Day 2 -- Another Busy Day

So much to do today! Cooper starts his day off right by "saying please" to go outside. What a good boy! The sunshine was out and he was ready to romp but he still had the self-control to sit to ask to go outside.

We're continuing to practice being separated by a barrier (in this case a gate). In a very matter of fact tone I say to him "I'll be back" and I don't give him any attention when I leave or when I return. Right now I'm still staying in his sight. He does well with this but I don't want to move too fast so I like to stay on levels that are easy for him for quite a while. This will help him build up some confidence and it will help him to realize it's not a big deal when he's confined without his person.

I make sure to break up the lessons with play. It's a nice stress reliever for the dog, it's enjoyable for both Cooper and myself, it helps Cooper release some energy, and it makes training more fun. He loved the whip toy. I made sure to stop the play before he got too worked up over this toy. It can be a really exciting toy for a dog but you don't want them to get too revved up or obsessed with it. Cooper played really nicely with it and easily gave it up to me so he could play some more.

We've been working a lot on getting comfortable with the crate. Right now I'm just tossing tasty treats into the crate and letting him go in on his own terms. I'll shut the crate door but open it again less than a minute after I closed it.

We're trying to change his association with the crate to more positive feelings. Right now he is nervous about the crate because he associates it with the panic feeling he gets when he's inside the crate and he is being left at home.

Because he enjoys his meals so much, I can also use mealtime to help him create a positive association with the crate. Sometimes this works but other times that panic feeling is just too much for the dog to overcome. Time will tell if Cooper can work through this.

Silly boy...I was on the floor trimming another dogs' nails when Cooper decided my lap looked like a good spot for a nap. I guess we wore him out again with all that work and play.