What's it really like having a puppy?

[cheeseisthebest]

I'm getting a shitzu puppy at the beginning of August. Have planned for this for over a year, I work at home with my plans to change, kids are teen and pre teen and will be right at the beginning of the summer holidays so hopefully that's all helpful!
But what's it really like, what do I need to know?

Our dog is nearly 2 now but I remember the puppy days very clearly!

They're a mixed bag really a bit like when you have a young baby. Yes it's hard work, you'll be knackered but when they come to you for a snuggle it's bliss 😁

I'd recommend the book Easy Peasy Puppy Squeezy and buying a puppy sling so you can take them out to socialise when you can't put them down (pre jabs.)

Start toilet training straight away, I have a feeling the breed you're getting can be tricky to house train so be prepared to put a lot of effort in to get it right.

@hopeishere

We've had a puppy for four days and it's been ok. We're using a crate for nighttime and she likes it. Some accidents but that's to be expected.

I think you can overthink it. We had dogs as kids and it seemed a lot less stressful than now.

Yes, but the thing with ‘having dogs as kids’ is that you weren’t doing all the stressful hard stuff - your parents were!

OP it sounds as if you are doing lots of advance planning which is great. It is probably worth really making sure your DH is absolutely up for it though. As these responses show there’s a lot of joy in owning a dog but puppies are not for the faint hearted! I was a teen when we got a puppy and as much as we all adored him, I vividly remember how hard it was. It was a good year or two before he really settled and my mum was incredibly stressed a lot of the time. I feel guilty about pleading for a dog if I’m honest despite the genuine love and joy he brought to the family overall. I love dogs but would never want one myself now.

You need to be really really committed - you sound very sensible but personally I would be making sure that your DH really is happy before you bring a puppy home. House proud and puppies are not a happy combination!

I would recommend ankle boots/wellies/bootie slippers for everyone for the first few weeks.
Just until you know if she is a toe biter or not and can train it out of her.
It is exactly like a mobile baby, who will try their best to eat the dangerous food, chew the plugged in electrical cord, pull something heavy down on top of themselves.....
But also so so cute!
Puppy proofing is a good idea, remove temptation and bad habits are less likely to form.
It might be a good lesson for your DC if your constantly telling them to put away shoes/bags etc.
My puppy finally trained my DH to put his shoes in the shoe press instead of the middle of the sitting room floor!

Thank you again, this really is all incredibly helpful!
I like the idea of teaching that the living room is for quiet time.

Well mine is like a tiny toddler having a all day tantrum and who has swiped a few cans of redbull and speed to help him on his way while getting ready for an all night 80s rave .
Ha a knobhead and I don’t think I’ve use his given name - it’s normally a combination of FFS, WTF, OY & Stop that ...

Puppies have so much energy it’s unreal and just when you think they have burnt themselves out - they shit and piss everywhere and start again 😂
Good insurance is a must

@FlyingPandas Yes, but the thing with ‘having dogs as kids’ is that you weren’t doing all the stressful hard stuff - your parents were!

Yes probably! But no one would have suggested stuff like a sling to carry them about in to socialise them. It's like motherhood now - everyone overthinks it by a million.

I would recommend red wine ( lots of it) vodka or gin to help you through the puppy stages

We used stair gates to create quiet space and to keep our puppy downstairs (she wasn’t allowed to climb stairs whilst growing) which helps to keep them safe, though you could use a crate for this. It would also give the puppy time to calm before meeting new people etc.

It’s a bit like having a baby at speed, by which I mean that the various ‘stages’ pass quickly. This means lots of training very quickly before you pass the relevant stage (esp socialisation). I found that a bit daunting the first time but just keep going and you’ll be fine.

I found having a proper dog ‘bumbag’ quite helpful in the summer, to carry all the treats around. Not such a problem in winter when your coat tends to have big pockets.

Mostly, enjoy the very early stage when they are so very sweet!

Ours was quite easy to be honest. He's never chewed or eaten anything that he shouldn't which is just his nature, nothing we've done. He destroys his own toys but has never touched the children's toys.

The early weeks when you are toilet training are hard because you have to watch them all the time to make sure you take them out when they are showing signs of needing to go. Ours was reliable by about 14 weeks and had his last accident at around 20 weeks because it was raining and he didn't want to go out!

Be prepared to sit on the floor with them a lot and play. Also find a good training class and make sure they are well socialised.

It is hard and I’ve always had dogs. You don’t get much back at the start and it’s a bit of a treadmill, but it does get better. One thing I didn’t properly factor in was that one of us needed to be on duty all of the time so if I wanted to go to loo, had to get my DH o come downstairs and vice versa. My pup could destroy a shoe in 2.5 secs so you’ve got to be on them all the time. But that phase is short-lived. Also echo PP who said try to get them used to alone time as I initially had this problem. Because we were around all the time my pup did not like being left but that has got better. They get more secure and confident as time goes on. Good luck!