What were we thinking?

Having an adult dog is a wonderful thing. They know how to behave; they are companions who ask for nothing except food, bathroom time, exercise, and love. You can leave them at home alone for hours with no worry. They are happy to remain in the car for long stretches, as long as the weather is temperate. But having a puppy is a nightmare! Actually it is worse! You awaken from a bad dream, realize that the world is still turning, and life goes on. A puppy nightmare does not end for months, maybe years. The training process seems to be neverending. Once you think they have conquered a command, they prove that they have minds of their own and disobey. The excitement of running in the house and grabbing whatever tickles their fancy is sure to grate on an owner’s calm demeanor. The only reprieve is crate time. Common sense tells you that a dog will never be trained to behave if confined to a crate permanently. Crates are for humans, allowing us to collect our senses.

Currently, Guinness is learning to remain on a Down/Stay during our dinnertime. Our teachers suggest that we reward good behavior by saying “Good Stay” and treating the dog periodically. We place a dish of treats on our dining table to have readily available to reinforce good behavior. A couple of days ago, Guinness thought he was being very good and that I was being slow in delivering the expected compliment. He jumped up and bit my forearm. That landed him in his crate sans treat faster then he knew his mother could move. Today the bruise is probably looking its worst, so I photographed it to obtain sympathy.


My day is consumed with the puppy. I have to rise in time to serve him his breakfast at the expected hour. When not in his crate, he has to be in the same room as I am. That means, even when concentrating, I must still pay attention to whether he might be chewing on a chair leg, licking a piece or furniture ruining the finish, pawing at the carpet to pull up a thread, getting into the trash or something else which is supposed to be off-limits to him. We are grateful that he does tell us when it is potty time, though a 65 pound dog persistently jumping on you when you are talking on the phone is not always convenient.

Thus, the question: What were we thinking? When he was a tiny puppy in the summer, it was fun and relaxing to play with him outside multiple times per day. Otherwise, he was in his crate. Practicing our obedience school homework was not a problem in good weather. Now that it is wintertime and he is too large to spend long stretches of time in his crate (we do not have room for a larger crate), we must endure his antics inside. Our little home is not large enough for most homework exercises, thus we probably are wasting our education funds by registering for winter classes.

When this cute little beastie comes to you with big brown eyes, nuzzles against your leg wanting TLC and melts your heart, then you know why you have a puppy.

Hershey, who was the worst puppy on the face of this earth, magically became the perfect dog at 10 months when we moved to San Diego. Guinness has one month to become transformed. Stay tuned…