new puppy struggles

Picture This…

One hand on the stroller.

One hand gripping a leash.

One determined German Shorthaired Pointer pulling like he’s training for the Iditarod.

That’s a typical walk for us: me, the baby, and Tim—our chaos-powered GSP puppy.

GSPs Don’t Heel. They Hunt.

If you’ve ever tried walking a German Shorthaired Pointer, you know: they’re not built to heel—they’re built to lead. Tim’s convinced his purpose in life is to drag us forward like he’s the lead sled dog of suburbia.

But I’m determined. I want peaceful, synchronized walks—like the Pinterest moms. So I start training.

The Peanut Butter Plan

Armed with a wooden spoon coated in peanut butter, I crouch and hold it at Tim’s nose level every time he’s in the correct heel position. Meanwhile, my other hand is on the stroller—because, of course, I’m walking two babies at once.

We do this for an hour.

Heel, praise, peanut butter.

Repeat.

Eventually… Tim gets bored. The peanut butter loses its magic, and now I’ve got a sticky spoon, sore knees, and a still-pulling GSP.

Then It Got Worse

As we pull into our driveway, my husband comes out to greet us. Cue Tim’s favorite human of all time.

In a split second, Tim launches toward him with full force, yanking me down face-first into the ditch. My knees hit the ground, the leash whips forward, and the peanut butter spoon flies dramatically into the grass.

Thankfully, the stroller locked into place before rolling in with me. Baby: safe. Me: not so much. Tim? Living his best life.

Have you ever tried to push a stroller and train a new puppy simultaneously? Are there any tips and tricks besides peanut butter on a wooden spoon?

Early morning. It’s raining sideways and there’s no clear sky in the horizon.

It’s time to take Tim, the 50-pound water hating German Shorthaired Pointer to the bathroom. One problem: Tim is having none of it.

As soon as I crack open the front door, he bolts straight back to the warm bed occupied by my husband. We begin a game of indoor tag between the front door and the bedroom. This game of indoor tag continues: door to bed, bed to door, over and over.

Deadlifting the Dramatic Dog

Finally, after losing the battle of my patience, I resort to a deadlifting this dramatic hunting dog out into the wet wilderness that is our backyard. I toss on my Snuggie hoodie although there’s no hope of staying dry.

Tim, a dog bred for rugged outdoor adventures, is now hiding between the arborvitae trees refusing any Mother Nature to touch him. Meanwhile, I’m outside getting soaked showing him it’s not so terrible outside.

Eventually, Tim realized he was never going back inside until he went to the bathroom. After much whining (from both of us), he does his business and makes a mad dash to the door ready to go back to bed.

Moral of the story?

Even the boldest dogs become puddles of drama during thunderstorms.

Tim Refusing the Rain

Pointer and Pacifer

While we’re busy raising a baby, Tim is fully committed to being the main character—as a stubborn, chaos-loving GSP bird dog puppy.

Stroller and a Leash

Thunderstorm Tim