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 :)
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
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!
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!
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
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 :)
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 :)
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
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 :)
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/
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/
Thursday, April 4, 2013
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!
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!
Monday, April 1, 2013
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!
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!
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