How to know if you are ready for a puppy?

[Anonymous]

Every dog is different. I have a 9 week old yellow lab puppy that we got from a breeder. My parents had her for weeks 6-8 and then brought us to her at 8 weeks. There was one night when she woke up three times, a couple two times and a couple one time nights. She's pretty laid back, does whine for attention but really doesn't bark or make noise otherwise.

Things that are making it easier IMO for us.
1) I always wanted a dog and am perfectly fine being the one responsible for her. Our boys (4 & 7) love her but I'm in charge. D was on the fence but okay with getting her and is quickly falling head over heels for her
2) crate training 100% she's in a crate in our bedroom for naps and nighttime now. Once she's able to get through the night without potty, she'll move out of our room.
3) exercise pen - this has been a total lifesaver. It gives her a safe place to hang out but not get into everything. We have hardwood floors so it's easy to see if she pees and clean it up. We actually have two pens because my home office is upstairs so there's one there and one in the family room.

I don't love the nipping puppy stage but we're working on it and it won't last forever.

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, the fact that 19:11 is getting a 10-hour stretch at night with a four/five-month-old puppy is firmly in the "Results not typical" category

I’m not 19:11 and our puppy has slept 10hr stretches at night since around 4.5/5 months as well. Large breed. Not that uncommon for some large breeds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, the fact that 19:11 is getting a 10-hour stretch at night with a four/five-month-old puppy is firmly in the "Results not typical" category

I’m not 19:11 and our puppy has slept 10hr stretches at night since around 4.5/5 months as well. Large breed. Not that uncommon for some large breeds.

We have a corgi. He regularly slept 9 hours at night from probably 12 weeks, at least 10 hours by 4-5 months and now at 13 months he can easily go up to 12 hours overnight in that he doesn’t even focus on getting out the door, it is me wanting to get his walk in before I start work for the day. On weekends I may not take him out until 9 am and he is happy as a clam until I do. We stopped requiring that he sleep in the crate at about a year, but he still sometimes chooses to sleep in it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We've been talking about getting a small dog. Our kids are 12-8. Youngest is almost 9. We live in a sfh with a small yard (hence the desire for a small dog). DH works from home and I SAHM. My husband acts like he doesn't think we can handle a puppy and I'm like, we had 3 babies and are raising 3 kids??

Are puppies that much harder than babies? How did you know when you were ready to fit a dog into your lifestyle?

IMO no one is really ready for a puppy. We know they're a lot of work but it's hard to appreciate how much until they're actually living with you--and while a dog should fit your lifestyle, you will also need to adjust to the dog. It a relationship that you grow into and if you keep at it and stay patient and loving, the rewards will return to you 10,000 times.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We've been talking about getting a small dog. Our kids are 12-8. Youngest is almost 9. We live in a sfh with a small yard (hence the desire for a small dog). DH works from home and I SAHM. My husband acts like he doesn't think we can handle a puppy and I'm like, we had 3 babies and are raising 3 kids??

Are puppies that much harder than babies? How did you know when you were ready to fit a dog into your lifestyle?

IMO no one is really ready for a puppy. We know they're a lot of work but it's hard to appreciate how much until they're actually living with you--and while a dog should fit your lifestyle, you will also need to adjust to the dog. It a relationship that you grow into and if you keep at it and stay patient and loving, the rewards will return to you 10,000 times.

pp here- a piece of practical advice....with three kids, I would focus on getting a dog with a calm temperament (a less reactive dog). Not only will there be a lot of activity with your own family, your kids will start bringing friends home, and you may have people in and out that you didn't necessarily plan for. A high strung, territorial/protective dog won't work well in that situation. You will want a sweet tempered, affectionate dog that isn't going to react badly to people she doesn't know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What age can you start letting them have the run of the house without being leashed or penned? Right now we have not dog proofed bc we plan on keeping her confined to a play yard if we’re not with her.

Depends on the dog. My parent's dog is 3 and still gets crated when she's going to be alone. She's not bad - she just "forgets" and puts shoes or a chair or a roll of toilet paper in her mouth. My dog was 100% trustworthy being unsupervised in the whole house by about 1.5 years. After potty training she didn't have accidents but would occasionally try to chew on something inappropriate before that age.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If I were you I would pay all the money in the world the breeder to keep the dog for another month and get 12 weeks old pup.
You save on trouble and being super tired, dog will be house broken and able to hold more. You will avoid any huge conflicts in the family who will be tired, busy and exhausted from the chores and puppy whining and all the stuff.

+1. It's better for the dog's socialization, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If I were you I would pay all the money in the world the breeder to keep the dog for another month and get 12 weeks old pup.
You save on trouble and being super tired, dog will be house broken and able to hold more. You will avoid any huge conflicts in the family who will be tired, busy and exhausted from the chores and puppy whining and all the stuff.

+1. It's better for the dog's socialization, too.

Who is socializing the dog for 4 more weeks or training it? Most dogs
Live in barn or kennel they don't have a whole litter inside
Or does it also help that their bladder is bigger?

[Anonymous]

Hey I am the OP of this thread! I saw it pop up on here and did a double take, lol.

Anyway to update you, this thread and other irl advice convinced me that we were NOT ready for a puppy (I need my sleep) so we adopted an older dog instead from the shelter. Such a better choice for us! He’s 2 and was already house trained, new some basic commands (sit, lay, off, drop it, potty), and knows how to settle in the house. He’s part greyhound so he rarely barks, never slobbers, doesn’t shed much, and likes to have long cuddle sessions.

In short, the perfect dog for us and I had no idea he was what we wanted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hey I am the OP of this thread! I saw it pop up on here and did a double take, lol.

Anyway to update you, this thread and other irl advice convinced me that we were NOT ready for a puppy (I need my sleep) so we adopted an older dog instead from the shelter. Such a better choice for us! He’s 2 and was already house trained, new some basic commands (sit, lay, off, drop it, potty), and knows how to settle in the house. He’s part greyhound so he rarely barks, never slobbers, doesn’t shed much, and likes to have long cuddle sessions.

In short, the perfect dog for us and I had no idea he was what we wanted.

Happy news, op! We adopted our first dog around 2 years of age and our second as an 8 week old and it has been tough! Love him to bits but, adolescence is no joke.

Congrats to your new addition

[Anonymous]

Puppies are a TON of work and responsibility - yours, not the kids! training is up the adults in the house. A good trial run for a family is to pet-sit for a known, trained dog for a few days. talk to your firends whose pets you trust and can handle. its a good way to try it out for a few days and help a friend.