So you got a puppy... The weeks after Christmas Edition..

[sabri]

@mymessagetou I did this 2 yrs ago with our first dog and had a depressive self-hate spiral lmao. Don't feel bad for any emotions you have. For me, it was the first time my fiance and I would be cohabitating, as well. we'd been together years but he was military and crashing at my place between deployments isnt quite the same, but his contract ended and we were moving in together and I'd waited so long to get a puppy!!!! What an idiot i was lmao. I was overwhelmed, moving, adjusting to cohabiting, sharing space and chores, the puppy was a puppy and we were all sleep deprived, house training barking etc, I was failing the puppy and fucking her up, ruining my relationship too, bc i was selfish and impatient, im showing my fiance that im a horrible lazy self centered person, what must he think of me, im a failure etc etc. spoiler: that was the sleep deprivation talking, we got married this march, 2 yr old dog is great now and because I learn ABSOLUTELY NOTHING EVER and we just bought our first house with a fenced in yard... our dog obviously needs a playmate!! And they're coming home in february. Its a few months after we moved this time, at least!!! Why am i like this

 

[mymessagetou]

@sabri Omg I'm glad to hear I'm not alone in all of this. And so happy to hear things are going so great now for you! That gives me hope!! Congrats on the new house and the upcoming puppy that will be so much fun!! Good luck!!

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@sabri That's actually a pretty good time to get a second puppy, afaik.

 

[bengreenwald]

@sabri Oh man, 2 months after we moved would have been perfect were struggling hard core with crate training and potty training. I want to rip my hair out some days!

 

[sleepingatlast]

@sallama Good luck and congratulations everyone! Remember you got this!!

 

[andrewmc1992]

@sallama Good luck to all and welcome! I'm new here with a 10 week old aussie, but as a long time dog/puppy owner I never underestimate the power of a support group. Puppies are all encompassing and emotionally taxing - but raising your puppy into a well adjusted dog is one of the most rewarding things in the world.

I work part time for a dog breeder/trainer as a research assistant, so you may see me commenting around with some specific techniques. Always happy to chat about them.

 

[ricesheepy]

@sallama CALL YOUR VET. Once we had an epic game of fetch in the backyard and my girl went head over heels and got up limping (absolutely zero weight on her leg). I flipped out and immediately called her vet who was able to calm me down and had me check her over to see if there was any heat/swelling. She did not, so they had me just keep an eye on her and lo and behold she was fine within a few hours. Same thing when she ate a sock (warning if you have a golden puppy, they are devoured of socks).

 

[kris8585]

@ricesheepy My guy stashes all the socks he finds in his bed, went to clean them up today and he ran over like "hey what are you doing, those are my socks!" Luckily just chews them

 

[isibhio]

@sallama Hi everyone. I could cry from relief finding this subreddit. My partner and I lost our senior dog on December 19. Four days into our grief a friend contacted us with the news that a friend of hers had bought a puppy from a breeder and couldn’t handle him. We thought hard about it and ultimately decided to drive five hours west to pick him up and bring him into our family. This is him:

We named him Phineas. He’s 11 weeks old and wearing us out He’s already brought us so much joy. Though I’m an experienced dog owner, I never had a pup this young. I am so grateful for a supportive community. Happy new year, pups and people

 

[kjv4me]

@sallama My puppy, a 4.5 month rough collie, is not like a puppy. I just got her 4 days ago, she doesn't like to go on walks, she doesn't play with her toys, with me or anything, she doesn't bark or bite. When I take her out of our apartment, she takes like 30 minutes to go, she protest every move. She lay downs and doesn't move. Is this because of her adjustment period? Any idea?

 

[sallama]

@kjv4me Yes adjustment period. Look up 2 week shut down protocol and that may help. Changes are stressful for pups and dogs and it can take a while for them to settle into a new environment.

 

[kjv4me]

@sallama Thanks for the reply!

 

[bgunk]

@sallama Thank you so much for the family dog resource, this is great! I have a question in reverse order I guess: we have a very energetic 10-month-old puppy and are thinking of beginning to try to start a family mid-next year. Any recommendations or tips we can start implementing now to set us up for success further down the line? Any thoughts are appreciated

 

[sallama]

@bgunk Find a sound effects track of babies making sounds. You want crying, screaming and laughing sounds. Start desensitizing to these sounds. Just put the sounds on a low volume playing for an hour or so throughout the day. Over time increase volume.

 

[eddiem]

@bgunk We have trained our dog (a beagle that famously gets into everything) on "no bites". He knows "no", and he's a hunting dog so he spends a lot of time off leash. I take him on leashed walks, and we practiced "no bites" every time he started sniffing something interesting but I didn't want him to eat it. On the leash, I could also tug him away while repeating the command if necessary. Took about 2 months. Then we started using it at home, and while out hunting, and rewarding with praise and a treat for no bites. Because just saying no didnt work since he really wanted to sniff and wasn't going to back off at no.

Now, our friends have babies they bring over. During the initial 20 minutes while our beagle is figuring them out and sniffing a lot, we say no bites. The sudden movements of kids can alarm him, but he doesn't nip them, just locks their delicious faces. It also is useful for baby toys that are strewn about on the floor, where it's normally just his stuff. Unfortunately, it doesn't stop him from licking them lol.

 

[crystal1672]

@sallama I got my puppy 2.5 weeks ago and it has been great so far, but now he is having some behavioral problems (which I think could have been caused by introducing him to my parents’ poorly trained dog). This page has already helped me so much! I have felt the puppy blues the past few days (mainly from difficulties in potty training), but I feel so supported by all the advice and personal experience shared!

 

[jlkuhioe]

@sallama thank god for this!! Brought home my Pomchi 4 days ago (I bought him with the intention of making him my ESA) from someone who didn't take care of him.., he came home with an ear infection, fleas and worms. He's hyperactive so he scares my 12 year old Maltese and I've been feeling so much guilt. I feel like I made her a prisoner in her own home because of this new puppy.

 

[stew930]

@sallama Thank you for number three. I just adopted a very, very sweet and well behaved 6 month old
Puppy, but I am so anxious about being a good dog mom and am feeling so nervous as I raise him each day (but getting better each day). Glad to be somewhere that’s understanding.

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@sallama I live in the city and got my first puppy. Is it normal for dogs to have to search over 20 minutes to find the perfect spot? Please tell me this gets better. It’s freezing cold and I do not feel comfortable walking up and down the block in the middle of the night constantly much longer. Please tell me this isn’t normal and it gets better. Please.

 

[sallama]

@imagebeastmarkbeast Yes that is normal and it will get better especially if you use a verbal cue to tie to potty time.