What to expect when adopting a puppy
Scheduling
- A 2-month-old puppy has to go out every 2 to 3 hours. A 3-month-old puppy has to go out every 3 to 4 hours, and so forth. So someone who works all day must have a dog walker that comes at least 2 to 3 times a day. Once a day can cost $15/$20.
- Letting the dog out every 2 to 3 hours doesn't miraculously suspend itself during the night. No one sleeps when there's a puppy in the house, because the puppy must also get up in the middle of the night—several times—to go out.
- Puppies are extremely time-consuming and need a lot of energy and time. If you don't have that time, you won’t be a good match.
- Puppies are a blank slate and need to be trained on all the basics.
- Puppies must be socialized with people and other dogs to become well-adjusted animals.
- Puppies bite, chew, pee, poop and do all sorts of unwanted things in the house.
- If you have young kids, be aware that puppies are what we call “mouthy” - which means they bite! - and their puppy teeth are super sharp. Puppies aren't yet aware that they shouldn't be biting people, so they will until they are taught otherwise.
- Puppies must always be supervised with children and should never be left unattended.
- Puppies are very expensive - more than double the cost of an adult dog.
- Puppies must be spayed/neutered at the expense of the adopter.
- Puppies can easily become sick. Puppies are like babies and don't have a fully developed immune system. When they become sick, it is important to get them to the vet immediately - and the bills can easily become quite high.
- Overall, puppies are a huge amount of work, and you must be prepared for the effort they require!