I AM YOUR PUPPY
I am your Puppy, and I will love you until the ends
of the Earth, but please know a few things about me.
I am a Puppy, this means that my intelligence and
capacity for learning are the same as an 8-month-old child.
I am a Puppy, I will chew EVERYTHING I can get my teeth on.
This is how I explore and learn about the world. Even HUMAN
children put things in their mouths. It’s up to you to guide me
to what is mine to chew and what is not.
I am a Puppy, I cannot hold my bladder for longer than
1 – 2 hours. I cannot vocalize nor
tell you that I need to go, and I cannot have “bladder and
bowel control” until 6 – 9 months. Do not punish me if you
have not let me out for 3 hours and I tinkle. It is your fault.
As a Puppy, it is wise to remember that I NEED to go potty
after: Eating, Sleeping, playing, Drinking and around every
2 – 3 hours in addition. If you want me to sleep through the
night, then do not give me water after 7 or 8 p.m.
A crate will help me learn to housebreak easier, and will
avoid you being mad at me. I am a Puppy, accidents WILL
happen, please be patient with me! In time I will learn.
I am a Puppy, I like to play. I will run around, and chase
imaginary monsters, and chase your feet and your toes and
‘attack’ you, and chase fuzzballs, other pets, and small kids.
It is play, it’s what I do. Do not be mad at me or expect me
to be sedate, mellow and sleep all day. If my high energy
level is too much for you, maybe you could consider an older
rescue from a shelter or Rescue group.
My play is beneficial, use your wisdom to guide me in my play
with appropriate toys, and activities like chasing a rolling ball,
or gentle tug games, or plenty of chew toys for me. If I nip you
too hard, talk to me in “dog talk”, by giving a loud YELP, I will
usually get the message, as this is how dogs communicate with
one another. If I get too rough, simply ignore me for a few
moments, or put me in my crate with an appropriate chew toy.
I am a Puppy; hopefully you would not yell, hit, strike, kick or beat
a 6-month-old human infant, so please do not do the same to me.
I am delicate, and also very impressionable. If you treat me harshly
now, I will grow up learning to fear being hit, spanked, kicked or beat.
Instead, please guide me with encouragement and wisdom. For instance,
if I am chewing something wrong, say, “No chew!” and hand me a toy I
CAN chew. Better yet, pick up ANYTHING that you do not want me to get
into. I can’t tell the difference between your old sock and your new sock,
or an old sneaker and your $200 Nikes.
I am a Puppy, and I am a creature with feelings and drives much like
your own, but yet also very different. Although I am NOT a human in
a dog suit, neither am I an unfeeling robot who can instantly obey your
every whim. I truly DO want to please you, and be a part of your family,
and your life. You got me (I hope) because you want a loving partner
and companion, so do not relegate me to the backyard when I get bigger,
do not judge me harshly but instead mold me with gentleness and
guidelines and training into the kind of family member you want me to be.
I am a Puppy and I am not perfect, and I know you are not perfect either.
I love you anyway. So please, learn all you can about training, and puppy
behaviors and caring for me from your Veterinarian, books on dog care
and even researching on the computer! Learn about my particular breed
and it’s “characteristics”, it will give you understanding and insight into
WHY I do all the things I do. Please teach me with love, patience, the right
way to behave and socialize me with training in a puppy class or obedience
class, we will BOTH have a lot of fun together.
I am a Puppy and I want more than anything to love you, to be with you,
and to please you. Won’t you please take time to understand how I work?
We are the same you and I, in that we both feel hunger, pain, thirst,
discomfort, fear, but yet we are also very different and must work to
understand one another’s language, body signals, wants and needs.
Some day I will be a handsome dog, hopefully one you can be
proud of and one that you will love as much as I love you.
Love,
Your Puppy
