The reality of having a puppy

From the age of 16 I have always dreamt of having a Miniture Dachshund. This is my puppy Milo. He is absolutely gorgeous although I may be bias.

He is my absolute pride and joy and I could not imagine my life without him now. Although I love him unbelievable amounts, my boyfriend and I knew it would be hard having a puppy, but no one really quite told us how hard it would be.

Dachshunds are known for having bad seperation anxiety, being harder to train and are extremely stubborn. The first month really tested our limits. For weeks Milo would cry for hours on end at night which resulted in my boyfriend sleeping on the floor next to his crate many nights. I dont have children but this is as close to what I thought having a newborn would be like. We had read every website, book and watched every training video that there was but there's nothing that can prepare you.

After around a month Milo really turned a corner and with a new routine was no longer going to the toilet in the house as often and would sleep soundly through the night in his own room. We learnt quickly that Milo thrived off routine and was learning quicker because of it. After a private lesson with a dog trainer he picked up on commands very quickly and became so much easier to look after.

Milo is now 8 months old and there is still a lot of work to do with him, his recall leaves a lot to be desired at times, however he is my world, he makes everyday brighter and I am yet to meet someone that hasnt been won over by his charm. Having a puppy is so rewarding but requires a lot of perserverance, willpower and coffee!

I would urge anyone thinking about getting a puppy to serioulsy seriously do their research. I had about 6 years of dachshund research under my belt before we got Milo and I still felt underprepared. I would also next time really consider getting a rescue dog, it's not for everyone and is a lot of hard work, but it breaks my heart seeing all of the rescue pups in need of a loving home.

Thanks for reading darlings! And follow @milothedachshunddog on instagram to see regular pupdates!