Ha! Equal parts cute and hilarious.

Can't wait to get home to see/hear the video! (Stupid work computer with no Flash9!) Keep up the good work writing and not killing Coco Furrocious.

Coco is so cute! I love that she gets so excited to see you guys. Chuck just walks around like what the hell is all that noise for. haha

My Wiener Dog started barking and going crazy when he heard me watching the video of that crazy yelping!

That's awesome. The dog across the street from me makes a very similar, (albeit much louder) noise when her people get home. It almost sounds like a car ran over her hind quarters and she's laying in the street writhing in pain.
Coco is much cuter.

I think weird vocalizations are an Aussie thing. I had a dog that was part Australian Shepherd and I swear to God she practically TALKED. She had this funny little growl for when she was happy, kind of an "aROOOO" sound with her nose straight up in the air, and OH MY GOD I WANT A PUPPY NOW.

Oh god. Your puppy is adorable and somehow manages to sum up all the "fun" puppy traits that crazy pet owners get stuck with. What do you do when your 7lb miniature dachshund starts telling off a 800lb (okay, maybe not quite) bull mastiff? Smile sheepishly and walk away? Look at the owner as say "YEAH! What he said!"? I'm not sure yet, but I'll let you know.

At least girls don't (usually) submissive pee when they're happy to see you. I am SO glad we are finally past that stage with our little guy!!

I love how Chuck is wandering around during the whole thing rolling his eyes.

My parent's American Eskimo makes the exact same sound when he's left alone or someone gets home

Aww, the unconditional love you get from a puppy, and the energy that is inside those things! I want one too ...

I think it's funny that you mention she does it when she's being corrected. That's when the noise comes out of my pup ... you know, when we make him sit down and wait till the beer is empty enough that when he licks it he doesn't have a hangover in the morning.

>2. Psyndee said:
>Wow, that is quite a high-pitch whine. Cats are
>NEVER that excited to see you come home.

We come home from a 3-day weekend, right after the
food runs out, and you're greeted at the door by
a butler in tuxedo (actually, she's a maid?), an
orange Dom DeLouise, and a calico with street cred.

But I suspect it's less excitement than kitty-glares.

I love it! thank you for reminding me why I have not adopted a puppy (or poopie as I like to call them). I have cats. They use a toilet. Its fantastic. But they are Siamese and so therefore can put Coco's variety of sounds to shame.

She's so amazingly cute, I would check for consciousness before falling on the floor laughing as well. I would snicker while I did it though.

Both of my crazy dogs just went totally ape shit and tried to jump their indoor room fence upon hearing the Coco video. She must already be a serious K9 rapper.

How cute is the way Jon talks to her... "Is there a puppy in here??" No wonder she freaks out, I would too with all that cuteness.

The thing about her barking at other dogs... yeah, our German Shepherd always did that. To dogs AND people. But she was just trying to be protective, I dunno if that's what Coco is doing. She sure is a cutie, though.

I love that it sounds like you are torturing her and not loving her. My puppy only sounds like that after he steps on his own ears (he is a basset hound) or cant get his toy out from under the bed.

Tell Jon to tell Coco to get her own dang beer: http://rarebirdfinds.typepad.com/rare_bird_finds/2008/02/bowser-beer.html

Have you been to Rare Bird Finds? It's awesome.

PS: My brother has an almost 3 month old yellow lab and he makes that exact same noise. Except I often wonder if my brother's dog's yelp is his "redneck whoop" that he picked up from living with my redneck brother in Milledgeville, GA.

How adorable.

You and Ree are killing me with puppies....and I almost........almost got myself one, but then my 2 cats brought me back to reality, along with the fact that you actually have to take a dog ......OUTSIDE to let it do its business, instead of scooping once a day.

Oh my goodness that bark is incredible! I love the excitement coming out of the crate - our puppy Judy did the same thing when she was younger. Now she just stretches her way out of the crate - it is just as cute!

Our dog it always happy to see anyone. She acts like she's completely neglected. One friend (who isn't even really a dog person) said that whenever she needs a little boost, she comes to our house because our dog is always so excited to see her (and my kid, too) ... it's like her pockets are lined with sugar-favored crack and cat crap.

simply horrific. you are a saint for not removing her vocal chords - or drugging her within an inch of her life.

welcome to the world of herding dogs...

i just watched the video and my dog started barking and ran to see if anyone was at the door. he's not right but i love him.

coco will calm down in oh, say, 7 years. good luck!

Why do I get the feeling that Coco Furrocious and Christian from this season's "Project Runway" would make a good crime fighting team? Fierce nonetheless.

I was just playing that clip of Coco and my dog, Max, FLIPPED OUT. Beyond shoving his nose onto my laptop screen (and that glue-like snot is SO easy to clean off), he kept cocking his head from one side to another like he was trying to figure out what was going on. Then started to whimper until I convinced him that Coco was just excited to see her family.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jacquirepp/2295616073/

That noise actually made me jump! And my very sublime Chesapeake Bay Retriever totally stood up in her cage from her nap because it startled her too. I thought Heather stepped on her foot or something in that second one. Wow, that actually made my blood pressure go up a bit. I can't imagine how you guys live with it daily. How many more months of puppyhood to go? Wow. Puppies are so much more anxiety inducing than newborns. I never EVER thought I'd say that.

The vocalization is definitely an Aussie thing, and yes I have an Aussie. I'm thinking it will get cute, oh about when I go deaf.

Despite the fact that she is trying to find her adult bark now (and no one is more thoroughly startled than her on the odd occasion when she actually does), our puppy Sophie isn't as noisy as your Coco. But she is equally excited to see us. All we have to do is go on a lengthy journey to, say, take the garbage out to have her entire body wag with unbridled delight at our safe and sound return.

It makes me want to send the husband out with the garbage more often.

Cheers!

Oh, my. I feel for you guys. I hope the puppy kisses are making it all worthwhile!

My mighty chihuahua was looking intently at the door the whole time I played that video, like, "I know that noise has to be coming from outside! There are other dogs in the hallway, and I have to save them!"

Coco videos always get the best reactions.

Coco is totally psycho cute! My gram's Lab makes the exact same noise but only when happy.

Hey Heather, if you want to read a good book about a Marine getting another dog out of Iraq check out "A Dog Called Lava." I finished the book in 2 hours and it was a really good emotional ride and details how the Marine did it with the help of NPR reporters, US dog trainers, and an Iraqi Interpreter. I'm totally like you...a complete sucker for pets.

Love your blog!

Ha ha ha! I am so glad I watched the video before I finished reading the entry. It made reading "YEEAW! YEEAW! YEEAWING!" so much better because I could hear the exact sound in my head. Love this post!

We have a Chihuahua that does the same thing. She loves to pee on carpet (previous owner issue) and if we pick her up and start to go near where she peed she starts screaching. She screaches the whole time we tell her NO! and while we shove her out the doggy door yelling over her "Go outside!"

The neighbors probably think we are killing her.

When we come home from work she gets so excited she hyperventilates and we almost have to do doggy CPR...that is why we keep her. No one else passes out from seeing us walk in the door. It's an ego thing.

Wow, when I first heard it (I was looking at something else so I didn't see Coco, I was sure you had a video of y'all hurting her. But then I knew you wouldn't do that. Wow. I'm sure that's a nice sound to be welcomed too. At least my cat (who thinks he's a dog) is much quieter.

Uhh...can I have your husband? Please?
I love him...

That's pretty awesome... for YOU. :) She really is quite cute. Puppy energy is a ton of fun. But I think this might be a good wake-up call to the people who were thinking of running out and getting a Coco for themselves.

That definitely sounds like a "Help me!" yelp my dogs do when say, we accidentally step on their tales? It's a sort of anguished cry. But Coco is still very adorable and I totally want a Coco of my own.

Funny. Those videos got my lazy dog off of her chair and running and barking through the house. That's the most exercise she's had all week. Thanks.

Awww, cute little Coco!

My god, this was freaky reading this. . .

My miniature dachshund, Tillo, does the exact same thing.

He does the under-the-breath barks, I think he sounds like a grumpy old man. Damn kids.

And he FLIPS like that when he sees us.

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that they're minis? Or spazzes?

she's INSANE. good god. but damn adorable.

i think coco must be saying something powerful, my dog started barking and making noises along with the video.

all 17 times i played it.

cause i'm mean, i'd let him get calm from playing it - then play it again to watch him get all barky.

is barky a word? doesn't matter, i'm mean. might as well make up words too.

Be careful about her barking and carrying on at other dogs on walks. That's really bad behavior and could lead to her acting out aggressively. And that's not fun. It's especially concerning since you have a child in the house. Don't you watch the Dog Whisperer???

I find it hilarious that you are not trying to disengage her from Chuck's neck on a constant basis, nor protecting her from bigger badder dogs.

Coco is growing up through the trial by fire method.

And despite the things you and Jon say about her, I find it hard to believe because She.Is.So.Frigging.Cute!

I LOVE Coco!!! My dog Mylie does the EXACT same thing, not as often when we greet her, but usually if she hasn't seen someone in a whole 8 hours....she lets out a yelp of pain (the same yelp if you were to accidentally step on her toe, or hurt her in some way) it frightens strangers!! When she goes to the dog park, she also lets out the same cry when a big dog (she is a small dog) gets a little too close, she screams in pain and agony, as if it bit her, and in fact it has never touched her. Needless to say the big dog owners usually get frightened that their dog hurt her. She is SLIGHTLY embarassing to take out in public. But so cute, JUST like Coco!!! I want her!

Here is mylie's dogster page: http://www.dogster.com/dogs/228784

Wow that is quite a noise and I can't believe I want to adopt a rescue one that is blind and deaf (to go with my blind cat and three legged Irish Woflhound).

Despite her crazy noises, she is adorable and I am hoping she makes the March Masthead!

Natalia, studies prove that dogs do much better if they're crate trained. Dogs are den animals and require a place to call their own. Crate training is the absolute best thing you could do for your dog. We kept our one dog in a crate when we were away from the house until he was over 2 years old. It took a few months but he eventually grew to love his crate and knew that no one would bother him if he was in it. If he was tired, he would go into it and have a nap. Being crated also helps with potty training, manners training, prevents problem chewing and destructive behaviour etc. If more people crated their puppies, there would be less dogs being euthanized in shelters, that's for sure.

Heather, Coco is beautiful and I was giggling like crazy listening to her. She sounds exactly like our dog did as a puppy. He's seven now so I'd forgotten about that high pitched whining and carrying on that puppies are inclined to do.

My 1.5 yr old border collie mix is so similar to coco it cracks me up. He makes that same noise when greeting my family when they visit. Me, he sees every day and doesn't react much to when I come or go.

Herding dogs, so much fun! I hope she doesn't get the car chasing bug like mine has!

Sounds like Coco is trying to be dominant; she needs the Dog Whisperer! ;-)

Oh my god. I'm exhausted just watching that. She's adorable, but man it makes it seem like a puppy is harder work than my 5 month old baby!

The sound of CoCo made my dog bark insanly.
Something aobut a puppy that sets off all other dogs!

That is the exact noise our austrailian shepherd made when he was a pup. It hasn't gone away... just morphed into a combination of that and a grunt. He also picked up a nifty little trick of smiling with the grunt. He scrunches his nose up and shows his teeth when we get home after being gone for awhile...or if we walked into the other room and came back.

She's cute, but holy crap, that makes me thankful that I have one of the quietest dogs in the world. He will bark/growl at what he perceives to be an intruder, but other than that he almost never says a word!

Wow. That's one excited puppy. My neighbor's dog makes some of the most heartbreaking moans when his owner's gone.

I think my milk just came in.

Awwww.... what about the other puppy? He got no attention ):

My dog just flipped the fuck out when she heard that Coco noise. She alternated staring at my laptop and at me, pleading with her eyes to make it stop. And when it did, she gave one low growl under her breath and stood next to me until I played it again. And again.

So, thanks for the porn my apartment-bound dog. I guess.

Sometimes I think I really, really want a dog... then I see videos like this and remember why I'm a cat person. Thanks for the public service warning.

My dog huffed at your dog when she heard the video. Perhaps Coco's own beer is in order? It might mellow her out. Australian Sheppards have a pitch to their bark that makes your ears bleed.

That shite is hilarious. We are currently dealing with the same issue with our new rescue dog, but Coco takes the cake on tortured noises. I can only imagine walking her. Our trainer told us to distract our dog when he freaks on walks around other dogs. Easier said than done. So as he is jumping up and down and growling, there I am crouched down trying to tickle his ear. Works real well...

Thanks for the post. I'm sitting at work sick and this was the only thing that has made me smile. Now it's time to get back to frowning and coughing.

Man, that is one gross cellulite advertisement to the right :)

OMG, I had forgotten that noise. My beagle used to make that noise when he was little, and it was the most awesome thing, he was SOEXCITEDTOSEEYOU!ANDYOUANDYOU!!

Thanks for the reminiscing, that's quite the doggie you got there.

Look at how much has changed in your life since you began this site exactly 7 years ago!

We named our dog ZZ and now we just call her "The Beast" or actually "Teh Beast" because we are ridiculous people.

ANNNNNYYYWAYYY....she's 2 and she still does all those things. I'm just saying it never stops. EVER.

Did I...I just..I'm not helping, am I?

Our 3-year-old dog does that, only louder and more piercing, when she sees a squirrel. In the park, people run over to us thinking some dog got hit by a car.

Yah. That last sentence? Replace "that dog" with "my son" and "she" with "he."

Only he ran down a hill, turned the corner, and went head first into the side of the car. The door bowed in, then popped Seth back onto the curb.

We, too, waited a brief, fleeting second to make sure he was ok before laughing.

Coco is adorable but please, take her to obediance classes asap! When she gets bigger all these things won't be so cute. Puppies must be taught social and behavior skills. You'll want to like her when she's older too.

she sort of sounds like a parrot being castrated with that bark

unless you want her to always do that, which is cool, what you are supposed to do when they bark, etc. is to ignore it - do not hug her, pet her, etc. because you are encouraging the behavior. if you ignore her, it does not elicit the reaction she is trying to get by doing it, i.e. attention and your recognition, then she will stop eventually. our dogs did that kind of stuff when they were younger puppies (they're 8 months now) and it works like a charm

I would not ignore that noise. It is way too funny and cute! More Coco video!

Cute!

BUT...it will eventually drive you out of your skull. :-(

SOLUTION: First, don't take him out when you get home. Make sure he knows you're there but don't get him for several minutes. Second, when you do open the door, IGNORE HIM for at least 5 minutes. NO petting and NO eye contact.

He'll stop. He'll still be insanely happy to see you, but he'll stop the squealing and jumping, which will only be funny for about the first 6 months or so!

My parents had a Australian Shepard/Golden Retriever mix that made that Yeeaw noise when she was excited to see people too. She would also do it in a lower pitch when people were leaving.

Coco is too cute! My boston terrier loves to watch the videos of Coco just as much as I do :)

Love your blog!

I love Coco and the noises. I guess that's because I don't have that background noise called, Leta. (Love ya, Leta!)

I love Coco and the insanity she adds to your life. It makes me long for a dog. I currently have two cats (one is an urban panther...20 lb black cat that thinks he's bad ass but in reality is a scaredy-cat and the other is an eye-less wonder), one hamster and two fish.

A dog is next on the list.

Poor Chuck - no basement to slink into, and then having to listen to THAT?? Sheesh.

Then again, we just moved into a new house, with a new yard - and our dog ran around the house like a banshee, whining and huffing until he drove me NUTS. Of course, I was following him around, trying like hell to stop him from marking all our new furniture.

Dogs - gotta love 'em! (And I love that my captcha phrase is "clergymen, please!" LOL!)

Call Cesar! Tsch!

150 comments?! Jeez. I'm practically beside myself when I get FIVE on my blog. *jealousy blush*

I've crate-trained 3 dogs now and the best suggestion I can offer is: do NOT make a fuss when you let the dog out of the crate. When you greet the dog and get excited, she is learning to emulate your excitement. When you come home, you shouldn't immediately rush to the crate to the let the dog out - settle in quietly first, then let the dog out. When you do let her out, do so wordlessly, quietly, with no Drama!. Quietly take the dog outside to do her business and then quietly sit with her and give her love and affection - but no high-pitched vocals of your own. You can break this habit now, while it's mildly cute, or endure another 10-15 years of louder, not-so-cuteness!!!
She is a beautiful dog!!!

My dogs make those sounds, too! And they do it EVERY TIME they see us again. I can go outside to get something out of the car, but when I come back in 20 seconds later, it's like I've been gone for YEARS. Nothing quite like the love of a dog to make you feel like you matter! It's precious and annoying as hell all at the same time.

Puppies are hard, and I'm glad to see I'm not alone in the 'various names for my dog' department. Puppies are nothing like the toilet paper commercials you see... absolutely nothing. But, we love them anyway. Our pups had a bit of the yelping thing when we first started doing the crate training, and we were told to just ignore them (which was hard) and it seems to have helped. I also had to be trained to not get really excited when I saw them after being gone at work or dinner or something. Once I stopped the excitement dance, they stopped their excitement dance (i.e. leaping in the air and jumping on me).

I love your blog... I hadn't been here in awhile, and have sufficiently caught up. Rock on!

Oh my god that's adorable!

Awww! What a little cutie. : )

Aww, I wish I had a puppy that cute!!

I honestly don't understand why Heather ever opens comments on her blog posts. The amount of people who believe they have the right to give her unsolicited advice on how to train her puppy is mind boggling. Even if it's well-intentioned, do you even get that it's still sort of, well, rude? Hell, I don't know maybe it's not that rude, maybe it's because I'm a Canadian and we're well known for our "politeness" and so I would never think of offering advice to someone who didn't ask for it.

Besides, it seems to me that she showed this video so we could have a good laugh and enjoy seeing a much loved puppy bouncing with excitement that her family is home and yet she has to put up with people trying to tell her how to train HER dog.

You guys have read about Chuck right? I took my dogs to obedience class, I work at a vet and gained lots of experience with dogs, did all the proper dog training and still, I would literally kill someone for my dogs to be as well behaved as Chuck. Obviously, they know what they're doing, give them a break and enjoy the video for what it is. A really happy puppy loving her "folks".

Jesus.

Did you also hear about another soldier and a stray dog who became friends in Iraq? The soldier fed the dog parts of his rations and, I think, the dog lived with him in his tent. (Must have been in violation of rules). The soldier had told his family about the dog, and when the soldier was killed (bomb, I think), the family jumped through all sorts of hoops to get the stray dog sent back to the U.S. It was the last part of their son they had left, they said, and they wanted this dog who had been a companion and comfort to their son to live the rest of its life with them, in safety, in the U.S.

heather and jon, You should totally listen to me tell you what you should do, because I have owned like a hundred dogs. And that Dog Whisperer guy? He learned his techniques from me. So here is what you have to do - and you should listen to me and heed my words because, clearly, you have no idea how to deal with an excited dog, but I do, so I am going to tell you what you need to go do right now, after reading this comment, this very minute.

You should be totally silent when you walk in the door and tiptoe around, not making any noise at all for at least an hour. When that time has gone by, you can go into the room where Coco is and lift up that sheet you have on the crate, but don't do anything else yet, because she will still do that yodel thing and I haven't told you how to do the next thing you need to do.

The next thing you need to do is make a device to let the dog out of the crate automatically, so that you don't even have to be there at the crate. This way there is no one there that Coco can make a fuss over. Except Chuck, but he is a whole other story and I will be sending you a lengthy e-mail on what you have done wrong with him and how you need to fix that situation.........

:-)

It sounds like someone just stabbed her in the foot, and she can't decide which of you should comfort her, so she just yelps while running back and forth between you. Poor Chuck.

Adorable! I didn't realize Coco was so small in real life. I love your blog, and lately I've been checking daily for Coco stories. She sounds just like my puppy. He is a complete maniac. It is so nice to know I am not the only one going through the wonderful hell that it is to have a puppy.

She's so teeny tiny! I didn't realize she was so small.

regarding comment 170:

There is an organization that helps soldiers bring their dogs and cats back.

http://www.militarymascots.org/index2.html

I worked with them a few years ago bringing in Private Hammer. Awesome organization. I do recall the story of the soldier who was killed and they brought his dog home, I believe it was a working dog in that situation. It was heartbreaking.

I showed this and your daily chuck picture to my three year old daughter (very close in age to your Leta) and she loved Coco. When she saw the picture she asked if the doggies were doggie brothers. Cute picture!

Gracie doesn't talk very much, but when she does it's a very low, "Hmph," as in, "I can't believe you are still here and why do you torture me so?"

Her tag says, "I will ruin you." Imagine it as when Jimmy Fallon says it on SNL as Andy Gibb.

my dog makes that same exact sound when she sees another dog! hence, she doesn't get to leave the house much. in the summer when the windows are open and a dog walks by, i'm pretty sure the neighbors think we're beating her.
i need cesar milan.

I agree - she could use a visit with Cesar.

But then, so could my dogs.

Have you tried no talk, no touch, no eye contact until she calms down? Since I have two furrocious puppies jumping on my from opposite directions making odd noises, this is more complicated than it seems on tv...but you might can pull it off since Chuck isn't behaving equally enthusiastically.

My 4-year old rescue (german shepherd mix) has terrible separation anxiety despite all the dog whisperer antics that I have tried over the years. I have finally resigned myself to it and threw out Caeser Mllan's book.

But, thank god, she is not a barker except when she hears a doorbell or an approaching stranger. Her manic wagging/jumping/hyperventilating is all I can handle! I feel guilty when I am gone for too long, but then realize that in her mind, a trip to the trashcans is just as long as 6 hours at the office. I get so frustrated when people try and give me tips on how to handle it, as she is exceptionally well-behaved and well-exercised, etc. otherwise. Some dogs are just not mean to be a Lab.

My dogs went nuts when I played that video.

I love dogs with rap names!

Now I am inspired to call my Cooper "Cooper Fresh" cuz he's fresh and fly. He would rap about how not being able to pee in my bed is proof of how he is being kept down "by the man."

so i tried to listen to the video. i turned the volume down so low that i couldn't really hear it so it wouldn't wake up my 2 napping munchkins. My DOG started to totally wig out. Whining and barking and just going crazy looking for where the sound was coming from. Mind you my dog is a 100 pound, 5 year old lab, who never barks, and just sleeps all day. Dog are SO WEIRD!

Anyway, love your site....

She is so cute. I love that little puppy stage, minus the potty training...lol

Don't you wish people could be more like dogs? Lovable, loyal, nonjudgmental, oblivious and unconditional. Maybe that's the reason why some of my best friends are dogs.

I should have known better than to click on that link with my little pointer/beagle in the room! LOL! He heard Coco and started barking and howling in order to alert me that there could be something ferocious outside. Now he's perched on my lap looking out the window trying to figure out wth. hahaha! I tried to get him to watch the video but he was too interested on making sure there were no intruders outside.

Cute video!

"Talking about their pets like they are children" should be post #78 on stuffwhitepeoplelike.

I just played that and my dog went beserk, barking and barking.

A LOT of ENERGY, there!

that makes me glad i have a cat...
i don't think i could handle coco...
she looked so adorable in the pictures though.

you spelled hoes wrong.

I hate to be the one to tell you this . . . since Coco is the finest thing ever . . . but she isn't a dog. You have there, a rare and precious long haired pig.

Really now, if I were a land-based mammal covered with fur that ate piles of packaged puppy pullets for meal-time, I'd have to think of some pretty creative ways to communicate, too. Having always been a fan of words consisting solely of consonants, though, my words of choice would be harder to pronounce: MBBQZK! PNGPNGHHHH!

Holy bleep, you guys are SOOOOO brave. I feel exhausted just listening to her :0). You are going to have a very wonderful, loyal, trained dog in a FEW years! :).

p.s. she is so darn cute!

You have my deepest sympathy (and many giggles that are flying your way as well!)

I wonder if Coco will ever grow up? It's really to our advantage (your blog audience) that she doesn't!

abb

Well I guess I will be the first, perhaps only, to "go there." Heather you have such a great guy. Just look at Jon making those cute, yet slightly irritating to the ears, noises at his furry baby. You know not many men would be so patient to get up at night with an animal. My husband, who I love dearly, would have drop-kicked coco a long time ago. He seems like such a patient and sweet guy. I guess I'm a sucker because I wasn't paying attention to the loud dog but thinking about how lucky you are to have such a sweet guy playing with the puppy.

I had to play it twice to see if my dog really was freaking out over the video or if something was occurring outside at the same time that got her riled up...nope, it was the video. My dog was barking, pacing and generally distressed over Coco's sounds (and her jingling collar). It was loads of fun.

@183 - Yes, I've read the early years of the former congressman as well. The Armstrongs are great parents to their pups and daughter! If Chuck just appears all mopey and emo, that's just because he's a teenager. He'll grow out of it once he goes off to college. As for the darling spawn of Satan, why do you call her Gina? Just curious?

Sounds like something straight out of a Berkeley Breathed children's book!

Heather,

We all know you're a Dog Whisperer diehard: it would be interesting to know what techniques you're trying on Coco and how they're working.

Chuck is insanely well-behaved, so you obviously know what you're doing, but that only makes it seem a bit odd to read about how you handle Coco's poor behaviors. It often appears that people on Dog Whisperer are asking help for behaviors that they thought were cute (super excited when you get home) or funny (challenging other, bigger dogs or obsessing at the front window over passersby) that simply turn into pain in the ass obssessive/destructive patterns in the adult dog.

Do you think Cesar would travel SLC? THAT would be a FUN show to watch.

I enjoyed seeing that spastic worm of a body wiggle across the room to greet you, and I said Hello to Chuck's tail as it wandered by-
but laughed out loud when the "Yeeaw! Yeeaw!" started :)

WOW - it sounds like Coco is dying in those videos. However, we have been known to sound like we're dying from time to time...

Dude, you should hear my dog right now, her hair is standing up and she is almost exactly matching Coco's noise!

OMG, so sweet! They're such a sweet pair...
My perma-puppy is a 7y/o collie/shepherd/something mutt and she gives us the cutest grins when we get home. To others, on the other hand, it looks like she's going to eat you alive! :)

Hilarious!

We don't know what we consider to be the funniest: Coco and the AWESOME (we might add) barking, or Jon and the way his voice sounds like a teenage boy who listens to Panic! At The Disco? (Of course we all think he's very, VERY handsome :D)

Long time reader first time I got my chance to say anything...I think you are one of the most bravest and funniest person ever..your photography is brillant...love Chuck, Leta, Coco( she is a diva) and your wonderful husband...they are few and far between...(I managed to find one too... husband that is with a beagel)...he is now 14...so it is kinda living with your old uncle with memory problem...I want to thank you being "one of us" e.g. not sure if we got our act together...We have been thinking about having a baby...but quite frankly...$$$ has to do with it...and I don't want to come out with the unicorn because of my 80's and 90's day's...lol

Anyway will always be a fan of you and your hubby...

K~

Daaaaaamn, Gina!

Coco is sooo damn cute, it actually hurts my insides to look at her and I'm pretty sure she must, on a par with Chuck, be the best dog ever. Chuck is a natural model - he doesn't mind what he has to wear, he does it all for his art. Having said that, my countrymen may be training their own dogs to rival Chucks abilities: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_midlands/7267871.stm

I have a half-Corgi half-Lab dog who does the same thing. She wails like she's in pain, although it's a happy thing. She also wailed like that when the rather large neighbor dog tried humping her. Maybe it is a pleasure thing!

I always heard that dogs feel they have let you down -- like you're dead and they didn't save you -- when they don't see you. Which would make sense about how excited they get when you do come home ... or walk into a room.

Open comments on Dooce? That's like a "Free" rack at Target! Woo Hoo!!

My dog also went out of her mind over the sound of Coco being Coco.

It was my 2 year old daughter who was the most thrilled by your Tasmanian Devil, though.

Our dog, a German Shepherd and Coon Hound mix, is 5 years old and 50+ lbs and she does that EVERY time she gets out of the tub.

We don't bathe her much.

Okay, so I know this is off-topic, but I needed to share.

Heather, I had a dream last night about posting comments on your blog.

That is not normal!

My lab mix does that freak out EVERY TIME WE COME HOME. We rescued her four years ago. She still does it.

(And like everyone else in the comments here, she did it again when I played this video.)

I love how Chuck follows her every move hoping for sloppy seconds.

This is so insanely hilarious and cute. I love her...I would break all the doggie training rules and encourage that talking, cuz it's too funny.

Teach her to sing! Please!

"And I love that dog so much that I didn't fall over laughing until after I had made sure she wasn't knocked unconscious."

Beauty.

That noise is CRAZY, its like she wants to love and kill you at the same time.

my dog makes a similar noise, but it sounds more desperate and less blood thirsty

The house cats here are not thanking you, Coco or me for the audio... One darted across the room while the other immediately made for the catflap in disgust. Oh well.

I would have a hard time with that noise, even knowing she's happy. It seriously sounds like a dog whose foot has been accidentally stomped (and since I once had a dog whose foot got caught in a gopher trap, I have bad memories).

Cats get excited when we come home, but they express it differently -- tail straight up like a bike flag, beeline to the kitchen to be fed, milling around and batting at each other, purring so hard they snort out through their noses.

They'll wake up from a sound sleep if there's a real cat meow in a movie. And they watch wildlife programs -- animal moving across a still background? Instant cat TV show. It's eerie.

Worse yet, they track the mouse pointer (and they compete with the laptop for space on me). One of these days it's going to be claws in the LCD monitor. "Look ma! I caught the bug!"

That pup is nutty! Our Aussie did just the same thing when he was that age. He's about a year old now and still bouncing around and yelping, he's just somewhat more dignified about it. If you are ever up Bozeman way, look us up. I'm sure that Mr. MacKenzie would love to meek Coco Furrocious.

Your writing makes me happy. SO HAPPY.

Awww poor chuck! She's a cutie though. She's just so happy to see you to be loved that she can't contain it. Poor, poor chuck...

She's just telling you a story about ALL that happened while you were away. My God! You wouldn't BELIEVE the shit that went down in that crate! Oh, man!

Our poodle makes that same sound. It got louder when he got bigger. I forgot how cute we used to think it was :).

How about a Loco for Coco picture up next to the daily Chuck? I'm just crazy for those little orange eyebrow tufts, but miss Chuck when he's not featured. Either way, my heart skips a beat when I open your page and there are new pictures. The tufts! The nose-balancing! The doggy glee! All great stuff.

I bought magnetic fashion doll sets for my college-roommate's little girls-- seeing them in April. Thanks for that link!!

She's so cute! We have a 6 year-old border collie at home, and whenever I come home he makes the exact same noise. It's a mixture of yelping and whining and general excitement oh-my-god-I'm-so-glad-you're-home-never-leave-again. I think maybe there's a little tiny bit of anger there too as in, why did you leave me?, which is why it sounds similar to when she gets nervous.

Count your blessings on this - our Prince weighs about five stone (70 punds?) and when he gets excited or nervous he jumps up into my arms. I'm 5'2'', weigh 100 pounds. He nearly knocks me over. Little Coco can only bump into your knees, so less chance of damage.

We adopted an Australian Shepard/Lab mix a few years ago. He was the most insane puppy. My husband would come home and find me in tears sometimes because I just didn't think I could handle this dog anymore. He sounded just like Coco...he would whine/howl like that the whole time I was in the shower or anywhere else that he couldn't be on top of me. He had the worst separation anxiety I've ever seen in a dog. And he refused to be house trained - I would stand outside freezing for 25 minutes and he would do nothing and then would squat the minute we got back in the house.

I say all of this to reassure you that he has turned into a wonderful dog. It took time and obedience training but he is wonderful with our daughter (more patient than we could expect) and very loving. He still is really hyper when visitors come over and is rather needy for attention - but outside of that is a great dog.

My dog also has to tendency to go apeshit when I let her out of her crate. I actually had a dog trainer who is equivalent in talent to the Dog Whisperer (I kid you not - she is absolutely amazing and literally saved me and my dog) and she told me to make sure the my dog is sitting down nicely in her crate before I open the door. If she is doing backflips in the crate before I open the door, that is not a good time to open the door, because then she equates doing backflips in the crate to being let out - and will constantly do backflips in the crate in the future as a means of getting out. Also, once the dog is out, the human is not supposed to go all apeshit when they see the dog, no matter how hard that is to do. I know I, for one, have a very hard time not showing my puppy how excited I am to see her, but it makes for a more "balanced dog" if you remain calm. I still have days where I can't help myself and prance around in glee when I let her out of her crate, but I really see the difference between those times and the times I am calm with her. She really acts much less insane when I make her sit in the crate until I let her out and don't make a big deal once she does come out. You should try it with Coco. They totally feed off of your vibes.

Sorry for the assvice - I just know how difficult it can be to have a dog who does flips and twirls and yips and yaps because they are so excited to see you. It's cute at first, but it can escalate really quick!

Hi Wondrous Being of Light and Splendor,
I couldn't wait for a time to once again give you the HONOR and RESPECT and Glory and Titilation of another word from me. You may address me as "Your Royal HINNEY ASS" and please treat me with Holie Dignity and above all, be discreet with our relationship. I LUV your doggies and your vids of them. They are SOOOO CUTE and cuddly and Coco OBVIOUSLY LUVS you two VERY MUCH, but finds time to GROWL at your other dog over a bone that was not hers. Have you told her that,"The Bones ALWAYS SEEM CHEWIER on the other side of the dog bed border, (when the other dog has them and controls them!") She needs some counseling about THAT issue and some POOP counseling as well ! For Jesus Sake, you just CAN'T POOP EVERYWHERE ! Otherwise HE may not Listen to Coco's prayers unless Coco can get a HANDLE on her POOP Problem ! Well. POOPY DOOP for tonight then !

I am sorry to be so shallow, but I wanted to tell you how much I liked seeing a little clutter in your usually spotless house in that video. It made me feel so much better, and what are you here for & blogging for if not to make me feel better about myself. Thank you.

p.s. that noise that Coco makes can only be described as ungodly, which I believe is a continuation of an important theme in your household. Rock on.

I saw several really good comments on training advice, and more on bitching about the nerve to give advice.

Chuck is a very unusual and fabulous dog. His behavior cannot be used as a comparison to say the dog will grow up and be ok.

For those who want to pretend there is no need to seek help, let me ask 2 questions:

If Heather and Jon take Coco to a trainer for an evaluation, what harm can it do if there is no problem? Worst case scenario, they get some housebreaking advice.

If they don't take this seriously now, and the dog becomes dangerous, how cute and harmless will it be, and how much heartbreak will result if the dog has to be euthanized?

This happens frequently. It's not that those who offered advice are randomly meddling in someone else's life. The puppy is living in a state of extreme anxiety and fear. It's heartbreaking to watch it be encouraged.

It's obvious how much Heather loves Coco. I know she wants to be able to enjoy Coco's company for many years, without either of them going psycho.

And BTW, I'm a vet in Canada. (for the Canadian who is shocked people offer help)

If a picture tells a thousand words, then a video must tell a million words.

Coco can get pretty excited and Chuck shows his maturity through Coco’s welcoming ritual.