We all know why it is important to pet-proof our homes, after all there are a lot of things that can harm our furkids. But one room that sometimes gets overlooked is the good old bathroom. Yes, one might think that it would be a refuge for peace and quiet away from our doglets, but as any pet parent will share, that isn’t always the case. Therefore, it’s important to be aware of dogs and bathroom safety.
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canadian dog magazine
PET WELLNESS: 3 DOG-FRIENDLY AT-HOME WORKOUTS
So the new year is here in case you haven’t heard and with it often comes a determined resolution to ‘get in shape.’ What most of us don’t think about, however, upon declaring our renewed loyalty to fitness is that January is a horribly frigid month to work out. Going for a run or even a long meandering walk becomes infinitely more difficult when -25C comes a calling (yes, for our non-Canadian readers, temperatures do plummet!)
But don’t despair! We have cooked up 3 easy dog-friendly winter workouts that won’t be deterred by bad weather to help you keep your promise to yourself.
1. WORKOUT #1: DOWNWARD DOG
We talk a lot about yoga (or doga – yoga for dogs) here on Pawsh, mostly because it is a fantastic way to keep body and mind happy and healthy. All you need for this workout is a yoga mat, a large open space to stretch out in and some soothing zen music.
If you know some yoga moves, work yourself through them. If you don’t, pick up any at-home yoga DVD (I personally love TurboFire; the fitness set has some powerful yoga training sessions in it). Yoga not only helps you to keep limber, but it can build muscle strength too. If you push yourself as well, you will definitely break a glorious sweat!
How your dog can join in: Throw a dog-friendly yoga party with friends. The dogs will love being part of the fun.
2. WORKOUT #2: DANCE!
It’s easy to fall into a case of the ‘winter blues,’ but an even easier way to avoid them is to dance – regularly! A wonderful form of exercise, dancing release endorphins which has been proven to improve mood and emotional outlook.
Take some time each day to throw on the radio or your favourite playlist and dance around the house without a care in the world. 30 to 45 minutes will do! Or, if you’d like to actually learn a particular form of dance, consider another at-home DVD routine and spend some time each day working on your moves.
How your dog can join in: Ever notice how if you’re moving around the house your dog will follow? The same is often true of dancing! Rather than sit on a couch and watch the world go by, your dog will most likely get up to see what you’re doing and (better yet) join in the bouncing around!
A beautiful photo series of dancers and their dogs
3. WORKOUT #3: AN APP THAT FITS
I have something of a love-hate relationship with gyms. Part of me loves the hustle and bustle, the social factor and the ‘you can do it’ atmosphere. But the other part of me hates how hard it is to cancel memberships, the perpetual smell of feet and waiting in line for machines.
So this winter, why not run your own gym at home with some clever apps? Here are two that I’m loving right now:
Nike Training Club – easy to use and oh-so effective, you’ll be sore after any of these workouts. Set your goals, set your desired workout times and off you go! You can choose between get lean, get toned, get strong or get focused and workouts can be as brief as 20 minutes, yet very effective!
The app creates a daily program for you to help you reach your fitness goals without having to spend hours every day working out. Whether its your core, legs or cardio you want to focus on, this app covers it all! ANDROID | iPHONE
PumpUp – this nifty app was developed by students in Waterloo and is remarkable. It too allows you to set goals and work towards them in a totally customized manner. Plus it offers a cool social aspect, kind of like a Facebook feed, where you can interact with other users who are also pursuing fitness. The social aspect is awesome as it allows you to motivate each other and get a friendly sense of competition going. ANDROID
How your dog can join in: While Fido won’t be able to lift weights with you, he can be present for your workout and engaged by your activity. Plus, with all the time you’ve saved not trekking out to the gym and back, you can fit in an extra game of in-house fetch or catch to help pupster burn a few extra calories too.
{Huge thanks to my incredible friend and talented artist Tonya Pet Photography for photographing this feisty installment of the “Pet Wellness” column.}
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This article was made possible by DogTrot Fitness — Canada’s exclusive distributor of the PetRun line of dog treadmills — the ideal solution if your dog doesn’t love dog parks.
Adequate exercise is equally important to your dog’s wellness as a healthy diet. Even if you can’t run WITH your dog, we can help you meet his exercise needs, regardless of weather. With running decks scaled to suit any stride, there’s a PetRun treadmill for every size of dog! WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER
JANUARY 2014 #PAWSHPLANS CALENDAR
This winter let’s keep busy and active with our dogs! While the frigid weather may make hibernating under a blanket all season very tempting indeed, it is important to get out and about and do our best to enrich our pet’s lives.
This month let’s try new things! Let’s bake, set goals, reconnect with old friends and frolic outdoors to make this otherwise dreary chilly month warm with fun memories.
If you partake in any of these suggested activities, share your experiences on Instagram with the hashtag #Pawshplans. Rory and I will be doing the same and I’d love to see your pups having fun and games too!
PAWSH PERK: The first installment of Pawsh’s newsletter will going out TODAY at noon! Sign up here if you’d like to receive this exclusive content!
HELLO 2014! LET’S HAVE SOME FUN!
Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all had a sensational holiday season! It was certainly eventful around here. Toronto had an icestorm that resulted in all sorts of power outages and chaos. A huge branch came down and crushed a parked car on my street! But once all of that settled down, the coziness of the holidays returned.
And now we are beginning a brand new, fresh-faced year and I couldn’t be more excited! I love the first week of January, day-dreaming about what the year might hold, coming back to work refreshed and finally tackling new projects.
While I also love making resolutions, I’ve decided this year to instead make Pawsh promises to myself, to you and to our furry friends. Promises for improvement, for growth and for more fun — and here they are…
1. PAWSH PROMISE #1: THREE SPECTACULAR ISSUES
This year I promise to produce a minimum of three amazing issues of Pawsh Magazine. The magazine will be undergoing a redesign, it will showcase new features and each issue will be bigger and fuller than ever! The first 2014 edition will come out on March 1st.
While reflecting over the holidays I realized that I really want to refine and project Pawsh Magazine‘s voice so that we can offer even more great, original content to help pets all over the world have the best lives possible.
2. PAWSH PROMISE #2: MONTHLY GIVEAWAYS
After much debate, I have decided to suspend the Pet of the Month column this year. It’s not that I don’t love it — I do! But I would like to start running giveaways that everyone can enter have a chance to win as a thank you for the time you take each day to visit the site. So keep an eye out — there are some fabulous items headed your way each and every month this year! Hooray!
3. PAWSH PROMISE #3: GIVE BACK MORE
Pawsh was born out of a deep love of animals; a love that grows each and every year and remains the focus of everything we are trying to do with this ongoing project. I want to continue that mission and plan to bring more great print products to Pawsh Print Shop, run more Pawsh Studio promotions, and produce more creative projects to promote awareness and raise money for animal welfare issues. Every animal life that is helped or saved makes the world a better place.
4. PAWSH PROMISE #4: FOCUS
Sometimes, while feeling ultra inspired, I can get distracted by new ideas and aspirations. I can spread myself too thin. I can get burnt out. I can feel overwhelmed. This year I promise to retain focus to make Pawsh more dynamic, more consistent and more present. I promise to keep myself grounded in the present, to focus on the task at hand and to work towards my goals one step at a time.
5. PAWSH PROMISE #5: MORE CONTENT
I promise to infuse new life and creativity into the Pawsh blog. There is all sorts of new exciting content in the works for you guys. There is a new, bold editorial calendar in place for the new year to keep things lively and fun.
There is also a brand new monthly newsletter now in place, brimming with exclusive content just for subscribers! Coupons, exclusive Pawsh Studio deals, never-before-seen dog treat recipes and more await! All you have to do is subscribe to it here! The first edition comes out on Monday!
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I hope these promises don’t sound too similar or narrow. My biggest dream for Pawsh is for it to be loved by pet owners of all ages, for it to be a place where we can always share our funny pet stories and learn new ways to care for our furry friends. By making these promises to you here today I am confident that we can have our best year ever here on Pawsh! xo