How to know if you are ready for a puppy?

[Anonymous]

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?

[Anonymous]

A puppy is a lot of work and grows into a dog that ties you down—harder to go on vacations, harder to do long day trips without the dog to make sure they get ample exercise and time outside.

But...a dog (IMO!) is so worth it. So much joy, so much unconditional love. Our dog is always happy when we come home. She gives us a reason to go on daily family walks. We love her and consider her a part of our family. Your kids are old enough to help, which is great!

But if your dh isn’t on board, it may not be the right time for you.

[Anonymous]

You sound as ready as anyone ever is. The thing is, your kids probably promise you now that they'll take care of the dog, and they probably will for a while, but then their enthusiasm will wane. If the dog isn't sleeping at night for a while, that will probably be on you. For a while, it's like having a newborn.

We got a rescue who had a good schedule and did well at night from the very beginning. He was 6 months old, so still had a lot of puppy energy and cuteness, but he was mostly housebroken and that was great.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You sound as ready as anyone ever is. The thing is, your kids probably promise you now that they'll take care of the dog, and they probably will for a while, but then their enthusiasm will wane. If the dog isn't sleeping at night for a while, that will probably be on you. For a while, it's like having a newborn.

We got a rescue who had a good schedule and did well at night from the very beginning. He was 6 months old, so still had a lot of puppy energy and cuteness, but he was mostly housebroken and that was great.

OP here.

How long does this part last, typically? The day to day care doesn't worry me but the overnights do. I remember when my babies were getting up every two hours or less to eat and that was hell. IS that what it's like with a puppy? Aren't you supposed to let them sleep in a crate at night?

[Anonymous]

Yes, sleep in a crate is a huge help with housebreaking.

Puppies are easier in some ways than babies and harder. Think of it more like having a toddler. A toddler that needs to be taken outside multiple times every day regardless of the weather. A toddler that chews anything it can get its teeth on. Also, a puppies teeth are sharp as needles for the first few months. Expect your children to say they hate the puppy at some point. They will love the puppy, but a puppy tests everyone's nerves.

I kept our puppy on a leash in the house at all times that he was not in the crate or outside or being played with for a couple of months. A puppy needs consistency to learn to be house broken. This is not a small thing. you cannot trust your children to always get it right, so you are in charge.

We pulled up all the carpets on our first floor except one for the first 8 months we had the puppy because it was too inviting a place to go potty.

I LOVE our puppy who is now 13 months old, but there were times I really questioned our decision to get him.

[Anonymous]

And the waking in the middle of the night thing is short lived. Nothing like waking up for baby for months.

[Anonymous]

You guys are scaring me. We're getting our first dog - a puppy - in May.

[Anonymous]

We have two dogs that we got as puppies. Never had to take them out overnight. No water after 7:30 pm, take them out to pee at 11 pm for a final time. Have both a crate for overnight and daytime naps, plus a play pen of some sort. Definitely helps to have a fenced yard as well.

[Anonymous]

Generally puppies have to go out every X hours with X being how old they are in months, until they get to about 5-6 months, then they have to go like an adult dog, until they get old and need to go more often!

So if you get a 10-week-old puppy, it has to go out every 2.5 hours, round the clock. It will be a hard few months. You can expect accidents in the house and at least a few of your belongings to get destroyed, probably by chewing. Puppies are cute but they are a lot of work. It sounds like your family is ready for a dog if you want to put the work in. Puppies are a bit extra work, but any dog you get will need house training and obedience training and exercise and feeding and vet care.

[Anonymous]

Understand that the responsibility for the pet is on the adults. Don't base getting one on your kids' promises to help, or your determination to make them help or there will be consequences. Your dog will need frequent walks, and you will need to be the one doing it because you can't be sure your kids will scoop the poop, nor that they will be able to manage in a potentially dangerous situation, such as an off-leash dog running up to yours.

An 8-week-old puppy can make it through the night if it hasn't had water for four hours, but you will need to get up and take the dog out first thing every morning every day, no sleeping in or showering first.

Your days will be broken into 2-hour segments, after which the puppy will need to go out. Sports practice is often at fields that don't allow pets. Even an outdoor restaurant won't work with a puppy; they don't know how to behave yet. You can't just tie your puppy up and go into a store for a quick errand. The logistics are A LOT.

But puppies are the best. They're soft! They have puppy breath! They think you're a goddess!

[Anonymous]

Just for perspective, our puppy (got at 9 weeks) slept through the night by the end of his first week. He’s a bigger dog though (standard poodle), and usually bigger dogs can hold it longer, earlier. I don’t think the size of your yard should determine the size of your dog. We wanted a dog who could keep up on hikes and was a little more “rugged” than smaller pups. We had Golden retrievers in the past which are GREAT family dogs and really don’t need a big yard. They DO need exercise but usually love walks and jogs (when older). Would have done Golden again but have allergies in the family. Our puppy is great but is a s-ton of work. He’s also very mouthy which is super annoying to the kids and makes it hard for them to play with him. He’ll eventually turn out to be a great dog, but for certain it’s a lot of work to get there. Look at breeds and lifestyle before settling on a breed. Also be aware that getting a puppy can take a long time depending on the breed, and there are way more disreputable breeders than not. Educate yourself.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

Ask yourself:

-Are you ready to clean up pee and poo accidents in your house? There will be many as you train the puppy.
-Are you ready for your days and nights to revolve around the puppy for a few (or several) weeks?
-Are you ready for barking? The quantity depends on the puppy.
-Are you ready to spend a lot of time training the puppy? Not just house breaking but all house rules: which rooms are ok, which objects are ok to play with and chew, etc. Then as the puppy is a bit older, you'll need to teach basic commands, how to walk on a leash.
-What will your plan be when your family goes on vacation? Day trips?
-Are you ready to welcome a new member of the family who will be with you for several years? One of our dogs lived until the age of 16.

Dogs are wonderful but they are a lot of work as puppies and as they age.

[Anonymous]

If intimidated by a puppy, perhaps a slightly older dog would be a good fit. Puppies are a lot of work, for sure. I got one when I was single, WFH, and it seemed like a piece of cake. Next one I adopted was when my child was young. I forgot how demanding puppies can be! It was much, much harder while also having a child and house to care for.

[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?

1. Don't get a puppy... puppy.. 8 week puppy is a HELL LOT OF WORK. and no, not less then a baby if you want to do it right, that means waking up at night, going into cold otudoors. So worse then t he baby as you don't need to take baby out at night.

2. It is usually DHs who don't want dogs. Puzzling mystery. They fear that the dog walking will fell on them, and while usually they need more walking then dog at this age they fight it. But.. also there is a matter of emotional well being and going agaist everyone is not fair and also kids really could use a dog. Developmentally and emotionally, big plus as they have something to culddle, love and learn to take care that is not a human and has needs. Also this is great therapy on many levels. Husbands are oblivious to benefits and only see problems. They eventually get used to the dog but if a DH is not into it now he most likely won't love it but this is not the reson
to hinder everyone else rights to have dog. You have a right to have a dog, you have a right for your kids to have a dog. This is s uper selfish not to let you all have a dog. The thing is that all of you often had to do things that DH needed or wanted so this is where is time to be considerate for him. Life is not all about him. It is a negotiation and now is time to meet you half way and have a dog.
He had his way so far, kids had no dog for half of their lives so for the next half they should have it.

3. Your kids are JUST RIGHT if not bit too late for the dog, last chance to bond. Teens and Tweens gradually move to their big life stuff so soon a dog for them will became a chore. So last chance to experience a dog.

4. You will need a dog for you guys soon as kid will became independent OVERNIGHT and you will have a lot of mental and emotional space to fill righ t in.