Building The Love Shack

Lets get a puppy…Romeo… Oh Boy.

He was tiny and cute when we brought him home. Now at fifty lbs and not quiet five months old he has become Devil Dog.

I forgot how much energy a puppy has, and I also forgot how much energy a puppy takes.

My morning starts with me waking up with a paw on my head. That is Romeo version of good morning. Then we jump out of bed to get him outside. House breaking is taking a bit of time and if we don’t go straight out, he figures he will just go on the floor.

Next it is feeding time. No he does not just sit and eat his food. Romeo thinks eating time is also play time. He has to be coached back to his food several times and taken away from the seventeen year old cats food several times. But you don`t have to guess when he is done, you will hear the crashing and banging. That would be him throwing his dishes around the kitchen.

And so a day with Romeo starts. There are several trips outside for potty breaks. This include yelling “No Romeo“ as he is teething and thinks every plant and shrub in the garden is a teething ring.

We are working on not jumping on people. The one he jumps on the most is mommy. He has also started this interesting new habit, he walks up behind me and nips my butt. Yes, this is a special thing he only does to mommy.  Puppy teeth are sharp and dam that hurts.

Nothing is safe in the house. Every thing on every shelf and desk has to be put away. If he can get it in his mouth and he can attempt to steal it, he does. That`s where the next game starts. That would be the one where I am running around the house behind him, chasing him to get this latest item back he stole.

Books are mommies most treasured item and Romeos favorite this to steal off the shelves. Many now have teeth marks and some of the pages are stuck together related to doggies drooling.

He has also learned talking back and changeling mommy. For those of you who have never had a Doberman before, they have a personality trait. The male Dobe, is independent and dominating to the female.Once the testies start to drop, the male will try to dominate all females. In this case, I am the female.

Romeo and I are now having a battle over who is the boss. The good news is I have done this with Rocky and Coco before Romeo, so, I actually know who will win. Me. But the battle is on. The mouthy dog who tells off mommy has started. He has not figured out that in the end, I will always win.

The trainers will tell you to make sure you crate train your dogs. Romeo has a crate. But Romeo is also known as Houdini. You see, Romeo has learned in no time at all, if he uses his bottom teeth to lift the door, it unlatches the door and then he uses his paw to push and he opens the door, and is out in minutes.  I have now had to add a lock to the crate door. So far he has not learned the combination.

Are you tired yet?

The day goes with lots of running and jumping.

His big boy voice has started to develop, so now there is the barking at the people in the park and answering the other dogs in the neighborhood. We are working on inside voice. So far neither one of us is using it.

All the doors in the house have to be closed, including  the closets or he is in every room stealing something, which usually is followed by a crash.

My socks are his favorite thing to steal. It doesn`t matter if they are on or off my feet. Mommies socks are another game.

Putting laundry away is a challenge. As I try to put things in the drawer, he steals the other clothes out of the drawer and runs down the hall with my clothes. Yes, this includes me chasing him again.

When it gets quiet, that`s when I really worry. As I was sitting down to write this Romeo was very quiet. I went to see what he was up to. He was laying on the glass dining room table. He is now locked in his crate and it sounds like I am committing puppy murder .

We were so proud of him when he learned to use the stairs. Now I have a gate to keep him from going down the stairs to the basement, where he eats the cats food and tosses out the contents of the kitty box.

Did I mention we call him Devil Dog?

Ah but then there are the cute moments. The cuddles. The give me the paw. When he learns something new. Puppies kisses and puppy breath, yuk.

He has already out grown his winter jacket and a new one is ordered. The house looks like an ad from Puppy Toys Are Us.

The challenges will continue and well, I don`t have to go the gym, as I do many laps around the house, hourly.

Do we love him? Of course we do, other wise we would just be insane to go through this.

The good news is, in only a few months, we will be done house breaking. The teething will be over and the who makes the rules will be established.

In the mean time. We start Puppy School in three weeks. I hope that helps us both.

PS. New Pictures of Romeo will be up soon.