S/o how has getting a dog changed your house?

[Anonymous]

Our puppy just turned one. It's our first puppy. Our last dog was adopted when she was six. I can't believe how long it took to housetrain! I like having him around though. He needs a lot of attention. One positive is that I have to take him out on long walks everyday or he goes nuts. It's the only reason I haven't gained a ton of weight this year.

[Anonymous]

Yes, it’s a lot of work and I can’t keep my house as nice as I’d like because her toys are all over the place, and she’s dirty and sheds everywhere. But I will never, ever not have a dog. I can’t even imagine our lives without her.

We have a beagle and the puppy phase was rough. But since then, she has calmed down considerably and is the sweetest, most docile dog. I do echo what a PP said about having to change your habits and consider your dog in every single you do. We can’t leave food out anywhere (again, beagle), meals are tough because we always have to reinforce the training, and she can’t reliably be off leash. But oh my, what joy that dog brings to our lives every single day.

[Anonymous]

ON the plus side - my lab mix has been an emotional support dog or my kids at various pints ans that is very valuable. When times are tough - from friend drama or illness or other set back to really tough - like the death of a grandparent - a dog will happily lick away many tears with no complaints and no need to talk about it.

[Anonymous]

12-week or puppy:

My kids finally pick up their shoes.

He's been an emotional support puppy after the death of a sports coach.

He can be annoying.

It's A LOT of work.

We feel more tied to the house but during the time of COVID, what's the difference.

[Anonymous]

We don't get puppies. We would only ever adopt a dog 12 months or older.

Having a dog is great. Unconditional love. Emotionally supportive. If any of the kids are upset the dog will find them and sit with them. A reason to get outside twice a day at minimum.

When step-DD was having trouble with reading I plopped her down on the floor with the dog and told her to read to the dog. It became a ritual and she got better, in large part because she felt no judgment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have to buy cheap area rugs because they need to be replaced about once per year.

Same.

I feel very bad because of environmental / landfill issues, but, I have to buy entire new sets of cheap IKEA or Walmart throw rugs about 3 times a year (and throw out the old ones; they're entirely ruined from pee, diarrhea, etc.). I probably buy 20 rugs a year.

I have multiple dogs and I need to cover the hardwood floors because without rugs, the dogs slip and blow out their knees and hips.

[Anonymous]

It's gotten a lot hairier.

[Anonymous]

A lot more vigilant when other children are in my house. Even a dog that you trust with children cannot be 100% trusted and when other kids come over you don't know if they know how to behave with a dog.

Also, I vacuum every day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We don't get puppies. We would only ever adopt a dog 12 months or older.

Having a dog is great. Unconditional love. Emotionally supportive. If any of the kids are upset the dog will find them and sit with them. A reason to get outside twice a day at minimum.

When step-DD was having trouble with reading I plopped her down on the floor with the dog and told her to read to the dog. It became a ritual and she got better, in large part because she felt no judgment.

This! If you're a first time dog owner, start with an adult because puppies are a sh*t ton of work especially if it's your first dog.

[Anonymous]

Now that I’ve had a dog for 3 years, I don’t think I could live without one. When he is at daycare or the groomer our house feels empty and quiet - I love my little shadow and never feel lonely. As others have said, puppies are a PITA. This was our first dog and we got him at 2 months; for the first 3 months he was home I was miserable and didn’t get any sleep. But you accept some stains on the rugs, some chewed furniture, and eventually that stage ends. Even an adult dog is a huge commitment, though. When I see friends decide to take their kids to six flags on a whim without planning I wonder what it would be like to be spontaneous. You really can’t be with a dog. Is it worth it? A million percent.

[Anonymous]

I’ve had a puppy for two months and so regret it. I thought it would be great for my kids and us being at home so much, but she’s not responding to training well and I just don’t have the time. I am so sorry I did this to her and my kids....

[Anonymous]

My dog just died and there is no where in our house or yard that doesn't remind us of him. He was always with us. You start to build routines around and involving your dog that just become so very normal and when they end there is this huge empty hole in your life. It is worth it.

When he was a puppy he did chew on some of the doorways. He had every chew toy on the market but the door frame's were his favorite. I'd try yuck spray but then he would find another one. It was a short phase and a carpenter/handy man fixed it for not much money.

There was always a lot of mud drug in when it snowed or rained but not as much as the kids drug in. Having an area with tile or travertine that is easy to clean to de-mud children and dogs is very useful. Hair will get everywhere and you will end up spending a lot on vacuum cleaners.

You probably will keep your house much less cluttered and no one will leave food sitting around. We didn't really do that before but with a dog you learn to dog proof your habits. I'll always put my coffee down on a high surface because my dog always wanted to drink coffee.

[Anonymous]

Our sweet dog just makes everyone in our house happy. We can be stressed and just giving her a belly rub or watching her goofy running about playing with toys lightens the mood. She’s such a loved dog.

(OMG the hair, it’s everywhere)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My dog just died and there is no where in our house or yard that doesn't remind us of him. He was always with us. You start to build routines around and involving your dog that just become so very normal and when they end there is this huge empty hole in your life. It is worth it.

When he was a puppy he did chew on some of the doorways. He had every chew toy on the market but the door frame's were his favorite. I'd try yuck spray but then he would find another one. It was a short phase and a carpenter/handy man fixed it for not much money.

There was always a lot of mud drug in when it snowed or rained but not as much as the kids drug in. Having an area with tile or travertine that is easy to clean to de-mud children and dogs is very useful. Hair will get everywhere and you will end up spending a lot on vacuum cleaners.

You probably will keep your house much less cluttered and no one will leave food sitting around. We didn't really do that before but with a dog you learn to dog proof your habits. I'll always put my coffee down on a high surface because my dog always wanted to drink coffee.

I am sorry for your loss.

[Anonymous]

Maybe we lucked out, but we are having a great time with our pandemic puppy. I wouldn’t say he’s fully house trained but he doesn’t have accidents because we are very proactive about taking him outside. We crate trained him for about the first month (take him out to pee- if he does, he gets 30 minutes to an hour out of the crate and then back in. Sounds worse than it is because truly they sleep a lot). The best change is that my poor sleeping dd is not sleeping through the night with the puppy in bed with her and second: my husband is surprisingly affectionate which I find sweet. Last thing: we got a small dog, a shih tzu. We know our limits good luck!