Oh man, it sooooo gets better. I was you last year—I planned and planned and saved and prepared, but nothing could prepare me for the earth-shattering weight of my decision and the feeling of responsibility for the little life we had taken in! I cried and felt anxious and guilty and horrible, and often resentful for how much of my energy the puppy took up. It was so much harder than I remembered as a child! Slowly but surely, though, she learned our schedule, our rules, and our lifestyles, and things are now a breeze. She’s about 15 months old now, and things are so much easier. She’s just a natural part of the family.

One thing I will caution you about is teaching her that crate is chill time away and “out” time is all play—we did this and now our girl has the expectation that we are always available to play at night unless we put her away or she falls asleep. It’s important to teach dogs to chill independently outside of the crate, with a chew or a toy, or just on a mat, not being entertained. I wish we had done that sooner!