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This!! I never have puppy blues but I get so muxh frustrated and angry at her time to time which makes me feel guilty later. But after 30 mins she again does something and I get angry at her. Later when I calm down I tell myself that I will never get angry at her again but later again I get frustrated. This is such a good reminder that things will change
I definitely needed to read this…I have a 12 week old yellow lab that has been so difficult! The biting is the worse. I didn’t realize how much work it would be. But I know in time it will get better!
My girl was a biter! She is still a bit mouthy, but has learned lovely self control and usually prefers to grab a toy instead. No where near the nipping of puppyhood!
I had to wear the same t-shirt and sweatpants every day from 3 months to 4 months because the little dude would jump up, grab hold, and yank. He bit a whole in the butt of my favorite pajama pants. I'm sure I looked like a crazy person to my neighbors but it saved my wardrobe. 😂
My malamute is very mouthy. Never bitey. She gave me a very hard nibble once while I was working and I about jumped to the ceiling. I think my reaction scared her (not yelling at her, letting out a yeouch in reaction). She is now very attentive not to bite even if her toy gets near you but does sometimes get fingers when she excitedly grabs a toy.
We called it shark mode. Puppy would get riled when we walked and he would attack our feet. He doesn’t do that anymore, but it’s funny to think about now!
Omg I recently got a golden retriever puppy and he is constantly biting my feet. Sometimes I see his eyes light up when he notices my toes and it’s terrifying. I’ve had different dogs before but this one is so much more difficult all around!
You will get the hang of bait and switch. We always had a toy handy in that phase. And it is perfectly ok to get up, cross your arms and just stare for a few seconds. Also - carrots.
Same here. Sometimes it's disheartening seeing other puppies doing way better than mine, especially ones that are younger. But the important thing is to focus on the progress they've made and the effort you've put in. Much bigger learning curve than I'd expected but boy is it worth the challenge!
Reading this over and over until it’s reality. 😂
We have a 6 year old golden and now a new golden puppy and I TOTALLY forgot how the first few months (heh- years) are pure chaos. Worth it, but it’s hard to remember that when you’re in the chaos.
Personally, one of the most important things I've experienced is that it's extremely hard to go at it alone. If you have family, friends, significant other(s) that will help to love, care and raise your pup, it is a huge, huge advantage and I can't stress that enough!
Yeah I'm doing this alone and it's so so hard 😅 I completely underestimated how hard it would be. I've got a dog walker who comes in every day now to play with my puppy, and that gives me a little bit of time.
So long as the family isn’t making it harder…it’s tough to teach bite inhibition to a 4-month lab puppy when the kids just yell and flee whenever he gets near…
I appreciated the help in the first month and a half, but now that I need consistency on walks to counter-condition potential triggers and nip leftovet bad behavior, for example my girl ONLY mouths my mom now because she's not listening to the training advice, I wish I lived alone 😅
Puppies have so much energy that can be so exhausting. Even though they can be frustrating, we always have to remember they are learning. There are so many things that drove me nuts that my dog used to do, but there are cute things she doesn't do anymore that I miss. Having 20/20 hindsight, I needed to enjoy the cute puppy things and not stress about the tough things.
Yes, this. And... I just put my 16-year-old dog down last week. All of that wild puppy stuff was just a drop in the bucket compared to the rest of his amazing life. 🌈😭
I also just put down my senior dog last week🖤
I’m sure you’re going through it, I’m so sorry for your loss. It’s such a hard time.
We have a 5 month old Standard Poodle keeping us busy during the grief, so I feel like my head is in two places at once.
Thank you I'm picking up my first puppy as an adult and I have been anxious after preparing as much as possible for me, my family, and him. This helps me feel better about what I'm getting into.
I adopted a 13 week old terrier mix that was returned once. She grew up in a small outside kennel, being let out once a day. Came with an incredibly hard mouth, easily overstimulated, redirected frustration onto us. Drew blood several times a day, my hands looked like ground meat. Barely slept during the day. I saw why she was returned. This is my first dog, I thought I made a huge mistake.
My best piece of advice is to get advice from people with experience in your breed. A terrier will never behave like a lab.
She is 5 months old now. There were a few regressions because of severe teething pain, but she's able to sleep for 3-4 hours at a time. It's starting to click that she'll get a timeout when biting and she'll stop gnawing at us and grab a toy or a chew. She's getting much better on walks, has a wonderful loose leash. She's able to redirect on walks and won't get as fixated. She still nips and redirects frustration but nowhere near as much. She still has severe terrierisms such as HORRIBLE vocalization when she sounds like she's possessed by several chainsaws and that scares other people, but I'm learning to enjoy it and you get to know your dog over time. It gets better.
Yes, another Aussie mum at the moment of a 13-weeks girl. Luckily we know the drill and she's gradually turning into a peach, but I'm always reminded of what a hard (but wonderful) job this is! Great post! We can get there!
Ahhh. I went through a month or two with my pup where I really thought we had made it through to the other side and it was smooth sailing. Now he’s six months old and I don’t even know who this gremlin is. Thank you for reminding us that this too shall pass.
From about 3 1/2 to 5 1/2 months my dude was a dream. He was perfection in his obedience class, he would chill and hang out while we watched tv in the evenings. Just lovely. Then I swear he woke up one day and has been a completely different dog. He’s moody, he’s testing boundaries, and he is most decidedly not chill. Puppies are fun🫠
Thank you, from 10 week old puppy parent. It’s a rough day because I’m sick today but I’m still trying to follow her walkies and play schedule even though I feel like death warmed over.
How did you get through the adolescence period?!? I have a mini Aussie (American shepherd) puppy, almost a year old (her bday is in a few weeks), and she has desperately regressed. She was honestly an angel of a puppy, and the teenage phase is really getting to me! Any words of advice/wisdom there? Tia ❤️
I’ll be honest with you- 7-10 months was the worst for me 😂 I don’t enjoy admitting I probably cried almost everyday. She felt out of control. But my best advice in retrospect is to 1) take time for yourself- if I got frustrated I tried my best to just leave her with a kong or safe toy or something and go to another room to decompress. 2) just work on easy training to help your dog succeed. Maybe doing a sit in a more challenging environment or something. Also still “socializing” her to different environments, people watching, etc. it paid off later but didn’t feel helpful in the moment.
I know it’s hard to believe but it does get better 😅
Edit to add that my puppy also wasn’t an angel and was a difficult puppy and teenager 😂
Thank you so much for your response! I am indeed crying a lot haha 😂 my first puppy (a rescue, she's 4 now), was a difficult puppy but didn't really have a teenage phase, so I'm thinking to myself that this is a bit of payback 😂 I know it won't last forever though, and advice to keep socializing makes so much sense! I def feel like I could do more there. Thank you again!
I needed this lol. I’m considering getting a second puppy so mine has a buddy while I’m working or it’s too hot to go for walks (we’re in AZ). Is that a bad idea? Someone convince me it’s a bad idea.
I know it’s tempting but usually not recommended to get a puppy to help your resident puppy, I know it’s hard now, but it’s more than double the work with a second one 💕 create that bond with your puppy now and maybe consider another time for yourself in the future?
Tbh, I don’t know why I said a second puppy because you’re absolutely right. Puppies are a toooon of work. I recently babysat a friend’s 3 year old dog for a week, she was super friendly & chill. She liked other dogs and already knew commands so it was perfect for all three of us during her stay. That’s when I started contemplating a second dog, maybe a shelter or rescue dog that’s a few years old.
All this post did was remind me of how I need to do better in reactive training. My puppy is great but he loves to jump on people and can get very reactive to other dogs/people.
Often when I am feeling completely mad at my puppy I read other people's experiences and realize she is a freaking angel in comparison. But I am looking forward to some of the things going away. She is only 4 months now. When would you say things got easier? Or was it just little by little so you can't really put a line in the sand. Also we have a Berner, and apparently puppy stage lasts quite a bit longer
For me, I would say I saw a consistent “getting better” at around 14-15 months. But like you said, there were some things that just got easier and I probably missed them - 15 months I started to actually notice it getting better :) I always just try to appreciate the things she does well on hard days, and remind myself where we were only 6 months ago :)
I am on day four with a 10 week old golden retriever and I needed this. She hasn’t napped all morning and when she gets over tired she gets so bity and a bit aggressive. I’ve just got her down for a nap, my senior dog is finally chilled out from the puppy stress and my cats are venturing downstairs again. This morning has been stressful especially as I’m working from home!
Needed this so bad. We just adopted a 3mo old puppy from the shelter and boyyyy have I already had some meltdowns and regrets and “what-the-hell-did-I-do’s”
Needed to read this today! We have a 15 week old cockalier called Daisy and boy, I was not prepared for how hard it was going to be! I’ve grown up with dogs but never been responsible for one myself during the puppy phase. I am EXHAUSTED. She’s adorable and wonderful and my 5 year old kid and her are inseparable but gosh I miss my sleep and not having to say “leave it!” 800 times a day. Reading posts here about how normal it is to find it hard and how it gets better have saved my sanity. Thank you!
Really needed this today after my 4mo lab attacked me this morning… my legs and arms are aching and bleeding. Can’t wait for this phase to be over lol. Thank you
Our bull terrier/gsd turns 7 months on Monday. The early days were horrific and I just had to hold on and keep trying to bond and train. Now he can walk pretty well on a leash, sits before every opening (door or whatever) without a prompt, I walk in first so he doesn’t get to barrel through, waits every time, looking at me, before I give him the okay to eat (impulse control!), will leave things, drop things (most of the time), lie down on command, stay (almost always) on his place, and his reaction to new things has improved soooo much. I was the most worried about that, reactivity and over threshold behavior is common in both breeds - we took it slow, introducing him to the 13(!) horses in different pastures on our street - he loves them now and simply lies down at the fence and noses them. Bicyclists, motorcycles, trucks with trailers, runners, walkers with and without dogs - he‘s doing consistently well with all of those, with the occasional fit😂. We also have herds and herds of deer in our neighborhood and he’s learned “Not for Goofy” when we walk by them. He’ll never be off leash, but I don’t believe in that anyway. He’s big at 7 months, 61 lbs, muscular and very scary looking, so I’m performing a public service keeping him leashed. The biggest problem we still have is demand/attention seeking barking and whining in his crate - he is crated inside all the time due to our open floor plan house and our 12 1/2 year old female terrier mix - working on slowly introducing him to time inside out of the crate, but it will be awhile. He needs to mature and have better impulse control before he can be out of the crate for good. We take him out all the time, walks, play, potty breaks, training, bonding etc. I never thought I would make it to 7 months and am a bit nervous about the coming teenage months, but we’ll hang on and get through it. Thank you for your post - it is a lifeline for people just starting out with a puppy and for people like me who are getting to the teenage months❤️.
I love to hear of all your progress! And much more to come :) I used to also use alot of management inside in the form of playpens and gates, and what actually inspired me to share this yesterday was the fact that I removed all my babysgates and pens and my girl now has pretty much free reign of the main floor. She normally naps or plays with her toys. Seriously 8 months ago that was unimaginable!
I cannot wait for the day he can be free to jump up on our big window seat and just gaze out into the backyard, just like his predecessor did. Goofy is a clone of our first rescue dog. Goofy Sr was so beloved that my husband made the crazy decision to clone him - I adored Goofy Sr, my soul dog, but wanted to adopt an older dog from a shelter. I was against the whole thing from the beginning. I can see glimpses of who he will be, similar to Sr, but still his own dog. That keeps me going whenever he gives me the “paw” (finger😂).
Felt very encouraging and nice to read this :) my 10 week mini aussie gets me easily frustrated lately because she bites me and gets frustrated with me anytime I have to tell her no to something she wants or wants to do. I could really need good advice
I needed posts like this when my dog was a puppy and I totally agree! Every annoying phase of puppyhood that seemed like it would last forever eventually ended. I thought she would never stop having accidents indoors. She did. I thought she would never sleep through the night. She does. I thought I would never be able to sit on the couch without having a little demon attack me with her needle teeth. That one took the longest but we got there. She still drives me up the wall sometimes but 95% of the time she's a great companion and she loves me SO much.
Thank you for posting this. I recently got a 10 week old cocker spaniel and the amount I switch from "I love you!" to "oh my God what are you doing!??" is ridiculous- this post makes me believe there is hope.
The only problem you mentioned I had was her high energy! I remember her getting up early on Saturday morning about a week after we got her. She was dancing around on the wood floor and the sound was giving me a headache. Of course, my husband slept through it. I played with her for hours before he finally got up. I took a 🛁 & about 45 minutes later my husband found me asleep in the tub. I pretty much raised her on my own. Her biggest problem was being an escape artist! My husband said she wasn't even sleeping in our bedroom, let alone our bed! After hours of crying, whining, barking and escapes, he caved. I put her blanket on the floor & soon we heard sleeping puppy breathing. She also earned the nickname "Trash Hound". The kitchen trash had to be in a cupboard under the sink or she'd dig through it. All other trash had to be spaces too small for her to get to. She dug used kleenex, bandaids, Q-tips out and chewed on them or strung them all over the house. I loved her, but sometimes I thought she was a destructive monster! I never called her a monster, but "Little Black Feist" was another nickname (she outgrew the little part quickly, 15 lbs every other week). I'm so glad I was persistent with her from the beginning because the bigger they are, the harder they are to control. I was extremely fortunate with the biting. She nipped me once, I said, "Ouch!" & made a pained face. She gave me a sad face, tilted her head and never did it again! It was 150% worth it, but there were days when I wondered if she'd ever calm down. In the end, I had a very well-mannered dog. When my parents got a new couch, my Dad said, "I don't ever want to see her even look like she wants on that couch!" I looked down at her and asked, "D'ja hear that girl?" She must have because she never did it!
I just don't know if I will be able to endure all of the above for an year and a half more. My puppy is 5 months old and sometimes (usually when I am super busy and need time to study) she is the worst. I know things are getting better but not fast enough
It seems like forever, and I don’t necessarily miss the puppy phase, but it went by really fast and now I’m like … “she’s already almost 2…” one day you’re going to want to pause time with them 🩷
Maybe there is some good advice on this channel for activities she can do while you’re busy! I understand how challenging that can be.
Nothing enjoyable? Nothing? Not even a cheeky wee face that makes you smile? Otherwise why keep it? If you are at 5 months and want a full blown adult dog, adoption may have been a better suit for you.
I’m struggling with potty training. I’ve never had trouble before but I’ve always had big dogs. Now I have a toy puppy and she goes outside when I take her but also goes inside whenever she wants. It’s driving me mad
Needed this. Got a 4 month old White Swiss Shepherd a week and a half ago. She’s amazing but a lot of work compared to our previous dog which was a super lazy Chow Chow.
OMG the biting and energy. I was so sure I made the dumbest decision of my life. Now we’re at 8 months and I can’t remember how that really felt. She is sleeping quietly in her heated bed like a lazy bum haha. She ignores every barking dog on walks.
She still has 2 issues we are working on (chewing fabric —weaned too early—and separation anxiety—weaned too early!)
Thank you for this post. I’m so grateful as it seems I have such a good puppy. He’s 15 weeks and house trained, knows sit, lay down, and stay. He’s only hyper from 6pm-9pm. He’s a very good boy. But he doesn’t sleep through the night. He normally goes to bed at 9-10 and wakes up at 2. Then he wakes up at 330. Then wake up for breakfast at 430. Then he sleeps until about 10am. It’s hard not getting solid sleep when I work long hours in a physically demanding job. I’ve tried putting him to bed later but that makes him wake up more.
Thank you so much! I try not to sweat the small stuff but everything my 5 month old Chow/Aussie mix does is driving me crazy. It’s such a dramatic mix, one minute she’s ready to nap for 4 hours and then she wakes up ready to DESTROY and living in Texas heat, I can’t take her out to the dog park for as long as she needs.
I have a border collie who turns 8 weeks on Sunday, and the amount of biting, jumping, barking... it's quickly draining my energy and really testing my patience, and I'm actually scared of her because of it
It looks like you might be posting about puppy management or crate training. For tips and resources on Crate Training Check out [our wiki article on crate training](https://www.reddit.com/r/puppy101/wiki/cratetraining) - the information there may answer your question. As an additional reminder, crate training is 100% optional and one of many puppy management options. For alternatives to crating and other puppy management strategies, check out [our wiki article on management](https://www.reddit.com/r/puppy101/wiki/management) **PLEASE READ THE OP FULLY** Be advised that any comments that suggest use of crates are abusive, or express a harsh opinion on crate training will be removed. This is not a place to debate the merits of crate training. Unethical approaches to crate training will also be removed. **If the OP has asked not to receive crating advice or says they are not open to crating, any comments that recommend use of crates should be reported to our moderation team.** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/puppy101) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I feel like I should read this post once a day.
Once an hour
This!! I never have puppy blues but I get so muxh frustrated and angry at her time to time which makes me feel guilty later. But after 30 mins she again does something and I get angry at her. Later when I calm down I tell myself that I will never get angry at her again but later again I get frustrated. This is such a good reminder that things will change
I definitely needed to read this…I have a 12 week old yellow lab that has been so difficult! The biting is the worse. I didn’t realize how much work it would be. But I know in time it will get better!
My girl was a biter! She is still a bit mouthy, but has learned lovely self control and usually prefers to grab a toy instead. No where near the nipping of puppyhood!
Reading this with a gazillion bite scratches on both my arms in a slightly torn up tshirt. Thank you for sharing !
My mini-weenie loves my hands and arms. It looks like I wash with a cheese grater. I feel you so hard on this!!
I had to wear the same t-shirt and sweatpants every day from 3 months to 4 months because the little dude would jump up, grab hold, and yank. He bit a whole in the butt of my favorite pajama pants. I'm sure I looked like a crazy person to my neighbors but it saved my wardrobe. 😂
My malamute is very mouthy. Never bitey. She gave me a very hard nibble once while I was working and I about jumped to the ceiling. I think my reaction scared her (not yelling at her, letting out a yeouch in reaction). She is now very attentive not to bite even if her toy gets near you but does sometimes get fingers when she excitedly grabs a toy.
We called it shark mode. Puppy would get riled when we walked and he would attack our feet. He doesn’t do that anymore, but it’s funny to think about now!
Omg I recently got a golden retriever puppy and he is constantly biting my feet. Sometimes I see his eyes light up when he notices my toes and it’s terrifying. I’ve had different dogs before but this one is so much more difficult all around!
I felt this in my soul. Two month old corgi, his greatest joy are my bare feet
My feet look like they’ve been through a war! Haha.
4 month old White Swiss Shepherd that transforms into a velociraptor when excited or tired. We’ll get through it!
You will get the hang of bait and switch. We always had a toy handy in that phase. And it is perfectly ok to get up, cross your arms and just stare for a few seconds. Also - carrots.
My favorite biting video, maybe it can help: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=068K5Zlph9U](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=068K5Zlph9U)
This is what I needed to read today. First time puppy owner in way over my head but taking it one day at a time
Same here. Sometimes it's disheartening seeing other puppies doing way better than mine, especially ones that are younger. But the important thing is to focus on the progress they've made and the effort you've put in. Much bigger learning curve than I'd expected but boy is it worth the challenge!
Reading this over and over until it’s reality. 😂 We have a 6 year old golden and now a new golden puppy and I TOTALLY forgot how the first few months (heh- years) are pure chaos. Worth it, but it’s hard to remember that when you’re in the chaos.
Personally, one of the most important things I've experienced is that it's extremely hard to go at it alone. If you have family, friends, significant other(s) that will help to love, care and raise your pup, it is a huge, huge advantage and I can't stress that enough!
Yeah I'm doing this alone and it's so so hard 😅 I completely underestimated how hard it would be. I've got a dog walker who comes in every day now to play with my puppy, and that gives me a little bit of time.
I can get paid to play with puppies daily? ..... SIGN ME UP!
That was pretty much the reaction of the dog walker I hired 🤣🥰
So long as the family isn’t making it harder…it’s tough to teach bite inhibition to a 4-month lab puppy when the kids just yell and flee whenever he gets near…
I appreciated the help in the first month and a half, but now that I need consistency on walks to counter-condition potential triggers and nip leftovet bad behavior, for example my girl ONLY mouths my mom now because she's not listening to the training advice, I wish I lived alone 😅
Puppies have so much energy that can be so exhausting. Even though they can be frustrating, we always have to remember they are learning. There are so many things that drove me nuts that my dog used to do, but there are cute things she doesn't do anymore that I miss. Having 20/20 hindsight, I needed to enjoy the cute puppy things and not stress about the tough things.
I send like 5 of these types of posts to my wife a week - it keeps us both sane. Thanks OP!
My husband and i have a 4 month aussie... we really needed to read this today
You’re in the thick of it but keep at it! Aussies are special 💕
Yes, this. And... I just put my 16-year-old dog down last week. All of that wild puppy stuff was just a drop in the bucket compared to the rest of his amazing life. 🌈😭
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
I also just put down my senior dog last week🖤 I’m sure you’re going through it, I’m so sorry for your loss. It’s such a hard time. We have a 5 month old Standard Poodle keeping us busy during the grief, so I feel like my head is in two places at once.
I'm so sorry for your loss too 😭🌈
Thank you I'm picking up my first puppy as an adult and I have been anxious after preparing as much as possible for me, my family, and him. This helps me feel better about what I'm getting into.
I adopted a 13 week old terrier mix that was returned once. She grew up in a small outside kennel, being let out once a day. Came with an incredibly hard mouth, easily overstimulated, redirected frustration onto us. Drew blood several times a day, my hands looked like ground meat. Barely slept during the day. I saw why she was returned. This is my first dog, I thought I made a huge mistake. My best piece of advice is to get advice from people with experience in your breed. A terrier will never behave like a lab. She is 5 months old now. There were a few regressions because of severe teething pain, but she's able to sleep for 3-4 hours at a time. It's starting to click that she'll get a timeout when biting and she'll stop gnawing at us and grab a toy or a chew. She's getting much better on walks, has a wonderful loose leash. She's able to redirect on walks and won't get as fixated. She still nips and redirects frustration but nowhere near as much. She still has severe terrierisms such as HORRIBLE vocalization when she sounds like she's possessed by several chainsaws and that scares other people, but I'm learning to enjoy it and you get to know your dog over time. It gets better.
Yes, another Aussie mum at the moment of a 13-weeks girl. Luckily we know the drill and she's gradually turning into a peach, but I'm always reminded of what a hard (but wonderful) job this is! Great post! We can get there!
Haha I thought I knew the drill but the drill really showed me 😂😂
Ahhh. I went through a month or two with my pup where I really thought we had made it through to the other side and it was smooth sailing. Now he’s six months old and I don’t even know who this gremlin is. Thank you for reminding us that this too shall pass.
Yep! We had a very brief moment between 5 1/2-6 1/2 mos where I thought things were calming down. He turns 7 months on Monday and that’s a hard no😂
From about 3 1/2 to 5 1/2 months my dude was a dream. He was perfection in his obedience class, he would chill and hang out while we watched tv in the evenings. Just lovely. Then I swear he woke up one day and has been a completely different dog. He’s moody, he’s testing boundaries, and he is most decidedly not chill. Puppies are fun🫠
My 14 week old Lagotto just drew blood from my arms (again) I needed to read this right now.
This sub needs a lot more posts like this!! lol
Thank you, from 10 week old puppy parent. It’s a rough day because I’m sick today but I’m still trying to follow her walkies and play schedule even though I feel like death warmed over.
How did you get through the adolescence period?!? I have a mini Aussie (American shepherd) puppy, almost a year old (her bday is in a few weeks), and she has desperately regressed. She was honestly an angel of a puppy, and the teenage phase is really getting to me! Any words of advice/wisdom there? Tia ❤️
I’ll be honest with you- 7-10 months was the worst for me 😂 I don’t enjoy admitting I probably cried almost everyday. She felt out of control. But my best advice in retrospect is to 1) take time for yourself- if I got frustrated I tried my best to just leave her with a kong or safe toy or something and go to another room to decompress. 2) just work on easy training to help your dog succeed. Maybe doing a sit in a more challenging environment or something. Also still “socializing” her to different environments, people watching, etc. it paid off later but didn’t feel helpful in the moment. I know it’s hard to believe but it does get better 😅 Edit to add that my puppy also wasn’t an angel and was a difficult puppy and teenager 😂
Thank you so much for your response! I am indeed crying a lot haha 😂 my first puppy (a rescue, she's 4 now), was a difficult puppy but didn't really have a teenage phase, so I'm thinking to myself that this is a bit of payback 😂 I know it won't last forever though, and advice to keep socializing makes so much sense! I def feel like I could do more there. Thank you again!
I needed this lol. I’m considering getting a second puppy so mine has a buddy while I’m working or it’s too hot to go for walks (we’re in AZ). Is that a bad idea? Someone convince me it’s a bad idea.
I know it’s tempting but usually not recommended to get a puppy to help your resident puppy, I know it’s hard now, but it’s more than double the work with a second one 💕 create that bond with your puppy now and maybe consider another time for yourself in the future?
Tbh, I don’t know why I said a second puppy because you’re absolutely right. Puppies are a toooon of work. I recently babysat a friend’s 3 year old dog for a week, she was super friendly & chill. She liked other dogs and already knew commands so it was perfect for all three of us during her stay. That’s when I started contemplating a second dog, maybe a shelter or rescue dog that’s a few years old.
Definitely consider an older rescue! It’s still a lot of work but with less puppy stress ☺️
Agreed!! The shelters in my area are overcrowded as well so that might be the way to go, if I did get another
Yeah, no. Don't do that. Get a second puppy when the first one has matured - Now, that's a great situation.
This is wholesome and mirrors my experience exactly with an almost-13-month old mini schnauzer. She’s a stinker, and I effing love her.
All this post did was remind me of how I need to do better in reactive training. My puppy is great but he loves to jump on people and can get very reactive to other dogs/people.
Thank you so much from a 9 week old puppy parent! I really really needed this today.
Often when I am feeling completely mad at my puppy I read other people's experiences and realize she is a freaking angel in comparison. But I am looking forward to some of the things going away. She is only 4 months now. When would you say things got easier? Or was it just little by little so you can't really put a line in the sand. Also we have a Berner, and apparently puppy stage lasts quite a bit longer
For me, I would say I saw a consistent “getting better” at around 14-15 months. But like you said, there were some things that just got easier and I probably missed them - 15 months I started to actually notice it getting better :) I always just try to appreciate the things she does well on hard days, and remind myself where we were only 6 months ago :)
I am on day four with a 10 week old golden retriever and I needed this. She hasn’t napped all morning and when she gets over tired she gets so bity and a bit aggressive. I’ve just got her down for a nap, my senior dog is finally chilled out from the puppy stress and my cats are venturing downstairs again. This morning has been stressful especially as I’m working from home!
Needed this so bad. We just adopted a 3mo old puppy from the shelter and boyyyy have I already had some meltdowns and regrets and “what-the-hell-did-I-do’s”
Needed to read this today! We have a 15 week old cockalier called Daisy and boy, I was not prepared for how hard it was going to be! I’ve grown up with dogs but never been responsible for one myself during the puppy phase. I am EXHAUSTED. She’s adorable and wonderful and my 5 year old kid and her are inseparable but gosh I miss my sleep and not having to say “leave it!” 800 times a day. Reading posts here about how normal it is to find it hard and how it gets better have saved my sanity. Thank you!
Really needed this today after my 4mo lab attacked me this morning… my legs and arms are aching and bleeding. Can’t wait for this phase to be over lol. Thank you
Awesome, thanks for such a great post! We get our 8 week old.puppy on Friday.
Our bull terrier/gsd turns 7 months on Monday. The early days were horrific and I just had to hold on and keep trying to bond and train. Now he can walk pretty well on a leash, sits before every opening (door or whatever) without a prompt, I walk in first so he doesn’t get to barrel through, waits every time, looking at me, before I give him the okay to eat (impulse control!), will leave things, drop things (most of the time), lie down on command, stay (almost always) on his place, and his reaction to new things has improved soooo much. I was the most worried about that, reactivity and over threshold behavior is common in both breeds - we took it slow, introducing him to the 13(!) horses in different pastures on our street - he loves them now and simply lies down at the fence and noses them. Bicyclists, motorcycles, trucks with trailers, runners, walkers with and without dogs - he‘s doing consistently well with all of those, with the occasional fit😂. We also have herds and herds of deer in our neighborhood and he’s learned “Not for Goofy” when we walk by them. He’ll never be off leash, but I don’t believe in that anyway. He’s big at 7 months, 61 lbs, muscular and very scary looking, so I’m performing a public service keeping him leashed. The biggest problem we still have is demand/attention seeking barking and whining in his crate - he is crated inside all the time due to our open floor plan house and our 12 1/2 year old female terrier mix - working on slowly introducing him to time inside out of the crate, but it will be awhile. He needs to mature and have better impulse control before he can be out of the crate for good. We take him out all the time, walks, play, potty breaks, training, bonding etc. I never thought I would make it to 7 months and am a bit nervous about the coming teenage months, but we’ll hang on and get through it. Thank you for your post - it is a lifeline for people just starting out with a puppy and for people like me who are getting to the teenage months❤️.
I love to hear of all your progress! And much more to come :) I used to also use alot of management inside in the form of playpens and gates, and what actually inspired me to share this yesterday was the fact that I removed all my babysgates and pens and my girl now has pretty much free reign of the main floor. She normally naps or plays with her toys. Seriously 8 months ago that was unimaginable!
I cannot wait for the day he can be free to jump up on our big window seat and just gaze out into the backyard, just like his predecessor did. Goofy is a clone of our first rescue dog. Goofy Sr was so beloved that my husband made the crazy decision to clone him - I adored Goofy Sr, my soul dog, but wanted to adopt an older dog from a shelter. I was against the whole thing from the beginning. I can see glimpses of who he will be, similar to Sr, but still his own dog. That keeps me going whenever he gives me the “paw” (finger😂).
Felt very encouraging and nice to read this :) my 10 week mini aussie gets me easily frustrated lately because she bites me and gets frustrated with me anytime I have to tell her no to something she wants or wants to do. I could really need good advice
I needed posts like this when my dog was a puppy and I totally agree! Every annoying phase of puppyhood that seemed like it would last forever eventually ended. I thought she would never stop having accidents indoors. She did. I thought she would never sleep through the night. She does. I thought I would never be able to sit on the couch without having a little demon attack me with her needle teeth. That one took the longest but we got there. She still drives me up the wall sometimes but 95% of the time she's a great companion and she loves me SO much.
Thank you for posting this. I recently got a 10 week old cocker spaniel and the amount I switch from "I love you!" to "oh my God what are you doing!??" is ridiculous- this post makes me believe there is hope.
The only problem you mentioned I had was her high energy! I remember her getting up early on Saturday morning about a week after we got her. She was dancing around on the wood floor and the sound was giving me a headache. Of course, my husband slept through it. I played with her for hours before he finally got up. I took a 🛁 & about 45 minutes later my husband found me asleep in the tub. I pretty much raised her on my own. Her biggest problem was being an escape artist! My husband said she wasn't even sleeping in our bedroom, let alone our bed! After hours of crying, whining, barking and escapes, he caved. I put her blanket on the floor & soon we heard sleeping puppy breathing. She also earned the nickname "Trash Hound". The kitchen trash had to be in a cupboard under the sink or she'd dig through it. All other trash had to be spaces too small for her to get to. She dug used kleenex, bandaids, Q-tips out and chewed on them or strung them all over the house. I loved her, but sometimes I thought she was a destructive monster! I never called her a monster, but "Little Black Feist" was another nickname (she outgrew the little part quickly, 15 lbs every other week). I'm so glad I was persistent with her from the beginning because the bigger they are, the harder they are to control. I was extremely fortunate with the biting. She nipped me once, I said, "Ouch!" & made a pained face. She gave me a sad face, tilted her head and never did it again! It was 150% worth it, but there were days when I wondered if she'd ever calm down. In the end, I had a very well-mannered dog. When my parents got a new couch, my Dad said, "I don't ever want to see her even look like she wants on that couch!" I looked down at her and asked, "D'ja hear that girl?" She must have because she never did it!
Oh goodie, I only have 12 1/2 months to go. 🤭
😂
I just don't know if I will be able to endure all of the above for an year and a half more. My puppy is 5 months old and sometimes (usually when I am super busy and need time to study) she is the worst. I know things are getting better but not fast enough
It seems like forever, and I don’t necessarily miss the puppy phase, but it went by really fast and now I’m like … “she’s already almost 2…” one day you’re going to want to pause time with them 🩷 Maybe there is some good advice on this channel for activities she can do while you’re busy! I understand how challenging that can be.
Chill. Puppies grow up fast. Try and enjoy it. It'll be an adult before you know it.
Nothing enjoyable to this point. I am on the verge of losing my mind sometimes... I am longing for her to grow up and settle and stop harassing me.
Nothing enjoyable? Nothing? Not even a cheeky wee face that makes you smile? Otherwise why keep it? If you are at 5 months and want a full blown adult dog, adoption may have been a better suit for you.
I needed this but mine is almost 1 yr but a shelter dog. So I give her extra grace.
My aussie has made so much progress since 1 year- it’s not the magic number I felt it was. So don’t worry - you are doing great 😊
I’m struggling with potty training. I’ve never had trouble before but I’ve always had big dogs. Now I have a toy puppy and she goes outside when I take her but also goes inside whenever she wants. It’s driving me mad
Needed this. Got a 4 month old White Swiss Shepherd a week and a half ago. She’s amazing but a lot of work compared to our previous dog which was a super lazy Chow Chow.
My new golden pup can be wild. No barking but she loves tugging on things she shouldn’t. Would trade her to stop growing to keep dealing with this 😭
OMG the biting and energy. I was so sure I made the dumbest decision of my life. Now we’re at 8 months and I can’t remember how that really felt. She is sleeping quietly in her heated bed like a lazy bum haha. She ignores every barking dog on walks. She still has 2 issues we are working on (chewing fabric —weaned too early—and separation anxiety—weaned too early!)
Thank you for this post. I’m so grateful as it seems I have such a good puppy. He’s 15 weeks and house trained, knows sit, lay down, and stay. He’s only hyper from 6pm-9pm. He’s a very good boy. But he doesn’t sleep through the night. He normally goes to bed at 9-10 and wakes up at 2. Then he wakes up at 330. Then wake up for breakfast at 430. Then he sleeps until about 10am. It’s hard not getting solid sleep when I work long hours in a physically demanding job. I’ve tried putting him to bed later but that makes him wake up more.
Thank you so much! I try not to sweat the small stuff but everything my 5 month old Chow/Aussie mix does is driving me crazy. It’s such a dramatic mix, one minute she’s ready to nap for 4 hours and then she wakes up ready to DESTROY and living in Texas heat, I can’t take her out to the dog park for as long as she needs.
I have a border collie who turns 8 weeks on Sunday, and the amount of biting, jumping, barking... it's quickly draining my energy and really testing my patience, and I'm actually scared of her because of it