When your 'pandemic puppy' doesn't work out

Good article.

Sadly whst we all predicted.

Advice excellent.

Hopefully the ridiculous prices will fall.

Poor pups who will be pushed from pillar to post

Sad reading in places on a number of issues, many seem not to be prepared for the utter chaos small puppies can cause. I think many have a rose tinted impression of owning a puppy and seem to imagine that they come ready trained, only wee or poo in the house once and are then magically toilet trained and sleep all the time leaving you to admire them and take photos to post on fb. Reality is totally different as we all know.

If asked I tell people to prepare the house and themselves prior to the puppies arrival. That is to clean the house from top to bottom, do all the washing and ironing of clothes and either buy in or make meals to stock the freezer, then you can spend the next few weeks being with your puppy ignoring the mess created and not having to worry about anything else. It really doesn’t matter if the house and you are a mess and other members of the family are left to their own devices for a while, the puppy settling in and learning toilet training and basic manners is far more important

To add to all this, people should realise that the majority of breeders selling puppies at over-inflated prices, are NOT necessarily good breeders.   Just people jumping into a gap left by the better breeder who had curtailed their breeding plans.   So the puppies bought for these prices, could be anything - from construction problems to temperament problems.   Especially with mixes that should never be produced.    A well-bred carefully reared puppy should not bring chaos into a house even if people new to dog ownership, perhaps don't realise the huge needs of a puppy.   And yes, they give up - often when they have to return to work, or even move to find work.   BUT these people also readvertise their puppy, for pretty much the price they paid for it.

It's a horrendous off-shoot of all that Covid 19 has brought into our lives.

Off to check Pets4............

I tell all my potential buyers that pupphood lasts 2 years!

Is it any wonder given the choice many breeders favour existing/experienced dog owners for their puppies?

I do seriously worry about many young people coping with parenthood, if they can't cope with a puppy.

With smaller families and couples now waiting until their 30's many have no experience of babies or children.

> I do seriously worry about many young people coping with parenthood, if they can't cope with a puppy.

This struck a real chord with me! I have a 3 year old son and 4 dogs ranging from 13 weeks to 5 years and no word of a lie, the dogs are so much easier  

So true - if you can’t cope with a puppy don’t have kids!

A puppy should really be viewed like a child but all the life stages compressed.

A child takes 3 years to toilet train, yet some owners can't wait a few months to complete this process in a puppy!

Crazy how some people want dogs to do everything right instantly.

Totally agree, my youngest daughter is two and I know a lot of people don’t home to people with children under 5 but when my youngest girl joined us last August I knew it was going to be fitting in the training as the hardest part but if you know what to expect, it’s fine! I have my downstairs set up with gates etc so they don’t have unsupervised contact etc, someone in the park commented on how well behaved my daughter and the puppy are - I’m like, really - is it that hard to basically prepare for a second child? And this person said to me about their three year old dog “he’s still not trained at all and we thought we got him from a good breeder”!!!!! I do worry about people will cope with a baby if they find a puppy too much!

74Alexandra:  > And this person said to me about their three year old dog “he’s still not trained at all and we thought we got him from a good breeder”!!!!!

Hilarious comment re good breeder;  what on earth has that got to do with the price of cheese.  May be wrong ut I always thought it was the new owners responsibility
to train, socialise and instill good manners in their Puppy. This person would have been better off with robotic dog which I hate the thought of anyway but at least she could have programmed it with her remote control!
NB  Hats off to you for doing so well with a two year old and your Puppy - obviously patience and perseverance have paid off ten fold. My 'kids' are now 34 & 37 each with their first child of 4 and 6 respectively and both little families have brought a puppy into their homes in the last year - hard work in the beginning but so rewarding.

I had my first dog when daughter was 14 months and second when she was 4 (not yet at school) and son 14 months.

Had my first litter in 1995 when daughter was 7 1/2 and son nearly 4.

I walked 2 Elkhounds with the pushchair on school run until son started school.

I am beginning to see more guard dog type puppies being offered for sale now. Several LGD breeds, including working GSD or working GSD/working Malinois crosses, Cane Corsos, American Bulldogs and XL American Bullies.

It's bad enough seeing antisocial, barely trained Chihuahuas, Poodle crosses, Shih Tzu, etc but imagine one of the bigger breeds that rarely gets walked and has minimal training. In six months time they could easily injure someone in their family or outside.

Burglaries and break-ins have increased in my area, and I think people are wanting guard dogs. I got broken into in October but my dogs didn't make any  noise and it was me who ran down stairs shouting as I was worried about them! They were looking worried sitting on or behind the sofa.
I was seriously considering adding a "tougher" breed, but I know my limitations. I'm quite happy with my dogs knowing basic commands, coming back when off leash and not eating the house when I'm out. Some of the breeds I mentioned I couldn't commit to training to their full potential.

The prices people want for older pups is crazy, a few years ago it was a few hundred pounds, now it's £1000-£1500

In my breed which is modestly priced a pup up to a year might just have fetched half it's price by 6 months and virtually nothing after that.

Any I had back for rehoming went to experienced former breed owners free of charge with my thanks, as they would need to rehabilitate, train etc, no longer the blank page sold as a puppy.

Those redale prices are higher than our Puppy Sale prices.

malwhit:> <br />The prices people want for older pups is crazy, a few years ago it was a few hundred pounds, now it's £1000-£1500

How awful being burgled! Must have been very frightening So understand your reaction to protect your dogs.  We raise them, love them and can't be without them whether
they destroy, chew, make a mess as puppies but then become the lovely companions who hide behind the sofa when feeling threatened as you mentioned.

Replying to your above perception of pricing - try £2,500 to £3000 as they wish to recoup their original outlay.

I've also seen a fair number of 2 or 3 year old dogs being advertised for a lot of money and I think sadly some of these are because there are people desperate who cannot pay bills and are selling to keep a roof over their heads. heart breaking

Thank you, maybe it’s because we have always been a doggy family. I do think the other problem is puppy school tends to be geared for tricks rather than general good manners and behaviour, I was lucky with this one that we were able to attend mainly for socialising at an open air horse farm u TIL November lockdown, I asked to be out in the advanced class as that’s where the useful stuff is! I think the secret is having reasonable expectations of dogs and children and making the children understand the way you treat animals. Find it so upsetting when I see kids grabbing any animal and then not taken to task over it. Everyone needs respect in our house especially the dogs.

Brainless that is so me, I get comments from people who live locally saying they’ve seen me even when it’s pouring with rain and the dogs are at least walking in line!!!

This actually happened in our breed, I felt embarrassed for the people because they were hounded on a breed group about not returning to the breeder, they admitted they had fallen on hard times and if they had to give the dog up for free would keep it. Trouble is, as we see all too often, they defended the fact the contract was “useless”. Assuming the poor dog was sold but felt bad for everyone involved.

weimed:  > I've also seen a fair number of 2 or 3 year old dogs being advertised for a lot of money and I think sadly some of these are because there are people desperate who cannot pay bills and are selling to keep a roof over their heads. heart breaking

Goodness me, yes and imagine the hurt & pain attached having to make that choice!

74Alexandra:> I get comments from people who live locally saying they’ve seen me even when it’s pouring with rain and the dogs are at least walking in line!!!

Brilliant and then there's that lovely time drying off kids & dogs, turning the fire up to full and all all settling down for the group nap - oh happy day - the smallest things are the best!!!

Don’t you mean when the door shuts and you get that ahh moment to sigh and put the kettle on!!

You've got it !!!