Hey! I just sent this as a private message, but I want to make sure you get it so I decided to post it for you as well. Here it is:
Hi! I just thought I would give you some additional information about care for puppies which you might not have considered yet. A few people recommended that you get an adult dog, and I would have to agree for the most part. If you and your family can think of ways to get around the following puppy challenges, then a puppy might still be okay.
I just adopted my puppy about 2 weeks ago. These are the main things I have encountered so far.
First, I had to crate train him. Crate training is very benefitial to puppies, it creates a "cave" for them to retire in, as well as assists in potty training and keeps them out of trouble when they have no supervision.
Here is some more information on crate training:
http://www.doglogic.com/cratetrain.htm#crateacclim
Bailey took about one week to become crate trained to the point where he is no longer crying. Since puppies can only hold their bladder for about 3 hours when they are young, you have to get up EVERY 3 HOURS in the night to let them out potty. If you don't, your puppy may learn to go to the bathroom in his/her crate and deal with it. This defeats the purpose of crate training, and makes potty training that much more difficult. You have to take out time to positively reinforce the puppy to actually LIKE his/her crate. This can take DAYS.
Next, the puppy WILL chew and WILL destroy some things you love dearly. All puppies do this, it is completely natural. You can't get angry at them, because they honestly don't know any better. You will need information about puppy chewing and how to train your puppy not to chew. I still have not been able to train my puppy not to chew the furniture, walls, shoes, my FEET, the kitty toys and various other objects. From what I have been told and what I have researched, it could take puppies a few months before they know what is okay to chew and what isn't. YOU have to be there to give them a chew toy as an alternative to chewing the furniture and give them a treat when they take it and chew the right things. Otherwise, they will never know.
Are you ready to clean up puppy poop and pee? Puppies don't come potty trained, and there will most likely be accidents, even with the crate. Bailey has left quite a few messes, and some are very difficult to get out of the carpet.
Exercise. SO IMPORTANT. ALL puppies need LOTS of exercise, because they are all little balls of energy. Bailey is actually considered a very calm puppy, and he does about 2 1/2 hours of high level activity per day, MINIMUM. I have to take him jogging/walking about once every 3-4 hours for about 1/2 hour, starting at about 6 in the morning when we wake up. You can't just give them all their exercise once for the whole day, they need it periodically thoughout the day.
I almost forgot grooming. Puppies are all different here, depending on their coat and amount of shedding. Bailey needs to be groomed about once a week, since he gets into a whole bunch when we go outside. You have to be careful of their eyes in the bath, and they might not like it at first. Some handle bath time better than others. Bailey's bathes take about 1/2 hour, and then you have to make sure to keep up on their nails and NOT CLIP TO FAR. This could cause serious problems, as you may already know with your cat. The puppy can get into all kinds of trouble which may require additional grooming. Even puppies with short coats should be brushed fairly often. (I brush Bailey about once every couple of days) Bailey really doesn't like the brush or the bath yet, which gives me extra work since I have to baby talk him as well as click and treat for both (WHEN he sits nice) so they become positive experiences and he knows the appropriate way to act in those situations.
That is all that I can think of for now, but the list goes on. Puppies NEED lots of patience, love, understanding, exercise, attention, chew toys (and someone to play with them and their chew toys), vet visits and vaccinations, and training, among other things. Good luck and let me know what you decide to do.
Hi! I just thought I would give you some additional information about care for puppies which you might not have considered yet. A few people recommended that you get an adult dog, and I would have to agree for the most part. If you and your family can think of ways to get around the following puppy challenges, then a puppy might still be okay.
I just adopted my puppy about 2 weeks ago. These are the main things I have encountered so far.
First, I had to crate train him. Crate training is very benefitial to puppies, it creates a "cave" for them to retire in, as well as assists in potty training and keeps them out of trouble when they have no supervision.
Here is some more information on crate training:
http://www.doglogic.com/cratetrain.htm#crateacclim
Bailey took about one week to become crate trained to the point where he is no longer crying. Since puppies can only hold their bladder for about 3 hours when they are young, you have to get up EVERY 3 HOURS in the night to let them out potty. If you don't, your puppy may learn to go to the bathroom in his/her crate and deal with it. This defeats the purpose of crate training, and makes potty training that much more difficult. You have to take out time to positively reinforce the puppy to actually LIKE his/her crate. This can take DAYS.
Next, the puppy WILL chew and WILL destroy some things you love dearly. All puppies do this, it is completely natural. You can't get angry at them, because they honestly don't know any better. You will need information about puppy chewing and how to train your puppy not to chew. I still have not been able to train my puppy not to chew the furniture, walls, shoes, my FEET, the kitty toys and various other objects. From what I have been told and what I have researched, it could take puppies a few months before they know what is okay to chew and what isn't. YOU have to be there to give them a chew toy as an alternative to chewing the furniture and give them a treat when they take it and chew the right things. Otherwise, they will never know.
Are you ready to clean up puppy poop and pee? Puppies don't come potty trained, and there will most likely be accidents, even with the crate. Bailey has left quite a few messes, and some are very difficult to get out of the carpet.
Exercise. SO IMPORTANT. ALL puppies need LOTS of exercise, because they are all little balls of energy. Bailey is actually considered a very calm puppy, and he does about 2 1/2 hours of high level activity per day, MINIMUM. I have to take him jogging/walking about once every 3-4 hours for about 1/2 hour, starting at about 6 in the morning when we wake up. You can't just give them all their exercise once for the whole day, they need it periodically thoughout the day.
I almost forgot grooming. Puppies are all different here, depending on their coat and amount of shedding. Bailey needs to be groomed about once a week, since he gets into a whole bunch when we go outside. You have to be careful of their eyes in the bath, and they might not like it at first. Some handle bath time better than others. Bailey's bathes take about 1/2 hour, and then you have to make sure to keep up on their nails and NOT CLIP TO FAR. This could cause serious problems, as you may already know with your cat. The puppy can get into all kinds of trouble which may require additional grooming. Even puppies with short coats should be brushed fairly often. (I brush Bailey about once every couple of days) Bailey really doesn't like the brush or the bath yet, which gives me extra work since I have to baby talk him as well as click and treat for both (WHEN he sits nice) so they become positive experiences and he knows the appropriate way to act in those situations.
That is all that I can think of for now, but the list goes on. Puppies NEED lots of patience, love, understanding, exercise, attention, chew toys (and someone to play with them and their chew toys), vet visits and vaccinations, and training, among other things. Good luck and let me know what you decide to do.
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