Tell me your honest experience with puppies

[cadburyegg]

We are hoping to get a puppy (specifically golden retriever) later this year. I have done a lot of breed research already and am aware of what to look out for regarding health etc.

I have 2 dc so I'm no stranger to waking up in the night and potty training but I imagine a puppy is slightly different 😂 but I'd like to know honestly what to expect, I have read a lot about them chewing everything, how long did your puppy take to potty train and sleep a reasonable stretch at night or is it a case of getting up every 2 hours for months on end?! What else did people struggle with, did you ever have regrets, presumably it's worth it in the end.

Tell me your honest stories, I want to go in with my eyes wide open. I am doing other research obvs 😊

My friend's retriever... Now a year old, but I really felt for my friend probably most between 3 and 5 months, the biting was awful. All her clothes were torn, she was doing everything the puppy trainers told her to try, but it seems with hindsight that puppy just had to grow out of it.
She hated the crate, or being left alone, but they built it up and now they can leave her for 3 hours, and otherwise take her everywhere. She's very nice, friendly and calm, and good with other dogs.

About crates. Never did it with mine and hadn't heard of them until a few years ago. Our dogs were happy on sofas or their beds, but another friend insists that her dog "absolutely loved her crate, it's her safe space".
Noticing that there has been no crate since I've known her, (several years), I asked if her dog was upset when they got rid of the crate, she said dog didn't seem to notice. Which leads me to think the dog didn't really love the crate all that much.
Do people who crate train, whose dogs love the crate, in general keep the crate in the house for the whole of the dog's life?

Just a small point
Perhaps it’s just where I happen to be but I’m finding lately that a lot more places are beginning to let dogs in which they rarely did.. Been really surprised by some.
Yesterday I was at Tebay services. Getting a coffee inside a couple came in with a dachshund. I said how great, didn’t know they allowed them, I always leave mine in the motorhome for ten minutes while I just dash in, & they said yes just a sign saying don’t go in certain parts. Also a lot of the shops on Gretna outlet village now have notices on the window saying dogs welcome….even Cadbury’s! Don’t know about other such villages. Here in the Lakes loads of shops, cafes & hotels allow them inside or to stay.

Every time I read horror stories about how hard puppies are I thank my lucky stars for ours. Maybe we were just lucky but I didn't find it awful at all...nothing beyond what I expected already which was a few wees and poos in the first few weeks.

Ddog was reliably sleeping through the night within 2 weeks (in large puppy pen until 6 months, no crates here) and pretty much toilet trained within the same time. Maybe one accident a week until about 4 months or so...which was always our fault in missing the signs.

She's never chewed anything awful, only her toys.

Always been a cat person then we chose a Cavapoo. He only chewed his toys and although toilet training seemed a challenge it soon passed. My dog training neighbours gave me a whistle to help with recall but he just seemed to get it with the offer of a Treat and now we just shout Dylan come and he does. He's 4 now and the best thing we ever did.

Ours is in a house of adults but settled in so we'll. Loves company and is very easy to train...not by me but ds. Good on a lead. He doesn't bit stuff but loves to grab stuff like shoes and run out with them to his secret stash.
The only drawback is the shedding. Nothing prepared me for it but l have adjusted. He is the friendliest guy, could practically talk to you..and l am not really a dog person. He belongs to ds with back up support from us when he is away.

You've has some great advice already, all I I can add is

a) that if you can afford it, find a reliable dog walker who can bond with your dog once a week as we all get ill/need backup or to go somewhere dog free at times. Mine has been invaluable to me.

b) get a plumber to install a hot outdoor tap (about £80 - thank me later)

c) watch this video of how an experienced GR mum teaches her puppies to be calm before she'll tend to them. She's not backwards in coming forwards! She's awesome!

Canine behaviour is my hobby and I've watched this about 20 times over the years-never cease to be amazed by it. The cheeky one near the end is pushing it when he bites her tail 🤣

We have a 14 week golden show cocker spaniel here and we’re besotted. :)
I think it depends on the breed you get and how well that matches your circumstances and family needs. Essential to look into this.
If you’ve had kids it’s all relative. For me it’s like having a baby but in acceleration; they are weaned by the time you bring them home, mostly toilet trained in a few months, sleep in long stretches (enforced naps help them settle in early days). I feel it has healed me in some way from
the newborn first time parent to twin trauma I have…I rarely felt competent as a parent but the pup gives so much back you feel like you’re getting something right.
Most people I know who have had a nightmare seem to have an exhausted pup who is over stimulated and/or no (physical) boundaries around the house. Crate and pen have been a life saver and made the experience far more positive than it might have been. First two weeks were hard with the multiple toilet trips through the night, sleeping on the couch for easy access to garden. After that she was needing out once a night so could sleep in the bedroom with us. At 4 months she sleeps through 10pm - 7am. She would be a Velcro pup if we let her but I’m not for being followed into the toilet! Everyone needs boundaries and privacy. She gets plenty cuddles and company the rest of the time. Can’t let them dictate everything. Also don’t set up an expectation of miles of walking every day they will just get super fit and need more and more to really tire out. My MIL made this mistake. Avoid dog parks, find a puppy playgroup in a controlled environment. Learn as you go as all dogs are different. They can be a total pain but so can anyone in your family lol!

I can only echo what others have said. Our boy chewed everything in sight for the first 3 months and until reliably potty trained (about 3 months too, which I though was pretty quick), I could not leave him for more than about 2 mins at a time. Don't expect to be able to reliably leave that task to other members of the family either, as they just won't do it like you (DS was 17 and was truly useless!).

He was a difficult trainer until 5 months, was great for 1 month and then a nightmare for the next year (v large breed so v slow to mature and v long adolescence period). I gave up on recall after the 2 years (hound!) but the rest of the commands stuck.

I likened the first 6 months to going through from 0 to 2 with a child. Horrendous at the beginning but improved more quickly than the DC did...it is like having another child at the beginning though.

We ended up getting so used to not leaving him, that we didn't leave him alone until a year old (doggy daycare is your friend). I think because of this, we never had any hint of separation anxiety and he just lifts his sleeping head when we leave and when we arrive, and may deign to get up it it's a meal time. He's a complete joy, but the first 2 years were not. Hopefully it will be slightly better with a slightly smaller breed.

Honestly?

Our puppy was absolutely no trouble at all. Ever.

She came home at 8 weeks old and did one poo in the house on her first morning (when I didn't get her out of the front door in time). She also weed on the floor once when she was about 10 weeks old and got scared by a visiting dog. Other than that, no accidents in the house. We did take her out every hour for the first few days then every 2 hours or if she went to the door for the next few months.

She put herself to bed in her crate at about 9pm on her first night and then woke at 3am but just wanted company and didn't do anything when I took her outside. I slept next to her crate for the first 4 nights but after that she just slept 9pm-6am from the second night onwards.

Never chewed anything she wasn't supposed to (though we did provide a lot of permitted chewable things).

Sat down nicely to wait for her food from day one.

She did have a tendency to get a bit bitey when overtired but we just kept on top of that and made sure she had enforced downtime/naps if we noticed the signs.

Could be left (in her crate) for a couple of hours during the day from her second week with us without any bother, and by 9 months the crate was gone and she had free rein of the living area when we were out and overnight.

I had prepared for total puppy chaos so it was a very pleasant surprise 😂 I don't think it's anything I did though, she was just a Very Good Girl and had definitely learned some basics from her mum and mum's owners.

Ah I had forgotten I posted this thread, sorry not to have come back to it.

I decided in the end that now is not the right time for a puppy - I'm pretty busy with a full on job, being a single parent etc so have put the idea on the back burner for now. As well as that, my ds9 is still quite nervous of dogs and I worry that a full on puppy would be a disaster.

I hope this thread is useful for others though and I'll certainly refer to it in the future if the time is ever right!