the puppy phase

What do you get when you walk into a bedroom covered in stuffing, a comforter strung across the floor (wait…I made the bed this morning?), and a guilty furry mug? My life. Five out of ten times my pup is left alone; this is the scene I come home to. Heaven for her is a pile of pillows waiting to be punctured and pulled apart.

What does this all mean? Do I have a “bad dog”? I don’t think so. She’s spirited, passionate, and easy to entertain. She loves to play. She loves people. She loves being a puppy.

So where does that leave me, the puppy parent? How do puppy parents ease the pain of “the terrible 2’s” especially when our dogs are so dang happy? If only I knew.  Despite my best efforts, over a month spent attending obedient classes (which she lived for), and a plethora of positive reinforcement, my puppy is still acting like well… a puppy. My beautiful chocolate lab is on the brink of turning 10 months old and I often wonder at what point she’ll calm herself down. I also wonder if I really want that day to come. I love her energy, personality, and even bad behaviors that make her who she is.

I’m in a limbo. Is there a happy medium between chewing up pillows and being blissfully happy? Of course there is. I know that eventually she will out grow this phase and find new happiness in something else.  It’s the time-being that’s hard. How many times will I point at the torn apart bed and shout “NO”? How many times will she respond by giving me puppy eyes and wiggly tail? I'm not really sure. But this is what our relationship is about. It is a give and take, try and learn experience. She challenges me, I hide the pillows, and we continue to grow.   

To all puppy parents- good luck through this frustrating, but fun stage. Do your pets have any weird, comical, or bad habits? I'd love to hear.