Love Saving Money

I don’t know about others, but I love saving money, and not at the cost of my furr-baby!!! I do read labels…

We also limit his consumption of these, they are like candy, and found healthier choices… like pieces of carrot during training as a substitute. Did you know they can have slices of raw fruits and veggies? I would advise looking it up or talking to a veterinarian first…

I Love Target!!! They have the same brands and portions at much cheaper prices than other stores!!! ~*THANKS*~

First Dog Park… Sunday, February 26th, 2012

Cooper was overly excited to try his very first dog park. He danced about, pulling his leash, and I am thankful for the concept of duel doors and the small enclosure before entering the park!

I can only imagine that Cooper’s favorite part will be the mini pools this summer. He is well known for being a water dog, just not today. He was actually wet by the hose, than rolled by a dog, and he had to be rinsed off a few times.

Cooper has no problem making friends… he is like our middle child, he automatically thinks that all dogs (and people) love him. He isn’t confrontational, and has been known to run from a Yorkie. ~*Giggles*~ 

I am simply in love with our little baby…

I didn’t get a chance to bring any of Cooper’s toys, but luckily there were many on hand! Balls were scattered about, a Frisbee here and there, and one dog brought its favorite rope toy. Cooper enjoyed chancing balls with a rather large German Shepard, than played by himself with his human… Frisbee 

Cooper has never played with a Frisbee, so I guess this was another… “First”!!!

It was extremely hard for the “mommy” in me to back off!!! I had my eldest dumped the pools of water (murky at the time), to refill, and than have Cooper try (he refused). And I saw one dog that naturally drools (and thick stuff, but not the traditional wrinkled face, so I thought it was sick until the owner stated the mix it was), and my instincts were all over the place. I had to restrain myself metaphorically, remind myself that he is a dog, but it is hard to not think… HE’S MY BABY!!! Which means I watch for those that might be sick, those that might play too rough, and all the stuff a mommy normally does.

First Ear Infection

I bathed Cooper as soon as he got home from the lake, and made him back as close to our little baby as possible (smelled better, clean). The next morning, I was loving on my baby, scratching his back, rubbing his ears (the ways puppies love it), and kissing his head! I noticed his left ear felt like he still had water in it… I lifted his ear, and realized wax type stuff.

I was sure he caught ear mites somehow, but how on earth?!?! I researched what ear mites are, signs to look for, and even how to naturally cure them. I even looked at advice friends on Facebook were giving, such as olive oil, and almond oil with vitamin E.

Before doing anything, I made it a point to call Cooper’s Veterinarian’s office! And I am grateful we did!!! Turns out that ear mites in dogs isn’t that common, and it can be a yeast infection (tends to smell sweet), or bacterial infection (smells sour)…

We’re trying the “ear cleaning solution” first… once a day, I use the stuff from the Vet., and give it a few days to see if it clears up. Next step is more than likely going to be the testing, and medication. I know that he hasn’t been doing the cleaning solution for 24 hours yet, but his right ear is starting to give the appearance of his left ear (treating both ears with the solution).

Cooper is such a drama king that it takes three people to even treat his ears! One person to hold his back legs, one person to hold his front legs, and than me trying to hold his head and put that stuff in his ears…

I’m just grateful that I called for the advice of a professional, and not taking things into my own hands, I might have made his situation much worse than it already is. It is my understanding that because his ears flop down, water and moisture can get caught in there, and a local pet store (groomers’) gave me the advice to use another solution in the future when he is out (he’s a water dog). They need an alcohol based solution to help keep the ears dried out.

First Time To The Lake (Fishing)

Cooper took to water like the ducks he watched swimming by or the fish his human kids were trying to catch!!!



I don’t know who was more excited, Cooper with his new experiences, or the fact we were able to bring them to him as a family. His nose was at work, he was having fun, and he was able to be a “dog”…



Cooper experienced sand, rocks, driftwood, and long walk (we took turns).



Diggin’ Like a Dog

Cute puppy paw prints… ~*Adorable*~ 

By the end of the day, Cooper was exhausted, the boys were able to catch their first fish (with daddy), and it was a day well worth it all.

My only concern would be that Cooper got the Bordetalla thing in his nose today, and he was playing in the water, digging even in the mud near the shore line (nose and all), and I’ll be calling his Vet.’s office to see if we need to redo it. We love our little man, and want to see many more years to come, with what has become a member of our family.

As I type this, he sleep by my feet, deep in dream land, and twitching… I hope we were able to give him some pretty good dreams (and memories)!!!

Cooper’s Class

Last night was Cooper’s second class, and I’m trying to reserve opinions until the end, in hopes of a positive outcome. The trainer stated we’d work on walking, than took the other dog first, I didn’t know they’d be staying towards the back of the store… I was still waiting by the training portion area. I did make it back that direction (after passing time waiting talking to 2 different customers), and the same thing I’ve been working on at home is what they did. The waiting/stopping when he pulls, only I don’t like not giving a command.

When a dog is being trained, they need to be taught a command (so I do not agree with waiting until paying for another set of classes, second half). That is like training to a piddle pad, than re-teaching to go potty outside, more work than it truly needs to be. And I know from talking to those that do it (training dogs, whether passion or hobby or sport)…

Cooper did have a tinkle accident in the store, I figured it would eventually happen! He’s bell trained to the door, and in a huge box store for a puppy class he was probably confused (not even a front door to whine near)… ~*Argh*~

And poor Cooper while doing the tinkle, had his head low, and acting like he was in trouble. He started, I noticed, than he tried walking away from his accident. I could tell the poor guy wasn’t happy, figured I was mad, and I was trying to not laugh (nervous laugh) from sheer embarrassment!

.~*~._ .~*~._ .~*~.

Cooper’s last set of shot today!!! This means he can now do dog parks… ~*Cheers*~

Cooper Wake Your Kid



I have found that my son is not a morning person, and so Cooper has a job in the morning… “wake your kid”... He has had this job for a few weeks now! And he does his job well in getting them up for school.

Cooper gives kisses, breathes in their ears (nibbles too), and even takes off the blanket if they refuse to wake up! 

“Cooper Wake Your Kid”... "Good Boy", "Take his covers"...

 Cooper kisses... "Wake Your Kid"

"That's My Good Boy"!!!! "Wake Your Kids"... "Good Boy"...

Kids Hiding in Cooper’s Crate

The kids were tired of Cooper running around, and stealing their art supplies, so they called me in to see their idea…

They decided to barricade themselves inside of Cooper’s crate!!! Nothing is locked, and the puppy has yet to figure out how to open the door, and they actually enjoyed doing something without fear of him taking their crayons, markers, papers, and so forth. He has gotten a hold of crayons this week, green and brown ones, but I wasn’t going to check the other end for “colors” to see if it had passed. That is one mystery I don’t care to unlock.

First Park (Baseball Diamond)

He's been cooped up since birth, and a week from being able to do "dog parks"... decided to hit the human kids' park, baseball diamond thinking he'd run off excess energy (we were wrong)!!!

He loved playing with his kids.... chasing the ball... 

This was completely natural for him, freedom, and fun

We now keep his puppy bowls in the "Stow & Go"... which came in handy today

I hope he has some really good dreams when he falls asleep tonight!!! And I can see more trips like these, to allow him to "be a dog"... baseball diamond was safe, less dogs for disease, closed in, and can throw the ball much futher for him to run

Cooper is gaining manners

I heard a person; in conversation the other day state their dog had “no manners”…

I had to stop and think (reflect in our own situation), and it is a fact that my Cooper is still trying to learn his manners (long ways to go still)! Cooper nips instead of giving kisses, he pulls when walked on a leash (supposed to clip leash in front of halter to stop this), and he gets overly excited anytime other people or furry creatures are near thinking they want to play with him.

Today, he was told to “sit”, and “stay”… and he for the most part… had manners!!! Only had to repeat the commands once. I am excited, because normally I am fighting him at the end of the leash, as he tries to “bully” his way, by pulling the leash, and whining, and making it very clear what he wants. And he fails to realize that not everyone wants to play with him, and furry creatures such as other dogs or even cats are not his personal play toys! Cooper actually sat, even though I know he didn’t want to, and they went by… I said “ok”, and he knew he could get up. His Vet. Made the comment, “he has too much freedom”, and I know what she means without explanation.

I am excited because I know this is the first steps of a well mannered dog in the future. And much like I had to suffer through potty training, and waking up in the middle of the night, it was worth the results in the end! I’m thinking that if I can get Cooper to be a gentleman now, he’ll be the kind of dog later we want him to be later!

Cooper sat and waited… first time using his manners!!! And here is a “cheers” to many more in the future…

Helpful Ideas/Sites for others:

Dog Obedience Central

http://www.dog-obedience-training-review.com

Puppy Training at Home

http://www.puppy-training-at-home.com

Perfect Paws

http://www.perfectpaws.com/pupstuff.html

Cooper’s First Class

Wednesday, February 15, 2012 was his very first “puppy class”!!! Cooper went to Class…

 We showed up slightly early, and I saw an English Bulldog that I am jealous of (he was just too cute with all his wrinkles). Soon our class started, and Cooper only has one classmate (Lola a baby Beagle). And I have to admit, that I am glad we already did the potty training, and that we already taught him “wait” with his food, and he knows “sit”.



The trainer mentioned about making them “wait” before going out, and for whatever reason it just never occurred to me, he barrels out and pulls/leads. I’m just a little uncertain when it comes to “potty time”, he is not a vocal dog (he whimpers and whines, and pushes for what he wants, much like a child that refuses to talk because they get what they want when they point), and rings the bells, and like a toddler will wait until he has to go now… and will ring those bells until you get a clue (and start whining on top of it if you don't notice the bells the first time)!

(Only creepy thing was when it came time to leave!!! It was late, and two shady characters split like a pack of wolves and I felt unsafe! One started to walk ahead by the building to circle back around, while the other started to walk towards me, and no reason to walk towards me than being up to no good. Seemed like the one was going to approach me while I let Cooper pee first and he had to go, but quickly left when they saw my husband in the car with it started. I know it isn’t the store/trainers fault in any way, just means I’ll need to leave five minutes early from now on. *CREEPY*)

Cooper’s First Valentine’s Day

Cooper’s First Valentine’s Day... Tuesday, February 14th, 2012

Cooper didn’t get any candy, or boxes of chocolates, or even a card or flowers…

But he had no problem with a balloon that was part of the Valentine’s to the kids! He’d walk by and snatch the string hanging low, walking around the house proudly, with his balloon (or at least he figured it was his). It was so hard to remember he is a dog and not one of the kids.

He got up on the couch, and tried so hard to get the balloon down to where he could reach it… hand over mouth. And just when he was so close, the balloon would pop back up out of reach, and he was trying so hard to figure out how to get this new thing down to his level! ~*Cute*~

Puppy Teeth

I received an email, actually a while back but I just now got around to opening it up…

Most Common Dog Dental Questions

http://www.healthypetu.com/medical/dental/pet_dental_care_101_-_frequent.aspx?subcode=BK57HT&utm_source=hp&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=enews_feb_dog&utm_content=header

The email from the Vet, and this link stated he looses teeth from the front towards the back!!! And considering he has a broken tooth, that to prevent damage to the adult root is still in, and he recently was chewing on a "mega Block" and broke the other one (warned kids to keep toys put away, and thought if I let him chew it up, it would teach my human kids, but I'll be darned if he didn't have the other top tooth match)... thank God adult teeth are thicker, but even though he acts normal with his chewing, I feel sick to my stomach even looking at it.

Considering his third set of shots are coming up, and he’s yet to loose any baby teeth, I’m getting a little worried! Hubby looked up online the other night, when puppies loose baby teeth, and it stated between 3-6 months, Vet stated he should start before this last set of baby shots. Hubby found out they loose from the back to the front, which puts me a little at ease… ~*Argh*~

I'm hoping it is the front to back, and that I can get him to stop snatching up small rocks outside to chew on?!?!?!

Cooper is only three months old… but he plays so flipping rough!!! I spent this morning sewing up his bunny (war wounds I guess)...

Hartz Chew and Clean

I only picked this new chew thing up because it was cheap, and figured I wouldn’t be out too much cash if Cooper killed it with his super sharp baby teeth.

It states it is bacon flavored, and smells fine from my perspective, but he only cared for a couple hours it was something new to chew on… without us saying “No” (no wires, no plug in since they are at his level, and no pillows since he can now get up on the kid’s bed).

He had interest in it for a couple hours and hasn’t had interest since… (it can live in his toy box).

~*Caught Cooper*~

Cooper was actually trying to chew the red part of the Tonka Truck, from behind. I watched him as he first placed his front feet into the truck, than soon all four were in. I was able to get just this picture before he jumped out, he knows he isn’t supposed to play with and chew the kids’ toys… ~*Cute*~

GOOD NEWS!!! Cooper officially has an AKC number, is registered, which has me excited! We finally got around to doing the AKC registration (surprisingly cheap). I just don’t understand the home again portion because we did micro chipping already. As much of a challenge he has been, and all his faults, I couldn’t imagine a life that didn’t have him included. Just been a hard road to realizing that he is a “dog” not a person.

Rawhide Bones

Chew-Baca is the dog to come to when testing how durable something is for a “chewing puppy”…

Today I went against the advice of the puppy trainer in Roseville, and against the advice of his veterinarian (who agreed with the previous advice I received), and I gave him a rawhide bone. And I am crossing fingers and praying that nothing bad happens! I’ve used thick rawhide bone with puppies when I was a kid…

The last straw was when Cooper decided to eat the rubber on the bottom of my shoe, my bloody fingers from constantly taking things from/out of his mouth, and how he keeps bringing in sticks from outside to shred (he doesn’t eat them, just chews them up). I think the bigger fear should be sticks, the wood, and so forth… hoping a rawhide isn’t my biggest fear. Today I broke down, and bought two different kinds (plain and beef), this way he has a choice and if he doesn’t like one he could chew the other.

He seems to be in heaven as he chews away… he still has all his baby teeth… and they hurt like the dickens!!! The look he gets on his face, since I am watching him with them, reminds me of my own kids (human) when I’d give them a frozen waffle or those frozen ice stick things to ease teething… Cooper looks like he is heaven as he tries to even chew with the teeth on the sides.

I teased my husband that we should buy stock, because it is cheaper to spend $4 at a time on these things (Target is awesome for cheaper prices for the same products/brand in pet section), than $50 for a pair of shoes, the broken heart of a kid who’s art has been ripped to shreds, or the “material” things we own. The really huge bone was $15, and it was tempting… believe me, because he can’t just carry it off, and would be forced to stay in one area? I am keeping an eye on him… I’ve been warned about things previously and learned the hard way.

Kong Stick

Last week sometime we snagged a Kong Stick while getting the new halter…

We figured that since Cooper has a thing for fetching/retrieving, it was better than trying to make his “drop it” (his bunny), but when we got home… I saw on the back it stated it wasn’t a chew toy?  We have the Kong ball thing that is supposed to help with teething, so we figured the Kong stick would be safe? This is a lesson in learning to read the packaging before buying? We read food/treats, and most toys from brands we’ve not heard of… we “assumed” Kong was safe and the better choice.

It hasn’t stopped Cooper from playing with this toy! He loves its squeak, he loves to chase after it, and bring it back… still refusing to “drop it” (as with all his toys)!

And considering we have a puppy that loves to chew… and chew… and chew… this toy has been holding up well (considering it’s packaging states they aren’t supposed to use as a chew toy)!