Puppy love?

Well its Nealy March.
Birds are singing, grass is growing, days are getting warmer, shelters filling up with puppies...........

Yup, that's right folks. Its now 3 months after Xmas which means that a lot of puppies bought just before Xmas (because it would be wrong to get a puppy FOR Xmas, right? *eye roll*) have not fulfilled their promise and are now waiting for a new home.

What possible reason could there be for getting rid of a 6 month old puppy?
Let me count the ways....

Not yet toilet trained.
Barking.
Destructiveness.
Nipping children.
Chasing livestock/cats.

Hmm.

When you take on a puppy you take on the responsibility for training that puppy.
Would you have a child and then expect him to raise himself?
Would you put your 4 year old child up for adoption because he wasn't toilet trained or drew on the walls or hit his brother?

I have had dogs since I was 6 years old.
There are some genuine reasons for rehoming a dog, I have rehomed two in my time.

The first was a beautiful dalmation who was picked on mercilessly by my other two dogs, the second was my border collies daughter who used to fight with her mother. In both cases I picked their new homes myself, visiting the owners and then following up with visits after. I did not wash my hands of the problem and make it someone else's.

So if your thinking of buying a puppy, heres what to expect.

1. Puppies need house training. They will not do it themselves and a dog crate won't do the job for you. How long will it take? Well how long is a piece of string? Every dog is different. My border collie was house trained within a couple of weeks my Yorkshire terrier took a good 9 months to be 100%. You will need to be ultra vigilant in the first few weeks, making it clear that outside is where he toilets, you need to be hawk like in noticing the signs he needs to "go" and work hard to help him do the right thing by accident so that he can learn it the right thing. So if you think putting your new pup in  crate and then going to work for 8 hrs a day is fine, you are setting yourself up for a lifetime of cleaning up poop.
2. Puppies need quite time. The new puppy is not a toy. Allowing children to play with the puppy unsupervised   is the quickest way to raise a fearful and snappy dog. The problem with snapping at children is either fear or excitment at this age. Again, if the pup is left alone all day and then wound up to a frenzy by the kids when you get home, snapping will happen.




Alfie and Merle. Play time was
closely supervised.


3. Puppies need to feel secure. Many homes consist of two adult working full time and kids at school. Would you have a toddler in the house and leave him alone for hours at a time? Would you be surprised when he became sad, destructive or noisy? Puppies CAN be left alone but you need to work up to it. Working quiet time (in a crate or other room) away from you into your puppy's routine means he can get used to spending time alone without getting distressed. A few minutes to start with working upto an hour. If your puppy is secure, has a routine (feeding and walks at the same time each day ) and has learnt to be calm there should be no problem with leaving him for a few hours at a time. Behavioral problems are often due to a dog feeling distressed. DO the correct ground work in the beginning and you won't have major problems.
4. Puppies need rules. Whats cute at 8 weeks isn't cute at 8 months. Don't allow your puppy to bite you in play, you're giving him the green light to bite in play as an adult, not good! If your pup accidentally catches you with his teeth while you're playing say no and stop the game. They soon learn to be careful. I used the word "ouch" with my Yorkshire terrier (a breed known as being snappy.... apparently), this means that if it happens with a child they are more likely to say ouch than no. Now if you say "ouch" he stops immediately and waits. Likewise jumping up and guarding toys and food. Also puppy "time outs" are very useful. When the yorkie was around six months old he growled at my youngest son. He was pushing the boundaries, trying to see if he could get the child to go away. I immediately growled "No" and whisked him off to the cat carrier and put him in another room for 10 minutes. Highly effective, none physical. He was put swiftly in his place and he knew it. Now he seeks out my youngest son and often sneaks into bed with him!
5. Puppies need time. Like small children they need time with someone to care for them, to teach them and to play with them. They are not toys to be left in crates until YOU want to play with them. A typical day in the life of a new puppy would go something like this. 

• Up and out to toilet.
• Breakfast.
•  Out to toilet.
• Play time.
• Out to toilet.
• Quiet time.
• Out to toilet. 
• lunch
• Out to toilet.
• Playtime
• Out to toilet
• Quiet time.
• Out to toilet.
• Dinner.
• Out to toilet.
• Playtime.
• Out to toilet.
• Bed.

Do you see a pattern here?
A young puppy needs to toilet after every meal, nap and playtime.... and often in between as well. Until they are on the way to being housetrained someone will need to look after pup.

Now I'm not saying that a working family can't have a dog. But if you can't offer that initial level of care in the first couple of months at least, maybe a puppy isn't for you. Of course you could ask a neighbour or friend to help out, or you could adopt an older dog who is happy for long periods of quiet time in the day.

Puppies are not toys, they come to you at 10 weeks or so at the same stage as a human pre-schooler. They need just as much love, attention and hard work as one too.
Think before you impulse buy that cute bundle off fluff.
Think about the mess, the chewed shoes, the fact that when puppy is six months or so they will start behaving like stroppy teenagers.
When you buy a puppy you commit to around 15 years of care.
15 years is a long time and there will be problems along the way, health issues, behavioural changes, changes in your own life.
Can you commit?
Or will you be like the others who throw out a puppy for not being "The perfect Dog".

ADOPT A DOG!!!!

Mrs Murray's Home for stray dogs and cats

SSPCA

RSPCA 

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