puppies – USA Today Bestselling Author DelSheree Gladden

Kids and Dogs

It’s no wonder kids like dogs so much. They have SO much in common!

In the two and a half months we’ve had our not-so-little-anymore puppy, Finn, it’s been interesting to watch him. It’s like having a toddler again. You have to puppy-proof the house and clean up after him and take him to the potty regularly and reward him every five seconds and tell him the same thing OVER and OVER again, like saying it one more time will actually make him understand.

Another similarity I’ve noticed, is that just like kids, puppies think they are in charge of everything…YOU included. Finn thinks he should be able to control the amount of food and snacks he gets (which sounds a lot like my eight year old-because they both think they are constantly starving), and as seen here…he thinks he’s the one walking us when we go out.

Puppies also think they are smarter than you. Maybe it’s just my kids (mainly my eight year old) who thinks they’re smarter than us grownups and that they can trick us into believing the most unlikely stories. Finn has that down pat. He thinks if he moves fast enough…or slow enough (depending on the situation) he can get away with things even though he’s right in front of me. He also seems to think I can’t see him if he’s under one of the coffee tables. I can. I can also see the socks and stuffed animals he’s carried under there to gnaw on.

My kids, 8 and 11 now, still love going to the park to run around and climb all over the playground equipment. Finn is more than ready to join in. He’s still not quite gotten the whole fetch AND RETURN concept down yet, and can’t really figure out why we keep trying to get the Frisbee or stick back from him. Sometimes, he’d just rather join the kids on the slides.

Finn is also easily distracted. My 11 year old has outgrown this, for the most part, but my 8 year old still stops talking mid sentence once in a while because something on TV or across the room caught her attention. With Finn, all you have to do is touch his tail, and OFF HE GOES! That goofy little dog will chase his own tail FOREVER. It’s pretty funny. He really seems to think that if he pounces fast enough, or glares at it long enough, he’ll be able to catch it and hold it. Not so, Dude.

It’s pretty funny the comparisons you see between puppies and kids. One of the best, is that they love you unconditionally and even when they get in trouble, they still want to come snuggle with you and get a hug.

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Because puppies are just too cute

After being gone for the weekend and missing my kiddos and hubby A LOT, I came home to hugs from my family and slobber from our puppy. Unlike a cat, he didn’t hold it against me for being gone. He was just happy we were all back together and has been under my feet all day, except to do this…

Kids and Dogs and Clorox Wipes

Honestly, I don’t know who we’re trying harder to train, our puppy or our kids.

I get that Finn is barely three months old, and while I don’t know specifically what that compares to in a human child as far as intelligence goes, but he’s a baby still. He doesn’t seem to realize that the tail he keeps trying to bite the heck out of is attached to his body. Potty training and “no biting” is going to take time.

My kids, however, are eight and eleven. They should understand that they can’t leave their shoes on the floor to get eaten and actually have to keep an eye on the puppy and remember to let him out to pee when they’re watching him. Instead, shoes get gnawed on, floors get peed on, and Finn ends up trying to eat whatever toys get left on the floor.

We’ve gone through a lot of puppy treats and Clorox wipes over the last few weeks. I wish offering my kids treats to get them to remember to help train the dog was as effective as it is with Finn. Instead, I’m considering putting them in obedience classes along with Finn. I wonder if they would give the kids dog biscuits or M&Ms? Actually my daughter would probably be okay with getting dog biscuits for rewards. She keeps asking if she can try on to see what they taste like.

So, while I search for a kid/dog training program along with the number for a good carpet cleaning company, give me your suggestions for training not only puppies, but kids as well.

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Talking to Dogs…

Things you’ll probably never say unless you have a puppy…

1. Stop trying to eat your foot!

(Poor guy got his nail stuck on his cage and ripped half of it off and it had to be bandaged, which he kept trying to get off!)

2. No I don’t want doggy kisses!

3. Quit trying to eat my hair!

4. Stop biting the Christmas tree!

5. Toes are not chew toys!

6. Are you eating leaves?

7. Can you please do your business without stepping in it immediately after?

8. Why are you shoving your face down the back of the couch?

9. Seriously? You just peed five seconds ago!

10. Don’t eat rocks!

In all fairness…

I have said a few of these to my kids, too, but still. Puppies certainly are an adventure!

What crazy things have you said to one of your pets?