New puppy anxiety

Blueyblues · ‎04-11-2020

I am a 30 year old who has suffered with anxiety my whole life. I am on a low dose of medication and I would say that my anxiety is largely under control. For a while now, I have been desperate to get a dog. I have been visiting dog parks to watch the dog and looking daily at rescue sites. My husband and I both work full time and my husband also studies. We agreed to wait a few more months but I came across a beautiful rescue puppy. We thought we were visiting but the rescue said we had to take her home in the next few days or someone else was bound to take her.
We were completely unprepared and had nothing for her. We quickly gathered everything we needed and within hours of her being ours my anxiety became severe. I was worried about her eating something in the yard, I was worried I was not training her properly. I’m just so anxious about her. She was vomiting in her first few days here (change of food) so that was a big trigger). We’ve had her for 2.5 weeks now and I am so overwhelmed and so exhausted and so so anxious. I love her but I’m terrified I made a mistake. I’m seeking professional help for myself and her haha but I don’t know what to do while I wait for my appointment.

white knight · ‎04-11-2020

Hi BB, welcome

You actually have little to worry about, easier said than done though

First of all let me say how wonderful you are to get a rescue puppy as so many pups dont end up with a loving home. Yours is guarranteed for such a home because the positives of anxious people is that they are totally aware of their surroundings and responsibilities- too much so actually.

Puppies like children are very resilient and hardy. They need love, food, water, warmth, shade and room to move and not much else. You are providing all of that.

It is a pity you are so overwhelmed you are not enjoying your pup. I strongly advise you expand on your relaxation techniques and I have a thread or two below that you can follow to achieve that. Anxiety is a severe illness that is often taken as less serious as it should be and can develop into depression and that is not what you want.

The third one has links to some amazing youTube clips like 'sunset" which, if lying down relaxing will take you on an amazing journey of mental relief. Enjoy and again thankyou for rescuing your puppy. You are amazing.

Please google

Beyondblue topic anxiety, how I eliminated it

Beyondblue topic the origins of anxiety

Beyondblue topic he helped me for 25 years- Maharaji

TonyWK

romantic_thi3f · ‎04-11-2020

Hi Blueyblues,

Welcome to the forums and thank you for your post. TonyWK has offered you some great support there and it's wonderful that you've gotten a rescue.

As a dog owner, I hear you. It can be really nervewracking, wanting to do things right and to keep your puppy safe. The fact that this is causing you anxiety reinforces how much you care, and that's going to make you a good dog mum.

As a dog mum, there will always be things that you can't control, and there will always be things that you can - you can control the things that you feed her and any snacks in between, and you can have a look around the yard and you can make sure that things are fenced off. You can also work to be patient and kind.

Training can be tricky, and it's a long process- but you're not alone in your anxiety and there's so much support out there that can help. Here's a great resource from the RSPCA https://kb.rspca.org.au/article-categories/dogs/

I hope this helps a little. I know that TonyWK has talked about your anxiety and I'm focusing more on the puppy so hopefully between us we can support you through this change.

rt