BrauchTalk

Let’s face it, trying to train any kind of dog can be a challenge. And puggats are no different. They come with challenges of their own. But after having our puggat for four months, we are pleased to look back and see how much he has progressed. You may think your puggat has a stubborn streak, or that you don’t have the time, but don’t give up! You may be surprised what your puggat picks up on a daily basis.

One of the first things most people work on when they bring their new dog home is housetraining. This is probably the hardest part in training a puggat. In our experience with our puggat, it took about a month before Roogy would walk himself to the sliding door to let us know he needed outside. This may seem like a long time to be totally trained, but he was constantly making small steps from the start. The first week is really the hardest. First, your puppy has to adjust to a new environment. They don’t know where they are supposed to go to the bathroom. On top of that, you need to learn to watch for the signs that you need to take your pup outside. When we thought that Roogy needed to go out, we would say “outside” while taking him out the door, set him on the ground, and give him the command to go. Treats and lots of praise when he was done helped with conditioning his behavior. So stick at it, and use commands so your dog knows what is expected. We can now ask out dog if he wants to go outside, and he knows exactly what we mean and heads straight for the sliding door. Keep at it!

Another useful command in housetraining is “kennel up”. We were surprised at how fast Roogy picked up on this one. Starting the first day we got him, we would use the command each time we placed him in his kennel. As he got older, we would randomly try saying it without actually picking him up and placing him inside. It never seemed to work, and I was giving up hope on him actually listening to that command. What dog wants to get locked up anyways? But to my surprise, he started listening. It is important to add at this point that dogs respond differently to different people. M can tell Roogy to kennel up and he will trot directly into the kennel without hesitation. When I tell him to kennel up, he will pause and look at me for a couple seconds, then slowly, and almost painfully, walk towards his kennel, with his head held low, giving me the saddest looking face ever. He must know I am a woman! Puggats are good at reading people, and they know who is in charge. Make it a point from day one to show you are in charge. Continue reading ‘Training a Puggat’

Nothing speaks louder to a man than his wife supporting him through think and thin, happy times, and sad times. My wife loves me in a way that nobody else can. She stands behind me when I have to make a decision that affects us as a married couple and as individuals. I think it is safe to say that there really isn’t much individualism in marriage when both the husband and wife are on the same page both spiritually and emotionally.

B keeps me sane and on track. I really couldn’t make it through life without her and I love that fact. Marriage is when two individuals become one. Marriage is the best because I get to live with my best friend, do fun stuff with my best friend, and live life everyday with my best friend. I can talk to B about anything I want to and I know that she is listening and evaluating everything I say. These verbal and nonverbal actions speak volumes to me.

Decision making in our relationship is sometimes hard. I want to do stuff that B wants to do and she wants to do stuff that I want to do. Here is a typical exchange we might have while deciding on a place to eat.

Me: Where do you want to eat at babe?
B: It doesn’t matter to me; I want to eat where you want to eat.
Me: No, you pick; I want to eat where you want to eat.
B: I don’t care; you pick a place.
Me: I don’t care either.
B: Just pick something.
Me: I can’t think of anything. Give me the three places you want to eat at.
B: Taco Bell, Chipotle, or that good Mexican place.
Me: I knew you would pick those. Which one do you want?
B: I don’t care! You told me to pick three places! Now you pick one of the three.
Me: [this is me acting like I am thinking and driving to Taco Bell] Let me think.[Arrival at Taco Bell]
B: Yesssss! Taco Bell!

Continue reading ‘The Support of a Wife’

Our American culture likes to poke fun of the fact that some women let their emotions carry them away, some more often than others. It seems like men are always making jokes to each other about how moody women can get and how they will never be able to fully understand the mind of a woman. I am certain that after this last weekend, M can join the crowd. So all those guys trying to understand their special lady’s emotional state and what makes it tick, keep reading. Being a woman myself, I would like to write from my perspective on this issue of the labeled uncontrollable emotional state of my gender.

Let’s face it, women are wired completely different than men! Our brains work differently. We think and do things differently. Our physical make up is different. But these are all good things! We were made to be compliments to one another. Generally speaking, women tend to be more emotional than men. This is nothing new to us. However, when a woman starts getting “moody,” they easily get labeled a five-letter word and men give it no further thought.

This is not a men-bashing article. If anything, I want to help men and women better understand their wife’s (or own) emotions. I want to use some personal experience from M and I’s relationship. First of all, M and I rarely fight. But when we do, it seems that I am almost always the cause of it. M would never accuse me of this, but I know it’s true. How? Because every time we fight, its because I am an emotional wreck. Continue reading ‘Understanding a Woman’s Emotions’