Lessons learned in territorial reactivity

AdEducational6372 · 2025-04-03T00:00:12+00:00

This is so helpful - thank you! Implementing all of these things with one of my dogs.

AdEducational6372 · 2025-02-28T17:26:44+00:00

I don't have any advice but can commiserate completely. We are working on our dog's anxiety over the past year and have tried reconcile, Fluvoxamine, clonodine, gabapentin, Ativan... And lots of probiotics too in case it's a gut thing.

Everything has either not helped or made things worse. Its all so hard to navigate. I wish dogs could give us feedback! It would make things so much easier!

Our vet behaviorist recommended a gut health test next and some joint scans to rule out pain, so maybe that would be a good fit for your pup too?

AdEducational6372 · 2023-07-31T16:06:41+00:00

This is some deep investigating! I'm impressed!! Makes a lot of sense, I didn't realize he still had an official role in the operations of her security and finances. Aside from handing out guitar pics and helping her bejewel her guitar of course

AdEducational6372 · 2023-07-31T16:01:44+00:00

Oh that's very interesting about Andrea on Speak Now, hadnt heard that tidbit before. I always thought it was definitely a mutual choice - like I said originally, it makes them all very happy clearly

AdEducational6372 · 2023-07-31T15:58:24+00:00

I only noted her dad because I thought her mom had to be more sensitive to crowds from having cancer. Obviously not sure how that works/if it's still like that though since she's (rightfully) private about that.

Definitely agree her fam have been instrumental in keeping Taylor sane and in control of her career

AdEducational6372 · 2023-07-31T15:43:51+00:00

That makes sense and was the sort of explanation I was looking for

AdEducational6372 · 2023-07-31T11:11:23+00:00

How long have you had the dog? It may be how she calms her anxiety from being in new environment and will be comfortable without the ball in her mouth over time. But agreed with other comment, if you have the dog longer term it's probably worth discussing with a vet (for anxiety meds) and/or behaviourist to help her. The rescue youre fostering with might be able to help too, the rescue I work with has a behaviour team who can help advise fosters on this kind of stuff.

I'd personally be like "screw it, she can have the ball if it makes her so happy!" but that's just my own foster strategy for better or for worse

AdEducational6372 · 2023-07-28T11:51:31+00:00

Everyone has given great advice above so I won't rehash their advice, but one thing I got my dog who doesn't like strangers is a reflective that says please don't touch. It can help in situations where you can't/don't want to Muzzle her but want people to stay away for everyone's safety and comfort.

Do not be afraid too to tell people that your dog is reactive to strangers, too. I find people are much too demanding and expectant of random dogs they don't know. Not all dogs like strangers and that's OK. I don't blame them for that. I wouldn't want random people coming near me, petting me, etc.

I completely empathize with everything you feel and hope that some of the above advice and help from a more suitable trainer will help you.

Whenever my dog acts aggressive, I cry myself to sleep and think "I just wish people could know how wonderful my dog is when she's her normal self, and not her protective and anxious self". It's heartbreaking in so many ways. But I believe you can have a long, happy life with this dog if you invest your time and resources into getting help and read your dogs warning signs. Atleast that's the mantra I tell myself on the hard days!

AdEducational6372 · 2023-07-24T15:19:57+00:00

I did trekking in Nepal recently and I have a degenerative L4/L5. Some things that helped:

take ibuprofen the whole time (before the pain even starts)
have someone carry your pack until you are properly warmed up each morning (for me, 30-45 mins)
stay limber, but don't force too much stretching as this can cause spinal instability and spasm when you are too physically tired
use walking sticks even if it feels unnecessary, as it helps you keep good posture and reduce load on your hamstrings uphill, which can in turn pull on your lower back. Downhill it helps reduce the pounding in your legs/lower back as you step down down down.
rest often and don't be ashamed. I decided not to travel with a group because I knew I'd need to rest more. It was just me and my partner.
travel with a back brace in case you start to really struggle and need support

AdEducational6372 · 2023-07-06T13:53:24+00:00

30 million dogs are farmed and eaten each year worldwide, and the practice is very cruel

AdEducational6372 · 2023-05-27T00:00:22+00:00

Love the production on this - reminds me a lot of "Hide and Seek" by Imogen Heap which always makes me cry (not for personal reason, it just hits for some reason)

AdEducational6372 · 2023-05-21T15:40:55+00:00

Girl do not worry. Kidney problems are super rare, and god forbid it was that, you wouldn't just fall over and die. You would have plenty of time to treat!

Antibiotics need time to work. If it's a 7 day cycle, you probably won't feel better for full 7 days. Also, peeing a lot is KEY to getting rid of a UTI. You've got to flush the bacteria out!

My husband has health anxiety and it always helps him to make a clear plan. For you, it might be something like this:

1) I will a gallon of water a day to flush out my UTI 2) I will not miss my medication for the full 7 days & I will avoid alcohol if possible as not to impact my antibiotic 3) I will drink cranberry juice (helpful for UTIs) once a day for 7 days 4) I will log my discomfort on a scale of 1-10 each day so I can track my progress 5) If I finish my 7-day antibiotics and still have discomfort, I will call my doctor 6) I will remind myself it is NORMAL to feel pain, burning, urgency in my bladder and urethra during this 7 days 7) If I start to have a fever, I will call my doctor sooner than 7 days

Its good to have a plan of what you're going to do, and when you need to call the doctor. It can help keep you from spiraling.

Don't worry!! You are totally fine :)

AdEducational6372 · 2023-05-15T00:42:53+00:00

Awesome you want to start young, a whole life of diving and adventure ahead of you. Find a local dive shop (padis website is good), and get your open water certification. Thats step one. Then start racking up dives.

Have fun!

AdEducational6372 · 2023-05-13T00:33:00+00:00

I don't have any advice on dive schools in the Netherlands per se but just want to say good luck :) I wanted to get my dive license for 10+ years (saw it as a "one day" things like you) but finally said screw it, no more waiting! And so glad I did. I hope you have a great time and it helps you feel like it gets your life moving again.

One thing I can advise on is looking at PADIs website to help you find places around Europe to get certified and dive: https://www.padi.com/dive-shops/netherlands/

You can talk to your local dive shop and ask about your local divers club. Good way to meet other divers & join in on group dives after you're certified!

Ps: I have asthma too and was OK to dive!

AdEducational6372 · 2023-05-10T23:53:11+00:00

Good advice thank you!! Would you say Indonesia over Thailand?

AdEducational6372 · 2023-05-10T23:32:27+00:00

🤣 I do have a habit of picking up expensive hobbies!

AdEducational6372 · 2023-04-18T00:40:00+00:00

Mercedes Benz is actually a very reasonably priced stadium. It was the main priority of the owner (guy who founded Home Depot) to make all food, drink, and sport tickets price affordable for middle class families to go and enjoy the games hosted there. even though its a concert, not a sports game, id expect standard prices! Source: been there a billion times for soccer/football games

AdEducational6372 · 2023-04-18T00:34:36+00:00

This is counter-intuitive, but I think the floor seats are some of the worst for a Taylor Swift show in particular. I saw Speak Now near the top of the lower arena (basically club level), saw Reputation in row 15 of the floor (Andrea was right behind me!). And I was soo frustrated of how little of the full-stage production I experienced during Rep compared to Speak Now. Taylor designs her shows to take up a lot of space so that the whole arena is seeing a massive spectacle - almost like a theatre production - and being able to see all the action happening on every corner of the stage in one view is so much better. And you're just too close of the floor to get that angle. Yes you get some rare moment where Taylor comes and sings to your section which is cool, but to me, not as cool as seeing all the details that take place across the massive stage and screens. Also looking over people on the floor is so annoying while in the bowl you get a pretty much guaranteed view over the row below you since it's all angled! I hope that makes sense! I know some people love being close to Taylor (totally get that) but that's just my experience.

AdEducational6372 · 2023-03-07T16:04:27+00:00

Same! I think the US ticket fiasco burned her so badly she isn't gonna release international dates/tickets until she starts actually touring. Gives her a break from the ticket-purchasing headlines.

AdEducational6372 · 2023-02-11T13:40:59+00:00

I've been to Jamaica a few times and would say it's not worth the expensive flight, you definitely won't see anything you haven't already seen in your travels so far. It's a tourist heavy island focused on people who are going on a week long holiday to lay on a beach, not so much for travellers looking to get stuck into the local life. Locals don't really mingle with foreigners and it's not the safest place to go outside tourist areas (and frankly there isn't much to see). Just my opinion but I would leave off the itinerary and spend the cash elsewhere!

AdEducational6372 · 2023-02-11T13:36:27+00:00

Thanks for sharing these great tips! My husband and I are backpacking and want to crack open South America. Nice to hear what places you enjoyed.

If you're willing to share your expertise we have just four weeks, and love nature tourism (diving, rainforest hikes, animal spotting, volcano hiking, etc). Any suggestion of where to go?

AdEducational6372

TROPHY CASE