Ah, freedom. I have just gotten to the point where my kids sleep through the night. This is the first time since, oh, 2004 that I have had the luxury of sleeping in every once in a while. My son is just about potty trained and I was looking forward to a life free from diapers, with a tad bit more independence.
Then I got a puppy. Oy.
I haven’t raised a puppy since, oh, the early 80s. My parents got a Lhasa-something-or-other from a neighbor, which we had for 15 years and did just about everything wrong if you want a well adjusted dog. We never had her trained. She hated kids. She was food aggressive and allergic and peed in the house till the day she died. We fed her Gravy Train. And although some of the early details are fuzzy, I do remember those first few bleary eyed weeks sleeping in the living room so she wouldn’t whine (yes, that task got assigned to the youngest kid in the house. Of course.)
When my husband surprised me with Brody, my first reaction was “OMGSQUEEPUPPY!!!!!” but I will admit there was a teeny part of me that whispered, “Oh my god, a puppy.” Adopting adult dogs has been my modus operandi my entire adult life. Don’t get me wrong, I love puppies, but I get to see them every day- biting, peeing, wiggly little maniacs that they are. I see parents covered in scars and black eyes from their unruly charges, hear the stories about the challenges of raising a puppy well. The owners are always tired.
And now I am one of those exhausted owners, getting yet another lesson in humble pie. How often have I said, “Oh, you just have to watch them every second! They’ll figure it out as long as you are consistent,” to puppy owners. Now I have a roll of paper towels, a box of treats, and a handy array of curses at the ready as I scoff at the recent report that Goldens are the fourth smartest breed. Ha!
I just had an owner brag that her nine week old Yorkie is housetrained and goes 4 hours at a time without needing to go outside, and Brody still sneaks a pee every half hour if I’m not paying attention. Well, even if I am paying attention, eyes glued to him while he sits 4 feet away in an exercise pen. He doesn’t seem to care. He likes the positive reinforcement he gets when he goes outside, but if he goes inside, my correction doesn’t seem to bother him a bit. He looks at me like, what? It’s cold out there. Then he continues to go until I physically pick him up.
You talkin to me?
Why would anyone want to put themselves through puppyhood?
He eats whatever he can get his jaws on.
He has terrible puppy manners.
He likes to chew on sprinkler heads and lay in water dishes. Yes, you.
He’s a downright pain in the butt.
Why, oh why would anyone want to put up with all that?
Puppy dog eyes. That’s why.
Brodo is absolutely too cute for his own good – but then again, we all get to enjoy his cuteness so it is definitely a good thing 🙂
The puppy stage took some good years off my life. I think I’ll miss those years 😉 I know I’m preaching to the choir but I’ll say it anyhow. As soon as he’s able, get him into formalized training. Puppies have a great racket going on – they’re adorable and they know it. The training you did with your grown up dogs won’t work on a cute widdle puppy. We found that the formalized training each and every week for 8 weeks helped set up a routine beyond the routine we established within the home.
Girl, we are already signed up.
I’m going to live through puppyhood through you because I’m going the adult only route for awhile. But you got it – it’s those puppy eyes. They can do no wrong and even if they do, all they gotta do is just look at you.
And he’s got that down pat already. LOL! I remember the days of having stock in cheap paper towels, Nature’s Miracle and loud noise makers. I still have a piece of the baseboard that puppy Blade gnawed on (before he put the hole the wall that made me a crate-training convert)
He’s a cutie Jess. Get some puppy skunk breath kisses for me please!
I firmly believe that kittens and puppies have to be that cute to survive. If they weren’t, nobody would put up with them!
and the same goes for teenagers…
and for bunnies… I had an un-neutered foster bunny for a while. The things he chewed on… sheesh!
I am so not looking forward to the teenage years. :/
Brody is so photogenic!
ah the puppy years… 🙂
Brody is adorable and I’ll bet it’s tough to stay mad at him. I’ve always crate trained my dogs. Unless he is right with me he stays in the crate. I take them out every 1-2 hours. When out of the crate, in the beginning, I keep them on a long leash so they are always in sight.
Good luck. It will be well worth the effort.
That is the route I’ve ended up going too. Crate upstairs, ex pen downstairs, and a long lead. This also gives the kids a way out when he’s chasing them and nipping.
Next step will be establishing Dog Jail.
As I sit here chortling/squeeing over that gorgeous Brodo, my 9 y/o Golden Rocky comes over & sits with a look that says “I remember that noise & it was all about me!” I hugged him & assured him that it’s STILL all about him…
Yeah, puppies are a pain in the ass but one big squiggly hug & a shot of puppy breath induce wonderful temporary but euphoric amnesia.
Those are the exact reasons why I was very happy to adopt a 1 year old corgi-lab mix a month ago. Lots of puppy good stuff, minimal bad. Of course, if my husband brought home a corgi puppy, I’d have the exact same reaction as you, Dr. V.
I didn’t know you adopted a new puppy! Congratulations! You should send me a pic, that combination sounds adorable.
Right now I’m puppysitting 13 Yorkies for my Aunt (who is in the hospital). One is in heat, which means she’s separated. Charlie, the resident stud *lol*, is also separated. Plus, she’s boarding two pups for a family. I am slowly losing my mind!
THIRTEEN Yorkies?? Oh my god! You are a good niece!
Thanks! I know she would take Daisy if something happened to me. I don’t really agree with the whole breeding thing, but she’s my aunt, yada yada yada.