Confessions of a first-time puppy owner- over a year later

In November of 2017, my sweet husband surprised me with a 7 week old Chihuahua-Schitzu mix puppy. LITERALLY- I woke on on Black Friday and there was a puppy in my bed, licking my face. It was the best day ever. I remember throughout the day tearing up while I cuddled the smallest dog I had ever seen. Cooper was 1.5 pounds. THAT'S IT! He was teeny tiny. Here's proof: 

Earlier that year,  my husband and I had been looking for a dog to adopt. We went to several shelters, but never really found a dog that both of us could agree on. I would just leave the shelters crying because I wanted to take them all all, while Val never really got attached to any of the dogs we saw. On Thanksgiving 2017, my sister-in-law told me that her dad was bringing her a puppy from a friend of his, whose dog recently had a litter. We continued,chatting about random things, the holidays, if we had any Black Friday shopping to do. I didn't even realize that Val went downstairs to talk to his dad. He asked his dad if he could bring him an extra puppy, if there was one. And guess what? There was. My father-in-law drove home from work the next morning at 7 in the morning, with two puppies in a basket, one for my sister-in-law and one for me. He dropped Cooper off at my door at 7:15 in the morning, and Val then brought Cooper into the bedroom, seeing him down next to my head- and that's how I woke up! I was so shocked, especially at my husband who didn't even know anything about the dog. After all that, I think it's safe to say that Cooper is the best impulsive decision we've ever made. 

Cooper is my first pet, ever. It has definitely been a learning curve, and even though we haven't done everything right, I think we're doing pretty damn well so far.

Here is what I have learned since becoming a puppy owner... 

Crate training

I don't think I was prepared for crate training, at all. I remember thinking that yes, when I got a dog he would be crate trained, but I didn't think it would be difficult and I definitely didn't think we would have to systematically train the dog to be OK in the crate.

I remember the first night we had him. Poor baby was so scared and sad that he cried- loudly, I might add- the entire night. Not only that, but we had to get up every 2 hours with him to take him to the pee-pee pad so he wouldn't have an accident in his crate. The first 5 days we had him, my husband was on vacation so we took turns getting up with him in the middle of the night. Then, my husband went back to work- he works overnight 3rd shift from 10 pm- 6:30 am, and I work mostly days. It was SO hard to manage both Cooper and get enough sleep for work the next day. I was a zombie for the majority of December.

We did a few things to get him accustomed (and to enjoy) the crate. We left it open in his favorite spot, by the slider doors, along with his blanket and toys. I put his bed in the crate as well, which I think made the biggest difference for him. His crate became a relaxing and calm place for him to be and he spends a lot of time in it. My biggest suggestion when it comes to crate training is to make it a really enjoyable place to be for your puppy. Leave it open throughout the day, put fun treats or toys in there, and make it comfortable.

Now, because he is potty trained, Cooper no longer needs to be crated when we leave the house or at night. He sleeps with us now and comes and goes as he pleases. We still have the crate in our bedroom with the door open and his bed and blankets in it. If I can't find him and he's not in my blanket basket, he is in his crate napping or playing with toys. Speaking of potty training...

Potty training 

Oh, man. My poor, beautiful, white carpet. Potty training was so hard- not to mention stressful. I think overall we handled it pretty well though, because Cooper started using his pee pad within a week of introducing it. The thing is, though, we were ON HIM. We learned his patterns when he had to go really quickly, and when we saw him doing them, we would pick him up and rush him to the pad. We definitely got peed and pooped on- be prepared for that.

Every now and again he has accidents- especially in new environments (or when he wants to mark his territory) but other than that he is completely potty trained. When we go to a new place or someone's house, I bring pads with me. I double pad the floor and when we first get there and put him on the pad- even if he just pees a drop, he is usually fine with going back to the same spot to go when he has to.

Our next potty training adventure is to train him to go outside, and to ring a bell when he has to go- that might take a while... wish me luck. :)

Collars

Did you know puppies HATE to wear collars and/or harnesses? Yeah, me either. I don't know why I thought they had this inherent tolerance for things like that. Cooper HATED his collar. We would put it on him and he would lie on the floor like a lump on a log, or he would cry, whine, and try to scratch it off him. We "practiced" for a few minutes to a few hours every day, but it didn't seem to increase his tolerance. Then one day we just left it on him and didn't take it off. Eventually, he got used it. He is fine with it now. He continues to despise his harness and leash, however, and tries to chew on his nametag so it's not currently on his collar. Go figure.

Going for walks  

I was very ignorant to think that puppies knew how to walk on a leash! Cooper did not enjoy the restriction of the leash and harness. He would go explore new environments but as soon as I tried to get him to walk with me or catch up to me he would just STOP. My favorite is when he would then choose to sit, right in the middle of the road. Thanks, Puppy.👍 Again, this just took practice. Overtime, he learned to tolerate the leash and walking. He does tend to pull though, so that is what I want to focus on as our next training adventure. Fun fact: My dog is a princess, and hates to walk in the cold. So this will be put on hold until spring. #Diva. 

Separation anxiety

I had heard about babies having separation anxiety. In fact, I see it all the time working in the field that I am in. But I was not prepared for the separation anxiety that would come along with a puppy! 

As soon as we would open our coat closet, start our cars with our key fob, or even start packing bags, Cooper would start to follow us around. He would be so close that we'd practically trip over him! As soon as we reached for the baby gate to go down to our landing that has our shoes and front door, all hell broke loose. He'd start SCREAMING. My little 5 lb puppy would panic so loudly that you could hear him outside, even with the door closed. We "worked" on this on the weekends when I was off from work. I'd leave him home for short periods of time so I could run errands. Something that helped with separation anxiety is giving him a treat or toy to keep him busy. We'd fill his Kong toy with peanut butter or give him a dental treat.

Now he's completely fine with us leaving. We still give him a small treat but he's now muuuuuch calmer when we leave him. Thank goodness!

Puppy teeth

Holy moly, are they sharp! They apparently fall out by the time they are 1, but in the meantime be careful. Puppies are super playful and I more than once was nicked by a needle sharp puppy tooth. 

Puppy proofing your home

Baby gates are your BEST friends. We have two- one at the top of my entrance stairs in my raised-ranch and one guarding the bathroom/ laundry room. They keep puppy safe (in my case from running away and/or eating toilet paper lol). Honestly, even one year later I am still super careful with what I leave out. Before I leave any room I do a quick 5-second sweep of the room. I don't leave out books, half-filled cups, or anything that can be chewed or knocked over. One time, Cooper got to my coffee. HE WAS NUTS for like 30 minutes after throwing up 8 times. Ha. Lesson learned! But, sometimes I forget. Just the other day I forgot to take my pompom winter hat and when I got back from the bathroom he had chewed the pompom to pieces. Boooo. I make sure to also sweep my floors frequently and keep my home clutter free to avoid him finding something and eating it.

Unconditional love from your new BFF

IT’S THE BEST THING EVER. There is nothing like coming home after a long day and your puppy being SO excited to see you. You've literally found your new best friend who will love you unconditionally and always want to be by your side. Having a pet is life changing, in the best way! 

The cutest dog that ever dogged! But then again, I'm
totally biased. 

If you just adopted your first pet, I wish you lots of luck and puppy kisses! Let me know if this post was helpful, or if I missed anything you may have experienced along the way!