# Puppy Update



## tbone13 (Apr 24, 2008)

I need an update from the puppy people on how things are going. Especially those of you who are balancing work and a puppy? Before we get our next dog I need to really decide if I'd like to get a pup or try and adopt an older dog again.

I think there are pros/cons to both. For me the biggest con that comes with adopting an older dog is that you don't get to train/influence them from scratch, and bad habits/training mistakes are hard to break.


----------



## steltz02 (Apr 14, 2008)

It is tough and alot more work then I ever expected, but I really like it. I love this puppy stage, and it is great to mold his personality and train him from the start, but I am certainly looking forward to him being a 'trained adult'.

I get alot less sleep, I clean alot more poop and pee, I wash alot more towels, and I have to hear lots of whining. 

Work and a puppy is tough. You just have to be on schedule every day. I walk him or run him before work and we go play in the park. He is kenneled, I try to come back for lunch and walk him. Then when I come home we run again and play. He lays in my bed when I read at night and then he goes in his kennel to sleep.

Jagger's biggest problems:

1.) He can't get over being crated even though I have tried all of the tricks I have read.
2.) He still hasn't really understood the house training thing, although it has gotten better. 

Make sure the breeder knows what they are doing. The earlier they start training the better. Crate training and keeping the kennel clean at all times.

If you have any more questions let me know.

The little cutie is sleeping right next to me right now


----------



## Tova the Great (Feb 25, 2008)

I LOVE PUPPIES!!!!  But older dogs have the benifit of being house trained, fine to leave for a few hours at a time, generally more okay to be left at home while you go to work. It is really unfair (IMHO) to leave a puppy who is only 12 weeks old and cant hold thir bladder / or be expected to hold their bladder for 5-6 hours at a strech. They should only be expected to wait for 1 hour for every month of age. When we brought Tova home at 8 weeks, hubby was between jobs so we had 'dogcare'. I am lucky that I work from 1:00pm- 11:00 pm & the husband (new job)works from 8-4. Our little darling is only left in her kennel from 12-5 at the most. This is great now that she is 6 months old.
We originally were looking for a resuce dog and if we get another vizsla he/she will not be a really young puppy. HAVING A PUPPY IS EXHAUSTING!!!!but so much fun!!


----------

