Kate Upton: Having a puppy might be harder than having a newborn

Kate Upton has a new wellness brand out called Found Active. She called in The Tonight show with Jimmy Fallon to promote it. Kate and husband Justin Verlander have a two-year old daughter, Genevieve, but they’ve just added a new puppy to their family named Norman. As far as I know, Norman does not have his own Instagram yet, like his brother Harley. I’m sure it’s just a matter of time, though. Jimmy asked about Norman and how it was going. Kate said he was adorable, which was good, because she thinks having with a puppy might be harder than having a baby.

On her new puppy Norman: Norman is so cute. But I did forget how hard it is to have a puppy. Arguably, it might be harder than having a newborn. Because you can put a diaper on (a baby). And also, people care. They’re like, “Oh, no, you’re probably so tired, you have a newborn child.” But with Norman people are like, “Oh, you have a puppy. That’s cute. Okay, anyway, let’s move it along.” And I’m like, “No, I’m exhausted.” And he pees everywhere.

On Genevieve and Norman’s relationship: She loves Norman, but also, she’s kind of a mean girl to Norman. Because they’re kind of the same age in a weird way. He keeps wanting to play with her and her toys, and she’s just like, “No, don’t hang out with me. You’re not cool enough.”

On Justin as a dad: He’s the best dad. He’s always so involved. He’s just not the best dog dad. He has helped almost zero with Norman, but he took almost every night shift with Vivi. So, I still am a little bitter about that.

Genevieve thinks her father, Astro pitcher Justin, is a golfer: (Justin’s) been showing her a lot of highlight films. And I’m not sure if he’s showing her highlight films because he’s not playing right now or if it’s because I think she thinks he’s actually a golfer. She’s seen him golf more than she’s seen him play baseball. When we were watching the Masters the other day, she was like, “Daddy! Daddy!” I was like, “No, that’s not what he does. He’s not that good.”

[From The Tonight Show onYouTube]

I got a puppy when I was pregnant with my first child and I always felt it was the best practice I could have had for my baby. I never considered the part about people being so much more forgiving about parents to a newborn, though. It’s true, a puppy will keep you up all night and I swear they require more of your energy but because they are so cute, you don’t mind giving it to them until you are absolutely wiped out. I had the ‘dog dad’ issues, too. Somehow, my husband conveniently always had something else happening when the dog threw up but was great about picking up his share of kid duties. But when it came to playing with the puppy or cuddle time he had all the time in the world. The only thing Kate said that I question is I doubt Genevieve is mean-girling Norman as much as protecting her toys. Puppies aren’t great about returning them in the condition they took them.

Kate and Jimmy looked back on her modeling career in the interview as well. She’s coming up on 15 years in the industry. Wow. She was fun in this interview. She seems to have mellowed as a new mom. Good for her. I hope that’s been across the board.


Photo credit: Instagram and YouTube

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49 Responses to “Kate Upton: Having a puppy might be harder than having a newborn”

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  1. Lady Luna says:

    I love puppies, but they’re so much work. I prefer cats. I’m always rescuing adult cats and I love that they’re already trained.

    • sa says:

      I have 2 cats who I adopted as kittens. I’ve had cats before, but they were my first kittens and about 2 weeks in I vowed that they would be my last kittens. Kittens are undoubtedly less work than puppies (they do figure out the litter box right away), but they are still all energy and run around and want to play with you 24 hours a day. (of course, now that they’re adult cats there are a few aspects to how they respond to me that I’m convinced are because I adopted them as kittens, so I may have to break my vow to never have another kitten if I do adopt again).

      • Leah says:

        I prefer cats to dogs because I’m lazy by nature and dogs have to be walked.

        I think bathroom training largely depends on how mom raises them. My boy cat was two weeks old when I found him, his mom hadn’t taught him anything because she just dumped him thinking he was sick. Had to watch a few YouTube videos on how to use a tissue to stimulate him so he went to the bathroom. Normally mama cat licks that area to get them to go. I have an older girl cat (two years older) who showed him the ropes, he watched her (she was fully weaned at four weeks, her mom was amazing) and learned to use the litterbox. He had a harder time with learning to drink water though after I weaned him off formula. Got a lot of it up his nose the poor guy.

    • Susan says:

      Same. I am a bona fide animal lover and cats are my ride or die. That being said, I completely agree with Kate. Puppies are so much work! I used to date a veterinarian and he was a big believer in the “alpha dog” family situation and how you have to be a leader with a dog and ugh, I never did that and yeah, cats are the alpha and it’s easier to not run the show. haha.

  2. Sarah says:

    My puppy never caused my nipples to damn near fall off so…no.

    • Seraphina says:

      Thank you Sara, I needed that laugh. My laptop is not happy about the coffee I just spit out. hahaha.

    • Anne Call says:

      And I’m pretty sure I couldn’t put my baby in a crate and go run errands or go out to dinner.

      • Sarah says:

        Right? My puppy didn’t result in vaginal stitches or require a pelvic floor physiotherapist either 🤣

    • Gail Hirst says:

      Hear, hear right here! LOL
      @Sarah Thank you!!

    • Christine says:

      The flip side is my newborn human never gnawed on every single thing he could reach, because he could not move independently. Puppies can and do. My nipples have recovered from my now 11 year old human, I still have furniture with puppy teeth gashes, from the one puppy I have ever had, adopted in 1996. All of my dogs since have been at least one year old, and black, because 1 year old dogs who are black end up in shelters all of the time.

      I also haven’t had another newborn human after the first, so my mileage definitely may vary!

  3. B says:

    What happened to her career anyway?

    • ChloeCat says:

      She never had much of one, a flash in the pan. She was famous for a short time for those obscene Sports Illustrated covers. People got sick of her posing nearly naked all the time.

  4. Seraphina says:

    I disagree with the comment. Yes, having a puppy is exhausting and so is a newborn. To her comment about the diapers, sure but puppies are can be crated and babies cannot. Then let’s also talk about trying to breast feed. Which is psychologically frustrating to those who cannot. And if you can breastfeed, the newborn is eating from mom – so double draining. Those are but a few. So0000, no sorry, puppies are a lot of work, but newborns more so.

    • Spicecake38 says:

      Yep,with a pup you’re standing in the yard at 2 AM waiting for it to pee,the trade off is that the dog can be crated but the baby is always physically needing you,your actual body.

    • ShazBot says:

      Having done both, I always thought a puppy is harder, but for a shorter amount of time. You can get a puppy house trained, sleeping through the night, and well on the way to obedience training in 2-3 months, whereas the baby stage lasts a lot longer, and then you get into the fun world of teething, so…it keeps going.

    • JJ says:

      My guess is that if one has nannies and other support ad lib, having a baby could seem equally or less demanding than the demands of a new pet.

      I have had two puppies before having kids – babies definitely more work. And far more tiring than any sleep deprivation I experienced during residency.

  5. ThatgirlThere says:

    Didn’t she tell NFL players not to kneel cause it’s disrespectful? That poor puppy.

  6. Becks1 says:

    We got a puppy in January and he is hard, just because we are constantly running to the back door to put him out and my carpet is covered in pee (we had to deep clean it a month ago and its still not good, lol.) So in terms of pee, yes, puppies are harder than newborns. but in terms of everything else – my puppy eats twice a day (three times a day in the beginning), he doesn’t cry inconsolably, I’m not worried about putting him down for naps – he just sleeps when he’s tired – I can crate him when we go out, I can throw the ball to him for 20 minutes and then he sleeps for 8 hours, etc.

    So overall, puppy > newborn in terms of easiness. But I do think sometimes there is a shock associated with getting a puppy if you haven’t had one in a while.

    • Gail Hirst says:

      Hi Becks1 ~
      Your comments, especially about the royals are always perfectly right on. To make your life easier (and for all puppy parents) allow me to offer a bit of info that might could be helpful:
      Take your pup outside instead of “letting him out” or “putting him out”. Even tho it’s a secure back yard, all pups learn so much faster if you’re there with them, telling them to “go pee” or “look sharp” or whatever words you use. If puppy is alone, they might just sniff and sniff and sniff, then come indoors and do their business. They don’t automatically know that ‘outside’ means go pee, especially if the weather is inclement. It’s a small thing that can make a BIG difference. Also, be sure you go out the door first with puppy following.
      My dog hears “go pee” and will squat within 10 seconds. It’s a joy having a dog that pees on command, especially if one rides the ferries often! 🙂 Best wishes to all new puppy parents. It is A LOT of work, but invest the time and you got 20 years of wonderful companionship and you can depend on Buddy not peeing inappropriately (until they are very, very old).

      • Gail Hirst says:

        p.s. my German Shepherds were both adults (3 & 5 respectively) when I brought my newborn home. Tyler (3) completely unimpressed. Greta (5) gave him a thorough sniffing, then licked his face from the bottom of his chin to the tip of his head. One huge lick. I was hysterically calling the doctor, thinking my kid would die from intimate dog germs. Doc just laughed, then told me kids that grow up with pets tend to have healthy immune systems and less allergies. Having a baby and having a puppy – at the same time – well, it takes courage!!

  7. Soupie says:

    I agree with this! I have a rambunctious 11 yr old black Labrabor (lab/border collie mix). She has never really calmed down 😀

    I do also take Seraphina’s point about newborns being harder. Been there. Thankfully we didn’t have a puppy or dog at the time.

    • AMA1977 says:

      We had a yellow Lab that was the same. We waited for him to calm down around 2…nope. Then we thought 5…nope. He slowed down a little bit by the time our younger child was born (8.5 years old) but was still pretty active until about 6 months before he died at almost 13. I hope your Very Good Girl stays perky and healthy for a long, long time!

      I had a boss once who said that God makes puppies and babies cute so you don’t kill them (he was kidding, never met a bigger dog lover) and it’s true! Those sweet faces can make you forget about chewed-up shoes, sleepless nights, and bodily fluids everywhere. I’m done with babies, but I may have another puppy-hood left in me sometime in the future.

      • Soupie says:

        Aw, so true! I bet you will get another puppy at some point. I remember when mine was 7 months old I thought well she’ll calm down in a few years. Next day I saw a black lab literally dragging his owner down the sidewalk – an old dog with a graying face. Immediately thought “Uh oh!” And it’s turned out to be true! Been saying that these are my last, but a small dog might be an option. I often tell people that my 2 dogs are more work than my 2 kids ever were. Been preparing myself mentally for the time when they won’t be here, they’re 11 and 12.

  8. Chloe says:

    I mean… I think she was trying to be cute/funny about the “puppies are harder than newborns.” I’m surprised people are actually arguing the merits of which is harder.

  9. North of Boston says:

    New Puppy harder than newborn child? No.

    New Puppy + small child + existing dog? Maybe?

  10. TXRose says:

    I didn’t sleep for a year when I had my kid. I just got a puppy and she cried for 3 nights and now sleeps in her crate all night long. So, nope, not so much.

  11. Susan says:

    So I think she’s not REALLY comparing puppies to babies and is trying to be clever, but I do think she’s making an important PSA here: Puppies are work. As I mentioned above, my ex was a veterinarian and he went on and on about how people don’t understand the importance of training with a puppy and everyone wants to adopt puppies and then no one sticks with the work of alpha dog and training and all that. He had SO MANY puppy “returns” and “behavior visits” when it was really the owner not the puppy. He was always trying to teach his customers to consider adopting older dogs if you can’t put the work in to train a puppy. And she’s got a point, I think puppies are a lot like babies: adorable and sweet but WORK.

  12. Hell Nah! says:

    I think she was being facetious. Newborns are a lot of work and so is puppy training. Does it have to be a contest as to which is more difficult?

    I hope their daughter looks more like mom than dad. Sorry.

    • MissMarirose says:

      I think it’s great that we don’t know. They only ever publish photos of her from behind on their IG.

  13. JP says:

    Puppies are a lot of work! They are mobile from the start, at least small babies can’t walk themselves into danger until a year in, lol. And you can bring babies almost everywhere- another way they are easier, lol.

  14. Veruca Salty says:

    My husband and I just adopted our 9-week old Golden Retriever puppy and honestly, maybe it’s cuz our son is 6 now so the newborn stage is a very distant memory, but it IS HARD. If I could just put a diaper on my pup, it’d make life so much easier lol.

  15. Leah says:

    Puppers will turn into good dogs if you raise/train them right. Yes they take work. I don’t have a puppy but I remember having to raise my rambunctious two year old cat from a two week old kitten. I never had a cat that young before, staying up with him, feeding him by bottle every three hours, and stimulating him with a tissue so he’d go wee. Worrying all the time that he wasn’t warm enough. Yeah that was hard because up until that time any cat I adopted was already of age and weaned by mom. So I just re-adjusted because he needed my help and my grown female cat took him in paw and taught him how to “cat”. Some lessons cannot be taught by a human to a cat, it must be cat to cat and he learned by observing her (he still does). I did learn a huge lesson that mama cats really do teach their young a lifetime of lessons in that short six-eight weeks.

  16. MaryContrary says:

    I have 4 kids-and we had 2 dogs, and to be honest, I did find having a puppy harder than my kids their first year. I always say, someone could come to my door and hand me a newborn, and I’d be like “Cool-I’ve got this.” Puppies actually stress me out.

  17. Nicole says:

    It’s nice to hear a story where the human pup and the dog pup aren’t necessarily the best of friends and a bit more indifferent to each other. I feel like this is true in my household. I have a 6yo boy and two 3yo labs. I swear it’s like 3 kids. The labs think of the 6 yo as a puppy like them, so I have to constantly watch them because they will get rough with him. The 6 yo can be just as rough, so I also have to watch him. It’s exhausting. They’re just all growing up together.

  18. NotSoSocialButterfly says:

    I must have gotten the best puppy in the world! I was told he’d cry for the first few nights, so I slept on the the couch downstairs with him that first night… not a peep from his crate. I kept him confined to the kitchen area where we had hardwood floors and quick access to the backyard (removed the area rug and runners) until he was fully potty trained (taught him to ring a bell when he needed to go out). I think he’s the best boy, EVER. No regrets. He’s a beautiful and super smart sable sheltie.

    If anyone is interested, there’s an awesome book by a vet named Ian Dunbar called “Before and After Getting Your Puppy,” which is ridiculously informative and helpful… socializing and teaching a soft mouth, et cetera. Absolutely invaluable! Thanks to the peeps who recommended it to us.

  19. Brittany says:

    It’s only harder if your husband is an a-hole who won’t help you. Geez.

    I’ve had tons of foster puppies (while single) so I get it! But she must be able to afford help and a trainer, no?

  20. Jess says:

    LOL NO. My first born woke me up every 45 min for 18 months. Puppies are not harder than newborns.

  21. Ash says:

    I laugh at this so much. I was later in the game to have a baby at 36 but we’ll versed in training pups! My friends would laugh when I would say it’s basically the same-raising puppies and babies. That said until I had a baby, which was of course extremely hard, but tired is tired and puppies can make you exhausted! I don’t think she’s serious and I do like her more than I used too as well.

  22. IMARA219 says:

    I know she was going for a cute anecdote but it just sounds like a dumb thought to share. Like an inside joke that’s funny with the other person or in your head. Of course, a puppy isn’t harder than having a newborn.

  23. Hello Kitty says:

    I’ve had a puppy and I’ve had a newborn. The puppy didn’t cause nine months of pregnant misery, torn vagina and stitches, wake me round the clock for months, make me faint from lack of sleep and malnutrition, keep me up endless nights from worrying about covid ( and what will happen if I die, will I live to her college graduation? Wedding?) and so on and so on and so on. What a dumb thing for her to say.

  24. Zantasia says:

    Congrats to Kate Upton on having an easy baby.

    Also “treasure these moments—you will miss them when your puppy is all grown up.”

    I couldn’t help myself.

  25. SusanRagain says:

    No Kate.
    A baby is a completely helpless human being, requiring 24/7 parenting.
    A puppy also requires care, feeding, safety, etc.
    But believe me, a human baby is much more responsibility for 18-21 years.

    Yes, I do love our family dogs. We have always enjoyed having a dog as part of our family.
    But my human offspring are #1 and #2. Even the spouse, knows this as a fact.

    If my house was on fire
    #1. Kids
    #2. Spouse
    #3. Dogs

  26. Ann says:

    I like Kate, but I think she’s wrong…and also kind of joking. Of course a newborn is harder than puppy! I started with kids, then went to cats, then a trained one-year-old-dog (found her at the shelter, she was the best), and finally puppy. The puppy was harder than I expected but nothing like a baby! Now that my older dog passed, we got a shelter cat, and I’ve decided that when my younger dog passes (she’s 13 but I think she has a few years left, thank goodness) I will just get another cat. The dogs just need you so much. My cat likes my attention too but she’s way more independent than the dog, and she cleans herself!

    I love dogs but I’m not up to giving them all they need any more.

  27. Christine says:

    I am 46, and have had many, many dogs, but only one puppy, adopted in 1996. Never.Again. I am also a parent to a human, and puppies are DEFINITELY harder.