Well, it’s day 12 or 13 or something, but somewhere near two weeks. Ironically, the first week was actually easier than the second overall because of the lack of sleep. Behaviors are much easier to regulate when you are well rested, so when you aren’t, critical thinking and patience are elusive at best. Finally, last night the wee one slept through the night and thus far today, she has been fairly well-behaved. The biting has continued to get worse, partially because I don’t think she has figured out the difference between dog versus human play behavior. I hope that when she returns to her rightful owners, without the influence of another dog, she will get a little more clear on that point.
On that note, I would like to provide some news. The owners of the snuggle-bug are back in their hometown in Florida and have offered to meet to retrieve her. While still considering, I am having trouble with the pros and cons of the situation. It is only a week and a half or two weeks until we anticipated visiting them anyway, but those weeks are vital to several projects in progress at work (thus, a strong requirement for sleep). On the one hand, I know they miss her and would love to have her before she grows up to be too big, but the drive is quite a distance, especially on my only weekend day. Of course she is good for Kimba in terms of a playmate, but my parents having her would allow them to commence important training before she develops bad habits. I could take the gamble that she will be well behaved over the next two weeks, or relinquish the responsibility to those who wanted it in the first place. The next few hours will decide and I will relay the update to you after the much anticipated conversation with her Mommy and Daddy. Input? Let me know! I have gotten a lot of positive feedback on the daily articles and certainly will continue to request updates on her training should she leave me soon.
For me, it is nice to have that option to transfer her back, but remember that many of you that are considering committing to a puppy soon will not have that. Make sure that you consider the time and effort that goes into it before coming in for a new little one. Having multiple members in the house helps, but making sure that the message is consistent no matter who is giving it is absolutely vital. Time is important, patience more so. It is a lot but it is also one of the most rewarding things you could do. We haven’t gotten to the point where her tricks or behavior is completely consistent, but every time she sits before I attach her leash or open the door without being told, I remember what I have been working for. If you want to know more about the nuances of puppy training, we have a lot of great resources and of course I am happy to respond to any questions you may have!
Don’t forget to leave your comments, and if you missed any posts, go back and read them! My time with the puppy has been priceless (well, minus a few pieces of clothing and holes in the furniture) and certainly has been a learning experience. Whether you learned something or just enjoyed the ride, make sure to tell us what you think, whether it was your favorite moment, best piece of advice, or otherwise, I want to hear it! Thanks for your support, and don’t forget to keep checking to see how the saga will continue…
I am sorry not to have the puppy sagas to read after Monday, but really excited to have my puppy! We had looked for an adult male with pointy ears like Kimba’s but instead fell in love with Georgia, a female puppy with ears that aren’t sure what they want to do. When you fall in love, all the other criteria fly out the window! While a little uncertain about how the puppy stage will play out, I realize that getting a puppy instead of an adult allows us to train out bad habits before they even become habits and to raise her as a “boat dog” so she can travel with us. On the flip side, things like begging, barking, biting, pulling on the leash, soiling the house etc. can also be learned easily at this age so there will have a lot of NO in our home for the next 6 months or so. I can’t imagine raising a puppy (or a baby!) as a single “parent” and admire those of you who are doing so successfully. With two of us at home pretty much full time and a “village” of friends and neighbors who are as excited about Georgia’s advent as we are, (she already has 9 dog and one cat play dates in the works and enough baby gates being lent to us to protect her and much of the house), it should be a pleasure to experience her puppyhood. That there is a large dog park with separate big and small dog sections less than a mile away is also helpful, puppies need a lot of exercise and seem to behave better when they get worn out regularly.
So tomorrow ends Rabon’s tenure as monster-sitter and starts ours as monster-Mommy and Daddy. I hope the puppy blogs have not discouraged people from adopting the litle fuzz balls but have given them realistic expectations. Puppies are wonderful but they do need a lot of guidance to help them become wonderful adults.
Thank you, Rabon, for all your efforts with our new baby. I’m thinking that after this you might not get Kimba a puppy so you can just borrow ours…maybe!