Graduation!

Cody officially graduated from Intermediate puppy class. That means that he should be coming when he's distracted and doing all sorts of distraction-related activities. He actually went through a test which he did well on. This was the trick:

1) He had his Gentle Leader on during the test
2) We ran for 2 hours right before class

In general, he has gotten better. Not perfect, but he occasionally will come back when he's distracted by other dogs, especially if he thinks I'm going to leave him (I'm taking advantage of his fear of abandonment).

We're going to practice a bit more and then start some agility or good citizen classes after we master the distractions.

By the way, Happy Halloween! Cody and I did dress up for Halloween, but as our cameras are still under repair, I'll post the pictures as soon as my friends send me their pictures of him. If you have any Halloween pictures, please share them here!

Fatso

Before I continue, I need to make it clear that I am in no way implying that Cody goes on a diet. He's already bulimic and anorexic enough without needing more encouragement on that front. Anyways, for the last week, Cody actually has been eating what he has been allocated to eat. He's supposed to eat around 4 cups a day, but normally he'll only eat 2-3 because he's anorexic. (Vizslas tend to be a bit anorexic; they only eat what they need) Plus, with his motion sickness, he becomes a bit bulimic. In the last week, he's eating like a healthy dog which is nice to see. Even though I may have to re-think Cody's expensive dog food, I like to think he can eat normally some times. Since I do free feed him, I am slightly concerned that he might be turning into a regular dog that overeats, but so far he's still left some food in the bowl after he's eaten his 4 cups so no worries yet. You can see from the ribs on the picture that Evan took on Friday that he has a long way to go before he's overweight or a true "fatso".

Pictures that Evan took - "Curious Cody"

Depressed Cody

This week, I decided to look for Cody on the webcam at PlanetPooch. I normally have a very difficult time tracking him down, but he is clearly lying down in the middle of the room. In fact, he barely raises his head when other dogs are passing him by. He looks tired and depressed. I encourage you to all visit him via the webcam and shooting out your "happy energy" to him.

Bladder Control Testing

The problem with bladder control testing, or testing the limits of bladder control, is that the consequences are not pleasant. In the past week, however, I have determined that Cody's bladder control can last for at least 8.5 hours. That is, he did not have an accident when I forgot to take him out for 8.5 hours. This is great news for me because I have a back-up plan now for the winter. As the winter months approach, I can't consider leaving Cody in the backyard since it will rain. Previously, if I left him inside for that long, I would need to worry about accidents. Now, if I can't take Cody to the office, I don't need to rely on PlanetPooch, PetsMart, or any other day care to take care of him.

If I can do this all over again, I think the timing of Cody's birth (December 6) was perfect. While winter was ending in the beginning of 2006, I didn't have to worry about exercising him too much because he was too small. If I needed to leave him in the car to prevent accidents, it wasn't too hot. When summer came, he was ready to run or exercise more, and he was able to stay in the office for a long enough time for me to go to meetings. Anyways, it's great. I just need to hope he doesn't get any bladder infections again.

Cody's Weekend

This past weekend, Cody and I drove down to Los Angeles. He had last gone on a road trip with me in July, during the heat wave weekend. This time, he did much better. He drank and ate normally after the first day, and he even eliminated normally.

Each day, Cody and I ran/hiked for an hour, and then the owner of codymydog (a horrible spoof of this site) ran Cody for another hour. Of course, Cody outran him and scoffed at his slow pace.

The first night, I kept Cody in his travel crate and he whined all night. The second night, I let him on the twin bed I was sleeping on. Of course, I had no space to sleep, but at least Cody was able to sleep. Needless to say, we are both happy to be home and able to share a larger bed so both of us can sleep more soundly.

Other Cody site

Since I've been talking about Cody-related sites, I should point out another blog that people may go to accidentally, thinking they'll get to this blog. This site is www.mydogcody.com. To make it even more confusing, that site uses Blogger as well. The silly thing is that the domain was probably available when I first created this blog for Cody as the other Cody (chocolate lab which will henceforth be called "Cocoa Cody") was not born yet. Since Cocoa Cody is pretty darn cute, I don't mind giving a shout out. Maybe the other owners will discover that I posted a random blog about their dog and we can share Cody stories. But then again, that'll probably be too confusing.

Too bad Cocoa Cody lives in Florida since it'll be highly unlikely they'll ever meet. Given my Cody's personality (and his inclination towards puppy labs and puppy boxers), and what I've read about Cocoa Cody's personality, they'd probably get along really well (but that pesky problem of giving commands to one and not the other would probably be difficult. I find it hard enough when I go to the dog park and there are other "Cody"'s there. Luckily, that's not very often so I don't have to worry about it. Usually, I'll just leave with Cody (of course my own Cody and not some other random Cody) to minimize confusion.)

The Worst Blog Ever

I'm going to rally all my faithful readers to protest and boycott http://codymydog.blogspot.com/. Clearly, the owner of the blog doesn't realize that Cody likes his fame and doesn't feel exploited whatsoever. He loves people and he loves attention . That's why he has a Dogster page. Which reminds me, maybe I should get him a MySpace page...

The Convenience of PetsMart

For the first time tomorrow, I will pay for Cody to attend PetsMart day care. In the past, all his other stays have been "paid" via coupons or gift certificates that I had earned or received. Cody went to PetsMart on Monday and will be attending for the second time in a week tomorrow.

While I'm still concerned that he may catch another disease, I feel like I'm more prepared. I also feel like although they aren't entirely careful, he did not receive kennel cough during his other stays there.

Why is he going when I dislike PetsMart day care and think it inferior to other day cares (See Review)? Well, a "pro" point that I mentioned in previous posts is that it's convenient. This week, I have more trainings and meetings that normal and I would rather not burden my co-workers with the responsibility of a puppy whose energy levels range between mellow and, well, very far from mellow. Actually, Cody's time at PetsMart yesterday helped with my decision to let him go again. Amazingly, Cody was tired after this visit. I heard he made a new friend and probably spent a lot of energy wrestling with her. Also, he did not have any accidents today even after spending a day at PetsMart where he needed to eliminate indoors. I still would prefer PlanetPooch over PetsMart when it's possible, but as I made the decision last minute this evening, PetsMart was the best option.

Worst case scenario, these visits will help develop his immune system.

Cody in the office

Here are some more pictures that Evan took while Cody was in the office.

Codini, The "Escape Artist"

When Cody was in his PlanetPooch shuttle waiting for me to pick him up last Thursday, Cody apparently darted out of the shuttle along with the first dog. Cody was so excited to get out of the shuttle that he just made a run for the shuttle door. I was not there yet but I heard that Cody's new nickname is "The Escape Artist". Luckily, they were able to grab him soon enough (many dog owners around that are used to chasing after runaway dogs) before he got too far.

Cody also has been making more trouble at work. Since Molly came that one time when he discovered the technique to escape from his gated door, he has been doing that a lot. We actually have to be super anal now about making sure the door is completely wedged in so that with all of Cody's weight pulling on the gate, it still won't budge for him to escape.

And of course, there's that time that Cody just plain ran away. I don't like thinking about that time since it was mostly my fault :P

Vizsla Character Traits.

There was a link that was passed on to me about some of the "quirks" that vizslas have. I find it amusing that Cody exhibits almost all of those behaviors.

Here's a summary of the full link and how Cody applies to each "generic" Vizsla trait:

• Sniffing at counters. Yup. He loves to sniff and see what's going on. Except for one time a few months ago, he only sniffs and occasionally licks. He has not yet gotten away with eating human food from the counter though.
• Extremely energetic. Unless you haven't read this blog, you already know this about Cody.
• Digging. I only let him hang out in the backyard after I exercised him completely. Except for one day when I left him in the backyard for 9 hours, he hasn't had any outside digging problems. Of course, I need to mention that he's obsessed with one spot in the living room carpet that he "digs" at.
• Likes to always be by your side. Cody will follow me into the bathroom unless I make sure the door is completely closed shut. I feel like he has a slight fear of abandonment, which of course makes no sense when he decides to run away.
• Vocal. He likes making noises all the time. He barks occasionally, but it's more weird whines and whimpers or groans. He'll make sounds when he's yawning, and of course, he's a big snorer.
• Oral fixation. (Needs things in his mouth). It's amazing how much he likes things in his mouth. He's swallowed most post-its than I can count. Since I put my "to-dos" on post-its, he actually does me a favor when he eats them because it means less tasks for me to finish. Until I miss something really important.
• Likes big, comfy places to sleep. From my heat map blog post, you already know that he loves my bed. He hates my car because I have bucket seats and he can't spread out. In general, he hates cramped spaces. Here are some pictures of him sleeping and you can see that the curled up position is not one to which he defaults.
• Smart and sneaky. He has found ways into corners and up on places that he's not supposed to go. Normally, I would praise him for being resourceful, but sometimes it's just being bratty.
• Love to be on high (chairs, sofas, etc.). Apparently this desire outweighs the cramped spaces problem as you can see here.
• Fetish for socks and shoes and laundry. Honestly, Cody's only really had a problem with socks. He also likes one of my flip-flops (just the right sandal) and a particular left boot.
• Soft personalities. The link says that if they're not socialized properly, they can be timid. I remember him being timid when he first visited the dog park, but he became one of the gang pretty quickly.
• Lap dogs. I don't have any pictures of him on my lap as I don't have any pictures of me in this blog. But trust me, he will try to lie on your lap or press and nestle against you if he can. It's nice and sweet. These are the times when I agree that having a pet can have health benefits such as lowering blood pressure and such. Of course, with all the other issues that he has when he's not lying down and peaceful, the stressful times may counter those benefits.
  

Is Cody Deaf?

Due to the infrequent occurrences of obedience, my co-workers often wonder if Cody is deaf. To be honest, I have often asked myself that question when I have given the same command over and over again, or when I lost him and he didn't come when I called him for half an hour.

Even though I would like to give Cody an excuse (or me an excuse for being a poor trainer), there are certain indications that prove that Cody is not hard of hearing.

1. As the Gentle Leader is not known as a hearing aid, when he has it on, his immediate obedience means that he heard the commands and responded appropriately.
2. He sure likes squeaky toys a lot for a dog who is apparently deaf.
3. If he's lying down peacefully, he jumps up to stand if I even whisper "Potty"
   
4. He starts to salivate when I mention "Greenie"

All in all, Cody is not likely deaf. He's just a stubborn brat sometimes and I need to improve my training skills. We've been working on it. Since my city issued me an off-leash permit (to practice training in certain areas in a few city parks), we'll be practicing that a bit this weekend. Stay tuned...His "hearing" might improve soon!

Cody in the Crate

Here are pictures that Evan took of Cody while my camera is getting fixed. Now I can have the same quality of pictures that my friends have of Phoenix.

A Good Joke

The only other person that is in our PetsMart class is this other girl and her black lab, Max. She made a comment to me: "Cody is never hyper, is he?" The trainer, who had seen Cody at day care and sees us when we first go into PetsMart when he is really excited, and I burst out laughing. Boy, he can really fool the others sometimes! (I think it helps that I make sure we either go on a long run or a visit to the dog park before class. The Gentle Leader also helps a lot to remind him who's in charge. Amazingly, Max also wears the Gentle Leader and he doesn't seem very well-controlled with it.)

Cody's Diary for 10/7

Wow. I am 10 months and one day old today. What a big boy!

Mommy normally takes me for a walk, but we had to go into that yucky car. I hate that car. It makes me sick, but I like sticking my head out the window, so I guess it's ok.

We went to a place where there were lots of other cars. There were nice people there and they were very friendly. There was even a person who is going hunting in two weeks. I wish my mommy could hunt! I sure like finding and chasing those birds. We left the car there and walked around in this different neighborhood. I liked sniffing all the new smells. Everything was so interesting that it was hard to pay attention when my mommy was talking to me. Sometimes it's easy just to tune her out.

Even though I did nothing special, I had a new treat today during our walk! My mommy got me something she called a "hot dog". I don't think it looks anything like me or any other dog I've met so maybe I misheard her. It was a little hard to eat, but it was sure tasty. I don't like chomping on food like some of my friends do. I just ate small bites of the hot dog since it was kinda weird to eat. The "bun" was a lot easier to much and chew in one piece than the "hot dog".

We walked back to the place where the cars were, but I don't think our car was ready. While we were waiting, my mommy tried to make me stand and sit while she was far away. I don't like it. Usually when she yells, it's because she wants me to come near her. Every word out of her mouth seems to be "heel" or "come" so I don't understand why she would want me to just stay far away and sit or stand or lie down. I was getting a little tired of the game after awhile, but I did enjoy some of the treats from the bag since I haven't eaten since yesterday afternoon.

When we finally got the car, I had to say good-bye to all the friendly people there. I thought we could finally go home, but mommy had another idea. We went to the fun store where lots of other dogs go. I was really excited, but then mommy put my Gentle Leader on. I hate the Gentle Leader. It makes me sad when I have it on so I wasn't as excited to jump around and explore when we got into the store. I saw a good friend of mine, Max, who seems to be there every time I come to this store. I wasn't able to spend very much time with him because almost immediately, mommy made me go away and walk around the store saying "heel" and "come". See what I mean? You'd be confused too if she gave you commands that didn't involve going closer to her.

Anyways, after we walked around the store (thankfully, mommy let me sniff around a little bit), we went to an empty aisle and practiced the same thing she practiced earlier that morning. She would tell me to stay and then walk away. I was too tired to second guess her so I just stayed. She then tried to tell me to sit and stand when she was on the other side of the aisle. I have no idea why she would want me to do that, but I did what she asked.

After that, Hallelujah!, she took off the Gentle Leader. There were a lot of yummy smells with which I wanted to have a closer smell, but I don't think mommy liked that. She tried to get me to do the same tricks again, but I was getting bored, and those smells were beckoning me!

I think mommy gave up so we got back together with Max (I think he was supposed to do the same thing I did but in another aisle). We didn't stay long after that. I wanted to play with Max, and Max certainly wanted to play with me, but him and his mommy left so we left too.

I'm super tired. I normally don't spend all morning walking around, performing commands, and experiencing new places and people. I'm going to go lie by the glass door and take a nice long nap so I can have some energy to play and run with mommy later.

Cody's Training this week

Last week at the PetsMart obedience class, we practiced the command "stand" and started working on "come" with some distractions.

Cody knows how to stand, but if he sees me with a treat, his automatic instinct to sit or lie down overrides his desire to obey the "stand" command. It's actually quite funny to see him go through all his series of tricks when he really really wants something.

Anyways, even though I've said extend-leashes are evil, we've been using that leash this week to practice his come command ("come" doesn't make sense on a 4 ft. leash). It's not entirely successful when he's distracted, but that's where practicing comes in.

Also, I've applied for an off-leash permit to practice off-leash training in certain parks in my town. That should help a lot in practices as well. I'll keep you posted.

Rain Rain Go Away

Apparently it's true that one dog year is 7 human years. Cody experienced rain for the first time in 3 dog years (about 5 months human years). He forgot what it was like and of course, freaked out.

He was hesitant to pee or poop when that wet stuff was falling from the sky. The really nice thing about it is that I wasn't afraid that he would run away if he escaped from me as long as I was walking in a path of covered areas.

He's at doggy day care today (Planet Pooch) so he can play indoors for now. He's going to have to learn really quick how to take a walk in the rain. (I actually bought him a rain slicker since I knew he hated the rain last spring. We'll see if he'll need it or not or outgrow his wicked witch of the west syndrome.

By the way, Cody has an official photographer now while my camera is getting fixed. We'll take some more pictures this week and I'll post them up soon.

Where are those pictures?

My camera broke a few weeks ago which is why there hasn't been any Cody pictures. However, here are some old ones from when he was about 4 months old. These are great action pictures (my camera cannot take action pictures as good as these). I got these from the owner of hugpug.com.