It seems like it has been so long, but in all reality it has only been 9 months since I brought Levi, my boxer, home. If you have a dog, no matter what the breed, you can relate to the excitement and chaos of bringing home that puppy for the first time. When I got Levi he was just that, a puppy, 8 weeks old and as cute as a button! All I wanted to do was play with him all night long. The first thing we did when we got back into our town (his breeder was an hour and a half away!) was take him to our local pet store. As nervous as he was being away from his family, he was so brave. I had hoped he would pick out his own toy, but had no expectation that he actually would as such a young puppy. We perused the toy aisle a couple times, coming up with nothing that truly interested him. Then, on one of the endcaps he spotted the "skinnies" (no idea on the spelling). It has a squeaker in the head and the tail, and no stuffing in the rest of it. He waddled (as boxers do as puppies) over to it and grabbed it in his little mouth, telling me as clearly as possible that this was the toy he had chosen. This quickly grew into his love for all things that squeak. A squeaky toy can almost always get him way more excited than a simple treat. And the way he will prance around the house with it in his mouth squeaking away is precious...well once you get over the annoying sound. To this day, that is still the first and only toy he really goes for at the store.
The store was our first little hurdle. The next was the fact that it was freezing out, and raining. TONS of fun that was. Poor little guy wanted nothing to do with being outside, especially just to go "potty". There were times that I had to spend a half our or better standing in the pouring rain just waiting for him to decide that he was cold and wet enough and would just go to the bathroom and get it over with. It was frustrating, but well worth not having to pick up many messes inside! Along with this, we had decided that Levi would need to be crate trained because there would be times that nobody would be home, and for his safety and our houses safety it was ultimately the best option. I know that for some people this idea sound cruel, but if you think about the things a puppy can get into inside a house it was far safer for him! He caught on quick and soon hardly went to the bathroom in his crate. I was very impressed that a puppy so young learned so fast. Actually house breaking him was a little different, but I still feel like I was privileged in only having to pick up a few messes, far fewer than I had expected. My advice to anyone getting a puppy, stay patient and loving, and VERY consistent. Eventually you will get to know your new puppy and recognize some of the signs that means they are about to go to the bathroom. Even at 11 months old Levi has made some mistakes inside. Twice in the last couple months, mostly due to the fact that we forget he is still a puppy and don't let him out as much...being reminded too late that we need to keep a regular schedule for him still.
I digress, back to the beginning. That first night in a crate was rough for everyone. The poor little guy cried most of the night. The first idea was to keep him crated in our basement, the theory being that a mess down there wouldn't be so bad. I HATED this idea, but went with it just to prove my point. Finally, after night one, we moved him up to my room where he was much happier sleeping. This is where I think some people forget that puppies are like babies, only instead of waking you up in the middle of the night to be fed, they need to go out. I work part time, and go to school the other days, both before 8 AM. I remember being so tired because I had to get up and go outside so he could potty. At first this really frustrated me because I was SO tired, but soon these early outside visits got later and later, until eventually he was sleeping ALL night and waiting until I was up to go out. Our morning and evening routines are pretty much perfected now, so 99.9% of the time I don't have a mess to clean up anymore :).
I feel like I should have began this story long before now, because I think that the adventures of people and their dogs can be the most interesting stories out there. I know that Levi has gotten me out in so many more ways than I used to be before I had him! I hope to continue, with a few more stories of Levi's growing up adventures, and soon segway into what we do now! There isn't a day that goes by where there isn't something that Levi does that totally amazes me! I hope that you all have a terrific day and give your pet some love today <3
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