Merry Christmas

Kozmo had a great Christmas. He got lots of new toys and got to spend time with family and friends.

You can see from the photo above that a LOT has changed for Kozmo over the past year. He finally wore me down and got me to be flexible on my no dogs on furniture rule. They have couches at his daycare and he learned to get on the couch. At first I was ok with this in the family room because the couch is really old. Somehow in the holiday spirit I decided it's ok if Koz gets on this chair in the living room. The cat already clawed it. So here is Kozmo enjoying one of his new toys in the living room, on his chair.

 

Over the past year with Kozmo we have made tremendous progress with my cat Sparky accepting a puppy into his home. Sparky is tolerating Kozmo more and more. Here he is inspecting the presents. My goal for 2013 is to get some really great photos of Sparky and Kozmo together.

This is not at all a good photo, but it represents a lot of hard work, progress and overall Christmas spirit. The dark blob under the tree is actually Sparky who would not turn around to look at the camera. I guess he thought he was making a statement keeping his back to me. Kozmo was so thrilled with his new nylabone that he didn't even try to chase the cat. We had a very Merry Christmas!!

Finally Someone Loves Snow as Much as I Do

If you know me or you read this blog you should know by now that I am head over heels in love with Kozmo. He's my dog so in my world he is the greatest dog ever and everything he does is awesome. That being said, one thing I really, really love about Kozmo is that he loves the snow. I love snow. LOVE SNOW!! It's the coolest thing ever to have a dog who loves the snow too. I hope we get feet and feet and feet of snow this winter.

A Whole Year

It's been an entire year since Kozmo came into my life. He was an early Christmas present on December 17, 2011 and my entire life has changed. He has grown and learned so much from that crazy little puppy at the shelter. I can not imagine life without Koz. What a difference a year makes. I think he is done growing. When I got Koz he was about 30 pounds and the shelter said he wouldn't get much bigger. He has been 65 pounds for the past six months. He is such a sweet dog and makes me smile every day.

December 17, 2011

December 17, 2012 - enjoying his adoption day Kong

Kozmo Kringle got to meet Kris Kringle

The shelter where I got Kozmo from advertised photos with Santa at the local mall. Since Kozmo Kringle was a Christmas puppy it seemed perfect that I take Kozmo to meet Santa. Almost instantly a brainstorm emerged and this not yet taken photo was to become my Christmas cards.

I was a little concerned taking Kozmo to the mall with all sorts of new sights and sounds. He walked in like he owned the place and was very well behaved. He sat with Santa and I was able to introduce Kozmo Kringle to the original Kris Kringle.

It's starting to feel like Christmas.

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a time to be grateful for all of the blessings in our lives. I am so thankful Kozmo came into my life. He makes me smile every day. Because of Kozmo I get outside everyday, whether I want to or not. Once I'm outside I am so thankful for the walk, the fresh air, the time to relax, smelling the fresh air, and noticing all of the gifts in nature. Kozmo and I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your friends and family.

Houseguest

Kozmo had a special treat last night. My best friend and her sweet dog, Paki, came to visit. We've been friends since the beginning of time, so it only makes sense our dogs would want to be best friends. Paki is a sweet, sort of shy gentleman who is approximately 11 years old. Kozmo, is much larger, much younger, and has a LOT more energy. Clearly I have a lot more to learn about dogs...

I guess if I think back on it, Pakidog's human and I weren't best friends instantly. It's been a great friendship that has grown over many years. Kozmo and Pakidog met briefly this summer. They weren't together long enough to be friends. I was determined both dogs would love each other, be calm and would cooperate for a sweet photo session.

What really happened was that Pakidog and his human arrived at our house and instantly both dogs were barking. Clearly they both had a lot to say. Kozmo just wanted to play and poor Paki just wanted to be left alone. I distracted Kozmo with his laser light. We took the dogs for a walk together. Finally after several hours there was a moment where both dogs were still and close to each other.

The thing Paki and Kozmo have in common is a love for the really great hot dog treats I make. Here they are both staring intently at the treat dish. After this photo was taken it was time for bed.

When I got up this morning and took two dogs outside I realized it was really fun to have two dogs in the house.

Voting is part of being a good citizen

Kozmo helped his humans vote earlier this morning. Koz wants to remind everyone to go out and vote.

This was Kozmo's first election. I wasn't expecting such a long line but Kozmo did great waiting patiently in line. He got a few smiles and some people wanted to pet him. The only time he wasn't perfect is as we entered the main room where we meet there was a beagle. Kozmo wanted to play with the beagle and let out a bark. He loved all of the attention he got from the women who were working at the polls. I was proud that Kozmo went to a new place and encountered tons of new people and behaved like a good citizen.

For those of you in the US, Go vote!!

Dip & Dive

The things I end up doing for my doggy. Last week in class someone asked me if Kozmo was going to the Dip & Dive. I had never heard of a Dip & Dive. A community pool closed for the season and opened the pool to dogs on the very last day before the pool was drained. A non-profit group who is trying to raise money to build a dog park hosted the Dip & Dive as a fundraiser. Community pools are built to keep children safe and therefore, make perfect places for dogs when there are no small children around. The pool and the entire fenced in area around the pool was open to all dogs. Even though this event was almost 45 min from home and the weather was predicting 80% chance of rain, we left a perfectly good lake where Kozmo could swim for free and headed to the Dip & Dive.

As soon as we pulled in the parking lot it looked fun. Kozmo could see dogs running free inside the fence. Before we registered we encountered a cute brown and white dog walking a very enthusiastic preteen. This cute dog is obviously very loved by the little girl, the dog had a bright pink harness and her claws were painted a matching shade of pink. The enthusiasm of pink even spread to the dogs head where it seems a big blob of pink nail polish had spilled, giving her a cute pink tattoo.

A very happy dog checking out the Dip & Dive

I made a donation, signed some waivers, showed proof of Kozmo's vaccinations and license, and headed into the pool area. As soon as we walked in there were dogs running around having a blast. A volunteer came up and told me just to let Kozmo off of his leash. I was quite nervous just letting him run around all of the people and dogs. The volunteer assured me that its best for the dogs to work things out off leash and Kozmo would do better if he didn't feel threatened by the constraints of a leash. I took a deep breath and unhooked his leash. He was off like a flash. It was literally like a white blur around the property and all other dogs and humans seemed to be in slow motion compared to Koz.

Kozmo was so happy. He ran into the pool, then he ran to the grass, back across the pool, ran around the grass on the other side, ran through the kiddy pool, he was non stop. I could really see that doggy day care was paying off. I started to relax a bit and enjoy watching my boy happily run around and try to engage other dogs in play. Some of the other dogs had humans who thought to bring them toys. Kozmo didn't understand that every tennis ball he saw wasn't his so he spent most of the time running around with a tennis ball in his mouth that didn't belong to him.

Kozmo with a tennis ball intended for another dog

I felt bad laughing because my dog lacks some basic manners, but it was funny to watch other dog owners throw balls and toys for their dogs and no matter if it was in the water or on land Kozmo was faster and thought every toy was for him. Kozmo beat every other dog to any toy or ball being thrown. He sure is fast and am starting to see why trainers are telling me to stick with agility, he was certainly the fastest dog at the dip & dive. At one point Kozmo was in the kiddy pool chasing a toy that didn't belong to him and he couldn't quite get hold of it with his mouth so he stood on it with both feet and stuck his head under water to get the toy! Other humans were amazed.

It was a really fun experience for Kozmo. All of the dogs seemed to get along really well. Remember the cute young doggy with pink nail polish? Her preteen human ran around the entire time calling her dog in that shrill, skull piercing voice common with preteen girls. She wanted her dog with her and not doing doggy things. Everyone at the Dip & Dive knew that doggy's name because we herd it over and over and over. She kept trying to get her dog to play with a Frisbee, then a ball and couldn't understand the dog wanted to play with other dogs more than staying with her.

Miss Pink & Koz

Despite the giant pool and kiddie pool, Kozmo spent most of his time running around in the grass. He covered every inch of the fenced in property. It started to rain and gradually was raining harder. Most of the humans gathered under these large umbrellas meant to provide shade on a sunny day. The dogs didn't care about rain, they were already wet.

Dip & Dive

I had a pocket full of dog treats and made a few new friends. One sweet chocolate lab wouldn't leave my side. It was fun to be around all of the different dogs. In hindsight, when I noticed Kozmo slowing down and getting tired we should have left. He took a tennis ball that he claimed and laid down in the grass. The tricky little monster got up and ran every time I approached him. My pocket full of yummy treats made no difference to Kozmo, he was like a spoiled little kid who was having fun and didn't want to come to me and have to go home.

Kozmo shredding the tennis ball he claimed

Kozmo was getting over excited and playing with lots of dogs. He started some embarrassing humping behavior. An older gentleman made a comment about Holstein cows. I thought it was because Kozmo is black and white. Obviously I didn't grow up on a farm and this joke went over my head which made the old guy chuckle. I still don't get it. Anyone can feel free to explain this to me.

Happy Dogs

It was raining harder and some dogs were leaving. The cute dog with the pink nails was still there and Kozmo must have really liked her pink nails because he suddenly set his sights on trying to mount her. The problem was when Kozmo took this bad behavior from land to the water so when Kozmo tried to put his paws on her back the other dogs head was going under water. The preteen who came with the other dog over reacted a bit, screamed at the top of her lungs and jumped in the pool, fully clothed. I hadn't planned on swimming, but I couldn't stand on the edge of the pool and watch this kid rescue her dog from my humping dog.  I quickly checked to make sure my phone wasn't in my pocket and started wading in the beach/handicap access to the pool. I was able to grab Kozmo before more than the bottom of my shorts got wet.

As soon as I grabbed Kozmo his collar came unhooked. I quickly drug him into the changing room. I felt like those moms at church or restaurants who take their kids to the restroom when they are acting up. I had to lock Kozmo in a stall with me until i could get a hold of him and properly secure his collar and leash. Wet dogs are slippery!!

I went back outside to apologize. The other dog was fine. The responsible adult for the dog and the hyper preteen was really sweet and assured me everything was fine. I felt terrible. I was very embarrassed. It was now pouring so I packed up my wet doggy and headed home. Overall it was fun and a great opportunity for Koz. We are really excited to have a doggy park open and hope the pool incident won't prevent Kozmo from getting a membership to the dog park when it opens. I learned an important lesson and when Kozmo attends dog play functions in the future I will keep a close eye on him and when he starts getting tired or distracted we will leave before he has the chance to get into trouble.

My new favorite photo - Kozmo wanted this dogs bone

Link to a video of Kozmo at the Dip & Dive

Next week we start a new series of obedience classes. At my trainer's recommendation we are taking a break from agility to really focus on obedience. Once Koz masters recall he is going to be amazing, even more amazing than he already is!!

Life of the party

It's official, Kozmo has turned a corner. He is on his way to becoming a well mannered and socialized dog who makes me proud in public. I don't want to be overly confident. He's young and still has a lot to learn. I know I can't trust him alone or off leash, but he is a different dog than the wild puppy I met 8 short months ago.

We were invited to a picnic/party over Labor Day weekend. I asked ahead of time and had permission to bring Kozmo. We knew there was going to be a fenced in yard. I wasn't sure what to expect of the party or Kozmo. I kept telling myself as long as he didn't knock over the food table or poop in a non designated poop area I thought we would be fine.

Just to make sure, Kozmo would have everything he needed in case the party wasn't dog friendly or he got too stressed I took  his crate. I also had lots of treats and a trusty rawhide bone. I knew there would be kids at this party because the invitations mentioned a batting cage and water slide. I had no idea just how many kids would be there. I forgot the little detail about the host being a junior high football coach so the entire team was there in addition to kids ranging in age from toddler to teen.

I kept Kozmo on his leash and decided the best place for us was a spot in the yard in between the food and playing kids. These kids had more energy than Kozmo and kept running by. Kozmo acted like he wanted to run and play with the kids. I know he wanted to help catch the football. I wasn't ready to trust him off leash. Some of these kids were small and I didn't want to set Kozmo up for failure and knock a kid down. I kept giving him treats and praise and he did a good job of laying down to focus on his bone and didn't try to chase the kids.

From where we were sitting Kozmo had a great view of the water slide. He was fascinated watching the kids. Several kids came up and asked if they could pet my dog. Kozmo loved the attention and behaved perfectly. Then this little girl came back to pet Kozmo for the third time. She finally worked up the nerve to ask me if she could walk my dog. The overprotective part of me didn't want to trust her or Kozmo. But, I remember being that little girl at parties and really wanting to walk a dog. Heck, I was that little girl up until last summer always asking if I could walk someone's dog.

  









 I told Kozmo to be a good boy and handed the leash to this little girl. Her smile was a bright as her hot pink bathing suit. Here are two photos of Kozmo playing with his new friends.

We spent about four hours at this party and Kozmo was a good boy the entire time. He let every new person approach him and pet him. He even laid down and showed his belly to some people, who of course, rubbed his belly.

I was amazed at how many people commented on Kozmo's good behavior. At least  6 people said to us, "my dog would never behave like that". People asked me how I got my dog to be so good. My standard answer is "a lot of hard work". I'm certainly no dog expert but one of the things I've learned is that good dogs just don't come our of a box. If you want a dog who can go to parties then you have to work really hard to socialize and train your dog.

I was so proud of Kozmo and I loved telling people he was a shelter dog. Any dog can be a good dog if you are willing to make the commitment. I got in the car to go home with a big smile. My goal for next Labor Day is to have Kozmo be off leash at the party.

When Kozmo wasn't getting lots of attention or playing with little girls he just lay at my feet happily chewing his bone. I am so proud of Kozzy!

Check out my back cross

Kozmo had a great week. He was amazing during Rally class. He did every thing I asked and even learned a few new things. Even more impressive than his behavior in the ring was how Kozmo behaved out of the ring waiting for his turn. During most of our classes each dog has an area separated by fences. There is a clear boundary between each dog. Rally class is in a smaller room with a few more dogs so we sit fairly close together with nothing physically separating each pair. I gave Kozmo his bone and he laid down in front of me, happily chewing and ignoring the other dogs. I was so proud, this is such an improvement from the wild puppy who couldn't sit still in class.

Since we are trying to socialize Kozmo so that he can play with other dogs we've decided to take Koz to doggy day care once a week. Since he is so tired after day care we are using this tired good dog thing to our advantage and he goes to day care on the same day he has agility class. This week our morning routine went better and when I dropped Kozmo off he remembered the place and walked right in with his head held high and a little wiggle in his step.When I cam back to pick up Kozmo the  report was that he improved 75% from his first day. He played more appropriately with the other dogs and listened to the nice lady in charge.

Our agility class this week seemed to be the perfect combination of hard work, Kozmo turning a corner, and being good and tired after a day at doggy day care. Kozmo was amazing, he listened to me, he did every obstacle, and he even did a few runs through each course off leash!! It was a great night and the other human was able to capture the video below.

Check out my back cross....I send Kozmo over the 4th jump and cross behind him to end up with the dog on my left before sending him over the 5th and final jump. I'm pretty proud of Kozmo and me. He has made so much progress in the 8 short months since he came into, and changed, our lives.

(For those of you receiving the email version of the blog, you will need to go to the blog website to view the video.)

Doggy Day Care

For months people have been telling me how magical doggy day care is, especially for dogs with endless energy like my sweet Kozmo. It sounded good in theory, but really what kind of idiot puts their dog in day care? It sounds sort of absurd and like some pretentious yuppy thing that's not really my style. Kozmo does NOT get tired. I get tired trying to keep him out of trouble. I looked at day care online. It's not cheap. The average price is about $20 a day. He is a dog!! I have bills. Then Kozmo gets into trouble, I look at day care again. It's a logistical nightmare. I live in a small town. I am a tree hugger. I have a long commute. I try to car pool to reduce my carbon foot print. These expensive doggy day care options would require a lot of extra driving. Other people told me the wonders of having their dogs in day care. I resisted.....

Kozmo was lucky enough to have the best dog sitter in the world. However, his sitter is even busier than Kozmo's humans and not able to take him. Kozmo's humans have some trips and commitments that require us to find proper care for Kozmo. I will not consider a traditional kennel. Kozmo came from a shelter and it says right on his records he was suffering from kennel stress. He was lucky to find an amazing foster home until he came into our lives. Maybe Kozmo doesn't remember his time at the shelter. Maybe I put too many human emotions on decisions I make for my dog. Either way, I ruled out any type of kennel situation where he would be in a concrete area with chain link fence and unable to interact with other dogs or humans for play and love.

I had some friends recommend a dog type resort. Again, why is everything so darn expensive? And, again, I live in a small town where nothing seems to be close or convenient. I finally found a place that offers "cage-less kennels".  Basically Kozmo would get to stay inside and have his own bedroom. Each doggy room has a couch for snuggling and sleeping. I don't allow Kozmo on furniture so this isn't a selling point, but this nice kennel is also a doggy day care. As part of the kennel charge your dog can also be in day care all day on the days he stays there.  This seems like a great option for Kozmo so he can have lots of attention and interaction and get tired.

As with all good things in life there was a catch. Kozmo couldn't participate in day care until I filled out a 5 page application and took him for a temperament evaluation. Honestly I understand why the dog facility has to do this and it makes me feel better to take him to such a professional and conscientious place. At the same time it seems somewhat absurd to me that I'm going through all of this for a dog. I hear my friends with human children discussing day care and interviews and preschool and such and am always grateful that my four legged children don't need all that crap....until now.

I really never thought I would ever say, "hey I just completed my dogs day care application" but I did and I spent a lot of time on it because I wanted to present Kozmo in the best light and have my "kid" accepted. Kozmo has changed my life in ways I never thought possible. I had no idea how many things are involved in adding a dog to your family. I am head over heels in love with this dog so I try to do what is best for him and laugh at the absurdity as I go along.

Yesterday was the big day, my little man was going to day care. I got up early. I was nervous. Koz knew I was nervous and would not do his business. We walked and walked and walked. Now it didn't matter that I got up early, we were running late. He finally did his thing and we could pack up for our day. I decided to take Koz to day care on a day where he had agility class. I was hoping he would be tired from day care and excel in class. I had to pack Kozmo's school bag, my work bag, my sneakers for agility class, plus Kozmo's bowl and food (he was having breakfast at daycare since we were already running late)...so I am juggling all this stuff in my hands plus a much needed cup of coffee and Kozmo's leash.

We head out the back door and Kozmo is excited. He sees his food dish in my hands. He starts jumping. I really don't want to make two trips to the car. I'm juggling everything and just couldn't keep my coffee cup upright. Of course my dog with his white head happens to be directly under the spilling coffee. Koz is still jumping and we are getting closer to the car. Finally all our bags are in the car and we are off to day care. My dog has coffee stains on his head, I have muddy paw prints on my shirt, and I am going to be late for work. I really don't know how people do this every day for human kids.

We arrive at day care and Kozmo can hear the other dogs barking and its a new place and he does not want me to leave. Just like at the groomers he will not go on his leash with the nice woman who runs the day care. I tell her I'm going to have to walk him into the room and then leave. He walks into the room with me, I hand the leash to the woman in charge, and tell my buddy to have a good day. I walk out the door as quickly as possible with tears stinging my eyes and Kozmo barking and howling like he is going to die. I'm exhausted and still have a 40 mile drive to work.

I resisted all of my urges to call and check on my dog. I kept telling myself no news was good news. I was hoping that Koz was having fun. It looked like a fun place, I saw a slide and tunnels.

On my way to pick up Kozmo from day care I picked up the other human at work. I wanted him to hear first hand the results of Kozmo's temperament evaluation. We walked in and I asked how out little buddy behaved and she said "goood" but you could hear the "buttttt...." in her voice. The good news is that Kozmo is allowed to go back. However, he needs a lot of work. Kozmo lacks doggy socialization skills and doesn't really understand what is appropriate play. He seemed to think the proper way to greet all of the new dogs was to try to fit their entire neck in his mouth. The day care woman stressed that he has NO aggression and is simply full of puppy energy. He had to be separated from some of the other dogs because he made them nervous with his crazy energy and lack of manners.

The other problem is that Kozmo gets so focused on play or running around that he wouldn't listen to the day care teacher. If she would try to grab his collar to correct him or shift his focus he would do one of his famous duck and run moves where he escaped her reach and ran around in what he thinks is a really fun game of chase. What do you say? I know he's not perfect. He goes to school two nights a week. We are working on these issues. If I knew how to correct this over night I would have done it a long time ago.

The important thing is that Kozmo is allowed to go back and we have a safe place to keep him when we need to travel. So we are going to try to put him in day care one day a week to help socialize him to play better with other dogs.

When we got in the car to go to agility I told the other human what I heard from the dog day care assessment is that I either need another dog or more day care. The other human couldn't say "DAY CARE" fast enough. When we got to agility class Kozmo's trainer and his human classmates couldn't wait to hear about his first day of day care. I told them and said I either need another dog for Kozmo to play with or more day care. The three women in class quickly, emphatically, and in unison said, "DAY CARE!!!!!".

Long overdue update

I am so sorry to all of Kozmo's friends and fans. Kozmo and his humans have been quite busy and we haven't been able to find the time for blog updates. We last left off with Kozmo getting ready to try Rally Obedience. Kozmo has had two classes and is doing great. If you aren't familiar with Rally go search for some videos from dog shows. In the ring are numbered stations, each human has to approach the sign and do whatever it says. All sorts of things like down, or make your dog down and stay while you walk around the dog, or take one step - dog sits, take two steps - dog sits, and three steps - sit. For beginning Rally all dogs are on leashes so the class is pretty calm. Just a few other dogs and their humans taking turns going through this course. No running or jumps or obstacles. Part of the reason our trainer wanted Kozmo to take this class was to work on his obedience and to learn how to be more calm. He gets so excited in Agility.

Kozmo has had a really busy week, and in typical Koz fashion is taking it all in stride. One of the thing we realized this week is that we think Kozmo finally realizes we are his forever home and his forever humans.

For those of you who aren't familiar with Kozmo's dog school there are two locations. Until we started Rally, Kozmo always had class at the training facility. It's a great place that is only an indoor training facility. The other location has classes, doggy day care and grooming. The only time Kozmo had been to the other location was to have his nails done. Kozmo doesn't enjoy a pedicure quite the way his human does. He really hates having his feet touched and he thinks that he could possibly die from having his nails trimmed.

Our rally classes are held in the same location as the groomer. When we walked in for our first class he saw a human and a dog he knew and was still quite upset. I told him to calm down, he knows to act better for class. Then it hit me, Kozmo thought we were there to get his nails done. If felt bad for not being more sensitive. Once we moved into the training room and class started Kozmo was fine.

This week Kozmo needed his nails done. We walk into the building and Kozmo has that wiggle in his step and even appeared a little cocky for class. Until I tried to hand his leash to the groomer. My big 70 pound baby started shaking like a leaf and would NOT go into the grooming room. I had to walk him into the room. The entire time he was having his nails trimmed he howled and cried like he was being murdered. I was so embarrassed. It was the end of the work day and many people were in the lobby waiting to pick up their dogs. They were all snickering. I know they were thinking "at least MY dog doesn't act like this".  When the groomer brought Kozmo out he almost tackled me. Some guy in the lobby made a comment that he couldn't believe the dog crying and making all that noise was this big dog.

We had a little time between getting his nails done and the start of class so Kozmo go to go to a doggy friendly store to buy dog food. Sadly, my little puppy is growing up and we bought our first bag of adult dog food. Kozmo was on his best behavior in the store and didn't bark once. The other human and I were so proud and remembered the first time we took him into a store and didn't think Kozmo could ever go in public with us without barking and acting like a nut.

Poor Koz, we go back to the groomer for class this time and he didn't see the humor in us asking if he wanted his nails done. Koz had a great class. For the first time I saw proof that he has bonded to me. During class our trainer tried to take Kozmo's leash to demonstrate something. Almost every week for months he has listened to the trainer and done whatever she asked. For some reason Kozmo wouldn't listen and walked over to me. At first I was embarrassed that he wouldn't listen to our trainer, but she said it was a good thing. Kozmo finally sees me as HIS human. It's a pretty cool feeling. Unconditional doggy love makes you smile.

Stay tuned for our next post about doggy day care!!

Intermediate Agility

We certainly have our work cut out for us. We had a week off and started a new session of agility classes. Kozmo's trainer decided he was ready to move from beginning agility to intermediate agility. She is the expert and the time suits my schedule so Kozzy started intermediate agility.

One of the many things I love about our dog school are the small classes. We arrived to meet two other dogs in our class. A sweet Lab and an adorable Sheltie. Kozmo doesn't know enough to be intimidated, but his humans were humbled. Both of these dogs are much calmer, much better trained, and much closer to competing.

During class we learned that both of the other dogs are 3 years old. Also, both of these other dogs are owned by humans who have not only had other dogs before but have trained and competed in agility with other dogs. These other two dogs, especially the Sheltie are amazing and really fun to watch.

Unlike our last class where lots of obstacles were set up our first intermediate agility class only had 3 jumps and the weave poles set up. Now we are working on properly approaching the obstacles and perfecting our technique. I think it should go without saying that Kozmo was no where near the top of his class.

Those darn weave poles are the most frustrating obstacle ever. Our trainer suggested I use a wooden spoon with cheese wiz to help lead Kozmo through the weave poles. This is much better than holding a treat in my hand and having Kozmo nipping at my hand. I arrived with a wooden spoon from my kitchen. I forgot the cheese, but our trainer always has everything I forget. We worked on the weave poles several times. Kozmo is improving but it looks a lot easier on tv. When you see dogs run through the weave poles on tv and think to yourself that looks cool, I'm telling you that you need to really appreciate the countless hours both the dog and trainer put in to make it look so fun and easy.

After his last time through the weave poles I was holding the wooden spoon for Kozmo to lick off all the remaining cheese. He proceeded to bite the spoon so hard he broke it in half and took off running around the room with part of a wooden spoon in his mouth. I was more embarrassed than usual. The other dogs in class know how to come when their human calls them. Our trainer sent me out of the room, captured and corrected Kozmo. He is the class clown.

We did better with the jumps. Kozmo knows how to jump. Sitting straight before we start jumping and coming to me after the jump are where we need to improve. Now that we are intermediate students we had two jumps lined up and one at a 45 degree angle. We are starting to learn how to guide our dog through an actual course. Making the dog turn at an angle is a "bump out". The human has to touch their foot in the dog's path, quickly signal "out" and then send them over the jump. Surprisingly both Kozmo and I got the hang of this pretty quickly.

Our trainer could sense my frustration. Kozmo and I both need a lot of work, mainly with obedience and impulse control. At the end of class she talked to us and reminded us that Kozmo is much younger than the other dogs in class and is full of potential. She said we need to work on obedience. At our trainer's suggestion we are starting a Rally Obedience class with her one night a week.

I don't know much about Rally other than our trainer says it will help Koz. I want Kozmo to be a great all around dog and since he has the athletic ability to do agility and we clearly need an outlet for all of his energy we are committed to agility. I'll let you all know how the first night of Rally goes tonight. I'm a little nervous and I'm sure Kozmo has no idea he should be nervous too.

Doggy DNA

What makes Kozmo the Koz? Since the day I met Kozmo I've been trying to figure out what special mix of breeds make him so cute, so much fun, and have so much energy. The shelter told me he was a Lab - Dalmatian mix. Everyone who meets Koz has their own opinion, I've heard all sorts of guesses.

With a very generous birthday gift from my best friend I did a doggy DNA test and waited on the edge of my seat to find out what special mix made Koz such a one of a kind dog.

The results are in and I don't think any of us could have guessed our could ever recreate this special mix!!!

This DNA test was truly the best birthday gift. His results arrived in my email and I spent the evening looking at photos and reading about all of the breeds identified.

Below is the DNA Certificate:


The folks at Canine Heritage test for DNA markers in 120 different breeds. Because Kozmo has no primary breeds identified we know for sure that neither of his parents was a pure breed dog. Kozmo seems to come from a long line of mixed breeds and there isn't enough of any one breed to be identified as a secondary breed.

Kozmo has four breed identified as "in the mix" and the only one of those four anyone guessed before the test is Staffordshire Bull Terrier. If you look at his head you can see the square shape. None of us could have ever guessed Great Pyrenees or Shih Tzu. Now that I look at photos of a Great Pyrenees and think of my friend's GP, I see it in Kozmo's eyes and mouth. Kozmo smiles. We read that Dalmation smile but Great Pyrenees can also smile. I don't see anything that even resembles a Shih Tzu, all I can say is those little dogs get around.

Now that I look at Kozmo's spots and see some of his instincts when he sees small animals like squirrels and bunnies on our walks the Bluetick Coonhound makes sense.

Kozmo is such a mix that traces of two other breeds showed up. Boston Terrier and Vizsla. Until I got Koz I never heard of a Vizsla. My pet sitter regularly keeps two Vizsla's. They are intense high energy dogs. I vividly remember asking my pet sitter why on earth anyone would go out and choose a dog with that much energy. I guess the joke is on me, because my little darling has some energy!!

If you are like me and now take the time to google each one of these breeds you will find that in addition to similar physical characteristics Kozmo also has some personality traits from each breed. It seems like my instincts were right on one thing, most of Kozzy's breeds make great agility dogs.

Since I am such a visual person with OCD tendencies I had to make a visual aid of the breeds. Look at all the breeds that make my little boy so special and let me know what you see in him. For now, I'm calling him a Great Blue Bull Shih. Suggestions welcome!!

Great night at agility class

Kozmo had a great night at his agility class. I am still beaming with pride. It was our last class of the session and we had a very special guest. One of my oldest and dearest friends happened to be in town. Being a dog person she didn't think it was odd that I invited her to go to class with me.

Our trainer was very impressed with Kozmo. It was a great way to end this session of classes. Kozmo worked on some new skills. He did the chute, which is similar to the tunnel. The dogs start through a barrel but there is fabric on the end that they have to push through to get to the other side. Kozmo went right through when his trainer held the fabric up and he could see through the chute. He tried to back out once she left go of the fabric. I stood behind the entrance so he couldn't back out and he quickly realized there was nothing scary about going into a dark chute and finding his way out.

The next new obstacle was a broad jump. Boards are placed on the ground and he had to jump them without touching. He's good at the high jumps and got the broad jump on the first try.

The dog walk was set up. Koz and I struggled at first. You have to approach the dog walk perfectly straight because it is so narrow. I was moving my arm and leading Kozmo at an angle and he wanted to jump off the ramp. It took a few tries, but we figured it out. Below is a video clip our special guest managed to capture with her iphone. Kozmo did the dog walk perfectly and the best part of this video is that you can hear our trainer's praise and enthusiasm.

Kozzy really impressed his trainer last night. Not once did he decide to run around the room and be the class clown. He did everything we asked him to do. Now that we are practicing the weave poles with a wooden spoon and spray cheese rather than holding a treat in my hand and having Kozmo's sharp teeth nipping we are both doing much better. Kozmo is starting to get the hang of weaving his body through the poles. It won't be long until he can start to pick up speed.

Kozmo learned another new skill last night, the bump out. We did two jumps in a row that were on angle. The second jump was placed at a 45 degree angle from the first jump. I had to set Kozmo up to do the first jump on an angle then quickly place my foot so he knew to shift direction, say "out" and then send him over the second jump.

Because my friend was sitting beside me I whispered to her that this looked really hard. Our trainer said since I was talking I could go first. Just like Kozmo, I get in trouble in class. We entered the ring and I was nervous. To my surprise, and everyone else in the room, Kozmo did this perfectly the first time. He did it again three times just to make sure it wasn't a fluke.

Kozmo finished this session of agility classes by doing a course from start to finish. He did tunnel, dog walk, weave poles, jump, and teeter consecutively. It was so much fun. We can't wait for the next session of agility classes to begin. We are also going to try a rally class at the suggestion of our trainer. I don't know what to expect but our trainer is really excited to get Kozmo into rally. I'm sure it will be fun.

Calendar Contest Winner

Kozmo doing what he loves best, fetching a stick and swimming

As you can see from the photo above, Kozmo is happiest when he can run and play, especially when water is involved. I've always wanted a water dog and am trilled Kozmo loves the water as much as his humans.

As most of you know Kozmo entered a contest to possibly have his photo featured in a calendar made by the shelter where we adopted Kozmo. The calendar entries were not judged on cuteness or votes, only on how much money each pet raised for the shelter. I bothered all of my friends and family and made a donation. I kept telling myself that it didn't matter if Kozmo had his own month in the calendar, what was most important was helping raise awareness about our local shelter and raise money to help other animals like Kozmo.

For those of you who know me, you have to know this was very difficult for me. I am a little competitive and as much as I wanted to help the shelter, selfishly I wanted my dog to have his photo featured in the calendar. One of my goals is to make him an ambassador for all shelter dogs.

Last night we got some great news, Kozmo will have his photo featured in one month of the 2013 pet calendar!! He was one of the top 12 fundraisers and earned his own month. We are very happy and proud.

The photos in the post are from a photo shoot with Kozmo trying to get the best possible calendar photo. This is very hard for me. As Kozmo's human I love every photo with him and think he is the cutest dog ever. However, as a photographer I can find a million things wrong with every photo.

The photos in this post are some of my favorites as Kozmo's human, but ones that didn't make the cut for our quest for the best possible photo of Koz to submit for the calendar. These photos were taken on a hot Sunday afternoon at Trough Creek State Park. Kozmo had no idea it was a photo shoot. He was just happy to be in the water and playing with his humans.

Stay tuned, now that we asked  you all to donate for the calendar contest we will soon be asking you to buy copies of the calendar!!

 

too busy

Last night the other human wanted me to go to the grocery store with him. I can't, I'm too busy, I replied. I am busy. I have no less than 7 billion things that all need done, yesterday. So while the other human was at the store guess what I found myself doing? I stood in my kitchen with a half dozen Kong toys in various sizes lovingly stuffing them with precise alternating layers of plain yogurt and dog food. I stuff Kong toys with yogurt and dog food and freeze them. These frozen treats not only make Kozmo happy, but they keep him busy.

It's funny how much my life has changed since Kozmo came into my life. I am very busy, but somehow I find time to make sure Kozmo gets to go to the park every day and always has a fresh supply of frozen Kong treats.

Stay tuned, Kozmo will have some exciting announcements soon. We are waiting on the edge of our seats for his DNA results to come back and tell use what combination of dog breeds make Kozmo so darn cute. We also find out this week if Kozmo raised enough money to have his photo featured in the Humane Society 2013 calendar. This week is also Kozmo's last agility class for this session. We have a week off and then Kozmo is going to take both a Rally class and Agility. Rally will help him with obedience and make him a better agility dog.

Friends: Old and New

One of my goals for Kozmo is to expose him to as many different people and situations as possible so that he can be able and welcome to go everywhere I go. Well, almost everywhere, I still can't change the huge institutional policy in place to keep him from coming to work with me or being allowed in restaurants. I had to take my car to the garage for tires and an alignment. The garage is very close to Kozmo's groomers. I decided to take him with me and walk over to the groomer's for a quick nail trim while we waited.

I should have known that nothing is ever simple. Turns out my alignment was more involved so Kozmo and I had about 2 hours to kill waiting at the garage. He was such a good boy. He never once barked. He sat politely each time he met a new person. Most of the customers wanted to pet him. By the time we left he was the unofficial garage mascot.

We walked over to the groomer's and Kozmo tried hard to be a good boy. He is still not happy having his nails trimmed and he struggled a bit more than at his last appointment. The groomers still gave him a treat and told me he is a very sweet boy. Back at the garage, Kozmo was even offered a bottle of cold water from the fridge from one of the mechanics. Kozmo seemed to like the tile floor in the waiting room and happily chewed his bone until our car was done.

I wasn't sure about our last stop of the day, but am really glad he went. I took Kozmo back to the shelter where I adopted him from. I entered Kozmo in a contest to possibly have his photo in a calendar printed to raise money for the shelter. I thought it would be fun for him to go with me and drop off his application and donations. It wasn't until I pulled in the parking lot that I started to second guess my decision. I was worried I could traumatize Kozmo by taking him back to the shelter. He didn't seem to recognize the place and happily walked in with me. The overworked and underpaid woman at the desk took one look at Kozmo and said, "please don't tell me this is another stray". I felt bad stressing the poor woman out. I quickly told her why we were there and you could visibly see the relief. I asked if she remembered Kozmo, I had to remind her that when we got him and that his temporary name was Kirby.

All of a sudden every volunteer was saying "It's Kirby" and Kozmo was the center of attention. Everyone came out to see him and couldn't believe how big he got. It was funny, several people also commented on how calm he was. I don't think of Kozmo as a calm dog, but when I think back to our first meeting at the shelter, I guess he has really calmed down. I'm glad I took Kozmo back to visit. He made lots of people smile and took the whole experience in stride.

Kozmo had a great day making new friends and visiting old friends.

Herding Geese

Kozmo was happy to go to his lake again over the weekend. It is so amazing to me that he was so unsure of swimming the first time I tried to get him in the water, and now a month later I can't keep him out of the water. Every time Kozmo goes to the lake he learns something new and is more and more comfortable in the water.

Sunday morning I wasn't quite ready to jump in but Kozmo was ready to swim. I let him get in and started throwing his tennis ball. Usually releasing the ball or toy isn't Kozmo's strong suit but he started dropping the ball close enough that with a stick I could get the ball back to throw it again without getting in the water. This is a real milestone for Kozmo. I was happy to be warm and dry, enjoying a cup of coffee while Kozmo was having fun in the water.

I wish I had captured another one of Kozmo's adventures with video. It is amazing to watch him figure things out. He kept dropping his ball along the shore and it would roll under a wood pallet on the shore line. Kozmo was smart enough to lay on his side, get his entire head covered in mud, and get his ball out from under the wood. He did this several times. The humans were laughing. He wanted a place to put his ball but couldn't quite understand that every time he dropped the ball it was going to roll back under this wood. After getting the ball back a few times it finally rolled in a different direction and was stuck, or so we thought. Kozmo tried scratching the wood, then digging, then sniffing. He doesn't have thumbs, he couldn't possibly lift this heavy water soaked wood, but he did figure out he could use his head and the fact it was in water to start nudging the big wooden pallet out of the way and release his beloved tennis ball. It was amazing to watch him figure something out and solve a problem on his own. We have our hands full with a very smart and active dog!

Later in the day Kozmo lost interest in his toys and retrieving. He kept swimming in circles and was very focused. It took me a while to figure out what he was doing. I hated to complain because he was staying out of the woods. My shoulders could take a break from constantly throwing the ball and Kozmo was happy. I finally figured out he could see fish in the water and it seems like he was trying to herd the fish!! Kozmo would swim in a big circle and every now and then he would nip at the water and change directions. This kept him busy for hours.

The next chain of events, you really had to see to believe. Below is a video and a few photos, but it really doesn't do justice to the whole experience. A little back story is needed......Since I got Kozmo I have been watching more shows on Animal Planet and learning about dogs and how to be a better human. I watched a show about Kooikerhondje's. They are water dogs used to hunt ducks in the Netherlands. They have a white bushy tail that attracts the ducks. The dogs are trained to lure the ducks into these sort of tunnels or chutes for the humans to capture the ducks. Not to long after watching this show I had Kozmo at a local park. As Kozmo and I walked around the pond and I noticed that all of the ducks and geese were following us. We think Kozmo's white tip tail was attracting the waterfowl. This same thing happens every time we go to the same park.

So Kozmo was just minding his own business, very busy and focused on herding fish. Out of no where I noticed a gaggle of 22 geese swimming right for us. Kozmo didn't even notice at first. I was stunned. It was a bit like the Alfred Hitchcock movie "The Birds" seeing these geese headed right for us. I didn't know what to do. One option was to hurry up and get Kozmo out of the water, one option was to try to chase away the geese. I decided to grab the camera and see what happened next.

Geese approaching

Kozmo herding Geese

Kozmo finally noticed the geese and started swimming with them, as if he were trying to herd the geese. The geese were not afraid of him and didn't try to get away or attack. One silly goose was separate from the group and Kozmo was trying really hard to get that goose back into the group. You can see how close he was getting to other boats. I finally had to quit recording and watching with fascination and call Kozmo back to safety. There was no way I could swim far enough or fast enough to get him back. Kozmo swam back to us and the geese hung around for a while. I had never seen anything like that before. Every day is an adventure with Kozmo.

Kozmo loves to swim

I guess being a good citizen kind of ebbs and flows for Kozmo. He is having more good days than bad, but he proved he can still keep me humble.

Kozmo had a great weekend. We had a huge break through with swimming and couldn't keep him out of the water. Something just clicked and he didn't need to be coaxed. He was ready to swim and swim and swim. You can see in the photo below how fast he was swimming and didn't even have on his doggy life jacket. I tried to tell him this was a no wake area!

At one point Kozmo took one of his water toys onto shore and became distracted with a gross dead fish. Unlike his previous episodes of running away or not coming to me until he devoured something gross he was a pretty good boy. Of course he wouldn't "leave it" or "come" despite the stern tone of voice I was using. I went to get his leash. This made the other human crazy, he thought I should have tried to capture Kozmo while I was close. That dead fish was gross and I was not about to start a game of chase. So I get the leash and start walking away from Kozmo up the trail. Within seconds Kozmo came running up to me to see where I was going. I put his leash on and we went back to the water where he had two humans to play fetch and block him for going back to his stink fish for a solid hour. Once again, Kozmo proved that a tired dog is a good dog. He slept the whole way home and was pretty tired on Monday too.

Monday morning I discovered the secret to being the human in charge of my household...a Wiggly Giggly ball. It's a ball, about the size of a soccer ball and when you move the ball it makes noises. Someone gave us this ball and I had it in the basement saving it for Kozmo. He still likes to destroy squeaky toys so I was saving this for when he was a little older. Despite being asked to wait at the top of the stairs Kozmo followed me to the basement and discovered the ball. I carry the ball upstairs, give it a toss across the kitchen floor and for a few seconds Kozmo was happily playing. If I hadn't seen the next chain of events with my own two eyes I would have never believed it. Kozmo is happily playing and out of no where Sparky runs up and starts attacking Kozmo. Sparky chases Kozmo into the dining room and Sparky is hissing and growling. I pick Sparky up and he seems to be fine. Kozmo was also fine, but he had earned a new healthy respect for Sparky. As I was telling the other human what happened he was petting Kozmo and discovered one of Sparky's claws in his fur, we then found another stuck in his cheek. Doggy and Kitty are both fine and the humans think this Wiggly Giggly ball is pretty cool. Monday evening the other human rolled the ball and Kozmo tried to hide. He associates his new toy with the cat attacking him. This time Sparky came and attacked the ball. I never saw him attack something so ferociously.  We left the ball on the floor and Sparky and Kozmo laid on the floor napping, the closest they have ever been before. The dog and cat would rather sleep together than cross the path of the Wiggle Giggle!! The Wiggle Giggle ball is at my feet as I type. It works better than a gate to keep Kozmo away from something. We feel bad Kozmo had the wrath of Sparky's claws but are really happy the two of them have turned a corner and respect and tolerate each other more.

So Kozmo turned the corner on two big issues, the cat and swimming. In my head we were having a great week. Tuesday night I was so proud taking my good citizen to school. His classmates couldn't wait to find out if he passed the good citizen test. I proudly told the class that Koz is an official good citizen. We started class with some polite walking on a leash. Suddenly Kozmo started making that sound where you know he is going to throw up. I tried to run as fast as I could to the door. Poor Kozmo was trying to keep up with me, but couldn't wait. So rather than his mess being contained to one pile...it was a pile that spanned about 10 feet. I cleaned up the mess and rejoined the class. Kozmo was wound up, he wanted to tug at his leash and wouldn't pay attention. Three jumps were set up and we were to send our dog over 3 jumps. Kozmo did this once perfectly. Everyone clapped. Then he wouldn't sit to do it a second time. He started biting my feet. The trainer offered to hold him while I walked away and gave the commands.......She let go, I said over, Kozmo jumped over one jump and ran to the corner and pooped!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I tried to catch him to get him outside as soon as possible and he ran to the other side of the room, pooped again, and then let me take him outside. Part of me felt bad. Kozmo was trying to tell me something. I didn't understand his bad behavior was his way of saying, "mom I gotta poop". We ended class and I know that we all have a lot of work and this good citizen thing certainly doesn't mean Kozmo will always be a good dog. He's still a puppy.

Update from an official Canine Good Citizen

Kozmo and his humans have been quite busy and unable to find the time to post a proper update. First, we have some very, very good news. Earlier this week Kozmo took and passed the Canine Good Citizen exam!!!

Sorry for the long post, but I am trying to get everyone caught up in one update.

Test day was a busy and stressful day for me. Kozmo had no idea he should be nervous and remained his sweet, loving, high energy self. I took him for a walk to try to work off some excess energy before class. I was very proud, he was doing very well at staying with me. I tried to keep him on side streets and back alleys hoping to avoid too many distractions. Clearly I picked the wrong alley when a large Shepard ran to the fence and started barking. This made Kozmo want to start pulling and alerted two smaller dogs down the street to start baking. I told Kozmo to "leave it" and stay with me. He wanted to pull on his leash to meet these dogs and play. Being the mean dog mom, I wouldn't allow it. I had to really pull his leash but we were doing ok and almost past the second yard with crazy barking dogs when the helpful owner of these dogs came to the end of the fence and told me I needed a prong collar for my dog!!!

I wanted to scream. Does that jerk have any idea how hard I have worked to not need a prong collar!?!?!?! I was so shocked. My dog was on a leash, walking and not barking. His dogs, although in his fenced in yard, were creating a disturbance. At the moment I was speechless and continued walking. After we were too far away I thought of several comments I wanted to make.

Kozmo and I went home and headed to class. Luckily other dogs in our class were taking the Good Citizen Exam so we spent class working on exercises that would be part of the exam later that evening. I was so proud of my dog, he did every thing I asked him to do in class. Although nervous, I started to gain some confidence that we had a good chance to pass the exam.

After class we had to wait for what seemed like a small eternity to take the exam. Only one dog at a time can take the test. We watched dogs and their humans coming out of the building. Most were smiling. The more time that went by the more nervous I became and the more energy Kozmo seemed to find. Finally it was our turn to walk into the testing room and my heart was racing, my hands were shaking, and Kozmo started his favorite game of "let's really piss mom off and play tug with our leash".

After a day to reflect and talking to Kozmo's trainer it seems that Kozmo was reading off of me and because I was nervous Kozmo was getting wound up. Our trainer insists I need to relax. After Kozmo focused and I took a deep breath we started the exam. There were numbered signs placed around the room, one for each of the 10 tests. Many of the tests are a blur because I was so nervous and just wanted the test to be over. I was worried about sit and down with a stay. Remember I couldn't use treats. Koz had to do this because I was telling him to do each command. I was allowed to give him verbal and physical praise.

The hardest parts of the test were at the end. He did a sit stay and recall from 20 feet. He came to me. Then other people came into the room and Kozmo had to demonstrate walking through a crowd. Next another person came into the room with their dog, a big Doberman, and we had to walk toward the pair, meet, Kozmo had to sit and stay while I shook the other person's hand and Kozmo couldn't react to the person or the dog. Finally, we were down to the last test. I had to hand Kozmo's leash to a stranger and leave the room for 3 minutes. I kept peeking around the corner to see what Kozmo was doing and he just decided to lay down and relax. It was over, we did it. Kozmo Kringle the shelter dog is an official AKC recognized Canine Good Citizen!! I felt like I had run a marathon but we did it!!

Our classes are far from over. Kozmo demonstrated he can be a good citizen in a controlled environment. We are going to continue practicing and applying good citizen behaviors in real life. He's still a puppy, but he is on his way to being a great dog.

We had one day to recover and agility classes resumed Thursday night. I was joking at work that my dog is so smart he has classes two days a week. Some of my co-workers were making analogies that I am like a doggy soccer mom. I defended myself by pointing out that Kozmo doesn't get a healthy snack before class because he focuses better when he is hungry and that he was at home in a crate. After that statement my colleague pointed out that I am more like a pageant mom!!

We were so happy to see that the same dogs and humans from our beginning class returned. The trainer had set up a full course with several jumps and obstacles. Since we are a small class with only 4 dogs each team goes individually. We took turns doing all of the obstacles, and as always, it was apparent that I need more training. I point my hand the wrong way, I look over my shoulder, I point my feet the wrong way, I'm sending poor Komzo so many mixed signals. Just to keep me humble, my good citizen started class by doing two jumps and running around the room until I could catch him.

It was getting late and I was hoping I could skip the weave poles. Our trainer wouldn't hear of it. She took Kozmo through several times and he did really well, I was ready to go back to our seat, but she made ME do the weave poles with Kozmo several times. I am not the most coordinated person. I hold my treats in the right hand when she says left, I start saying "weave" when I should say "here". We got through the weave poles and tunnel. Kozmo loves the tunnel.

The last obstacle of the night was the A frame followed by a tunnel. The A frame stresses me out. It's high. I worry Koz will fall down and get hurt. Koz loves it. He wanted to do it over and over. So we let him repeat the A frame several times and he is getting really good at stopping at the bottom. Our very last exercise was the A frame, right into a tunnel and returning to me. He did it perfectly. All the other humans in class applauded. Kozmo was a very tired dog. And I think we all know by now "a tired dog is a good dog" so the humans left agility class with smiles.

One of the best things about having an animal in your life is unconditional love and forgiveness. I am so glad both of my animals love me and forgive me for being human. We got home after agility and a trip to the grocery store and discovered Sparky was on the balcony. The other human left him out before class and we forgot. Sparky was on the back porch for several hours. I noticed him when bringing Kozmo into the house. If that wasn't bad enough, I forgot again. Once I was in the house I started putting away groceries. About an hour later I remembered Sparky was still waiting to come inside. Sparky was so happy to see me finally open the door and I am so glad he doesn't have the ability to stop loving me or be mad.

So what I lack in skill for being a good and responsible owner for my dog and cat I make up for with endless love and the commitment to try to do better the next day. After two weekends filled with travel, work, and family functions we are headed back to the lake. This weekend Kozmo is going to improve on his swimming and basic boat dog manners. I am certain all of us will make mistakes and I'm certain Kozmo will still be a happy dog.

Stay tuned to find out what breeds make Kozzy such a cute dog. As an early birthday gift my best friend bought us a doggy DNA test. It takes 4 weeks to get the results. We have many guesses....Dalmatian, Lab, Boxer, Pit Bull, Border Collie, Great Dane, Spaniel...who knows. All I know is there is only one Kozmo Kringle and we are his forever home.

Swimming

A brief video of Kozmo swimming. I wouldn't say that he loves swimming yet but he loves to play games and make his humans happy. He is going to be an awesome water dog....someday.

Lake Dog

Kozmo has been a busy dog. His humans have also been busy so he hasn't been able to share updates for a few weeks. Kozmo continues to go to school once a week and is trying to learn how to be a good boy. He gave his humans a few grey hairs last week by running away and crossing a busy street several times by himself. Luckily we got him back safe and sound and have stepped up our efforts to master recall.

We finally weighed him and our sweet little puppy is weighing in at 64 pounds at 10 months.

Kozmo is a lucky dog. His humans love the lake so he got to go to the greatest lake on earth for Memorial Day weekend. He met lots of new people and canine friends. Photos of his adventures are below.

 Kozmo proudly shows off his life jacket. He is much happier running along shore than swimming.

 With the help of floating dog toys Kozmo is starting to get the hang of swimming.

 Kozmo's new best friend, Belle shows him how to be a good water dog.

 After a long day of swimming and playing in the sun the dogs settled in for a nap.

A tired dog is a good dog!!

Working to be a good citizen

Who knew that becoming a Canine Good Citizen is so much work for the humans?

We are taking another Canine Good Citizen class to help Kozmo (and us) prepare for the Canine Good Citizen Exam and so he doesn't forget everything he has learned before our next agility classes start. In order to take, and pass, the Canine Good Citizen Exam dogs have to wear a regular, flat collar. No training collars or harnesses of any kind can be used for the exam. I wish we could go back in time and start Kozmo's training again. In our first class we were told to use a training collar. It worked. We were happy. It seems the training collar is a crutch. He is really good with the collar and without it he acts just like he did at his first class when he was 5 months old. He was a lot easier to control 5 months and 30+ pounds ago. I am determined to get Koz off the training collar. Not just for the exam, but all the time.

We took Kozmo to class with a regular collar. Since it's a new group of people and dogs Kozmo was excited and wanted to bark at every thing. All of the dogs in this class are young and learning. It's a small class with only 3 other dogs and they are all so cute I want to play with them. We have a Weimaraner, Newfoundland, a little black cutie, and Koz. I think Koz is the oldest at 10 months, the other two big dogs are both 8 months. Due to our complicated and busy lives Kozmo's humans had to drive separately and the other human was a few minutes late. We began class with polite walking on a leash. The other human quietly entered and sat down. It wasn't until we started to work on sit stays that Kozmo saw his other human. He was so excited. He was jumping and tugging and just had to go see him. At least he knows us now. I worried that he had so many different homes as a pup that he might not recognize us as HIS family.

So we worked on sit and down with stays. In theory Kozmo knows this stuff. Without the training collar and the new dogs and people he forgot most of what he knew and was a real handful. At one point he got his leash in his mouth and tugged so hard he ripped the leash out of my hand and was off and running directly to the Newfoundland puppy. I got Koz back with a lot of drool from the Newfie, she is beautiful but slobbery!

Finally we got to the part of class where Koz excels. Our trainer set up a tunnel. It was the first time through the tunnel for all of the other dogs so Kozmo and I got to go first to show the other dogs how much fun the tunnel is. I was so proud of my little dude, he approached the tunnel, sat, waited, ran through on command and came back to me!! It was perfect. Tempting fate, our trainer asked us to do the tunnel a second time. Just to keep me humble, on his second try he exited the tunnel and ran around the room showing off and showing everyone that even though he can do a tunnel perfectly he's still a puppy and playing is more fun than listening to his human.

Kozmo is going to have lots of real world good citizen practice this weekend. He is spending the long holiday weekend at the lake, where he will meet lots of new people and dogs, and have a few more swimming lessons. His brand new doggy life jacket is on a UPS delivery truck as I type. Clearly Kozmo and his humans need more practice but we are on our way to being good citizens!