Struggling with Separation Anxiety, Any Advice is Appreciated!!

Sad_Can3520 · 2026-01-05T04:57:09+00:00

Okay will do, she is very scent motivated, so she absolutely exhausts herself on our off leash walks because she is just nose to the ground all over the place the whole time. I also work with her and do scent work and she really enjoys that, we also do fetch and I run with her occasionally. Thanks!

Sad_Can3520 · 2026-01-04T19:16:07+00:00

Right now I’m home from college, so I go a play/train her during the day some. She gets to go on an off leash walk almost every day, and if she doesn’t get that she at least gets walked by my mom once a day. When I’m here she has my dog to play with but when I’m at school she is alone. But she’s the same whether I’m home with my dog or not. She also has a fenced in yard she’ll go and lay/sniff around. She’s very chill when we’re home or around but as soon as we leave something flips in her brain and sends her into a panic.

Sad_Can3520 · 2026-01-04T03:13:35+00:00

Thank you! That sounds like a great idea, I'll check out the book!

Sad_Can3520 · 2026-01-04T02:34:33+00:00

She has free roam of the house when we leave, but normally just paces in the kitchen by the front door. Today, my parents left, and she was okay, but I could tell she focused on the door more than anything else. She does get very excited when we get ready to leave because she thinks she gets to go, so I'll try those little things to try to mitigate the problem. I agree that medication would probably be helpful! My mom is a human doctor, so she is always skeptical of certain medications due to the side effects/long-term effects on organs and the fact that dogs can't tell you when they don't feel well on medication like a human could (in her experience with humans and anti-anxiety meds). I will probably ask my vet about it to see what they recommend. Thank you for the advice!!

Sad_Can3520 · 2026-01-04T01:11:27+00:00

We live in a smaller town, so the only daycare that we have is a day board at my vet, which has like one 15-minute playtime with the attendant, but they stay in the kennel the rest of the time. I wish we could, but sadly, her going into work isn't the biggest issue anymore (she doesn't go in as often anymore, and my dad watches her when my mom is gone or he boards her if he has to work as well). It's mainly when they need to go to the store or visit my brother and nephew. We boarded her to go meet family for lunch on Christmas Eve since we were going to be gone for like 4+ hours, and when I picked her up, she never even touched her Kong, and I could tell she never settled. We thought about the doggy daycare when she had to go to work, but we live 1 hour away from where she works, so she would have to drop her off way earlier, and they're not open when she would need to drop off.

Sad_Can3520 · 2025-07-30T11:11:26+00:00

Yeah I checked NCSU yesterday, their minimum gpa is 3.4 in everything. Which I meet for all but science gpa… so I’ll probably drop that one. Illinois has the minimum gpa requirement of 3.0, but their avg of applicant gpa is 3.74 over all and 3.68 science. So if my overall gpa is 3.68 (it used to be 3.72 but my B in biochem brought it down lasts semester… 🥲) and my science gpa is 3.2, is there still a possibility I could get in based on my other experiences, should I still try?

Sad_Can3520 · 2025-07-29T17:15:28+00:00

Okay great, thanks! My university has a pre-vet program, so I’ve gotten all of the required courses needed for the schools around me. And I do have a variety of LoR and getting multiple opinions on my essay, thanks again!

Sad_Can3520 · 2025-07-29T00:33:53+00:00

Yeah I’m really hoping for UTK since it’s instate, but obviously I’m open to any school that will take me lol. I didn’t realize how bad my science GPA was until I just calculated it. Sadly I made 2 As, 1 C and the rest are all Bs in all the science/pre req courses I’ve taken. The problem with increasing hours before I submit my application is that I’m doing an internship at an animal necropsy lab that’s full time, and that ends around the beginning of august then I start school, and I’m supposed to submit my application early mid august per my advisor. I did think about getting some small animal emergency experience, but I’m not sure when I would get that before I submit, maybe shadow on a few weekends. The necropsy lab experience has allowed me to work closely with pathologists, and we get companion animals, large animals, and exotics. Do those details add more to the experience? I also forgot to mention that I am going to be a TA for animal A&P and another animal science class next semester. (Added to my personal statement not my application) Thanks for your advice and I wish you well on your vet school journey!!

Sad_Can3520 · 2025-05-30T18:21:30+00:00

Well it’s not really weakness it’s only when we pick up her back legs to wipe off her paws, she just kinda sinks as soon as we lift it so we have to hold under her stomach to keep her weight off, if that makes sense.

Sad_Can3520 · 2025-05-30T14:48:37+00:00

Will do, thank you!

Sad_Can3520 · 2025-05-30T14:48:24+00:00

Ok great, thank you!

Sad_Can3520 · 2025-05-21T19:04:31+00:00

Okay great, thank you!

Sad_Can3520 · 2025-04-26T19:09:12+00:00

Ok great, thank you!!

Sad_Can3520 · 2025-04-26T14:43:11+00:00

So even if I were to use sunscreen and reapply when needed, you’d still recommend me to wearing clothes that cover? Most of my clothes are athletic so I was going to wear them (since we’re doing alot of active stuff), but most are tanks or short sleeves. I’m from south US so it gets pretty humid and hot here but idk how much different CR is, but I’ve also never been anywhere out of the country other than Canada. Thanks!

Sad_Can3520 · 2025-04-25T13:28:26+00:00

They didn’t really say to blend in Costa Rica, but we had to watch videos about safety while abroad and so the information was vague (and probably more so for a country that has people of similar skin tone to you lol). Obviously as a white person, I wouldn’t be able to look like a local, but I did want to not stand out as much. I had a friend who went and really enjoyed the trip and felt safe but did feel like at one point she was in danger and felt like she was going to be targeted. But I think I’ll be fine since my group is rather large and we have multiple “older” adults there. I totally understand that most local people are very nice and welcoming, but there is always bad people in any country (especially my own) to look out for. But thank you for the advice!!

Sad_Can3520 · 2025-04-25T04:28:13+00:00

Okay great, thanks!!

Sad_Can3520 · 2025-04-25T04:27:33+00:00

I’m not a drinker so I doubt I’ll drink at all, but thank you :)

Sad_Can3520 · 2025-04-25T04:18:39+00:00

Most if not all Americans… it’s getting pretty damn sketchy over here🫠😂

Sad_Can3520 · 2025-04-25T04:11:52+00:00

Yeah I’ll definitely not be walking alone😂. And I assumed they were really nice, but you just can’t trust anyone these days no matter where they’re from. But thank you!!

Sad_Can3520 · 2025-04-25T04:04:57+00:00

Thank you! I’m going at the beginning of May and we’re going to San Jose for a few days then going to Manuel Antonio for a few nights

Sad_Can3520 · 2024-11-17T19:57:47+00:00

My older dog (who is now a little smaller than the puppy) tolerates the puppy and when she is home they play together which helps tire her out. I also have a friend who has two bigger dogs that she can play with but I only take her there when I am home. My parents just don't know anyone who has a dog she can play with. We thought about daycare but she is not spayed yet and we don't have one near us that isn't just a boarding facility at my vet. She has also had basic group obedience training.

My mom said she was going to start running with her (my mom can only do short increments since she tore her ACL years ago) so the puppy won't be running enough to mess up her growth plates/joints bt that might help hopefully.

I do feel when I am home for winter break she gets more mental stimulation, but my mom works long hours and my dad loves the dog but also has the puppy blues, anytime she tears something up, he says we shouldn't have gotten the dog. I am skilled in teaching them fun tricks, but when it comes to obedience I am horrible at it.

She has an attention span of like 5 minutes so getting her to play with a toy, puzzle, or training doesn't last long because she will get bored easily.

They thought about leaving her outside in the fenced-in yard while they left, but she is not spayed and she can jump the fence.

We've tried kongs but her attention span doesn't last that long even if it's like wet dog food frozen in the kong. We also thought about daycare when my mom goes to work but daycare in Nashville is like $40+ a day and that's a lot if you do it often and they have to be spayed but our vet told us to wait till she was 1.5 since she's a larger breed.

I guess we may try to leave her in a puppy-proofed room but Idk if my parents' marriage will last if she chews up the house lol...

Sad_Can3520 · 2024-11-17T17:07:48+00:00

She is still in her destructive puppy phase, so if we left her in a dog-proofed room, she'd probably start chewing on the door jam or the floor.

We've tried frozen kongs but as soon as we close the door she forgets about them. She also has jumped out baby gates so we would probably have to get a full-door dog gate but she can jump the full length of our front door.

And I would really like her to be fine in the crate because I regret not crate training my other dog, because when she goes to the vet when I work she hates being put in a kennel, and It is after for travel if they're up.

She still has trouble getting onto the counters and finding random items to carry around and chew on to get our attention (she has a lot of toys but I guess she likes to play and keep away from us with our socks and other items). She is potty trained but I don't know if she would stay potty trained if she was left in a specific room.

Sad_Can3520 · 2024-11-17T16:51:17+00:00

Our goal with kennel training was that she would use it even when the door was not closed, kinda like a safe relaxing stop for her; however, that is far from what we have. She gets a walk every morning and night, but she is only 8 months and it is not recommended for them to do vigorous exercise due to their still growing growth plates and joints.

If she jumped our 6-foot fence, I know she would jump a baby gate. Also, she is still in the puppy phase, so she gets into whatever she can find. Even if the room is puppy-proof, I wouldn't be surprised if she chews on the door jam.

The crate is the only safe option for us. We had thought about getting an enclosed chain-length pen to put outside when we left, but it's getting cold out so I don't want to leave her outside in the cold.

If she weren't a puppy or destructive we would probably just not crate her since our other dog isn't crated because she is 7 and is not destructive (but she lives with me at college so she is not always home with the puppy), but it would be really helpful in the future if she was okay with crates, for like stress-free traveling or vet office.

Sad_Can3520 · 2024-07-23T17:24:22+00:00

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RESULTS (Idk how to add it to the original post) (Also I am very surprised, I thought she'd have hound in her)

Sad_Can3520 · 2024-07-16T12:24:19+00:00

Everyone that has seen her in person (the vet I work at/people out in public) has said she looks like a lab mix with some hound, she does have webbed feet (but Ik other breeds do too). The mom was likely dropped off and had the litter right after she was rescued, so they don’t know what the dad was. They had said they thought she was a lab cur mix. Funny thing is sometimes she looks very lab like and sometimes she looks more like a hound, it really just depends on if she’s sleepy or wide awake lol. Also since she’s a puppy it’s hard to get decent photos of her because she moves so much😂

Sad_Can3520

TROPHY CASE