How hard is it owning a puppy?

Question

I really like husky puppies. Their ssssooo cute. but why do most parents dont like dogs? like my parents. i no they do leave messes but there cute, and fluffy, and fun... I want to have one but how much will it cost for everything? I will be going to highschool soon will it effect mt grades

Answer 1

Huskies need room to move (big yards), cool weather, and a strong master. They are big, dominant dogs. You should start off small or get help with training a big dog. Once their grown, if not trained, they aren't fun.

Answer 2

It's hard. And huskies SHED like nobody's business, and your Mom is going to hate it. The fur gets everywhere and it's almost impossible to keep up with. You can vacuum the house one end to the other and by the time you get to the end the fur will have started building up at the beginning already. And the fur gets all ground into the carpeting and makes your carpeting all discolored and smelly. And it gets all over the furniture. It's a nightmare. Then there's your lawn...dog's pee kills the grass, so you wind up with yellow spots all over the place, and there's a LOT of poop to keep up with. If you DON'T go out **every day** and scoop it up, then you can't even use your yard because it's like a minefield.
Yes, puppies are cute, but they're only little fluffy puppies for a few months and then you're stuck with a big dog for the next 12 or so years.. Puppies grow INCREDIBLY fast. Dogs in general are a lot of work. Puppies are *incredible* amounts of work. And they're expensive.

If you really, really want a dog, choose a more reasonable one. Maybe a smaller breed that doesn't shed. Then maybe you can talk your parents into it. You should be *really* experienced with dogs before you consider getting something like a husky.

I grew up with dogs, and right now my husband and I have a black lab, who we love to pieces, but I have definitely HAD it with owning dogs. While I love dogs, I never intend to get another one.

Answer 3

OK, Huskies are great. I had one named Valentine when I was in elementary school, she had puppies on my birthday! It was awesome! Anyway, they grow up, a husky can get to about 80 lbs and they have long hair that can shed...as they get older that is a grown dog issue. But you asked us about puppies. Yes, they are like a little baby, if you have any younger siblings try to flashback to that.

1. They need to eat or go to the bathroom every two hours.
2. It won't sleep through the night at first.
3. Unlike babies you can train it from the get go, and should.
4. It will need shots and to be fixed if you don't intend to breed it. This can be costly. A few hundred dollars (unless you adopt from a shelter, sometimes they discount)
5. You will be making a long commitment to the dog. 10-16 years. Can it go to college with you, or will mom and dad keep it while you are away…that sort of thing
6. You will need space, these dogs are "working" dogs, they need to stay active, with a yard and lots of play to keep them out of trouble, or it will dig and chew things like...lawn chair cushions. LOL

I think that you should list the pro's and con's and make sure that you are acting VERY responsible before you bring this up to your folks...you always need a plan of attack when asking parents for things...You know, make sure your room is clean, home work done, help around the house, TALK to them about your day and SHOW them that your are responsible and will work hard on being a good dog owner. I recommend a good two weeks before you bring it up so they notice any changes you have made.

You will be well on your way and could probably do a lot of research on pricing food, food dishes, collars, ect. and do a little presentation to your parents...you wow 'em you have a great chance. Everyone should get to enjoy the love of a dog, esp. a kid. I wish you luck on getting a furry friend.

Answer 4

If you are going to High School, what will happen to the puppy when you go to college? Think this through - a puppy is not a toy to amuse you and then be tossed aside when you get bored or go to college. Anyone who has an animal should make a lifetime (it's lifetime, obviously, since yours will hopefully be longer) commitment to protect and care for it, and honestly, most adults aren't even responsible enough, let alone a teenager. Dogs are highly social and need lots of company and exercise, not just food and shelter to be happy. Think about how many hours you spend at school, with your friends or at other activities and realize that dog will be sitting alone waiting for you. If you really love dogs so much, volunteer at your local shelter and give some love to pups without any home, some of whom will be killed to make room for more unwanted dogs unless it's no-kill shelter. Offer to walk somebody else's dog - maybe even get paid for it, but please don't even consider owning one until you have the maturity and stability (and preferably a mate - would you really want to have a child as a single person?) to do it right.

Answer 5

Most kids say oh we will take care of the new puppy and then they get the new puppy and the kid maybe took care of it for about a month and then dumped the responsibility on the parents. I am sure they could be afraid of that happening. You just have to prove to them that you will take care of the new puppy by doing chores when they ask and maybe if they go out one night or are gone out of the house for a while clean the house for them so they will be stunned when they come home. Dogs can cost a lot. It is not really how much they cost to buy but how much you have to pay to keep it alive. It's vet bills, grooming, treats, food, bowls, crates, sometimes even a fenced in yard. It can cost a lot but Good luck!

Answer 6

Surprisingly hard, even for people who get up early, live near their work, have a nice big yard. I had no idea it would be an extra 2.5 - 3 hours out of every day, taking care of him. That's a bad day for him, too, so he'll get restless, irritable and start acting badly if we only give him that much exercise / attention for several days in a row. And there is never a day you can "skip" - because you are sick, because you want to go on vacation, because you want to visit friends or stay out late. You must always be there. Morning. Afternoon. Night. Every day.

But yes, they are adorable and make you laugh. The messes, I think, aren't a problem, though we got a 5-month-old puppy from the shelter. They would be a problem if we were neat freaks, I think. You have to be ready to do some gross things, though - like pull the poo out of his behind if he eats something he can't pass (really fun morning a couple days ago - I think they were nylons - how did he get ahold of those?!?)

Answer 7

Most parents don't want to have a dog because they don't want the responsibility. Most children/teens would not be able to take care of a dog properly.

You shouldn't want a dog because they're "cute, and fluffy, and fun". Puppies are REALLY HARD WORK, and they take a lot of time to take care of. Getting a puppy means you have to be able to take care of the dog for at least 8+ years. A dog is a huge commitment.

Answer 8

Bed Replace as neededm they do chew on these)

Collar & or Harness & Tags Replace as needed

Crates & or Pen Some people prefer to have these and it does contain the little devils who will like a baby get into anything it can.

Feeders (Bowls for food, perhaps a mat underneath for spills.
Gates (Keep those rascals out of rooms)

Grooming supplies ongoing (shampoos, Conditioners, Brushes, combs, sprays some people like these, wipes for under eyes, can not stand to see dogs with goo in the corner of their eyes, nasty. Clippers for fur and nails. A groomer is costly, the money you pay them you could save for a car or other things. It takes practice but thats why they have books and videos to learn from.

Health Care- On going Vets for Flea treatment, over counter stuff does NOT work. Tooth brush and Tooth paste. Yes, dogs need dental care or else you got a dental bill for a cavity. Shots, Well and Sick visits. at this point, invest in Pet insurance as this does help with these bills, at least mine does. Each company has it's own plans.

Toys on going, relace as needed.

Training Pads OR other house breaking aids and cleaners, these are on-going as well, some say don't work, me I never had problems, then too my pups were abandon and 3 weeks old so I got the upper hand to that however I worked them to go outside as they got older, but sometimes they will go on them or newspaper.

First-Aid Kit (You do the math on this one)

Carrier (Pet Approved, safer for pooch to ride in. )


Food and Treats- Dry foods why, because canned food is bad, it rots teeth. By the way, these too are on going. FOOD is an must, allow vet to recommed these tp you.

Just to get started minus the dog, will be around 2 to 400 dollars, depending on what you buy, where you get these things at. And sure you can weed off some of the stuff, but sooner or later you'll have to get them.

The Price of a Husky, I do not know where you live but the going rate is between $300 and 800 at this one site.

http://www.terrificpets.com/dogs_for_sale/siberian_husky_for_sale.asp?page=1&order=Featured+DESC%2CRotator

As mentioned already, Huskys are hyper. they need a lot of attention, a lot of room to run, which means a lot of walks if you do not have good sized yard and even then walking is needed even running.
To other things changing in your life, less time with friends because YOU have to take care of your dog.

Answer 9

Your parents disagree because the responsibility may fall in their laps. It is a tremendous responsibility to care for a dog. You have vet bills for shots & treatments. You have food cost also. And husky's get pretty big also. If you're going to High School you probably already have a lot on your plate, or should be concentrating on grades and looking forward to college. What would happen to the dog when you go off to school?

Answer 10

Be prepared to take the puppy outside every few hours to poop and pee. They stay up all night and cry and they're difficult to ignore but you have to do it to teach them it's not an attention grabbing technique. If you are in high school, it will be difficult because you'll be cleaning up after them a lot. A mature housebroken dog from the pound is a better option for you. Besides, they're only puppies for a little while - you can get one later in life.

Answer 11

Puppies can be very hard work. The need lots of attention and make lots of messes untill house broken. They also love to chew on everything! And the first 4-5 months of there life they need shots almost every 2 weeks.