Today is the one year anniversary of the FitDog Friday blog hop. It seems like it has always been around, but I guess not. I think this blog hop has been one of the forces that has help me find a direction for my blog and I am thankful for that. This may come as a surprise, but I love to have fun and be silly. I enjoy helping other dogs stay healthy through my crazy, fun adventures and FitDog Friday is a great tool for me. For my family, fitness is fun and it is a lifestyle. Now and then I get an email or comment like this one from a reader:
Hey Emma, because of your blog, our mom has been working hard at walking us a lot more. She said you wrote that good long walks help make your day calmer and happier! It sure is making our days happier. Keep up the great writing!! Your doodle friends in sunny, somewhat warm (!) Colorado.
Reading a note like this, makes Mom and I so very happy to know that I have helped other dogs and their humans find fun in staying fit and healthy! It gives my blogging work real purpose and meaning.
We have also changed our routines since joining in the FitDog Friday blog hop. We have learned from other bloggers about new activities and ways to keep a dog fit. We were fit a year ago, but now we are definitely more physically and mentally fit.
Are you a member of PetsMove.org? We joined when it started but did not start entering our activities until November. We had to find a routine to remember to enter what we have been up to for workouts. If you are not already a member, consider joining. It helps to motivate you to workout in a fun, slightly competitive way. Congratulations to little Bailie for being runner up Mover of the Month in March, nice work, sis! They have fun contests where you can win things like my super cool PetsMove t-shirt, or Bailie will be getting a fun bandana!
I am really proud (along with my sisters) to have been given the “ALL WEATHER AWARD” by FitDog Friday for carrying out our exercise and fitness routines in rain, snow, sleet or sun! Our family does not believe in using bad weather as an excuse to be lazy. It isn’t always easy to go out in driving rain or -20 temperatures, but we do and we are glad we got out once we are back home. I will be adding this badge to my sidebar, thank you!
Bailie and I are one class away from completing Nose Work 2. We have joined the National Association of Canine Scent Work (NACSW), and signed up for our first ORT (odor recognition test) in May. We have to pass the ORT if we want to compete in Nose Work, so we are on our way with paws crossed. Be forewarned…if you are out grilling we will know about it and may show up at your home this summer! We don’t need silverware, plates, condiments, or the like, just the meat on the grill is fine for us!
I received lots of requests for more nose work videos, unedited, from my Sony Action Cam. Today I am fulfilling that request. Mom did edit out the in between times when I was taking a short break, but otherwise the video is au natural complete with original sound from my ridiculously loud sister, Bailie, that doesn’t like to wait for her turn. I can’t wear my uniform with my Sony Action Cam, so I am wearing my normal collar. This was week 3 and 4 combined and we were the only two dogs in class this session. The goal of these hides was to teach me to ignore boxes and find the tin with the odor as well as to search the perimeter for the scent. Although it seems too obvious to humans where the tin is placed, I don’t go by sight, just odor. This is a training exercise, so the hides are not supposed to be super secret. (Remember this video was shot at school, so it is not a beautiful video, more a working video).
What are you doing to stay fit? Join in the FitDog Friday Blog Hop hosted by SlimDoggy, Peggy’s Pet Place and To Dog With Love! Share your story with others and find fun, new fitness ideas too!
Pawsome, Emma! You think Bailie’s sounds are annoying…you should hear me. I hit really high notes with gusto. My pool fitness is going to begin – soon! The daytime temp here are in the 80’s. The mom has the raft and toys ready. XOXO Sparkle the PBGV
Sounds like fun…we are going to supervise Mom shoveling snow here shortly. Got another load of the white stuff overnight. Happy swimming.
Happy Anniversary for Fitdog Friday. Bravo to you. We have been out hunting today and we tore around so we are now having a well deserved nap. Have a fabulous fit Friday.
Best wishes Molly
We are being buried in snow, so not too much chasing going on…have to supervise Mom shoveling pretty soon, that always tires me out!
Hey Emma! We’re happy and proud to have you as a regular to FitDog Friday and know you’ve been a great inspiration. The nose work video is way cool – we love doing nose work too, but our is just in the front yard. Poor Bailie sounds so pitiful! Thanks for joining the Hop and being part of the FitDog Family.
Thankfully, she was exhausted at class last night so she actually took naps between turns. She had a real job yesterday. All the ears in class appreciated it.
Ahh, silence. I didn’t even notice Emma has her PetsMove T-shirt on…very sophisticated 😉
Geez, I have to be dressed right for these occasions…it is Mom’s t-shirt but sometimes we share 😉
Hi Emma! Thanks for your blog and yes, we are still walking! Mom is so happy now too! I turned 7 yesterday so Mom said we are going to keep staying fit as one of our top priorities! Hey, when you are waiting for your turn do you make noise like Bailie? She really is too much. Have a great day! your doodle friend, Dash
Please, I don’t make any noise. I am a nice girl and wait quietly and patiently for my next turn. She is the impatient baby in the class 😉 I am seven, Happy 7 to you! You will love it, it is a fun age so far!
That was a very lovely and inspiring note you got from one of your readers!!! Congrats to SLim on this anniversary as well!!!!
ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!
I love my readers and it is so pawsome when I can help someone get out and feel better and be healthier!
Congratulations on your FitDog Friday Award Emma- you truly are an all weather and all types of fitness fit dog!
I think you guys are too pretty much but you don’t have the extremes.
That’s awesome Emma!! You guys are an inspiration for sure. I am excited to hear about the nose work more too.
Can’t believe we are almost ready to start class 3. It is so fun!
What a wonderful comment to get from one of your readers. I can see why it would make you and your mom so happy! Love the Nose Work video from your point of view. I bet you and Bailie are going to nail the ORT in May.
Our teacher told us to sign up even though we are still fairly new because she thinks we will nail it no problem. We better!
It’s lovely to get feedback like that and know you’ve made a difference.
It is, isn’t it?
You are so right Emma! SlimDoggy has made us all aware that we need to keep fit and healthy! Love Dolly
And we have learned about so many new activities to do too!
Great, Emma! Your nose deserves a gold medal! We will do some nosework too, we only have to look for a new place, the old one is a building area now :o( Have a wonderful friday and a great weekend!
Our teacher said next week we may do some hides outside…that will be exciting!
Thanks to all of you that participate in FitDog Friday, we do a lot of core work along with long walks and free-play after obedience work in the fenced area. Vlad would probably still be working up to running during free-play if it weren’t for the information from all of you that do so much to help others understand what to do.
We think FitDog Friday is an excellent place to learn even when you aren’t looking to learn something!
Hi Y’all!
The best part of going out is bad weather is comin’ back to a warm fireplace. It’s something Chessies have been doin’ for years and years…
Y’all come by now,
Hawk aka BrownDog
We like to come back to a tasty snack first…then maybe the fire 😉
Congratulations on your award! I can’t believe that you got even more snow! You won’t know what to do with the heat in Vegas! I love your workout shirt! BOL!
I’m hoping the hotel has a/c! Mom said last time she was too busy and only left the hotel once. Other than our walks (the long one real early), it shouldn’t be a problem. I can bring my cool collar and load it with ice if it is real hot out.
You girls are always such an inspiration on staying fit. Can’t believe that it’s already been a year since this started.
Time flaws when you are blogging 🙂
Congrats Emma! You are your family are so amazing!
We do our best to stand out in a crowd 😉
Congrats on your award! You guys are great examples of mixin’ it up to stay fit! (Bailie – girlfriend! Wait your turn!)
Bailie has real issues with waiting for things she wants but that may be a puppy thing.
What an accomplishment, congratulations to you all. Job well done
Maybe the boys will get in on it and win an award next year? Are they going to Vegas?
Emma, you and your whole family are an inspiration to all of us! What a great video, you are really hustling around when you’re doing that, I can see more now why it is such good exercise and wears you out. Congrats on your award!
If Bailie wasn’t so loud, you could hear me too. I’m making lots of sniffing noise these days looking for that birch scent.
Emma is such a cutie! Congrats on the award!
Thank you 🙂
Great post and congrats on your great award. You deserved that one living where you do and continuing to get out and move. I’m a member of petsmove too but I’m not as dedicatied as you in the winter. I have been starting to take walks with the pooches now that the snow is gone so we are getting there. Great video and good luck with your scent work test.
We love the winter, so it is not too hard but this year, the extreme cold put a bit of a damper on things. You all are a good active family even if things might slow down in the winter.
What a fun video… poor Bailie sounds like she’s being tortured! Good luck with the ORT!
Your pals,
Diane and Rocco
She does sound so pitiful doesn’t she? That is why we decided to leave that original sound.
*raises paw* Canz you pleez talk to our mommy about walking us KITTIES outside? We sooo wanna go OUT. REALLY BAD. And she sez NO.
My cats aren’t allowed to go outside. Cat bro Bert tries to run away all the time but we help Mom catch him if he makes it down to the yard. It is too dangerous out there and we lost our cat bro Tom six years ago. He was outside and just never came back. Can’t have that happen again.
Good job Emma! Bailie sounds a lot like Diesel when he isn’t getting to do what he wants to do!
She is really in the teenage brat stage right now…I know I never behaved like that!
We’re on Petsmove, but we keep forgetting to put our activities into it. What we need is an app so we can do it while we’re thinking about it!
For us the move part was easy, but getting a system so we could enter our times was the hard part. Now we are pretty good at it. Did you email petsmove about an app for that? They might just do that.
Congrats on your awards! Great video!
Thank you.
Nose work sounds interesting 🙂 Hope you have fun 🙂
It is fascinating for our hound noses and Mom loves working with us.
well done you guys!!
Thank you. We try!
You did very good Emma and Bailie’s cries in the background made me laugh. I think the key to keeping fit is to love what you are doing. If you love what you are doing, it will show, but it will also motivate you and you’ll do it more frequently because of your love for it.
We sure do love nose work and we have you to thank for it. We never heard of nose work and then saw it on your blog and started looking into it and now we are going to compete.
You are truly an inspiration Ms Emma!! I’m looking forward to river exercise starting soon!! WooHoo!!
That sounds like fun! I love water!
Emma you are really good. Bailie sounds like a rooster at times. 🙂 Congrats on your award.
Bailie has a really high pitched howl compared to mine…hard on the ears!
FitDog Friday is my favorite hop! I used to participate every week. Then I went to participating occasionally but reading all the posts in the hop. Now I hardly have time to read ANY posts, let alone all of them in the hop. It makes me sad. Now that hiking season is starting I will have more fitness stuff to write about so I hope to be able to stop by the hop more often.
If you are going to school and all your other activities, something has to give. With Mom working, doing my blog stuff and then Bailie and I working on nose work and Bailie obedience as well, there is just way too much to do. We are about at our limits here, so we understand! FitDog Friday is our favorite hop and it really makes it worthwhile when readers tell us we have helped them.
Now, we have been meaning to join in the FitDog Friday Bog Hop for a while but we never really knew what it was about to be perfectly honest but now we are even more confident in joining the blog hop after reading this post so thank you Emma!
Much love x
http://www.mydogdiaries1.blogspot.com
http://www.mycatdiaries1.blogspot.com
You know blog hops have themes, but no real strict rules. As long as you are posting about something with canine wellness you are fine. By the way, since you are in England, say “woof” to my dog parents if you see them. They still live there 🙂