Getting a puppy was WAY more work than I could have ever imagined

[jacob1234]

My boyfriend got us an 8 wk old Samoyed puppy for Christmas this year. I’d never had a dog before, and of course I super excited and thought it was exactly what I wanted.

The next month was awful. Absolutely awful. I got so frustrated with house training and puppy antics in general that I didn’t want to be around the pup at all! I was frustrated that this dog peed constantly. Like all the time. I used to describe him as being 12lbs of just pee. We’d put out pee pads, he would tear them up and then pee on the floor. We’d take him out to pee and then 5 minutes later he would pee on the floor. I was mopping multiple times a day!!

And then there’s the biting. Constantly nipping and play fighting and as much as I tried to keep a toy between my hand and his teeth, he still somehow managed to get me.

He wouldn’t listen, he didn’t like the leash, he wouldn’t poop unless we let him free in the back yard, the list goes on and on.

But here we are now. 8 weeks later. And my floof boy barked at the back door two days in a row!! He has only had a couple accidents in the past week, which is a huge difference. He walks on a leash, he poops on the leash, he knows 9 different commands; 5 of which he can do in any setting, not just at home.

He’s not even close to perfect, and the biting is still a problem, but I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

This sub has helped me immensely. I thought I was alone in my struggles, that there was something wrong with my pup. A lot of the websites I read about potty training said “potty training is easy as pie if you do these things!” And it was so frustrating when I was doing whatever they said, and he was still peeing constantly.

But hey, it’s getting better!

P.s. he peed on the floor as I was writing this of course sigh

pup tax

 

[carenski]

@jacob1234 Congratulations! It’s definitely a learning curve for sure, but everyone keeps telling me it’ll all be worth it in the end. Your pup it adorable btw!!

 

[jacob1234]

@carenski Thank you so much!!

 

[agentofgod]

@jacob1234 What a cutie!

My samoyed puppy was the EXACT same way. He’ll be turning one this month and I came here to confirm that it definitely gets better

 

[jacob1234]

@agentofgod This gives me so much hope!! Thank you!

 

[countvicta]

@jacob1234 I completely agree. I had horrible puppy blues with my Samoyed. It definitely does get better. Just remember that a tired Sammie is the best Sammie

 

[jacob1234]

@countvicta Thank you! I am figuring that out very quickly!! A few laps around the back yard is enough for him to nap quietly in his crate for an hour or two, which then mean I get to nap for an hour or two. It’s a lifesaver

 

[bac]

@jacob1234 Every sammy I have met has been a GOD AWFUL puppy. They're fantastic dogs but they really put their owners through the ringer!

 

[cjibhstcszjb]

@jacob1234 Your puppy tax reminds me I need to give my dog a bath. I'll make sure to tell her it's your fault!

The first year is tough. And that's OK. You have the crying, the razor sharp baby teeth and they need a ton of attention to keep from getting the zoomies. Once some of that starts to die down, you jump right into the 'teenage' or 'I'm going to be a giant asshole for more apparent reason' phase.

But it's worth it. One day you're going to wake up, realize you haven't had to deal with any of the above for weeks and be happy you did.

 

[ian83]

@jacob1234 The biting. The. God. Damned. Biting.

 

[oddduck123]

@ian83 My 3 month lab puppy is a land shark if she hasn't slept in the past 90-120 minutes. A power nap will bring the joy she is right out

 

[tamirem]

@jacob1234 Congrats on your sweet boy! I have a 17 month GSD old pup (mentally still a mushly lil puppy, physically a big scary monster ). Let me tell you the first few months of having him were SO hard, biting me, peeing and pooping everywhere, chewing everything in sight. Then the puppy blues hit bad, I never realized it would be this hard, I thought getting a puppy was too much for me. It gets way better and SO worth it, I can't imagine my life without him. Enjoy your new best buddy and take all the pics while he's small because he will get huge overnight.

 

[ronjeremy]

@jacob1234 I've read so many of these over the past few weeks. My boyfriend and I have a 12 week lab/collie X and I've struggled alot with his biting and just the impact it's made on our lives.

I've had dogs growing up, however in the countryside it's a little easier! I do have days when I miss my life pre puppy but I know it will be worth it and it's great to have reminders that others have gone through it and it gets better!

He's currently sleeping on my feet, these moments are bliss.

 

[davidtree]

@jacob1234 Cute pup! My australian shepherd was exactly that way, except he was potty trained quickly. He's nine months now so adolescence is in full force. He does this thing now that when we're getting ready to go out, he grabs something and runs away. I don't play his games.

The biting stops when they're done teething and you'll see him become a little more calm after that. At least with my puppy he calmed down some. Don't worry, you're puppy is very normal. I felt much like you when I got mine. Just prepare for those crazy teenage months.

 

[mrscookiemonster]

@davidtree We adopted our fearful rescues right as they hit teenager time. 2 teenage fearful aussies with no training and lots of trauma.

0/10 would not recommend.

 

[rosejan12]

@jacob1234 What a cute smile! I got my Shiba puppy over Christmas as well as I thought it'd be a good time to socialize her with people and I'd have a few days off. But like you, my first month with her was a nightmare. She just constantly nipped at me from the start and all the yelping and walking away that I was told to do did not work at all. But here we are 8 weeks later and we are getting along alot better!

 

[jacob1234]

@rosejan12 That’s good to hear! I’ve tried the helping and crying, walking away and all that and nothing seems to be working at the moment. It happens a lot when he’s over excited, so I think maybe I need to take him on an extra walking during the day when I can

 

[rosejan12]

@jacob1234 I've found that there are usually signs before the crazy biting begins. It's much easier to stop it before it begins, try to calm him immediately by distracting him and getting him to do something instead of coming towards you. It still happens from time to time, but much less than before.

 

[ghofer]

@jacob1234 You give me so much hope. My puppy is 10 weeks old now, and he’s only half potty trained. Sure he’ll pee when I take him out and knows to pee on the grass when I say “potty” but he’s perfectly fine peeing and pooping inside too. And he only partly knows commands. It’s like there’s some kind of learning curve and he gets confused at commands we’ve practiced a MILLION TIMES and then he gets frustrated and decides the high-value treat just isn’t worth it (non-food motivated breed). I get super frustrated with him. I know he’s probably pretty smart but I keep thinking he’s lazy and stubborn. My bf and I are hoping it’s just a phase. There are so many videos out there of people claiming they had their dogs trained well by 9 weeks and it’s like a smack to the face. Maybe we’re expecting too much and just aren’t on the same level. Anyways, I’ll end my rant. Thanks for posting!

 

[randolphwallace]

@ghofer He’s so little, don’t stress. We all want to....erm, aggressively throat hug our puppy sometimes. The first few months are mostly awful, puppies are terrorists. We think they’re all cute when we meet them on the street, but at home the demon is unleashed. That’s normal. My girl is 6 months now and I’m starting to really enjoy spending time with her. It took us til 4 months to get potty training down but we’ve gone the last two months without an accident! (Unless she’s sick, but I don’t blame her for that). She’s wicked smart and uses her power for evil. But she’s already SO MUCH BETTER than she was at 10 weeks.

Also, those people claiming perfect training at 9 weeks are LIARS. Don’t take everything you see here as gospel either. This sub is full of people trying to do their best, and sometimes theirs is better than yours. And sometimes yours is better than theirs. But we’re all trying, and as long as your pup is happy, warm, and fed then you’re doing great.