Give Yourself a Break

When it comes to having a dog or a puppy, people are often surprised with how many emotions are tied up with it. There are a lot of positives, but there are a lot of negative feelings too.

You now have a whole other life you are responsible for, and a lot of your waking hours are spent thinking about their wellbeing. 

Am I feeding them enough? Are they getting enough exercise? Do they have enough friends? Am I training them the right things? 

The list of questions is endless, and it doesn’t help that the information you find - whether it comes from those you ask directly or the answers you find by stress-Googling - is extremely varied! Even between professionals, you probably won’t get a clear cut answer to all your questions, which can leave any person feeling overwhelmed.

Then there’s dealing with the dog themselves! No one ever prepares you for how much poop you have to clean up, and if you have a young pup, for the crying, neediness and truly, how much time you have to put into their care.

It is basically like having a new baby, except this one has a whole heap of fur and experiences life extremely differently to us.

The guilt that comes with realising you don’t feel happy all the time with your new furbaby is a complex one. Your friends are all liking and commenting on the pictures you share, but they aren’t seeing the 4am wakeups, the furniture you’re trying to rearrange to keep it safe (after you realised it was chewable), or the constant stress of thinking of ‘I wonder what the dog is doing…?’ 

Long gone seem the days when you could just sit in front of the TV with a nice warm drink without being prepared to leap up at a moment's notice.

So what can we do about that kind of anxiety? How do we bring back the sunshine and rainbows - the joy that is so synonymous with having a fur companion?

Ask for Help

Yes, it can be hard to figure out what advice to take when every man and his dog (excuse the pun!) has some sort of opinion on what to do for any situation, but there is a bit of a range. Gary from round the block who is offering unsolicited advice is probably not the person to rely on - but those people who have success with their own dogs or educators who are transparent with their methods and have good recommendations, they have more credibility than others.

It’s not just about training where you should reach out for support either. It’s tiring living every waking moment thinking about what you will do with your dog next!
If you need to have a breather, ask someone you trust to dog-sit for a couple of hours so you can go out for dinner somewhere - or drop them off with your parents so that you can properly sit in the bath without worrying you might have an unexpected furry visitor join you in the tub.

Even if it is just finding someone trusted to talk about how you’re feeling, remember that a problem shared is a problem halved. Besides, most people are happy to help when there are pooches involved!

Use Management Strategies

Just like you baby proof a house - dog proof your space! Management is setting the environment up so that your dog is more likely to succeed, and that gives you a chance to have a bit of a breather, rather than being vigilant every moment.

There are two main things we can recommend- that we have seen REALLY help people out.

• Crate training: knowing you can pop your dog away, where they are contained, safe, and relaxed, means you feel happy to go out for a coffee, to pick up the groceries, or have a much needed nap. 
• Baby gates/puppy pens: blocking off areas you don’t want your dog to have access to is so much easier than trying to call them away from the space every moment. This management system can also be implemented just by shutting doors.

Management and setup is one piece of the puzzle to having a well trained dog - so it shouldn't be overlooked!

And finally... Pat Yourself on the Back

You’re trying your best. We all are. Some days are a planned enrichment program, or a big exciting adventure to the beach with some training chucked in. But some days it’s a five minute walk to make sure they’ve toileted and something to chew on before you leave for the day. If you keep on doing your best, building your knowledge, and making sure you lean on others when times are hard so that your dog is getting the best - you can give yourself a pat on the back. 

You don’t have to do everything, all the time, all at once. Besides, no matter what kind of day you’re having, or how you’re feeling, look out for your best mate’s tail wag when you go see them next. They think you’re absolutely super.



​Authored by Sarah Endres
Dog Trainer and Behaviour Advisor