I distinctly remember agreeing with my husband that we would never have another puppy after our last adventure of surviving through the puppy period. I’m not sure how then, we ended up with a four-month-old border collie who acts like the energiser bunny on steroids.
The first few days, I mentioned several times that this might not work out, or if I had the energy to give him what he needed. My husband pointed out that there are many positives to having a puppy, and although I initially gave him a “you are crazy” look, I realised he was right. Here are a few of the positives that I came up with.
When you have a puppy, you have to wake up early and let him out to go to the bathroom. This gives you more time to be productive, and you can sip on coffee and have quiet time.
My floor has never been cleaner because the puppy will find everything that has been dropped, so I have to make sure everything has been put away. I have to admit that seeing him completely wrapped up in the yarn I was using and then finding the tiny holes he had chewed in my flannel pyjamas made me laugh instead of making me angry. After all, it was my fault for leaving them on the floor.
A puppy can improve your patience. It is like having a child and realising he has to learn the proper behaviour. A puppy needs your time, your attention, and lots of patience. I have been taking lots of deep breaths and telling myself that he will learn in time.
Having a puppy helps you to be more creative. I am constantly thinking of ways to stimulate his brain and his curiosity. It also comes in handy with obedience training. I am finding ways to take his attention away from chasing the cats.
I am more active since we found our pup. He needs to burn off some of his energy, so I take him on walks and play with him in the backyard. I run a few laps with him as well.
Having a puppy improves your focus. When we go outside, I am looking around to see what the puppy might potentially want to chase after, and as I am playing with him, I am continually aware of my surroundings.
A puppy gives you an opportunity to socialize more because everyone wants to interact with a puppy. On a recent walk, we stopped every time a person approached because they wanted to pet the pup and soak up some cuteness.
While I am trying to make sure the puppy is receiving enough mental stimulation it is also stimulating my brain as I come up with ideas to work with him, teach him tricks, and give him enough exercise.
I will never say that having a puppy is easy, but I think we have laughed more, plotted puppy strategy, and come together as a family.