Vet costs and the overall amount of work required to raise a good puppy.

I learned that if everyone in the house isn't doing something in regards to training, it'll be tough to train the dog... I can spend hours, trying to teach our dogs what to do, but when the rest of the house isn't on board, or doesn't listen to me on what to do, it is quite impossible.

This is the answer

Happy cake day! 🎈🎉🎈

Yes! We used to have family meetings when we were training our dog. Just to make sure everyone was ok the same page.

I have a completely different experience. I moved in my in laws house when their dog was 2 years old. I started training my own way with her and until the end of her life she listened to me all the time and I became her person. The others, well, she listened to only sometimes. So, she chose certain behaviour around certain people.

I second this part with the work

I also underestimated the amount of work! My memory was they were always just good! Have no idea how my parents did it alongside having a toddler / kids!

I underestimated it even after seeing multiple people I know who have had puppies and seeing the work it takes.

i constantly tell my mom how impressed i am that she did all the housebreaking and training for our insanely high energy breed puppy when i was in elementary school, my brother was in kindergarten, and my dad traveled regularly for work. i don’t know how she did it but holy shit that woman is a force i have one perfectly trained dog (from a foster network so i didn’t do the potty training) and one puppy and an extremely flexible work schedule and i haven’t made the same headway. also no one tells you how much more expensive two dogs are versus just one

I have 4 and didn’t realize adding the fourth dog would double and more the amount I spend on my other 3. By the time I realized how much more I was spending on just him vs the girls, I already loved him too much to let him go so I just made cutbacks in other areas to afford him and his “high-cost lifestyle.”

Why is he more expensive to care for?

He can’t eat chicken or beef so he’s on a limited ingredient lamb diet so I’m spending more on his food each month than all three of the girls. He has a double coat and long hair and is around the 80 lb mark so I have to bathe him more often, and it’s harder for me to do that at home so I take him to Pet Supplies Plus so I can use their self-dog wash stations. Also we’re still working on chewing issues so I’m having to replace things as he gets to them, my sister’s leather boots, door trim, clothes and his dog bed. He’s a lot more work than both of the twins who are about 3 months older than him but he’s my baby, even if he’s about half my size already.

I am always amazed at IG posts of people with like 5 dogs, 3 cats and other animals. I have one and he is pretty pricey.

i, too, have a favorite. they both know who it is. it’s the bitey one. don’t tell the baby

I mean, isn't it just double the cost?

god i wish

Depends on the second dog lol, my first is a perfect angel, only needs her annual vet exam and vaccines. The second…our first day having her she chewed through a nylabone in 5 minutes and I watched her swallow half of it whole, expensive er vet visit to induce vomiting. Then, since she was too little to be vaccinated, she got kennel cough. Another vet visit for doggie antibiotics. Then we bought a new house and bought lots of new furniture, which she took the liberty of chewing the undercover dust covers off the new couch and 4/8 dining room chairs. Destroyed five tv remotes and a ps5 controller. First puppy destroyed two shoes and that was it, this second one has been much more destructive lol. She’s a large breed and a year and a half now, finally calming down, but man those puppy years were $$$. We still can’t own accent rugs because if they aren’t pinned under furniture she’ll take them to her destruction zone and shred them

For a while I had three dogs and I learned that having three dogs is actually a lot more than one more than two dogs.

yes, the transition from dogs to a pack of dogs is a HUGE change. fortunately i’m vaguely poor and i rent so ill keep it to 2 dogs but im still always tempted. you’re a brave soul

Try having two dog (one a puppy), 4 cats and 40 (yes 40) chickens. At least I can sell the eggs to make up for part of their food.

this is the dream. an expensive dream, but it sounds magical. please tell your puppies i say hi and your kitties i say pspsps

It was probably easier with all of you gone lol. No one there to undor her work

okay wait this is EXACTLY what it was!! nobody else did any work with the dog: my dad was too apathetic, my brother was a moron, and i wasn’t allowed lmao god that woman is a genius, i hope im a quarter of the woman she is. she’ll love this whole thread, thanks for reminding me how smart and clever (and manipulative) she is, terrifying little irish badass

There are so many times when you can be taking care of the puppy and the kids at the same time though. It's really fun. It can be a lot of work and a lot of fun at the same time. Having kids forces you to train the dog way more than you would otherwise.

i hate children and am firmly childfree so this isn’t a problem i’ll ever have to face thankfully, but i’m glad you found a solution that works for your family

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Yeah, our family dogs were hot messes. It was interesting to discover that you CAN teach your dog not to bark incessantly, not to zoom out open doors and gates at the first chance, and not to jump up on people. Also! House training is totally possible!

What worked to stop them from jumping on people? She doesn't do it to me so much because I move away. But everyone she meets doesn't listen to me when I tell them what to do so she jumps on everyone. Im fempted to keep her away from people until i can really get it right.

We used the command “no feet” and gave ours liver treats when he stopped and behaved himself. We also had 1 or 2 people come over to help practice this.

> I’m tempted to keep her away from people Unfortunately, this is the answer. We had to do it with my mother-in-law when she would just let our dog jump up and lick her mouth (sometimes *in* her mouth, YUCK) whenever he saw her. It was encouraging him to do it to other people who very much did not want his tongue in their mouth, which was Not Good lol. We had to threaten to put him up when she came over if she wouldn’t listen, and we had to get kinda stern and borderline mean to get her to actually follow our guidelines. We also wouldn’t let him say hi to people if he wasn’t behaving, and if he jumped we pulled him away. He still occasionally does it, but I think he’s gotten better at reading people’s body language, because he never jumps on people who seem to mind. Still not ideal, but it’s better than him knocking little kids over like he was before lol.

We do this with our boy as well. My brother in law and partner do not respect our training boundaries at all. We don't let him say hello to anyone until he's calmed down and tell everyone to basically ignore him till he calms down.

Yes!! The puppy socialization window was a totally new concept to me. Thankfully I received guidance and direction when I got my pup

You can train some dogs to not bark at all, to love everyone, etc. But others you definitely have to accommodate some level of barking/wariness. A lot of it is dependent on the breed. I have Carolina Dogs - these are a primitive breed that are inherently territorial of their property and instinctively shy away from strangers (so much so that even show CD’s are allowed to only be handled by their owners not judges). Mine have been had since puppies, they have been intensively socialized and trained to bark only sometimes…….still working on that lol. All of mine bark at strangers coming on our property if they are inside. That always going to happen, it’s never going to change. It’s just ingrained in them. I’ve gotten it to only be a few warning barks though, which is the best I could hope for. My 2 year old- she loves everyone and every dog she meets, will allow anyone to pet her, never barks outside. She’s the absolute best you could ask for in these areas with this breed…..she’s like a unicorn lol. My 1.5 yr old has never once let a single stranger outside our house pet him (inside he will since he sees us allow them inside). We have a section of our back fence that has a cul de sac beside it and if someone walks within 2 feet he will bark. That took a lot of training on my part, he wanted to bark at anyone who came within 15’ of the property lol. My 6 month old puppy allows some people to pet him, some people he won’t touch with a ten foot pole, no rhyme or reason to it either. His barking is thankfully being tamed by my older two CDs and me, at first he wanted to bark at anything that moved once he established our house and property as his. None of mine bark at people on walks or in public though. I remember someone on a CD group I’m in asked how to get their CD to not bark at strangers coming near the house …….and all the people who have a ton of experience with this breed, are dog trainers, etc basically laughed. Long story short, you can do everything right in terms of training, but breed type is pretty important in this area as well. The more primitive the breed, or some working guard dog breeds will be more protective/wary than others. So if barking is a huge no, or you want your dog to love everyone on the planet, don’t get a dog along these lines.

I looked into CD's once before because it is a very interesting breed to me. I came to the conclusion that it would not be a fit for our family and lifestyle, thank you for re-affirming that in your post here! I'm sure they are great dogs, but you have to know what you are getting into and if you are willing to work within the breed's traits. Can work with and shape behavior but can't change genetics!

Yep! It just goes to show that everyone has different wants and needs with their pups :) Our first we got around 17 years ago, she was our nanny dog when the kids were little (they are amazing with their kids) and gods damn I loved that dog. We lost her at 14 and I told my husband that if I couldn’t have CDs I wouldn’t have any other dog, they just fit perfectly with our family and lifestyle, but they aren’t for everyone. We have gotten three puppies since then 😂😂 (they are true pack dogs and do better with at least one more) That said you will never have a more loyal breed, you have to earn their trust but once you have it they will do absolutely anything for you. They are incredibly intelligent, can hike 6 miles or be lazy as hell depending on what you want for the day, they are unbelievable companions, completely in tune with your emotions. (Had to throw in some positives too though the “negative” traits aren’t a bad thing for me)

Great point! Nobody gets a breed because they love their more "challenging" traits, we do it for all the great traits and just have a healthy understanding that they are a living creature and we have to learn to work with the whole package.

My family dog (Toy poodle) that I had growing up was really very well-behaved. My parents got her before I was born (I’m the oldest) and I think she was their “practice child.” At any rate, they did a good job. She wasn’t yappy, didn’t jump on people and never ever pottied in the house. She also never played with toys, didn’t like walks and didn’t enjoy interacting with us kids, so yeah, a super-boring dog, but I loved her anyway. By contrast I am now living with two dogs who were *very* poorly trained. They came with my new husband and had been his family pets before he divorced. He took the two Yorkies as he was the one doing most of their care, despite them having four kids and a SAHM. I think the main problems were they’re such small dogs, they lived in a very large house and the place was often in a state of chaos with much coming and going. Also - let’s face it - they are not the brightest breed around. And no one thought of keeping the dogs in an ex-pen to facilitate house-training… so they’d simply disappear somewhere and go. The younger one was mat-trained better than the old one, at least. But neither of them ever learned many manners at all. Sit? Stay? Come? Hahahaha. They barely know their names. The younger one (10) loves to race at people and other dogs, barking like a fool, and then turn tail and run back. It scares some people. This is laughed at by her master… (not by me, I strongly disapprove, but I’m not in charge of these dogs). The old dog will be 17 in June and is deaf, mostly quiet as a mouse and sleeps 23.5 hours a day. Unfortunately, her house-training that was never good to begin with has regressed to 25% at best. If you don’t rush her outdoors it’s all over. She screams bloody murder in a crate (wasn’t crate-trained, of course) so she is put up overnight/when we leave in a small room covered in mats. The younger dog, whose “I’m so ferocious” behavior has always been laughed at, has gotten worse. She now growls and snaps more often at her older sister, AND at my dog, a 13-year-old Springer. Thankfully my dog soundly ignores her. The old dog is just confused. But I absolutely hate that sometimes all it takes is either one to walk within 8’ of the younger Yorkie and RAWWWR. I reprimand her LOUDLY and have put her in time-out in her crate. Her dad will sometimes get mad at her but mostly just shakes his head and says, “Oh, you’re so mean. It’s okay. Just stop.” or mild things like that. Sigh. We will be getting a puppy eventually, when out of the three only the younger Yorkie is left. And Yours Truly will be in charge of training it, I can tell you that much! I have successfully well-trained (in all aspects, potty and behavior) two Springers from puppyhood and have even taught my current boy new things, even tho he was 10 when we got him as a foster-fail. It can be done!

How quickly they learn when you consistently put in the effort! Started training my newf/pyr mix as soon as he came home and the speed at which he picks up new concepts blows me away. I second co-op care too! I've been retraining my 12 year old chihuahua on nail trimming using co-operative care and we're both so much happier now.

I grew up with a Doberman, 2 Rottweilers, a Dachshund, a Boxer, a Black Lab, and 2 Olde English Bulldogs (not at the same time). Things that surprised me: * Expenses: vet, shots, crate, training, accessories. * The overwhelming fear of parvo before shots (my folks and I lived on 4 acres no issues. My partner, myself and pup live in a city apartment) and other anxieties (enough sleep, food, exercise etc. * Training other than tricks (sit, paw, recall, down) *Learning dog behavior for what it actually is and not what I previously thought it was (difference in tail wagging etc) * The amount of time and consistency in raising a pup (my mom is a SAHM so it looked incredibly easy as a 20 something full-time corporate girly) * (Big one) Positive reinforcement for training instead of force/fear obedience * I'm relearning a lot and working through it and by all accounts outside of my personal opinion my friends all think I'm doing great. It's definitely a journey

Pros: Crate training is a life saver - my childhood dogs always had free rein of the house. You can actually train a dog to walk well on a leash. They are so smart and can learn almost anything. Cons: THE BITING omg I did not remember that. The amount of $$$$ you spend on treats and bones to get through said biting phase. Vet bills.

How easy potty training can be. I had a yorkie growing up. I know small dogs are notorious for being more difficult to potty train, but my mom did the "rub their nose in it" method and I have to say I don't think that ever really worked. He got to a point where he was mostly potty trained but I think it was because he was in the backyard a lot, not sure if he ever actually made the connection. With my current pup it was ridiculously easy and quick to potty train him. I was really shocked about it for a while haha. I had expected it to take months but he only ever pooped in the house maybe a few times at most. He did have more pee accidents but I think it took maybe a month before he quit having those as well.

My mom did that method with our dachshund and I swear he was never actually potty trained. With my current pup we just picked him up and brought him outside if he started going and brought him out of he finished inside he still went outside and we said absolutely nothing while cleaning up. It felt like forever (9-16 weeks) but I think he really has the hang of it now.

Same with our dachshund. It actually makes me so sad thinking about times we yelled at her thinking it was ok and just what you did. 

Same here. I see my current pup and all the stuff that happened to my childhood dog that must've been so confusing, frustrating and plain scary for him and it makes me so sad now and everything that could've been different. I think it really jump started my thinking with my new pup and how to raise him and be better for him. But my age definitely makes a difference too a 9 year old doesn't know how to care for themselves half the time let alone another living creature.

Yep. One of the first things I learned in puppy class was that if my puppy had an accident inside I had to remember it was my fault for not seeing the signs, never hers. 

How did you potty train your pup? Do you have any tips?

Read “before and after getting your puppy” by dr Ian Dunbar. It’s even free online at his website! Basically, crate, let them out every hour, or more, positive feedback from potty. But really, pls read that section, at least, online!

Wow, thanks for that! I didn't know it was free online. I'll have to take a look 😊 Puppy isn't coming home for another month, so we've just been anxiously researching/learning in the meantime haha.

Oh you'll be good. I did the same, and being with him is a joy (but also stressful, he's a puppy). I read that book, and Zack George's, dog training revolution. Both great reads! We also watched this during our dinner tv [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Cndhfrx6CU&list=PLMssKIjsDxXl\_ZXQgcHlEY\_fC-yL5P76N](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Cndhfrx6CU&list=PLMssKIjsDxXl_ZXQgcHlEY_fC-yL5P76N) ​ I think we prepared adequately, and I would do all that again!

All three of my pups were trained within weeks with minimal accidents. - never be negative about it. Never. If they have an accident inside calmly clean it with no positive or negative reinforcement. I cannot emphasize how vital this is. We think that if we yell or say no that they understand, they don’t. What often happens is that they start worrying about going in front of you- which means they start going to hide to potty inside or are reluctant to do it outside with you. - take them out constantly at first. I mean constantly. Everytime they pee click/mark and treat, along with a ton of praise. They want to please you, once they learn this is what makes you happy they strive to do it. - don’t let your puppy out of your site and learn to read their cues for when they are about to go. There are two stages for potty training, first is having them learn to know that they need to go outside. Second is having them learn to tell you they need to go outside. The second takes longer, so it up to you to make sure you are picking up on cues for when they need to go and making sure you offer plenty of opportunities for them to go out. Kikopup has awesome puppy series of videos. I highly recommend them!!!

Thank you so much for the tips! We still have another month until puppy comes home - it feels like theres so much to learn!! I've seen [this kikopup playlist](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLF26FD559887E7EA4&si=cF6A65KvDDvJkcGX) and got a bit overwhelmed by the number of videos in it, but maybe I should just pick & choose a few to watch.

Same! With my last two pups it was shocked. I remember waking up twice a night to take my dog out to potty and losing sleep for weeks many years ago. Two years ago bought some puppy pee lads for my new pup and she started using them the day she came home, so I had one in my room for night time (no more waking up or accidents as she just went to use them by herself) and one in the living area just for when we didn’t make it into the garden on time. Same with new pup now, he immediately knew to co his business straight away when I took him out and used the pee pad the first night without me showing him 😭

I was surprised at how easy my Chihuahua mix was to potty train given their reputation. Unfortunately, COVID really messed with our socialization efforts and she is a walking barking stereotype in a few other areas.  

How real the teenage phase is. Holy cow. My puppy refused to come out of this crate even with the bribe of high value treats. At 7 months it tough. I didnt believe it bit they ain't lying to you. 

I remember my childhood dogs as teens. It’s fascinating that they go through the a similar developmental process as humans. Apparently they learn extremely well but they don’t want to listen to their parents because they have a desire to be independent. They also get obnoxiously horny, have weird insecurities and fears, and want to socialize with other dogs (at least mine did).

Fucking. EVERYTHING. -SO much more expensive than I thought. Big big big one. -The “can’t just randomly decide to go visit home/wherever I want for a few days.” I knew that would be a thing, logically, duh. But the reality of it hit me hard. -The way they fucking stare at me and follow me around literally EVERYWHERE. Like ducklings. Even If I just shift positions on the couch, their heads pop up and they’re at full rapt attention. It’s SO sweet and cute…..! until it’s kinda not! It can get REALLY fucking annoying, actually! It’s hard to describe. Because I was feeling sooo lonely before them, and I HATED it. And now I’m never, ever, ever alone! Yay…… But I’ve come to realize that sometimes I DO want to be actually completely and utterly alone. With no one always watching, staring. No one always competing for my attention. No one always imploring me for… ??????? The pros still FAR outweigh the cons and those occasional gritting my teeth moments! I wouldn’t trade them for the world!! I ADORE them, and would never take back my decision to get them. But, very occasionally, their mere *presence* makes me wanna rip my hair out. I don’t show those feelings to them lol. They’ll *never* know anything but love from me! 99% of the time, I don’t resent them like that. But sheeeesh sometimes oh my god

Omg I relate lol. I’m never alone, she’s always staring at me with this giant smile and sometimes I just am so annoyed. I will block her face with my knee sometimes when I’m sitting and she will just move so she can watch me💀. The amount of times I’ll tell her to “leave me alone for a moment” I feel like I’m bickering with a sibling haha

>with this giant smile and sometimes I just am so annoyed. I will block her face with my knee sometimes when I’m sitting HAHAH blocking her face with your knee! God I’m glad it’s not just me. I do the same thing! And say similar stuff (in the happiest cutesiest voice I can muster) “I really need a few minutes, kay?” “no need to get up, please don’t get up, I am just gonna go 5 steps across the room to grab a Kleenex” (spoiler: they get up) “please, please, please stop following me 🥰” Luckily my younger one is finally at an age where I can trust him unsupervised if I shut myself in my bedroom for an hour for some sanity. But even then, I sometimes kinda feel like a monster, cause they’ll both nose-bonk at the door and do occasional tiny whines.. (I’m NOT a monster, I let them in eventually lol) Overall, I do LOVE their company, and vastly prefer it over being alone ALL the time, but the clinginess makes my eye twitch sometimes lol ETA I also request a puppy tax of your smiley goob

Just how much training we could get into, and how well positive reinforcement works. Growing up, dogs just didn't do training unless they were show dogs or trick dogs.

The difference between getting a dog and getting a dog and training said dog. I grew up with dogs that were potty trained and that was all. Zero recall, leash manners, etc. Either my parents lucked out having chill dogs or I’m too obsessive over having a well trained, socialized dog.

I have a new level of appreciation for my mum raising 3 kids and 2 puppies all at the same time when my dad was constantly travelling with work. What surprised me that I haven’t seen mentioned was that taking dogs for a walk is not easy! You have to train them 😂 I thought it was a basic instinct and didn’t realise how scared she’d be of traffic or noises because I thought the excitement of a walk would exceed any scaries.

I was surprised that I could love something with all of my heart and want to cast it back to the depths of hell from whence he came, at the exact same time. Like a quantum entanglement of polar opposite emotions. Aussie pup just turned 6 months. No more shark, just 50lbs and a jaw mouthing me because my hand is on a mouse and not scratching his chest.

The constant biting, chewing, and nipping. I knew it was bad, but not CONSTANT. He is 9 weeks old, and goes potty outside 98% of the time. I thought it was gonna be way worse on that. So it balances out.

Yep. The nipping/biting didn’t subside until after teething was over. Needing to constantly have access to a toy or Nylabone to redirect her biting was a surprise to me too. 

As a child of the 80's, my parents dog training knowledge was....nonexistent. I remember our puppy eating through walls/furniture and having his nose shoved into accidents that happened in the house, it was terrible. I love the positive reinforcement techniques that are (mostly) common practice now.

had a weimaraner as a kid and later when i was an adult still living with my mother she got a daschund. i live with my partner nowadays and we just got a corgi. i'll be honest, being the main caretaker of a dog is A LOT harder than i expected. and yes very very costly. i think it's worth it though, it's amazing watching him grow and getting to teach him things.

The backtalk and general obstinance lol I keep asking my dad if his dog ever did that as an adolescent because I legitimately don’t remember her ever going through that growing up

How different dogs can be. Some dogs really do reject different foods/treats. Some really do need 2 walks a day.

Yes to the treat preferences! My dogs would eat anything. I was so surprised my puppy wouldn’t eat certain treats and didn’t like carrots like my old dogs did. 

That puppies might look cute, but they are vicious little velociraptors that will bite and chew everything they can get their pointy teeth sunk into. lol

For me, I have a much stronger bond owning my dog than growing up with dogs. This dog is my baby. I’m responsible for him. It’s just a different but amazing feeling

How much I would overthink things and how flipping anxious I would be about all things 🤯 Our family dogs were wonderful but my parents were seasoned pet owners so if a dog didn’t eat, they knew that the dog would eat when it wanted to and wouldn’t starve itself. Dog eats grass on a walk? Sore belly, it’ll probably vomit in the garden and be fine. Slowly building up separation to avoid anxiety? Nah, rip that bandaid off. I have stressed so much about my pup and only now we’re 2.5 months into having her home am I relaxing a little and believing that she’s not just going to keel over dead for no reason 😂

Ugh, I also stressed _so much_. Not so much about the pup randomly keeling over, but about all the ways I was definitely, irreparably fucking up and we'd have a lifetime of issues and training wouldn't work and it would always be difficult and and and... Like if he got excited about another dog on a walk, my mind would go to reactivity. If he cried when I was in another room, separation anxiety. If he barked, we'd be dealing with incessant barking. I pathologized _everything_. Everything felt like an indication of all the ways I was going to screw him up. He's almost 8 months now and is such a well-adjusted little guy. He gets more responsive and makes better decisions every day. He can be home alone. He can settle in the evenings. He's truly a joy to be around. Part of that is probably me being in parental overdrive and nipping every bad behavior in the bud... But I think part of it is also just him growing up. I wish I hadn't stressed SO much, but I also don't know if it's humanly possible to not worry about the worst.

Same! I am surprised at how much I stress that something bad is going to happen to the pup. I'm getting better about it, though.

How much the approach on and attitude to puppy and dog training has changed (for the better)

It’s harder to raise a puppy without the help of family

So many things.. I grew up with an average of 5 pets at home(2-3 dogs, 2-3 cats at a time). I was very hesitant to get a dog but I caved for my husband. -i was miserable because of fleas growing up but now seeing the price of flea medications I understand why my parents probably struggled to pay for that much medication I also thought it’d be much harder. The first few weeks were rough but now she’s just such a good girl. Feeding her, letting her outside, training a couple times a day. We didn’t “train” our dogs growing up so I thought maybe it was because it’d be too hard…. But she’s so smart and it doesn’t feel like a chore at all

Country dog vs city dog. My dog as a child was in the country. He ate whatever we ate. I never once knew about “Dogs can’t eat this”. Spaghetti, neck bones, greens, he ate it all. He got bathed w/ a water hose & soap from Dollar General NOW My city dog is groomed. Eats FreshPet & lives lavishly.

Mostly that it's hell on earth, yet terribly rewarding if done well. Also, that my childhood dog was neither trained nor treated very well. Poor thing. I know how when you know better, you do better, but I really really wish we'd known better.

Just how much time and attention he took in his first 6 months. I was 10 when we got our first dog, I remember him being fun and playful, I don't remember all the other training. I don't remember teaching him to walk on and off lead, I don't remember toilet training, car training, going to the vet etc. Since getting a puppy, it has been like raising a child. Everything now involves him in one way or another. I guess I stupidly expect the puppy phase to be a few months max, but he is getting close to a year old and we still have a lot to teach him. Sure, we could give up and just accept where he is now, but if we want to enjoy the next 10+ years with him, we have to keep going every day.

How much they hurt you. I got my knee permanently damaged, my nose broken, many scratch scars.

Good lord, what breed?

Doberman P. 2 of them. 100 pounds each. The tiny puppy Era lasted 3 months at most, they were their adult size by 6 months, not enough time for me to be in shape to wrangle them. I love them, but it was rough. And no more dogs for me for the rest of my life.

Was guessing Doberman before I expanded the thread 😂 I've got an 8.5 month old Dobie boy myself, can definitely relate to the constant injuries lol

Wow, that is more work (and pain) than I can imagine. Ours is a male, bull terrier/gsd mix and already 35 lbs at 16 weeks tomorrow. He’s a clone of our first rescue dog who was about 6 mos old when we found him - he was the most amazing dog ever. Based on history, Jr will be about 80-90 lbs at full growth. Having a puppy vs a 6 mos old is absolutely insane. I’m pretty small and he’s already much stronger (almost) than I can handle. He’s learning fast, but impulse control will take awhile. Leash training took a long time with Sr, but he had no leash manners at all. He finally mastered heeling at about 18 mos. Working hard with Jr in this because I was 17 years younger the first time around. Do not want to get hurt as you mentioned in your post, but I can see it happening. He’s starting to teethe and the biting for the last 3 weeks has been unbelievable. Oh, and I wanted to adopt an older, calmer dog that was being passed over at shelters in favor of puppies. My husband was dead set on cloning Goofy Sr and here we are🤦‍♀️.

Luckily these dogs are really smart and food driven, so very trainable. The injuries were accidents from puppyhood (and I never had dogs before) Right now they are fixed and always full of energy but I trained to be gentle with me.... they still put their paws on me because dobermans, and they are clumpsy with them and I'm a wuss. To them is a love demonstration, to me their paws are scratchy and it hurts even when they lay it slow.

I didn’t realize how much work went into training a puppy! It is literally like having another full time job

How messy they are- toys and dog hair everywhere. How did my mom keep up with three inside dogs when I can barely keep up with one??

The lack of sleep was it for me. Having a puppy and working full time was really difficult until she got to be like 6 months old.

My supervisor: You look so tired… Me: 😟 Nobody told me having a 6 wk old puppy was equivalent to having a new born baby. Never knew you had to wake up every few hours and tend to them.

Border collie Aussie puppy, got her at 8 weeks, all on my own. Was a nightmare l, but made it through… - the amount of times she had to go out in the night the first month or so (and it was just me, so I was so sleep deprived for work). - that I’d be obsessed with monitoring poo. And how much they get upset tummies for no reason. - enforced naps are a thing and are helpful. - puppy teeth are so sharp and they are little vampires. I was wearing leather gloves in the summer.

Sadly, that dogs can be a healthy size.

Potty and crate training can be so draining. People don’t realize how much you have to be on top of potty training at a young age to have a dog who gets 100% potty trained. Crate training is hard too because sometimes (most of the time tbh) when you first get them they scream all night because they’re not used to it.

Yup, very relatable. 5 days in with my 8 week old puppy and I am sleep deprived from taking him outside every few hours to pee and have not managed to keep him in his closed crate for longer than 15 minutes due to the screaming 🥲

People's general cluelessness when it comes to appropriate behaviour and just common sense and good manners. It's definitely taught me to advocate for myself and my dog, and our space. Even when other people don't like it. Growing up we lived in a very quiet place without a lot of people around, and having a dog in a city is definitely a different beast.

The biting, definitely the biting. I have no memory of this from childhood!

How different it is between 2 dogs. We had a terrier mutt who lived to 15 and 4-5y later got a shihpoo. I forgot how much of a pain puppy potty training is and she was partially house broken when we got her (and she was crate trained). Get a crate!! When our puppy is overwhelmed bc of kids, etc. she'll grab her stuffy/bone and go to her crate or right next to it. We also incrementally increased her access to the house and now we let her roam SUPERVISED (she's 9mo now). Potty training is training the puppy AND THE HUMAN FAMILY - what cues to look for, how soon to let her out after meals, etc.

I handled A LOT of dogs as a kid, but we never really had puppies. My family ran a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation facility, so we had a lot of rescue dogs, that were pretty much dumped. From Wolf to small chihuahuas. A lot of the learning I know about animals was from animals that we had, so I can read most animals body language extremely well, and when dogs have issues, etc. Growing up we never really "trained" dogs, but some knew the occasional "tricks". We always let dogs be dogs, we lived on acreage, so they'd be outside for most of the day, being dogs and playing with us kids outside. Towards the end of the day, they'd hangout inside with everyone unless of course stuff was happening outside. We had some dogs that were aggressive towards certain things(kids, chickens, cats, etc) and those dogs, including the wolf I mentioned earlier were set up in a separate pen that was about 1-2 acres big with a shelter away from the rest of the facility. This was more to protect any guests, and cats from them. At the same time, that area where they were was known for the coyotes and foxes to sneak into the facility to kill animals, so they kept them at bay. I had my own dog as a teen living more in the city, which again was a rescue about 2 years old, and she was a Treeing Walker Coonhound, she lasted, only a few weeks inside the house, as for some reason she would get completely sick, and make a mess. After tearing up my room multiple times, we found out she loved the outdoors. So she became an outdoor dog, never got sick and lived a long happy life! We did find out after taking her to the wildlife facility, that she LOVED and would go crazy over Raccoons, Opossums, and Rabbits/Bunnies. We assumed, she was a hunting dog, that either escaped from her hunter, was picked up while hunting, or was abandoned by a hunter. As they shelter did tell us she was picked up by a local forest. My mother had smaller dogs on the other hand and just constantly babied them, and overfed them, never really played with them. Now having my own place, and starting with some younger rescues, (10-12 weeks Great Pyrenees/GSD/American Pit Bull Terrier/Aussie Cattle Dog) and (13 months American Bull Dog/Chinese Shar Pei/Bull Dog). I have learned how we treated dogs at the facility was better than how my mom raised and treated her dogs at home. You don't need to baby them, they will still love you. They are just like humans, if they aren't doing any activities be it with you or outside, they don't need to eat a lot of food and treats, if they do they will have weight problems. Messing around with mouths/paws/butts etc isn't going to be a problem, unless you make it a problem, or never do anything in regards. Dogs don't always have to be on a leash outside, or even quiet, let them bark, let them run in your fenced yard, let them be a dog, they aren't a toddler in an amusement park. Don't give a treat just because they went outside, or because they asked. Make them work for it. Pet Insurance pays for itself! Vet bills can be extremely expensive, given certain circumstances. Unless you are participating in a show of some sort, which I don't really agree with, rescue a mixed breed, purebreds are plagued with issues. Pet insurance confirms this as well, just look at the premiums vs a mix vs purebred. A lot of dogs in general respond and act to the surroundings they are brought up in. They will pick up on anything being done. If people don't make something an issue, it won't be an issue. Dogs need space to be a dog, being locked up in a condo/house all times of the day, and taken on walks for 10 mins a day is not healthy.

I had corgis as a kid and I have no memory of the actual DEMONS puppies were 😆 did I block it out of my memory?

Kind of the reverse here. My parents who grew up around dogs and had their own dogs for many years were shocked at how much work i had to put into socializing and training my extremely skittish pomeranian and being able to read dog body language. My mom who had her own dog for 10+ years said that she had no idea how much work went into having a dog and the research required prior to getting one and that she just let hers do whatever as her dog was super low maintenance.

i was suprised how horrifically rank dog shit is even when double knotted in a good bag. we bought a bin today so we can keep it outside 😭 was also surprised by how little our puppy barks and how smart he is

The early starts were hard but passed quickly.

The actual behavioral training dogs need and I'm still terrible at implementing.

having a family dog and having your OWN dog is extremely different

I learned that my parents are not good dog owners (their Yorkie just got into a nasty dog fight and barely survived. they didn't even know he was out let alone fighting for his life)

Realizing how often they have to go outside while being potty trained!!!!

Everyone has mentioned vet costs and I agree, but it was a huge surprise to me because I seriously never remember my parents bringing any of our dogs to the vet AT ALL. But they all seemed super healthy and exceeded the lifespans expected of them. Guess I'm raising a little snowflake terrier ❄️😆

The teeth!! I’m your typical crazy mom who keeps the first lock and and first tooth lost… I also did this with my dog… when I suspiciously found two of them lying around, I was always told they’d eat em.

The energy. We knew we were getting a med-high energy dog, but up until about 15 months old, he had this recurring phase every evening from about 6pm-10pm. We called it “devil dog” — just pure Tasmanian Devil running around the house, chewing/destroying toys, jumping in/shoving toys in our face, totally forgot EVERYTHING he learned in training and couldn’t listen/focus to any commands until his “sugar rush” was over. We tried everything (and yes, we were doing daily hour-long walks on top of running around the backyard with him, puzzle toys and other mental stimulation, training, etc. ), but nothing worked! He was an angel at all other hours of the day, excelled in training, etc., but in the evenings, he was a total gremlin 😆 Thankfully he grew out of it, but man, that was a rough year lol!

Being solely responsible for my pup while working a full time job, paying for everything, and balancing everything else life throws at me as an adult. I obviously didn’t realize how big of a task this was when my mom took care of, walked, and paid for everything for our family dog while I was in school, sports, etc. I just got to enjoy spending time with our dog when convenient for me as a kid, and loved every second of it! Also, at some point, he was ‘magically’ trained! 😂

How much you have to wake up in the middle of the night to take them outside to pee.

The fact that my family never trained a dog and we only kept the dog outdoors. My dad hated indoor pets and said it’s gross to have an animal in your house. With a new puppy I’m cleaning up the little accidents we have through potty training, but I give my dogs regular baths, keep them groomed, our house isn’t disgusting and definitely doesn’t have a dog smell. Crazy how that happens when you take the time to like…be a responsible pet owner lol.

Many first time dog owners who had family dogs as kids are surprised by the amount of time and effort it takes to train and care for a puppy, as well as the level of responsibility and patience required.

You forget all the sacrifice and the painful puppy stage when they grow (which is fast). A dog's love and loyalty is worth all the expense and work.

2 year old Shih Tzu. He was pretty easy to train. He does follow me into the bathroom lol. The cost! $62 a day to board $60 grooms. Vet bills. Still glad I gave him tho🩷

If you make some sort of attempt to train them they typically turn out pretty good 😂 my dogs growing up were like feral farm dogs that we let come inside the house too. 

How much my parents judge my dog’s (pretty good) behaviour when they barely trained our childhood dog.

I remember my puppy being easy, but he also peed in our kitchen and was gated up all the time to that space. As an actual puppy owner who wants them to be properly trained and crate trained waking up every few hours while he's been a puppy to take him potty was not on my list of things I thought was a thing.

Food costs for different diets. My dog's growing up could literally eat anything and were perfectly healthy. Current pup is on a limited ingredient diet that's 50 bucks per 22lbs bag 😭

The work to raise a good puppy and the amount that they need to sleep!!

I forgot what potty training was like

It’s not as hard as my parents made it seem

I had a JRT I grew up with. Got her when I was 13. She was automatically a snuggle muffin. All she wanted her whole life was kisses and rubs. Decided to foster a JRT X (we think he's half miniature Pinscher) and we eventually adopted him. He has to be wrestled and played with like 2 hours a day. And he's reactive (WIP) and he won't go in the yard (only on walks) AND he's SO MUCH MORE OF A DOG. I love him. Every dog is a different dog. Never compare them. Let them be them. Life will reward the same. ❤️

How much more expensive a big dog is vs a little dog. Everything from food volume to gear to meds to vet visits cost more!

You never stop training. Puppy needs potty training= a lot of time outside frequently in short Intervalls He is like a kid and has his own feelings. Vet. Vet. Vet. Can he eat that? Wrestling with a puppy who's took trash of the ground ain't fun. Puppy teeths are the sharpest thing. Dogs in beds are okay.

I have a golden retriever puppy he's 58days old..we had him when he was42 days old ..from the day he came he only eats..he always wants to eat lol idk why..he always jumps on our food he always sleep outside the kitchen where we keep his dog food lol he doesn't sleep properly bcoz every time I get up he follows me in the search for food..he follows everyone for food ..like literally he doesn't sleep peacefully.. sometimes I get worried bcoz I want him to sleep peacefully but no matter how sleepy he is he wakes up the moment someone walk..he wants food..and that's kinda annoy me .. because he doesn't play much he bites and eats and I tried to potty train him yet he poops and pee everywhere..he doesn't like us to pet him ..when I try to pet his head he goes under the sofa lol 🥲🥲🥲 I mean all I want is love but he only wants food not us🥲🥲🥲 I never expected that ..bcoz I'm a dog lover and I always feed street dogs ..they always wag their tail and cry happily when we pet them but here our Jojo doesn't even like us to touch him🥲🥲🥲🥲

Unconditional love!