to say, no, having a puppy is not like having a newborn baby to look after!

[HellAtWork]

Lovely couple - no DCs as yet - we know got a puppy about 6 months ago when DS was 6 months or so (not a newborn any longer).

Puppy has own FB page. We all have to be friends with it . It posts amusing status updates and photos of itself over the park.

Now despite their loveliness (I can live with the FB page even if I think it strange and it can be quite amusing at times) AIBU to get fucked off with having a puppy constantly being compared to the hard work of a newborn?

I was lucky with my DS and he has turned out to be a good sleeper from about 4 months or so, so I know I did not have it bad at all and therefore did not do too much moaning about sleepless nights - I think.

I have sympathised with them being up all night (puppy sleeps in their room), trashing their house, and his apparent in ability to be exhausted even by 3 hour walks but the constant comparisons with "it's just like having a baby, it really is" are wearing thin. When we're on the phone for a chat (and DS is tucked up in bed) , friend can't really speak on the phone because puppy is growling and friend is constantly issuing instructions (get off the table, oi Tonto leave that alone, I told you not to chew those shoes). When friend visited with puppy it was a nightmare - I love dogs, have had a dog growing up and now enjoy my sister's dog from a distance. DS and puppy were fine (short interaction before bedtime) but we did not really get to talk, or even eat (puppy jumping up to table, taken out every 30 minutes in case Tonto "did a naughty" on the carpet, friend's words not mine).

So AIBU to say no it bleeding well isn't the same as having a baby (and you're in for a shock if you think so)?

In jest I have pointed out that if I left DS alone in the house for 3 hours at a time SS would want to have a word, but I am almost tempted to say (due to puppy's behaviour) actually having your particular puppy is much much worse especially after friend told me indulgent story about puppy running through family's picnic on a beach and how funny it was! (Reminded me of the dogshit picnic thread on here and I was outraged on family's behalf to him and said it was not on.)

I honestly think any breed/dog is capable of being trained if people put the effort in.

My parents dogs through the years have always been well behaved and no trouble at all. Friends dogs get away with anything and everything, which results in shocking behaviour and a wrecked house.

What kind of dog is it? I have two, both since puppies, and a 5 month old DC, and no, it's not the same thing. Although I mistakenly thought it might be similar, as the puppy months are hard and relentless. Being a mother to an actual newborn is unsurprisingly a fuckload harder.

I'd say that puppy is going down the divide and rule path and your friends need to present it with a united front when it comesto discipline. They need to give it firm boundaries.

(I've never had a puppy)

Blooferlady I would be but I do know they are definitely not (talking about getting engaged this year, married next, both want to be married before DC) but yes, I would hope not to be insensitive to that situation

Although I am glad I had puppies before a baby as I had already given up having a social life and holidays and any sort of spontaneity in general, before the possibility of blaming it on the baby.

YA being a bit U. Puppies are very, very hard work for the first few months, and if they don't have kids, how are they supposed to know it's not as hard as a baby? They're making life very hard for themselves, though - even if it's the breed I bet it is. Tell them to get a crate, a clicker, and instigate some house training.

Just as a sidenote, though - be a little sensitive to their 'parenting'. I have two dogs, and to be honest, we got our first because I was breaking my heart over TTC with no success. The dogs are dogs, not baby replacements by any stretch of the imagination, but they're living creatures who depend on me and who've been great companions in low times. And I do sometimes have to break off phone conversations to extract objects from the other dog's mouth...

Blaming a breed is just an excuse imo.

They are spoiling it. They shouldn't have it sleeping in their room.

In summary then, we can't agree if a puppy or a newborn baby is harder work. We are all, however, in complete unison in thinking that a Facebook page, for a dog, is ridiculous.

Wildfig Sorry I really should have put in the OP - I know for definite they are not TTC - as per my post to Blooferlady above - I would not to be so heartless if there was any inkling they were - that would be very cruel indeed.

We are all, however, in complete unison in thinking that a Facebook page, for a dog, is ridiculous.

What? Im making one as we speak!

Oh FFS - from FB page I can tell dog's favourite TV show is Littlest Hobo, it is in an open relationship, likes men and women and its interests are barking under the sofa and eating daddy's fingers.

No mention of which breed.

It is a terrier type though. Am now off to scan dog photos on google for similar looking dogs. Tonight was supposed to be an early night but there's always more work to be done on MN.

YAB - slightly - U, as their puppy is clearly a baby substitute. Indulge them - they just want to be part of the club!

Part of me thinks this is a wonderful revenge for all the many parents over the years who've gone into minute and clinical detail about their baby's sleep schedule, nappy filling prowess, early signs of being G & T (he gurgled? at 3 mths old? Def a future Nobel Prize there) while those of us not so obsessed are desperately trying to escape.

Another part of me thinks that the pup is dreadfully spoiled, and that your friend sounds awful if she thinks it's funny for it to disrupt and annoy other people.

And no, you don't have to be friends with it. I write loads about our greyhounds on my blog - but anyone who reads it is a willing victim so to speak, and can easily navigate away.

They are obsessed PFD - would you give them some slack if they were being a bit PFB? On balance, YANBU.

My MiL told me that she liked her kids,but loved her dogs.

woah

I've never had a dog but I've heard friends with both children and dogs say that the puppy was way harder than the baby, no contest.

So, possibly, YABU.

Haha - PFDs - that's what they've got - a touch of the PFDs. I'd already had the PFBs squashed out of me by the time DS arrived from too much MN during pregnancy (well, just about...maybe) - they need Dogsnet.

I think I have identified Tonto as an Irish terrier. Just reading up on their trainability now!

Nice looking breed.

For the proper AIBU effect, you should really post this in The Doghouse, under the heading 'I don't have kids dogs myself, but I can't stand my friend's parenting training tactics - AIBU?'

Terriers should definitely be housetrained by 6 months. I was cutting her imaginary slack for having a hound breed. Badly behaved dogs really aren't funny to anyone but their owners, no matter how witty their Facebook updates.

Sorry, that came out a bit pompous - wasn't meant to!

We have a new puppy.

DH likened it to having a toddler that doesn't wear a nappy.

For a brief period it's a bit of hard work, but I think people can be too precious & fuss budgetty over pups. It's not comparable to having a baby ffs!

dOgFace - how's the FB page coming along?

Another friend and I were discussing Tonto's FB page last week and she was most pissed off to discover Tonto actually had more friends than her