Let’s start with me. I can get anxious. Anxiety doesn’t surface in all stressful situations, but when it does, it comes HARD. My partner and I just had the brilliant idea to adopt a puppy from our favorite local rescue. And you guessed it, I’ve been anxiety riddled ever since.
Everything I do, I feel like I’m going to break her. It’s not the same feeling I see lots of people here sharing. I don’t feel guilty that I may not be able to satisfy her needs. I do however feel afraid that I might inadvertently reinforce the wrong behaviors and turn her into an antisocial and potentially aggressive dog.
She’s very shy. She typically starts walks with her tail down and sometimes barks at people (mostly men) passing by. It’s weird that she’s not scared of me…. So of course my first thought was to seek help. All advice on the internet pulls me in different directions. I feel like it’s researching how to raise a child as if it’s a one size fits all answer. News break: it’s not.
It’s not that throwing money at problems always fixes them, but damn, I’m hoping that spending money on a good trainer might help me learn how to read her better and help her grow to be a confident dog. The caveat: the trainer isn’t available for another month!
So. Here I am. Anxiety riddled and thinking of any excuse to give her back to the rescue. Hell, Id do anything to get rid of this feeling. Unfortunately puppies don’t take Apple Pay. She’s also not crazy about treats, toys, or anything else I can offer. So what do I do? I have almost a month until I can speak with a good and reliable trainer, and I feel the worst anxiety I’ve felt in ages. I can’t help but reminisce about the peace I took for granted before making this decision.
So let it rip. I’m open to criticism, tough love, and advice. Someone please tell me everything’s going to be fine.
submitted by /u/Majestic_Wheel_9970
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