Thinking of getting a puppy - what do you do with it all day long???

[Crispin]

Our daughter would like a puppy but have been told by various relatives that they are very restrictive. Just wondered what other people do with their dogs daily? do you leave it at home if you go out for the day and what does the dog do if you do??

Thanks!

I don't go out for the day as I'm worried about leaving the dog. So days out only with the dog. As an occasional thing I coluld ask my neighbour to pop in and you may have a dog walker near you who will do stuff on an ad hoc basis.

For the first several weeks you will need to treat the puppy as a newborn baby - it will sleep for long spells, wake then need the toilet, small, regular meals, toilet training, socialising, etc.

After several weeks you can start to leave the puppy for a few minutes at a time.

Even after 6 months it isn't ideal to leave the puppy for longer than an hour or two.

Any dog shouldn't be left for very long - 3-4 hours is more than enough!

Yes, dogs are restrictive. They thrive on human contact. They get lonely. They need exercise and food and stimulation.

They give far more than they get though.

you need to do a lot of research before you have a puppy.

Are you prepared to walk it every day?
Are you prepared for the costs of its food?
Veterinary care and insurance?
Vaccinations
Wormers
Flea treatments (ridiculously expensive!)
Where will it sleep at night?
training? Who will be in charge of this - how old is your DD, how many children do you have?

You sound like you don't know very much about dog ownership, well thats fine, everyone has to start somewhere, but do make sure you know what you are letting yourself in for.

Are you prepared to clean up shit, piss and puke? Even when its house trained there will be accidents.

Going out for the day? I leave my dogs for the odd day yes, but i have two dogs so its easier. I tend to have someone come and let them out for a wee in the garden though.

Is your garden secure? Are there places locally where you can walk it, on and off lead?

Will you have a puppy? older dog? what breed? Are you prepared for dogs hairs EVERYWHERE? not all dogs shed but non shedders need to be clipped, that is £££ unless you do it yourself.

I'm not trying to put you off - far from it, dogs are amazing, for all the tie they are, and hard work, they become part of your life and its just something that you do - after a while they are part of the family and it doesn't feel like work, but you do have to be aware of this.

I would start by having a look at websites from reputable rescue centres - they have lots of information. Battersea dogs and cats home have a good website, as does Dogs trust. Then once you have decided on a breed, research the breed, then look at breeders - do not fall for back yard breeders or puppy farms. A reputable breeder has a lot of expenses, as a result the puppies are expensive.

Dogs are great - i could not live without a dog in my life. But its a huge commitment.

As lougle says, you can't leave a pup for long. A well-balanced adult dog which doesn't suffer from separation anxiety can occasionally be left for a day - somewhat unclear what mine does other than chew buttons and zips off my clothes (but no-one elses) if I'm foolish enough to leave them in his reach.

If you family really wants a dog it might be better to look for an adult - from a good rescue or sometimes breeders have young adults which didn't make it in the show ring - than a pup. If your DD just wants 'a puppy' then TBH I'd get her a cuddly toy.

Thank you for all your comments! We are still debating whether this is the right thing to do...!

If you and your partner work outside the home, think very long and hard about this. As others have said, dogs don't like to be left for long periods. Days out (and holidays) change and become rather doggy-centric in my experience.

You should only get a dog if you want one ,not because your child does .It will be you who ends up looking after it ,walking it and clearing up after it . If its you who wants the dog you probably won't find it restrictive because its you who gets the enjoyment out of owning it IYSWIM . We didn't get our dog until my children were older ,and one of the reasons was that we were a family who went on lots of days out and short breaks where a dog could not have come ( theme parks etc) . If you are a family that like hill walking etc a dog will be able to go with you, so it very much depends on your family .

We pay for our dog to go to the dog boarder who he loves. Even if it's that we are out just for a day like the seaside in the summer, a wedding, etc. that way, we can all enjoy ourselves and so does he. It costs £15 per day though and we have to be organised enough to book the boarder up in advance as she's always busy! Having a dog means life is a bit restrictive at times, but at the moment he's curled up at my feet snoring his head off, and we love him. He's worth the hassle. P.s , all 3 of my children wanted our puppy, but is knew before I got him, that it would be me doing the work, I.e, shit shovelling, clearing up the puppy pee, washing down the patio, feeding him, taking him to vets, grooming him, and walking him, cleaning the muddy footprints, generally everything, so don't believe for one minute that your daughter will help with all the chores!

Murphy (scottie dog) is 13 weeks now, I'm a SAHM so I have lots of time for him, this is our current routine.

8am I get up and get 16 year old DD to school. Murph stays in the kitchen.

9am back from school, kitchen is cleaned, mopped, fresh puppy pad, spend ten to fifteen minutes swinging small black dog around kitchen floor as he is attached to mop.

9.15 Remove dog from mop. Short walk. When we return he's groomed and squirted so he smells nice

10.00 Breakfast. Murphy is left alone in the kitchen with his while I eat mine. Gets him used to being alone.

10.30 Playtime. All his toys come out, if he's eaten his breakfast he gets a kong with stuffing. We also do a bit of basic training now otherwise known as 'you threw it, you fetch it'.

11.30 he's whacked and sleeps.

1pm Back in the kitchen while I have my lunch and he has his. Alone time again for him.

2pm In the car and over to my Mums for another walk with her little dog.

3.30pm We collect DD from school together, no radio on as a howling Murphy is surprisingly tuneful (trying to get him used to the car).

4pm Last wander down the road. This one is a short walk, he's only got small legs. Tea is put in his dish which he'll pick at all evening now.

5-7pm Sleep. He's exhausted now!

7.30pm DH gets home from work. Cue mad hour, loud squeaking, general tearing around the lounge and diving on DH like he's not seen him for months.

9pm. Into his bed (he takes himself there now around 9!) Bonio puppy biscuit and his cuddly toy and he's spark out until morning.

Adding to the above there is a large smattering of standing in the garden in this trying to get him to wee outside. Unfortunately our back garden is a bit of a wind tunnel and he's small he gets blown over so outside training has been put on hold temporarily. Fortunately he is pad trained to the back door so when the weather improves he can start going out.

Also, there are days when I do need to adjust his routine slightly if I have one of DD's many frequent hospital appointments. Because I've gotten him used to being alone from 8 weeks he is happy to be alone with no crying etc for about 3 hours. I've not left him longer than that and probably wouldn't leave him for longer than four hours anyway.

He's hard work, but very much worth it.