Raising a Puppy, Practice for Children?

A puppy is wonderful addition to a family. It's a joyous occasion usually celebrated with photographs and lots of cheerful smiles and laughter. The birth of a child is the same. Now I am not saying that the two can even compare to one another in terms of the magnitude of the life changing factors and excitement, but it is interesting to consider.

Most puppies are like babies, they require a lot of training as to what not to do or touch and learning what "no" or "stop" means. I adopted an adorable puppy several months ago and since then have realized that he requires nearly as much attention as does an infant. Perhaps my dog is odd, that is always a possibility, but assuming he's not and most puppies act this way, I would say it's relatively close to the care needed for a child in terms of time, energy, and love. No, I don't have to nurse him, but there are a lot of other things that have to be done which lead me to the conclusion that raising a puppy is good training for parenting a child.

For instance, my puppy wakes me up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. That's right, he comes over and pats me on the arm or shoulder when he has to go to the bathroom. Once in a while he's just whine and I know that means he has to go potty. So, I get up, take him downstairs and we go outside so he can do his business. He has nightmares and needs to be comforted. Again, absolutely true. It happened the other night in fact. He woke up in the middle of the night whining. My husband took him out to go potty and then back upstairs. He fell asleep for about fifteen minutes and then awoke again whining. Now, I knew he didn't have to go to the bathroom again. He sat up on the bed and looked at me, scared. So what did I do? I took him in my arms, stroked him and sang him a lullaby. "Rock a bye, puppy" to be exact. He fell asleep during my song. It was so sweet.

My puppy requires constant attention, both to be entertained and to be kept out of trouble. He's very curious and extremely smart, not always the best combination if you want your new house to stay "new" looking. He likes to chew things. Not furniture. Not clothes or shoes. Random things he find around the house. Like the plunger. Or the lawn toss dart game. The playing cards, toilet paper and fly swatter. He also has an abandonment issue. He constantly has to have someone he trusts in sight or sound at all times. He was abandoned as a puppy and left in the middle of a field in a plastic container so perhaps it has something to do with that. Since I work from home he's used to always having someone with him. He cries when he knows I'm leaving. And he knows. He knows long before I grab my purse or keys. He knows the moment I go up the stairs to get my purse, or change clothes, or brush my hair. It's uncanny.

Raising a puppy is also like raising a child because you're responsible for their health. I inspect him every other day for any changes in his skin (he has eczema when he was four months old), bumps, scratches and other marks. He takes baths and showers. The other day he decided on his own that he needed a shower. My husband and I were in the shower and he jumped in. He walked around in a circle until he was completely wet then looked up at us waiting to be shampooed. It was hysterical. So of course, we gave him a shower as well. It wasn't his normal day for one, but he wanted it so he got it. He wants quiet love and snuggling moments. He jumps up in my lap all the time despite the fact that he is now far too large to be a lap dog. If my husband or I fall asleep in the floor he comes and snuggles up against us like a small child.

He of course gets in trouble. We punish him and he knows that if he does certain things he'll get time out. Other times it's a spanking. Once in a while he'll talk back when he knows we're angry with him. He's just like a child. So, in my opinion, raising a puppy is great training for someday raising a child. I am responsible for his health, happiness, obedience and maturity as a dog. I get up in the middle of the night when he's sick or scared or hungry. I spoil him. I train him and punish him. He's my baby. If someone wants to get some idea of what it's like to raise a child, they should get a puppy.