Do You Stick to One Madhab or Always Go for the Strictest Opinion?

Assalamu alaykum, everyone. I follow the Hanafi school, but I often find myself leaning toward the stricter view, even if it's from another madhab-unless it's a really rare opinion. While this makes me feel more at ease spiritually, it also makes life harder, and sometimes I struggle with the difficulties that come with it. Take the issue of dog saliva, for example. - Shafi'i scholars say the entire dog is najis, and you must wash the affected area seven times, the first time with soil, then with water. If you don’t use soil, it remains impure, and anything that gets wet from it also becomes impure. - Hanbali is similar to Shafi'i on this. - Hanafi says only the saliva is najis, and washing it three times with water is enough. - Maliki considers it pure. Now, if I follow the Shafi'i or Hanbali view, if I don’t wash properly-seven times, with soil first-I’d be in a state of ritual impurity, and my worship might not be valid. And it’s not just about the immediate spot. If I didn’t purify it right away, what about my clothes, the sofa, the car seat? Did the impurity spread through wetness? How do you even clean things like phones or electronics with soil? It feels overwhelming. My question is: the hadith says, “The purification of the vessel of one of you, if a dog licks it, is to wash it seven times, the first time with soil.” To me, that sounds like it’s only about utensils. Why do Shafi'i and Hanbali schools extend this to other things and the whole dog? I’m trying to understand, because I want to worship correctly and seek Allah’s mercy, but these strict interpretations make it so difficult. What do you all think? Jazakum Allahu khayran.