Wednesday, July 12, 2017

Things I Wish I Knew Before Getting A Puppy

About a week after I got Nash, Krystal wrote a post about the things she wish she had known before getting a cat.  I immediately knew I had to write one about things I wish I had known before getting a puppy.  Nash celebrated his approximate 3 month birthday yesterday & yesterday also marked 3 weeks that I've had him.  So here are some things I wish I had known before I brought him home.

1. Don't spend money on expensive toys
 
His 2 favorite "toys" are a frozen wash cloth & an old dryer ball.

2. A puppy is a lot like what I assume an always tired toddler is like
Homeboy is either psychotic because he's playing, psychotic because he's tired & refusing to sleep, or actually sleeping. Partway under the couch if I let him...

3. Patience
I guess I've always known that my patience comes & goes.  There are certain things I can take all day long & then something small will make me snap.  I also always knew that to raise a child or pet patience was key.  What I didn't know what just how much my patience would be tested with mommy's little psycho.

4. Leaving him in his crate for awhile is okay
When I first got back from Minnesota I basically held myself hostage in my apartment for 3 days straight.  I felt so bad leaving him & so bad crating him.  It made me feel like an awful person.  Now, I crate him when I sense him getting tired so that he'll nap & I can get stuff done.  Also when I need to run errands or just get out of the house for a couple of hours.  He's actually really good with his crate & doesn't cry for more than a minute, & sometimes not at all.  While the guilt is somewhat subsiding, I still feel somewhat bad when I put him in there &/or leave him during the day.

5. How to find a training method that works
The number of things I've googled since owning Nash, & the number of conflicting responses for each thing can get really overwhelming.  I want him to learn but I also don't want him to hate me.  Some say don't ever use a stern voice.  Some say use a stern voice.  Some say put them in a timeout for a minute or 2.  Some say their crate should only be a safe haven.  Do this.  Do that.  I didn't realize just how hard being the boss while still making him love me would be so hard sometimes.

6. That he'd be pretty much all I talk about
#SorryNotSorry on this one.  He's been on the blog multiple times, he's on my Instagram a ton, & he's pretty much all I post pictures of on Facebook anymore.  A friend called me out on it & said "you've become one of those moms"  Not even sorry dude, hang out with Evel Knivel is pretty much all I do these days.  Plus, he's stinking cute.

7. That he'd piss me off to no end but I wouldn't trade him for the world
I get so mad & frustrated on a daily basis.  At both him & also at myself.  I want to be a good dog mama & sometimes I seriously feel like I'm failing him.  He's also super smart which he doesn't always use for good which makes me mad.  At the end of the day though I can't imagine not having him & love him to the moon and back.

6 comments:

  1. #dogmomlife is real and serious. Just to have said it, all the things I've said are suggestions/what did/didn't work for me. And btw, I totally have a stern/mom voice and I'm not sorry. It gets shit done with the dogs and with people.

    Also, now you understand why my entire Insta is for the dogs. It's my place for dog pics. I can share them on FB if I want, or not. Hell, Phil even had his own blog for a while. Own that shit. Eventually, all the things won't be new for both of you and things will start to settle and it's a nice feeling, even if you miss those beginning days.

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  2. A puppy is so much work but oh how they become part of you and there is nothing like that unconditional love they have for you! Nash is so adorable!

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    1. I love him to pieces! I'm also sitting here though praying that he starts losing his baby teeth soon so the constant chewing phase will end.

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  3. Girl Im with you on the toys. I swear I bough 10 million and one toys and this diva would play with my slipper. Sigh. And she also pisses me off but I would and could not trade her for anything. ANYTHING!!

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    1. Also, Nash really is adorable and is giving me straight doggy fever!

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  4. I'm thinking of getting a Bark Box for Monroe so he'll never run out of toys to play with lol. I think your dog is so cute and I totally get it when you say you feel guilty for leaving him crated all day. I feel that same guilt too. I love all the things you're sharing about him so don't listen to anyone hating on you for sharing about him.

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