Has anyone ever experienced long term puppy blues that eventually went away?
We’ve had our dog for around nine months now, and I am still feeling really miserable. A big part of it is the mess (he is an extreme shedder so dog hair is everywhere, he drools a lot, tracks mud in and smells), but he also barks and whines constantly, is too large and powerful for me to walk, too boisterous for us to have guests over, wakes us up barking almost every night and various other issues. It feels like my entire life revolves around him. I knew dog ownership would involve work, but I seriously underestimated actually how much.
All of this has prevented me from forming a proper bond with him, because I’ve been feeling so anxious, depressed and regretful for such a long time. We are spending a ton of money on training, dog day care, grooming and cleaning tools to try to ease the burden - but the expenditure increases the resentment I feel. We have a baby on the way and I am dreading her arrival because I would love to have a safe, clean and peaceful home environment to raise a baby in, but don’t see how that will be possible.
Rehoming isn’t an option because I do recognise that I chose to get this dog and now have a responsibility towards him. My partner is strongly bonded with the dog so doesn’t mind or notice the issues - if I forced him to rehome the dog, I’m not sure our relationship would survive it.
Has anyone else experienced puppy blues for an extended period but then got through it? I am terrified that I will just feel like this for the next 10-15 years, so would love to hear from people who experienced this and came out the other side.