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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

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Original poster

Don't under-estimate how hard a puppy is people...

45 replies

lepetitchienbrun · 27/05/2014 21:57

Feel like I'm finally falling back to earth just now after our pup's first couple of months with us. Honestly it really was like having a toddler, but one with no sense and no nappies.

Ours is a bit madder than the average puppy but still. I had never owned a dog before and regardless of the many, many chats I'd had with dog owners, it was a huge shock.

We have got there in the end [quickly touches wood...] and I now love him but would happily have sent him back if it had been possible for some weeks. Still feel like my life has been turned upside down but the difference is I can see it's worth it now.

So just a warning to those thinking 'oh we'll get a cute little puppy" to be aware of what a challenge it can be.

OP posts:

SpicyPear · 28/05/2014 15:12

This is very true.

I left Spicypup with DM and DF for two days to go to a wedding when he was only a few months old. To put it in context, DM is an up at 7am, to bed at midnight and doesn't stop all day sort of person. Daytime sleeping is the devil's work. It said it all when we got home and she just looked and me and said "I had to have a nap!". She was absolutely broken after two days. Luckily it does get easier or I would have had to find alternative dog care

Original poster

lepetitchienbrun · 28/05/2014 16:01

NO!!! Stop saying the teenage bit post 6 months is worse!

Badger, I really think this was worse than a toddler.
But mine was quite a well-behaved toddler and I have a puppy that's a bit mad by nature.

Shall we make this a puppy owners' support thread or start a new one?
There was one a while ago before I got ours.

If anyone can tell me how to stop him jumping up and literally bouncing off the walls when I am preparing his meal and bringing it over, that would be great. I am trying to get him to sit but he is so excited...The bouncing off walls thing is annoying!

Breakthrough though in that today he has finally got more confident going out into the garden alone to play. He would wait at the door if I sent him out alone until now. Will only let him do so if he has done a number two recently as the other hitch is if he does one and I don't know we won't find it in our garden...until we, or a visiting child, stands on it.

OP posts:

Lanabelle · 28/05/2014 16:13

I think it depends on the person and the lifestyle. I grew up on a farm and I still work on one, I train sheepdogs, terriers and gundogs and have done for years and I find puppies a delight. Young bullocks and stallions on the otherhand..........

If that's all you knew growing up then theres not much difference and if I'm honest the ferrets give me more of a hard time than the pups

insanityscatching · 28/05/2014 16:35

Badger I have 5 dc, two have autism and their toddler stages were a walk in the park compared to having little puppy Eric. I could have managed five toddlers at once easier I'm sure. You will be fine I'm sure, toddlers don't have half the energy and speak the same language and that's half the battle.

OnaPromise · 28/05/2014 17:32

I'm quite glad to see this thread. I also have an adult rescue and him and the pup have both been rampaging this afternoon and I have become shouty.

I am smitten though so no-one will be going anywhere, but it is hard sometimes.

I posted asking about adolescence and quite a few folk came on saying it wasn't that bad. (Hopeful).

Original poster

lepetitchienbrun · 28/05/2014 18:11

It's a good job my puppy can't speak the same language with the amount of swearing he inspired in the first two months with us that's for sure!

OP posts:

marne2 · 28/05/2014 18:40

So true, I find puppies harder work than toddlers, at least you can take a toddler to the shops, with a puppy you have to leave it at home and risk coming back to destroyed furniture and piles of poop.

I have had a few puppies, my most recent one (now 18 months old) has been the hardest and I still don't feel a strong bond with him, he has turned the whole families life upside down, we already had a dog but she is easy going and I can leave her in the house alone and know when I get back there will not be carnage. Now we have the latest edition we can not go out as a family for more than a hour , he destroys everything, he has a crate but has worked out how to get out, he is naughty and hard work.

I have to say 'I will never have another puppy', if we do ever get another dog it will be a older rescue dog.

Smitten1981 · 28/05/2014 18:44

Glad it's not just me. Our 18 month did still hard work and we take her to training and agility classes. Obviously she's good as gold in those but a monster at home. We're hoping she'll calm down when she gets to 2.

catbus · 28/05/2014 18:52

Yup, I concur.. even DC4 who is now three, has barely slept since birth, could not match my exhausted levels with this pup.
This is on a different scale entirely

soddinghormones · 28/05/2014 19:00

Going against the grain here but dpup has been miles easier than having a baby/toddler/teenager (3 dc, 1 with ADHD and 1 with ASD/dyspraxia ...)

Of course there's been the odd blip here and there but on the whole his puppyhood has been a delight

We had a few dodgy weeks around six months when hormones raised their head but that's settled down and he's lovely again now (10 months old)

It helps that he is a very calm puppy who picks things up very fast and we had done our research thoroughly before getting him

The other day dd complained that I never got cross with dpup so I explained that was because he hardly ever did anything annoying

marne2 · 28/05/2014 19:21

I wish mine was calm, I spend most of the day shouting 'Down', 'no', 'go and lie down'' 'heel' and 'leave' .

We had him castrated a month ago and since then he has decided to bark at any other dog we see when we are out and pull me over (almost broke my hand a couple weeks ago), he used to be reasonably good on the lead and would walk past other dog without taking any notice , not sure what has gone wrong, hoping its a faze and it will blow over. We were lucky that he house/toilet trained very quickly (unlike my last dog), he was easy to train to begin with but now he has selective hearing. I have 2 dd's with ASD and they are much easier than the crazy dog.

pigsDOfly · 28/05/2014 19:35

My dog was perfect when she was a puppy.

Crate training - easy.
Toilet training - easy.
Lead training - easy.
Recall - easy.
Slept through the night from the first night.

What an angel.

Got to eight months and all hell broke loose. I well remember being reduced to throwing my coat over her in the park in order to catch her when she decided that recall was much more fun if she came back and then played dodge when I wanted to put her on the lead. She was on a trailing lead for many months after a couple of such episodes.

She was my first dog - still is come to that - and I found taking her to classes really helped me to learn to train her.

If I'd have been the crying type I would have shed many a tear around that time.

She's 3yo now and she just about perfect again.

murphys · 29/05/2014 09:07

Ah so glad to find you all here in the same bleary eyed situation .

Punter, hate to break it to you but my 8 year old lab still chews his lead on a walk. On a few times he clean bit it in two! There is no way I can get those cheap ones, we have a Roggs now and its hard to get through and its lots of layers made up.

Justnotimaginitive · 29/05/2014 13:08

Hi all, we are day 4 of new pup, she is lovely beautiful and amazing.

We haven't as yet found it too hard because we went into it with the notion that a pup is just like a new baby.
I've started training already with a clicker and treats which are working wonders.
The only real problem we have is that she's quite anxious so doesn't like new situations, we went in the car today and by god did she make the biggest fuss.

I am just off out to her some adaptil which will hopefully mean DH can come back to bed rather then sleeping on the sofa with her

pigsDOfly · 29/05/2014 13:35

Oh but that's the thing with young and adolescent puppies. When you're going through it it can feel like hell, but once they become well train (hopefully) and they are the 'best dog in the world', as I'm always telling my dog she is, you will look back and laugh at all the funny/awful memories.

She isn't perfect btw:).

Isthatwhatdemonsdo · 29/05/2014 19:21

Ours is 14 weeks now. I'm sure she thinks her name is No!
She's very cute though but has done my head in. I'd never get another puppy again though.

BabeRuthless · 30/05/2014 06:12

RuthlessPup is my first dog. DP grew up with a dog who he adored. I've got the bug now, I love having a dog in the home. Don't think I'll ever do the pup thing again but I can see myself being an adopter of oldies as I get into my twilight years

OnaPromise · 30/05/2014 07:50

I'll be adopting/fostering retired greyhounds in the future. We already have one and he is a joy.

But having the pup is lovely for dd. She is very proud of her pup and it's lovely to see them snuggling together. My greyhound is pleasant towards dd but not massively interested in her.

Will just be gritting my teeth for the next couple of years and hopefully we will have a lovely dog at the end of it.

BabeRuthless · 30/05/2014 08:27

I think I've found it especially tough because ds has got to an age where he's at school full time and doing a lot of stuff for himself. I felt like if got a chunk of my life back now all of a sudden I feel like I'm right back to where I started. Two more years is my mantra!

Original poster

lepetitchienbrun · 30/05/2014 08:43

YES at that Babe! Exactly that here too.

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