a day in the life, Beagle, blogging, dogs, momlife, writing

Beagle puppy (mis)adventures

On Sunday it will be two weeks we’ve had a puppy in this house.

I’m happy to report the house-breaking is coming along nicely. We are so lucky the weather is good; I just open the back door and let him out. Then I watch him like a hawk and as soon as he’s done I call him, praise him and give him a treat.

Tucker at 9 weeks.

Practicing the calling to come is going quite well. This is crucial and essential and the main focus in dog training.

He’s going to get himself stuck in there…

The aim is to have him trained to come regardless of the circumstances around him. It shouldn’t matter if he’s wearing his leash or not, is on familiar property or not, or surrounded by distractions. If his human say “Tucker, come!” while simultaneously patting their leg he should be conditioned to obey immediately.

Ha. Hahaha. 🙄

I’ve never had a dog who did this 100% accurately but I also never had a dog from puppyhood. I do have some success with some of the dogs I know and walk or sit. But it’s not perfect…(and they’re not my dogs).

We’ll see how it goes. For the moment, we are just trying to keep him alive (he’s so tiny) and pooping outside instead of inside.🙄💩

Sleepy beagle pup.

The other good news is he is mostly sleeping through the night now. We lock his crate (he sleeps beside my bed) but let him out for one more pee before we let him sleep for the night. This is usually done by the last person to go to bed. (That would not be me. 😳)

When puppy wakes, typically by 6 am, I’m the one who gets up with him. But I don’t actually mind…I usually get up early. This used to be my time to write, before Tucker arrived…And it will be again.

But omg the chaos in the mornings.

Here’s the difference between me and the pooch:

I like getting up slowly. Go through my morning routine in the bathroom, make coffee in the french press, set up my stuff, wake up my creativity. I like peace, quiet, no talking (or listening). A relaxed atmosphere. Right? 🙄

Tucker however has other plans. Or is wired differently. (He is wired differently). He whines, jumps, grabs whatever he can with his teeth including the belt of my housecoat, my slippers or a dish towel which, incidentally, he is only able to get to when he crashes through the barrier that blocks him off from the kitchen, which, when he knocks it down makes a huge noise that should, theoretically, wake up the whole household but doesn’t 🙄 and when I fix it to put back in place he jumps up on me and pulls my hair… 😵

This is a lot of action for someone (me) who hasn’t even turned on the kettle yet for coffee… Ugh.

That’s puppyhood for you. 🙂

Anyway, what he really wants after he does his business outside is snuggle on my lap.

It’s still summery here in Toronto, so I take my coffee and my phone out onto the back porch.

I hope it stays like this for the rest of September at the very least…I can’t even imagine doing this whole routine while it’s cold and rainy out. Or worse… (ARGH)

After a while he’s had enough snuggles and he goes back to sleep.

I make a second coffee and chat or text or post to the blog or read my phone. Finally, some peace. But we all know this is short-lived…😕

It’s a different sort of routine but for now, it is what it is.

In terms of walking him…well there are all sorts of adventures with that activity. I’ll post those another time. If I’m still sane, or alive by then… (lordy)

I’m hopeful my youtube channel can be set up soon. I will share some videos when the time comes and let you know the link.

In the meantime, it’s Friday and the eve of Labour Day weekend. Under normal, pre-pandemic circumstances, school would start on Tuesday of next week. For now, the start date is the 15th; we’ll see if it actually happens.

We’re on the cusp of a new beginning, once again. This is my daughter’s last year in elementary school…

I’m both looking forward to, and dreading, the next chapters. Mostly because of this prevailing virus. But also because so much has happened, and my own plans and aspirations are no longer materializing. I miss my friends, my escapes to my mom’s house, my early morning times. Will any of it come back?

Time will tell. I try not to cry, but sometimes, I can’t help myself. It’s a good thing that puppy is cute, this assures his survival. 😛

Happy almost weekend! See you in the comments.

35 thoughts on “Beagle puppy (mis)adventures”

  2. he’s gorgeous! this is so cute!!! i truly enjoyed reading this, thank you for sharing❤️

    Follow @everythingtips for tips and recommendations if interested! It would mean a lot to me🥺❤️

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  5. Iago is conditioned to come to my high pitched whistle. Problem is, Eve can not duplicate the whistle, so he is not as obedient with her call requests. He is older however, and he has no desire to go far regardless.

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    1. I understand this. 🙂

      I used sign language with our dog Rusty back in the day, simultaneously to saying the word. Like Sit, or Stay, or Lie Down. Those worked well with him, and some of my occasional dogs as well. It’s second nature now and I’m training the pup with those as well. When the dog gets older, or is behind a gate, I can just do the sign and they know what to do. Rusty was good with that, the Airedale Jerry as well although he pushes boundaries more (he’s only 3 as well so there’s that).

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  6. As I sit here on the back porch waiting for the 93-yo to wake up and then see what kind of a pee/poop situation I’m dealing with today, I too think about my own plans and aspirations that are no longer materializing. I miss my hiking buddies and all the adventures they continue having without me. Will any of it come back? Yes. It will, and it must. And so must yours!!!!! Hang in there. You cuddle your adorable puppy and I’ll cuddle my sweet cat.

    OUR TIME is right around the frickin’ corner!!!

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      1. Right!!!! I forget who said it or where I heard it, but someone said to stop saying “When I get my life back” or whatever because, like it or not, this IS your life right now. So, we are going to love and appreciate and accept our teens and pre-teens and 93-yos and animals and whatever else but we are also going to figure out how to fit in stuff that WE want and that WE enjoy and that WE want to do. We are just as important as the people we live with, take care of, whatever. So there!!!

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  8. Tucker is pretty darn cute. Has he figured out how to howl yet? That’s always fun at midnight when he decides to run all over the back yard chasing who knows what. Ours would run up and down the fence line. When he stopped he would howl and his legs would actually hop up and down… Maybe you can preemptively buy the neighbors some earplugs 🙂

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  15. I enjoyed reading this. 🙂 Your vivid description of the morning routine disruption had me both laughing, and cringing for you! Bless your heart. That’s quite a change! Tucker is desperately adorable though. I bet that is what keeps him alive, ha ha! Loved your morning view from the back porch too. Beautiful flowers on your railing!

    I hope the rest of the puppy training goes well. Most of all, I pray you and your family stay safe in these changes. Hopefully your daughter’s last year in elementary school will be one to remember for all the *right* reasons. And hey, it’s okay to cry. Let it all out. Heaven knows we need to sometimes! 🤗

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    1. Thank you Holly, how sweet of you to acknowledge all my antics on this blog. 🙂

      Yes, crying is therapeutic at times. And that poochie, well, we’ll see what next adventures find us. I’m sure not many dull moments will exist in the next while…

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      1. 🙂 You are most certainly welcome!

        😂 I suspect you’re right about that cutie pie, Tucker and your new life. At least there’s plenty of comic relief around!

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