Cooper 22-082

January 11, 2023:

Cooper has found his forever home. As you can see from the pictures, his favorite thing is snuggling with his family. Unfortunately, he also loves running through the burrs in the fields. That’s a golden for you. Here’s what his family has to say,

Cooper has become one of the family. He is so friendly to all our family, just seems to love everybody. His broken nail has healed, his licking to his forearms has stopped, so he has no need for the cone of shame or the booties anymore! He still can be caught stealing kleenex, food and counter surfing. These behaviors keep us on our toes and he is improving with them lessening. Cooper loves going for walks, (does get distracted by something or another, which using the easy walk lead has helped), following my husband around and sitting with us on the couch. It will be fun when the weather gets warm to teach him the property boundaries so he can chase the tennis ball. He has managed to get into the brush bringing in a massive amount of burdock on his thick coat! He likes his toys and bringing them to us. He is a good boy.

Adopted January 9, 2023

November 28, 2022:

Cooper has been settled in and easily adapted to our routines. He eats 2 cups food/day and is vocal when he is hungry or thirsty. He continues to have a counter surfing habit, but does not need to be crated for our meals, or while we are cooking. Mostly he rests under our feet while we eat. He has
been caught grabbing food off the counter, and Kleenex off end tables so that still needs to be resolved.

We had company prior to Thanksgiving and the smell of a lot of food on the table was too much for him, he started barking near the end of the meal and stopped when the table was cleared. He was a friendly,happy, curious dog for a large Thanksgiving family event, but to avoid the barking during the meal he was put in his crate. He will go into his crate with minimal resistance and only is in it when we aren’t home.

At night he is in our bedroom with us, but not allowed on the bed, of which he will whine a bit in displeasure but settles quickly on the floor. He wears his e-collar for night, but during the day only needs to wear a sock, or boot on the left front foot to protect and minimize the licking urge to the toenail injury. The toenail was reexamined 10 days ago and the vet stated it may not grow back normally. He still gets a topical med to the site 2x/day to prevent any infection. He does lick at his wrist joints on both front legs, which the vet had xrayed and saw a possible joint abnormality, (or not) so a trial of Benadryl 2x/day was started to address if the licking was allergen related. Glucosamine was started to address if the licking is related to the joint. It might also be a behavioral quirk. So far, the jury is out on the results.

Cooper likes being outside on a lead, and walking with us thru our yard. He will go on walks and has progressed to more manageable control with the easy lead. He wears the boot on the affected foot to
protect the nail. He is always excited to go on walks, but somedays his interest is short lived when actually on the walk.

He has gotten used to our resident dog and mostly they co-exist with no problems. However, in the early few days of being here he lunged and snapped at our dog when she came between him and a small space while on a lead. One other time he lunged at her when there was a food drawer open. They can usually walk together, sleep in the same room together, and are otherwise no problem. We make him sit, stay and then let our dog pass into the house before him for practice which he does well with.

He has a recheck on his toenail this week. He was perfect at the last vet visit, and is a big loveable goof. He makes us laugh with his grumbly, rumbly voice.

November 4, 2022:

Cooper is a happy, loving, exuberant boy! He follows me everywhere! He has a zest for life and is like a big, wooly puppy that is curious about everything!

Cooper really, really loves his walks, but are brief due to an injury to his front paw; he must wear a cone until it heals. He is a big, very strong boy; walks brisk, but adjusts with tension. A front hook harness gives more control. When we see a dog or squirrel, his ears perk up and I ask him to “leave it” before he is tempted to pull.

There are times Cooper gets over excited…especially around meal times or going for a walk. He does not jump up, but he is a big dog and when worked up, can get wild with his head and butt; that cone becomes quite the weapon. He is learning to calm down so I can hook his leash.

He loves his Kong filled with treats, enjoys being brushed and will let me handle his paws, ears, mouth and eyes. He is calm most of the day and enjoys lying by my feet. He sleeps well through the night!

It’s best that he not be in the kitchen during meals or food preparation. He is very food focused and can reach the counter. He gets pushy for food. He has learned that he must sit, stay and not go for his bowl until I say “ok”. Now he sits (and stays) before I even tell him. We are working on taking treats gently.

I have had the pleasure of hosting Cooper for one week as a temporary foster. Cooper is a good boy, but needs to learn some manners. I already think we have made some progress.