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View Full Version : SERIOUS anxiety over new puppy!! HELP!!!



AKLivin
29-12-14, 07:29
Hi everyone,

This is so ridiculous I'm a bit embarrassed to even put this on here... but I've been having such severe anxiety over a PUPPY. 5 days ago my husband and I got a 7 week old puppy- mind you one I've been BEGGING to get. We've both been looking for several months- and my husbands been wanting a dog since his family got a pup two years ago. So much to my surprise when I brought her home my anxiety went through the ROOF. She is the sweetest thing, and I KNEW what was coming with a puppy.. the constant watching, the training, the chewing on everything. It's gotten so bad I cry at the littlest things she does that frustrates me. Shes been sleeping a lot better through the night but I am having a hard time sleeping and haven't had an appetite for the last few days. I know the puppy is just learning, but I just get so so so overwhelmed that I've come to resent her and it feels like loving her will never happen. I have such a fear that I'm not doing anything right with her and that shes going to grow up rebellious and out of control.

My husband is amazing and so supportive and tells me to get out of the house to go to the gym, or to get some space from the puppy, but I feel so guilty leaving her with him even though he swears that she doesn't bug him. He keeps telling me it's a short time of adversity and it'll be worth it in the end. He's fallen in love with her and I know is set on keeping her. I feel so stupid- I just want to give her back and have this anxiety just go away. All I can think about is how I've lost my freedom and that my husband and I can't just go and do anything together anymore without worrying about the dog (crate training has also been a nightmare for me.. she cries until she falls asleep and then she'll wake up and cry some more.. what am I going to do when we both go back to work after the holidays!?!?!?)

I fortunately don't normally suffer from anxiety I've only experienced it once and it was from a mix of many different factors and it almost got out of hand. I promised myself I would never let myself get into a situation where I felt that way again and here it is back with vengeance. Back then I was crying every waking moment, hardly eating, and exhausted all the time. Everything I've read said that it gets better after a few weeks/months and that it's worth it.. but even the thought that its going to take that long almost makes the anxiety worse! Especially since I went through that ordeal for about 6 months and finally after quitting a toxic job, it went away.

I feel so silly and try to think about all the people I know that have raised puppies and if it was so difficult no one would have them, but I can't seem to shake this off. Any advice on how to relieve some of the anxiety or encouraging words would mean so much... I really want to try to love this puppy, but with my previous experience of leaving job= no anxiety, I really just want to take the easy route and give her back to make this stop :(

Jayamashey
29-12-14, 14:53
First, welcome. Second, time frames for anxiety depend on a lot of factors so you can't take what you read as fact. It sounds like you have some tendencies toward anxiety that you may want to work on. If you can figure out what about the puppy is causing you the most stress then that will help you learn to accept it.

Puppies are tough for the first month or two. I found they were just as hard, if not harder, then having a baby (I have 2 labs and 2 kids ;) ) . Anyways, know that it gets better and easier but for now you need to accept that they will be a puppy and do puppy like things (Whine, chew anything, bark, cry, mess in the house). you just need to watch them, correct them and/or distract them. Make sure you have a lot of chew toys and bones available.

Hope this helps,

Annie0904
29-12-14, 15:46
If you put new puppy or kitten in the search on here you will find that you are not alone in this. I had a post myself about anxiety over a new kitten a couple of years ago. I love him to bits now and can't imagine life without him :) Take a look at the other posts, it might help.