Update on our new puppy adventure

TL;DR:

Picked up our puppy during a New England blizzard, hotel stay was chaos, drove through the night, got home Sunday. Puppy cried nonstop at first, I slept on the floor, but last night he finally slept 4 hours straight 🎉. He’s sweet, smart, mostly potty trained, and we’re doing baby‑wipe “baths” so we don’t overwhelm him. First vet visit is tomorrow. I should practice a car ride and crate‑door time today, but I’m exhausted. Weather has been rough but improving. Puppy kindergarten starts in March. Conflicting advice online is making me lose my mind, but overall he’s a really good boy — I’m just tired and stressed and hoping it gets easier soon.

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We picked up our little guy on Saturday afternoon in New England… right as a massive blizzard warning hit. The drive home was surprisingly smooth — he cried for the first hour but then he slept most of the time — but the hotel stay was a bit of a disaster. He was so confused by all the new smells, and I was too nervous to let him walk around freely because of parvo/germ worries. We stayed a few hours before realizing none of us were going to sleep, and since we planned to leave at 6 AM anyway to beat the storm, we just packed up and drove through the night.

We made it home Sunday midday.

Sunday was rough — he cried and cried, and that first night I ended up sleeping on the floor next to his exercise pen. We were all exhausted and trying to figure each other out.

BUT last night he slept four full hours without crying 🎉🎉 which felt like a miracle.

He’s genuinely a really good puppy: smart, sweet, already basically potty trained, and the breeder gave him a great head start with crate training. He also really needs a bath, but we’re holding off and sticking to baby wipes for now because we don’t want to overwhelm him on top of everything else.

The weather has been tough (blizzard = no outdoor play), but thankfully it’s above freezing today here in the Mid‑Atlantic, so we finally got some outside time.

His first vet visit is tomorrow, and I know I should take him on a short practice car ride today and work on closing the crate door… but honestly, I’m so tired I don’t know if I have it in me. My partner and I are wiped out — I’m the primary daytime person while he works — and I’ve definitely been using ChatGPT more than I should, to figure out what to do 😅.

The hardest part so far is the conflicting advice online. Everyone says something different, and it’s overwhelming when you’re sleep‑deprived.

We start puppy kindergarten the first week of March, and I’m hoping that helps us all get into a rhythm.

Overall, he’s a good, smart, sweet puppy… I’m just stressed and tired and trying my best.

Please tell me it gets better soon — I could use the reassurance. I’m also trying to find a new job at the same time but that has taken a total back burner.