Considering a puppy

[m0therofdragons]

Dh and I have talked about this for a long time and now a friend’s dogs have an unplanned pregnancy (mum working more due to covid and older teens didn’t intervene/wanted puppies). She’s got beautiful dogs and the breed we would go for so it feels like potentially the right time.

Dh has concerns. Dd1 didn’t sleep as a baby then we had dtds so he’s worried a puppy would take us back to those levels of tiredness but being 13 years older he is concerned about the lack of sleep.

What is the reality - how long until they sleep through? Is cuddling in our bed the worst thing? (I’ve always had cats and they come on the bed so I’m not fussed if it means sleep). How hideous is the puppy stage and for how long? How did you get through?

I’m thinking we could have a couple of nights a week when we sleep separately so we each get an uninterrupted night?

Any advice or thoughts?

[IthinkIsawahairbrushbackthere]

When we brought our puppy home 13 years ago he slept in a crate in the living room and although he did whine a little overnight he didn't keep anyone awake. I got up around 6.30 a.m. to take him outside but it was spring, the weather was lovely and I was just so happy to be with my puppy I didn't care!

But I am like you - whatever gets me the most sleep! However I would worry that a small puppy could get injured jumping or falling off the bed so you might want to think about that but I have to confess that I love having my dog by my feet every night.

If the puppy is restless at first when you bring him home it's not like a newborn baby - it will be over in a couple of weeks at the most. Do it!

[Louise24902]

We have a nearly 5 month old puppy just now, he's a staffie so very hyper but he's very good in his crate. The first couple of nights we had him home me and my DP took it in turns to sleep downstairs as he did cry when he woke up during the night, usually needing the toilet but it's also a new place to them, they're getting used to being away from their mum/litter so can be unsettled for a few nights. We did this for 4 nights then he was in his crate downstairs after that and he never makes a sound during the night. My DP did get up once at 4am every night to let him out to the toilet though then I got up at 7am for work and would let him out and we did this for a couple of weeks. They can't hold their toilet in for a full night until around the 16 week mark (this is different for every puppy but this is the average) ours was holding it in from 10pm until I got up at 7am by 10 weeks with just the odd accident.

I would highly recommend crate training, when you bring them home introduce them to it, put a bed and blankets in with toys. Put their water bowl in and feed them in there. Giving them treats when they go in themselves is a good way to teach them that the crate is good too.

As I say other than the first couple nights, up every 2 hours then once a night for the first week or two ours has slept right through since and doesn't make a sound in his crate downstairs.

I wouldn't recommend having the pup in bed with you just because they're very hyper as puppies and wake up wanting to play so you're actually likely to get less sleep, of course this is depending on the puppy and breed but when they wake in the night they will wake you up too. Aside from that they will most likely chew and do the toilet in your bed too until they are toilet trained fully and the chewing stops (which isn't for a while!). Also as PP said the issue of them potentially jumping off the bed and hurting themselves x

[Girlintheframe]

I know this isint the norm but our pup was very easy.
We had him in a crate next to our bed for 3 weeks. For the first fortnight we got up to take him out for the toilet (1st week twice a night, 2nd week once) whenever he stirred overnight then he slept through.
The hardest thing I found was that he couldn't be on his own for a minute those first few month. Couldn't nip to the shops, go to the loo, have a shower alone etc.
Once he got to about 6 months we were able to leave him for about 15/20 mins and it wasn't until he was much older before we could leave him to go out. He has been left occasionally up to 3 hours now and he is fine.
However I don't think our pup was the norm, I think most pups are much harder. We had a lab previously who was much harder work as a pup until he was around 18 months.
Even though our pup was easy there was still aspect which were trying.
We adore our dog but unless your both 100% committed I would say don't do it. It really is a massive lifestyle change and can be a big financial drain. To us he is worth it 100 times over but we were both fully on board.

[Dandelionflower]

I've been sitting with my 4 month old lab puppy snoring beside me for the last hour. I think the light mornings are wakening him. He goes to sleep well in his crate at night but doesn't settle again in the morning after he's been out to the toilet. These early mornings are killing me! My dressing gown is full of holes and my arms look like I've been self harming. He's part of the family already but my goodness he's hard work!

[hiredandsqueak]

Eric was a dream tbh exh stayed on the sofa for the first couple of nights. He took him out at midnight. I got up at six to take him out. After two nights he slept downstairs alone from midnight until six.
Broken nights early on are the least of the bother tbh. If you are both working you need to think who is going to care for and train your puppy.
Your dh is right to be wary puppies are like walking, biting, badly behaved toddlers who don't wear nappies for much of the first few months and then they are like stroppy badly behaved teens for a few months more before they become, with a lot of hard work, a joy to have about.

[vanillandhoney]

The puppy stage doesn't last long and really isn't the worst thing in the world. The sleepless nights soon disappear - by six months old, mine was sleeping through the night from about 10pm until we woke up at 7am. It might be hard at the time but it shouldn't put you off in the long-run.

For me, the questions to be asking yourself are:

• Do you both work full-time? If so, can you afford the cost of a walker or daycare while you're out of the house?
  
• Who will look after the dog if you want a day out to somewhere like the zoo or another attraction that's not dog-friendly?
  
• What will happen if you go on holiday abroad? Kennels or boarding can cost several hundred pounds a week. It's definitely something to factor in as it's meant we've been restricted to UK-only holidays in the past. It's also worth remembering that many UK holiday cottages don't allow you to leave the dog unattended so you'll need to take them EVERYWHERE which can be quite restrictive.
  

Dogs really are quite restrictive. DH and I both work full-time but I work as a dog-walker/pet sitter so I can take the dog to work with me most of the time. If not, we have DH's family nearby who are more than happy to help out if we need them to. So if we want a day out, the dog goes there. It makes things a lot easier and means we don't have to fork out for someone to come and walk him.

All our holidays since we got him have been UK based as the cost of a kennels on-top of the holiday meant it was prohibitive to go abroad. We also have cats but my SIL just pops in twice a day to feed them - they're nowhere near as much of a commitment as dogs are in that respect.

We also both have hobbies that are conducive to having a dog. I go walking with my mum regularly so the dog just comes along. DH goes cycling and fishing and likewise, he can take the dog. It does make things much easier as he just slots into our life if that makes sense.

[Firsttimedogowner]

We have a now 3 and 1/2 month old puppy. He usually wants to be let out to toilet around 11pm, 3am and 5am! We are both knackered!!!! And have now started taking it in turns getting up with him (he’s in the hall and we have a downstairs bedroom.) usually after 5am toilet break we put him on the bed and he will sleep till 8am which is great. A few nights recently he slept until 4.30 so I’m hoping in another two weeks we will get there with 11pm-6am and then we get another two hours by popping him on the bed with us.

It’s been hard and we’ve been knackered and not as productive at our work but he is worth it!

[midnightstar66]

Our tiny 10 week old puppy sleeps all night. I started off taking her out once or twice but she never did anything so I stopped bothering. I think she's asked twice in the last couple of weeks at about 4am sleeps with me or dd. It's definitely not comparable to a newborn

[Firsttimedogowner]

@midnightstar66 argh you’re so lucky!! Our pup asks to go at least 3 times a night and always pees so he does need to. Enjoy your sleep 😴