Baby number 4, for our family (not literally, that's the stuff of nightmares) arrived on 22nd July 2023.

She was one of a litter of 8 (four dogs and four bitches) golden retriever puppies in Eastbourne, East Sussex, courtesy of (Sire) Amirene Finlandia for Canina and (Dam) Sweet Millie Mai.




Blog Post 1- Day 1

On Saturday, 16th September, my wife collected our 8-week-old Golden Retriever "Nell" from her biological Mum.

She cried in the footwell of the passenger seat for several few minutes. The puppy, not my wife, although our children can have that effect on her.

I say Nell, her "keeping everyone in the family happy" Nell-Flower-Tony-Star Macdonald



 
SHE WAS ASLEEP when I walked into the house to meet her for the first time. My daughter looked frozen in time, watching her sleep from the other side of the living room.

My wife was in the kitchen trying not to gag while sawing off a nugget of frozen tripe from a brick-sized block.

Advice I found on the Interweb about golden retriever puppies.

Bringing a new golden retriever puppy into your home is an exciting but challenging experience. The first night can be particularly stressful for you and your new family member.

Here are some essential tips to "apparently" make it as smooth as possible.

  1. 1) Prepare in Advance: Before bringing your puppy home, ensure you have all the essentials ready. This includes a comfortable crate, food and water bowls, puppy food, toys, and a leash.

1) What this looked like in our house

My wife had bought enough toys, treats and blankets to amuse an army of puppies. I have spent the last month expecting a call from the "UK Pet Division of Amazon" offering us an exclusive affiliate package.


  1. 2) Create a Safe Space:

  2. Designate a safe area or a crate for your puppy to sleep in. This will help them feel secure and reduce the risk of accidents or destructive behaviour.

2) What this looked like in our house

My wife made the whole west wing of the house "Chez Nell." You were only allowed in and out of Chez Nell having read, signed and agreed to a briefing on all elements of puppy training.

Any smuggling in of dog treats or toys would not be sanctioned by the

N.A.F.S.D.T.T.D.W.H.A.D

The National Association For Safe Dog Toys That Definitely Won't Hurt Any Dogs.

  1. 3) Gradual Introduction: Avoid overwhelming your puppy with too much attention and excitement on the first night. Give them time to explore their new environment at their own pace.

3) What this looked like in our house

My wife gave us all, me several times, stringent guidelines about ignoring cries or barks during the night. 30 minutes after we went to bed she did a u-turn and ended up holding Nell's paw through the bars of her crate while sleeping on the sofa. It seems that irrespective of the species, my wife has a maternal instinct for all babies.

I did as I was originally asked and slept happily in the spare room. Well done daddy!


As you can see from the image below her first supper was a gastronomic triumph.

Organic "Taste the difference" Scrambled eggs, drizzled with a celebration of Guatemalan goat's milk, presented on a bed of room temperature Royal Canon dog food.


I ate two taco shells and half a bag of Quavers while I emptied the dishwasher.




ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Hello, I'm James & in 2014, I was an overwhelmed husband & father of 3. After nearly 10 years, lots of setbacks & enough coffee to sink a small ship, I’m much happier. I'm also on a mission to help other men be the best dads they can without losing their minds.

As well as a blog about being a dad to a dog, I have written a 42-week guide to pregnancy called "First Time Dad"

Ths is now available on Amazon in paperback and audiobook.




If you would like a completely free digital copy of the book or one of my remaining promo codes for the Audiobook, please message me at mydadmissions@gmail.com to request one and also to join my mailing list.

In regards to being on the mailing list, I only send one newsletter a month, and all I would hope for is that you might find a moment to give the book or audiobook a review on Amazon. 

Anyway, thanks again, and take good care of yourself. 

James 

email:mydadmissions@gmail.com 

website: www.dadmindmatters.com 

My "Dad Mind Matters" podcast is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify


#dadmindmatters #blogsaboutpuppies #blogsaboutfamilylife #funnyblogs #mentalhealth #mentalhealthpodcasts #goldenretrieverpuppy #1dadandhisdog

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
  1 Dad And His Dog - Week 2 The inter-species parenting parallels continued to reveal themselves this week. 1) Had to congratulate puppy and children for pooing in the correct area of the house?  Check 2) Watched with parental pride as puppy and children ate dry food and cheesy pesto pasta?  Check 3) Told off puppy and children for an unprovoked attack on another family member following a nap and half a bag of Haribo?  Check 4) Being pleasantly surprised when puppy/children went tor bed/crate and only howled/shouted questions about Komodo dragons from the other end of the house for minutes before sleep. Check 5) Instantly forgiving puppy for repeatedly defecating under a coffee table/child for critiquing parenting skills after sleeping on your feet / telling you they love you.  Check Having a dog will add another dimension of work to an insanely busy family life, but the calming impact makes it worth it. CLICK TO WATCH A LITTLEST HOBO PARODY ABOUT THE AUTHOR Hello, I'm James &
Read more
Image
It’s Nell’s first week of living with us, and like her human brothers and sisters, she’s following their examples by pushing all the boundaries. She’s hidden behind a sofa to urinate, been told off for skidding on the floor and been read the riot act on the topic of the use of scatter cushions. Click here for a very silly song  She’s sleeping a lot, again, just like our children at the worst possible times of the day. She seems to be a fan of getting a massive surge of energy around 10pm, which feels familiar. How Has Nell Impacted the family in week 1? The 1st weekend of puppy life resulted in having to mop floors possibly more times than the previous 9 years combined. There were puddles and poos, and irrespective of how much we all stood in the garden telling her to “poo poo! ” or “wee! ” she seemed much happier to wait till we’d carried her back into the house before piddling behind a sofa or pooing under the kitchen table. It did feel like going back to the days of having a newborn
Read more