DEAR Jasminda,

I bought a puppy to keep my dog amused so I could work from home more easily, but instead it has created further chaos, with both of them play-brawling at all hours.

Help.
Helena P.

Dear Helena,

While reading your desperate cry for help I envisaged you trying to pick up 500 mauled cotton buds and the contents of a disemboweled teddy bear while your puppy ran between your legs before knocking over the side table (breaking a mug filled with cold tea because you haven’t had a chance to drink it, let alone do any of your work, simultaneously saturating your warranty-void-due-to-water-damage laptop).

People mistakenly buy pups because they see adorable puppy photos on social media, but the common denominator is that people photograph puppies when they are asleep (which is also the only time they stay still).

Puppies have the ability to morph from adorable fluffballs to Mephistopheles in a matter of seconds.

They can cause cyclonic levels of destruction with their razor-sharp puppy teeth, ravenous appetites and boundless energy.

Everything is fair game to a puppy, including you, Helena. As for your other dog, it has no doubt become collateral damage as they fight over your attention and battle for the position of top dog in the pack.

Now, Helena, I need to let you in on a secret that the puppy doesn’t want you to know.

You are the head of the pack, not the five-kilo Tasmanian devil you’ve let into your home, your heart and probably your bed. You need to set some parameters.

Time out is an effective strategy on toddlers and it also works on dogs.

Separate the dogs when they are becoming too chaotic, reward positive behaviour with kind words and treats, wear them out with a long morning walk, and remember that this too shall pass (in about four years).

Carpe diem,
Jasminda.