Shawn Mendes Says He and Camila Cabello Are 'Overachievers' as Puppy Parents to New Dog Tarzan

Shawn Mendes/Instagram; Kevin Mazur/AMA2019/Getty Shawn Mendes, Camila Cabello and puppy Tarzan

Shawn Mendes is opening up about being a dog daddy.

The "Monster" singer, 22, recently adopted a golden retriever named Tarzan, and he and girlfriend Camila Cabello, 23, are enjoying being puppy parents together.

"I think we’re actually overachievers because we spoke to [Dog Whisperer star] Cesar Millan, and we got a dog trainer," Mendes tells PEOPLE. "We’re very strict on all the things we have to do. Then when he nips at people we’re like, 'We’re the worst dog parents in the whole world!'"

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Tarzan has quickly become a part of the family.

RELATED: Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello Introduce Adorable New Puppy Tarzan

"He’s the sweetest boy," Mendes adds. "Honestly, it really does feel like you have a little boy, a little baby, because they so quickly have such a personality. Dogs give so much."

Mendes — whose new LP, Wonder, became his fourth album to top the Billboard 200 chart — recently returned to his hometown in Ontario for the holidays with Cabello and Tarzan in tow.

"I’m going back to my home in Pickering," Mendes told PEOPLE before he left for Canada. "Camila’s coming with me, and we’re going to be quarantining in my parents’ house — so back in my childhood bedroom. And we’ll be with my immediate family."

"I haven’t looked forward to something so much in so long — it’s really like counting down the minutes," he added.