Mental health struggles after welcoming puppy

[NotSoCheerySnail]

Has anyone else struggled with their mental health after welcoming new puppy?
the puppy was very much anticipated. 9 weeks old & cute as a button.
we’ve only got her for a few days - I have shakes, heart palpitations, tearfulness, sense of dread and overwhelm, can’t eat, can’t sleep…
I have 2 kids but nothing prepared me for that! The worst part - I’m pretty sure she’s a really good puppy. Loves to snuggle, plays nicely, doing well with potty break s (with some accidents) but I just seem to be completely tipped over the edge with how dependent she is and hard to keep alive (mouths everything, chases large cats, eats everything she finds on the floor). I can’t stand her cries - and I need to put her away from my toddler sometimes as she can be a bit nippy when she plays.

Not sure why anyone would get a puppy if it makes them feel so ill. Nothing is worth your sanity, not even a puppy/ dog.

When we understood each other it became much better. My old dog and I spoke through our eyebrows most of the time and it was a shock to remember that takes time to accomplish 😂

like pps I did things I'm not proud of like wish her away, googled rehoming, thought about leaving the front door open!!! Cannot believe it now and it's quite sad to type. But here we are now a year on and I'm very glad I had thoughts not actions

The biting phase is awful … I wore long sleeves in summer and still looked like I’d shaken hands with Edward Scissorhands.

100% this.

It really is. I spent the whole summer in long sleeves too but also had to wear long leather riding boots because my pup was a leg biter.

But I still loved the baby puppy stage, for me the hardest phase was older puppy/early adolescence, sort of 7 or 8 months old was hellish.

Because naughty puppies grow up into lovely dogs with the right support & training & you come to understand each other pretty quickly as @GlassofRosePorfavor says through verbal & non verbal communication.

I've been through the puppy stage 5 times now, and it's difficult. Then, just when you think you've cracked the toilet training, he dumps a giant turd on the carpet!!! Its exhausting and exasperating, and you crave them falling asleep just so you can have a little peace.

But - when you've cracked it and you have a routine again, everything just kinda slots into place. Puppy becomes more mature and fits in with the family and peace and tranquillity is restored. It will get better OP, but the first few months are always a little trying. Pretty soon you will wonder how you ever survived without puppy love.

I stopped wearing trainers for a couple of months as mine was obsessed with my laces & pounced on them even in the park … had to stick to slip ons only until he grew out of it 😂

I was lucky Roman was an easy adolescent. Labs tend to be hard puppies but chilled youngsters I think. Apart from jumping up 🤦‍♀️

Completely normal, my labrador puppy was worse than my 2 children as newborns put together !
puppies can really tip you over the edge !

I found the puppy stage really hard. I regretted bringing him home several times, I think the day we picked him up from his foster home (he is a rescue) reality hit hard as DH said I went very very quiet in the car.
I found things got better once he could go for walks, he toilet trained and I could leave him at home for short periods and once we did some puppy training. We were lucky that he is slept in his crate through the night from the start otherwise I think broken sleep would have killed me!

He's now a year old and a joy, I adore him with all my heart and cannot imagine him not being here. He will still chew anything small and plastic that he can and we are working on him not jumping up so he isn't perfect but he is much much easier. Hang in there if you can - you're in the thick of it right now.

How's it going @NotSoCheerySnail?

@PoochMama a lot better now, thanks for asking! Reading that I’m not the only one with puppy blues is very helpful. We had our first lesson with puppy trainer and it really helped our puppy to settle in. I’m still struggling a little but my husband has been absolutely amazing in taking care of her. Also seeing how my children interact with the puppy gives me something positive to cling onto ☺️

I had a panic attack when we brought home a kitten. A kitten!

She didn’t even need anything! She was tray trained and beautifully behaved and I had to go and sit in the bathroom for 15 minutes when I brought her home with the shakes.

I think it’s the thought of something so small and helpless being dependent on you. Kind of how I imagine a mum would feel after bringing a baby home.

Puppy sounds adorable ! 😍 be a bit patient OP.. sure you'll love her in time👍👍

It’s short lived and so worth it. A dog in the family is so special- they are such pure little souls who love unconditionally.
I guess it’s a bit like the pain of childbirth. Awful at the time but you quickly forget… until you have your next one and think “god, I forgot how bad this bit was, what have I done this again for?!” 😂

It’s not sensible with a toddler, surely?

Honestly, this is so common, you think getting a new puppy and everything will be fine! I brought up both a puppy, and an older puppy who was a rescue. I struggled to bond a bit with the second one, as though we have an incredibly strong bond now, and it only took a couple of weeks. With the first puppy, I also had moments of regret. But they are my best best friend.

I guess my best advice would be that if you are in any doubt that this might not be a long lasting relationship, and that you might not be able to get to the point where you are comfortable to have your dog. Then still try to do absolutely everything in the interim to give them a good upbringing, good socialisation, good manners, a bit of training. And then even if the worst happens, they will be able to go to a new home successfully through a reputable rescue. I honestly I’m sure it won’t come to that.

My partner found it very odd when we got our puppy (other dog was adopted at 6 months). I honestly hated it. I wanted another dog and a puppy was the right decision . It was still a rescue and we got him around 10 weeks. We had been waiting for months and I was 100% on board.

As I said I hated the thing. I hated the nipping and the peeing on the carpet and the whining and crying. He ate my fucking walls, genuinely chewed walls! He destroyed anything and everything. The crate training was infuriatingly slow. I said multiple times that I wouldn't be sad if he was gone but on the inside I thought about rehoming him daily.

He's 4 months now and things are better. Housetraining is pretty solid, he is crate trained and can be left a couple of hours, now he's out walking twice a day ( the bit I actually enjoy) I feel some joy from him and even enjoy a cuddle with him.

Hand on heart it's been harder than having babies ( I have two children). However still hard work I can now see that what will probably be a year or two of hard work will mean perhaps 12-14 years of having a nice dog! I'm still not sure doing the tiny puppy bit is for me. I survived it but much preferred adopting a slightly older dog even though that comes with it's own issues - for example puppy does not touch human food even if left, he has never been allowed and now just ignores whereas other dog is like a hunting shark constantly. His first 6 months in kennels shaped him to scavagnge what he could and despite having a consistent boundary since he still tries his luck. So I can see the appeal of getting a very young dog as you then have much more control in shaping them to be the adult dog that suits your life.

I guess the only difference between my experience and others with a young puppy is ours was still a rescue so still had trauma and we had no say in the breed. He suits our lifestyle but he is a terrier breed which are notoriously stubborn and hard to train. He also has a cracking little personality but is a working breed so needs lots of exercise and stimulation. That works perfectly for us but does have it's challenges. Perhaps if we had chosen a breed it would have been 'easier' as we would have probably chosen something different. This is just hypothetical though as I haven't done this.

Raising a puppy is the pits so you are not alone. People just don't talk about how bloody hard it is. I also think lots of people don't put in the effort to the puppy and thus it's 'easier' but ultimately they end up with adult dogs with behavioural issues unless theyre exceptionally lucky.

Glad it’s going better @NotSoCheerySnail You are definitely not alone! Mine’s going for second vaccinations soon and I can’t wait to be able to take her out. I’m getting cabin fever...