Hey everyone, I was hoping I could get some help here.
So I just got a Frenchie a few days ago...she's around a year old. I've grown up with dogs and have two that live with my parents that I see most days of the week and consider my dogs too (different breeds), I'm in love with them. Over the past few months, I decided on getting a Frenchie and quickly started doing tons and tons of research. Every day, it was all I could think about was how much I wanted one, and I was doing so much research. I couldn't wait to get a companion I could cuddle with, bring out and about, etc. I found the perfect breeder, they had one that was a year old, and I got her a few days ago.
She's generally well behaved...working on house training, and she doesn't eat/drink as much as she should, but we are getting there. I have her in a crate for a few hours at a time during the day just to have her used to it, and at night. Sometimes she whines a bit at first, but then goes to sleep. She's mostly crate trained. I brought her to an outdoor social setting and she was nervous at first, but was very well behaved and did fine.
All sounds pretty great, right? But when I leave and crate her.....she literally screams, howls, barks the entire time I'm gone. I've left a camera to record her while I'm gone so I can see how she was when I get back...it's literally the entire time. I haven't left her alone for longer than 40 minutes...I've made sure to stimulate and wear her out beforehand, even put a special chew and special toy in the crate with her. But she doesn't calm down, and since I have neighbors...it makes me incredibly anxious. Two days ago, after spending most of the day outside trying to get her to go out, I crated her for 30 minutes to run an errand and came back to a crate full of dog mess.
I feel trapped, like I can't go anywhere. Not even to the store real quick, or to workout, to visit my other dogs (who I miss) or anything. I'd be able to cope a bit better with knowing she'll be crying and howling while I'm away if I didn't have neighbors, but that's part of what makes it hard. I'm working from home for the next 1.5 weeks, but then I have to go back to working at the office. And I'm totally ashamed to say this....but I don't love her right now. She feels more like an obligation that is causing my anxiety to spike than a companion. I find myself missing "my old life"....I miss my other dogs that I love, I miss being able to leave the house in peace, etc. And it has crossed my mind a couple of times whether I should bring her back.
Is this normal? Does it get better?
So I just got a Frenchie a few days ago...she's around a year old. I've grown up with dogs and have two that live with my parents that I see most days of the week and consider my dogs too (different breeds), I'm in love with them. Over the past few months, I decided on getting a Frenchie and quickly started doing tons and tons of research. Every day, it was all I could think about was how much I wanted one, and I was doing so much research. I couldn't wait to get a companion I could cuddle with, bring out and about, etc. I found the perfect breeder, they had one that was a year old, and I got her a few days ago.
She's generally well behaved...working on house training, and she doesn't eat/drink as much as she should, but we are getting there. I have her in a crate for a few hours at a time during the day just to have her used to it, and at night. Sometimes she whines a bit at first, but then goes to sleep. She's mostly crate trained. I brought her to an outdoor social setting and she was nervous at first, but was very well behaved and did fine.
All sounds pretty great, right? But when I leave and crate her.....she literally screams, howls, barks the entire time I'm gone. I've left a camera to record her while I'm gone so I can see how she was when I get back...it's literally the entire time. I haven't left her alone for longer than 40 minutes...I've made sure to stimulate and wear her out beforehand, even put a special chew and special toy in the crate with her. But she doesn't calm down, and since I have neighbors...it makes me incredibly anxious. Two days ago, after spending most of the day outside trying to get her to go out, I crated her for 30 minutes to run an errand and came back to a crate full of dog mess.
I feel trapped, like I can't go anywhere. Not even to the store real quick, or to workout, to visit my other dogs (who I miss) or anything. I'd be able to cope a bit better with knowing she'll be crying and howling while I'm away if I didn't have neighbors, but that's part of what makes it hard. I'm working from home for the next 1.5 weeks, but then I have to go back to working at the office. And I'm totally ashamed to say this....but I don't love her right now. She feels more like an obligation that is causing my anxiety to spike than a companion. I find myself missing "my old life"....I miss my other dogs that I love, I miss being able to leave the house in peace, etc. And it has crossed my mind a couple of times whether I should bring her back.
Is this normal? Does it get better?