Here are a few products that can make exercising with your dog a little easier and safer:

1/ Hands Free Leash.  When you are running, walking or doing just about any activity it is really nice to have your hands free.  Believe it or not, most dogs do not pull as much when they are tethered to your body as they do when they are on a regular leash because your body is more stable than your arms.

2/ Cooling Vest.  Many dog breeds overheat quickly.  This can be very dangerous and life threatening.  If you plan on taking Fido for long walks, runs or hikes you may want to consider a cooling jacket.  The jacket will act as a protective barrier against the sun and keep your dog cool.  They work by first soaking the vest in cool water and then having Fido wear the vest while exercising.

3/ Life Jacket.  If Fido wants to take up swimming, surfing or kayaking you may want to consider a Dog Life Jacket even if your pup knows how to swim.  There are a couple of reasons for this.  One reason is the life jacket has a handle on the top for easy lifting into a kayak or onto a surfboard (or at least a guiding mechanism if your dog is too large to pick up).  Also they will keep Fido buoyant in waves, currents or if he gets tired.

4/ Booties.  If you like to go hiking, play in the snow or even running on hot pavement it may be worth checking out dog booties.  They will keep Fido from getting snow, foxtails or other debris built up in their paws and also protect from hot surfaces in the summer.  But beware; it sometimes takes a little while for Fido to get used to booties.

5/ Folding Water Bowl.  Dogs can get dehydrated just as humans do therefore it is important that you get in the habit of providing adequate amounts of water throughout your workout.  If you carry a water bottle for yourself, an easy solution for Fido is a folding water bowl.  They make them so that you can easily carry them in your backpack or even your purse!

Ruffwear.com has many of these and other fun outdoor products that can help make exercising with your dog safe and fun, Chama’s on 5th Avenue in San Diego carries a full line of Ruffwear products, tell Ernie that your are with Leash Your Fitness and he will give you a discount!

Exercising with your dog adds a whole new dimension to your workouts!  Watching Fido have a blast will provide you with constant entertainment and an everlasting smile on your face and who wants to stay home when mom and dad are out playing?

Kelly is getting married at the Navel Academy in Annapolis MD, as Emry’s is is currently a Lieutenant Junior Grade in the U.S. Navy. Therefore, water and anchors are  the themes for their wedding so we incorporated that into her shower thanks to her talented sister, Lisa and her graphic art talent and Clairemont Signs for making the picture and menus for us!   The flowers were perfect as they matched her colors and were so beautiful, just like the bride to be!

The afternoon began with social time at the bar followed by a delicious private menu lunch and yummy dessert.  None of us like to play shower games so we turned the questions to Kelly and had her answer 18 questions about her future husband and her reward was “Wedding Bucks” which she could cash in at the Leash Your Fitness bank for money toward her wedding. We are happy to say that she got the majority of the questions correct!!  Kelly and Emry’s are going to make the couple of the century and we are extremely happy for them both.  Enjoy the pictures cause we had fun making them!! (click on picture to enlarge or download)

–Dawn and the Leash Your Fitness Family

Peanut Butter Banana Cake

(adapted from the Three Dog Bakery cookbook)

Cake:

1-3/4 c water

1/4 c peanut butter

1 mashed banana

1/8 tsp. vanilla

1 egg

2 Tbsp. honey

3 c whole wheat flour (I used a combination of oat, brown rice,and whole wheat flour with 1/2 c. almond meal)

1 c crushed banana chips

1/2 Tbsp baking powder

Frosting:

8 oz cream cheese (or use low fat Neufchatel)

1/2 c peanut butter

1Tbsp honey

Directions: Preheat oven to 350F and grease an 8″ round cake pan (for a 13×9″ sheet you will need to double the recipe)

In a bowl, mix together water, mashed banana, peanut butter, honey, egg, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and crushed banana chips.  Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.  Pour into the greased cake pan. Bake for 45 min or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool, mix together ingredients for frosting and spread over the cake. Decorate, serve and enjoy! Store any left overs in an airtight container or freeze in slices for a treat later in the year.

You can never celebrate too many doggy birthdays!!

Do you live in a rural area? Do you hike or camp with your dog?  If so, you have to be aware that there could be rattlesnakes or other poisonous snakes on and off of the trails and could even come into your yard or neighborhood.  Do you know what your dog would do if he/she saw a rattlesnake?  Many dogs inadvertently get bit by just sniffing in the bushes.  Some are more curious when they see one and try to get closer to get a better look.  Others are completely unaware and step right over top of them.  Every state besides Alaska and Hawaii has some sort of poisonous snake. Whatever your dog does when it approaches a rattlesnake could end up being deadly.  According to PetMD,  “If your dog happens to be bitten by a poisonous snake the odds are in favor of a complete recovery. The degree of damage inflicted by a venomous snake is determined by a wide variety of variables. The age and species of snake, the intensity and depth of the fang penetration, the amount of venom injected, the location of the bite, and the size of the dog are just a few of the variables.” Another variable is how soon you get the dog medical treatment.

How do you prevent a snake bite?

1/ Keep your dog on a leash while hiking or camping so that you have control.

2/ Stay on the trails where you can see what is ahead.  Many snakes will be under rocks, logs or bushes where your dog will be sniffing.

3/ Don’t leave your dog unattended where there is a potential for snakes.

4/ Take your dog to a rattlesnake aversion class. The trainer puts a mild shock collar on your dog and introduces them to different snakes by sight, smell and sound.  The trainer gives your dog a mild shock if your dog is “curious”.  The hope is that your dog will associate the snake with the shock and stay away from them.

How do you know if your dog has been bit? Some signs:

1/ Fang marks may or not be visible

2/ Bleeding puncture wound

3/ Swelling and Reddening

4/ Pain and Bruising

5/ Twitching and Drooling

There are conflicting views as to what to do if your dog gets bit by a snake. The main things to do if Fido gets bit are:

1/ Try to identify the snake and take note if there is a rattle.

2/ Keep the dog as still as possible so that the venom does not spread.

3/ Do NOT cut the area or try to suck out the venom

4/ GET TO THE NEAREST VET ASAP**!!

**Many vets do not carry the antivenin needed therefore, if you are going camping, hiking or live in a rural area—check to see what is the nearest vet in the area that carries it.  Although, any vet is better than none at all as they will treat the bite.

Snake bites are a serious concern and should not be taken lightly.  The treatment is not only extremely expensive but it is not too much fun for Fido! Many dogs are lost each year because of snake bites so PLEASE be extremely careful and take the proper precautions to prevent Fido from being bit.

They are READY TO GO!!

The Leash Your Fitness 8 week Fitness Challenge was a success!! It was AMAZING how much EVERYONE got stronger, improved their flexibility and endurance lost weight and/or inches and did GREAT!!

The class was held inside so there were no excuses to miss because of the rain.The challenge started with a pre-assessment that measured body weight, inches, core and upper and lower body strength, flexibility and endurance.  For 6 weeks the participants were challenged with some pretty tough exercises set in a circuit. There were 8 exercises and they had 45 seconds to do each one.  They had between a 12 & 15 second break in between each exercise.  Funny how slow 45 seconds goes and how fast 15 seconds flies!! They did 3 rounds of each circuit and then the circuit was switched and they had to start over for a total of 6 rounds!!  Of course we had to add a bonus round of core in!! By the last workout, they did 8 rounds total and were KILLING IT!!!Each week they got a motivational email with a diet tip of the week and a few recipes to try.  Everyone should be really proud of themselves.  There were some major diet changes including: drinking more water, cutting down on the carbohydrates, switching salad dressings, watching portions and cutting out the chocolate!!!

The post- assessment told the story! I have to say, that I was very impressed at how well everyone did!  But you know there can only be one winner and although the numbers were within 1% –Jen Fay came out the champion with Sue Glass coming in a very close 2nd place.  For their hard work:  Jen won a FREE monthly membership to Leash Your Fitness and Sue won the next month’s Upper Body Circuit Madness classes so that they can both continue to on their healthy journey.

Because this workout was so popular we are going to continue it through April outside at the park with the dogs!! We are bringing out the toys:  ropes, bands, TRX, balls, bags, and whatever else we can find!! Thursday nights from 6 – 7:30 p.m. at Nobel Athletic Field.  You are guaranteed to love what this workout will do for you!!  You can sign up on our EVENTS schedule. We want to help YOU get those sexy arms that you always wanted, improve your core strength and feel better! We hope to see you in class!

After we were all done in the hotel room, the three of us had to sit on beach chairs and look out at the ocean which I thought was mean because we weren’t even allowed to go in! Then they used a really strange command, they told us to “frolic” in the yard.  Well, this was my chance to chase BJ and although I am little–I got him good!  (Although, that did not go over well!) So, I tried to “frolic” as nice as I could!  The funniest part was when they took us to the front desk and tried  to get the other two dogs to “check in” at the front desk.  BJ jumped all of the way up on the desk and was standing on it and Roxy took off running full throttle through the hotel.  Needless to say, either one of these maneuvers were what the people were looking for! If I would have been taller, I would have showed them how to do it but I couldn’t reach the desk so I just took a break and watched the entertainment.

By the end of the day, I made up with BJ and we walked off-leash nicely down the hall together and then sat by the fire. I tolerated him for a few minutes until they got their photos. By then we were over all of the camera stuff and ready to take a nap!

For all of my trouble, I got a belly full of treats, to play with a cool toy AND a cool Ritz Carlton collar.  Mommy said that we are going to go stay there one night.  They have a really big Yappy Hour on the first Thursday of every month and we thought it would be fun to take the Leash Your Fitness family there and go check it out!  Enjoy the photos, we will let you know when the video is ready!