Overwhelmed by my 14-week-old German Shepherd
I have a male German Shepherd puppy.
I’ve had him since he was around 8 weeks old. So I’ve had him for about 6 weeks now.
I knew having a puppy would be hard, but I honestly underestimated how intense it would be. I’m exhausted. I sleep very little, wake up early to manage potty training, take him out often, prepare his meals carefully because he doesn’t really like his kibble, and I try to do everything properly.
Some days he is great. He learns fast, he can be sweet, and I can see progress. But other days are extremely difficult.
The hardest part right now is frustration. Whenever I say “no” or prevent him from doing something (usually biting the couch, the table or other stuff he isn’t supposed to bite), he often escalates immediately. Redirecting him to toys doesn’t always work anymore. He ignores the toy, jumps at me, barks, bites harder, and gets into this overexcited “attack mode”. I know he’s not being aggressive in a malicious way, but it’s becoming really hard to handle and understand.
He also bites more strongly than before during play or when overstimulated. Walks can be difficult too: he gets very fixated on people, dogs, sticks, leaves, smells, everything. When he sees someone or another dog, I often can’t get his attention back without physically interrupting him with the leash.
Potty training was going well, and he can hold it for hours or even overnight, but when he gets excited or frustrated, he can suddenly pee wherever he is, like he completely loses control, which is probably normal, but when you have a puppy that can’t settle down, and is very easily overstimulated, can become exhausting.
I’m trying to be patient because I know he’s still a baby, but mentally it’s very draining. I feel like I’m constantly managing biting, frustration, potty breaks, walks, meals, sleep, excitement, and my own exhaustion.
I don’t regret him, but I’m overwhelmed, tired, and sometimes I wonder if im not missing something, doing something wrong.
Has anyone gone through this with a high-energy puppy or German Shepherd? I think it is normal, but I guess I’m trying to figure out if it is really, normal puppy behavior, or if I am missing something important?
First puppy, so I guess just like everyone I want to do things right, but might be in the wrong so I’d rather ask for people who may have had same experiences.
And I guess I needed to vent too 😅 so thanks for anyone who’ll read this
(This message comes in a moment where the temperature outside is over 30C/86F meaning that I can’t take him out as much as before because of the heat, so his energy at home is at full level)