Puppies are so cute and fun, everyone loves them! Often there may be a person at the park or farmer’s market or fair with a small bunch of puppies swarming around. These furry pretties may be free or cheap and you catch the eye of a super cute puppy just begging you to take it home! You think to yourself how much you have always wanted a puppy, and this one is right here so serendipity and all, why not take it now?

In that impulsive moment, many of us have forgotten the sheer awfulness of housetraining a baby puppy. They have very small bladders and can only hold their urine for 2 hours or so — that means this sweet waggy tail will need to go out more than 10 times per 24 hours — and that means *you* will be the one waking up every few hours at night to tend to your new friend. Maybe by 4 months Sweet Thang will be able to wait 4 hours between trips out, and may last 6 hours overnight. During all of that time, there *WILL* be accidents and messes, it has to be expected. The puppy can only improve as its bladder grows over time. Some people introduce pads for potty needs to lessen the number of trips outdoors — but using the pads means that sometimes it is okay to use the inside of your home as a potty, and that may be a hard habit to shake down the road.

Before taking in that winsome pup please do remember you are committing to do right by the dog, and this action will cost you sleep and tie up your freedom teaching them where to potty. I love dogs and have for decades but even I have to remind myself what a pain it is to take in a puppy. If you still want to get that cutie-patootie, go for it, just know what the immediate downside will be 🙂

Happy Dogging!