Talk to me about getting a puppy

[Timetogrow55]

I work 3 days on and 3 days off. 7am until 2.30. I rent. I keep thinking I'd like a puppy but I've never had one. I know different breeds etc are a factor. But how hard are pups to train. Whats the process to teach toileting and settling in their own bed? Is crating a terrible idea whilst they may chew and destroy? How easy is it to stop them chewing?

Tia

IMO it was harder than having a baby! You wouldn’t be able to leave them anywhere near that long whilst you are at work. Puppies need to be taken outside every 30 minutes or so when toilet training. Some are real chewers, some aren’t. Our first, a lab, has always chewed shoes, toys. She used to lick the wall as a puppy and take the paint off! She’s 9 now and very well behaved but I still would not leave her 7-2.30. So you’ll need a dog walker or doggy daycare. Crating works for some dogs, mine have always hated it. One of us slept downstairs whilst they were puppies until they were reliably toilet trained and then they slept on our bed 😂
Take lots of time to think it through, it’s hard work.

Ugh OK yes that's put me off. Sounds very tiring. Thank you 😊 I tried to rescue a 7 year old jack Russel Cross and it bit my 9 year-old when she entered the house.

I think with the rental market being as it is, you'd be mad to have a rental with pets. I know there's meant to be new laws coming in, but I just wouldn't - too much chance of an awful decision to make.

I agree that a puppy doesn't sound ideal for your situation.

You may well find an older rescue who is used to being left alone - it's not ideal but for three days a week, it's a better life than being in kennels. Your last rescue wasn't the right fit but that's not to say that all rescues are problematic.

also bear in mind that puppies can be very "bitey" and nippy if you've got a young child.

I agree with this. All too often I see people on here saying their landlord has served notice and they can't find anywhere else that will take them as they have pets. If rentals were ten a penny and you were in a strong position as a renter to negotiate, that would be different but the rental market is so tight these days that I wouldn't risk it.

I'd either volunteer for the Cinnamon Trust or another local rescue, or check out Borrow my doggy - I know not every dog owner would use it, but some elderly people near us rely on it. it might fill the dog-shaped hole in your life while you are still renting!

Don't do it OP.
Most doggy day care/walkers won't take puppies under 6 months because they can't be exercised for very long at all, and you can't leave a puppy alone for your working hours; crated that long is cruel and unsupervised you might have no furniture left (or they might eat inedibles and end up at the vets )

Puppies are not cute. They are bitey little land sharks who need toileting every 30 mins in the first few months... and taking out at night too. I adore my dog but waited until one of us was home at all times for the first year and the first few months were harder than a new baby.

An older dog might suit though, or Borrow my Doggy as another poster suggested.

@Scutterbug nailed it. Puppies are wonderful but oh my word they are hard work in equal proportions to being cute.
Assuming you're going to get a puppy because you already fell in love with one... check out the breeder, see pup with mum.
Honestly though, while you're in rented I'd think again, as others have said above.

We got a puppy in August - he's not hard work compared to other puppies we've had in the past. He's pretty reliable in the house now, but he's still being taken out every hour or two. It was every 30-45 mins when we got him. Overnight, he's in a crate in the kitchen. During the day, it's in the sitting room, and he'll go in for half an hour or an hour while we go out, but this is only once or twice a week. Rest of the time, someone is always home. If we'd worked at it, I think he'd be OK now to leave for an hour or two a day. He would not like it, but he's a small dog who loves people.

In the past, we had a springer who was brought up to spend more time alone because we had small children, and the dog was always shut in the kitchen while kids were eating, if we had visitors with kids etc. So, she was fine to leave for a few hours when I worked part-time. She was destructive though - she seemed to be a puppy until she was about three. Needs loads of exercise.

If you are going to leave a puppy alone or cared for by other people, it will be much harder to train because it needs to be consistent from the beginning if you want a well mannered dog. I wouldn't do it unless someone was going to be home most days and was prepared to invest the time - better off with a rescue dog already trained and used to separation.

We dog sat my sils lovely young cockapoo for 2 days, as she was let down by her usual sitter.
Our house is dog free and have no intention of ever owning a dog, and although he is a well trained boy he was just there all the time, right behind me every time I moved.
My advice to anyone contemplating getting a dog, borrow one from a friend or relative for a few hours first!

@Tooty78 i think that’s quite a cockerpoo trait, it’s the poodle in them, they’re like Velcro dogs, stuck to you constantly!!