We picked up Harley, our french bulldog puppy, last Friday evening (4 days ago). The first night he was nervous, but we put him in his crate and he slept undisturbed all night. No toileting or anything, but we slept downstairs to keep him company.
Despite this, when I woke up in the morning I felt a sudden rush of dread and an overwhelming fear of having to tend to him during the day. Since the first night we have been crate training him and he seems to not mind being in his crate, which is great progress but I’m worried about when we have to go back to work next Monday. Although we have people that will check on him every 2-3 hours I am scared that leaving him is going to cause distress.
I have begun to resent him and don’t enjoy spending any time with him. I regret getting him and I’m worried that I’m not going to be able to train him properly to develop into a loving companion.I so badly want to be at that stage now and skip the puppy part! I have no idea when my anxiety will subside but right now it doesn’t feel like it ever will.
I am in the same boat. I picked up my French Bulldog pup on November 19th – and took off this entire week to bond & crate train before I go back to work on Monday. I was not as lucky on my first night with her, as she wailed and I slept on the floor next to her crate all night. Since then I’ve been getting up with her every few hours, which my family told me was making me sleep deprived. Could be true – I feel mentally and physically drained. Last night was the first night I tried to keep her in there all night. I did wake up to quite a mess and then had to give her a bath, but in terms of noise it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.
I work only a few miles from home, and am very lucky to have an understanding boss that will allow for a flexible schedule.
Sunday was pretty bad with my anxiety and regret but it seemed to be getting better but hit pretty hard yesterday(Thursday). The dread and anxiety hit pretty strong, and I think to myself did I make a mistake? Will this ever get better? Everyone tells me it will. I am completely aware it hasn’t even been a full week and this is all normal – but for some reason it’s not helping. I too want to hit fast forward to when she’s a little older. I don’t ever recall a week going so slowly!
I feel as bad, if not horrible, as you guys. I’m glad to have found this website or else I’ve been struggling and ashamed of how I’ve been feeling – how can anyone feel this bad, anxious and depressed over a puppy right? I had Moo (Chihuahua) 5 days ago, and haven’t been able to sleep at all – I dread waking up in the morning, I dread going to work worrying how he’d adapt to my lifestyle, worrying about him feeling depressed, worrying I’m not giving him enough. I decided to setup a Babycam that monitors him in his crate – I caught him howl and it completely broke my heart; not to mention I haven’t been very productive at work cause I’m constantly checking up on him.
I asked some of my friends if howling is normal, some said it’s because puppies need a lot of attention and some said it’s because he heard something. I’m worried Moo will develop a habit like constant howling that I won’t be able to control. He’s a good pup overall – he poops and pees in the right place, doesn’t bark *touch wood*, doesn’t make me feel guilty when I leave the house but I’m worried with all these different uncontrollable scenarios in my head. Hope I’m making sense!
Honestly i feel the same way! I just got an 8 week old pitbull puppy after just losing my sweet pup of 14 years only a month ago. My boyfriend and i got him because we felt we wanted a new dog to love but i am suffering from this depression. He is a sweet puppy and oh so cute and quite smart but I simply cannot feel happy about it, i want to give him back to his mom..but my boyfriend loves him and does not. We both work third shift full time jobs and i feel that we cannot even give him proper training so he wont be psycho when he is older. We have only had him for 2 days and i am ready to give him back. He is getting used to a crate and we have given him good toys and treats so he has a positive experience in there but i still feel so anxious and depressed over him, i want to love him but i just want to cry and i do. My boyfriend is supportive thank god but he thinks i am giving up too soon, maybe i am but his biggest issue is being alone and that is where i think a lot of my depression and anxiety stems from. We dont really have anyone to check on him through the night, we live very close to home and have gotten him an exercise pen so he won’t be in a cage for 8 hours but we can only check on him twice a night. I feel so helpless and it is reassuring however that others feel the same way as me..
I thought I was the only one who felt this way. We adopted a 2 year old Australian shepherd 3 days ago and I regretted it within a day. She’s SO sweet and the friendliest dog you’ll ever meet, but I feel like my whole life has been disrupted, and I am not a fan of change. She’s ok in the crate overnight, and we keep her in a spare bedroom while we’re at work. So far, she’s done her business on the wee wee pads we have in there, which is a huge relief. She’s also not destructive, except for her own toys which is fine. She’s so beautiful and sweet but I don’t feel the connection I was hoping I’d feel. She’s basically my husband’s dog. I come home exhausted after work to cook and prepare for the next day, and I barely have time for myself as it is. Now I have to add dog care to my list of responsibilities and I’m freaking out. The only two people who know how I feel have reassured me that I’ll be ok and I’ll grow to love the dog, and I just hope that day comes quickly. I don’t hate her; I’m just mildly resentful and I want to NOT feel that way; I feel horrible for feeling this way. Please tell me it gets better.