First puppy for a first time owner

[BeSpunkyJoker]

Hello!

I am interested (and have been for a few years) in purchasing a puppy. Unfortunately, the last time we purchased one, we had to return him to the breeder due to the puppy having an illness that we were ill-equipped to take care of.

However, we did notice that during our short time with the 9 week old puppy, he had a very hyperactive nature. In other words, the puppy would only sleep for 15 minutes at a time before awakening and wanting to play for an hour or 2 . This happened all through the night for a week. As my husband and I are both working people, we found his schedule to be hard work to say the least. We're not afraid of hard work but we are wondering whether this is typical behaviour of a puppy that age?

Which leads me to my next question. How long does this behaviour last before they settle into a routine of sleeping through the night?

Lastly, would leaving the purchase of a puppy for an extra month until they are at least 12 weeks old make any difference whatsoever in terms of a regular sleeping routine?

Thank you very much for your help in advance!

You seem very naive about all of this OP. How would you fare with a dirty house and muddy furnishings, doggy smells the occasional accident, removing a tick...
It's impossible to pick an 'easy puppy' - breed or an individual, any dog is a lifetime of dedication and hard work. My current (large hairy) beast is now 3 and we train every. single. day without fail. He's not perfect but very manageable and I would say that's largely due to the huge amount of effort that's gone into understanding canine behaviour on my part, selecting a good breeder, and being kind and consistent with all commands.
I agree 12 weeks with mum is better than the standard 8 - but won't make any deference to the amount pup sleeps it when first leaves it's mum.

It does sound like you were underprepared OP.

When we got a puppy, DH had to sleep downstairs on the sofa for the first week next to her, then we had a month or so of each of us going down once in the night to let her out. Then she would sleep through. But the absolute manic, destructive phase lasted a good 18 months. Then we were at hyper levels until about 3 years. Then she calmed down a lot.

It’s hard to overestimate how much work most puppies are! And how much work you have to put in in the early months if you want to have a happy relaxed dog at the end of it.

Have you got kids, or anything which makes getting a rescue difficult? Most rescues will still need a lot of work, but you would be able to find an adult, less manically energetic dog, potentially one that’s house trained and with other basic training. That could suit your needs more.

If you do go for a puppy, do look very hard in to the downsides of each breed. The above post on English bulldogs might sound harsh, but they’re right. Certain breeds are very prone to illnesses and issues, and that is one of them.

I agree with this, we've had a few pups like this after bringing them home, my vet comes round once a month (horses, a few dogs, chickens and the rest so just makes sense he nips in) it has never been anything to worry about! In fact our late collie always had blood in her poo after we travelled in the car! All test done and it was nervousness and the straining to poo after the journey

Not true. Many breeders sell on their nurtured bitches simply because they want to continue breeding dogs.
It's a business, if you like it or not.
Plus, the dog breeding licences stipulate how many dogs one is allowed to keep at any given time.

The MN narrative of dog breeding is a beautiful fairy tale. Nobody breeds dogs just because they want YOU to have a chep puppy out of the goodness of their hearts.

Well, are they backyard breeders that just have a couple of litters or dog hoarders? Because someone who breeds (and often shows) a breed for years can end up with a lot of dogs.

And there's nothing more wrong about selling an adult dog than selling a puppy. It can be done carelessly or carefully.

Decent breeders don’t have loads and loads of litters. They don’t see their dogs as commodities to get shot of when they are done with them.
You are talking about people who only see their dogs as worth something when they are bringing ribbons home. I wouldn’t call that an ethical breeder.
Do decent breeders make money. They certainly can. They also put their life on hold and dedicate themselves completely to a litter when they have one.

I can't see the issue with selling on older neutered studs or breeding bitches either.

I know MN can be a bit weird about breeding though and it seems like unless a very specific set of criteria is met, then the breeder must be horrendous or just in it for cash

There wouldn't be many dogs at all if they were all held to such exacting standards!

Breeding solely for beloved pets is a pretty recent idea. Most dogs were bred to do a job and many still are.

Puppy mills are bad. Developing macho fighting dogs like XL bullies is bad. Overbreeding for aesthetics is bad. "KC Registered" doesn't really impress me much, particularly when it's a breed like pugs.

Meanwhile, it's considered a good thing to rescue dogs with no pedigree or knowledge of background. Even spending money to import feral dogs from developing countries is considered laudible. But you got your puppy because some friend of a friend bred their pet Yorkie to their friend's Shi Tzu? Oh, that's just unacceptable!

I agree! The breeder of my 3 year old dog is a lovely retired vet, she is an agility champ and very committed to her dogs and continuing the line. She breeds one litter a year maximum (at least 2 years between for each bitch) and puts lots of effort into socialising her puppies before they leave her. My girl came already able to sit and having heard enough thunder sounds that she slept through anything. 3 years later the breeder's still at the end of the phone if I need her. She kept a bitch from the previous litter, eventually it became apparent that she wouldn't be able to have pups, so she put a lot of effort into finding her the perfect home and I've seen how settled she is via the breeder's facebook page. Breeding is her livelihood, she doesn't want so many dogs that she can't give each one enough attention. I don't see the issue.

My pup came from a similar set up. All breeding dogs (2) loved and well cared for and we got to meet aunt, gran and sister from another litter, as well as her mum's elderly dog who she had taken on.

All dog breeding is either an accident, business or a hobby. Some a mix of the last two. As long as dogs are bred for health and temperament, the breeder does their due diligence and their own dogs are well cared for during and after then that's just the way it is.

Exactly @JustGettingStarted - it's bonkers.

Our beagle came from a much hated home-breeder. We're still in touch six years later and I'm still friends with all the other owners from our litter. The parents were health tested and the three litters of pups are all happy, healthy and thriving.

@Wolfiefan What do you consider decent and ethical?

• Is it ethical & decent to produce puppies that need a blood test before they are sold?
• Is it ethical & decent to breed dogs that could be born with a crippling conditions such as elbow or hip dysplasia?
• Is it ethical & decent to breed dogs (type) for the hope of the next best in show?
• Is it ethical & decent to breed and sell high energy working dogs dogs as pets?
• Is it ethical & decent to have 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, ... dogs?
and so on.

I could give you a massive long list. It’s ethical to health test and aim to breed healthy dogs that are fit for function. It’s not ethical to subject bitches to pregnancy after pregnancy and then discard them when they are no use. I show my dogs yes but I love them and they are pets and very much part of the family.

God that last bit is so true! Ours got to about 8 months and I was thinking what an absolute dream he was, so well behaved and calm. Then the teenage years hit us like a steam train and he was an absolute dickhead for about 2 years! Felt like he forgot/ignored everything we ever taught him. Luckily he's 6 now and back to being absolutely lovely but my god the teenage stage is HARD