Let me give you an example:
My day started at 4 am when Rowdy barfed on the bed. I also realized that the cold I was getting had now fully kicked in and I had absolutely no voice! Meanwhile, puppy Rumble woke up and since we were all awake I decided to take her out for a potty. Back in bed by 4:30.
6 am – Rumble is awake and ready to start her day; I am not! Hoping to get some extra sleep, I took her out again, and settled her back in her crate with a food stuffed toy. That bought me another 1 ½ hours of bedtime.
7:30 – We’re all up and it’s breakfast time for the pets. I then realized I hadn’t defrosted any food for either the dogs or cats sooo – – – kibble it is for everyone!
Walk time! Usually I walk the dogs separately, but today since I wasn’t feeling great I decided to shortcut and walk them together – big mistake! Rowdy did his thing, but Rumble spent the entire walk trying to get Rowdy to play – – – then came home and pooped on the floor! The noise that came out of me – Chewbacca meets air-raid siren – scared the bejesus out of poor little Rumble!
Needless to say, I felt terrible. Not only had I tried to shortcut the daily routine, but I lost my temper with my puppy and scared her.
Rumble is now sleeping in her pen and I have some time to rest and write. She has forgiven me for trying to change the status quo and then getting mad at her for not understanding. The coffee and cold medicine are kicking in and I’m feeling better.
What caused this perfect storm? I was sick and feeling puny, I was tired from not sleeping well, I tried to take short cuts and failed, and I was stressed because I had to call my clients and cancel training today – – not something I like to do!!
Why am I telling you this??? Because, I understand the struggle. I also understand that nobody’s perfect. I’m a professional dog trainer and I still have moments like these. Raising a puppy is hard work, not always convenient and takes A LOT of patience.
We’re here to help!