Jeff will be out of town for a few days later this week. Jeff has really been the primary caregiver for Jackson the Puppy, now four months old. I've just had a supporting role.
With Jeff out of the picture for a few days, I will be solely responsible for Jackson's care. And I'm never going to win the Father of the Year award. Even if my fatherhood role is directed toward a rambunctious, too inquisitive, smart cocker spaniel puppy.
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| Jackson the (growing) puppy, ready for play |
Jackson has never been away from both Jeff and me for more than two or three hours at a time. I can't take him to work with me, so that's an issue.
Luckily, we found an excellent doggie daycare for Jackson, but still, the puppy, a wild child, will be away from me for eight hours at a time. Will that freak him out? And since Jeff is his closest companion, will Jackson freak out because Jeff is away, and all he will have is me?
Will Jackson learn to hate me in Jeff's absence? The puppy is so sweet-natured I doubt that, but still, I don't want to do anything to hurt him.
All these worries are probably overblown, but this will be my first big test as a Puppy Parent. Wish me luck. And if you have any puppy parenting tips, let me know.
For comic relief below is a video I shot Sunday of Jackson and his encounter with my lawn mower. He doesn't normally bark much, but just the sight of a lawn mower sets him off. He looks like he wants to play with the mower, but there's a bit of confrontation there, too.
This morning, I showed Jackson the video of himself. His response? A barking flurry. He wanted to play with the black cocker spaniel puppy on the screen of my laptop. Well, I can't blame him. Jackson is pretty irresistable, and he knows it.
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