No, don't panic, I wasn't daft enough to add a puppy into my canine family just yet!
But my dear friend Ali has taken the plunge and we're being treated to special mini series of blogs all about raising an awesome pup.
If you're considering bringing home a puppy, do take a read and make sure you're as ready as possible.
And a sneaky heads-up that we'll be opening bookings for the New Year of classes next week. There's a whole range of activities to choose from on Mondays and Wednesdays AND you can split your class fees into three payments too!
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Monday Activity Classes
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Wednesday Activity Classes
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APDT Good Companion Award class
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Sniffing School Level 1
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Canine Activity Foundations
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Sniffing School Level 2
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1-2-1 Scentwork Introductions
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Bodywork & Relaxation (for your dog!)
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Three Week Intensives LEVEL 1
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Baby Come Back
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Stay By My Side
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Mind Your Manners
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Three Week Intensives LEVEL 2
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Baby Come Back FASTER
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Stay By My Side LONGER
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Mind Your Manners REGARDLESS
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Parkour Skills (mixed ability)
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Morag and the beasts
The Eva Diaries (part 1)
This week was an exciting one for us, as 8-week-old puppy Eva joined our family.
Eva
is a Large Munsterlander – a HPR (hunt, point & retrieve) gundog,
she's likely to have a lovely nature, lots of energy and
drive, strong natural hunting instincts and a desire to be involved
with anything and everything! Eva is my fifth Large Munsterlander and
I'm confident she'll be a great fit for our family and lifestyle, but
it's been 11 years since we last had a puppy this
young.
Eva's
arrival was something of a surprise, as she came home just 12 days
after I first started seriously looking for a puppy.
It felt like the right time to welcome another dog into our lives and I
thought it would take a while to find a litter we felt comfortable with
– one bred for health and temperament, and raised in an enriched home
environment, to give the puppies the best
start in life. But I found a wonderful litter that fitted all our
criteria almost immediately, and although the puppies were 7 weeks old
there was one girl whose home hadn't been decided. Following a
successful visit to meet her and her mum, dad, siblings
and breeders, when she seemed to decide she'd like me to be her human, I
found myself driving home with Eva beside me.
The
first hour was eventful, even though Eva had experienced happy car
journeys with her mum – Eva panicked about being alone
in a crate and away from her littermates for the first time, calmed
down when we took a short break, tried to settle but vomited up her
lunch as she'd been so upset, pushed half of the vomit out of the crate
and all over the car while trying to eat the rest
of it, then cried because she couldn't find anywhere vomit-free to lie
down! So we stopped for cuddles and a clean-up operation, and then she
settled remarkably well for the rest of our long journey home.
The
rest of the first week passed in something of a blur, with the
half-drunk cups of coffee and tea and abandoned meals testament
to how demanding young puppies can be when they're awake!
Eva,
like most puppies of her age, is either on or off – she's full of
energy and mischief and needs constant supervision when
she's awake, otherwise she's totally asleep. Her favourite activity is
biting things, including me, and it's important to let her so that she
can learn to use her teeth gently while she's small. I'm fortunate that
it's usually easy to distract her with a toy
or chew if she gets too mouthy, and that she only turns into a piranha
on legs when she's over-tired or over-excited – although I'd forgotten
that antiseptic cream is a crucial part of any puppy kit!
These
early days have been all about our relationship. Eva is still very
young, and leaving her mum and littermates is a significant
change for her. My top priority has been to ensure that she feels safe
and secure, both with me and at home in general. I've spend hours sat on
the kitchen floor with her, letting her climb, chew and cuddle on me in
between venturing away from me to explore
and find toys by herself – allowing her to build her confidence in her
own time, and teaching her that I'll always be here as her 'safe space'
when she needs reassurance or time-out from her adventures. I also spent
the first nights sleeping downstairs – at
first right next to her crate, and then on the sofa in the same room –
until Eva was settled enough for me to move upstairs overnight.
My
partner works away from home during the week, so I'm mostly a single
parent to our dogs. I'd expected to need to manage early
interactions between Eva and our older Munsterlander Inca, who at 11.5
doesn't appreciate too much youthful enthusiasm, but I hadn't
anticipated our playful 8-year-old collie cross Lara deciding that
puppies are scary, awful things and not wanting anything
to do with her! I'm hoping gradual and positive introductions will lead
to good relationships in the longer term, so for now I've mostly
separated Eva so that the dogs can smell and see each other, but not
interact directly – not least because Eva loves throwing
herself into our soft dog beds and bouncing between them, which is not
much fun for Inca when she's lying in one, and because Lara's bushy tail
looks way too much like Eva's favourite soft toy for her to resist the
temptation...
Eva
has mostly been an absolute joy this week – she's a sweet, happy,
affectionate, playful puppy and watching her antics has
been a delight. It's also been a reminder of just how much time and
attention puppies need to thrive in the early days. But the sleep
deprivation and hard work seem so worthwhile when Eva's cuddled up to
me, chewing the toggle on my jumper and gazing at me
with her beautiful eyes, and I can feel the bond between us starting to
grow. I'm sure there will be many highs and lows to come – but I'm
already smitten!
