Omg I'm obsessed with puppies. Even when mine was so so hard, the cuteness and softness just melts my heart! I love looking at videos of my dog as a pup. Remind yourself that the hard stuff will get better and early training is worth it.

Puppy sploots make it all worth it! I miss them. He’s 70lbs and can no longer sploot.

My dog is a large breed. I can’t just pick him up and hold him on my lap, so enjoy that part. The little sounds they make when they’re sleeping when they’re really tiny are so adorable. They’re so funny the first time they see their reflection in a window or mirror. It’s fun to give them scratches and see the scratch reflex make a leg twitch.

Congratulations and enjoy your puppy!

Housebreaking was more difficult than I realized it would be. Tie the leash to your belt. It's annoying but it beats accidents.

It was worth it. Now we have a sweet, chill 5 year old dog who is so kind and loyal.

Our little puppy had to wear a dog diaper for about a week because she literally didn't know when she was peeing and just was leaky! We were very remiss in that we took NO pictures of her in her diaper with her little tail sticking out.

Potty training was complete, once she could tell that she had to pee and asked to go out.

She was a delightful little pup! Much easier than training the feral adult dog we got later.

Have fun with your puppy!

We had the sweetest little puppy who didn’t take long to house train and loved her crate and was generally pretty easy. Now we have the cutest, sweetest dog who continues to be pretty easy. She barks too much and sheds, but those are the only things I’d change.

I can't say I love it but my kids and husband really love our new puppy. Its a lot of work.

Oh my gosh, it’s so fun to watch them learn! They are just sponges—it’s fascinating to see how my puppy patterned behaviors and learned skills by the day.

And then poof! They’re teenagers with a penchant for chewing everything.

Is this your only dog? My puppy is the third dog in the household, and honestly the two adults are raising her for me, lol

Get elbow length leather work gloves and you'll be fine. Get a beanbag chair to sit in on the floor and snuggle them.

The cuteness! Just thinking about how frackin cute my dog was when she was a baby makes me smile. She brought us so much pure joy with her adorableness. The puppy smell! The warm cuddly naps on your lap. The big round potato belly after a good meal. The big clumsy feet when they haven’t grown into them yet. Playing with the soft little ears. You’re going to love it.

I never get baby fever anymore, but I do get puppy fever.

I loved how little and itty bitty she was and how she looked at me with her big eyes understanding I was her protector.

The potty training actually went really well, and was blessedly short for our 10 week old medium breed puppy. If you're getting a small breed, it might take longer. Of course I made the mistake of bringing home a puppy in the coldest week of January, so those first few days getting up every 2-3 hours were COLD. We had to watch him like a hawk inside during the day, and as soon as he wanted to pee, grab him and take him outside. He learned quickly not to go in the house, what with me yelling when he peed inside. You've got to make a fuss AS they're having the accident, otherwise it's hard for them to connect the pee/poo indoors to your displeasure. Hence the watching like a hawk. If you do that, you'll be done in no time at all.

I didn’t love the puppy stage. Mostly, our dog was just cute. She wasn’t even bad, we just weren’t ready for how she would turn our life upside down. But man, do I LOVE my dog now. I just finished cuddling with her on the couch. It’s so worth it.

The same wholly unconditional love and adoration that you get from newborns. Only when you're feeding them, of course. But for that moment, you are their world and can do no wrong - just like a newborn baby human.

Oh, and the really soft fur. Just wanted to bury my cheek in their side all day long.

I’m getting a puppy soon and am well aware of the challenges I face. I have 3 kids and liken puppy ownership to reverting back to the newborn period, which is not my favorite stage. So please tell me what you loved (or wish you’d stopped to appreciate) about having a puppy. Thanks!