6/29/16:

Just have to share what Cooper did yesterday. Prior to yesterday, Cooper would flip his bowl to tell me he wanted more food. Well I guess he thought I was stupid bc yesterday he brought his bowl to me and put it down in front of me in the kitchen. It was delightful. He has so much going on inside that cute little head of his that I wish I could read his mind.

Brief update on our walks... We start out awesome bc the walk starts on a street that has no buildings. But as soon as we hit the little strip mall areas, his anxiety starts to increase. We walk slowly and I will stop when the pulling gets too bad and that seems to help. He has to sit quietly for a minute before we start again. Last night there was a soccer game at a park near us and when he heard the referees whistle, he started to panic. So we found a nice area to sit, I gave both puppies some water and hung out for about 15min. We were about 100ft away. It helped a tiny bit but I'm hoping if we do this on a daily basis, he will be desensitized to the noise. He also dislikes the sound of metal baseball bats when it strikes a ball and when dumpster lids slam shut. I think he has puppy PTSD bc it will literally take him an hour to stop panting when we return from our walk. When he is panting, his entire body moves and if I am on my phone I literally have to stop bc my phone is moving all over the place. Then to top it off... He lays right against me and he is very hot and on a hot day, it's like I have a fur coat on. But I'm his safe person so I deal with it lol.

5/14/16:

4/29/16:

Big Ol' Bone!

4/23/16:

Apparently, Cooper doesn't like Honey Nut Cheerios! Do all dogs eat the ears off of "animals"? Every animal that Cooper has access to has lost their ears!

4/20/16:

  I don't think he likes baths.

4/19/16:

"Geez mom... I was sleeping.  What do you want?"

4/18/16:

He hates my cooking!

3/28/16:

Good thing they are not Siamese twins. Lily wanted to walk straight but Cooper wanted to check out everyone's yard. We will keep on trying... as soon as I can get my shoulder back into the socket.

3/15/16:

Cooper enjoying the one sunny day we have had in two months

3/14/16:

Lily pouts when Cooper gets the spot closest to me...   She is scheming how to not wake him up and move up.

Cooper is funny and everyone loves him... even with his buzz cut. I put out two bowls of food but rather than each eating from their own bowl, they share one bowl, eat it clean then go on to bowl 2. When I play fetch with Lily, Cooper will get the ball, drop it at my feet then walk away. When Lily is mad at home she tricks him into his crate then shuts the door. I have two adorable toddlers!

3/7/16:

Here is Cooper. He has been fantastic. I am glad I stuck with him. 
No more accidents and he and I have great conversations. 
I took him to the vet bc I suspected that his clumsiness was related to his vision. Sure enough, he is blind in his left eye. 
Dr said it was probably due to trauma ... Knowing this made accepting his constant bumping and nipping easier. 
I had to give him a haircut so I can control his hair. He looks so cute huh?

One more picture. Lily is on my other side:

1/23/16:

I think Cooper is settling in. Potty is great! He actually indicated under no uncertain terms that he had to go bathroom.

He is still a little pushy but he listens a bit better

Both puppies slept on my bed with me two nights in a row.

I'm perplexed about feeding. What type of kibble and canned food did Cooper eat? I got Science Diet Adult food and Purina Pro Plan but he won't eat it. However, he will eat his kibbles from his treat ball!! I've tried mixing with Honest Kitchen food. He took a couple of bites then said "meh, I'm done". Of course Lily follows Cooper with regards to food.

Cooper is great with his new crate. He has a wire one in the living room. I covered all except the front and leave the gate open so he is free to go in and out as he pleases. His portable one he "used" as his bed is not used as often but is there in case he needs it. Did you know if you tell Cooper to go to bed, he goes straight to his bed crate ? Lily on the other hand looks at me and says "whatever". Cooper also met one of Lily's friend. Pre is a 30lb-ish white papillon mix. Pre is about 8 and wasn't interested in playing and when Cooper tried to initiate play, it only took one nip from Pre and Cooper backed off. Pre's two legged sibling has autism. They came over for dinner last night. She was very upset bc she was hungry and bc she is non- verbal, she cries really, really loud. Cooper ran into his crate and as soon as kiddo was calm, he went to her, didn't jump, kissed her hand and waddled away. So cute...

Finally, is Cooper just super clumsy or does he have vision problems. I need to take him to the vet but I think his peripheral vision may be affected. I'll keep you posted. In any event, I just wanted to check in to share his progress.

1/21/16:

I've made a couch potato!

1/20/16:

They spent over an hour chewing and switching their pig ears... So cute

1/18/16:

They have been at it for 30min so far... They are playing pretty appropriately. No yelping or barking. Only problem is they forget I am here and step on me... Boy are they going to sleep well tonight.

1/17/16:

Today was zero potty accident. Yay!!! However, I'm pooped. Woke up at 7am- potty every 30 Ate at 800 - potty Played 2 hrs - potty every 30 min Last potty @9 - crates Napped from 9-11 11 potty Every 30 min potty 130-300 crated. Potty @ 3 Potty every 30 min Dinner 530 - potty Play & potty every 30 min Last potty - 7pm When Lily naps, Cooper naps too but he loves his crate. If I'm in the front room, he goes into his traveling crate when it when it's time to sleep, he goes into his soft crate. He is too smart. He is starting to figure out how Lily and I communicate. Lily has a flinging cookie that she brings me when she wants food; Cooper does it now. Lily has a stuffed bone that she brings me to tell me it's time for bed; Cooper does that now. If I can't "see" Cooper, I ask Lily to find Cooper. She finds him and brings him out. I have his travel crate by the tv. I want him to get used to sounds. He is so cute. When Lily has his back to him, he gently tugs at her tail, and when Lily looks, he drops her tail, she turns back around again, and he tugs her tail again. Finally she gets the hint ... He wanted to play. I figured out that Lily's barking is based on my emotion. The more frustrated I am (i.e. peeing in the house after being outside)the more Lily barks. She has been barking less... Both pups are sound asleep. Have a great week!

1/15/16:

We are all on a timer... Lol. I've also relocated their potty spot so I can see them actually pee and poo. The front yard isn't fenced but Lily doesn't go into the street. I put Cooper on a long lead and hang out with them outside. Sometimes they relieve themselves, sometimes not. But the rain... Both pups hate the rain. I have three treat toys but no interests. He would rather take one of my slippers and hide it. I love brushing him so I definitely will do more of that. Thank you as always for all the advice. It is definitely helpful.

I just realized that Lily is my biggest problem in potty training Cooper. Whenever they both go outside for what I think is potty time, they play. Once they come back, Cooper pees on the floor. I have to find a way of taking Cooper out alone and then letting Lily out once he does his business. I would like for them to play and hopefully go potty at the same time. I know Lily is completely potty trained so making her wait is no problem. I may be adding more cases in the next two weeks so the time away from home may increase. I am going to get this potty training done. I have him in a different crate right now. Not his sleeping crate but his travel crate which is in the living room. My thought- Start at 30 minutes take him out the crate, put him on leash and go outside and go potty. If he doesn't go potty in 15 min, go back to the crate. Every 15 min try again until he goes potty. When he goes potty, I'll reinforce with an edible and I'm going to put him back in the crate. I'm afraid that if I let him play too soon after potty, he may have an accident. I'm getting a different crate for Lily. My friend has a wire one that her HUGE Akita has outgrown. I'm going to put Lily in there while Cooper is outside with me. Otherwise she will try to exit and scratch the doors. My house was built in 1936 and most of the house is original. I want to keep it that way lol...

 

1/14/16:

Cooper doesn't bark which is good bc Lily barks enough for both of them. How would I reduce Lily's barking but not affect Cooper? Cooper: "I'm hungry!!! Feed me! Cooper: "I don't feel like going outside" A couple questions- 1. Has his poo always been an ochre color? It hasn't changed even though I'm slowly weaning him to a different dog food. It's still science diet but for big boys. 2. Does he like baths? 3. Aside from "sit" and "down", what else does he know? I wanted another dog to teach Lily puppy manners but by her teaching Cooper, she has learned to be more independent. However, when Cooper pees and I reprimand him, Lily always puts in her two cents. It's funny. Every day they are getting better at play. Lily knows "find Cooper". I'm taking him to the vet either today or tomorrow. I'll let you know what he says.

Cooper's room:

1/13/16:

I leave the treats on the counter right by the door. They come in, sit and look at me, "well"?!?!! I'm fading out the treats so they are intermittent... They crack me up. What is his favorite stuffed animal? Maybe I can find a replacement ? Coopers potty situation is perplexing. He is fantastic at night. Last night he slept straight through from 10:00 to 6:00am. But throughout the day, even after he's been outside, he will pee in the house. Reminds me of a kid who doesn't empty their bladder completely into toilet when potty training and as soon as you put their clothes on... Then I have to listen to Lily scold Cooper when I send them back outside! It's actually funny bc Cooper pushes right past her (I think he is telling her to shut up). If you have any tips, I will truly appreciate it. My floors are wood so it's easier to clean but i would really like to be able to trust them home alone. Although I left them for 30minutes. They did great!

1/12/16 (turning the corner, yay, and now he has a NEW new name - Cooper!):

I finally figured out why Cooper kept ringing the bell. As I am trying to reinforce going potty outside, he gets a little treat when he comes back in. I think he has figured that if I ring the bell, go outside (never mind messing with going pee or poo)and come back in, I get a treat. It only took me 12 hrs to figure that out... By the way, things are going fantastic w Cooper and Lily. They are slowly learning about each other and from each other. Watching them play is hilarious.

1/11/16 (a little later):

He loves the bathroom. Takes my bottles of shampoo and tosses into the tub. It's so cute My shower is separate from tub so now all my hair stuff got tossed into the tub. He must love baths? He also does great keeping himself amused. He tosses anything he finds up in the air. Found that out when I kept hearing clunks in the night... It was a huge bone.

1/11/16 (post-groomer):

I'll send you a butt pic when I can. Going to promote him as a dog model. He may be crazy but when you say "sit" he does it so graciously. The groomer lady fell in love with him. He is soooooo soft

1/11/16 (getting better - new [temporary] name is Leroy):

He reminds me of kids that have sensory processing disorder. He is not sure where his body is in relation to his physical world. He likes things consistent too. He is constantly looking for stimulation. I think that is why he is go go go! Leroy is getting better. I left my bedroom door open with a doggie bed in my bedroom. The crate was left right outside my door. Luckily I can close the doors to kitchen and living room so I didn't have to worry about bathroom. Leroy uses the bells I have hanging from the door knobs. Lily hasn't a clue why she needs to use it (part of her diva persona) but Leroy jingles the bell every 4 hours at night. I open the door, grab some cookies for me and wait for them to come back. Give both treats and we go back to bed. Lily and Leroy want to play (3 am) but eventually they get the hint. I was going to change Leroy's name tbut I had an apostrophe. City Dog, Country Dog. (I should write a book). You can tell Leroy doesn't watch tv, understand that the pellets for pellet stove isn't kibble etc. Lily is slowly learning I am not solely there for her. She is trying to bully him but he has no clue she is being a bitch. Ha ha ha The social aspect is just like the kids I work with. Everyone is Leroy's best friend, even though she is being a mean girl. But she is getting better ... The concrete floor in basement seems to be paired with poo. I hate restricting him from rooms in the house but until he is consistently going poo outside, no basement. I'm taking him to PetCo to get groomed. He gets dingleberries... and the mud sticks. My back yard is very muddy. I'll send you pictures when we get done. He may become a city slicker eventually.

1/10/16 (more):

This is the corner that he was hiding in. I put his crate where he feels the most comfortable. You should see what is inside the crate. When he gets corrected, he just goes into the crate. I think he is thinking "yeah... Whatever"

1/10/16 (the beginning of his transformation, it gets better!):

Things started out really great but I'm having some concerns at this point. Espresso is a great dog but I think he needs to be an only dog. He wants nothing to do with Lily and will hide in the back of the house. Every time Lily tries to engage in play, Espresso gets aggravated and they almost end up in a fight. His toy hoarding is amusing. When I remove the toy, it's ok but if Lily wants her toy, he is very vocal about "no way" and either she will respond inappropriately or walk away.. Sad. He has his own toys out but he wants them all. He has been peeing all over the place. I can deal with that but I need to feel 100% secure that I can leave the two together and come back to a house the is in the same condition that I left it. It's like they don't like each other. Remember how Lily was interested in that black dog with the blue eye... She is usually that way with 98% of the dogs she meets. I don't know what the cause or reason is but I don't feel that Lily and espresso will get along. He is also a lot more bigger than Lily that I thought. Right now, the back door is open and the sun is out but he is inside, hanging out by himself... Doesn't want to do anything but collect all the stuffed animals. It's not fair to him. We try and engage him but not interested. I blame myself because I should have had a meet and greet before taking him home. It was obvious from the get go. What can we do? I feel awful but please help. I need to do what's best for Lily and Espresso ...