A year as a dog owner – our learnings…

Wow, it’s been a year since our tiny scruffy, fluff ball border terrier, Bert, joined our family and what a year it’s been! I thought I’d do a quick post as first time dog owners to a super hyper puppy, and share our learnings as we look back over the first year with a dog…

Dogs rule the house. The end.
This is very accurate, but we’ve also learnt a few other tips on what to/not to do…

• You will instantly join a dog cliche
  It’s a bit like baby groups, you don’t really want to join them but they hook you in somehow. Usually because your dog has run over to go batshit crazy with their dog and so you’re stuck with the chit chat as they do their thang.
  
• Your dog will never recall (come back to you) when you really need it to
  Oh god, this one to me is total disaster territory. Bert was notoriously bad at recall, because in dog classes he was fine so we thought we had it sussed – until he entered the real world and we realised we could be dressed as a whole chicken or a slab of cheese and he.still.would.not.come.back. Now, after some 1 to 1 lessons, he has improved. But it’s always on his terms [rather like my feral children]
  
• Dogs eat anything, literally
  Bert began his life on organic goats milk and some equally precocious food and somewhere aong the lines he took a fancy to Barbies, Bluey figures and most recently dessicrated a Buzz Lightyear. We won’t even mention his penchant for trainers.
  
• Looking for a job? Become a groomer or dog boarder
  Not only will their hair cost you more than your own, but an overnight stay will cost more than a hotel stay for you. That’s if you can find either of those – they’re like rocking horse shit since everyone (including us) jumped on the lockdown dog bandwagon.
  
• With all the will in the world, they will jump up
  Oh god, another one which goes hand in hand with the recall nightmare. Bert doesn’t jump up at us, but as soon as he gets a whiff of fresh air and new meat he’s like a rabid jack-in-the-box. My particular favourite is the grumpy old man who likes to walk and collect his morning papers in his favourite trousers, at exactly the same time half of our area walk their dogs.
  
• Good intended dog rules go out the window
  ‘The dog will never come up on the sofa’ or ‘Be fed treats from the table’. Fast forward one month….

• Dogs have a really weird way of greeting their friends
  Bert favourite ‘Hello’ is to immediately sniff and then lick dog dick. He’s not so keen on the favour being reciprocated – and he’s not really fussed for bitches either. Rainbow dog ahoy!

What have you learnt about being a first time dog owner? I’d love to hear yours!