Getting a puppy when not everyone in the house is keen?

(sorry about the typos there, just bashed my hand and trying not to bleed all over my iPod!) That last sentence meant to say 'when I'm ill is a certainly a worry'
 
TBH you sound an ideal family set up for a pup IF hubby comes round.

Being a say at home mum is perfect to train a new puppy but i'd get a rescue adult to gentle the canine introductions with hubby and then go for a puppy.

Or is that a step too far :D
 
I also recoil a little when I do a home check and the one wanting the dog pre warns me that their OH does not. I just worry about that person interacting with the dog and how they will treat it if they really don't want it.
I think in your case with what you say he is maybe just getting it in there that he is not to be relied upon in regards to the dogs needs and can use the "well i told you".
I think maybe work on him a little more, only you know weather he is likely to come round or not at all.
I do find it odd when an OH will go so far as the have "nothing at all to do" with their OH interests, I see it as helping your OH to be happier which can only be a good thing in a relationship.
 
Do they still let people look after guide dog puppies until they are ready to be trained as guide dogs? If they do it might be worth inquiring so your OH can experience life with a puppy knowing that he/she will be returned to the guide dogs place at a later date. It could warm your OH up to getting one of your own while helping others

ETA - Yes the guide dog association still does http://www.guidedogs.org.uk/supportus/volunteering/what-you-can-do-to-volunteer/puppywalking/
 
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Bix . the tactics used were very shall we say x-rated ? , never fails got me 5 dogs and 2 ponies ;) ,
oh and best used while he's got his beer goggles on lol .
 
maisiemoo said:
Bix . the tactics used were very shall we say x-rated ? , never fails got me 5 dogs and 2 ponies ;) ,
oh and best used while he's got his beer goggles on lol .
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I really want to drag this thread well and truly into the gutter and ask exactly how many of each activity adds up to one dog or one pony, but I feel I should try to retain some decorum :p
 
We got our 1 year old lab because the mum and kids in the family wanted a dog, but the dad wasn't convinced. He caved in and they got a lab puppy but when mums work hours meant she couldn't walk the dog as much as he needed and the dad didn't want to so he was starting to cause trouble they decided to re-home him. We heard about him through friends of friends and 6 months on couldn't live without him. They did all the early hard work and spent all the money, now we get all the fun!!

In all honesty the mum and kids were devastated, but you can't really have a dog unless the whole household are really keen and in this case the husband didn't dislike him just never really wanted him in the first place. So be warned if you can't win him round you may end up like the family we got our dog from a few months down the line.
 
I did look into the puppy walking actually but I'm still not sure how I feel about it (with the having to give them back after a year). I also looked at the hearing dogs as their centre is under an hour away but they require you go to training every fortnight during office hours which is not possible for me as my youngest is not in nursery yet. Couldn't find info on that on the guide dog site so would need to look into that. I might sign up to be a boarder tho for the breeding bitches when their carers are on holiday. But again it'd be hard having them go again and it's not the same as your own that's part of your family.
There's been some good points raised on this thread tho, and I really appreciate ALL of your replies!
(and Maisiemoo, brilliant tip! A definite winner :) )
 
I am in this situation from the perspective of your OH. My fiance got a puppy last week after years of going on and me finally giving in. I have to say she is ok but I am not totally happy. My house is a mess, my cats have moved themselves permanently to the spare room and my OH is shattered with all the walking and early starts! I'm sure I will get used to the idea but am finding it quite hard for our lives to make this change to revolving round the puppy. I am making a point and not being overly helpful because I want him to take on most of the responsibility from the start but I would step up if he needed help. The one thing I am making a fuss over is the training....if we have to have a dog its got to be a flippin well trained one and I will pay for the puppy classes if needs be!
 
BB if it is a baby puppy then your OH should not be knackered from walking it....puppies need socialised and to get out and about but walking as a form of exercise is for much later, when their joints are properly developed - free running, brain training and lots of play in the early stages....too much high impact stuff + rubbery bones and joints = broken dog.
 
Oh dear, how do single people cope when they're ill/want to go away etc.!! They just do.. If youw ant a dog, get a dog. It's clear that oh won't help, fine. I wouldn't expect for example you to go and carry his golf clubs but he still does that.. Unless the partner is a cruel person naturally they tend to behave fine towards the dog.
 
Bix said:
I've always wanted a dog, my husband does not. He's finally caved and said I can have one but he wants nothing to do with it. He won't walk it, feed it etc etc. That's fine in itself, it will be my dog, I want to be the sole carer, but I can see there being issues along the way. Right from the start it will make toilet training difficult: hubby stays up much later than me, on the computer in the kitchen where the dog will sleep, meaning I can't settle the puppy down for the night as hubby will still be there and he won't take pup out for final wee etc.

This is just one issue at the start and I'm worried about what else will crop up. Do you think it's doable? Have any of you been in a similar situation?
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It's doable, just divorce your husband. If my husband stayed up late on the computer, eyebrows would be raised. Marriage is a partnership, give and take, what makes you happy, should make him happy and vice versa. Luckily I deliberatedly married a man who was brought up with dogs and loved them as much as me. I'm not a marriage guidance counsellor (obviously:p) but if I wanted a dog and hubby was anti, he'd be spending the whole night on the computer.:)
 
CaveCanem said:
BB if it is a baby puppy then your OH should not be knackered from walking it....puppies need socialised and to get out and about but walking as a form of exercise is for much later, when their joints are properly developed - free running, brain training and lots of play in the early stages....too much high impact stuff + rubbery bones and joints = broken dog.
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She is 16 weeks. He takes her out for about 30 mins twice a day and plays with her in the woods at the end of our road. This is the man who never walked anywhere. Its also the getting up at 6am that exhausts him, he was more of an 8am man a fortnight ago!! He takes her to work so gets no peace what so ever!
 
Bix said:
I also know he's going to love seeing our sons happiness enjoying 'their' puppy - he's already said he knows how much they'd love having a dog.
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Could this be his way of admitting he thinks it is a good idea, without losing face? In my (extremely limited) experience, husbands come round to anything (acceptable!) that they see makes their kids happy.
 
SusieT, having a dog as a single person is a different matter to having a dog in a household where not everyone wants it. I am perfectly capable of looking after a dog without needing my hand held along the way. My concerns, as I've already said, are about the happiness of my husband and the dog, and about the logistics of how (or even if) it will work. But thanks for the facetious reply.
 
Bix said:
SusieT, having a dog as a single person is a different matter to having a dog in a household where not everyone wants it. I am perfectly capable of looking after a dog without needing my hand held along the way. My concerns, as I've already said, are about the happiness of my husband and the dog, and about the logistics of how (or even if) it will work. But thanks for the facetious reply.
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^^ And very sensible too:)
 
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