Never Trust a Quiet Puppy

                                                              

               

I admit I brought it upon myself.  When friends asked if I would board their four-month-old Airedale puppy for a week I agreed without giving it more than a moment of thought.  There were several good reasons to take little Tucker in: 

·        He is too young to be boarded at a kennel.

·        He’s awfully cute.

·        He’s an Airedale – and I have a weakness for Airedales.

·        I’ve raised a lot of Airedales from puppyhood and survived.

 

When his family brought him over he was happy to see me, and overjoyed to see our dogs.  We put them all in the yard to get acquainted while we discussed his visit.  I was relieved to hear he was pretty much housebroken and I was happy to hear he could sleep through the night.  I already knew that he responded to basic commands and was nicely socialized because he had been a student in my last Puppy Kindergarten class.  What could possibly go wrong? 

His owners told me he had just come down with a bit of an intestinal problem.  They took him to the vet before bringing him to me to make sure he wasn’t harboring any cooties he could share with my pack.  He was given a clean bill of health.  Well, that little problem means he can’t sleep through the night without a couple or three potty outings.  So much for getting a good night’s sleep.  I know it’s not his fault, but the older I get the more I really value bedtime. 

My sister and I live with five dogs.  The youngest is almost five.  The oldest is fourteen.  Our home is set up for somewhat civilized older dogs and hasn’t been puppy-proofed for years.  Baby Tucker has managed to find all sorts of fun stuff to get into that isn’t on the list of Approved Puppy Toys.  In my office there’s a big wooden box full of dog toys and a couple of comfy dog beds. 

 

As I’m writing this, Tucker has taken all the toys out of the box and stuffed one of dog beds into it, displacing the old Shih Tzu who was napping on the bed at the time.  The toys are all Airedale-approved, but he’d much rather shred the paper he finds in my office recycling basket.  Tucker has also discovered toilet paper.  I’ve had puppies chew on the stuff but Tucker is the first I’ve had to grab the paper by the end and run around the room, unrolling the entire thing. 

He loves to harass the older dogs, especially my sister’s somewhat fragile elderly Yorkie.  Even with only a few teeth left in his mouth that Yorkie can make an impressive snarly face.  He leaves Kiri alone ever since she explained her personal set of rules to him.  He also is fairly good with the Shih Tzu Boys. 

 

But poor Fergus…   Airedales are breed snobs and Tucker immediately saw a kindred soul.  He follows him everywhere and is constantly trying to get him to play.  Fergus hasn’t had a moment of peace for days now.  He mostly enjoys the attention, especially because he finally found a dog he could dominate.  He even slows down while running Full-Tilt-Bozo around the yard so the puppy can keep up with him.  But even Fergus has his limits.   

Puppies are exhausting.  They’re noisy.  They have an unbelievable amount of energy. They have mouths full of little piranha teeth.  When they’re quiet while they’re awake, they’re probably into something.  They get into as much mischief as they possibly can and then, just before you stuff them into a box and mail them somewhere distant, they do something incredibly cute and sweet like that endearing doggy head-tilt thing when an animal shows up on TV.   They’re adorable when they’re sleeping. 

Mercifully, once they’ve grown up we forget just how much trouble puppies can be.  If we didn’t, we might not ever get another one.   In the middle of the night when Tucker wakes me up for the third time complaining that he absolutely HAS to go out I swear I’ll never do this again.  Will I?  Yeah, probably.  I’m a sucker for puppies.

 

 

By Dorothy Miner 

Dorothy Miner is a long-time dog obedience and tracking instructor, judge of canine events, and author.  She teaches weekly classes for the Allen Oakwood Correctional Institution’s PETS Program and provides training and consultation under the banner of “Sidekicks” and “Training for Dogs and Their People.”