Last month’s #Pawshplans were such fun that it only seemed right to create another calendar to celebrate the festive month of December, so voila! Here is a fun agenda of dog-friendly activities to help you relax and have fun throughout the hectic holiday season! Get your FREE DECEMBER CALENDAR HERE and set it as your desktop so you don’t miss a moment of fun!

Plus, follow Pawsh on Instagram to see photos from our event filled days and share your own too! Just be sure to use the hashtag #Pawshplans so we can see your pics! (Pssst! There might be a prize for our favourite reader submitted #Pawshplans photo this month! And by ‘might’ we mean definitely!)

Let’s celebrate the holidays together with our dear dog friends at our heels! There are so many great things to do this time of year. What are you most looking forward to? (I’m personally pumped for an upcoming ‘Ugly sweater Christmas party!’)

Okay! Are you ready for some fun? Thanks to our incredible sponsors Pawsh will be hosting two full weeks of holiday giveaways valued at over $1000! Every day there will be a new item up for grabs and as the days go on, the prizes get BIGGER! Some days there will be one winner, other days there may be two — you won’t know until the day arrives! You can enter as many days as you’d like and hopefully win some awesome goodies in the process! Lots of surprises headed your way!

Giveaway #1 is a fabulous Bandana Collar from our friends at Wildebeest. These collars are truly fantastic because they allow your dog to sport two different looks at once! Simply fold the top portion of fabric either backwards or forwards to flip your dog’s fashion and make them the most stylish canine in town! The best part about the Bandana Collar, however, is that it IS a collar, meaning that it fastens securely around your dog’s neck and won’t get lost (unlike ordinary bandanas that are just tied in a knot).

Do you think your dog would look snazzy in one of these beauties? One lucky reader will win one Bandana Collar and get to choose their design! All you have to do to enter is:

• SHARE THIS FACEBOOK LINK (you’ll need to click the little Facebook ‘Share’ button present in link, otherwise we won’t see that you have shared it)

If you want to double or triple your chances of winning you can also:

• TWEET THIS: “I just entered @Pawsh_magazine’s Holiday Giveaway #1 for a chance to win a stylish @Wildebeestshop bandana collar! https://pawsh-magazine.com/2012/12/pawsh-holidays-giveaway-1.html”

AND/OR

• LEAVE A COMMENT on today’s blog post below saying why this bandana collar would suit your dog best!

Please know that when we say ‘double or triple your chances of winning’ we actually mean it. We will absolutely be cross-referencing all tweets, comments and shares to make sure everyone is entered correctly for their efforts.

Contest entries for Giveaway #1 close at 10pm tonight and the winner will be drawn at random (again, once ALL entries have been properly tallied and accounted for). The winner will be announced on the blog tomorrow when we introduced Giveaway #2!

Pretty straightforward right? Happy December once again everyone! You guys have been completely amazing this year and the Pawsh Holiday Giveaway series is my way of saying thank you for your incredibly support. xo

PAWSH PERK: More about why we love Wildebeest.

Take Paws: Whiskered Wisdom About Life & Love is now available for purchase in print! To get your very own copy for the holidays (or for the dog-lover in your life) all you have to do is follow this link! Remember, for every copy of Take Paws that is sold $4 will be donated to Humane Society International.

Help make a difference this holiday season! YES, I WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE A COPY OF TAKE PAWS!

Happy December ladies and gentlemen! At last, the holiday season has arrived at Pawsh and what a season we have in store for you! Not only do we have some fabulous holiday content planned — including fantastic new products, easy-to-make dog treat recipes, inspiring pets and more — but we also have 12 PAWSH HOLIDAY GIVEAWAYS set and ready to go valued at over $1000! (More on that this afternoon, so stay tuned!)

But first, let’s turn our attention to one of the most amusing activities possible for December — counting down to Christmas Day! Here is a dog-friendly twist on the traditional advent calendar. It’s beyond easy to make and is guaranteed to be lots of fun for you and your dog! Keep reading for complete details!

I don’t know about you, but the holidays are one of my busiest times of the year. Yet I always want to do something fun for the furchild (aka Rory!) Being part poodle she is particularly smart and I’m always trying to come up with new ways to keep her occupied. Enter the dog-friendly advent calendar that is beyond simple to create….

The Things You Need:

• 24 mini paper gift bags in festive colours (I opted for gold and green)
• Two different colours of tissue paper
• Scotch tape
• Dog treats

What You Need To Do:
1) Wrap one dog treat in one sheet of tissue paper for each gift bag.
2) Write numbers 1 to 24 on the bags, if desired.
3) Measure out a rectangular area on a blank open wall.
4) Tape bags to wall in straight lines, resembling a calendar format. (Note: the lines don’t need to be perfectly straight, so don’t lose sleep about it.)
5) That’s it! Keep reading to learn how it all works!

Each morning before I leave the house, Rory goes to her bed and gets a small dog chew or toy to keep her busy while I’m away. Rather than spoil pup too much over the holidays, I simply placed 24 of her regular morning goodies in the 24 advent calendar bags. Before I leave each morning, while I enjoy a few final slurps of coffee or pack my bag for the day, I take down one of the brightly coloured bags and place it on the floor for Rory.

The bag then becomes a toy; an extra game Rory can play while I’m busy waking up and getting ready! Rory delightfully noses the bag around and sets to work ‘opening’ her present, which is far more stimulating for her than simply sitting pretty and getting a treat right away. Making your dogs work for their treats (especially in a way that reinforces their natural hunting instincts) is a great way to add interest to their day!

So there you have it! An easy holiday activity, a challenging game and a delicious prize all in one!

PAWSH POINT: Do not leave your dog unattended when playing with the paper bag and tissue paper. Be sure to clear all paper products from the floor before leaving your dog to enjoy their treat.