The day after finals, my family picked up our two little golden retriever puppies. They're the sweetest little creatures, even if they demand a load of attention - I mean, there's two, so it gets crazy. Let me tell you, I could look at them all day and still be surprised at how beautiful they are when I come back after a five minute break. Even though we'll have had them for a little over a week by the time this article is published, I have learned some things from them in our few days together so far.

1. Sharing is caring.

These are wise words we've heard since before kindergarten, but it's something we need to revisit every now and then. Your sister will always want the chew toy or bone that you have and maybe it is okay to let them have it for a little bit. There doesn't need to be a fight. No, don't worry, there's more than one bone for the both of you. Or, you know, it can be a game. We can definitely fight over a bone for thirty minutes. We didn't want you to take a nap, it's fine. We're both still working on this one.

2. Use your voice.

We've been told to use our voice for a large chunk of our lives. Who knew it would come into play now? If you speak loudly and clearly, you will be heard. You'll be heard from across the house. We hear you and we're coming. We thought your nap was going to be longer and thought a nap would've been nice.

3. Sleep productively.

This applies to both puppy and owner. Puppies, you need to sleep hard because you're going to play hard. Owners, you just need to sleep when you can. Coffee is not the best substitute, but it's going to have to do. There's not much more to say about this, because, you know, I'm tired.

4. Patience is key.

We can all be impatient. Let's admit that right now. But you will realize how patient you are when a puppy asks you four times in twenty minutes to go outside. The only thing we can really be thankful for is the fact that maybe, just maybe, they're beginning to understand what being housetrained means.

5. Enjoy the little things.

Dogs are so excited by everything and that is honestly so refreshing. Someone walks into the room? We're going to whine about it and try to get to them. A cat slinks by? They're going to be our new best friend. More food in the bowl? Buffet time. We're going outside? Time to run in circles and pull at our leashes. Everything is exciting for a puppy and we should learn from them.

6. Make new friends.

These puppies love cats. They really love cats. They will stop what they're doing when our orange tabby parades around them just to look at him. Now, it might be because he's just so darn handsome, but I think they really want to make friend. They saw our rather rotund cat and automatically tried to sniff and play with. Be like a puppy and be excited about new friendships.