So I got my Koda a little over a month ago, he’s a little accidental mutt currently about 5 months old. We got him from my roommates coworkers family friend? Or something? Place we got him from was in the middle of nowhere. Never had a vet appointment before I got him. Had fleas, worms, and really just spent all day fenced up outside and only got to come inside at night. But his owner was there with him all the time, along with his other littermates.
We only went there to get a dog for my roommate, they knew which one they were getting and even what they were naming her, Juno, but when we got there I fell into love with Koda and got him kind of impulsively.
I feel like he’s a good thing for me overall, and his life with me is better than what he had before, but like it’s still not the quality of life a puppy should have. I work 8-10 hours a day and have a round commute of 1.5 hours. My roommates will take him out for one walk while I’m away but for the most part they won’t take him out because of course Juno is their priority and they get too rowdy when they’re out together. He spends too much time in his cage. I managed to get some crate training in two days before I had to start working again, but not enough to prevent separation discomfort. Apparently after I leave he barks less, but as long as he knows I’m home, he’ll cry loud enough to wake the whole house. He managed to chew up the drywall from inside the cage. I feel so guilty being too exhausted from work to wear him out properly, usually needing the help of Juno to get the job done, if she’s awake and out of her cage when I’m home. I feel like a failure of a puppy parent. No matter how hard I try I can’t make up for the lost time, I can’t undo his separation anxiety, I just want to make sure he’s happy. I’m really really hoping to see him continue making progress with house training so maybe one day I don’t have to leave him in his crate. I hope that’ll alleviate his anxiety. But for now all I can do is worry and wonder. Feel like I’m not allowed to have a break until he’s shaped into the perfect pup.
We only went there to get a dog for my roommate, they knew which one they were getting and even what they were naming her, Juno, but when we got there I fell into love with Koda and got him kind of impulsively.
I feel like he’s a good thing for me overall, and his life with me is better than what he had before, but like it’s still not the quality of life a puppy should have. I work 8-10 hours a day and have a round commute of 1.5 hours. My roommates will take him out for one walk while I’m away but for the most part they won’t take him out because of course Juno is their priority and they get too rowdy when they’re out together. He spends too much time in his cage. I managed to get some crate training in two days before I had to start working again, but not enough to prevent separation discomfort. Apparently after I leave he barks less, but as long as he knows I’m home, he’ll cry loud enough to wake the whole house. He managed to chew up the drywall from inside the cage. I feel so guilty being too exhausted from work to wear him out properly, usually needing the help of Juno to get the job done, if she’s awake and out of her cage when I’m home. I feel like a failure of a puppy parent. No matter how hard I try I can’t make up for the lost time, I can’t undo his separation anxiety, I just want to make sure he’s happy. I’m really really hoping to see him continue making progress with house training so maybe one day I don’t have to leave him in his crate. I hope that’ll alleviate his anxiety. But for now all I can do is worry and wonder. Feel like I’m not allowed to have a break until he’s shaped into the perfect pup.