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.)