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I need a sympathetic ear and some encouragement~Old topic
feeling overwhelmed with things
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Found [25] Posts :: Page 1 of 2
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Posted: 6:08:45 AM 3/14/2004
I know I have 5 kids. I know that puppies are work. I am just getting hit hard this week. I am trying so hard to take care of the kids and the puppy, with NO help from my husband on the puppy and only some help on the kids. To top it off I have some sort of intestinal flu and am running to the bathroom HOPING to make it in time every 10 minutes or so. So between the puppy's chewing and potty needs and the children's needs, I am feeling like I can't handle things. There are just too many degrees of difficulty right now. I really want my kids to have this dog. I really want her. I just need to find a good system that will work to make things manageable. I know I won't always be sick like this, but it makes it awful hard to function. Furthermore, I was using going church each Sunday as a milestone to say, "you got through another week" and "things will improve as she gets older". Now I can't go to church because I am so sick. Sorry to whine, but this is after a night of little sleep with a 2 year old who woke crying very early and the illness which hit me right after that. PLUS, the puppy just seems bored with what I have for her and took to chewing on our woodwork EVEN though it was sprayed with Bitter Apple. So can anyone help me de-stress? You all have been so wonderful and helpful to me so far. I promise I am not a nut case! I am just a well meaning Mom who has a lot on her plate. THANKS VERY MUCH. -Anne
Posted: 6:38:46 AM 3/14/2004
good lord, i really hope you feel better soon. it is so hard with a new puppy and the children and to be sick. do the older children help out with the pup when they are home? assign them a resposibility with the pup. when your husband is home,you say he helps with the kids..some. does he help at all with the pup? does he really want the pup? tell him you need him to be supportive and give you a little time to yourself. did you get some kongs for your pup? stuff them with yogurt, cottage cheese, or peanut butter and a couple of cookies or some of his food and freeze it. when you are overwhelmed with doing things with the kids, put him in his kennel or pen(which ever you have) and give him the kong. this will keep him occupied for at least a half hour forty five minutes, and give you a few minutes for something else. i truly understand your dilema, it is hard, pups are like babies, and then having young children. sort of gets the best of us moms sometimes. i am usually the one to handle the pets, my husband loves them but i do most for them. my kids are grown, so i don't have that on my plate anymore. only one left at home and he's 24. it will get better and things will calm down. how old is the pup now? is he getting better with the potty training? just make sure he has lots of chew toys so he won't start on anymore of your furnitue. i will be thinking of you, and hope your get some well deserved rest and help with the kids... and the pup.
Posted: 6:47:36 AM 3/14/2004
She is 12 weeks old. She does great at night, going 8-9 hours. But during the day it seems harder for her. She has had few accidents, but seems bored with the toys I have and chews. I have a Kong, which she has no interest in. Rawhides, marrow bones, tennis balls, rope bone, toy bunny and a baby toy she likes the best with a rattle inside ball. I will try what you said. I have one child who is 9 who can help more. I have her do some. You know the drill though, kids don't want to do it when you need it but when they feel like it. I will have to be firm today. Tell me again when things will settle????And is spring here soon??????
Posted: 6:51:22 AM 3/14/2004
your pup is still so young. they really don't even get the idea of potty training for another 2 months. some can pick up quick but others it takes a while. it will come. my son has a 6month old golden, he still has accidents. it's hard, be patient and have the 9 year old help. im sure the kids wanted a puppy too. spring couldn't come quick enough for me. it is still only in the upper 40s here with mother nature teasing us a couple of days last week. i hate the cold, and now they say maybe some snow on monday...great..
Posted: 7:16:07 AM 3/14/2004
Us too on the temparatures. It is really cold right now in Ohio in the morning. Imagine being layered for warmth to take a puppy outside and feeling that sudden need to go to the bathroom that can't be ignored. I will be MUCH happier with warmer temps and no down coats, mufflers hats and gloves!
Posted: 8:13:03 AM 3/14/2004
Omg I was training Piper to go every hour in the dead middle of winter. Like 20 below out . Boy it was cold. Thank god she's older now and can go on her own.
Posted: 8:42:04 AM 3/14/2004
i feel for you. it is rough in the beginning . i have 1 son and i can't even imagine having 4 more of him and a puppy to boot. just believe that it will get better. i had a hard time trainig my pup too. she could hold it all night but would pee every 20 minutes when she was awake and playing. then one day bamm! she was house trained. it will happen. things are overwhelming right now but it won't be forever.
Posted: 8:48:08 AM 3/14/2004
THanks so much all of you. I knew talking to you would help me. My intestinal problem seems to have settled a bit--though I am starving!!!! I spent the morning trying to remember how terrific Faith is for a puppy. She really has been very good, no biting, barking, few accidents, very easily training to do the basics, walks great on a lead both with and without a stroller and walks well for kids. The problems are all things that will end. I will have to postpone the trip to a pet store to get her some treats and an official bed, instead of MY SHOES which she sleeps on to her delight--NEVER CHEWING them. I was hoping to get her some things to occupy her. Any suggestions for when I am feeling a bit better? All in all by the end of this early morning I was grateful that I wasn't feverish, nauseated and in bed by necessity--or worse dealing with my children having this! I will SURVIVE! Thanks again. Any suggestions for the pet store before I go would be great!
Posted: 8:58:51 AM 3/14/2004
Yes! Get a sheep's wool or wicker bed(but she might chew on that)a kong, and don't forget to fill it with peanut butter, and stuff some biscuits in the pb, freeze it, and that will certainly keep her occupied! Get her a squeaky toy, and mabey just a chicken flavored nylabone! I will pray for you!
Posted: 9:08:34 AM 3/14/2004
I tell you she seems so bored when she is awake. Like she is looking for something--ANYTHING. Yet she isn't at all hyper or bad. When she wakes up she is her most intense for like 30 minutes. Then she is down to normal laid back but still interested in things. She chases the cats happily but seems bored with each of her toys. SHe wants me to play with them or isn't all that interested. I get the most mileage out of the marrow bones I have for her in the fridge. Other than that she is chewing on something I dont' want or is sleeping or peeing. I suppose that is typical puppy but last time I did (Back in college) this I had nothing but a puppy to focus on or she was crated and I was out. This is so different.
Posted: 9:24:01 AM 3/14/2004
atrester: I was feeling overwhelmed last week too. I have 4 dogs, 6 puppies, I had spent 4 mornings at the vets office, my 15 year old twins were driving me crazy, hubby can really be a pig sometimes, there was a death in the family, my daughter who lives in NY was having some problems, then I read a story about bad things happening to puppies and it put me right over the edge. I grabbed a box of Calgon, had a bath and a little pity party for myself, and felt much much better. We all feel that way sometimes. I e-mailed a friend to vent a little and said the same thing "really...I'm not NORMALLY a crazy woman..." LOL It's those days that make the good days so much better :) Hang in there !
Posted: 9:49:39 AM 3/14/2004
Hi, Well, I am very sorry to hear about your sickness. I hope you can take some timeout for yourself today, you really need it. I have one puppy(5 months), 2 dogs, one cat, one five year, and a husband. It is very hard, ecspecially when we have to be superwoman. I usually have my daughter take the puppy outside in the backyard and play fetch with her; the pup loves it. They even play dress up. I think you should get you children to get more involved with the puppy. My puppy has two other dogs to play with to, so that keeps her busy for part of the day. I hope you are feeling better. I use a sheepskin mat that I bought at petsmart for her to sleep on, while in her crate. They really love to sleep on them plus they are washable. My puppy likes to chew on greenies, pig ears, and sometimes the kong when I put treats in it! :)
Posted: 9:52:16 AM 3/14/2004
you will probably be cold longer than us, we are in virginia. i am so ready for at least 75 degrees.
Posted: 9:55:02 AM 3/14/2004
YOu all are so wonderful. You have no idea how much better you have made me feel. Support makes all the difference and we all know husbands can be more of a hinderance than a help! I myself have the five kids ages 2-9, 2 siamese cats, a husband who isn't too sympathetic when I am sick and a house of tons of work to do not to mention the blessed Faith our puppy! I am planning a bath and a small amount of pampering for myself. The sad thing is that I love walking the puppy and would love to do that if I coudl feel well enough and it would STOP RAINING! You see with 5 kids I don't get to walk her during the weekdays that much. It is nice time away and time with Faith. Let's all pray for Spring to come soon and more bright days ahead. It is SO nice to get to know you all through my turmoil! :) Anne
Posted: 10:16:30 AM 3/14/2004
Anne, you sound like such a sweetheart. wish you lived in virginia, i would help you with the kids and the pup. know what you mean about the darling hubbies lol. take care of yourself and get well..... joanne
Posted: 11:54:44 AM 3/14/2004
where are you in ohio? i'm going to be there in july and if you are near my parents i will come with my daughter and give you a puppy break!! houseclean, puppy walk, play with puppy, you name it!! :) put your pup in the crate to give yourself a break. a couple hours at a time during the day. and when the weather gets better put her outside sometimes for break for you. for the chewing i used "bitter end" by petbotanics. i sprayed it on things, even wood. i do have some kitchen chairs with lots of teethmarks from my pug! so if you have good chairs, actually put them on the table when you are not using them. check at petsmart for bitter end. "bitter apple" doesn't work for my dogs. i really hope you are feeling better. at least that illness doesn't last for a week! start a puppy kindergarten class. it will be fun for the puppy and you and get you started on some obedience training. maybe you will meet someone who has a puppy and your puppies can play. another puppy is a wonderful way to wear out a puppy. if you know someone with a nice older dog see if they will play. once yours had had all her shots walk her, walk her, walk her to wear her out. try nylabones for her. try different flavors. mine love them and will literally chew for an hour and half at a time, my pug would do that at 3 months of age. try pig ears, too, to chew on. the frozen kongs are wonderful. get kids more involved. they can clean up dog poop in the backyard, feed her the evening meal, brush her. make it part of their chores. the chewing will start at about 4 months, so puppy proof your home and make the kids pick things up off the floor. this will pass! i read once if puppies weren't so cute, no one would EVER have one! how true is that? stick with it, she will grow up. i can tell you are a very dedicated and wonderful owner. definitely at one year of age you will see a difference, and when she is pottytrained it will be so much easier.
Posted: 12:13:51 PM 3/14/2004
I live in Cincinnati on the east side of the city. I have to report some positives: 1. Haven't had any distress in my system since about 8:00 a.m.!!! 2. Faith and I did our daily early afternoon training session. She was already coming and sitting on command but today with the treat method I actually got her to lie down!!! On the negative unfortunately I think Faith is already starting that 4 month old chew thing -- ON MY WOODWORK! What else works?
Posted: 12:21:35 PM 3/14/2004
oh well, my parents live in Akron. glad you're feeling better!!!! can try sprinkling cayenne pepper on the woodwork. teach her "leave it" command and when she goes for woodwork tell her "leave it." don't leave her unsupervised out of the crate. important! try the nylabones and pig ears and frozen kongs. ask the puppy training instructor about this. the keys are prevention (crate), direction (direct toward things she likes to chew), and correction ("leave it!"). also, in general, obedience training wears a dog out some mentally. do this a few times a day.
Posted: 12:37:59 PM 3/14/2004
I guess we are doing the right things then. How do you best teach leave it? Also what do you think of Cow hooves? They were recommended to me by the breeder. She says Faithe loves them.
Posted: 12:56:40 PM 3/14/2004
this is my method for "leave it"- others may have other ways. have the leash and collar on the dog. i get something mildly interesting to the dog; a kleenex, a sock, for instance. i put the object down out of the dog's sight then lead the dog toward the object on the leash keeping the leash about two feet long the rest bunched up in my hand. as soon as she looks at the object and starts for it, i give the leash short sideways jerks to pull her away from the object and say "leave it." one key is to give short jerks, not one long pull. one long pull makes them want to pull against the collar and lunge toward the object. the very second she takes her eyes off the object give her lots of praise. lavish the praise. repeat this many times throughout the day. when she has a mildly interesting thing learned, gradually increase to things she is really interested in, including treats. tell her "take it" when she is allowed to go for the treat; give it to her and say the words "take it" as it gets to her mouth to start with, then let her go for it herself. you can also search "dog training" on google and maybe get some other training methods. i tried the hooves once and they really stunk! but that was 15 years ago. maybe they are different now! try them!
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