The Adventures of Cordovan Cowboy

So, Cord and I are going on three weeks together and so much has happened; In fact, I’ve been so busy having fun with him that I haven’t had time to write about it (I’ll have to get better at that for sure)!! For one thing, he’s putting on about 2 pounds a week and growing like a weed. His coat is getting darker too, which I love! His ears are doing wacky things, might have to work on that. Here’s what the little man has been up to:

• Puppy classes – since I teach them he’s been going to my classes and I’m having a friend of mine take him though as if he were her puppy. That way I don’t take time away from the other students. So far he’s great at sit, down, come, recognizing his name, walking on a loose leash and stay in both sit and down positions. His attention and eye contact are amazing! And, he’s starting to learn to line up at my side (both left and right) and heeling. We’re not 100% on the potty training anymore, to be expected of course, but we have had very few accidents.
• Swimming lessons – we went to my agility instructor’s house and Cord went swimming with her 5 border collies. I’m not sure he entirely enjoyed the actual swimming part, but he had a great time playing with all his new friends. At one point while we were playing fetch with all the dogs Cord got the ball and laid down on top of it. So here’s this little Aussie pup surrounded by 5 border collies waiting for him to just move in the slightest so they could steal his ball!
• Agility lessons– well, not agility as in obstacles, but we are working on his balance and proprioception using balance disks, a wobble board, a plank and walking over poles on the ground. We are also working on toy drive and targeting.
• Socializing– Cord is a huge hit wherever we take him, which is a lot of places. He wiggle butts up to everyone he meets and then pees on their shoes with excitement. He’s been to work with me almost every day where he plays with the staff, clients and pets (not the sick ones of course!!). He goes to shopping centers with me, walks around the lake, restaurants, coffee houses and friend’s houses for BBQs and parties. Sometimes we just sit on the corner or out on the patio and watch cars and people go by while he eats his dinner. He is socializing quite nicely, but will still occasionally bark at things he is unsure of, we’re working in it. He has learned to be cooperative for baths, brushing and nail trims. He and Annie are bonding nicely and play together daily. I am amazed at her patience with him, she’s such a great nanny dog! He tries to get the cats to play with him, but they just ignore him – hey, it’s a cat thing!

Click on the link below to see short video of Cord playing with some of his friends at work.

Puppy playtime