Ben: A 9-Month (P)update

Happy Thanksgiving Eve!

I had several heavier/complain-ier posts drafted and then I was like, “Um, it’s a holiday week all about gratitude, and those don’t fit that theme.”

Enter: the post about a (living) thing I’m so, so, so grateful for.

{All the photos in this post are from my amazing dog walker. She’s the best.}

It’s Ben!

If you know me in real life, you might have gathered that Ben was a total pain in the ass for about two months.

The same puppy that got the gist of “sit” in about a week and was fairly quick to train no longer responded to “sit,” “come,” “stay,” “down,” “no,” “leave it,” “drop,” or “quiet.” He started to pull harder on walks and bark at me when I wouldn’t let him lick the entire floor of my bathtub.

He maintained his ability to “shake,” though. Only the most important thing. 

Anyway, leaving my bratty dog in the morning before work was a relief. I would try to sneak around the apartment in the evening so he wouldn’t know I had gotten home. I dreaded the high-pitched whine that meant he knew I was around. I loved him, sure, but he was annoying, and it felt like all my progress toward a well-behaved pup had gone away.

Look, people warned me about this. But I still wasn’t prepared.

From roughly 6-8 months of age, pups go through puberty, essentially. Just like you expect a pubescent teenage human to be rebellious, you should expect a pubescent pup to be rebellious. I’d thought – or rather, hoped – that the fact that he’s neutered would take that away. Nope. It possibly lessened it, but I’ll never know.

So, from the beginning of September to roughly the beginning of November, I had nightmare puppy. He’s always been freaking cute, but the whole not-listening thing really detracted from that.

And then a switch flipped around the beginning of this month.

He leaves my shoes alone when I ask. He sits like a little angel. Yes, he still puts his paws on the table and counter, but he gets down within about 20 seconds. He doesn’t require constant attention – he’s learned to play with toys by himself – but he’s also fun to play with now.

He’s not perfect. He still wants in my bathtub all the time, so he can lick it clean. He occasionally tries to get into the trash can to find a good paper towel or something else to rip up. Socks are his weakness, and if I drop one, he’ll snatch it up and run away before I even realize what happened. I put him in his crate when I’m eating because he has knocked my food on the floor. Sometimes he wakes me up ridiculously early just to eat and go back to sleep 10 minutes later. And he really loves puddles.

But he’s such a good pup. I have a hard time making myself leave him in the morning because he’s the perfect combination of snuggly and fun. I know he’s in good hands when I’m away; my dog walker plays with him at home, takes him on multiple walks a day, and gives him lots of playtime with other dogs in the neighborhood. And whenever he sees her when we’re out and about, he pulls toward her and whines as soon as she’s out of sight. But now I miss him when I’m gone.

I look forward to his bounces and requests for belly rubs when I get home in the evening. He is a little ball of love. 

{Okay, I took this picture.}

And a total mama’s boy. He loves me and I know it, and I love him so, so much. He’s been one of the most challenging things about the last six months, but also undoubtedly one of the best.

Your turn:

What are you grateful for right now? All of the things! A fabulous family, a sweet puppy, the boy, all the yummy food, podcasts that keep me learning, living in the most prosperous and best time in history, a healthy body that lets me move how I want, sparkly nails, a cozy place to live, comfy clothes, my education, great friends, coffee, Amazon Prime, a dog walker my dog adores, a supportive work culture, a job that takes good care of me, and about a million other things.

Any Thanksgiving plans? I’m going Christmas shopping with my mom tonight, having Thanksgiving lunch at my grandparents’ tomorrow, relaxing on Friday, playing poker with my dad’s friends on Saturday night (I won last time and don’t anticipate the same fate – wish me luck!), and having a Thanksgiving/Christmas/baby shower with my grandma’s family on Sunday.