Member Profile

Living with and Training a BIG puppy

Training a big puppy, such as Reggie, is extremely demanding and consumed an overwhelming amount of my time and energies. His need to go outside was relentless. Late at night or during a snowstorm seemed to be his favorite times. And once outside in a snowstorm, he totally lost his concentration, forgetting the purpose of this travesty into the arctic and plunging ahead with ecstatic (and reckless) abandon.

While Reggie is learning to control his natural exuberance in most situations, the doorbell still triggers a sudden surge of puppy enthusiasm. He bounds for the door, exploding with a loud deep bark. Then he waits impatiently to see what new experience lie beyond that closed door.

As puppy, he was a relentless raider of wastebaskets and unroller of toilet paper He would submerge his nose in the toilet bowl for a refreshing drink of water at every opportunity - leaving a path of water from his dribbling beard in his wake.

While he doesn't shed, chew furniture or use the carpet for his bathroom, he does leave footprints on the tile floor and nose prints on the windows. He is tall enough to easily surf the kitchen cabinets and has been known to scarf up steaks left there to thaw. For this fussy housekeeper these behaviors required a major paradigm shift.

This puppy's sense of humor often left us helpless with laughter but training an enormous teenager often seemed a hopeless endeavor. Any new environment brought a surge of energy. He pulled on the leash, sniffed at everything, making a mad dash after any squirrel or cat in sight. Upon arrival at a therapy dog training session, he pounced with great enthusiasm on a tiny Papillon, evoking a screech of outrage from the small dog's owner. I wasn't sure at that point he would ever settle down enough to be a therapy dog.

Now, at four years old, Reggie is a wonderful dog. He is still opinionated; but he is exceptionally intelligent, loyal, perceptive, intuitive, funny and adorable. He is a "people magnet". Wherever we go people are drawn to him. He loves the attention and is friendly and gracious to friends and strangers alike. As a therapy dog, his gentleness and perception amaze me. He knows exactly the best way to approach different people. He is a wonderful house pet, a great walking pal, and brings joy and healing to hundreds of people at the local hospital and nursing home.

I do recommend that no one get this breed unless you are willing to spend a lot of time training this dog. Reggie was a challenge but definitely worth it!