Anonymous
07/31/2020 17:43
Subject: Re:S/o how has getting a dog changed your house?
I also have to give up on all nice expensive carpets. Even though our dog is fully trained, he still has accidents sometimes. So I rolled all my nice carpets and now using cheap staff from HomeGoods.
Anonymous
07/31/2020 17:41
Subject: Re:S/o how has getting a dog changed your house?
Anonymous wrote:You are getting great advice. Here is some of mine, from the perspective of a two dog household.
Puppy phase:
Exhausting (like having a newborn)
Need to be disciplined about training
Make sure puppy is socialized
Chewing can be a problem, so you have to keep the house picked up
Lots of accidents
We had plenty of vet visits the first year ($$$$)
All ages:
Veterinary care is very expensive
Make sure you have the time to spend with the dog so that the dog isn't crated too much
Makes vacations more expensive - We take our dogs with us most of the time, but hotels usually charge extra.
We also now have less expensive area rugs, although my dogs have fewer accidents. They still have some (bigger dogs are better about not having accidents than smaller dogs).
There will be days when you are exhausted and don't feel like taking them out, but you have to do it
There will be days when you are in a rush to go somewhere (I sort of remember what that was like) and they won't pee or poop or otherwise cooperate
Need to have a schedule and make sure family members are pitching in. Your kids will say they want a dog and promise to pitch in, but forget their promises one the dog is actually in your house.
You will stop taking photos of your kids and your camera roll will consist only of cute dog pictures.
Having listed the drawbacks, the positives far outweigh all of them. You do need to be sure you have the resources to pay for veterinary care, preventatives, boarding/walking/daycare or whatever you choose. After that, get ready for love and laughter. I have a spouse who isn't an animal person, and even he will admit that our dogs have brought great joy to our household. They are always happy to see you. They do funny things and make you laugh. In normal times, they made my grumpy teenager smile in the early morning hours. They snuggle with us when watching TV. Basically, for all the aggravation, they have made our lives happier and richer. During the pandemic, my dogs have been the most trusted, loyal companions I could imagine. In fact, I can't even begin to imagine living through this stressful period without them.
This all. I trully believe that our funny french bulldog is the reason why my teens never needed a therapy. He is able to make them laugh even on their grumpiest PMS days. So, when I am spending on the next vet bill, I always remind myself I could be paying for kid's therapy or unti-depressants.
Anonymous
07/31/2020 14:57
Subject: S/o how has getting a dog changed your house?
MOST of the time, as the dog gets older, it becomes extremely easy/second nature. But like with most things in life, we tend to forget how hard the puppy phase is, and how LONG it feels. I remember thinking that once the dog was potty trained, life would be good but... not really. The energy and supervision for younger dogs is just a lot. There's no way around it.
My dog is 8 now, and I sometimes consider getting a second, but it's only a fleeting thought. Because right now, he's SO easy. He gets up when I get up, for the most part. He likes his walks, but that's generally enough excitement for him, and it doesn't need to be a strict schedule. Otherwise, he really likes just being near me, chewing on an antler or playing with a toy. And most of the time, he's resting/sleeping.
My dog is 8 now, and I sometimes consider getting a second, but it's only a fleeting thought. Because right now, he's SO easy. He gets up when I get up, for the most part. He likes his walks, but that's generally enough excitement for him, and it doesn't need to be a strict schedule. Otherwise, he really likes just being near me, chewing on an antler or playing with a toy. And most of the time, he's resting/sleeping.
Anonymous
07/31/2020 14:49
Subject: S/o how has getting a dog changed your house?
Our guest room has turned into the dog room. We have baby gates all over. But I love them anyways
Anonymous
07/27/2020 21:53
Subject: S/o how has getting a dog changed your house?
Anonymous wrote:One week in on the new puppy thing.
I take night shift, my 13 year old son takes day shift (which means he helps, he doesn't do it all).
6am up, out, feed, play for an hour, out, then nap.
9am repeat, other than food.
noon, repeat with a meal.
3pm repeat other than food.
5pm, food, watches us eat fairly calmly. Then we exercise/play him almost 2 hours.
7pm one short nap, then repeat everything.
10am bedtime.
Sometimes i have to get up around 3am for a potty break. But sometimes he sleeps through the night.
Arms and hands are scratched up pretty badly from puppy nipping. We sub out chew toys, but still he gets us.
He likes to chew on electrical cords, so he can't be unsupervised anywhere.
He's very happy with the crate as long as he gets sufficient exericse all day.
Not too many accidents in the house as long as we take him out a lot. Not sure at what point we will understand whether he's truly house trained....
I'm working at home and while I can manage my work schedule and new puppy schedule, it's getting difficult to fit my own exercise regimen in. I miss that.
It's a LOT of work. But it's also a lot of fun.
If your puppy is getting extra nippy at night you might want to try putting him to bed earlier. Overtired is a real thing, this was a great improvement for us when we realized it.
Anonymous
07/25/2020 08:24
Subject: S/o how has getting a dog changed your house?
One week in on the new puppy thing.
I take night shift, my 13 year old son takes day shift (which means he helps, he doesn't do it all).
6am up, out, feed, play for an hour, out, then nap.
9am repeat, other than food.
noon, repeat with a meal.
3pm repeat other than food.
5pm, food, watches us eat fairly calmly. Then we exercise/play him almost 2 hours.
7pm one short nap, then repeat everything.
10am bedtime.
Sometimes i have to get up around 3am for a potty break. But sometimes he sleeps through the night.
Arms and hands are scratched up pretty badly from puppy nipping. We sub out chew toys, but still he gets us.
He likes to chew on electrical cords, so he can't be unsupervised anywhere.
He's very happy with the crate as long as he gets sufficient exericse all day.
Not too many accidents in the house as long as we take him out a lot. Not sure at what point we will understand whether he's truly house trained....
I'm working at home and while I can manage my work schedule and new puppy schedule, it's getting difficult to fit my own exercise regimen in. I miss that.
It's a LOT of work. But it's also a lot of fun.
I take night shift, my 13 year old son takes day shift (which means he helps, he doesn't do it all).
6am up, out, feed, play for an hour, out, then nap.
9am repeat, other than food.
noon, repeat with a meal.
3pm repeat other than food.
5pm, food, watches us eat fairly calmly. Then we exercise/play him almost 2 hours.
7pm one short nap, then repeat everything.
10am bedtime.
Sometimes i have to get up around 3am for a potty break. But sometimes he sleeps through the night.
Arms and hands are scratched up pretty badly from puppy nipping. We sub out chew toys, but still he gets us.
He likes to chew on electrical cords, so he can't be unsupervised anywhere.
He's very happy with the crate as long as he gets sufficient exericse all day.
Not too many accidents in the house as long as we take him out a lot. Not sure at what point we will understand whether he's truly house trained....
I'm working at home and while I can manage my work schedule and new puppy schedule, it's getting difficult to fit my own exercise regimen in. I miss that.
It's a LOT of work. But it's also a lot of fun.
Anonymous
07/23/2020 13:29
Subject: S/o how has getting a dog changed your house?
I spend a fortune on steam cleaning my rugs but they always look good as new even if the inevitable accident occurs.
The early phases involved baby gates and at one point an invisible fence inside the home to prevent damage. Both my dogs are out of this phase now.
Our home is lovely, professionally decorated and holding up well despite two dogs. I don't think walking into our home you would know we had two large dogs except for the sight of dog beds. The one thing that has been damaged is our grass of our backyard, which takes a beating between potty breaks and the constant running around. That's a shame but worth it.
The early phases involved baby gates and at one point an invisible fence inside the home to prevent damage. Both my dogs are out of this phase now.
Our home is lovely, professionally decorated and holding up well despite two dogs. I don't think walking into our home you would know we had two large dogs except for the sight of dog beds. The one thing that has been damaged is our grass of our backyard, which takes a beating between potty breaks and the constant running around. That's a shame but worth it.
Anonymous
07/23/2020 11:05
Subject: S/o how has getting a dog changed your house?
Ugh typos. My poorly sleeping dd is NOW sleeping all night.