Brrrrrrr....

So it got rather chilly tonight... 23°F to be precise! So Coda got to take his walk in his new coat! Very sporty :)

Wow! A big week!

''It's been forever since I last wrote an entry...

At thanksgiving we learnt that Coda likes water... As in ponds! Including icy water... I think the crunch heard when jumped upon added to the experience!

That Coda likes snow was reinforced when we had a few inches of the white stuff... He really enjoyed jumping into piles of virgin snow, and he picked one place to pee and went there repeatedly until the snow melted ;)

  

My parents came to visit for Christmas and Coda became really accustomed to them. My dad walked Coda every day, sometimes twice and Coda loved it :) I think he was a bit too energetic for them lol

So this week was huge!

On Thursday we had our yearly checkup with the vet. I went to Dr Kelly Papke at Pikesville Animal Hospital where we had been before and she was great! Definite two thumbs up! There was a dog barking in the back the whole time we were there and initially Coda barked a couple of times but then he settled down and really behaved well. When Kelly came in she let Coda lick her face and she spent time letting him get used to her :) I helped hold him when he had his shots and his ears were inspected and she said there is some buildup there that we need to drain more regularly but she wasn't judgemental... just saying this is a problem to watch out for. I am really happy with our vet.

This evening when I took Coda for his walk we achieved the amazing loose leash walk for multiple steps... It didn't last for the whole walk, although there wasn't much heavy pulling, but we did have moments of the easy mellow loose leash :) it shows me what is possible if I give it patience and consistency. I have lots of hope for Coda and me!

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 :)