So most people ask us how Cooper is getting along with Belle, and we’re happy to report that all seems to be well on that front. At first, Cooper was just stressed, unable to relax and confused by the wailing primate that had invaded his space. As time went on, he’s mellowed out, and we started to make further steps to have them get along. I started propping Belle against him while on the couch, and he’s gone from somewhat tolerating it, to actually being pretty relaxed while it happens. The first time we tried it, I rewarded him with a treat, which he ran into the bedroom to eat. As soon as he was finished, he ran straight back to Belle and started licking her head. Hopefully this doesn’t go too far in the other direction.
Though we’re not sure how related this is, as soon as Michelle even became pregnant, Cooper started to have trouble traveling. We’d put him in the back of the car and he’d whimper and pace and eventually (on most longer trips) throw up in the back. Obviously this is less than ideal, and after Belle was born we decided to try something new. We have a harness/seatbelt for Cooper so he can sit on a regular seat and not be thrown around the car in case of an accident (for his protection, and ours – apparently some people haven’t lived through accidents that they otherwise would have survived when they were killed by their dog flying around the cabin), and we tried putting him next to Belle. The difference was amazing; Cooper just wanted to be part of the family and not in the back, and he’s been rock-solid ever since.
So that’s the situation right now. We imagine that once Belle can crawl, we’re going to have to start all over again, since that’ll be a whole new ball of wax for Cooper.

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