Someone remind me how hard it is having a puppy before I leap in again!

[ThespianTendencies]

Just that really. I have a 5 year old rescue lab (had him since 11 weeks) so we have survived the puppy stage once before but now I am on the verge of bringing another pooch home. Problem is, I seem to have forgotten how hard it was first time round and am remembering with rose tinted specs firmly in place. Will it be harder with two...or easier?

Harder in some ways: two dogs to watch, both with different natural sleep/wake cycles, different walking needs and puppy demanding constant attention and watching. Any bad habits your lab has could easily be transferred to the puppy (and are likely to be). You may not know how your lab will like having a puppy about and you may have to keep them separate for large parts of the day, which can be tricky.

Easier in some ways: puppy may pick up toilet training and any good habits your lab has could easily be transferred to the puppy. Your lab may love the puppy and be happy to curl up with him - which will help settle the pup.

Either way... puppies are HARD work and a full time job. If you choose to go for it, good luck to you!!

My dog is just over 1 year old and I am firmly in the camp of never again. I love him to bits and never want to be without him but I really don't think I would have the energy to do the puppy and teenage stage all over again.

biteyShark Remind me why it is so hard. I can remember my dog crying at night and having to have him in with me but it didn't seem to last long. Also remember that constant watching for 'giong for a wee/poo' cues, but again, that didn't seem to last too long either! My specs are still rose tinted

I'm still in the "Never again" camp as well. My cockapoo is 18 months and still hard work and my mum just got a boxer pup which we occasionally babysit and I forgot how much hard work it is. Constant up and down to let him out for a wee/poo.

We had two puppies at the same time (it just happened) it was a nightmare to start with, the crying at nights, the toilet training, the biting and chewing and that was just the husband, no seriously it’s hard work and time consuming, but they are a lovely pair of dogs now and I’m glad we did it.

My puppy didn't sleep through the night so 1-2 times he needed to go to the toilet. Sleep deprivation was a killer.

The biting was hard. I had holes in my jeans where he would jump and hang on.

The manic running about in the evening. Puppy zoomies are wearing.

The constant list of things you have to do for training and socialisation. Trying the get him to sit to groom him. Trying to get him to walk on a lead and not be scared of the dark. Cleaning his teeth. Manipulating his paws and claws to get him used to being manhandled. It just felt endless and that is before you get to the simple things like 'sit'.

The constant accidents just when you think you have cracked toilet training. You turn your back and there is a puddle. The constant standing in the freezing garden waiting for them to toilet so you can praise.

The watching and constant supervision to make sure they are not eating the garden plants, my shoes, the rug etc.

Then we get to teenagedom. The fingers in his ears as he obviously can't remember how to sit and stay and what was that about recall. Oh yes recall means I will come back in about 15 mins when I have finished having fun in another field.

I am sure I have missed lots

We are on puppy survival thread number 5 on here. I joined the first one. You might want to read all 5 to remember what it is like

Seriously I love him so much but if I had known how hard he would be I probably wouldn't have got him as a puppy

Blimey! I cant believe I went though all this and have no recollection of it , talk about selective memory! I shall hop over to the puppy thread and have a peep. Do you think it will be easier as I have a 5 year old do already?

In some ways it might be easier in that the puppy might pick up good behaviour from the older dog. In other ways you can't walk both together until pup is older and you may have to separate them initially to give older dog a break from the relentless puppy.

Other people have multiple dogs but I personally would not want another year of it. BiteyDog is now a lovely adult and I am so glad we are on the other side

My dog is 2 and I love him but I’m still traumatised by the puppy stage!,,
They are cute because they are total arseholes

I've had 11 puppies in my house this year, all over 4 months, and they are hard, hard work. I've particularly enjoyed stepping in wee puddles, the poonami at 4am , standing outside at 2am in my dryrobe in the rain waiting for a puppy to wee, hours and hours of persuading people to walk nicely on a lead, sleeping on a yoga mat next to a crate doing a slow retreat, and oh so many other highlights (dimmed of course by the joy of seeing them go off to their forever homes).

I have two dogs of my own - one loves having pups around, teaches them to behave nicely, plays with them, loads of patience. The other does a good victorian maiden aunt faced with mice impression, and is very rarely interested.
Some things are easier with an older dog - pups get the idea of recall very fast following them, and things like sit for your dinner are def 'monkey see, monkey do'. Walking on lead is harder as your older dog just wants to go, and you are limited with how far the pup can go

It's like childbirth....you forget about it once they are grown up. Also they're cute for a reason so you can put up with the weeing everywhere...

I think I’m delusional about how easy the puppy phase was. I probably need a slap

Mine has just turned 4.

He slept through the night from the first day we bought him home. He toilet trained very quickly and easily.

We did puppy classes but other than learning how to sit, stay, lie down and wait for food he would still have a mind of his own if he wanted to do something else as he wasn't bothered by food rewards.

He's a large breed and was a more difficult teenager than puppy.

He's wonderful now

@BiteyShark yours isn't a breed like a pointer or vizsla by any chance?

@HenryBride He's a working cocker and is actually quite chilled for a working breed now he is an adult. I just don't think I was prepared for the amount of hard work he took both as a puppy and as a teenager and I had spent months and months researching everything about dogs and puppies online.

I do know a few people that said their puppy was a breeze and I just want to poke them with a sharp stick when they tell me that

Working cockers are really hard work in the beginning but it totally pays off when they get to the lovely adult dog stage.

They aren't puppies for long.

I think Ted a bit like giving birth, 2 years down the line you have forgotten how awful it was and the rose tinted spectacles are firmly on and you remember it as a dreamy time when they were so cute and slept a lot (as if!)

henrybride I have a feeling you got very very lucky with your pup! I remember my dog screeching and howling in the crate for 2 nights before I gave in and had him in with me (which is what my instincts were telling me to do all along!) I am considering a small breed...Bichon, maltese, shih tzu type breed as they are very loyal and not such a handful size wise. My current dog is a lab and I don't want another large breed but I want an intelligent, lively breed. I think it will be easier for me if I don't have two large-ish dogs. Also, am going for a bitch this time as I understand that two dogs of the same gender can be problematic.

We have had 2 puppies and I think we have been very lucky as neither of them were any bother at all.

We still had our old dog when we got the latest as an 8 week old pup, so they snuggled up together at night and we had no crying.

No accidents and no chewing anything.

Current dog went a bit mental when he was about 1 and would hare off into the horizon off the lead - but a good whistle/treat regime soon sorted him out.

Having an old dog with health problems was worse by far.

I love the puppy phase, it is hard work but it pays off in spades.

I reckon it's like the pain of birth...you soon forget about it and have another!

Get a Shih Tzu op!

Mine has just turned six months and she's been a dream since we brought her home four months ago. She slept through night from day one, she's already house trained (despite me reading horror stories about them being hard to house train) She's got brilliant recall, knows sit, down, wait, come here etc and is the sweetest, loveliest little dog I've ever had. I don't know what I did without her.

Go on, you know you want too

You could be waking up to a face like this every morning

Never had the crying in the night thing with my pup must have been v lucky by the sounds of it.he slept through too 😁

Thanks people. I think it is a bit like having children as you never really know how easy or difficult the early days are going to be until they arrive!! Isthismummy, your dog is beautiful! I am hoping that any pooch we bring home will fit in with our existing furries and that they sleep like a dream :-)