Training Up Cocoa

This is a favorite photograph because it shows the white touches on her paws. (One of the things I fell in love with the first time I saw her.) I almost cried when she went to the groomer for the first time because she came back looking so grown up. Most of the white on her back paws had been clipped off. She’s about five months old in this photo—still a baby and not yet enrolled in Dog School. At Christmas, I always make a batch of cookies that I call Cocoa Paws. I’ll post the recipe in a week along with photos of the cookies. Then you’ll understand how they got their name. —CS

Sunday afternoon we headed out to the battlefields at Kennesaw Mountain. Cocoa has not been to the area in months and it is a really neat place to take dogs. Keep them on a six foot lead because park officials are keen about this.

In the summer, the Park Service allows the grass to grow for reseeding. I have always wondered if they cut the larger battlefields and bale the grass. They are beautiful any time of the year. And while it does not look like a stressful track to the top, it is. The grade is long and steep. I explained to her that many Union soldiers died here as they tried to overtake Confederate troops, who were dug in at the top of the hill. It was a senseless war that has led to decades of heartache, sorrow, and strife. May it never take place again.

Cocoa was amazed at the remains of a tunnel dug by Union Soldiers. It only goes into the mountain a few feet. Soldiers abandoned it after realizing the task was too difficult. Someone certainly had a set of strong paws to get that far. Georgia red clay can be hard as stone. The Park Service has fortified the tunnel entrance to prevent its collapse.

We made it to the top of Cheatham Hill and guess what? There was no water to be found anywhere. No wonder the soldiers found it so hard to conquer this mountain. No water, no dog treats, and no hand-held fans to cool a puppy dog off. Obviously, someone forgot to pack the Dog School 101 survival pack!

We cooled off and rested on the steps of a monument dedicated to the men who died fighting at Cheatham Hill. While we were there we suddely remembered a place only a few miles away that sells homemade Italian Ice. (Mmmmmm — let’s go!)

This thought was enough to bring us to our paws and gave us the strength to hike the half mile back to the car which led up another hill and across another battlefield.

Along the way someone got lost in the high grass and was off on a trail of a small animal. Cocoa was wagging her tail so hard over the delightful sniffs that the camera’s shutter could not keep up. At one time, there were lots of deer at Kennesaw, but not today. Construction of homes along the edges of the battlefields has eliminated all hope of seeing deer at sunset. However, there are still lots of smaller critters.

At Rita’s, Cocoa Joy enjoyed fresh banana Italian Ice (it had real chucks of bananas! Double Mmmmmm!)

Lots of licks from her own cup and spoon and lots of fresh water too. If only the soldiers who had fought at Kennesaw had had these, everyone would have stopped fighting and chilled out.

Then it was time to take a quick nap on the way home and dream about next week’s adventure. Could there be a boyfriend on the horizon?

Cocoa is not really turning gray. Her trainer (Dog School 101) has told me that after dogs turn two, it is normal for their coats to change color. When she was born she had a white muzzle then it went away. Now she is three, the white muzzel is returning. She had to stay at home this year while I went to the beach, but she promised to wait for me and she did just that. She waited.

When I left my office on Friday, a co-worker asked, “What is Cocoa going to do this weekend?” I smiled and said, “We’ll think of something.” But I didn’t know what that “something” would be. A remodeling project that was supposed to end a couple of weeks ago was dragging on. Plus, tropical storm Fay was threatening to move north bringing buckets of rain to our area (or at least this is what we hoped would happen). So Saturday came and Cocoa did not have a planned adventure in the works. She chased a squirrel around the backyard until it was delirious with fear. She sat patiently beside me as I painted baseboards in the new office area, but that was certainly a lackluster job. And to add insult to the waning situation, she had been banished to the den after flopping down on the freshly grouted tile floor. Saturday was a wash and Sunday was not looking much better.

By Sunday afternoon she had given up. I was held up with the computer writing madly and trying to catch up on some work. Storm clouds were rolling in, and all Miss Cocoa could do was take a nap.

Every few minutes, she opened her eyes and looked up to see what was going on . . . nothing much from a doggie perspective.

PJ the cat dropped in and together they watched to see what the birds were doing in the yard in-between rain showers. There were no butterflies to chase, no rocks to pick up, and no wasps to snap. Drat. It was a rainy, rainy, afternoon.

Just when it seemed nothing good would ever happen again, the kitchen came alive with activity. It was time to bake cookies for Miss Opal and all her friends. Guess who got to help lick the beaters? (And yes, they were immediately washed and sanitized.)

Then it was time to place the trays in the oven, but not all at once—one at at time. And Cocoa was content to watch the oven door to make sure the job was done right. (Notice the chocolate head in the center of the photograph.)

After one tray was removed, another was prepared until all the cookies were done. Whew, this was certainly a hard job. Wonder if Johanna had this much trouble helping her Mommy?

After it was all over, Cocoa realized that being at home could be a good adventure. Who needs long winding paths to follow every day? Being with family and friends and especially good neighbors are the best things that life has to offer, and this is what Cocoa did this past weekend. (smile)

The afternoon began with me just sitting on the porch alone.

But it ended really good because I got to go for a long walk in the city . . . .

where I met Mr. Frog by the lake. He told me there was nothing better than reading a good book.

Chasing ducks and stuff could not compare to this.

Before I knew it, we had walked over to the library, and he had opened a big book and began to read and read and read. He was right. It was the best fun. The end. (For now)

Freckles is a new friend and someone who is just fun to hangout with. I took this photo and then noticed that Cocoa was in her “down and stay” position and not up and running around the classroom. I was amazed! The moment she walks through the door at Dog School 101, she goes into full obedience mode.

Precious Cocoa on the day I took her home. I had no idea what was ahead of me when it came to training her.

Cocoa when she was four months old. By the time she was five months, she was enrolled in Dog School.

Cocoa is on her way to becoming a Delta Society dog. I just got off the telephone with one of her trainers from Dog School 101. Her checkup class (before her final exam) is on July 12 at 2:30 p.m. Then the final exam is on July 19. Then she will be able to go into nursing homes for visits. She has her basic and CGC (Canine Good Citizenship) degrees. Is this an honor? I think it is. Is this something only “special” dogs can do? Absolutely not. This is something any dog can do, if their owners make the choice to train them so that they can give back to others a portion of what has been given to them.

I knew from the first moment that I held Cocoa in my arms I wanted her to be something more that wild and unruly. But five months into her young life, this is exactly what she was becoming: WILD. I wanted her to learn to walk calmly beside me, sit on command, and come when called. However, it was hard to imagine this as being a possibility, especially after I witnessed her swinging like a circus performer on the bottom limbs of my year-old weeping cherry tree. “What has happened?” I asked myself. One day, she was a sweet loving two and a half month old puppy following at my heels, and the next thing I knew she had turned in to an outraged little character that was learning to watch me from a distance and deliberately disobey.

Swinging on the weeping cherry tree in the front yard became a serious problem. I would tell her no and call her to come, but she totally ignored me. The above photo captures the exact moment I realized we would end up in a training class.

More Than A Wild Bean
I knew I could not allow her to grow up this way. I wanted her to be the type of dog that could go anywhere without causing problems or confussion. I also wanted her to be an encouragement but Cocoa was developing an attitude. If she could talk, she probably would have looked up at me and said: “It’s all about me, Mommy! Didn’t you get the memo?” As she approached her five-month birthday, it became evident she actually believed her own bad press. She acted as if she was royalty and needed to be shipped off to the England where she could run free across the Great Park lawn at Windsor Castle. Something needed to be done.

One day while I was lamenting to my vet about her “hard-headed approach to life,” we watched as she pulled her lead out of my hand, gather it in her mouth and head for the door. This dog was not dumb. Without taking a second breath, he asked if I had thought about enrolling her in dog school.

At that point, I had no idea what it would take to get Cocoa to a point where she would walk calmly on the end of a lead. Though I was motivated for change, I confess there was a lot involved in her training. But thanks to Sandy and Xalina, who have been and still are committed to her success, Cocoa is in a state of becoming something much better than a “wild and silly bean”! That’s what I call her when she does something completely nuts and also pretty cute. The truth is: she is on her way to enjoying life because a trained dog is a happy dog. They don’t fuss with being fearful because they realize their pack leader is in charge and they don’t have to worry.

Under my desk—one of her favorite places when she was a puppy.

Captured on Camera
The following photos make up a section on this blog called “Training Up Cocoa.” A few were taken with a Nikon point and shoot before I decided to step up a little and purchase a D-40. I hope that they will make someone who is reading this smile. But I also hope that they will inspire many people to go through the wonderful experience of obedience training for his or her dog. One of the first things I learned is that dog training is not just about changing wrong behavior in our dogs. It is all about changing our behavior and learning how to be a pack leader.

The rewards Cocoa and I receive as a result of visiting the elderly and sick will be many. The last part of my grandmother’s life was spent in a nursing home. She loved to have visitors and she loved dogs. Cocoa’s training ended up changing me—my level of patience, communication, and discipline. I hope you enjoy “training up Cocoa” and some of the tips I offer along the way. I’m not an expert when it comes to dogs. Like most people, I’m in the process of learning from some pretty cool experts through Dog School 101. And I’m forever grateful to them for their patience, encouragement, and cheers over Cocoa’s successes.

Taking first place in a contest at the end of our beginner’s class at Dog School 101. The prizes included a hula hoop and a bag of treats. The hula hoop was supposed to be used to teach her not to be afraid. The treats were eaten within moments.