Admittedly, I could not wait for Cooper to turn 8 months old. Yes, I might have missed the puppy days, but the fluff, the big Yeti fluff, needed attention. I was itching to handstrip the boy and finally reveal the young beautiful junior cocker spaniel hidden underneath it all.

It took us a week in total. Or about 8 hours, which I expected and quietly prayed that Coop would cooperate. And he did really well. Made me proud. I knew it would be difficult for a young puppy to sit patiently for hours at the end, so, just like I did with Oscar, we split the session into 30 minute intervals, two a day, one in the morning, after our first walk, and the other one – in the evening, just before his dinner.

Since both activities were on Coops list of favourites, he was happy to oblige and behave knowing too well that there will be a reward and lots and lots of treats available.

The process was very easy. Everything was done by hand just as it was supposed to be. This time I also decided to buy professional scissors with the right number of teeth and the length to suit my hand. Granted, I parted with a pair of Vionnet sandals to get my scissors, but having proper tools really did make the difference. I would definitely recommend this option instead of getting grooming tools at the local pet shop. There are several professional ranges out there to suit different budgets and if you have one or two dogs, pick anything in a region of £35-50, ideally German or Japanese made.

And don’t forget a pack of white chalk – it makes it a lot easier to pull the hair out. Don’t apply it on the coat, though. Just glide your fingertips over the surface and the light dusting will give you enough grip.

Now the boy has got an ombre look of a sable cocker and a very shiny, almost laqured-like coat. I had to run and buy him a new collar to compliment the new style. I know, I know, he is one spoilt little pooch.

Six months old. New teeth. Very-very fluffy coat, sexy-flick-on-a-side fringe locks included. Plenty of teenage attitude mixed with the slowly fading puppy sweetness. It’s good to see my boy grow and become a perfect cocker spaniel.

I must admit, emotionally it feels odd at times. My brain still plays tricks. I see Coop, think of Oscar, feel happy simply because I have a dog, almost as if my boys are formed into one. It is impossible to explain. And I still miss Oscar. Whenever I see a dog called Oscar I envy those people for having a dog with the most beautiful name. Whenever I see a dog who is older than Oscar, I feel a punch of unfairness for losing my boy so soon. The pain that comes with it really-really sucks.

But on a positive side, Cooper makes life amazing. With his kisses and desire to run and play and keep me busy at all times. Boy, this pup is a runner! Even though he is still a baby, he runs wild whenever he can without any fear. It’s good to see him do that, be happy, do what a dog is supposed to do.

We take him for long walks in the country whenever we can, so he can release his energy and emotions, come home and collapse on a sofa for hours and hours of satisfied sleep.

He loves these walks so much that we stopped thinking of taking him anywhere else at the moment. I think we will, eventually, but for now we just enjoy every day as it comes and I use the time to train him loose lead walking and, in my dreams, catch up on my sleep, which is a mission impossible right now.

Yes, sleeping is still complicated. We were hoping that the sleeping situation will get back to normal in about a month, just like it was with Oscar. But Cooper turned out to be an early riser, so I am still up at 5AM for his toilet break, then try to sleep until 6 if I am lucky. At 6 me and the boy get up and go for our morning walk, or should I say, jog… Then we are back for his wash, blow-dry and breakfast and once it’s all done, he goes for a nap and I start living my day. Maybe in a few months (or when the clock changes) things will get easier. For now – I am hooked on coffee as if it was my lifeline.

TRAINING: mainly focusing on loose-lead walking. The rest is something Cooper already remembers well, so I just play-train him during our walks.

FOOD: On Royal Canin, now twice per day with a little snack around mid-day. He is also eating chicken (either as part of his meals or training treats), organic eggs, carrots, cucumbers and lettuce. I would also like to add a little cooked broccoli and, now on a regular basis – a little organic passata (twice a week).

CHARACTER: Cooper is definitely a lot more confident these days. He can run to certain dogs, but does choose which ones. Yet he loves pretty much every human being, though not as much as us. I also think he feels very grown up because he hates it when I have to carry him like a pup, though I still have to do it because he cannot jump on/off the furniture himself and refuses to go down the stairs (and I am not planning to force him do that).

SIDE NOTE: I am loving taking photos of him and spending time with him. Yes, it’s pretty much all I do these days (with a bit of work on a side whenever I get a moment), but I don’t feel like I am missing out on life or events. It feels good to be with him, learn more and more about dogs (I’ve got a mile-long list of veterinary and dog-related titles to get through) and teach him a thing or two about the world. Oh, and he still smells so sweet!

 

So, naively, I thought that Cooper lost all but two of his puppy teeth. I guess I simply wanted the process to be over as soon as possible. Then a tooth popped out. And another one. And one more. Basically, even before he got rid of his puppy canines, he had a series of random teeth to deal with. And so did I, obviously.

By now the old toys lost their appeal and I needed something for the boy to bite into. I thought of replacing his leather favourites, but at the very last moment changed my mind and went for a Green & Wilds suede bone.

And hit the jackpot!

Cooper loved it so much that I put three more on order, just to have a supply of them around because I didn’t want to chew the same one forever purely for bacteria-related issues. So far he used it to loosen the teeth, whenever his gums felt sore and whenever he felt like chewing.

Brilliant little toy, absolutely brilliant.