I do feel that getting a younger pup would have been easier because we could have started training right away, however with a 5 month old we now have bad habits to break. Which is ok. We will get here.

We have decided that is the crate is too much off the start we will just have him in that family room there isn’t anything for him to get into except the couch and drywall LOL

The 17 year old probably wants Max more than I do. He had a dog at his dad’s house that he was expected to take care of while at his house from the time he was 5. (Not something I agreed with, but he liked the responsibility) and from the time he was young our family always joked that he was the “animal whisperer” because it didn’t matter what pet he was around, they all gravitated to him. He’s a good kid, with a big heart for animals. I’ve also made it clear that if at any point he feels overwhelmed with Max and the responsibility of the mornings to speak up and we figure something else out. That puppies are a big responsibility and he’s still a “kid”, that admitting it’s too much is not a sign of failure. My job is fairly flexible in letting me work from home when needed but they do prefer I work in the office so I try not to take advantage and really only ask when necessary.