I have read this entire thread with great interest and you have made a few good arguments for getting a puppy and several ppl have, if not made an argument against it, indeed given you great advice and food for thought. This is what I have concluded.
First, and maybe most importantly, you have made several asumptions that you state for a fact. Namely, you give yourself a couple of months to potty train your puppy at home. This process takes months not weeks, somtimes years, so if you get a puppy, please do not assume no matter how diligent you are during those weeks, that it will happen on schedule.
Secondly, you also assume you can shake a can of pennies at your puppy and it will just shut up. I have been trying to use this method and many others on one of mine and she even barks at whatever method I am using to stop her from barking!
Furthermore, you say, due to class schedule, you will be coming in and going out several times during the day, I think you said every hour. I think this will cause great stress on any puppy. It will never know any stability or security. Dogs do not understand real time. You can go get mail and when you come back they behave like you have been on a long voyage. The point I am making is this, your puppy will find it very difficult to "settle", and this causes neurotic behavior, then barking will be the least of your concerns.
Being a student, you will need to study some time. Time will become a top commodity, have you considered that just when you are trying to digest some really important facts and your puppy needs you for whatever, are you going to be able and willing to stop, really stop, and go out with him or clean up a mess or stop to take care of countless other whatevers? Remember, he will not know or care that you have a test in the morning. You will have to give up a lot of time that you would otherwise use to do other things for this puppy. It is a living, breathing being and as such, a big responsibility and commitment, very much like a child would be.
I have only touched on a few of the issues envolved in owning a puppy. Any kind of dog, at any age presents it's own needs and problems. I'm not trying to deter you from getting a dog, even if it sounds that way, I am trying to help you to understand that things don't just take care of themselves or happen the way we plan. You will find this applies to every aspect of life.
You appear to be a bright young man, maybe because I have two sons, I never thought you were a girl, so think about it and stay on this forum. There are many ppl here who have great expertise and very willing to help. Read all you can, keep asking questions. We see many ppl, young and not so young, make terrrible mistakes because they did not think things thru and the dogs are the ones who suffer. Prevention is the best cure. You won't have to be here long to find pple pulling their hair out and ready to throw the dog under the bus because they thought owning a puppy was just soooo cute, then discover it's a lot of work and that cute puppy isn't soooo cute when it just ate your favorite pair of shoes or poo'ed on your bed and kept you up all night crying and aternating with barking and throwing up.
Owning a dog can be one of the most rewarding adventures in life. Whenever you decide to have one, make it a rewarding experience for the dog as well as for you, it is one and the same. Good luck with your decision and if you do get one, good luck with it as well. I look forward to reading your posts and learning more about you, it is a pleasure to have you on the board. |