Cooper von Floofin Schnoof

RV Dog

2010-06-16T19:03:00.002-05:00

We got an RV and the dog loves it. We are heading out to Alaska soon but he is staying home with our house/dog sitter. We will miss him, but with the way he likes to run after things we think he's safer at home. We don't want him getting eaten by a grizzly!

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Doggie on the dash!

2010-06-01T22:40:00.001-05:00

Cooper had his first camping experience this weekend (in an RV) and he LOVED it. How cute is her sitting on the dash?

Update on Cooper

2010-04-06T22:37:00.000-05:00

It's been a dog day around here! They tested the tornado sirens at 10am this morning and Cooper started howling like a siren. We've never heard him do that before and it was sooo funny! Previous months the windows were closed. Windows wide open today so we could hear it loud and clear! I stopped howling loud when I started filming, but you can hear him kind of growling/whining in this one!

A few hours after this I put Cooper out in the backyard while I unloaded the groceries and when we went to let him in, he wasn't in the backyard. We found this whole in the fence that he just created!I called his name and he poked his head through the opening, but wouldn't come into the backyard. So I grabbed his leash and bucket of dog food (which usually gets him to come) and went around the neighbor's fence and around into a yard behind us. I asked the lady who was gardening if she had seen the dog and she didn't. Dori said she would hear the dog and when I called him, I noticed he was in the backyard. He came through the hole and over to me right away. What a cute little PITA! I covered up the hole, but we still need to go out into the yard with him. He still tries to bust out. I think those baby bunnies on the other side of the fence are driving him NUTTY!

He got out a few days ago and ended up back home after 5 minutes. At least he came back home both times!!

Curled Up Cuteness

2010-03-17T22:37:00.000-05:00

Look Who's Published!!

2010-01-12T14:55:00.005-06:00

I took this photo out in our front yard in late December.

Cooper Loves the Snow!

2009-12-27T20:15:00.001-06:00

Fun Pics

2009-11-28T15:12:00.001-06:00

We went to take photos for our Christmas card and we got some silly ones.

Cooper Got Hit!

2009-11-13T10:23:00.001-06:00

It was another beautiful sunny fall day today so I decided to take Cooper to a new park and do a little training with him. The park had a large baseball field with an opening. I stood at the opening and let him run. I was working on calling him to come, which is one of our biggest issues with him. He totally ignored me and romped around the field. Then he came back toward me and slipped out the opening before I could get him. He headed straight toward the street...which was a couple hundred yards away. I yelled and called for him, but he was perfectly happy to run. The only time we've been able to get him when he's gotten away is with the van...so I ran over to the van and loaded Dori in to go find him. I kept my eye out in the direction he was and I saw several cars slowing down and stopping. That had me very worried...but about 10 seconds later I saw a golden streak come barreling back toward me. I bent down and called him and he came right toward me. I stomped on his leash with much relief. Then about 30 seconds later I saw a few cars pull into the parking lot. One came right up to me and the guy asked if the dog was OK because he just hit him. What? He said he has slowed down and the dog ran in front of him and he's pretty sure he hit him. I looked down at the dog and he seemed perfectly OK and his tail was wagging. Turns out the guy drives dog rescue transport every Sunday and he was just beside himself that he hurt a dog. We chatted for a minute or 2 and I assured him that the dog was OK. I was thinking to myself that he must have missed the dog because he was able to run back to me.

A few minutes later the dog started limping. By the time we got back in the van he was acting a little strange and moving slowly. So I realized that he did get hit. I picked up Parker from school on the way home and he was so upset when I told him. He is a gentle soul and doesn't want to see anyone or anything hurt. I felt so bad! We brought the dog home and he did whimper when he jumped out of the van, but didn't fuss in the house at all. In fact he moved up the stairs rather quickly. He went right to his favorite spot on the sofa which is where he's been most of the evening. We did go downstairs and watch a movie and he followed us down and just sat at our feet and chewed on a bone. Normally he's going down the hall and trying to get into stuff and we have to keep after him. But he's definitely remaining close now. I talked with a friend in VetMed today and she told me how to check him out. He did not get upset or snap when I check out his paw or belly, so we concluded that he was just in shock. We've continued to keep an eye on his all evening and he seems to be OK...just a little slow.

I feel really bad about this. I feel I am responsible. I do think he's going to be OK. We realize we have a big problem with our dog bolting. We got him from the humane society about 6 months ago. His previous owners let him roam their neighborhood and animal control was called on him several times. The elderly couple that had him finally relinquished him because they couldn't take care of him. We did go to dog training at PetSmart, but that was basic commands. We are thinking about hiring an individual to come work with us and the dog...we need to have positive control of him and we don't. We plan on taking him with us to Alaska next year, but he just isn't ready for something like that now. We have to be able to control him and get him to come when we are on vacation. Especially being in the wilderness. Some people have mentioned getting a special collar for him, but I really know nothing about that. Any suggestions?

Sweet Face

2009-09-30T10:28:00.000-05:00

Cooper Loves the Car

2009-09-04T10:27:00.001-05:00

Puppy Graduation

2009-07-10T19:22:00.001-05:00

Cooper graduated from beginning dog training tonight!

So Sweet!

2009-07-10T13:21:00.000-05:00

Parker took this pic!

Spoiled!

2009-07-02T13:02:00.002-05:00

First Grooming

2009-07-01T18:22:00.002-05:00

Before & After
Looking like a puppy
Full shot
I took Cooper to the groomer for the first time today. He looks completely different, but still cute. He looks so young in these photos. He's lost about 2.5 pounds since we got him and he was ideal weight.

Another Video by Parker

2009-05-26T08:01:00.003-05:00

Problem (mostly) Solved!

2009-05-18T07:40:00.000-05:00

Last week when I introduced myself at a cocker forum I joined someone mentioned using a Belly Band for the marking problems. I googled and thought it was a great idea. I found several WAHM types selling them, but I didn't want to wait. So I googled for directions to make one and created my own version of the Belly Band. Now Cooper is off leash and able to roam around the house a little more and I don't have to worry about him marking. Here is the link to the directions. I didn't have enough velcro, so I did tie closures on mine.Coopers has been using them for 5 days and hasn't tried to take it off or pee inside. He must love the Snoopy print I used! LOL!

Wordless Wednesday: Don't they know I am a boy dog?

2009-05-13T07:23:00.001-05:00

He's a Party Boy!

2009-05-11T22:25:00.002-05:00

Cooper thoroughly enjoyed his party on Saturday night. He was well behaved (except for trying to get people's food) and relished all the attention. I ended up putting him in his crate while we ate and he didn't whimper or fuss at all. What a good dog! I wish I would have remembered to take pictures!

Cooper's Past

2009-05-09T15:58:00.003-05:00

Earlier this week I went to register Cooper with Animal Control and the lady there said she remembered when they picked him up. They found him roaming around a neighborhood a few times and his hair was long, matted, and a mess. They found his owners (an older couple) who were just not willing/able to care for him properly, so they surrendered him to Animal Control. They brought him in, washed him up, and shaved him down. Then they took him next door to the Humane Society to be placed for adoption.

I was glad to find out that he wasn't a dog someone lost and missed. He's a happy-go-lucky guy and now has a good home.

I have him sleeping in his crate now, but people will be coming over in about an hour to meet him and enjoy the Bark-B-Q. I plan on keeping his leash attached to my belt.

Cooper's Party

2009-05-05T10:21:00.001-05:00

All Checks Out A-OK!

2009-05-04T19:56:00.000-05:00

We took Cooper to the vet today. He's is very healthy. Dr has owned cockers before and said that he's full cocker. Cooper did very well and didn't freak out at all at the vet. Of course there weren't other dogs there and he didn't seem to notice the cats.

Settling In

2009-05-04T11:50:00.000-05:00

We had a good weekend with Cooper. He enjoyed having the whole family around and we used the techniques that we learned in training on Friday and we can see a big difference. We are still keeping him contained, but I can take him around the house with me without him marking everything.

We got our backyard cleaned up and safe for the dog. Our neighbor put in a new fence last year so there was some gaps left where the old fence was. We filled in these gaps and the yard is now safe for Cooper to run around in. He wants us out there with him, in particular either Eric or I.

We have our first vet appointment today.

Cooper also has his own profile at YouPet. Click here to join and become friends with Cooper.

Here is a photo & video we took yesterday~

Overdue Update

2009-05-01T21:38:00.000-05:00

I am worn out. Cooper is A LOT of work!! He likes to 'mark' everywhere, so we need to keep him by our side all the time. And that is mostly my side. He's good about being in his crate and doesn't use it as a potty at all and can stay in it all night without fussing. I am trying to limit his time in it during the day, just putting him in when we aren't home or I'm showering or maybe cooking. I did notice that he was a bit mellower today. I think he is used to the 2 rooms we've allowed him in and hasn't marked inside for a few days. He is very interested in any food and will jump up when we are eating.

We started Pet Training class at Petsmart tonight. I think it is going to be very helpful. My goals are that he will be able to be loose in the house with us without marking, jumping, or trying to eat everything, that he will stop marking all the time, and that he won't pull when we walk him. I'll have to look back at this in 8 weeks to see if we've accomplished the goals.

Update- Day 2

2009-04-28T11:37:00.000-05:00

Cooper did great last night. We put him in his crate at 9pm~ish right next to Parker's mattress and we never heard a peep from him. I went in and woke him up around 6:30 this morning to take him out. He will grab just about anything in his mouth, so we have to keep him contained. For the past hour or so he's been loose in the kitchen with me. He's been playing with toys and getting petted. He just laid down and is taking a nap. He loves to see what is going on around him. He has no problem with our stairs at all. In fact, he climbed up on a chair and then our table this morning and jumped over my baricade a few minutes ago. We will gradually introduce him to different spaces in our house.

Still no barking or wimpering, but he has 'marked' inside a few times. I am glad I bought that enzyme cleaner stuff yesterday. It's been raining since we got him and he's been good about getting wiped off when we come inside. He is a very nice dog! He was a stray and it makes me sad to think that someone lost him or abandoned him. He's very happy, loving, and well behaved. I think he fits in with our family well!

Smart Dog!

2009-04-27T21:42:00.002-05:00

Parker Introduces Cooper

2009-04-27T21:42:00.001-05:00

Welcome Home Cooper von Floofin Schnoof

2009-04-27T21:40:00.001-05:00

Our New Dog

2009-04-26T19:38:00.000-05:00

This is the dog formerly known as Nibbles. We are adopting him from our local humane society tomorrow. His new name is Cooper something...