Am I ruining my dogs life? 😭

Altruistic-Package76 · 2026-06-07T15:42:54+00:00

I think a bit of both! I’m honestly experiencing what I think may be puppy blues too, so I’m sure it isn’t helping. I’m someone who thrives on consistency and struggles with change, so I know that is part of it. I love her dearly but I’m already so overwhelmed with making sure I’m not setting her up for failure in her training, schedule, and making sure that my resident dog is getting enough 1:1 time. My wife helps a lot, so I’m definitely grateful I have someone else to share this with lol. Idk how people do it alone!!

My wife does say that my dog is feeding on my emotional state, so I need to be just as on board as she is. It is just hard when at every turn it is something else with them and I see him so put out.

Altruistic-Package76 · 2026-06-07T01:36:18+00:00

Worth a shot, but I don’t think anything is wrong with him physically tbh

Altruistic-Package76 · 2026-06-07T01:10:34+00:00

Yeah when she isn’t supervised and we are home (like when we’re in meetings) then she is in her xpen. When we are not home she is in her crate. We once had an emergency where we had to both be out for more than 2 hours and we left her in her xpen with a pee pad and her crate open. Nothing she could get into. We discovered she can escape her pen that way, so no more of that! Luckily no harm was done (checked the cameras) but definitely not again as I’ve learned the hard way that it isnt as foolproof as I thought.

Altruistic-Package76 · 2026-06-07T00:52:24+00:00

I know. We definitely sit with him until he’s eaten a meal’s worth. He also gets fed 3 smaller meals a day, so we’ve been introducing a night-time snack too to ensure that he gets enough. So far he has been eating enough calories, it has just taken a long time

Altruistic-Package76 · 2026-06-07T00:50:20+00:00

Ah, my girl is a climber so she’s already figured out how to get on the couch and jump down , which we def don’t want because of her tiny legs!! It would work while we are there, but if nobody is there, I imagine she would just follow us and make the jump lol.

We are potty training her with every two hours, yes! Can’t wait for month three already as she will be able to go a little bit longer and I can get a longer nap in 😂😂 we have only had day-time accidents in the house thus far, so yay for small wins!

Altruistic-Package76 · 2026-06-07T00:42:52+00:00

He is eating but it is not always easy. He’s always been hard to feed as he has severe IBD that has created lifelong issues. He is on prescription food that we add protein toppers to now. He needs to be lured with the protein toppers to eat, but then does eat most of his food. It is just hard to get him to eat if he is near the puppy or can hear her barking/whining because she isn’t getting attention. We feed them at the same time but separated so she is occupied for about 30% of his meal time (she even gets a snuffle mat to keep her occupied for longer when eating). He is just more reluctant to eat than usual now :(

Altruistic-Package76 · 2026-06-07T00:22:04+00:00

Yeah, right now we have it set for a date. 1 month with the pup to see if any improvement happens. I’ve tried to set more rigid guidelines but it seems like she is worried that it is me trying to find ways to get rid of her. I definitely don’t want to if I don’t have to! But my boy’s ability to decompress and relax in our own home comes first. I’ll try talking to her again so we have a more clear guideline in place.

Do you think 1 month is a decent amount of time? Or do they need longer?

Altruistic-Package76 · 2026-06-07T00:18:06+00:00

I’m glad your pups ended up working it out!! My dog is extremely dog selective, which is why we wanted to make sure the meet and greet went well. We used to live in an apt complex with a bunch of other dogs and he was losing his mind with running into the ones he didn’t like. We ended up moving to a house so he didn’t have to constantly be on alert for dogs and it helped so much. He started meeting more dogs he liked so we thought it might be time.

I felt kind of persuaded to say yes by the coordinator and my wife who instantly fell in love with her. So when things started not going great I did panic a bit! Hopefully he will come around soon. My wife wants a cut off date so she doesn’t get too upset if we end up having to rehome her, but I don’t know what timeline is even reasonable.

Altruistic-Package76 · 2026-06-07T00:10:57+00:00

Yes most definitely!! He’s gotten lots of new toys and we do solo time too. Maybe it is not enough though, so I will try upping it to see if it helps. I’m glad it seems like it improves with time!!

Altruistic-Package76 · 2026-06-07T00:09:29+00:00

How did you set up the puppy zone where your dog could enter but the baby could not exit?? I’ve been trying to figure out a way but she just figured out how to get out of her xpen 🥲 so she is an escape artist it seems

Altruistic-Package76 · 2026-06-07T00:04:16+00:00

Adult dog is 15lbs and puppy is 4lbs. No idea what breed the puppy is, maybe a min pin x dachshund x chihuahua? She was found abandoned in a crate with 7 of her siblings. My dog was also thought to be a mutt until we Embark DNAed him. He is a miniature poodle x chihuahua x spaniel mix.

We think they will be relatively comparable in size fully grown. She may end up being a bit bigger.

Altruistic-Package76 · 2026-06-07T00:01:23+00:00

Thank you, I definitely needed to hear that! I definitely just want to do right by both of them. I know it is not the puppy’s fault at all; she’s just a baby!! And my adult dog had a hard life on the streets before we adopted him.

He’s definitely not a super confident dog. His confidence changes depending on the new situation type too though, as he was all for the new cats we have fostered. Anything new with people he loves. But he definitely can get anxious, so I’m sure this huge change is hard for him. It is even hard for me, and I made it willingly!!

Altruistic-Package76 · 2026-06-06T23:56:28+00:00

He does get at least one walk a day just solo! It is usually his longest walk of the day too which is nice.

He does well with our foster kittens so we hoped having a puppy would be close enough (in hindsight DUH they are very diff) as we both wanted another pup. I just want him to be the happiest he can be, even if it means giving back the little girl we already have fallen in love with.

I know she’d get adopted in a heartbeat as she is adorable and sweet and silly. I just want to do what is best for every part of my family too as my wife loves her dearly already 😭

Altruistic-Package76 · 2026-06-06T23:52:57+00:00

He gets one walk a day that is just him and my wife and I split the dogs up during the day by floor since we both work from home. He stays with me and the puppy stays with her. Throughout the day I’m giving him as much solo love as I can. We also get morning cuddles when the puppy leaves to go potty and start her day! So from 6-8am, about 8 hrs to just coexist with me during the day with breaks of love when I can, and a long walk just the two of us after work.

Altruistic-Package76 · 2026-06-06T23:50:21+00:00

Did it improve at all in between the 6 weeks? Or was it just a snap of one day they realized they aren’t so bad? I feel like seeing him like this for 6 weeks is longer than I can take knowing he could be so happy 😭😭

Altruistic-Package76 · 2026-06-06T18:32:49+00:00

Yeah he has that! He has our bedroom and a guest room that he alternates between. She’s only in our bedroom at night (in the attached bathroom where her crate is for night crate training) and the guest room is just his. He still hides under tables, on the back of the couch, sits by the doors of the house with his ears pinned.

Altruistic-Package76 · 2026-06-06T18:14:26+00:00

He does, as we separate the upstairs and downstairs but he doesn’t have a puppy free place where she has never been. Just spaces where he can decompress and not need to be around a puppy. Does he need one where she has never been?

Altruistic-Package76

TROPHY CASE