🎄 Thinking About Getting a Puppy for the Holidays? Read This First (Before You Regret It)

Getting a Puppy for the Holidays? Read This Before You Make a Big Mistake

Every year around the holidays, I see it happen.

Someone decides that a new puppy would be the perfect Christmas surprise.

And every year, I end up having the same conversation in January.

Before you bring home that bundle of fur between eggnog, toy assembly, travel plans, and family chaos, I need to be painfully honest about what you’re signing up for.

This isn’t about being negative.
It’s about being realistic.

🐾 1. Puppies Do Not Come Potty Trained

During the holidays, life is already hectic.

Now add this:

• Letting the puppy out every 2–3 hours
• Watching them like a hawk when they’re loose
• Interrupting accidents before they happen
• Getting up once or twice a night

And no — this does not mean you can simply crate the puppy for long stretches while you’re busy. Crates are tools for structure and safety, not holiday storage lockers.

If you don’t stay consistent, the puppy will learn to pee and poop in the crate. Once that habit forms, you’ve created a bigger training problem.

Potty training requires routine.
The holidays are the opposite of routine.

🐾 2. The Critical Socialization Window Is Short

From about 3 weeks to 20 weeks of age, a puppy is in a critical developmental period.

During that window, they need positive exposure to:

• New people
• New environments
• Sounds
• Surfaces
• Experiences

And all of it must be structured and positive.

My rule of thumb for clients?

Roughly 50 new, positive experiences per week.

If you bring a puppy home at 12 weeks, you have about 8 weeks left to do this correctly.

Now ask yourself:

Are the holidays — when schedules are unpredictable and stress levels are high — the best time to carefully and intentionally build positive associations?

Because rushed or negative experiences during this window can stick for life.

🐾 3. Vet Visits, Supplies, and Structure Don’t Wait

Early puppy ownership includes:

• Vaccination boosters
• Physical exams
• Crates
• Chew toys
• Training tools
• Proper feeding routines

These things run on a timetable. You don’t get to “start after the holidays.”

Letting the puppy “just sleep with the kids” or hang out in a bathroom for a week or two may feel easier — but it often creates habits you’ll spend months undoing.

Structure delayed is usually structure complicated.

🐾 4. Puppies as Gifts: Think Carefully

If you’re considering giving a puppy as a gift to an adult — spouse, partner, boyfriend, girlfriend — I strongly disagree with that approach.

A puppy is not a sweater.
It’s a 10–15 year responsibility.

If that person is not fully involved in the decision, you risk creating stress, resentment, or worse — a dog that ends up rehomed.

Now, what about giving a puppy to a child?

In my opinion, children younger than 9 or 10 are rarely ready for that level of responsibility.

Which means:

• You will be the one potty training.
• You will be the one waking up at night.
• You will be the one enforcing structure.

Teaching young children how to handle animals safely is important — but the chaos of the holidays is not the ideal time to do it.

🐾 Before You Make the Leap

This is exactly why I wrote
So You Want a Dog, What the Fluff?

➡ Read more here:
https://kissdogtraining.com/product/wtf-book/

That book was designed to help families think through the real-life responsibilities, routines, costs, time commitments, and lifestyle changes that come with dog ownership — before emotions take over.

It’s not meant to scare you.

It’s meant to help you avoid the preventable mistakes I see every single year after the holidays.

If you read it first, you’ll make a better decision — whether that means getting a puppy now, waiting until February, or realizing it’s not the right time at all.

🐾 Getting a Puppy in Kansas City?

If you’re considering adding a puppy to your home and want guidance from an experienced dog trainer in Kansas City, planning ahead makes all the difference.

➡ Learn more here:
https://kissdogtraining.com/dog-trainer-kansas-city/

As the Winner – Best Dog Trainer in Johnson County (2023, 2025)
https://bojc2025.johnsoncountypost.com/pets/dog-trainer

I work with families throughout the metro on everything from early socialization to in-home dog training Kansas City owners can realistically maintain long term.

A short conversation now can prevent months of frustration later.

🐾 So What’s the Better Option?

I’m not writing this to preach.

I’m writing this because I see the aftermath every year.

The holidays are already high-stress, busy, and chaotic. That environment is rarely conducive to setting a puppy up for long-term success.

If you truly want to give someone a puppy, consider this instead:

• Give them a gift certificate.
• Plan for February.
• Start when life is calmer.

That’s better for you.
Better for your family.
And most importantly, better for the puppy.

Happy Holidays,
Mike