PUPPY or RESCUE - It's The Same

Dakota's birthday gives me a chance to talk about Goldens and my other canine companions.

The following is an introduction.

From puppies to seniors they give of themselves, unquestionably love
you and trust you, never question, and are totally faithful. They
overlook your mistakes, your anger, even your decisions. In many ways
they reflect your attitude and behavior toward them.

Puppies are fun. They make you laugh. They are so innocent and
non-judgmental. They are curious and have no preconceived attitudes
except for their genetics. They are taken away from their natural
environment of mother and litter mates and turned over to you. They
didn't select you – they love everyone. But once removed, you become the
mother and provider. Hopefully you have given a great deal of thought to
this journey you two will take for the next 10-20 years. You will have
many decisions to make along the way. Some will be positive, some
negative, some sad, some happy. From my point of view, the most
important of those decisions is that are you prepared and committed for
this very long journey. It is no different than bringing a baby into
this world.

If you cannot give your heart, your love, your patience, your
forgiveness and understanding, your tolerance, your efforts, the good
times and the not-so-good times, and the years of providing food,
shelter, and health care, then you should not bring a dog into your life.

But should you take on these awesome responsibilities you will be
rewarded with more love and life lessons than you ever dreamed possible.
Your companion will give you more to think about and marvel at and open
your eyes to the good in life and keep you humble. You will learn what
is important in life and what is not. You can achieve a balance. You
will have your very own psychologist and the very best listener in the
world. You will have a friend that will never turn his/her back on you,
deceive you, gossip about you, cheat on you, or hate you.

Puppies are furry and smell good. They are clowns that love to tease.
They are happiest when you laugh at their antics. The first thing you do
is pick a name that suits your ball of fur. Believe it or not, dogs
respond to their names just as people do. It is very important to
consider this when you will be using it for many years in many ways.

My very first tasks with a new puppy or rescue dog are observation and
communication. I could write a whole book on just these subjects.
Briefly, you will be able to train your dog easily and satisfactorily if
you watch and talk as much as possible. I talk to my dogs all of their
life. Constantly. I watch them and see how they are reacting to
everything around them. It is amazing how you can get your dog's
attention at any time if you've been talking to them while they follow
you around or lay nearby. If you watch them you will learn when they are
feeling good, when something might be wrong, what they like and what
they don't like.

Keep an open mind through this journey. There is much to learn from this
loyal companion. Sometimes they become a mirror or they may set an
example for you to follow. Trust their instincts and you will never go
wrong. Look into their eyes and you will find your answer.

Time flies ever so fast. Do not waste a minute of it. The rewards are
great and you will never regret the time and effort you invest in this
relationship. Whether your journey is with a puppy or a rescue dog it is
all the same.