My pup is turning one soon, and I’ve been thinking about what this first year has actually been like. She’s a blue merle collie × golden retriever mix – gorgeous, clever, funny, intense, chaotic, sweet, affectionate… and honestly exhausting at times.
I definitely expected things to be easier than they were. I imagined training sessions paying off quickly and peaceful hikes where she stuck close and calm. The reality has been overstimulation, noise, regressions, selective hearing, and endless consistency. Trainers help, but in the end you’re the one putting in the hours every single day.
I also didn’t realise how much the breeder choice would matter. I chose the puppy who caught my eye, not the calmest temperament, and a year later she still has all that wild energy. Socialising her early with a small group of stable dogs really helped though; she gets on brilliantly with others.
Adolescence has honestly been the hardest stage so far. More barking, more chewing, more struggle to settle. Some days it feels like she’s forgotten everything. I’m told it’s normal, but wow, it’s rough.
Lead walking has also been a slow burn. I didn’t start early enough and definitely regret that, breaking habits is so much harder than building good ones from the start.
The crate has genuinely saved us, especially recently. I even brought it back at 11 months, and it made a huge difference. And sleep… sleep matters so much more than I realised. Too much stimulation makes her worse, not better.
Introducing her to my cat was another long journey. They can share space now, and my cat still gets the upstairs as his safe area. It’s not Instagram-cute cuddling, but it’s peaceful, and that’s more than I thought at one stage.
Despite all the chaos, she has some amazing qualities: she’s been great with people, brilliant with most dogs, toilet trained quickly, slept through the night from tiny, and is genuinely sweet and cuddly when her brain isn’t in overdrive.
It’s been a messy, overwhelming, lovely, frustrating, very real first year, but we’re muddling through together.
If you’ve got a high-drive dog, did year one feel like this for you too? When did things start to ease off?
submitted by /u/jpeachie
[link] [comments]