Cooper has blossomed in the past month. He has grown so much and has gotten used to life in our house. He is extremely aware of his surroundings and lets us know if there's something we should worry about. Usually, it is nothing to worry about, but he doesn't know the difference. If he sees a shadow or hears a loud noise on TV, he gives it a growl or a bark. He's suspicious of everything that moves. We are trying to desensitize him to these things. I'm pleased that I was able to run the vacuum cleaner yesterday, and he didn't bark at it! Big win.
We still have him on a leash in the house, although we probably don't need it anymore. It helps us keep track of him. He is fully potty-trained, including ringing bells by the door to let us know he needs to go out. The only things he gets into are our socks and shoes. He loves to grab them and run around the house. He takes three two-hour naps a day and sleeps 8 hours at night in his crate.
He seems like a dream dog, and he really is great. The main thing we are still working on is his reaction to cars and other dogs. Our trainer, Jami, has started working with him at the Cleveland Metroparks Polo Field in Moreland Hills. She has him on a 20-foot leash and lets him observe cars, trucks, people, and dogs from a distance. He did great with this on Thursday. Don and I are going to practice with him, too.
Katherine and Josh were here last weekend for four days, so Cooper had a chance to spend quality time with Marina, Ezra, and Roman. Being around young kids has been over-exciting for him, but this time, he was great. I taught Marina how to do some training lessons with him, and they both loved it.
Cooper and Roman made physical contact, and although they aren't friends yet, they are making strides. As Cooper gets bigger, I'm hoping they can at least ignore each other. Roman is turning nine soon, so he might not want to engage in puppy play.
Such a sweet boy!
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