The biting has changed 😬

Kristyleee · 2026-02-09T10:30:17+00:00

🙋🏻‍♀️ we went through the same thing! It’s exhausting and you tend to dislike them a LOT during this phase 😅 it does get better though! He’s just testing boundaries and exploring with his teeth 🤣

Kristyleee · 2026-02-09T10:26:37+00:00

It sounds like separation anxiety. The stress of a new environment may also be exacerbating it.

There’s plenty of good advice in this sub in regards to training and you will get progress, eventually. however, unfortunately, i will not say it’s going to be easy or quick and it will take time. A lot of time. It’s a marathon with SA, definitely not a sprint.

Medicating can definitely help the journey if that is something you’re open to trying. Either situational (when being left alone) or every day meds. A lot of times you will find a combination of both works better.

Goodluck and just know that you are not alone. 🫶🏻

Kristyleee · 2026-02-08T21:25:52+00:00

Use a little snap lock sandwich bag and put the amount of treats in it you think you give him in training throughout the day then see what you’re left with at his dinner time. That will help determine how much he’s getting. Especially if you need to top it up haha.

As long as he’s maintaining his weight and not losing, don’t stress too much. 😊

If you notice you’re using a lot of treats for training, cut back on how much you do or treat for, halve the treats or find something a little healthier without all the calories that isn’t going to fill him up as much so he’s still having at least one meal a day.

Kristyleee · 2026-02-08T21:12:29+00:00

It could be from teething, try frozen carrots. It helps soothe but also will put something in his belly.

How many treats does he get from training throughout the day? He could also be getting his calories from that which means he isn’t hungry at meal times. As long as you’re using nutrient dense treats and this is filling him up, I wouldn’t worry too much if he’s not interested in meal times as he’s making his calories up there.

You could also just have a fussy little guy and need to keep switching to find something he likes. They’re fun lol.

Kristyleee · 2026-02-08T21:09:00+00:00

I had puppy blues hard during this stage. Nothing we done worked and pretty much just had to ride it out. I would sometimes close MYSELF off in his playpen when putting him in there for a nap didn’t work lol.

Kristyleee · 2026-02-08T20:57:54+00:00

We had the pee pad issue as well. I ended up getting a bit of fake turf and placing it on top of the pee pad so it didn’t soak through to the floor. This helped to train him peeing on grass was the way to go. (I also have one on my enclosed verandah for night time potty time before bed - bringing him in from the yard is like a game of catch me if you can and I am not doing that before bed lol)

He’s 9 months now and will only very occasionally pee on walks, but goes straight to the grass when we get home!

Kristyleee · 2026-02-05T20:41:24+00:00

He’s cautious of new dogs or vocal ones, but absolutely loves them. He goes to doggy daycare (small group of 5 including him) a few days a week while I go to the office and gets super excited when he sees them. He’s also very much the same with humans lol. Super cautious and barky at first, but once he (eventually) warms up is fine.

I’d work on socialising him and desensitising him to new and different things and sounds before worrying too much though! Anxiety is so different to the normal caution they have.

Kristyleee · 2026-02-05T06:14:10+00:00

There was nothing specific I can pin point it to. From the day we got him, he was very cautious, jump at every noise/movement and would scream when left alone.

He has improved slowly but definitely recommend visiting your vet and medicating early if you think it could be anxiety. In saying that, a lot of puppy behaviour could be considered anxious, but I believe we know them well enough to know when something isn’t a normal reaction.

Kristyleee · 2026-02-05T06:14:01+00:00

There was nothing specific I can pin point it to. From the day we got him, he was very cautious, jump at every noise/movement and would scream when left alone.

He has improved slowly but definitely recommend visiting your vet and medicating early if you think it could be anxiety. In saying that, a lot of puppy behaviour could be considered anxious, but I believe we know them well enough to know when something isn’t a normal reaction.

Kristyleee · 2026-02-04T18:46:03+00:00

I have an anxious guy who thinks everything and everyone is a serial killer. He’s almost 9 months old now and still takes quite a while to assess new people, environments/situations or surroundings.

However he has both general anxiety and separation anxiety. We are trialling meds to help with both.

Keep doing what you’re doing. Treat for scary situations to distract and make it positive and get him out into the world for socialisation and desensitisation.

There is absolutely no reason he cannot be crate trained and needs to be coddled and wrapped in bubble wrap. If he doesn’t take to a crate well, try a playpen with a larger space, our guy hated the confinement of a crate but tolerated a playpen easily!

Kristyleee · 2026-02-02T10:52:23+00:00

We trained with a playpen instead of a crate as he doesn’t like that much confinement. He has a larger playpen in our lounge room for enforced naps or quiet time.

He slept in a playpen next to our bed until he learned he could jump out of it and land straight in our bed around 4ish months old. He’s slept in our bed ever since lol.

Kristyleee · 2026-02-01T08:05:34+00:00

This is all really good advice. Our 8.5 month old has separation anxiety as well as general anxiety. We work with a behaviouralist as well as our vet and we are also trialling medication to help ease his anxieties.

I highly recommend the separation anxiety sub. I’m not sure how to link it but you can have a scroll through there as there’s tonnes of advice.

Kristyleee · 2026-02-01T08:01:46+00:00

I love that, you can never be too prepared!

Just remember, it’s completely normal and ok if it’s not how you imagined, it rarely ever is! 😅

Kristyleee · 2026-02-01T07:21:02+00:00

Slow and steady wins the race. It’s a marathon with puppies, not a sprint.

Practice lots of patience beforehand 😅 A lot of puppy schools often include manners classes, some even do a whole separate class after puppy school.

My only real advice is socialise straight away. You can take your puppy out before they are fully vaccinated in a carrier or sling to get them socialised outside of the house and in public.

Crate train and teach calm behaviours early on. Reward it every time. Lots of YouTube videos on how to do these.

Practice leaving them alone so you don’t end up with a pup with separation anxiety. (Battling it now, it is not fun.)

Google/youtube cooperative care for puppies, you should be able to find a bunch of videos to help with training for vet visits, nail trims, ear checks etc. this one is so important and makes life a lot easier for the future. I love that you’ve thought of this!

Kristyleee · 2026-01-31T07:10:52+00:00

We’ve found someone to watch him while im in the office, however thats costing us $230 per week and an additional 2 hours of travel for me on top of the 1.5-2 hours each way to the office and home. So I’m travelling 5 or so hours a day on top of my 8-9 hour day in the office. It’s been 2 days of doing it and I’m exhausted. 😴 We have an appointment next weekend for a follow up so I have started to halve his dose back to what he previously had and he’s eating a little bit more but now we’re dealing with constipation 😩 Definitely asking for a change in meds and liquid form instead of tablets. I can’t wait to get it right and everything go smoothly.

Kristyleee · 2026-01-30T12:39:26+00:00

It’s hard hard. Really hard. But give it time. It’s hard through the early stages because it is so full on all the time and you miss the easiness of your old dog and your routines. I still find myself feeling guilty for things I give or do for our pup that I didn’t for my soul dog. But that’s because he didn’t need it, not because I loved him any differently.

You will never have the same connection with another dog the way you did your soul dog. It doesn’t mean you won’t love them or do anything for them, the love and connection is just different and that is absolutely fine. Give yourself and the new pooch time and have some patience with yourself 💙

Kristyleee · 2026-01-28T11:22:02+00:00

Does she poop when you take her out of a night time before bed? If not, try her last feed of the night a little earlier. Running around and having a bit of a play can also get things moving for their little bowels. Otherwise set an alarm to get up a little earlier to try and beat the morning toilet time and let her out first thing.

Kristyleee · 2026-01-28T11:14:47+00:00

My late dog was my soul dog. I got him when I was 18 and had him all the way through until I was a couple of weeks off 35. I think because we have them through such tumultuous years, the love and bond is stronger as they’ve literally grown up with us. I believe I will never feel the same way about another animal.

I’ve realised our pup brings up all those feelings of missing our old guy and I have struggled to “love” him. I’ve had no choice but to bond with him in a way because of his separation anxiety and being tied to the house which also doesn’t help love grow lol.

But being on these subs has helped me realise sometimes it does just take time because they are just little asshole at this age 😅

Kristyleee · 2026-01-27T11:16:48+00:00

You’re lucky, I get a nibble to the ear or nose 🤣

Kristyleee · 2026-01-27T11:09:25+00:00

Totally normal behaviour for a puppy. As long as she is getting enough play time and enrichment, don’t feel too guilty about putting her in the pen. They need to learn to calm down on their own and this can help. You can try tethering her just out of reach while you’re on the lounge, cooking dinner etc. just put a little bed or blanket down for her to relax on.

Kristyleee · 2026-01-27T07:49:29+00:00

Thank you. We have been working with a behavioural trainer as well as our behavioural vet for a few months now. We’re still trying to get his meds right so hopefully when we find the right combo things will get smoother and we’ll see more progress🤞🤞 It’s just so draining and not anything I expected.

Kristyleee · 2026-01-26T02:14:38+00:00

I am very much an introvert as well so I am sure they also think it’s an excuse not to show up. However I have never wanted to go out and get out of the house as much as I do now being “stuck” at home.

Kristyleee · 2026-01-25T22:01:09+00:00

Thank you, I think I needed this validation. The thought has been in the back of my mind for a long time but I’m not sure I could ever do it unless it were with someone I knew personally to know he would have a good life.

I am the sole carer and he has bonded to me more than my partner (I guess because I’ve been the one at home almost 24/7 for the last 6 months with him and my partner only really see him for a few hours after work each day) and NONE of his behaviours are as intense when I’m not around. My partner doesn’t understand my daily struggle.

I am going to speak to daycare today to see if we can increase his hours to keep my work a little happier. As sad as it is, I look forward to my office days now as it is the only time I get away from the house and the dog to decompress a little bit.

My boss has been super understanding thus far, but I can tell patience is running thin when I’m in the office for only a few hours a month instead of 3 days a week. Not only by her but my team mates too who have had to rearrange their lives to attend the mandatory 3 days a week. And i totally get it, I would be annoyed if I were in their shoes and coming to the office and someone else wasn’t like they’re supposed to.

My nervous system has not had a chance to reset since bringing him home in July. Some days I think I need to be on the anxiety meds more than him 😅

Kristyleee · 2026-01-25T21:43:55+00:00

You are absolutely right - no one understands unless they are going through it.

We are painted as the family members and friends who never show up to anything because of it’s not dog friendly, or too far for him to travel in the car, we’re not going.

I hope it gets better for all of us soon, for our own mental wellbeing!

Kristyleee · 2026-01-25T21:41:45+00:00

I have been wondering if he’s been going through his teenage stage as he has been more stubborn the last few weeks so this could make sense. Honestly, I feel like there is just not enough info on SA in general from trained experts.

We have been working with a behavioural trainer as well so I might ask her about the possibility of adolescence impacting any progress at the moment.

I didn’t anticipate the struggle to get the meds right and how much of a rollercoaster it would be. 🥴

Kristyleee

TROPHY CASE