Puppy class

Cosmo and I had our first puppy class on  Saturday! It went really well! He played with a puppy named Oscar and they both loved it! After, we learned some clicker training techniques and it was great! Cosmo responded really well, and caught on really fast, I was very impressed. I loved training with him and he loved it too, I think. 

Yesterday, I noticed that Cosmo had a loose canine tooth on his right side. It was bloody and gross. Today, Claire and I both wiggled it and tried to get it out! While I was doing this, he lost it. I don't know where it went but I hope it didn't get swallowed, I wanted it! I'll keep my eyes open for it.

Cosmo had his first puppachino from Starbucks on Saturday as well! He LOVED it! He always eats the whipped cream off of my frap and this put a stop to it :)

We moved pretty much everything into my our new apartment! I love it. It's huge and cute and clean. Cosmo seemed to love it too! We are officially moving up in Saturday for good. I hope it doesn't stress the puppy out too much! 

I want nick to come home. He's in Florida and got delayed. :/

Cosmo met all my kids today at Robbinsdale Park! He does so well with them! 

I'm excited for class on Saturday! I'm not excited for my last day of work! It's going to be a fun day, but also sad... 

21 Weeks

Cosmo turned 21 weeks yesterday! That's only a week away from turning 5 months... I just can't believe it. 

We have our new apartment all settled and we are moving in on the sixteenth of this month! That's a little under two weeks away. I'm worried about his barking a little bit but hopefully these classes will help. I'm excited to start this new adventure with him. 

We have been so focused on bark training, we let "come, sit, and stay" training slack a little bit. We worked on it tonight for 30 minutes and he improved already! He's so smart! We have worked on "shake" and he just rolls over and over and then just wants a treat! What a dork!

Teeth

Cosmo has lost AT LEAST three teeth now! Auntie Claire finally found one! :) I just thought I'd let you know!

Cosmo's barking has not approved. I tried a spray bark collar but that ended up just costing me too much money and annoying us both! I signed us up for puppy classes for 6 weeks! Our trainer, Trisha, says that it should help the barking thing! I really hope so because it will annoy our roommates and our neighbors! Fingers crossed! He hasn't peed or pooped inside for a very long time. I am very proud about that! :) 

We move into our new apartment in a couple weeks! I hope Cosmo adjusts well. I want him to love it! 

Loosing teeth

Cosmo has started loosing his front tooth! Yesterday, Saturday, I noticed his smile was different! He's missing two bottom front teeth! :) He's growing up way too fast! :')

Holy crap

It has been a loonng time! Like really long. Like super, super long. Sorry!

Cosmo is 4 months old now. 19 weeks old... It's crazy. He will be 20 weeks on Monday! How is that possible? It seems like just yesterday that he became my baby boy.

A lot has happened! I would consider Cosmo always totally potty trained! He hasn't had an accident in almost a week. It's so nice!

His biting is improving BUT his barking has gotten so much worse! He barks at everything and everyone. Today I broke down and bought a bark collar because if we are moving into an apartment, he cannot bark like that or at all. We will start using it tomorrow.

We have been on two camping trips since I blogged last! Over the 4th of July weekend we went to the Niobrara River and tubed. Cos  mo didn't LOVE it and he slept a lot! He gets so snuggly when he is stressed. There was an abundance of ticks this year and we did not like it! Even with his tick meds, I pulled at least ten off of him! Yuck.

Right after we got back from the River, Cosmo got neutered and got his hernia fixed! He was just as much of a baby as we all expected. They shaved his leg to put the IV in and he lipped for a week! He healed really fast and only had to wear the cone for four days. We was such a snuggle bug during that week and he was just quiet. Then he healed and was back to his psycho self. Recently, I've noticed that the scar over his hernia is puckering and his belly feels swollen. The vet said that it's not necessarily normal so I am taking him in on Monday morning before work. I hope he's fine!

At the Vet's Office

We also went to a family reunion this last weekend with my dad and his girlfriend. I took Cosmo and Nick with me and Claire went also. It was actually really fun! It was the first time that we were meeting Donna Marie, his girlfriend, and the first time dad was meeting Cosmo! CJ finally got to meet his Grandpa. The reunion was in Brookings, SD, which is about 6 hours away. Cosmo mostly slept on the floor of the car where he could be really close to the AC vent. On the way there, we checked out the Badlands, which I've never actually seen! It was pretty neat.

The first night there, Cosmo peed all over Nick's sleeping bag in the tent. Understandably, Nick was not too pleased about this. After Cosmo woke us all up by yapping at 4:30am, Nick opted to sleep in the car. We went out to my second cousin's farm where I lost my shoes and Cosmo rolled in his own feces. We met lots of family and it was generally a good time, minus the poo. I hope he mails my shoes. The next day was filled with errands and the laundromat so that we could clean the sleeping bags that had been urinated on. Then we met the family at a church, took pictures, ate dinner and shared stories. We had Zestos and went back to our campsite. It started to downpour and the wind picked up substantially. It blew our tent just enough to soak everything. We stayed in dad's camper until midnight and then we all slept in the car. Cosmo seemed to mind the least, really. We got up in the morning, said our goodbyes, and headed for home. The four of us stopped by Erin's grave. It was really beautiful and only got more beautiful when we realized that it was her birthday. It was the first time Nick and Cosmo have ever been there.

Starting last Sunday (when we got home) Nick is now living in Sturgis during the Rally. He is working up there for a few weeks to earn some extra cash. Cos and I visited Monday night and slept in his camper. I'd say we all slept pretty well.

Nick and I have some big news! We are now engaged! Cosmo was there during the proposal and tried very hard to make it about him. What a goon. I am very happy. :)

Life is Weird

Cosmo went to the groomers for the first time yesterday! His toenails were tearing up GiGi's couch. He did a pretty good job and only whined a few times. Cosmo even let her grind them with the tool thing and didn't even whine too much. 

Today, Cosmo and I were playing outside and he started getting rough. I tried to make him sit and lay down, as I always do when he's getting too rough. He leaped up and bit my ear very hard. It bled like a mofo and I actually cried. I don't know what to do, or who to talk to about his aggression. He bit Caitlin yesterday too and it bruised very badly. I'm getting a little concerned. My ear hurts.

We went for a long walk in the hopes that it would tire him out. Didn't seem to work, however because he's on the floor squeaking his toy fox.

I am struggling again. 

Camping!

This weekend was Cosmo's first ever camping trip! He did so well. We went as a family (mom, Caitlin, Claire, and Victoire) to Roubaix Lake near Deadwood, our favorite place to camp. Cosmo has never seen a lake before. He was a little apprehensive at first but when I put him in, he seemed to enjoy it! He swam around a little and then got out. He got back in later that day. I think he liked how cold it was and how much it cooled him off. It makes him look so much skinnier when he's wet. It made his head look enormous.

Cosmo went to into our new kayak with me a few times as well. He was not bothered by it at all. It was just like the car, he went right to sleep. We paddled all around the lake and only woke up when I caught a turtle and jostled the boat. Then Cosmo met his first turtle.

There were many new puppies at the lake. There was a golden lab, the same age as Cosmo and a corgi puppy that was a week younger. They all got along really well and that makes me happy. It's good for him to get socialized with other dogs, especially ones his age. He does a great job with other dogs.

Cosmo and Remy, our next door neighbor

Cosmo also experienced his first campfire. He slept next to it several times, at a safe distance, of course.

Cosmo slept in his first tent this weekend and handled it very well. I brought his bed and his pillow and his blanket but he only wanted to sleep in my backpack. I guess it was more comfortable than all the stuff I brought him. The second night he slept on mom's cot. I woke up to him licking my face both mornings. Cosmo did not have an accident in the tent at all! He did a really good job.

Victoire does such a good job with Cosmo. He loves her very much! She calls him Prince Cosmo and Baby Dog.

Despite being in the outdoors a lot, Cosmo has no ticks, thank goodness! Greg found one on Ruby, his dog, that is huge!

Cosmo has pretty much done nothing but sleep all day. He is exhausted! We ran him hard. He played fetch, he ran on the beach, we went on a post rain walk, we chased tons of dogs, we hunted dogs. It was a great weekend. I wish that Nick could have been there to see all of these big firsts for Cosmo, but hopefully he can come next time.

Just 'cause he's cute