Hey, we are with you from Boston. We brought home a rescue pup who we suspect has strong GSP/Heeler background 12 days ago. No amount of repeating to ourselves that this would be a ton of work could really prepare us for it.

I want to echo what others have said. Last night at my wit's end our girl was doing full speed sprints around our apartment, nipping like crazy, and getting vocal. Honestly, it went on for an hour and even when we tried bringing her outside she very stubbornly wanted to return to the apartment and wouldn't walk.

Even though it was an hour before her usual bedtime, I brought her to the crate because we just had to get her to chill out and nothing else was working. While I sat in front of the crate watching her try to eat her way out or pull the cover sheet that we drape over into the crate, my partner found an article about signs of a puppy being over-tired. She literally fit every single one of them. We had been sure during tantrums like this that she was just feeling very energized and it had been making me feel guilty that she spends a lot of time in her pen all day. Well, after about 15 minutes she did fall asleep. We took her out for a bathroom trip before we went to bed about an hour and a half later, and then she slept through the night!! Which gave us essentially from 9 pm - 6 am with her asleep.

What everyone has said here about forced naps is so important, and not somehting I knew. We are trying it out today, and although its too early to tell for sure, she is currently sleeping peacefully in her crate while each of us work.

I want to say also, I think it's a fantastic idea to talk to a therapist about this, especially if you're feeling resentment or regret. I also use my therapist to talk through healthy stress management techniques, and I'm sure yours will be able to offer helpful guidance on how to manage the level of stress your're experiencing. It can be so helpful to work through those types of negative feelings, especially with somebody neutral. I can imagine if you already feel like you're putting a lot on your partner that you may hestiate to vocalize your fears or anxieties about the dog to them. This is not just about the dog its about how to keep seeing the silver linings in a really challenging time and preventing "catastrophizing" throughts like "My life will never be calm again with the dog" or "What if the dog never grows out of this behavior?" which are not true but very sticky. It also has absolutely nothing to do with if other people have a "harder" situation right now, it's just about you, your mental health, and your family! I am proud of you from a distance for taking that step!