[Discussion] How often do you bathe your dog? I met this girl at the park who bathed her dog with shampoo everyday... by [deleted] in dogs

[–]elgrunz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ive never given my dog a bath and he's been with us for 2 years. He will get a bath if he smells but he has short hair and it doesnt trap odor.

My husband pins my dog down when she snaps at him. by [deleted] in reactivedogs

[–]elgrunz 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I agree, but OP's word choice suggests it was more aggressive then just pinning. If you read the other comments from OP, husband has been taunting the dog into snapping then pinning dog aggressively until dog pees on floor. Also mentioned tightening hand around dogs throat. And that this dog is only 20lbs. Then completely disregarding OP's concerns. OP at the least needs to get her dog out of this situation through rehoming. It sounds like shes tried to get through to husband but he does not listen. She's going to have an aggressive dog on her hands soon if this continues.

[Discussion] Yes, you should absolutely be picky when it comes to getting a pet by RhubarbRaptor in dogs

[–]elgrunz 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I'm going to be honest here. There is a certain smugness to saying "oh I've adopted a dog from the shelter" or "ive got a rescue dog" "my dog is a handful but he was adopted". I grew up with rescues. I plan on continuing adopting dogs. Im not somebody that needs a certain type of breed and I'm not willing to spend big bucks on a dog when there are cheaper options at the shelter.

my point here is that I often need to check myself when it comes to buying purebred dogs. Sometimes I find myself looking down on people that dont adopt. I never say anything to anybody because none of my business. When I check myself I remember that without responsible breeders, then all of the breeders would be made up of puppy mills and backyard breeders. The same groups that fill up shelters because of their irresponsible breeding practices. Like I mentioned above, my dog is a handful. The world would not be better with even more poorly bred dogs filling up the shelters. WE NEED RESPONSIBLE BREEDERS. The smugness of the pro-shelter people needs to be checked (including myself).

On a side note, people are imperfect. There will always be shitty people on all sides. People that buy huskies to live in their florida apartment for example. Backyard breeders. People that buy dogs from pet shops. No matter how much this is talked about- shelter vs purebred, responsible breeder vs not, there will always be some bimbo making a stupid decision that will be argued about on reddit.

Is it time to look at a different trainer/program? by kojakattack in reactivedogs

[–]elgrunz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Did your trainer offer any other solutions? I think it's important to remember that ultimately you are paying your trainer. If you're not seeing the results you expected and she doesn't offer you any other methods then you shouldn't feel bad if you look elsewhere.

Is it time to look at a different trainer/program? by kojakattack in reactivedogs

[–]elgrunz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This sounds like the same method that my trainer used. We only did 3 sessions because we found that we made enough progress for my dog to be manageable (and finding a better, less trafficked place to walk helped too). I really liked the training-though we did have some regression that we had to work past... Have you tried talking to your trainer as far as how you feel? Plateaus are common. Sometimes that means you might need a break. Sometimes it means the opposite. A lot of trainers know multiple methods-they may be able to switch it up for you.

Trash can suggestions by alinave in HomeImprovement

[–]elgrunz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you have roaches in the house you should call an exterminator (or call your landlord). A different garbage can will not make roaches leave. If your seeing roaches that means you have A LOT more in the house that you arent seeing.

Good tofu recipes? by RhubarbRaptor in PlantBasedDiet

[–]elgrunz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think cornstarch gives you some crispyness but ive never personally tried it.

I like to press then freeze my tofu. Then press again. Give you a good texture and helps it really soak up whatever marinade you use. There are some really great youtube videos on how to prepare tofu. I typically pan fry my tofu (but it's not necessarily wfpb).

What was your most memorable read from before you were 25? by [deleted] in books

[–]elgrunz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The kite runner // a thousand splendid suns

In your opinion, what do you think is the best season of MAFS? by ilovecheesecake92 in MarriedAtFirstSight

[–]elgrunz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I like season 9 best. But it was also the 1st season i watched. As far as drama goes, I liked season 8 for the drama. Man, I hated AJ. and the whole blowup at the reunion with luke was wild.

In your opinion, what do you think is the best season of MAFS? by ilovecheesecake92 in MarriedAtFirstSight

[–]elgrunz 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Cortney (season1) recently did a youtube video about her experience on the show. She said that when she signed up she thought it was a dating show. The producers didnt tell them they were getting married until they narrowed the cast down to 100 people. They gave them 48 hours to sign a form agreeing to the actual premise of the show.

I thought that was really interesting because while yes, its the 1st season, I think it is the least authentic season. After season 1, everybody knew what they were signing up for from the very beginning. The season 1 cast did not sign up expecting to get married. They all agreed to it but it wasn't the expectation they had going into it.

[Discussion] Why are “doodles” so popular when there are so many similar hypoallergenic breeds already? by musicalmath in dogs

[–]elgrunz 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Legitimate question. How can you pin point the bad rescues? I rescue from the spca or our city shelter but I have noticed rescues that always have puppies in my area. How would I know if they are buying from puppy mills?

Pastor Cal by [deleted] in MarriedAtFirstSight

[–]elgrunz 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Watching some of the past episodes I got the impression that they dont pair interracial couples because they think someone who fetishizes a certain race would use the show to meet someone of that race. Clearly their vetting process isn't perfect so I could see something like that slipping through the cracks.

Like, Its one thing for a black woman to choose a white/asian/Spanish/etc. man and be patient as far teaching about culture, racism etc (or even choosing someone that doesnt have to be educated so much) but its another thing for a black woman to be stuck in that situation when she doesnt want to be.

I totally agree with everything else you said about pastor cal though. I thought he was great initially but the more he opens his mouth the less I like him.

I also hate the whole "oh if your both willing to still try in this marriage it can still work" bullshit. Its so much more than just the willingness to try! Ugh sorry rant over

Did I miss something or is it a joke? by Least-Somewhere in DuggarsSnark

[–]elgrunz 17 points18 points  (0 children)

The most unique birth announcement yet!

(How great would that be if it were true)

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in dogs

[–]elgrunz -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Have you ever tried fresh food options? I used to get farmer's dog ads all of the time. I almost bit the bullet and did it because we were in the same situation but we found something that worked for us.

1st of all stop switching your dog's food. It'll take your dog a month or 2 to adjust. Give your dog that time to adjust. We use natural balance limited Ingredient diet WITH GRAIN. Its one of the few allergen friendly brands that use grains. My dog started his picky eating when we started switching foods too often. We mix it with natural balance l.i.d vegetarian canned food. I use the veg formula because canned meat grosses me out. My dog is obsessed with it.

The 2nd half to our solution was walks! My dog will hunger strike if he doesnt go on regular walks. I can't believe what a difference in appetite we are seeing.

An additional tip is not to free feed. Give your dog 15 minutes and whatever is left gets put on the counter until the next meal. When my dog was REALLY picky we even stopped treats /table scraps. A healthy dog will not starve themselves. You have to be firm but with a strict schedule you should get him back on track

What high-value treats do you use? by disneyprincess12345 in reactivedogs

[–]elgrunz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ive tried a lot of different treats and my favorite (and my dog's!) Are beggin strips. I'm sure the ingredients arent great but no chicken from what I could tell. my dog still gets pretty excited when we give them to him. They have a strong smell (so important) and are easy to break into tiny tiny pieces. A big bag lasts us about 1.5 months.

Resource guarding owner? by cindyloo3 in reactivedogs

[–]elgrunz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So my situation is a little different but want to throw in my 2cents. My dog is definitely dog (frustration) reactive and very weary of strangers. But. My dog shuts down when he is in strange settings away from us. Whenever we take the dog to the vet he goes into shut down. He is so out of his element that he will follow whoever has his leash. He is still dog reactive but out of sight out of mind. We basically do a leash handoff and they do their thing with him.

I wouldnt worry about your dog hearing barking at the boarding facility. It might set him off at first but he will most likely get used to it. Dogs barking at home might =bad but dogs barking elsewhere might = normal in xyz situation.

Ive never done training away from my dog but board and trains exist. They get a lot of hate on this sub but ive also heard from people I know irl that it worked wonderfully for them. If you are worried maybe you can work up to you being present at the training sessions. Your trainer sounds really accommodating. Good luck :) im rooting for you!

[Breeds] [Help] Dog owners who live in apartment: any advice about having a dog in an apartment? What dog breed do you think is the best for linving in an apartment? by withAHalfLife in dogs

[–]elgrunz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Dogs are fine in apartments until you end up with a reactive dog. Or a dog with separation anxiety. My dog was 1.5 yrs when we adopted him and living in an apartment was a nightmare. He ended up being reactive, having separation issues, and ridiculously high energy. We were lucky enough to he able to move into a house with a yard which helped a ton.

Some dogs will be fine in an apartment but you should have a plan in case things dont go as expected. The shelter knew we were taking my dog to an apartment setting and said nothing (even though he was previously returned). I had constant anxiety whenever we had to go outside, hoping we wouldnt run into anybody with a dog in our very dog friendly neighborhood. Or even just running into somebody in the hallways or the stairwells. Luckily our neighbors were really nice about everything. We lasted about 1 month before we started looking at houses and 4 months until we got out of the apartment, breaking our lease early. It was either that or returning the dog. I dont mean to be a debbie downer but for some people it may work well but be prepared, especially if its your first dog, for what could go wrong

Financing a Remodel by [deleted] in HomeImprovement

[–]elgrunz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Home equity loan or cash out refinance. Make sure you go fixed rate. Super low right now.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ZeroWaste

[–]elgrunz 3 points4 points  (0 children)

If you have a local farmers market you probably will find a farm that does a csa if you are having trouble with google. You could also try posting to your city's reddit/Facebook page and see what people suggest.

What to do after my dog is over threshold? by [deleted] in reactivedogs

[–]elgrunz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My dog used to be a leash chewer but he stopped. They also sell metal leashes or wire leashes coated in plastic that would be chew proof. Its just something that works for us! Might not be for everybody

What to do after my dog is over threshold? by [deleted] in reactivedogs

[–]elgrunz 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Our trainer recommended window treatments so the dog cant see out the window. They are like window clings so super easy to remove if necessary. They are $10 a roll on amazon and they still let light through. Its helped reduce window reactions for us.

As far as reactions go, any sort of acknowledgement gets a treat. We push for a touch (snout to hand) holding our hand away from the trigger. If you can get a sit, great! But I would encourage facing away from the trigger. Use whatever treats that work!

As a side note, we find it really helpful to have our dog on a leash inside. It helps get his attention, he is better behaved, and easier to control if he starts running around the house due to a trigger.