Week 3: It’s Critical!

Whenever we went on school trips, they used to tell us that day three is ‘critical’ which means that bad things are most likely to happen like someone getting injured while skiing or cutting sausages for the bonfire. I wonder if this sentiment could apply to week three. Does everything go a little downhill? It certainly did for us in some areas of our puppy journey. Especially, when it came to the dreaded witching hour. I am not going to sugar coat it, when 8 PM hits, I want to return the keys to the dog and get my money back. Cody’s teething zoomies are a true experience for eyes, ears, human body parts and belongings. Think Jim Carrey going from Stanley Ipkiss the Mask. Friend or foe, we’re all chews to him. Cody usually begins just after his evening walk.

Once he has his dinner, he drinks the magic zoomie potion and whooshes around the flat while attempting to bite-taste everything that gets in his path. We have been trying to find out what we could change to mitigate the duration of this devil’s rave and to some extent we’ve had good nights, bad nights, and worse nights. We understand teething is super hard for Cody and we do our best not to project our frustration onto him or his behaviour. It is hard, because the zoomies do occur when we want to power down, eat some dinner and watch some questionable programming. Cody says NO! Now, we zoom! We attribute some of the excess energy to his successful recovery from a mild stomach virus that was bothering him in the last week or so.

We were concerned enough we had to get an appointment at the dread V word! I give him huge paws up for how he handled the first visit at our new vets at Animal Ark. He was only upset about the fact that he could not say hi to the other patients and that for a few seconds a weird inedible object had to go up his bottom. There was Campylobacter found in his samples, but he is recovering great, and we are so happy about his poos we discuss them at an inappropriate length. Now that is great news, and I celebrate it shamelessly because, frankly, I am struggling this week. I have been missing Tilly a bit more now than the first weeks of Cody’s arrival. It is probably because the anniversary of her passing is just a little over two weeks away and my heart is a little more fragile.

I adore Cody to bits and despite him trying to open my head with his jaws like there is a prize inside, I think he is particularly amazing. We focus a lot on how he feels about the world rather than training little tricks. Which is also what we advise clients: how a dog feels, is more important than what he does. A dog cannot learn under duress or overpowered by fear and anxiety. A dog cannot thrive and bond if they are uncomfortable around you or the environment. Cody’s first week was all about compartmentalising the small area around our building and it really pays dividends now. He was able to observe in a controlled way all the things that he will encounter almost everywhere else like buses, cars, different types of passersby and even dogs or foxes.

A world in a dog's view is much more intricate and in some ways much bigger than how we look at it. Dogs see the world with their noses in a way beyond our imagination. Coming out of their home is not just a visual experience, but also an immersion of all the other senses unparalleled to human understanding. This is one of the main reasons why we should socialise with thought, control and by putting the puppy’s needs first. It makes me very happy now, three weeks in, how he struts through busy East London streets with a relaxed body and sometimes curious enough to explore novelty things and say hi to strangers in big puffy jackets. It’s all a big deal and you know if you have a dog.

There are so many things in our world that non-dog people do not think twice about, which the dog people spot and think: my dog may not like this so I better cross the road or go the other way. I will also add to my celebration list how proud we are of Cody for hanging out with very small children this weekend and being super considerate and cautious, especially around a baby. Tristan said this was the weekend he fell in love with Cody. It’s a big deal to let a dog in, if your heart has been broken by losing another, so I count this as an extra special win. I am so pleased that Cody’s potential has now truly shone through. In this ‘critical’ week when we were at our most fragile and irritable so far, he has been the most responsive to training, showing incredible social intelligence and motivation.

I knew he had it in him, even in the first week when I was scratching my head, wondering why he doesn't even follow a lure or struggles with basic learning. It was naturally because he was in a whole new environment and barely coming to terms with having a new family. I know I started off this entry by saying this week has been critical, but I think I am the critical one in this scenario. The trainer's brain can really get to you. You know the potential and know the recipe and you’re still feeling like all you can cook is a boiled egg. When the facts are laid out in front of me and I put on my slightly larger objective glasses I can see that we are going through all the phases and experiences that we should at this stage.

If anything, Cody is moving forward with his learning much faster than I could have dreamed. The trainer brain is one part of the success. The other is having a partner who takes on everything you set out in way of training plans and delivers to a T. I see this with clients as well, whenever there is a dog belonging to a couple or a family, the challenges can get easier or harder depending on how many shoulders are carrying the load and how many are committed to the journey. I think if there was ever dating advice that I could give it would be: do not get a dog if you already have conflicting opinions and problems communicating with one another. Getting a dog will accelerate the issues you already have and possibly speed up the inevitable end of your partnership. I have seen it happen and please do not make a Netflix show about this.

I would encourage partners to cherish and really reinforce one another when it comes to anything in their life but also about their shared dog responsibilities. I love seeing couples in class or even whole families and how they support and guide each other. The different dynamics can be really inspiring and wholesome. It’s another reason to be excited about my puppy class that is starting next week. Cody will be attending with other puppies as a student, and I cannot wait to report all about it in two weeks’ time. I am so excited to see him there with my other students. For now, I will hope week four is a little kinder to us and especially to Cody’s teeth and I wish you all a splendid weekend filled with cuddles and walkies.

Love, Mish