I admit I am a bit hungover but I am struggling a bit with Molly. Well actually I'm not, it's everyone else. My teenager has announced she's allergic to dog's as she keeps sneezing and getting a rash. My 4 yr old won't listen to me, keeps teasing Molly or getting her to excited and getting nipped or bowled over. My partner says she's annoying (I think he was looking forward to an evening of man telly last night when I was out but Molly wouldn't settle) This was supposed to be a good thing for our family but feels like it's me and Molly against everyone else at the moment.
Oh I remember those days! And I didn't have to deal with children, just the OH - or maybe that is dealing with a child . It does get easier, and very quickly too. Jura is now 13 months old, and has peacefully snoozed her evenings away for quite some time. In fact I'm struggling to remember how old she was when she started cuddling up to one of us on the sofa and that was her for the night. I'm sure Molly is a wonderful addition to your family but there is no doubt about it, the puppy stage can be challenging at times. Can you give Molly a filled kong to keep her busy for a bit to give yourself a break? I'll leave advice about dealing with children and puppies to those with experience!
Sorry you are having a bad day @Cherry. Yes we have days like that my 3 year old constantly winds Luna up so she ends up nipping at him, she finds it difficult to chill in the family room in the evening particularly if I am there she is pacing, jumping on the sofa and then not settling there either. A Kong sometimes helps, or the inside of a kitchen roll in her bed but I have to admit last night I went upstairs to watch a chick flick and left Luna and OH there own devices, I know she will chill when just he is there, then I just came down to let her out for a wee about 10.
Oh dear Cherry, sorry you are having a tough time of it. Hangovers definitely don't help. I admit to having pretty much given them up when the kids arrived - and puppies are worse than babies/kids in many ways *sigh*. On the plus side, they do grow up quicker than the human puppies Did you have a family "plan of action"? Might be worth reassessing who's job it is to do stuff with and for the pup and when. It might help? That would include explaining the rules, why they need to do or not do certain things ("you don't like the puppy running at you and biting you? Well if you keep nice and calm and don't shout and make lots of noise, then the puppy is much more likely not to bite" etc - its worth a try). Kids are a challenge - and the OH is often not that better. With respect to the men around, sometimes the crap stuff in a family just falls to mum to do. Getting everyone involved in some aspects of the training is a good thing. Small bursts throughout the day by all the family members can help. Just reserve the important items to those that need to know - the recall, a whistle, maybe a clicker - or at least to those that know how to use them correctly and won't "poison" them. As an incidental point, my son went off to Uni 2 and a half years ago - his contact dermatitis and his constant runny nose and sneezing have cleared up wonderfully
Take a deep breath put the kettle on or have a glass of wine. What ever is your thing. We all have days like this. Thankfully children and puppies grow up. Have you got a play ball which you could put part of Molly food in, which she can push around to get it out? Kongs like Raven 12 said too works well. You could always put Molly in her crate for time out if she gets too excited. Tomorrow is another day, things will get better.
I can't give too much advice right now because I too am struggling with a house full of children and a bitey puppy - just wanted to say I understand what you are going through and from all the advice I've been given I'm sure this will all be worth it eventually
Thanks for the good ideas and reassurance. We did actually manage a nice walk this afternoon (minus teenager of course, I'm wondering if Molly will find me to embarrassing to walk with during her teenage stage as my 15 yr old seems to at the moment!). Said teenager then had a little play with Molly but I suspect it's so she can show me her rash later....
Aww cherry , I feel your pain ! My 7 yr old still needs to be told to back off too ! Hangover with kids is never a pleasant experience . Itchy teenager hmmm , there's a couple of things you can try , first would be to establish if it is the dog or general hay fever . Also is it the dog licking teenager causing the itch etc or the general fur ? Tomorrow will be better if only because everyone's at school or work ( hopefully)
Yeah , lots of people me included can have a reaction to doggie saliva . Just get your daughter to wash licked areas thoroughly and she can discourage pup from licking her. If it's still really itchy an over the counter antihistamine such as piriton or cetirizine can be used . Boots own brand cheaper and contain exactly the same ingredients xx
My sister in law reacts very badly to dog saliva too - she has asthma too. Any visits are in a park and with a no lick rule!
Hope you're feeling a bit better now, families can be such a pain when you're trying to train your puppy. My kids are long grown up and flown from the nest but I do remember my OH grumbling about Juno one day and me turning round to Tel him that Juno was a puppy and would grow up, what was his excuse . Hasn't complained since
