Tuesday, April 10, 2012
What Was I Thinking?
I don't know what I've done. It seems as if everything in my life defies all odds and my sweet little puppy seems no different. Wow! I knew to expect a lot of work and a lot of "accident" clean ups, but what I'm experiencing is nothing short of exhaustion. Today marks two weeks I've had him. He isn't anywhere close to being potty trained. He thinks his puppy pads are toys and finds it very enjoyable to grab them and run around the house as if he's Superman and has just recovered his cape. He chews on my one and only plant in the house and bites pieces of it off. It stands almost four feet tall so there's nowhere for me to move it out of his reach. He wants to do nothing that doesn't involve me. His attention span with his toys lasts about 2 minutes before he runs to find me and whines until I give him attention or pick him up! I feel like he's bored even though I play with him as much as I can and have bought him about ten toys. I tried to take him out for a walk to release some of his energy and he would.not.have.it. He didn't want to even get close to the street and I was having to drag him with the leash, so I gave up. He claws on the couch with his sharp little paws, which I'm afraid is going to result in a rip or tear on my furniture. I tried crating him and he completely and totally drenched the thing and relieved himself over and over throughout the night. I feel like he needs me every second I'm home and there's never a chance for me to relax. I would never compare a dog to a child nor do I think the responsibilities can be compared. BUT, I feel like I've signed up prematurely to be a single parent and it's not sitting well with me! To top it all off, I'm paranoid I'm allergic to him. I thought he was supposed to be hypoallergenic. However, while I have allergy issues each year, it's really bad right now. When I stopped to think about it, it seems like it started when I got him and has gotten progressively worse. I woke up this morning with a sore throat and I just outright feel crummy. What does that leave me to do? I feel like a failure and I'm not typically one that gives up on something that I really want. I guess either my dog is extra demanding or I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Maybe it's the last of the two. If I'd known it would be like this, I don't think I would have gotten him. It makes me really sad because he's precious and I do love him. He's just hyper and unless he's fast asleep, there isn't a time he will let me hold him and love on him without biting the fire out of me or striking at me like a snake! (And you know my issues with those!) What do I do, friends? I go back and forth each day. I'm embarrassed to be honest. I thought I knew what this would entail and I guess I just didn't. I want what's best for him. I really do. If I'm not that, then I want him with a family with children that will love him and play with him like he deserves. I guess the issue is to just figure out if that's me or someone else. :(
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4 comments:
You can do this, Amy! We adopted an 18-month-old golden and I still ended up in tears a few nights due to nipping, attention-needing, and general guilt! We started taking walks (something that comes with age, I'm sure, so hold on!) and going to obedience school. I know your little cutie is too little for obedience school, but check out Puppy classes; they specialize in socialization, which is good for you and the dog. Also, look into pet stores/training clubs, sometimes they have "yappy hours", where you can go for an hour after work with the pup.
I don't have kids, either, but I think that you can fall into the same pitfalls-- rushing home, staying home, cutting out fun activities, all because you're needed. Rejoice that the dog is a dog and that you can throw it in the front seat and go somewhere, even if it's just to walk around pet smart! :)
I really hope this helps. I felt so much better when I stopped putting so much pressure on myself to think that it would be easy. We're lucky not to have a chewer, but definitely look into some puppy training (ie, it doesn't help to punish/scold him about the mess with the plant, just put him somewhere safe while you clean it up. He may not remember he did it and certainly wont' know why you're yelling!).
It also helped me to plan puppy play dates with friends with dogs. I got a glass of wine, the dogs got to play, and you get some time to chat with other dog owners. Head to the park, organize some friends-- we met dozens of new people in our neighborhood after adopting a dog.
Email me if you want more empathizing!! I'd love to hear your ideas, too. akappel05(at)gmail.com
Out of all the dogs you could have picked, you get the one that thinks it is a snake...and you HATE snakes more than anyone. That part is funny. Hang in there. I think it will get better. I'm sure he will calm down a lot after he gets past the puppy stage.
Hang in there Amy! Training puppies is a lot of work but it is worth it when they turn out to be really good dogs and fun companions. It might help to read up on that specific breed for training tips. Also, I know you said he wet his crate... is it a big crate? If you start out with a smaller area, they are less likely to use the bathroom in there since they will have to lay in it. Crate training helped me with Berkley more than anything but you have to be real consistent at taking them from the crate right to where you want them to use the bathroom and then praise praise praise him! Just remember he can only hold his tee tee for so long this young but it gets better as he gets older. He will get better with the leash too. He just has to get used to it. Keep trying and when you get the leash out, act like it is a huge deal and oh so exciting! As for the nipping, he doesn't know that it hurts. Puppies normally would have other dogs to bite them back and show them it hurts so they learn not to. Try saying a firm no and swatting him on the nose (not too hard, just so he knows that is a no). Reading helps a lot when it comes to learning how to train but you have to be consistent!! You can do it!!
Thank you all so much for the suggestions. The past couple days have been much better. He's used his papers several times tonight and three of them were on his own, without being prompted by me. Cue the hallelujah chorus!!! Maybe we are finally getting somewhere!
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