Puppies are, no doubt about it, wonderfully cute. Young puppies even have that "new puppy smell" that can be endearing. Many people can be lulled into thinking that adorable puppy they met and fell in love with will be easy to train and live with.
The truth about puppies is that yes, much of the time they are adorable, and they can be frustrating and overwhelming too. While most people have an understanding that puppies will need monitoring and extra trips outside/to the potty area, many are underprepared for some of the realities of puppyhood.
Reality #1 : Puppies Pee and Poop A Lot!
It goes without saying that puppies will need to pee and poo during the day and possibly during the night. What you may not know, or may know but don't always actually remember is that for young puppies every activity or change of activities can be a trigger to pee and/or poop. Waking up, playing, eating, drinking- basically the main activities of puppyhood- can be triggers to pee. The younger the puppy and the smaller the breed the more frequently they need to be taken to where you want them to go to the bathroom. This might mean umpteen trips outside in the freezing cold or heat and humidity if you happen to get a puppy during the winter or summer depending on the climate in your area. Keeping a log of your puppy's day is a great way to see patterns that will be able to guide you in making decisions about your pup's routine.
Be prepared for multiple accidents in your home, even if you have a good understanding of how frequently you need to take your puppy outside. Sometimes your needs and your puppy's needs won't align and you won't be able to get them to their potty place in time. Consider plastic or vinyl flooring pieces over rugs so if your puppy were to go, it won't soak into the carpet. Make sure you buy some good enzymatic cleaner as you will use it frequently! Block off areas in your home that you don't want your pup to use as a bathroom while you can't actively supervise.
Every puppy will get housetrained on their own schedule. If you are vigilant and learn your puppy's indications, your puppy may have very few accidents in the house. On the other hand, you can do everything right and your puppy may still take quite awhile to figure out where they should be going potty. Every puppy is an individual. My anecdotal data indicates that the smaller the breed the more time it may take to get the puppy to be able to wait until they get to the potty spot. Makes perfect sense as their bladders will be smaller too! And don't be surprised if as your pup gets older there are still occasional accidents. Sometimes, like little human kids, they don't know they need to go until, well until they gotta go right now!
Reality #2: Some Puppies Get Hangry!
At some point, you may be going along having a regular day and suddenly your puppy goes from adorably sweet to maniacally mean. They might go from some regular play nips to intense biting that doesn't seem like it will stop. Or they might suddenly launch a growling, bitey attack on you or your clothing. If this behavior is not the norm for your puppy, then its likely that they have become Hangry. They have an unmet need and have not other way to express it. Please don't punish it, as meeting the need should take care of the problem. Punishment only serves to let your puppy know that you may not meet their needs, which doesn't lead to a trusting relationship.
This is another area where keeping track of your puppy's day and behavior can go a long way towards pre-empting future Hangry episodes.
Here are the most common causes of Hanger:
Hunger: Your puppy may have hit a spurt where they need/want more calories to fuel their growth. Or, maybe you cut back on the number of meals before their body was ready. You can try a snack to see if that helps. Some pups need a little food before bed so they don't wake up Hangry.
Thirst: Your puppy may have been doing other things instead of drinking water. You may need to ensure you take water to your pup or vice versa so they have plenty of opportunities to drink water during the day.
Not enough sleep: Puppies need a lot of sleep. Really young puppies can fool us as they can fall asleep anywhere and we think that will continue as they get older. Sometimes we unintentionally create environments where a puppy will be too busy to get all the naps and nighttime sleep they need. Much like little human kids, they can get wired and cranky when they are tired. Make sure your pup has plenty of opportunities where people/other animals are not trying to interact with them so they can unwind and sleep.
Needing to pee or poop: The good news is that a puppy that gets hangry when they need to pee or poop is actually processing that they need to go. And they may have processed that they are not in the ideal place to do so, but don't know how to communicate that they need access to that place immediately. This would actually be the first thing I would try when our pup got hangry as it is the one that needs immediate attention.
Concern or fear: Some puppies are more resilient than others. Some are more prone to fears or concerns. If you have a puppy that demonstrates concern about things in general, then they may react to perceived scary things by redirecting some of that concern onto you. Working to build their confidence, figuring out how to reduce the intensity of the thing, and finding ways to avoid it while you work on counter conditioning can all help.
It's Still Doable!
Although there are many realities of puppydom that aren't all cute and wonderful, if you have the time, patience and well, fortitude, you can absolutely raise a great dog and these realities become distant memories. In fact, we often forget these realities until the next puppy we get when we relearn them all over again! I'll talk about additional realities of puppyhood for people in another post. For now, know that if you are prepared for the realities, you will find that you have a lot more patience. When you are in the beginning stages, it may seem overwhelming. But the biggest reality is that puppyhood will seem to be over in the blink of an eye!
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