The Trials And Tribulations Of Owning And Training A Puppy! Part 3

As I’m sure many new puppy owners will agree there are many ups and downs to living with your new friend. This week has been one of those weeks.

Last weekend was a high for me and Brin, we went to a workshop on Rally Obedience training and I think it’s fair to say we both loved it. Brin was loaned out to a couple of other people taking the course and I wasn’t sure how that would go, but he really took it in his stride proving how well his socialisation is progressing. And he worked really nicely for everyone which gave me a huge proud “mummy” moment.

The on Tuesday I noticed my cute puppy had modified my car! He has chewed through the rear seat belt which means it had become an MOT failure. Luckily a helpful scrapyard had the appropriate part and it’s not hard to repair. Probably easier than it is to replace a headlight bulb in the car!

And this week he has also been really hard to settle, he feels like he has more energy than he know what to do with which is really tough when I’m trying to work. On my admin day Brin just couldn’t lie still and I hate admin at the best of times. I decided to fix it by going for a long walk (any excuse not to do paperwork). This worked but meant he was overtired and a bit flat at his obedience class on Tuesday night. To be honest I was over tired too which didn’t help.

When your puppy is finding it hard to settle and just doesn’t want to sleep it may be that he is having trouble with his teeth and/or he’s feeling hormonal. I think it was a bit of both for Brin so a bit of pain relief and a walk helped him sort himself out quite nicely. The teething phase lasts a lot longer than most people realise, it’s not just when they loose their baby teeth and get their adult teeth. Those big teeth take a while to actually erupt fully (think months not weeks) and this can be quite uncomfortable for your puppy. Providing things to chew and discussing pain relief with your vet is a good idea. Some dogs like a frozen carrot to ease their gums while others will prefer something softer. It’s good to experiment and let your dog choose what works for him.

Overall I’m loving my little puppy but sometimes I wish he would chill like Sonic and Logi - I’m sure other puppy owners know exactly what I mean