Puppy’s First Year

We Made It!

My Puppy (dog) is 1 Year Old!

I’m a whole lotta pug in a little package!

Yes!

I made it through the first year of puppyhood with Edna! Not necessarily unscathed, a bit more tired, but I made it – we made it.

For the past 9 months since Edna’s come home to me, I’ve been documenting “My Puppy’s First Year” here on my blog. I’ve written about what it was like Introducing Edna to my dog Edie , our Struggles with Potty Training , going for Spay Surgery , as well as Nutrition for my Puppy

Edna Turns One Year Old

December 13th, 2018

It’s my First Birthday!

The decision to open our home to another dog – especially a puppy, was not taken lightly. We planned and took a full year before making the commitment to get a puppy. There was plenty of discussion about what we were getting ourselves in to. Did I really want to go through the puppy stage again, the added financial costs of having a second dog, and of course, how would our dog Edie react to no longer being the only dog in the house?

It was Christmas Day, 2017, when I received an email saying my puppy would be ready to come home to me in March. To say I was excited was an understatement. The anticipation of waiting almost 3 months to pick up my new puppy was almost too much! But until that day, I had this picture of my puppy to keep me going.

Baby Edna with her siblings

Was Bringing Home Puppy All That I Envisioned?

Bringing home puppy Edna was all I envisioned – and oh so much more LOL!

Each and every dog/puppy most definitely have their own personality, and Edna is no exception!

There is an impression that pugs are relaxed, calm and yes, even lazy, if you believe that then you would also believe Edna missed out on that memo! Edna has the body of a pug and the energy of a border collie! She loves to run, play a never ending game of fetch, she’s awake from morning till night, is fearless, and her middle name should be “Zoomie”!

The past 9 months with puppy Edna have been filled with long days and (very) early mornings. There were days I didn’t think there was enough coffee in the world to keep me going. For a time, I didn’t think Edna would ever be 100% house trained. They say pugs are stubborn, well Edna is the poster child for stubborn LOL! But it’s as if Edna realizes she’s just so darn cute, and uses that to her advantage.

The Most Asked Question:

“How Does Edie Feel?”

Edie taking good care of Edna

When I told people I was getting another pug puppy the first question I would get was “How will Edie feel?”

I’ll be honest, it bothered me at first when I was asked over and over again how Edie would feel, taking it as if I was cheating on Edie, not taking her into consideration. That was the furthest from the truth. But saying that, I wondered the same thing myself, “How would Edie like or react to having another dog in the house?”

Edie is a people dog. She has always preferred the company and attention of people rather than dogs. Now don’t get me wrong, Edie likes other dogs, but if she had a choice of playing with your dog or receiving attention from you, she would rather a humans attention. But I had no concern about introducing a puppy to Edie.

When I brought Edna home I placed her on the floor to let Edie give her a good once over. I don’t think Edie was quite sure what to make of this miniature version of herself? She sniffed and licked Edna, all while wagging her tail and play bowing. When Edie spent the first night sleeping in front of Edna’s crate comforting her – I knew then that things would be alright between the two of them.

Sibling Rivalry

Little sisters can be such a pain sometimes 😉

Being the typical little sister, there are moments when Edna becomes demanding of Edie. Not leaving her alone, pestering Edie to play with her, wanting that ONE toy Edie is playing with. Essentially, Edna doesn’t know when enough is enough or when it’s time to take a break. That’s when Edie lets her know. Just as a mother gives a child a timeout, Edna needs the occasional time out as well.

Being Completely Honest

Puppies are Challenging

Anyone who has had a puppy, and is completely honest about it, will tell you there are good days and challenging days raising and training a puppy.

Puppies Challenging – Says Who LOL!

Time, Maturity, Training and LOTS of Patience

On challenging days with Edna, what gets me through is remembering back to Edie’s puppyhood. I used to joke that Edie was the naughtiest pug puppy ever! But just like Edie, I know the naughtiness and challenges won’t last forever, it’s just a matter of time, maturity, continued training and LOTS of patience to turn her into the great dog I know Edna can be.