Who doesn’t love puppies? I am sure you either want a puppy or are trying to convince whoever you live with into getting a puppy.
Well, here is a post all about what it is like to have a puppy. The actual reality from someone who has a puppy in a home with other adults and older dogs…
Winnie is our baby cocker spaniel, currently, she is 12/13 weeks old at the time of writing this post. Here is a picture of pure cuteness. Despite the fact she is the devil in disguise she is extremely adorable, and we love her to bits.
The Reality of Having a Puppy…
This isn’t going to be a puppy bashing post. So if you’re here trying to convince someone WHY you should NOT get a puppy, this isn’t the post for you. Sorry!
(Here is a little secret – I am currently writing an ebook about getting a puppy and the ins and outs of the process up to the first night at home, so stay up to date with me for that!)
The following points are all from my own experience and my own point of view since bringing Winnie home. Life is different for all dogs and all dog owners, remember this!
I like to think dogs are actually like people, they have their own personalities, quirks, things that they hate or love… But they’re just better than humans.
The First Night
Bringing your puppy home is so incredibly emotional and exciting. I cried on the way home from picking Winnie up because I just felt so happy we finally had her.
She was tiny, tired, and so perfect. In a blink, I imagined our life with her. She will be with us when we move out, have children, watch us grow as people and we will watch her and teach her everything she will know.
Gosh, it’s very emotional.
She slept almost the whole way home and even when we put her in our living room. The biggest stress for me was the other dogs. One of them quite likes her now and then, the other wouldn’t go near her. Still to this day, he freaks out when she is near and he growls at her a lot.
Winnie actually slept very well for her first night and we were quite surprised at how well she does sleep. She now sleeps all through the night and we never have to get up. But the reasoning for this is due to the fact Winnie was actually poorly, so of course, she slept, and now she is just used to it!
A Poorly Puppy
Continuing from the last paragraph, Winnie was a poorly pup when we brought her home. Although she had her vet check and there was never an issue before bringing her home…
Winnie ended up having a really poorly stomach. She was fine for a day, but not eating, normal for your pups to not eat when they’re in a new home.
Then she was pooping blood and we ended up taking her to the vet and paying £85 for some tablets, and some special food to fix her.
So, whilst we think we have a super cute chilled sleepy puppy, it was all because she was ill.
Her little belly was all bloated and she was exhausted.
Luckily, after a week she was on the mend. Now we have a normal hyperactive puppy who chews our fingers off.
Biting/Teething/Growling
I have to be honest here. I would see people talking about how much their puppy bites and how they think they’re aggressive and my reaction would be “chill, they’re just a puppy!”
HOWEVER.
Now that I have my very own puppy I can strongly say that this phase is not the nicest. I have even questioned if I would ever have a puppy again.
It hurts, the teeth are sharp, they don’t give in, and it’s frustrating! I think all dogs are different in this area.
It happens, and you have to just get through it. It truly is a phase, but how you handle it is important.
All The Stress
My biggest stress with Winnie is that we live at home with my parents, and we have two older dogs.
Due to her being a jumpy, annoying puppy, she can’t be left alone and I don’t trust the other dogs with her. (although they’ve only ever growled at her, and never hurt another dog before, its just my anxiety!)
The other thing is that, and maybe it’s just a personal thing, I’m always thinking she doesn’t like me because she bites and growls etc… Ridiculous I know!
But fearing that your puppy may be harder to train, are just some of the thoughts that go through my head, and I’m sure it goes through others too.
With this said, I know its all going to be fine. She is an adorable puppy who is just a puppy! But sometimes I can’t wait for the biting stage to end, and for her to be completely obedient!
Other than that, she’s been great at toilet training, and eating, and being brushed because her ears get so dirty! We have already taught her how to; sit, paw, lie down, and she can nearly ‘leave it’ and she’s getting better at her recall.
Now, at the start of this post, I said this isn’t to put you off buying a puppy but to think from another point of view before you buy one. All of those statements are 100% true, however, its the in-between you need to think about!
All The Love
To conclude, if you do really want a puppy, I promise you it will fill a hole in your heart you didn’t know was there.
It is so lovely to see that you are caring for this baby animal, and everything you do is helping them learn and grow and be healthy, just like a human baby I suppose!
But they just never learn to talk back, they just growl and bark instead…
The cutest thing about puppies is when they sleep, its just so adorable, and you get some peace!
Getting a puppy is a lifetime commitment…
You’ll be in this job for at least 12 years, you have to go through the puppy stage, the teenage regression stage, and the old age phase when you really start to think your time is limited.
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Thank you for reading this post! The first one I have written for a while…
Don’t forget to follow Winnie over on instagram to continue seeing updates on her!
Here were my other most recent posts!
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