We've had our puppy, Jessie Mae, for a month now and it's been a very busy month! Adding a puppy to our house was the same as adding another preschooler. I did not realize how similar they are. I have to make sure both go to the potty in the proper location, eat a balanced diet, don't eat things they should not and in general keep them safe from themselves.
Even though we were prepared for a puppy I think it's one of those things you can't know until you've been through it! Our past two dogs came to us as adults, already potty trained and knowing basic manners. Jessie is a great puppy-overall very calm and well mannered but still has enough energy to rival a preschooler! She play bites with Rory and we are working on that. The trainer we've been working with says this is completely normal and no indication of aggression later in life. She is simply treating Rory the way she would a litter mate. We are having to train Rory and ourselves as much as Jessie. I was worried that Rory wasn't liking her or was upset about the play biting...those puppy teeth are sharp! So, I casually asked him what he would think if Jessie went to live with someone else. I thought he would say ok since the two of them haven't figured each other out yet but he responded quickly by saying, "NO! I would miss her!" It warmed my heart and made me feel relieved about bringing a puppy into this house. I was afraid that he was not liking her. I'm really looking forward to seeing them grow up to be great buddies.
Jessie was about 16 pounds when we got her and looked like a typical little puppy--she didn't have much form yet and people looked as at funny when we said she was a Doberman. Puppies are like babies-they all look pretty similar but now Jessie has nearly doubled in size (in one month!) and looks like a little Doberman. We thought she was going to be on the smaller more petite side but so far it's not looking that way! She is getting much taller and she is having trouble keeping up with her long legs. She is lacking in the gracefulness department!
We started puppy class last week and while Jessie is not ready to earn a gold medal she is a great student and quite the social butterfly. Usually it's hard to get her to pay attention because she is too busy making friends with the other puppies. She is proving to be quite smart and catches on quickly--she could take first prize for cutest puppy!
All around she is a great pup-I think the boys have a great buddy to go fishing and hiking with, yet, she is calm enough to sit with my while I read or play the piano. Puppies can be a handful but Jessie is proving to fit in quite well with our family. She likes to be wherever we are and that is exactly what we were looking for.
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