Should You Get A Puppy?

With the significantly large number of people who have purchased puppies over the past few months, we felt it important to put together some free tips to help those who might be struggling. We will be posting some quick videos over the next little while In regards to the more common “puppy problems” that families might be experiencing.

Not everyone is ready for puppy ownership and not everyone realizes what they are getting into. Here is a quick list you should seriously consider before adding a puppy to your home:

• Puppies are hard work, it’s the truth and there’s no way around that.
• Puppies are frustrating at times.
• Puppies pee and poop in your house.
• Puppies bark, growl, whine, scream and cry.
• Puppies wake up, sometimes a lot, in the middle of the night.
• Puppies chew your personal belongings, and sometimes they eat them.
• Puppies bite you and your kids, sometimes a lot … and sometimes very hard.
• Puppies get into things … lots of things.
• Puppy need to play.
• Puppies need exercise and training.
• Puppies pick up everything – leaves, rocks, dirty Kleenex, cigarette butts, dirty diapers etc.
• The first few weeks of looking after a puppy can be compared to bringing an infant home.
• Puppies are like babies and toddlers – exhausting.
• Puppies need to be taught your household rules.
• Puppies don’t come trained.
• Puppies REQUIRE patience.
• Puppies “wake up” more as they age.
• Puppies can be pushy and demanding.
• Puppies push buttons, and sometimes they love doing it.
• Puppies sometimes train us better than we train them.
• Puppies need education for life, not just a few weeks.
• Puppies NEED clarity and consistency.
• Puppies NEED structure, containment and supervision.
• Puppies DO NOT learn things over night, they are not robots.
• Puppies can go from one extreme to the other … instantly, just like children.
• Puppies are baby dogs, they are not people, and do not know our language.
• Puppies feed off energy and emotion, keep this in mind if you already lead a stressful life.
• Puppies are not play toys for children.
• Puppies will treat your kids like another puppy if you let them.
• Puppies cost A LOT – purchase price, food, vet bills, training, toys, equipment (crates, pens, leashes, treats, jackets etc.).

I wanted to put together a list of the hard things to keep in mind. The fun things are easy, and I see no point in listing those as it’s the hard things that you should consider before adding a puppy to your family.

If you, and everyone in your family, can handle the hard things, if this list doesn’t make your head explode, then a puppy will be wonderful addition to your family.

If multiple things on this list make you feel stressed out, or feel like vomiting just thinking about them, you should think long and hard about whether a puppy is the right choice for your family. Cats, fish and small rodents are typically much easier to manage, much less demanding, and they also make wonderful additions to families who might not be ready for the leap into puppyship.

Stay tuned for our upcoming puppy video tips, which may also help you decide if a puppy is the right choice for your family.