When getting a new puppy, you are often distracted by their cuteness and tend to overlook what it's actually like to raise a new member of your family. Whenever I got my first puppy, I thought to myself, “This is going to be so much fun. I am going to let her sleep with me in my bed, we are going to go for walks on her leash outside, and we will get to lay on the couch and watch TV together.” Little did I know, raising a puppy was not only going to be exciting, but it will also raise its own set of challenges. Because having a new puppy is not always what it seems, I decided to discuss my expectations and realities of a puppy.
1. Eating Dinner
Expectation- I knew puppies begged, but I thought as long as you say no, they will leave you alone. Besides, I figured I could handle a little bit of whining.
Reality- My puppies do not cry whenever I am eating because that would be too easy. Instead, they decide to attack me.
2. Dog Food
Expectation- I expected the puppies to eat their own food and eat out of their own bowls.
Reality- Whoever finishes first tries to steal the other puppy’s food, and, sometimes, they switch bowls. Switching bowls bothers me because I bought my puppy a cute one that I want her to use.
3. Sleeping In
Expectation- I knew I might have to wake up earlier than normal to feed my puppy, but I was thinking like 7 a.m. or 8 a.m.
Reality- Turns out, my puppy likes to eat at like 5:30 or 6:00 in the morning. Likewise, I expected my puppy to sleep all night, but nope; that is too good to be true. She enjoys waking me up every few hours to go potty. And trust me, it is worth getting up at 3:00 a.m. to let her out if that means she will not pee in my bed.
4. Dog Clothes
Expectation- OK, I will admit that I love dressing my dogs up. I think it is super adorable. I have a big dog that I enjoy putting sweaters on, and she is very passive about it. I anticipated that would be the same for my puppy.
Reality- My puppy will nibble at her dresses and try her best to strip them off. Not only that, she will get the other puppy to help her tear her clothes off too.
5. Relaxation Time
Expectation- I assumed that puppies liked to sleep and relax, but boy was I wrong.
Reality- The puppies are constantly jumping around, stepping on my computer and deleting stuff off of it, and pulling on my hair like a chew toy.
6. Potty Training
Expectation- I never potty trained a puppy before, but I did not think it could be too hard. People do it all the time. You just have to take them out when they look like they have to go and call it day.
Reality- Most of the time, my puppy likes to pee in the house when I am not looking, or she will pee in my bed in the middle of the night without warning. I try taking her out every couple of hours, and she refuses to go sometimes. Typically, after waiting for her to do her business fifteen minutes outside in the Texas heat, she ends up going in the house right when I take her inside.
7. The Pen
Expectation- Occasionally, I just want some alone time to watch TV or take a shower without having to watch my puppy; therefore, I put her in the pen. It has enough room for her to play safely, get a drink of water and rest in her bed. I believed that everything will be peaches and cream as long as she is in her pen.
Reality- It never occurred to me that she would cry and cry and cry. Every time I leave her in the pen, she cries her little heart out. She has to know I will be coming back; I always come back. Not only is the hollering upsetting, it is so loud that all my neighbors could hear. I end up bringing her every where with me in order to prevent the heartbreaking weep.
8. Learning to Sit
Expectation- Teaching a dog sit cannot be that difficult. I mean, there are people teaching their pets to dance and sniff out drugs. Sitting is the most basic command a dog can do. I got this.
Reality- My puppy will not listen if her life depended on it. I can demonstrate to her how to sit, push her down into a sitting position and reward her with treats, and she still does not comprehend how to sit. Sometimes, she does such a bad job at listening, I wonder if she even knows her name.
Overall, puppies are great. I love my baby girl with all my heart. Yes, she can be a pain in a butt every once in awhile, but no pet is perfect. We are both learning new things from each other, and before we know it, she will be properly potty trained, sleeping in all morning, and learning how to sit, stay and shake.
I created a video demonstrating the expectations vs reality when getting a puppy on Youtube. Click the link below to watch the video!
Expectations vs Reality: Puppy Version Video
