Bowser Overnight

  Bowser the puppy spent the night with us last night. And the story he’s been showing so far has been interesting, to say the least. He’s a sweet, loving boy who loves to play and who wants to be with Glimmer, but he has absolutely no concept about how to behave with humans or other animals. It’s taking a bit of time for him to learn that his behavior is unacceptable and it won’t be tolerated.

He gets so excited around Glimmer that he tries to put his head on her back or outright mount her, and he tries to force himself on her to smell her. He’s also too interested in Violet the cat; being a Beagle/Shepherd mix, he does have a high prey drive, so during his stay with me, I’ve kept him on a long leash to prevent him from chasing her.

Bowser had some trouble going into the kennel at bedtime. It’s unfamiliar to him, so he wasn’t keen on going in. His blankets were in there for him, but he was still a bit fearful about it. It took a bit of time to help him feel relaxed about it, and once he was inside and settled down on his blankets, he went to sleep with no problems.

Outside, on the leash, this puppy is a serious puller. So, I’ve been teaching him to “come back.” He’s been doing really well with that exercise, and he’s responded to verbal and physical praise far more quickly than he does to food treats – and he is very food motivated.

All in all, this sweet, loving, but ill-mannered puppy is trying very hard to be a good boy. He hasn’t had any accidents in the house or in the kennel, and he’s been enjoying learning new things. He has a long way to go to become a well-behaved dog, but he’s trying, and that’s all I ask of him. As long as that continues, he’ll get to where he needs to be.

Have a great day, and remember to stay calm and lead on.