Day 38 – Homeward Bound

Copper returns home to his very excited family…Happy Birthday Yash!
It’s was Yash’s ninth birthday today and Copper got to sign his birthday card with his paw! After a fun filled day and lots of goodbyes we packed up Copper’s bags and prepared his take-home package. Copper got to take home his tunnel from yesterday along with various treats and a plan for his training going forward. So this isn’t the last you’ll see of Copper! He’ll be back soon to keep working on his socialization among other things. In Copper’s language: play with friends and meet some new ones. Brenda will be doing some in-home training to help maintain the awesome momentum we’ve created. Copper’s family is super motivated so we can’t wait to see what’s in store for his future…
If you remember Pat’s puppy Lucy, you’ll remember how small she was and how shy she was when she first met Copper. Pat brought her in today and as you can see they are now the same size! Lucy’s paws are huge. The video called “Cage Match” is fascinating because it demonstrates how dogs communicate with one another even while playing. During the first half of the “Cage Match” Copper clearly has the upper hand. Lucy hangs in (doesn’t pull a puppy tap-out, lol!) but does get frustrated. Copper – in all his puppy wisdom – recognizes this and changes his play style to make Lucy more comfortable. After all, he doesn’t want to lose his playmate. He keeps his head lower than hers and has his bum in the air. He’s communicating to he that he does not want conflict and wants to play. Notice how Lucy responds – she plays! Animal behavior is COOL.