When we had our first dog, my knowledge was zero in caring for puppy that's why I was just looking at Jedi who was 2 months old at that time. When arrived home from work, that's the first time I saw Jedi who was tied with a thin rope to the doorway. My husband was rummaging in the stock room for a box that would serve as our puppy's bed for the night. So I said maybe we can just let loose the puppy inside the living room? Agreed.
At night when we were in the bedroom on the second floor, the puppy was making terrible noises downstairs as if it was scared of being alone. My husband went down and I was already asleep when he came to bed. In the morning, I learned that the puppy slept in the box after being patted until it slept. And what about the food? Our breakfast was hotdog so we gave our puppy some bits. Jedi liked the hotdog and since then, that was her breakfast... until a dog breeder advised us against it.
For newbies in caring for dogs, you need to learn the nuances so you wouldn't have a hard time like us.
I had practice before I had my own dog. I did get carried away with purchasing some stuff that wasn't much of use. Clio would rather crawl under small tables or in a corner than sleep in the bed I bought for her. I trailed after her wherever she pees and poops so that I won't be hearing complaints from other members of the household. She's basically an energetic dog and loves to play with her toys even until now.
Like the person above me said, I think you need practice before owning a dog. Or a least lots, lots of research. I think most new dog owners end up giving their pet away because they can't teach them the basics: where to do the necessities, not to chew on furniture, etc. It can be really frustrating, specially when you don't know if you're doing it right.
Thankfully my dog is really educated now (it took a while to teach her), but I understand how tough it can be to teach a dog, specially if you haven't had a family pet and never learned by watching someone take care of them.
