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The doghouse

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Original poster

Does anybody else regret getting a dog?

192 replies

MsVestibule · 13/03/2019 21:02

We thought long and hard before we got a puppy. What would be the best breed for us, how will we look after it during the day etc.

It really hasn't worked out as I'd hoped.

What we didn't realise was that we would get a puppy who chews EVERYTHING, even now, at 10 months old. He is mainly confined to the breakfast room/kitchen and one of us has to watch him ALL the time.

The chewing means he has to be in his crate from 8.30-3.30 4 days a week, although I come home at lunchtime and walk him for half an hour, but it's still not ideal for him.

A retired, local family member enthusiastically volunteered to walk him every day (we wouldn't have actually got a dog if they hadn't volunteered) but that fell through extremely quickly 🙄. TBH, this has been our biggest issue - I resent that so much of my (previously spare) time goes on working later than I should so I can take a lunch hour to dash home and walk him.

What we (very, very foolishly) didn't consider was what we would do if we wanted to go somewhere for more than 3.5 hours. Our lives are not quite as dog friendly as we thought they were and we just have to accept that if we want to go somewhere, we pay for doggy daycare. Expensive, but manageable.

I suppose I'm just fed up that our entire lives seem to revolve around him. Honestly, I know this is all our fault. I had my reservations anyway but our DCs were so keen and I have to admit, I was too.

I'm not quite sure what I hope to achieve from this thread. Has anybody else felt the way we do at this stage and then gone on to fall madly in love with their dog? Or do I just accept that this is the way I will feel for the next 12 years?

He is a really beautiful boy and does get a lot of attention and affection so he's not neglected (apart from the crate thing), I promise!

OP posts:
Bythebeach · 13/03/2019 21:20

You can’t leave a young dog alone for 7 hours in a crate with a 30 minute walk. Pay for day care or rearrange your life. Our dog is 20months and we have arranged our lives to have her - I didn’t work the first year except if DH was working from home or at the W/e (so twice a week on average) we built up to leaving her 4 hours max at a year old (and that’s not 4 hours alone, a 30 min walk and then several more hours alone but 4 hours and then with her the rest of the day!) Now we have an au pair - yes for the kids but actually just as much so the dog has company and walks the days I work. We recruited our au pair on the basis she loved children AND dogs. You can’t have a young dog and leave it alone the majority of the day. That’s why he chews....he’s bored witless poor thing! Our dog is wonderful and I can’t imagine leaving her in a cage 6.5 hours a day. Please rethink - it’s so awful to leave a pup like that and totally unrealistic to have a dog under 1 essentially on its own the majors of the day. Why haven’t you sorted out daycare or at the very least a walker as well as your meagre visit!

Shortandsweet96 · 13/03/2019 21:20

Hmmm we have a 11 month old Chihuahua. Wasnt my choice if breed but DP's strangely enough.

He is charactically amazing, isn't yappy, infact I think I've only ever heard him bark once when I was winding him up and playing.

We took him to puppy training so he is brilliant on a lead, on walks, can sit, stay, leave, lie down ect. Very obedient.

I loved love him. We've started to leave him out of his room under the stair while we pop out to shops ornout on weekend ect.

Hes cheeed up the kitchen and living room vinyl flooring. We only bought our house last year.

I hate him, the moment o saw it I instantly could have just given him to the first person that walked past the house.

But hes a puppy, a bloody shithead arsehole floor chewing puppy. But the perk is we've agreed to just re floor the entire house now, so new carpets upstairs, tile the kitchen and get a nice quality soft carpet in my living room.

Dogs will be dogs and we will love them regardless.

Namechangeforthiscancershit · 13/03/2019 21:21

With the walk it’s more like 6.5 hours but I know what you’re saying

Let’s compromise at 7! Hopefully not overnight too.

As for loving them more when they get out of the chewing stage...I’ll have to let you know when I finally make it out! Grin

missbattenburg · 13/03/2019 21:21

What we didn't realise was that we would get a puppy who chews EVERYTHING, even now, at 10 months old ... and one of us has to watch him ALL the time.

This honestly and genuinely sounds about normal. Even more so for a puppy left for most of the day.

cushioncuddle · 13/03/2019 21:22

It's ok to re home him if it's not working out.

He will be happier and better looked after.

Please don't leave him in the crate that long that is really cruel.

And don't blame the family member for not walking him. You'd have thought about if that person got ill, went on holiday etc and couldn't look after it. Your trying to transfer blame from yourself to someone else.

Shortandsweet96 · 13/03/2019 21:22

This is arsehole Chihuahua, otherwise goes by Rolo.

Does anybody else regret getting a dog?
C0untDucku1a · 13/03/2019 21:24

I can’t believe you bought a dog, who could live for 10-18 years, based on a pensioner agreeing to voluntarily walk him. Get a dog walker.

My puppy chews and is harder work if he is bored. Yours spends most of his time in a crate or two rooms. He is also teething. Of course he will chew.

Walk him for 30 mins before work. Walk him in an evening. Get a dog walker. Get him kong toys.

Namechangeforthiscancershit · 13/03/2019 21:24

short those ears!

Shortandsweet96 · 13/03/2019 21:26

@namechange

His ears are what makes me love him so much Blush

justforthis6473 · 13/03/2019 21:27

A puppy should not be locked up for that many hours (or dog or any other animal for that matter)
Re home the poor thing.

deadsexy · 13/03/2019 21:27

Watching with interest

cindersrella · 13/03/2019 21:27

I must say I know how you feel. I have a what I used to call a bastard beagle that has literally just became "normal" and she is 6. We had a black Labrador which did help a lot as she is a fantastic dog.

Do you have a utility room with a door to outside? We do so we put a dog flap in for them to come in and out whilst we are at work 😀

MadMillie · 13/03/2019 21:28

YOU sit in a fucking crate for 7 hours a day and see how YOU like it. Do the dog a favour and rehome it FFS with someone who can treat it with kindness and compassion. I'm gobsmacked you actually think it's acceptable to leave a dog crated or alone for 7 hours.

Get a dog walker - a reputable one until you manage to rehome the poor thing.

PersonaNonGarter · 13/03/2019 21:28

Actually, that thing about someone else walking the dog is very weird.

OP, you are being a bit disingenuous here, I think. Did you really think it would be someone else’s responsibility to walk your dog?

Mixedupmummy · 13/03/2019 21:31

you're obviously going to get flamed here but that won't help the situation. I'm sure things will get easier. In the mean time can you get a dog run in the garden and a dog walker?

MadMillie · 13/03/2019 21:32

he's not neglected (apart from the crate thing), I promise!

He's neglected. Don't try and kid yourself. I'm disgusted you would leave a dog for 7 hours in a crate.

Namechangeforthiscancershit · 13/03/2019 21:36

short I love him too! So cute. But you can see the cheekiness...

grincheux · 13/03/2019 21:36

I feel for you, I had a boxer years ago who I really didn't enjoy having. At nine months he was still regularly having accidents in the house, had zero recall, and chewed whatever he could... including walls, kitchen units, and other things we couldn't move out of his way, despite training groups and honestly trying our best with him. We didn't crate him though, as we had a big yard and dog flap so he could come and go as he needed to (not that he really got the concept of shitting outside), and it felt cruel to lock him up just because we couldn't cope with him. As fate had it we met a retired couple with a farm who desperately wanted him, so after a lot of tough thought we rehomed him with them. We wouldn't have got rid of him had they not offered but really, this couple saved my bacon because I was at a loss with him.

cuervos · 13/03/2019 21:39

You're blaming the family member? You got a dog on the say so that someone else would look after it?

Good god. Why does everyone "need" a dog all of a sudden? Ridiculous

AgathaF · 13/03/2019 21:40

Poor dog. It's clearly not worked out the way you hoped, and unless you make some significant changes then it's not going to improve. Your puppy is being neglected. This can't continue, so the question you should be asking yourself is what are you going to do about it? What is going to change? If you choose to rehome, please go to a breed specific rescue, don't just flog the pup on gumtree or something similar.

Original poster
MsVestibule · 13/03/2019 21:40

To answer everybody's question about the crate - no, we absolutely did not think he would be in a crate at this stage. We wouldn't have got a dog if we'd realised that. He has very long walks and constant companionship 3 days a week but still chews then.

The person we were relying on to walk our dog is retired, but not a pensioner - he's only in his 50s, lives locally and has his own dog. Of course we realised if he was poorly or on holiday we would have to get a dog walker or adjust our working hours, but didn't expect that to be four days a week.

Not really sure what else to say. We made a mistake and we need to look at ways of dealing with that. Thank you for the constructive comments.

OP posts:
Prisonbreak · 13/03/2019 21:41

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NotSureThisIsWhatIWant · 13/03/2019 21:43

What? 8 to 3 in a crate???! FGS woman, please rehome that poor animal, it is not a stuffed toy you can put away when you are bored.

I have an agreement with my dog, I walk her three times a day and in exchange, she doesn’t destroy the house. We both keep to our part of the agreement.

itsnotso · 13/03/2019 21:43

I had a Lhasa. I took 2 weeks off work when we first brought him home, watched him like a hawk...and he did absolutely nothing in the house. He was so laid back to the point of being boring. He hated being walked, bathed, even eating looked like it was a chore. Within a few weeks, he was fine being left with the run of the house for 5 hours whilst I was at work.

In my wisdom, I wondered if he was lonely. So I had a brilliant idea to get another. Easy to house trained, doesn't like walks, company for the other. Brilliant. Yeah, ok.

I knew the breed, knew what to expect. But this pup is nothing like his brother (same mum, different littler). He's crazy, he chews, he's taken a lifetime to toilet train, he loves walks, water, cuddles, attention etc. My life has needed to completely change to accommodate the new dog. I have to start later and finish earlier at work. I have a dog walker who walks them both for an hour (the older one hates it). All future holidays need to include the dogs, as there's no way the younger dog would tolerate kennels.

So you could think long and hard beforehand, but the reality be very different. I wouldn't be without our pup now but he's hard work. He would easily consume our kitchen cupboards if left for long periods. I've never crated a dog as I believe animals shouldn't be caged, so I've had to adapt in order to make him part of the family. If you can't do this, I'm afraid rehoming is the best option.

cuervos · 13/03/2019 21:43

You wanted him to walk your dog FOUR days a week??? So you only walk it at weekends then?

Really?