Many new pet owners experience a moment of panic and even regret during the first few months with their new cat or dog. Thankfully, with some time, patience, and compassion for both you and your pet, these feelings can be overcome, and you'll be well on your way to a lifetime of happiness with your new best friend.
Symptoms Of Puppy Blues: Sadness And Anxiety
Often, new puppy owners expect to feel sheer joy about their new pet. Instead, you might feel really down about the situation. You might find yourself crying often, eating less, sleeping less, and having trouble focusing. Similarly, you may feel more anxious than usual.
But there's another emotion too: the post-adoption blues. Our Muddy Paws adopter community has shared with us their experiences with this—completely normal—feeling and how to navigate it. It's okay to feel overwhelmed, sad, or anxious after adoption.
It's similar to when you start a new job. This adjustment period rarely lasts for more than two weeks. Here are a few things you'll need to know to welcome the latest addition to your family. Please be patient with your dog.
After three weeks, many dogs have settled and behave as though they feel like they are home now, but they really don't fit into your routine until about three months have gone by.” Give it time. Remember, even if you're doing everything right, a new adult dog may take a while to feel at home.
On the first night, and for about three weeks, have the puppy sleep in a dog crate next to the bed. Line the base with blankets so that it is cosy and drape another blanket over the top to help it feel more secure. Give the puppy the stuffed toy that has its littermates' scent on it to snuggle up to.
The amount of time each individual pet needs to adjust to their new homes will vary, but the 3-3-3 rule helps give an approximation of what new pet owners can expect. The 3-3-3 rule refers to the first 3 days, the first 3 weeks, and the first 3 months after bringing a shelter animal home.
The first two months are the most difficult and the following months also bring their challenges. So the answer is, it will get easier and easier, depending on how much effort you put into educating your dog. You should therefore remain hopeful in the process during the first year.
The one thing to keep in mind is that in most cases puppy blues is only temporary. It probably doesn't feel like it, but puppy blues tend to fade away somewhere between a few weeks and a few months until you can barely even remember having felt overwhelmed. Give it time.
No matter how cute your little rascal is, puppy-wrangling can be absolutely exhausting. While it's true that adopting a puppy can bring a much-needed source of joy and unconditional love into your life, it can also bring stress, anxiety, exhaustion, and frustration (often called the “puppy blues”).
The term "puppy blues" refers to the unpleasant emotions that some pet owners experience when they get a new puppy. Often, these feelings manifest during the first few days and weeks after bringing the puppy home. Feelings of worry, confusion, and stress are common during this period.
Crying after the death of a pet is a normal and healthy way of grieving.
You can view crying and mourning as an expression of the love and positive relationship you had with your pet (rather than something abnormal). Don't set expectations. There are no rules for grief, and there's certainly no timeline. Look out for unhelpful emotions, thoughts and assumptions.
The most challenging time of raising a puppy is the adolescent period. Dogs become “teenagers” and seem to forget everything they have ever been taught. This period is individual to each dog, but it may begin when he's about eight months old and continue until he's two years old.
While you'd think that helplessness would make it harder to raise a baby than a puppy, the opposite is true. That helplessness is exactly what makes babies so comparatively easy to raise. The job isn't, in the grand scheme of things, as hard as people would have you believe. For starters, babies are immobile.
It's not unusual to feel annoyance, frustration, even regret after getting a new puppy. It's okay to think about whether your puppy is a good fit for your household, or if you may actually need to return or rehome them. The truth is, you're probably not going to love your new puppy right away.
First time being accountable for another life: The concept of another living being relying solely on you is something many dog owners don't consider before adopting a puppy. Having a puppy constantly looking toward you for guidance, food, and stimulation is oftentimes overwhelming to pet owners.
Puppy difficulty at ages 7-10 months
Many owners are totally blindsided by this next phase. It can vary a bit based on each dog, but your puppy likely will hit “adolescence” around 7-10 months, with 8-9 months being the peak described by most owners.
The hardest part, as others have said, is seeing them get sick, doing all you can to make them well, knowing they trust you, but can't tell you how they feel… and then the day they have to go to Heaven (and yes, I believe dogs go to Heaven). It breaks your heart.
Undesirable behaviours such as barking, chewing, counter surfing, house-soiling and jumping up commonly begin to occur at around 3-6 months of age. Your puppy will not grow out of these behaviours. On the contrary, it is more likely that these behaviours will worsen if not addressed early on.
First, you may want to start with a simple deep breathing exercise called the 5-5-5 method. To do this, you breathe in for 5 seconds, hold your breath for 5 seconds, and then breathe out for 5 seconds. You can continue this process until your thoughts slow down or you notice some relief.
How it works: Pause and ask yourself if what you're worried about will matter in five years. If the answer is yes, carry on. But if the answer is no, give yourself five minutes to fret, then move on. Ask yourself if what you're worried about will matter in five years.