Hey!
My heeler/mini aussie mix, Samwise, is just over 7 months. He got neutered last Friday and has been an extra special terror (because no major exercise means cooped up, frustrated little cow dog).
In general, he's matured so much. 6 months was a good turning point for us. He just still requires SO much supervision. Constant vigilance.
So this got me thinking... How the heck do I take a puppy and turn it into a member of my household? Right now I have to watch him every single second he's awake. We do enforced naps, still roughly 1 hour up, 2 hours down then a good, long sleep overnight.
Every second he's awake, I have to be watching him and aware of him. Half the house is gated off. He steals blankets, chews on random crap, and might pee if I don't keep an eye on him. Oh, and he can't have the full house even with supervision because our cats are TOO EXCITING.
I'm thinking this is all age appropriate? Hopefully... This is my first dog. But when/how do we transition to him just being... like a buddy? Like so we do things (adventures, training, w/e) and then he lives in the house and is a good dog? That happens eventually, right??
Words of wisdom & encouragement appreciated
I made it through some a w f u l puppy blues, but now I'm just so tired and it's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel!
My heeler/mini aussie mix, Samwise, is just over 7 months. He got neutered last Friday and has been an extra special terror (because no major exercise means cooped up, frustrated little cow dog).
In general, he's matured so much. 6 months was a good turning point for us. He just still requires SO much supervision. Constant vigilance.
So this got me thinking... How the heck do I take a puppy and turn it into a member of my household? Right now I have to watch him every single second he's awake. We do enforced naps, still roughly 1 hour up, 2 hours down then a good, long sleep overnight.
Every second he's awake, I have to be watching him and aware of him. Half the house is gated off. He steals blankets, chews on random crap, and might pee if I don't keep an eye on him. Oh, and he can't have the full house even with supervision because our cats are TOO EXCITING.
I'm thinking this is all age appropriate? Hopefully... This is my first dog. But when/how do we transition to him just being... like a buddy? Like so we do things (adventures, training, w/e) and then he lives in the house and is a good dog? That happens eventually, right??
Words of wisdom & encouragement appreciated
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