We have nicknames for all of our dogs – our fosters, our temporary guests, and of course Oscar. Some of these names make more sense than others. Barney was Sir Barnabas, or Barnacle (we’re big How I Met Your Mother fans). Bandit was Bandito or Band-Aid. Tucker was known around Foster House as Tuck Tuck Goose.
And Cooper? Well, we’ve taken to calling him “Pig.”
There are several reasons for this name – three to be exact. First, Coop is one of the most food-motivated dogs I’ve met. He gobbles his meals down with astounding speed, even mastering The Egg in record time. If we leave treats out anywhere accessible to him while we’re out of the house, well forget it, they’ll be nothing but a memory by the time we get home. The first time I called Cooper “Piggy” was last weekend, when we were feeding the dogs an extra special treat of left-over sweet potatoes. I don’t think they even touched his tongue, he scarfed them down so fast. My little piggy!
The second reason for Cooper’s nickname is how he snorts like a pig when he sleeps. Sometimes he’ll squish his face into a pillow, and when he’s reeeeeeeally tired, he makes the most adorable little snorting sound.
Seriously, it’s freakin’ cute.
And the third reason we call Cooper “Pig” is not quite as endearing…it’s the wee, wee, wee. Now I don’t know if the nursery rhyme meant “wee” like we’ve been experiencing it, but that’s the way I’m taking it. Cooper’s potty training has been…sporatic. The first week, he did great – outside every time, no accidents. Even when he escaped his crate and redecorated our house, there was no business left anywhere. Since then, he’s not been quite so consistent.
At night, he’s just fine. But when we aren’t at home, we’ve been leaving him out of the crate with Oscar, since we learned that when he’s alone, he gets the urge to redecorate. Oscar has been enough of a calming influence on him that his destructiveness has been kept to a minimum for the most part. However, his bladder is another story. We take him outside right before we leave the house, and give treats and lots of praise when he does what we want him to do. I even come home in the middle of the day to let him out during lunch time. But for some reason, he just hasn’t been able to make it through the afternoon.
I pinky swore to Cooper that I would not embarrass him any more than I already have, so I will not post pictures of this, but…we’ve resorted to belly bands. Have you heard of these? I’m not going to go into too much detail because frankly – I think it’s a little weird. But I will say this, even when Cooper does have an accident now, it’s a lot less clean-up. Check out the link for more information – as odd as I find them, they work!
Which brings us to our next quality that Cooper’s furever People would do well to possess: patience! Well, that and hard-surfaced floors! 🙂 But seriously, “house trained” is not a skill that Cooper can list on his résumé at this time. We are certainly working on it, very hard, every day. We are narrowing down a potty schedule that works for him (and for us) in order to try to set him up to be successful.
So there you have it – the dirt behind Cooper’s nickname. I swear, it’s meant only in the most endearing way possible. We do love our little Pig!
Does anyone else have any funny nicknames for their fosters of furevers? Share them with us and post a picture over on our Facebook page!
If you want to give Cooper your own nickname, please contact Agape Animal Rescue for more information on adoption.
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Okay, a few things…first of all, I also loooooove HIMYM and I have a friend who absolutely wants to name her first dog Barnacle because of that show. Secondly, Lucy Lou’s nickname is also Pig because of the crazy snorting that happens when she is sleeping and/or excited! Finally, the belly bands thing is hilarious…but I’m glad you’ve found something to maintain your sanity with the potty issues, because I know that nobody wants to clean pee day in and day out! 🙂
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OMG Emily I cannot even tell you…it was EVERY day, TWICE a day, I was cleaning up pee. Not just pee, but like a freakin’ river of pee! LOL Agape suggested the belly bands and brought us one, at first Dave was like “no way we’re putting him in that.” But of course I was the one who got home first every day and had to do the pee cleaning! So I vetoed his veto. 🙂
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ugh, could that face be any cuter? so, with emma, i had a lot of trouble with the potty when i first got her. her “i have to go potty” signal is the most subtle thing ever. she even now still has accidents and she is more than two. however, if she has them, it is when she is at the park and drinks a ton of water and all our normal schedules are off. so now we are really careful to watch her water intake and if she is drinking a lot of water, we take her out more. maybe watching his water intake would help?
have you thought about setting up a camera? maybe he is “going” the same time everyday? that is initially what happened with emma. i realized it was sometime between 9-10 PM. so, i always took her out by 8:59 PM.
another thought is that maybe he has something medical going on? you guys are so amazing that i am sure you already thought of that though.
oh, i am just throwing ideas out there. we are sending good potty training thoughts your way….
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That’s a really good idea about setting up a camera…as it is, I’ve been experimenting coming home at slightly different times for lunch, trying to hit that sweet spot to where he won’t pee in the morning OR the afternoon.
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I’m so glad to hear the belly band is helping. We have seriously been considering one of those as a solution for Razer. He only goes in the house when he is home alone. By home alone I mean even if we are just outside or gone 10 mins. Our trainer says it is part of his isolation distress. Can’t crate him because he will chew his tail until it is a bloody mess, so I’d rather clean pee….. who knows…. We’re working on it.
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Sounds like Coop and Razer are cut from the same mold!
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He’s so darn cute! I’m no vet but have you had his thyroid or sugar checked? Maybe it’s medical? But, he’s so darn cute! Good luck.
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Hmm, I sure hope not! I’ll keep that in mind though, we may have to check on that.
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Your post couldn’t have come at a better time! I’m really interested in this belly band idea… Our newer pup Stranger pees in the house occasionally after we leave, even after a super long walk to relieve himself, and we’ve not yet isolated the issue. My husband is unexpectedly going out of the country for 60 days, so they will be alone for eight hours a day during that time (work is too far to come home at lunch for me). I am preparing for lots of cleaning up while I try and find someone I trust to take the dogs out mid-day (Stranger is leash reactive and 115 pounds, so he’s difficult to handle if you’re not used to him). Does Cooper try to take it off, or does it seem to both him at all?
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He has actually ripped it off a few times – but only AFTER he’s peed in it, so I still don’t have to clean up a river of pee! I think the one we have for him might be a little small actually, so make sure you follow the sizing instructions really well.
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Mesa is the exact same way with the snorting and the gobbling of food!
Stop on by for a visit
Kari
http://dogisgodinreverse.com
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Im confident hell learn! The realism so so important!
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