cocker spaniel puppy

Mavis at 12 Months

Our little Mavis is now a year old!

Girl and cocker spaniel in car with therapy dog vest on

Jimmy and I think her personality has fully developed by this point and agree that she is spunky, sassy, playful, energetic, and intelligent. She would play with other dogs all day if she could, and she adores a long walk or game of fetch. She will also do anything for food and loves Lola and Malcolm. Car rides and pet sitting with me are her other favorite things.

She’s acquired the nickname “bandaid puppy” and “velcro puppy” because she always wants to be with Jimmy and I. Being in the same room as us isn’t enough, she has to be touching us at all times.

Guy reading book with cocker spaniel in lap

She is much better about being held since she was attacked by our neighbor’s dog, but pretty much only by me. She still doesn’t like having her paws touched, so we’re not sure if we will continue to pursue therapy dog work.

The not liking to be held or have her paws touched may be something she grows out of as she matures and we work with her, or it may be a sign she isn’t meant for therapy work. We’ll see as time passes! She’s still a youngster and has a lot of life ahead of her 🙂

Girl hugging brown and white cocker spaniel puppy

She has been through Puppy Level I and II, Adult Level I and II training classes, and took her AKC STAR Puppy and Canine Good Citizen Test. The only thing she didn’t pass was her Canine Good Citizen test (due to the paw touching–she passed all the other aspects of it!).

She did all of that before she turned nine months old, which is crazy to think about. I’m proud of our intelligent little gal! She knows sit, stay, come, down, chill, leave it, and paw. I’d like to work on heel with her a bit more.

Puppy training classes at Petco with cocker spaniel and AKC Star Puppy Test

Mavis went into heat right around her birthday and it has been quite the experience for the Zottola household. Let’s just say I’m glad we have hardwood floors!

We will probably have her spayed in the near future, because we aren’t interested in breeding and I don’t foresee myself having the time to show her in competitions. We’re more interested in agility or therapy work, and being spayed doesn’t impact eligibility for those hobbies.

Girl with dogs by water

We’ve had our good days and our bad days with Mavis. She’s definitely not perfect, but neither am I and she accepts me just as I am. I try to do the same with her and remember that she’s growing and learning the rules of this world day by day. Puppies take a lot of patience, but are so worth it in the end!

Mavis’ Favorite Treats/Food/Toys

Past Updates

The first time I met Mavis, when she was five-weeks-old.

I first met Mavis when she was five weeks old, and she’s been pet sitting with me pretty much her whole life. We spend a lot of time together, and our bond is strong. She has quickly become part of our family and I can’t imagine life without her. I’m excited to see what the coming years bring for little May May!

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Mavis at Eight Months

Okay, how is Mavis already eight months old?! She’s growing up so fast! I brought her home at eight weeks old, and she was so tiny. Now she’s almost fully grown!

Cocker Spaniel puppy at eight weeks and eight months

New Things

  • Mavis graduated Adult Level I training classes in January and moved on to Adult Level II! She is doing wonderful in her Adult II classes and continues to impress me with how fast she can learn. She now knows how to do “paw” and we are hoping to teach her other fun tricks along with her basic commands.

Cocker spaniel at Petco Positive Dog Training

  • She has been practicing her training in different places like the library, bank, and stores to really keep her focus on meeting and interacting with people in hopes of working towards becoming a therapy dog.
  • Mavis no longer uses her crate except to sleep in it at night with the door open. We now put her and Lola in our spare bedroom when we leave the house and we haven’t had any chewing or bathroom accidents. We watch and talk to them on the Petzi Cam and it’s adorable!

Dogs on Petzi treat cam

Hard Things

  • She has been trying to counter surf! This is kind of funny because she’s so little, but man can she jump. She has swiped a few things off of our counters, so we really have to watch her.
  • She’s still in that “teenage” phase of puppyhood and can just be really challenging sometimes! I have to remind myself that she’s still learning and growing.
  • I was recently walking two other dogs with Mavis and her leash slipped out of my hand. She ran straight to one of my other clients’ doors, LOL. It gave me a heart attack, but it was also adorable the she remembered where her friend lives! Note to self: work on recall more.
Cocker spaniel and golden retriever sitting on couch

Mavis ran from me to try and see her golden retriever friend!

Other Things

    • She still hasn’t gone into heat yet, but I’m guessing she will before her first birthday.
    • Now that she’s out of her crate at night, she tries to sleep on the bed with us. It’s cute, but she’s not allowed!
    • She’s very social. She likes being with people and dogs. She plays really hard with all of my pet sitting clients and then crashes when we get home.
    • She enjoys playing in the snow and tries to eat it.
    • She loves riding in the car. She gets all excited when she knows we’re going somewhere.

Cocker spaniel puppy in car therapy dog in training

I think that’s everything for Mavis’ eight month update! She’s our wild, sassy, and fun little pup and we love her so much!