Raising a puppy- tough work

Getting a puppy was all about it’s cuteness and cuddliness. In reality though it is lot of work. It’s a huge learning task for us. For me, being a first time pet owner, it was not enjoyable in the beginning. My husband was on board already but I struggled.  Waking up late at night to take Jupiter outdoors on grass to pee and poop, picking up his poop in plastic bags , cleaning up after he made a mess at home and his biting, nipping habit ( not with aggression but just as a part of playfulness) was all very new and very overwhelming. Again and again I thought, I made a huge mistake. Kids were shying away from him too as the first thing our puppy wants is to climb on them and nip them. And I was part to blame as I think I did scare my kids regarding puppy bites. As for any mom, my kids security is very important to me. Again problem is not our puppy but me learning to calm my nerves and in turn calm my kids.  Honestly, I was thinking of returning our puppy back to breeder right away. I even called our breeder to do the same. However kids became sad  and me and my husband too and therefore we hold back on that decision.
Here are the things that I learned in small period of time being with a puppy .
1. Our Puppy, Jupiter, is very active and playful. He is happy puppy. However, he is not a fun toy nor entertainment ( a big warning for kids). One has to respect him and his wishes with some guidelines for him. Puppy is a commitment and raising him wisely is on us and not on puppy.
2. Good friends are very vital in this journey. I got constant support from my friends especially I want to mention Nitu and Monica and of course  their families who have a dog and who has raised a puppy. The ease that they show playing with him and Jupiter’s comfort level with them makes me feel at ease. I have got lot of good pointers from them and I am eternally grateful. Especially their daughters are so good and kind and loving when they handle Jupiter. My colleagues  at work have given lot of advice too. That helps too.
3. It’s a learning curve. We are reading and listening books, watching puppy training videos  and reading pamphlets to find out how to train him well. We will join puppy training classes too. He is a happy go lucky yet wild animal. He needs to be house trained. He has to adapt to our way of living. I don’t want him to jump on others and nip or bite anyone . But that won’t come automatically. It is up to us to train Jupiter. It is on us to provide him that stable environment where all his needs are met so that he won’t do rough play with others. Nothing in life is free. If we want a well behaved puppy then we should put some efforts and be  diligent to teach him what that well behavior means . Being loving  yet assertive. He should know what is OK and what is not with positive reinforcement.
Surprisingly, my husband has taken an awesome lead in training Jupiter.  I am following my husband‘s lead.  Before bringing  Jupiter home, my husband was reluctant to get a dog. Now he is totally in love with him and the whole puppy training process. The good thing about my husband is he is process oriented guy and he enjoys the Journey more than the Outcome. I want to instill more of that nature in me.  Having a puppy and training him is a family affair. We are supervising our kids when they are around Jupiter but at the same time teaching kids to train him too so that everyone is on same page .
All in all, as days go by ,  I am sleeping better and getting my mindset better with a puppy in our house.
In this blog I just put the tough picture . However, I have seen tons of benefits of having a puppy that outweighs these tiny hurdles. That will be next blog.
If one is ready to handle the reality of tough work ( and it can be fun work if changed mindset- I am still working on that part)  then the whole process becomes easy or so I want to believe.
- praj101