Hi I'm new to this site plus never had puppy before. We have had puppy for 1 week now and we are doing ok but I am so anxious and I don't know what to do to stop my heart racing and feeling unwell. Anyone else felt or feeling this way?
Hi Emma, and welcome to the forum. Its a very steep learning curve having a puppy. Have you done much preparation? Even if you are well researched and prepared its easy to get anxious, and lack of sleep can make this even worse. Have you read Pippa's Happy Puppy Handbook? This is essential reading - a fairly quick and easy read. https://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Happy-...5/ref=pd_rhf_gw_p_img_1_QCZK?tag=thelabsit-21 And there is lots of information available on the main site https://www.thelabradorsite.com/labrador-puppies/ I think a lot of people struggle in the early weeks in particular, and can feel quite down, and "will it ever end?" but it DOES get better. There is a really really long thread about "Puppy problems" that might help you a little - https://thelabradorforum.com/threads/puppy-problems-will-things-ever-improve.1680/ I may be getting a bit personal Emma, but do you normally feel anxious, and the puppy has made it worse, or is this a new thing for you? If you would rather not say publicly I am happy for you to private message me (you can do this by clicking on my picture and selecting "start a conversation") Stick with it, it gets better.
Hi sadly yes I do suffer with anxiety but it doesn't help that my 12 yr old son is extremely nervous about the puppy every time it goes somewhere. I haven't read the book but I have read quite a bit on the Labrador website.
Hi Emma, Welcome to the forum from Pippa and myself. We are a few weeks in front of you. Pippa is 14 weeks or so and we have had her at home for 6 weeks. We've both had dogs before but my wife and I went through a big mixture of feelings and emotions over the first few weeks but it did get easier, and it continues to everyday now. Once we were all into a routine things started to get better and feel a bit more 'normal'. This is a big learning curve not only for your puppy but for yourself and the rest of the family. I'm not an expert, but I would say that feeling anxious around these little guys is perfectly normal. She has already enriched our lives and we couldn't imagine not having her here snoring the house down the minute she falls into sleep. Hang in there, it gets easier and more enjoyable day by day.
Thank you and it's great to hear from you and see how other puppy owners are coping. And to realise that this anxiety is in some ways normal. To be honest yesterday and right now he seems quite chilled but then part of me thinks is he ok? Thank you for being here
Hi Emma and welcome to the forum from me and my 19 month old boy Bailey. What is your puppy's name? There are quite a lot of new owners that feel as you do - whether or not they are of an anxious nature or are normally calm and in control sort of people. There are a lot of threads on this - if you search Puppy Blues. Each one will show you the progress made over the weeks and months and are good illustrations of how things improve. I am sure Labs are very intense puppies and things with them are so much MORE than with other puppies - such as the biting, the butterfly brain - but you will not find a more eager to learn and loyal loveable dog, of that I am convinced. Yes it is hard work to get our fur babies into the dogs we want them to be but it is so worth it. With children the important thing is that they learn how to play appropriately with the puppy - and also have an area for the puppy to go to, such as a crate, for those times that the excitement level is just too high. On the main Labrador site there is a section on how to play appropriately with your puppy. Keep coming back to this forum when you need support - and remember you are not alone and we have all pretty much been there, and still bear the scars of some things! Some simple short training sessions with your pup will help tire him out without building too much excitement. Good luck and keep smiling
Hi Samatha, thank you for your thread it is very comforting and reassuring to know this. His name is Mason and he is just over 9 weeks and is beginning to calm down I think the routine is helping. I will have a look at the puppy blues did not know such a thing existed! I am a bit hesitant to put him in the crate apart from bedtime I'm just not sure when or how to go about that as at the moment I don't go out much.
Lovely name - welcome Mason. I wasn't keen on a crate either and I borrowed one from my sister who has always used them. I initially thought I would use it just for sleeping, however, it was a god send when he has being a crocpup - and believe me they all go through it to some degree or another! Because Bailey also came to work with me from 8 weeks old (I work in a rugby club and on Sunday's we have around 200 children training and playing rugby and most of them wanting to play with the puppy) we needed to put him somewhere so that the kids would leave him alone and he could get some sleep! Also at home we made it a happy place for him so never had any issues with popping him in it for things like training him to be on his own for a while (we still don't leave him for more than 4 hours at a time) because you need to start building up the time they are alone from literally seconds (going out of the room, wait two seconds and go back if all quiet) and gradually building up to leaving him for an hour, then two etc etc. Now he is older we don't use a crate, when we have to leave him at home (generally about once or twice a month) he goes into our bedroom, he sleeps with us there, and just makes the most of having a king sized bed all to himself! The only thing I wished I had done when Bailey was tiny - was take more pictures of him. Enjoy this tiny phase it really doesn't last long x
Ah yes, totally agree with @Samantha Jones, I don't think I could have survived my puppies without the crate during the day. Admittedly crating a puppy took a while to get my head around, especially during the day, but really a godsend.....
Thank you my eldest son chose the name and I have had several compliments. Bailey also is a great name. I will have to try and do the crate thing more often but starting like you say slowly and then building it up. All makes sence when you chat to someone! Yes must take more photos
Hello Emma. I had a terrible case of the puppy blues and was so pleased to find this forum. I have found the advice and support enormously helpful and supportive. I have a crate for my puppy - all this was new to me and initially I was really feeling my way. She is now 9 months and only goes in there willingly at bedtime and chooses to go in when we have our evening meal. The rest of the time she is in her day bed or following me around downstairs. I think having the responsibility of a animal who is dependant entirely on us is a recipe for huge anxiety but also huge pleasure and satisfaction.
Hi Atemas, I'm beginning to really enjoy reading the posts and people have so much knowledge and really seem to understand what it feels like. Thank you for chatting really helpful
Going out for lunch I hope he will be ok. He has been toileted and had a play. This is the bit that I feel most anxious about is going out. I know he is safe in his crate but the list goes on...
I rarely left my puppy those first few weeks and if I had to DH was here. Think the problem was more mine as whenever we have had to leave her, she has been absolutely fine. Hope you have had a nice lunch and are feeling less anxious.
That makes me feel abit better that you rarely left the house. I'm still very nervous too but it does us both good to be apart for a short while. I did have a lovely lunch thank you. Gone for 3 hours and he was fine when I got back.
Hi Emma, and welcome! I'm glad you had a nice lunch, and a bit of a break from Mason (lovely name). We picked Ariel up at 8 weeks old, at the beginning of January last year. Living in Canada, the winters are quite cold with a good deal of snow. Needless to say, I was feeling very house-bound most of the winter as she was too young to do much of anything outside. My hubby works, I've recently retired, and I was feeling a bit overwhelmed at the responsibility of basically raising this pup on my own during the day. However, once we got routines established, which doesn't happen overnight, things began to slowly improve. Consistency is key. I'm so thankful we crate trained her from the get go...she loves her crate, she knows it's her safe place, and will willingly take herself in there when she wants to rest. Ariel is an amazing pup. She has her crazy days, and pushes the boundaries, but I would be lost without her. She has completed our lives in a way we couldn't imagine. It's a lot of work, but soooo worth it! I'm glad you found this forum early in your "puppyhood" days. I was a bit later finding it , but I'm so glad I finally did. Invaluable people and resources here - stick around, you'll like it! And....of course we need pictures of Mason.
