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Congratulations! It's a Dog:
True Tails from the Puppy Front
By Leslie Hayes-Houtkooper
The following article is a collection of thoughts on my experience
with my 12 week old puppy, Scout. I hope that it may offer
some insight into the emotional side of raising a puppy. And,
hopefully it may help someone out there feel like they're
not alone.
 As
a dog trainer, I've read volumes of books on how to raise a puppy. I've also helped
countless new owners wade through the ins and outs of puppyhood. But, boy-oh-boy,
there's nothing like the real thing, baby! Every puppy is a brand new experience
no matter how many you've raised. And each experience allows us to grow as humans
and dog-lovers.
Being active in breed rescue for many years, the thought of
getting a puppy from a breeder was both terrifying and exhilarating.
I spent hours upon hours researching breeders and various
breeds. I called dozens of individuals and interviewed them
- How many litters did they raise a year? What were they hoping
to achieve in particular mating? What was their philosophy
on training? What certifications did they perform on their
sires and dams? I poured over pedigrees and investigated lineages.
When I finally selected a breeder, I knew I had done everything
I could to ensure I would get a healthy pup from a reputable
kennel.
I was so happy when the breeder called to tell me the mating
took and her dam was expecting. I was even happier when I
found out the puppies were "on the ground" and that
they along with their mom were all safe and healthy. I followed
my pup's growth from day 1 to day 49 in a daily picture diary
kept by my wonderful breeder. Then finally the moment I'd
been waiting for arrived - the day came for me to take my
puppy home.
With a house full of puppy
supplies, I thought I was prepared for anything. I had dog
crates, puppy pens, puppy
pads, stain
remover, chew
deterrent, dog
toys, dog
beds, chewies, dog vitamins, supplements, healthy
dog treats and premium
dog food galore. But, of course when my puppy finally arrived, all of my sense
went right out the window! Scout looked so small and fragile I thought he might
break. When he slept almost all the way through the first night I was sure he
wasn't going to wake up - that I'd somehow killed him! I checked on him every
half-hour to see if he was still breathing.
I was so afraid of doing something wrong I couldn't enjoy
my new life with Scout. Dog training - my passion, my livelihood,
made me feel cumbersome and awkward with Scout. I felt depressed
instead of exhilarated after each session. And not because
of Scout - he was wonderful! I guess I felt that I wasn't
doing enough, that it wasn't perfect. And so went the first
three weeks with Scout. Here was this darling little puppy,
smart as a whip, ready and willing to learn and me, feeling
like a complete failure.
And then, the unthinkable happened. What I'd been dreading actually materialized.
On Thanksgiving Day, Scout became seriously ill. A sudden and violent onset of
vomiting and diarrhea sent us racing to the emergency vet. Scout, being so young,
was taken immediately to the isolation room for fear that he might be stricken
with deadly Parvo-virus. As I paced in the waiting room, I berated myself for
not taking better care of him, for not doing more. I was sobbing when the vet
finally came to talk to me. It wasn't Parvo, probably just an intestinal bug -
they would know in a matter of minutes. A short course of antibiotics and a week
of chicken and rice would get Scout back on the right track.
On the ride home from the vet's office, it finally hit me.
I'd spent so much time worrying about what might go wrong
that I couldn't possibly enjoy everything that was going right.
I also realized that it's a lot easier to train another person's
dog than to train your own. That's because there's no fear
of "doing it wrong". When people come to me help
with dog training, I can be objective and clear-headed. They
tell me what they need, and I set out a plan to achieve those
goals. When I trained my rescue dog, Daisy, it was the same.
Her "problems" were not my mistakes, and any training
I did with her would only serve to make her life better. What
an eye-opener!
I'm happy to say that since my very humbling realization,
my outlook and my training have been great! I've stopped worrying
about every little thing that might go wrong, and I've started
paying a lot more attention to all the wonderful things that
happen every single day! As a matter of fact, as I sit here
typing, Scout is showing off his very beautiful retrieving
skills. Aren't puppies the greatest?
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