Muddy!

We've been having some warmer days, well, not too warm, but above the freezing mark, anyways. And you know what that means, right?

MUD!!!

Love mud! Do all of you like mud? Just wondering if it's a JoJo and Gracie thing, or whether all pups love mud?

So now we have muddy paw prints around the house. Mum knows exactly where I went after I come in from outside. She's put down all the towels at the backdoor again to soak up as much as possible, and we're gonna be going through that 'clean the paw' routine every time I come in from outside, I expect.

And she's gonna have to get out the steam cleaner, and clean up the carpets pretty soon. And wipe down the tile floor a lot more.

But Mum's pretty cool, she doesn't mind, as long as I'm happy and having fun! So I guess I'll indulge her wiping my paws a bit now and then, at least I get a treat after :) Woofs!

One of my new favorite toys - a toilet paper roll, BOL!

Ok, I know it's silly, but I just love grabbing cardboard-y stuff and running around the house with it. The other day I snagged an egg carton, yesterday I pilfered this super cool toilet paper roll!

First I ran off with it, maneuvering around the office furniture with Mum playing chase behind me...

The I tried to settle into a good tear up/chew session, but Mum had different plans, and decided to play tug with me, now that was fun!!!

Then after all the new excitement settle a bit, I finally got down to some chewing and tearing up! Ahhhh....there is just nothing better than stealing something, tearing it up and Mum letting me do it :)

At least I didn't nab one of the full toilet paper rolls like Gracie did last year, BOL! Doesn't she look super guilty?

Cool book!

Well, we've got some reading ahead of us! And we are looking forward to it!

One of our new Twitter buds, Chet (the dog) sent us his new book (actually written with help from by Spencer Quinn), Dog on It: A Chet and Bernie Mystery! Cool huh?

Here's a little about the book:

Meet Chet, the wise and lovable canine narrator of Dog on It, who works alongside Bernie, a down-on-his-luck private investigator. Chet might have flunked out of police school ("I'd been the best leaper in K-9 class, which had led to all the trouble in a way I couldn't remember exactly, although blood was involved"), but he's a detective through and through.

In this, their first adventure, Chet and Bernie investigate the disappearance of Madison, a teenage girl who may or may not have been kidnapped, but who has definitely gotten mixed up with some very unsavory characters. A well-behaved, gifted student, she didn't arrive home after school and her divorced mother is frantic. Bernie is quick to take the case -- something about a cash flow problem that Chet's not all that clear about -- and he's relieved, if vaguely suspicious, when Madison turns up unharmed with a story that doesn't add up. But when she disappears for a second time in a week, Bernie and Chet aren't taking any chances; they launch a full-blown investigation. Without a ransom demand, they're not convinced it's a kidnapping, but they are sure of one thing: something smells funny.

With his doggy ways and his endearingly hardboiled voice, Chet is full of heart and occasionally prone to mischief. He is intensely loyal to Bernie, who, though distracted by issues that Chet has difficulty understanding -- like divorce, child custody, and other peculiar human concerns -- is enormously likable himself, in his flawed, all-too-human way.

Sounds pretty cool don'tcha think? Now all we need is some peace and quiet to read! Gracie has been her BC wild and manic self this week and is giving me no peace!

Be sure and stop by Chet's blog and stay hi! And if you twitter, be sure and follow him, and if you're on Facebook, check out his group, K? He's one pretty cool dude!

Today is Spay Day!

Today is Spay Day! Or in my case neuter day, BOL!

Today is a day to learn all about spaying and neutering; a day to share the importance of spay/neuter to those that won't be breeding their best friend, and a day to share information with those that need the facts.

Learn more about this important day!
Find a Spay/Neuter event in your area!
Enter the Spay Day photo contest!
Find low cost spay/neuter programs in a city near you!
And if you're a canine athlete with concerns about Spay/Neuter and when to do it, read Chris Zink's article on "Early Spay-Neuter Considerations for the Canine Athlete: One Veterinarian's Opinion"

World's oldest dog?

We saw a news report yesterday about Chanel, the newest world's oldest dog! Chanel is 29, that's nearly 203 in human years, can you believe it?

Even though she's getting a little slow, on a special diet, wears goggles to help her see better, may need extra bathroom light fixtures during bath time, and has to wear a sweater to keep those old bones warmer - she's still feisty! Read more about Channel in The Sun!

Tomorrow is International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day!

Dog! I know you like dog biscuits just as much as I do! So I'm pretty excited that tomorrow is International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day - a day to appreciate one of our favorite things!

So what am I gonna do today? Well, Mum is gonna cook up some special homemade dog biscuits for me and Gracie. Then we're gonna take a nice long walk around the White River Park area, and even do some agility, weather permitting. That's so we can work off a few extra calories that we'll be consuming today :)

Here are some super fun links to help you enjoy this great day:

• Here's a great site with tons of dog biscuit recipes!
• Check out my Squidoo lens on my favorite homemade dog treats!
• Mum just taught me to catch treats in mid air, but here are a couple of pups who have it down to a science. Check out this vid - synchronized dog biscuit catching and eating - more, more!
• Need a dog biscuit, paw print, fire hydrant or dog house cookie cutter? A bone muffin pan?
• Watch this pup catch a biscuit from his nose in slow-mo!
• If you'd like to remotely dispenses those amazing biscuits to you dog when you're gone, check out this cool remote dispenser triggered by Instant Messaging. Or if you'd like to see Bender's cool dog biscuit dispenser, check this out! And last but certainly not least in dispensers, check out this iPhone power dispenser.
  
• Got a biscuit, teach a dog a trick!
• Read about the history of dog biscuits!
  

Oh what us dog's have to go through to just get a doggone treat! BOL!


And check out this one in slow mo!


What's my favorite biscuit besides the ones my Mum makes?

C&P Organix Dog Cookies Cheese

The Organic Dog Biscuit Cookbook: Over 100 "Tail Wagging" Recipes

The Organic Dog Biscuit Cookbook Kit

Enjoy International Dog Biscuit Day!

New 'puter!

Well, it was bound to happen some time. My laptop moved on to the big computer heaven in the sky. Since working at home on the computer is a huge part of Mum's work and my work, we do have a desktop backup (well the laptop was really the backup). But our desktop is getting smaller and smaller as programs get larger and larger - and we couldn't work with just one 'puter.

So what did we do all last week? Yep, worked on computers. It took two days to backup everything off the laptop, since it sounded like it was sawing logs, clicking more than my clicker, and slow as heck. Then it took another day to put all the stuff on the laptop onto the desktop. Then we had to decide how to replace the laptopper.

Luckily for us, Acer just came out a week or two ago with a new, very powerful netbook. It's a little mini type of laptop - twice as powerful and twice the size of our dying laptop, with tons of computer memory, and only $349 bucks. We love our new netbook. It's small, but it's super powerful, and it's really just the right size for my paws. And it keeps it's charge for up to 7 or 8 hours, amazing for the super great price, and it's only 2.3 lbs.

So my new netbook is all loaded up, everything is moved over that I and Mum need for work, and we are finally able to get email and get some work done, woofs!!!!!

Great trick ideas!

Mum was looking around YouTube to find some more great trick ideas for us, when she came across this fun vid! What a great idea for a game to play!


Check out some of the other great trick vids from Petra! Here's Tricks Part 4, and Part 3!

Living truly wild!

I love learning more about my like species. So when we came across this video of the wolves that live in the coastal rain forest in British Columbia, I liked it so much I just had to share it with you.

The Nature Conservancy utilized unmanned remote control cameras to get a unique and natural view of these amazing creatures in a most amazing habitat.

It looks like they eat pretty well! Check out that cool salmon one of them captured. I sure wouldn't mind eating a raw salmon, yum!!!!

Today!

We had a pretty good day, hope you did too! (And it's still good, 'cause it's just 7:30).

We got up late, had breakfast, then got our zoomies on. Then we rested a bit (and chased the cats some) while Mum worked. Mum and I completely updated the front page of JohannTheDog.com and added some pawsome new toys, including some for tough dogs and big dogs! And she added in some great mud agility shoes for Spring.

Then she left us for a meeting, but came back in a couple of hours. She worked more on a client's website, then it was time for dinner! Then after our food went down we went out and got to do some agility again. Can't believe our luck that the weather has been good enough for us to do some agility play in the backyard? But it may not last, it's supposed to get into the 20s coming up in a day or two.

I worked on some nasty weave entrances. Always good to have in your repertoire, right? I didn't do to bad! Got in some teeter work, Mum is loving my recent teeter. Mum is also super happy with my motivation, my speed, and my enthusiasm. I've become a tugging maniac!

Gracie worked on some rear crosses, speed (since she just doesn't have the speed in our yard that she does at trials), and increasingly independent weaves. She's gettin' better all the time!

Working around today we found a couple of things we wanted to tell ya about. Check out this pup tent we found on DogToy.com! It's on sale from $57.99 marked down to $29.99. If you have a pup that won't tear one of these up (like Gracie and I would), could be a super great deal.


We also found out today that Bayer HealthCare is giving away $20 Veterinary Vouchers good toward preventive veterinary care (vaccinations, wellness exams, flea and tick treatment and prevention , heartworm preventative, dental care, etc.).

The vouchers are available from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM ET every hour on the hour until February 28, 2009. More than 80 vouchers are being distributed every hour. The best way we've heard to get a voucher is to fill out your form, and then hit submit at the very top of the hour. They are gone within just a few minutes at the beginning of each hour.

It kinda works like a rebate offer. Could be a good way to offset some of your pet's expenses during this tough economic time!

Also, over at our Rescue Me blog this week we are featuring dogs in shelters and rescues that may make great agility teammates. So, if you're looking for a new teammate, check out the prospects. And if you know of a shelter/rescue dog that would love doing agility, let me know and I'll post about them.

Hope you all had a nice President's Day!

I got to play some agility!

Today was nice enough for us to get outside for some more agility! Mum's been working on keeping me fit, and keeping up my speed. We've been playing with toys more than rewards with treats in recent weeks, and I'm not minding at all! (Gracie still like her food though).

We're missing training and competing in agility, but have to say that getting out in the yard to play some agility is super motivating, and a super nice break from work! Here's a quick vid - you'll notice I'm just a tad bit interested in herding some birds, but I got the job done :) BTW - sorry for the poor quality of our latest vids, Mum has to use the video function on our digital camera when she runs with us, 'cause it's a one handed operation.

I ♥ my Mum!

She's the best friend a dog could ever have. We had a really nice day yesterday, got to do some agility, tug, play some ball with Mum in the yard. She even cleaned the house and I didn't mind the Dyson too much. (She always feels better, more organized, and together when the house is clean). So...

Here I am with my favorite ball in the entire universe.

Here I am with my favorite tug.

Here's Gracie after a nice little agility run. Boy, she's got a big mouth, doesn't she :)

Here I am again, I was just a blur most of the day.

But the bestest part? Mum brought me and Gracie home a big surprise from the store. What did we get? Marrow bones!!!!

Here's Gracie, getting down on her bone.

And here I am with mine!

Hope all our friends had a super Happy Valentine's Day! We ♥ You!!!!!

Gracie plays some agility!

The other day, it was a little warm again. We've been lucky to have a few nice days after such nasty snow, ice, wind and rain.

Mum's been working a bit on Gracie's weave independence. Since Mum's holding the camera, and not babysitting Gracie through the weaves, looks like they're having some success. (Although I do think Gracie missed a pole somewhere in there :) This would be categorized in the genre of Christian videos, I would guess, BOL!!

Gracie she sure is having some fun!

Shoplifting dog identified and pardoned!

Hey remember that shoplifting dog in Murray, Utah around the holidays? Well, seems he's not homeless, and is quite the smart pup!

According to ohmidog!...

After seeing the video, the Stirling family of Murray suspected their dog — an 11-year-old Husky named Akira — was the culprit, and drove her down to the store so that she could be positively identified.

Akira had broken through an e-fence, and walked 6 miles to the store to pick up that rawhide, can you believe it? Then she walked the 6 miles home to enjoy her stash. Luckily the store pardoned her :)

Cool dog agility shirts and stuff!

We scoured CafePress the other day and found some pawsome dog agility shirts.

I pawticularly like this one - Eat, Sleep, Agility, BOL!

If you'd like to see some of the coolest dog agility shirts on the planet, check out my Squidoo lens - Cool dog agility shirts!

To much work!

Mum's been working way to many long hours! We get up at 5 AM, get fed, get in a little backyard exercise, then Mum sits at the 'puter until about Noon. Then it's time for a little more backyard exercise (aka, bird herding). At least our wooden fence is holding up from my bird herding and we don't have to look into aluminum fence installation!

Then we get some snuggle time with Mum while she takes a break. Then she's back at the stupid 'puter, and she works until we let her know it's time for dinner at about 4 PM.

After dinner, at least the last few days, we've gotten in some backyard agility practice. Saaawwwweeeetttt! Then, Mum's back at the 'puter until about 11 PM. Gotta tell ya, this is not the kind of stuff I like! We're looking forward to some fun time!

So what do I think of all this? Ttthhhhpppphhhhttttt!

Snow melt brings a little agility!

After weeks of super cold temps and lots of snow, it finally melted away and got warmer. Today it was almost 50, sunny and absolutely no wind! Perfect weather for a little agility - which Mum was glad to indulge in for both me and Gracie. A super great break to a busy, stressful week!!!

Here is a pic of our yard when the snow melt got going. No where for the water to go, so I got in a good wade!


But this morning we woke up and the water was all gone!

Of course we got all excited the minute Mum reached for her agility shoes. The sad thing is that one of us has to go in our crate and wait while one of us gets to go first. It's the rule at our house. Guess who got to go first today? Me, Me, Me!!!!

We worked on some distance stuff, sending to jumps and tunnels and the weaves. Worked on a few difficult weave entrances with post turns and rear crosses. Worked on some weave speed, using a target out from the weaves. For not doing agility for weeks, Gracie and I both did pretty doggone good. Both of our weave speeds weren't up to end of last year, but not bad. We were both super focused (not easy for the Grace-ster), and our jump speed wasn't bad either.

But the best part? It was fun, fun, fun!!!!!!

Here's a little vid...

Johann's Toofer Challenge Update!

Well, we've been having lots of fun with my Toofer Challenge in recognition of February as National Pet Dental Health Month.

Good job everypup and pawrent!

It's never too late to join in the challenge, just like it's never too late to start brushing regularly. So if you'd like to join in, leave a comment here!

And to all the challenge pawticipants - be sure and send me those brushing pics, K? We'll be sure and feature them!

Look at all the doggies who have jumped on the challenge train, and are brushing, brushing away! We've got:

Marley

The Four Musketeers

The Canine Mafia

Princess Snowball

Lucie and Addie

Mason Dixie

Eduardo

The Fleas Gang

Rudy

And Amber-Mae sent in one of her Toofer Challenge pics! Check this out!

And KendraAnn at A Groomer's World joined the challenge to brush all her client toofers during the month of February - now that's a lot of clean teeth!

Mum's been brushing our toofer everyday, and we're loving it! No pics of us since it takes Mum's two hand to brush our teeth. But maybe if we get lucky, Mum will do a vid!

Happy Brushing!!!!

We have a winner!

I spent a bit of the afternoon today selecting the winner of our Puppy Bowl I-IV DVD Set giveaway!

Mum laid out all the entries, and once I got my bearings, I sniffed one of 'em out!

The winner is.....Barkzilla! Stop over at their blog sometime, they do some pawsome reviews of all kinds of pup products!

Big congrats! We heard that Barkzilla was looking more forward to the Puppy Bowl, than the Super Bowl! And big thanks to Animal Planet, for providing the super cool DVD's!