# What is the worst part of puppyhood?



## surlys_mom (Jul 5, 2013)

I've been having the itch lately to add a puppy to our brood. And then I thought back and remembered that there was a time when I swore I would never, ever do the puppy stage again. Oh, how quickly we forget. 

In your opinion, what is the very worst thing about the puppyhood?

Several things stand out for me but I think the one thing I was more happy to get through than anything was the absolute nonstop mouthing. I remember one particular moment when I was having a serious conversation with my husband and the puppy just would NOT stop nipping my hands, then my arms, then back to my hands, then my leg, etc., etc., and it was about all I could not to have a nervous breakdown.


----------



## Kayla_Nicole (Dec 19, 2012)

I think Alannah was all in all a very well behaved puppy (just with a lot of energy, and we had to help her learn to direct that energy toward appropriate things). But yes, I would agree, the puppy biting was the worst. She used to get so stimulated on a walk that she would attack our legs and feet with little nips. She ruined like 3 pairs of my pants because she poked little holes through them or snagged them.


----------



## kadylady (Sep 23, 2010)

I got really lucky and both my dogs were pretty easy puppies. Luke was ridiculously easy. Zoey had a few more challenges but nothing awful. Waiting for her to figure out some impulse control was a little frustrating...everything had to be done NOW and at FULL SPEED! 

When I think about getting a puppy in the future (years away but fun to think about) the worst thing I think of is my husband! He is more of a pain than a puppy because he doesn't understand that "watch the puppy" means WATCH the puppy, don't take your eyes off the puppy! Or when I give the puppy rules, you have to follow the rules too! Sometimes I think it would be easier to raise a puppy by myself than with him just because of his lack of awareness or caring about the things I think are important.


----------



## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

All the peeing. And pooping. And then there was the peeing.


----------



## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

For me it's honestly just the *constant* supervision. I love puppies and all (now) but it's exhausting and they really do take over your life for a while there, even more than the lifestyle changes associated with having dogs. Constant potty trips, redirection, eyes on the puppy every second it was awake, the cleaning up and picking up because everything's a chew toy and/or dangerous. Also the mouthing, with Thud. OH MY GOD the mouthing and pain.

But mostly the supervision. It's just exhausting.


----------



## trainingjunkie (Feb 10, 2010)

The constant, relentless supervision.


----------



## Amaryllis (Dec 28, 2011)

Blink and your remote is gone. Blink and your couch has a hole in it. Blink and there's a puddle of pee on the carpet. Puppy parents all have this twitchy face like they've been trying not to blink for months on end.


----------



## surlys_mom (Jul 5, 2013)

Always remember, puppies are cute for a reason.


----------



## Chichan (Apr 1, 2014)

kadylady said:


> When I think about getting a puppy in the future (years away but fun to think about) the worst thing I think of is my husband! He is more of a pain than a puppy because he doesn't understand that "watch the puppy" means WATCH the puppy, don't take your eyes off the puppy! Or when I give the puppy rules, you have to follow the rules too! Sometimes I think it would be easier to raise a puppy by myself than with him just because of his lack of awareness or caring about the things I think are important.


Is this a husband thing?
Mine is the same way o.o!
He always lets the puppy get into things 
and with the training he forgets to treat for every action or repeats the verbal cue several times..
and then gets upset when he's not part of the training.
All my hard work is for not.
I can handle all the pee and nipping,
but not this.


----------



## melaka (Mar 31, 2010)

Buffy was an easy puppy and she still had me in tears more than once. Housetraining was tough. I remember one weekend she peed in the house like 8 times, and then hasn't done it once since. And, I think just trying to learn how to communicate with this new pup who is a completely different species and really has no idea what is and isn't acceptable can be overwhelming. I got so tired of "no" "stop" "ah-ah." And the constant supervision. And yes, the mouthing. I remember once I had Buffy literally hanging off my hand, not touching the ground, with her razor-puppy teeth clamped as tight as possible on my palm. Little freaking alligator.


----------



## ForTheLoveOfDogs (Jun 3, 2007)

trainingjunkie said:


> The constant, relentless supervision.


Pretty much this. Also, potty breaks every 15 minutes, especially in crappy weather.


----------



## Remaru (Mar 16, 2014)

CptJack said:


> For me it's honestly just the *constant* supervision. I love puppies and all (now) but it's exhausting and they really do take over your life for a while there, even more than the lifestyle changes associated with having dogs. Constant potty trips, redirection, eyes on the puppy every second it was awake, the cleaning up and picking up because everything's a chew toy and/or dangerous. Also the mouthing, with Thud. OH MY GOD the mouthing and pain.
> 
> But mostly the supervision. It's just exhausting.


This! For me it is this. If you take your eyes off them for a moment they take that moment to pee on the floor. I think my cats are worse about eating things they shouldn't (and they can reach more than my kids or dogs ever could dream of reaching) but man oh man the puppy supervision. We are still in the midst of it and knowing that some one has to have eyes on the puppy every moment is frustrating. Makes teaching the kids, getting dinner, getting ready for bed, just life in general more difficult. Oh yeah and potty breaks in the middle of the night, not gonna miss that.


----------



## jade5280 (Feb 20, 2013)

For me dealing with his separation anxiety was HELL. It still is but he's getting better. Also he was so mouthy. He didn't really start to grow out of it until about 6 months. Now at 9 months he's still very mouthy but it's decreased drastically. I would like another puppy but I'm not sure if I will ever get another because I would really REALLY like to avoid any chance of another dog with separation anxiety.


----------



## KodiBarracuda (Jul 4, 2011)

The potty training was the worst for me.

Unfortunately, Maisy was the easiest puppy in the entire world. She only had 2, 3 tops, potty accidents in the entire time I've had her, she was never really bad at mouthing, she has never chewed on anything she shouldn't have. Any bad habits are really easily fixed and only happens for 2 or 3 days (even things like counter surfing or attacking our legs when we tried to leave.) She's SO easy that I want another puppy! That's why its unfortunate, she has made me completely forget the hell I went through with Kodi as a puppy. 

I sometimes wonder though, is she really that easy, or was I just expecting so much worse? I think its a little of both.


----------



## stafinois (Jun 16, 2010)

sassafras said:


> All the peeing. And pooping. And then there was the peeing.



This. I'd put more emphasis on the pooping, though.


----------



## Eenypup (Mar 21, 2014)

And this is why I think I will always stick to adult dogs  

For some reason I am ALL for human babies, but don't think I could ever have a puppy!


----------



## Dog Person (Sep 14, 2012)

Getting up in the middle of the night for bathroom breaks! Everything else is nothing except a little problem (very little) when the pup doesn't want to settle in the crate.

I LOVE puppies!


----------



## Kyndall54 (Apr 26, 2013)

I agree with the constant supervision. Also the lack of sleep. I pretty much turn into a monster with no sleep, and the first week with Ammy was hellish.


----------



## JohnnyBandit (Sep 19, 2008)

None of it.... I love puppies... I would be a professional puppy raiser for people. 

At that age puppies are like sponges... They absorb so much so fast.... 


Poop and pee washes off....


----------



## Gally (Jan 11, 2012)

Getting less sleep was the worst for me. The whining at bed time and them the mid night potty runs were torture for me. I am someone who cannot function on reduced sleep and also have a terrible time falling asleep and getting back to sleep once I've been woken up.


----------



## Kyllobernese (Feb 5, 2008)

I have raised a lot of puppies but Kris had to be the easiest one ever. Except for the one time, the morning after I got her, that she peed in the house, she has never peed or pooped in the house. She fussed in her crate the first night, never a noise since unless she has to go outside and that does not happen very often so I listen to her. I got her at 11 weeks which is the oldest puppy I have ever got but she has never been mouthy. Whether the people who raised her did something about it, I do not know but she has just never ever put teeth on me. Unless she gets really excited, she does not jump up on me and that is my fault for getting her excited and never on a stranger. Wish they were all as easy as her. Sounds perfect but she is still crated at night at 16 months of age and don't know if she will every be left loose when I go out. She loves to chew on things but has never ruined anything of value.


----------



## Rescued (Jan 8, 2012)

waking up in the middle of the night for potty breaks OH WAIT grey still wakes up every night and she's almost 7 months.

small bladders.


----------



## pandification (Apr 15, 2014)

Gally said:


> Getting less sleep was the worst for me. The whining at bed time and them the mid night potty runs were torture for me. I am someone who cannot function on reduced sleep and also have a terrible time falling asleep and getting back to sleep once I've been woken up.


This.

Plus the whining that came with crating time. The whole time I had my foster pup, she whined when it came crate time, day or night. But it's to be expected. 

Also, potty training was hard for me with my last foster pup because it was during bad weather and she was a Chi/mix who hated being outside. Catching her in the act of peeing or pooing and running her outside was difficult, because we had so many steps before we moved.

I am actually excited to adopt a pup, because I will be more prepared now. I've spent months just reading articles, watching videos and studying pup training.


----------



## doggiepop (Feb 27, 2014)

There's no "worst stage" when you own a dog. Instead of a nervous
Breakdown you could have crated the pup.



surlys_mom said:


> I've been having the itch lately to add a puppy to our brood. And then I thought back and remembered that there was a time when I swore I would never, ever do the puppy stage again. Oh, how quickly we forget.
> 
> ------------In your opinion, what is the very worst thing about the puppyhood?--------
> 
> ...


----------



## WashingtonCowgirl (Mar 8, 2010)

JohnnyBandit said:


> None of it.... I love puppies... I would be a professional puppy raiser for people.
> 
> At that age puppies are like sponges... They absorb so much so fast....
> 
> ...


Pretty much this. I don't mind puppies at all.


----------



## luv mi pets (Feb 5, 2012)

The worst part of puppyhood? The first night, I do not think no one sleeps the first night you bring the puppy home. Well at least the whole night.


----------



## Arya of House Stark (Jan 14, 2014)

Ahhh, puppies. They're cute but the next dog I adopt is going to be an adult. I love dogs, but I've had my fill of dealing with puppies for a while.

As a baby, Esme was very needy--kept crying at night, clingy, etc and she was a terror when it came to housebreaking. Zoe on the other hand was easy to housebreak, but good grief, she is *mouthy* and needed constant supervision. 

At 8 months she's a bit better now, but she's still rambunctious and likes to bark at cars, people, and attempts to eat sticks. Our entire walks consist of "leave it!" and "drop it." I've been so stressed out lately due to family drama and her walk antics make me frazzled sometimes. However, I do try to keep calm and keep with the training, even if I'm stressed. Some days are better than others, but thank goodness she's starting to get the hint. She was much better on her walk tonight, so that's good. 

I love my pooches, their puppy stages were just annoying at times haha.


----------



## Little Wise Owl (Nov 12, 2011)

Caring for a 11 week old puppy right now and the hardest part (I guess if you wanna call it that) is the potty training aspect (soft, smooshy poos on objects that are hard to clean... like wires and cables). Next would be the supervision. Honestly though? I love puppies and they're really not that hard at all.


----------



## petpeeve (Jun 10, 2010)

JohnnyBandit said:


> None of it.... I love puppies...


 Pretty much this.

Although if I had to pinpoint something negative, I'd say it's the 'loss of innocence' as they mature. So, yeah .. the growing up part.

Puppyhood. It's all over too soon. And then you're left with a hulking beast who brings their own set of age-related .. 'drawbacks', if you wish to call it that.


----------



## BostonBullMama (Apr 20, 2013)

Probably this... unless you get lucky and avoid it (we did, yay!)


----------



## OwnedbyACDs (Jun 22, 2013)

Chichan said:


> Is this a husband thing?
> Mine is the same way o.o!
> He always lets the puppy get into things
> and with the training he forgets to treat for every action or repeats the verbal cue several times..
> ...


Yep! must be a guy thing because my OH will (not intentionally of course) undo much of my training by unwittingly rewarding the puppy for things he shouldn't, and roughhousing without rules (I like to do "revv up, cool down").

As far as puppy stages, I can kind of handle the "baby" stage where they basically think you are GREAT and the world is new, its when they hit the teenage stage that you really want to pull your hair out . But IME all my dogs who were terrible puppies grew up to be GREAT dogs, and the ones who were great puppies grew into not so good dogs.


----------



## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

trainingjunkie said:


> The constant, relentless supervision.


This. I honestly didn't mind puppy raising that much and found adolescence much more difficult, though we did give up our lives for a little while in order to be constantly on top of the puppy. Our lives are pretty boring (no kids, no other dogs) so I imagine that supervision becomes much harder when there is more going on.


----------



## BellaPup (Jul 7, 2007)

I always yearn for a puppy - then I read these threads...LOL Then I remember....again. The worst part? All of the above. :becky: 

For me - in order of worst to tolerable:
1. Nipping 
2. Chewing
3. Turning your back for ONE second to find something missing (papers, socks, shoes, bathroom throw rug etc)
4. Tripping me up
5. Accidents 
6. Constant attention

The first three are what nearly drove me mad. The other three only grated on me after a long day! And the first couple nights of constant crying  Got no sleep, but more than anything it broke my heart knowing she was missing her puppy family & friends.


----------



## SDRRanger (May 2, 2013)

For me, it relates to my living situation as opposed to the puppy itself (when I have them here...the new foster is like a giant puppy). 

I live in row housing and have the biggest anxiety over annoying my neighbours. I don't even know how much they can hear through the walls (they are the old style fire walls, so they're thick but still) but I hate trying to wait out barking/whining because of it. If we were in a single house on our own plot I don't think I'd have as much stress.


----------



## Little Wise Owl (Nov 12, 2011)

BostonBullMama said:


> View attachment 147193
> 
> 
> Probably this... unless you get lucky and avoid it (we did, yay!)


We avoided this by not giving puppy free roam of the house while we were away/sleeping/busy. lmao Thank Dog for crates.


----------



## Sibe (Nov 21, 2010)

Very worst thing other than getting up at 3 or 4am every night to walk down 3 flights of stairs (we were in an apt building) was simply not having enough time. Time for socializing, training, learning, every day was as much as I could fit in but it never felt like enough. So much to learn, so much to see, so much to do, and only a couple months to hit that stuff hard before it starts to be too late and will take even more work. Preventing bad habits so they never form, teaching and encouraging wanted behaviors. Denali was an easy puppy overall other than her being afraid of everything. No destructive chewing, no escaping, no digging, she was very well supervised and I simply prevented those bad habits.

I agree with JohhnyBandit, they are sponges absorbing everything so fast. Awesome that they do, but it's such a crucial time that if some stuff doesn't get absorbed it can lead to big problems later.


----------



## surlys_mom (Jul 5, 2013)

doggiepop said:


> There's no "worst stage" when you own a dog. Instead of a nervous
> Breakdown you could have crated the pup.


OK, this is obviously supposed to be a fun thread where we look back fondly on our little rascals... and yes, she was crated as needed


----------



## surlys_mom (Jul 5, 2013)

I have an aside to all the pee and poop comments... we had had pup for maybe a week or so, and she was still having an accident here and there, but it really was going very well and my husband I were commenting on how great she was going in that regard. Later that night, a ball rolled behind our love seat and what was back there? Piles of poop. Honestly, I still have no idea how we didn't smell this! It wasn't particularly funny at the moment, but it is now lol.


----------



## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

Sleep deprivation. It is veryvery bad when I don't get enough sleep. 

Also that they're sponges . That can be a good thing but also a bad thing. Like when your toddler starts swearing because he heard you say it. Good thing puppies can't talk. But it's too easy to mess them up if you mess up when they're babies.


----------



## pandification (Apr 15, 2014)

surlys_mom said:


> I have an aside to all the pee and poop comments... we had had pup for maybe a week or so, and she was still having an accident here and there, but it really was going very well and my husband I were commenting on how great she was going in that regard. Later that night, a ball rolled behind our love seat and what was back there? Piles of poop. Honestly, I still have no idea how we didn't smell this! It wasn't particularly funny at the moment, but it is now lol.


I have had the same thing happen to me with my last foster pup! The pup would 'go' behind the TV (we had a wooden floor model TV) and we didn't even know about it.

Mostly happened when my fiancé was supposed to be watching her but he gets distracted (video games, food, tv, etc.) It's hard to share puppy-sitting time with him because he's not as tentative.


----------



## Jen2010 (Feb 12, 2013)

The potty training.

And the lack of sleep.


----------



## bowie (Apr 26, 2010)

House training, hands down. I didn't mind anything else. Then again, I've only raised one puppy on my own and he was pretty easy.


----------



## Galathiel (Apr 11, 2012)

I have a German Shepherd puppy (now a year old but STILL very much a puppy). He was ridiculously easy to house train but he has been the hardest pup so far I've ever had in other ways. He is very intense, not praise motivated at all and pretty handler insensitive. Makes life interesting with an 86 lb puppy-headed dog. 

I did (and still do) a lot of fretting over him or feeling guilty about having to crate him while I work (with my son letting him out midday), because he's still not to be trusted at night either .. yet.


----------



## OwnedbyACDs (Jun 22, 2013)

Josefina was almost 3 before I could trust her at night, still, when I leave I put her on tie down inside because I still don't trust her and she stopped liking the crate when I stupidly started leaving her out at night when I was home Derpy me :/


----------



## PatriciafromCO (Oct 7, 2012)

they grow up too fast


----------



## KodiBarracuda (Jul 4, 2011)

PatriciafromCO said:


> they grow up too fast


My official best answer vote goes to this post.


----------



## parus (Apr 10, 2014)

Crying at night. Shut up, puppy, I need my sleep.

Property destruction.

They're very sweet, but adult dogs only for the foreseeable future. Maybe after retirement pup raising might be reasonable again. _Maybe_.


----------



## minireb123 (Apr 17, 2014)

The last and only time I cared for a puppy was when I was still in middle school and it was awful. She was my first dog ever and she cried at night for a straight week and wouldn't go to bed until I went down and held her. After that stage, came the furniture chewing and feet nipping which meant everyone in my house had to wear shoes all the time. I was so glad when she got out of her puppy days and I don't think I'm going back to puppies for a really really long time.


----------



## Finkie_Mom (Mar 2, 2010)

I actually really like puppies. I don't think I would ever want to get an adult again. That being said, though, I also don't think I would ever want to get a puppy that I didn't breed/raise from day 1. Which is a problem because my first breeding experience was NOT a good one, and I'm honestly not sure that I want to try ever again. Overall I've been really spoiled with Jari, even through his current adolescent "la la la I can't hear you," and "everything is awesome I MUST BARK AT THINGS TO TELL YOU HOW AWESOME THEY ARE!" phases.


----------



## doggiepop (Feb 27, 2014)

"when your dog isn't doing what you want you have to stop
and ask yourself what am i doing wrong". i read that somewhere.



Galathiel said:


> I have a German Shepherd puppy (now a year old but STILL very much a puppy). He was ridiculously easy to house train but he has been the hardest pup so far I've ever had in other ways. He is very intense, not praise motivated at all and pretty handler insensitive. Makes life interesting with an 86 lb puppy-headed dog.
> 
> I did (and still do) a lot of fretting over him or feeling guilty about having to crate him while I work (with my son letting him out midday), because he's still not to be trusted at night either .. yet.


----------



## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

JohnnyBandit said:


> None of it.... I love puppies... I would be a professional puppy raiser for people.
> 
> At that age puppies are like sponges... They absorb so much so fast....
> 
> ...



Love this! 

Exactly this ... with the exception that puppies are the only sponges I know with shark teeth! LOl!


----------



## OwnedbyACDs (Jun 22, 2013)

I don't remember ever having a puppy why had an accident, unless they got sick or something, but I was always really good about getting them out to potty when they needed to go, it also helps that they all (except for the two puppy mill rescues I adopted ... they couldn't be crated and had a lot of problems ... I will never do that again >_<) Most of the puppies here are put into foster homes where they get a pretty good start (Josefina already knew what a crate was when we got her).

For me its adult dogs I will never do again, I just find it easier personally to start with a dog a year or under.


----------



## pinksand (Dec 11, 2013)

My first puppy was horrible to housebreak but she never chewed on anything or nipped at us ever! When we got Charlie, he was the exact opposite... pretty easy to housebreak but tore countless pants and shirts. I had to wait to put my work clothes on until the second before I left the house and then changed into my already torn up pants the moment I got home. I seriously thought he was deranged or something until I joined the forum and realized that nipping was a pretty typical puppy behavior. I cancelled his exorcism 

The lack of sleep was also pretty trying but fortunately didn't last too long. I definitely have to agree with the husband comments... seriously, don't you see you're undoing all my hard work!? GRRRR 

When I think back to how small and adorable he was I do miss it though. He's almost 8 months now, so still a puppy minus the adorable baby look and has a whole new set of trying behaviors. I'd still sign up to do it all over again though


----------



## Pasarella (May 30, 2013)

I'm terribly afraid of pee in my bed.I get so nervous about it.For the first few nights I sleep with one eye open,always watching and listening if the puppy isn't moving,and when it does I jump up and watch what is it doing.This is the worst,the rest isn't so bad or hard
However,I like adult dogs better.Pupies are cute,but they are so much work!They doesn't understand things that my adult dogs already does.Like-let's go down(we live with my grandma in the second floor,so this means we are moving to the first one,usually to the kitchen),let's go up, "pee?" "eating!",no not there,here(usually of leash when they are going not where I want to go),stop,wait for me and more and more.Puppy doesn't understand any of it.


----------



## ForTheLoveOfDogs (Jun 3, 2007)

OwnedbyACDs said:


> For me its adult dogs I will never do again, I just find it easier personally to start with a dog a year or under.


Yep. I don't care if I have to relentlessly supervise. I don't want to have to re-housetrain an adult because somebody failed miserably.


----------



## OwnedbyACDs (Jun 22, 2013)

ForTheLoveOfDogs said:


> Yep. I don't care if I have to relentlessly supervise. I don't want to have to re-housetrain an adult because somebody failed miserably.


Sometimes when someone fails miserably, like in Buddy's case, he has a lot of fear issues they could have been avoided if someone had just spent a little time with him as a puppy ... At least he was housebroken, though I think part of that comes from him being naturally neat  . 

As far as puppies if I had a choice I would rather have a puppy who is easy to house break, I find it easier to manage destructive behavior lol.


----------



## Cooper33 (Dec 21, 2013)

This has been such a helpful thread, because I feel like I'm losing my mind. I guess he's not a terrible puppy, but it's the constant supervision, and the second I get comfortable somewhere, he shoots out the doggy door, and then I have to go watch him cuz sometimes he digs or barks or eats wood chips in the backyard. I try to exercise him enough, but the leash training is a slow process. Ahhhhh! I can only hope that things will improve. And remember my new motto- no puppies ever again!


----------



## BellaPup (Jul 7, 2007)

Cooper33 said:


> This has been such a helpful thread, because I feel like I'm losing my mind. I guess he's not a terrible puppy, but it's the constant supervision, and the second I get comfortable somewhere, he shoots out the doggy door, and then I have to go watch him cuz sometimes he digs or barks or eats wood chips in the backyard. I try to exercise him enough, but the leash training is a slow process. Ahhhhh! I can only hope that things will improve. And remember my new motto- no puppies ever again!


Hahaha - I said the same thing. Not until over 7 years later did I start feeling the puppy craving again. I'd do better THIS time! I've been through it once and I know what to expect now - right? I didn't think I'd make it through the puppy stage without throwing myself off a bridge. It gets better....no, really! Enjoy it while you can. Like others said - They grow up sooo fast!!


----------



## Hambonez (Mar 17, 2012)

The unending lack of personal space paired with the threat that if you do step away for a second you will clean up a mess, probably including bodily fluids, upon your return. Also, the teeth.


----------



## OwnedbyACDs (Jun 22, 2013)

pinksand said:


> My first puppy was horrible to housebreak but she never chewed on anything or nipped at us ever! When we got Charlie, he was the exact opposite... pretty easy to housebreak but tore countless pants and shirts. I had to wait to put my work clothes on until the second before I left the house and then changed into my already torn up pants the moment I got home. I seriously thought he was deranged or something until I joined the forum and realized that nipping was a pretty typical puppy behavior. I cancelled his exorcism
> 
> The lack of sleep was also pretty trying but fortunately didn't last too long. I definitely have to agree with the husband comments... seriously, don't you see you're undoing all my hard work!? GRRRR
> 
> When I think back to how small and adorable he was I do miss it though. He's almost 8 months now, so still a puppy minus the adorable baby look and has a whole new set of trying behaviors. I'd still sign up to do it all over again though


Yeah, that's when the "puppies are sponges" thing is a bad thing LOL in reference to husbands and OH's. the biggest part is he rewards them for bad behavior because its "cute" Yeah, dude. It's cute NOW but it WILL NOT be cute in six months or so :/ and he thinks I am the b***h for telling him not to do those things like letting them play tug with his clothes or hang onto his pant legs as he walks, so I give him an alternative, if they start doing that, play tug with them or something. The good thing is that although he doesn't see the point of all the control, he does listen when I ask him to not do something or do it this way. He knows that I am the "dog" person, and if I say to do or not do something its for a reason.

baby dogs are easy, teenage dogs make me want to pull my hair out :frusty: then I go through a roller coaster of emotions about them, one day I love them, the next I hate them and want to return them to the breeder (I never actually call them, its just talk). A ride that goes on until they hit about two LOL


----------



## broll441 (Mar 8, 2014)

Potty breaks. Getting a puppy who's afraid of rain to go #2 outside while it's pouring is not fun for anyone involved. Getting up multiple times each night to take them out when all I want to do is sleep has been less than enjoyable as well.

That said, I love my little girl. She's been exceptionally good; no nipping, few accidents now, knows how to entertain herself most of the time, etc, which makes things A LOT easier. I read some of these posts here and now think "It's really not that bad" every time she does something scutchy. 

Definitely wouldn't get a puppy again (adult dogs only from here out!) but it's been rewarding and more fun than I thought. Coming home each day and seeing my little pup wag her tail so hard her whole body shakes makes it all worth it sometimes.


----------



## OwnedbyACDs (Jun 22, 2013)

I have done a couple of adult rescues and I could never really click with them, I kept them until they passed, but I wont do it again after Buddy passes.


----------

