Remember Buddy, my Bichon Frise puppy?
Well he’s nine months old now and he’s my little buddy (See what I did there? Buddy is my buddy ;-)). He sleeps on the floor on my side of the bed and in the morning when my alarm goes off, he jumps on the bed for a cuddle. He follows me around while I get ready then he goes back to bed and sleeps on Mr Frugal’s side until he wakes up. He snuggles up with me on a night when we’re watching TV and even now, he’s sat resting his head on my knee, snoring while I tweet.
He’s been the perfect addition to our family and I’m so pleased we finally decided to take the plunge and get a dog but, and there’s always a but isn’t there? He has a few little issues that I’m not sure how to deal with, which is where you guys all come in….
He won’t walk on grass when it’s wet or when it’s dark although he’s OK at any other time- that’s not normal is it? We’ve tried everything to encourage him on to the grass and have all spent ages out there trying to encourage him but so far nothing has worked!
Going out when it’s raining is a no-no for him which is awkward when he needs to go to the toilet. This morning I had to carry him out and stand with him in the rain so he could have a wee. As soon as he was done, he ran in so fast that he fell over on the kitchen floor bless him. If we’re out after it’s been raining and there are puddles on the ground, he has to walk right round them and if that’s not possible he won’t move. He literally digs his heels in and we have to pick him up and carry him over it!
He also shakes when we go out or when something bothers him (last week it was a moth flying around him!). The first time he did this I thought he was having a fit or something so I took him straight to the vets who said it was the equivalent of a teenage temper tantrum! I’ve since took him back for a second opinion as it seems ridiculous that a dog could be having a tantrum and a second vet said the same thing – trust us to get a hormonal puppy.
He’s
a really good puppy and has never done any damage to the house apart from scratching the hall carpet when we shut him in the hall one day when we went to the shop but it’s practically impossible to train him to sit or stay. No matter how much time we spend with him, it just doesn’t seem to go in!
He has loads of toys but his favourite things are socks and dirty pants that he gets out of the wash basket – Ugh! And I should tell you that he’s slightly in love with our guinea pig and keeps trying to give him ‘special cuddles’
I’m not sure if I’ve said this before but when he was a puppy, he was very ill as he caught a rare disease that almost killed him. As a result, he was pumped full of doggy medicine to keep him alive and he had to stay with him mum for an extra six weeks, both of these things could have a bearing on why he’s the way he is now according to our vet (or he could just be a little bit odd).
Either way, I don’t regret getting Buddy at all but if anyone has any ideas on how to deal with any or all of his issues, I’d love to hear them.
