Have I Ruined My New Puppy?
For real, the honest question is… Have I ruined my new puppy? As you know, my fiancé rescued the little guy from the woods back in September. We took him in, initially thinking we’d try to get him into a rescue, but that didn’t happen once I laid eyes on him. Sweet pup! So Waylon became part of the family. And having a puppy after all these years is eye-opening! I do believe that having my older dogs has been a huge help though. They tend to keep him straight most days, and Harley helps to get him some exercise to burn off extra energy when our walk just won’t do.
So on Thanksgiving, I knew we’d be gone a big portion of the day. And while Waylon does great in the crate all day, I was still a little worried. I had just bought him this thing called a Lickimat. Apparently, licking releases endorphins and can help calm dogs down. This totally makes sense. When Cody (my lab) was a puppy, he had really bad separation anxiety. He never pottied in the crate, but I’d often come home to find him soaking wet. He would drool SO much. That’s when I discovered a beautiful thing: a Kong! I started putting peanut butter in Cody’s Kong when I’d leave, and he did SO much better.
Of course, when Harley came along, I got another Kong to give her something to do when she had to be crated. And even some after she was finally free to roam a bit. I think part of it has been that I’m gone a long time during the day, and I know they need mental stimulation. Especially young pups. I swear Waylon has SO much energy.
I realized I have a Kong Wobbler from when Cody was little. It’s a thing I can put food or treats into it for Waylon and he has to rock it around for the food to fall out. I’ve started giving him half of his meal in that. Again, just to help him with mental stimulation, and also to slow him down when eating.
Okay, so back to the original question: Have I ruined my new puppy?
Thanksgiving Day, I spread some peanut butter on this Lickimat bowl thing. And I did it again Sunday when we were going to be taking my stepdaughter home. Here it is, Wednesday… and THIS is the response I got this morning as little man was waiting. I had fixed his Lickimat, and fixed the two Kongs for Cody and Harley. But, I wasn’t quite ready to leave yet, so I had them sitting on the counter. He sat and cried.
Finally, when I went to put it in his crate, he kept looking at the Kongs. I think he really wants one. And yes, this fur mama is going to get him one. Or Santa will!
And for the record… I do accept any dog training tricks and tips. You can email me: blaine@hd983.com.
