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!