Puppy and guests at Christmas.

[radiantradish]

It is highly likely that we will be getting a puppy in the first couple of weeks of Dec due to expected dates and then 6-8 weeks with the breeder. Friends and family have already been asking us about dates and get togethers and I am now getting into a bit of a tizzy over it. For the two weeks of Christmas we will have 3 different sets of guests over a total of 9 nights and a day out.

I would very much like a quiet Christmas with me, DH and my DC getting to know our new edition and relishing in our completed family. I have not had a puppy before and am anticipating some sleepless nights and lots of puddles on the floor. Do you think having people staying over during this time is unrealistic? Or is it just me being a humbug because I really do not want a full on Christmas like I did last year which I swore I would never do again.

addition, not edition

Quiet, quiet, quiet. If you have to have people around put the puppy's crate in a room and make it abundantly clear that no one other than you is allowed into that room.

Check on him or her every hour or so for a cuddle and a wee. If there are puddles you need to be forgiving as you will be upsetting any routine you will have tried to put in place in the weeks before any guests arrive.

What are you going to do on a day out? Puppy cannot be left.

It's fairly irresponsible of the breeder to have a litter due to be homed in December

I would have as few people around as possible, and yes, what are you going to do on the day out? Poor pup

Agreed costa. A good breeder won't give you a puppy in December for this exact reason - too many people and too much going on at Christmas. Can the breeder keep until January? Actually can you get a better breeder? What breed are you getting?

And further how does breeder know puppies will be available in December?

Well dogs are pregnant for about 63 days and then ready to leave at 8 weeks and Christmas is 17 weeks away, so presumably the breeder has mated the dog and worked it out from then.

I'd leave it with the breeder or cancel the visitors and day out.

Owing to bitches seasons it can't always be avoided having a litter that reaches eight weeks old around December time.

As tabulahrasa says I'd leave the puppy with the breeder until after Christmas, any good breeder that has a litter at that time of year should be happy to do so. In fact the good breeders I know will hang onto a pup for a new owner to avoid difficulties around previously booked holidays etc. at any time of year.

still no guarantee there are puppies on the way but regardless too much going on I think. Sorry Op.

If you want a quiet christmas, have a quiet christmas, whether you have a puppy or not.

OK. Thanks. I will talk to the breeder if everything goes ahead and either leave it with them or ask guests not to come. I will of course do what is best for the puppy but a quiet Christmas just us is very appealing

When we got our puppy (8 years ago!) everyone was desperate to come and see him! I think as many people came to see him as came when our DD's were born

Will it not be the case that you get a lot of visitors no matter when you get the puppy?

Never underestimate how much work a puppy is. I found it harder than having a newborn and we had a fairly easy Labrador that was mostly housetrained in days and slept through the night after 3 days.

Your pup could take weeks to housetrain, may get separation anxiety at night, might get over excited when tired, will take time to train not to nip, will need to be watched like a hawk to make sure it doesn't eat anything it shouldn't (small toys it could choke on, raisins in a mince pie can be fatal). It also shouldn't be left at home alone for any significant periods of time.

A quieter Christmas sounds best, that doesn't mean no visitors as its good for them to socialise, but maybe not huge or long gatherings day after day which might be too much.

If leaving the pup with the breeder until after Xmas be aware you might miss the pups early socialisation window in those weeks when it should have been getting exposed to your home, dc and outdoor surroundings.

You really need a few weeks where you give the puppy your undivided attention. Toilet training will take up a lot of your time and you cannot become distracted, you probably won't get much sleep at night so may want to sleep when the puppy sleeps, and you need to spend time socialising the puppy. A house full of guests will be hard work for you and probably too much excitement for the puppy.