Winter Boredom Busters for your Green Dog!

Winter can be a stressful time for dogs. It's cold, it's icy, it's just not fun to go outside and get all the exercise we need everyday.

We live further south and it has been raining for five days now! Winter weather can be challenging and makes for some bored dogs; just ask me and Gracie.

So what's a green dog to do with all that pent up energy? Have fun with some great green dog boredom busters you can enjoy indoors!

We have several categories of ideas to help your dog cope with the winter boredom blues - everything from homemade interactive activities and toys, to tricks, to green, healthy and eco-friendly interactive toys and games. So let's get started!

Indoor Games

Gracie and I love to play indoor games! And on days that it's super cold or very rainy, we play for our breakfast and/or dinner. It's not only super fun, but we get a little exercise, and the best part is we work our brains, which can tire out a dog almost just as much as physical exercise.

Here are some of my favorite indoor games.

Hide and Seek - Mum puts me in a sit stay downstairs and then she hides a target (we like to use a repurposed large container yogurt lid, BPA free of course!) with some of my dinner on it. You can usesuper high premium kibble (like Earthborn Holistic), or a nice little raw chicken neck (big enough that I won't choke). We like the ones from RAGD Partner Dogma Online). Then she gets about half way between me and the target and says 'find target!'. That's when I go to work, searching throughout the cabin to find my prey. In the beginning, you may want to try this with shorter distances until your dog gets the hang of it. It's super fun!

Tricks - I love to learn new tricks and so does Gracie! Mum keeps a nice list of tricks stuck to our refrigerator that she wants to teach us, so she always has good training material on hand.

Just the other day Mum taught me to get in a suitcase (great for smaller dogs). And she taught Gracie to get in a larger box with a lid. We had a great time. If you're looking for ideas and great ways to teach tricks, visit our YouTube channel. And we recommend clicker training, which you can learn through some of the great resources on the Internet. Here are additional resources:

• An introduction to clicker training from Karen Pryor
• Fun Dog Tricks - a blog with lots of videos and links to get ideas on tricks for you and your dog.
• Dog Trick Academy - a great site with trick ideas and a forum to interact with other dog trick lovers.
• My "Fun Games" YouTube channel for lots more ideas on tricks and games.

Homemade Interactive Games and Toys

Throughout the years we've been fortunate to learn lots of great ideas for making fun homemade, interactive games and toys from friends. Here are our favs:

Muffin Tin Game - this is one of my favorite games (see video below, it's how we learned it). Just make sure that you use a muffin tin that's stainless steel and tennis balls that are safe, K?

Hide the Treats - You can play this fun game a variety of ways. One way is to hide treats under an old cotton towel; or you can reuse some old toilet paper rolls and hide treats or organic peanut butter in them, adding another layer of difficulty.

You can also do some fun nose work type of exercises by hiding treats under just one of three small stainless steel bowls (or small boxes) and let your dog work to find the treats or dinner. And you can get a nice BPA free safe water bottle, cut safe holes in the side, add high quality kibble/treats and let them work to get the good stuff.

Look around your house, we know you can find lots and lots of hide the treat materials, just remember to utilize safe and healthy materials, K? And for ammunition? You can find some great treats from RAGD Partner Simply For Pets, even ones that will keep that doggie waist line nice and trim - and they break up in smaller pieces to go further too!

You can also visit this great site for lots of ideas to make your own intelligent, interactive, and fun games for your dog! (It's in German, but you can see and get a lot of info from the photos).

Interactive dog puzzles, toys and games

Sometimes after playing with our homemade toys, we are ready for more challenges! That's when we turn to the pawsome interactive and intelligent dog toys on the market. Happy Dogs Play, one of our Raise A Green Dog partners, has independently tested and recommended safe dog toys and puzzles, including the plastic Nina Ottosson dog toys and the Aikou.

You can also find more safe, healthy toys from RAGD Partner Pets Head to Tail - they have the Kong Wobbler, Seek-a-Treat, Linkable, and Genius lines of toys.

And Uncommon Paws, another pawsome RAGD Partner, has the Bebo line of treat dispensing toys, and the Nina Ottosson Dog Pyramid.

Eco-Dogs one of our first RAGD Partners, carries the West Paw Tux, which is a great toy for treat dispensing, the line of Busy Buddy toys, and several of the wooden Nina Ottosson Interactive Dog Toys and Puzzles. And they have a very cool P.L.A.Y. Tunnel (we have one of those) which can make for lots of indoor fun, especially when you combine it with a quick down on the ottoman (good practice for agility).

Those are a few ideas to help you and your dog have more fun indoors during the super cold, wet, wintery weather days.

And remember, when it gets warmer, get out there and have a fun walk or hike. Some of the best hiking we've experienced is when there were a few inches of snow left on the ground from a big storm and it warmed up to 45 degrees with sun!

Help your dog be more green and healthy in 2012!

There's no better time than the New Year to make a commitment to being more green and healthy!

And the best part is it doesn't have to be difficult. By doing little things you can make a big difference in the life of your dog and you!

Here are just a few of our top 5 things you can do in 2012 to have a healthier, happier pup and help the environment at the same time!

Take a hike, literally!

Get out there and enjoy our great, green Earth! Taking a walk, or a hike, with your best bud is not only good for your dog's health, but good for yours too! It can also really help maintain your and your dog's weight and physical fitness, as well as help your dog with boredom related behavior issues.

Just be sure to avoid contaminated areas, like chemically treated golf courses, retention ponds that harbor lawn chemicals, contaminated rivers and streams in farming country; and stick with your local and national parks where chemicals and treatments are banned. Also during the winter take care to avoid salted roads and walkways, and take extra precautions when it's colder outside.

It will be healthier and safer for both of you!

Clean up your water.

Water is a very important element to a dog's life and to yours. So resolve this year to clean up your water.

Take the time to research drinking water filtering systems that take out the bad stuff; install a filtering system on your shower and dog bathing area; investigate ways you can treat your swimming pools without chlorine and other damaging chemicals; and install a water filter on your outside faucet.

By cleaning up your water your are minimizing the damaging chemicals in your life and your dog's, for a happier, healthier life.

Go organic and healthy for you and your environment.

Look for more organic options for your dog's diet and for yours! By minimizing the unneeded and unhealthy antibiotics and hormones from you and your dog's meats, as well as pesticides, herbicides and and insecticides from your shared fruits and vegetables you can eat the way food was meant to be eaten, wholesome, fresh, and real.

Real food is much healthier and can minimize disease!

Clean it up the healthy, safe way.

Make an effort to clean up the other chemicals in your home and environment, inside and outside!

Look into healthier cleaning options, organic lawn care and more to create a more healthy environment and minimize your and your dog's exposure to unnecessary and unhealthy chemicals.

Give back.

Part of being a green dog, or even a green dog parent, is giving back to your environment, your community, to your friends and family, and to those in need.

Resolve to do something kind for someone each and every week - that's 52 acts of kindness and giving back! Just imagine if everyone in the World did something nice for someone just once a week, how it could build more community, and kindness and generosity in the World. In these tough times all people and animals need a little more help in their lives. So Paw it Forward!

These are just a few tips to help. You can visit our Learn to Be Green section an find more tips and information! We at Raise A Green Dog hope you have an amazingly healthy, green and happy 2012!

If you have ideas on how to make you and your dog's new year, healthier and greener, feel free to leave your thoughts in our comment section and share them with everyone!

Happy Holidays!

Paw it forward this holiday season, today and everyday!

This is JayJay, one of many, many dogs looking for their furever home.

JayJay was rescued by the Southside Animal Shelter in Indianapolis in April of this year, after being dragged behind his former owners car. The great folks at the shelter nursed him back to health and he is now a well adjusted, happy, loving lab/shepherd mix ready to join a loving family!

Living a green, healthy lifestyle includes giving back to our planet and those that inhabit it. What better time to give back to those less fortunate than this Holiday season?

With so many homeless and shelter/rescue bound dogs that don't yet have their furever home; we've put together our top 10 list of how you can help dogs in need:

1. Gather up some gently used collars, leashes, toys, beds, unused crates and more dog related items and donate them to your local shelter or rescue. You can find worthy rescue and shelter organizations through Petfinder.com.

2. Shelters and rescues are always in need of household items to keep them running and reduce operating costs. Consider donating old towels, cleaning supplies, office supplies (like paper, pens or even an unused computer), blankets, laundry supplies, rugs and more.

3. Have a few hours available? Why not take a trip to your local animal shelter/rescue and take some time to play with the dogs or take them for a much needed walk.

4. Contact your local shelter/rescue and find out what type of food and treats they provide, pick up some at your local pet store and donate what you can!

5. Provide a much needed monetary donation in the name of your pet to help ease their financial burden.

6. If your local shelter/rescue sells items, why not buy locally from them for your gift giving this year.

7. Consider donating your time and making a regular, monthly commitment to help your local shelter/rescue organize fundraisers.

8. Why not sponsor a dog in your local rescue and give them a better chance at getting the help and new furever home they desperately need. Or if you can, consider fostering a dog in need.

9. If you are online, have a blog, or participate in social media, help your local shelter/rescue get the word out about the animals they have available for adoption.

10. Several organizations online have 'Click to Give' programs that help animals in need. Visit them everyday to make a difference. Learn more about Click to Give programs. Visit the Animal Planet R.O.A.R (Reach Out. Act. Respond) website, type in your zip code and find local shelter/rescue organizations that need your help.

And last, but most importantly, if you are considering adding a new 'green' dog to your family, consider adopting from your local animal shelter. Shelter pups make pawsome pets, just ask my Mum. I was adopted from the Southside Animal Shelter, a no-kill shelter in Indianapolis back in 2004. (That's me on the left in the photo above :).

'Paw it Forward', today and everyday, and take the time and effort to help a dog in need, and help their life be a happy one!

A pawsome winter stew for your dog!

It's starting to get cold outside! Time to take in a treat and take the chill off!

After a a good Fall hike, a nice romp and fetch in the snow, a little sledding with the family; who doesn't want to come home to a nice pot of stew. I know I do!!!

Every year and sometimes several times a year, Mum will whip Gracie and I up one of our favorite Fall/Winter stew treats. So we wanted to share our recipes with you.

We hope you enjoy them as much as we do!!!

Marrow Stew

Raw marrow bones are one of my favorite chews, along with deer antlers. The marrow in the bones is super healthy for us dogs and contains some pawsome health benefits. They are an excellent source of amino acids and essential fatty acids. To mix it up when Mum gets a good quantity of marrow bones, she likes to whip us up some Marrow Stew!

Ingredients:

• Marrow bones (we get our marrow bones from Whole Foods. If you can't find marrow bones you can use chicken or turkey parts, necks and backs are are very good for this recipe!)
• 2 cups brown rice (pre-cooked)
• A nice handful of each:
• Green Beans
• Carrots
• Zucchini
• Kale
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Water (filtered is best!)

Directions:

• Cut the vegetables into chunk sized pieces. Put all the ingredients into a big 'ole stainless steel pot and fill with filtered water to cover. Cook on low heat for a couple of hours.
• Once cooked, remove the bones and extract the marrow and add back into the stew. Then throw out the bones, 'cause cooked bones aren't good for us pups!
• Pour into a stainless steel bowl and you've got a great Fall stew. And you can add a dollop of pure pumpkin puree, we love that!

Chicken Stew  Here's another one of our favorites, 'cause we love chicken:
Ingredients:

• Whole chicken
• Nice big handfuls of coarsely chopped:
• Carrots
• Sweet potato
• Zucchini
• Yellow squash
• Green beans

And any other veggies you'd like that are healthy for us pups (but be sure and do your research, not all veggies are good for us!). You can add in a cup of brown rice if you'd like too - cook it first, then add water - filtered is best!

Instructions:

• Add all the ingredients to a big stainless steel pot, and add enough water to cover everything. Bring to a boil, then simmer for a couple of hours. We like to add the veggies about an hour in, so that they aren't cooked to death, and carry more nutrition. BOL!!!
• After it's all cooked, let it cool a bit, then remove the chicken and debone it ('cause, remember, cooked bones aren't good for us dogs!
• Once you have all the chicken deboned, throw it back into the pot, and serve!

You can freeze these little stew treats for later. We bet that even your pawrents will like it too - both are great Fall/Winter treats you can share together!

Your Green Dog Holiday Shopping Resource Guide!

Wheeee!!!!! It's that time of year...time for family, fun, gifts and giving!

So we wanted to put together all the great resources to help you find great, green, eco-friendly, holiday gifts, gear and treats for your green dog!

All of our Raise A Green Dog partners are smaller, independent businesses that not only have pawsome green dog items, but they all, in some way,  help those pups that are less fortunate. We hope you'll support them this Holiday season and pick up your green dog something special!


Earth Heart specializes in natural remedies using plant-based ingredients to help dogs live a happier, healthier lives. They're products include Canine Calm, perfect for helping your pup cope with the business holiday season; Travel Calm, to help your dog be more comfy on those long holiday trips; Buzz Guard, a great product to keep the nasties at bay, and Guard Well, an all-natural remedy mist to help keep the immune system boosted. Receive one free product with your online order during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, Nov 23-27. Just enter code: 'RGD Thanks 2011' at checkout!

Earthborn Holistic produces delicious, natural food for your pet, while creating awareness about the environment and practicing reduce, reuse, and recycle in their company practices. They are a super high premium kibble that's great for travel, training and anytime! You can pick up Earthborn Holistic at your local independent pet supply store, check out their website to find a store near you or online.


Farm Dog Naturals creates Relief Pet Urine and Eco Cleaner that neutralizes dog urine and odors, perfect for those holiday oopsies. And their Salvation Salve heals those crusty noses and cracked paws you can get in the winter months, while their Restore Salve which stops itching and heals wounds from ouchies!


TheDogmaOnline is a pawsome resource for all your raw and healthy dog food needs and they have an amazing deal of free shipping for all their raw food packages, Bravo, Primal Raw, and Northwest Naturals. While you're there pick up some pawsome treats and use "PAWS1" when checking out to get 5% off and Or use "APR2" when checking out and you get 5% off and help donate 5% to PawsAtlanta.Rescue.


Eco-Dogs.com provides all natural, grain free dog and cat foods, and eco-friendly pet products with the end result of 'leaving smaller carbon paw prints. And the best part is Eco Dogs is offering 10% off any items for the Holiday Season. Enter "Happy Howlidays" at check out!

Like to cook for your dog? Are you looking for a completely balanced, organic, whole foods, fresh cooked canine diet with no additives, sulfites, preservatives or fillers? Here's a great resource - West Coast Canine Life offers human quality, organic, whole foods dog food, a fresh cooked diet for your dog's optimum health.


Happy Dogs Play is the safest place to buy dog toys on the internet. They offer organic, natural, green toys, completely and independently tested to make sure they are non-toxic and lead-free. And they have a pawsome selection of really fun toys and other dog gear!

From clothing to toys to health care and grooming products, PetsHeadToTail.com offers discounted, eco-friendly dog and cat accessories and solutions for environmentally-conscious owners. From now until Christmas they are having a Countdown to Christmas sale! Each day they will have a selected dog product at up to 25% off! And Black Friday (Nov 25th) only receive free shipping on any $25 order. Use the code 'BlackFriday' at checkout.


Simply For Pets creates specialized treats for dogs with special health issues. Their Kanine Krispies is a line of all natural specialty treats for dogs with allergies, diabetes, arthritis, nutritional and more. They even have one with Ginger to help with those holiday upset tummies! Kanine Kollections is a line of pet beds, blankets and travel accessories.

If you haven't checked out Uncommon Paws we surely recommend you do! They provide interesting, unique, high quality products made with the best, sustainable, natural materials on the market. Be sure and check out their knitted wool dog sweaters and amazing handmade collars!

And don't forget to check out all the great green dog companies in our Raise A Green Dog Directory!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

We sure are thankful for you, and all the green dogs that help keep our pawsome Planet Earth the healthiest it can be!

Have a great green holiday....safe travels and we hope you get some healthy eats and treats!

-- Gracie and Johann and Leslie

Healthy, homemade sweet potato chews for dogs!

It's that time of year...time for sweet potatoes! If you are out shopping for Thanksgiving dinner, be sure and pick up some extra sweet potatoes to make a homemade, yummy, healthy treat for your dog!

I love sweet potatoes, they are a super yummy and really good for me; and they are a great alternative to rawhide chews, which you may not know are not very good for dogs.

Not only do they present a choking hazard, they don't digest very easily and could become lodged in the intestines creating a dangerous health hazard. In addition, many rawhides are processed with chemicals which aren't good for dogs either.

So what's a dog to do? Have your Mum make some yummy homemade sweet potato chews!

Here is the recipe we use, courtesy of  The Dog Treat Kitchen:

Sweet Potato Chews for Dogs

• Wash a sweet potato (organic is best and we like to peel them). 
• Cut down the middle lengthwise. 
• Then cut long lengthwise slices about 1/3 to 1/4 of an inch wide and place them in a single layer on a cookie sheet (use a stainless steel, for healthier cooking).
• Put in the oven at 250 degrees for about 3 hours.

This leaves them kind of chewy, but you could also bake them a little longer (about 20-30 minutes) to get them crunchy. Keep them refrigerated for up to three weeks. You can freeze them for up to 4 months.

Oh, and you can waffle cut them for more fun. Enjoy! And let us know how your dog likes them!

Bamboo: A sustainable material used to make dog products healthier, greener and safer for dogs!

Look bamboo!

We found this growing down the road from us and stopped to take a photo. The folks that are growing it were chopping some down that day and stripping it a bit. We saw they had used them as stakes in their garden. Wonder what else they are using it for?

Bamboo is really interesting stuff. Classified as a perennial evergreens, bamboos are some of the fastest growing plants in the world; some growing as fast as up to 100 cm (39 in) within a 24 hour period. (Bet that was another type than the ones we saw, but wow!)

Bamboo has been used for centuries in building materials in Asia and the South Pacific regions; and more recently in materials in other countries. It's sustainable in that it's a very renewable source, since it grows rapidly; making it a desirable material for the eco-friendliness.

New shoots are used in Asian cuisine and also used in Chinese medicinal herbs concoctions. In it's mature form, it's also used in clothing, shoes, furniture, water processing, landscaping, paper, kitchen utensils, flooring, fences and even as construction for bicycles. And that's just the beginning!

Bamboo is now also used in a wide variety of dog products, too!

Our Raise A Green Dog Partners carry some of the most fun, unique, healthy and interesting dog products made of bamboo.

Eco-Dogs.com carries the Doggone Smart Bed which is made of 100% organic cotton/bamboo fabric dyed with all natural vegetable dyes. It provides a soft feel and durability; making it one of the world only fully biodegradable bed.

They also carry the every pupular Wagging Green line of dog collars made with a double layer of our super soft 100% organic Bamboo fiber; and very handsome, soft collars too.

Their very cool and healthy Bamboo Bowls are made from bamboo and cooked rice husks. A much better choice over plastic bowls that can leach chemicals and harbor bacteria.

And this uber cute (great for the holiday season) Apple Red & Thyme Green Dog Knit Sweater, Apple Red stripes are made out of a mix of Viscose from Bamboo and Wool. Looks warm!

Raise A Green Dog Partner Uncommon Paws carries the very cool Planet Dog Wood Chuck with Orbee-Tuff RecycleBALL, engineered with sustainable Bamboo and Cork Scraps. It's a sleek take on other ball-tossing devices, Wood Chuck® bamboo core offers strength and maximum chuck-ability with an ergonomic cork handle for comfort and grip-ability throw, after throw.

PetsHeadToTail.com, another one of our pawsome partners, carries the OurPets Double Bamboo Bistro with Drawer - a very stylish and eco-friendly feeder that will look great in any green home! Designed with eco-friendly and attractive bamboo, Bamboo Bistro feeders are perfect for medium and large breed dogs and will look terrific in any home.

And our newest RAGD Partner - HappyDogsPlay has a very cute and loveable Organic Precious Pat Dog.

So you can see bamboo is a very eco-friendly, safe, healthy and sustainable material that can be used in a wide variety of products for your home, life and your dog!

Free one year digital subscription to Animal Wellness Magazine!

Our good friends at Animal Wellness Magazine have provided you, our readers, with an amazing offer - a free one year digital subscription to their pawsome healthy magazine!

It's easy to sign up - just follow these instructions:

Step 1: Click the image and follow the link to the sign-up page
Step 2: Choose '1 Year Animal Wellness Digital Subscription'
Step 3: Fill in your details and create your login information
Step 4: Enter the coupon code - C3012 - in the ‘Coupon Code’ field at the bottom of the payment page and continue
Step 5: Start viewing the current magazine and our library of back issues

We hope you enjoy your subscription! And big, big thanks to Animal Wellness Magazine for providing this great offer to our readers!