The New York Times started publishing a new series called “The Puppy Diaries” a couple of weeks ago. It’s a well-written series, intended to be more entertaining than educational. Over the next year Jill Abramson will be telling us the story of Scout, the Golden Retriever puppy she recently brought home.
Golden Puppies on Bench
Taking the Plunge With a New Dog sets the scene for what looks to be a fun series. Jill mentions some training books and a certain TV show that I am not too fond of, but it’s clear that she loves dogs, misses her previous dog dearly, and is doing her best to do the right thing. Jill discusses how they acquired Scout from a breeder – the “right” way if one decides to go with a purebred dog – and tells us how they chose the name based on the character in To Kill a Mockingbird. As someone with dogs named “Caffeine,” based on her energy level, and “Buddha” because I think he really does have that nature, I really appreciate Scout’s name quite a bit.
In “Chewing Toward Bethelehem,” the second entry in the series, Jill Abramson recounts the problems she is experiencing with chewing. Scout is chewing everything she can get her mouth on. For anyone who has raised a puppy, this is about as surprising as wet on water.
Jill spends quite a bit of time discussing how she manages Scout’s chewing by keeping an eye on her and putting the items she doesn’t want chewed out of reach. This is great! Management is the first step, and if Scout never has a chance to chew on undesirable items now, it greatly increases the likelihood that she won’t develop the habit later in life when she doesn’t have an unbearable desire to chew everything in sight. However, there is no mention of addressing Scout’s energy level. While puppies chew as their teeth develop, they also chew to burn off energy. Some extra exercise can go a long way. The Abramson’s may very well be addressing this, we just don’t know. (The wonderful photos on Flickr seem to indicate that Scout is getting around though.)
This episode also briefly touches on food, which can be a very thorny topic with puppies. Scout is showing interest in people and has gotten a little demanding about it. I can’t say that I agree with Henry’s theory on Scout “recognizing” the whipped cream on top of a bowl of strawberries as the yogurt that is placed on her food, but I do like the family has chosen a path and is working together to stick with it.
More next week. I am looking forward to it. What do you think of the series? Let me know in the comments.
2 Comments
I would love to see her mention visiting the national AKC club website for the Golden Retriever breed ( http://www.grca.org ). The Golden Retriever Club of America has a very extensive web site and many of her questions can be answered there. She would have done well to read the All About Goldens section before she took her puppy home (and before she picked it out).
I am glad that she is showing support for well bred dogs for although rescuing a dog from a shelter can be rewarding, if people just went to the pound, the supply of dogs would soon dwindle away to nothing. A well bred dog is a pleasure that many humans enjoy and it is a gift that there are so many great pure bred dogs being bred responsibly.
Picking up items that you don’t want chewed is only half the battle. Giving your pup something that is okay to chew is the other. There are a number of safe chew toys on the market that would keep Scout happy. If that is all he has to chew on then a lesson is being learned.
Someone needs to remind Jill that the Golden Retriever is a sporting dog and needs daily exercise. Also, some undesirable behaviors seem cute in a puppy but not so cute in a grown dog. Spoiling a dog can cause undesirable behavior that makes it necessary to retrain. Golden Retriever puppies are so easy to train in general if a person follows a plan and sticks to it. All family members need to be on the same page with training. Training is essential and positive training is a must with a Golden.
Thank you for this blog and the opportunity to respond.
-Jan
Thank you for your comments! The third installment to the series is up, and I am happy to say that they have hired a great trainer and some of the advice she gave is exactly what you said! I’ll be posting something later in the week.
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