What do you think? 74 and getting 1st puppy Controversial

Well that`s very kind but I couldn`t possibly comment.
Nippy - people are living actively far longer now. Better health care, better diet, better working conditions - all mean we remain active much longer. In the Bronze Age you rarely got past 25. Now we think retirement is a chance to get out there and boogie. Dogs need company above all/
You can always get someone to walk your dog. Think of all those dogs whose owners work all day and only take them out at weekends if at all. Which is the better life?

I must be a "bad" old person as I am 73 next year and I run my current dog in Agility and I am looking around for a puppy to start training, first for obedience, then Agility. Having dogs helps keep you active and "young". I have a niece that will look after my dogs when I am gone.

Interesting to read all the comments. I am not ageist at all and I adore my in laws. My main issue was the fact they had never had a dog before and they thought a puppy would be easy as "they have had kids" so can easily handle a puppy. (There words).

Now the pup is 11 weeks old and it is not going well :-(

They will not listen to any of our advice even though we have 5 dogs of our own.

When we take our dogs round there and the puppy wants to play they pick it up and won't allow it.

They are constantly raising there voices at the pup.

You cannot pick the pup up at all for a cuddle as she cries and wriggles to get down. I'm guessing that is because every time they pick her up she gets a smack on the bum

She has not been out yet either except to the vets in there arms or for a ride in the car as they say it is too cold for her!

She is just doing what a normal puppy should do and they are telling her off for it. We have actually stopped taking our dogs round there now because there raised voices are stressing them all out and my rescue lad went and hid in another room last time we went and was not happy because he doesn't know they are not shouting at him and he is still trying to overcome his nervousness from his awful experiences before we rescued him.

Anyway I thought you should be updated as to how it is going

Why not get them a couple of good puppy books and a subscription to a Puppy class for Christmas? The problem isn`t age related, it`s not knowing how to raise a pup.

I bought them a puppy book before they picked her up from the breeder and I don't think they have even looked at it and there is a new puppy class started up not far from them on a Tuesday night at 7pm which i suggested we go to but they are not interested.
I don't really know what else to do and it is causing a family rift too as we don't like the way they are treating the pup and it is making all of us including my dogs unhappy

just a thought but did they buy her from a breeder? In which case perhaps the breeder might be best to be the one to give the advice to them and suggest the puppy classes..

Sadly sometimes people just will not be told, regardless of age or anything else. I feel for you all you can do is be there if it all goes wrong i suppose.

Unfortunately, there are many owners like this of all ages, not just folk in their 70s.

It's sad for the pup, it really is, but it would be sad for the pup no matter what age its particular owners are

Well you could say a breeder but it is somebody who we know from our local pub who had a litter with her dog.
She's not a registered breeder as such but I can have a word with her when I see her. See if she can advise.

Got to feel sorry for the pup! Bringing it up like this will only create problems it probably never had genetically and they are just making life harder for themselves when the pup grows older. Some people can't be told anything though and the pet is always the one that suffers.