Resto
Balance
Feral
So, what's a new puppy owner to do?
- At least one hour (preferably 2) before the raid, take her outside and play. Play hard. If she'll chase a ball, use that; if not, take a long stick and run around the yard with her chasing it. Or have her chase you. Just get her running!
- Make sure she potties. "Afk my puppy peed on the floor" isn't a fun call to make mid-raid!
- Lavish her with attention before the raid. Do this even if you have a family member who will look after her during the raid, because bonding time with your pup is important.
- Save 15 minutes of time before you log in as "wind-down" time. Set up her usual nap area (my puppy insists on having a fan going... northern breeds, go figure!) and pet her/brush her. Let her calm down.
- If you can't keep her in the computer room with you (wires, carpet, etc) I suggest a crate. Otherwise, you'll be distracted by needing to stop her from chewing on everything (wires, carpet, papers, trash can, cats, door frames, bookcases, table legs, your feet) or be ever-paranoid about her leaving a puddle on your floor.
- Attend your raid. Ignore the cries/whines for attention; a couple of hours alone in a crate is not going to hurt her. Just don't abandon her all evening, particularly if you've been gone all day, too!
- During any 10/15 minute break, take her outside quickly if you know she has a weak bladder. Give her some food and let her settle back down; a chew toy or frozen carrot will also occupy her as you return to your raid.
- Return to her after your raid for a longer walk and playtime. She will have missed you.
- Train her to control your character.......... I wish. :)
If you have any additional tips or just stories to share, I'd love to hear them :)
11 comments:
You know, you could substitute 'boyfriend' in lieu of 'Puppy' and it would work just as well :)
"Afk my boyfriend peed on the floor"
XD
Or 'toddler'!
Crate training will pay off big time in the long run. If you guys travel or move River will get to take her "home" with her. There were times I was seriously envious of Sidra and his crate.
We have wished many times we could crate the kiddo :p
Playpens and baby gates? Or is your toddler too big for them, now? :)
Just teach the puppy how to play "Wack-a-Mole". Then, River can play for you ;)
And then there's raiding with the geriatric set. When my (mercifully tolerant) guild hears the bark of my ancient, incontinent, nearly blind dachshund in the background they know it's going to be "AFK to take Nick out," "AFK to retrieve Nick from the dining room chair jungle in which he has lost himself," "AFK to right Nick after he's fallen off his bed onto his back and is waving his paws pitifully in the air." So sad...
I'll never forget my foray into "raiding with puppy" either. When Naxx was all the rage, I wiped my group on several occasions because of our brand new Wheaten. Pouncing on the key board, play-attacking my hands and computer mouse. Initially laughing, then dreading to look back at the screen to gaze upon whatever horrors I caused the guild... good days indeed.
Crate training FTW.
Love your comment on crate training. Letting my dog cry a little was the best thing I ever did - for her and for me. Now when I leave her home during the day I know she's safe and not eating out of the garbage, and when we travel or go to the vet she has a place she feels secure in.
My dog has a chronic disease (Lupus) so vets are awfully traumatic for her and we're there a lot. And she unvaoidably spends some time sick and scared. :( And she gets odd medicine reactions like being ravenously hungry or compulsions to lick the wall. Her crate is awesome awesome awesome for all those things.
Sorry to be so long winded. I just really feel strongly about crate training. And I feel strongly that people who think it's cruel are silly and wrong. And I like your post a lot!
Rhii,
We crate her during the day while we're at work (we come home for an hour for lunch) and at night when it's bedtime; I think the crate is great. She still cries just because she's lonely, but it's not the crate itself that she's crying about (she wants to be with us if she can). She actually put herself to bed a few times, just climbing in when she wanted to nap or chew on her teddy bear. Sorry to hear about your dog's lupus; poor baby! I'm glad she's able to take a place of safety with her to scary places.
Bennet,
Aww a dachsy :) I grew up with one. They are great little dogs! I can only imagine the poor guy getting caught up in the dining set, trying to find his way out while blind.
Dr.,
If you posted cute puppy pix to your guild, maybe they forgave the wild wipes? ;D
One more tip, speaking from my own experience:
Keep a critical eye on yourself.
It's perfectly possible to combine care for a pup or a toddler or both with gaming-as-a-hobby.
But if you find yourself making too many compromises and real life suffers too much, it may be time to cut down on the raiding instead of adjusting real life to it.
Now I had a dachshund so much smaller than what you got, but I typically had the pup in my lap curled up in a blanket during raids. during breaks took him out.
Though with my wife 4 months pregnant, I fear I have a much bigger challenge ahead of me as it relates to raiding.
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