Playtime :)

So the shoe has become quite the popular toy... Especially since I put a peanut butter filled kong inside! Lol :)

What a good boy :) lol

I recently came downstairs in the morning to take Coda out and it looked like it had snowed in his kennel... It must have been a slow night and he got a bit rowdy because he had torn a cushion apart and spread all of its stuffing everywhere! As you can see in the photo he looks completely innocent :)

As is typical with children who take the gift out of the box and then play with the box (much more fun!), Coda has been enjoying the homemade toys lately... I took an OJ jug and cut some holes in it and filled it with some kibble and he is having a blast chasing it around the living room, although it is bigger than his head! I also gave him an old running shoe (to the disgust of my mahjong friends who think it will encourage him to like all shoes). It was a cheap $5 walmart pair that I then poured beef gravy on... Now it's one of his favorite toys-especially the shoe laces.

It has become so much colder at night that now the hats and scarves have been brought up from the basement! On our night walks, usually around 11.30pm, I put on a halter and the flexi leash and Coda does a great job of not pulling. He is doing ok at "close", which means he is supposed to come back to me, so that I can get control of him if I see cars or people coming towards us. On our morning walk I use a short leash and his Premier "Easy Walk" harness and he does a decent job of not pulling.... I have lots more work to do with him on loose leash walking.

Nap time-for the very first time!

Sounds incredible but Coda took his first nap on the couch today!!! It was quite a miraculous moment :) We had him out in the garden for a while and then in the living room for a few hours so when we sat down to watch Orange is the new black he jumped up on the couch and put his head down, stretched out and closed his eyes... He even did a bit of the running thing while he slept! Always before he has wandered around the living room smelling things, chewing toys and generally got into trouble... As he slept we both sat very still not wanting to disturb him! A very good day :)

Happy 1st birthday!

I am thrilled that Coda has reached his first birthday :) as I write this he is calmly lying on the couch next to me licking my leg! He is a wonderful dog and makes my life more enjoyable and fuller <3

To celebrate his big day we had a doggy date with Luna, a 10-month old Australian shepherd from our puppy class, and the humans Antonella, Mark and Simona. Since our last visit they had installed a large fence around the backyard so we were able to sit around the pool, enjoying coffee and cake on one of the loveliest sunny warm days of the year.

To celebrate his big day I baked a cake for Coda! I call it a "Tuna and peanut butter surprise cake". I basically took the recipe from the website and added tuna and cooked for 25 mins in a loaf tin. I found a treat to use as a candle and decorated with tomato ketchup. Coda definitely appreciated my efforts :)

http://www.petcarerx.com/article/the-dog-birthday-cake-bakery/890

One of the most entertaining episodes of our visit was when Luna and Coda were running around the pool and Luna, who is now twice the size of Coda, turned around quickly and knocked Coda into the pool. It was his first water experience and his first reaction was complete shock. He immediately began doing the doggie paddle and when he reached the edge of the pool Simona fished him out! I so wish I had it on video :)

Of course it wouldn't be a birthday without the gifts :) even though we could open a store with the toys Coda already has lol! He loves cuddly toys and squeaky toys and loves playing tug so the pig Tug-a-mal is delighting him. I also got him a bionic circle which is for stuffing with food!

Surprises... from under the couch!

I love that Coda will disappear under the couch and come out with toys that I forgot he had :) it's like that feeling you get when you put on a pair of jeans and find a $10 bill lurking in the pocket!

I've got him a few new things in the last few weeks that have proved popular :)

-Himalayan dog chew-I'd seen these but someone had told me that their dog didn't like them and they're pretty expensive I hadn't picked them up, but after our last unpleasant bathing experience I bought one at PetDepot in Timonium. I then proceeded to forget about it until Friday night when I was cleaning out the bag. Though it is made of yak milk!!?? Coda seems to like it and it is very tough :)

-a Starmark everlasting Bento ball-he really loves chewing on it and carries it to and fro from his kennel.

He is doing some great work with people on our walks. I almost look forward to encounting people on our walks so that I can see how he reacts! As long as I give him the bones he is as good as gold :)

Coda is a great dog!

Big success (for small bribe!)

On our two walks today we had some major success with calmly walking past people in close proximity!! The trick is biscuit bones... As we come up on the people I start feeding Coda and keep feeding him until we are past the people! And he is completely calm!!! I'm pretty impressed :)

England but no Coda...

It is always hard to leave my home and return to England, although I love seeing all of my family and their dogs, but until now I have been separated from Skip and Serenity (& in the past Elgar and Guinness). When I last went to England Coda was a few weeks old and I had seen pictures of him but hadn't seen him yet. I remember getting my weekly photos from the breeder while I was there and everyone was so excited :)

It was hard to leave Coda. We had been together every single day since Thanksgiving 2012! So saying goodbye to Coda was tough and I shed a few tears... (In the interest of full disclosure I usually cry when I leave my cat and husband!!) Would he think I had left him? Would my husband take care of Coda?

I had a wonderful time in England playing with numerous English cocker spaniels, including Poppy-a tricolor (my sisters), and Alfie-a red working cocker (my parents). I even got to see Coda on FaceTime-proof that he was still alive :) He went crazy when I started speaking to him, and barked loudly when he was downstairs in his kennel and Skip was speaking to me... Surprise, surprise-he follows Skip around and wants his attention as much as he does with me, which I suppose proves Dad's philosophy that dogs will follow whoever feeds them!!

During my stay I got to see an agility tournament. It was so much fun to watch... Makes me want to try it with Coda... We shall see!!

Leash training

So I'm working on Coda staying close to me when we are walking, using a flexible leash... Currently, when he gets to the end of the leash I make him come back to me and treat him when he is in heel position on my left side. Tonight there were a few times when he deliberately stayed close after I had given him a treat. I also spent some time in the top parking lot of Union Mill repeatedly doing turns and treating for times when he was close...

Also, new triumph... Am back walking 1 mile :)

Happy birthday Coda - 10 months old!

It's unbelievable that Coda reached the age of 10 months yesterday! He seems really big now compared to the early photos. He still acts like a crazy little puppy though!

Today we worked on our major goals... going to his bed and staying on it, walking "close" on his leash,  having his nails filed and being calm when I'm using the clippers. We also worked on fetch which he gets but does so much better on when being rewarded by hot dog!!! And he also only likes to fetch splash balls... All other balls are ignored :)

Sometimes I forget that he is still so young and I get frustrated. I have to remember that is just a little kid and I need to stay really patient and peppy and keep him enjoying learning :)

What a champ!

There have been some very impressive doggy stunts!

-Coda has caught (in the MOUTH) pieces of hot dog when he's been lying on his bed... And this is after it was determined in our intermediate dog class that Coda possessed NO treat catching capabilities! I guess there is always room for growth :)

-last night I was walking Coda and he's usually pretty good doing a sit/wait at the curb before crossing. He was at the end of the extendable leash and I said wait and his butt hit the cement... When I got to him there was a cat sitting in the road 15ft in front of him and he hadn't moved! Control with distraction!!

It's cool having a doggie!

Like the blog...? Check out Coda in action at "Coda Cocker" on YouTube.

Getting back in the swing of things...

Slowly, as my knee is healing, Coda and I have begun our daily walks again :) Right now I am only doing my evening walk for .64 mile, but I think that I am well enough to add in a short morning walk as well probably starting on Sunday... During the time that we didn't walk Coda and I both got out of shape as we are both panting heavily when we get back to the house each night. It is also in part because it has been HOT! I actually really enjoy going out in the evening. It's part of my routine and Coda seems to just love it.

I'm also getting into the grooming activities again! For the first time in ages I clipped Coda. I did the strip down his back and tidied up his face and ears. I've worked on his nails twice this week with the pedi paw, brushed his teeth and cleaned his ears :) He is looking very spiffy!

I am trying to let Coda be off the leash and able to follow me around the house. He does great when we are in the kitchen... Lots of good smells but nothing is on the ground for him to get into. It is much more difficult in the living room. skip tends to leave his cups and glasses on the floor next to the couch and Coda cannot resist trying to drink out of them which invariably leads to them being tipped over. We have had numerous glasses of water spilled :( I guess because of the smells he loves our shoes. We have never let him play with them but whenever the opportunity arises he is straight on the shoes chewing. He even loves anything in my basket or bags... Is it just because he knows he's not supposed to have that stuff that he goes for it??? After about 5 mins of no's and removing things from him I usually resort to putting Coda on the leash that is tied to the chair leg! I'm not sure what to do??

7/11/13

Time flies when you're.... Having surgery?

So all was going well until Coda had his neutering, hernia, microchip surgery on May 29th. He recovered well but we had to keep him quiet and mostly indoors for ten days. He was not a happy camper! He kept jumping on the sofa and running around like a lunatic. Just as he was getting back into the swing of things, I then had my knee surgery on June 19th and since then I have largely been out of action so walks have been few and far between. Last night was a major victory with a six block walk :) Coda now has so much pent up energy that when we play with toys, in grabbing for the toy he has bit my arm twice (major bruising but no broken skin!).

As I've been largely immobile our training has been confined to what can be done while on the couch so I have taught him "high five" with his right paw and "side" where he lays on his side, the latter being somewhat weak still.

Current

A quick update...

-Coda found a dead bird in the garden, probably killed by next doors cats and brought it into the house to share!

-I have begun trying to get Coda to lie on his side which will help me when grooming.

-I am trying to train Coda to stay close when on his flexi-leash by treating him every time he comes close to me when we are out walking.

-It is Getting HOT! I need to get a hat and sunscreen for his morning walks...

Training

We began working on come... Now that I don't have the class to work for I am picking some skills to really focus on-come, heel, & getting Coda to lie on his side for grooming.

Today we started conditioning Coda to the new Pedi-Paws I got yesterday. Amazingly it only took about ten minutes to get Coda to let me file his nails... I was delighted :) We did it on the couch and I kept giving him the hard chews to focus on. I've now done pedi-paws three days in a row! Total success!

At Dad's suggestion I am returning to work on fetch so that I can get Coda to run around a lot even with my knee messed up... Of course I will keep up with the two walks a day, but this means that I don't have to worry about increasing the length of the walks. We worked on it today and Coda seems to remember how to do it!

Coda, the champion dog!

I couldn't be more chuffed... Today in our final Intermediate doggie class, Coda won the graduation timed course in 30.5 seconds! He won a no-stuffing, yellow, squeaking emu-like bird toy :)
He has been totally tired out since he got home from class. Today he got to play a lot with Max in class while the photos were printing out!

Rat boy! Speedy! New nicknames...

Walking hasn't been fun for the last few days because it's been raining constantly! Last night, Coda refused to get off the back steps to go to the bathroom before bed :)

New things... he rolled around in the grass for the first time, and if the baby gate isn't across the bottom of the stairs Coda has figured out that he can run up them... that is really fun at 6am, chasing him! We moved the cat food into the upstairs bathroom so there is Coda's motivation :)

Skip is giving Coda some new nicknames! Occasionally Coda will go absolutely crazy and start running around the house like a nutso, especially if he is trying to avoid going in the kennel. He will skid across the kitchen floor and leap over the chaise part of the couch. Skip said that he has "never seen a dog with that speed!". Rat boy comes from an unfortunate incident we had on a recent evening walk. He was on the flexi leash and was off to the side of me as I walked up the bottom of our hill. I noticed that he was aggressively pulling and smelling at something so I walked over to see what it was... it was mangled but the tail gave it away! A dead city rat... I didn't let him kiss me for a while after that!

Doggie class is going strong... I caved and bought a new harness, the "easy leader". It has really made a difference to our heel efforts and now we are doing our regular walks using it. Coda is doing well at staying by my side and not pulling-I have to make sure that my arm isn't tense though. We are having some success with our socialization efforts. Now when I see someone walking towards us I wait until we are about five steps away and then I shove a very large treat in Coda's mouth... he is then chewing and enjoying himself when the person walks past and so he doesn't lunge at them and he can't bark because his mouth is full... lol :) Doing this we are now able to walk past barking dogs!

Made the liver pie 2.0. This time I did it with two eggs and their shells, cornmeal and carrots! It is quite a success! The big gastronomic discovery with Coda is that he loves raw carrots. I am slicing the baby carrots up and he is chomping down on them... cheap and good for you!

He is such a great dog and has so much personality! He really brings a lot of joy to my life :)

The cutest doggie ever :)

So everyone thinks that their dog/child is the cutest ever... But of course, my Coda is the only one who actually IS!

Last night when I was putting Coda in his kennel for bed, two of the skills that we have been working on came into play... Firstly we are applying "wait" to when I open the kennel door so that he sits still until I release him. Also we have been working on "off" for forever! In my hand I had a kong filled with fresh chicken and dried liver pieces... Smelling very pungent! So I opened the kennel door and said "wait" which he did... Then I extended out the kong and said "off". As he leaned towards it I gave a clear "nah-ah" and he immediately backed up... So far so good. Now just to test him I moved the kong towards him and he began to back his head away as it got closer! :) so cute!

Coda is suddenly obsessed with all things insect... It's probably because its getting warm and so all of the bugs are coming out. It started with the bee chasing, somewhat dangerous, and then moved onto the beetles on the ground when we walk at night...every black blot on the ground gets inspected and attempted to be eaten. We have now moved onto butterflies...to see Coda bounding across the yard trying to jump to reach the little paper white creatures is adorable!

Fun times!

Coda and I have been going to a park at least once a week, on one of my days off, to get him into new environments and give us the opportunity to do a longer walk.
This past Monday we went to the Robert E. Lee Park on the city/county line. This time we parked in the light rail parking lot and walked on the raised pathway, through the woods and into the main park area next to the weir. We then took the trail that crossed over the light rail tracks and took us into the largest area of woodland that followed the shore of Lake Roland. Amazingly, it still looks the same as it did more than a decade ago when I took Elgar there in 1996, and Guinness after Elgar's death in the mid-2000's.
On Tuesday we took a walk to Hampden's Roosevelt Park where the cherry trees were blooming and I took lots of video footage of Coda who has begun eating dandelions and was entertained chasing a bee :)

Intermediate class-Petsmart...the fun continues

Poor Caitlin, our instructor, has two of us in the Intermediate class... The other dog is Max, 1 yr old, some kind of spaniel. Max does not seem to appreciate my rambunctious little beast.
It's good to be getting back into classes as it forces human and dog socialization. This session is all about the 3 D's... Distance, distraction, duration... So lots of work out in the store where everything is more entertaining :)

Cooking! With LIVER...

That I have done any cooking is in itself something outrageous! I really don't cook... Ever!
But I saw a tub of liver for $1.25 when I was at the grocery store and was stunned at how cheap it was in comparison to the price of commercial liver treats. I'm not sure that I thought through the whole process...as in I would need to handle the liver! I blended the liver, eggs and milk at arms length and NOT looking at it. The smell is something that I cannot describe and it only got worse when I began the baking... It attracted Skip's attention and brought the comment "you will do anything for that dog"... Probably true :)
Here is the recipe:
http://www.bdws.co.uk/2011/09/11/homemade-liver-cake-recipe-worlds-greates/

Brilliant Coda!

I've been trying to get Coda out and about this week. On Tuesday we went to Meadowood Park and walked two miles on the track, and today we did our first visit to Robert E Lee park. Again we walked two miles! It was the first time I had been there since the renovation and it is really nicely done... We walked around the new Paw Points dog park which is a membership-only off-leash area. It is very secure and I now really want to sign up.
http://pawpoint.org/About

Today we've done a bunch of training... We did loose leash in the garden, ringing the "go out" bell, filing nails and clipping hair. I've also been working on getting Coda to lie on a bed next to the sofa and then jump up onto and off of the sofa when commanded... And finally he just jumped down on the bed, turned around, lay down and started chewing a toy! I feel so satisfied and proud of us :) Seems so small but to get this rambunctious guy to be calm and relaxed is huge and it has all been done by training small steps using the clicker. I will have to remember this feeling of success as we work on the bigger skills!

When you're training a puppy, everyone thinks they're the dog whisperer!

As many points of view as you will find from the world of canine professionals...from be the master of your dog to be your dog's friend...NOTHING compares to the constant stream of advice that you receive from friends and family! As most people have, at one point in time, been involved in the life of a dog they think that they know about dogs and they definitely have an opinion on how you are training your dog!

A recent trip to visit in-laws made me never want to take Coda out of the house again. Following a 90 mins car ride I took the precaution of walking Coda for about 15 mins before entering a (to him) stranger's house with new people. I gave the people treats to feed Coda and he was doing fine taking treats from people although as is typical he was barking which is normal for him until he chills out. But within two minutes it started... Why is he barking? Shouldn't you be able to stop him from barking? Is he usually like this? My dog never did/does this! Tis is so irritating! As I left the room I felt bad for Coda and myself that I'd subjected us both to the judgement. Needless to say, later when I brought him into the room with no attention from people, moving a couple of feet in at a time with lots of treats, he did great with limited barking.

I read somewhere that we, as dog owners, are responsible for protecting our animal companions from toxic people and environments. The dog cannot control their environment. In this situation I needed to say "this is how we are going to deal with introducing the dog". Now they might not have cooperated but I would have protected my dog. I also need to trust in all of the work I am doing as a responsible dog owner...the classes I have/am taking, the socialization, the walking, the training. I am not doing it perfectly but I am doing all I can!

Coda's birthday!

We had just the most wonderful day on Saturday, yesterday, for Coda's birthday. As the photos show, it was a delightful time :) We went to Monkton, a small town between north Baltimore and the border with Pennsylvania, to visit Abigail, a 6 month 1 week Havanese puppy who was in Coda's puppy class at Petsmart. Vella and Glenn had invited us out to play in their very large fenced in backyard...

From the moment we arrived at 1pm Abigail and Coda went at it, a rough and tumble racer X extravaganza both inside and out! Balls were chased, Coda experienced his first frisbee and chew toys were fought over! Abigail was very gracious and let Coda chew all of the tasty pigs ears, rawhides, dried catfish, dried yam and bully sticks! The previous day at PetDepot I had bought two iced doggie cookies, but Coda managed to eat them both!

While the pups were having fun in the yard, Vella got out a very big camera and took lots of action shots of the speed demons (& Abigail could outrun Coda) and then proceeded to print out some amazing 11x17 photos that I will be framing. Vella and Glenn are both serious amateur photographers and have produced stunning hardback books of photos taken on their many travels including Africa, Peru, India, Ireland, Scotland, Wales & Cornwall. They had photos of bridges in Cornwall that I knew growing up!

When we left at 4pm the dogs were still going strong, but Coda fell asleep quickly in the car and then preceded to sleep throughout the evening! He'd had a very good day!

6 months old!

Coda will be six months old on Saturday 30th March, 2013.

Today my little puppy became a dog... For the first time I saw his "pink lipstick" (to quote my nieces). It was a shock "OMG it's a penis" and a tender moment "oh what a little one... So cute!". What's clear is that he is growing up!

Who is Coda now?
- he is affectionate. When I let him out at 6am he rolls onto his back and wants me to tickle him. He lies calmly in my lap when we are watching tv as long as he has a bully stick to chew on and then sits like a cat and leans back against the couch. He likes to lick me face and my ears and sometimes forgets the difference between biting and licking! :)
-he is boisterous. He will jump up and down in his kennel banging against the sides. He will go "cracker dog" in the garden when he has to poop and just run back and forth the length of the yard :) He runs through the living room and jumps onto the couch and off again. He leaps out the door to the yard and skips the stairs...
-he loves tissues and paper. Skip has a habit of leaving tissues stuffed in the couch and Coda always finds them and tears them up and tosses them around everywhere!
-if you want him to not get into something you can guarantee that he will find it. A few days ago it was a soda in the car... He managed to get the lid off and then slurped up the coke and ate the lemon slices-all while in his seatbelt...
-he loves hot dogs, cold and slimy. He also likes a type of canned food that is called "hunks of beef" and it is exactly that!
-he enjoys playing fetch and tug. He doesn't always like to give up his toys-usually there is some growling before he caves.
-he is house trained! Aside from an accident on the carpet a month ago, which was my fault because I didn't take him out after letting him out of his kennel, he has had no breaks in training!
-he is smart. He are now learning to ring a bell to go outside!
-he listens to me.. Or I think he does!
-he walks well on the leash and does a sit at the curb before crossing the street.

Coda has really made a difference in my life. It has forced me to keep a strict routine-let him out at 6am, morning walk of 1 mile or so, training session, evening walk of about 1/2 mile. He makes me feel emotionally connected even on my worst days and I laugh with him a lot. He is always very excited to see me when I come home from work :) It's a real blessing having him around.

Puppy development... Oh boy!

Coda seems to have entered a new "phase"! This seems to describe it well...

Flight Instinct Period-4 to 8 months
"Seems to forget everything previously learned."
- "How to Raise a Puppy You Can Live With"

This stage can last from a few days to several weeks and can occur anytime during this period.
A puppy will test its wings.
He may not come when called.
He may not play fetch even though he once did.
He will be uncomfortable because his adult teeth are growing in.
Even if you have done your homework it does not mean your puppy won't go through this - just be aware of it and ride it out.
When you notice a change in your dog during this time, he is probably going through his "flight instinct" period. Like a teenager going through puberty, your puppy is changing physiologically. Your awareness of these changes in behavior will help get you through this commonly difficult period.

Coda is definitely trying to test the boundaries... Lots more barking, not wanting to play with toys but wanting to chew the sofa, not coming when called because he wants to do the "chase me around the kitchen island" game and so much energy! A total "cracker dog".

My new dog clippers arrived yesterday and I tried them out on Coda last night. I got the Wahl Bravura clippers and they are very quiet. I've begun on his legs and with the biggest comb it is taking off a lot. I think I might have put the adjustable blade on the wrong setting!

Our morning walks up on Falls Road are going really well! Coda is doing great at walking past people with minimal reactivity. He does best when I don't pay any attention to people or dogs and I keep giving him lots of treats as distraction. There is much less barking now.

I've added come into our walks so that when he gets out in front of me when we are walking I say "come" and he will often come trotting back. We began getting Coda to ring a bell with his paw this week and he is learning it slowly. Eventually I want him to ring a bell when he wants to go outside. I've also been encouraging him to sit in his kennel calmly with the door open by giving him treats there.

We were supposed to have a puppy date last Tuesday with Vella and Abigail in Monkon but unfortunately we were rained out. We are now hoping to do Monday. We also have scheduled one with Antonella, Simona and Luna for Easter Sunday :) Our intermediate class at Petsmart begins on April 7th...

Puppy class graduation!!!

Such excitement and drama over the graduating process from Coda's classes.
For the Sunday Petsmart class we had been given a sequence of various skills to prepare, which Coda and I practiced diligently! Then when we arrived at the class we were told that we would be competing against each other in timed runs! Coda and I had a good run, although there were problems on paw, with a 49 secs time. We were beat into 2nd place by Harley, the lab, and both dogs got a toy! We had photos taken with our certificate and then the puppies spent about 30 mins playing with each other, having a blast! We had a photo taken of the whole class... Harley, Luna, Abigail, Coda, Taylor.
Monday's class was done as mini private sessions with Pawsitive Paul. He suggested that I work a lot on "watch me", especially outside with distractions. He showed me how to do loose leash walking again and we got to have our photo taken in front of the mural!

What a good boy!

So I've been thinking and Coda can actually do quite a few things consistently...

On our walks, on the extendable leash, he rarely pulls out to the full length. When we stop at the curb he will stay still on the command of "wait" and now I am getting him to sit then as well.

When we are going out to the yard I can say "wait" and he won't go charging into the kitchen. He will not eat the cat food when I yell "off".

When he is in his kennel he will start barking to let me know to take him out.

He can pretty consistently do "watch me", "sit", "down" with some distraction. He will also target train on a stick when told "touch".

In our class last Sunday we began "paw" and he can do that.

Out and about he is becoming less inclined to bark at people and dogs, due to an over abundance of treats in those situations.

He can play fetch, mostly returning with the toy!

If he has something to occupy him, he can sit on my lap when I'm watching tv and be calm.

He is becoming desensitized to the clippers and work on his nails, especially filing his nails. He will let me brush him for a good treat!

Overall he is progressing in his training at a decent rate. I am thinking about taking the intermediate class at Petsmart once we have completed the puppy class on Sunday! :)

Great puppy class!

We had a really good puppy class today at Petsmart! We arrived early and went for a walk first to calm Coda down... Not sure that worked! Coda has discovered the horn on the car steering wheel and beeped it a number of times as we waited for the store to open! As the other puppies started to arrive, we went to wait outside the store and Coda played with Abigail and Rosie... Very playful but not barking or aggressive. Everyone, puppies and parents, seemed pleased to see each other after not having class last week (which was apparently due to a fire?). The main lesson today was doing a come in the store... Erin took our dogs on a 30ft leash and we hid in the store and called them and they had to find us, and Coda found me!
We have even been invited to a puppy play date with Abigail, who apparently has an acre fenced in yard! Way cool!

An interesting night walk...

Even though I was not feeling it, I thought about the obligation I have to Coda and decided to a,e him for a walk at about 11pm Saturday. Having to do some things that I don't want to is a part of having a dog and forcing myself to walk is a large part of why I wanted a dog. Mapmywalk is proving invaluable to encouraging me to walk a little farther whenever possible. I love seeing the miles add up!
So the first challenge was to walk past people standing on the street and Coda did great as long as I kept talking to him saying "lets go" "good boy Coda".
We were walking along a dark block and a pit bull suddenly lunged at us from a garden and started barking... coda started yapping and I screamed! coda quickly stopped barking as we walked off and I said "let's go".
Oh and by the way... We walked 1.3 miles!

OMG! My baby is growing up...

I can't believe it but Coda is already losing teeth! I was brushing his teeth yesterday and noticed that one was loose so I wiggled it but it wouldn't come out. Later on we were playing fetch and he started bleeding on his rope toy so I looked for the tooth and eventually found it on the carpet. Then I stood on something hard and found another! Definitely keepsakes for the album...
Coda has basically learned "wait" and yesterday we worked on drop and stay. He was doing the target training great last night so I started adding the command "touch". Not having the Petsmart class last week got me off track a little with doing those commands! Fortunately we are back to work tomorrow :)
I've managed two walks daily Monday through Friday this week. On my days off I would really like to be taking Coda to new places for walks so he gets a car ride and has new experiences.
I am trying to come up with a budget for Coda's expenses and fun spending. Skip hasn't wanted to talk about it as he's been sick, but if I include food in the cost it comes out to about $40-50 weekly. It seems like a lot of money but I enjoy it... It's fun buying new toys and treats etc!

19 weeks young!

2/12/13

Coda is an adorable puppy... Cute, companionable, energetic, playful, smart... & then he finds cat shit in the garden and eats it! Pulling poop out of his mouth is my least favorite task related to Coda!

We are walking a lot and we are both enjoying it! Today we managed 1.5 miles :) Dr Frankel should be pleased with me when I see her next month. When we discussed getting a puppy, Skip put some conditions on us having one... It would have to go to the vet regularly, take obedience classes and be walked plenty! I am doing all of these things and am deservedly feeling rather pleased with myself. Yes, I am being a good and responsible dog owner :)

Our puppy training class this past Sunday was the toughest one yet... I arrived early enough that I was able to walk Coda for 15 mins so that he was as mellow as possible. When we got to the car, Taylor the springer spaniel from our class was arriving and Coda went nuts barking at her so that I had to drag him away. Our class had a new puppy, if you can call him that-a 6 month old Great Dane that was huge and also very timid! Coda was incredibly distracted for the entire class. The trainer told me that she had two other cocker spaniel puppies in her classes and all of them are "ADHD".. Majorly distracted and hyperactive! I asked her at the end of the class what I could do and she said that Coda obviously knows the commands but then just gets distracted!

Coda has really improved related to the clippers. He has let me use them on his face as long as I can feed him liver treats... His hair around his face is all short and he looks so cute! I took the photo of him sitting below today. The other photo shows just how fast he is... For every good photo of him, there are 50 more with only parts of his body in the shot or blurred.

Our best new trick of the week is training Coda to walk on a loose leash... I have a stick that I am spreading peanut butter on and then I walk with the stick at my side and he follows along in perfect heel position! See sometimes he is a complete genius :)

No I will not sit still for a photo!

OMG puppy training class!

In an hour we will be in our first puppy class! Unbelievably Simona et al are bringing Luna to the same class! I'm working at keeping my mindset positive. This is going to fun. This is a process-enjoy the ride :) I am not a bad person if Coda has socializing issues...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WOW I am so surprised and delighted with how Coda and I did at our puppy class. Although there was barking at people before we got to the class, once we made it to the class Coda did really well! Antonella was really great and was really patient and gentle introducing shelf to Coda and once he had made friends with her he was more confident and didn't really have any further problems... He held back sometimes, a little nervous, but he was interested in all of the other dogs-a red lab, 2 springer spaniels, a havanese and Simona's Australian shepherd. Although he didn't manage to do the exercises (watch me, sit, down), the socializing was wonderful and by the end of the class he was off leash letting children pet him and going up to other dogs and being interested.

This was the first time that I really felt that Coda is the dog I was hoping for. Able to socialize and interact comfortably. I can see dog parks and and play dates and vacations in our future! It's very exciting...

Of course it wouldn't have been a trip to Petsmart without buying stuff... A harness, a seatbelt attachment, a name tag, scrubbing brushes for the kongs, a new collar (maybe a little big), a variety of treats and bones, an interactive toy for kibble feeding, a loofah dog toy. Skip said it was predictable!

What a cutie!

Coda is definitely growing... But he still looks just like a teddy bear. He sometimes gets so excited in the garden that he runs around in circles at high speed! His most favored outdoor activities are jumping into a bush, the hiding spot for the ever-present cats, and collecting sticks! He is a real character :)

Quite a day!

Sunday was our first trip to a pet store with Coda!

Skip agreed to come with me, which meant that Coda got to ride on my lap in the car, which he likes much better than being in the kennel. He was very aware of all that we were driving past and was most curious about the light rail train which we had to stop for in Timonium.
When we got inside Petsmart we did an initial swing through the fish and feline departments to allow Coda to get settled and then we hit the dog section. We picked out a water bottle for him to drink from while in his pen, went past the training area for a brochure, looked at nail clippers, which Coda was very grateful that Skip wouldn't let me buy, ran through the checkout and we were outside again. No barking or growling :)
We took a walk to the other end of the strip mall so Skip could pop into the grocery store. Along the way Skip and I got into a "discussion" and while I was focusing on talking I noticed a pulling on the leash but keep walking until it came to an abrupt stop. I turned to find Coda squatting on the pavement trailing 8 poops as I had pulled him as he tried to go to the toilet.... my attempts to clean it up only resulted in a long trail of poop spread along the concrete... Not pretty!
So Coda and I sat outside on a bench while Skip went into the store. We were sat at some distance and he was very curious at all the sights and sounds of the cars and people and trolleys but despite my best efforts I wasn't able to get him to turn around for a photo...
It was all quite an experience and Coda came home and slept soundly for a couple of hours!