I’m typing this as Cody naps. Man, oh man, do puppies sleep a lot. Otherwise it’s poop, play, and snuggle. Kind of a reasonable lifestyle if you ask me!
Yesterday we picked up Cody in Hardwick, Vermont. We said thank you to our lovely breeder Harold and drove the hour to Ryan’s parent’s place in Chelsea. Cody showed a bit of distress in the car, but the moment we arrived, he was full of joy and energy. We played for a bit to tire him out before heading on to Brookline. For two hours Cody was in and out of sleep. He was panting pretty hard the whole time, which I’m hoping he’ll grow out of. However, he adjusted to his new home quickly, only pooping on the new floors once.
Ryan and I got a hint of what Cody’s night in the crate would be like when we put him in during dinner. He had been walked, fed, and given many toys but that still made no difference. He cried And howled and after about thirty seconds Ryan let him out.
Later that evening, when we had gotten ready for bed and were prepared to tuck in for the night, we took Cody out, brought him upstairs, put him in his crate, and turned out the light. For thirty minutes Cody cried, howled, moaned, and barked. Ryan and I were silently shaking from laughter and then I was crying because I just felt so darn bad. However, a half hour passed and Cody settled.
At midnight, a little whimper came from the crate. I jumped up, threw on my coat, and pulled him from his crate. Ryan led the way, hitting light switches, as I carried Cody straight outside. He immediately peed, which we praised him for. Then we went right back in and upstairs, putting him in the crate and turning off the lights again. The whole thing took under two minutes and Cody cried for only five minutes after that, before settling in.
At 3:30 am, we repeated the same process. Easy peasy! Then at 4:50 am Cody barked and it was time to begin the day.
Everyone tells you the first night will be hard and crate training is tricky in the beginning, but you never really understand until you’re doing it. It was so hard to hear Cody cry, but after that first time, hearing him settle more quickly felt like a massive win. We have high hopes for our second night.