Puppy Perils

Puppy parenting is tough. I may not have kids, but I have been around them enough to know that having a puppy is combining the neediness (and frequent cleaning up of pee and poop) of a newborn with the destructiveness of a sugar-crazed toddler with scissors. We are learning that Reese is three dogs in one.

First, there is our sweet, lovable cuddler. The guy whose whole butt wags when we let him out of the crate in the morning or when we return from around a corner where he can't see us. He's our favorite.

Then, we have lead puppy. Lead puppy refuses to move for reasons that are never entirely clear. He sits or lays down and shall not be moved. The above photo demonstrates his, "bitch, I ain't going nowhere" face. Lead puppy is a real problem when we know that Reese has to go out. According to all the training literature I have been reading, picking him up is problematic. Apparently, he needs to decide that he wants to go (eye roll). While I am not sure I totally buy the philosophy, I will say that finding an alternative to picking him up would be good - he's 30 pounds of puppy now, but will probably reach more than 60 pounds of dog in a few months.

Finally, and this guy is our least favorite, we have what we've termed "Demon Dog." Reese is a puppy, and he loves to play. And when he gets really amped up, it's hard to de-escalate. He starts getting more intense with the biting and snarling, and getting him to stop when he's at 11 feels impossible. I've watched a bunch of puppy training videos, read many posts from experts, and consulted the trainer we're working with. We've tried redirecting the energy to training, which works until I am tired of making him sit, come, lie down, go into his kennel, etc. We've tried physically removing ourselves from his reach until he calms down. We've tried giving him more appropriate things to chew (bully stick, kong, toys). We've even tried corrections with the leash - that just lead him to attacking the crap out of the leash and thinking we're playing a new game. Nothing has been a silver bullet, and it really seems like the key is to try to intervene when he starts to get excited and keep the intensity level lower. But, that can be easier said than done - especially if you're trying to get something done. So, I also try to get him out of the house frequently in an effort to burn the puppy energy off. But, while he seems subdued and tired out in the world, coming through the door to the apartment reinvigorates him, and he starts tearing around like a crazy pup.

We don't totally know Reese's story. Pets in Need picks up dogs from other kill shelters and will keep them until they find their forever home. Reese was brought into a shelter in the Central Valley. It seems that someone had loved and cared for him - his ears were clean; his nails were trimmed; he wasn't dirty or mange-y. But, he had been abandoned. Someone found him and turned him into the shelter in Madera. I am guessing someone fell in love with cuddle-y Reese and couldn't manage Demon Dog. We're not giving up on him - I could never unless he really became aggressive or dangerous. But, I suddenly understand why so many rescues are utterly insane about the adoption process. They don't want people bringing the dog back - or worse abandoning it to a kill shelter.

I am getting A LOT of unsolicited advice about how to "raise" my puppy. (Side note: I can only imagine how much more infuriating it would be to get that sort of advice about a child). I am clearly no expert, but I will say think long and hard if you're thinking about a puppy and never had one. It can be really frustrating and stressful to deal with the puppy energy - and frankly painful with those razor teeth. And from what I have been reading, this is a thing all puppies will go through to some degree. So, if you're going to commit to a pup, make sure you're ready to meet and love the Mr. Hyde to your sweet Dr. Jekyll. 

Puppy Love

Meet Reese. He's our new puppy, and as the title of this post suggests, we are totally smitten.

I have always wanted a dog, but my mother was the crazy person who put in white carpet. Her vision wasn't that great when I was growing up, but she could see a speck on the carpet from 50 feet away. Her obsession with the carpet was so extreme that my father used to joke that if she ever went into cardiac arrest, someone need only yell, "What's that on the carpet?", and she would come right back to us. So, needless to say, my childhood was pet-free (save for a beta fish that lived about 2 weeks).

In college, Eddie and I adopted a cat. She was the sweetest kitty I've ever met; she absolutely loved people and attention. She would come greet us at the door, cuddle on our laps, and get very jealous when Eddie and I would hug, because we weren't paying attention to her. In fact, some of my friends even referred to her as a "dog cat." But, she HATED other animals, making the prospect of a canine brother or sister impossible. So, Eddie and I always thought we would get a dog when she was no longer with us. When we finally had to put her down in 2016, I was so shattered from the experience that I couldn't fathom signing up for that eventual heartbreak again.

We discussed it on an off for a long time - we even knew what we wanted to get: a Bernese Mountain Dog. They were big, fluffy, and lazy. Since Eddie and I both worked and were gone long hours, we wanted a dog that would just lay about while we were gone - one that didn't need marathon walks in order to behave. And, because the weather tended to be shitty at least half the year in DC, we figured the lazier the better.

But then we moved back to California, and I did so without a job. Now I am living somewhere that's usually somewhere around 60 degrees all year long, and I have nothing but time on my hands. Suddenly, a very expensive dog that doesn't want to be active isn't so appealing. Plus, I have always had some guilt about the idea of buying a dog - no judgement, I was just always a bit conflicted. So, I started poking around websites for local rescues and found one that was walking distance from our apartment: Pets in Need.

After a false start with an adorable shepherd mix the shelter wouldn't let us have (our building has breed restrictions, and she was clearly a mix of two of them), we found Reese. He's adorable. affectionate, trainable, and super charming. But, he is SO.MUCH.WORK. I knew puppies were hard - I knew they needed lots of exercise, stimulation, and to be let out to pee many MANY times a day. But, I had no concept of how hard it was going to be.

Right now he's very attached to us - and me (the one who gives the food) in particular. He follows me everywhere in our open floor plan. If I am in the kitchen, he is in the kitchen. If I am in the living room, he's in the living room. Never mind that there aren't any walls between the two. He just needs to be close. In fact, for the first time since I was potty trained, I am allowing someone to sit and watch me pee. If I don't, he just whines and gets very distressed.

We're all getting used to this new arrangement, and I am coming to grips with the fact that my home smells like dog (he's getting groomed as soon as we're done with the vaccines, and I am buying stock in Febreeze). But, even with all the work, frustration, and exhaustion, I can't imagine not having this sweet pupper in our lives. 💖