Indestructible Toy - NOT!

I'm not sure how dog toy manufacturers test dog toys, but I am certain they don't have dogs like Kozmo on staff. Koz could have a very successful career testing toys. Because of his strong chewing tendencies I'm always skeptical when dog toys claim to be indestructible. I found this canvas and rope toy on sale and decided to give it a try. 

In less than 3 minutes the so called "indestructible" toy was destroyed and Kozmo was quite proud of himself. We are back to frozen Kong's and nylabones....

Happy pup with a new toy

In a few short minutes he chewed through the indestructible toy

It's still fun to chew while the squeaker still works

Kozmo is so proud of his "kill"

Friends

A friend is someone who gives you total freedom to be yourself. -- Jim Morrison

Recently I've been thinking a lot about friendships of all sorts. For those of you who know me you know that I don't make new friends easily. When I started this blog I named it "Kozmo and Friends" without giving much thought to the meaning of a friend.

Until now the "friends" mentioned in the blog have been the other dogs Kozmo has had the opportunity to play with. The more I think about Kozmo and friends I am realizing that simply by having this cute shelter dog enter my life both Kozmo and I have made some very special friends. Usually I try very hard not to humanize dogs. I realize many people may think dogs can't have friendships in the same way humans can. I agree, Kozmo can't call his friends to ask about their day or make plans. But he does recognize certain humans and dogs. Kozmo doesn't react the same way to everyone he meets.

Kozmo has always been friendly and curious but he was leery of letting new people pet him. When I first took him to day care he lacked proper dog socialization and tried to greet all new dogs by biting their necks. I was determined to have a well socialized dog so that he would eventually be welcome to go with me to visit family and  friends, go to the lake, hiking, and any other dog friendly ventures. When I set out to socialize Kozmo I had no idea we would both make real friends.

Kozmo recognizes his dog friends when we arrive at the park and agility class. Perhaps dogs recognizing each other and wanting to engage in play doesn't qualify as a friend. What is a friend? I think we have all sorts of different friends. It seems to me that we are all blessed with a variety of friends. We have many types of friends; old friends, new friends, work friends, friends from high school, college friends, and although they are all different and the relationships maybe different, I think they are all friends.

Kozmo is friends with several dogs, but the friendship that I find the most fascinating is the one between a human named Matt and Kozmo. We met Matt when we first started attending dog socialization. Matt is one of the nicest, most polite and genuine teens I have ever had the pleasure to meet. He truly has a gift with animals. Matt was the first person other than me who could get Kozmo to play fetch. Kozmo was slow to trust but curious enough he wanted to get to know Matt. It took a lot of patience from Matt but eventually Kozmo was playing and after a few weeks at dog socialization Kozmo allowed Matt to pet him and rub his belly. (Scroll to the bottom of this old post to see one of the special moments where Kozmo finally allowed Matt to pet him.  http://kozmoandfriends.blogspot.com/2013/02/dog-socialization.html)

I love to watch Kozmo and Matt together. I believe they are friends.

Matt & Kozmo at the dog park

Matt has Kozmo's full attention

Matt and Kozmo share a connection. This week in agility class Kozmo decided once again to be the class clown, grab a cone and run around the room. I tried to get him to drop the cone and come to me. Both trainers tried to get his attention. Ultimately the only person Kozmo would listen to was Matt. As frustrated as I was with Kozmo's antics I truly enjoyed watching Kozmo respond to his friend, Matt.

At the end of class we were all lucky enough to watch Matt with another friend, Sunny. Matt has learned a lot watching each agility class. His family's dog, Kaylee Jane, is very attached to Matt's mom and would never let another person lead her through a course. To give Matt a chance to try agility Sunny's human agreed to let Matt and Sunny try the course. When you watch this video keep in mind Sunny is not Matt's dog and this is Matt's very first time on an agility course.

(For those of you who are reading the blog via email subscription you will need to click to the website to view the video clip. It's worth it. )

Matt and Sunny did a second run so that they could try the teeter. Below are a few phone photos. As I left agility class I was smiling thinking about friends. Sunny's human and Matt's mom and I have become friends. We started off having our dogs and the weekly socialization classes in common. We quickly discovered that we all have rescue dogs, use the same trainer, enjoy agility, and have a passion for photography. It didn't take long for friendships to form. I never thought my first dog would help me make friends or that my dog would make friends of his own but I've seen it happen and know I'm very lucky to have so many wonderful friends and Kozmo. He has changed my life and we are looking forward to many adventures with our new friends.

Sunny focuses on Matt at the start line

And they are off....

Matt & Sunny have a perfect finish

Easter Miracle

Before Kozmo came into my life my cat Sparky had never seen a dog. I found Sparky as a stray when he was a very young kitten. Since I brought Sparky home he has been an indoor only cat and spent the first 8 years of his life with Ace, the coolest cat ever. Even though I got Sparky when he was young he had enough life experiences and imprints that he has always been slow to trust and leery of new situations.

Introducing Kozmo to Sparky has been a very gradual process. From day one I wanted Sparky to know that he was still safe in his own home and wasn't being replaced. I also wanted Kozmo to respect the cat. I implemented several safe zones for the cat. I read books. I kept Kozmo on a leash for brief introductions. I exercised more patience than I thought possible. I waited.

Eventually Sparky stopped hiding all of the time and gradually gained the confidence to be in the same room as Kozmo. Sometimes Kozmo gets too close and Sparky has had to use his claws to remind Kozmo he needs a healthy respect for cats.

I was so happy the first time Sparky was brave enough to come into the room with and jump on my lap. I've seen the cat tease the dog. The progress has been slow.

On New Year's I made a goal that in 2013 I would get a photo of Kozmo and Sparky together.

Today is Easter. I went to visit my family and took Kozmo with me. Sparky had the house to himself. He must have enjoyed being home alone without the dog. When Kozmo and I returned from our travels Sparky was on Kozmo's loveseat. I only call it Kozmo's loveseat because it's the only piece of furniture where Kozmo is allowed and this is the same piece of furniture Kozmo has chewed several times.

Kozmo was pretty mellow from his big adventure. I kept him on his leash and used a treat to lure him onto the loveseat. Sparky was calm enough not to move and just observed the dog getting this close.

Ok, so this isn't a prize winning photo. Kozmo was on a leash and I did have to use treats but this crappy iphone photo represents a LOT of patience and work to get these two very different creatures this close together without drama. I was proud. Immediately I had to share this photo with my inner circle claiming it was an Easter miracle.

Kozmo showed no interest in antagonizing the cat. He curled up at his end of the couch. I really was witnessing an Easter Miracle. I got brave and removed the leash. Within a few minutes Kozmo and Sparky were peacefully coexisting without any interference from me. I was beaming with pride.

I was overjoyed simply watching my two furry family members hang out together. I was witnessing history. I actually had a photo of my dog and cat together. (The photo is only with my iphone and the perfectionist in me won't be satisfied until I get a better, more professional looking photo) I didn't want to move and disturb this magic. I sat in the chair with my coat on and just quietly watched. If these two could find a way to lay on the same couch together anything is possible.

I sat quietly observing my small victory and before long both Kozmo and Sparky fell sound asleep. I was no longer using a leash or treats. Sparky felt safe enough to fall asleep with Kozmo only a few feet away and Kozmo chose sleep over chasing the cat. It was a beautiful moment.

Happy Easter!!! Miracles are possible.

Muddy dogs are happier

Kozmo and I are very lucky. Through dog socialization classess we attended this winter both of us made some wonderful friends. Kozmo was invited to meet six of his doggy friends Sunday morning as a bonus, the humans also got to visit.

After 2 hours of non-stop play we all had very muddy, tired and happy dogs. It was decided that muddy dogs are happier dogs. 

 

Marcy & Sunny

Kaylee Jane is such a sweet lady

Happy Kozmo

Cash & Kozzy

Marcy & Kozmo

Rosco retrieves & Sunny sniffs

Cash won "muddiest dog"

Timid Lexy finally allowed me to take her photo

Class Clown

Kozmo and I are continuing agility training. I will take him to agility classes as long as he is having fun. I have always wanted an agility dog and am highly motivated to prove the trainer who told us we couldn't do agility wrong. At the end of the day all that really matters is that Kozmo is happy and loved. His past two weeks in class seem to demonstrate that Kozmo just might be having a little too much fun in class.

Last week Kozmo worked really hard in class. He stayed focused for the first 58 minutes of the hour. Kozmo did two different courses off leash making me and his trainer proud. At the very end of class we were doing some extra work on the weave poles. Admittedly the weave poles are one of our biggest weaknesses. Making sure I was ending class on a positive note and reinforcing to Kozmo that agility is fun, I sent him through the weave poles one final time and then directed him to the pause table. I yelled "table" and Kozmo jumped right up on the table. I was so proud. Remember Kozmo is always faster than me (he has more legs). I'm walking towards Kozmo with a huge smile and a handful of chicken. I wanted to give my dog lots of praise for a great class. Just as I am holding out a handful of chicken I see this look of mischief in Kozmo's eyes and in an instant he jumps off of the table and grabs the #8 cone. Each of the obstacles have a small orange cone similar to a traffic cone. Each one is numbered so the humans understand the order of the course. Kozmo had the pointy end of the orange #8 cone in his mouth so that he sort of looked like a cheer leader with a megaphone. He was off and running, shaking his head and generally having the time of his life off leash with a cone in his mouth and an audience. Kaylee's human appreciates the silly spirit in Kozmo and cheered, "Run Kozmo Run"!! Kozmo paused to make sure he was getting the desired reaction, and of course, all of the other humans were laughing. Looking back this is where I think we might not be cut out for competition. Rather than firmly correcting Kozmo's silly antics I couldn't stop laughing. Kozmo ran around the room several times. Koz had a really fun game of chase until he bumped into the tunnel and dropped the cone.

This week a very special guest joined us for agility. It was my mom's birthday and since we spent the day together I thought it would be fun for her to end a great day watching Kozmo's progress. Kozmo didn't bother waiting for the end of class to act silly. Kozmo and I were asked to go first. On our very first attempt we made a mistake and Kozmo knocked down the horizontal bar on the second jump. I'm sure I did something wrong and gave an incorrect signal. Instead of continuing on to the next obstacle Kozmo picked up one of the poles, a 4 foot long piece of pvc, and started running around the room. It was like he had a big stick, he was running round shaking his head getting lots of laughs from the other humans. The funniest part is when he ran down the length of the room. He was like a kid taking a stick down the side of a fence. Kozmo had this big pole hanging out of his mouth and ran around smacking into the wall and against all of the obstacles.

It was quickly decided Kozmo should wear a leash until he settled down and got some more focus. This plan lasted until I sent him through the tunnel. He came out the other end of the tunnel with the leash in his mouth and ran around the room.

Finally we got to try a course that included the teeter. Our trainer puts a folded towel under each end of the teeter so that the noise of the teeter hitting the ground doesn't startle the dogs. Kozmo has no fear of loud noises but he does love to steal towels or blankets when possible. In his third stunt of the evening Kozmo went over one jump and made a bee line right for the towel. Again he ran around the room proudly shaking his new treasure.

I'm starting to wonder if Kozmo will ever be a great agility student. One thing is certain, he is the best class clown. Kozmo is entertaining and makes me smile every day. Our agility training continues......

The dog ate my homework

Ok, Kozmo didn't actually eat my homework. He did eat the couch, again.

Admittedly I am not the best dog mom. When I walked into the room one morning last week to see Kozmo destroying the couch I first walked by him to turn on a light, took a photo with my phone, then used my stern voice to ask him what exactly he thought he was doing.

I was frustrated, but I quickly realized although Kozmo was doing the chewing it was the human who let him down. Due to a very busy and hectic schedule Koz didn't get enough exercise the night before. Remember, a tired dog is a good dog. This isn't the first time Kozmo chewed "his" couch. It's an old ugly couch that someone gave me for free years ago. I have been waiting for Koz to outgrow his puppy antics before replacing the couch. I'm glad I waited.

 Notice how Kozmo made himself comfortable on the cushion before he started chewing. He really is a smart dog.

In addition to Kozmo's busy social schedule and my two jobs I am also taking a photography class. Luckily, Kozmo didn't literally eat my homework. He already left his mark on the strap of my camera bag, but I've been able to keep him away from my good camera. I realize this is a problem. Kozmo is a beautiful dog and I love to take photos. In theory, I should have thousands of amazing photos of Kozmo. In reality, most of Kozzy's photos are taken with my phone or by friends.

It seems that Kozmo and my good camera are both things which require my full attention and don't seem to mix. It's hard because I have homework assignments for my photo class.  Many of my classmates take photos of their kids. My subjects are Sparky and Kozmo.

Neither of the photos below qualified as photos to use for my recent photography homework but they are the first photos I've taken with my good camera in a while. Given Kozmo's pose and expression while laying on the couch they day after his chewing festivities I had to laugh. Clearly he shows no remorse for chewing the sofa and seems to be challenging me do anything about his antics. I never did finish my photo homework, because my dog asked very nicely for a trip to the park!

Kozmo is not one bit sorry he chewed "his" couch

Sparky silently disapproves of Kozmo's antics

Dog Park

Over the weekend Kozmo was invited on a doggy play date with some of the new friends we made at dog socialization. As with most of Kozmo's activities, I was excited and Kozmo just hoped in his crate and was along for the ride. We met 3 other dog friends at the future site of the dog park. For now, it's just a huge open field bordered by a stream. Eventually there will be separate fenced in areas for big dogs and little dogs. In my perfect dream world I have hopes for some agility equipment at the dog park.

As soon as we pulled into the parking area two things happened, Kozmo saw his friends and got very excited, the wind also picked up and snow flurries started. I was really glad I paid full retail for those new gloves. We walked to the open fields and the dogs were so happy to see each other and run off leash that they stayed together as a group. It's amazing how dogs are pack animals. If I tried to walk with just Kozmo off leash it would be much more challenging to keep his focus and keep him close to me. When there are other dogs they stay together in a pack.

We braved the cold and blustery conditions for about two hours while the dogs had a great time. It's fun to see their personalities. Kozmo never gets tired of chasing a tennis ball. He's so fast poor sweet Marcy rarely had a chance to get the ball. We returned to our cars a little cold and muddy but all humans and canines were very happy.

Kozmo slept soundly for the rest of the day. I had to wake him up when it was time for dinner and wake him up again to go to the bathroom. It was a wonderful day and we can't wait to meet our friends again at the dog park. A tired dog is a good dog!

Marcy, Lexy & Kozmo - Photo by Sunny & Marcy's Human 

One of the few times Marcy had the ball. Lexy, the other black dog is very shy so it was very fun to see her playing with the other dogs.

 

Sunny & Kozmo - Photo by Sunny & Marcy's human

 Look at the mud on Kozmo's shoulders. He had so much fun playing with the other dogs. Isn't Sunny handsome?

Marcy, Kozmo & Sunny with Kozmo's human fetching the ball - Photo by Sunny & Marcy's human

 I love everything about this photo. It was a perfect afternoon. Look how happy Kozmo looks with a tennis ball in his mouth. He has trained me very well to go retrieve the other ball. He will not release the ball in his mouth until I am ready to throw the ball again. My new gloves were very warm and although they didn't match a thing I was wearing they seem to go well with the Chuck-It.

Kozmo trying to keep his ball away from Lexy and Marcy

Photo by Sunny and Marcy's human

 Kozmo takes a break from running to figure out how to destroy a tennis ball. It cracks me up to see how he uses his paws like hands. I also love that Sunny and Marcy's human captured a photo of Kozzy's webbed feet!

Koz, Marcy & Sunny in action

It was a perfect play date. Kozmo and I are looking forward to many more play dates with Sunny, Marcy and Lexy. Next week we start another session of agility classes. Sunny is going to be our class mate again. I'm really curious to see how the dogs act in school.