Lessons in Potty Training
A Day with Cass Money
When Cassian first came into my life, I was ready to tackle the infamous challenge of potty training. Within the first two weeks, it seemed like we were making solid progress. He quickly understood the basics: where to go and what the puppy pad was for. But as with all things in life, the road to success wasn’t a straight line. After about four or five weeks of diligent training, there were still days when Cassian would veer off course—quite literally.
One of Cassian’s quirks was his quiet way of trying to communicate. If I was in the kitchen, doing my thing, he would wander in and just stare at me with those big, curious eyes. At first, I didn’t think much of it. I’d ask, “What do you need?” but without giving him much attention, he would trot off, and the next thing I knew, I’d discover a puddle in another room. This seemed to happen frequently, and every time I’d wonder, How does such a tiny pup have so much liquid in him? It wasn’t until later that I realized what he was trying to do—he was signaling that he needed to go outside.
His signals became even more obvious when we went to the gym together. Cassian would run straight to the exit door and look back at me, as if to say, “Come on, it’s time.” Of course, in the beginning, I didn’t catch on. If I didn’t follow him, he would march right back down the stairs, look at me, and then—yep, you guessed it—pee on the floor. After the third time, it finally clicked. He wasn’t just wandering around; he was showing me that he needed to go outside to handle his business.
Looking back, it’s clear that Cassian was always trying to communicate with me. I just wasn’t paying enough attention to his cues. Once I started noticing the signs and understanding what he was trying to tell me, our potty training journey became much smoother. It was a humbling reminder that, even when they can’t speak our language, our pets are always trying to talk to us—we just have to listen.
