6 Jan
2012

Posted in: Everyday Muses
By jan    No Comments

Three Weeks of Dog Sitting

Fi Chai stayed with us for three weeks over the Christmas holidays. It was a good chance for Al and I to test whether we can actually handle a dog by ourselves. Previously when he stayed with us for a few days, it was very easy to take care of him as since the time we spend together isn’t very long. This time however, we were able to find out things that we like and dislike about having a dog. Some things might be the temperament of Shiba Inu and some might be how he was brought up. Either way, it really made us think again if Shiba Inu is the breed that we should start with.

The first few days when Fi Chai stayed with us, he was pretty normal. I thought he’d be looking for his parents whenever we go for our walks but he didn’t. The only issue I had was that he didn’t want to eat his dinner at Al’s parents house. Maybe there’s something on their kitchen floor that he doesn’t like? Also this is the first time we’ve left him home by himself. I remember the first day I was so worried and nervous and can’t wait to get off work to see if Fi Chai was ok. His parents reassured me that he’d be fine being home alone. I bet he was really bored while we were at work because every day when I came home, he’d jump up to greet me at the door.

Fi Chai also tried to test our limits during this extended stay with us. We forbid him from entering our bedroom and he knew this, since he was never allowed in when he stayed with us previously. However on the third night, he sneaked into our bedroom at around 4-5am in the morning. We woke up to find him sleeping at the foot of our bed. It took us a while to get him to leave our room. After this, he’d occasionally try to sneak in by putting his front paws inside our bedroom and look at us with his puppy eyes. We’d immediately say “No!” and he’d just look dumb and then back up a little so his paws are no longer touching the carpet. It’s kinda funny to watch but we didn’t want to spoil him, since if we let him in once, he’d always be coming in as he pleases.

At the end of the three weeks, we figured that we’d definitely want to socialize our puppy with both humans and other animals once he gets all his initial shots. Aside from getting house trained, Al also wants to teach him tricks and make sure he’s super obedient, which I’m not sure if Shiba Inu is the right breed for that. As for me, I’m just worried about the puppy messing up the house. I’m sure he’d be fine when he’s an adult dog but when he’s a puppy, it’s harder to control him. I don’ t want to come home from work and find a mess @.@ Maybe I should talk to other dog owners that doesn’t work from home to gain some knowledge about handling puppies.