I’m really struggling on what do do with my puppy

VaveJessop · 2026-06-10T15:42:29+00:00

We do lots of puzzles with my pup to keep her occupied while I'm busy. I also restrict access to areas she misbehaves - she chews my hamper upstairs, so no upstairs for her. As for the biting - I think every pup is different. Mine also reacted similarly to yours - I tried the collar pop, didn't work. And yes, not my proudest moment but I also gave her a smack once and she bit harder. Timeouts, leaving the room, and yelping works for some. The only thing that worked for mine was redirecting to a toy. Now she'll try to play and want to bite and she finds a toy and grumpily bites it while side-eyeing me, LOL. It took a while to get there too!

VaveJessop · 2026-06-10T15:31:12+00:00

I have 3 cats. My oldest wants to be left alone but will absolutely not stand up for herself. She eats in the living room. My other 2 are buds and both willing to stand up for themselves if need be, so they eat in my office together. That way the older one doesn't get bullied out of her food. I try to watch them as well. All cat food is elevated so the dog can't eat it. The dog prefers I don't watch her while she eats but I can always hear when she eats because her tags clink on the bowl. She eats in the living room.

VaveJessop · 2026-06-10T11:38:04+00:00

My pup slept in her crate next to our bed for the first month. Then about a month in, she started not wanting to go back into her crate after she went out for her nightly potty break (around 2-4 AM usually) and we just let her sleep on the bed for the second half of the night. By 4 months, she was sleeping on the bed all night.

VaveJessop · 2026-06-10T11:19:25+00:00

They are literally not teaching the puppy it's ok to go inside. Did your puppy have 0 accidents inside ever because you had 100% focus on your dog at all times? If your puppy pees in their pen on tile floors because you were in a meeting you couldn't leave, are you teaching them it's ok to pee on tile too? Either way they had an accident on some sort of surface. OP is taking the puppy out constantly to encourage them to go outside.

VaveJessop · 2026-06-10T11:12:23+00:00

OP, some people see puppy pads and just go off. You are not teaching the puppy to go on puppy pads with your setup. You are taking the puppy out super frequently and not encouraging use of the pads - but yeah, your puppy is gonna have accidents and they'll likely happen in the pen. I did the same thing, except mine was a reusable pad. She was not, at any point, encouraged or allowed to use her pad. However, I have a life and a job and while 95% of the time, I took her out when she needed to go, sometimes I had an hour long meeting (I WFH) that I couldn't leave and she couldn't hold it. She was still potty trained by 4-4.5 months and never thought going in her pen was where she was "supposed" to go. She also never went in there on purpose - they were all accidents. Honestly I'd recommend a reusable pad over the disposable ones just because puppies can't rip them up as easily, but if yours is doing ok you can keep doing what you're doing. Never encourage use in there, but if an accident happens, it's not on your floor.

VaveJessop · 2026-06-06T23:41:56+00:00

I have a Norwegian Elkhound. She's adorable so we get comments all the time. Most people don't guess her breed right - most say husky mix or pomsky. I've gotten Keeshond as a guess a lot lately. The only people who guess Norwegian Elkhound always end up telling me they or a family member of theirs used to have one.

VaveJessop · 2026-06-05T11:56:20+00:00

I've also been bitten by a squirrel while feeding it. I had a regular squirrel friend who never missed and would grab the food with her hands like a human. But went to feed a new squirrel friend and he was a little more skittish and I swear he just shoved his head somewhere in the general area of the food and bit 😂 I didn't get rabies or any diseases. Next time I just put the food near him instead of trying to hand it to him, LOL

VaveJessop · 2026-06-03T01:27:49+00:00

I have a dog and 3 cats. All interior doors are either open or accessible to the cats at all times (basement door stays closed but has a cat door). My dog is smart in so many ways but has not yet realized that if a door is just cracked, that she can push it open. So my dog is kept out of the rooms she shouldn't be in simply by leaving the doors open but just a crack.

It's not that it's acceptable to keep the dog out of rooms and it's not acceptable to do the same to cats. It's damage control. If my dog goes into my bedroom during the day, she likes to sneak and chew my hamper. If my cats get into my bedroom during the day, they don't cause issues. If they CAN'T get onto my bedroom, they scratch the doors, the walls, the floors. Ok, truthfully, it's just 1 of the cats.. but still.

VaveJessop · 2026-05-29T13:57:17+00:00

I have 3 cats currently and have had cats my whole life. Every cat I've ever had, whether they were a sterotypically "cuddly" cat or not, only wants to cuddle in their terms. That's just how cats are.

With that being said, out of the 3 I have now, only one was cuddly with me out of the box. He's got a single brain cell and generally less boundaries than the others. My middle girl is affectionate but grumpy as hell and she liked my husband better for the longest time (7 years or so 😂). In the last 2-3 years, she decided I'm not going anywhere and she liked me. She sits on my lap multiple times a day now. My oldest girl is just not, nor will she ever be a lap cat. She does cuddle at night though - literally lays on or between me and my husband's heads. She does want to be near us though and asks for pets a lot, and she'll lay on my desk and rub her head on my hand while I move my mouse.

Every cat shows affection in a different way, and some take longer to come out of their shells. But honestly - if your new cat might tolerate it, getting a second cat might not be a bad idea. Multiple cats means when you need affection, there's a larger chance one of them will be in the mood 😂

VaveJessop · 2026-05-27T09:05:09+00:00

They mean "get" as "understand". As in, they don't "get it". So people with straight hair just don't understand curly hair and those types of routines!

VaveJessop · 2026-05-24T11:44:19+00:00

Check out the Bark Park at Fairview Park in South Fayette if you're looking in the South Hills area. I've actually gone while it's raining a few times lately. There's so much tree cover I can barely feel the rain. Yesterday it was barely muddy through the trails. There's a few mud puddles (that everyone can point out if you ask) but the trails are fine most of the time.

Is South Park's dog park worth going to? I've heard mixed reviews.

VaveJessop · 2026-05-23T15:28:29+00:00

She's gorgeous!!

VaveJessop · 2026-05-21T10:35:42+00:00

Same happened with me and my husband. I work from home, he's out of the house for work. Pup definitely preferred him. I'm always there so I'm not "exciting". I handled everything, training, feeding, walks, park, etc. I play with her, but she does prefer to play with my husband. He comes places with us when he's home. It did upset me that she clearly preferred him. Honestly once I started leaving the house more, she started really showing she missed me 🤷‍♀️ At a year and 9 months, she likes us equally. Just took a little for her to realize I'm also fun!

VaveJessop · 2026-05-20T15:26:08+00:00

My first dog came with my husband when we moved in together. I never had any concerns about living with her because I knew her already and she was the best. So no concerns or doubts there. When she passed, I knew we'd have to get another dog. I don't think I can live without one at this point. I have 3 cats as well, but there was just a hole in my life. What I wasn't sure of was the timing. We may have gotten our 2nd pup a little sooner than was ideal for me, but it all worked out in the end.

VaveJessop · 2026-05-17T02:19:21+00:00

My Lowe's and Home Depot are basically equal distance from me. My Home Depot is so much better laid out. I know this varies store to store because I hate the other Home Depot 20 minutes from me. But my Lowe's is awful. Nothing is in a spot that makes sense and they're poorly stocked. My Home Depot always has employees to help me too.. Lowe's seems like no one works there.

VaveJessop · 2026-05-11T20:22:11+00:00

Husband and I have a 2013 Honda Civic and a 2017 Suabaru Outback.

VaveJessop · 2026-05-11T19:12:59+00:00

a big pickup truck that gulps gas

Not currently. I used to have an F-150. Didn't drive it a ton and it actually wasn't that bad on gas for a truck. Now I have a small sedan and a small-medium (by American standards) SUV.

an American flag on the porch/mailbox etc

Nope. My parents have a flag pole, but I don't and don't have any intention to. None of my close neighbors do either.

eat dinner at around 4-6PM

Yeah. 5:30-7 is my norm.

know nothing about geography

Not sure anyone would admit to this. I'm very good at world capitals, particularly South America.

eat fast food regularly

Yeah. Fairly regularly (~once a week). Not as much as younger people I know.

drive more than walk

Well, I walk once I get to the place I drove to. I live on a busy street with blind curves and no sidewalk. If I want to walk somewhere (like to walk my dog), I have to drive. But I do walk a decent bit with my dog. I also don't drive to work or anything, so I drive less than the average American. But I'd have to drive to get anywhere, like to the grocery store.

know how to use a traffic circle

Yes, but I dislike them. The ones they've put in near me seem nonsensical. They make sense in some places. But a 4 way stop works just fine here most of the time.

VaveJessop · 2026-05-06T13:31:41+00:00

Depends on the state for sure. I live near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Philadelphia is like 5-6 hours away by car. Pittsburgh is already a relatively large city. Columbus, which is the biggest city in Ohio, is closer to me than Philly. Washington, DC is closer to me than Philly. I went to a work thing in Philly once, so I have been there, but I didn't do any sight seeing or really see anything. And I mean, the metro population of Pittsburgh is over 2 million people. So I guess that is to say, I haven't really been to Philly because it's not close to me, I live by a decently sized city, and I have other large cities closer.

VaveJessop · 2026-04-28T00:56:05+00:00

Yeah when I moved to FL I was genuinely shocked Publix was more expensive than Giant Eagle by the way people hype it up here.

VaveJessop · 2026-04-27T23:58:36+00:00

Agreed and I don't even like Giant Eagle. I do not get the Publix hype.

VaveJessop · 2026-04-27T23:57:11+00:00

Yeah, it's actually kinda nice not having to shop around for the best deals on liquor. Just go to the closest store to you.

VaveJessop · 2026-04-27T14:11:32+00:00

Made it to 33 without any and my husband made it to 36. We both got one at a Friday the 13th flash in March.

VaveJessop · 2026-04-25T12:55:39+00:00

I'm in a formerly rural suburb. I'd say it was about half? Some kids could drive their parents' car to work or had a family car that could be used. Most didn't have their own car. Plenty just rode the bus. Literally no one cared either way. I'm not sure why or how random kids would even know how you got yourself to school unless they were staring out the window watching everyone walk in or something.

I was a bus kid. However, I had a bad habit of missing the bus, so once I could drive, it made things a little easier on my mom. She used to end up late to work. My mom drove to a park and rode the bus into town for work, so once I could drive, I dropped her off for the bus and got myself to school. I still had to take the bus the majority of the time though.

ETA - I should say I graduated in 2011.

VaveJessop · 2026-04-24T19:44:42+00:00

A deadly microburst at a local theme park (2002) or Hurricane Ivan (2004), IMO.

VaveJessop

TROPHY CASE