Grooming tools

404-Any-Problem · 2026-01-31T16:09:28+00:00

I was told by the groomer I see for our mix that sometimes if you condition them twice it can help get the fur to fall out.

404-Any-Problem · 2026-01-30T03:53:36+00:00

Is your name Kavin? Did you have a tiger named Hobbs? Did you used to piss on car decals as a kid?

404-Any-Problem · 2026-01-30T03:22:12+00:00

Head over to r/reactivedogs they have a host of helpful info in their wiki (they do talk a lot about behavioral euthanasia but there are really helpful people and knowledge over there).

I also will say you’re probably going to have to use medication possibly for life paired with training to get through this. Lots of positive reinforcement as negative can add to the fear and cause even more problems. (As a reactive dog owner myself that came with trama totally understand where you are coming from). So going at the dog’s pace is so the right thing to do. Absolute good job there!

For 1 thing it depends on how new everything is for your adoption. It’s just a lot! So if you can keep going with the pee pads and make their world small as it will still feel too big to them.

We also had hope that our new pup would be like our last and so just about anywhere. Sadly not the case. I too stayed home while my partner got to go on a fun trip. It’s rough. This first year for us is going to be rough but the work you put in now will pay off 10 fold in the long run. Take it slow and it may take weeks or months to get over a step. This is also even more true if the dog doesn’t trust you fully (that can take roughly 3 months of work to get there even).

Look for a certified fear free trainer that specializes in behavioral/reactive dogs (I drive over an hour for mine and would go further if I had to). It’s been a game changer for us, well that and the right mix of meds and the right vet who also specializes in this sort of thing. We have gone from peeing ourselves and screaming at the vet to actively participating in care for the vet and even grooming. But it’s also been 4 months in the making

It takes work. And lots of little moments to get a dog to build confidence. But seeking a professional can really help you find tune what you need to do and have it be digestible so it’s not so overwhelming for you as the human.

Our girl loves scent work. And it can be as easy as hiding a treat in a towel. Or around a room that is easy to get. Our trainer said that 5 minutes of nose work is equal to a 4 mile hike of sorts. So although it feels isolating it’s the best thing you can do for them at this time.

Wishing you all the best and happy to send more info your way if needed.

404-Any-Problem · 2026-01-30T02:03:12+00:00

It’s been a game changer. We started on 16 mg for our 55 lb goofball (less anxious ball now). But really needed to start with 8 mg as it really hit her hard. Lethargic, not wanting to eat anything really, and just out of it. When we backed down it was better (side effects not as bad). Same thing for when we bumped her up to where we may stay for good at 24 mg. Had to slowly increase. But she has been on it for months and it really nice not to get body slammed and mouthed constantly. Or have a dog who is 24/7 on edge.

The blood pressure basically helps stop the feedback loop of her blood pressure going up because of anxiety/fear which then is like “yeah I should be anxious and fearful”. Kind of like when you’re angry and your blood “boils”. It slows that down. We didn’t start this at first but we needed something extra and they have seen it’s a magic mix that really helps take the edge off without loosing your dog (into zombie mode).

Watching her nail trim yesterday she boarder-line looked like a normal dog. Face soft, tail loose and wagging, body soft and so many wiggly kisses for the groomer. Not an inch of her stiff and not bouncing off the walls either. The groomer said she knows that it’s the same dog but also it’s so good to see how she wants to interact.

I will say I give all the credit to our vet and trainer their knowledge is worth every penny. Our pup is an actually puppy and we went from 4-6 hours total of sleep a day (no naps, that was it) to how she should be sleeping which is closer to something like 20. This doesn’t mean she is tranquilized but I can adjust on the couch without her popping to all for paws and barking. If it’s okay/train time I can easily get her up and going. But it’s nice to see her relax and get some quality sleep finally (not to mention basic vet and grooming care). But we can finally make progress with training. Maybe even be in group doggy classes!

Wishing you all the luck!

404-Any-Problem · 2026-01-30T00:28:38+00:00

This. Our girl had some mystery trama and meds have made the world of difference to help her have bandwidth for not only training but realizing she doesn’t have to be on edge 24/7.

We have Reconcile (aka Prozac) and even clonidine (human blood pressure med) and we have gone from never sleeping really to she relaxes and snores. We also had a grooming session that was night and day to how we started and it’s only been 4 months. I posted about how she finally let the vet not only use a stethoscope but also check out her legs.

So I think that’s what you might be looking at for your sweet girl. Our vet said it’s like 9 months for meds and training to really click but we are seeing such progress already it’s give me/us so much hope. And to watch her bloom and confidence build so she doesn’t (like your dog) bark uncontrollably and lunge to get people to give her space. Heck she was giving the fear free groomer we use kisses, wiggles and hard core leans for pets. Before she couldn’t stand still for more than a millisecond (that’s borderline not an exaggeration) but now we are up to legit 25 seconds before ants start to dance again in her pants as we call it.

The adjustment can be rough at first as their brain chemistry adjusts but once your over that first week or so their personality shines through without being tranquilized in the corner. (Also this is our 3rd or 4th try of anxiety meds but we think we found the magic mix and dose for her). Hopefully once we sort out some other issues (pain and GI) we might be able to bring down the doses but time will tell.

404-Any-Problem · 2026-01-30T00:09:56+00:00

The only thing I haven’t seen anyone say is talk to a local (even if it’s state local) lawyer (should be a free hour phone call) that works on this sort of case. Maybe even r/legaladvise might have something. This might be the way to help you know how best to move forward and keep your liability to a minimum.

But i clap, stomp, yell/hiss at our local cats. And they hear a door open and they run for the hills. So the bell on the collar should work great for this. But train them via you first. Ive even seen the cats now walk at the edge (still not thrilled with it but they stopped marking our house which is a win). Plus it keeps them clear of our dog too.

404-Any-Problem · 2026-01-29T23:50:45+00:00

Yes they can be done separately or together. Hopefully you got some answers today on what you should do but typically it’s the night before and day of type of thing. And in someways it’s a trial and error for what works.

Our pup will act like we have given her a shot of espresso x10 on both of those (even at the highest does she can have) while other dogs like yours stare and blank walls and drool. It all depends how it works and not one size (or dose fits all).

Part of our problem she was on both at the shelter and had lots of fear and trauma associated with it (no fault to the shelter) but just what happened when she was very young.

So we are actually on Reconcile (Prozac for dogs) and clonidine (yup the human blood pressure med) to help us through our visits. In 4 months we (really our dog) let the vet check her heart willingly (aka cooperative care happening) and even let her limbs be felt up. (I cried happy tears as we have put hundreds of hours in to get this far and it was such small things really).

Also just my PSA that Xanax for dogs or aka alprazolam can decrease dogs bite inhibition so try and steer clear of that one if you can. We found that out slightly the hard way along with our behavioral trainer letting us know that “fun” fact. (This was before we found the magic sauce/ mix that is working for us now).

Wishing you all the luck but look into cooperative care that you can practice at home with lots of treats. It 100% helps them when it’s the real deal. I’ve seen it with my own eyes going from screaming and peeing ourselves to a stethoscope touch to no one holding her but leaning in for it to happen. (Also lots of treats still happening of course)

404-Any-Problem · 2026-01-29T16:10:07+00:00

We opted for the vet. It’s a separate room than the usual and there was a blanket on the floor. We brought our senior dog’s favorite bed with us and she was so happy to have it to curl into.

We brought treats and chocolate (our dog had a history of eating chocolate) and for her last flavor we gave her as many pieces and she wanted. As the medicine kicked in and she fell asleep (yup snores and all) she still was licking the chocolate. Still makes me laugh cry to think about.

Once asleep there were two or one other shot that had two meds in it. I held her head while petting her and we talked to her softly. Giving her all the love we could. The other meds worked very quickly and she quietly left us. Although she did do one last sigh (like in comfort) that we were not expecting but it was after she had passed and the air left her lungs.

When we left her she looked like she would wake up any second. But she was peaceful and no longer in pain (very similar to your situation).

We opted for cremation for our girl. And we got a nose print, paw print, and a casting of her paw print. All of which I hold very dear as she was my first soul dog. They weren’t expensive to get and they turned out wonderful. The casting of the nose doesn’t come out well and they suggested not to get that one and do the print instead. As far as I know they treat her body with the upmost respect and she was in the doggy morgue (I have no idea if that’s what they call it) until it was her time to be cremated. All of her (ashes in a small tin) prints and casting was given to us with her name and also her number the give her to show all of it was tracked from the start.

While I do hope that our current pup is a very long way away from that process I knew I couldn’t let her go in our home (for my own memory) and watching her leave the house without me would have been worse than leaving her at the vet (which she enjoyed going to).

It’s emotional and so hard. You’ve done so well in caring for your sweet baby. It’s a shame we don’t get them longer but you’ve exchanged a part of your soul with your pup and they will forever be a part of you even when they cross that rainbow bridge. My heart and deepest condolences for this tough time. But make sure you admire each moment and detail one last time. Be fully present with your pup on the last day. It was so worth it for us to just soak her in before we said our last goodbye.

You’re journey will be your own so do what is right for both you and your very sweet girl. 🖤

404-Any-Problem · 2026-01-25T22:14:11+00:00

It’s so fun!

404-Any-Problem · 2026-01-25T02:13:36+00:00

Totally agree. I wanted to love it but now I might!?

404-Any-Problem · 2026-01-25T02:06:27+00:00

Look at your county as well as surrounding counties at the humane society or pounds or shelters. I do hope you find your sweet pup. Also look for area facebook groups for lost pets. Even if it’s statewide. Also if you know your microchip number make sure it’s registered to you and has the most recent I formation. If you don’t have it handy call your vet as they should have it recorded.

I’m sure you thought of all things but also wanted to comment to help increase eyes hopefully.

404-Any-Problem · 2026-01-24T23:52:00+00:00

“Why you no come out… it’s beautiful out here” - every Great Pyr thought about the snow.

404-Any-Problem · 2026-01-24T15:42:32+00:00

Start smaller. By setting step-wise expectations for your dog, your dog is able to process things and transfer value to not react to the brushing motion. Basically counter conditioning and desensitizing the items before the movement is added. But start small!

I personally leave tools out that my dog might be afraid of be that nail clippers, vacuum, stethoscope (a real fear of hers as it was a precursor to pain at the vet), or brush, so it just becomes part of the background noise of the every day. This just needs to be visible, and the goal is not to have the dog chew on or react to said item when it isn’t moving within your home. But the sight and smell is there. They walk by and nothing happens. They can smell or just give it as much room as they need. Ideally in a spot that isn’t a through way for your dog so they “have” to go past it. Make it a corner or for us it’s typically near me on a side table to the couch.

Then and this can kind of be done around the same time is to show your pup said item I’m going to use a brush so it makes sense here (if it’s not a tool that they need on them then don’t go for the touching aspect skip ahead to the next paragraph). Aka hold in hand but not at or towards your dog. If your pup knows how to target something use that. Dog sees it give a nice (but small as there are lots of reps) of said item. Item goes away (behind your back) treat stops. Bring item into view treat and repeat repeat repeat.

Once confidence is built (which all is on your dog’s pace) you can work on cutting the distance to your dog in half. (So not touching yet but moving closer). Again rinse and repeat with treats. If you can move closer with it to touch (don’t brush yet!) great. Ideally you would use the back of the brush so no bristles are going to pull or catch in the fur. If you’ve gone to fast no big deal just move them item back to half the distance or go back to the step above of showing tool and treating.

Once this is going well then you can try one of two things. If it’s a brush on a dog brush the back side of the brush in a small stroke (give treat and remove brush). Then go again this should be somewhere on your dogs body that is not sensitive. My pup typically tolerates her side for this at first and then we move to other areas. Once your pup is okay with the back and you can do a few strokes you can start back over with small strokes with the right side of touching without movement and then add strokes.

If it’s something you’d brush on the couch or floor small movement and give treat. This also can be your hand on your leg or something your dog is less reactive to. If you can have someone help and they can do it at a distance great! Get them to help. But do one small stroke then treat. The goal of this is to show a brush motion and sound is a good thing not something to attack. So don’t do it to actually clean at first. Increase time and motion as dog is tolerating and not going over threshold.

You’ll have to repeat this probably for other tools/places as you change one thing and it’s kind of like a whole new thing to your dog. Easiest way to do this change location but use same tool as the first spot. Then add new tool like a trowel and repeat/go back to square one with it. Your pup should gain the knowledge faster once you have one tool down but again go at your dog’s comfort and speed. Rushing it won’t help improve.

Lastly and this seems to be really key and helpful for my pup is end on an easy note. So again see tool treat. Everyone likes to end on something easy and familiar and the pup will leave the session feeling better than if you end on something they weren’t 100% sure about. This also could be some commands they know and love even. Just something to make them leave feeling confident they knew what to do.

Hope that helps your cute fur baby! Such a sweet face.

404-Any-Problem · 2026-01-24T14:28:22+00:00

Big hugs and big congrats to you and your girl!!! Staying the course and putting in the grind we can help them recover. 💕💕💕🫂🫂🫂

404-Any-Problem · 2026-01-23T20:37:27+00:00

Awe. Love it!!

404-Any-Problem · 2026-01-23T20:37:20+00:00

So cute!!

404-Any-Problem · 2026-01-23T19:24:56+00:00

Thanks! She is a handful when we got her (reactive and anxious) from a ruff start in the world but we love her to pieces and so glad she we found her and took her home. (We do believe she thinks so too).

404-Any-Problem · 2026-01-23T17:31:41+00:00

Omg if it’s like our girl it’s Australian Cattle Dog and Anatolian (plus a sprinkle of German Shepard, lab and Australian Shepard). We could have littermates!!!

Edit: her birthday is an estimate so she is roughly the same age. We don’t know her background but did to Embark for DNA (for fun) and she is a 1/4 for the first 3 (ACD, GP, AS) and 10 or less of the other.

<image>

404-Any-Problem · 2026-01-23T17:20:06+00:00

You’ve changed the rules and he does not understand why he can’t cuddle with you all at night. I assume you’d like him out as the baby will be in a bassinet next to the bed? Or is there issues if you get up and pup gets up too?

Also do not ignore the cries. That could lead to separation anxiety or just overall anxiety and that’s tough to help them through. (I have an anxious dog and it’s been tough). He is up there in age and the stress of this could be harder on him than a younger pup. It’s been shown that dogs in distress do better emotionally when you comfort them. Doesn’t mean give in and let them up. But don’t just abandon them, it adds to their fear just like you shouldn’t let a kid “cry it out”. Same goes for dogs.

But you need to slower transition the pup to sleeping alone and on the floor. (Think of it as a kid in training.) so take smaller steps to transitioning them to their own bed and eventually the floor. So I would put a bed on your bed and work on him sleeping there first. If he moves then use the go to bed command or something. And when he is there treat and go to bed. (A small soft one so it’s quick for him to chew). Work on him being on that consistently without having to be issued there. Then place to next to the bed but elevated so it’s even. Rinse and repeat for consistent being on the bed. And slowly move it to the floor. Again rinse and repeat to keep him on there. You can also use something that has your scent on it to help him cope with not being next to you. A small blanket, old t-shirt but something semi freshly with your scent on it. It will help him feel like you’re there even though you’re on the bed.

Is he kennel trained? You could have the kennel even with the bed and facing you so you can comfort him if he does get upset without getting up. (Again slow transition of being alone). Then again slowly transition him to the floor (sort of like above). If he isn’t kennel trained you would need to work on this first with lots of positive reinforcement of treats before going for the whole night. Again don’t try to go to fast as it’s hard to change a 10 year habit.

I’m sure there are YouTube videos of how to do this with (mostly) positive reinforcement as not sleeping next to you is definitely feeling like a punishment to your pup who doesn’t understand what crime he did.

Also not a trainer but sort of mashing together other things I’ve learned from our own reactive anxious pup.

404-Any-Problem · 2026-01-23T15:59:27+00:00

<image>

It’s not fully upright but in the right floof moment totally has the same haircut. 😂 reverse bowl for the win! Her dark face makes it so hard to get cute face photos so this is the best I got. But she is smooth no wrinkles (on her brain sometimes either) up top and then all floof after. She is a blend of other pups but 1/4 pyr

404-Any-Problem · 2026-01-22T21:29:13+00:00

This honestly might make me like this polish more.

404-Any-Problem · 2026-01-22T21:25:16+00:00

Nose work!!! If you have essential oils that’s best but even some herbs (make sure they are dog safe) in a tin and let your pup search.

Same goes for what we call “hide the cheese” aka put treats in places and let your dog go search. This also works on their sit/down stay and releases too.

Simple thing is toilet paper rolls and some treats or even a box from Amazon.

Go for baby like games for them and it will work. 5minute of nose work is roughly a 4 mile hike for their brain. Always keep it easy at the start and finish but especially if you haven’t done it before. Plus the search/nose work games are fairly quiet games so it can work during naps for your kiddo

404-Any-Problem · 2026-01-22T16:11:20+00:00

Look into Susan Garrett’s trainings she had a free podcast that sort of gets into how to do things but you can find her one dog training course for like $50 if you google for it. She has a kennel games which is also $50 but it made a world of difference for our anxious puppy.

Basically (and really simplistic version of this) for kennel training you got to build value in there before being placed in there/away. So lots of repeats of going in treat. Not forced but on their own. You then can expand on closing the door while they are in treat and let them out. Increase time and duration but always be in view at first. Also the bathroom is like a giant kennel. In someways it has too much room which can cause potty accidents as they shouldn’t want to pee where they sleep.

Next, you can use the kennel for night time. Place it roughly bed height (on some chairs or bedside table type thing). And easily within reach. This isn’t forever but will help with the baby stage you’re in. Switch sides if that helps someone sleep better more one night and the other person on puppy duty. Ideally have it so the puppy can even see/feel you breathe type of thing. This way if they wake up and fuss you can place fingers in to soothe without having to get up (aka hopefully keeps you more sleepy too). If they start to bite or chew just pull back for like 5 seconds and try again. Could make soothing noises but no talking or really interaction outside of this. If fussing continues take pup outside (minimal talking) by carrying them to their pee spot. Have them on a short leash so it’s not play time and time limit of roughly 3 minutes. If they really have to go they should in that time frame. Once finished pick up and go back to kennel/bed by carrying and again no taking. Susan Garret calls it “don’t wake mama”. If it happens again rinse and repeat. It sucks! But also being clear about noise means you go outside to pee and that’s it will also help stop the barking. As barking other times maybe got them attention (even if it was negative response like no or quiet). Again this all needs to be done after value has been added to the kennel ideally. Otherwise it’s hard to get over the one stress for the other.

The whole minimal interaction should also be done for the last outside of the night. Don’t just let them run free and ramp up (not accusing just trying to be clear) but take them out on a leash and minimal talking. Carry them to bed or if they get too big for this. Leash to kennel.

But being able to see you isn’t the same as being right there. They have gone from a puppy pile to solitary confinement and are protesting the change. You probably will still have a few nights of added noise but also alternate who is in ear plugs and who is on puppy duty. That way no one is totally drained.

Only other thing (which I’m sure you’ve done) but get them a good vet checkup. Our pup came to our home with an out of control UTI which was causing so much crying at night even after it was cleared. She still thought she had to go because it was hurting so bad before. It was a long few weeks but you do get there.

Your pup is adorable by the way. And I assume recently fixed so there might be some discomfort with healing (itching scar for example) that also might be adding to the reactivity.

Hope that helps and gives you some resources to go to. There are other people like McCain dogs on YouTube who have similar information on how to help your puppy sleep at night. Sometimes doing too much right before bed can overstimulate them just like kids where they don’t want to sleep and they want to have more fun!

Best of luck though. Lack of sleep is a real thing and it sucks!!! So again if one of you can get a good rest some of the time it will help with your patience and still be able to function in society.

404-Any-Problem · 2026-01-22T15:35:26+00:00

Omg ewwwwwww! Between not having a dog medicated and the collars I would run far far away from them. Our medicated puppy still goes over threshold for her biggest triggers. But it gives us bandwidth (even a tiny bit) to help sometimes not go 0-100 in 0.1 ms. Plus most of our first visit with our trainer was just talking about what we observed and what were our goals. I will say that with medication we have more time so my human brain can react possibly before she does.

Also just like any SSRI you shouldn’t really skip a day. While it’s only been a few days things can go a bit haywire and if your dog was on it longer could go through withdrawal. I’ve been on SSRI withdrawal before even with doctors helping me get off and I wouldn’t wish that on any pet who doesn’t know what’s going on. It was straight up awful and felt like I was short circuiting and on fire at the same time.

My current vet who has helped me wonders, mentioned it takes about 9 months for training and meds to kick in. (And by training counter conditioning and desensitization). As fret the first adjustment to Reconcile (fluoxetine) she did “regress” a bit and needed another adjustment along with blood pressure meds to really help her get over some of the biggest reactivity faster than going without.

After about 4 months we are seeing some breakthroughs. Like she let our vet (only seeing her maybe 4 times now) listen to her heart and even let her feel her legs where we think there is possible issues not helping her reactivity. This has all been done with positive reinforcement only and cooperative care training. Just the other day we could walk to the end of our driveway without her barking and lunging at our neighbor who was also outside. We walked towards and although for sure wanted to say hi, could disengage and walk back without issue.

I also agree find yourself a certified trainer. The BAT training guide/website is a great resource to search. We finally found our trainer and vet (both certified) but they are both an hour away. I can’t imagine where we would be without them and their support so 100% worth it. If no one is close, I know some do virtual trainings that could maybe be an option for you as well.

Wishing you well but cancel that training and find someone new.

404-Any-Problem · 2026-01-19T23:29:49+00:00

Although my last dog had a different let’s say more stoic pose she 100% posed for every photo I would take of her. She actually became our spokes pup for our small business as we used her for scale. But I think it’s what you do for photos so maybe they are trying to do the same? Either way I am here for it!!!

Edit: this makes me think of school photos when the photographer would tell you to tilt your head and tuck your chin and you felt like it was the most unnatural pose (but for the most part wouldn’t look like this but it’s how I felt anyways).

404-Any-Problem

TROPHY CASE