The truth about puppies...

[sunnyday123]

Ha. I laugh at your tiny Lucy. Try having 120 lbs pushing you down the stairs EVERY time you go down, chewing your shoes while you're wearing them, and eating anything she can fit in her mouth. This includes a sofa, foyer table,coffee table, markers, pens, glue sticks, etc. She also ate all the tomatoes off my plants this year. Seriously, I got about 3.

That being said, get yourself a big ol bottle of Bitter Apple Spray. When she comes at you mouth open, spray it in that gaping pie hole. ( Not a lot!) Spray it on anything else she likes to chew.

Is she in obedience school? That helps tremendously-also walking looong distances tires them out-a tired puppy is a happy puppy! Luckily once around the block and my pup's ready for a nap.

 

[AlaskaMOM]

When I first read this thread I thought of this great quote the secretary at the middle school has hanging on a sign by her desk


All Unattended Children will be given A FREE PUPPY and a FREE LATTE

Just makes me smile

 

[mickeysgal]

Absolutely hysterical! And true! Oh so true.

But you got to love puppies/dogs. They are truly man's best friend.

Even when they chew off your windowsills. And they chew up the dining room table that you've had for 25 years. And dig holes large enough in your yard that you need a landscaper to come in to properly fix them. And they chew apart your wicker laundry basket overnight. Right now we have a puppy (1 year old) that seems to have a pair of sock a day habit. No one's socks are immune. We now need to buy socks in this house.

But we love them anyway.

Beautiful puppy!!

 

[Magpie]

I got my puppy at 3 weeks old. Even though I was home with her 24/7, and taking her outside every half hour or so, she was STILL a pain in the tuckus to housetrain. It got to the point where I was carrying her around inside all the time, because she couldn't be trusted on her own four paws.

And getting up in the middle of the night... I was so tired after a few weeks of this, my eye started to twitch!

I've had two babies, and a puppy. I think the puppy was more work than the babies, initially. But thankfully my 4yo dog is far less trouble than my 4yo children were.

 

[tammymacb]

Is she in obedience school? That helps tremendously-also walking looong distances tires them out-a tired puppy is a happy puppy! Luckily once around the block and my pup's ready for a nap.

She hasn't had her final shots yet. They're set for 2 weeks from now. Once that's done she'll definitely be in puppy class.

 

[LindaG4458]

We just taught her to ring a bell when she has to go out. Downside is that she also rings the bell when she sees a squirrel outside. She's too smart for her own good. She also got tall enough to eat things off the kitchen table without jumping up on anything

We did the same with our new Pomerian puppy (5 months old). She rings to go out, but she also rings whenever she isn't getting what she considers enough (undivided) attention. We had taught one of our earlier dogs and each newer dog learned from the older ones.

I also had ALL the same bites from those sharp baby teeth. Boy, did that one hurt!! The bites on the arms have almost healed with few leaving scars. Now she just play-chews on our hands.

We had our first tiny puppy 40 years ago. Once that one was about 7 we got an older puppy (about six months) who learned from the first. It went on like this untl last September when we lost our last cocker, Harry. We are limited to one dog at our FL condo so we couldn't train a new pup with his help.

It's a good thing she's so cute!

 

[DisneyWhirled]

OMG!!! Great post!!! 1st, thanks for saving Lucy!! 2nd, where was this post in January of 2008??? That is when our lives drastically changed!!!

Jan 08 is when we got our puppy, Pongo. He has ruined more things than I can list and then some. I didn't think that I would ever like him. Sure, he was cute and playful, but WOW, I was yelling A LOT! And, we did do training.

Now, he has calmed down a lot, and is my shadow. I love him! I will NEVER get a puppy again!!!!

 

[hereyago]

My GS is almost 2.

I got him at 8 weeks. I swore I was insane when I got him, because he drove me nuts. His middle name is actually Chaos. I wanted to name him Demon or Chaos, but he is DD's12 dog. So Chaos is at least his middle name.

DD would help, but at 3 am, she was asleep. He would be in his crate in my room and start crying. Outside we went.

Our other GS helped set him straight. Sadly we lost her the beginning of this year.

But we have a cat now, so GS has a little brother. But I want to get another dog or puppy in the near future. Puppyhood is rough.

Last year, he actually took DD's school notebook outside and chewed it beyond repair. SO i actually had to write the teacher and tell her that the dog at her work. and he ate a library book.

 

[Robindianne]

OT: how do you train your dog to ring a bell to let you know when she needs to go outto pee?

 

[moon]

Lucy barking at me to pick her up. Then I hold out my hands and she bites me. Note the water bottle is just out of my reach.

It's a lucky thing she's so dang cute.

AWWWWWWWWWWWWWW......She's ADORABLE!!! I WANT HER!!!

 

[Jennasis]

OT: how do you train your dog to ring a bell to let you know when she needs to go outto pee?

Hang a bell of some kind at dog height next to the door (not ON the door).
Every time (and I mean EVERY TIME) you take the dog out to go potty, you have the dog sit first, then take her paw and make them swat the bell. Pat her and tell her good girl and then take her out.

Eventually the dog will go and ring the bell on their own. FWIW, I think it's kind of overkill. My dog goes and just waits at the back door when he has to go out, or he will come and get me and tell me.

 

[walden]

You have my sympathy! Lucy-fur is adorable, love those curly spaniel(?) ears! This too shall pass.

The last time I had a puppy was in 1986, and I said never again. Older dogs from now on. To think I've been saying that my latest retired greyhound, he's not quite 3, is still a puppy when he leaps up and kisses faces. We've only had him 2 months and are still working on manners, but he is the sweetest boy.

Thanks for rescuing Lucy, and also for posting this timely reminder that a puppy is not a good gift but a huge commitment in time and effort.

 

[tammymacb]

I love hearing about other folks puppies. They're all so adorable. For this moment, Lucy is sleeping, on my bed with our Boykin, Saylor and our greyhound Violet.

She's being sweet and snuggy. It won't be for long.

 

[Pooh_Friend#1]

I just got my first puppy the day before Thanksgiving. She was 8 weeks old and when they say puppies are a lot of work, that doesn't even cover the half of it! My puppy is a frenchiepei and a bundle of energy and teeth! I can't wait for the day when she stops whining in her crate when we put her up for bed, it makes me so sad to hear her! I think Lilly thinks her full name is Nolillynobite. She starts puppy classes in 6 days!

 

[kirbydog48]

Love this thread! I have an 85 pound yellow lab "puppy" named Kirby (hence my user name).
He is five years old and is just starting to calm down. I've found that exercise is the key. Dog park, daycare, runs in the woods. Tire them out! In the meantime, I have lost a brand new pair of glasses (progressive bifocals!), two tv remotes, holes chewed in furniture (both wood and upholstered), and a big hole in the wall (which my husband the genius cut into a square and fitted a heating grate even though there's no heater there). I love him to pieces, but I will never get another puppy. Ever.

 

[Dax]

Hang a bell of some kind at dog height next to the door (not ON the door).
Every time (and I mean EVERY TIME) you take the dog out to go potty, you have the dog sit first, then take her paw and make them swat the bell. Pat her and tell her good girl and then take her out.

Eventually the dog will go and ring the bell on their own. FWIW, I think it's kind of overkill. My dog goes and just waits at the back door when he has to go out, or he will come and get me and tell me.

Mine have taken up standing in the middle of the living room floor and staring holes into you..It usually works too

 

[Jennasis]

Mine have taken up standing in the middle of the living room floor and staring holes into you..It usually works too

Yup. Just like that. Sometimes, my big galoot will come up and lay his head...his incredibly heavy head, on me and stare at me until I get up and let him out.

 

[Robindianne]

My pup is now about 9 months and she does come look at me when she needs to go. But just for a sec. If I'm reading a book and don't notice, etc, she pees anywhere. I did hang up bells by the door yesterday and now I am having her "nose" or "paw" them while I, in a high pitched voice, say, "Want to go potty outside, yes potty outside, good potty outside," and then we go out, and then I reward big when she goes. I wish I could get her to give a better signal, or I hope the bells work. And I wish I could get her to hold it a bit. She goes most of the night so why can't she hold it more than 2 hours during the day?

 

[Pooh_Friend#1]

I wish I could get her to give a better signal, or I hope the bells work. And I wish I could get her to hold it a bit. She goes most of the night so why can't she hold it more than 2 hours during the day?

My puppy hasn't started signaling yet but I hope she does what my other dog does and just stares at us and gives us a little whine. I agree with your other sentence. My puppy holds it from 9:30pm-3:00am without waking us up to go out, but during the day it seems like every hour we are taking her out, otherwise she will pee around the house.

 

[Kennywife]

Awwww....what cute babies!

I have a spirited fur-son, Fernando, Nando for short. He is three New Years Eve and is spoiled rotten!