We are coming to the end of the first week of Cooper’s stay in foster care and he is doing very well. He still has a huge appetite and lots of exuberance but he has calmed down since his first few days. By evening he usually conks out in the middle of the living room or wherever we are and is oblivious to what else might be going on.

We have discovered Cooper is quite a chewer right now. He really loves his chew bones and toys and tends to gnaw right through about anything we give him. He is death on baby binkies too! We are trying to teach him to bring them to us anytime he finds one of my son’s binkies – he brings them to show us but usually after he has chewed off the nipple! I guess we’ll have to keep working on that one. He is definitely at a very mouthy stage but as long as he has something acceptable to chew on within reach he refrains from chewing on any of “our” stuff.

Cooper will also dig occasionally in the back yard. He is only out for a few minutes at a time but sometimes when he is playing and chasing toys he will dig a bit. It’s hard to tell if this will become more of a habit later as he just does it in his play– he’s probably done it 3 times in the last week. He doesn’t dig like he’s trying to get to China – he moves on to something else pretty quickly.

This week Cooper has gotten really good about sitting and waiting very nicely as part of his daily routine. He has to sit and wait for our release command “okay” anytime he goes outside or comes in, when he comes out of his crate, before getting a treat, and before getting any food or water. He’s eager to please and does great with this.

Cooper has also made great progress on being in his crate this week as well. He does still bark some when he’s in his crate and hears activity in the house but he stops after a few minutes. He does not bark at all when being put in his crate for bedtime, although we occasionally have left him out at night and find him to be reliable left out as well. We crate him as we feel it is good for him to learn to accept his crate as a good and safe place to sleep and let his permanent family decide whether they want sleeping in his crate to be a permanent choice or not. We’ve also taught Cooper the “Kennel Up” command and he reliably goes into his kennel and sits down and waits for his treat when we ask him to. He does not have accidents in his crate at all.

There have been no big surprises with Cooper this week. He is a good dog and a typical puppy. He just needs a family to love and someone to teach him his boundaries and things to keep his strong mind busy. He really likes learning new things and pleasing you. He quickly learns his routine and anticipates it. He’s a happy, bouncy pup with lots of love to give.