Welcome 4 Year Old Cooper

Already a month has gone by since this little darling came for his Meet & Greet. Yesterday we finally welcomed him in for his first 4 hour visit.  What a sweet little guy.

I'm told Cooper is not a newbie to daycare and generally loves to play with other dogs, large and small. I cant wait to begin introducing him to some of our regulars.
 Cooper does not normally like to be with out his mom and dad, and is super protective of his dad.  It was no surprise to me that he stood by the gate as dad left and whimpered for his return.We sat together for a little while as dad drove away.

"Awww, I know little buddy. I promise he'll come back soon. Let's head into the back yard where you can smell all the other dogs who visited before you."

Although he was hesitant, Cooper followed me and soon was caught up in all the wonderful smells. He found all the places to use as a vantage point to watch for his dad.

I could see Cooper's content side even though he was missing mom & dad. Once he realized we were going for a 'walk' he tagged along happily and checked out all the signs and scents of the 'others'.
He never missed an opportunity to check out the gate where ever we were.  His recall, although hesitant, was reliable enough that I took off the long safety lead and his  harness within an hour. 
It was definitely a good thing because the sun was sharing it's heat with us that day.

Cooper - "Hey Lady? do you think my dad will know I'm way up here?"

He had fully settled in to just 'being here' with in that hour and I was able to get a start on some of my yard work while Cooper rested in the shade.  He came over to find out what I was up to a couple of times but he still wanted to watch the gate. He didn't want any goodies I had to offer but that was just fine, my goal was to allow him to be relaxed.

It was time to check out things indoors and I wanted to go through my routines to learn more about Coopers likes and dislikes. Cooper had already used the basement ramp during his M&G so I knew he'd be fine with that.  He willingly followed me down the ramp and indoors.

Cooper - "I been here before Lady. I know this one."

As I went through the daily routines of noises and movements of doing laundry, cleaning, sorting bedding, moving crates and thrashing about Cooper simply found a 'just right spot to sit and watch me.

Cooper - "I would go to sleep if you would be a bit
quieter Lady. Is this going to take long?"

One more big nosier thing to go through dear Cooper. Follow me. We headed upstairs and out came the vacuum. Again Cooper showed little interest but he'd  rather sit on the porch and peer out at the gate. Of course.

Cooper - "Really Lady, I'm not much into house work so,
I'll head out doors if you don't mind."

Great idea Cooper I'll join you. So join him I did. We sat in the sun for a nice long time. It was a perfect opportunity to try out some husbandry with Cooper. A very compliant little guy who allowed every touch I preformed. An especially pleasant part of this time seemed to be tummy rubs. Oh how he loves those. No kidding! Right?

Even though Cooper's eyes were often on the gate, I believe he's had an ample opportunity to become familiar with our yard, house and all my activities during the day.  Although he watched for dad he really didn't make a fuss and try to 'escape'.   He's ready to visit and meet some other buddies. I believe I can keep him safe and comfortable and best of all, he can learn to have FUN here.

Cooper - "... but my dad will come back right?"

Yes, you bet Cooper, THAT I can promise you. Mom and Dad will be back for you.
Welcome to our daycare yard, Cooper. We hope you visit us again soon.