In September we adopted a rescue pup - we suspect she might be a flat coated retriever (based off her uh, “youthful” personality and that she looks like a black golden retriever). She was 12 weeks old.
Immediately I got slammed by puppy blues. I was exhausted, waking up in the middle of the night to take her out. She had (still does) SO. MUCH. ENERGY. And tiring her out? Didn’t work. She would exert herself to overtired (which at the time I didn’t really realize that’s what it was - her going from a playful pup to a little land shark terror) and then I’d end up more exhausted...
We knew socialization was important, so we had her meet lots of people, but she’d get so excited and pee e v e r y w h e r e...
Honestly? It’s exhausting to think about all of the things that made the past few months so difficult. But what I can say is that she’s made amazing progress since then.
No accidents in the house anymore! She sits for pets (she still jumps a bit and we’re working on it but we can actually get her to sit when being greeted by people!). She knows leave it/sit/stay/down/paw and we taught her spin and speak (hey it’s winter and we gotta keep her brain entertained somehow). I can clip her nails! She doesn’t make a peep while I’m working upstairs and seems perfectly content in her little area. We got a front walking harness (which, WAS LIFE CHANGING) and now we can do “walkie walks” so much more easily. She is always friendly toward people. Still melts for belly rubs - just not with pee everywhere! Oh and she SMILES - literally a little grin that makes her front teeth poke out just a little - when she’s soaking up all that belly love.
She’s definitely still a lot of work. She has her lapses and moments (she ate the plastic elizabethan cone after her spay just 3 weeks ago). But we can have quiet cuddles on the couch. And can tell her to leave things alone (except the counters. We gotta work on the counter jumping!).
She still doesn’t get along with the cat, but they have their separate areas, so I imagine in time it’ll come.
But! More and more I see the good in why we got her. And while it’s been really really hard, she has SO much life and personality to her. On the day she got spayed, and the house was empty... It made me realize that as crazy as she drives us sometimes, she’s become the tail-wagging, ear-smooching center of our boring little lives. The house was empty without her “casual” yawns (her “nice” way of trying to wake us up) or sassy grumbles.
I can say that despite everything, and despite not being out of the woods just yet, she is ours. And it does get better. It does get easier. I’ve been in blues for months, and coming out of it to a happy, (mostly) well-behaved pup means so much. The hard work pays off. Keep at it and hang in there!!!
Edit: Puppy Tax!
Immediately I got slammed by puppy blues. I was exhausted, waking up in the middle of the night to take her out. She had (still does) SO. MUCH. ENERGY. And tiring her out? Didn’t work. She would exert herself to overtired (which at the time I didn’t really realize that’s what it was - her going from a playful pup to a little land shark terror) and then I’d end up more exhausted...
We knew socialization was important, so we had her meet lots of people, but she’d get so excited and pee e v e r y w h e r e...
Honestly? It’s exhausting to think about all of the things that made the past few months so difficult. But what I can say is that she’s made amazing progress since then.
No accidents in the house anymore! She sits for pets (she still jumps a bit and we’re working on it but we can actually get her to sit when being greeted by people!). She knows leave it/sit/stay/down/paw and we taught her spin and speak (hey it’s winter and we gotta keep her brain entertained somehow). I can clip her nails! She doesn’t make a peep while I’m working upstairs and seems perfectly content in her little area. We got a front walking harness (which, WAS LIFE CHANGING) and now we can do “walkie walks” so much more easily. She is always friendly toward people. Still melts for belly rubs - just not with pee everywhere! Oh and she SMILES - literally a little grin that makes her front teeth poke out just a little - when she’s soaking up all that belly love.
She’s definitely still a lot of work. She has her lapses and moments (she ate the plastic elizabethan cone after her spay just 3 weeks ago). But we can have quiet cuddles on the couch. And can tell her to leave things alone (except the counters. We gotta work on the counter jumping!).
She still doesn’t get along with the cat, but they have their separate areas, so I imagine in time it’ll come.
But! More and more I see the good in why we got her. And while it’s been really really hard, she has SO much life and personality to her. On the day she got spayed, and the house was empty... It made me realize that as crazy as she drives us sometimes, she’s become the tail-wagging, ear-smooching center of our boring little lives. The house was empty without her “casual” yawns (her “nice” way of trying to wake us up) or sassy grumbles.
I can say that despite everything, and despite not being out of the woods just yet, she is ours. And it does get better. It does get easier. I’ve been in blues for months, and coming out of it to a happy, (mostly) well-behaved pup means so much. The hard work pays off. Keep at it and hang in there!!!
Edit: Puppy Tax!