[Aj89]

Hi everyone,

Picked up our boy on Wednesday, a beautiful Vizsla. Have wanted a dog all my life, researched, spent time with our friends dog and felt ready.
But 3 days in, I am finding it so hard and having initial regret! I know this is normal, but how did you get yourself through it? How long did it last? I feel exhausted and out of my depth!

 

[Buzzu2]

Welcome to the forum, and let me assure you that puppy regret is real and very common. Just step back a little and give it some time...remember that your new puppy is probably experiencing a similar thing.
I have gone through this many times but cannot give you a time frame for it getting better, since all dogs and their owners are different.

There will also be a second coming of regret when your puppy has forgotten everything that it has learned as it becomes a teenager.
Hang in there and be prepared.
@CachetheBC has posted this originally and it's a great read.

Kidnapped From Planet Dog - Whole Dog Journal

Sometimes new owners tell me getting a puppy was supposed to be fun, but all I feel is stress. Here's what new owners need to remember.

www.whole-dog-journal.com

 

[Curls]

I kept telling myself, "This is only temporary. He will be out of this stage by July (or whenever.) "

It also helped to get both the humans and the puppy onto a schedule designed to meet both our needs. It's a lot easier to deal with a puppy needing 2AM potty trips if I've gone to bed at 10 PM instead of 11.

Keeping a journal can help. Sometimes you don't realize the progress you are making. Going back to read about today's problems in a few weeks or a few months can give you a boost when you are dealing with whatever new problem has popped up: "OMG, I forgot that in March he kept trying to walk through sliding glass doors. Glad he's figured that out now."

 

[Shadowfox]

I felt the same and just aimed to get to the next nap time on the rough days. Drank some coffee while she played in the yard. "Talked" here. But it got easier in stages, the first really noticeable when she was 4 months, and she is my right hand girl now. If I didn't have proof, I would have forgotten 95% of those feelings ever existing.

 

[BigBlackDog]

Hi everyone,

Picked up our boy on Wednesday, a beautiful Vizsla. Have wanted a dog all my life, researched, spent time with our friends dog and felt ready.
But 3 days in, I am finding it so hard and having initial regret! I know this is normal, but how did you get yourself through it? How long did it last? I feel exhausted and out of my depth!

Congratulations on the new puppy! Feeling overwhelmed early on is very common as many have mentioned, but in my experience it's usually at least in part due to lack of effective management/containment LOL!

Puppies are monsters with adorable big eyes, cute little faces, and they will destroy your house and your sanity and keep on going like a possessed Energizer bunny. Okay, maybe not quite that bad (or maybe even worse LOL).

At any rate, contain that little monster when you can't give her undivided attention. Provide adequate, and by that I mean tons, of things that she can chew on. Get her outside to potty like so frequently it seems like that's all you do (or every 30 minutes at least). And feed the monster at least 3 times a day and always keep fresh water available.

That's the hard part. The fun part is that when they're young they have a natural tendency to follow you when outside, so take advantage of that. When they're trying to keep up with you outdoors they aren't biting you or your stuff! They also sleep like 16 hours a day, so plenty of down time for you both.

And learning! They are such eager little sponges when young, just keep any training fun and short, they don't yet have a very long attention span.

Sorry if it seems like I'm making light of your situation, that wasn't my intention! I just wanted to (a) get you to smile about that puppy craziness, and (b) let you know that containing a boisterous puppy when you can't give her your undivided attention is not a radical idea, it's mandatory! Good luck, I love Vizslas!