What kind of time and attention does a puppy need?

[mumbomama]

What exactly does having a puppy involve?

When people say "a puppy needs lots of time and attention" what exactly do they mean?

Playing with it? Stroking it? training?
Is this done in little bits throughout the day, 10 mins here and there or do you need big chunks of time to devote to it?

I know all breeds are different. We are looking at getting a Bernese mountain dog but any general puppy advice would be welcome.

I am a childminder and look after a 10 mth old and my own dd 2 years so just trying to figure how a puppy would fit in.

Can anyone who has successfully owned a puppy maybe run through a typical day?

[zippitippitoes]

sounds very ambitious to me

like having another baby

and a big dog too

lots of exercise and lots of training and play and mess ans space

[Joannie2]

A toilet break every hour during the day and a few times during the night. Consistent training - which will feel pretty much full-time for the first year . For a BMD walks should be reasonably short but regular for the first 3-12 months, they grow fast so the joints should not be overworked with long walks. Generally puppy walks should last 5 mins for every month of life, eg a 6 month old will get 5x6=30 minutes max at each walk, 3 times a day. Grooming will also have to be done daily, say about 10-15mins. I will honestly say that I found puppyhood harder than having a new baby - babies generally don't chew holes in your wall or rip up your carpet. Puppies get into everything and you really cannot take your eyes off them for long - but they are adorable.

[wannaBe1974]

I'd say having a puppy is a bit like having a baby but worse. mess on the floor/going out for walks in the pouring rain/replacing the items that said puppy has destroyed. And a dog the size of a burnese mountain dog can be immensely destructive. I can't remember which poster it was, but I remember once reading on here how someone's dog had destroyed their dining room table. And the destruction can go on for months even years in some cases, and you cannot reason with a dog.

was talking to a woman at the swimming pool last week and she was telling me about her 8 week old lab puppy, and I said something like "have fun, labs can be so destructive sometimes", to which she replied "oh it'll be alright, as long as you show them from the beginning it's not acceptable they soon learn"...

[zippitippitoes]

some parents won't have a childminder with a dog either

I think taking on such a big and unpredictable project with a young toddler to mind is too much especially when you have no experience

[Coolmama]

I have a lab who is now just over 2 years old - on a daily basis, as a puppy, about 2 - 3 hrs every day was spent, walking, out for a wee, feeding etc - there is no way I would do it again with children that small! - way too time-consuming. I think it would be a better idea to wait until the children are older and are able to participate in the care of the dog and also are able to understand that it may be a dog, but is also still an animal and should be treated with respect etc.

Typical day - 6 am - puppy out for a wee and a quick stretch of the legs
6.30 am food
8.00 am - out for a wee - 10 mins
11.00 - 20 min walk
12 - more food
3pm - out for wee - 10 mins
5pm - out for wee - 20 mins
6pm - food
8pm - out for wee
11 pm - out for wee -

2 or 3 am - quick pee break

Once the puppy was house-trained it did get easier, but it is crucial that they are never given the opportunity to wee in the house so that means very frequent trips outside!

[peegeeweegeeWITCH]

Echo everything coolmama said. Our cocker spaniel is now 16 months and it is getting easier.
Despite hourly trips outside he still weed and poohd inside frequently, and with small children in the house that was a nightmare.

In addition to feeding/walking/toilet trips, you will need to do training, lots of handling and lots of brushing and ear/paw checking to get pup used to being handled/groomed. A BMD is very hairy and will need brushing daily to stop his/her fur from getting matted.

Think very carefully - we got our cocker when dc were 5 and 2, and it was soooo much hard work. Much harder than having another baby - honestly...

[caffeinequeencanpoacheggs]

Read this thread with interest as we've been toying with the idea of getting a puppy to and also trying to figure out how it would fit into our life.
Do you think it's "good practice" to get a puppy before you have a baby? Or to do as Coolmama suggests and wait until babies are older and then think about a puppy?

[moaningpaper]

If you get a puppy BEFORE a baby then you will end up hating it and possibly beating it off with a stick

[caffeinequeencanpoacheggs]

the puppy? or the baby?!

[2labs]

I don't think there is a 'right' way round to do it caffeinequeen... I had my two dogs before my baby (now nearly 12 weeks old) arrived and very much appreciate the sanity they bring into my life! They get me out and about even when I don't feel like it (no choice with two very active large dogs!) and I always come home from a walk feeling better than when I left. On the other hand my two are fully grown and well trained (if I may say so ) - they have to be as I need to be able to walk them both with a buggy.
I would echo the concerns of everyone else about having a puppy in your situation, though I'm not saying it can't be done. You would need to be ultra committed and have the patience of several saints, as well as eyes in the back of your head.

[pipo]

TOO MUCH !!!!!

[LadyMacbeth]

I'd say ALWAYS try to get a dog AFTER the children come along caffeinequeen. Dogs can get very jealous when all the attention is turned from them, compounded by the parent's new wary attitude whenever the dog comes near the baby. (Think of your worst days after having a baby, when you're in your pyjamas all day, struggling with breastfeeding. Now imagine that it's pissing down with rain and you have to take the mutt out for an hour's walk, usually on pushchair unfriendly terrain -if you want the dog to run around it's off the beaten track you must go).

My dp's Lab is lovely but boy is she hard work, even after years of puppy training. She's a big strong girl and it's nigh on impossible to use a pushchair safely while holding her lead. She needs a really long walk 'cos labradors are prone to getting fat. She will usually finish the walk with a big fat roll around in some badger's poo which means the hose has to come out at the end of the walk - never mind if the dcs are hungry and cold!

There's no way I will contemplate getting a big dog until the dcs are at school, and that will only be as long as I'm around during the day to walk it!

[LadyMacbeth]

2labs, you seem to be coping well! Blimey good on you!

[emsiewill]

My friend has just got a puppy (Jack Russell), and has to go home from work at lunchtime every day to feed it and let it out.

She has no children, but I think this is giving her a bit of an understanding of what it would be like.

[MrsOhHu]

We have 2 dogs who've lived with us for 5 and 6 years respectively. We also have a dd aged 2 and a dd aged 3 months. Frankly it's pretty grim at the moment for the dogs, even though we have trained them and they behave reasonably well. You need to keep on top of training or they get bored and then you're onto a downward spiral which is horrible. Puppies chew. It's part of growing up. Dogs need socialising, exercise, training, and grooming and attention. They need to learn to be apart from you and not to be afraid of things. They are hard work. Ours are from rescue but it makes no difference really. You still have to start from scratch. It may be easier to get a dog when your LO is at school and you may have a bit more time. It may be a good idea to watch a dog training class and talk about your ideas to other people. It can help to find out what's involved!

[piglit]

We got our dog (black lab) 5 months before ds1 was born. The timing for us has worked well but the dog was nearly as much work as ds1!

When they are puppies you can't leave them for longer than about half an hour - they destroy things, wee and poo and pine for you. It's pretty much a full time commitment for the first year. Peeing, pooing, walking, training etc etc.

I wouldn't get a puppy after having a baby. Puppies have to understand that they are at the bottom of the pack (in the nicest possible way) and young children don't understand that so the dog becomes the pack leader. Total nightmare.

And even though our dog is wonderful with the dses (still babies) and has the patience of a saint I would never ever send my children to a CM with a dog.

[sliverx2]

Puppies are a Total nightmare, I have a 10 months old golden lab and, not been on holiday this year due to puppy/dog and every time we go out have to think about the dog, and we've had to buy a 6ft by 6ft dog pen, as the dog, while we were out started chewing up my new kitchen, kitchen door and so on, nightmare, and don't even mention the garden we got it almost right just before we had the dog and now a mess, dog mess in the grass that you cant get out easily, holes, and mud every were. I wish I never had a dog personally but got pushed into it by DH and 2DS 4yr and 7ys to get one, told they would help look after her and they never did (not that I expected DS's to help) but DH useless when it comes to looking after the dog. I have been bitten ( 4inch long, deep bite) by my dog when she was 4 and a half months at the time, I cant take her out for walks as she pulls me over and DH dosen't either, he did promise before we got the dog but a no show on that one as well, I feel very depressed when it comes down to the dog, we get about 10-20% joy out of our dog and 80-90% of hard work! I wish my family didn't push me into getting a dog but what can i do now, Soz for going on!

[MrsOhHu]

How really miserable for you Sliverx2. Your vet may have some details of training classes, which SHOULD (really should) be fun and informative. The Association of Ped Dog Trainers has a list of trainers too. Look it up online. Please don't let your dog ruin your life. There are a couple of dog mags that may provide useful information - Dogs Today and Your Dog