My spouse (37) and I (31) have been together for a few years and we're taking the next step to move in together. I have kids, and we each have a dog. We have taken things slowly to ensure both him and my kids are comfortable and ready, as well as with introducing the dogs and gotten them used to each other slowly over the last year.
However, and I feel guilty even saying this, I have a hard time handling his dog. He barks all. the. time. If we are sitting on the couch and one of us stands up, he barks. If he's sleeping in his bed and a car drives by, he barks. If we even look like we are putting jeans or shoes on and might be leaving, he barks. If we show any kind of affection to each other, he whines and barks. There are other things but this is the main one, the rest is normal dog behaviors (begging for food, licking, etc.) that you would expect dogs to do sometimes. It's not a lack of not taking care of him either, he takes care of him and I've seen constant efforts to correct the behavior and stop the barking. I honestly just think the dog has high anxiety and that's what's causing the barking?? I don't know.
I understand that it's an adjustment and I need to make an effort to get used to it, but I have been trying to get used to it slowly over the past couple years (we spend a lot of time at his house) and I just can't imagine living with it every day. We sometimes joke that even though she is a big dog, my dog isn't even a real dog (very quiet, doesn't get into things, non barker, respectful of space/boundaries) so I knew it was going to take some getting used to. It's just now that we are close to the date I don't know how I am going to do this. We have had some conversations about how I am feeling, but I don't think he fully understands how much his dog is to handle. He knows I am struggling with it, but I can't find a way to explain just how much without it sounding like I hate his dog. I honestly don't hate him. I just want to be able to be comfortable in my own home, and I won't be able to do that when there is constant barking or I would rather, say, just be thirsty than get up and get a drink because I don't want to be barked at.
I am mostly just looking for any advice from anyone who has been in this situation and anything that may have helped them overcome it and work through their feelings. It's an older dog, so I am not even sure if training would be an option.
TL;DR my boyfriends dog barks constantly and it's almost making me dread the idea of moving in together
EDIT: Spelling
Submitted February 16, 2021 at 01:12PM by Beautiful-Hold8425 https://ift.tt/3dlrBcc
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