Puppy Files: Glimpsing the grown-up dog
BY NICK BARNETTTime rolls on, Connor has reached 10 months, and in front of our eyes his "adult" personality is starting to come through.
He's tirelessly affectionate, loyal, friendly to people, funny, bold, athletic yet clumsy. He's an endearing explosion of cuteness, and sorry if this makes you gag but I want to eat him up.
There I've said it. Mock me if you will.
From the spindly, trembling pup we first met three months ago, he's grown into a taut little tube of muscle and scruffy fur. Though he's a short little dachshund, he trots and runs like a spring-loaded terrier. He gives a cute squeak when he yawns. He throws up his paws like twin high-fives when greeting me.
At 4kg he can be picked up one-handed, yet he's got the strength to pull my partner plus three-wheeled Trikke along the footpath.
He's all forward energy, impatient to get wherever he's headed. He gives everything 100 per cent. Restraint, thy name isn't Connor.
But, as I've banged on about before, he came to us bundled with some buggy software: fearful around people, uncontrollable around dogs, on a hair-trigger of alarm, and totally un-housetrained. He also farted an awful lot.
Most of that software we've managed to replace or re-engineer. Around us - me, my partner (and trainer-in-chief), cat Merrick and our other dog Phoebe - he is now a normal dog. He plays endlessly with Phoebe, but never fights; he occasionally barks at Merrick to get him to play, but is quickly deterred with a clawless swipe of a paw; he (blogger crosses fingers, tries to type) hasn't made a toilet faux pas inside for about a week, and his indiscretions are now rare. Even the farting has eased in frequency, if not in ferocity.
BUT Connor still can scarcely be around unknown dogs. If both he and the other dog are leashed and passing each other on the footpath, he's usually quiet (thanks to a lot of treat-based training). But if the other dog is unleashed, the trapdoor under Connor's composure falls away and the poor little guy barks and lunges in fear and aggression.
We've taken Connor on a couple more puppy playdates, handling these ones differently from our ill-starred earlier effort. This time, we tired Connor out with a run, then took him to the neutral, quiet ground of a riverbank park to meet a dog of the same age, a calm, beautiful tan Pomeranian named Lilly.
At first he barked wildly, so we took off on an extended pack-walk together. The barking eased.
Then we sat down on the grass, the two dogs leashed separately. Things got quieter, and soon Connor was calm enough to respond to treat rewards.
Then we slipped the leashes off.
No dramas. No flashy breakthrough either, but no fear or loathing. Connor followed Lilly around shyly, but didn't join in play.
We all walked back to our starting point, with no barking or growling from a newly settled Connor.
The following weekend we did the same. Lilly's owners, Richelle and Darren, kindly came out to see us, and pretty soon things were bark-free again.
This time we added Phoebe to the mix. Phoebe is sociable and fearless, and it looked as though she and Lilly would play, and Connor would join in. The dogs were peaceful but wary; it didn't fire.
Still, we hope we'll have more chances, and it seems that trying different techniques is the thing to do, and perhaps the influence of Phoebe will make a difference.
Maybe the grown-up Connor will never be as socially adept and calm as Phoebe. Dogs aren't all cut from the same cloth. Maybe he'll always be a handful in those outdoor situations with other dogs around. We haven't resigned ourselves to that, but of course we know it's possible.
For now, though, we think Connor has grown into a pretty good dog. If he never changes from how he is now, I won't grieve too much. He'll have a good life, in which everything is a game and there's always something interesting (though one hopes not an unleashed dog) around the next corner. He'll have his trusted pack around him.
And his daddy Nick will always be threatening to eat him up...
Was there a point when your pet's adult personality began to show? Did you look at your pet one day, and realise: it's no longer a baby?
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haha I love how you said he squeaks when he yawns, they so do that and it cracks me up! We also have a 10mth old dachshud girl (plus a 2 yo boy) and she is starting to get a bit more grown up but still a cute puppy to me (yes I want to eat her too!) She even slept out of her crate the other night and was pretty well behaved. She's still a huge bundle of energy but I suspect that won't change much, I just hope she grows out of the licking!!
Oh my actual god! That is probably one of the cutest photos I've ever seen! LOOK AT HIS TOES adkjfhadsjf
I have owned miniature long haired dachshunds for over 30 years, and have found that their personality is pretty set by about 10 months. Currently I have four girls from 6 to 14 years. We had a litter and couldn't decide on who to keep, so kept both All my dogs have not been friendly to other dogs.They are great with other dachshunds, even if they don't know them, but they are quite embarrassing with other breeds.Like you I have tried different things but none have been totally successful. Mine "yodel" for want of a better description when they encounter another breed. I have found that the best thing is to watch out for other dogs and cover my dogs eyes until we are past. The phrase more bark per pound than any other breed comes to mind! In terms of toilet training, mine do not like going outside if it is wet and or cold. Like anything to do with this breed, they understand exactly what you do or don't want then to do BUT they very definately have a mind of their own and if they don't want to do what you say.. ...well they wont. I sort of admire their determination I must admit, even though they can be very frustrating. But the love and devotion they give me and my family more than out weights their stubborn streaks. They are an amazing breed and despite their faults I would never have another type.
Your Connor is just adorable! He looks like a miniature version of my Annie. Wire-haired dachshunds aren't too common here in the US, but I found my Annie in the pound almost nine years ago.
Now just hug the stuffins out of your doxie!
Oh he is just adorable!
We can't have dogs where we live but do have a burmese and a burmilla. The burmese boy grew into a fine gentleman and looked regal throughout but the burmilla boy had the biggest forehead you have ever seen! Very cute and thankfully he's grown into it and is teddy-bear handsome now but he really did look like yoda for a long time.
The other benefit of them growing up is they can sleep through the night on the bed and not attack your feet everytime you move and they have learnt the joy of sitting on a lap and getting a tickle.
Yes boxer dogs are notoriously clown like their entire lives! Diva at 10 and a half can still play like a puppy when she wants. Diva is like Phoebe - loves people and other dogs and is completely fearless - made for some interesting times as a puppy - she was the great escape artist! Monty on the other hand (whom I didn't get until an older pup at 5 months and missed the crucial socialisation stage and nor was he toilet trained) is fearful of people and dogs, but at now nearly 8 years of age is better than he was - I accept now that he will always be wary. When he recognises people he does like he is completely uncoordinated and borders and dangerous with the body wiggles and wags - he was uncoordinated as a pup and that hasn't changed as an adult dog!
Our Bichon x Tibetan Spaniel (Riley) always seemed very "grown up" and independent from the moment we got her as a pup. But she would play and be adorable constantly. Until we got the dachshund...
The daxy was 5 months old when we got her, and the two mixed well together, but Riley stopped being a puppy that day. She'll play with the daxy and still run to get her 'fox' for a bit of a throw around the house, but now she's a big sister and boss of the house.
The daxy is now 5 and is still in a puppy frame of mind. She'll tear around the house and MUST have plenty of cuddles.
I totally get what you mean when you say that you just want to eat him. I say that all the time to my lil Jack Russell terrier, "you are soo cute, I just wanna eat you up". Before anyone freaks out, I am a vegetarian so there is no real danger of her being eaten.
My dogs are 8 and 6, and it must be because they are so little in size that I feel that they are still puppies. They are getting a bit of the white hairs on their faces, but they still play as hard as they did when they were puppies. When I walk them, I get people asking me how old is my puppy?
Aargh, photo like that and I can see why you want to eat him. He's gorgeous! Serious dog envy (the cats would not appreciate being presented with another companion especially the canine sort).
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I got my cat when he was all grown up so I've never seen his kitten personality but I daresay he would've been just a smaller version of what he is now. (Weirdly loyal for a cat, affectionate, ever-so-slightly uncoordinated.)
I daresay the only real change is that instead of having ears that are significantly too big for him (he's five now, I don't think he's going to grow into them) he would have had ears that were RIDICULOUS.
As a child I had a boxer dog who was like a puppy until the age of about 11. Then she embarked on a couple of years of senility. She never seemed to actually grow up and be a normal-kinda-dog. I've since heard that boxers are notoriously clown-like!