My Four-Legged Brother and Sister and our GIVEAWAY!

When I heard that Juice Plus+ was conducting their Spring Conference in Phoenix, AZ I was stoked! Not only could I attend the conference, visit my family, meet some incredibly inspiring people but I could also write the entire trip off when we do our taxes next year! Cha-Ching! That was so 1989 of me. Who says, "Cha-Ching!"? Before I get to my four-legged brother and sister, I would like to give a shout out to The Grommom way over in Oahu and to the SuperShegan out in Washington. These two women inspire me to live a healthier lifestyle everyday; it was such a pleasure to have FINALLY met them.

Meet my four-legged brother, Kaiser!

Such a handsome puppy!

He is probably the sweetest dog on this planet. I know what you are thinking, "You haven't met my dog", "Who is she to say her dog is the sweetest?", "I bet he's not as sweet as my Fido! Oh no, he's not." Well, it's my blog and he's my four-legged brother, so there! ;-) Kaiser may be getting old, roughly 11 years old, but if you are at all familiar with Weimaraners, you know he still has a lot of puppy left in him. His back end is starting to droop a little bit and it's becoming harder for him to get up from a sitting or lying position but the second his pool toys come out, it's as if a switch has been flipped and he's a two year old puppy again. Kaiser-butt had never been around babies or young children until last June when we flew out to Phoenix before going on to Kauai. At the time, Logan was about 8 months old and crawling. It was as if Kaiser had a sixth sense-he was so careful, calm, and gentle around Logan. What's even more surprising is how protective he is of Logan. My parents, like any smart person living in The Valley of the Sun, have a pool. When Logan is near the pool deck, it is a rule that he must be holding someone's hand. On this last trip out, when Logan was on the pool deck, holding someone's hand, of course, Kaiser would flank the other side. If Kaiser could have, I'm betting he probably would have held Logan's other hand. When Logan was sitting on the pool deck dipping his feet in the water, Kaiser would stand behind Logan with his head just over the little guy, I'm sure he was ready to grab him if the need arose. We all believe that if, God forbid, Logan had fallen into the pool, Kaiser would have gone in after him. This dog just has the sweetest heart, kind and gentle spirit, and happy-go-lucky attitude. It's hard to see him getting old but when he looks at us with his wide, open mouthed grin, we know there is plenty of life left in him.

This is Tasha!

The shadow from the umbrella is annoying but she's a pretty girl!

She is the newest member of my parent's pack. Tasha is about 5 years old and she is teeny-tiny by Weim standards, she only weighs 42 lbs.! Her build resembles more of a Vizsla. My parents adopted Tasha almost a year ago; she was very timid and meek. Now, she has definitely come out of her shell and will jump on you just to get a hug, she's so sweet. But, there is one thing Tasha HATES! Cats. My parents happen to have three cats that torture her endlessly. Tasha-girl is constantly on guard just in case a cat gets too close or tries to sneak past her. When she is stalking one of the cats, her eyes get really big, she moves very quietly and is sure to tread ever-so lightly on her dainty little paws. This little pup is also really great with Logan. She came from a home with small children so she had some training in that regard. However, Logan definitely gave her a refresher course in the joys of toddler-hood. He climbed on top of her as if she were a horse, a mini-horse I suppose. He yanked on her ears and poked her in the eyes and gave her hugs. She just sat there are took it like a champ. We recently learned of  the possibility that Tasha has a tumor in her front, right leg that would require amputation. But, in true Weimaraner fashion, she hasn't slowed down a bit. That's the thing about these Weimaraners, they are so stubborn. Reminds me of a certain human I know. :-) I will be sure to keep you updated on Tasha's prognosis.

Upside-down Tasha!

Weimaraners are called Velcro-dogs because they love to be as close to their humans as humanly possible. Well, Kaiser and Tasha are no different. Tasha loves to snuggle in bed under the blankets. Kaiser on the other hand will just plop his 90 lb. rear-end in your lap. Then, he'll give you his puppy dog eyes as if to say, "Please don't make me get up!". My parents have been very fortunate to own four fantastic Weimaraners, two of which have unfortunately crossed over the Rainbow Bridge but they both had long lives filled with love. Hogan was the calamity...he always had a cone on his head. And Jake was just happy to have a warm bed, food in his tummy, and someone to give him a gentle belly rub. I will have to dig up some pictures of them, they deserve their own separate post.

Velcro-dog Kaiser

Tasha stalking a cat.

Okay, now that I am on the verge of weeping over my keyboard...have you entered our GIVEAWAY yet?  

Wiggle on,

Jenny :-)

Our First GIVEAWAY!!

I don't know where to begin, there is just so much I want to share with you! My brain is telling me to start in one direction and my heart is pulling me in another and my fingers are going somewhere else entirely. Can we all just work together?! I had intended to do one post with all sorts of fantastic things to share but I have a new Real Housewives of Orange County episode waiting to be downloaded to my Apple t.v. Don't judge, I know you're judging. :-)

So now that I have physically, written out notes, in hopes of my thoughts coming across somewhat organized, we can get started. But wait, other Bloggers out there in the blogosphere, please tell me I am not the only one who literally had to write out notes before typing. I am such an amateur. Anyway, that little rant brings me to my first topic. My great friend Pam, from Bark and Giggle Boutique is a Pro-Blogger, unlike myself, and an amazing small business owner; there truly is no end to her creativity. She has agreed to do a guest post for Wiggle Butt Weim and a GIVEAWAY!! I can hardly contain my excitement, hence my need for jotting notes. I absolutely LOVE the adorable fabric options (seen here) and wide range of products (here) offered at BAGB, not to mention that the products are all hand-made by Pam herself, allowing for endless opportunities to customize your product. Heidi has a few Bark and Giggle Products, the "Miko" Front-Pull Harness, a few "Lucy" Classic Collars, and the absolutely amazing "Sake" Chain Martingale. A martingale collar is great for dogs that pull when walking on leash or for a dog that is able to slip out of their collar while on leash. In Heidi's case, she is terrible at walking nicely on the leash, however, she is very well-behaved when walking off leash. She needs the martingale because otherwise she would rip my arm out of its socket. There is also the fact that Heidi has pulled so hard on the leash, that the plastic buckle on her collar broke. This particular collar was NOT a Bark and Giggle product, the craftsmanship of this particular collar was nowhere near the caliber of Bark and Giggle's. While you are visiting Bark and Giggle Boutique, don't forget to check out the Giggle side for the adorable, two-legged baby in your life.

Heidi modeling the "Miko" Front Pull Harness and one of her "Lucy" Classic Collars.

Here, Heidi is wearing the "Sake" Chain Martingale.

Here are the details for our first ever GIVEAWAY!! You have until Friday April 27th to submit your entries to win a "Sake" Chain Martingale from Bark and Giggle Boutique. Remember, this collar can be customized to fit your dog and the fabric choice is yours! Bright and early Saturday April 28th, Logan will chose a name randomly out of Heidi's food bowl. Here is how to enter:

• Leave a Comment = 1 Entry 

• Subscribe to Wiggle Butt Weim = 2 Entries

• Already wiggling with us as a subscriber? 3 Entries!

• Send a friend over to wiggle! They must leave a comment letting me know you sent them, you will receive = 2 additional entries or 3 additional entries if they subscribe! 

Are you ready for your four-legged friend to sport a new, super-stylish collar? Good luck!

Check back tomorrow for an introduction to my Weimy brother and sister. Here's a sneak peek!

 

Tasha on the left and Kaiser on the right.

Have you entered yet??

Wacky Weimaraner Wednesday

The other day I came across this great captioned photo and thank goodness I did because I needed a good laugh that day.

 Because we live in the South, this next one makes me giggle, as well.

I came across a photo of Heidi from about three years ago. The picture quality is horrible but it captures Heidi's goof-ball personality nicely!

Frisbee, anyone?

One of these days, I'm going to get a picture of Heidi's bucked teeth! Have you ever seen a dog with bucked teeth? It is very funny! Because of this little cosmetic flaw, we would never have been able to show Heidi in the ring...so, we got her for a discount! I don't think she would be the same dog without her bucked teeth.

 Of course, there are days when Heidi drives me bat-crap crazy, but there's nothing like cuddling up on the couch with her at the end of a long day. Her personality, dog-ality?, hound-ality? can be a little over-bearing for some, myself included some days, but just like any other family-member, we love her anyway. She is who she is! Obnoxious, hyper, goofy, protective, persistent, stubborn, and incredibly LOYAL! That last part is more than many humans can say for themselves, unfortunately.

Keep an eye out for our upcoming give-away! I'm so excited to introduce to you to a great friend, awesome mom, creative business-owner, and fellow dog lover very soon.

Lady of the Flies

Spring in North Carolina has arrived! Well, it actually (unofficially) arrived a few weeks ago with temperatures

in the 70s-80s. Flowers and trees are blooming. The grass needs to be mowed. Birds are singing and bees are buzzing.

With Spring comes a few nuisances. First, the pollen. Here in the South, it is disgusting. It literally will turn you white, silver, black, or Pepto-Bismal pink car (yes, there is such a car driving around my town) a bright yellow. Gross! What looks like yellow sidewalk chalk coating everyone's driveway is, you guessed it, pollen. I remember our first Spring here; mid to upper 70 degree temperatures was perfect weather for wide open windows in the house. A yellow dusting started to form on my white window sills and because I am from Michigan, I had absolutely no idea where this yellow stuff was coming from. Sure, there is pollen in Michigan but nowhere near the amount we experience here in NC. Slowly, yes I am blonde, I put two and two together. Thankfully, no one in my immediate family suffers from seasonal allergies to the point of needing to keep the windows closed all spring.

When I'm home, my car is in the garage. This car is not mine. http://www.wral.com/lifestyles/healthteam/story/1261521/

The other thing that is a bit of an annoyance is the flies. Because Heidi is constantly knocking at the knob to go out and jumping on the door to come back in (two seconds after going out), the door is continuously being opened and closed allowing a fly or two in the house. There really isn't much Heidi is afraid of but flies are definitely one of them. When there is a fly in the house, Heidi is such a WEENY! She becomes incredibly clingy, I guess they are called "Velcro-Dogs" for a reason.

Velcro-Dog

A few weeks ago I was painting the kitchen. It was a beautiful day out, mid-70s, a gently breeze stirring the pollen around a bit more to torture the poor, allergy stricken people. Hence, Heidi in and out...ALL. DAY. LONG. A particularly large fly made it's way into the house. This scaredy-dog was constantly under my feet. When I was standing on the ladder, she was laying at the foot of it. Our kitchen is not that big but every time I moved, even if it was to move the ladder two feet over, there she was at my hip. It didn't matter that the fly was not even in the kitchen. She knew it was somewhere in the house and she was worried!

Hiding under the table. The fly won't find her there!

She never lays on a hard surface. Desperate times call for desperate measures!

I guess I can't really blame her, though. Dogs have an incredible sense of hearing...when they want to, I should note. She may not hear me tell her to "leave it" eighteen times but she can hear a fly buzzing on the other side of the house. Truly, the sound of a fly buzzing by my head is annoying enough and my sense of hearing is no where near Heidi's. However, for a dog her size, with tremendous speed and agility, it is beyond me as to why she is so afraid of a harmless fly. Nonetheless, my ego is slightly elevated every time she seeks my protection! What's more baffling to me is that when a bee, hornet, or anything else with a stinger is around, she will jump up to try to catch it in her mouth! Really, Heidi? Weimaraners are smart dogs but if Heidi were a real girl, she would be the one in class with a ton of book smarts but really lacking in the street smarts department.

What silly something is your dog afraid of?

The Instigator

The other day, I was repeatedly chastising Heidi for "stealing" Logan's stuffed mountain lion. It wasn't until I saw him actually holding it out for Heidi to take, did I realize she was not at fault. Logan was clearly being an instigator! In true Little Brother fashion, he gave her the stuffed animal and then started whining when she took it from him. Because I had not originally seen him do this, my first thought was that Heidi, hater of all things stuffed, stole the toy from his room and was not giving it to him which led to his whining. Nope! What a little stinker! Poor Heidi, I felt so terrible. If that dog could talk, I can only imagine what she would have said to me. "He started it!". "But MOM, he said I could have it!". "Blame the dog, it's ALWAYS my fault!".

Here's another example of my son, the 16 month old rabble-rouser. At each meal, Logan sits in his high-chair and Heidi lays a foot or two from it. Gosh forbid she is any further than that and a bit of food falls from his tray giving me time to scoop it up before she can inhale it. Logan has started placing a bit of food on the edge of his tray just for Heidi. He'll slide it over to the far edge, tap on the tray and say, "Ha-di, Ha-di". Of course, if I don't get 18 "Leave-it" commands out before she sees the food, it's gone in a flash. At this point, I can't scold one without scolding the other. Truly, Logan started it...again! Heidi didn't have to follow through but in her mind she is absolutely starving, going to wilt away at any moment, only gets fed twice a day. Don't you feel pity for her?

One last example. Heidi is minding her own business (for once), chewing on her bone. Out of nowhere comes the tyrant toddler and snatches the bone right out of her paws. He scurries away giggling and waving it wildly in the air. Heidi catches up with Logan and attempts to grab it back, with me yelling "EASY! EASY!" after her. She is able to get her teeth on 1/16th of the bone, the only part not wrapped in chubby, baby fingers and gently (shocking, I know!) pulls it out of his hands. Logan is no longer giggling...he's whining. This scenario usually repeats itself for a good five minutes until Heidi just gives up and lays on the couch...defeated by a toddler. Now don't you feel pity for her?

Heidi's bone is in Logan's left hand on the end table. He just looks at her saying, "Come and get it!".

Heidi has taught Logan how to play fetch. She brings him a toy, literally drops it either at his feet or right next to him, for him to throw for her. Unfortunately at 16 months old, Logan is no Roger Clemens so the toy usually lands within a few inches of him. For Heidi, that's fine. After she drops the toy near him, she will run around behind our living room chair and wait for the toy to be throw down the hallway. Hmm, maybe that's not such a great habit to teaching our toddler. Oh well! Anyway, she waits patiently there until the toy is thrown. Because Logan's throws don't go too far, Heidi still has to run around the chair to fetch it, all the while burning a teensy bit of built up energy with each toss. Then, Logan will run up to her, grab the toy, and a fun game of keep-away ensues.  

Heidi is ready to play fetch!

Logan threw the toy and is now trying to get it back.

Such a good little brother.

Now time to rest! :-)

 I apologize for being behind the past few weeks updating this. There's plenty more to update you on before we leave for Orlando next Friday! Thanks for stopping by; feel free to leave us some Wiggle-Butt love below! :-)

Recipe Review: Rachel Ray's Pupkin Biscuits

Heidi has been out of treats for about a week now. To her, that is an eternity! I usually pick up Old Mother Hubbard peanut butter biscuits while buying her dog food. Well, the past few times I have been at the store, I forgot to pick up the treats. I know, I am a terrible doggy mommy. Thankfully, for her, she hasn't needed to be crated much this past week. Logan and I haven't been out much lately because the poor little man contracted croup from one of his grubby, germy friends at daycare. Last Tuesday, I walked in to pick Logan up from daycare to see another child (grubby, germy friend) hacking up a lung within inches of my son's face. GROSS! But what can I do, they are toddlers, they don't know to cough into their sleeves yet. Okay, now that I am a touch off topic, let's get back to my Wiggle Butt.

In every issue of Everyday With Rachel Ray magazine, Rachel Ray ends with a dish specifically for your dog. Issue after issue, I say to myself, "I think I'll make that for Heidi." Do I ever? Sadly, no..no, I don't. Well, that all changed today. I held on to the October 2011 issue just so that I could make the Pupkin Biscuits for Heidi. Click here for the recipe. Just in case Rachel is reading (a girl can dream), thanks for including every family member, even the four-legged ones, when creating your recipes!

These biscuits are super easy to make, requiring only 4 ingredients. I followed the recipe exactly as is...for the most part. Because the 2 1/2 cups of flour REALLY dried the dough out, to the point of crumbling in my hands and under a rolling pin, I added another 1/2 of pumpkin puree. The dough was much easier to work with after adding the extra pumpkin. Yesterday being Valentine's Day, I wanted to use my heart cookie cutters but they were no where to be found. My star cookie cutters were sitting happily in the drawer, waiting eagerly to be used. The recipe also says to bake the biscuits for 20 minutes, flip, and then bake for another 20 or until the biscuits were hard. After flipping, I only put them in for another 10 minutes, pulled them out and they were plenty hard. I know dog biscuits are typically quite hard, but I have been known to overcook (blackened grilled cheese anyone?) and over bake (care for a chocolate chip hockey puck?) a few things, I didn't want to disappoint Heidi.

Ready for the oven.

An hour later (30 minutes baking time + cooling time) it's taste testing time!

The verdict is in:

She gobbled it right up!

Logan was upset that he couldn't have a sample!

I think this is an easy recipe to play around with, too. Next time, I might use natural, unsweetened apple sauce, mashed bananas and peanut butter, or grated cheese in place of the pumpkin. Either way, I think Heidi will love them.

Heidi's treat jar is full once again!

In other news, a friend sent me this story on Facebook and I just HAD to share it! This is a story about Maverick, a rescued Weimaraner, who showed at Westminster. It's a truly touching story and I hope you like it as much I as do. Read Maverick's story here! Thanks for sharing it with me, Jessica!

Do you make treats for your pups? Feel free to share your recipe. If you decide to make these biscuits, I would love to hear how yours turned out. Now, do me a favor, will you? Leave a comment and/or share my blog! Thanks for reading!

Crate Training

Crate training a pup is one of those issues that many people are whole heartedly for or against. In my not-so-professional opinion, crate training is fantastic when done correctly and used for the right reasons. A crate is very useful for potty training, transporting, feeding times, and to keep the pet safe while the owner isn't home. The crate should not be used for punishment and the poor pup should not be left in there for EXTENDED periods of time. When I say an EXTENDED period of time, I mean for 3/4 of the day. In my opinion, that is not fair to the dog. Think of it this way, how would you like to be confined to a tight spot while holding your bladder for 16+ hours a day?! Not fair! Also, the crate should NOT be used as punishment for your children. Have you seen the news lately? Seriously, there are people who have been using their dog crates to punish their children. I'm not making this up! It's awful! So remember, dog crates are for dogs...not people. ;-)

There are a few things to think about when purchasing a crate for your dog: 1) Size. The dog should be able to stand-up, turn around, and lay down comfortably in the crate. Think about how large the dog will be once it is full grown. Buy a crate to accommodate that size. Heidi's crate is HUGE and it takes up quite a bit of space. This is the same crate we have used with her since the day we brought her home at 8 weeks old. We didn't find it necessary to buy one for her puppy size because like weeds...and kids, puppies grow so quickly. 2) Wire versus plastic versus decorative. There are quite a few styles to choose from. Most pet stores only carry the wire and plastic crates. The nice decorative ones can be found online, for a pretty penny. One of the things I like about Heidi's wire crate is that we can fold it up to transport or to store. You can't do that with a plastic one. It also has a removable plastic tray which makes clean up very easy.  The plastic ones, on the other hand are great to use if you need to fly with your dog.

Heidi's large wire crate. 

There is plenty of information out there on how to properly crate train your pup. It's not rocket science, really. Pick a command that is short and easy to remember. For example, my parents have always used, "Kennel up!". Jeff and I tell Heidi to "Go to bed!". Every time you want the pup to go in the crate, give the dog the command and once the dog is in the crate, whether you picked the pup up and placed them in the crate or they walked in on their own, give him/her a treat, praise, and/or pat on the head. My parents dogs always get a treat and so does Heidi. We have used this same command, followed with a treat for over three years. This is one command that I can give Heidi ONE time and she listens. She's very driven by food.

Heidi modeling her crate. She is able to stand and turn around in it.

What else do we put in Heidi's crate? Not much! When she was a little pup, she had a little bed, blanket from the breeder, and a stuffed bunny which also came from the breeder. Now, she only has a wool blanket ($10 from Wal-Mart). Because Heidi HATES anything poly-fiber filled, it wouldn't last an hour in her crate. We'll also put a toy, such as a Kong in the crate with her when we leave.

She even did her "hair" for the photo shoot. One ear back is the style these days!

We only crate Heidi when we leave the house. It's not that we can't trust her, because we have left her numerous times in the house when we have left and she has been great; no accidents and nothing destroyed. However, now that we have an alarm system in our house, I have to crate her so that I can set the alarm. Heidi loves her crate! She will go in there on her own some days, just to get away and have some peace and quiet. Logan likes to pester her while she's napping on the couch, so it's also a place to get away from the toddler that keeps touching her feet and leaning in for wide-open mouth kisses.

Will do anything for a treat!

What are your thoughts on crate training? We love to hear about your dogs!