OP I completely feel for you! Puppys need so much attention it’s just not doable for most people. Plus the larger they are the more destructive they can be so it can get very expensive. They will eat literally anything! Then you’re stuck with a huge vet bill. There’s just no winning. And this is why I’m a cat person.

I agree with all the people who say "mental stimulation". I did the puppy raiser thing for guide dogs. Those very, very smart dogs need a lot of attention and stimulation or they just get in trouble. Starting when my pup was 3 months old he was on a leash next to me at my desk. Though we weren't supposed to do more than basic obedience, we did practice things like walking on various surfaces and with distraction, sit/stay, "leave-it", and recall under challenging situations. Also dog was trained to potty on command "get busy".

The dog also spent quite a lot of time in his crate and was crate trained for sleeping - another one of the rules. Nothing wrong with crate training.

Anonymous wrote:Get rid of it? I don’t understand people who think that way about a dog.

I understand them. I love dogs to, but sometimes it just doesn't work for some people. There's nothing wrong with admitting you were wrong and rehoming the puppy.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t get you dog people. Why do you want to live that way, letting a dog control your life? Get rid of it. People first.

Obviously, I love my kids more than my dogs but the kids are also much more draining. No matter what people say, they are MUCH more work than even the most insane puppy: they are so helpless for so long, then they need to cooked for for so long, then driven everywhere AND they whine and complain. Then they become teenagers. Sigh. My dogs are pretty much 100% positive in my life. I don't even mind the housebreaking and training. It's so logical and relatively easy. Sure the dogs are in second place but they are pure joy.

Agree with this. My kids are teenagers and will be moving out of the house in just a few years. My dog is my little cuddler. I remember when my kids were little and would always be in my lap or hugging and kissing me and I miss that. It’s nice that they’re grown and confident and will be ready to move out of the house, so the dog replaces all those cuddles and kisses and such. He is always happy to see me and thinks I’m the bees knees. And I love him to pieces

Anonymous wrote:I don’t get you dog people. Why do you want to live that way, letting a dog control your life? Get rid of it. People first.

Obviously, I love my kids more than my dogs but the kids are also much more draining. No matter what people say, they are MUCH more work than even the most insane puppy: they are so helpless for so long, then they need to cooked for for so long, then driven everywhere AND they whine and complain. Then they become teenagers. Sigh. My dogs are pretty much 100% positive in my life. I don't even mind the housebreaking and training. It's so logical and relatively easy. Sure the dogs are in second place but they are pure joy.

Get rid of it? I don’t understand people who think that way about a dog.

I don’t get you dog people. Why do you want to live that way, letting a dog control your life? Get rid of it. People first.

Adopting an older dog is ideal but all I can find in any shelter are pit bills or pit bull ‘mixes.’ Not looking for a pit.

Another thank you for this post. EVERYONE we know is getting or has gotten a puppy. This thread made me feel more secure that we do not have the lifestyle for a puppy. My husband cannot be interrupted when working. I can only take so many breaks. Once school starts up again the kids, have to focus on classes and only have so much time to play with and walk a puppy. Thank you, thank you.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Physical exercise is not going to exhaust certain higher-intelligence breeds. I grew up with german shepherds and you can walk them all day long, but they will be "bored" because you need to stimulate them MENTALLY. Training is usually the best way to do this for puppies. Learning commands and practicing them over and over will actually tire your puppy out. Not just walking around outside in a circle.

So basically to have a dog you have to dedicate 6 hours a day to physically and mentally stimulating him or her ? I am so glad I read these threads every time my kids ask for a dog. Maybe dogs just aren’t happy not living with other dogs in a pack where they can do what comes naturally to them

I think it depends on how old your kids are (and whether they will be helpful).

We have a German shepherd puppy and she is indeed very time consuming but my kids are 12 & 10 and help. So does DH. So the work is divided between the four of us, in many ways...For example: DH gets up early and walks/feeds/plays with her, the kids have also each taken a shift today (walking her or playing with her/in charge of supervising her for up to an hour while I am busy). DH, again, takes her in the evening for awhile. It’s a team effort, and everyone pitches in. We probably do spend 6hrs/day actively caring for the dog right now (ha) but it is divided between 4 of us. I would absolutely not want to get a puppy with younger kids, and would wait until they are older.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Physical exercise is not going to exhaust certain higher-intelligence breeds. I grew up with german shepherds and you can walk them all day long, but they will be "bored" because you need to stimulate them MENTALLY. Training is usually the best way to do this for puppies. Learning commands and practicing them over and over will actually tire your puppy out. Not just walking around outside in a circle.

So basically to have a dog you have to dedicate 6 hours a day to physically and mentally stimulating him or her ? I am so glad I read these threads every time my kids ask for a dog. Maybe dogs just aren’t happy not living with other dogs in a pack where they can do what comes naturally to them

Don't get a dog if you don't want one BUT PP was talking about certain breeds like GSheps and Border Collies that are really best suited to be working dogs. And puppies are a huge PITA- I've only had dogs starting at age 1-2 yrs old. Certainly my CKCS didn't need six hours of activity per day even as a young dog. He just needed cuddles mostly

Anonymous wrote:Physical exercise is not going to exhaust certain higher-intelligence breeds. I grew up with german shepherds and you can walk them all day long, but they will be "bored" because you need to stimulate them MENTALLY. Training is usually the best way to do this for puppies. Learning commands and practicing them over and over will actually tire your puppy out. Not just walking around outside in a circle.

So basically to have a dog you have to dedicate 6 hours a day to physically and mentally stimulating him or her ? I am so glad I read these threads every time my kids ask for a dog. Maybe dogs just aren’t happy not living with other dogs in a pack where they can do what comes naturally to them

Anonymous wrote:Puppies are the worst. Why do people not understand this? A puppy is literally having a small child, except you often cannot take it with you, meaning you'll be tied down to within a 30-45 minute drive from your home so that you can let it out every few hours and feed it, or you'll have to pay someone to constantly do it. Then they tear up everything, eat stupid stuff and vomit from it, and take forever to house break. And heaven forbid if there are behavior issues beyond such as aggression or hyper activity that can be never broken.

Puppies are cute until you actually have to out in the work. Just adopt an adult dog.

+1 We've had 3 dogs through the years, 2 of whom were adult rescues. Despite our better judgement, DH and I gave into the kids' whining and got a puppy this spring after our other dog died in the fall. He is cute but the WORST. SO much more work than our adult rescues. Luckily, both DH and I are home for Covid and our kids are teenagers so we had a full court press during the worst part of his puppyhood. He still chews everything when he is bored and has endless amounts of energy, but having had two dogs before, we know that he will calm down around 2 yo (although our old dog didn't really slow down until almost 3). I will never get another puppy. Adopting a 1-2 yo dog is really the way to go.

Puppies are the worst. Why do people not understand this? A puppy is literally having a small child, except you often cannot take it with you, meaning you'll be tied down to within a 30-45 minute drive from your home so that you can let it out every few hours and feed it, or you'll have to pay someone to constantly do it. Then they tear up everything, eat stupid stuff and vomit from it, and take forever to house break. And heaven forbid if there are behavior issues beyond such as aggression or hyper activity that can be never broken.

Puppies are cute until you actually have to out in the work. Just adopt an adult dog.

Puppies are a pain until they slow down little... around two years old. They can be incredibly destructive and annoying. I would say that what you are describing is normal puppy behavior but that doesn’t make it any less intolerable.