Anxiety re puppy

Most definitely normal; when I got my puppy after 40years since having a puppy and only older dogs it was anxiety to the max; mine is a Boston Terrier; very difficult as a puppy and still at 17mths she is very much a Diva; has her moments but as noted above a crate is a wonderful thing and a crate cover makes it even better!!

(I'm a Diva--today I don't want my ears up!!)

Yes, don't feel bad - or worry over your worries! I have been around dogs my whole life, and even owned one (though still lived at home). Went a few years without the responsibility of my own because of living situations, and when we bought our house and I could tell the breeder I was ready for a puppy... Yeah, I had more than a few moments of... Are we ready for one? How much are our lives going to change? (We aren't people that go out a ton, but the thought was still there.) Is he going to be ok being left alone? Am I going to house train him ok? And on and on. Even the day I went to pick Atlas up I was still more nervous than excited. But we survived the 7 hour drive home without any accidents in the car, and there was really no looking back after that.

Of course, there will be moments you look at your puppy and seriously wonder what the heck, but like they've said above - crate time is your friend! Don't panic if you don't immediately 'bond' with the puppy - it takes some time. For me it was after Atlas stopped using me as his favourite chew toy... He was cute, playful, funny, but also a land shark! But it worked out soon enough that he was my dog, and I was his person. You'll get there. And remember to take lots of photos because they change/grow SO darn fast!

Can you pinpoint what is stressing you the most about getting this puppy? Potty training? Training in general? Worrying about your work schedule? Worrying about how your parents will or won't help out?

I suffer from clinical anxiety and used to have daily panic attacks (that have subsided since I quit drinking caffeinated beverages). I was also living at home when I added my puppy and I was very worried about how my father was going to accept (or not accept) having a puppy in his house. If that's your concern, I think you should sit down and talk to your parents about how much you want to add this puppy, but also explain to them that you're stressed about the added burden on their lives. It's better to get this conversation out of the way before the puppy comes home and not after.

This sounds like a very good time for you to get a puppy if your parents are on board, honestly. No puppy can hold it for 12 hours straight, so if you were to get a puppy while living on your own with your current work schedule, you'd need to hire a dog walker or have a family member come over and let your puppy out at least once a day, but preferably twice. With your current arrangement, hopefully your parents would be able to help with daily potty breaks during your long shifts.

It can be overwhelming. It's a huge change in routine to have a puppy around. A big mistake I made is that I thought if I was home, I had to be actively engaging with my puppy or I would feel like a bad puppy owner. This is not the case. Take mental breaks for yourself, too. Have an xpen setup, or a crate, and crate your puppy with a stuffed kong or chew for a little while so that you can relax and watch tv, or read, without being interrupted. See if your parents would be okay with watching the puppy for a few hours at least one night a week so you can get out of the house and see your friends and have a social life. Once your puppy has all of its shots, ask your friends to participate in activities that you can bring your puppy along to, like walks in the park or trips to the store.

You can definitely make it work. Eventually the new routine will just become your routine, and you'll wonder how you ever survived WITHOUT your puppy around