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The Dreaded Cone of Shame
Remember when I introduced you to our sweet new pup? Those precious eyes won me over the second he looked at me and so began our lives with A.J.
But as pups do, A.J. has been growing up — and growing into quite a handful!
He has gnawed away at table legs and chairs, torn into the couch and destroyed four dog beds. (The last dog bed lasted ten minutes before he had it completely ripped apart.) He is now on a blanket.
And that book he ate? I had just bought it and only read two pages!
Ay yi yi — yes, getting a puppy is definitely like having another child.
Since he turned six months old in March, I have been procrastinating on two things — getting him trained and getting him neutered.
So, I knew it was time to stop putting it off.
First, I found a trainer and booked our course of personal dog training. Since I want the whole family involved and I want to tackle the particular obedience problems we have at home, I decided to go with a dog trainer that makes house calls!
Second, I had A.J. neutered. And I must say, did I feel terrible handing him over at the vet knowing what was going to happen to the little guy. Poor thing had no idea what was coming.
And so now, my sweet puppy is wearing the “cone of shame.”
In order for him to not rip out his stitches, as I mentioned he likes to use his teeth, he has to wear the horrible dog cone for ten days. He had the operation last Tuesday, so he will get his stitches out very soon.
Thank goodness — looking at those sad eyes is more than a mother can take!
Oh wow – I am speechless. That book? The dog beds? Oh boy. As my husband would say, “He’s lucky he’s so cute”. We say that about our cat “Newman” quite often.
You really did tackle a lot – hopefully he will settle down a bit now : )
Poor puppy. Necessary, but I understand how you feel.
Awww, poor puppy, poor you! I love dogs, and always thought when I was an adult I’d have a house full of them, but then I had 1 dog and then 3 kids and guess what? 1 dog is enough! I do, however, look forward to getting a puppy someday when my kids are old enough to really help out with it.
Aww…poor puppy! We had to do that with our one cat a couple of weeks ago. It was so hard turning him over to the vet. Our poor baby critters..they’re so much a part of our family.
So very adorable! You are very brave 🙂
Awww…he’s so cute in his cone of shame. 🙂
Yikes! Stella is a chewer, too. And a poop-eater. Our obedience course has been more like puppy playtime, I bet house visits are more effective. They’re lucky they’re so cute!!!
Man, they sure are cute. How can puppies be so destructive?
That poor naughty puppy!
We had a dog trainer come to our house a few years ago, and it was great. The one-on-one time is totally worth it. Don’t worry, he will eventually stop biting everything. Usually around 1 year. The “puppies” don’t end until 2 years though. 🙂
What a sweet little pup! He didn’t mean to rip up that book! His paws just couldn’t turn the pages…I’m sure of it!
OMG…you are tackling waaaaayyyy more than I am! I couldn’t train a dog at this point in my life…I have no patience left over! What am I tackling? I’m leaving my kids with a babysitter for the first time ever…today…at 3:30. I’m pretty okay with it though…we’ll see how it turns out!
Awwww! He is just so sweet!
I felt the same way when we took our kitten in. It should calm your pup down some. This week I need to OVERHAUL the house. We might be having a military inspection done at the end of the week. Specifically, trash going to the dumpster, husband’s gear sorted and put away, and our bedrooms presentable. Thank God the kitchen is in good enough order already.
I told my husband “Ah, crap! It’s tackle it Tuesday tomorrow… I don’t wanna do this meme…” but truthfully you keep me on schedule so thank you!
Oh! Kuddos to you, I don’t know when I will EVER be ready to Tackle a dog! My poor husband knows it too – I tell him to walk me everyday, then I will let him get one. 🙁