Alison- I work from home too and thought that a puppy would be perfect since I would almost always be around to care for them. Was I ever wrong! Puppy care was by far more time consuming and frustrating than I realized and it was really challenging to “work” at home with all the puppy interuptions. While I adore my puppy, it was not a good choice and I’ve had to hire help just so that I could work during the day! Save yourself and get an older, already trained dog.

I remember puppy-hood. We almost didn’t survive it. We didn’t listen to our dog trainer when he told us to buy all the puppy books we could and to read them BEFORE the puppy came home as we wouldn’t have any time to read them after. He wasn’t kidding. Our next dog will be at least 2 years old!

Puppy care is exhausting work yet very rewarding if you have the time and the energy to devote to the task.  As mentioned by some of our bloggers, many dog owners are surprised at the amount of work in raising a puppy.  Raising a behaviorally healthy puppy takes a village!   We suggest that before anyone brings a puppy home that they read everything they can get their hands on relative to puppy needs and early training requirements.  Develop a relationship immediately with a veterinarian, a pet sitter (puppies must eat and go to the bathroom every few hours) and dog trainer who is experienced in puppy care.  A puppies behavior and temperment are defined within the first 12 weeks of his life.  Make sure you have a suitable network and plenty of time to mold your pup into a good member of society.