[gracielove]

Originally Posted by celstu1

Oh I get SOOOO MAD when someone says "I had NO idea what I was in for" when speaking about a new pup!!! My first question is always "well didn't you research the breed of dog before buying one?" Geezzzz, I think there is too much info out there for people to play dumb any longer.
I LOVE the puppy phase! Yes, parts of it are hard.... the one thing I learned when doing it with 2 pups at the same time was, don't blame them, blame yourself. AFter losing about 20 pairs of shoes myself, I was like "DUH if I don't close my closet, its MY fault". I warn people who came over, they are puppies and not housebroken yet, if you leave something on the floor, shoes, bags, etc.. they will either chew it or pee on it. My brother got soooo mad at them one time and I had to tell him, I warned you... be mad at yourself, not them.

You are so right. I have told my family members that they need to try to be smarter than the dog. They know that puppies and young dogs chew. They know what the dog can reach and get into. How hard is it to keep their belongings out of a little dog's reach? If people do not have the time and responsibility to watch a puppy like a hawk 24/7 then they don't need a puppy! Dogs do not train themselves! I'm sorry but at least half the people I meet are not responsible enough to raise and train children much less a dog. Dogs are companion animals. They want to be with their people. Why bother to get one if you don't want to endure what goes along with training that cute little furry puppy?