but i imagine that puppies are, at the very least, a lot less pointy

Hee. No, really, this is deeply amusing to me, because puppies are so so so pointy. They have these needle-sharp teeth, and they put their mouths on everything. Every single piece of clothing I had back when my First Dog was a puppy (and we're talking about a year of puppyish behavior) is full of little holes. Now, of course, I get all teary-eyed and reminiscent about those holes, but at the time - well, let's just say there were whole months when my hands were always slightly swollen from all the biting.

...and comfine their issues mostly to ground level.

Mostly. Until your dog starts climbing up on counters, at any rate.

But, you know, this is probably a sign that it's been too long since I've had a puppy; I actually found your description of your kitten really endearing and cute.

Yup, need another puppy, so I can remember the joys of getting up every two hours and being bitten all the time and trying to train a creature in constant Brownian motion.

Young animals are such fun, aren't they?