SOMETIMES it's hard to escape my past and reputation.
People like to talk, or rather gossip, about things.
I realized this pretty quickly when I walked into my morning pilates class and the whispers started between the women in class. They were avoiding eye contact and I noticed one woman had her head down and was in tears.
With trepidation I asked, "Sharon, why are you crying?"
"Well," she squeaked out between sobs, "I heard that . . . I heard from the other ladies . . ." (at that point everyone's head snapped dramatically in another direction away from Sharon) ". . . that you are a dog trainer (a.k.a. therapist) and well, you are also my pilates instructor (a.k.a therapist), which is kinda weird (not really), and well, I'm having trouble with my puppy. More than just trouble, I want to give him back to the breeder, I hate him."
Those words, "I hate him" hit me like a 2x4 in the chest.
So I immediately asked her, "Sharon how on Earth can a 12-pound ball of fur take your positive energy away and bring you to tears?"
She shoved her hands into my face and I saw the red blotches and scabby scratches made from puppy teeth. Angrily she screeched, "Look at my hands. Look at them!"
Sharon is a first-time dog owner and didn't realize that nipping and biting is all a part of having a puppy.
We made an appointment for a private home session so I could set the record straight about puppy-raising, what to expect and how to have a happy life with a dog.
I sometimes think that having a puppy is like having a baby. I've never given birth but have had my share of puppies running around my life.
But I do hear from my friends who have had babies that your brain seems to be hard-wired to forget the pain of childbirth and the first few months of the baby's life and all you remember is the happy euphoria of a joyful new life that has been brought into the world.
This is where the similarities between babies and puppies seem to overlap because everyone seems to think that having a puppy is a breeze and I'll be the first to say puppies are the best, but like moms remembering childbirth, there are a few dog owners who remember and are very willing to tell it like it is: it is hell.
Well, the word "hell" might be a bit harsh, but having a puppy does disrupt your life if you are not expecting it.
The first five months are filled with nipping, biting, house training and teaching boundaries. Setting boundaries at this time sets the tone for the rest of the dog's life. It's imperative to learn, understand and apply leadership. Regardless of how you do it, be it pro-positive training methods or calm-assertive training methods, learn what canine leadership is all about and just do it. From five months to about 1½ years your young charge will test those boundaries you set.
Consider your dog a restless teenager and don't leave the keys to the sports car on the kitchen counter when you leave for the weekend. Get it?
Parents of human children usually get their teenagers involved in sports during this time of their lives. Get your dog involved in some sort of activity be it obedience training (if you haven't done it yet), agility, tracking, or hiking, anything to keep their busy minds active and out of trouble.
At about 1½ years to about three years of age your dog will either seem like it is an alien (if you have not set proper boundaries earlier in its life), or it will begin to show you the fruits of all the hard work you have put in.
If your dog is of the alien type, you will need the (expensive) assistance of a professional trainer to set the boundaries you didn't set when it was a puppy (this is hindsight talking).
Dogs are meant to add joy to your life. If you do it right from the start you will reap the rewards of that joy for the rest of your life.
