So, you’ve decided that you want to add a new being to your family. One with a wet nose, 4 paws and bright eyes that see straight into your soul, capturing your heart, time and patience. It is an amazing and rewarding decision, but don’t be fooled. IT. IS. WORK to open your heart and your home up to someone who will be completely dependent on you, for everything, for their whole life, and who will directly reflect how you spend your time with them.
Most people relish the thought of sloppy puppy kisses and snuggles, and people stopping to pay attention to their sweet new addition. While these are all amazing perks that often come along with bringing home a puppy, many harsher realities are easily forgotten but will challenge the dynamics of your current world. I'm here to remind you of those in hopes of truly preparing you for the amazing, yet potentially exhausting experience you are about to embark on.
Along with wagging tails and happy paws, come sharp, fast, chompers! In the doodle community, we refer to these demons that inhabit our sweet little fluff balls as "shark-a-doodles"! They inflict all kinds of torment, anxiety and scars. These episodes are inevitable and it is easy to get lost in the "what have I done", moments. I will take this opportunity to let you know that you are not alone. This is completely normal and it will go away. It just takes time, training and a lot of patience. Puppies use their mouths to explore, communicate and relieve the unpleasant sensations of teething. It's your job to teach them and remind them (constantly) how to appropriately go about doing so. This means having a never-ending supply of toys and chews, being quick but calm to react and knowing when your puppy may be overstimulated or tired. This may mean that puppy needs to go to his or her safe space (often a crate) for a nap. Puppies need 18-20 hrs of sleep a day, for the first few months of their lives.
As a result, when your puppy starts acting wild and out of control, they often just need a little shuteye to reboot and recharge. Think of an overtired toddler. You know what I’m talking about. They ask you for something, you give it to them and then they have a meltdown, or something slightly humorous leads to them laughing hysterically for a few minutes. Puppies are the same. When overtired, they malfunction and become obnoxious, terrorizing versions of themselves. However, put them in their crate for a nap and the next time you open the crate door they will emerge rested and ready to interact with you like the cute little fluff ball you hoped you were bringing home.
It's also important to remember that puppies can have limits and boundaries that need to be respected, just like we do. Now, if you have chosen a family breed, as opposed to a working breed, and you’re getting your puppy from a responsible, ethical and experienced breeder, that breeder should be breeding lines of dogs with suitable “family dog” temperaments. They should also be working with their puppies to prepare them for what the life of a family dog entails, including certain desensitization. This means that when the puppies go home they should have minimal and trainable limits. For example, they may not love the blow dryer, or they may get confused when you take away their favourite chew, but these things can be resolved through practice and consistency. However, you may find that children running by them or from them is going to get puppy overly excited and lead them to believe that "a game is afoot"! It is going to kick them into overdrive and they are going to do puppy things that most will find unpleasant, like chasing, jumping and nipping. For these reasons, it is important to also teach small family members the appropriate ways to act around puppy, until he or she has gone through training to understand our human boundaries. Also, just as a child jumping on your stomach wouldn’t be fun for you, a puppy or grown dog,
experiencing the same pain, without being able to verbally express their unhappiness, may react physically towards the “perpetrator”. So, this is another important reason to help children understand how to appropriately interact with the new family member.
Topics like crate training and potty training will be covered in upcoming posts!
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