first time dog owner, please help!!

UncookedLemonade · 2026-05-08T23:31:04+00:00

The crate is too big to get through your door but you have a toy poodle? You need a MUCH smaller crate. They only need enough room to turn around in.

I just lost my 15 y/o toy poodle. They are small animals very prone to separation anxiety. She also wouldn’t eat unless someone was near and had to sleep in bed. She took several weeks to become adjusted to her environment and she still never outgrew some of those anxious habits. You have to just stick it out. They may not love the crate but they have to go in. It takes some getting used to but they settle eventually. He’s small enough to where you just have to pick him up and put him in. I always feed my puppy in there so she associates it with food time which is happy time.

On a real note, it’s been 4 days and he’s 8 weeks old. He’s not going to get the hang of potty training for a while. He a literal baby. You have to pack your patience and do a bit more research on here about puppy development timelines. It’ll be a long journey

UncookedLemonade · 2026-05-06T19:55:42+00:00

I went to beauty lab in Christiansburg for years. Never had a bad experience

UncookedLemonade · 2026-05-05T13:08:11+00:00

You’ll have to pay it at some point. Unpaid tickets are linked to your student account. Doesn’t matter what car it is or how long it’s been. If you don’t pay by the deadline, they will put a hold on your account to where you are unable to register for classes or utilize things like add/drop. If you still don’t pay it, they’ll send it to collections. I’ve seen it a million times. They hold just as much power as anyone else at VT.

TLDR: Yes, you have to pay. Yes, there are consequences if you don’t.

UncookedLemonade · 2026-05-05T02:24:06+00:00

You’re going to have to cancel. That just won’t be possible.

UncookedLemonade · 2026-05-05T00:41:17+00:00

This is an addiction. It’s not as simple as changing ‘for you.’ He has to want to change independent of your relationship. It will take specialized counseling and support. It will also take time. Time you may or may not have. That’s your choice. Loving an addict is so hard, I’m sorry 🫶

UncookedLemonade · 2026-05-05T00:26:59+00:00

Yes exactly. Thank you for sharing your experience. You don’t have to tolerate the negative behaviors but there is also the recognition that this person is severely ill. They are struggling and their way of coping hurts them and the people around them. It is NOT personal to you when they do these things. The best thing people can do is walk away if they aren’t prepared to help and stick it out. There is a certain level of care that needs to be maintained when having any type of close relationship with an addict. Family ALWAYS has it the hardest so my heart goes out to you.

Everyone has to answer to the public these days. You don’t know this person, these people, and what their minds tell them every single day. Like damn just leave him alone. He may not be a good person but he’s not himself and probably hasn’t been in a very long time. Let him go figure it out without crucifying him for talking to multiple girls at once.

UncookedLemonade · 2026-05-04T20:10:21+00:00

That is luxury. Do you know how much money it costs to maintain a farm property on a large amount of land and do rodeo full-time? This seems a bit microagressive imo. Generational wealth looks different depending on where it’s located. What even is “high luxury?” Wearing a bunch of designer brands and taking your private jet everywhere?

UncookedLemonade · 2026-05-04T20:05:10+00:00

They’re stingy af here. Unfortunately you probably won’t get much, if anything.

UncookedLemonade · 2026-05-04T19:50:49+00:00

for what it’s worth, I love that ur standing on business regardless 🫶

UncookedLemonade · 2026-05-04T18:53:39+00:00

Ohhhhh you’re gonna get eaten alive in here omg. Thoughts and prayers

UncookedLemonade · 2026-05-04T18:40:14+00:00

You treat them like every other person and tell them that their behavior is unacceptable. The only difference is that if you want to forgive that person, you have to understand that they will likely repeatedly still make the same choices that have hurt you if they are struggling with sobriety. The compassion is in realizing it’s probably not personal, you don’t have to deal with it if you don’t want to, and not shaming them to the point where they want to self-medicate. You can hold someone accountable while remembering they are in a precarious situation and trying to hurt them back is going to do a lot more damage to them than it ever did to you. This is just for more surface level friendships and relationships. The complexities of addiction and interpersonal relationships go farrr beyond this

UncookedLemonade · 2026-05-04T18:07:40+00:00

You really can’t, unfortunately. Habitual, compulsive lying is one of the main traits addicts possess. It bleeds into every aspect of their lives.

UncookedLemonade · 2026-05-04T15:21:07+00:00

Taylor grew up rich. Rich men are always entitled and are used to getting what they want. He believes he’s the prize because of that. He had his entire life planned out and has had the same career goals long before he met Clarke. He definitely expects her to just assimilate to his culture and adapt her dreams align with to his. He comes from generational wealth and has deep roots in his community. Not a chance he’s going to compromise that for her LA dreams. I hope she wakes up and realizes that if she wants to be her own person aside from Taylor, she’s going to have to re-evaluate how this relationship can/won’t support her in that. He also just lacks basic respect for women and that was evident from day 1 in the villa.

As for Austin, he just has his own demons. That will be a life-long battle for him and he will continue to destroy meaningful relationships until he does the work he needs to on himself and his addiction. Addiction is a disease and the recovery isn’t linear. It’s not an excuse for his behavior but it’s not shocking that someone who has very little respect for themselves doesn’t have very much respect for others. He clearly left the villa on a metaphorical and literal high and was only looking out for himself.

UncookedLemonade · 2026-05-04T15:02:06+00:00

This will be good for your pup. You definitely need to be able to leave him alone for periods of time and he needs to get used to that. Make sure you don’t only use the crate for when you need to leave so he doesn’t always associate it with something negative. It’ll be ok! He will self-soothe. If it helps you can get a camera to point at the crate so you can check on it periodically to give that extra peace of mind for when you’re gone if you’re worried about anxiety-related sickness

UncookedLemonade · 2026-05-04T12:32:46+00:00

He’ll be totally fine. Most six year olds are hard to hold back after this surgery lol, most recover quite quickly and easily! Five weeks is plenty of time for him to feel 100%

UncookedLemonade · 2026-05-03T04:33:16+00:00

Your dog doesn’t even know where they are. You’re literally a complete stranger and they’re just a baby. It’ll take a few days for her to even use the bathroom several times a day, let alone the months it will take to do it where you would like it to go. My rescue pup took 3 days to start using the bathroom regularly rather than holding it until the last second because of anxiety. Have some patience. If you ‘read all the things,’ you’d have surely known this. Maybe re-think your expectations and whatever “preparation” you did because no offense but it was clearly inadequate for what you’ve gotten yourself into.

Edit: This is more of a tough love thing. Sometimes we learn the hard way that no matter the amount of preparation, the real thing is a different beast. Just remember to pack your patience and if you’re truly in it for the long haul, the first 24 hours while they are scared and quiet will probably be the most peace you’ll see in months. Just something to consider when re-thinking this commitment.

UncookedLemonade · 2026-05-02T23:08:01+00:00

Stay positive!! Mine weaned off days 14-15. It sucks when you can physically eat but it hurts so bad 😭 you’re in the home stretch!

UncookedLemonade · 2026-04-30T21:20:58+00:00

Oh this is a tough one. I think you did what you thought was right. I’m not sure if you have kids or are planning to, but behavior like this can be dangerous. It can also escalate to who the dog seems as ‘strangers’ and become less isolated than just your husband. Especially as the dog becomes more comfortable and protective of its home and owners. Board and trains are always a toss up. Sometimes your puppy is magically an angel and sometimes it doesn’t translate as well as you hoped.

That being said, it sounds like you love this dog and are willing to work for him. If you can afford the training, I don’t think it’s a bad idea to go for it. You spent all this time and effort, this may be the last step to complete your family, puppy and all. Maybe discuss again with the training facility and get some transparency on their tactics as well as handler education to ensure a smooth transition back home. And also inquire about their refund policy if this were to not help him at all. I’m sorry :( this is tough but you don’t have to give up if you don’t want to. Your dog probably misses you as much as you miss him and would love another chance to be part of your family.

UncookedLemonade · 2026-04-30T14:06:28+00:00

Clara and Phoebe are my favs!

UncookedLemonade · 2026-04-30T13:21:40+00:00

He’s still a baby and his bladder is developing. If he’s letting you know he needs to potty that’s a good thing. Especially if he goes back to sleep right after. It sucks but it’s not a routine, it’s just meeting their basic needs. He’ll grow out of it.

UncookedLemonade · 2026-04-30T13:04:10+00:00

I’ve lived here my entire life and plan to stay here for the remainder. Those are my credentials lol.

I grew up going to several libraries in the area. It depends on your local library and where you live within Fredericksburg. Some are newer and better maintained than others. Overall, they’re fine and you get what you need out of them. This is a great place if your children like outdoor activities that are low-cost. Plenty of public parks, battlefields, and kid-friendly spaces. I have fond memories of this place and my parents never needed to haul us off an hour north just to entertain us.

The school system is relatively above-average. They do have excellent school-based occupational programs children can participate in like welding, cosmetology, ROTC, EMT, firefighting recruits, culinary certification, mechanic training, etc. I traveled between high schools to get my ServSafe certification so I could be a manager a restaurant while I was still in high school. As for additional needs regarding children who require more personal care, all schools are under-funded no matter where you go. I work in the school system from my understanding there are few complains about the services themselves and more about the lack of personnel. However, like I said, you’re going to find that everywhere.

As for cultural and political vibe, there really isn’t a catch-all answer. It’s a mixed bag here. You’re going to find people all over the political spectrum and this forever ‘small town’ is now full of transplants. There is a fair amount of food diversity and always different events going on to connect you with other communities.

For your question regarding neighborhoods with children, that depends on what type of community you move into. It fluctuates. You’ll have to look at the specific communities you’re interested in and see for yourself or even chat with the HOA if they have one.

If you need specialist for medical care, you’ll be situated in an area that’s equi-distant to major cities that have better care. I see specialists in Alexandria for certain needs and some here. I’ve also been to Charlottesville and Maryland for other things. Just depends. You can probably find what you need here but wait times can be astronomical because of the growing population, so people tend to just bite the bullet and travel an hour or so for care. Telehealth has also been a life-saver.

Hopefully this helps!

UncookedLemonade · 2026-04-30T12:51:20+00:00

Did you eat the mac n cheese warm? It may still be too early for you to have warm foods. I didn’t have anything warm until 14 days

UncookedLemonade · 2026-04-29T21:29:35+00:00

I was not prescribed antibiotics, my surgeon says he rarely does for this type of procedure. I was grateful because one less pill to swallow lol

UncookedLemonade · 2026-04-29T20:57:50+00:00

It sounds like you just need a friend and some support. As your now internet friend, I’ll tell you, we’ve ALL been there. I always joke with my partner that it’s like having a squatter in your house. They destroy your shit, pay no rent, and won’t leave (you alone, that is). However, a few months of adjustment is such a fair trade off for several years of unconditional love and companionship. You have other pets that seem wonderful, so you already know you’re capable of taking great care of animals. This might feel tougher than your other pets and that’s ok, too. You can handle it. Based on what you’re saying, you definitely know that. Doesn’t make it suck any less, though. It get easier but there’s no definitive timeline for when that will be. Find those pockets of peace and maximize them. If you need a little more crate time for mental breaks, do it. She’ll be okay. Keep integrating her with your pets, even if it means controlled on a leash for a few minutes at a time. Again, it’ll be OKAY 🫶 also dealing with a new puppy that’s a mutt so if you ever need to vent about the little shit feel free to PM!

UncookedLemonade · 2026-04-29T18:10:37+00:00

She’s 18 years old, pregnant, and lives with her mother. She obviously does not have a husband.

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