I stole this from a greeting card, but I no longer have the back panel of the card because Ernie ate it off the coffee table, so I don't know where credit is due. But this represents Ern in a nutshell...
"A squat little creature with Napoleonic delusions of grandeur; is a natural born comedian with bed wetting tendencies; prefers co-dependent relationships; is a light eater and a cheap date, this courageous little digger is a fiercely loyal friend."
Any puppy owner can confirm, a puppy's 1st night away from it's litter is probably a traumatizing experience. No more stepping on each other, no one else is crying, no one else is saying how hungry they are... now he's all alone. And we are miserable. Ernie wouldn't stop crying alllll night. He had a cushy little doggy bed in his confy kennel in the family room, nice, dark, in a temperature controlled environment. Ernie didn't know at that point that this was to be his new home, for the rest of his life we would be his new mommy and daddy. If he HAD known, maybe he could have cut us some slack and shut the heck up!
In the first few days we had our new puppy we made it a habit of taking him out multiple times to go potty. Potty training is supposed to be one of the hardest things to teach a dog. Ernie learned very well thanks to our never giving up and endless supply of edible rewards. He rarely had an accident in the house and when he did we forgave him because it was probably 'our fault'. According to those darn books again, if your dog has an accident, it is the owner's fault for not taking him or her out in a timely manner within the time since a meal was given.
Up next, puppy training classes at our neighborhood PetSmart. Once a week for 6 weeks, us, Ernie, a trainer, and 5 other teemingly stupid youngsters who are all more than three times Ernie's size...
"A squat little creature with Napoleonic delusions of grandeur; is a natural born comedian with bed wetting tendencies; prefers co-dependent relationships; is a light eater and a cheap date, this courageous little digger is a fiercely loyal friend."
Any puppy owner can confirm, a puppy's 1st night away from it's litter is probably a traumatizing experience. No more stepping on each other, no one else is crying, no one else is saying how hungry they are... now he's all alone. And we are miserable. Ernie wouldn't stop crying alllll night. He had a cushy little doggy bed in his confy kennel in the family room, nice, dark, in a temperature controlled environment. Ernie didn't know at that point that this was to be his new home, for the rest of his life we would be his new mommy and daddy. If he HAD known, maybe he could have cut us some slack and shut the heck up!
In the first few days we had our new puppy we made it a habit of taking him out multiple times to go potty. Potty training is supposed to be one of the hardest things to teach a dog. Ernie learned very well thanks to our never giving up and endless supply of edible rewards. He rarely had an accident in the house and when he did we forgave him because it was probably 'our fault'. According to those darn books again, if your dog has an accident, it is the owner's fault for not taking him or her out in a timely manner within the time since a meal was given.
Up next, puppy training classes at our neighborhood PetSmart. Once a week for 6 weeks, us, Ernie, a trainer, and 5 other teemingly stupid youngsters who are all more than three times Ernie's size...
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