We've Reached the Turning Point! (anyone else get angry/frustrated w/puppy?)

[sparra]

Originally Posted by doggiedad

it's a lot to do but it's not hard. i don't consider it work.
here's a list of what i find absolutely nothing hard about
doing. after my list you show me a list of what's hard.

there's nothing hard about:
> taking the pup out often.
> socializing
> feeding and giving water
> going to the Vet
> going to the Vet to socialize
> meeting people
> going different places
> setting up play dates
> going to the play dates
> walking the pup
> letting the pup in the yard
> letting the pup have free time in the
house (learning house manners)
> teaching commands (verbal or hand signals)
> meeting the mail man or mail woman
> teaching the pup not to chase things
> teaching the pup not to bark at the neighbors
when in the yard
> introducing the pup to different animals

the list goes on and on about what's not hard. i don't think
it's hard or work so it's easy for me.

now you list a few things that's so hard to do.

With all due respect just because YOU find these things easy doesn't mean others will as well.
If you live on your own with no other responsibilities like young children to care for as well then you may very well fund all these things easy.
For me taking a puppy to the vet with a toddler hanging off one leg and a baby sitting on the other hip is not easy....or letting the pup have free time in the house without chewing up your kids may not be easy......just two examples of how everyone's situation is different and it is quite reasonable to expect that some may at times find owning a dog of any breed/age a challenge.

[julie87]

Oh i know all about the attacks at non experienced members on this forum, some of the seinior members put a lot of energy into making dramatic statements to others, which is not helpful at all, and at some point I actually considered to stop going to this site because some people get so heated over nothing...I found that the only helpful people on here are the ones that truly want to help and they are nice to members instead of being judgemental and not understaing, this is a dog forum and people here stand up for dogs not people which is fine but it doesn't mean we should be treated with disrespect. I apologize if my statement about crying was a bit harsh now that I reread my earlier post I thought I sounded kinda mean.. I didnt mean to offend anyone I just felt like crying was going too far and if you cry,then some serious changes need to be done for you and your dog's well being.

[Carriesue]

Originally Posted by SukiGirl

I'll be honest, there are a handful of people on this site that are a little condescending to others...and as a first time dog owner and first time GSD owner I am often offended by the 'advice' I am given on here.

I would like to feel like I can share information and ask questions on this forum without being made to feel like I'm some idiot.

Just food for thought for all of you experts on here. I get it. You've had lots of dogs and plenty of experience. But what makes you a better dog owner than me, really?

^This! That's one of the big reasons I do not post here very often. It's almost like being back in high school.

But back to topic... For me, I am a housewife... I'm here all day with the dogs and pour all my energy into raising a puppy. Ollie may be the best behaved pup I've ever had but he still drains my energy and wears me out!

If I was working AND had kids... Well kudos to you that can do it! I could say its easy to raise a pup all day long but I don't have those other responsibilities so I can't even begin to tell you it shouldn't be hard or you shouldn't cry...

Heck I was(sorry guys) PMS'ing something fierce today and Ollie about had me ready to bite someone's head off, lol! And I was out with him at 4 in the morning in the pouring rain trying to make him go potty... Little bugger has never been afraid of anything and chooses this moment for me to find out he's scared of rain(granted we live in the desert and he's never seen it before). He is my fourth puppy and there are still moments of utter frustration and exhaustion!

Puppies are a huge responsibility and commitment, I can totally understand how a first time owner and someone with a full time job/kids could become overwhelmed.

[SukiGirl]

What I didn't say in my post about the 'mental breakdown' I experienced during training class is that it was a VERY IMPORTANT turning point in my relationship with my dog. That moment finally made me realize that I was not being the pack leader my dog needed me to be.

From that point on, things improved dramatically. So maybe what people are trying to say is that - as trying and difficult as those first puppy months are...they teach us some very important things and bring us closer to our dogs. I learned a lot about myself in those early days with our pup. She's changed me for the better.

So enough will all the drivel. Let's talk about how amazing our dogs are - and not tear each other down. That is not what this forum is for.

[selzer]

Originally Posted by sparra

With all due respect just because YOU find these things easy doesn't mean others will as well.
If you live on your own with no other responsibilities like young children to care for as well then you may very well fund all these things easy.
For me taking a puppy to the vet with a toddler hanging off one leg and a baby sitting on the other hip is not easy....or letting the pup have free time in the house without chewing up your kids may not be easy......just two examples of how everyone's situation is different and it is quite reasonable to expect that some may at times find owning a dog of any breed/age a challenge.

With all due respect, maybe if you have a toddler hanging off one leg and a baby sitting on the other hip, maybe it isn't a good time to bring home a puppy.

Raising a puppy isn't hard. Having two babies and trying to raise a puppy at the same time is really hard.

I think that when people find themselves thinking, "Gee, this is really hard" their very next thought ought to be, "Am I making it harder than it has to be?" Oftentimes scaling back will be helpful to both owner and pup.

[Jag]

I haven't ever been angry at a pup, but Grim has frustrated my wife on many occasions. Mostly, I think, because she never did try to bond with him...so he ignores her for the most part. I had one of those "OMG, really?!?!?" moments several times with Grim. He's my 4th (actually 5th) GSD, BUT... he's nothing like the others. He throws out adult behaviors, he's WAAAY high drive and high energy! I've never been able to cuddle with him, hold him, etc. He allows some pets NOW, but the first couple of months if your hand was near him, he was going to bite it. My arms and legs are covered with scars. For all the advice here on 'landshark' periods, NONE of the advice worked for my guy. Only one thing worked, and it's not anything I'd advise an 'average GSD owner' to do. Yes, I requested a drivey boy to do some serious work. I got exactly that. Some of the things that my breeder told me I expected to see later... not at a young age. Totally threw me off guard. He wasn't housebroken (fully) until a few weeks ago. I don't know why, we did everything we were supposed to do. He's just now allowed some house privileges without having to be constantly watched. It's almost like I got a different breed, LOL!

His saving grace is that he's my heart dog. This has kept me from ever wanting to ring his little neck or return him to the breeder. So even if you've raised plenty of GSDs in the past, you can still find yourself in uncharted waters. Like Kyleigh said... you get a high drive pup and you can find yourself overwhelmed very quickly!

[Cstout]

I agree that sometimes you can feel attacked by certain members here. I sometimes feel hesitant to post some things... which is sad. I don't think anyone has the right to judge how we feel about raising a puppy. Everyone has different a different way of handling stress, I cry. I cry at little ridiculous things I shouldn't cry about. It doesn't mean its something I can't handle or that I don't want to be a part of that situation anymore. Its all about relieving stress for me, a little cry and Im ready to go back at it. Some people handle stress by working harder, some people handle stress by venting their feeling to others. And some people just don't get stressed or frustrated over anything. We each handle things differently, the fact that we are all on this forum shows that we care about our pet. We are trying to learn how to take care of them and train them the best way that we can. We all enjoy sharing our stories and experiences with people who can relate. And, that's what matters most, not judging the way we individually handle situations. Taking a quick break to cry doesn't hurt the training process of my puppy.
And, its also not our place to judge who gets a puppy. There may never be a good time in someones life to get a puppy. Does that mean they shouldn't have one? Just because they're busier than others doesn't mean they don't deserve a puppy. If they can train a puppy to fit into their lifestyle, give then proper vet care and love them, kudos to them for being able to do that with a toddler on one hip and a baby on the other. I understand that everyone here is in a different spot in their lives and that everyone here handles all of lives situations differently, and I respect that.
So, if you feel like pulling your hair out because of your puppy one day or if you have never had a frustrating day your puppies whole life, it makes no difference to me and I wont judge you either way

[Lilie]

Originally Posted by doggiedad

it's a lot to do but it's not hard. i don't consider it work.
here's a list of what i find absolutely nothing hard about
doing. after my list you show me a list of what's hard.

there's nothing hard about:
> taking the pup out often.
Waking up every 1.5 to 2 hours to a howling puppy in a crate, but knowing you need to take it out often so as to potty train it. HARD

> socializing
Attempting to keep people from smothering your puppy at the same time you are attempting to protect perfect strangers from razor sharp teeth aimed directly at their nose. HARD

> feeding and giving water
Spending too much money on a specific food as it is in the best interest for the puppy to eat it, but the puppy won't touch it. Will only eat cat poop, or it's own poop. HARD

> going to the Vet
Worried everytime you walk into the doors that some mutant bacteria is going to affix itself to your puppy and cause herendous health issues. Sweating just a little while they add up ALL the costs for yet again another visit. HARD

> going to the Vet to socialize
Hec NO! See above. HARD

> meeting people
Unable to exercise the puppy on the walk because everyone wants to bring their fluffy ball of evil over to meet your puppy. HARD

> going different places
Having to make specific plans and timing everything perfectly so your puking puppy (car sickness) won't offend the local Petsmart. HARD

> setting up play dates
Difficulties when finding someone local with a pooch who doesn't want to eat your puppy. Although EVERYONE insists their dog is well behaved. HARD

> going to the play dates
See above. HARD

> walking the pup
Learning that if you played Twister as a child it would help you learn the art of walking a puppy at the same time as you pull things out of it's mouth while you are taking a nose dive because the leash wrapped around you feet. HARD

> letting the pup in the yard
Spending every minute chasing after your puppy to pull out of it's mouth every object in the yard that isn't naturally affixed to the ground, while avoiding the leaping, tugging, pulling mass of razor teeth. HARD

> letting the pup have free time in the
house (learning house manners)
Free time? Free time? Is there such thing when you have a puppy? HARD

> teaching commands (verbal or hand signals)
Attempting to keep the attention of a brain that most resembles a knat, while becoming a human PEZ dispenser and making sure you have a full stock of bandaids before you actually bleed to death. HARD

> meeting the mail man or mail woman
Meeting them? The first visit is easy. After that you and your puppy are avoided like the plague. Unless your route carrier has stock in band-aides. HARD

> teaching the pup not to chase things
Unless you pull out your carpet and lay down velcro - HARD

> teaching the pup not to bark at the neighbors
when in the yard
Hard to do when it's 2:00 a.m. and the neighbors are throwing bricks at you over the fence because your pup has been up all night howling to come in...go out...come in...go out...come in...go out...HARD

> introducing the pup to different animals
This one is easy. At about week two of your cute little fluffy landshark you are willing to throw anything into the mix if it means you can have 10 minutes of alone time. EASY

the list goes on and on about what's not hard. i don't think
it's hard or work so it's easy for me.

now you list a few things that's so hard to do.

I'm just saying.....

[Anitsisqua]

Originally Posted by Lilie

I'm just saying.....

I think I love you.

[Umm Mohamed]

I'm in this situation right now.. Because Delilah


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