Dog Ownership is not Simple

I have touched on the fact that I thought I could get a dog, feed the dog, walk the dog and fuss the dog and all would be great. It is really not that simple and it has been a massive learning curve for me. I was not prepared for Ben, I had not done any research about raising a puppy. I had looked after my in laws dog, but she was coming up to 3 years old at the time and was and still is very chilled.

I was working full time when we got Ben and so was hubby. I thought great we can get him Friday and have two days off work with him to settle him in before work on the Monday. The first night he slept straight through, quiet as a mouse. The second night he screamed blue murder in his crate. He had been crate trained by the breeder. I ended up on the sofa. The first few weeks were exhausting, in fact the first year was exhausting. If you are thinking about a puppy think long and hard I beg you. We all have to work but there are dog sitters and dog day care services out there but it's not cheap. We should have done this from the word go, we left Ben for 7 hours on his own and thinking about it now makes me very upset. I think to myself what if being left alone at such a young age for so long affected him and that's why he has issues now. After about 3 weeks I just felt too guilty so my mum offered to come at lunchtime to give him a comfort break and this helped, we didn't have to clean up urine/poo when we got home and Ben seemed happier. Evenings were spent with him as well as weekends, a puppy is a full time job! I could write a massive post about raising a puppy and the do's and don'ts, which I have purely learnt from experience and reading online. But this blog isn't a training guide and there is so much reading material on raising a well rounded dog. I recommended the book - The Happy Puppy Handbook: Your Definitive Guide to Puppy Care and Early Training by Pippa Mattinson. I have read it and its very informative and so helpful. I feel I have been quite negative here, a puppy does bring so much joy to your life, they truly do but there is no point in sugar coating it - you have to be committed!

You also have to be committed to you adult dog too. Dogs thrive on human interaction, they love to be with us. Dogs suit people who do not have really busy social lives unless your social life is meeting friends for a walk! I am not saying you cannot have a social life if you have a dog, but your dog needs to be considered all the time, otherwise they could develop behavioural problems if they do not get enough physical and mental stimulation. There are so many adult dogs in rescue centres looking for new homes that have been handed in by their owners. The excitement of having a dog does take over common sense, it has happened to me I am not ashamed to say it. I have rehomed two dogs but one because she attacked Ben and he was not happy and one because of separation anxiety. I have mentioned I should not have got either of these dogs in the first place, it broke my heart having to give them up but I knew it was for the best. Some people get rid of their dogs because the novelty wears off, they did not realise the amount of commitment involved. They maybe having problems with their dogs, maybe aggression, maybe recall problems, pulling on the lead, messing in the house, chewing in the house...the list is endless. If you are not committed then you will not have the gumption to train your dog.

We all have days where we can't be bothered, but a dog is a privilege and no dog deserves to live half a life.