The life skill I’m currently working on, and failing at badly some days, is patience. I consider myself a fairly patient person and don’t get worked up too often, but this new little puppy is testing me and mine. He is adorable and I have to remind myself that his misbehavior is a direct result of my failure to adapt the environment and my actions into those that will prevent this misbehavior.
Romeo sitting nicely waiting for me to throw his toy.
This afternoon was an especially trying one and unfortunately I was not pleased at how I reacted to it. I found myself yelling at my poor little puppy after he ran away from me and continued running while I tried to catch him. Several times he got close to the street in front of my house, which thankfully was not too busy today. He does have a leash (which will be on him at ALL times when he is outdoors now), but I didn’t have it on him. I was so angry at him for running away from me, but it really wasn’t his fault. He was acting like the playful puppy he is. I was the one at fault for neglecting to put the leash on him. I apologized to Romeo for flipping out and like the sweet puppy he is, he seemed to forget and forgive in the shake of his cute little tail! I think he will be training me at the same time I’m attempting to train him!
In the meantime, here are some good quotes on patience:
Patience can’t be acquired overnight. It is just like building up a muscle. Every day you need to work on it. – Eknath Easwaran
Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. – St. Francis de Sales
Patience is the ability to count down before you blast off. – Author Unknown
Patience is necessary, and one cannot reap immediately where one has sown. – Soren Kierkegaard
I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures. – Lao Tzu
Words of wisdom that I definitely need to take to heart! While I’m working on patience, I’d welcome any and all advice on puppy training that I can get. I’ve watched a couple videos and am making progress with potty training. I’ve also gotten him to sit, shake and lay down (prompted by treats). My biggest challenge now is getting him to come to me instead of running around like a little wild child.
picturingpositive 
Hi Beth, I read a great tip regarding getting your dog to come to you in an emergency situation (for example, he’s running toward traffic): call your dog and run in the opposite direction. They can’t resist playing and chasing, and your dog will run after you and away from danger. Try it, it works. Cheers!
That makes sense, Ruth!! Thanks for sharing that with me. I plan to have him on his leash when outside, but you never know with quick little puppies, so I will store that in my memory banks!! 🙂
I’ve been having the same problem with Sugar, lately. A couple of weeks ago, she was fine, and Misty (2weeks older) would do this. Now Misty has calmed down and Sugar is the wild child. I can definitely relate to the patience issue and have had a hard time myself. There is a chance he will grow out of the behaviour if you keep working with him on it. My best guess is that part of the problem is a developmental phase he is experienceing. I added a couple of links that summarize when these phases generally occur. My current solution for Sugar is to always keep treats handy. She knows to come if treats are involved. Also, after a few times around the kitchen island, I finally gave up and commanded her to sit (a trick she knows and usually gets treats for) and she will plop down and allow me to approach her. She had a traumatizing experience a few weeks ago when I accidentally stepped on her, so I think Sugar is a little foot shy from that.
http://wonder-puppy.com/puppy-development-stages/
http://www.paws.org/puppy-developmental-stages.html
And yes, ALWAYS a leash when outside (in unenclosed spaces). I like to let my pups romp in the front yard with the neighbor kids, but I keep their leash and harness on, draggig behind them as they run and play. It helps if they bolt toward the street or dive into a bush and refuse to come out; they are easier to catch. It’s save my pups a couple times now. It’s not the most pleasant when the running puppy is yanked back as you stomp on their leash, but it’s way better than encountering a rogue car speeding down the street.
Sorry for the long comment. I forgot to tell you… Romeo is SO handsome in the pic you posted! He’s grown soo much!
Thanks! Long comments are much appreciated, especially when you post helpful links!! I know I’ve been googling “potty training”, “training in general”, “coming when called”….all the good stuff. I have high hopes for the puppy classes, so hopefully it will be a productive expenditure. It’s definitely not cheap, but if it helps to get Romeo to be a better puppy, it will be worth it!! Those look like incredibly helpful links, so I’ll be devouring the information later this evening!! Thanks so much!!
You’re welcome! I also read your long distance post…. Sounds like a good time to have a puppy to care for and keep you busy. Having a pet to love and hold has gotten me through a lot of hard, lonely times. Romeo will be a good companion and distraction for those days that feel extra lonely.
Wow, I’m pretty prompt responding to comments, I see 😉 Yes, it’s a welcome distraction to have Romeo here to take care of, especially when my kids are with their dad. He made it through his first day of “puppy school” Sunday and did very well. The first class was pretty simple, just working on getting them to know their names (he’s a master at that, even though he doesn’t always listen!), learning to stay focused with the command “watch me”, and sitting. He can do the focusing very well, at least until the cat walks by him….then all bets are off. The trainer said we’ll be working on helping to get him more focused and less distracted in upcoming classes. We got a little clicker to reinforce the commands, and he’s responded very well to that also. So far, it’s usually paired with a treat, but I’m going to try to get him weaned a little from the treats or I’m going to have a plump pappy puppy! 😉 I hope all is going well there with Misty and Sugar! I look forward to all your posts!
What a beautiful boy you have! FYI: I had my last Pappy for 18 years and my new little girl is just 11 months. Pappy’s are just like a border collie stuffed into a tiny pappy body!!!
Thanks so much and thank you for following! I’m so glad you found my blog so I can follow yours. I haven’t been able to find too many pappy puppy owners on WordPress, so I’m delighted to meet someone with years of experience with these little sweeties. I can’t imagine the heartbreak having to say goodbye after 18 years. I’m glad you have a new little love to help. I’ve only had Romeo for a little over two months, and my life is so much richer with him in it! :).