Having a dog is harder than taking care of a two-year-old.... seriously.
Well, I guess when the dog is a puppy it makes a big difference.
This week, after long years of wanting a dog, and not being in the right place for it, finally got one. It was a little unexpected. I have a friend that had this pup for the last four or five months, and she's also pregnant. Well, the further she progressed in her pregnancy the harder it got to take care of a new puppy and actually train her. So I offered, if she ever wanted to get rid of her for any reason, I would take the dog. I had fallen in love with her the minute I saw her, but hadn't realized what I was getting myself in for.
I haven't had a puppy since I was 10 or 11... it was the only dog I've ever had and we only had him for that one year for various reasons, one being that the dog was too big according to the place we were living at the time. Even if that hadn't been a factor, I'm sure that we would have had to give him up at some point due to the fact we ended up moving a few months later, back to Kansas after my mom filed for divorce.
Enter me - twenty some years later, remembering having a dog with some fondness, remembering having to pick up after said dog a lot, but thinking that it was mostly worth it.
I didn't think it would be that bad. My nephews were fairly easy to handle, though I have to admit, having them for a week or a weekend is a little different than having someone in your home permanently, chewing on things and messing up your carefree life in general. I'm good at being the aunt. And that may be part of the problem. I've gotten so good at the temporary responsibility that any long term commitment to anything that needs my attention that doesn't involve a paycheck or some means of survival and comfort - like clothes and my apartment, well, I could commit to doing said activity for a short term, but long term, or for the rest of my life... oh hell no.
So this week has been a little rough on me. Maybe the dog too.
Oh and did I mention - Lily, my dog, is deaf. I knew this, unlike her previous owners, I was warned and did a lot of reading and research before I went to pick her up.
In one week, we've learned signs for sit, stop, no and quiet. I'm working on her name sign, drop-it, and poo (this is a long shot, but worth trying to teach her I think - she gets distracted on potty breaks easily... ). Sit was an easy one and one she mostly understood already. Stop and No in combination with a biting motion have taken most of the week for her to pick up on, and only when she is really paying attention.
(Pause in writing to check on the dog)
(Ok, back now - apparently the dishwasher made her curious so she's been keeping an eye on it since I started it this morning)
The one she knows and absolutely hates right now is 'Go in the Crate'. I make the hand motion for that and she practically bolts every time now that she knows what it means. She is crate trained, she just realizes that it means I'm leaving for work or she needs to go to bed for the night. I wish it could be more her choice instead or she would be willing to go in her crate when I need her to, but I think that's just going to take practice and training. She'd rather be in my room but when I need sleep to deal with her, it's hard to put up with a playful pup that doesn't understand what bedtime is.
Socializing her with other dogs was great though. Last night we were at a friend's house and she managed to get along with both of their dogs after a while. The larger dog was much more sociable than the smaller one. We call him the grumpy old man - he doesn't like new things or younger dogs. Lily didn't know about territorial instincts really, and this dog taught her last night. I one night my dog learned who she could socialize with and who would tolerate her. It was a good lesson to learn considering she usually would take off after any dog she saw, or sit and watch them. When we got home from the friend's house, a couple of small dogs were waiting just out of range of where I parked my car. We got out and she sat down in front of me and started growling back, when they growled at her. She - for the whole week - no matter what happened, had never growled before. Barking sometimes, but not growling. She learned last night. This I think is kinda awesome. She didn't know really about how other dogs respond to other dogs. The instincts were there, but never practiced or learned. And it calmed her down quite a lot - today she's practically peaceful compared to what the week has been like.
We've had accidents and frustrations. Having to go to bed early to wake up early and get a routine down, but most of all, this whole week only proves to me that yes, I can handle this commitment. (Though yesterday I was sure I was going to put her up for adoption. Thought really hard about it!!) Also, that she is really really smart, given the chance, given the motivation, she understands and learns very quickly and I think that is what keeps me working with her, and understanding her so that I can communicate and she can understand me.
It's the first long term commitment I've taken on in some time. I find myself, at least now, looking forward to things, knowing we'll get frustrated with each other from time to time, but that eventually, we'll be good friends and she's part of my family unit.
This week, after long years of wanting a dog, and not being in the right place for it, finally got one. It was a little unexpected. I have a friend that had this pup for the last four or five months, and she's also pregnant. Well, the further she progressed in her pregnancy the harder it got to take care of a new puppy and actually train her. So I offered, if she ever wanted to get rid of her for any reason, I would take the dog. I had fallen in love with her the minute I saw her, but hadn't realized what I was getting myself in for.
I haven't had a puppy since I was 10 or 11... it was the only dog I've ever had and we only had him for that one year for various reasons, one being that the dog was too big according to the place we were living at the time. Even if that hadn't been a factor, I'm sure that we would have had to give him up at some point due to the fact we ended up moving a few months later, back to Kansas after my mom filed for divorce.
Enter me - twenty some years later, remembering having a dog with some fondness, remembering having to pick up after said dog a lot, but thinking that it was mostly worth it.
I didn't think it would be that bad. My nephews were fairly easy to handle, though I have to admit, having them for a week or a weekend is a little different than having someone in your home permanently, chewing on things and messing up your carefree life in general. I'm good at being the aunt. And that may be part of the problem. I've gotten so good at the temporary responsibility that any long term commitment to anything that needs my attention that doesn't involve a paycheck or some means of survival and comfort - like clothes and my apartment, well, I could commit to doing said activity for a short term, but long term, or for the rest of my life... oh hell no.
So this week has been a little rough on me. Maybe the dog too.
Oh and did I mention - Lily, my dog, is deaf. I knew this, unlike her previous owners, I was warned and did a lot of reading and research before I went to pick her up.
In one week, we've learned signs for sit, stop, no and quiet. I'm working on her name sign, drop-it, and poo (this is a long shot, but worth trying to teach her I think - she gets distracted on potty breaks easily... ). Sit was an easy one and one she mostly understood already. Stop and No in combination with a biting motion have taken most of the week for her to pick up on, and only when she is really paying attention.
(Pause in writing to check on the dog)
(Ok, back now - apparently the dishwasher made her curious so she's been keeping an eye on it since I started it this morning)
The one she knows and absolutely hates right now is 'Go in the Crate'. I make the hand motion for that and she practically bolts every time now that she knows what it means. She is crate trained, she just realizes that it means I'm leaving for work or she needs to go to bed for the night. I wish it could be more her choice instead or she would be willing to go in her crate when I need her to, but I think that's just going to take practice and training. She'd rather be in my room but when I need sleep to deal with her, it's hard to put up with a playful pup that doesn't understand what bedtime is.
Socializing her with other dogs was great though. Last night we were at a friend's house and she managed to get along with both of their dogs after a while. The larger dog was much more sociable than the smaller one. We call him the grumpy old man - he doesn't like new things or younger dogs. Lily didn't know about territorial instincts really, and this dog taught her last night. I one night my dog learned who she could socialize with and who would tolerate her. It was a good lesson to learn considering she usually would take off after any dog she saw, or sit and watch them. When we got home from the friend's house, a couple of small dogs were waiting just out of range of where I parked my car. We got out and she sat down in front of me and started growling back, when they growled at her. She - for the whole week - no matter what happened, had never growled before. Barking sometimes, but not growling. She learned last night. This I think is kinda awesome. She didn't know really about how other dogs respond to other dogs. The instincts were there, but never practiced or learned. And it calmed her down quite a lot - today she's practically peaceful compared to what the week has been like.
We've had accidents and frustrations. Having to go to bed early to wake up early and get a routine down, but most of all, this whole week only proves to me that yes, I can handle this commitment. (Though yesterday I was sure I was going to put her up for adoption. Thought really hard about it!!) Also, that she is really really smart, given the chance, given the motivation, she understands and learns very quickly and I think that is what keeps me working with her, and understanding her so that I can communicate and she can understand me.
It's the first long term commitment I've taken on in some time. I find myself, at least now, looking forward to things, knowing we'll get frustrated with each other from time to time, but that eventually, we'll be good friends and she's part of my family unit.