Psycho Dog

As Cody is trying to dig down to China through the carpet, I thought I'd share a nice friendly "psycho dog" story and a not so friendly one.

A couple of days ago, I took Cody through a car wash. Boy, was it entertaining. It was worth the $7, even if it rained the next day. Through every cycle of the wash, Cody would turn his head in every which way to see what was happening. He would bark a few times, and start to quiet down after he got used to that cycle. That would last about one second. Then, the next cycle of the car wash would start and Cody's crazy behavior would happen again. It was truly fun to watch at the end of a long day.

Cody's growling has been happening more consistently, but more predictably. I tried to techniques that the trainer had recommended, but it's easier said than done. My natural urge to not get punctured prevents me from reaching my unprotected hand out to a possessed, demonic dog. Luckily, I have a blanket at work that I can use to protect myself since heavy gloves or metal armor weren't in hand.

My co-worker noticed that Cody tends to growl more when he feels cornered. The problem is, when I try to approach him when he's in a bad mood, he'll only try to run to a corner. Chicken and egg problem. He also gets a lot of visitors at work during the day so he may not be sleeping as much as he should. It's like one of those tired toddlers that get cranky, but won't sleep. He's getting his "snip-snip" operation next Tuesday, and he'll be getting his last set of shots this weekend. I hope to take him to doggy day care a couple of times a week so perhaps they can enforce a more regular playtime and naptime. I'll cross my fingers and hope....

Obedience Training #3

All we talked about was heeling. Which was fine with me since Cody apparently likes to test my "Alpha" status. She recommended placing the collar higher on the neck if Cody becomes stubborn. She said not to worry about the asthma-sounding breathing when he's pulling on the collar since it doesn't hurt since there's a lot of muscle at the base of the neck. She reassured me that if it were to hurt, Cody would stop immediately rather than continue pulling until he arrived at his destination.

I also asked the trainer how to stop the growling, and she was able to point out a few places that I can hold on to without getting bitten (jowls and scuff of the neck). I haven't had to use it yet, but it's good to know as I only have so much blood to give when he bites me.

Yesterday was the first day that I left him home alone (for 4 hours). His bladder was fine, but his attitude was not (he growled at me when I let him out). Now that I know how to better handle the growling, I think we'll be fine from now on.

OK, off to practice my new heeling technique (move collar to top of neck and walk with purpose without letting Cody stop to sniff, poo, or pee until I designate a place for him in the middle of our walk)

Cody and his Dachsund Friends




One of Cody's best friends at work is Bella, a Dachshund. Here are some pictures with Bella (the black and white one) and Odie, a new friend that Bella introduced to Cody.

Growling Pains

Remember my post a week ago where Cody was upset with me for leaving him in the car? Well, he has started growling quite often now. I may have misread "being upset" with "Terrible Twos". He has started growling and biting me whenever he's tired. It happens at 6am when he wakes up to wake me up, and rapidly runs into his crate. He won't come out to go to the bathroom and any attempt to coax him out brings out a fierce growl from him. I'm not entirely sure his purpose for waking me up if he doesn't actually intend to be taken out, but he sure likes the growling. I've started taking my spray bottle with me in hand when I open the door so he can get a nice spray of water once he starts growling at me.

The worst is when he is at the dog park, after an hour or so of play. He'll start getting tired and gets possessive of any item he can find to put in his mouth. I have quite a few cuts from trying to take things out of his mouth. Of course, he'll be moody in the car ride home, and try to bite me when I make him leave the car. I think I'll need to have a water spray bottle attached to my hip for the next few weeks....

A No Show

For the past couple of weeks, I have been debating whether or not to show Cody as I love his gait and his posture when he stands or sits.

However, yesterday I noticed a bump in his skin, like a scar which made me re-think the decision.

A few weeks ago, Cody played with one of his playmates at work, and got struck pretty hard by her paw. He had some scratches that showed red through his short fur, but it seemed ok. Now, he has a battle wound.

Oh well, probably all for the best anyways. Besides, the scar can make up for the emasculation of being neutered.

Obedience Class #2

This is the first obedience class that Cody could attend and it was much better than the first - probably because it was more practical than theoretical.

Specifically, we learned the best way to teach sit and down, some socialization techniques, and the proper way to make sure the dog follows you well.

For "sit", she said the give the command once and give him 3 seconds to respond. If he doesn't sit, say "no, sit!" and press down on his hips which will force him to sit. Amazingly, it worked pretty well even with all the distractions.

She also said not to repeat the command since it takes away from the impact of the command.

For "down", with which Cody has more problems, she taught how to force the lie. By stepping on the leash so that Cody's sitting, he'll have to put more effort in a bent position. He'll eventually lie down after awhile.

Socialization was not a problem for Cody so that was fairly useless.

The last thing we were instructed to do is to not use retractable leashes for the next few weeks to make sure the dog follows us well. More importantly, she says that it will tire the dog out.

I tried it this morning, and I think Cody thought he was a sled dog. Probably exerting more effort than that since I was not on a sled and I was providing much more resistance than snow would. However, that probably tired him out some (though it's hard to tell when you have a breed that is tireless), and I hope eventually that will make him stay closer to me on walks and jogs.

Tip of the day: When teaching with a non-retractable leash, wrap the leash around your waist - it'll save you from resisting only with your arm strength (so you can save the hand/arm strength to type up your blog post :) )

Should I get a lawyer now?

Remember ages ago when I said Cody was chewing gum and smoking? Well, this weekend he started drinking my coffee. I thought it wasn't so bad until I noticed that he eliminated a balloon this morning. I guess to feed his expensive toy collection, he feels the need to start trafficking drugs. Or maybe it was the parental "abandonment" he felt this past weekend that drove him to this alternate lifestyle. *SIGH*

Race to exhaustion

Do you know what can tire a puppy out? A 7 mile walk/jog/run. I wanted to see if Cody was able to do the 3.5 mile trek to work from my place, but he had so much energy that we went all the way there and back (instead of turning around halfway). However, for the last mile back home, my legs were aching while Cody was still happily pulling me forward.

The nice thing is, he'll probably sleep through the 2 hours while I leave him to have lunch with friends. Hopefully he won't even notice that I "abandoned" him so I won't get guilt tripped into taking him to the dog park again.

By the way, I finally took the dremel tool out of its case and tried it last night. He HATED it. I think it's because of the noise and the anticipation of something scary happening to his toes. Since the guillotine nail clippers are silent, he doesn't even notice that I'm clipping his nails.

Who is the Master of the House?

Since I have been incredibly lucky to be able to take Cody to work since I've had him, he's never left my sight for more than 2 hours at a time. And usually for those two hours, he'll be with a puppy-sitter.

Today, I left Cody in the car for three and a half hours while I was watching Les Miserables (and thus the title of the post). Being a new mom, I only thought about bladder time, which I knew he would be able to handle. However, I never took into account the abandonment factor. When I got back to the car, he was furious with me. He growled and would not even let me pet him or put his leash on to take him potty.

Feeling completely guilty as we were driving home, I decided to take him to the dog park as a treat - completely hoping that he'll forgive me in that time. Even in the half hour car ride, he still refused to let me pet him (he sat in the front seat). When we arrived at the dog park, he was still growling at me when I led him out of the car. During the first 15 minutes, he completely ignored me and growled again when I tried to pet him.

As I was beginning to think he would never forgive me, 15 minutes later, in the middle of his play, he stopped, came to me, and licked me with a "That's a good girl for taking me to the park after you abandoned me for 3 and a half hours" greeting. On the ride home, he was back to himself, let me pet him, and licked my hand.

The things parents will do to beg forgiveness...

Tip of the day: You are probably not the master of the house.

How Soon They Forget!

Remember Cody's traumatic experience last week with Belvedere (the golden retriever that made him yelp in fear?) Well, they've both forgotten and are good friends - they played yesterday AND today. I almost didn't think it was Belvie since the two got along so well. Maybe the aliens came back and switched a third Cody on me?

Letting Sleeping Dogs Lie (wherever/however they want)

Here are the promised pictures. Especially since he got his third set of shots yesterday, he has been sleeping a lot. The last picture is my favorite "weird position" one.

Dogs N Suds - Obedience Training Class at Pet Club in Mountain View

I went to Cody's obedience class yesterday (humans only at the first session). I was fairly disappointed. On one hand, the lesson confirmed that I was on the right path in training Cody. On the other hand, everything we discussed I had already read in the many books I checked out when I prepped for taking care of Cody.

There was a variety of ages in the class and outdoor and indoor dogs. It was hard to specialize and give exact advice to the varied audience. We discussed barking (which would have been helpful 3 weeks ago, but after the Citronella collar, Cody's perfect), house training (Cody has been perfect at home for 7 days now), and feeding (I am taking the advice of the breeder and free-feeding Cody. It doesn't really change the potty training since Cody poos and pees hours after he drinks and eats so I scheduling his feeding time doesn't really help me with the house training, which he's mastered anyways).

It's only $100 and I might learn something in the next 5 sessions, hopefully. If not, then at least I know I wasn't missing anything. Our homework was to think of a "release" command to let the dog know when to stop working (for example, when he's sitting or staying, to let him know when to stop sitting or staying). I used "OK" originally, which the instructor discouraged because "OK" is used to frequently in our regular conversations. I don't think it will be that big of a deal because I think Cody is smart enough to figure out what I want. But I think I'll try using "Off the Hook" now. The command has more personality anyways.

Commands-wise, I'm still working on "roll over", "stand", and "leave it". I'm trying to concentrate on "leave it" since it's more "useful" than the other commands.

We also went to the vet today to check up on his bacterial infection (completely cured) and his third set of shots. We also bought heartworm and ticks/fleas medication which was quite expensive (the whole meds + office trip was about $260). They also recommended that he get neutered sooner rather than later so it's not as traumatic. I'll worry about that after he finishes his series of shots (one more set to go!)

Dog parks and Socialization

Cody went to his first dog park today and he had a blast. He loved playing in the "small dogs" area since he was bigger than all the pugs and other dogs there. I tried to see how he would do in the "big dogs" area, but he immediately hid in the corner with his tail tucked. Later on, when the biggest dogs had left, I brought him back to the "big dogs" area, and he felt much more comfortable. He still preferred the "small dogs" area, but I like giving him the opportunity to meet dogs big and small.

Today was his grooming day as he was all dirty from playing in dog heaven (the dog park). I finally made the mistake that I had feared - I cut into his quick. However, it just bled a tiny bit, and it didn't seem to affect his attitude towards clipping nails, as he allowed me to cut the rest of his nails after the mistake. The yelp scared me more than him I think, but he'll be ok.

Tomorrow will be our first obedience class. The first class is the one that only humans attend, but it'll be interesting to see how I've been doing. Given that he's pretty obedient and seems socially adjusted, I think I'm doing ok, but we'll see.

What's in a Name (again, but different)

So, I'll start off by explaining the origin of "Cody". I had started a list about two years ago with potential names (always wanted a male dog). "Hunter" and "Bailey" were at the top of my list, but since then, I actually met people with those names. In order to not associate my dog with people I knew, I went to my third choice, "Cody" (since the only "Cody" I knew was "Agent Cody Banks").

I wanted to talk about Cody's nicknames in this post. It's interesting what names people call him. I will also call him "Honey" or "Baby" (or "Psycho" or "Weasel" when it fits). The other gals I know call him anything from "fatso" (he is NOT fat at all, but I think half of the reason the nickname is used is to annoy me) or "boo boo". However, all the guys that give him a nickname start them with "Little". Like "Little Buddy", "Little Guy", and "Little Fellow". I find it really interesting how different men and women use nicknames. I'm not a psychology major so I have no idea why this happens, but if you want to venture a guess, feel free and post a comment :) (Trying to make my blog more interactive).

By the way, he's 24 pounds now (so I'm 11 pounds away from getting kicked out of my apartment complex since there's a weight restriction on pets). I was also going to post the sleeping pictures but he had a really odd pose last week and I completely missed it. I'm hoping to capture it again in the next weeks.

Tip (from a co-worker) which works: Teaching "High 5" is really easy after they master "Shake"

He is not Super Cody anymore!

Today, he played with another dog at work - a large golden retriever. Belvedere is one of the gentlest dogs I had known but had not had the chance to play with Cody until today. She went for Cody's rawhide and pig ear immediately while Cody anxiously tried to play with her. She gave a few warning growls, but Cody simply ignored it. After a few minutes, she became fed up with Cody and POUNCED on him! I could not see Cody underneath Belvie for those few seconds and Cody actually was scared enough that he peed (on my skirt).

Even though this was a terrifying moment for him, I think it was good for him to realize that maybe growls are indications that dogs do not want to play. And that he's not as invincible as he might have previously thought. I just hope that he doesn't assume all retrievers are like that and become skittish around them as he grows up. Now I have to find a retriever that will give him positive memories so he doesn't develop those issues.

Who replaced Cody?

For the last few days, Cody has been quiet and well-behaved. In fact, I was at a meeting for an hour and he just quietly entertained himself without barking. This is clearly not the dog that I had last week.

In general, he's been a lot more mild, so it's not just the lack of barking, but here are my theories:

1. Someone (or aliens) replaced Cody with a look-alike.
2. Cody's sick (don't think so though)
3. Cody's bark collar (which sprays Citronella) is affecting his whole nature. I don't think this is the case because I still can't get the collar to work consistently. Plus, he still barks once in awhile (when he's playing for example).
4. Cody became properly socialized this weekend when he had many "firsts"
1. First trip to a big, "noisy" city (San Francisco)
2. First visit to a huge park (that is more than an acre)
3. First dinner party
4. First trip to a mall (outdoors where dogs are allowed)
5. First meetings with dogs that growl and bark at him (usually he makes friends pretty easily so this was the first time he was scared of other dogs)
6. First time meeting toddlers and babies (he was actually really gentle which was shocking)
5. Cody's learning social etiquette and getting more adjusted

I sure hope it's the last one because it means I'm doing something right. Either way, I just hope it's permanent. I wouldn't want the aliens to bring back the original Cody.

Current Cody commands:

Totally understands AND obeys:

• Crate
• Sit
• Down

Understands and chooses to obey if there's not a better option:

• Shake
• Drop it
• Wait
• Go potty
• Go poopie ( he obeys on if he really wants to go poopie and he knows it's different from "potty")
• Come
• Stay/ OK, come

Huh?

• Heel
• Leave It
• Off
• Roll Over

I'm currently collecting a bunch of pictures of Cody sleeping. He sleeps in REALLY weird positions. It'll be in an upcoming post....Stay Tuned...

Barking Collars

No, it's not one of those evil, shocking kind of barking collars. It's one of those kinds that spray some Citronella when the dog barks. And supposedly the dog hates it. I received it yesterday and it seems to only work some of the time. I've since tightened the collar a few times and I think it may be the right fit now. Having it work just sometimes doesn't help reinforce his association of the spray to a bark. Of course, it doesn't help when I forget to turn on the bark "listener" on the collar.

Tip of the day: Take some time to try to make sure that the collar works consistently. Also, I hear that training them earlier than later helps them learn to stop barking (rather than learn to avoid the spray or to get the collar off)

Bad Habits

When you first get your puppy, you hope that he wouldn't be one of THOSE puppies. And as you observe him for a few days, you think to yourself, "I think he's ok. He's one of those rare puppies that isn't afflicted with THAT issue". Then the day happens. That day was yesterday.

As we were starting our daily walk, Cody jumped into the bushes. As I pulled him out, I noticed he had something in his mouth. I quickly opened his mouth and pulled the item out. It was, well..., a piece of "eliminated" material. Needless to say, I quickly ran back into the house and scrubbed my hands. And brushed out Cody's mouth. Yuck yuck yuck yuck yuck yuck yuck yuck. Yuck.

See How They Run

So my aerobic activity has plummeted since Cody came into my life, mostly because he will only run in spurts, but he will also try and sniff everything in sight. Especially after a rain storm.

When I can get him to run, he'll run about 10 yards and then sit down and look at me. For no apparent reason. After a brief staring contest, he will come running towards me again. If I choose not to participate in the staring contest, he'll continue to sit. In fact, in recent days, he's learned to bear down with his hind legs when he absolutely refuses to come.

However, this morning, in the middle of our walk (where I couldn't get him to stop dilly dallying even if I had a pocketful of treats to entice him), it started to rain. Suddenly, getting him to run, jog, skip, or fly back to his home was no problem. If only there was a portable rain device to help me get my daily aerobic exercise in...

Making Good Friends

Both human and canine friends can save your sanity. The past couple of days, my co-workers have helped chip in by puppy-sitting and taking Cody on walks. Also, since his bladder infection is gone, he's spent a lot of time playing with other puppies which has pooped him out. In fact, when he's not walking or having puppy play time, he's sleeping on the floor next to me in my office, or quietly chewing on a toy. It's wonderful.

Tip of the day: Do whatever it takes to make friends. Bribe if necessary.

Spoiled puppy

I got Cody's new crate yesterday (Vari Kennel - large size) and he loves to stretch out in his new home. I keep the old crate in the car so I don't have to lug around one crate back and forth. While I was unloading his 3 boxes from petedge.com, I realized how spoiled he is getting.

For example, here was my order:
40 oz Greenies (Regular size)
40 oz Greenies (Petite size)
2 6 oz Tubes of Doggy Toothpaste
Ear Cleaner
Ear Wipes
2 lb raw hide chips
2 rawhide braids
Large Vari Kennel Deluxe
Crate Travel Kit
dremel tool
2 Regular Kongs
Fleece Crate Bed
6 pastel tennis balls
1.5 gallons Nature's Miracle Stain and Odor Remover
5 pressed pig ears
100 doggy waste bags
8 plush squeaky toys

Of course, this order was IN ADDITION to all the items I had already purchased before I had Cody. *SIGH* I'm such a pushover.