Puppy Owners Overwhelmed by New Responsibilities

“We've had our puppy 2 weeks, he is 10 weeks old. I know he is still super young but I'm just really struggling at the moment as he hates his crate so we're unable to leave him in there if we need to pop out or do chores, work etc. He will cry, cry and cry forever and never settles. He doesn't sleep long periods at night, just 20mins-1 hour! I'm so tired! I have been sleeping on the sofa next to his crate, otherwise he'll just cry all night. We have been doing crate traini”

“I have a 9 week Labrador, dual purpose / working line. He's just relentless. In terms of overnight sleep and toilet training it's going fine, he's now sleeping about 7 hours over night and only had one accident in the house, though he has been outside a lot. Occasionally, when he's up, he is so peaceful and just sits and chills, but most of the time he is just so bitey and hyper as if he isn't well rested enough, but he often wont sleep over an hour, he is crated, trying for”

“Hello! My husband and I have had our 9 month old lab mix for almost a month now. We adopted him from the shelter and don’t really know the full story of where he came from, but we know it wasn’t the greatest. He definitely has no training or socialization. For the most part he’s been so good! But I’ve been struggling with some behaviors. He listens to recall maybe 1/4th of the time. On his leash he pulls and if he sees a dog or a man he barks and snarls and tries to get to them; which in turn ha”

“Context: I have a very demanding job (urban high needs high school teacher) and I'm neurodivergent. After my 11 year old dog who I got at a shelter at 9 months passed, my wife and I knew this summer would be a great time for a puppy. I have time off and can be home to train her. Neither of us have had a puppy but we have had dogs. It's day 2 and I'm massively spiraling. She's a good dog, good at napping, likes her crate, does seem to want to go potty outside. But still I'm so”

“I adopted a puppy on 7/11 (born 5/7/26) so she is now a little over 10 weeks and has been home with me for a little over a week. She is a long haired mini dachshund. Growing up, I have never been allowed to have a pet. I thought I had experience dogsitting for people (puppies and adults). I have wanted one since playing with my neighbors dachshund as a young girl, and since living with a mixed doxie breed from 2021 through 2023. I find them absolutely adorable and have so many dachshund-themed i”

“About a month ago, we adopted a puppy from a rescue. He’s now 14 weeks old. We went into this with so much excitement and truly believed we were ready. We love him, and that’s what makes this so painful. We have tried everything we could think of. We started puppy school, worked with a trainer, spent hours every day training, playing, and building routines. The good news is that he has improved in many ways. He’s settling into the house, sleeps well, walks nicely for his age, and we genuinely se”

“Hi everyone! I’m curious to hear from parents who had pets before bringing home a baby. What was the biggest adjustment when it came to caring for your dog or cat? Did walks, playtime, grooming, vet visits, or exercise become more difficult? Did you have family or friends helping, or did you figure out a routine that worked? Looking back, is there anything that would have made life easier during those first few months? I’d love to hear your experiences! submitted by /u/indiybidiy [li”

“Hello. My wife and I started fostering a 3.5 month old puppy this week. She had just gotten stitches to get fixed. She doesn’t seem to understand potty training. We took her for a walk this morning and as a miracle she finally took a poop outside. A sizable one. We give her a treat for job well done… then we get her back into her crate and she immediately does another one. The day before she hadn’t gone poop at all. Is this normal behavior. All she really does outside is a quick piddle and then”

“Please guys, help me and tell me what do you think about my situation. I am extremely exhausted physically and mentally. I adopted my first ever dog (8 months old) 5 days ago. He is so sweet and I knew that care of adopted dog will be hard. But it’s so hard with him sometimes. He is very reactive. He barks on everyone, one member of my family, neighbours behInd our door or random people. He randomly starts barking in the middle of the night, which really scares me from the sleep. He is nervous w”

“Our boy Prince is half border collie half Australian shepherd. My boyfriend and I knew before we got him that he would need lots of exercise and stimulation. We give him that, but it is never enough. He will not go to bed by himself unless he is put in his cage first. He had recently learned to bark and once he starts, he will not stop. If you are not paying attention to him for even 3 seconds he is doing this piercing bark right in your ear. We have tried putting him in the crate, walking away,”

“I have had this puppy she is a 50 husky 25 hound 25 mastiff mix for 6 weeks. She was born April 9th and when I got her she was a little scared but now she is so scared she won't even leave the apartment. She has picked up on everything that she even knows I use one set of keys to go to work and one to take her outside. She knows treats and that following them outside the door will lead to outside. If she sees someone she pees. I was an RBT for two years in a clinic so I am shaking everything”

“A post for hope! We thought our puppy was just not into cuddles much. The puppy biting was so difficult we were planning to wait a few more months to attempt sleeping in our bed with us. But at 5 months old, our girl (let's call her a medium Heinz 57 Pitsky mix) is able to sleep in bed with us at night, and cuddle on the couch with us too! AT NIGHT! Just a month ago, the sun would go down, and she would be a total terror. We got very strict with her nap time routine - 60 minutes awake, nap t”

“I just found out through Facebook that a new client that has me booked for September adopted a puppy. She's had it for 10 weeks and hasn't told me and I don't watch puppies. And she just messaged me recently to book a pet sit further out. So now I have to let her know that we have to cancel all of her sits. I didn't announce it on my Facebook page. But again she's had the dog for 10 weeks and hasn't said anything... Ugh... submitted by /u/suziemomma [link] &#3”

“yall i have zero idea how to stack. my puppy is two weeks shy of being 6 months old and i dont have much interest in showing but wanted to learn just for the heck of having a pretty dog. his feet wont stay straight cuz i cant get him to stay still but how do yall reccomend teaching this?? the photos i sent are screenshots for as accurate as i could get lll submitted by /u/kluIess [link] [comments]”

“Hi all! We rescued a 3 month old lab mix about 5 days ago. He is adorable and has his ups and downs. Of course, he is also a menace! But his face, yawns, and kisses make up for it. He is somewhat crate trained, and takes to training decently! When he wants to anyway - he definitely decides when to pay attention and when to start biting me - as all babies do. Over the last week, I have cried so many times, I’ve lost count. At first (and it comes back to this sometimes) I feel like I’m failing him”

“I know puppies explore the world by tasting it... but I swear mine thinks every leaf, stick, rock, and mystery object deserves a sample. Please tell me this phase actually ends 😂 I adopted my puppy (not sure what breed it is, they told me probably daschund with another breed) and he is a cutie of 6 months. submitted by /u/petelovespetfood [link] [comments]”

“I am fostering a mom and her 5 puppies until they go for spaying & neutering. After which they will to the shelter or other foster homes for adoption. I may continue to foster one of the pups and/or the mom. I've had them for 4 weeks, and they are about 8 weeks now. Training 5 puppies all at once is near impossible, but I'd like recommendations, suggestions, and ideas to ad in their future development and success. We don't have human children, but I have had a few neighbor childr”

“Hello! I'm (hopefully) getting a puppy this year. The breeder is expecting a litter in August, so if everything goes well, I'll have a new friend in a few months. My first dog passed away a few months ago at the age of 14, so his puppy phase was long ago and I don't remember much of it aside from his cuteness. Do you have tips or things that you wish you knew before getting a puppy? I have a cat as well, so I will work on slowly introducing those two once the time comes. What are you”

“I have a 9 week old Rottweiler, and puppy blues hit me HARD during the first week. There was so much conflicting information for addressing her wild behavior (mainly biting and zoomies). I let her sleep throughout the day, but she would be regularly woken up by footsteps, doors opening/closing, and household chatter. I started crate training immediately once she got home. After suffering for a week, she finally became more comfortable with the crate, and even slept through the whole night a coup”

“Hi guys, we got a new puppy Saturday. this isn’t my first rodeo so to speak so I set everything up the way I knew how: positive crate games, high value treats, cozy bedding and making it comfortable, slowly working toward being in there. Calming music, covers, uncovered, toys, no toys, etc. I’m unsure of what to do though because he’s fine in there at night (minus a little bit of whining) but the second I leave the house he melts down. If I’m home, he’ll cry for a bit then sleep. But the second”

“Hello, I heard about this subreddit from a friend and I wanted to give it a shot, recently a friend of my mother needed to re home her 3 month old blue heeler puppy. He had been kept in a kennel for most of his time and only let out onto the balcony to go potty. We knew we could at the very least give him a better life and he came into our care. It's been maybe two weeks and we're all settling In still. My older female dog adores him, and he is already very loved. It's been a long ti”

“My partner and I adopted a French bulldog almost two years ago. We had been fostering him at first as a trail run and didn’t run into any issues. His description mentioned he would need time and love but no mention of bite history. I found out he bit after I adopted him. They also mentioned he had separation anxiety as well. The first incident was when someone tried to hold him and he bit their ear, the bite broke the skin. I’ve never had a reactive dog before so I assumed it was because the per”

“Hi all new here as I adopted my 6 month old pup two weeks ago. She’s me and my husband’s first dog (his first dog ever! I’ve had a couple family dogs). I know this feeling of anxiety is normal and I think I just need a space to share these feelings with but I’ve been noticing such a high level of anxiety since getting her. The first week was a big adjustment for all of us in the house (we have a 5 year old cat). I started getting up earlier to get her on a decent morning routine before I start w”

“After lots of research and consideration, 2 weeks ago my partner and i got a 10 week old puppy. Shes my dream dog and we both love her so much. The issue is that shortly after getting her i became really ill. I thought it was some kind of bug but it became clear that it was my mental health- i was vommiting and crying for days, had to call out of work, and almost 2 weeks on still cant eat much due to anxiety, low mood and no appitite, and lost almost 4kg in a Week. while i love her, loo”

“German shepherd expertise highly desired🚨🚨 We are new dog owners and don’t know what we’re doing!! We adopted a 1.5yr old German shepherd/lab mix and he is a very sweet boy with severe separation anxiety. We can’t leave him alone without him freaking out and destroying something or trying to rip apart his cage/the bathroom. He is very smart, good motivated, and sweet as can be but we are really struggling. We have been doing lots of research into training but we don’t have any experience with”

“We adopted an Australian shepherd mix about a month ago. He is 5 months old now and a little firecracker. Needless to say, he is super high energy and we do 2 45 minute/1 hour walks a day...sometimes the 2nd one is switched out for the dog park or going to play with my parents dog. During the day he is home with my partner from 7-1, when she crates him until 5/6 when one of us gets home. Well, tonight, I have a meeting from 6-7 - she will be home at 6:30, then we will have to crate him again fro”

“We have a 2 year old human child and have just welcomed a 12 week old Labrador puppy into our lives. My husband and I are experienced dog owners, but we have never owned a puppy/dog with a toddler in the house. We would love you to share your top tips - things like how to set boundaries between toddler and pup, advice on how to minimise toddler toy destruction, basically anything you may feel might help us navigate raising them together in harmony. Thanks! submitted by /u/Awkward-Par”

“i recently rescued a 3 month old puppy we are thinking she’s some sort of hound / german shepherd mix except she is very tiny & me and my boyfriend just moved into a new home, we have a 3 year old australian shepherd husky mix who has severe anxiety and he is afraid of the puppy, he will smell her then walk away and he did “snap” on her (we aren’t sure tho) when she was too close to him and my bfs sisters dog made a loud noise at the same time and we think he got overwhelmed. ontop of that a”

“I know I’m a bad person, but I don’t love my puppy. She’s actually been a good puppy so far. 9 weeks old - Australian Shepherd/Poodle. Normal puppy antics, but listens well, doing good on potty training and naps, doing great with the cats. Getting adjusted to a routine. I just don’t love her. I’m overwhelmed. I lost my dog a few months ago and I thought I wanted another dog and that I was ready to love again. But I was wrong. I’m going to give it a few more weeks. I go back to work and we start”

“I finally did it. After fostering a few and deciding they weren’t the right fit, I met a puppy and it was instant love. I bought all of the enrichment, all of the toys, all of the carpet cleaner, expecting all of the issues my previous puppy had. Y’all. He is the happiest little guy that does NOTHING. He chews his toys, goes potty outside, plays for a little, then happily passes out in his crate. No fuss. No mess. What even is this boy??? My previous pup was a Doberman mix. Chaos incarnate. Day”

“Hi everyone, I have a 13-week-old miniature long-haired Dachshund, I picked him up at 10 weeks, and I’m really struggling with knowing what’s normal and what I should be doing. My biggest concern is helping him become more independent. He’s a Velcro breed which I know through the research i did before getting him, and I’m terrified of accidentally creating separation anxiety which he is prone to. At the same time, I don’t want him to feel neglected. I miss being able to leave the house without w”

“Hi everyone, I’m a first-time dog owner living in an apartment. I brought my new puppy home two days ago, and I’ve been incredibly stressed about her sleeping habits. It’s been a huge struggle getting her to sleep over the last couple of days. I know she’s just a baby and is naturally scared of being alone, and I realize that expecting immediate training results is unrealistic. However, I’m getting completely exhausted and have to work on Monday morning. I desperately need some sleep and would l”

“Adopted a lab mix. Gf and I went to a puppy Pilates session and I was absolutely in love with all the puppies there. We caved in and adopted a 1 month old black lab mix. I'm not gonna lie, there isn't a single day since where I don't question that decision. We dropped a ton of money in a trainer, toys for her. It doesn't matter what we do. We can spend the entire day playing with her, tiring her up. If she's not on her crate, and we take our eyes off her for one second, she s”

“Hey so I just adopted a young dog for the first time (previously had only older dogs) and I feel like i have lost every bit of dog knowledge i ever had. She's only been home about a day now, coming from a rescue kennel environment, and she is just super scared of everything. I try to put her leash on to go outside and she just shakes and pancakes, or runs to her crate. I've only got her to pee once and it seems to have traumatized her. Do I just....wait? Don't push her to go outside?”

“Hi everyone - my partner and I have a 6 month old MAS puppy who we have had for 6 weeks. I read the wiki, read many books leading up to getting him. He is very food motivated and toy motivated as well. Very good boy. He learned basic cues like sit, down, paw, nose touch, leave it/drop (sometimes), recall (only 50/50 when outside and distracted). We've focussed on capturing a lot, attention towards us at home, following us inside the house and volunteering behaviors we liked to see like going”

“Hi all, my pups 5 months today. I feel like we’re so behind in everything in regard to training. He’s my first dog that is actually mine and not a foster, I did 10 years of research before I was allowed a dog and as such want to train him to a high level eventually. Like most people I thought going into this that I had everything figured out and would have the perfect dog in a month or two. Obviously I was quite overwhelmed with the work that actually goes into a puppy but have managed, because”

“Hi everyone - my partner and I have a 6 month old MAS puppy who we have had for 6 weeks. I read the wiki, watched the 3 hour kikopup playlist in the months leading up to getting him. He is very food motivated and toy motivated as well. Very good boy. He learned basic cues like sit, down, paw, nose touch, leave it/drop (sometimes), recall (only 50/50 when outside and distracted). We've focussed on capturing a lot, attention towards us at home, following us inside the house and volunteering be”

“So it’s been my dream to get a dog. My whole life. I hardly had experience with them but I knew I wanted one. I have recently suffered with depression and so has my family (mum and brother) and I read a dog will help provide purpose in your life. I know this dog will help bring happiness into our lives and our extended families lives - he’s already such a big impact now. A friend who had a litter of puppies (male / 11 weeks/ French x English bulldog) said I could purchase one - I thought perfect”

“Hi everyone, I'm at breaking point tonight and could really do with some advice from people who've been through this. We have a 15-week-old working Cocker Spaniel called Tucker. The difficult part is that I never actually wanted a puppy. My partner really wanted one, and after a lot of discussions I eventually agreed, on the understanding that he would mainly be her responsibility. Unfortunately, because she works and I'm at home, I've ended up doing almost everything. I”

“9 month old beagle/dachshound/Jack Russell/cutie pie that was on death row with her mom and sister. I think the teenage phase is ending and while I’m excited for my girl to relax a bit, I am also incredibly sad. I’ve wanted a puppy for so long and met all the goals I told myself I had to meet before I could consider getting one. It was an extensive list and hard work to complete as I really wanted to make sure she would have the environment and resources a pup needs. We got her a couple of weeks”

“Hi All! I have been scouring reddit regarding puppy blues. For some background, I just got a 4 month old puppy (staffy/shepherd mix) and I've had him a little under two weeks. I suffer from anxiety and caring for a little one has caused me to be so tired and overwhelmed. I LOVE dogs. I've had them all my life and even dogsit on the side. Does anyone have tips on how to manage the fear, worry, a bit of regret, etc? Overall, he is a wonderful puppy. He does really well in his crate, still”

“My Shih Tzu puppy is 6.5 months old and, y’all, I can breathe again. Please have faith, the peace will return to your life! I got my Remi at 7 weeks old and cried for a couple of months. I never loved yet regretted anything so fiercely! Spent so much money on wee wee pads and bitey things, and oh my goodness, I just felt I made the worst mistake. Enter doggie daycare. After just 2 daycare visits, my boy learned bite inhibition and I’m not bruised anymore. The older dogs are showing him how to pl”

“Hi guys, First time poster here but have been in this forum since we picked up our 9 week old girl a week ago today. (She’s a miniature dachshund) It was a really tough first 5 days but we’re starting to love her now she’s settling in more and learning our routine. Main issue we’re having is night time, we’re crate training. This involves fun sessions going in and out with treats during the day, nap times etc which are relatively smooth until it comes to bed time… if I sleep on the sofa and she”

“My Fiance and I adopted a dog about a month ago now. She is 5 months old currently, we are unsure of what breed she is. We with some sort of terrier mix. I had puppy blues the entire first week we had her but have been doing much better since. She sleeps through the night in her crate and doesn't have accidents in the house. However, this dog is an absolute psycho. Despite how many enrichment games oe toys we give her she will bark/bite/jump on and chase us around the hosue. Even immediately”

“I am so so so excited for my girl to come home tomorrow, but I am wanting to make her transition as easy as possible for her! I do have a bit of an upper hand here in that I work at the shelter I’m adopting from, so I know the general advice that I give people upon adoption as well as the food that we use so that I can give that to her, but I still know my knowledge is not vast and that everything is different when it’s YOUR dog, yknow? So I was wondering, from people who have adopted from a she”

“I could really use some advice and maybe a bit of reassurance from people who’ve been through this. About a week ago, we adopted a 4-month-old puppy, Lumi. We already have an adult rescue dog, Ollie, who is turning 3 this year and who we adopted 2 years ago. Lumi is honestly such a sweet puppy. She’s affectionate, clever, and everything she’s doing (toilet accidents, chewing, needing lots of supervision) is completely normal puppy behaviour. I don’t blame her at all. What’s been harder is helpin”

“I have a 17 week border collie, so I’m constantly questioning if I’m doing enough. 2 x 25 min walks a day is barely seeing him through and I have started adding in a lunchtime one too. We play a lot and we train and we do mental stimulation and most of the time he’s good. He never shouts in his crate and he never barks, well very rarely. Hes such a good boy, we still get the 8pm witching time, but the last week it’s all but gone in 10 mins, which is a freaking huge relief! And his naughtiness ha”

“My husband and I have a 14-week-old golden retriever named Obi. We brought him home about 2 months ago when he was just 6 weeks old. I’m truly no expert, and I know we have an easier breed compared to others. We also each grew up with several family dogs and helped to train them too. But in owning my very first dog for a few weeks now, my perception of raising a dog has changed in a lot of very good ways. I wanted to share some of the things I’ve learned to bring comfort to new pet owners. Some”

“I adopted my puppy from the shelter in late March at just over 5 months old. We've had her almost 4 months and she's coming up on 9 months old. We started training as soon as I got her, engagement, some obedience, socialization, leash training etc. I feel like I have been focused on her nonstop since we got her, and just not getting anywhere. I love her and we're so close, she definitely has made progress in some things, but she's not really GOOD at anything... more just okay. Sh”

“Hi there! Me and my partner adopted a bernedoodle puppy back in October 2025, and it’s been…meh. Our living situation is a bit strange and our puppy hasn’t ever really been able to live freely in the same room as us as a constant. She is quite small for a bernedoodle - about 28 pounds and 11 months old now. We live in a basement, so our whole ‘apartment’ is in one long room and then our puppies area is in the room neighbouring ours. We have carpeted floors, clutter and also a 5 year old cat. Our”

“Anybody got burnt out and kinda let go of training a bit? 😭 I wished I pushed through better.. I know it’s not too late I just get a bit overwhelmed by certain things. My puppy is an 11 month old maltipoo she shes much older now. Just looking for those who can relate submitted by /u/TheoryReasonable871 [link] [comments]”

“i got my very first puppy yesterday (goldendoodle & 11 weeks) from a board and train and was overwhelmed with so many emotions bc i didnt know what to expect or know what schedule to follow so i asked the trainer if she can send me hers (which we tried to follow today the best we could) but one of my friends said we should be making our own? now would i know what our schedule is lol im sorry if thats a silly question this is the schedule from the trainer: 6 Wake up, carry outside to potty, t”

“For some background, I have been around dogs for many years (through other fam members) and never had a dog of my own. I've always wanted one and I'm in the works on getting one soon! I've never been around puppies before and have little to no experience with how to train them. I'm writing this post because I have a question about potty training/ crate training a dog while also having to go to work. I currently work a part time job and most of my shifts are about 4-5 hours long a”

“My family has a 4 month old goldendoodle puppy and we're realizing we really wont be able to manage him when my sibling moves away for school in the fall, and he'll have to be home alone for 6-8 hours a day. I've seen mixed opinions on doggy daycare but I can't tell if doggy daycare all day, 5 days a week is a bad idea or not? submitted by /u/Grand_Assistant1730 [link] [comments]”

“Me and my husband are getting a puppy in August. She's born June 21 and her name is Stella!!! Suuuuuuper excited!!!! Anyways, I'm wondering if there's anything in particular we need to have before taking her home? Obviously we need a crate, bowls, leashes, etc and that sort of thing. But I'm just a little overwhelmed, like do I need to get two separate crates, one for home and one for transportation? How many leashes should I get? And should I get a collar or a chest harness? I j”

“Hello hello!! My puppy is 7 months, I honestly couldn’t tell you her breed cause she was a stray (she kinda looks like an all black corgi if i had to guess mixed with some kinda wire terrier). Anyways, my boyfriend and I have been crate training her from the moment we found her (approx 2 months old). She’s been great! Only one accident during her first week, and she sleeps in there all night, no problem. We just moved into a new apartment and haven’t brought her crate over from my parents place”

“We adopted our 9 week old Golden Retriever puppy last Saturday 6/27 from a breeder I built trust with for 2 years beforehand. She is such a smart girl, but she has her moments for sure. Her crate training is going not so great, had a night where I just cried while she was barking and crying in her crate cus I just couldn’t get her to settle no matter how many enrichment toys, pre-bed play times, and late night training I gave her. The puppy blues just makes every small hiccup feel like I have co”

“Hi everyone! I’m bringing home my first puppy, Maisie (a Malshi), in a few weeks and would love some advice on two things: introducing her to my cats and potty training in an apartment. I’ve done a lot of research over the past few months (probably too much 😅), bought a few puppy training books, watched countless training videos, and have already purchased all of her essentials including her playpen, crate, bedding, toys, enrichment, grooming supplies, food, and potty setup. I’ve also already b”

“We picked up our 8 week old Beagle on the weekend. Me and my partner have spoke about getting a dog for a long time, I did tell him how hard it is to raise a dog, I grew up with family dogs, but it was my mum that really raised them. And I know it's only been a few days, but it's so much harder then I could ever imagine. I work from home, and my partner doesn't, so I feel like I'm doing 2 jobs, and I'm currently failing at both. I'm trying so hard, but everything that cou”