Tips for surviving puppy motherhood? 🐶

[GinThereDoneThat]

Hi all, a new poster here and wondering if you have any "pro tips" for a puppy coming to join our family in early May.

I haven't had a puppy for a long time despite being an experienced dog owner, and I'm feeling a bit rusty

Watching with interest, our new arrival joins us on 19th May!

Patience! Just been away with our 2yr old lab and she has been a dream but it has taken 2 years from pup to young adult stage ( still has her moments). Her recall isn’t perfect but reliable, she still has to bring me a shoe or something whenever I return home but no longer shreds everything. Her latest bed has not been chewed. She can be trusted around food. She now thinks twice before running half a mile to say hello to other dogs giving us time to grab her or divert her attention.
She now quietly shadows me wherever I go. She’s no longer that “bloody pup”.

Gin.

Bear in mind that it's probably going to be a lot harder than you remember from last time.

Stock up on Gin.

It's okay to cry.

Enjoy.

Agreed with Gin. . and not getting emotionally attached to anything u own as it will be destroyed. It's taken nearly 2 years to get mine to non premenantly stressing me out stage too :D

The first couple of months arent actually that bad. its more the energy that comes with being a teenager, at which point we just found every toy possible that could be stuffed with treats and was really difficult to get out. kept his interest and stopped him ruining anything else.

I was being a bit facetious in my pp as mine was actually fine as a small puppy, but I know a lot of them aren't. But oh god, the teenage stage.

Little beast would recall, but stand just out of reach so that when I went to grab her she could run away laughing. Then a long line becomes your friend.

Yes, this. I was lulled into a false sense of security by the puppy stage. It was easy. She ate, toilet trained, stayed by my side. Now, at almost 6 months, she is a menace! Chews, steals food, decides other dogs are far more interesting than me. We'll get there eventually but it feels relentless. Decide on your boundaries now and stick to them from day one and get a trainer in early so it learns good habits and manners.

I found the puppy months very hard. I think puppies are like babies, some have really 'easy' ones where others are hard work. Just when the puppy months pass and things seem better they enter the teenage phase and become deaf and you wonder why you bothered training them in the first place.

My tip for surviving puppyhood is to remember that it doesn't last long

Constant supervision! Find a space where you can leave the pup safely - kitchen/utility room/crate so you have somewhere you can put him/her when you are not able to watch him.

I'm not inclined to say keep him in one room. Keep him with you but don't let him wander round the house unattended. My dogs are elderly but we had stair gates to keep them in one part of the house until very recently.

Then we got a husky who jumped over the gates or knocked them off the wall. So now we have locks on all our doors so that the husky stays out of the bedrooms and the living room if we're not around to supervise him.

Awww that pup is so cute, any names? I'm trying to add a photo of mine coming may 6th but the app is not my friend today

Thanks so much everyone - definitely will have LOTS of gin stocked up and be keeping a watchful (and slightly tipsy?) eye over pup. She's a cockapoo (don't attack me!!!) and going to be batshit so I'm prepared, Kong toy and housetraining lead at the ready

Oh, and we will need to see some photos when new puppy comes home.

Ahhh I think it's because I'm a new user that I can't post any pictures!! Just trust me when I say she's adorable

Tbh I wouldn't have the foggiest idea how to post photos so I can't grumble about that.

I trust you, I'm sure she's adorable.

No no names yet, we can't agree! She's a 4 week old German Shorthaired Pointer 💞

Pup comes one week today - oh my GOD I'm nervous. The breeder sent us a video of her after having her first jab today and she is so gentle and sweet 💗

Here she is!! She comes to us on Sunday

A.Dorable.

We get our new black lab on 16th May.

Have a 1 year old mini daxie who is a dream but I am very aware we are about to blow our lives up again.

@Iamblossom good luck! Black labs are absolutely amazing dogs, in fact we nearly got one but this little girl stole my heart

I think having a dog already will help in some aspects of training e.g. Toilet training and routine as the pup will learn from the older 'dream dog'

yes I am hearing that a lot, so fingers crossed.

am gearing up for a couple of nights with lots of howling and crying and clearing up lots of poos and wees for a few weeks.

And that's just me!

just remembered your reason for posting was tips:

we created our puppy for about 6 months at night and intend to do this again. (Daxie now sleeps in our bed but we will gloss over that - the lab WILL NOT BE)

I let her out at least once a night (2am ish?) to take her out for a wee

I took her to excellent puppy training classes before she had even had her second jabs (was fine if I carried her in and out, all other puppies were jabbed) and she is very good now

We have an amazing puppy minder for the 2/3 days a week I work out of the house who collects her and brings her home - we only decided on getting a new puppy after I confirmed with her she could also have this new one

CRATED not created - that would be just weird

should have said let her out once a night for a wee for the first week or so

I'll join you with the wee and poo
Thanks very much! Yes I am preparing myself for some (many) interrupted nights.

Ooo I sense some sibling rivalry in the future if one is allowed on the bed and the other is not