# Anyone else suffered "buyers remorse"? (kinda long)



## missc89 (Jan 20, 2015)

As many of you daily users know, I've been anticipating the coming of an Australian Shepherd puppy since January and have not stopped talking about it since (sorry lol)

Well, I was away for the last three days visiting the BEAUTIFUL town of St-John's, Newfoundland for work. Well, it was supposed to be for work, but something happened and we got an impromptu 1.5 day vacation (I don't count departure day as a vacation haha. I will start a thread about this in the 'off topic' forum later this week.) 

I don't know what it was about having a vacation in another city, but when I got back I started watching Kikopup videos on youtube so that I could take notes and have a general idea of what I would like to do with my pup when I get him. (rambling, sorry!)

Anyway, I don't know _why_, but all of a sudden, as I'm being my regular researchy-nerdy self, I suddenly get this pit-fall feeling of "oh no... what have I just gotten myself in to". Don't get me wrong, I am SO excited to get this dog, I've been waiting for SO LONG, but I think it's suddenly hitting me how hard this is _really_ going to be, and I'm kind of hoping others have felt the same way, because then it probably wouldn't seem so .. huge.


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## parus (Apr 10, 2014)

Yes, lol. That's why now I only get adult dogs.


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## Dog Person (Sep 14, 2012)

I love puppies and the "hard work" only lasts for a short while. It is not that hard IMO but you have to keep at it. My wife potty trained our last dog in about 2 weeks when Maggie was 2 or 3 months old and Zoey was trained in about 3 weeks when she was about 4 or 5 months old. We are not into hhaving a highly trained dog so both knew the basics but that's where we stopped.

Everything else just takes time and patients but watching the pup grow up is a great experience. It is such a short time that they are problematic and then they grow out of it.


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## Effisia (Jun 20, 2013)

Yeah, for a few weeks (months?) after we got Annabel, I would get these moments of "What were we _thinking_?! This is insane! This is totally a mistake and there's no way we can handle this!" Luckily Annabel was as easy as they come, but of course now that we're getting a second puppy, I'm having all those thoughts again. All the time. But they always go away and I realize all the reasons we want the new pup and remember how awesome it was to have a puppy around, too.


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## ForTheLoveOfDogs (Jun 3, 2007)

I had none with my "first" puppy. I had been waiting 10+ years to have an Australian Shepherd and gosh darnit I was going to enjoy every moment. I did. 

With new puppy coming in a week and a half... I'm just.. so terrified. So yes. I understand completely and it is normal to feel the buyers remorse. Usually that comes after the puppy I had thought.. but nope! It can hit you at any time! I'm sure things will be just fine after you get over the more difficult parts of puppy ownership. Sometimes you just have to take a step back and remember that it doesn't last that long. Before you know it you can't imagine life without them.


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## lil_fuzzy (Aug 16, 2010)

It's hard work, but so worth it  And the hardest part is the first few weeks. Once you get some training going it gets a lot easier. It's still really time consuming because you have to watch them and guide them in the right direction all the time, but once you settle into a routine and the puppy starts to listen to commands, it's not too bad.


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

Every time another puppy comes home. It's part of the reason that so many of mine are 'impulseive'. Ie: I know I want a puppy or dog, and look but I can't handle the long drawn out waiting without wanting to chicken out. Then they do go home and I spend, I don't know, a couple of months thinking I've made the worst mistake ever.

After that, though? All better. Usually. Thud is was more like a couple of years ;-) But he's my guy, now.


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## Nissa M (Nov 3, 2014)

I get it. I am no expert at this raising a puppy thing, and I have a hard time putting what I do know now into words, but I do get this. It's actually such a scary thing, that moment where you realize that things really will change - and when he arrives, that they really have changed - and that there's no backing out. Honestly, the anxiety I experienced leading up to the day of my pup's arrival was surpassed only by the sheer chaos and "OH GOD WHAT HAVE I DONE" feels that two weeks worth of too little sleep and too much obsessing over making sure I followed every bit of advice word for word all the time caused. Like you, I waited so long. watched SO MUCH kikopup. read all the Ian Dunbar. ordered Control Unleashed Puppy. read all the threads on anything to do with having a puppy on here (I was a first rate lurker). and and and... I get it. 

When he arrived, the puppy felt like a stranger and I felt like I had made a giant mistake. We're now 6 months in and it would be impossible for me to summarize the hugeness of the transformation that's taken place. Honestly, the first little while is _hard_. It just is. It's also _so weird and so_ hilarious and _such_ a very cool thing to be a part of, watching and helping something grow up to be the best thing it can be. As time passes (and some days are going to be better than others), and you slowly get to know each other, things start to become easier. More fun. More rewarding. And then you find yourself, a few months in, laughing about the insanity of the beginning and remembering why it was you chose to do this funny thing in the first place. A few more months, and you can't imagine life without them. After that... well, I don't know yet. But I get the feeling that it's all probably, definitely worth it


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

I had at least three major freak-outs in the first two weeks or so after Toast came home along the lines of DEAR GOD WHAT HAVE I DONE. I think it's pretty common and normal. Now you could go ahead and try to pry him out of my cold, dead fingers.


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## chimunga (Aug 29, 2014)

I had the worse buyers remorse for the first month I had him. Because I had no idea what I was getting into. He was a jerk. A bitey little monster. There were so many times when I was like "Oh god, what have I done, what if he's like this forever..." But her wasn't. And we got past it. And now he's amazing. ^_^ Just gotta make it through. 

And this is mostly on subject. After being around you guys for a while, sometimes I wish I got a dog from a better breeder. I love my breeder. She's a really sweet lady. Open and honest, and I can ask her anything. But after seeing some of the things the breeders around here do, she's kinda...subpar. She socialized the pups, and the parents are all tested, but I feel like there's a lot more she could have done while he was a puppy. 

But then again, she also gave me Watson, and he's the wonderful little light of my life. No other breeder could have given me exactly _him_.


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## luv mi pets (Feb 5, 2012)

I think we all do go through it. life has a way of dealing with that though. When you take that grey muzzled head into your hands and you look into those cloudy eyes you forget all about those crazy puppy days and wonder where the years have gone. Puppy days seem long when you are living through them but remembering them it seems so short.


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## ForTheLoveOfDogs (Jun 3, 2007)

chimunga said:


> And this is mostly on subject. After being around you guys for a while, sometimes I wish I got a dog from a better breeder. I love my breeder. She's a really sweet lady. Open and honest, and I can ask her anything. But after seeing some of the things the breeders around here do, she's kinda...subpar. She socialized the pups, and the parents are all tested, but I feel like there's a lot more she could have done while he was a puppy.
> 
> But then again, she also gave me Watson, and he's the wonderful little light of my life. No other breeder could have given me exactly _him_.


It's honestly really hard to find a breeder that does it all and even then it doesn't guarantee a good dog, healthy dog, or even the right dog for you. There are also plenty of breeders out there that do all the right things on the outside but are actually doing some really shady things. If the breeder was even just good, I wouldn't wish for better at all.


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## chimunga (Aug 29, 2014)

ForTheLoveOfDogs said:


> It's honestly really hard to find a breeder that does it all and even then it doesn't guarantee a good dog, healthy dog, or even the right dog for you. There are also plenty of breeders out there that do all the right things on the outside but are actually doing some really shady things. If the breeder was even just good, I wouldn't wish for better at all.


Very true. And like I said, I love my dog, and no one else could have given me exactly him. So no real regrets.


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## jade5280 (Feb 20, 2013)

Yes, for the first 1.5 years of Ryker's life. I loved him but I didn't enjoy him as a puppy at all. It didn't helped that he had severe SA. I think without the SA it would have been much easier.


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## taquitos (Oct 18, 2012)

Yup. Every time I foster a new dog... every time I pet sit another dog... and when I was waiting to bring my new dog home and even after that I definitely felt that sinking feeling for sure lol!

It's a lifestyle change for sure! But it'll be so rewarding 

I remember when I first adopted my dog I was like "oh my god what have I gotten myself into" lol! At the time I was fostering a dog selective, leash reactive AmStaff-x who was already a handful... and then I decided to bring my little guy home.

Meeko was a puppy mill rescue so basically it was like having a puppy. He had no control over his bladder, he didn't have any manners, he hadn't even spent that much time around people... the first few months were really tiring. First few weeks, every night he'd cry and dig at his crate. He peed on my comforters like four times without warning (no control over his bladder). He peed all over my floors. It didn't matter how often I took him out LOL I went through sooo many paper towels...

At the same time, I was working on getting the two dogs used to each other. It took weeks, but they were awesome after that... but it was SOOO stressful at first. They were always separated.

On top of that it was several more months of getting him used to the cats... and then teaching him manners lol.

There were times when I was like "why the hell did I sign up for this?" but then Meeko would show little signs of improvement.. and well, he just seemed to be enjoying life SO much and you can't really get mad at that lol


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Well first off, I don't think you can call it buyer's remorse until you've actually brought the puppy home 

Everybody feels nervous before bringing home another dog, no matter how many you've had. I'm planning to bring home a puppy in 2 months and I'm starting to freak out about it a bit. I loved when Watson was a puppy, but now I'll have Watson plus a puppy and it will be a whole new thing. Everybody feels that way though. Heck, I had a freak out for a couple weeks when we brought home our second rabbit, and rabbits are way less work than dogs. 

Do some searches on here for puppy blues and you'll see that a lot of people go through this after the puppy has come home. Also normal! Any change to your schedule is hard, and adding a puppy is really hard. But we all come through it and adjust and things become normal again. And it's so worth it!


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## d_ray (Nov 5, 2013)

Neither of mine were puppies so it was a lot easier. I had a few "what was I thinking" moments with Jewel because she was our first dog. Jasmine was a lot easier to get used to since we fostered her first so were already in a routine so to speak. In a few months, you will be so used to having your pup and will want more lol. You can always dump your pup at my place if you need a break. I will gladly dog sit 

The chaos really becomes second nature, or at least it does for me. After a year with Jewel, I was like, Okay this is easy, I want more. I'm sure in another year once the girls calm down more, I will add a third. 

Don't feel bad if you don't love the pup at first sight and just try to breathe and enjoy it as much as you can.


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## RonE (Feb 3, 2007)

Yup, it happens.

It happens to me when I wake up at 4 a.m. to the sound of three dogs barfing in our bedroom because one of them killed something and all of them ate it.

It happens when I realize that my wife and I mostly take separate vacations so that someone is home with the dogs. 

It happens when my wife calls down the stairs to my home office and says, "Molly and Zeke took off and I'm leaving for an appointment. Good luck."

Then I try to imagine a life without dogs - without all three of them. When Diane and I were first married, she was deathly allergic to dogs (as in trip-to-the-ER allergic) and we went 17 years without a dog in our house. We traveled a lot more and there were a lot fewer fur tumbleweeds rolling around the house but there was a very profound emptiness. I was haunted by frequent dreams about my last dog (as a single guy) and those dreams finally stopped when we got our first dog as a family. (My wife went through years of allergy shots.) 

We didn't screw around. None of those cute little "hypo-allergenic" dogs. We got a 115-pound black lab, and our family was completed.


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## chimunga (Aug 29, 2014)

elrohwen said:


> Do some searches on here for puppy blues and you'll see that a lot of people go through this after the puppy has come home. Also normal! Any change to your schedule is hard, and adding a puppy is really hard. But we all come through it and adjust and things become normal again. And it's so worth it!


Or you can just go back an see my threads from the beginning  I was so stressed out and I had no idea what the heck I was supposed to do.


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## kadylady (Sep 23, 2010)

CptJack said:


> Every time another puppy comes home. It's part of the reason that so many of mine are 'impulseive'. Ie: I know I want a puppy or dog, and look but I can't handle the long drawn out waiting without wanting to chicken out. Then they do go home and I spend, I don't know, a couple of months thinking I've made the worst mistake ever.
> 
> After that, though? All better. Usually. Thud is was more like a couple of years ;-) But he's my guy, now.


This is totally me as well. I think and plan and fret then finally decide, okay, yes I can have another dog right now and then I look and plan some more and then boom....here's a puppy! And then I bring them home and proceed to freak the heck out for the next several weeks, thinking I made the worst decision ever. All 3 of them. I think Zoey the most because it took me longest to start bonding with her.


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## Emavo (Mar 29, 2015)

I have a 4.5 month old Aussie pup. Not my first dog from puppyhood nor my first Aussie pooch, so I knew what I was getting into. That said, I do have, usually brief, moments of pure frustration and subsequent "buyer's remorse". I've had the occasional entire day of "PLEASE GOD, WHAT HAVE I DONE? GET ME OUT OF THIS PUPPY HELL". Usually those occur when she has no interest in listening ("Leave it" turns into "Snatch it and run as far as you can!!") and is being a little brat in general. Thankfully, these days are not the usual day and she's mostly a joy to have around!


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## HunterMuflahi (Mar 26, 2015)

kadylady said:


> This is totally me as well. I think and plan and fret then finally decide, okay, yes I can have another dog right now and then I look and plan some more and then boom....here's a puppy! And then I bring them home and proceed to freak the heck out for the next several weeks, thinking I made the worst decision ever. All 3 of them. I think Zoey the most because it took me longest to start bonding with her.


hahahah! This sounds like me...WITH EVERYTHING!!!


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## missc89 (Jan 20, 2015)

Thank you SO MUCH to everyone here who's answered. You have all made me feel a lot better already. It's funny because as soon as I wrote this thread, I went back to my photo thread about Sterling and my heart melted all over again.

To those of you who have pointed out that I should brace myself for not connecting with my dog at first sight - THANK you! That is NOT something I would have thought of, and knowing me, I would have been heart broken if I thought that my dog didn't love me right away because I am such a dog person.. (lol don't we hear that from everyone our dogs are unsure of when they meet a stranger for the first time?) But I think it's different when it's _supposed_ to be your dog and it's not love at first sight.



Nissa M said:


> I get it. I am no expert at this raising a puppy thing, and I have a hard time putting what I do know now into words, but I do get this. It's actually such a scary thing, that moment where you realize that things really will change - and when he arrives, that they really have changed - and that there's no backing out. Honestly, the anxiety I experienced leading up to the day of my pup's arrival was surpassed only by the sheer chaos and "OH GOD WHAT HAVE I DONE" feels that two weeks worth of too little sleep and too much obsessing over making sure I followed every bit of advice word for word all the time caused. Like you, I waited so long. watched SO MUCH kikopup. read all the Ian Dunbar. ordered Control Unleashed Puppy. read all the threads on anything to do with having a puppy on here (I was a first rate lurker). and and and... I get it.


This ^^^^ you and my brain are one, because this is EXACTLY how I feel, right down to the obsessive research. I love it. Thank you for letting me know I am not alone.



chimunga said:


> I had the worse buyers remorse for the first month I had him. Because I had no idea what I was getting into. He was a jerk. A bitey little monster. There were so many times when I was like "Oh god, what have I done, what if he's like this forever..." But her wasn't. And we got past it. And now he's amazing. ^_^ Just gotta make it through.
> 
> And this is mostly on subject. After being around you guys for a while, sometimes I wish I got a dog from a better breeder. I love my breeder. She's a really sweet lady. Open and honest, and I can ask her anything. But after seeing some of the things the breeders around here do, she's kinda...subpar. She socialized the pups, and the parents are all tested, but I feel like there's a lot more she could have done while he was a puppy.
> 
> But then again, she also gave me Watson, and he's the wonderful little light of my life. No other breeder could have given me exactly _him_.


I'm going to be PM'ing you a lot if that's the case!! I hope that's okay 



luv mi pets said:


> I think we all do go through it. life has a way of dealing with that though. When you take that grey muzzled head into your hands and you look into those cloudy eyes you forget all about those crazy puppy days and wonder where the years have gone. Puppy days seem long when you are living through them but remembering them it seems so short.


That is one of the best descriptions I've ever heard. Thank you for this.



Dog Person said:


> I love puppies and the "hard work" only lasts for a short while. It is not that hard IMO but you have to keep at it. My wife potty trained our last dog in about 2 weeks when Maggie was 2 or 3 months old and Zoey was trained in about 3 weeks when she was about 4 or 5 months old. We are not into hhaving a highly trained dog so both knew the basics but that's where we stopped.
> 
> Everything else just takes time and patients but watching the pup grow up is a great experience. It is such a short time that they are problematic and then they grow out of it.





Effisia said:


> Yeah, for a few weeks (months?) after we got Annabel, I would get these moments of "What were we _thinking_?! This is insane! This is totally a mistake and there's no way we can handle this!" Luckily Annabel was as easy as they come, but of course now that we're getting a second puppy, I'm having all those thoughts again. All the time. But they always go away and I realize all the reasons we want the new pup and remember how awesome it was to have a puppy around, too.





ForTheLoveOfDogs said:


> I had none with my "first" puppy. I had been waiting 10+ years to have an Australian Shepherd and gosh darnit I was going to enjoy every moment. I did.
> 
> With new puppy coming in a week and a half... I'm just.. so terrified. So yes. I understand completely and it is normal to feel the buyers remorse. Usually that comes after the puppy I had thought.. but nope! It can hit you at any time! I'm sure things will be just fine after you get over the more difficult parts of puppy ownership. Sometimes you just have to take a step back and remember that it doesn't last that long. Before you know it you can't imagine life without them.





lil_fuzzy said:


> It's hard work, but so worth it  And the hardest part is the first few weeks. Once you get some training going it gets a lot easier. It's still really time consuming because you have to watch them and guide them in the right direction all the time, but once you settle into a routine and the puppy starts to listen to commands, it's not too bad.





CptJack said:


> Every time another puppy comes home. It's part of the reason that so many of mine are 'impulseive'. Ie: I know I want a puppy or dog, and look but I can't handle the long drawn out waiting without wanting to chicken out. Then they do go home and I spend, I don't know, a couple of months thinking I've made the worst mistake ever.
> 
> After that, though? All better. Usually. Thud is was more like a couple of years ;-) But he's my guy, now.


Thank you! All of you!



taquitos said:


> Yup. Every time I foster a new dog... every time I pet sit another dog... and when I was waiting to bring my new dog home and even after that I definitely felt that sinking feeling for sure lol!
> 
> It's a lifestyle change for sure! But it'll be so rewarding
> 
> ...


This makes me feel a lot better too.




elrohwen said:


> Well first off, I don't think you can call it buyer's remorse until you've actually brought the puppy home
> 
> Everybody feels nervous before bringing home another dog, no matter how many you've had. I'm planning to bring home a puppy in 2 months and I'm starting to freak out about it a bit. I loved when Watson was a puppy, but now I'll have Watson plus a puppy and it will be a whole new thing. Everybody feels that way though. Heck, I had a freak out for a couple weeks when we brought home our second rabbit, and rabbits are way less work than dogs.
> 
> Do some searches on here for puppy blues and you'll see that a lot of people go through this after the puppy has come home. Also normal! Any change to your schedule is hard, and adding a puppy is really hard. But we all come through it and adjust and things become normal again. And it's so worth it!


As does this




d_ray said:


> Neither of mine were puppies so it was a lot easier. I had a few "what was I thinking" moments with Jewel because she was our first dog. Jasmine was a lot easier to get used to since we fostered her first so were already in a routine so to speak. In a few months, you will be so used to having your pup and will want more lol. You can always dump your pup at my place if you need a break. I will gladly dog sit
> 
> The chaos really becomes second nature, or at least it does for me. After a year with Jewel, I was like, Okay this is easy, I want more. I'm sure in another year once the girls calm down more, I will add a third.
> 
> Don't feel bad if you don't love the pup at first sight and just try to breathe and enjoy it as much as you can.


Hahaha. And I am offering the same to you! If you and DH want to go on a trip (together), don't hesitate to ask!



RonE said:


> Yup, it happens.
> 
> It happens to me when I wake up at 4 a.m. to the sound of three dogs barfing in our bedroom because one of them killed something and all of them ate it.
> 
> ...


This ^^^^ is basically where I am at right now. I can't not have a dog, no matter how scary it is.





Emavo said:


> I have a 4.5 month old Aussie pup. Not my first dog from puppyhood nor my first Aussie pooch, so I knew what I was getting into. That said, I do have, usually brief, moments of pure frustration and subsequent "buyer's remorse". I've had the occasional entire day of "PLEASE GOD, WHAT HAVE I DONE? GET ME OUT OF THIS PUPPY HELL". Usually those occur when she has no interest in listening ("Leave it" turns into "Snatch it and run as far as you can!!") and is being a little brat in general. Thankfully, these days are not the usual day and she's mostly a joy to have around!


I may PM you too because I'm also getting an Aussie !!


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

I think everybody is different, but I felt like I bonded instantly with both Watson and my first rabbit. They were both babies, and my first pets of that type, so I was prepared, had a lot of time on my hands, and just loved them immediately. Not that they necessarily bonded back with me (my rabbit still doesn't notice I exist most days ) but I was instantly attached to them. With my second rabbit, I didn't have that feeling at all. She was an adult, and I already had a rabbit who I wanted to bond her with, and it was just so hard for me. It was probably a year before I really felt connected to her but now I can't imagine not having her.

I have no idea how I'll react to my new puppy. I may be head over heels again because it's a puppy and not an adult, or I may be freaking out because adding a second dog will be such a different dynamic. I think I will probably be freaking out. haha

Really no way to know how you'll feel until you're in it, but whatever you feel, know that it will be normal!


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## ChelseaOliver (Nov 5, 2014)

I bonded with my puppy instantly but I spent the first couple of months, at least, wondering what the hell I did on a daily basis. I'd never raised a puppy before but worked with animals for years, so I did know what was coming. Peggy was an EASY puppy, but I am an anxious person and the issues she did have (eating stuff off the ground, which led to a resolved obstruction, toxicity with neuro symptoms and a horrific allergic reaction all within months) made me almost crazy. Now at 10 months old, I have no idea what I'd do without her or what I did before her, and seeing her relationship blossom with my older DA pit bull mix has been one of the most wonderful things I've ever experienced. I look at her now and I'm more proud of what I've accomplished with her than of anything else in my life. You're gonna hate life for awhile, but it's worth it  On that note, I'm also not a puppy person - I don't plan on ever having one from that young again.


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## ireth0 (Feb 11, 2013)

I definitely had a 'moment' when I first saw Luna. Literally I stopped in my tracks. Call it love at first sight, maybe. But the first few months I also felt like I had made a huge mistake, and maybe we weren't ready for a dog after all, and maybe this wasn't the right choice for our family, and omg what had I done?!? And Luna was a pretty darn easy dog to assimilate into our home for the most part.

It didn't help that at the time I was working and my BF was at home with her, so there was also some jealousy and resentment from me that he was forming a bond with her and I wasn't.

I think part of it too was having volunteered at the shelter for a couple years at that time, I was used to having a certain level of separation of emotion from the dogs. I care for them, and I do my best for them, and I want happy endings for all of them, and some even tug at my heartstrings, and some I've cried for. But, at least for me, I try to keep a certain level of emotional distance to keep my sanity. They aren't -my- dogs. I think some of that distance carried over when Luna came home. She wasn't -my- dog, she was an -SPCA- dog.

I think it was probably 2-4 months before I -really- felt connected to her. Now? You couldn't pry her from my cold dead fingers.


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## Flaming (Feb 2, 2013)

Last night when BOTH dogs had the squirts. 

I have no clue what they ate.


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## chimunga (Aug 29, 2014)

missc89 said:


> I'm going to be PM'ing you a lot if that's the case!! I hope that's okay


^_^ Feel free. I am no expert in anything. But I do know that "Oh god oh god what am I doing" feeling. 

And I wouldn't worry about bonding with the puppy. Think of yourself like the father of the puppy. Sometimes men bond instantly with their children, right away. Just like that. And then with some men, it takes a little more time. The kid has to grow up a little bit and get some personality before you can really feel the love. But it'll happen. So don't stress. 

My bonding with Watson was instant but not really. I was very drawn to him from the first picture. My breeder said don't get attached to any particular puppy, because she might pick a different puppy to place with me. I told her that was okay, she knew more about puppies than me. But from the first time I saw him, I knew he was the one. And I didn't even tell the breeder that. At about 6 weeks, she said "So I think I'm going to place #3 with you" (Puppy #3 was Watson) and I was like "OMG that's the one I've wanted all along!" I think it was kismit. 



He's the one on the bottom far left with the spot on his neck. I just knew. He still has that spot ^_^

Then I got him, and I tried to love him, but for a month it was just terrible. Horrible. I tried so hard, but I felt more of a bond to the puppy he was in the picture than the puppy he was in real life. Where was that sweet little posed dog? I asked for that dog, not a land shark who just didn't understand that I only wanted to love him. And then slowly, slowly he started turning back into the puppy in the pictures. Only better. Because I had helped him become what he was. I had taught him cute little tricks, and manners, and not to bite. That was me. So I guess it was good that he was terrible. It gave us even more of a chance to bond, because we were training constantly, and it gave us this great opportunity to grow together.


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## Alla (Mar 25, 2015)

Yeahhhhh I'm still in that period of "dear god what have i done". I've only had my Porsche for 2.5 weeks, but it is getting slightly better. Scary that for some people this can last for years! I'm lucky though, Porsche is a low energy adult with excellent manners. I've got it easy lol, and still the feeling is there.


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## 5 s corral (Dec 31, 2007)

I adopt 5 and older but I also am 58 lol


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

I can relate. When we brought Boone home, 9 years ago, I had sunshine & rainbow dreams. That didn't last long. He was *the* hardest dog i've ever had. Part of me could have sent the little poop back for the first four years. That's about how long it took for him to develop a brain. He is still the weirdest dog we've ever had but i love him.


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## Rescued (Jan 8, 2012)

oh god yes. it does get better. I had a full on near panic attack when grey + litter/mom came to my house to foster, and i have fostered about 4328904832 times before. Same thing when her littermates left, and then months later when we ended up finalizing her adoption.

Totally normal.


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## missc89 (Jan 20, 2015)

Well it turns out that my "awesome" breeder is an old school breeder that sends pups home at 7 weeks. 

I'm feeling a little betrayed and embarrassed, because I was singing this breeders praise and from what I have read the puppies shouldn't be sent home until 8 weeks.

However, I am going to own up to this inexperienced mistake and make the best life for my puppy regardless, because if I can't do this then I really shouldn't consider myself a dog rehabilitationist in the making. Also, a few other members have reassured me that there are worse things than getting a dog at the age of 7 weeks. I just wish there was more of a universal standard for things like this. 

Anyway! He is adorable and I already fell in love with him (he went after my boob as soon as I picked him up and then he fell asleep with my finger in his mouth. I was hooked) and I just...can't be without him already. I will do everything for this dog and no matter how long it takes for him to bond to me, it will so be worth it in the end. Hearing all of your stories has helped me be convinced of that.

Thank you All.


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## chimunga (Aug 29, 2014)

missc89 said:


> Well it turns out that my "awesome" breeder is an old school breeder that sends pups home at 7 weeks.
> 
> I'm feeling a little betrayed and embarrassed, because I was singing this breeders praise and from what I have read the puppies shouldn't be sent home until 8 weeks.
> 
> ...


See my previous comments about Watson's breeder ^_^ There is _always _going to be a better breeder out there.


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## missc89 (Jan 20, 2015)

Thank you a.lot. ^-^


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## luv mi pets (Feb 5, 2012)

I always have the biggest remorse the first night. No pillow is ever big enough to drown out the sound of that puppy wailing in the middle of the night. It is no longer a 'cute' puppy! Sleep is impossible and what little you get that night is not enough. I think what have I done. Big remorse till the pup learns to sleep through the night.


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## missc89 (Jan 20, 2015)

Not looking forward to that but I am looking forward to everything afterwards!


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## parus (Apr 10, 2014)

Personally, I have a few non-negotiables and sending home pups too young is one of them. I think it's unethical. It bothers me more than skipping certain health tests and whatnot.


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