A former dog trainer and mother of three has sparked debate after claiming that raising a puppy is more challenging than looking after a baby. Des, who shares her experiences with her Labrador puppy Popcorn on Instagram under the handle @popcornthelab, listed seven reasons for her assertion in a recent post.
Among her reasons, Des noted that babies can be swaddled to sleep, whereas her puppy would eat the blanket and 'yell' at her. She also highlighted that babies do not typically bite ankles and that nappies are far more convenient than having to take a puppy outside in the rain at 2am.
Other points included the need to socialise puppies to noises like leaf blowers and people wearing hats before 16 weeks, the complexity of teaching a dog to lie down, and the social acceptability of using a crib for a baby compared to a crate for a puppy.
Des concluded by saying that when a baby cries, people offer help, but when a puppy cries, they question your ability to own a dog. The post has garnered over 66,000 likes, with many followers agreeing that puppies are indeed harder work.
