If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll have seen that in December, my partner and I got a puppy. Her name is Amber, she’s a KC Registered Show Chocker Spaniel and she’s absolutely beautiful. She also has her own Instagram account which is growing more rapidly that I ever expected. And today I wanted to share some personal things I’ve learnt since owning a puppy.
Neither of us are new to having a dog. We’ve both had family pets and we lost my precious Rory back in 2022 who I still miss every single day and Carl’s family dog Dexter back in 2018.
We’re both huge dog lovers and always knew when we moved into our own home (which we did in August 2023) that we wanted to get a dog. But Amber is our first dog who’s solely our responsibility.
We got Amber on 13th December, picking her up from her breeder in Wales and driving 4 hours home with her. She was so small when we first got her, slipping out of her harness in her car seat and then pooping everywhere on the journey home.
Our first little insight into what the next few months were going to entail.
Almost 4 months later and owning a puppy is still a learning experience every single day.
No day is the same. She changes all the time; her appearance, her habits, everything. And it’s about adjusting for both of us so we can live in harmony with each other. Which is MUCH easier said than done.
I think it’s important to be honest about the things I’ve learnt about owning a puppy because – especially on Instagram – you’re painted this picture that owning a puppy is a wonderful and perfect experience all the time.
Which is most certainly isn’t.
That’s not me saying I’m ready to pack her bags and send her to Battersea Dogs Home. That’s just me being honest and probably saying what a lot of people won’t and don’t say, for fear of seeming ungrateful, unqualified and unprepared.
Some of the points I make in this post will likely be universal for most puppy owners, other points are very personal to me. Everyone’s experience with having a puppy is different; some find it easier, some harder. It will also depend on the breed.
Every experience is valid and I suspect a lot like motherhood, there are good things, bad things and things you really didn’t expect. So I’m about to leave quite a lot on the table here and get really honest about my own experience with owning a puppy.
Here are 10 things I’ve learnt about owning a puppy:
It’s much harder than I thought it was going to be
I don’t think I went into this naively. I knew it was going to be hard. But I didn’t think it’d be quite SO hard. And it’s totally okay to admit that. There were a few things that made this experience harder; the reduced sleep, the biting, the toilet training, the change in routine and more.
They wake up really early
Amber’s sleep routine has changed over time. Initially, she was waking up at around 2am for a poo then sleeping through until about 7. She then started sleeping through until 7, without a break – excellent! But now, at the time of writing, she’s getting me up at around 5-5:30am every morning. This has been hard to adjust to.
It’s made me question the next phase of my life
I’m not going to compare having a puppy to having a child – OBVIOUSLY they are not the same. But with things like less sleep, more responsibility and the relentless nature that comes with having a puppy, it’s definitely made me massively question whether I actually want children, a conversation my partner and I are having at the moment.
They’re not always stress-relievers
You always hear about dogs being stress relievers, supposedly good for your mental health, your blood pressure and your general fitness. Not always the case. Especially at the puppy stage. I’ve never been more stressed in my life.
I’m not enjoying dog walking as much as I thought I would
Amber has picked up a few irritating habits on her walks and she hasn’t quite grasped loose lead walking yet, so taking her for walks hasn’t been the relaxing and pleasant experience I had hoped for and there has definitely been some tears on her walks.
The biting phase is the worst
We knew puppies go through phases of biting, especially when their teething but we didn’t expect it’d last so long and in fact, it’s worse now than ever. Her brothers and sisters are doing the same thing, so it’s nothing wrong, it’s just annoying – and painful at times.
Dog training is more for me than for the dog
I’ve gained so many tips from investing in puppy training and learned so many things that I honestly wouldn’t have considered. Our trainer is incredible, she’s so lovely and friendly as well and really knows her stuff.
My mental health has suffered occasionally
Similarly to the first point, this has been harder than I thought. Especially over the first few weeks, where Amber couldn’t go out for walks yet nor could she be left alone for any period of time.
I was under house arrest (as I work from home and my partner doesn’t) and being so isolated and on my own, dealing with a tiny puppy all day every day absolutely did me the dirty with my mental health.
Obviously since she’s been able to go out and be left alone, this has massively decreased. But my mental health still suffers occasions, especially if we have a bad day or she’s acting up.
You will get stopped by absolutely everyone in the street
As you can see by the photos, she’s pretty damn cute. So we get stopped by absolutely everyone in the street. Which is fine, if they’re nice about it but it can be a bit annoying when it’s dozens of people in a row, especially if you want to get somewhere.
And not everyone is polite about it
This has been my biggest bug bear. If people ask to say hello, then I’m more than happy to let them. What I’m finding incredibly frustrating is when people just come up to her and start touching her without my permission. Especially when she was a real tiny puppy and already nervous.
You will feel judged for every decision you make
Your vet, your dog trainer, your neighbours, the shop keeper and that geezer on TikTok will all have different opinions on what you should be feeding your dog, treating your dog, how you should be walking your dog and every single other decision you have to make for your dog.
And you will definitely feel like you’re being judged by at least two of them for making a decision that differs from their opinion. Another parallel to motherhood, I can imagine, although not to the same degree. But it’s been a learning curve to try and drown out the opinions and weigh up what’s right for you and your dog.
I hope this post has given a truly honest and open insight about my experience as a first time puppy owner and the things I’ve learnt about owning a puppy.
It’s not always easy. It’s not always pretty. It’s not always perfect Instagram photos of you and your puppy going on peaceful woodland walks, with them walking by your side and being as good as gold.
Yet another area that people on social media has giving highly unrealistic expectations of.