The demands of puppy ownership

One of my kids would really, really love a dog. Ideally a puppy. I’m about 75% against the idea.

What is pushing me to 100% no is our neighbours have recently got a puppy. It cost a fortune. It bites all.the.time. And in the two months since they got it they have never left the puppy unsupervised in the house for a single minute. They’ve just asked us to dog sit in a couple of weeks while they go out for 2 hours. The dog will be almost 5 months old then. Is that absolutely necessary? Because if it is then my kid can forget about a puppy. No way could our family function having someone (mostly me!) at home 24/7 for months on end. It would be like having another baby!

I’ve never had a puppy. I grew up with a dog but she came to us as an adult rescue.

Some people might raise their puppy like that but it’s certainly not necessary or even possible in most situations. We didn’t go anywhere for super long the first month or so (no big day trips) while puppy was crated and there was some disturbed sleep for a few weeks especially with my second pup who is more of a sook by nature. They do need more frequent feeds at first too, but my youngest pup is 6mo and no drama at all.

Maybe it depends on the breed? We have a small pug. Much like current covid-dogs, he was a GFC dog. I was home full time for the first few weeks due to work shutdown, then i worked 4 day weeks for a while, then full time. He was alone in his puppy pen during the day when i went to work or out and he was fine, once he was bigger we moved the puppy pen to also overlap the dog door so he could go to the toilet outside. I think maybe because we set that expectation early on, he was used to it. Also, as a small dog, he was easy to contain, and easy to clean up his accidents. He was pretty easy to toilet train actually. We had puppy pads and things, but, when i went back to work, he would rarely have an accident, he would wait for us to come home and let him out.

He did destroy some toys and a couple of beds, and a pair of crocs, but as long as we gave him lots of new things to chew he was happy. he didnt chew furniture (much) or anything majorly bad. It was a bit of hard work at first, but it didnt last long.

My friends dog however managed to destroy an entire couch while they were out. it was a medium to large cross breed from a shelter. Gorgeous sweet dog in the end, just needed some training.

Our nearly 7 month old pup cannot be left unsupervised in the house. She gets into everything and harasses the cats. She cannot be left for too long outside when we are not home for the same reason. She cannot be outside at night due to toads. Luckily DH is now retired so is home 90% of the time or one of the kids is.

Is a combination of her age and breed - BC Kelpie. She's going a bit nuts at the moment due to the weather and being cooped up inside.

It can be breed dependent and it also depends on how much training and what you do to work with the animal. Don't get a working dog like a kelpie, or border collie etc. for a suburban home. And set the expectations early. We have always crated/penned our dogs in an appropriate area while we are not home (Our last dog had an area set up in the garage with a dog door in leading outside to a fenced area). Sometimes even when we were home because we didn't want them inside for whatever reason at that point in time (namely because he shed something fierce). Some dogs can't be trusted to be left along, but enough toys, food, water, dog bed and appropriate space (shade, water, etc.), and key appropriate training, and they should be fine. If it's the back yard, just make sure they have enough to keep them entertained and expect all plants etc. you like to be destroyed or pen the dog away from them.

Some dogs do get separation anxiety, but often it can be exacerbated by dog owners who don't train or work with their dogs appropriately and then wonder why their animals are misbehaved and not acting like they expected. (And it also leads to number of dogs then surrendered and hard to find homes for).

I love puppies and frequently have them here, but I'll be the first to admit they are a lot of work.

However, mine get used to being alone from 8 weeks of age, I've never had one with separation anxiety and my dogs aren't terribly destructive. And I have zero tolerance for biting puppies and that gets nipped in the bud REAL quick, but my adult dogs do a fair bit of the work there too.

They have less tolerance than me.

Question if I can as DD is bugging me for a puppy too...I fully intend to train the puppy and socialise up but how many times a day and for how long each time do you need to spend training I t to sit/stay/wait etc? Im asking so I can make an informed decision about whether I have the time required BEFORE I purchase the puppy

I think it very much depends on the pup. My SIL recently bought a $5k mutt (“cavoodle”) which arrived fresh at 8 weeks old on a plane from a puppy farm/mill. It’s been a full time job, cries all night and even 4 weeks later hasn’t managed to go a day without multiple accidents all over the house. Our pup, now 9years old, arrived from her breeder at 12 weeks old and already having had some toilet training etc, plus she had been with her mum and grandmother since then. She was a dream to train and never chewed anything or went to the toilet on the carpet or anything. Breed might make a difference there too, though I’d have no idea.

It’s so rewarding having a dog, but I’d be very hesitant if they’re going to be alone most of the time (our girl goes to work with DH so is rarely alone for more than a few hours and we didn’t leave her for months after she arrived).

So I have just spent a week with a 1 year old Covid dog.

Because of Covid it wasn't able to be dog socialised too much, so it has anxiety around other dogs. Doesn't help he's a small dog. BIL cannot leave him outside as he barks all the time, so he's now an inside dog. They started with a baby pen, but the dog soon could jump out. Adding a roof didn't help so he now is crated in a barred dog cage during the day. They tend to not leave him more than 6 hours ( hard as both are working and have a bit of a commute, Covid has meant WFH, so not so much of an issue) The dog, when out, wants to play a lot of the time. Would sit down for half an hour, and then get up and start bringing you toys for you to play with it. Was like having a toddler again. The only way to keep the dog out of your way for chores etc was to crate it.

By one year, it was only eating twice a day, so not so hard.

It just reinforced to me I would not like a puppy. It was hard enough with a slighly older dog.

Thanks for your reply Rosie28 we are very much in the planning phase...one reason being neither DH nor i know for certain yet how many days we need to work from the office and there is no way we are going to get a dog unless one of us is at home every day....the breed i want us kbown to be a stubborn breed so im expecting training won't be easy...when you got your pup did you do at home training regularly throughout the day or is it ok to train in the morning and night (before/after work) like I said I will definitely also be enrolling in puppy training pre school though as well it is more the reinforcing training im talking about if that makes sense

Thanks for your reply Rosie28 we are very much in the planning phase...one reason being neither DH nor i know for certain yet how many days we need to work from the office and there is no way we are going to get a dog unless one of us is at home every day....the breed i want us kbown to be a stubborn breed so im expecting training won't be easy...when you got your pup did you do at home training regularly throughout the day or is it ok to train in the morning and night (before/after work) like I said I will definitely also be enrolling in puppy training pre school though as well it is more the reinforcing training im talking about if that makes sense

I’m really not an expert, but we did the puppy school training and then worked one on one with a trainer for a few sessions, then just incorporated it into our day, and into play. She’s a clever dog and learned quickly.

While the kids are young, I would only get a puppy if it’s something you personally want and you can commit to the hard work. I made the mistake of giving in to my ex and young child, neither of whom honoured their promises to walk it. Puppies really are a lot of work - they are like babies in many ways. When we split up, my ex said he didn’t want the dog! So I kept it. I did become fond of the dog as he was happy and sweet natured but he deserved a dog lover owner. He died recently, which was really sad but I will never get another one unless I am living with someone who has a proven past commitment to dog ownership. Now cats however, I love them and we have four in the house!

Your kids can wait until they are older and can do a lot of the work themselves. It won’t kill them to wait, As a compromise you could do intermittent fostering for a dog shelter maybe?

Yeah we got a puppy last year, an 8wk old Cavoodle. Puppies are work, but it’s been extremely rewarding. She does spend a lot of time with us, we both WFH, and did so before COVID, and then she’s also spends up to 8 hours alone if we go out or have stuff on. She regularly goes to the kennel when we go away. Loves a visit to the groomers, we have even met the gorgeous offspring of [mention]FiveAus[/mention] there.

She absolutely loves and adores us, and we’re the same, but we have done the hard work from the day she arrived. Pretty much from the 12wk mark when the vax were all done we started walking her everyday around the park, so she’s had an enormous amount of socializing and is great with every dog so far. Owners will always say no if they’re not a dog that likes to be social. I also took her to puppy classes which was on and off with Covid lockdowns etc.

In a nutshell, it is work, and if your willing and able to put the time at the start it does pay off. Right breed and temperament for the right family and it’s a recipe for success.

Thanks everyone for all your advice the kids are really good actually we have had our current cats for five years and the only times the kids haven't fed them is when they have been on camps without ever having to be asked...also aside from covid of course they always accompany their particular cat to the vet...I have no doubt at all they will help out.

I have also wanted a particular breed of dog for years but never considered it as I always worked in an office however because of covid it may work out that DH and I between us can be home every day...so much has to fall tge right way but I will not be getting a pup until im sure it will be in its best interests

Sorry to derail but [mention]FiveAus[/mention] is it possible I just saw one of your puppies (looked young) in Phillip Island? The most beautiful marled girl (I think girl, pink collar ).

Question if I can as DD is bugging me for a puppy too...I fully intend to train the puppy and socialise up but how many times a day and for how long each time do you need to spend training I t to sit/stay/wait etc? Im asking so I can make an informed decision about whether I have the time required BEFORE I purchase the puppy

We taught the kids that every interaction is a training opportunity. We supervised the children feeding the puppy/dog and making the dog sit and wait until they could eat. It helped to cement the kids as higher in the hierarchy and a provider of food in the dog’s mind. The puppies were never allowed on the couch no matter how cute they were. There is no feeding of scraps or treats from the table so the dog doesn’t learn to beg or think they are allowed food off the table. As puppies, we would get it to ‘perform’ for a treat which was just practicing the basic commands. The stay and wait commands would be short for a puppy but my DD would make our dog wait hours at times, for the command to eat. Seems torturous but I’m confident in her taking a nearly 40kg dog out in public and trust that she has control of him.

We’ve had two instances where a large dog has got free from its petite owner and come attack our dog while we’ve been on a walk. Actually psychological control of the dog is more important than having the dog on a leash.

Our dog needs mental stimulation more than physical exercise. Like humans, we adjust how much food he gets based on his physical output. Last year during covid, he was getting a lot more exercise so we had to up his food. In prior years, he had a lot less walks but was still a happy dog because he got to sniff and mark our shorter route compared to DD taking him out on her runs which doesn’t allow for sniffing and stops.

One of our previous dogs had a strong prey drive and would choose not to eat and leave it as bait to catch birds, the occasional rat or possum. Another dog was a guts and we needed a strict feeding schedule or she would con us into feeding her multiple serves of food a day. They are all individual with their own personalities and quirks.

Maybe consider adopting a young dog that has the basics trained and good with kids?

Sorry to derail but @FiveAus is it possible I just saw one of your puppies (looked young) in Phillip Island? The most beautiful marled girl (I think girl, pink collar ).

Unlikely to be mine but may be related to mine. My boy has sired a number of large litters over that way and quite a few of them were sold locally.

We're back on the puppy train with a new litter due soon. I'm very excited and can't wait to meet the new little ones. Looks like it might be a sizeable litter too.

Maybe consider adopting a young dog that has the basics trained and good with kids?

They are much harder to come by than you can ever imagine. In fact, that would be almost unicorn territory.

Sorry to derail but @FiveAus is it possible I just saw one of your puppies (looked young) in Phillip Island? The most beautiful marled girl (I think girl, pink collar ).

 

Unlikely to be mine but may be related to mine. My boy has sired a number of large litters over that way and quite a few of them were sold locally.

We're back on the puppy train with a new litter due soon. I'm very excited and can't wait to meet the new little ones. Looks like it might be a sizeable litter too.

This little one looked so much like the litters you’ve posted photos of, she was a beauty.

Maybe consider adopting a young dog that has the basics trained and good with kids?

 

They are much harder to come by than you can ever imagine. In fact, that would be almost unicorn territory.

Not with where I volunteer

Our puppy is now 6 months old. She's just lovely!

We did puppy school for training and socializing as well as our own training at home. I'm strict with my rules in the house so she has learnt quickly what is acceptable and is reasonably well behaved.

She sleeps in a big crate with a cover in my room and only sooks if she needs to toilet.

I put a gate in the kitchen and started leaving her home alone with the radio on for short periods as soon as we got her. She's now quite happy on her own with treat toys to play with while I work. She loves to go to the kennel and play with other dogs when we go away.

Toilet training has taken ages! She's finally getting the hang of it now but we've had lots of accidents.

DS and I walk her each day. I've signed him up to an online walking challenge that he counts all his dog walking kms toward to keep him motivated.

She can be crazy at times but I'm so glad we decided to get a puppy!

I just realised that part of my earlier post has gone awol.

With toilet training, a pup that has been ‘trained’ by its mum in a home like environment is much easier to toilet train than one who has come from a a more puppy mill type breeder.

Our dogs all knew to whine and wait at the door to be let out for the toilet. They we trained before they came home with us, to not soil inside the house. We have our dogs trained to use one section of the garden so we don’t have land mines in the main thoroughfares and play areas.

I was reminded of this thread because I went past a shopping centre pet store yesterday. The puppies in the window had no where to toilet other than their little pen. It will be more work for their new humans to house train them than puppies who are brought up in a home environment.