Sunday I had a wonderful conversation catching up with my friend Ann. Ann works for Labs 4 Rescue as an intake/placement coordinator. About four or five months ago Ann adopted/rescued a little black lab named Walter. Ann knew that Walter would be her last puppy as there comes a time when we all know we just can’t handle the energy of a puppy anymore. 🙁
When Ann and I adopted Walter and Delilah, we already had dogs. Good, well-trained dogs. Ann and I got to talking about the training struggles we were having with Walter and Delilah; and it dawned on me; we are dealing with 2nd dog syndrome. I compare this to having your 2nd child.
With your first child you put a lot of time and energy into them; you take pictures of everything! Their baby books, and scrapbooks are up to date. You anxiously wait for every new discovery, and meticulously document it; you see life through their eyes.
By the time the 2nd child comes along; you’re tired. You no longer have the energy you had with the first; there are more things that need to be completed; you aren’t as meticulous with documenting their progress….with taking pictures. You sometimes miss the beauty of the world as seen through their eyes.
The same is true when you get a 2nd (or third) dog. Time is a factor; you have another dog to take care of, a dog who has come to rely on you. You forgot what kind of work you put into that first dog….work that made that dog an awesome dog. Somehow you expect this new being will automatically know what you want from them and what they need to do. But they don’t. It’s easy to become frustrated with your new dog because they don’t seem to be learning as fast as your first dog.
You look at that sweet, perfect first dog and say, “What am I doing wrong?”
Step back, take a breath and refocus. Take a minute to look at life through their eyes. See if you can fit just 10 minutes of training in per day, it will make a difference.
Don’t fall victim to the 2nd dog syndrome; grab a bag of treats or your dog’s favorite toy and get training!
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