from her two pawsomley pawtastic pet blogs, My Dog Diaries and My Cat Diaries! We may also be having a new co-host coming to join our crew… Vicky from Tommy! Now Earl and I, & Tommy and Vicky, have something so common between us. We are HUGELY into dog agility!! Their blog is EPIC - check it out! We look forward to welcoming them in a future PPP Post, however not quite tomorrow.

But first, where on this Earth ruled by Dogs are our manners?! How was your Friday, fellows?!

The last photo taken of Earl was yesterday evening - strapped safely in his car harness is my little man!!

We didn't have much of a Friday if I'm perfectly honest. Of course, Earl and I must be separated during the weekdays apart from late afternoons and mornings, for obvious education purposes. That is why we adore Friday nights… we have a whole weekend to look forward to! 

In the above photo, Earl is in the car, safely strapped in, wearing his ANCOL Control Time Car and Safety Harness. We highly recommend the product! (You can attach the seatbelt or a lead to the harness).

So, I have made a few minor arrangements to our PPP Hop. The normal rules still stand and will do for the foreseeable future, and its noting major to worry about… but I have made a new badge which shows off our co-hosts as well as just us!!! its also what co-hosts get as a thank you for co-hosting - a badge including their pets and blog!!! I have also resized the first badge, which can or cannot be used alongside the new badge. Its up to you which ones or both you display on your hop post. 

If Vicky does decide to join the hosting crew, a NEW badge will be made and I will inform you before the next PPP!

                                     

And, like last time, everyone who links up and joins in the Pinch Punch Post Monthly Blog Hop tomorrow will get their blog recommended and shared, plus a comment in high appreciation for their participance on their PPP post!

Just as a reminder, you should post about what you have done in the past month (in this case January 2014) and what you hope and plan to do in the coming month (in this case, February 2014)! Fun!

Don't worry, I won't prepare for the PPP every month. I have done it today to simply give you time to grab and save the new badge and both the new sizes for them.

No spam please - just link up, post, and have fun!

Can't wait to see you all tomorrow!!!

Earl and I.

Thoughtless Sweet Dreams

This is our first ever Thoughtless Thursday Blog Hop Post, and we're extremely excited to get started! So lets go!

Don't you love dreamless sleeps? The nights go so fast, and you sleep so well and so deep. I wonder if this is the same for our dogs? You know sometimes, I think I know when Earl is having a dreamless sleep. His body is still, eyes tightly shut, no twitches, he is free from snoring, and his breathing is at average rate.

But a lot of the time, I think his dreams are sweet. Very sweet, according to Earl. 

Ad you will see on the following photo, Earl's thoughtless dreams are seriously still.

And now… what Earl is most likely to dream of!

And then other times, the obvious terrier dream…

Thoughtless Thursday is a new blog hop!

Hosted by Ruckus The Eskie and
Love Is Being Owned By A Husky.

Earl and I.

Magical Moments #1

Every Moment is an EXTRA EXTRA special one when Earl and I are together. So I thought I should set up a randomly posted series of posts sharing those magical photos I capture of moments we share. 

WARNING: GUARANTEED TO SEND YOUR EMOTIONS INTO A FRENZY!

So lets start! This series will occur at any time.

This stunning photo was taken only recently by me. It shows Earl climbing the rockery by our garden pond and waterfall feature. It captures the scenery, and those glaring green eyes caught by the camera flash. It is a beautiful take. I named it 'Beautiful By the Water'.

Here is the badge so you know what is coming!!

Earl and I.

Banana & Biscuit Cacti

Hello, all! Today is the Tastiest day of the week, and blogville celebrate it! We thought it would be the right time to share our AMAZING, UNIQUE, totally unheard of treats - The Banana And Biscuit Cacti!!

Follow our healthy and delicious (says Earl) treat recipe! 

OWN CREATION

FUN

EASY 

HEALTHY

COOL COMBINATION

HOMEMADE

CREATIVE AND IMAGINATIVE

The ONLY FEW ingredients you will need are:

To make your dog some Banana & Biscuit Cacti, follow this simple method:

1. Get yourself a bunch of RIPE bananas (see this PAWsome blog post by our friend Sugar The Golden Retriever on How To Tell If A Banana Is Ripe?)

2. Pick a banana and peel it fully, so that it is separate to its skin.

3. Chop your banana so there is about 4 - 5 separate chunks or however many you would like.

4. Now get your dog biscuits (kibble works best) and one banana chunk. Stick kibble pieces length ways into the banana. it is important that your banana is not too hard or they won't go in and stay there snug. 

5. Complete the kibble pieces all the way around the chunk. Do this with as many pieces and bananas that you wish. They should look a little like a creative cactus!!

Wala! 

6. Feed to your dog! (P.S. You can do this as a full banana if you want. This will make a bar).

Earl noms it!

The Tasty Tuesday Blog Hop
Is hosted by
Sugar The Golden Retriever
and Kol's Notes

Earl and I.

Any minimum for toy amount?

Does your dog have LOADS of toys, like Earl? Yes? And your asking what I hear? A minimum? Are you kidding me!? Indoors? Outdoors? Pah!

Earl's outdoor collection.

Earl's indoor collection.

However many dogs dogs you may be privileged to own… you can buy them as many toys as you wish them to have! The more toys, the more choice - the more choice, the more stimulation and self-thinking! If you have one dog, he or she can lather them with his or her very own spit and scent. If you have more than one dog, they can all learn to share toys (along with spit and scent!) and have fun playing with each other with the toys, as well!

So is there a minimum you must stop at when it comes to buying your dog(s) toys?
No! Of course there isn't. As long as the toys pose no hazard, you can buy as many as it is humanely natural, or beyond.

Mischievous but fun!

We are participating in Monday Mischief Blog Hop
Hosted by My Brown Newfies and Me,
Alfie's Blog and Snoopy's Dog Blog.

Join up and show your mischievous side! (Everyones got one alright!!!)

Earl and I.

Black & White Play Time - Spot the Effect

Earl loves his rope toy - he does all sorts of things with it! As you will see below, he loves sitting with it, balancing it, tugging it, and just waiting for me to throw it for him once more.

I have given these photos a special effect… not just B&W… comment if you spot it!

We are joining Black And White Sunday
Hosted by Dachshund Nola and
Sugar The Golden Retriever!

And this B&W Sunday, remember to…

Earl and I.

I Posses a BT & Can Tell You This!

You know, I don't think I have ever posted a post on this blog dedicated to facts on what I like to call 'my breed' - the Border Terrier! (BT in title). So this post is going to be about just them! The model dog representing our breed, is, of course, the one and only Earl.

So lets get started!

Fact1; The Border Terrier is a real poser at times, like you can see in the above and below photo! Unless your BT seems in pain, if he holds his paw up or sits to the side, this is just him being his funny self, usually!

Fact2; BTs are quite often food-loving, apart from if they have a certain condition which restricts them of this.

Fact3; Borders are in fact Terriers. They love to chase prey. This includes birds, cats (if not introduced to them at a young age), and other animals they may come across (but usually not other dogs!). Apart from the cat, they will usually chase wild animals. This includes foxes too, so beware your BT is not chasing anything that may make him/her regret the chase in the first place!

Fact4; BTs love people - usually more than they do other dogs - and will get excited at the arrival of a human at their house or one who comes to to greet him/her anywhere. You must teach him to be calm and collected but still enjoy greeting people and be friendly.

Fact5; The BT has a fair level of trainability on a scale of ease. Earl has literally been my dream to train and he has followed interactions willingly after hard work - and that is what I enjoy and look forward to more - hard work, dedication, time, effort, and finally an amazing result.

The adorable 'high-five' trick!

Fact6; The BT has a very quirky way. He is hilarious at times and can appear to be slightly 'wobby'. In other and more sophisticated words, he can put on a few funny faces, twist his ears everywhere, close his eyes tight at the camera flash, but rarely gives you the puppy dog eyes unless guilty for something he knows he's done wrong!

Fact7; Most BTs are cuddle monsters, and adore being snuggled up to their owner! But give them their own time as well however, or, like ANY dog, could gain the horrible separation anxiety. This is upsetting for both dog and owner - plus the household as it is torn into pieces!

Fact8; BTs can be clever, and mischievous as well! Something Earl does is sneak onto MY HUMAN bed whenever he feels like it and then gives either the puppy dog eyes or 'I just can't be bothered to do those eyes anymore' eyes!

Fact9; BTs are extremely playful and need both physical and mental stimulation on a daily basis when appropriate (this assuming your dog is in full health and needs no rest or recovery time when being active is not an option). A bored BT is a hassle of a dog!

Physical adventure

Mental Stimuli - searching for toys under a pile of cushions.

Fact10; The more they do the more they want! If you dedicate a day to constantly stimulating your BT, not only is that over tiring, but when you come home and indoors, he will spend a few hours sleeping form the exhaustion, then awake and want more because that day he was used to it! 

Fact11; they may be small, but they are SO definitely mighty! Their bark can be gruff and they will sometimes act like they are a much bigger dog than they really are!

Fact12; BTs can excel at dog sports such as Agility, but can try and succeed at just about every dog sport! Earl is a very successful Agility Competitor.

Fact13; BTs are an amazing companion! They are good with children, and are fun fun fun to have in your life every day. If it wasn't for my incredible, literally life changing Earl, I would not be who I am and where I am today. Have fun and enjoy your Border Terrier!

We hope you liked our Border Terrier facts!

(Do not buy any dog unless you, your property, location, and lifestyle are suitable).

Earl and I.

Making Choices

I prefer to get something that I wish to have independently. Have you every wondered if your dog feels the same way? How he feels when you choose a toy to play with yourself? What of he wants to pal with a different toy - maybe he has a favourite toy that you do not know is his favourite and he often wants to play with it? Do you give him the choice when it comes to playtime?

PAWSOME FACT:

Did you know, dogs who lead more stimulating lives (this includes making decisions for themselves, retrieving objects that are hidden in hard-to-reach places etc) are overall more happy dogs? 

Not so long ago, I experimented to find out if Earl was capable of choosing his own toys on command. As he knows we play fetch with two toys at a time (I throw one, he retrieves it, stops it, then I throw the other, he chases it, I pick to other one up and the process goes on) he can now choose one toy when I say 'go choose' or 'go get it', take it out of the toy tub and drop it near me, then go back again and get another one on command. We are currently working of getting Earl to retrieve both toys after only the FIRST command.

You can almost see all those intelligent cogs in his brain spinning madly!!

The joy I receive when watching Earl choose for himself and then going off to play with those 'chooses' himself is lovely - its wonderful to see him be so self-sufficient, for a dog!

PAWSOME FACT:

Did you know, dogs can use their paws to move things (e.g. like a ball in a small ditch) as well as using their mouths? It gives them even more mental and physical stimulation to use a body part in which they use less frequently and with more difficulty (POSITIVE difficulty!) that their mouths.

You may ask: How can dogs be so smart?

Well! I am not sure if this study is 100% correct, however, I heard there was a study in which shows that the typical dog has the brain power of a typical human child, but without the human languages, the physical bodily ability, and the teachings of human activities in which human children receive. Amazing, isn't it!?

Well how can that study be correct? Your asking.

People taking out studies and investigations work extremely hard and scientifically to impressively and knowledgeably find the answer to certain topics, but really 'getting their hands dirty' in the topic they are looking into. 

Not only does making choices in dogs improve their mental state and well-being, but it also  improves their physical well-being - take using their paws and leg muscles to remove items from difficult places, and using their mouth muscles to lean over and grab something they are, at that time, also using their intelligent brains to choose to take.

You can now go and look at your dog. He/she is your human child, with the brain capacity, apparently, as such!

We are in for a FitDog Friday!

Earl and I.

Thursday Barks and Bytes - Exciting!

Today, we received a huge…

… in the post!

We received a parcel in the post and wondered what on earth it could be. When I opened it, I realised I had won Earl 2 boxes of Vets Kitchen Pro-Treats! (Crunchy Chicken & Finest Fish). He loves them! We used them as training treats and break them up so they work better doing this. I am so pleased! The amount of treats we have won… I won't need to buy anymore for AGES!!

Earl was so happy when I opened the packets!

Finest Fish.

Crunchy Chicken.

Vets Kitchen is a healthy food and treats all the same! They have supplied me with a booklet on their food and general dog nutrition, which I am looking forward to reading. 

The shape:

The much-loved dog bone shape!

When Earl eats ANY treat, you can never see it its gone so fast… and that's the same with these, despite the fact that they are quite large! It looks like he was trying to eat my fingers…

Good job he gets so much exercise, to burn those bigen's off!

Barks and Bytes blog hop is brand new, and hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like a Dog.

Earl and I.