1st time dog (puppy) owner
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Anonymous
| My 9-year-old and I will soon welcome home a young puppy. I work outside of home and live in an apartment. I know this isn't ideal. Any advice on caring for our new friend would be appreciated. I'm reading a lot online, but preparing for life with another newborn is different when I don't know dogs. I've got limited income so am adopting some things from friends and open to less expensive ways to care for our new pet. Kiddo is the real dog lover, but I want to ensure our buddy is well-trained. Thoughts on navigating the parenting of kid and pet would be welcome. How do I give our buddy sufficient exercise while avoiding contact while he is younger and more vulnerable to contracting something? |
Anonymous
| You need to take the puppy to a training class. You also need to be around for the first week or two they come home. You need to pay for a dog walker in the middle of the day. Vaccinations and vet appts cost a decent amount in the beginning. |
Anonymous
| Not every dog needs obedience classes. No need for a midday walker for a baby pup who will sleep a lot in the crate. |
Anonymous
Really? So they just learn to sit/walk on a leash/etc. by themselves? At the very least the puppy needs to go to the bathroom during the day once it's house trained. |
Anonymous
If you are on a limited income this isn’t going to end well. Well care visits alone will cost you hundreds for spay/neutering, heartworm and flea/tick meds and exam. Unless you learn to do it yourself, grooming is expensive. Dog toys, beds, food etc. all adds up. I hope you have about $250/month budgeted. As for puppies, we crate trained and tethered ours first few weeks. Let him out every two or three hours at night to potty; give the potty command (“void” or “hurry hurry”) as he goes and praise profusely. When they get mouthy, scold and turn back on dog. Have toys around for substitution when he chews something he shouldn’t like a shoe. |
Anonymous
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It’s definiteyl a trick to get them socialized while also not exposing them to disease before they have their shots.
The good news is that in an apartment, your pup will meet so many people on your trips outside. That will help. A puppy class will help the little one get used to other dogs. There are cheap ones at pet stores like Pet Smart or more expensive ones at speciality training places. For the first few days, you’ll want to be home to take the puppy out alllll the time. I think my puppy was out every 45-60 minutes for the first day or two while we taught him to potty outside. From there, we make stretched the times out. I will say that the very best dog I ever had lived in an apartment in an urban area for the first six years of his life. He met new people all the time, would lay down if a child asked to pet him, and even had a few hosts at restaurants stashing treats in their patio stands. Congrats on the puppy! The puppy weeks are tough, but you’ll be laughing so much at all the silly behavior. Take lots of pictures and videos! You’ll cherish them when the dog is older. 
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Anonymous
This is so wrong. Puppies need to be socialized. They also can only hold their bladder for a short amount of time (an hour for every month they are old). Early on you will need a walker 2x a day. Then you can transition to 1 time. Our 6 month old cocker spaniel could now go about 5 hours, but she would be desperate. We still use a walker 2x a day. |
Anonymous
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This is the best advice! Seriously, read this cover to cover.
https://www.dogstardaily.com/files/BEFORE%20You%20Get%20Your%20Puppy.pdf |
Anonymous
This is animal abuse. |
Anonymous
| For a first time dog owner you really should get an adult dog. |
Anonymous
+1 Puppies are expensive and time consuming. OP, you have not thought this through. |
Anonymous
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You are basically signing up for an infant. You need someone there mid-day minimum. And be prepared for zero sleep the first few weeks AT LEAST. They have to go out frequently.
And yes, puppies need socialization, but not too much too soon with other dogs. They can’t go do a dog park until they have their rabies, at like 5 months (sorry, can’t remember). Find a neighbor with a dog and have some short together time. I’m a life-long dog owner, and have had many puppies over the years. Not sure I’ll do it anymore bc I’m getting too old for the 2am trips outside in the freezing cold. |
Anonymous
+1. So much more expensive than I imagined for necessities (check ups, neutering, heartguard). Getting a rescue saves a few hundred upfront but puppies are expensive. |
Anonymous
+1 |
Anonymous
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Living in the an apartment is not a big deal, but being out of the house all day is hard with a puppy, The rule of thumb is a puppy can hold its bladder for roughly 1 hr/each month of age. (These varies -- bigger breeds have bigger bladders.) So if you bring home a 8 week puppy, that dog will likely have to go out every 2 hours, INCLUDING through the night.
So you cannot get a 8 week puppy and then not be home for 8 hrs a day during the day. It's just not fair to the dog and it's not going to end well. In your situation, I would highly recommend a crate trained 1 or 2 year old young dog, one that is already house trained and can stay at home. Even a young dog is going to need a dog-walker midday (any chance you can come home at lunch?) if you are out of the house all day. |