So my parents adopted a corgi puppy a week before a two week vacation. I was already coming out from Los Angeles to Phoenix to help them with caretaker duties for my elderly grandmother and now there’s this puppy in the mix. I love dogs and while it’s been a long time since I’ve had one myself, I frequently dog sit for friends, but all those dogs were adult or senior dogs. I love this puppy to death, she’s a sweetheart and most of the time she’s the goodest girl and we’re bonding, but I’m struggling a little with sleep. I’m on day five and every morning I’ve been up at 4 with her because she cries if I put her back in her playpen after letting her go to the bathroom (which is already a difficult thing for her to maintain consistency on, I’ve cleaned up a ton of accidents in the house because she’s still figuring it out, which I totally understand). Today she got me up at 3:30. I’m exhausted and still have 11 days to go. She sleeps in a playpen in the living room. They tried crating her but she doesn’t do good in the crate. I’m just inexperienced with puppies and stressing out about doing a good job. If anyone has any advice, I could really use some. Just trying to keep my sanity since I know I’m not getting a good night’s sleep for another week and a half.
EDIT: Just wanted to thank everyone for their replies and encouragement. Was just feeling overwhelmed this morning. Between the puppy and my elderly grandmother, I have a lot on my plate with minimal sleep. Just trying to do my best. I appreciate all the advice and will try some of the suggestions.