For the past 7 months my world has been turned upside down with an addition to the home of a puppy.
As a brand-new dog owner, I don’t think I realised how challenging, frustrating, joyous and tiring it was going to be.
The puppy, a Sprocker, is a beautiful yet high energy dog, very friendly with everyone and every dog and has now started to assert himself and his independence.
However, as we go on our daily walks and weekly training classes it has struck me how I am learning as much from him as he learns from me. We are both a work in progress and on a steep learning curve.
This is what I have learnt from him over the months.
Patience and Tolerance
I thought that over the years, and being immersed in holistic work, my tolerance and patience have improved but obviously levels are not as high as I thought! By just being a puppy, pushing boundaries, being naughty, he is certainly testing my limits. I’ve had to work hard to respond in a calm and measured way when he pulls the stuffing out of the pillow or when he is chomping away at my plants. At times we get into pull and tug which is certainly not the right way to respond to him, as he gets all the fun and attention and I get all the annoyance!
Slowing Down
The puppy may be zooming around at 100mph but when we are out in the woods and he is off lead it is so beautiful to slowly walk through the trees, listening to the birds, hearing the stream and appreciating the beauty around us. Although I have always enjoyed going out walking, now I do it twice a day and he has given me the opportunity to go to some beautiful places. An early morning walk sets me up for the rest of the day.
Trust
Somewhere in a new relationship trust needs to step in. It was a mixture of trusting him that he wouldn’t go running away or disappear off with other dogs but I also had to trust myself that I was doing the right thing and that I would be able to manage any situation.
Having a trusting relationship with my puppy brings so much joy and freedom for us both. Just knowing that when he is off the lead, although not always coming back immediately to recall, I know he wants to come back to me. It’s a beautiful feeling to walk with your dog bounding away and exploring everything he can in his scent filled world.
Expectations and Progress
Being new to owning and training a dog I have learnt so much from other dog owners and trainers which has helped me to balance my expectations of us both. Too high an expectation just leads to frustration and failure but keeping these realistic and enjoying the progress is incredibly rewarding. When I look back it is then that I recognise how far we have both come. Yes, we still have a long way to go but we are enjoying the deliciousness of the journey.
I have experienced a whole raft of emotions from being helpless, useless, challenged, frustrated, joy, laughter and love – I have learnt so much from him already – long may it continue.