The Versatile Blogger Award: A Major Award

OK, so my award didn't arrive in a giant wooden box, and it doesn't glow electric in my window at night, but I'm just as proud of it as Ralphie's father from A Christmas Story.  The Versatile Blogger Award really is a major award and thanks to Yoda's mama from Yoda the Pit Bull for nominating me!  If you don't frequent Yoda's blog, you should because Yoda couldn't be any cuter!  And Roberta's style is refreshing.  You will want to check them out, for sure.  And look what they gave me:

Isn't she a beaut? Here are the rules for accepting the award:

Thank the person who nominated you and provide a link to their blog.

List 7 things about yourself.

Nominate 15 blogs for the Versatile Blogger Award.

Here we go.  7 things about Brandi...

1.  I studied creative writing in college.  It didn't prepare me to write a blog about dogs.

2.  I love Westerns, but not Spaghetti Westerns.  I hate those.  

3.  I like routine.  The more routine, the better. 

4.  I didn't originally want to get a dog, but am thankful every day that Bill talked me into it!

5.  I never wear any make up.  Ever. 

6.  My favorite season is summer because it is so hot.  Florida days never get too hot for me!

7.  I hate winter.  70 degrees is too cold for me.  I am miserable at 65.  Miserable. 

Now the 15 blogs I am nominating for the major award.  These are blogs that I follow regularly because I think they are entertaining, informative, and just plain great.

Small Tales

Miley's Daily Scoop

Pooch Smooches

Clooney's Num Num Fund 

2 Punk Dogs

Oh, Corbin

24 Paws of Love

Through the Eyes of Tweedles

Milo and Jet's Adventures 

A Tonk's Tail
Small Tales
It's a Ruff Ruff World
Oz the Terrier 
Call it Kismet
Dakota's Den

Coco Takes AND Leaves Nature's Variety Instinct Treats

I have to admit, Coco has just about no standards when it comes to treats, except for one: treats must be crunchy.  When chewy.com asked me to review Nature's Variety Instinct treats, I knew Coco would be thrilled; they looked pretty hard.

I was right.  These treats are super crunchy and Coco loves them! We got the lamb and spinach flavor, which smells good enough for me to eat.  They snap in half perfectly, so I can take just half on a walk.  Since these have a strong smell, they are perfect for "Hide The Treat" which is one of Coco's favorite games.

Don't let the picture fool you, I thought Coco was going to take my hand off getting at these treats the first time I tried to put them down.  Lucky for me she has a good understanding of "leave it."

Thanks chewy.com!

Happy Tongue Out Tuesday From Cousin Madam Star

Tuesdays are tough.

If Money Were No Object...

Daddy always says that I spoil Coco.  OK, so this is probably true.  But what if money were no object, how would I spoil her then?  What would our lives look like?  People often daydream about how things would change if they were spending money to improve their own lives, but what about if we were just focused on improving our dogs', without worrying about how much it would cost?  Mine and Bill's--and Coco's--would look something like this...

We would live in this house

so Coco could have lots of room to run around free of fence and leash.  In the back of our house we have one of these

And for when Coco is ready to come inside from a day of running free and swimming, she can get a bath here

When she is ready to go to bed, she will can rest her little brown head in her comfy, stylish bed like this one

Of course I wouldn't be working because I'd have to be a full-time dog mommy.  But don't worry, I'd still want to blog!  How would you spoil your dog if money were no object?

Coco Gets Spoiled!

Recently Coco became a Spokesdoggy for Petbox, which means that now she gets to tell you all about how great it is when your doggy gets a petbox in the mail, and that she gets her very own petbox.  And trust me, she thinks it is pretty darn great.  Look at all the loot from her petbox!

If you want to spoil your pup, go to getpetbox.com and enter Coco's code for 10% off!

Code: DeathByChocolateLab

The Best TV Dogs

Recently I took an online quiz to find out which fictional duo me and Coco are.  The results? Snoopy and Woodstock: always by each other's sides.  I had my fingers crossed for Scooby Doo and Shaggy (my childhood favorite).  I had forgotten all about Snoopy!  Here is my list of TV's favorite dogs...

Lassie.  What's that Lassie?  Timmy fell in the well? Lassie is one of the most well-known TV dogs.

Snoopy.  It is so easy to love Snoopy.  We all know dogs like Snoopy, dogs who aren't quite convinced they are actually dogs...I have one myself.

Buck from Married with Children. Buck was always my favorite character on the show. The rest of the show? Eh.

Brian Griffin from The Family Guy.  This is why I love Brian.

Rin-Tin-Tin, beloved German Shepherd from the 50s and 60. He was brave, tough, and an American Classic.

Santa's Little Helper from the Simpsons--"He's a loser.  He's pathetic.  He's...a Simpson."

Scooby Doo. Who doesn't love this goofy, scardey cat?

Who is your favorite TV dog?

What Type of "Security" Dog Do You Have?

Our friends at dropcam shared this cute infographic with us and asked this question: what kind of PUPtector do you have? After talking it over it over with Daddy, we decided that Coco is a Fence Hopper, always ready to bolt out and protect us from a world full of pesky varmints.  This happens on a daily basis.  We let her out back to go potty and she ends up chasing any number of tiny to mid-sized creatures.

One time Coco escaped to puptect us from the mail carrier.  He was walking up to our door to deliver a package, but Bill's daughter accidentally left the door cracked.  Coco took the opportunity to "Fence Hop" and scare the poor guy half to death.  Kristin walked outside to find the mail carrier holding the package in Coco's face, while Coco barked her head off.  Coco, like a good girl, came when called and all was well.  In Coco's mind mission was accomplished.  

After learning a little about dropcam this is what interests me: with the dropcam home security system you can keep an eye on your home (and your pets) while you are away.  They offer cloud recording and with the app you can receive custom alerts and control your cameras from any device.  

Even with Coco's Fence Hopping, I'd love to get a dropcam system.  Now just to convince Daddy...

Coco Gets Schooled By The Best Trainer in Tallahassee: Bruce From Groovy Dogs

Since we have been having trouble with Coco, and it seems as though our training her ourselves wasn't doing much good, we decided to get a professional trainer for her.  I am so glad we did!  Bruce from Groovy Dogs has helped us take Coco from neighborhood hooligan, to model citizen (almost) in a matter of weeks!

Specifically, we were having trouble with Coco mauling visitors when they came in the front door, just about knocking them over with her excitement (or disdain, depending on the visitor).  And of course on walks, where she was lunging and barking at strange people and dogs, so that she was getting a bad name around the neighborhood.  Both behaviors were embarrassing, but more importantly, made me feel like I was failing her.  Both Bill and I knew that we had to do something.

I contacted Bruce and with just a few easy to implement strategies for us to practice, he had Coco in shape in no time!  I mean, really it took just a few sessions at the door before Coco let Madam's Mommy in without jumping on her.  This was a miracle.

In addition, after practicing Bruce's method of walking with Coco, she can now let strangers pass without any anxiety at all!  What we had been trying to correct for almost a year, with Bruce's help, we managed to almost eradicate within a few weeks.

I was hesitant about getting a trainer for Coco, but for the life of me now I don't why.  Coco is happier (she gets more walks), we are happier, and I'm sure our neighbors are happier (some have even commented on how good she is behaving).

If you are considering a trainer, I would highly recommend it (if you are in Tally, look Bruce up!).  It was one of the best decisions we ever made!

A Message From Coco

"Mommy has been so busy at work she hasn't had much time for me.  I'm so lonely.  I have only had 3 belly rubs in the last week.  If anyone out there sees this, please send treats.  Things are getting desperate.  If you see my Mommy, tell her we miss her. "

Black and White Sunday: Sitting Sisters

I wonder what they are watching...

Wordless Wednesday: Madam's Rebellion

Cousin Madam Star refuses to come inside.  Instead, soaks up the sun a little longer.

Coco Puckers Up for Pecks!

We received quite possibly the best Chewy.com box last week.  Daddy thought it was our regular food shipment, but oh no, it was so much more.  In our little box was was another little box of treats.   These treats from The Honest Kitchen are called pecks and may very well be the perfect treat (other than Mommy's homemade treats, of course).

Let me tell you why we love these so much:

1. They really are perfect for training.
We have been in the habit of carrying treats with us on walks, since Coco has a little bit of trouble being nice when meeting strangers.  Pecks are great because they are small (sometimes we need tons of them) and they don't make our hands stink.

2.  They are only .6 calories per treat!
And Coco is just fine with this.

3.  Coco loves the flavor.
They are buffalo and blueberry.  Yum.  Them more she likes them, the better they are for training.  She likes just about every treat we throw at her, but these really get her attention.

4.  I have confidence in the brand.
The Honest Kitchen produces pecks in the USA, and in a human food facility. Pecks are made with 100% human-grade ingredients, to boot. Cheers all around.

I think we have found our new favorite treats.  Thanks Chewy.com; we couldn't have done it without you!

Coco's New Milestone

This time last year I was singing Coco's praises because we had left shoes out in the living room for a whole 3 weeks without having to pick laces out of her butt.  Now it has been a year and the dog who once pulled off and destroyed the refrigerator magnets has calmed down significantly. So when I accidentally left my laptop and the remote on the couch this morning I was only slightly worried that I would come home to a mangled mess of electronics.  I am thrilled to report everything was intact, including Coco's butt.

Wordless Wednesday: Selfie

Coco's 5 Love Languages

Recently Bill and I were talking about our Love Languages (my prevalent language is quality time, and his is receiving gifts).  It got me thinking about Coco's Love Language.  Receiving Snacks probably is her #1, but Repetitive Ball Throws is so close behind!  Here is my version of the translated list:

Receiving Snacks (Receiving Gifts)
Repetitive Ball Throws (Acts of Service)
Snuggle Time (Quality Time)
Belly Rubs (Physical Touch)
Atta Girls (Words of Affirmation)

Now that I'm looking at it, this is pretty close to Bill's preference.  I guess they are more a like than I thought, at least in how they express their love.

What's you dog's Love Language?