Hello everyone. Here is my story: My hubby and I thought long and hard about getting a yellow lab puppy and finally decided to do it. We did all of the research, talked about everything, and paid our deposit. We felt amazing until we started talking to friends and family who honestly started to freak me out. Now I am experiencing major anxiety and need to sort it all out. I am off for the next two months and have agreed to be home with pup as much as I can to train her during the first two months (we will get her at 8 weeks). At the same time, the last year of my life has been incredibly stressful and I am supposed to be using these two months to de-stress, get some rest and even travel a bit towards the end of the summer. I figured that this was a great time to get the puppy because of my time off but quickly realized by talking to friends and family that this was going to be a difficult two months and there won’t be much “rest” and “relaxation”. Also, forget about a vacation of any sort. I guess I am trying to decide what to do. We really want to expand our family and feel so ready to do that but because of how much I need some time off to relax, I am scared that getting this puppy will only make me more exhausted. What are your thoughts? Is it doable to get a puppy but still take some time for myself outside of the condo to relax, and even travel for a week or two once she’s 4 months old and vaccinated? Or am I signing up for stress beyond belief? I am so confused. I feel ready to be there for her every step of the way but also don’t want to lose every ounce of my freedom for the next two months...Once I go back to work in September, we will be back to our routine but getting a new puppy then won’t make sense. Please share your experiences those first few months. How much “me” time did you get, if any?
Hello, it depends how you define stress. Puppies are full on hectic and really need you in those early months. Rather like a new born baby. The first 6 months or so are very tiring and time consuming. House training requires vigilance and patience. Puppies can not be for long periods so it depends what your “me” time consists of. Each pup is different and some settle easily, some not so easily. It’s hard to know until they are with you. Travelling is achievable but you won’t have a securely house trained pup by then, so you need to factor that it. You will be tired from early mornings and getting up up overnight. The effort you put in those early days sets you up for an easier time along the way. Personally I feel the puppy needs to be your focus and if you get any “me”, it’s a welcome bonus.
Hi @Nicole peterson - sounds like you have a bit of a dilemma on your hands. It's really hard to answer your question though because this is such a personal decision and as @Edp says it very much depends on your definition of stress and the sorts of things that you personally find stressful. With the benefit of hindsight, if I were in your position right now, I would wait and introduce a puppy to your family when you are physically, financially and (crucially) mentally prepared to do so. Reading between the lines of your message, I get the impression you "need" time out to relax and re-energise yourself after a busy year of work. This is not the time to add more complexity and stress. It very much depends on the dog that you get, but in the first 4 months of Luna's life I can say categorically that I had very little "me" time, in or out of the house, and there is no way I could have taken a vacation. But every dog is different, and every owner is different. Our experience, which has some parallels (though hopefully not the ending ) We planned and researched. I saved up a year's worth of holiday (a year of regular 12 hour days) so that I had plenty of time off to look after Luna when she came home. While on paper that sounded like a great idea, what that actually meant was that I hadn't had a proper break for a year, was overworked, exhausted and running on a higher level of stress than I normally would have been. Add a high energy labrador puppy complete with razors for teeth, 2 weeks of broken sleep, and the hottest ever UK summer, and it really was a bit of a disaster. Suffice to say I became quite ill and ended up with an enforced 2 months off work. She was the very cute straw that broke the camel's back. There will always be a golden labrador puppy that needs a loving home, and this isn't the only opportunity you're going to have to introduce a dog into your lives. Do it when you know you'll get maximum enjoyment from it. Don't do it if you only think you'll be able to "get by" it's not fair on you or the pup. Hope some of that's useful x
