Dogmas 2015 Begins

And no... Not dogmas as in dogma, but DOGmas! Christmas is an incredibly exciting time for all of us. One of the main reasons why we all love Christmas so much is the chance to spend the holiday in the company of our beloved families. And, because our dogs are as much an important part of our families as the human members, we have generously decided to spend the weeks leading up to Christmas advising you about what you could buy your dogs for Christmas/during the Christmas period! In comes DOGmas!

Dogmas #1 - Advent Calendar For Dogs

Because December starts tomorrow, you can't hang around much longer... buy your dog a dog specific advent calendar and ensure his Christmas lead up is just as delicious as your's is!

Made with dog-safe ingredients, a doggy advent calendar will only make your dog's festive period even more exciting! With 25 individual doors to open during December, each with a doggy chocolate hidden inside, your dog is sure to love this festive calendar; and, if you're like me and share your life with more than one dog, don't be afraid to break the chocolate up for your multiple dogs each morning!

We're joining our hosts Snoopy's Dogblog, Alfie's Blog and My Brown Newfies in the Monday Mischief Blog Hop. We send many thanks their way, and you can join in below.

The Dog Collar

A sign he belongs to a loving home, and is loved by all of his adoring family.

We're joining our hosts Dachshund Nola and Sugar The Golden Retriever in the Black And White Sunday Blog Hop. We send many thanks their way, and you can join in below.

SS - When I Needed A Hand

'When I needed a hand I found your paw.'

We are delighted to be cohosting the Sepia Saturday Blog Hop alongside Ruckus The Eskie! We send many thanks to our fellow host, and you can join in below.

Our Furry Fitness Partners

Our dogs really are our furry little (or, in some cases, big) fitness partners. One sure thing I love about having my dogs alongside me when I exercise is their enthusiasm and inspiration. They never fail to inspire me to keep going. From running to agility, and even walking, they're always there with their wagging tails, bright eyes and zest for life. I'm incredibly thankful to have them there with me, through the energetic days and the tiring ones.

I have no doubt there are many more reasons as to why our dogs make amazing fitness partners! Share them in the comments below.

We're joining our hosts SlimDoggy, To Dog With Love and My GBGV Life in the FitDog Friday Blog Hop. We send many thanks their way, and you can join in below.

Can you Allow Your Dog In Your Garden Alone?

Many of us have gardens. We enjoy our gardens, and, for many of us, enjoy sharing it with your dogs even more. But are our dogs safe in our gardens? And can you leave your dog unsupervised in your garden for any period of time? I give my opinion and advice on this topic below.

It depends, is my initial answer. Before you decide whether it is safe to leave YOUR dog is YOUR garden alone for a period of time, be honest when answering a) is your garden secure? If your answer is no, secure it for your dog's usage before you allow him into it. Even when you're with your dog, your garden must be secure. And b) is your dog good at escaping or will attempt to do so? If yes, he needs to be supervised at all times when in the garden. If no, you may have a dog who enjoys to potter around the garden and come back when he's done.

Earl

My dogs are those dogs. Earl will mooch around our secure garden with me in the knowledge that he will come back when he has done. He will also bark his head off if anyone comes to the gate/into view from the garden. Once, a man opposite us was trimming his tree, and I had to bring Earl in due to his barking! Ethel is also one of those dogs. I'm sure, if the gate was left wide open, both dogs would go for a small wander. However, neither of them purposefully seek a way of escapism, which gives me confidence in letting them out into the garden. However, I am always keeping an eye out when my dogs are in the garden. More times than not, I am outside with them when they are in the garden. However, it is much easier for all involved to simply let the dogs out to do their business when they whine at the door.

Having a dog who barks instinctively if anyone comes to the door/gate if helpful and puts your mind at ease when letting him into the garden. Keep a watch and a listen out for your dog, and if he sounds his alarm, you can go and investigate what the problem is. Sometimes, however, it may simply be a hedgehog or bird! Dog thefts have been known to occur in the garden, so ensure you keep watch of your dog, even if he is reliable. Secure your garden, so your dog cannot escape, and possible thieves cannot get in. Do not leave your dog outside when no one is in; it is simply a recipe for disaster and

Do you allow your dog into the garden unattended for any period? Is your dog reliable, or is he more of a mischief seeker?

So, my answer is quite simple. If your dog is reliable, keep a watch on him whilst he is outside. If your dog is not reliable, go outside with him when he goes outside. Oh, and never leave your dog outside in the dark.

We're joining our hosts 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog in the Thursday Barks And Bytes Blog Hop. We send many thanks their way, and you can join in below.

Adjust My Sails

'I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.' - Jimmy Dean

We're joining our hosts, BlogPaws, in the Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop. We send many thanks their way, and you can join in below.

Yoink Goes The Greedy Dog

And he has it in a singular smack of his chops!

Earl

Greedy man!

And we love him! Silly dog!

Join us on Facebook and join us in some #TongueOutTuesday FUN!

Doggy Dos

From quiffs to mohicans...

Earl

And even some ear 'dos'! The 'cool dude' dogs are sporting them all.

Does your dog have a hilarious hairdo?

We're joining our hosts Snoopy's Dogblog, Alfie's Blog and My Brown Newfies in the Monday Mischief Blog Hop. We send many thanks their way, and you can join in below.

Winter Warmth

Who else is enjoying snuggling up and enjoying some warmth as winter brings us nothing but cold?

Ethel

There's nothing nicer than warming up after a long, cold walk.

We're joining our hosts Dachshund Nola and Sugar The Golden Retriever in the Black And White Sunday Blog Hop. We send many thanks their way, and you can join in below.

SS - Shake It

The behaviours our dogs show on a daily basis never seize to fascinate me. And when caught on camera, they prove even more so!

Ethel

We are delighted to be cohosting the Sepia Saturday Blog Hop alongside Ruckus The Eskie! We send many thanks to our fellow host, and you can join in below.

Recharging Their Batteries

Dogs need their sleep, just like humans. You can't push your dog when it comes to exercise and expect him to perform well when he has no energy. Imagine being made to run yourself without an adequate amount of sleep the previous night; you wouldn't be able to do it without struggle.

Ethel

Ensure your dog has time to recharge their batteries and enjoy some down time. As much as exercise is important for our dogs, this cannot occur successfully, safely or fairly without sleep. Keep your dog's welfare at heart before your want to push them, especially in competition when the prospect of winning can quickly overpower you.

We're joining our hosts SlimDoggy, To Dog With Love and My GBGV Life in the FitDog Friday Blog Hop. We send many thanks their way, and you can join in below.

Warm Puppy Cuddles

Sharing warm puppy cuddles with my adorable doggy duo is something my family and I all love doing on a regular basis. There's nothing more comforting than a warm puppy cuddle, especially on a cold evening! The bodily warmth of our little ones is surprising! Although we haven't done so previously, I'm a little surprised we haven't fought over who cuddles the dogs when and before whom else! We all love our daily doses of warm puppy cuddles! Thank goodness for them!

My dad cuddling Ethel.

Do you enjoy puppy cuddles with your own dogs?

We're joining our hosts, Pepi Smart Dog, in the Thankful Thursday Blog Hop. We send many thanks their way, and you can join in below.

The Perfect Photobomb

Oh Ethel, you silly pup!

We're joining our hosts, BlogPaws, in the Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop. We send many thanks their way, and you can join in below.

Nature's Greens

Ethel's eating her greens without any complaints! On the other hand, my dad doesn't always appreciate this plant being chomped down by one mischievous dog...

She enjoys choosing her greens from our garden of plants. Of course, we'd never plant anything dangerous to dogs, and she seems to have taken a liking to this particular plant.

Do your dogs help themselves to vegetation in your garden? What do they seem to like? Do they have any dislikes?

We're joining our hosts, Kol's Notes and Sugar The Golden Retriever in the Tasty Tuesday Blog Hop. We send many thanks their way, and you can join in below.

November Agility Show Weekend Report & Ethel Goes Clear

Once again, we've had another amazing weekend competing in agility. This time, however, this one should go down in Ethel's history! Because my amazing young girl pulled it out of the bag and went clear in an amazing time, having only ever ran in a competitive environment once before! I am SO proud of her! She ran her paws off for me, and loved it with a passion.

Before we begin, someone deserves some serious recognition for her recent achievement so early on in her agility life...

She was amazing! Because I didn't remember my camera as I was planning on doing (oops), her video should be on here soon as it was record by another device.

On Saturday, we headed on down to Dog Vegas, the Kennel Club show Earl competes in regularly. He did me proud again, with eight out of eight clear rounds. However, the course times were hard on him again, meaning, because he'll never be the quickest dog in the world, he was out of a couple. He did come 3rd in Grade 5 Agility though, which, in my opinion, is rather respectable.

Earl with his award from Dog Vegas.

On Sunday, we went to Agility Nuts, where Ethel would run her second Nursery Jumping, and Earl would be competing as usual. Earl came 4th in Agility, and went clear in two of his other runs, gaining many more points towards the overall league! Then went Ethel, going clear with a split second of a time! If this class were placed, I wouldn't be surprised if she'd have won! She's only done TWO runs in a competitive environment before, and she's gone clear already!

Earl and Ethel with their awards from Agility Nuts.

Go Ethel! We even had several mentions of Crufts potential!

Ethel with her clear round award!

To celebrate her first clear round, I bought her a brand new pink and white tugger toy while at the show, which she absolutely loves!

Ethel's new tugger.

It's been an amazing weekend once again! I can't wait until next month, where Ethel will be competing properly for places, both at Dog Vegas and Agility Nuts! She'll be old enough to battle it out and strive for the prize!

We're joining our hosts Snoopy's Dogblog, Alfie's Blog and My Brown Newfies in the Monday Mischief Blog Hop. We send many thanks their way, and you can join in below.