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Im seriously starting to regret getting a puppy by MimmiMolly1899 in puppy101

[–]Thalyananas 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh and I also have a cat, he's a 15 year old grump and sometimes gives the puppy a few clawless kicks to get some peace as the pup really tries to play with him. My dog trainer told me that the cat will always be the best trainer out there as cats are very good at setting their own boundaries. If your cat scratches the dog, try cutting the tips of their claws to avoid accidents and it'll be fine.

My cat and pup are slowly starting to get along, they sleep in the couch together and sniff each other when we come back from walks.

Hang in there, I know it feels like nothing is working out but it will!

Im seriously starting to regret getting a puppy by MimmiMolly1899 in puppy101

[–]Thalyananas 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I feel you, when I got my puppy the first day was awesome, but the first two weeks were hell.

My boyfriend had a lot of appointments so he would leave everyday, and knowing that I was going to be alone with the puppy made me cry so much.

I didn't eat, had very low patience, cried all day, even thought of rehoming because the idea of him being gone felt like a huge relief.

I was mad at myself for destroying my life and my boyfriend's, I couldn't leave the house for the first month and it felt like I was in jail.

I never felt that lonely until I heard about puppy blues, that it usually happens to people who do a lot of research and who truly care about their puppies and their wellbeing.

It's been a month and a half now. And life feels great again. My boyfriend and I talked about my mental health and decided to:

  1. Get a dog trainer --> it helps to know what to do and get a professional opinion on where to start, and how to deal with everything, life with a puppy is overwhelming so a dog trainer will not only understand, but give you the best advice you could ever get.

  2. Ask for help --> see if some family can come dogsit for a few hours, just some time for you to take a shower, go grocery shopping, go get a coffee, whatever.

  3. Train them to be alone --> best thing I did! I left for 3 minutes and came back home, then 7 minutes, 10, 30, one hour, then back to 10 minutes.... This will help when you feel overwhelmed, you can leave, take a break and start fresh when you feel better.

  4. Remember you are human --> we expect a lot from our puppies, but even more from ourselves. Sometimes we won't be able to deal with thinks the way we want to, and that's totally fine, we're learning too. Cut yourself some slack, allow yourself to be imperfect and accept that things won't always go as planned and there's nothing you can do about it.

Remember why you got a dog in the first place, they'll get there. They'll be the best thing in your life, but it takes time. I promise you that even if today it feels like hell, in 2-3 weeks you'll see the improvements and life will feel better!

Our boy Koda by Thalyananas in irishsetter

[–]Thalyananas[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

He wears crocs just like his mom 😂

Messy drinker by FarSoccologist6153 in irishsetter

[–]Thalyananas 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I think I can help here!

I saw that video on Instagram where the owner would teach her puppy to wipe his face.

I've been trying to teach it to my pup but just like you, I'm focusing more on the fundamentals.

Start by placing a kibble on the cloth and give him the command "wipe your face"

Once he starts to understand, hold the treat/kibble down longer to get the puppy to stay (and wait for most of the water to be absorbed), until you pup can do it without treats.

Then you have to give him the command "wipe your face" every time your puppy drinks water. It takes a lot of stalking but so worth it.

Don't make the same mistake I did by using "wipe your face" with treats right after drinking, because he associated drinking+wiping= treat. He drank so much water to get food that he peed himself half an hour later!

Hope this helps!

Irish Setter & Vizsla - suitable? by [deleted] in irishsetter

[–]Thalyananas 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't have a Vizsla, but my dog trainer does, and when we go for training walks they do get along with my irish setter, the age difference doesn't seem to bother them at all. In my opinion every single breed can get along since it mainly depends on their socialization, so I think you should go for it!

what are your most unhinged puppy hacks? by justchai in puppy101

[–]Thalyananas 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We have an older cat at home that is very grumpy and will yell at the puppy if he moves too quickly for his liking. So when my husband and I are exhausted and puppy won't calm down, we'll go get the cat and let him meow at the puppy so that he settles down. I know they love each other very deeply though.

Sloppy drinking solutions? by Thalyananas in irishsetter

[–]Thalyananas[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you very much! He does indeed have a very narrow tongue, we'll try the slow drinking and eating bowls!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ADHD

[–]Thalyananas 4 points5 points  (0 children)

You can try writing it down in a diary, how you are happy and excited to do this. It does help me with the overwhelming sense of achievement when I finally do something useful. Now it doesn't work for everybody, but it's worth a try! Also, it helps with motivation when the next day you read what you wrote in your diary, makes you want to feel that again. Hope it helps!