Last summer, I took a trip to see some family in North Carolina. I was so excited to see my relatives because we normally only get to see them once or twice a year, during the holidays, and it’s been super tough to get together the past couple of years because of COVID-19. I was also really excited because we were going to meet their new puppy! I was too young to remember my childhood dog, Mia, when she was a puppy. So, I was excited to see how crazy and cute the puppy would be. After playing with the puppy, I told myself a puppy was all I wanted for Christmas. That little guy was just so full of love and so happy just to be alive. A little less than two months before Christmas, my childhood dog of fifteen years ended up passing away. Rest in Peace Mia <3. I was so heartbroken; I’ve never lost someone that close to me. When I was processing that, I didn’t know if I wanted a puppy or not. I thought it would make me sad, but I think it’s helping me cope a little bit. It keeps me busy and makes me feel like I have a purpose. It definitely hasn’t been easy though and there’s a lot of advice I feel like I can give to new puppy parents! Here are the top five most important things I’ve learned throughout this experience.
Puppies are pretty much babies
This was the biggest shock to me, I didn’t think there would be too many similarities, but WOW. I was wrong. According to Google, they sleep 16-20 hours a day. When they’re awake, all they want to do is suck or bite on things. They have accidents everywhere, so you have to stock up on puppy pads. You can’t leave them alone or they’ll get into trouble. My Yorkie/Poodle mix, Bear, has major separation anxiety at night, but you can’t sleep in the same bed with them either since they’re tiny!
Another thing: they grow really fast. Bear was three pounds when we got him and now he’s almost six after less than a month of having him. They are very expensive; the costs add up. They’re very time consuming. He was also only eight weeks when we got him, so he was incapable of doing a lot of things on his own. But lastly, they’re very cute and worth it. I don’t know what I would do without him.
Do your research/get to know your puppy
It’s important to consider what you’re looking for in a dog and not just get the first one you see. I wanted a smaller dog since I’m a pretty small person and I preferred having a companion I could travel with me places around town. It’s also smaller accidents that I have to clean up, that’s a huge perk. I also needed something hypoallergenic since a lot of my close friends and family are allergic. That also means they don’t shed, super awesome. I feel like small dogs are also better for people in apartments. They have more room to play and probably feel like their area is more spacious.
Puppies also have different personalities. Bear is very curious and has a lot of energy. He can’t focus on one thing for too long and I need to take him outside on walks and give him a lot of playtime just to burn some of that off. He also hates being in his crate at night, I think he gets scared of the dark and being away from me. Normally when I take him out in the middle of the night I wait until he falls asleep to turn the lights off, I’ll give him a night light, or I sit by him until he seems tired. It’s important to pay a lot of attention to your puppy when you first get them to figure out things like this since they can’t verbally convey what they need. It takes time, but it’ll help you both in the long run and make things easier.
Start training ASAP
I watched videos and read articles/blogs for MONTHS on everything there is to know about puppies and this was a key point made in everything I saw. Again, puppies are like babies. They both learn the most when they’re young.
This is the critical period where you teach them what is okay and what isn’t. It’s embarrassing too to have an older dog that doesn’t know how to behave when you’re in social situations. You also don’t want to clean up accidents and worry about your dog biting you for their entire lives. That would be exhausting. It’s also fun to impress your friends with cool tricks your dog knows. I taught Bear to stand on his hind legs in probably two days. He’s a really fast learner though since he’s part poodle. I can’t wait for him to learn more tricks like that. You have to devote your own time though when they’re young in order to teach them things since that’s when they develop and grow the most.
Patience is key
This is the most important thing to remember. Some days can be frustrating, exhausting, and overwhelming. I convince myself one day that I’m doing a great job and that Bear’s potty trained then he goes to the bathroom on my comforter or bathmats, and I almost start crying. It happens to everyone though and it’s completely normal. You just have to step back and realize that training doesn’t happen in a day. It does get easier and one day it’ll click. You have to be consistent and not give up no matter how tough the day is.
Have fun!
It can be tough to have fun when you get little sleep from all the whining your pup does at night or when you have to clean up all of their accidents, but at the end of the day, they’re little cuties! They absolutely adore you, you’re their best friend, and give them so much that makes them happy. My mental health has improved so much and I’ve only had him for about a month. I even ended up making him my emotional support animal. He truly is my little buddy. But eventually, he’ll grow and I’ll probably miss his puppy days.
They’ll only be a tiny, cute puppy once so remember to take advantage of it!