I posted a column about this J. Dudley journal in my Potluck Substack just after midnight last night and racked up a bunch of subscribers, including some who are not members of my family. Within six hours we had a quorum. What are you doing up in the middle of the night?
That is probably where you found this Dudley journal, but if not, here’s the backstory on how he came into our lives:
Feel free to share your experience of raising a puppy. It’s been awhile and times have changed since the rolled-up-newspaper-whack theory of dog training. Another example of print media going digital these days, thankfully, as YouTube puppy videos have become our source of information on current thinking.
What do we need to have on hand? Are you in favor of crate training? What do we need to know?
I’m serious. We are going to need all the help we can get.
We will pick up Dudley on September 21, the day after the Okoboji Writers’ Retreat, when he will be 8-weeks old.
I have no idea how often I’ll post something, but it should be fun. Comedy is often found in disaster.
Sounds like a wonderful pick of the litter. Yes, please keep him in a crate when unattended. At night when you sleep. During the day if you are going to be gone from the room more than a minute. Pick him up and take him outside to walk in the grass every hour. Till he pees or poops outside. Gradually increase the amount of time between trips outside. Praise him each time he pees or poops. Make a big deal of it. If he is not in his crate and he starts circling the room or sniffing around, take him immediately outside. He needs to excrete something. Remember, lots of praise when he goes. Accidents happen, but he will learn soon. Keep vinegar or some other anti-odor stuff to remove smells. If he goes off by himself in the room he might intend to go potty. Dogs who are crate trained think of it as their own private cave. Their castle. Basically, human pups can be trained the same way. You go outside frequently (go sit on the potty frequently) so you anticipate the excrement. That way, they get used to going in the grass or the potty, and are rewarded with praise for going in the right place. Have fun with your new puppy!
Think I see an already emerging facial similarity between R and D in this photo, a common phenom.