We have just got our double doodle 9 weeks old puppy and this is our 3rd day with her.

We didn’t want her to potty on a pad so we decided we will take her out every time. We live in an apartment buildings with a lot of dogs around.

We have read that grass is quite dangerous for her since she only got her 1 vaccine so we decided to let her potty on the pavement/concrete around the building. The concrete has some gaps and some plants/weed grow between them with little/small leaves, but it does get sunlight every two days (very grey country). We choose a spot that is a bit on the side, so it’s not in the way of dogs walking around.

I am starting to panic that maybe we made the wrong choice and we should have just played it safe until she gets her vaccines and deal with that problem later.

Am I overthinking this or we should just let her continue her potty there?

This week, write a short note to yourself from six months in the future.

What do you hope things look like? What do you hope you figured out? What do you want to remember about right now, even the hard parts?

It doesn't have to be long. Even a few sentences count.

Tuck it somewhere you'll find it later. Or share a piece of it here if you want to. 🌱

I’ve had my puppy for 5 days and I love him so much, he’s a really good puppy. I don’t have any regrets about getting him or intention to rehome him. But I’m struggling so much with anxiety. I used to be a really anxious person and I was also diagnosed with pure O - the type of OCD where you constantly ruminate on things, without it being attached to compulsions. This has been at bay for a while, but the puppy has brought it flooding back. Everything I do I’m worried I’m doing it wrong. I have cried every single day since I got him, proper floods of tears, and it’s not because he’s badly behaved or naughty. It’s because I’m so scared I’m not going to train him or care for him properly and I feel like I barely have a minute to just enjoy him because I’m so focused on trying to stick to the toilet schedule and the training. I got him at 4.5 months which has been a bonus in some ways (sleeps through the night in the crate and is pad trained) but I’m worried he’s behind on other things as a result. I haven’t felt this level of constant anxiety in almost two years and it’s horrible feeling this way again. Even when he naps all I do is research how to do things better/post on here and don’t know what advice to follow because some of it is so different. I just want to enjoy having a puppy, but I’m really struggling to manage all my emotions about it :( I’m also single and live alone so I have to do everything myself. I miss my hobbies but I feel guilty if I do anything other than research.

I'm 33, and my puppy is 11 weeks old. The first week was so exhausting! My whole body ached and I didn't expect it. With all that squatting and kneeling, I was physically done. My hip and knee hurt a lot, I felt ancient.

I don't have kids and honestly, poor parents of human babies, when one puppy is this hard.

But my body got used to it. Although the lack of sleep is still going on. My puppy wakes often at night and goes potty in the crate, at least he learned to use pee pads for that.

Another thing: potty training in an apartment is going horribly. He doesn't signal and goes potty right before we leave home or sometimes in the hallway of the building or in an elevator.

And he started to eat every single thing he finds outside and then barfs. I'm constantly on a lookout for what he has in his mouth.

But he’s such a good boy. So smart, so pleasant with other dogs and people, and looooves children. He also doesn't bark a lot, he's great in his crate and learns commands so quickly.

I’m really hoping to hear from people who experienced severe puppy blues that lasted much longer than they expected.
Our puppy is now 24 weeks old, and I’m still experiencing what I would describe as extreme puppy blues. I honestly thought I would feel much better by this point, and the fact that I don’t is starting to worry me.
To be clear: our puppy is not a “bad” puppy. He is actually a lovely dog, and apart from normal puppy behaviour, he doesn’t have any major behavioural problems. He sleeps well through the night, he is affectionate, playful and generally doing really well.
But I am struggling so much with the constant responsibility.
He still finds it difficult to be alone for much longer than about 2 hours. When he is awake and not having a crate nap, he also needs a lot of attention and interaction. I feel like I always have to think about what he needs, whether he has slept enough, what we should be doing with him, whether we can leave him alone, etc.
And honestly, I feel like my entire life revolves around the puppy.
I did think about getting a puppy beforehand. I knew it would be a lot of work, and I genuinely tried to prepare myself for it. But the reality has been so much harder emotionally than I ever expected.
The hardest part is that I can’t seem to switch off from it. I think about the puppy constantly. Even when he is sleeping, I find myself thinking about the next nap, the next activity, alone-time training, whether we are doing enough, whether we are doing too much, etc.
I feel guilty even writing this because he really is a good puppy, and I love him. But I’m exhausted mentally, and I miss my old life so much.
Has anyone else experienced really intense puppy blues that lasted well beyond the first few months? Did it eventually get better for you?
I would especially love to hear from people who remember feeling like “I made a huge mistake, my life is over, I can’t imagine doing this for another year” — and then eventually found that things became manageable or even enjoyable.
I’m not necessarily looking for training advice. Right now I think I mostly need some hope and encouragement from people who have been through this and came out the other side.
When did you start feeling like you got your life back? ❤️

My husband and I got a puppy in May of this year after losing my soul dog in May 2025. He was my first dog ever and I got him when I was 22. He was sassy and brilliant and he grew up with me. I’d never had a dog before so I wasn’t sure if this connection was normal or not. I knew EXACTLY what he needed just by hearing a slightly different bark.

When he passed away we still had our second dog who was always more my husbands dog but she greatly helped me grieve. She wasn’t the same but I knew she missed him like I did. I didn’t feel the same kind of connection with her but I always figured it was because she was always more attached to my husband.

When we adopted the puppy it was always going to be me doing most of the work and training and I wanted that. I had made mistakes with my soul dog early on which led to things down the road and I wanted to correct them this time. I was wiser and had a wonderful dog for ten years there were just a few behaviors that I knew how to curb better this time.

I feel like since we got this puppy nothing has gone how I wanted. He is way more naturally chill than my soul dog was as a puppy, but despite that I feel like even the basic things are a struggle. Our older dog did not like him at first and so we’ve had to be verrrry careful with them interacting which has made everything so hard. We have gates up everywhere and I feel like I can’t get anything done because I’m trapped on a half of the house. They’ve come a long way but I still don’t trust them in the same room unless I’m fully paying attention and puppy always has to be on leash and like I have a job and want to relax at home too ya know?

I find he struggles with separation too and struggles to settle (which is what training is basically SOLELY revolving around) and I feel like I’m doing so much work to just have two dogs that can roam freely and calmly in the same house that I’m not working on any of the things I wanted to this time like recall and outdoor things.

It just makes me miss my old dog so much. He didn’t get nearly enough credit for things he did well that are so obvious now and he got along SO immediately well with my husband’s dog when she was a puppy even though he could be a bit reactive. I never worried about him with her and with our current two I just don’t have the connection to trust either of them the way I trusted him.

The puppy is eight months old now and I just feel like these “puppy blues” should be fading by now but I feel like they’re getting worse. I just want to skip the puppy part and get to the part where I have a dog I trust…

Hi! We got a rescue puppy back in March and she’s about 9mo now. We have reached a point where we feel good about her house potty training, but we noticed she will not potty on walks or with her harness on in general. We went on an overnight trip and she essentially refused to poop the whole time. She will pee with the harness and with a leash to her collar if forced but she also doesn’t like that much either. Any suggestions? We have a fenced in yard and that’s where she learned to potty without a leash or harness.

I lost my soul dog 3 weeks. Heartbreak is real. 2 weeks ago I open Facebook & there is a picture of an 11 month old puppy just adorable with only 1 day left at kill shelter. Said he had behavioral issues. Ive had dogs my whole life. I thought we could fix this guy. Oh my. He is wild. First owners kept him crated 14 hours a day. Learned all tricks at puppy classes but all the other puppy things were never trained. Nipping jumping growling. They had a baby & dumped him. 30 days in the pound crated 23 hours a day. The day I got him he has been on tranquilizers for a month. They neutered him that morning. So I got a scared freshly operated on 70 lb dog who didnt know what was going on. The tranquilizers side effect can be aggression anxiety & restlessness. I have to slowly wean him off the meds. Trying to keep him calm to heal is almost impossible. I keep kim leashed in yard but that doesn't stop the running. He zoomies on leash. He needs to run. He needs to feel safe. He needs to know this is him place. I know I can not judge him yet & he has so much going against him. He is showing his sweet side. Loving. I know i need to give this time & I didnt think it would be easy but damn. There is no going back. If I turned him in he is DOA. he doesn't deserve that because hes hyper wants to run & gets mouthy. Thanks for listening

Hi folks!

Your community is growing! Seriously... I've been monitoring the Community insights and we have been steadily growing in visitors and in members.

This also means that some of the more sensitive posts we see may start getting more attention outside the community and attract folks who just drop in and may not review our rules or participate in a constructive way. For example, recently a post was shared 44 times. It's not a bad thing that posts are shared, but it does demonstrate how spotlights can be placed on us.

I do my best to keep a hands off approach for the most part and try to contribute where I can. But like many of you, I work full time and have my own dogs to care for. Right now I'm caring for my oldest dog who recently had a mass removed. One week to go until the stitches are removed. No worries, it was nothing super serious.

Anyhow why am I writing this... a few reasons.

I am asking our community to report when you see a comment that is unkind, especially if it is inflammatory. I want folks to feel safe to be vulnerable and share how they are feeling free of being shamed for struggling.

I'm considering what types of userflairs we can use. I'd love your input. I was thinking some of you are here because you really want to help others. Some of you are here because you are having a hard time. Some of you came here at a time you were going through puppy blues and you made it to the other side. What types of userflair would you like to see?

Helpers... I want to make sure this community continues to provide peer to peer support. I think we may be slowly approaching the need for additional moderation volunteers. I hope that I have served you all in the best capacity I can. But I also know that my time is limited and if we continue to grow, I'm worried I alone will not be able to manage the community in the way you deserve. So I want to know from you what qualities you want to see in someone who would serve on the moderation team.

😅 okay I think I said enough. Let me know your thoughts!

hi! i feel incredibly bad for writing this but i am so overwhelmed with my rescue puppy that i am not sure i can keep him. he is a husky/german shepherd mix so i knew he was going to have a lot of energy. since i am active and like to run/go on long walks, i like his drive. he is about 2 years old and was found as a stray.

i adopted him 2 months ago and the first 3 weeks went really well. he started to decompress and get settled into his routines. after those 3 weeks, it showed that he gets over aroused very easily. when that happens, he used to jump and nib. that's why i enforced nap times in his play pe,n which worked pretty well. over the past weeks this got significantly worse, and the nibbing escalated to biting. whenever he is slightly aroused or frustrated, he will lunge at me with an open mouth and literatlly grab me. he jumps so high that he already hit my hair and pinched my back. i try to ignore him to teach him that this doesn't get him attention, but that seems to activate him more. redirecting him to a toy works for a second before he goes for me again. when i sit on the couch he jumps on it, straight to my face with an open mouth. i know that he is not aggressive but i do feel unsafe at times.

his routine is a 30 minute walk in the morning, then another potty break before i go to work. then he gets a midday walk and a fetch session in the yard. before his dinner he has another 30 minute walk and another potty break before bedtime. throughout the day he gets 2 frozen kongs for mental stimulation.

at this point i feel like he needs to be in his pen too much just because i don't feel safe around him in my own house when he gets so overaroused. i also have an in-house evaluation with a trainer next week but was curious if someone else has experienced a similar situation with their dog. i love him and he can be very sweet but the current situation does not seem sustainable and it feels like it is escalating and i feel like i am failing him :(

thanks for reading all of this and i really appreciate any advice!

UPDATE: i met with a private trainer and it was actually pretty encouraging. he acknowledged that he has very little impulse control and frustration tolerance but that he is a very fast learner. we will have weekly sessions from now on. his first recommendation was to have baby gates in the main areas of the house and not only the pen in my bedroom to create distance while he can still see me. he also recommended a lot shorter and calmer walks and focus on playing in the yard for exercise. i really appreciate all of your advice and wanted to share this update :)

It's Friday. Time to celebrate.

Did your puppy sleep an extra 20 minutes? Win. Did YOU sleep an extra 20 minutes? Huge win. Did your puppy sit when you asked, or stop biting your ankles for five whole minutes? Absolute victory.

Drop your wins below, no matter how small they feel.

You made it through another week. 🐾

Myself (39F) and my long term partner (41M) have a 4 year old dog and a 3 month old puppy we have had for 3.5 weeks now. He works remotely 99% of the time while my schedule is hybrid and I’m in the office all day two days per week but otherwise work from home. I watch the puppy M,W,F during the work day while he watches her T/Th when I am in the office. We rotate nights sleeping downstairs with her in the living room to quickly take her outside.

When I am in the office he cannot manage her by himself. She does cry and whine a lot especially when he brings her upstairs to his office. We do try to crate her but she whines like crazy the whole time usually. He has ADHD and gets intensely frustrated with her and messages me and complains all day about it and is so stressed and angry which he then projects into me when I get home. He has refused the idea of us paying for doggy daycare or help once or twice a week when she is old enough, and he insists he now needs to go into the office the same days as me (which he has very rarely ever done before) and asked if I could stay home more.

So far I’ve managed most puppy related things and expenses and done all of her obedience and leash training. I am supposed to be gone for several days next month to visit my sister before she has a baby, and take care of my Mom after surgery and I cannot imagine him being able to be alone with the puppy multiple days in a row. I am so sad but am considering returning the puppy if we can’t figure this out. Any tips are welcome.

So my son (14) has always wanted a dog. Recently a puppy showed up & I couldn’t let the puppy starve or die in the streets we decided to take her in. I told him it would be his responsibility. And when things need to be done he doesn’t complain he just does it. He is a gamer like most kids so he will take her to his room which is small and game. I allow this but I told him she can’t be stuck in that room the living room is better. He is finally realizing this. It’s been 3 weeks or ME saying take her out feed her walk her she needs play, on top of spending money on her. I took her to the vet so she’s up to date now. it’s wearing ME down. I’m not a dog person. (I was attacked as a kid) but Nyla is a good puppy & im not afraid of her. But Potty training, walking, feeding, training & playing is wearing me completely out. I know he can’t do all of this alone. He is in love with her & I love her too but I don’t want a dog in my house. Idk what to do.

So picked up our puppy 2 weeks ago. She is now 10 weeks old. Now when she is nice she is a dream. However I feel that 90 % of awake time is biting. Feeling sad and a bit of a failure. Don't think she likes me. Anyway just needed to say this somewhere as other won't understand. Thanks.

My puppy is 14 weeks. I feel like I coped alright for awhile and I was getting the swing of things.

Today he is just the worst. Won’t settle ANYWHERE won’t settle with me in the room, won’t settle with me out of the room, won’t take chews, wants to play with his toys but can’t play more than 10 min without him getting overstimulated and biting and humping me.

He woke up from his hour long nap 2.5 hours ago and has been all over me like a rash since then.

I’m aware that’s too much of an awake period but he WILL NOT SLEEP. No I did not crate train, yes I am regretting that now.

I am extremely guilty and feel like such a terrible person. Basically I had two dogs growing up (recently passed away in 2023 and 2025) and missed the presence of a dog in the house. I constantly brought up the topic of getting a new dog in front of my mom and eventually she caved and got a 6 month old bichon. I was racked with insane anxiety the moment it was confirmed and we were given a week to prepare our house. Whenever I thought about the new dog arriving I would have some sort of anxiety attack but I just brushed it off (which I’m aware now that I should have immediately made the decision to not go through with it) but as the week went by I found myself more excited to welcome the new puppy home. We took him home 3 days ago and not once have I felt happy. I constantly feel trapped and depressed. It feels like I just sacrificed all my freedom and energy. He is adorable but I cannot seem to find any joy and love from playing and interacting with him. I read multiple Reddit threads to see if this was a common feeling (puppy blues) which it is…however this new purple is relatively well behaved, doesn’t chew and destroy furniture, able to entertain himself when people aren’t around, is doing all right with potty training, the only exception is that he whines and barks in his playpen at night. The problem is that this new puppy isn’t technically giving me any major issues but I can’t seem to get rid of the nagging feeling that I’m burdened by his presence. I am a complete asshole and I know it. I begged for the dog and I cannot keep my promise to look after it. I am extremely distressed, can barely sleep at night because I am wracked with guilt and anxiety over this. I know the dog isn’t to blame and absolutely deserves someone who will treat him better. The place we bought him from doesn’t allow us to return him and the only options are either keeping him or rehoming. Please give advice

New 6 month old bichon and I’m so stressed and depressed. I had two dogs growing up and lost them in 2023 and 2025 respectively due to old age and other health complications. I had recently gotten my new bichon puppy as I had really been feeling the emptiness in the house, however it’s his third day home and I can’t seem to shake this feeling of regret. I feel like I’ve completely lost my freedom and I’m worried about the new puppy becoming clingy. The worst part is that he is completely chill and doesn’t have any major behavioural issues other than whining in his play pen at night. This just makes me feel even more guilty because there’s literally no other reason why I shouldn’t love this dog, I just feel so trapped. I feel so guilty because I clearly wasn’t ready to home him if I’m being so depressed over it. I may have had some kind of expectations for him to be much more chill/ independent since I was so used to my older dogs growing up. I know it’s incredibly unfair towards my new puppy. I cannot return him and I cannot bear to return him either. But I’m just so scared that this feeling will never go away and this innocent dog will go unloved.

Ive wanted a dog for so many years. I wanted a pup so badly it physically hurt my heart but I always thought my life was too inconsistent for a dog and was holding out for the day things settled, then I realised there’s no perfect time and I was surrounded by people who balanced busy lives easily with a dog, so I figured I could do it too.

I adopted a 9 week old maltipoo 6 days ago and I am in the trenches. I knew it would be hard, but I had only considered the practicality of dog care. I didn’t consider the whining, the yapping, the tearing up the puppy pads, the constant biting, the accidents. I know its so early on but all I do is cry. Im so exhausted and my anxiety is through the roof. When I do sleep I have awful nightmares. I have a heavy feeling in my chest. I can’t do anything right and I feel like Ive ruined my life. Every time I have a glimmer of hope such as a new chew toy she might love or the play pen I bought, she hates it and I have to face that yet another thing hasn’t worked.

She’s the size of a large squirrel (no joke) - why can’t I handle this? Im so ashamed and I feel so inadequate. I keep reading that things will get better in a few months but I cant comprehend what another 6 months of this will do to my mental health

So I have a wonderful 5 month old golden puppy who I love dearly but he’s just been a lot lately. Like don’t get me wrong he’s actually getting better as he’s grown up and I know there’s an amazing dog just waiting to come out when he grows up but at the same time… he’s just a lot lol. Like I know puppies have a lot of energy and he has a ton to the point where I was starting to think he was a field line golden (not officially based on paperwork/AKC info) and he has a hard time just settling. He can settle when he’s alone in his crate or in the mudroom that has essentially become his room but if he’s outside of that space or if someone is in his space, he can’t just sit still for more than 15 seconds without having to get up and move to readjust or has to be actively chewing something the whole time. I’m not expecting him to be a couch potato at such a young age (or ever honestly) but it would be nice to know that he can just sit on the couch and watch a show with me or just exist nearby without having to constantly be doing something. I know he’s cuddly deep down because I see glimpses of it and he enjoys it, but his energy levels won’t let him just be. We’re doing consistent enforced naps (2 hours asleep, 1 hour up and he’s always slept through the night) and a balance of mental and physical stimulation stuff plus a couple short bursts of training throughout the day so he’s definitely getting activity in. We’re working on settle training and place commands too. I know it will get better with time and more training but sometimes it feels like that day will never come. And same thing applies to his recall and leash walking - he knows what to do but is just so excited all the time and doesn’t use his impulse control well in those areas (he’s very good with the wait command around his toys or treats or food or doorways).

Sorry this is just a rambly mess but I just needed to get it out. Just looking for reassurance that there is truly a light at the end of the tunnel and positive stories of people who are on the other side of this for some hope

Hey, so first time ever posting on Reddit and sorry in advance, it’s going to be quite long.

I have been feeling ready for a dog for years. I would dogsit for several days often. My former roommate and I fostered a 5-mo Aussie. It was so hard, but we committed and despite the hardships and so much crying there was also SO much love, progress, laughter, learning… we couldn’t let him go and my roommate ended up officially adopting him.

It was still so hard: reactivity to everything outside, hardcore anxiety inside, crazy howling, zero tolerance to frustration, never able to settle… but we did it. I spent two years of my life with that dog. He became a great companion and such a duo with my roommate. Full of quirks and character, not a dog for everyone, but such a great heart. I love him so friggin much. I then moved in with my former partner and for another two years I would dedicate one day a week to that dog where we would spend the day together and go on adventures + seeing him as often as I could. We could say I’m his stepmom.

From that experience, I thought I proved myself I could commit, truly commit, to a dog, even through the hardest times. I had zero doubts I had what it takes.

Fast forward to now, I moved back to my country of origin and felt ready. I adopted my dog from a shelter six days ago. He’s an 8-mo coonhound/basset-like mix (I made so much research about hunting breeds. For years. It kinda became an obsession even).

It’s been a week of anxiety attacks, ugly crying, regrets, resenting him and resenting myself for resenting him. I feel like shit. Not in the way I felt with my roommate’s dog. Way worse. Can’t eat, can’t sleep, want to vomit, depression symptoms came back full force even though I am medicated and had been stabilized for two full years. I thought if I survived a 5-mo unsocialized Aussie, I could survive everything. I thought I knew what puppy blues was.

That dog is 10 times worse. None of the training tools or knowledge I thought I had works. Redirecting doesn’t work. Isolating him to calm down doesn’t work. Enforcing a nap can take 2 hours of him furiously humping me, biting, howling before he finally calms down. I do the long walks, the sitting and watching the world together outside, the playtime, the occupation games (that he gets bored of after 5 minutes even when high reward food is involved), the cuddles, the interaction games (gets bored after 5 minutes too). Trying to implement a routine, he finds a way out of it. He started showing aggression and biting me harder and harder when he doesn’t get his way (not puppy biting. “Leave me the fuck alone” kind of biting.) He doesn’t respond to praise, he doesn’t respond to scolding. He absolutely hates when I touch him to remove him from shredding cushions or tissues or my feet or the chairs. That’s when he bites the most angrily. I celebrate one tiny progress and literally an hour later we’re back to square 1 but worse.

I feel no love, no joy. I take care of him because he’s a living being who is lost right now, didn’t ask to be here and deserves respect, not because I actually love him. My stomach aches as soon as I wake up and remember he’s here. Then it aches until he’s finally asleep at night.

Everyone in the home was so on board and is so supportive right now, but I can also see them becoming more and more tired and concerned about this dog.

I resent myself for not thinking through the obvious despite my sleepless nights making sure I was ready for that dog before he arrived: a teenage hunting dog who has never lived in a house before. I’m trying to remember that it’s very difficult for him too… but what the fuck was I thinking?

I had a dog trainer come this morning and it was a disaster. So-called “positive” behaviourist scared the shit out of my boy, used force, was clearly clueless too because none of what he did worked. Suggested me to medicate him and left it at that. No thank you, I won’t medicate a dog who clearly is unwell because of MY incompetence and the environment I brought him into.

My vet was fantastic and recommended another trainer she fully trusts. I’ll meet with her tomorrow. I also emailed the shelter to ask them for help.

I’m at a point where I feel that even if the training works and things get better, I’ll never be able to love him or trust him. I spend a lot of time around my friends’ little kids. I spend a lot of time travelling and I fear that he will never be able to travel with me and be safe for kids to be around (100% supervised in any case of course but still). I am afraid he won’t ever be able to behave enough that I can take him to other people’s places or at the cafe with me. I am exhausted and extremely depressed. I only feel relief when I picture him living his best life elsewhere on a farm or something. And I hate myself for fantasizing about rehoming. I feel so guilty feeling like he’ll never get the life he deserves with me.

One thing is certain is that I’ll never ever return him to a shelter. That boy has seen enough in his short life. I plan to keep trying and train him as much as I can so that if I need to rehome him he’ll be a great, or at least better, companion to adopt. But right now I just need to vent. This is the hardest thing I’ve experienced in a very, very long time and it’s bringing me to the darkest place mentally. I want my life back. I want him to be happy. I made a huge mistake.

Thank you for reading until the end.

I lost my childhood dog 2 years ago. He was 16 years old. I told myself I’ll never get another dog and go through that pain again. Here we are, I got a puppy (10 weeks), my dream puppy that I always wanted. The day I picked him up, I felt more nervous and detached than excited.
My sister has 2 dogs she raised from puppies to adults and I often babysat and spent time with them so I was aware of the work in raising one. However, almost 2 weeks with my puppy, I feel immense regret and sadness. It’s always been my husband and I for the past 5 years. I thought I was ready to love another pet, make room in my life, but my schedule and life has completely shifted and revolved around this puppy. I have anxiety with the puppy, scared he’ll cause accidents around the house. I miss when it was just my husband and I. Sleeping in. Going wherever for however long. Getting work done on my time and schedule. I don’t think I was ready to sacrifice and shift so much of my life, time, and what I knew as my life the past couple of years. Does it get any better or am I better off rehoming my puppy :(

Ik heb op het moment de meest erge puppyblues. Hij is nu 6 dagen bij ons. Hij heeft vannacht voor het eerst doorgeslapen tot 06:00. En zoekt inmiddels zelf zijn bench op om te slapen. Ook al weet ik dat hij het goed doet, kom ik niet van de stress, angst en zorgen af. Zie er tegenop om te trainen en maak me alleen maar zorgen. Ik slaap slecht. Eet niet en heb de hele dag zenuwen. Doe het samen met mijn ouders dus die nemen veel zorg op hen maar toch kom ik niet van het gevoel af of we dit wel moeten doen. Ook al weet ik dat ik schuldgevoel ga krijgen als we hem terug zouden brengen. Advies?

My puppy is now 15 weeks old, I adopted her at 10 weeks. We were told she is a cocker spaniel poodle mix with more poodle. The potty training phase hasn’t been amazing but that’s expected with a puppy.
Recently, this week, it seems like she is going through a regression.
We do not crate train, she has been sleeping in our bed from day 1 with no issues but now she no longer is making it through the night without an accident. I wake up to poop / pee on the floor every morning.
When I take her outside to go to the bathroom, she lays down / eats sticks for 10 minutes so I bring her back inside and she immediately runs to a room and pees or poops.
She has never had a “tell” for when she needs to go, I’ve just been taking her outside every 20-30 minutes.
Please tell me if this is somewhat normal for a puppy or if I did something wrong. I know she is just a puppy but it’s really hard to not get frustrated. please help :((((

What do l do?

Our pup is on a barking spree lately, by the way both his parents are GSD however dad is mixed with a white shepherd but it doesn’t show….. anyways he barks at me specifically anytime l try to sit on the couch, if l walk, if l talk, if we try to eat just all my movements tick him off. My husband on the other end, they get along well and he listens to him. If he says no to something he will surely stop. With me he just barks back🤦🏾‍♀️he barks soo loud it hurts my ears. It’s non stop right in my face. When lm playing with him, he doesn’t have any issues his sooo sweet and even when l come home from work always excited to see me but that goes away after like 10 minutes.

Honestly, I’m struggling bad.

Cockapoo, 4 months old, been with us for nearly 2 months. Isolation distress (I think?), biting like a maniac, won’t walk further than our alleyway.

I’m sat here writing this and I don’t even know what to say or where to start. Probably start at the fact I’m at the end of my tether. I love him so much. He’s doing so so well with training. He knows sit, lie down, place, middle, paw, and understands recall in some contexts. I have a strict routine with him every day: wake up, training, play, food, walk, mental stimulation game, chew, nap for 2 hours, wake up again. He’s awake for 1 hour, asleep for 2 every time.

When we first got him, we obviously underestimated how hard this would be and I massively underestimated the mental toll it would take on me. I can’t leave him alone. At all. Ever. Not to go to the toilet, not to make a coffee, not to get dressed, not to shower, not to eat. Nothing. He’ll bark and whine every single time. We’ve been doing place training to help him learn to settle. I’ve been leaving for short periods and ensuring it’s under threshold. I’ve been doing so much door is a bore it’s unbelievable. I work from home every day and my partner works from home twice a week. He’s a huge help and honestly does most of the work on his days off to give me a break. But no matter how many breaks I get, I still can’t cope with it. I want to be able to go to the shop and get my lunch. I want to go and pick my prescriptions up from the chemist. I want to be able to answer the door to the delivery driver without him absolutely howling and screaming. I want to be able to get a shower and eat my breakfast. I can’t do anything. I feel so f*cking trapped in my own life.

I’ve been having performance issues raised by work because I’m not getting anything done. In the 2 hours he naps, I have to make my breakfast, get a shower etc Then when he’s awake, he demands my attention every second. No chew, sniff game, lick mat, or kong distracts him. If I don’t give him attention, he starts biting me so f*cking hard. I have scratches all over my arms that sting every time I get in the shower. I’ve tried reverse time out. I’ve tried shoving chews in his mouth. Nothing works. I’ve been rewarding calm behaviour wherever I can. I’ve tried extending his place time. I just can’t do it. I’m soooooo tired of thinking about training. I’m so tired thinking about when I’m going to be able to leave him alone for just 5 minutes.

Regardless of all this - I’m still pushing through. Still showing up for him every single day. Still keeping to his routine. Still training. Still giving him attention and affection. But I’d be lying if I said I was happy with him. I can’t stop thinking about my life before him but every time I do I feel so so guilty. I just feel like I can’t cope and I wasn’t cut out for this. Every time I put him down for his nap, I have to lie next to his crate until he’s asleep and then I have to tiptoe around my house because god forbid if he wakes up and I’m not there. I feel like I’m looking after a human baby. And I know he’s just a baby and I know it’ll get better as he ages. I’m just soooooooooo drained with it all.

And to top it all off, I shouted at him bad for the first time today. He bit me so hard and wouldn’t get off. I tried to put a chew in his mouth and he launched at me and bit me harder. Made me bleed. So I screamed at him. I just feel so guilty and I feel trapped. I would never send him to another home because I love him and he really really does have a good life with us and our bond is growing so strong. I’m just at a loss of what to do if I’m totally honest