Reasons why NOT to get a puppy?

Question

I just saw a question about the 10 reasons to get a puppy. It reminded me of when Kip was a puppy - and how GLAD I am that the puppy stage is over! Am I the only one who really doesn't like the puppy stage? Yes, puppies are cute - but they are also untrained, un-house broken, chew everything, demand constant attention - plus the big one - you can no longer sleep in on Sundays when you have a puppy.

So - here is my fun question - list reasons why NOT to get a puppy!

For me, the only reason to get a puppy is because eventually, with proper care and training, they turn into great dogs!

Answer 1

Reasons not to get a puppy:

1.  Tons of adult dogs needing homes, many of which are already housebroken.

2.  It's like having baby - no sleep!  Potty breaks, crying, learning manners, time-outs for bad behavior.

3.  You have to be on a perfect schedule for many weeks.

4.  You need baby sitters in order to avoid deviating from the schedule.

5.  Older dogs often are annoyed by young upstarts.

6.  Many trips to the vet (shots, microchips, spaying or neutering, worming, etc).

7.  Worrying all the time about parvo.

8.  Getting your fingers and everything else chewed constantly.

9.  Worrying you will do something (or did something) that will terrify them and scar their development permanently.

Last time we got a dog, my husband was dead set on a puppy.  How happy I was when he chose the 8-month old that had been held as a show prospect (that didn't pan out) from a previous litter instead!

Answer 2

Don't get a puppy as a status symbol

--or a fashion statement

--or a live toy

--or to make yourself look tough.

Don't get a puppy "to teach the kids responsibility." If it's a drag, they will ignore it and you will be saddled with its care.

Don't get a puppy if you work outside the home all the hours God sends. An aquarium would be more your sort of thing; it's there when you want to be entertained but not a "hassle."

Don't get a puppy if you aren't going to socialise it to be around other people and dogs, and give it at least basic obedience training so it isn't a burden to everyone else.

Answer 3

I read this somewhere and I don't remember all of it, but it was practice before bringing home a new puppy.

1. Pour applejuice on the carpet and step in it in the middle of the night.

2. Dump chocolate pudding on the carpet.  Do not try to clean until you come home from work that night.

3. For housetraining, keep a rolled up newspaper handy.  When you find a new "surprise" quickly grab it and smack yourself repeatedly, saying "I did not train my dog! I did not train my dog!"

I do wish I could remember the rest .. it was pretty funny..

Answer 4

If you don't have time to care for it.

If you don't have the energy to run after it.

If you don't like hyperness.

If you don't like being chewed on.

If you don't like your floor to be peed on when the puppy gets excited

If you aren't around a lot to give it attention.

If you aren't good with training (tricks, potty training).

If a lot of your possessions are glass and/or chewable.

If you value your sleep at night (puppy will sometimes yelp because you're not up to play with it).

If you don't have the money to take care of it!

Answer 5

My TOP reason why not to get a puppy is;

If you are not interested in what the dog will become.

Puppies;

•Poo

•Pee

•More p**p

•Require a LOT of time and patience

•Eat (who said anything about food)

•Chew

•Require lots of attention and supervision.

•Are attracted to destroy ONLY the most expense furniture.

Answer 6

I have had one puppy in the past and gotten 4 of my 5 dogs as adults and I will never do the puppy thing again! All of my dogs that I got as adults were trained and easy within a week or two and they are every bit as good as the one I raised from 10 weeks old! Why do the puppy thing again when getting a dog as an adult is easy and just as rewarding?

Why NOT to get a puppy? They are frustrating as all get out since they have an attention span that lasts all of 2 seconds, they pee and p**p every 14 seconds wherever they please, they chew everything, they eat everything except when you want them to eat their food, they don't let you sleep a whole night, they need constant supervision and nobody can reasonably do that all the time so you inevitably have something chewed or peed on at the end of the day.

Yep, I'll stick with getting adults...it works a whole lot better for me! Doing the puppy thing was fun and I'm glad I did it, I am just not looking forward to doing it again.

Answer 7

1. You will step in f***s daily for a period of time

2. Puppy cannot distinguish between Nylabone and Manolo Blahnik

3. Contrary to the popular belief, they don't speak English

4. Much like a human baby, they will not sleep through the night at first

5. You lose the freedom to do...well,...anything without Fido at your side (ever look up to find a pit bull staring at you shaving your legs?? Awkward)

6. The puppy doesn't care that you're new berber carpet costs a fortune.

7. Your cell phone/remote control distinctly resembles a chew toy to a puppy

Answer 8

they are cute...

CUTE IS NOT A REASON!!

so you think that little brown pile he just made is cute then!

Answer 9

Great answers so far

Enough to put anyone off

But then there's....................................

..................................

.........................................

PUPPY BREATH - ahhhh sweet sweet puppy breath. I miss it now mine are all growed up

Answer 10

Oh shoot I have a million reasons!  The chew, they pee everywhere, the p**p everywhere, They WHINE all night for the first few nights, they scratch the snot out of you wanting attention, they don't come pre trained.  

There is a reason most of my dogs were adopted as adults.

Answer 11

Nope, I hate the puppy stage too.  Yes they are cute, but man are they a lot of work.  My reasons are:

1. housebreaking

2. cleaning up p**p and pee all the time

3. Sleepless nights

4. chewing everything they can get a hold of

5. All the vet visits and shots

6. Money and time they require

7. Obedience school and training

8. Unable to go out or out of town (works for dogs too)

9. Time

10. Did I mention all the p**p and pee??

I love my dog now and that's because I spent the time and effort to housebreak (she'll pee on command) and train (she does agility now) to make her the wonderful loving wellbehaved dog she is.  But to be honest the thought of a puppy makes me shudder.

Answer 12

I must say that I must have been *extremely* lucky with my puppy. All of the things that everyone mentioned, (and I mean everything) was not the case with me.

We got our BT at 10 weeks old, and he was already paper trained. We live in an upstairs apt and using the paper at 10 weeks was really preferred over having the chance that he might get parvo. So, no pee or p**p piles everywhere in the house. He knew exactly where to go, and went there EVERY TIME!!

As for the chewing... he has his chew toys. We praised him when he chewed on them, which made it less likely that he'd chew on our stuff.

As for sleeping in on Sunday's, we both are already up at 5am during the week, so "sleeping in" is 6am... which is fine with the dog. He'll usually stay in bed until HE'S ready to get up!

Patience... I really didn't have patience... until I got a puppy. He taught me patience, and it was the best thing that he's done for me so far.

Training... this has been really fun. He already knew how to 'sit' when we got him, so that was a breeze. Everything else was just as easy.

Teething... finding his little teeth randomly on the floor was really exciting for me (I don't have kids). I still have them saved!

It's been cute to see him not being able to climb up one step, to now flying down our set of 4 steps in the apt.

Not to mention all the joys and tears that I've spent on him. From holding him all night in my arms after he was neutered, to freaking out to an allergic reaction that he had from 'something' (we still don't know what it was caused by).  The joys of him seeing a fire hydrant for the very first time and not knowing what it is, or his playfulness in chasing a leaf down the street (still on a leash, of course). All these good things out weigh the puppy troubles that people complain about.

For me, this is my child. I would have given birth to him if I could. This is no different than having a baby and saying that you'd rather adopt an older child.

Answer 13

1.)  If your reasons FOR getting a dog include any of the following:

* it's cute

* I can dress it up in clothes

* it's a rare mixed breed

* my cousin's friend's aunt's daugther-in-law just had a litter

* cuz I want to

* the price is so good

* it's just like that one on tv

----then you should NOT be getting a dog.

2.)  If you aren't prepared to get up during the night---don't get a dog

3.)  If you don't know how to groom your dog- don't get it.

4.)  If you can't pay your OTHER bills- don't get a dog

5.)  If you can't spell or pronounce your breed's name- don't get a dog

6.)  If you are not prepared to sacrifice something you wanted to do for yourself for the dog's sake- don't get a dog

7.)  If you aren't willing to make the dog a lifelong companion- don't get a dog

8.)  If you *don't have the patience* to house train a dog- don't get a dog.

Well, there's my top 8...I'm sure there are more, but I'm going to go pet MY dog now!

Answer 14

   They are completely untrained

-pee and poo everywhere

-chew everything

-don't know any basic obedience that comes in handy at many times

-don't know a thing about leash walking

-And you can't even do a lot of training with their short attention span

-are too cute for their own good

-they have those puppy energy hurts and the just crash leaving you bewildered

-get into trouble/messes and you have to clean it up quickly or else they'll roll in it.

-it's hard to find puppies in shelters so if you absolutely want a puppy you have a lot of breeder checks to do.

-it is a lot more expensive. When buying an older dog of course you don't have to worry about spay/neuter and the rest of their shots but also they need a lot more toys and treats to be pleased. Lots of times the older dogs don't need a basket of toys- they just need their people to make them happy. Puppies need to play with toys and people.

-Older dog's don't necessarily need a big crate just a bed or old comforter.

Those are all the bad things- but what you get out of it is pride from passing puppy classes and having a trained puppy you raised from birth. You have a well socialized pooch. You know what you have and you've created a really strong bond.

With my family we couldn't get a puppy if we wanted since we'd have to leave the dog home for 6 hours and that is way too long for a puppy. It takes longer then a summer to house train puppies.



    

Answer 15

They aren't housebroken, they don't know anything (which can be a good thing too), they chew, they wake you up during the night, their teeth are razor sharp - and you are always the best chew toy...

Even after going through all that (and more), I don't regret getting a puppy at all.

Answer 16

I'm currently battling the "puppydom", and it's aggravating.  However, I don't view her issues as reasons not to get a puppy.  This is my basic opinoin on when you're ready for a puppy.

If you're more excited about the dog it will become, than the cute, little, furry, puppy thing it is, you'll get through all the hard stuff, and find yourself with an amazing animal.

Puppies are so adorable, and thank heavens.  If they weren't no one would want one!

Answer 17

DON'T get a puppy if:

1. you like your clean carpet

2. you like your shoes

3. you enjoy sleeping through the night without having to stand by the backdoor freezing your b***s off waiting for junior to cop a squat at 4am.

4. you like your shoes( did I say that one?)

5. You don't like having your fingers, your face, your legs, toes and any other exposed extremity bitten. Often.

6. you like being listened to.

7. you like your shoes ( i miss my nice ones...)

It was fun raising him, but I am certainly glad he is out of that phase!

Answer 18

OMG! Where do I begin, THey pee and p**p everywhere,first night I had her Violet pee'd on my bed with me asleep in it. They eat everything, She is chewing on my deck, eating my bamboo, stomping in my garden and killing everything. They have a ton of energy- Violet almost drove me nuts...

I will never get a puppy again! I am goning to stick to rescueing mastiffs...that are at least a year old. She was just a ton of work Neither Titus or I were ready for her.. What a terror- But she's getting better

Puppy's are not for everyone!

EDIT** And you can't trust them. If I left my sandwich on the table around Titus I know it would be there when I got back- Not with a puppy- she stol sandwiches, ate my Cereal... Not to mention my shoes..Shoe's are not food!

Answer 19

1. Eat leather couches and expensive electronic equipment (no cheap stuff)

2. Flip you the paw when they slip there collar and you call them.

3. They think the house is there bathroom.

4. Flip you the paw when you don't have food in your hand.

5. Thinks every moving thing wants to play (even bees)

6. They hate being alone, they need attention ALL the time.

7. They have to go out every hour or two.

8. Need to be trained not to chase the neighbors cats

9. Dig holes just to watch there "mommy" or "daddy" fill the hole in.

10. They push all of your buttons and you want to rip your hair out.

That is why i always adopt adult dogs, i dont have the patients for a puppy.

Answer 20

1. Wake up and first thing you step in a pee pile

2. you are constantly picking up anything and everything off the floor

3. there is always something new chewed up

4. potty training

5. piles of puppy p**p hidden in the closet

6. there is no sleeping in.... at all

7. buying new toys and collars as they grow

8. eat anything in site

9. the work of training and obedience

10. they are just plane unpredictable

Answer 21

1.  No sleep.  Cubby had his sleep schedule all screwy in the first few weeks after we got him.  He would sleep while I was a work and want to play all night.

2.  Clean up detail never ends.  If it wasn't pee and p**p to clean, then it was paper shreds, socks and underwear, and he started pulling 1 string at a time out of the carpet to chew on which drove me crazy.  Then there was the few times I went to pick him up and he completely hosed me.  Nothing like taking a 2nd shower in 30 minutes, grumbling to yourself, and the dog is watching you like "what, was it something I did?"

3.  You have to watch them every second, there is no break to this one either.  I was trying to save him after getting trapped under the couch after trying to hide there with something he shouldn't have and his tiny little self got stuck, or trying to stop him from chewing on something he shouldn't or trying to belly bump the trash can over, trying to get in the kitty litter, trying to keep kids from picking him up (since he was so tiny and a fall like that could have done some damage, and since he was that small that's all kids wanted to do), and trying to keep him from darting out the door to chase a rabbit or squirrel when the door was cracked open at all when someone came to the door.

4.  Thank goodness for training classes.  Those first couple of weeks could be very frustrating, they listen for c**p when they are that young!  You learn how much patience you are actually capable of in those first few weeks/months.

5.  Then of course there are all the costs of vaccinations, deworming, monthly preventatives, all the puppy supplies needed, grooming, and the additional "panic vet visits" since it was the first time I actually adopted a puppy instead of an adult dog and I'd freak about everything.  

While Cubby was absolutely adorable as a baby, I am so glad we've gotten past the spastic "puppy stage!"  He's wonderful, and I wouldn't trade him for anything in the world.

These are just things to keep in mind when deciding to adopt a puppy, but I'm very happy with the fact that we took him in as young as he was, I got to see him grow up, which was a totally new experience for me.  All my others were already grown.

Answer 22

Well, I could be here all day....so, I will give my version of 10 reasons to get an ADULT dog.  (1 year or older)

1. They are thousands of times easier to house train b/c their bladders are able to hold more than 3cc's of liquid.  

2. You know exactly how big your dog will get.

3. Your dog is not teething and therefor can be reliably trained to chew on only his things.

4. You can reliably evaluate your dogs temperament b/c he has already become largely who he will be.

5.  You can get him from a rescue who has had him with cats, children, etc so you know he is compatable with them.

6.  No needle teeth to sink into your hands (or your kids hands).

7.  Attention span is far longer and a dog can be much easier to train.

8.  You don't have to worry about taking your dog on long hikes, etc and damaging his joints.

9. By the time a dog is a couple years old, many health problems will already have appeared - you can avoid surprises.

10.  Adult dogs are generally harder to adopt out than puppies....they need you most.

Answer 23

Reasons to not get a puppy:

- They aren't housebroken. They pee and p**p everywhere.

- Depending on how old they are, they make wake you up several times a night. (Even getting my dog at 12 weeks, for the first month she woke me up every night at 3am crying because she needed go outside to potty.)

- They aren't trained at all. You have to start from scratch.

- They chew. A lot.

- It's more expensive than getting an adult dog, you have to do the puppy shots, possible pulling of baby teeth, spay/neuter, etc. It adds up quick!

(I prefer to get a puppy, but not because of the "puppy-ness", I would be just fine skipping all the puppy stuff! I just want to socialize and train the dog the way I want it to be as an adult.)

.

Answer 24

Ugh, I can't wait for my girls to be dogs!

I hate:

1- having to teach what commands mean!  I want them to just know what they are, it'd make training so easy :)

2- waking up, getting dressed and making it to the door and then having them pee, right there.  2 more steps!!

3- coming back in, making it inside the door and having them pee!  

4- finding p**p in places I didn't even know they could fit!

5- going through so many paper towels

6- sharp teeth + nose = lots of pain

7- finding pieces of things i didn't know could be removed, or chewed

8- putting on a shirt only to find it smells like pee...along with the other clean clothes in the basket.

9- did i mention puppy pee is awful?

10- having to wake up at 4, listen to them run around for a few hours and then watch them sleep for the next 3 while you're awake and pissed!

AND...I don't even really like puppy breath.  

Answer 25

First and foremost cats are better = )

Answer 26

I am going through it with my new pup: I went out looking for an adult and came back with a pup now tell me how that happen? those shelter people sure are sneaking lol

1. we have been out 3x in the last 15 min to go to the bathroom, the only thing she is interested in is playing with the dogs next door, we come in she tries to pee in my floor out we go.

2. chew chew chew chew and do I need to say it again

3. training is a lot of work, for any dog, but especially for a hyper active youn pup.

4.  puppy proofing EVERYTHING if you don't want it chewed keep it hid

5. staying calm: if you can't stay calm don't get a puppy

6 barking and growling cute but when your trying to sleep and the pup wants to play at 3 am not so cute

7 not as cute and cuddly and wanting to be playful as so many think!

they play rough, bite hard scratch with cat like nails, pull your hair while your sleeping, naw on your face, lay over your mouth were you can't breath, and if you put them in their crate they even might escape.................well mine does:}

last but not least if you take your eye off them even for a sec, they have pooped in floor, stole food off the table, scared the cat, ate the shoe, chewed the toliet paper role and now it is everywhere, and uh oh oops..........not very good.............she ate my freaking pay check. lol just kidding thank god, but that has happened to a pay check stub so it will probably happen to a pay check if I don't keep them cashed.

WARNING: puppies apply from the ages of 8wks to 1year to11/2. beware as this may be harzderous to common household appliances such as funiture, and personal belongings such as shoes, toliet paper, favorite pillow, new carpet and that cute little kitten you adopted last week.

must be 18 or older to take on THE MONSTEROUS PUPPY.

just kidding about that last part, i'm not even 18, but it still is oh so very important, that you know about the monsterous puppy.

Answer 27

Not enough sleep in the day much less in the night.

Also, the poo, and the pee, and the possibility of viruses.

I also think the training and the chewing and well the puppy stage sucks really.

I would rather skip that stage and go straight to the already trained stage.