Were you nervous before getting a pup?

I wasn't, but for the first one, I was young and fearless and not really afraid of anything. Also, since Mom was his breeder, I knew the puppy very well.

Everything with Brodie went so well, that I wasn't slightly nervous about Annabelle. She was nothing like Brodie.

Clara and Tara were born in my den, so I wasn't worried about them either.

I'm just a weirdo.
 
My first pup, a shepherd mix, I found and adopted and brought home ALL in one day. Not much chance to worry.

My sable sheltie pup, Cubby, I picked him out from a picture at 4 weeks with the option to choose any available pup. Two weeks later I met him. That day I was so nervous I was sick. Did I pick the right pup? What if he cries and doesn't like me? Would I like the breeder-family I want to be a part of for many years to come? The moment I held him (for an hour) I knew it was right. In fact, I had to turn away a couple times so they didn't see me tearing up. Then I had to wait two more weeks. I filled those weeks with planning, shopping, and going places with the other dogs before baby came.

The day I went to get him I was sick again. Once I held him again, the world was right. Now he is 10 months and one of the 6 best dogs I have ever had (of the 6 dogs I have had, of course).

You will be great. Jitters are normal.
 
Wow thanks so much for everyone's responses - glad that it seems pretty common to have puppy 'jitters'. I think part of the problem was that we weren't expecting to find a pup RIGHT AWAY when we inquired with this breeder.

She has another litter coming up right away and those pups will be ready in May which really suits us better as we have a couple of trips planned coming up that would make it hard to leave puppy behind.

We get first companion pick of this litter so that's also great. So this gives us a chance to plan a bit, buy supplies, and get our home ready.

It also doesn't help to read too many articles and books :lol: I've done this before, I know we have a great home for a pup, we're ready financially to take good care of it, take it to obedience classes, feed it a good food (thinking Acana since that's what our cat gets) and now that we have a little time to prepare, it feels way more manageable.

Thanks again!
 
guilty of that :-)

It also doesn't help to read too many articles and books :lol: I've done this before,

I did that, I think I borrowed every library book available because it had been SO long since I had a puppy and I never did it on my own. I got overwhelmed :ick. Kaleigh was pretty easy...that helped!!! But Savannah, omg, not at all. I absolutely loved Dr Sophia Yin DVD, how to train the perfect puppy in 7 days...All my girls chose me, I knew when I held them they were family. We bonded instantly, I think you will know the "right" one for you.
 
When I first read this thread, I though, "maybe a little nervous.." Now that I've had time to reflect, umm.. I was a complete wreck. I remember being worried about finding a vet, debarking, finding a trainer, what to feed. The only stuff I wasn't worried about, just kind of knew what to do, was buying supplies such as a crate and toys. After seeing my puppy in person a couple times I was worried about her being too shy, so I put a lot of research into socializing and training her. I was really determined to have a dog that I would be able to take anywhere and not have issues with her being fearful. Luckily by the time I brought her home, she was pretty full of herself and I wasn't so worried about her being too shy.

I will mention that a couple things happened when my dog was a puppy and it kind of made me a little paranoid. 1- there was the dogs who were dying from eating chicken jerky. I was extra picky about treats, didn't want to poison my puppy. 2- there was a recall of a Petco toy because a dog died from toxins in it. This made me a toy snob, and I am very selective of what kind of toys I buy my dog. 3- Diamond pet food recall. My dog's breeder fed Taste of The Wild, so that's what I fed. When the recall happened, I got a little crazy trying to find a new food. Now I feed raw, so it's not a major concern. Still paranoid about treats.
 
I was nervous with Birch and I was the one who whelped and helped raise him. I wasn't sure about 4 dogs and the dramatics at my house.
 
Jess041 said:
When I first read this thread, I though, "maybe a little nervous.." Now that I've had time to reflect, umm.. I was a complete wreck. I remember being worried about finding a vet, debarking, finding a trainer, what to feed. The only stuff I wasn't worried about, just kind of knew what to do, was buying supplies such as a crate and toys. After seeing my puppy in person a couple times I was worried about her being too shy, so I put a lot of research into socializing and training her. I was really determined to have a dog that I would be able to take anywhere and not have issues with her being fearful. Luckily by the time I brought her home, she was pretty full of herself and I wasn't so worried about her being too shy.

I will mention that a couple things happened when my dog was a puppy and it kind of made me a little paranoid. 1- there was the dogs who were dying from eating chicken jerky. I was extra picky about treats, didn't want to poison my puppy. 2- there was a recall of a Petco toy because a dog died from toxins in it. This made me a toy snob, and I am very selective of what kind of toys I buy my dog. 3- Diamond pet food recall. My dog's breeder fed Taste of The Wild, so that's what I fed. When the recall happened, I got a little crazy trying to find a new food. Now I feed raw, so it's not a major concern. Still paranoid about treats.
Click to expand...

I love the term toy snob...and every time I hear about a recall on pet food or treats, toys. It makes me livid, because excuse me -how hard is it to have quality control? I am seriously leaning toward making dehydrated meat/veggie treats so I am sure about what my pups get. I resent having to police EVERYTHING I bring into my home lately because profit and greed have become paramount. I buy as locally as possible, I get produce and meats from trusted farmers I know, just to try not to be exposed to unknown toxic stuff. Even stuff made here in the USA isn't as trustworthy now, sigh!
 
tesslynn said:
I love the term toy snob
Click to expand...

My friend called me that after we were in Walmart in Indianapolis for a flyball tournament. She saw some dog toys in a clearance bin, said she considered getting one for Missy and her dogs to play with, but decided against it because she knows how much of a toy snob I am. I've kind of embraced the term. My friend is equally protective of her dogs, so I know she wasn't trying to be mean or anything.
 
tesslynn said:
It also doesn't help to read too many articles and books :lol: I've done this before,

I did that, I think I borrowed every library book available because it had been SO long since I had a puppy and I never did it on my own. I got overwhelmed :ick.
Click to expand...


My problem too. Haven't had a puppy in nearly 15 years (and NEVER such a young puppy or a Sheltie puppy) so I would read and read and read and then read the books all over again. Hasn't been but a week since bringing him home, but realize that all that reading was for naught--Blaze is his own puppy and just "going with the flow" is the right way to go. I may get it right yet (and then I'll be able to write my own book!) but the most important thing is that we are a team.
 
Nervous? No. Terrified? Yes.

Didn't help that one of my very few close friends tried to talk me down, telling me it was a bad decision, and that I wasn't ready for a dog, it was too early, I'm too young, etc. Naturally I told him to get lost and I would've been nervous anyway, but it made everything so much worse. :o
 
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