I first mentioned our new addition in my January round up, as little Arthur technically joined us right at the end of last month, but I really just felt like he deserved his own introduction now we know him better. Arthur the 8 week old pug joined us two weeks ago, as Kieran’s very early birthday present, and he’s bloody lush.

Aren’t dogs just the absolute best? And aren’t puppies a total nightmare at the same time?! I put a poll on my insta yesterday asking if babies or puppies are harder to deal with, and despite babies now being the clear winner, I’m believing my friends who have had both and say puppies are harder.

He’s a real handful, he’s so small he just disappears and you spend frantic moments trying to figure out where he’s hiding, he’sfull of energy, and has a real fondness for shoe laces. But I couldn’t love him more, so wanted to just make a record of the first two weeks with the latest love of my life.

After picking him up we had a horrendous journey home, he was from a farm house in the middle of nowhere near Keighley, so the first hour of rush hour traffic was all windy country roads. We were all car sick. He was so small and cute and had that unreal puppy smell. It broke my heart when his mum gave him a snuggle goodbye.

He actually settled in really well, slept through the night from the start and didn’t cry when we put him in his crate. Since then he’s gained more confidence, and decided he hates sleeping in the crate so we have to lift him into it once hes fallen asleep on the sofa so he doesn’t realise. It is terribly cute though.

He doesn’t like the light when he’s trying to sleep, so will stuff his face into the corner of the sofa, behind a cushion or my personal favourite – into me or Kieran. He also wakes once a night at 1am for a wee, which I find so funny it’s the same time every night like clockwork.

Like most pugs he’s pretty typical in how he behaves. He goes crazy for an hour wanting to play, but then gets so tired so just falls down asleep wherever he is. He loves to sleep on the shelf under the coffee table, or flat on his back on the sofa. He’s not snoring yet, but I don’t think we are too far off as he’s a bit pug spluttery. Again, adorable.

The week we got him I worked from home for a few days so he wasn’t left alone, and I decided very early on that we were going to train him asap. This is obviously a long game, and will take many months of repeating, but it began on literally day one. When I finished work I did an hour with him each day, and after 2 days he knew his name, responded to it, and would sit. Being so tiny this was beyond heartbreaking when he sat his fat little arse down, legs sticking straight out.

I watched so many of Zak George youtube videos, and honestly they were an absolute god send. His tips and tricks really do work, I would recommend following him if you ever get a new puppy. I’d have been lost without him he is the ultimate puppy guru. Even Kieran who has had dogs all his life got into watching them.

Obviously being just 8 weeks old, there’s been plenty of accidents, but we are getting there when it comes to toilet training and peeing on the mats. He won’t go anywhere but the floor which is good, and you can tell when he’s going to so you have approx 5 seconds to get him somewhere that’s not too bad or get a mat under him. He doesn’t like anyone seeing though, so shoves his face into the curtain because if he can’t see you, you mustn’t be able to see him!

He’s teething too, and at the end of last week we were really getting demented with the constant chewing of anything he could get hold of – clothes, hands, shoelaces, the rug – it was a LOT. I’ve worn the same old hoody for two weeks basically. We watched a couple of the Zak George stop biting videos, and made a real effort to put all the tips into practice.

Although this will take months to fully stop, the tips we got have actually started to work and I think we’ve turned a corner this week with the nipping. He now stops chewing things when you tell him instead of totally ignoring you, and doesn’t nip your hands anymore. Loose clothing and shoelaces he will still go for, especially if he’s in a menacing mood, but in general it has really decreased. If you ask him for a ‘kissy’ he licks you. Tell me that isn’t the most precious thing, I actually dare you.

We were a bit worried leaving him alone when we were both back at work properly, so he went to Kieran’s mum and sisters through the day. One of the most intense things I’ve found aside from always having to watch him is being stuck inside until he can go out, so thank god for them puppy sitting as this was a huge help. He met Pheobe and Joey, Pheobe is terrified of him but Joey loves him. Look at the size difference!

Everyone who’s met him can’t believe how small he actually is, he’s a lot smaller than he looks on photos. I wish he could stay tiny forever, but I think we both can’t wait until he’s big enough to go outside and walk off some energy. When I went to Hamburg for two days, my biggest fear was that he would grow while I was away. I didn’t notice a change when I got back, but I’m starting to now.

This week we’ve started leaving him home alone, with me going at lunchtime to feed him and play with him for an hour, and as I have flexible working I can finish by three ish and get home to him. He has a pen rather than just a cage which has made a real difference when we leave him. He now doesn’t cry at all, or very little, which is great as he’s obviously happy.

After a couple of relentless evenings with him running wild last week, he’s really calmed down this week and is absolutely amazing. He’s affectionate, doesn’t bite anywhere near as much, and just wants human contact when he’s awake. When he wants to sleep though, he takes himself off and plonks himself down for a snooze. He loves turkey, and treats, he hates his new collar, and he loves meeting new people.

Next time I write about Arthur, he will have had his second vaccination and his first walk. In the meantime, I obviously had to make him his own instagram account, so give him a follow.

Happy Valentine’s Day!