The Rocky-Top Chronicles (part 2)

There's one sentiment that I've heard repeated recently is that raising a puppy is basically like taking care of a baby. This has prove true so far (regarding Rocky) with only a few key differences I've noticed:

1. Babies are a lot less furry

2. Potty-training starts much earlier

3. Babies can't scream... and I mean SCREAM

Which is exactly what Rocky was doing the first few nights of kennel-training. And I swear, despite my sleep-deprived state, they're not just random noises and cries... I swear, I think he's actually screaming "OUT!" sometimes.

As someone who's never kennel-trained an animal before, it is definitely a tough experience: tough because I hate to hear him so scared, and tough because his screams are deafening. At first I went to my mom for some advice; what did she and dad do when they were training their first dog? That's when I found out, much to my surprise, that they never actually kennel-trained him. I don't think they really had to based on his temperament.

Mom said she just closed him off in their little linoleum kitchen, made sure he had water, and then... well, then she just kinda bounced. Apparently Doc never screamed or really cried much, and was okay with just chilling by himself. During the summer months, Mom repeated this process in the backyard, only this time with a shingled-roof dog-house. Since they had a fenced-in backyard, they could leave him outside safely if she and dad had to step out of the house for a while.

And apparently he was okay with that, too!

For some context, I should mention that my parent's first dog was a Rottweiler. (Mom literally had no context, and thought he was pretty)

Ultimately, Mom and Dad had a wonderful experience with their dog. He was well-behaved, never barked (though he did growl very loudly when on alert), and gave them a lot of good times and early prep for future kids. I think they had him for about four or five years until my older brother came along, so they got him through his puppy-years no sweat.

Rocky, on the other hand, might be a little more stubborn.

For one thing, I get the sense he's already pretty smart. We introduced bell-training as soon as we brought him, and within a couple of days he was already ringing it when he wanted to sneak outside to play. On top of that, he's very curious about - well, everything!

On his first day at the house, he was kind of shy and reserved, preferring to stay in only a few places he was comfortable with. But by day 2 he was already exploring the under-side of the patio in the backyard... even at night when he's supposed to be pooping.

(We started leashing very soon after that)

Now, I must confess that I think we got off on the wrong foot with him when he first came home. Not in any bad way I mean... more like, we unintentionally spoiled him.

Instead of going to our rooms and leaving him alone in the kennel, on the first night my mom and I actually slept on the fold-out couch in the living room near the kennel. Our thinking was that if we stayed close by on the first night, we could get to him faster for potty-breaks, and maybe make him feel a little less anxious about being in a new home.

It actually went surprisingly well. He did cry - and scream - for about 20 minutes before finally conking out for 3 hours. From there, he stayed on a pretty consistent schedule of only getting up for 3 hours to pee. Although, by the last time, mom and I were so exhausted that we ended up letting him sleep the rest of the night on the couch with me.

I know - that was mistake number 1.

Mistake number 2 was staying down in the living room for the next 2 nights.

Mistake number 3 happened on day 3, when he went down for a long nap in the evening - and it gave him renewed strength to cry and scream for literally an hour and half... while mom and I were down on the couch four feet away.

... you know, in writing this all down for the first time, I can see that many mistakes were made...

What has gotten us through this so far, has been our visit from with the Vet and the support of Rocky's breeder. Rocky's doctor gave us a lot a really good advice of how we can transition to bedtime more smoothly. And his breeder offered to take him for an overnight stay to reinforce his new routine (one that consists of us sleeping in our own beds), and to give the three of us a much needed break.

As she astutely pointed out: "sleep makes everything better."

While Rocky is away at his sleep-over, I'm also trying to take a step back and give myself some grace. If there's one thing you should know about me, it's that I'm secretly a Type-A person: driven, ambitious, wanting to succeed at everything. So, whenever I come up against a challenge I don't immediately succeed at it, I have to fight the urge to fall into a panic.

Rocky is not only the first dog I've ever been responsible for, he's also the first puppy I've had to help raise. And, if there's one thing I do know about kids - from years of listening to my parents' stories - it's that it's impossible to know everything from the start.

I'm starting to think the same rule applies to taking care of pets.

- 12/8/23