Puppy PND?

[Fubsyinapeartree]

Our new puppy has been with us just over a week now.

he is learning quickly, has taken to crate training , house training and walking on a lead well. The vet saw him today and said I was looking after him really well.

So why do i feel so depressed? I feel like I did when DD was a baby. I cant do anything in the house unless he is asleep or in his crate. He is nippy and still needs a lot of training, but what with trying to deal with that calmly and DD (6) running around shouting NO whanever he does anything, I feel like my stress levels have gone through the roof.

I am seriously wondering if I should rehome him/return him to his breeder. I am so scared of being a bad owner. Its just like when I had PND.

Friends in rl say I am doing fine, and it is oK to leave him at times. But I just feel so confused. There is so much to dog owning now - its like all the baby manuals, one contradicts the other.

When I last had a dog, you had the dog, gave it food from a tin, and walked it each day.

Now its like you have to give it the most scietifically perfect food, or spend the day carefully preparing the best raw ingredients.

Then Ill be killing him if he doesnt have three walks a day.

How on earth do people manage who have children and jobs as well?

Am I just worrying too much, or am I really not the right person to have a dog?

I didnt take this on lightly - I have been wanting a dog for years, and have read a lot of books recently. maybe I have done too much reading.

Any thoughts?

I have 2 dogs, and when we got the first one, i thought i was prepared - read lots of books etc. It was incredibly stressful- it was a very sharp learning curve. 3 years on, and its fine. They do stress me out at times, but they give a million times more than they take away. It does take over your life a bit at the beginning, but as you get to know them, it becomes easier. Honest!!!

There does seem to be alot of rules, but most you will learn which are right for you/your family/ and the dog!!!

We do feed ours a good quality food, but that is mostly because the consequences of cheaper food are not pleasant!!!

Our dogs come with us on the school run (we walk) and some (rare) days they don't get a walk at all (ie if myself or dc's). The dog mostly has to fit in with your life. Its a big change, but it does get easier and easier.

HTH

PS, feel free to contact me if you like

Good Luck

thanks, purpleduck

I dont mind buying good quality food, but I dont think i could cope with this barf diet or anything like that.

I agree with you that the dog has to fit in with our life. Its just you hear so many people say you shouldnt take one on unless you are going to be at home all the time. But how many people really are at home all day?

I feel a little bit better, in that Ive now spoken to the lady who does the local puppy classes. There is a new term straight after new year, and she said I can take DD too! (Im on my own, and her dad works shifts and cant always have her in the evenings.)

So that is something to look forward to.

It does get easier as you get used to them and their needs - and like kids they grow up too, starting to learn the rules about no nipping, where to wee etc.

Feeding - there is waaaay too much hype about whether pet foods are good for pets or not. Stick to the big brand manufacturers puppy food - small breed for small dogs or large breed for over 25kg adult size dogs and you can be pretty assured that they will have a better balanced diet than many people will put together on a homemade fresh diet. This nonsense about pet foods causing cancer is simply that - nonsense. Pet food manufacturers spend millions of pounds on researching the nutritional needs of pets - different sizes and ages etc and know far more about it than we do. There are only a few medical exceptions to the norm but there will be for any aspect of human or pet health. So - feeding can be much easier than perhaps you have been allowing yourself to believe and that is one less concern for you.

Exercise is definately important - it really does help with behaviour in a young pup as they are far more likely to be chewers and bouncy "naughty" dogs if they do not get enough exercise. It is great to be able to take them with you for day to day routines like walking to and from school etc. If you are too far to walk the whole way why not drive nearby and park up and walk the rest of the way - good for everyones health and the puppy gets one of the necessary exercise sessions done at the same time.

Puppy classes are good too - glad you found one near you. Your DD will probably love it there. I remember going as a kid with my mum and our dog. It was so much fun. I was soo jealous that I couldn't train the dog instead, but of course now as an adult I understand the logic in that!

I hope you start to be able to enjoy your new family member soon and don't find him so stressful

fubsy, i know exactly what you mean. With both of my last dogs i went through a period of "fuck" what have i done. With my rottie, it was probably justified as he was a battersea reject (all worked out in the end - hes gone now though ) My little dog i have now is an absolute star though, he is about 7 months now and he is fantastic.

I have been a bit shite about training, because he is little i have just sort of trained him to fit in around us, but i definately need to work on his recall!!!

All puppies nip, it can be annoying but you just have to show them that it is uncacceptable, i tended to pull my hand away, make a big "ow that hurt" sort of wail and then ignore him.

It tends to take me a while to bond wiht the dogs too. But now my little bob is my bestest bud, he proper loves me he does.

It does sound like you are doing a fantastic job with him, and yes i think there is far to much hype to read etc. Uts refreshing BG to see an animal professional that doesnt ram science plan or whatever the latest feeding concept is down peoples throats. I just tend to go for the big names too. I actually think Chappie is one of the best foods on the market, but it is a bit too sticky for bob, he just ends up chasing his bowl around the kitchen to try and get at the last bits

Fubsy, I do feel your pain! We have had our pup for a week now and last week was awful. I was in mourning for my old life and scared to tell anyone. The house training is the worst part for me - have to watch him like a hawk, although we have had three days of no accidents. Don;t think I will relax until it is 3 months though! I do think it will all be worth it and love him already, but I agree that it is harder than you imagine. Feel free to contact me if you want to compare notes, OK?