Meeting another puppy today made me realize how much of a terror mine was.

To start, I love my dog. She’s definitely gotten easier as she’s gotten older. Shes about 1.5 years old, super smart and fun. It does get better.

My friend got a dog (6~month old small breed mix), and I came over today and let her outside and played a bit with her. Oh my god. This dog is so gentle. Teeth aren’t nearly as sharp as mine was at that age. Plays with a toy not her mouth. Well behaved. pretty chill. Her only issue is some separation anxiety that my friend is working on with her.

but wow. It really was eye opening. My dog was a demon at that age. Really until she was a year old. She still is sometimes. But she’s a high energy mix. i went on hard mode and my first dog is a mix of German And Australian shepherd, Australian cattle dog, and border collie. Endless Energy. Super mouthy. bitey. Stubborn. Smart. wants to herd. Needs a TON of exercise and mental stimulation. i had days when she was a puppy where I would cry because my arms were covered in bruises from her biting, I was overstimulated because she ate my shoe and wouldn’t stop barking at me, and tried to herd me on our walk. And again, she’s gotten soooo much better, we’ve done a ton of training. I used to feel like people thought I was crazy when I told them I had to work my dog 1-2 hours a day and do professional training once or twice a week. Now I realize I was talking to people with chill dogs lol.

So yeah. All puppies are hard. But people aren’t kidding when they warn against certain breeds over others if you aren’t prepared.