A Puppy's Tireless Challenge

I'll be the first to agree, there are few pets as cute as a new puppy. Well okay, baby kittens, goats and horses give them a run for the money. Anyway, Dusty, our Pyrenees and one of our "working" pets - is our resident "guard" dog. Highly dedicated, she patrols and watches the farm with great interest. If she gets tired, cold or hot we are happy to let her come inside at will. However, as she's gotten older she tires easily and wants inside sooner. Since we have horses, cats and a small goat living outside, the frequent presence of a working guard dog is must. Consequently, for the first time in seven years we decided to look for a new puppy, one that Dusty could train to help her with her patrol duties. After a careful selection process we found our adorable new Pyrenees addition to the family. We quickly fell in love with Sammie, however, it didn't take long to realize just what a major responsiblity we'd taken on. Don't get me wrong Sammie was and is a great puppy, sweet, smart and beautiful, but she is ALL puppy. After living with only adult dogs for seven years we'd forgotten just how challenging a new puppy's tireless need for exercize, play and attention can be. Where do they get all that tireless energy anway? Because we didn't want anything to happen to her and because it was summer we were'nt wild about leaving her outside alone, especially at night. Problem was we'd forgotten how little those puppy bladders are - at eight weeks expect your puppy to need to relieve itself every 1½ to 2 hours! Those little accidents aren't so little when you puppy weighs 25, 30 lbs. Even the best of puppies can only do as good as their little bodies let them. It was almost 6 months before she could go most of the night without having to go outside, even now at 9 months we can expect to have to get up at 5 or 6 to let her out. Another tireless challenge she presented us with was her desire to chew and explore. As we all know it's natural for a puppy to want to teethe and chew as those baby teeth come and go. And, their desire to play and explore often means jumping on counter tops to grab a snippet of food or who only knows what else. (My standard poodle, as a puppy, pulled a tube of Neosporin off the bathroom counter and proceeded to eat the entire inside contents. She was okay, thankfully, because she hadn't eaten the metal tube it came in.) Although were happy to spend time watching Sammie, it's just impossible to watch her all the time, so containment became a definete must. We found a portable pen that appears to have fit the bill just fine. It's height keeps her from being able to jump out. It has a swing open front door that makes entry and exit easy. The closing side of the pen utilizes about 4 snaps and is easily opened up when I need to clean the floors. The 8 - 2' wide panels can be arranged as desired, we chose a 4' by 4' layout. When Sammie got bigger we bought another one and expanded it to create a 4' x 8' enclosure. Then we added a Kuranda bed to make it a comfortable place to be. The pen is 4' high so we've never worried about her jumping out but it does seem that it could tip over if the puppy got goofy enough about jumping on it or running at it. We bolted one side of it to the wall and this has made us feel better about this risk. There is also a risk that her collar could get caught on it so we remove it when she is in there for a while. Another tireless challenge Sammie presents us with is her love of splashing in her water bowls and flipping and flinging her meals. We solved this problem with some coop cups that attach to the wire grate construction of the pen. I could go on and on about the tireless challenges Sammie has presented us with, but I can also go on and on about all the joy she has brought us as well. I just wanted to share this little entry with those out there that are considering a new puppy, especially a large breed. I want to remind them that raising a puppy is a wonderful experience, but that it will also require sacrificing some sleep, spending some money and making some changes around the home. Nothing is sadder than a puppy who was bought on an impulse and discarded on the side of the road somewhere because he was just too much trouble. On the other end of the stick, a well mannered, happily adjusted adult dog can bring a great deal of joy to those lucky enough to have them.