What? You are right.  The above is not really a good excuse.  Like when your dog eats your slippers, digs in your garden, and once a year poops on your extremely expensive carpet… it really is not a good excuse.

Toni & Lucy at the American Kooikerhondje Club

So what have I, Nelleke, and Toni been up to?

Quite a lot!

First, in April/May we drove cross the entire US.

Toni the Ring Bearer

We saw Mount Rushmore, roamed the high plains of the West, participated in a wedding, and enjoyed lying on our huge bed in the car.  For me it was my second round-trip cross-country, for Toni it was his first.

Add A Kooiker To The Mountain!

Being his first road trip meant that Toni was bound to get into trouble.  Lots of trouble.  Just to give you an idea… Toni discovered the joys of rolling in deer dung.  The owners had eight hours left in the car trip with a stinky dog.  You think they had it rough.  I had to sleep next to it. GROSS!

This summer we went to our first meeting of the Kooikerhondje Club of the United States.  Come to find out, they think I am the oldest Kooiker in the US.  If I am, that makes me a very cool dog indeed.  If I am not, well I am still cool!

Toni met his potential girlfriend while at the club meeting.

We have made other trips and hikes all across New England as we introduce Toni to the rest of the United States.  Toni went on his first camping trip to Mt. Mansfield in Vermont.  He had such a ball!

We both had a great time visiting Erin and her wonderful family outside of Boston.  They wanted to meet us to see if a Kooikerhondje would be a great fit for them and their family.   No surprise as they were definitely happy with the both of us!  We cannot wait until they get their puppy!

Running To The Next Adventure

So what’s next?

Hopefully more fun, adventure, and food!

Welcome back in case you are following us already and welcome everyone else who is new and interested in our special breed. You will love us.

Today it is me – Toni – telling you some stories about what happened recently in our exciting dog life here in snowy cold Connecticut.

Hey! I'm a dog!

End of last year our dear owners Susanne and Erroin left us for 6 six days with a dog nanny staying in our house. That was the first time in our lives and I think Susanne was more nervous than us when they left to the airport. But I have to tell you, this young girl who stayed with us was fantastic. She took me to her horse barn and I got the chance to spend every day outside with the horses. Nelle, my older partner here, had a pretty good time as well. I can highly recommend to have someone staying in your own place when your owners have to leave and can’t take you with them. I think our owners would never put us in a kennel or some petsitting home.

Since January I started training agility with Susanne. I know, I am only 8.5 months old, but the class is pretty easy and the goal is obviously to combine obedience with new obstacles. What a great idea. I get the chance to 1. Meet new dogs 2. Learn exciting obstacles like tire/bridge/chute/tunnel 3. Practice obedience with distraction and 4. Get exercise!!!

When we first started, I thought this is all about the other dogs. Can you imagine, there are those 2 cute Chihuahua girls in my class, 3 Golden Retriever, a beautiful German Shepard, a mini poddle, an Australian Cattle dog and other rare types of dogs. Then it doomed me that it is not about the dogs but also about listening to Susanne and learning new commands with the obstacles.

In the meantime Susanne got the permission from her hospital to bring me along as a therapy dog after I pass the tests in may. Delta society dogs need to be at least one year old to get certified. I can’t wait to visit children in the pediatric unit and to spend time with them. Susanne’s Spanish teacher brings her two daughters from time to time to our house and that is so much fun! I adore them and don’t understand why they have to leave after one hour. Sleeping in their lap and getting constant petting for one hour is heaven!

Here the new command I learned last month: Stand. You know what, this is a really important command. Just think about it, everyone

I Love The Snow

is usually asking you to sit. Sit here, sit there, sit sit sit…booooring. Susanne thought, well, it might be useful that Toni knows a verbal and visual command for standing and to keep standing even when she walks away or around me. Boy, that was hard at the beginning. I just wanted to follow here everywhere. But then, with the clicker as additional training tool, I started to understand what this new game is all about.

So, everyone out there: This is it for now. More about us in a few weeks. Please get in contact with us when you have questions, ideas,or if you want to share great experiences with us. We are here for you, our new Kooikerhondje friends.

If you do not hear any sound — check the volume of the player.

Our owner is planning more videos.  We would love to have your comments about them!

So, what does that mean to all of you my wonderful friends?  Well it means that we are going to kick of a new website for 2010 that is dedicated to Kooikerhondjes!

That is right! Videos, photos, news, events, and other wild stuff that we can do and share with you.  So thank you all very much so far for reading our blog so far.  We are back! Badder, Better, and Kooiker as ever!

1) Study the breeds very carefully.  Understand what personality comes with the breed you are going to get. This is the most crucial item you need to know and completely comprehend.  For instance, if you like a clean car, clean home, and not particularly fond of water then a Labrador is not the dog for you.  They love water.  See a puddle and BOOM they are rolling in it.  No matter how hard you try to break them of that “habit”, you are really going against the dog’s breeding and instincts.   My owner discovered that with my breed, the Kooikerhondje, that we are mellow and love being outside.  Two very important traits she desired.

Kooikerhondje in the water

2) Know if your dog is a working dog and what their job is.  Most mid to large breeds were bred to be working dogs.  Shepherds were bred to herd things like sheep.  Retrievers were bred to retrieve things like quail or pheasants during hunts.  If you do not give your dog a job that plays to their talents then they become very dissatisfied and act out against you.  It is their way of telling you that they need something to do.  Walking alone is not enough to satisfy their desire to serve you and the pack.  You can find plenty of activities in your local area that will help mimic the job your dog was bred to perform.  In my case, my owner trained me to be part of a search and rescue team which matched closely to my breeds desire to lure.

Kooikerhondje Puppy Carries Sticks

3) Finally look in the mirror and ask yourself if you are ready to live with a two year old for 10 to 15 years.  A dog, no matter how old they get, are constantly two years old in their mind.  No matter how well a dog is trained they will always find a way to remind you that they are a dog.  It is that last part that you the human need to be ready to appreciate.  Like my owner’s friend has said,”Children are easier. At some point they actually grow up!” As a dog, I can tell you, that I am never going to grow up.  If you are not ready for this, then perhaps a cat would be a better choice for you.