Me: Yes, this is part of the litter we visited on Friday!
Alanis: I knew something was up on Friday. My parents were acting differently – they had this excitable nervousness about them that I could easily pick up on. They think I can’t hear their conversations, but I have known for some time now that they have a desire to bring a new dog into the house. Mommy wanted one for Christmas, but Daddy was unable to pull that off. (It seems Mommy is still quite happy with her Duke blanket, but blankets can’t snuggle like Golden Retrievers) Since I didn’t go with them to see the puppies, I will let Daddy explain that. All I know is that when they came home, Mommy smelled as if she was rolling around in Golden Retriever fur all day (and I have come to understand that I am right in that assessment). These two-timing parents of mine spent over an hour with PUPPIES while I had to sit home, all alone, protecting the house to the best of my Golden Retriever ability. (Anyone who has a Golden Retriever would tell you that we are good guard dogs until the point of entry – we’ll bark and go crazy in an attempt to keep you away, but if you get in? Just give us a Milk Bone and a pat on the head).
When Daddy brought up to my trainer that there was a puppy search going on, an idea was born: She wondered if it would be a good idea to bring her young Golden Retriever to “class” to play with me, to get me used to a younger Golden Retriever for when a puppy came into this house…
Winchester: I thought this was a great idea, too!
Alanis: Wait, this isn’t your blog, you big pain in the ass. We meet for 30-45 minutes every Saturday afternoon. Beyond that, we go our separate ways! This is my blog space!
Winchester: I read this blog religiously. It is true what Josh and Jeter always said: You are a diva. Cry me a river.
Alanis: Ugh. Any way, this has worked wonders for my confidence with other dogs. Winchester has taught me to not be afraid of walls or mirrors. That I am a brave girl deep down, and this will help me welcome a new puppy into the house….
Winchester: I love to run over Alanis during our play sessions. I find it funny. She just looks at me as if I am a space alien.
Alanis: You just turned ONE year old. When I was one, I was so mature…
Winchester: I have heard all the Alanis stories. When you were one, you were a giant pain in the ass. Wait! Nothing has changed!
Alanis: Enough of this. I will give you credit for teaching me that there are dogs younger than I am that will likely be more hyper than I am. When I arrived here, Josh was essentially “retired”. Jeter had a lot of energy, but was four years older than me. He was able to keep up with me, but he was no longer a “crazy” young dog. Whenever a puppy gets here, I will be more ready now than I would have been if not for my play sessions with Winchester.
Me: We met eight puppies on Friday afternoon, and although I will never count my puppies until one walks through my front door, confidence is very high that a male puppy will enter this house sometime in February. We are very excited about this next chapter in our lives, and we are hoping that Alanis can become a good mentor for our next addition. Josh was a great mentor for Jeter, which made stuff like housebreaking much easier. “If that adult dog goes outside to do his business, I guess that is what I should do as well!” While a puppy does not have the bladder control of an adult, one thing that works in our favor is that Alanis loves being outside. It is all about being consistent and patient.
Winchester has been a tremendous help to Alanis over the last several weeks. He has been so helpful that I would even recommend that if you have one dog in the household and are considering a puppy, try to find a young dog somewhere (friends, family, etc.) to get your current dog “ready” for the craziness a puppy is going to bring to the situation.
We are intrigued about the overall role that Alanis will have with the new dog. She is a submissive dog, and that submissiveness has shown with Winchester. She does “let him” run over her, bump her out-of-the-way, step on her, etc. By the same token, when they first met, Alanis didn’t have any trouble telling him that he was being “too crazy” for her. It took her a week or so to get comfortable with his high energy. These are encouraging behaviors – Alanis will teach the puppy when he is too much for her to handle, while allowing him to get away with some behaviors. She has learned to understand how young dogs operate.