Sebastian Puppy Training Expert Discusses Puppy Blues

I recently had a couple of new clients come on board and I noticed a bit of a theme that seems to be a fairly common struggle among puppy owners. People decide to bring a new puppy into the family and all of a sudden, it’s a lot more difficult than they anticipated! As most of you know, raising a puppy is a lot of work but you soon realize every waking moment becomes focused around this little animal. It’s surprisingly pretty similar to having a baby or toddler in the house. It’s a situation where unless that puppy is asleep in a secure place, you really have to know where they are at all times and what they are doing. If you’re not paying attention, that puppy is peeing all over the house, chewing on furniture, and more. At such a young age, these puppies struggle to control their bladder and their impulse control. I have met people who end up in tears over how stressful it can be. They can’t get anything done having to monitor the puppy all the time or they’re arguing with their spouse or children over puppy-watching shifts. Sometimes people even have feelings of guilt surrounding the whole situation because they start wondering if this puppy is the right fit for them and their lifestyle. They find themselves asking, “What have I gotten myself into?” and tend to be really struggling with all of these feelings. 

Are Puppy Blues Normal? 

An important thing to remember is it’s normal! Don’t feel guilty about feeling overwhelmed. When I say puppies are a lot of work, it’s true! I’ve been doing this a long time and sometimes, a puppy isn’t a good fit. It may be controversial but the reality is, sometimes it just is not the right fit. The question is are you able and willing to find solutions to meet not only the dog’s needs, but your needs as well. Can you find a way to ensure everyone involved is living a good quality life or not? If you find yourself in this situation, I think you owe it to yourself to seek professional help and at least talk to someone who understands the struggle. A lot of times, there are a ton of solutions and management options that can not only solve problems, but also make puppyhood much less stressful. 

I can’t speak for other dog trainers but I like to do free phone consultations where I take the time to get to know you and your puppy, and make sure what I offer is a good fit for you. In most of these phone consults there are easy tips and tricks I’ll offer to people that can help make some changes, regardless of whether they choose to work with me or not. 

Just remember, you’re not alone in feeling like this while integrating a new puppy into the household! There’s even a term for this situation called the “puppy blues”! Be sure to reach out for help and make things a little easier on yourself. 

Sebastian Puppy Training Expert 

Sebastian Based Puppy training expert Gerry-Anna helps humans and their dogs live together in harmony. Book a call today and start receiving support right away.

How to Deal with Puppy Blues

I spoke to someone earlier this week and these types of conversations always pull on my heart strings. It’s very common and I wanted to address it here for those of you out there who have also struggled with this. It’s quite often that I talk to someone who had a senior dog that recently passed away. As to be expected, they are completely devastated. After so many years you know your dog very well and at that age, they tend to be the well behaved golden child. You get so used to their routine it becomes second nature. But once your old dog is gone, it’s not unusual to feel a void. At this point friends, family, or maybe even you yourself start thinking, “Maybe getting another dog will help get me through this.” 

So you bring a puppy home and at first, it’s great! The puppy is so cute and there’s something new to focus on. After the first few days, you may find you have a case of “comparisonitis” when he realization of how much work raising a puppy entails sinks in. Puppies are a ton of work! They’re biting, they’re nipping, and you soon can’t even cuddle or pet them because all they want to do is bite and play! Then you realize you’re still grieving your old dog and this new puppy is nothing like your old dog. In fact, this new puppy seems to be causing you an immense amount of extra stress. You might be arguing with your spouse over who wakes up in the middle of the night to take the puppy out. You may even find yourself in tears as you’re trying to get ready in the morning and the puppy has already peed and pooped everywhere! You realize, you can’t have time to yourself anymore with this puppy and compounding that with the feelings of grief from losing your old dog, it can all become really heavy! 

Just remember, this is completely normal. You have to try to find a way to shift out of the comparisonitis mentality. Your old dog may have listened to you 24/7, always been by your side, and was just the greatest companion. But you have to remember this puppy you brought home is not your old dog. They’re a young baby who is just learning about everything the world around them has to offer. A lot of the time, they’re not going to listen 24/7. They might be adventurous and wander off. That is the time to get into a productive mindset and come up with a plan to start raising this puppy to be well behaved. While yes, they’re going to be different from your old dog, there are still going to be new things with this puppy that are special to you as well. You just have to make it through the annoying puppy stage to get there. It’s a long road to not only train your puppy, but to also fulfil their enrichment needs, ensure they’re well socialized and all the other important pieces that go into a well rounded companion. Not to mention, there are a lot of solutions and management options to make your journey through puppyhood much easier. If you’re feeling stuck in those negative emotions, seek help from a professional dog trainer and if it’s right for you, seek a pet loss support group or therapist. There are plenty of ways to make this new chapter of life much more doable. 

Sebastian Puppy Training Expert

 Vero Beach, Treasure Coast Puppy Training

Investing time in your puppy’s leash walking skills is a worthy decision. You have many years of adventures ahead, and they’ll be much more enjoyable if your dog can happily walk at your side when on their leash. 

If you’d like some more puppy training tips, you can download my free ultimate puppy training guide, you’ll find the link in the footer of this page. 

Inside you’ll find easy to follow training advice to help you understand how your puppy learns, plus crate training, potty training, puppy biting and a socialization checklist.