If there is one thing that we have discovered during these first few weeks of puppy love, it is that having a puppy is a little like having a toddler. He gets into everything within reach.
He questions everything.
He chews on everything.
He puts all sorts of things in his mouth.
And he is adorable when he finally collapses from exhaustion.
Despite the cuteness overload at times, he is still a lot of work. During the first few days, he required hourly trips to the potty spot. Until we discovered that he had the rudimentary basics of house-training down. Now it is a matter of being consistent, and on time.
Pup also seems to have a knack for finding mischief. He’s already stepped on a hornet, chewed the base of a rocking chair, made himself sick from eating grass, and howls pitifully when his best friend leaves.
His favorite sport seems to be licking toes and elbows. Not all guests share his enthusiasm for this. Nor do I.
Just like a toddler, he requires nearly constant supervision. Even with regularly scheduled walks our carpet is going to need a thorough cleaning (the spot treatments are only accomplishing so much). And he has an abundance of hopping good energy.
Boo recently wondered why none of her health classes included a segment of “Baby Think it Over” or “Flour Babies.”*
Who knows? I suspect that part of it is cost, and lack of reliable results. But I reassured her.
She’s getting to experience something much closer to the real thing!
Have you ever adopted a puppy? What was the biggest challenge? What was the greatest reward?
*Baby-Think-It-Over (more recently called RealCare Baby Infant Simulator) and Flour Babies are educational projects that require a student to care for a baby for a short period of time. During that time, students must wake up with the baby, provide consistent and healthy care for the child (or enlist a babysitter), and students will often be required to create a budget based on a low income salary. Baby-Think-It-Over requires an actual doll–the “baby” cries, and requires feeding, burping, rocking, and changing–that records student results. A Flour Baby is much like it sounds; either a five or ten pound bag of flour that simulates a baby.