FitDog Friday...The First Of Its Kind!

Happy Friday Everyone!!

I hope that you all have had a wonderful week! So, today is the very first FitDog Friday Blog hop (woohoo)! "What's that" you might ask?!

My friends over at Peggy's Pet Place and SlimDoggy have come together to bring awareness to the health and happiness of all my canine friends! Did you realize that more than 52% of dogs are overweight or obese, according to the 2012 National Pet Obesity Survey?! That's an insane number, isn't it?! Well, just like humans, that number can definitely change...and who knows, perhaps a simple blog hop might tip the scale (to the left, not right...hehehe)!! ;-)

Here are a few fun facts:

• Wild dogs spend 80% of their day hunting and scavenging!
• Domestic dogs have been "working" alongside humans for thousands of years!
• Stray dogs and cats can travel between 20 and 30 miles, in a single day! 
• Destruction, hyperactivity, and unloved behaviors can be attributed to boredom and lack of exercise!

Via AfricaFreak

Wowee, honestly, I can't believe that our cousins are so physically active and, I'm guessing, fit! :-D BUT, if you are like me and prefer to spend most of your day curled up on the couch then running on a treadmill, have no fear! To be a perfectly fit and happy pup, you don't need to spend practically all day exercising...depending on your size and breed, most dogs need between 30 minutes and 2 hours worth of physical activity each day! Phew! Just remember, that's every day...not, when it's convenient or when there isn't anything good on TV or when the weather is nice! ;-)

So, what kind of exercise should you be doing? Well, it really depends on who you are, as a pup! :-D Hehe, could I answer a little more ambiguously?!

Here are a few suggestions and activities that I prefer to do:

Hike

Walk - Urban or Country

Visit the Dog Park

Play Ball - Fetch

Take Obedience, aka Mentally Exhausting Classes

Swim

Compete/Participate in Dog Sports & Agility

I love to be out and about and exercise, so these are just a few of the types of activities that I participate in! What about you guys? ;-)

I'm a big fan of doing what you enjoy...so, if that means that you love to play hide & go seek, well then, go for it! Are you a nose dog? Make a game out of finding different objects or treats (like my buddies Reilly and Denny) in boxes! How about a great stick game, like my buddy Goose?!  Or maybe you love running with your Mom and Dad...take a look at Murphy and Stanley! 

If you love what you are doing, then it won't feel like a chore or like exercise! ;-D

Thanks for hopping along the FitDog Friday trail guys...and if you want to participate (nutrition, exercise, anything health related), make sure that you check out Peggy and SlimDoggy!!

Have a great day everyone and make sure that you get a little fresh air and exercise!!

Another Class Down...

Happy Sunday/Monday Everyone!!

I hope that you all had an incredible weekend and Saint Patrick's Day!! :-D

Domeek abandoned me this afternoon and went to an Irish pub in San Francisco to celebrate the drinkable holiday! Something about no dogs allowed, I say "pft!" to that though!!! ;-)

It was my last Intermediate agility class today! WooHoo, another one under the belt! We ran through three different courses...one was short, but the other two were pretty darn long and had directional changes!

Domeek and I were able to run through the weave poles again and by the time that class was over, I was actually understanding that they are pretty much like a jump but just placed in a different way! ;-D I was going through from left to right, all by myself!! Oh Yeah!!

So, now we have almost an entire month off before we can start advanced agility! I know, a super duper long time, but we can sign up for "Drop In" agility on Saturdays where there are courses already set up and we can just run through them! So, just in case our memories aren't very good, Domeek and I will do this (at least) a couple of times before advanced starts! :-D

Miss Rachel told us that we need to start thinking about our goals for the coming months though. Our school doesn't have enough space for the really big contact equipment, so if we have plans to do competitions (even if it's just for fun) we need to go to other locations with space! Luckily there are a couple of different schools that are about 45 minutes to an hour away...a little inconvenient, but not a terrible distance, especially on weekends.

via Life and Times of Team Whisner

One of the schools is called Morgan Hill Dog Sports, this one has a huge outdoor arena for all the agility training and Miss Rachel teaches here too! The other is called Java Dog Training Center in Fremont, they currently have an indoor space in Redwood City but they will be closing this location at the end of the month (boo!).

via Java Dog

We still haven't decided what our ultimate goals are...Domeek is debating about the idea of competing since I enjoy the challenges, but we still have a lot to work on before...so we will take Advanced Agility and see what Miss Rachel thinks afterwards! Either way, I think that after the advanced class is over, we will move on to the larger facilities for lots more challenges and fun fun fun!!!

Ok, that's our update for this week! Have a great Monday everyone!! :-D

Cousin Time

Happy Monday Everyone!!

It's a beautiful sunshiny start to the week, so I hope that you are all enjoying yourselves! :-D

This weekend I got to hang out with my cousin, Pippi!! We haven't hung out for a couple of months, so it was pawesome to catch up with the girl!

We started out at the Redwood Shores dog park...but there were a bunch of yappy small dogs on my side and practically no one on her side, so I trotted over to the large dog section and played with a her and a cool labradoodle! Then we took a walk on the levees!

Mid way through our walk, Pippi and I decided that we were far too exhausted to move one step more...so we both hurumphed on the grass and refused to move! ;-) Aunty Nilla said that Pippi was way too big to be picked up, so we had to suck it up and keep on walking! Pft! But a trip to Starbucks definitely helped (and a lick of whip cream didn't hurt either!)!!

Miss Rachel introduced the A-Frame in agility class on Sunday...luckily it was only a practice one, so it wasn't too steep (phew!)! All us pups got this one really quickly and even understood the whole "two paws on, two paws off" premise!! My friend, Millie the doodle, is going to be an A-Frame superstar apparently, cause she gets sooooo much speed and propel-ion! :-D Go Girl!!

We spent a lot of time on the weave poles too...hm, I've decided that I don't really like them. To begin with, I didn't understand how to enter the poles (this is almost rectified), but now I'll do one or two poles and then walk on the outside of the rest of them. Domeek thinks that it's 50-50 problem with me and her...she needs to speed up and give better directions and I need to pay more attention and keep my nose forward. We just need more practice, I think!! Any weave pole agility tips?!

We have two more intermediate classes left, but I can only make one, cause of our Napa trip! ;-D In April we'll begin advanced agility! WooHoo!!!

Have a great day everyone!