Cooper Killed the Frog

Cooper stole another plushie from the kids… A FROG!!!

He enjoyed his new temptation, as he ran from the kids, in the far crevasses under their beds they dare not crawl to reach him…

He’d come out into the common areas, and taunt us all, daring us to take his new conquest (he stole the frog)! 

Eventually we all gave in, let him keep his prize, and are simply thankful it was… just a plushie.

By the end of the day, he managed to break it (an eye ripped forward and in such a way it can’t be sewn). COOPER KILLED THE FROG... ~*Giggles*~

And he has over time become less destructive, he no longer cares about cords as he rests under the computer desks, he seems to know what he can take and get away with, and he has come a long ways since he entered our lives. We even trust him to be home alone, without being stuck in his crate, and he’s yet to prove us wrong in trusting him. Most of the time he stays by the front door, sleeping, and waits for us to return home.

It amazes me how much Cooper has learned, changes he’s undergone (from the tiny puppy to current teenage years), and the differences in the roughly five months he’s been in our lives. He was blessed to be the only student in his puppy class, and to be honest as much as I dislike a spotlight on myself he probably benefited from the extra time spent on him. He learns things pretty fast, and I’d had him recall things I didn’t work with him on (as if I had), so he is capable of more (he is intelligent). He enjoys his job of “wake the kids” in the morning, he loves to please others, and why simply being mad and having it show through in my voice has curbed most behaviors we don’t like… just can’t stop him from rudely jumping on people he likes for attention. I’ll probably need to research that one, his current class is focused on heel, go to your bed, and basics (won't teach him what I need)… but I wonder if we can walk down the street and he gets the chance for petting/love without jumping up onto others (since "down" means to lay down we've been saying "off" to help teach). “Leave it” works just fine, but I don’t want to him to than think he isn’t to get any attention and fear others (still doing dog parks for social and he doesn’t jump on people there while off leash).