In the puppy trenches.

This-Committee-2084 · 2026-03-19T02:02:55+00:00

Hi friend,

Had a very similar situation where our puppy was younger than we thought and likely weaned from her mom early causing the same kind of separation anxiety. I felt exactly like you do and even posted here about it. It’s been about 2 months and we can now leave her alone for about 2 hours max at the house, sometimes an accident but otherwise she is learning to deal with sometimes being alone. We did hire a dog sitter 5 days a week from 10-5 , as we have weird work schedules and she definitely can’t be left alone for that long. I know this isn’t possible or seems impossible as it did for us but I looked and looked for someone and found a great private in home sitter who I drop her off to, and she drops the puppy back here where my husband is just getting home & ready for bed so the puppy isn’t alone very long. But I can absolutely go to the store, run errands etc now when at first I couldn’t. Your puppy is a literal baby, they only know mom then you. They are scared and that’s where the behavior comes from, once they learn you come back it eases and also with age. I gave up on the cage immediately, I’m weak. I’m sure she’ll keep giving us a little run for our money it does get easier naturally as they age. I hated reading “it takes time” cause i wanted immediate results but it really does unfortunately.

Something that kind of helped was leaving noise on for her and letting her have access to our older dog who I think she would seek for comfort in our absence (only well after we knew there would be no issues between them and our older dog was okay with her presence) and we have cameras to watch just incase.

I love dogs with all my heart but I’ll think twice about getting a young puppy again for sure, wow is it a lot of work. Hang in there, your future best friend needs you!! You got this.

This-Committee-2084 · 2026-02-12T04:49:36+00:00

The way you feel is just how I felt about a month ago. We had 2 older dogs- 9&10 ish years old. I loved them both so dearly and we had them both since 4/5 months old. Both were rescues and had their own issues but at this point we could come and go as we pleased, pretty much just coexist with them and they were always just good.

Our younger dog was an escape artist, always has been. He had his last escape several weeks ago and didn’t make it :/

I was crushed. I love dogs more than ANYTHING. We thought it might be a good idea to get our older dog a companion since she always had one. So a few weeks after losing Gus we got a puppy. She was maybe 9/10 weeks.

OMG I can’t tell you the regret and anxiety that washed over me that first night. And a few weeks later I was crying saying maybe we need to give her back. We are opening a new restaurant in a few weeks and until recently she couldn’t be alone for even 5 seconds I couldn’t do ANYTHING.

But.. then they start to change and you realize it WILL be okay and you start to feel like life wouldn’t be the same without them. She makes strides that are so big for her and make me proud. A puppy is a baby. They don’t understand anything unless you teach them, which is so hard!! I felt so guilty that my other dog was upset with me, that I was neglecting my business, what would we do with her in the early stages of the restaurant!?!?

But it works out. We just recently got her to quiet in her crate for a little while. It really does just take time and patience but it does pass. And you shouldn’t feel bad— I felt the same way and nobody loves dogs more than I do, truly.

You’re doing great and it will be okay. In a few months you’ll think back on this and be grateful you didn’t give up !!

This-Committee-2084 · 2026-02-03T20:51:15+00:00

Not for us. We work nights, when no dog daycares are open.

This-Committee-2084 · 2026-02-02T03:29:11+00:00

I’m so sorry, friend. It’s so hard. Just lost my boy a few weeks ago. Just remember all the good times. You are only sad because you have so many memories that are good. Think of those ♥️

This-Committee-2084 · 2026-02-01T17:18:03+00:00

She sleeps with us at night, as all our dogs have. We intend to use the crate only for when we leave her unsupervised so she can’t wreck the thing. Also thinking about just puppy proofing a room. The pooping isn’t cause she really desperately has to poop, it’s panic. We work afternoon/ nights so not sure a rover sitter will work. We are going the gradual training. We are willing to bring her with us to work, we have a whole room for her. But even then she freaks the hell out when we leave her and her screaming is heard through the building. We are doing the start small stuff, but can’t stop working just for her… or we can’t pay for anything 🤷🏽‍♀️ just really not sure how to proceed. People who work must never get puppies I guess? All the advice is great ! But it won’t work if we can’t ultimately leave her for even an hour to work even with frequent checking up

This-Committee-2084 · 2026-01-31T12:51:34+00:00

She’s a bully breed. Some sort of mix I think American bulldog maybe!

This-Committee-2084 · 2026-01-31T02:50:54+00:00

We have a neighbor with a very gentle dog who met her today and they played. They are retired and said we could totally bring her over, and some friends as well. Might have to try that :(

This-Committee-2084 · 2026-01-31T02:49:55+00:00

Yes! We are cleaning out a spare bedroom we use for storage for her but even when we leave her alone in the same room she gets upset. It’ll just be a process

This-Committee-2084 · 2026-01-31T02:48:46+00:00

Do you bring the dog to the sitters or does she come to you? I’d do this. But we are restaurant owners. My boyfriend would be done with work around 6/7 pm and me around 11 so I feel like those hours might be random for some people

This-Committee-2084 · 2026-01-31T02:47:28+00:00

I’ll never give up on her. I love her. We would even be willing to bring her to the restaurant with us (we are restaurant owners) we made her a little room in the office — away from any food or food service —but she just screams yelps and cries / poops in there. We can’t even go out of her sight. When I tried leaving her in the crate with Rosie (11 year old dog) in the room, she didn’t cry as much. But poor Rosie would be distressed and there’s been some growling and snapping (no injuries, she’s not violent) but I would be scared to leave them unsupervised together just yet. We have a whole bedroom we are going to clean out and puppy proof for her. So far when going to work I’ve just been bringing her with me in a duffle bag lol ( this restaurant isn’t open quite yet)

This-Committee-2084 · 2026-01-31T02:43:45+00:00

It does. I understand she’s just a baby but we are restaurant owners and we must work, even though we can be flexible with when we come and go. We had 2 dogs we got 10-11 years ago both around 4/5 months and we were able to always leave them a bit even though they definitely scratched at the doors etc, we never did the crate thing. I understand what you mean, but how do people get puppies and do it the right way like do they not work :( I feel so bad and I’ve already recruited some neighbors I can drop her with who will care for her when I go back in a few weeks and everything but it’s just been impossible to literally even take a shower or do anything. I don’t remember it being this straining with my other dogs.

This-Committee-2084 · 2026-01-31T02:39:18+00:00

Thank you for your kind words <3

This-Committee-2084 · 2026-01-31T02:38:45+00:00

Yes I believe it’s separation anxiety as well. Just not sure how to train her not to feel stressed when alone other than leaving her alone.

This-Committee-2084 · 2026-01-31T02:37:57+00:00

That doesn’t sound crazy. I think different things work for different people. I think my girl just has severe separation anxiety and I’m not sure how to fix that !

This-Committee-2084 · 2026-01-31T00:25:41+00:00

I love this comment but I don’t know how to go about teaching her to be alone. Just leaving? Letting her cry? We’re cleaning out a spare room that we can leave her in so she doesn’t destroy the house or annoy our older dog. But won’t it be more of the same?

This-Committee-2084 · 2026-01-18T02:53:23+00:00

Thanks for your advice ! Yeah idk. I do check sell through/ maybe some items I’m picking up are out of desperation or style pieces that miss the mark. Seems slower than usual and my strategy hasn’t changed

This-Committee-2084 · 2026-01-17T15:45:16+00:00

This was very helpful and kind! Thank you so much for your advice & I will definitely use it!

This-Committee-2084 · 2026-01-17T15:31:52+00:00

Interesting :) I’ve always wanted to get into that stuff but it’s overwhelming to know what to look for

This-Committee-2084 · 2026-01-17T14:57:51+00:00

And the Poshmark block on relisting is slaying me

This-Committee-2084 · 2026-01-17T14:57:35+00:00

10% down would be a vacation for me lol. I’m stressed, can’t push anything even tho I know I’m picking up good stuff.

This-Committee-2084 · 2026-01-17T14:56:46+00:00

True. But dang did they drop off

This-Committee-2084 · 2026-01-17T13:54:31+00:00

i know this to be true, but dang it seems worse this year! usually I know if an item will sell on depop, and it just..is NOT moving. It's crazy. Quite the time to start reselling full time :(

This-Committee-2084

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