One thing is for sure, Cooper sure is handsome. After arriving, I gave him time to explore his new temporary environment on his own. We spent some time in the back yard and then in the house and, once he seemed pretty comfortable, started introducing him to the dogs one at a time.
Because it can be a little overwhelming coming into a new environment with new people and new dogs so we like to take it slow. He did well with his one on one with Brutus. Once they are comfortable around each other, it's a good opportunity to practice some name recognition.
It didn't take long for Cooper to get use to the new dogs. None of the dogs are overwhelming and all are responsive to my verbal direction so it makes it easier to introduce them all and monitor their play.
Name recognition is going well and he's figuring out that paying attention to his handler will really pay off well for him.
Playing with other dogs is a good outlet for Cooper and great for his socialization. But it also gives a lot of opportunities for learning and practicing his skills.
Working on his recalls helps keep him tuned into his handler and provides a nice interactive game that will keep him engaged.
We are slowly getting him use to being left for very short periods of time. I make sure to pay very little attention to him when I leave and when I return. Right now we are just doing separations for a minute or so and just with a barrier between us. We've also practiced going into the crate for very short periods of time to work on getting him a little more comfortable with that.
It was a busy day and we certainly wore Cooper out. Time to rest up so we can be ready for tomorrow's adventures. What a good boy...
No comments:
Post a Comment