Sunday, October 3, 2010

Puppy Training

Can you compare raising a puppy to raising a small child? I think is a fair comparison as much of my time seems to be spent caring for a puppy as it did when my children were small. Amelia is not aware of many things such as not jumping on people, no chewing on shoes, or not peeing on the floor. My days are spent cleaning up the mess after hurricane Amelia has hit. She can pull tissues from the box and shred them in mere seconds. She has to go potty every 15 minutes and if you miss the schedule she will leave a puddle on the floor even if you are standing right next to her. She needs constant supervision much in the same way you would have to watch a toddler to keep them out of trouble.

Puppy training has consumed more time than I thought it would. I was naive to think she would be potty trained by now. She knows the command potty and will pee everytime you take her outside but you have to take her out every 15 minutes. She doesn't seem to empty out her bladder all the way. Through my reading I have discovered that puppies don't have bladder control until 6 months. I am hoping that it is just a maturity problem than just a dog that can't be potty trained.

Puppyhood is not for the faint of heart. Every puppy is different and some don't have nearly as much trouble potty training. Sometimes I think her poor bladder control may be related more to her high energy level. Though I don't see that slowing anytime soon.

No comments:

Post a Comment