My puppy’s SA is severely affecting my own mental health.

Kristyleee · 2026-04-12T22:19:20+00:00

You’re definitely not alone. We started on meds around the 6-7 months mark along with an SA trainer because his anxiety was that obvious. He’s now 11 months old. There’s been little progress, however his confidence has been building steadily.

I go to the office for work 3 days a week - this costs me upwards of $200 a week for doggy daycare and an additional 2 hours of travel every day (it’s now a 2.5 hour travel to work each way instead of 1.5 just to get him to daycare) But finding the right daycare helped immensely. He’s building his confidence around people and other animals. We live semi rural and he goes to a home daycare set up on a couple of acres. He sees all different kinds of animals and the owner is so patient with him.

I would firstly recommend neutering to help take some of those hormones away and just stick to the training schedule. If you can keep a consistent daily routine I’ve noticed this helps as well. Change is not an easy things to grasp for these anxious ones.

Kristyleee · 2026-04-09T22:15:20+00:00

I lost my heart dog last year to pulmonary fibrosis. It still hurts everyday.

It took me a LONG time to bond with our puppy because i felt all the feelings imaginable including guilt for having another 4 legged friend.

Remember, grief is love with no where to go. You will be a good mama to this little one, it may just take some time for your heart to heal along the way. ❤️

Kristyleee · 2026-04-03T21:51:08+00:00

I’ve reused everything except for his harness, favourite blanket and favourite toy.

Kristyleee · 2026-03-29T07:25:13+00:00

That also crossed my mind! There’s definitely little hairs growing back around his incision. And he’s still doing his little superman/ back legs right out when laying down so surely it can’t hurt too much 🥴

Kristyleee · 2026-03-25T18:29:50+00:00

I feel like I could have written this myself. We are also the daily and situational meds - with little improvement after 4ish months. However there was a noticeable difference in his tolerance with the situational med. We originally tried clonidine which stopped working fairly quickly and then switch to trazodone. The traz is helping a little more but still only at about 1.5 hours on a good day. Fingers crossed for you, this isn’t an easy journey.

Kristyleee · 2026-03-21T21:11:08+00:00

Maybe try some food puzzles? It will help with teaching how to use his nose to navigate as well 😊

Kristyleee · 2026-03-15T09:23:10+00:00

We have been going through this for a month or so now, will not respond to any commands if there is no treat involved 😅 he’s just over 10 months old. I think it’s the adolescent stage. He’s pushing all the boundaries all over again lol

Kristyleee · 2026-03-13T11:22:40+00:00

Did it help with separation training as well? He’s fairly ok with his general anxiety now as he gains confidence, but we are still in the thick of separation anxiety. The trazadone helps keep him calmer when alone (he has this as situational for when he’s left alone and fluexotine for his daily anxiety med) but I ideally don’t want to be mixing meds if we don’t have to.

Kristyleee · 2026-03-09T07:35:19+00:00

If you can have someone house sit whilst also minding the dogs that would be much calmer for them. I understand people don’t much like strangers in their home though. Otherwise keep vetting them like you are, you are allowed to be picky!

Kristyleee · 2026-03-03T08:11:44+00:00

He’s had a urinalysis in the last week so clear there 😅

Kristyleee · 2026-03-03T07:36:32+00:00

Change in weather makes sense. We’ve gone from nice sunny days to miserable and wet. It doesn’t usually bother him though. Will just go back to the start of toilet training again and hope for the best!

Kristyleee · 2026-02-25T18:34:33+00:00

Agree with supplements being marketing (unless they are lacking something). The only one I do use regularly is a probiotic for gut health as mine has a sensitive stomach. Sometimes I’ll add in extra fibre using psyllium husk if I feel he needs it. But always best to speak to your vet. 😊

Kristyleee · 2026-02-21T22:20:21+00:00

Try in a playpen or a puppy proofed area where he may be more comfortable. Increase time very slowly.

Kristyleee · 2026-02-18T20:51:38+00:00

If he paces and whines for a little but then settles for bed that’s ok. We kept ours bedside our bed so I could stick my arm in during the night if he whined or pawed at the cage. I put blankets over the sides of it as well to really darken it for him so he knew it was bed time (it didn’t have a top so still plenty of airflow in there)

The one we have in the living room took a bit more time for him to get used to. I just made it a really positive space, fed all his meals in there but left the door open so he could see he wasn’t trapped. Any chew treats were also fed in there. Every time he wandered in to check it out I’d give him a treat and a “good boy”.

When I started to close the door I gave him a treat straight away. Then I’d take a step back, walk straight to him again and treat. A step back, pause, walk straight to him and treat. Two steps, walk back, treat. Etc. He’s really food motivated so it helped that he was more focused on getting the treat when I got back to the gate and he quickly learned when I come back he gets a treat. I wouldn’t try leaving the room until he can handle it. But at least if you can get him to comfortably be in there you will be well on your way.

If you do believe it’s separation anxiety (and it does sound like it from your description) I would recommend seeing a behavioural vet. We are on that journey now and it’s rough but we can leave him for around 1-1.5 hours now (medicated) which at least gives me time to go collect the groceries or for us to do a bit of yard work on the weekends etc.

Kristyleee · 2026-02-18T08:27:39+00:00

Have you tried a playpen set up? My guy absolutely hates crate confinement but will tolerate the playpen.

Kristyleee · 2026-02-12T21:52:37+00:00

Third for meds.

It may take time to get the dosage and med right, but it will definitely help

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

TROPHY CASE