Can a three day old puppy be spoiled?

In the grand and fluffy den of the Dire Wolf Project, a most extraordinary puppy was born.

Her name?

Alice.

Her title?

Supreme Ruler of All.

Her skill?

Getting exactly what she wants, exactly when she wants it.

You see, Alice is no ordinary pup—she is a singleton.

No siblings to compete with, no pesky littermates to steal attention, just her and her mother, Yeti, who has taken the sacred vow of motherhood to the extreme.

Yeti is not just devoted; she is an elite-level mom.

If helicopter parenting had a professional league, Yeti would be the reigning champion, MVP, and undisputed “Greatest of All Time!”

Her motto?

"No puppy left behind—especially mine!"

Cleanliness?

Oh, don't even get me started!

If Alice so much as thinks about getting dirty, Yeti springs into action like a dog-shaped Roomba set to "sterilize."

Yeti has turned out to be the kind of mother who could put a house cat to shame.

She licks.

And licks.

And licks!

If Alice so much as rolls over onto a slightly damp patch of bedding, Yeti is there, tongue at the ready, ensuring that not a single strand of Alice’s fur is out of place.

But the real fun begins when Yeti has to step outside.

Alice, being a puppy of distinguished taste, has already determined that being alone—even for a single, tragic moment—is an international crisis.

The first time Yeti dared to leave Alice to go relieve herself, Alice let out a series of urgent, highly dramatic grunts that could only be translated as, “MOTHER! WHERE ARE YOU GOING? AM I NOT YOUR ENTIRE WORLD? ARE WE NOT BOUND BY AN UNBREAKABLE COSMIC FORCE? GET BACK HERE, IMMEDIATELY!”

Yeti, poor, tortured soul, found herself trapped in a psychological thriller titled “To Pee or Not to Pee.”

She hovered at the door, torn between the call of nature and the call of her needy, overly dramatic offspring.

Step outside?

But the baby!

Stay inside?

But bladder control only goes so far!

Then, a solution was found.

Alice would simply have to come with her.

Thus began The Great Outdoor Excursion Compromise of 2025!

Each time Yeti must travel outside, I tuck Alice into my sweater, where she nestles in like a tiny, self-important monarch.

Yeti sprints outside, does her business at lightning speed, and rushes back inside to ensure Alice hadn’t suffered a catastrophic existential crisis in her ten-second absence.

For a time, all is right in the world.

But alas, Alice is growing.

And with growth comes the harsh, cruel realization that sometimes, just sometimes, she can’t always have her way.

So, I started Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS) training, or as Alice believes, The Great Betrayal.

Normally, I wait for the second temperament test before introducing stress, but let’s be honest—Alice is already living her best life, completely unchecked.

It is time to teach her that the world does not, in fact, revolve around her tiny, squirmy body.

The first lesson?

Patience.

Alice’s response?

Personal Offense.

She squirmed, she squeaked, she flailed like a tiny, silver protestor demanding immediate reform.

Yeti, watching nearby, sent me an “I will remember this treachery” look, but I stood firm.

Alice had a stamina most Olympic athletes would envy.

She was determined to wear down my resolve with the sheer force of adorable outrage.

If she could have staged a hunger strike, she would have.

But, as fate would have it, I am equally stubborn.

Slowly, ever so slowly, Alice began to realize that the world would not end if she had to wait for a whole five seconds.

…She was not happy about it.

But she is learning.

And though Alice may always be a little bit dramatic, one thing is certain—she’s going to be a legend.

A fluffy, silver, slightly entitled legend, but a legend nonetheless!

You can see updated pictures of Alice by going to her litter page.

https://direwolfdogs.com/litters/72/

P.S. I’m not sure about keeping Alice in the breed yet. It’ll be harder to know her inherited temperament because she requires so much attention so early on in life, so we’ll have to see how she shapes up into the queen she’s destined to be. Plus, it would be nice to have her DNA test before making a final decision.

Jennifer Stoeckl is the co-founder of the Dire Wolf Project, founder of the DireWolf Guardians American Dirus Dog Training Program, and owner/operator of DireWolf Dogs of Vallecito. She lives in the beautiful inland northwest among the Ponderosa pine forests with her pack of American Dirus dogs.