Raising a Puppy

Do you love dogs?

So many of us have a real attachment to our animals, no matter how they behave.  Once you own a dog, they become a part of you.  Just ask some of my friends who have taken in rescue dogs with all kinds of personality disorders,  difficult habits; and families with pets they are not certain how to control.  They are steadfast in their love.  Dogs give so much love however they display it.  They basically need the human connection and some of us need them…

So much has been written about how to establish routine and guidance in your dog’s life. I have read so many wonderful books,  “How to be Your Dog’s Best Friend”;  “The Art of Raising a Puppy”, “Let Dogs Be Dogs” (all written by the Monks of New Skete)  I want to go there some day and maybe adopt one of their german shepherds……… and then the Monks of New Skete  reading list “How Dogs Learn” (Mary R. Burch and Jon S. Bailey Phd.) and finally “the Dog’s Mind”  by Bruce Fogle.  All of these books provide a rich bed of information for any dog owner and provide a lot of food for thought about how you want to raise your dog.

And yet, even after all the reading none of it makes sense until you communicate with your own puppy.

Thank goodness I thought to get another puppy at the age of 60 because you realize just how tenuous your influence actually is and have to decide just what kind of life you would like to see your dog experience.

Poppy the puppy has given me so much in the past six weeks.  She has awoken me in the middle of the night so that I was “forced” to watch the dark star lit sky; taken me to the Warsaw Caves, the Bird Sanctuary, Petroglyphs….and made me create a trail through a field that I previously never ventured into.  She has also made me feel like I mattered in this crazy world of ours…sleeping with Norm and I when she was so young and vulnerable and us loving every minute.

I have had a Bouvier before and I was so reluctant to try to emulate that experience because Ben meant so much to me.  He was an amazing friend and helped my mum through some difficult times, after my Dad died.  He was whistled up the street to her house; and slept around her feet as she mourned my Dad.  Ben was irreplaceable.  He may still be because that was a different time and place in our lives.

Poppy is a new experience and she is so good for my grandchildren and my own girls.  They remember Ben, and Poppy is a reminder of how great a dog can be.  I have a grandson who is quite afraid of dogs, for good reason, and I would love it if he could relax in her presence.

Skip ahead to March 2020 and our gorgeous Poppy is 83 lbs. and Finn is not afraid of her anymore.   It  is so lovely to watch the two of them.  Finn is confident, trusting and completely at ease.  Poppy also exhibits excellent recall skills and can be left outside off leash for quite sometime but, unlike Ben, prefers to be indoors with us.

Poppy  has seen us gradually increasing the time and distance of our hikes, including several km. on snowshoes.  We walk a minimum of 40 km. a week, usually farther.

so if you’re thinking about adopting a puppy, remember they’re a lot of responsibility and will require your utmost attention!  Good luck!

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Thanks in advance.