Have you ever fallen in love at first sight?
Initially, we weren’t looking to get a puppy since we were afraid that it would’ve been too much trouble to take care. When we met Narco, we were willing to give up everything to make sure he was going to have a fulfilling and love-filled the rest of his life. This decision, of course, didn’t come with zero obstacles.
Narco, our now 7-month-old Dachshund, captured our hearts from the very first time we saw him. Originally born in Ireland and arriving in Singapore on 23 November, we scheduled a visit the day right after he arrived. He looked at us with the most solicitous eyes, the happiest wagging tail, and he gave us the warmest feeling in our hearts. The first time we carried him, he looked right into our eyes like he knew we were HIS family. One moment we were carrying him in the shop, the next moment, we were on the way home with him in our arms.
Although we’ve had multiple dogs in the past, every dog has its personality. It was an interesting part. We spent the first-month understanding Narco, watching his likes and dislikes, and learning the patterns of his everyday routine.
Dachshunds are generally stubborn, but we weren’t going to give up on him. Something different about Narco was that although he was stubborn, we felt with our hearts that he was trying his absolute best in everything he does. The first month with our new fur kid was tough because there were a lot of things that he did not understand yet, for example, where he was to go to do his big or small business, or that he couldn’t simply bite anything he decided to bite. Of course, we got angry and frustrated when he didn’t pee or poo on his pee tray, but instead on our parquet flooring. He also didn’t want to sleep unless someone was lying next to him. However, with much patience (and a healthy amount of treats), he soon started to learn and get used to things.
By the second month at his new home, he was doing 95% of the things correctly. It was a tough first month since we had to make sure everything was going well for him, making sure he was eating well, drinking well, and poo-ing well.
We suspect that Narco’s biggest hobby is giving us all the love he has in him. He loved to sit on our laps, and always wanted to be around us no matter what we were doing. He filled our faces with tons of kisses whenever any of us came home. He took afternoon naps in our arms, rested his head on our pillows at night, and woke up smiling at us in the morning. Soon after the first month, he got the hang of how to sit, to stay, to fetch, to roll over, to salute, and to wait for permission to eat. He was an intelligent sweetheart; he learned things incredibly quickly, so quick that he shocks us very often by performing tricks even when he learned it the day before.
Before we knew it, Narco was growing up so quickly. His puppy fur started to shed a lot, and his adult coat began to grow. We had to vacuum twice a day to make sure we didn’t have fur up our noses. He was getting longer and longer and slightly taller but not much. He started to try jumping on the sofa, on the bed and everywhere.
As our baby started growing up, we realized that basic obedience was very important. Without all these basic trainings, we wouldn’t have been able to live so happily with Narco.
Not only for Narco, but every new puppy, or adopted adults, basic training is extremely important.
Having a dog as a pet can be super draining, but with the correct training, your life will be a blissful one. Your dog will become your biggest strength, the reason why you wake up every day, and it will be the best decision you can ever make in your life.
Lawrence Lee
Assistant Dog Trainer
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