Baby Boy Elvis

It's been about 3-1/2 months since we got our Doberman puppy, Elvis and it's been quite a ride so far. The first 2 weeks were pretty darn easy; too easy! It led me into a false sense of security that we had a magic puppy, kinda like those magic Jack And The Bean Stock beans.  He (Elvis, not Jack) was pretty mellow and well behaved (which is typical for any dog in a new setting; you won't see their true personality right away until they settle in). We didn't really work on any training; we just wanted him to be a DOG for the first week or so before the "Amy's no funny business" rules kicked in.  The weeks that followed however were a bit hellacious for me. Keep in mind that I'm raising a puppy while trying to keep 8-10 dogs in-check with daycare, two of which where young pups also so I feel a bit like the old lady who lived in a shoe...She had so many children she didn't know what to do! At one point i literally threw myself on the bed screaming at Dave like a toddler having a fit "I can't do this anymooooooore!"  (oh such a drama queen) I hadn't raised a puppy in 13 years and quite honestly I had put Alexis on such a freaking high pedestal that she could have touched the clouds. In my delusionally perfect relationship with Alexis i totally blocked out how much trouble she gave me as a puppy. I remember now!

Once we did start training him I was a little concerned that I got the stoopidest puppy in the litter. It was taking him the longest time to learn the most basic commands like sit and down. Not having raised a male doberman before, I consulted with the breeder and she confirmed that the boyz where not quite as sharp as the girlz in the puppy world; (kinda like how it is in the human world DOH!) So training will take a wee bit longer with this dog, that's all.  But on the flip side of females being smarter, they tend to be bitchy and boys are more friendly. Ain't that the truth...in the dog world AND people world. (Hey it's equal opportunity bashing here folks) Elvis was living up to that; nothing but a love bug. He loves people.  All people! He loves dogs. All dogs! He loves everything! A little too much; he gets so excited to see people that he just goes bonkers and knocks them around in his excitement. So, yeah, this is gonna take a while...And every ounce of patience I've got!.