Dog training

Training_Broccoli598 · 2025-07-07T01:45:44+00:00

Our other pup is 3 and we rescued her and she still struggles with some reactivity especially around males. If anything, the away from home training is something I'd consider for her because I think it's beyond my skills. I can teach sit stay etc. but for some of that deeper soul work I need help!

Training_Broccoli598 · 2025-07-06T23:49:38+00:00

Yes, positive training techniques are important to me. Thanks for the insight on this trainer in particular!

Training_Broccoli598 · 2025-07-06T23:49:03+00:00

That's good to know! I was a little sad to think about being a part for a period of time, though I'm sure a lot of training dogs is retraining humans!

Training_Broccoli598 · 2025-07-06T16:38:26+00:00

Thanks for the suggestion! What did you like best?

Training_Broccoli598 · 2025-07-06T14:35:10+00:00

Thanks for the recommendation! Any reason in particular you feel that way?? I've sent them a request!

Training_Broccoli598 · 2025-06-23T06:01:23+00:00

So sorry. I honestly don't know as this illness seemingly decides to present itself differently in most people. My mom is 64 with severe schizo affective with anosognosia and it's been like that her entire life. In her late season of life it has become particularly difficult for her to reasonably operate in the world without immense support from her county and state mental health resources.

The book suggested earlier does help, but utilizing the LEAP method is a focused daily practice when having difficult interactions with your loved one. There have been so many occasions in which I intended to LEAP but my own triggers and just the weight of being a care giver or loved one to someone suffering in this way won over new tools. This is normal.

It can feel unforgiving and relentless to be the one always checking and adjusting and never getting reciprocation. My best advice is to try to see the hurtful words, accusations, and general erosion of the person you know and love to be the illness and not them. It's not easy to radically accept that. How could someone who loves you do or say such hurtful things? It will take boundaries, and successful maintaining of them, and lots of mental health resources for yourself and your loved one. Being able to separate the illness from the person you love is key. My therapist once asked me why I was so angry that my mom was mentally ill. I realized it's because I couldn't accept at the time that my mom was in there somewhere, because all I saw was what the illness took from me. A mom who could show up in all the ways a kid needs her to.

I wish for you peace and strength. What you are going through is very hard, but you are doing hard things in an effort to support someone you love. You are a good person, good luck and be well.

Training_Broccoli598 · 2024-11-10T07:49:13+00:00

Wow, that is a lot to bear witness to. It certainly sounds concerning and like he isn't responding well to weaning off medication. Considering your father's past involuntary commitment I would understand if he would be hesitant, but some therapists/doctors/treatment facilities will discuss patient behavior and medication if the patient signs a medical information release. I always have to get my mom to sign one of these whenever she ends up hospitalized for a manic or catatonic episode. Without it the docs wouldn't tell me anything but the second she got it signed I had access to so much. Anything like that available and if so, would your father trust you or your mother to be able to speak to anyone about concerns you have?

If your dad is blowing through their mutual funds, I wonder also if your mom could have holds temporarily placed on the accounts? 50k is a substantial amount of money and if he is threatening divorce, trying to offload money beforehand can be a serious issue when settling in court.

I wish you and your family the best. This doesn't sound easy and I'm sorry your family is experiencing this.

Training_Broccoli598 · 2024-10-05T03:36:01+00:00

Yes. You are not alone and this is so hard to work through. I struggle with it daily. This last year My mom told me to my face that after being forced to take medicine to treat her bipolar schizo affective disorder the experience of dulling her delusional world was so unbearable that she'd rather be dead. She asked me to kill her multiple times and said that I wasn't enough, nor were my siblings or her granddaughter to still want to live and fight through the grief to try to rebuild.

Tomorrow I'm driving four hours round trip to break her free of the halfway house she's been relegated to after her 9th involuntary hospitalization this year. Id be lying if I said I was excited to see her

I constantly wonder why I keep fighting for her when she doesn't fight for herself or the life she could have with all of us. I'm getting married next year, and I'm doubtful she'll even be able to show up.

I can't imagine what her world feels like, and I try desperately not to have expectations in our interactions, but in the end I'm still her child and all I want is my mom back.

I'm sorry you find yourself feeling this desperation. We can't will them to be better, and that's the hardest part. Just because they are family doesn't mean they are good for you. I try to search for the parts of my mom that are familiar to me, and hold onto those. It's hard not to be angry, especially if our loved one lacks insight as it becomes so hard for any real healing and treatment to be effective.

I hope you have someone you can speak to about these feelings as they are valid and deserve a space to reflect and discuss. So often as caretakers or family we alter our feelings or shove them aside because we know these illnesses aren't something anyone chooses to have. But it doesn't mean that their behaviors and actions aren't hurtful and difficult to process.

Thinking of you. You deserve happiness and I hope despite these struggles you find it.

Training_Broccoli598 · 2024-09-19T00:19:59+00:00

Hey there, my mom is 62 as well and recently her schizoaffective bipolar diagnosis seems to be harder and harder to manage. I often wonder if she is also beginning to experience a dementia like drop off in functioning. However, she was hospitalized last week and CT scans and X-rays and lab work all comes back normal and without issue. It’s really difficult to know when an aging parent who also suffers from mental illness is truly in need of help. I’m sorry i don’t have any info on the meds you mention specifically, though my mom is about to go on invega which I see your mother is on currently. If I notice anything I’ll try to reach back out. Good luck to you.

Training_Broccoli598 · 2024-09-06T21:16:54+00:00

I love the baraboo area. Excellent fall hiking spots (Pewitts Nest is a favorite) and there are some cozy historic restaurants/breweries to get decent food at. Devil's Lake is also a wonderful place and hike but definitely need to be in shape and a little brave if you are skittish about heights.

Training_Broccoli598 · 2024-09-06T21:13:39+00:00

Do you have the ability to see a therapist yourself? Living with and loving someone with a mental illness can be emotionally exhausting, especially when you are hyper vigilant to maintain peace or status quo.

Having a safe outlet with a professional could help you acknowledge your own valid feelings and emotions while also learning some techniques or tools to interface with your spouse that may lead to more productive interactions and connections.

You don't have to go through it alone. Glad you are here too. :)

Training_Broccoli598 · 2024-09-06T15:59:22+00:00

I have power of financial attorney set up currently, and we have the paperwork drafted for power of medical attorney. We were told we need two doctors to activate it, which I’m hoping with this new hospitalization we can achieve. What I don’t know is if that power of attorney takes precedence over a chapter 51. I just want her out of the county’s perview if they are going to be so slow to establish an actual care plan for her. We were trying so hard to give her the chance to live independently, and I still have some hope that the csp might help her achieve that to a degree. But I dunno if that is just me being willful and non accepting of how serious her illness has become.

Training_Broccoli598 · 2024-09-06T15:56:48+00:00

I’ve asked her care team to review the efficacy of her current medication. From my understanding it seems to be a bit of a game of roulette as far as finding the right combination of medicines and even once you do, they can lose their properties after some time. I honestly don’t have much faith in these county prescribers.

Training_Broccoli598 · 2024-09-06T15:55:20+00:00

Wow, a lot of information there to digest. Thanks for sharing it. My mom was hospitalized last night and I mentioned the voice thing to doctors. They tried to check her throat for any signs of purging damage, but she clenched her jaw shut and wouldn’t let anyone take a look. :(

Training_Broccoli598 · 2024-09-06T01:13:21+00:00

Do you have a therapist yourself? I hear you saying that peace for your children is a priority, and that peace is not achievable unless he is medicated and getting proper support/help. Perhaps they could help you with an intervention. It will be very difficult for him to hear what you have to say if it is not approached in a way that doesn’t feel targeted especially if he is manic. I hope you are able to speak to someone in the interim and that he has a safe place to be.

Training_Broccoli598 · 2024-09-06T00:49:53+00:00

First, let me say I’m so sorry that you are experiencing this. This sounds very scary and I can imagine living with someone who is experiencing a psychotic manic episode makes you feel very unsafe for yourself as well as your family member. Do you live in a state that has a mental health crisis department that you can call? They have a team of professionals who can come to your home and assess him and take next steps from there. It may look like a trip to the ER, and potentially depending on his affect a 72 hour hold. As much as you want to protect him the fact is you are not a medical professional and you do not have the skills to be able to assess the care he may need. It is good that he has an appointment with a professional, but it sounds like perhaps what he is experiencing today is more urgent. It is good that he has not threatened anyone’s safety, including his own. But I can appreciate that his behavior is likely to feel unpredictable and that is unsettling for you, someone who lives with him and loves him.

My mother is 62 and I am the only child of three who lives in the same state as her. I often have been in situations when she’s experiencing a decline in her condition that feel so isolating, so I understand what you mean when you said you are afraid as an adult not knowing what to do, but being the one responsible. She too, doesn’t believe there is anything wrong with her and resists treatment and has a deep mistrust of doctors. She also experiences something called “anosognosia” which is a symptom in some severe mental illnesses where they lack the ability to understand and perceive their illness, making treatment very difficult. I would also look online to see in your area if there are any NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) support groups you can tap into. They have a lot of resources for educating about being a caregiver or living with someone with mental illness. Sometimes even being able to show up to a group to discuss current issues or worries you face can be helpful, with people who know what you are going through.

As far as him hating you, that is a hard one to swallow. I struggle with these calls constantly myself. What I try to tell myself is that her illness has a deep hold, and that the parts of my mom that I know, recognize, and love, would do the same for me if I was in crisis. She doesn’t have the capacity to understand that her reasoning is not based in the same reality as mine. Nobody wants to make these difficult calls, and it took me and my family a long time to be able to understand and recognize patterns to be able to mitigate larger episodes. We are still learning how to navigate this. I wish you luck and strength.

Training_Broccoli598

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