Do you have a couch with strands of fabric peaking out from it? Have you regretted leaving your favorite pair of shoes out of the closet and now only have one perfect shoe left? Is there part of your rug with just that ONE piece in the corner that can’t be fixed? Well, then welcome to the collective community of raising a new puppy! There are so many unknowns you encounter that surface right after the jubilation of securing the adoption papers, the joy ride home with your newly adopted pet and setting up a world of safety and love for your new furry family member. If you are a new parent-to-be or a seasoned adopter, you have a good idea of what is required for set up: new water and food bowls, a clean crate, fresh blankets, chew toys and a whole lotta love. But, for those personality quirks or zoomies you weren’t prepared for, you will need to dig deep into the reserves and find: PATIENCE! 

I created Copper Rules as a tribute to our beautiful Chocolate Lab Mix, Copper who we recently lost. His Buddha-like energy was felt by everyone who encountered him and these rules are a reminder that our furry friends teach us just as much, if not more, than what we provide to help them as they grow from puppies to healthy adults. Copper Rules: Life Lessons From a Beloved Soul Pet, is my way of keeping his memory alive while also shining a spotlight on all of the beautiful wisdom I learned on my journey with him. Patience, is one of the most important lessons you can learn while raising a puppy.

A wise person once said, “All dogs can be trained, it just takes love and patience.” When we first adopted Copper, he was a cliche like most puppies. He found a delicious pair of Ferragamo’s and ferociously sunk his teeth into the divine texture. Copper was just doing what his instincts told him to do. After that first pair, I was frustrated but I quickly realized that I had to transfer a shoe for a bone and continue to do it and on a consistent basis. I was mad, but at myself for not putting the shoes where they belonged! Luckily, he only favored shoes to chew on and then after that it was either bones, or his stuffed toys (which he still carried as a source of pride- even until his last day). Our newest adoption, Raven, is quite the opposite. I have had to dig DEEP for that resolve of patience which isn’t easy on certain days. Our son’s favorite chair, ottoman filled with toys, mittens and yes, shoes, have become digestif's for our newest family member…but I remember one of the Copper Rules: Patience. While we did foster other dogs when we had Copper, it had been years since we had to go back to basics, but that is what you must do as a responsible parent. Another form of patience you have to build, is to be patient, with yourself and not compare the animals in your life. It is an easy trap to fall into, but once you catch yourself in the moment, there is always room to correct course.

A patient building activity, is that gentle balance of timing for walks to avoid accidents in the house as well as marking their territory. Sometimes you hit it correctly but sometimes there are things you may not have considered:

•  You lose track of time. Whether you are watching a movie or stuck on a zoom meeting. Time waits for no one, and before you know it, your furry friend has found your favorite rug runner, inside the house to relieve themself.
•  They don’t have control of their bladder, just yet. Puppies, like humans, are still figuring their bodies out. So while they do have a seven year advantage to our one year, they are still understanding how to function. Always be ready to look for the signs of them circling near the backdoor.
•  A loud noise or people outside excites or scares them and they need to explore. If they need to check things out, let them! If you can build in time between meetings to let them see what is going on, allow their curiosity to be explored.
•  They are bored. Even puppies like to get into trouble because they aren’t being challenged enough.
•   And finally, sometimes, it can be a message of being spiteful because they want your attention! Check in and see if they exhausted their mind and body or if they still need to work through that energy with you.

Now here is a big one: Communication! It is the age-old obstacle that we humans seem to bungle, and often! We create chaos if we missed a non-verbal cue, send a mixed message or said something we didn’t mean. Communicating with our furry family is no different. In fact, it is very important that we be as direct as we can with them. They are straight shooters but we often give them mixed messages. We say sit but our hand signal is reading ‘come’. We motion for them to stay but we turn our back and walk away from them. Staying in tune with our growing lexicon for our puppy, takes, you guessed it: patience! Pavlov and his pup knew a thing or two about consistent practice and patience. If you want to establish a foundational language, practice makes perfect. Dogs instinctually pick up energy from their family so make sure you connect with your family member to stay on the same page.

As Leo Tolstoy said, “The two strongest warriors are Patience and Time”. Copper, in his innate wisdom, showed tremendous patience in his later years when our family expanded and we introduced him to his human brother and sister. At first, he wasn’t sure how to react to them since he was the lone ‘kid’ in the house. However, he quickly realized that he was part of a pack as well as their big brother/protector and had to show them the ropes. That meant that he had to obtain a great deal of patience in his 115 pound body. Little fistfuls of hair between baby fingers can hurt, but he never showed anger. Instead, he displayed exactly what his rule teaches us and in return, our kids learned from him. He also showed patience when he taught the fosters how to go from feral to becoming adoptable, even when a short-term renter took a small bite out of his chest. He stood confused but stoic as he realized that the foster pup was still learning and he could assist on that journey. 

Patience makes the world go round and when you connect with your furry loved ones, you make the world a better place. Copper’s soul showed us that.