Hello All! I am relatively new to the forums, though I have lurked for nearly a year Well, I have a gorgeous German Shepherd mixed puppy, and I got her at 8 weeks old. She is now currently 10 months old, and is in her heat, but that is not in topic. I had gotten her as a present from my family, and I was so surprised to see her. I felt I was ready for a dog, but a puppy was a different story.
I tried my very hardest, made sure she was fed the right amount, fed and walked when I was unable, I kept her by my side, followed her when she left the room, and I tried very hard to bond with her. You see, I have lost contact with all my previous friends, and things have been hard in my family, so I had been longing for something to lighten the mood, and I have wanted my own dog for years now. At first I tried to force the bond, and soon it just became hard. I started to dislike being around her, and even the day after I had gotten her I did not wake up excited to take care of her as I thought I would be after getting a new puppy. I probably sound like a terrible person now! I looked up online and it all said eventually I will start feeling the connection and never wanna be away from her, and that was when she was 4 months.
She is now 10 months old as I mentioned before, and I still feel no bond or connection, and she just does not fit our lifestyle. On the other hand, she has every quality I want in a dog: athletic build, fast, water lover, very loving (although overwhelming at times), and not that this matters much, she is beautiful. I don't want to keep her with us if she just is not the right fit, but the thought of her leaving does make me sad a little bit. I just always groan when I have to take care of her, and that just sounds so wrong. We have two other family dogs and I take care of them with joy, but I just don't know... I have not yet been able to take her to training classes because things have come up that have sucked up a substantial amount of money. I am trying to set aside money to get her to training classes to see if it will work, but I do not feel the need if she just is not right for me or my family.
To make things simple, will this bond ever arrive? Does it take this long? How long has it taken you in the past to develop a connection with your dog? ANY advice is very much appreciated. Thank you so much for any help, and for reading my long rant!
I tried my very hardest, made sure she was fed the right amount, fed and walked when I was unable, I kept her by my side, followed her when she left the room, and I tried very hard to bond with her. You see, I have lost contact with all my previous friends, and things have been hard in my family, so I had been longing for something to lighten the mood, and I have wanted my own dog for years now. At first I tried to force the bond, and soon it just became hard. I started to dislike being around her, and even the day after I had gotten her I did not wake up excited to take care of her as I thought I would be after getting a new puppy. I probably sound like a terrible person now! I looked up online and it all said eventually I will start feeling the connection and never wanna be away from her, and that was when she was 4 months.
She is now 10 months old as I mentioned before, and I still feel no bond or connection, and she just does not fit our lifestyle. On the other hand, she has every quality I want in a dog: athletic build, fast, water lover, very loving (although overwhelming at times), and not that this matters much, she is beautiful. I don't want to keep her with us if she just is not the right fit, but the thought of her leaving does make me sad a little bit. I just always groan when I have to take care of her, and that just sounds so wrong. We have two other family dogs and I take care of them with joy, but I just don't know... I have not yet been able to take her to training classes because things have come up that have sucked up a substantial amount of money. I am trying to set aside money to get her to training classes to see if it will work, but I do not feel the need if she just is not right for me or my family.
To make things simple, will this bond ever arrive? Does it take this long? How long has it taken you in the past to develop a connection with your dog? ANY advice is very much appreciated. Thank you so much for any help, and for reading my long rant!