Thinking about getting a puppy? Be ready

[meehan8381]

@mrorvelle Yesss that's what I'm hoping for Our pup will be 2.5-3 years old when we get our new one and I'm excited that it's going to be way easier second time around bc 1) we're getting a chiller breed and 2) don't need to rely on puppy socials and the good graces of other people for dog playtime lol. Of course we will still be socializing but I went to like 3-4 socials a week for our husky because it was #1 easiest way to tire him out lol.

 

[s43229]

@meehan8381 My mum has 2 dogs, one we got in 2012, a cocker spaniel, he’s almost 9 years old now, and we took him to puppy school and toilet trained him and taught him sit stay and down, but that’s as far as we got with him (I’m hoping to do more training in the next few months before I move out because I don’t think mum will)
Then we got another puppy about 6 months ago, this time a chihuahua, and he didn’t go to puppy school or get trained anything really, but he picked up on sitting to get food and treats relatively quickly
The other thing he did was help our older dog develop bad habits, like barking inside which he’d never really done before, and it’s basically chaos with the amount of play fighting between them and it’s hard to tell whether the older one really wants to play or not, but yeah

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@meehan8381 Same for us, I cried the first two weeks of having our puppy, thought I'd made a huge mistake and ruined the next 10 years of my life. Now we're a year in it's so much easier, she just slots into our life. They're really challenging at first but now I know it is time-limited I think I could cope much better.

 

[hope2find]

@imagebeastmarkbeast I got very little sleep the first week and was talking with my mother saying I was thinking of taking her back to my friends (they have her doggie parents). She gave me such an earful: you’ll always regret that, they’ll never let you have her again, she’s a wonderful dog, it takes time but she definitely wants to be with you, you’ll never forgive yourself, I’ll help you - what can I do? Just having her come over and play with her when the weather was bad, or take her for a long walk - giving me a breather was such a big help.

Do you have friends you can enlist to help you from time to time? I will say my mother was right. I never would have forgiven myself, and I know my friends would never have spoken to me again. They gave me the best puppy and after those first difficult weeks I built and she built the most astounding relationship. Once I took the time to discover who she was, well my life entered a sort of magical phase for 13 years. I am so glad my mother talked me out of returning her. She was amazing and I would have missed all of it.
Hang in there. It really does get easier and better.

The period from 12-20 weeks is so important for socializing. Expose her to people, animals, sirens, loud trucks, take her to outdoor cafes, walking in the rain, getting a bath....Whatever you can think of. The more you expose her to now the more stable she’ll be as an adult dog.

 

[michael10sley]

@meehan8381 I have an 8 month old Siberian husky and you’re damn heroic getting another puppy with a one year old husky.

 

[meehan8381]

@michael10sley We’re waiting til 2022, so he’ll be 2.5 years old then he’s also much better behaved now, his nightmare phase was 12-14mo lol. He is 18mo in three days

 

[russ_c]

@meehan8381 I don't know that I'll ever get to 'let's get another puppy!' but things are improving with ours. We've had him for seven weeks and he's come on in leaps and bounds - sleeps all night in his crate, has a perfect grasp of toilet training, only nips us by accident - but he's still so much work.

And there's so much loss of freedom. We can't leave him alone yet, can't go anywhere, the idea of a lie in feels like some kind of distant fever dream.

I keep telling my girlfriend - I love our puppy and I like dogs, but this whole experience has absolutely confirmed to me that I'm a cat person at heart. Our cat, and cats I've had before, have the perfect energy and personality for me.

 

[mrstbw]

@pastmoon I work from home (thanks, corona!), so that made it easier. Not going to lie, though, those first few weeks, I was mentally barely present at my calls, and I'm pretty sure my pup is now known to the entire company because he either zoom bombed, barked through or interrupted a meeting with every person I work with, including my boss. I am only grateful that because of the situation being what it is, people are very tolerant of this stuff (I had colleagues be interrupted by kids/family members/pets on calls as well). That being said, I am pretty sure I will get another puppy in a year or so, although that would depend on the situation - I can't imagine how I would do this if I were working in the office, like I'm supposed to.

 

[truthinlight]

@mrstbw My partner and I are both work from home and everyone we work with knows our cat and puppy. Puppy because he makes devilish demon noises when he's playing and our cat because zoom calls are her favorite time to sit on the keyboard!

 

[baselinezone1]

@mrstbw Yes this. The mental tax was surprising. I have three kids and thought a pup would be a breeze. But you’re constantly with him, mentally and physically, unless he’s sleeping. My hubs and I go to bed at 10 pm now because he takes it all out of us. Worth it, but surprising.

 

[mrstbw]

@baselinezone1 This. It was such a surprise. And I did have a puppy before, so I thought I knew what it entailed. Thing is, I had my old dog when I was living at home, in a rural area, and he was an outdoor dog. Yeah no, that knowledge doesn't translate at all. I was so wiped those first couple of weeks - AND I live alone, so no additional responsibilities like kids! Honestly, I have a whole new level of respect for parents. Anyway, he's 5 months and change now, we're in a very good place. I'm just bracing for when the puberty hits and he turns into a land shark all over again.

 

[islandray]

@pastmoon Jumping in here to make sure people think about the breed and your own energy level.

I'm low energy and indoorsy, so I was always looking for a similar dog. I got a male Havanese and he's been a (mostly) lazy bum from day one.

Sure he's all of those crazy puppy things, but every time I see a post about people at their wits-end I notice they've got German Shepards or Labs or Beagles or some other kind of dog that's going to need to actively bleed off energy (more than a short walk a day) for the majority of their lives.

Just putting that out there for the people that are terrified of dog ownership. (These posts terrified my girlfriend when we were first considering getting a dog)

 

[lucsch]

@islandray Seconded. We got a Bernese mountain dog mix after knowing a few who were very big, extremely chill, and tbh lazy dogs.

Can confirm, while my puppy IS a puppy and goes through bouts of zoomies like any pup would...she’s heckin lazy! Big fan of naps and chilling on the stoop. There’s a part of me that wonders if I should’ve gotten a MORE active dog, because I actually love long walks

 

[doubtfulsalvation]

@lucsch I have a male berner puppy as well and we are having a rough time to put it nicely. I've got a serious case of the puppy blues because everything I read about berners was that they are easy to raise puppys and "couch potatoes" my boy is extremely anxious and is terrified of everything, and has lots of energy but is too afraid of walks to burn it off. Crate training has been impossible and a nightmare, and im starting to feel like such a bad mom. So depressed

 

[elfendary]

@doubtfulsalvation This was my Berner pup until about the 18 week mark. It's like she woke up and a switch went off and she stopped being so afraid! I was at my wit's end with her for a while. She refused to leave her crate, go through doorways, go outside, come inside, walk in a shadow, leave a shadow.... We went through a LOT of treats just exposing her to her fears over and over again. Now at almost 6 months, she still has the occasional fear of new things (falling leaves are TERRIFYING), but she has transitioned from utter fear to tentative curiosity.

 

[doubtfulsalvation]

@elfendary Thank you for this! He is definitely getting better about it slowly, but still hates being in a crate, and mostly hates going on a walk. He does okay until he hears a dog bark or sees people outside or a car drives by. I try to be very patient and only take him a little bit at a time, but I have never met a dog so afraid of everything. My berner was the same way when we first brought him home. Was afraid of stairs, thresholds, other rooms of our house etc. But slowly over time he has gotten over some of that. Mine also never wants to come inside and would probably live outdoors if we let him. Whats also pretty frustrating is he will have a really bad day but then follow it up with a really great day, and it seems to wax and wane..I'm holding on to hope that he has an epiphany like yours did

 

[juie]

@doubtfulsalvation I have a different breed but I also recall reading everywhere that "they're pretty laid back; they're wary of strangers and new places, but never fearful or anxious, and they get along well with everyone." Yeah. Not the case even a little bit! Of course, he's a puppy, so things could change somewhat with age but wow – he's the most nervous creature I think I've ever met and he most certainly does not "get along well with everyone" in the slightest! I keep being told to hang in there because it gets better.

So, here's my advice: hang in there because (supposedly) it gets better! Until then, take comfort in misery loving company and know that all of us on here have serious puppy blues with you!

 

[doubtfulsalvation]

@juie Thank you they keep telling me the same thing, but im over here worried I'm going to cause permanent damage to him if I push him too much. Ugh, I wish these guys came with instructions and troubleshooting!

 

[juie]

@doubtfulsalvation Hahah honestly an instruction booklet would be amazing. Something that helps me when I feel like I’m saying “no” too much... is just to say “yes”! If he’s biting my hands then I say no, redirect him onto a toy, and when he chooses the toy over the hand I give a super zealous “yes.” This way I feel like he understands not only what he shouldn’t be doing, but, more importantly, what he should!

 

[doubtfulsalvation]

@juie Oh I absolutely do this too, but I feel like he just doesn't care that I shove other toys in his face to try to distract him. Moms hand and pants and shoes and everything else are just far superior to any toy out there