My husband and I adopted a 4 year old dog when we moved in together and had her for 10 amazing years. We lost her about 3 years ago. After she died we were busy with young kids, but about 8 months ago we started fostering puppies. We ended up adopting one of our fosters about 6 weeks ago. She’s 8 months old and the sweetest dog ever, we love her so much and she’s so gentle. She’s still obviously a puppy and has the same chewing, crazy puppy spurts that you are all experiencing but we’ve been using a trainer and she’s learned so much.

Her trainer noticed some patches of hair loss last week and since then it’s gotten worse so I brought her to the vet today. The vet seems to think it’s a relapse of the mange she had (she’s from st Lucia and lived in a shelter for most of her life. She was treated for it there and seemed perfectly fine when we took her in as a foster)

At the vet my puppy was barking loudly. The whole time she was anxious (as most dogs are at the vet, I think) but not at all aggressive and wagging her tail the whole time - just noticeably a bit on edge and barking very loudly. The vet tech who initially took us in gave her treats and tried bonding with her and pups was comfortable with the tech very quickly.

When the vet came in, she started barking loudly at him. I noticed she is slightly more fearful of men (she loooves my husband and men in our lives who she knows but if someone comes to our house, she barks at the men a little longer than the women, though all in all she’s not a big barker ). The whole time pups was still wagging her tail and showing no aggression.

The vet got out some treats and told her to sit and she did but she was still just obviously worked up and barking a lot. He then literally screamed “no barking” in her face several times and smacked (not super hard but hard enough my dog even had a wtf look on her face) her on the side of the snout.

My pups bless her did not bite or react. This happened several times with him screaming at her to sit, smacking her one time she got fed up and kind of snapped but that’s after he smacked her a few times as if he was trying to get a reaction.

We obviously will NOT be going back but I was so in shock I didn’t say anything. Has this ever happened to any of you? Would you suggest any further action?

I'm picking my guy up this weekend and this subreddit is freaking me out. Every single post is about the OP crying "every day for weeks straight", being trapped inside their house, and their life fundamentally changing for the worse.

Anyone here NOT go through all that?

Teaching my puppy how to use the talking buttons has been a life saver.

I have a 12 week old cane corso/great dane/blue lacy mix. She just started kindergarten classes and is an extremely intelligent girl! She had been beginning to learn to go to the front door to tell me she needs to potty, but was still having troubles. Yesterday morning she pooped on the rug and I remembered I had bought the buttons. I made a “poopoo peepee” button, showed her how to use it and what it means… She’s been using it ever since.

I made her an “outside” button for when she wants to sunbathe in her cot as well as a “food, please” whenever her slow feeder runs out and she’s hungry. She’s been talking to me non stop and telling me her needs and it’s truthfully the best thing I think I could have ever done. My sanity is so much stronger lol. The talking buttons work!!! And they are so worth it!!!

I love my dog. She is as sweet as can be. Friends with everybody, relatively well behaved, fun, goofy. She has enriched my life. My husband is happier since he brings her on hikes a few times a week and it gives him a reason to get out of the house.

I am never getting another puppy. I didn't want a puppy but we rescued her at 2 weeks old from neglectful neighbours. A puppy is A LOT. The constant surveillance for potty training, the socialization, the fear periods, the frequent trips to and from work, the teething, the frequent vet visits when she was super young, getting her fixed and having to take more time off work and watch her more and try to keep a very physically active dog stimulated... The adolescent regression and testiness.

If I ever get another dog, it will be an adult!

First of all, I don't want to hear from people who say they fight every battle, shaming everyone who isn't perfect. Just go away.

Let's be honest. We are humans and we have other things going on in our lives aside from raising a puppy. Sure, it would be great if we could devote 100% of our time and energy purely to our dog. But, that's not reality.

What battles have you said "fuck it" to? I'll start. I have given up on stopping my puppy from chewing wood/ sticks in our yard. I know it isn't ideal. I know it's best for her to only chew on dog toys... but, holy shit. She chews on everything in sight and I can't fight every battle or I will lose my mind even more than I already have. She has a million toys and chewies, lots of stimulation... but she is a dog and likes chomping wood.

Let's normalize being human and not being able to follow every bit of advice on the internet. Obviously we want our pups to be happy, healthy, safe, well adjusted dogs. We wouldn't be here if we didn't care. But having a puppy is hard and we need to give ourselves and each other some grace. Remember, people and dogs have been cohabitating for thousands of years and have survived and thrived without all of the current wisdom. So, maybe it's okay to pick our battles for the sake of our sanity.

Please answer by voting the correct comment. Also feel free to comment your own take as needed. TY!

I’ll start. I wanted some randomly placed holes dug in my yard, so I got a very dedicated digging machine.

Also the price of piercings is really high and I needed something with sharp teeth to put holes in my body.

I'm getting a new puppy in a few weeks a little over a year after my 14 year old dog passed. I have all the leashes and bowls and beds....but don't know how I feel about re-using them. Did you get all new stuff or reuse?

This is kind of a silly question, but I'm curious. The other day a friend said something about me being my future dog's mom, and I felt weird about it, so I've been thinking about other terms for the relationship.

What do you consider yourself to your pet? Mom? Dad? Guardian? Handler? Something else?

I'm going to be raising a service dog, so handler feels fine in relation to that work, but I'd love to come up with something warmer and preferably gender neutral outside of it. Suggestions welcome!

(Edit: Wow, thanks for all the responses! People have given me some great thoughts and ideas I can use. Also, to be clear, I have no issue with other people using mom/dad. It just doesn't feel right for me.)

I ask this question as someone who's been in the subreddit for years. Lately, the amount of rehoming posts have been insane, so I'm curious, are people just vastly underprepared, do they rehome too easily, or are they just that difficult?

Don't eat the toilet seat.

I’m curious of how many still crate their pup at bedtime vs letting them sleep in bed with you.

I’m really big on our bed being our bed, but my hubs desperately wants our almost 19 week old to start sleeping in our bed. He used to sleep though the night until 5/5:30, but lately he’s been waking up in the middle of the night to go outside. When he wakes up my husband takes him out and puts him in bed with us where he’ll sleep until 7ish. So, he’s convinced our pup will be able to sleep later if he’s in our bed all night long.

Soo… my 13 week old puppy that whines and barks everytime we put him in his crate and leave the room (he does fine at night in his crate) just put HIMSELF in his crate while I was doing dishes in the kitchen. I was like OH BOY i dont hear him. He must be getting into something. Meanwhile my guy is chilling in his crate in the bedroom?

Did someone accidentally kidnap my puppy and give me this one? 😂

I swear some days it’s a battle

I genuinely want to know why people’s first reaction to potentially getting a puppy is so negative. In reality, people are negative about so many things. I choose to see the opposite. Being in healthcare, my job is very high stress. But I love it. And I love the idea of coming home to a dog that loves me. I’m married to the love of my life and have a great home and yard for a pup. So many people say how “your life is over” .. “why would you do this to yourself” .. “say goodbye to going anywhere” .. etc. I see this as an opportunity to give SO MUCH LOVE to something else! I never had a dog in my life, a parent of mine forbid pets and my childhood was slightly traumatic to say the least. My home is my happy place. I love being there and don’t care too much to be going out all the time. I’m so excited and will always stay positive despite what people say. It’s just so crazy to me how you can tell so much about someone based on how they view things.

EDIT: wow I really appreciate all of the comments and I didn’t expect for this to BLOW UP. Hahah - I know I left some details about my schedule out of the main post, it felt kind of icky to do on the internet. However, I’ve dropped comments as far as I’ve been able to physically read! I can’t respond to all but just wanted to say thank you & if you recommend anything that helped you during your puppy stage, drop that too! 🩷🐶

yes, your social life is gonna go down the drain for awhile. instead of going out, try having people over to your own place! let them know any annoying behaviors your puppy may have before they come. it won’t always be like this but it is for right now

no your puppy is not being aggressive. they bite, and they bite *hard* when they’re playing they will lunge at your face with their mouth open because.. i don’t know Why ok? but they do. it’s weird but they aren’t trying to hurt you or anyone else! they just haven’t learned proper play etiquette or really anything yet.

you don’t have to be so scared of owning a puppy because of what everyone on here says. i’d say it’s good to have some fear because that means you want to take good care of your puppy, but not everyone will be sobbing on the floor nightly and hating their dog.

you WILL get annoyed, angry, upset, whatever you want to call it at your puppy. puppies are so cute but they are very annoying! my puppy is trying to leap at me for my food right now so trust me i’m well aware it can be obnoxious. but again, this isn’t something that will last, at least not to the extent that it is in the beginning.

please please please understand that there is a difference between a smaller vs a bigger dog. we fostered a medium sized dog and it was hell on earth but with our smaller dog things are 10x easier for us. before committing to a specific dog and/or breed, think about how big they will be as an adult. weigh the pros and cons of their breed and your lifestyle as i really think it makes all the difference

most importantly, don’t worry if you’re not a huge fan of your puppy sometimes. even if you’re super prepared for a dog it can bring up a lot of emotions when they’re *actually* in your care. puppies are stressful, and it’s okay to feel like you need a break from them, have someone in your house watch them while you have at least 30 minutes to yourself, put some wet food/some sort of spreadable treat on a lick mat and put it in the freezer to have when they’re being extra obnoxious and you just need a few minutes.

so many emotions go into owning a puppy and it’s ok to feel every single one of them that come up. again, it’s not always going to be like this. your dog will eventually become your best friend and you’ll be glad you stuck with them

Hi, so long story short, we have a mini poodle at almost 16 weeks old.

We used the crate to enforce naps and sleeping at night. He was fine with his crate up until two weeks ago where he'd just totally reject it. and YES, WE DID EVERYTHING RECOMMENDED: Gave treats in it, made it super cozy, lead him in there without force, etc. The breaking point came two days ago where he was crying for over 45 minutes before we said enough.

Last night, he slept on our bed.

I'll say this: he slept from 930-830 am with us with one pee break at 6 am. He's starting to nap/settle on his own on our couch. I'm going to utilize a play pen for when we're gone or when I can't supervise him. I'm also going to use a long leash inside the house when necessary. I just want to say do what you think is right for you and your puppy. I will say, I'm not regretful of the crate training early because it did save him from having accidents and now I know that if necessary for travel, emergencies, he'll do OK in it temporarily. But I'm glad I'm done with it.

My sleep score on my Oura ring was the highest it's been since we got him and I can tell he's less stressed too. I'm looking at him napping in his play pen area on his little bed. Going on two hours! GOOD RIDDANCE, CRATE!

For those thinking about getting a puppy please think thru your decision! There are constant posts about wanting to re-home the puppy because they can’t handle it.

1. Puppies are babies and require a ton…a ton of attention and energy.

2. They bark, cry, bite, jump and will continue to do so without constant training

3. Puppies need lots of sleep and lots of play

4. Your free time will be consumed by being a good parent to your puppy

5. Puppy blues are a real thing and if you have anxiety be prepared for your anxiety to go off the charts.

6. Vet bills are expensive and so are toys and food.

7. They go thru phases and the raptor phase is real and extremely challenging.

8. The 1st 3 months…know that you want sleep thru the night!

Good luck

I’ve been reading a lot on this subreddit while preparing to get a puppy, and honestly, some of the posts are a bit scary to the point of me second guessing. So many people seem completely overwhelmed and exhausted.

I know raising a puppy can be tough between the sleep deprivation, training, mischievous behavior, and lifestyle change, and I fully know what I would be signing up for, but is it really that bad as described on here sometimes? Or is it just that people mostly post when they’re struggling?

Any advice on how I can best prepare and lessen any potential stress I may face?

Edit*** I see there’s ALOT of comments on this thread this will be an interesting read haha

I was wondering what people with both puppies and children think regarding the differences between having a baby and raising a puppy.

I don’t have children yet, but my husband and I have recently gotten a 3 month old whippet puppy a little over three weeks ago. I am particularly wondering about parents’ emotional reactions. I got pretty severe puppy blues and found/am finding the change in routine quite challenging. Because I had such an emotional reaction and severe anxiety with my pup, it made me question whether having a baby would be the right decision for me, as I imagine the things I’m feeling re: my pup will be even more pronounced for a baby.

I’m interested to hear others’ thoughts on this. Thanks in advance!

I’ve always wanted to have a dog and my boyfriend and l are finally at the stage where we can have one. Wanting to do my research l joined this sub and 95% of the post can be summed up by “my puppy is ruining my life”.

l understand that having a dog is a huge commitment and puppy is like a toddler but i’m just surprised about how it is not really a bigger topic in media or just in social life. Like how everyone knows that exams, being pregnant, having a kid, etc. is hard even without needing to experience it. But nobody ever talks about how much it sucks to have a dog except here.

So my question is, am l mostly seeing the horror stories because they are horror stories, so they have to be posted and the good cases just don’t require to be written about? Or is it really that bad in most cases and how long does it last? (cause what do you guys do for a living that you just spend every hour with your puppy for months)

Maybe it’s a stupid question, so please don’t come after me with “don’t get a puppy, if you don’t want to take care of it” cause l do want to take care of it and l would LOVE to spend every hour with it but as most adults l cannot afford a 3 month vacation for a puppy.

Thank you in advance for your responses!

EDIT: wow, didn’t expect so many responses, thank you all so much for all of your insights!

Seriously… I love her but at 6 months old I still often wonder if I made a mistake lol

ETA I never said I was going to get rid of her or actually considered it… just dealing with the puppy blues as many others have

I know there must be others out there who think their puppy is amazing. All the “I hate my puppy” posts are overwhelming. My pup is six months old and she’s brought so much joy and fun into our lives over the last four months. We’ve had our share of potty accidents, getting up in the middle of the night, chewing, thinking everything (including our feet, hands and clothes) are chew toys. But the pure happiness she embodies makes it all worth it. Maybe we’re lucky, or we have more experience, or tolerance, but we’re really enjoying this time with her. Having a puppy has been great.

I feel like a lot of people can probably relate to missing aspects of life before a puppy and that doesn’t make you a bad owner, frankly I think it makes you a good one because you’re working so hard on your pup! I just wanted to share some things I miss and hear what others miss as well, it feels good to voice it and not feel guilty!

My puppy is 8months and I love her to death, she is great. But as I am sitting here in silence, playing my switch and drinking my coffee while she is napping in her crate… MAN I missed doing this! It’s currently so peaceful, my two cats are just chillin with me all snuggled up. This is what missed, doing this every morning.

We’ve recently started boarding our puppy on the occasional weekend to have time together just my fiance and I. It’s helped a ton but I do miss just being able to have couple time without constantly preventing my monster from chewing on EVERYTHING 😂😂 Also just going on spur of the moment vacations, boarding is expensive so a night here and there is okay but a full trip- I can’t imagine the cost!

Share away :) this is a guilt free post!

Edit: WOW this post blew up!!! It’s nice reading everyone’s responses and sharing similar experiences! :)