[Dailydrool] Puppies

[Pamela McQuade]

<<A wise soul once said,"If your dog is destroying things take a rolled up newspaper and HIT YOURSELF ON THE HEAD WITH IT!" Because it is your fault. I tend to agree . They can only do what you let them do. I love it,I raised Esa from 11 weeks old and she has never chewed anything while growing up.Vinny flew from California to PA when he was about 11 weeks old ( and boy was he tired) sorry couldn't help myself. He has never done anything bad. I have never had a counter surfer. Now I 'm raising my puppy,"Page",She has learned "NO" and there is no trouble with her either.Maybe this is my talent in life,hummmm,I'm not good for much else,but I survive puppyhood with no problem.>>

OK, I think it is a talent. I watched over our Jane as many moments in the day as I reasonably could, between taking care of my sick dad and trying to do freelance work. I was almost always home. She just had to disobey at every moment possible.

I constantly corrected her counter-cruising behavior, but nothing worked. I tried the pennies-in-the-can trick; it didn't faze her a bit. She was a live wire who insisted on her own way. She chewed on the butler's table my brother had made for my parents. She trashed TV remotes. We wanted her to sleep in a dog bed on the floor, so she would be with us instead of causing my sick dad trouble in the middle of the night. I carefully placed her on the floor, but she would wait until I was just asleep and jump into the bed again. I tried returning her to her bed, but in the end I was so tired from caring for my dad that I finally just let her sleep there. I needed that sleep so badly because I was worn to the bone.

Jane was generally incorrigible until she was three. After that she just counter cruised, ate socks, and tasted remotes. At age eleven, after surgery for swallowing the unidentified stomach object, she really calmed down and seemingly stopped counter cruising. But this weekend she somehow got a corn muffin. Did the cat whap it onto the floor, so she could get it, or is she still getting up on tables? I did catch her this weekend trying to make it up to another muffin. 

If you have a trick for raising puppies, let me know. It might help with fosters. But in general I'm thinking my gift is with older dogs. Puppies are adorable. Some days I dream about taking one in, but alas, I do not have the courage. Jane has made me fearful of them.
Pam, food slave to the Dashing Bassets