Home: We Are Training A Puppy!
We did it! We finally pulled the trigger on getting a puppy (with help from a friend and her wonderful recommendation). He has an Instagram, so if you want to keep up his day-to-day, @thepocketdogg is where to do so.
Eric and I are dog people, in fact we come from a long line of dog lovers. A little back story, when we first started dating I was living with my best girlfriend and thinking about getting a dog. Eric immediately said if you have the time and finances, you absolutely need to rescue a dog. Off I went to PAWS Chicago (with my roommates approval as she would be directly impacted by this decision) and there Delilah rescued me. Eric and I moved in together five months later and our dogs were introduced. Delilah and Sawyer hit it off and grew a mutual respect for one another. Sadly, three years later Sawyer left us as it was his time and there has been a large hole in both of our hearts ever since.
For the next three years we would discuss wanting another dog, we prefer a two dog party, but we lived in a condo with a back patio and no yard. We needed to wait until we had the space and some time. ( I was living in NYC half of the year at that point and Eric was based in Chicago, so we truly didn’t have any time.) The pandemic happened, our priorities changed and off to Oregon we moved! While working from home and our new home’s backyard, the puppy conversation came back up. I was on a walk with a lovely friend who I mentioned the interest for a puppy, that evening she said that the Humane Society had just that evening taken in a litter of nine. If that isn’t fate, I don’t know what is.
The puppies were only 2 weeks old, so there was around 6 weeks before we were able to adopt one. In that time we decided to study up on training, puppy-proof the house and let the news settle in that we were going to be getting a puppy two days before Christmas. It is now February 2nd as I am writing this blog and our sweet boy Pocket is impressing us every. single. day.
Before I get into training etc, I must preface with these are the things that work for us and our situation. I hope it can help, but keep that in mind.
Pocket is an American Pit Bull Terrier - Weimaraner mix. We wanted a medium-large dog for Delilah to hopefully play with and to come along on hikes, go out on the water and sit alongside us at breweries. How the hell do we go about introducing a 8 week old puppy to our home, other dog, lifestyle and get it to be the companion we are hoping for? Cesar Millan’s: How To Raise The Perfect Dog & Be The Pack Leader books were instrumental in helping us train the 14 week old puppy we have today. If you do anything, read these books. Read these books. READ THESE BOOKS. If you don’t like books, he has a YouTube channel and you will thank me.
Pocket was crate trained in two days and potty trained in two weeks. Delilah (our 7 year old hound mix) and Pocket get along amazingly. We used a truly easy temperament test Cesar talks about and also took Delilah with to meet all the puppies we were interested in to let her decide which one we took home. We also give them plenty of time apart to recover from each play session. There is a consistent schedule that yes, was awful for the first week we did it, but we no longer wake up three times a night to let him out, we wake up once in the night & he immediately goes where he is supposed to then it is back to bed.
It took him around two weeks to acclimate to alone time and now he shows no signs of anxiety when we leave. He is very attentive to us, as we have used treats and positive reinforcement ALWAYS, even when he was attempting to poop on our dining room floor. Sit, Stay, Drop it, Uh-Uh, Ok, Come, Watch Me, and Place are commands he follows religiously and we are adding new ones every day. He loves going in the car, the vet, sits quietly while we are eating outdoors with other people/dogs everywhere, loves getting his nails trimmed, ears cleaned and baths are coming along.
I’m telling you all of this not only to brag (we work so hard on being consistent and it deserves a little brag) but it is to say that we are really just following what Cesar wrote in his book, and it is PAYING OFF.
Other than the books, we have found bully sticks to be his favorite (they smell terrible but help him work out his chewing needs) and we currently put it in a treat ball to slow how much he eats at once. He nearly swallowed one whole and we had a heart attack then spent the next day stressing until he passed what was a fully digested bully stick. (Phew) Lots of squishy toys are around for different kinds of chewing and bitter apple spray helped us prevent him eating things that REALLY interested him (we haven’t used it for the last month).
We don’t have unrealistic expectations that everything will be perfect, always. That is the thing about training a dog, you need to give yourself space and room to learn and grow. Most importantly, don’t compare yourself to anyone else because it will become endlessly frustrating. This little sweet animal is in your life to bring joy and all the effort you put it, you will get back tenfold. Leave any questions below in the comments and good luck with your new puppy!
