Living With Puppy

One of our trustees recently took ownership of a gorgeous puppy. Rahul recounts the experience and comments on what he wished he known beforehand.

Having grown up around Cocker Spaniels aplenty, I had always dreamed of having a dog of my very own. Unfortunately, circumstances and environment never quite aligned until now when we have been able to welcome little Gaia, the Cockapoo into our home.

Getting a dog is a big commitment which required extensive research. We pondered over the question of a rescue dog or a puppy. However, we decided that we would be best placed to hone our parenting skills a little with a puppy first before welcoming an older rescue dog into the family in the future (puppies are available for adoption from the RSPCA so do search for any that may need re-homing).

Adopting is definitely something we would like to explore when we have the right circumstances as it is something my parents did and seeing the turnaround in their rescue was amazing! We also considered which breed would be suited to our circumstances – domestically and with career demands. Dog forums really helped us with this!

Whilst I had some experience with dogs, it is easy to forget those things which are puppy-specific! The RSPCA has a great guide on their website, which is super helpful! I had remembered about the vaccines but what I wish I had thought about was how stir-crazy she would become before she could go outside and meet new humans and dogs!

Before she managed to get out, the chewing was at its peak. Her teething would have been bothering her, but I am sure the desire to stretch her legs played a part. We did manage to get her to fetch a tennis ball and play with her toys but nothing quite beats playing with other fully-vaccinated dogs! Since she has been out, she seems to have made friends on every possible occasion!

Remember to pick up any rugs that are precious to you as chewing and weeing all over the rug in the lounge is her favourite pastime! I had forgotten the masses of staining that would occur before toilet training kicked in. She initially seemed to be particularly fond of the bedroom for some reason! That has settled down now thankfully apart from the sporadic accidents here and there.

Being prepared for a change in your sleeping pattern is critical as despite sleeping most of the day, she is active in patches throughout. This includes when we are sleeping and she decides that now is the best time to play! She is getting better at respecting boundaries and waking up to such a lovely ball of fur is definitely worth the sacrifice of a little sleep!

Finally, one thing which I really learned and wished I had known beforehand were that certain health issues in puppies can be completely normal and nothing to worry about. As we had a vet and insurance, we were able to understand that her umbilical hernia is not a super scary lump and can be dealt with when she is spayed. Also, that her puppy vaginitis is completely normal and should self-correct, but requires regular attention and a revisit if it starts to bother her more.

Despite these being relatively normal issues, I am still so thankful that we sought a professional’s opinion and did not just rely on the internet and their many theories, despite it being a good first point-of-call. Gaia is settling in well and we can’t wait to see her continue to grow into our little family!