I thought I knew exactly what I was getting myself into when my husband and I brought our new puppy home. After all, I had two dogs growing up and have been around puppies/ dogs for as long as I could remember.  I remember taking our puppy, Kona, out and about to get her comfortable. It was hard to really accomplish anything without strangers coming up to us complimenting how adorable she was, but also how our lives were about to change forever and the amount of work she will be. I remember turning to my husband with no worries and thinking, “we got this.” We prepared for years for this moment. But oh how little did I know! I’ve learned so much since we brought that little furry bundle of joy home, and now that my puppy is eight months old, I totally understand from a different level what it means to own a dog. Raising your own puppy is a completely different experience from the experience you may have had with your easy childhood dog you were so lucky to grow up with (and your parents raised). I now truly  know the amount of dedication and patience my parents (both of whom worked two jobs) had by evidence that they raised three children and trained a puppy that ended up fitting perfectly into our family.

Now that our puppy Kona is about eight months, I believe we have gone through the  most challenging stage and the worst has passed. The first months consisted of little-to-no sleep, constant guilt, puppy training classes, monthly trips to the vet, and A LOT of questions. I do feel our little family finally has some sort of routine together, so here are some important facts I learned after getting a puppy that might help you if you, too, are looking to bring a puppy home soon!

1) You will spend way more money than planned.

Before getting Kona, I knew puppies were expensive, and I thought we could raise our pup on a budget. We have a miniature golden doodle which could cost up to $4,000, but we found Kona for $900 from keystonepuppies.com. We figured we could find food, toys/bones, a crate, and a vet all on a budget easily, but after bringing Kona home that notion flew out the window. I felt like I became obsessive with the ingredients in dog food, toys/bones that wouldn’t cause harm to her digestive system or that were cheaply made which would fall apart easily, and that meant spending more on dog stuff. Kona has chew toys made of all different materials: toys specifically for play, balls for throwing, frisbees, tug-of-war ropes, deer antlers, Kongs for peanut butter or apple sauce, the list just goes on and on. And all this adds up to a lot of money.

If you end up finding a reasonably-priced vet in your area, you are still going to be making a trip there and paying a bill about once a month, so prepare for that. They need so many vaccinations, Heartgard pills to prevent heart worms, Nexgard pills to prevent fleas and ticks if you are in a highly wooded area. (Your puppy could have a parasite that needs treatment like Kona did when we first got her, which is more expensive.) They charge you monthly for a wellness exam. Then you eventually have to schedule the appointment for your puppy to get spayed/neutered. You will be handing over at least a hundred dollar bill each visit.

2) Prioritize socialization.

If you didn’t know, puppies have a socialization window that ends at 14 weeks of age. By this point you should’ve introduced your puppy to anything and everyone that you would want her to have a great relationship with. When we first brought Kona home almost all of our relatives and close friends came to meet her. We even had her meet all of her puppy cousins as well — we wanted to make sure she was super comfortable with people. It was very important for my husband and I that Kona had a strong relationship with children and other dogs in the family, since we want a family one day. Puppies and children can be challenging to have at the same time, but if you want to expand your family or already have children, you want to make sure that they all get along.

3) Don’t have crazy expectations on training.

As dog owners we know that puppies learn quickly, so it is tempting to start teaching them sit, stay, lie down, paw but its also important to focus on their behavior as well. When bringing home your puppy for the first time, everything will be new to them. It’s important to use a calm welcoming voice so as to not overstimulate them or make any bad associations with confusing harsh tones. To reinforce good behavior, whenever you catch your dog laying down, acting calm, and playing nicely with their toys, reward them with a treat. For my husband and I, training treats were a godsend, and crucial for us for rewarding good behavior and going potty outside. Puppies are going to be hyper but always remember you will get the behavior you reward, so pay attention to your body language, commands, tone of voice, etc.

4) On Handling.

You want to get your dog used to being handled. So handle your puppy as much as they will allow. Things like picking your dog up, playing with their ears, gently pulling on their tail, playing with their paws, going near their food and water dish while they’re eating are all good ways to get your puppy used to being handled and sociable. A good way to think about it is to basically get your puppy used to things that the vet might need to do during an exam or that a baby/child might do. The more comfortable they are with this, the easier time they’ll have transitioning to new experiences and different phases of life.

5) On Crate Training.

My husband and I tried crate training for about two weeks (I know, we gave up quickly!), but it just didn’t work for us. Kona has bad seperation anxiety, and none of us were even getting an hour of sleep. This should go without saying, but we need to function at work, hah. We knew that eventually we would want Kona to sleep in our bed with us anyway, so we decided to forgo crate training. If you don’t want your pup in bed with you and would rather crate them, you want to make sure you don’t have anything in the crate that the puppy could choke on or destroy. It’s also nice to keep something in their crate that has your scent. We do have Kona crate trained during the day and we have blankets in there with our scent, a safe toy and water.

6) On Exercise.

You want to make sure you are giving your puppy enough exercise to be healthy and happy! If a puppy isn’t getting enough exercise it’s one factor that can contribute to bad behavior. You always want to make sure you’re not exercising too much, as that can lead to illness or injury. I use my judgement to see how much exercise is right for my dog by monitoring her behavior, energy levels, and pace. It’s also important to note that each breed, gender or personality may differ and contribute to exercise tolerance. For us, we love taking walks around a nearby lake, our neighborhood, and in our backyard, and really look forward to visiting dog parks this summer.

The exercise routine I have followed:

• exercise for about 15 minutes before heading to work
• crate training our puppy for 8 hours with visits from relatives throughout the day
• visits include dog walking and about 15-30 mins of exercise
• once we get home from work, another 30 mins of exercise a little before dinner
• about an hour before bed another 15 minutes of exercise indoors

Of course this daily routine wouldn’t work for everyone, but it has for us! I found it very beneficial to create a daily routine for my husband and I and for our pup and it’s made all of our lives better. Consistency is key.

For any first time dog owners, you may be asking yourself is a dog really worth it? Is the money really worth it? They don’t live long enough. It’s hard to put into words all the good a dog does for you and your family, but they are SO WORTH IT!! Here are some quotes that have stuck with me over the years:

 

“Before you get a dog, you can’t quite imagine what living with one might be like; afterward, you can’t imagine living any other way.”

 

Stay safe loves! Talk soon x.o