#MixItUp with Instinct® Raw Boost® Mixers and Add Raw to Your Dog's Diet

If Mr. N were King of the Forest, he would decree that all dogs be fed raw. Sadly (for him anyway), he is not. He declines to eat kibble and has been thriving on raw food. Raw-fed dogs can experience benefits like better digestion, healthy skin and coat, and more energy and vitality. But feeding raw can be time-consuming and burdensome and take over all your freezer space. Especially if you don't have a separate chest freezer, even for small dogs like Mr. N.

This post is sponsored by Instinct® and the BlogPaws Professional Pet Blogger Network. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Instinct® Raw Boost® Mixers but Tenacious Little Terrier only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Instinct is not responsible for the content of this article.

If you want to try out raw food without sacrificing all your freezer space, Instinct® Raw Boost® Mixers is an easy way to add raw to your dog's diet. It is grain-free, gluten-free and can be used as a mixer or topper for your dog's normal canned or dry food. No need to add water. You can check out their website HERE. 

At Petsmart, Mr. N's nose led him right to the raw food section. The Raw Boost mixers are located with the other Instinct products, next to the freezer. It comes in three different sizes (1 oz, 6 oz, 14 oz). The trial-sized bags are great for picky pups like You-Know-Who and are 1.99 each or 3 for $5. The large bags are currently on sale for 20 percent off. The protein choices include chicken, beef, turkey and lamb for dogs and rabbit and chicken for cats. We picked up a bag of the lamb for Mr. N. I like to rotate proteins as much as possible and lamb is the hardest out of those to find.

We first started feeding freeze-dried raw as a convenient way to feed raw during travel. The Raw Boost Mixers are handy for travel as you just open the bag and serve. You store them at room temperature and they're good to go. Mr. N will taste test the food and give his gourmand opinion in a few weeks. I hope to train a new trick with them as well. 

Are you thinking about adding raw food to your dog's diet or do you feed raw already? You can learn more about Instinct on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Nature's Variety. The opinions and text are all mine.

Striking a Pose

Mr. N giving the puppy posing lessons

Six Training Tips from a Dog's Perspective

To celebrate National Dog Training Month, Mr. N would like to offer some training tips from his perspective.

1. Reward generously and often. And with a wide variety of rewards: cheese, tripe, fuzzy toys, getting to chase a squirrel! Don't forget jackpots for a job well done. Squirrels, cats, other dogs are really, really hard to ignore.

2. Even if you make a mistake, the dog still gets rewarded. It's not the dog's fault. If you click the clicker at the wrong time, the dog gets a treat. If a visiting child picks up the clicker and clicks ten times, ten treats!

3. Dogs forget things too. You should reinforce good behavior occasionally even for things they already know.

4. Recall time should be a party! Bacon  hors-d'oeuvres, meatballs, and lots of noise/praise and excitement. Think of all the other things dogs could be doing. Digging holes, chasing squirrels, peeing over another dog's mark. Are you more fun than dirt?

5. It's easier to avoid temptation than to resist temptation. It's easier to pick up things you don't want to get chewed and not leave food on the counter than deal with the aftermath.

6. Training should be fun for everyone. Dogs have a sense of humor too! Do you look forward to training sessions or dread them?

What would your dog offer as a training tip?

Welcome to First Monday's Positive Pet Training Blog Hop hosted by Cascadian Nomads, Tenacious Little Terrier and Rubicon Days. Please share your responsible pet owner positive pet training tips by linking a blog post or leaving a comment below. Any positive reinforcement training posts or comments are also always welcome. The Positive Pet Training Blog Hop goes all week long. Our next hop will begin Monday, Feb 1st and continues for a week. 

Mr. N demonstrating his posing and stay skills. He got tripe for sitting in the snow.

What's This? There's White Things in the Air.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Mr. N

The Grinch came to town and recruited Mr. N to pull his sleigh. Mr. N was not thrilled with the prospect. He thinks the Grinch is evil and must be stopped!

We went to a reading of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and Mr. N found the Grinch to be an extremely suspicious character and did not approve of the way Max was treated. He was quiet for the rest of the reading but when the part about Max having to pull the sleigh was being narrated, he let out a bark.

Just in case the Grinch stops by your house and steals all your presents this Christmas, you should enter our Huge Holiday Giveaway for $250 Paypal Cash if you haven't already entered. Last day to enter!

Sojos Simply Lamb Freeze-Dried Dog Treats Review (Chewy.com)

So close and yet so far. Mr. N thinks it's not nice to taunt little dogs especially right before Christmas. He keeps threatening to tell Santa. 

He also thinks it's very unfair that Zoe from ZoePhee is trying to steal his treats and his spotlight! Especially when they're his favorite type. Treats that is. 

This post was sponsored by Chewy. They are not responsible for the contents of this article. All opinions expressed are our own. 

Mr. N loves meat. And this is all these treats are.  Sojos Simply Lamb treats from Chewy.com are 100 percent raw freeze-dried lamb. He approves. They're good for training and breaking up into small rewards. They can be a little greasy in parts.

He is willing to pose for awkward group photos for them.

Here I think he has a slightly crazed look in his eye from trying to eat all the treats before the other dogs can get to them.

Little Boxes Portland Raffle Winner

Little Boxes is a small business shopping event in Portland on Black Friday and Small Business Saturday. Businesses offer discounts and there's a raffle for various prizes.  I'm pretty sure Mr. N worked some canine magic because we won the only (out of several dozen) dog-related prize from the raffle. Mr. N considers it just compensation for suffering through dental surgery that same weekend!

Have you entered our giveaway for $250 Paypal Cash?

All I Want for Christmas is .... to Win $250 Paypal Cash in a Huge Holiday #Giveaway!

Tis the season to be merry and a little holiday cash always helps with the merriment! Mr. N has a long list of suggestions (see photo above) for what your pet would like to see under the tree. If your pet's list is as extensive as Mr. N's, fear not! We're teaming up with nine other pet bloggers to host a giveaway for $250 Paypal Cash. 

In our giveaway widget, there are ten possible entries for a $250 PayPal cash drawing. Plus, by visiting all of the participating pet blogs linked here, there are even more entry chances available. One grand prize winner will be chosen from the sweepstakes on each blog.You need only enter on one blog to qualify for the prize but be sure to enter on every participating pet blog for the most chances to win. Good luck and happy holidays!

Cascadian Nomads
Wag 'N Woof Pets
Your Designer Dog
Barking from the Bayou
Dolly the Doxie
Heartprints Pets
It's Dog or Nothing
My GBGV Life
My Rotten Dogs

No purchase necessary. Giveaway is open to those 18 and over with an e-mail or mobile number that PayPal recognizes as able to accept the $250 prize in US funds. Participating bloggers are not responsible for PayPal issues with or delays in prize fulfillment. Void where prohibited. Odds of winning depends on number of entries received. Giveaway will run from Monday, December 14, 2015 through Monday, December 21, 2015 at 11:59pm PT. One (1) winner will be randomly selected by Random.org and notified via email. Winner will have 24 hours to claim their prize; failure to do so will result in forfeiture of the prize. Participants must read and agree to Tenacious Little Terrier's and Promosimple's Privacy Policy before entering and participating in this promotion.  Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Google+, Vine and PayPal do not sponsor, administer, or endorse this promotion. Participating bloggers paid an entry fee to cover the cost of the prize. All entries will be checked for validity and entrants will be disqualified if any entries are not verifiable. 

The Five Stages of A Dog Bath (Yorkie Splash and Shine Review)

Denial:

Yes, I am hideously dirty and have rolled in horse poop and have mud all over my legs but surely I won't need a bath right? 

Anger:

This isn't fair. How could this happen to me? I bet Sage isn't getting a bath. You will pay for this.

Bargaining:

Look how cute I am! I'm not that dirty! See? I don't need a bath. I'll be extra good all day if I don't get a bath! I'll even eat all my vegetables! 

Depression: 

I'm doomed, so why bother fighting? What's the point when I'm going to be so clean and scented instead of my precious horse poop? I'm so sad. 

Acceptance: 

I guess it's going to be OK. I do feel super soft and moisturized and people always fawn over me after a bath. There's always another day to find horse poop and roll in it! 

Mr. N is a Yorkie/Maltese mix and has hair instead of fur so he gets frequent baths and he goes through this grief process every bath time. To meet his high maintenance grooming needs, we turned to a company that specifically makes grooming products for Yorkies. Yorkie Splash and Shine sent us their shampoo, conditioner and detangling spray to try out.

Mr. N's verdict: 

If I have to be clean, this isn't that bad. All the peoples want to pet me. 

My verdict:

Mr. N is silky and smooth after using the Yorkie Splash and Shine products. The spray helped with untangling all the mats he gets after going out in the rain. It is easy to rinse out but the shampoo and conditioner does not lather as much as other brands we have tried so it can be a little hard at first to gauge how much product to use. 

The scent lingers for several days which is good if you like the sweet, kind of fruity smell. I personally like it but the boyfriend prefers Mr. N's other shampoo which is more of a neutral scent. The organic and natural ingredients are a plus.

My five-year-old cousin who helped me bathe Mr. N's verdict: 

He's so cute and soft!

They also did a Q & A for us about their products.

Q: How would you describe the specific needs of Yorkies (grooming-wise)?
A: Yorkies need special attention paid to their skin and coats for a number of reasons, the most important of which, in my opinion, is that their hair is much like a human's. They have one hair per follicle and their hair continues to grow throughout life. Most dog breeds only grow their fur to a terminating length, at which point the fur will not get any longer. Yorkies, on the other hand, will continue to gain length in the hairs forever. This means regular brushing and washing, even conditioning, is extremely important. 

Q:  What makes your shampoo so suitable for Yorkies?
A: Our shampoo is a natural soap, and it has a high pH, making it perfect for the higher pH skin of dogs. 

Q: Does it work for other breeds as well?
A: Absolutely! Our products work well on all breeds of dogs, even cats. We have many customers who use our products on other breeds of dogs. 

Q:  Do you have other new products you're planning on adding?
A: We are always adding limited edition detangler fragrances. We are also always on the lookout for products our customers would love. Generally, we add products after our customers ask for them. 

This post was sponsored by Yorkie Splash and Shine. They are not responsible for the contents of this article. All opinions expressed are our own. 

The Four Gifts for Pets Blog Hop: Want, Need, Wear and Eat

Something they want
Something they need
Something to wear
Something to read

Seems like a sensible way to buy presents to me. This was meant as an approach for buying children's gifts. Kol's Notes suggested taking this view towards our pets' gifts. I swapped out "read" for "eat" as Mr. N hasn't quite mastered reading English yet despite his frequent attempts to steal the laptop and type out messages. 

Something They Want:

Mr. N always approves of anything that might mean more walks. This biothane leash from Palomine Lines would be a lot easier to keep clean than our normal leashes after our rainy muddy walks. Easy to spot in the grass too.

Credit: Palomine Lines

Something They Need:

We use the Sleepypod Air for Mr. N in the car and for air travel because they are well-designed and passed crash testing by an independent party. Ours was stolen but Sleepypod kindly sent us a replacement. It's funny because that was his Christmas present last year and he's getting it for Christmas again this year. It makes an excellent bed too. If we can't find Mr. N, he's lodged in the back of the Sleepypod napping.

Credit: Sleepypod

Something To Wear:

Mr. N practically lives in his Goldpaw fleeces come winter. They come in a variety of different colors, patterns and sizes and are super soft and washable. Mr. N gives them his paw of approval (previous review).

Credit:Goldpaw

Something to Eat: 

Mr. N might master a handstand if I use the treats from the Best Bully Sticks Trick then Treat Box! The box features beef bonbons, pork jerky, beef liver jerky and lamb bites.

Beef Bonbons. Credit: Best Bully Sticks

What's on your pet's holiday list this year?

Seesaw Action