What a difference a year makes! Encouragement for new puppy owners....

[Lori, Winnie, Bob and Indie]

I've been in a very "reflective" state of mind lately, and thought I would share some of these thoughts with all of you puppy owners. Bear with me... this might take a while....

Last year at this time, I was a mess, to be honest. My dad, whom I was super close to, had just passed away unexpectantly. The grief was nearly unbearable. Two weeks later we brought home Winnie. We had been planning her homecoming for months- reading up on puppy care, watching training videos, etc. Both my husband and I grew up with dogs, and I raised a pup myself 20 years ago. We were sooooo excited! I knew that it was going to be stressful, but I was blindsided by the amount of mental energy that it required to raise a very active and mouthy puppy. Mental energy that I didn't always have! My physical energy was waning, too. After a long day at work, I just wanted to rest on the couch in the evening. Not possible with Winnie around! :-)

She potty trained fairly quickly and learned all of the basic commands easily. That wasn't the so much the stressful part. The mouthiness/nipping/biting/crocodile behavior nearly drove me insane. I could not touch her, cuddle with her, play with her, take her out to potty or attempt to walk her on a leash without getting ripped pant legs/skirts/nightgowns and multiple bite marks on my hands and arms. It seemed that no amount of redirecting, training, "time outs," encouraging, pleading, scolding and praying would stop the behavior. I'm a fairly patient person, but this was putting me over the edge. And, I'm ashamed to admit, drove me to drink waaay too much wine on more than one occasion! :-) My husband and I have a great relationship. But, we found ourselves being more irritable and short with each other because of her. I was ready to throw in the towel and call the breeder to take her back. But everyone kept encouraging us and telling us that it would get better. A neighbor down the street (that has beautifully trained dogs) would see the fiasco of trying to walk a puppy attached to my pant leg and would yell his encouragement. We had all sorts of cheerleaders along our journey.

And then, it happened. One day I took her out to potty, and my pant leg was no longer enticing. I noticed that my hands and arms had less bite marks. I could wear my long flowing nightgowns in the evening and she didn't even notice. She would sit next to me and let me pet her. Gradually we could walk around the entire block without having her hanging from her leash or attacking my leg. A miracle was happening!

Fast forward one year.... Winnie is an absolute gem. She is a gentle dog that loves to cuddle and snuggle. She is well behaved, has had run of the house since age 6 months, and is the apple of my eye. My neighbor down the street smiles whenever he sees me riding bike with her trotting loose lease beside me. Something I never dreamed I'd be able to do with her! 

She's not perfect- no dog (or human) is. But, all of the frustration I had last year at this time is gone. And, she has been a blessing to our family in a way that I never thought possible. I'm quite sure that my dad would have loved her....

 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Thanks so much for sharing.  Owners in the middle of puppy madness, can gain lots of encouragement from this transformation.   You certainly put in lots of hard work and time to make this happen,

[Lori, Winnie, Bob and Indie]

Hoping I can help!  The bad thing is that I have "puppy fever' again.:-)  And, when I see people like yourself having more than one doodle I think, "I want that!"  Maybe in the waaay future I might be ready again. Or, maybe I'll be lucky enough to find a young adult doodle that would be a nice companion for Winnie....    

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

The real downside of multiple dogs (we have a third non-doodle dog too) is that it is harder to take them with you.   Sometimes I wish I had only one dog so that I could just pop him in the car with me all of the time.

[Leslie, Yogi & Maci Bear]

I think we still take our two about as much as one. We do LOVE having them both. We got Maci when Yogi was 10 months old, but he was a very calm dog even then. Btw, I do blame everyone on DK for wanting two.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Perhaps it is the third one, that holds us back from taking them along as often as I would like.  My guys are very good in outdoor cafes, but three still take up a lot of floor space.

[Sheeba Daniel]

Thank you - thank you! I read your post aloud to my husband and kids- reassuring them that it WILL get better. This group is the best and I am on this site all the time for your all's encouragement, but my family is not and I think at this stage in our puppy rearing they definetly needed to hear what you had to say  - thank you. 

[Amanda Schultz]

This morning, in my total frustration, I get on dk to find some answers for our high energy puppy. Banks is 7 months old and we love him so much. He is our baby, but he is extremely trying at times. My arms are bruised and scratched from playing and it seems like he will never wind down. He just passed his "canine good citizen" test and will do just about anything for a treat. We are having so much trouble with the jumping and biting and ending our play sessions. He could play all day long! Our basement flooded and I wish I could call a babysitter. We just don't have the time or energy to do our daily exercise and playtime. I'm exhausted and frustrated. Then, I read this between intervals of chasing banks away from boxes we recovered from the basement. I HAVE HOPE. I will think of this post, next time I want to pull my hair out or just scream. Thank you for sharing this.

[Lori, Winnie, Bob and Indie]

Hang on to that hope! My guess is that now, a month later, things are starting to get better for you!

[Carlene and Kobe]

Thanks for sharing your story...it is very encouraging for a mom of a five month old puppy who still can't wear a robe or nightgown without a puppy hanging on to it!!

[Lori, Winnie, Bob and Indie]

I saved my night gowns from those days- they will make good rags.... :-)

[Kathy and Sam]

Thank you for this.  So perfect for me.  I love the images of your neighbor and your bike riding!

[Lori, Winnie, Bob and Indie]

One day at a time....