Puppy under the Christmas tree logistics

[Anonymous]

We got our puppy on Christmas Eve. While husband was picking him up I sat the kids down and told them we were getting a puppy. (I videoed it so husband could see their reactions) We did this because we didn’t want to scare the puppy with all the excitement that comes with being told you are getting a much loved and wanted puppy. We were able to prepare and give our puppy a gentle welcome that didn’t scare him. It’s been five years now and we do cherish the now dog.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd have a stuffed animal puppy in a box for the kids to open for Xmas morning and then pick the dog up with the kids on the 26th.

This exactly. We’ve done this multiple times.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd have a stuffed animal puppy in a box for the kids to open for Xmas morning and then pick the dog up with the kids on the 26th.

This exactly. We’ve done this multiple times.

Yes!! Maybe you could even have different toys for the dog wrapped and each kid opens one maybe one thing a leash one is a dog bowl, etc. until they figure it out. Having a new puppy is seriously hard and I don’t think it’s right to ask a grandparent to handle that for a day or two especially at the holidays when things are already busy. Having Grandma and Grandpa wake up every hour or two during that time seems very unfair.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP was it you who dreamed of the puppy under the tree? Have kids expressed that recently? Surely they know Santa is an abstraction, right? That you are getting them the puppy?

I agree get puppy before the holiday or after during the break before NYE. Especially if you are entertaining it will be more stressful for the puppy afterwards.

Op here. All the kids know a puppy is coming. They all believe in Santa. We’ve been asking them what they want for Christmas and all of them say they want a puppy.

Yes they’d know the puppy was from us and not Santa. I’d assume they’d think Santa made it happen though.

We can only pick up the puppy on the December 22 or 23 due to the breeders schedule.

Maybe my post was too flippant but this was a major decision for us and we’ve been patiently waiting for over a year. This isn’t a toy for us.

You keep saying that, but you don’t acknowledge how hard it would be to ask other family members to watch an untrained puppy for 24 to 48 hours during CHRISTMAS!!

[Anonymous]

Please don't put the puppy in a box. The puppy is already going to be nervous and scared. Having 3 excited kids rip open a box and start screaming is going to scare the poor puppy. I also don't think it's a great idea for the puppy to be taken away from its family, then go to someone else's house for the day and then to a new house the next day.

Can you or your partner go pick up the puppy, text you when they're nearby and you can tell the kids there is an early present to open? Let them each open a box with a puppy related item (leash, toy, food bowl, etc) and your partner can come in with the puppy once they've opened the gifts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m surprised all these comments on missing out on bonding. Small dogs have a much longer puppyhood than larger ones. They’re still nursing at 8 weeks. They have bad separation anxiety from being taken from their moms too soon.

The noises coming from the box will be heartbreaking high pitched whines, not easy still temporary silence

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I get the impulse to do this because your pick up day is so close to Christmas. But I would caution against it.

The puppy is not a toy - he’s a member of the family. And the kids should respect it as such.

Also, the puppy needs to settle into his new house and routine from the get go for a successful integration. He’s leaving his the only people/pack he’s ever known to join yours and live in a totally foreign environment. If you want to bond correctly, he needs to connect with you all right away. 12 weeks is on the older side for getting a puppy. Those first 100 days of puppyhood are absolutely key for how he responds to people/kids/other animals.

I would take the kids to the breeder with me to pickup the puppy. It can still be their special memory of Christmas time this year. They don’t need a puppy in a box on Christmas morning.

+1M

[Anonymous]

A bow taped on the collar is more humane

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd have a stuffed animal puppy in a box for the kids to open for Xmas morning and then pick the dog up with the kids on the 26th.

+1

[Anonymous]

My puppy is now 1. Just thinking of the logistics of trying to pull this off is stressing me out! You really should do your best to make the first introduction between kids and the puppy as peaceful as possible. Christmas is just not that day--too much excitement and crazy and emotions wrapped up together. Our puppy cried the entire first two nights she was home despite me sleeping next to her crate. I cleaned so much poop and pee those first few days. Not sure how I could have kept her hidden.

Instead, the kids were prepped to be calm when they met her after school the day we picked her up. They made her cards and it was such a sweet moment (followed by all the chaos the first couple weeks of puppy-at-home brings!). She's absolutely awesome now and all was worth it.

Hope that it's a beautiful time for your family but definitely be realistic about the blood, sweat pee, poo and tears of those early days!

[Anonymous]

Noooo. Get your puppy the day they are ready. Bring them home and say Santa brought them early. Wrap toys for puppy under the tree and involve them on Christmas morning. Santa always bring toys and treats for our pets (who we treat like living breathing family members).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP was it you who dreamed of the puppy under the tree? Have kids expressed that recently? Surely they know Santa is an abstraction, right? That you are getting them the puppy?

I agree get puppy before the holiday or after during the break before NYE. Especially if you are entertaining it will be more stressful for the puppy afterwards.

Op here. All the kids know a puppy is coming. They all believe in Santa. We’ve been asking them what they want for Christmas and all of them say they want a puppy.

Yes they’d know the puppy was from us and not Santa. I’d assume they’d think Santa made it happen though.

We can only pick up the puppy on the December 22 or 23 due to the breeders schedule.

Maybe my post was too flippant but this was a major decision for us and we’ve been patiently waiting for over a year. This isn’t a toy for us.

Then stop focusing on the photo-op and act like you understand the gravity of the decision to add a puppy to a family with young kids. If your kids won't be just as excited to see the puppy on Christmas because it's been around for 2-3 days and the newness has worn off, you're not ready for a puppy. At all.

If your breeder is responsible, they'd be fine with you picking up the puppy after christmas, when all the holiday chaos has been sorted. That's the most responsible plan. Second best is taking the kids with you to the breeder for puppy pickup. If you think they're going to whinge about the trip, well, again, that's important commentary on your/their readiness to have responsibility for a puppy. Third best is leaving the kids with the grandparents while an adult gets the puppy, and doing "Santa didn't want the puppy to have to wait in the sleigh so he trusted us with an early Christmas gift", which still affords you the puppy-in-a-box photo, if you're super into the puppy being a prop. Fourth would be enlisting your grands to help you get the puppy home surreptitiously and keep it hidden but handled for a couple days. If you can't coordinate those logistics, you're probably not ready for a puppy.

Suggesting the puppy go to the grands for a couple days so you can time its arrival to coordinate with the whole Santa myth says a LOT about how you see the puppy, whether or not you cop to it. The thread is right to point this out, and you'd be wise to actually listen to it instead of trying to explain it away.

[Anonymous]

If you let them get the puppy in a separate day, then you can have TWO super exciting moments with your kids. All the fun of bringing home puppy, and then all the excitement of Christmas morning with Santa!

And you aren’t stressed by logistics. It’s a win-win, especially in light of their already anticipating the puppy. It’s not a total surprise anyways.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP was it you who dreamed of the puppy under the tree? Have kids expressed that recently? Surely they know Santa is an abstraction, right? That you are getting them the puppy?

I agree get puppy before the holiday or after during the break before NYE. Especially if you are entertaining it will be more stressful for the puppy afterwards.

Op here. All the kids know a puppy is coming. They all believe in Santa. We’ve been asking them what they want for Christmas and all of them say they want a puppy.

Yes they’d know the puppy was from us and not Santa. I’d assume they’d think Santa made it happen though.

We can only pick up the puppy on the December 22 or 23 due to the breeders schedule.

Maybe my post was too flippant but this was a major decision for us and we’ve been patiently waiting for over a year. This isn’t a toy for us.

They ALL believe in Santa? Well there's your dilemma.

[Anonymous]

Get a shelter dog for Christmas. That would be the generous thing. That would be the Christmas spirit.