What My 8 Week Old Puppy Is Teaching Me About Life

What can a new puppy teach us about ADHD routines, emotional regulation and building a life that actually works for a busy brain?

Quite a lot, it turns out.

In this episode of Something for the Busy Brain, I reflect on the first week with my new puppy, Moose. Five nights in, he’s slept through every night, learned to sit on command and is already settling into his routine.

Meanwhile my brain has been doing somersaults.

Trying to take him to the office, feeling like I’d failed after two hours, and then realising something important on the drive home.

Busy brains are brilliant at spotting problems.

We’re not always great at noticing progress.

This episode explores the unexpected lessons a nine week old puppy is already teaching me about routine, patience, emotional regulation and why small steps matter far more than we often realise.

Sometimes the best insights do not come from books or experts.

Sometimes they come from a small furry creature who just needs consistency, calm energy and a bit of patience.

And maybe we are not that different.

In this episode

• Why routine and structure help both puppies and busy brains
 • The link between emotional regulation and leadership
 • Why busy brains often overlook their own progress
 • The importance of reflection when life feels overwhelming
 • Why you do not have to do everything alone

Reflection for listeners

When things feel overwhelming, which one do you default to?

Spotting everything that is not working

or noticing the progress you have already made?

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:04

This morning I was standing in my kitchen at about ten to six, half asleep, coughing in one hand, and a nine-week-old puppy sat on the floor next to me, looking up to me as if I'd got the answers to everything. Five nights in. But he slept through every single night without a whimper, which is almost unheard of. Meanwhile, I am absolutely exhausted. But not because he's been difficult. It's because when something so small and cute looks to you to try and understand the world, the responsibility hits differently. The exhaustion is coming from somewhere else. Responsibility. I'm learning a new rhythm. He's learning a new rhythm. We're learning a new rhythm. And I'm learning how to guide this tiny little creature who's now looking to me to try and understand the world. And I've been reflecting on why things do seem to be working. Part of it might just be that I've got a very good dog. But a big part of it is something much simpler. Routine. Now the breeder gave me a really clear routine for the puppies. And I say to the puppies, I've got one puppy. Breeder gave me a really clear routine for the puppy. And I've been trying to follow it as closely as I can. It goes along the lines of um wake up, straight outside for the toilet, treat, back inside, a bit of play, five minutes of training, then rest. Everything happens in small chunks. Five minutes here, ten minutes there, tiny bits of learning followed by downtime. And it kind of struck me that this is exactly how my brain works as well. Short bursts of focus, sometimes too short, but short bursts of focus. Then space to breathe. Space to think, space to move. Maybe puppies and busy brains aren't that different. The other thing I'm learning about is regulation. My new little furry friend Moose is looking to me to try and understand the world. And if I'm calm, he settles. If I'm steady, he relaxes. And if I'm frantic, which has happened, he feels it. Which means I'm guiding him. Which means regulating myself. And then I had a bit of a reality check. Yesterday I tried taking him to the office. I thought, right, we've done a few days on your terms. We'll do this on my terms now. We're going to make this work. And about two hours later, I was packing everything back into the car. Crate, pen, lead, toys, water bottle, uh driving home. Feeling like I had already failed as a dog dad. But halfway through the drive, something hit me. In five days, this little puppy has slept through every single night. You can probably hear him lapping up his water in the background. But he's slept through every single night. He's learned to sit on command. He's had no toilet accidents. Well, no number two accidents anyway. And he started treating his crate like his own quiet little bedroom. And my kids are spending more time with the dog than they are on their phones. That is not failure. That's progress. But busy brains are brilliant at spotting problems. We're not always great at noticing winds. Sometimes we're so focused on what's not working that we completely overlook what is. And that's where reflection matters. Now I know we're talking in ideal worlds, but sometimes you have to pause long enough to see the big picture. Another lesson Moose is already teaching me is that you don't have to do everything alone. I caught myself thinking the other day, how on earth was I ever going to fit swimming back into my life now that I have a puppy? But that's the wrong question. The better question is who can help? Friends? Neighbours? Community? There's no rule that says we have to carry everything by ourselves. But more often than not we do. So what's a nine-week-old puppy teaching my busy brain? Back to basics. I'm not very good at it, but back to basics. Small steps patience routine reflection. And I guess the reminder that when you invest time and care into something that really matters to you, you usually get it back sometimes tenfold. But for now, we're just taking it one step at a time. Or more accurately. One little cute furry puppy step at a time. So if you enjoy these reflections about busy brains with occasional pup dates and life's unexpected lessons, make sure you follow the podcast so you don't miss future episodes. And until next time, go easy on yourselves.