Hi all, long time lurker but first post. I have a 2 year old (2 yrs in dec) GSD named Turbo and hes my first dog. I honestly wasnt familiar with the responsibilies before adopting him at 2 months old but I said to myself that I will adapt and overcome the lifestyle change.

The past little over 1.5 years with him have been pretty good. I have put a good amount of time and effort in training him in all aspects and hes overall a well behaved boy. I love having him around but there are some issues that stress me out on a daily basis.

- Having guests over is hard. Hes now around 85lbs and gets way too excited when people come to our house. I just constantly stress about this as hes my responsibilty. He jumps on them tries to hump them etc etc. Its just rambuctious behavior. The only way hes calm-ish is if I really tire him out before hand. I mean hours spent walking/playing frisbee (his favorite).

- He does not like the groomer. When I first got him we went to the groomer probs once every 3 or 4 months and he was fine but this past summer I got a call from the groomer saying he was not letting them rub soap on him. He would snap at them/bark etc etc... More recently, with a muzzle on and while I was physically with him, he was giving the groomer a really hard time. An experience I dont want to go through again..

- He gets too stressed out in the car. I cant take him anywhere in the car since he barks whenever he thinks we might be stopping to get out. He doesnt bark once he realizes hes not coming out (small errands etc) but hes never calm while moving in the car.

- I stress about how I cant go anywhere anymore. If I wanted to visit a friend across the country I have to find a boarding place for him and the one I used earlier this year charged about $1200 for a 16 night stay (in Massachuetts). If I do leave him home alone (which hes fine with and not destructive during) I stress about how I have to get home a few hours before dark so I can tire him out. Its just constantly the stress of I need to tire this dog out everyday. Can anyone relate?

When I was talking to the breeder when I got him he said I can return him anytime. I have thought about this way too much and I need to be honest with myself. I know most of the issues I mentioned can be trained out. We have made a lot of memories over the past couple years and I hate even thinking about it but I really dont know what to do...

Turbo

https://preview.redd.it/6dzacaffovsb1.jpg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6c987c678bcb3376cd9e8c37f80a88a44f767299