Have you had the opportunity to notice how very much alike puppies and babies are?  Or puppies and little children, say in the age range of birth to 3-years old? 

This thought crossed my mind last week.

Here’s just a small list of how I see them as being similar:

• Taking care of them can be very tiring.
• They can’t tell you what they want; you have to try to figure it out.
• You are, most likely, not going to get an 8-hour stretch of sleep at night.
• There will be toys strewn all over the floor in an attempt to entertain them. You never know what will capture their interest.
• They are like a blank slate, and you have the opportunity to teach them what you would like to see written there.
• From the moment you wake up in the morning, until the moment they are put to bed at night, you are aware of the need to keep them safe.
• Besides teaching the basic life skills, you need to teach them values and morals; instilling within them confidence and a good sense of self-esteem.

This past weekend I was taking care of Owen, who is 3. He was playing on the floor, and I got down at his level to take a picture of him.  

Me: “Owen, will you look at me and smile so I can take your picture?”
Owen: (as he continued playing with his cars) “No, thank you. I’m just not going to do that.”

And that incident is what prompted me to think about the similarities between puppies and children.

We acquired a 10-month-old puppy (Stella) in December.  We were told she was house-trained and obedient.  That couldn’t have been further from the truth.  We had to start house-training her immediately, as well as teaching her the basics of “come,” “sit,” and “stay.”  Stella, like Owen, has her own mind and knows what she wants. And, just like with Owen, what I want from her, isn’t always what she is willing to give. In the short clip below, you will see that I want Stella to come to me so I can put her leash on her and take her outside. She wants to nip at my hand, in an effort to play.  

 
And here’s another way that babies/toddlers and puppies are alike.  Even when they are not doing what you want them to, they are still just as adorable as ever.