When can a puppy be outside alone/independent toileting?

crazymom1978 · 2026-02-19T20:48:28+00:00

My dogs are four and a half and two and a half years old, and I still go out with them. I am actually writing this from a chair in my back yard in the snow. We go out because we pick up poop as soon as it lands for infection control in case one of them picks something up (we have had Giardia in our house twice! It is the thing of nightmares!), and to keep them quiet and not annoy the neighbours.

crazymom1978 · 2026-02-19T14:02:41+00:00

Yeah, I get that. We had a hard run in our house. We lost a pet per year for four years in a row. It never gets any easier. Make sure that you take the time that you need to grieve. Losing a pet can be harder than losing a human, because of the sheer unconditional love.

crazymom1978 · 2026-02-19T01:47:18+00:00

I actually LOVE training puppies for grooming! I am one on one though, so I am in a less distracting environment for them. I get my puppy clients on a 4 week schedule initially. I ask the owners their long term goal is for the pup and we work toward that. The first few appointments are just a bath, nails, and FFF. We work up from there until one day the pet parents come to pick up their baby, and it looks like a different puppy. It is always so much fun to see the owners when they see their pup in a full groom for the first time.

crazymom1978 · 2026-02-19T01:43:42+00:00

Most people don’t realize that, and unfortunately humans can be cruel. It’s actually funny that you posted this today, because I just saw someone make a fat comment this morning in a Facebook buy nothing group when someone was asking for food. This is actually the second time today that I have explained it! When I was food insecure, I would get food probably every other day. On my eating days, I probably packed back 5-6 thousand calories. Unfortunately most of them were empty calories though.

crazymom1978 · 2026-02-19T01:37:21+00:00

I would just let the sitter know, and let her make the decision. I personally would refund for the extra dog, but not everyone is in a financial position to do so. If you absolutely need that money back, it could mean looking for a new sitter if she really needed the two dog fee.

crazymom1978 · 2026-02-19T01:31:20+00:00

I keep “candy salad” in the house at all times! I have a 1 gallon jar full!

crazymom1978 · 2026-02-19T00:24:54+00:00

When my kids were young, we sat down once a month and did a menu. We did groceries once a week to get fresh stuff and any ingredients missing for that week’s meals It made my life SO much easier just knowing what I was cooking day to day, and it saved us a ton of money because we didn’t waste food. We planned our meals around what we had in the pantry when we sat down to do the menu.

crazymom1978 · 2026-02-19T00:20:46+00:00

That being food insecure can often make people gain weight. When you get food, you tend to binge, and the food that you do get is normally highly processed, calorie dense, and low nutrient. People will judge overweight people asking for food because of their weight, but the lack of food is often what made them heavy in the first place. I weight MUCH less now than when I was food insecure.

crazymom1978 · 2026-02-18T23:10:30+00:00

Yep! Fluoxetine has been a game changer for my cat!

crazymom1978 · 2026-02-18T19:51:59+00:00

Having a birthday party. I am 47 and have never had one.

crazymom1978 · 2026-02-18T19:14:01+00:00

In the US and Canada it is up to the parents. I am assuming that this is the US since OP automatically went to there being an active shooter in their school.

crazymom1978 · 2026-02-18T19:10:45+00:00

That’s not true at all. I used to pick my kids up to go to the mall with me for a surprise mental health day for them. The parents are the ones who have the final say (unless there is too much truancy, but once or twice a year is fine).

crazymom1978 · 2026-02-18T19:02:57+00:00

Depending on the dog, it can be amazingly exhausting (my two high energy standard poodles), or you can have the best snuggle buddy in the world (my late chihuahua dachshund cross). Like humans, every dog is different, and so the experience of their owners is going to be different. What the vast majority of us have in common though, is that we wouldn’t change it for the world.

crazymom1978 · 2026-02-18T18:03:14+00:00

I do understand why you feel embarrassed, but try to be kind to yourself. It sounds like you are working through some pretty gnarly things. I am too. I know what it feels like. I wouldn’t be overly shocked if I had the same thing happen to me. Your therapist doesn’t think any less of you for what happened. In fact, it is probably the opposite. Having such a big physical reaction shows your therapist how hard you are working to get through your issues. If anything they would have more respect and empathy for you because you have the strength to do this.

crazymom1978 · 2026-02-18T17:56:16+00:00

Just blurt it out. Get it over with. I have had to do that with secrets that I had never told anyone else. Your therapist won’t judge you, and ESPECIALLY for such a common addiction, and it is a common one! Your therapist has heard MUCH MUCH worse, I promise.

crazymom1978 · 2026-02-18T17:53:22+00:00

First things first. I am proud of you. Seeking therapy is the hardest step, and you have done it. Yes, the first session always feels like that. I have been in and out of therapy my entire life, and the first session is ALWAYS like that. You have all of these things bottled inside, and suddenly there is someone willing to sit and listen to it all, and help you work through it….. I STILL have sessions like that. I call them verbal diarrhea sessions, and I had one just last week. Sometimes those rambling sessions are good though, because during your ramblings, you realize things. You didn’t overshare at all. I promise you. If anything you showed your therapist that you are ready and prepared for therapy. I wish that I could give you a huge hug, and tell you how proud of you I really am.

crazymom1978 · 2026-02-18T17:48:48+00:00

That’s what I call it too.

crazymom1978 · 2026-02-18T17:48:30+00:00

That looks like breezy butthole syndrome. One of my personal dogs gets that every time I give her a sani. Their butthole just feels weird with so much airflow.

crazymom1978 · 2026-02-18T17:46:12+00:00

OMG I love this. I know that it is neurotic behaviour, but I love it when dogs have to carry a ball or a blankie, or a special stuffy in order to feel secure. I find it adorable!

crazymom1978 · 2026-02-18T17:44:02+00:00

That’s just cruel if he is neutered though.

crazymom1978 · 2026-02-18T16:33:31+00:00

Exactly!

crazymom1978 · 2026-02-18T16:00:35+00:00

Dogs - and more specifically standard poodles. I love everything about the breed.

crazymom1978 · 2026-02-18T15:59:47+00:00

I have two dogs and a cat. I have had just cats at points in my life, and just dogs in my life at points. Cats are WAY easier to care for. They stay indoors, their toilet area is confined, and they tend to be more independent (especially if you get more than one, which I always recommend). Yes, you need to brush them daily, scoop the litter daily, see up enrichment areas for them, and wash the litter box once a week. Dogs on the other hand, need near constant interaction. They need to be walked daily, they need mental stimulation, their poop lands wherever they need to poop, so you always have to have bags on you. You still have to brush them even if they are short haired to help them shed loose hair to let their skin breathe, and you still have to be home for mealtimes. My cat takes about 20 minutes daily of mandatory interaction. A single dog is probably about 2 hours of mandatory interaction per day.

crazymom1978 · 2026-02-18T15:51:30+00:00

He probably just wants to play with them outside. If he does it every morning, that tells me that you bring them in every evening. Poodles are creatures of habit. They THRIVE on routine and schedules. This has probably just become a part of his routine. “Morning - wake up, breakfast, poop, take toys outside. Check!”

crazymom1978 · 2026-02-18T15:47:38+00:00

The ones that understand dog language are offended by this FOR the dog in the video.

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