Puppies are a pain in the backside.

[lengel]

I was playing with Zooey tonight. She is almost done with the first stage of teething, we were interacting really well and she was focussed in a way that she hasn't been for a while, probably because her mouth doesn't hurt nearly as much.

I started thinking about the concerns that a lot of puppy owners have been expressing about unwanted behaviors - not listening and, especially, biting to the point that they may think that there's something wrong with their very young dog.

The fact of the matter is that puppies are a pain in the butt. Getting a puppy and expecting that they'll be low maintenance is a bit like having a baby and expecting that he/she will sleep through the night and rarely cry. Sure it happens but, more often than that, the kid winds up being colicky and cries all of the time, driving the parents absolutely certifiable.

Just like kids, puppies do not pop out fully formed. Worse yet, they're a different species altogether so if you're a first time puppy owner, your learning curve has to be pretty steep if you're going to get the most out of your relationship with your dog.

Unless there's something physically wrong with the puppy, the odds are really high that the behaviors he/she exhibits are normal given the stage of development, environment and training techniques and frequency of training that the people raising the puppy are using.

So, before asserting that there's something wrong with the puppy, the puppy owners would do well to ask what they can do differently to ensure the best relationship with their future adult dog.

[Maxxx]

That is so true! Very well put. Max is my first puppy and there were some days I wanted to strangle him! But they grow out of it and become the most sweetest companion.

All the training, all the time spent taking deep breathes, and all the times you had to ask yourself "what am I doing wrong and what can I change to make him understand what I want?" will pay off.

The one thing I had to keep in mind was, not everything has to be learned or done all at once. If it takes minutes, or weeks, or even months, as long as you stick to it, it'll happen. And your relationship will be that much stronger because you were patient and understanding and let nature take it's course.

[QuietDaze]

I love this topic. Of course puppies are a pain in the neck, they take time for form into 'good' dogs. Just like if you don't take the time with children, you would want to put them out when they are 2 yrs old. I've always said that the only reason puppies are so cute is because if they weren't no one would keep them. lol

[Nishasmom]

Ha Ha...Nisha was our first puppy! I tell people now that it was fun, but I will never do it again. Our next dog will be grown, and from a shelter. It truly is A LOT of work!

...unless of course those cute fluffy rottweiler puppies in the gallery don't get the best of me !

[missythemom]

It is good to read this when you are in the throws of puppyhood like I am,lol.Great post thanks.

[CleasMommy]

This is so true, and something I need to remind myself when Dozer decides to not listen to me! He is only a baby and a work in progress. Thank goodness for this forum!

[mikimm]

I'm so tired right now from waking every few hours to take Teddy Bear out to potty that I can barely concentrate on reading this forum! But puppies are cute as can be, and don't stay little baby puppies long enough.

[aldelgreco]

see my signature. : )

[Janus'sMom]

Originally Posted by aldelgreco

see my signature. : )

umm... what signature? lol.

Janus is only my second puppy. He's completely different from my first. My first puppy Mindy was a breeze. Never had any issues with her except that she tore up the house when I decided to give her a try at free run of the house while I was at school and she was 7 months old. BIG MISTAKE ON MY PART, but I learned, cleaned up behind her before my mom got home, and it wasn't till she was 2yrs old that I gave her another chance at free run of the house, but it was only for 30 minutes instead of 8hrs.

Janus is a major pain in the butt. But as I'm typing this, he's been sleeping on the floor at my feet for the better part of an hour since I've been reading other threads on this forum. Thankfully I only went about a month of having to get up 2 or 3 times a night to let him go potty. And like another poster said, they only stay cute and little for a short amount of time. Unfortunately when my computer crashed, I lost all of my pictures (except what I have posted online) of Janus when he was smaller.

I enjoy every minute of his torturing me, and I'll be doing it again and again till I can't stand it. I apreciate the bonding time I get with him and wouldn't have it any other way.

[cerulean]

Mango is five months old now, but gosh, I MISS those pain-in-the-butt days of the tiny little "brick with teeth" !!! Truly, every stage is a LOT of work but it's all brought us a LOT of joy too. She reminds me that I have to take time to laugh and play every day.

[Zumie05]

Originally Posted by Nishasmom

Ha Ha...Nisha was our first puppy! I tell people now that it was fun, but I will never do it again. Our next dog will be grown, and from a shelter. It truly is A LOT of work!!

I totally feel the same way. Gary was my first tiny puppy. Before him other dogs we obtained between 4 months and 1yr. I can't believe how much work it is to raise a puppy from the very start! I don't think I will want to do it ever again...at least not in the next 5 - 10 years!

My next dog is also going to be a grown one from a shelter. I am so disappointed in having purchased from and supported a BYB, and now paying the price I am not sure if I even ever want another purebred dog again. There are so many mutts in the shelter that need homes too, and the adults usually don't get new homes as fast as the young ones.

[4zenuff]

It's so funny to come across this thread this morning because Last Night as Roscoe, my 1 1/2 old mixed breed was laying on the floor watching my kids play,
I thought to myself, "WOW! and it only took a year and a half, but he turned out great!!!"

Puppies are hell, but it is so worth it. I can't wait for my Marli (5 months) to get older and a little more calm, but I enjoy her crazy fun moments too.

What a great thread!!!

[natesmom14]

This thread is too funny- and too true! I swore for years I would NEVER get a puppy again- in fact, I said newborn babies were EASIER because at least you had a diaper on them and didn't have to go outside in the middle of then night to change them...

Our 13 year old Daisy died in March and, now, as I type this, our 13 week old rescue PUPPY (notweiler) is wrestling with our Rottie, Nikki...

[FilosFolks]

Originally Posted by natesmom14

This thread is too funny- and too true! I swore for years I would NEVER get a puppy again- in fact, I said newborn babies were EASIER because at least you had a diaper on them and didn't have to go outside in the middle of then night to change them...

I laughed out loud here. And completely agree with all of you!
But, for all of the "never againers" when your big baby looks at you and knows exactly what you're thinking, is there anything that compares to that bond you build with a puppy??

I, for one, would have to say no, but my next prob won't be a puppy either!

[Buggy]

Ahh Ha Ha What memories! I don't think I slept a night through with Casar for at least 4months. He was my first puppy since living home with my parents -funny how I don't remember what they went through with potty training and teething etc !! When I moved out I always had adopted. Oh yeah - I said the never again prayer quite a bit - but then he grew into the most amazing dog. You know how sometimes you come across a dog you could live your whole live with ?? He was one of those.