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Not sure anymore, because my 8 year old dog still acts like a puppy in a lot of ways, and our 4 year old acts like she's 40. But it's got a lot to do with how you react. If you jump up every time he does something, he'll keep doing it. He'll train you. If you haven't yet, check out some dog training videos or books. I had a dog professionally trained once (120 lb akita when my wife was like 115 lbs and had to walk him through the 'hood in AZ). The first thing the guy told me was that he could train the dog in short order, but it's training the owners that takes more time.

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Posting your political views on social media is like sticking your head up your ass & whispering: You're just as likely to change someone's mind, and you'll always come out looking like a shithead.

lol, get a mutt at the pound 10 - 18 months.........bypass the pain and effort.

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Shoresy, "It's called a sweater"

That was the original plan, but the SPCA was out of dogs (popular time to adopt). We found this little cutie/hellraiser at 8 weeks.

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Yeah, the post-honeymoon phase with the pup is the worst (I imagine it's the same with human children, but way worse). The foster we had drove me nuts to the point

My suggestion: Walk. Walk until your legs fall off, or his do. Take him everywhere possible and have him meet as many people as possible, which I realize is a tall task given coronavirus restrictions. At the VERY least try and take him to parks where he can sniff out new places and see new things. The exercise and mental stimulation will keep him engaged and leave him exhausted at home. It helps with kennel training as well.

You're probably already doing these things, but if possible raise it up a level. Much to my surprise I was putting in around 4.5-5 miles of walking (according to my Fitbit) when the foster puppy was here. Even a quick jaunt around the block every few hours added up over time.

That's what I've been doing, and it's a fine balance. A couple of times I walked him too much and he got pretty bitey at home afterwards.

I'm just not much of a pet person and I'm having trouble seeing the upside of having this ankle biting shit monster around. Just seems like a lot of time and money could be better spent on selfish pursuits.

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...to the point that he couldn't even finish a sentence.

Have patience EL. Dogs are awesome. And puppies are great preparation for kids! Who are also ankle biting shit monsters.

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Posting your political views on social media is like sticking your head up your ass & whispering: You're just as likely to change someone's mind, and you'll always come out looking like a shithead.

That is exactly ours right now, as mentioned, its like having a newborn baby. I think it will be another 2-4 months of this and all of a sudden, they go from baby to teenager problems overnight!

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Kids?!

Based on this dog experience, I think I'm good not having kids. My wife was more interested in a dog, anyway.

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I applaud you for your honesty. I meet a lot of parents who clearly never wanted kids. It's like they eventually have them because "it's what you do" or some societal pressure hits them hard.
I've suggested to several younger friends that they get a puppy prior to thinking about having kids. If nobody wants to walk the dog, nobody will want to change a baby.

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Posting your political views on social media is like sticking your head up your ass & whispering: You're just as likely to change someone's mind, and you'll always come out looking like a shithead.

I would say you kinda got thrown in the deep end in terms of dog ownership, bro. I would most definitely NOT recommend a Min-Pin for someone who hasn't owned a dog before.

That said, I think once the housetraining kicks in and they get past the annoying I-have-to-bite-everything stage, they're a lot more fun. While I wish my two senior dogs were a bit younger, I don't miss their puppy years too much. Both of them were insufferable pains in the arse that pissed and shat everywhere.

Yeah I was thinking much the same, could have been worse, could have gotten a Husky or herding breed but he really chose a tough starter dog.........should have gone with a Bernese.

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Shoresy, "It's called a sweater"

One of our former interns opened my eyes on Min-Pins though. I used to think they were nothing but yip-crazy little shits, but then this intern got one and she was one of the friendliest dogs I've ever met.

Her other dog is a Border Collie, why she picked two super-energized dogs I'll never know, but they were both really well-behaved.

You're basically at the "adolescent" stage of puppyhood, Erik. This is when they're really fucking willful and trying their best to assert dominance. It won't last forever. Hopefully he's starting to shed those nasty razor-sharp little puppy teeth.

You really should look into obedience classes if you can.

You ever have a puppy bite you and its tooth falls out- stuck in your arm? I've had a few of those. I used to joke that I was going to make a necklace of those teeth. My wife threw them all out.

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Posting your political views on social media is like sticking your head up your ass & whispering: You're just as likely to change someone's mind, and you'll always come out looking like a shithead.

The dog vomited on me.

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lol, pics please

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Shoresy, "It's called a sweater"

I told you it's like having a kid.

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Posting your political views on social media is like sticking your head up your ass & whispering: You're just as likely to change someone's mind, and you'll always come out looking like a shithead.

No pics. It was disgusting. My wife fed him a carrot and it basically came back up with some bits of kibble and paper mashed in.

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She did it to you on purpose.

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Posting your political views on social media is like sticking your head up your ass & whispering: You're just as likely to change someone's mind, and you'll always come out looking like a shithead.

Don't even! I'm already cursing the day she found him online, I don't want to feel any more bitter about this.

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Yeah, we got Fiona at 13 weeks (not the 15 the breeder said). She was a giardia-infested little monster... French Bulldog. We wanted a smaller dog (my gf had two big 120lb dogs before as adults) that could help with her daughter's sleep anxiety. Giardia was not fun - taking her out every two hours to squirt shit out her ass was every but as bad as having babies - without the baby...

She ate and chewed on everything in the first year. Basically until her adult teeth came in... Have plenty of chew toys to play with. I've had some success with taking an old cloth facetowel, wetting it then throwing it in the freezer. Give it to your dog to chew on and the cold will help her (him) with the teething. Throw in a couple of pieces of dry dog food in there before you put it in the freezer so she/he has something to taste and it might help.

Fiona pretty much eats anything as long as it's safe for her; we found out carrots maker her throw up (Frenchies are known for their sensitive digestive systems) like no other; i think they're hard for dogs to digest. So we stay away from that. But she can eat almost any vegetable and all meats... We also made the point of putting clothes on her as puppy so she can get used to it. Winters here are mild but Frenchies can't regulate their heat so the girls have a great time dressing her up to go out...

She still has a taste for her own chocolate pudding. It's disgusting but mostly harmless if they are healthy...