Preparing for our first family puppy next summer, what basics matter most?

[Perkyduck131]

We’re thinking of getting our first family dog next summer when our children will be 10 and 11, probably a Labrador or Golden Retriever. I’m a teacher so will be off all summer with the kids, our plan is to not go away so that we can spend some time getting our heads round all the changes!

DH grew up with dogs but I’ve never had one, and realistically, due to work schedules, I’ll be doing most of the day-to-day care. I want to use the next year to make sure we’re properly prepared.

What are the absolute basics I need to know/have in place before a puppy even arrives?

For example, what age do you start puppy classes and how early do you need to book them? What should we have ready at home? What’s the average timeline between contacting a breeder and bringing the puppy home?

I can research breeds, breeders, insurance etc, but I’m more interested in all the practical stuff that experienced dog owners know and a complete novice wouldn’t even think to ask!

What do you wish someone had told you before your first dog? Any advice/book suggestions/websites would be really appreciated.

I remember thinking I was completely prepared for a baby after doing NCT classes and then promptly drowning 😂, so I really don’t want to make the same mistake and just assume we’ll figure it all out as we go!

I don’t know if you’re a cosleep with the babies type person or a sleep training person but if ultimately you want your dog to cuddle you in the sofa or be allowed on beds don’t work hard on crating etc unless you really want that. I’m a dog cuddler and have them on the sofas but my dog sleeps on the kids beds not mine but she can come up in the morning. I bought a crate thinking it was what I should be doing they seemed to be very popular at the time but I should not have bothered. I would start with some sort of barrier/area like a little pen and be prepared to keep working on toilet training. Don’t leave chewable stuff around ie anything plastic or fabric. They’re like babies/kids, they need a lot of love and a lot of direction!

Sorry yes photos please 😀

Four months into having our first family puppy and I could write essays on this and will if I have the time but one thing to bear in mind is the current heat. We got DPup on the first day of the Easter holidays and those holidays were manageable - DPup came out with us wherever we went in his sling, we had lots of friends over and we did loads of socialising. I have actually found this holiday much harder work and purely due to the heat. DPup has to be walked early most days due to the heat, he hasn’t been able to come with us on many of the things we’d normally do over the holidays as it’s just too hot to have a dog out in the day and we can’t put him in doggy day care as isn’t open when the temp is above 28 degrees as, despite having a shaded area and an air con cabin, they can’t restrict all of the dogs to there, and the dog walker understandably doesn’t do walks and can do home visits but they’re obviously shorter. I feel as though a lot of my summer has been spent at home trying to train and engage a puppy. It has been rather dull!