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| "Remy" aka Napoleon |
Look at that face, who wouldn't love that adorable, sweet little face attached to his cute, wiggly butt and fiercely wagging tail? This, friends, is my puppy Remy. He's a 15 week old Shepadoodle (German Shepherd/Poodle). He's got super soft hair, white little paws, and is always so happy and excited to see you! He's also got an eye for mischief - and lots of it! I read an article once about puppies that started, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." Let me tell you, that captures puppy ownership to a perfect T! On the one hand, there's that face, on the other hand, he's a potty machine. He licks your toes one moment and nips your ankles the next. He learns "sit" and "lay down" in two days flat while also chewing the baseboards. He wiggles his way (cutely) in between the glass panes of the coffee table and barks incessantly in his crate. He listens perfectly sometimes and totally ignores you at other times. It's enough to drive a puppy mom crazy!
Here's what I've learned about myself and what I have to keep reminding myself. One: I pity my future children, because I am beginning to recognize that I've inherited my mother's tendency to want, need, and expect perfection. Two: I have to stop focusing on the negative and remember to celebrate the positive. Why is it so easy to forget all the ways in which life is going well and focus instead on the little bits that are less great? Recently, I found myself frustrated and exhausted by all the ways that Remy was not conforming to my expectations of him as a member of the household fast enough. (Admittedly, this was a particularly sleep-deprived time in my life due to difficulties crate-training the little guy.) There were a few too many "accidents" in the house, I had bites and scratches on my arms from his overly-excited and completely normal for puppies nipping and playing, and I was at my wit's end to figure out how to get Remy to stop jumping on and biting at the furniture. I found myself questioning whether or not getting a puppy was a bad idea. It pains me even to have typed that sentence!
Unfortunately, focusing on the negative is a bit like eating Pringles - once you pop (or start), you can't stop! The moment things begin to feel negative in one area of your life, it completely colors your mood and everything begins to feel wrong. All of a sudden, you're drowning in your own little pool of negativity and each time you manage to surface, the current pulls you back in. The trick to getting out of this rut is to realize that the negativity is of your own creation and therefore, you have the capacity to redefine your outlook on life. Make a decision to appreciate all the ways that things are going well and celebrate those achievements. Then take a look at the stuff that's not quite right and realize that they don't have to detract from the positive stuff. Perhaps even realize that the negative might not be quite all that negative as they seemed at first glance. Generally, if you take a moment to turn your focus away from all the negativity, you'll surprise yourself with just how much is actually going well and hopefully be a bit happier because after all, who really wants to be dissatisfied, angry, and irritated all the time? Yeah, me neither.
(Only caveat to the above is if you're going through a bout of major depression - just making the decision to be positive and happy is clearly not going to cut it, if only it was that easy!)
PS In the week or so it's taken me to to write this post, Remy has succeeded in having a streak of about a week or so of no accidents in the house, has cut back considerably on the chewing of the baseboards, and is quiet as a mouse in his crate! There are still a couple of things, but honestly, he's a baby! I'm so proud of the little stinker!
