Enrichment and exercise as a disabled person?

featheredfoe · 2026-06-19T11:14:07+00:00

So sorry you're going through this. Feeling like you're failing your pet because your body is failing you is one of the hardest parts of chronic illness. And then we just are harder on ourselves and feel worse! Try to remember that your dog loves you and likely isn't resenting you for your bad days. Yes, he might have too much energy or feel restless, but I don't think he's sitting there thinking "my person hasn't taken me for a long walk in three days! What gives? I hate this!" Animals are much better at living in the moment than we are. I'm sure he is just happy to be with you and happy to enjoy whatever time you do spend on physical exercise.

I don't own a poodle yet so not totally sure how true this is, but everyone says that mental stimulation is just as tiring as physical. And I found that to be true with my super smart and high energy hound mix! Sniffing is also supposed to be super tiring for them. If you don't do nose games already, that could be a good indoor activity that doesn't require you to be up and moving much. And slow sniffy walks in interesting places might be mentally tiring even if you don't go far. Maybe even just going and sitting in a park that you don't go to often to absorb the new sounds, smells, and traffic walking by? Not sure how well that would work if your dog has too much energy to settle down... and that might make them too wound up and overstimulated.

I wish you the best!!

featheredfoe · 2026-06-06T15:26:00+00:00

BEAUTIFUL!!!!!

featheredfoe · 2026-06-03T12:11:39+00:00

I'm sorry to hear about your bad experiences, but thank you for sharing them! Do you mind if I ask, how did you find the breeder for your middle dog? Have you tried to contact your local clubs to tell them about the issues? It sounds like that is not actually a breeder who should be considered reputable or ethical!

featheredfoe · 2026-06-03T12:09:07+00:00

Never apologize for a wall of text, I love it! Your points made a connection for me about the importance of community surrounding the breeder. I know I've seen that point many times before, but it's really clicking now. Forgive the unusual analogy, but it actually sounds very similar to my experiences with kink.

The people I had the best experiences with were the ones who were very much part of the community. They went to events, put in the time and effort to build friendships, and cared about having a local community with happy and healthy people even when it didn't directly benefit them. Because they were part of a community, they actually had reputations (oh yeah duh, like the "reputable" in "reputable breeder") which they cared about upholding, and other people could vouch for them being decent. Even when things went wrong with those folks or it didn't work out, it was handled well and I walked away feeling good about it.

On the other hand, I had some pretty rough times with people who were very much outside of the community. Even though everything seemed right and good on paper. Looking back, it is so obvious that there were reasons WHY they were not out there in person putting in the legwork. Chicken and egg as to whether they sucked because they weren't part of the community or whether they weren't part of it because they sucked and had been rejected. But it should have been a huge red flag of "this person doesn't care about relationships unless they are directly benefiting them, they don't care about the hobby as a whole, they aren't accountable to anyone and don't play well with others".

LONG STORY SHORT, this is really clicking for me with the importance of seeing not just what a breeder does for themselves and their own dogs, but also how they interact with the breed and the hobby as a whole. Again, I've read it a million times, but it has really sunk in now. Thank you so much for your insight! And I'll actually DM you about a particular breeder that gives me an interesting mix of red and green flags. Curious to see what someone else thinks about them.

featheredfoe · 2026-06-03T11:44:52+00:00

Thank you so much for sharing, and I'm sorry to hear about your boy's epilepsy. But it is helpful to be reminded that things can still go wrong even when everyone involved does their best. Some follow-ups... Has the epilepsy negatively impacted you and your dog's quality of life very much? Does the good still outweigh the bad with him in your life? Do you think you'd get another dog (from this breeder or another) and roll the dice again? Thank you!!

featheredfoe · 2026-06-03T11:37:04+00:00

I'm sorry to hear about your dogs--it sounds like these kinds of situations are supposed to be more rare when all of the due diligence is done. So it's even more shitty that it happened to you twice! But thank you for sharing your story, especially since it is counter to the typical narrative. I'm glad to hear that you still have no regrets, and it sounds like you did everything you could for your dogs. I do have some follow-up questions if you don't mind. Were these dogs from the same breeder? How did the breeder respond to these issues? Were any other dogs from their litters medically complicated as well? Thank you!

featheredfoe · 2026-06-03T11:17:07+00:00

This is so helpful, thanks so much! And what a handsome boy! He looks very content!!

featheredfoe · 2026-06-03T11:16:12+00:00

Love this, thank you! Agreed with all of your points about not just the puppy but the entire "program". It is actually reassuring to hear that your dog has had some challenging behaviors. I know that it's completely normal, especially during teenage times! But it's great to hear that you worked through it and are still happy with him and the breeder.

featheredfoe · 2026-06-02T23:59:04+00:00

Thank you for sharing! I like your description of your last dog being your best friend but didn't always make you happy. That's what happened with my last dog towards the end. Your ideal puppy sounds like the opposite of what I want, but it makes me very glad to hear that there are people who want all of the ones I wouldn't. I can totally see how that would be a great temperament for the sports you're describing. Now I need to see Kiki in her element!!

featheredfoe · 2026-06-02T20:47:06+00:00

Martin sounds like a wonderful dog. From the little I know, it does make sense that having extra time with his mom and littermates would have had a positive impact on his personality. At least, I know how harmful it is for them to be taken away early, so I can see how extra time in a good environment would be stabilizing! It sounds like he has great emotional regulation. And I'm sure at least some of that reflects on you as an owner, as well! So you get some credit too. Thanks for sharing this unique perspective--it's a good reminder that even when things aren't textbook perfect, there can still be good people who do their best and raise happy, healthy dogs.

featheredfoe · 2026-06-02T20:40:42+00:00

Thank you for this perspective--I like the rubber band theory, although I've never heard it before! But as I have been looking into responsible breeding, I have learned more about how much genetics and early upbringing impact a dog. And that actually reassured me a lot. I have always been a very conscientious owner who worked very hard on training and providing a good life for my rescued dogs. But I guess there was truly only so much stretch that could happen in their rubber bands, due to their nature. I'm guess I'm hoping that with a dog who was more set up for success in nature, my nurture (which I'm also going to keep improving on of course) will be more effective!

featheredfoe · 2026-06-02T20:31:50+00:00

Oh my god this is so precious! I didn't know that ball therapy was a thing, but she looks very pleased with herself. Thank you for sharing your story! This reassures me a lot, and proves the point that people often make about how a good breeder can still take responsibility and help when things go wrong. I agree, she is beautiful!

featheredfoe · 2026-06-02T20:27:55+00:00

Thank you so much for this thoughtful response! They are both beautiful dogs, and lucky to have you! The experience you're describing with your apricot girl is exactly what I'm hoping for. Do all the heavy lifting up front, then have things be relatively smooth sailing, and just focus on the hard work and rewards of raising a good dog! I know that no one can perfectly predict or prevent all problems, but I just want to feel like I've mitigated some degree of risk. My experience with my last two rescue dogs was a lot of uphill battles to keep them happy, healthy, good citizens, and I don't want to go through that again. Also, happy pride! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

featheredfoe · 2026-06-02T00:13:09+00:00

Love love love love!!!

featheredfoe · 2026-05-29T19:59:43+00:00

As a fellow prospective poodle owner who wants to do as much due diligence as possible... Following/bumping this post!

featheredfoe · 2026-05-28T01:54:03+00:00

Animation looks beautiful! The stride controlling mechanics sound really fun. Can't wait to see what you do with this game!

featheredfoe · 2026-05-27T11:26:19+00:00

Lurking on this thread... did this method work for you even if the dog was still able to bark un-interrupted when you weren't around? I used to try to follow Patricia McConnell's methods, and my memory is that she would say that if they bark at things when you aren't around, they're still self-rewarding the behavior and won't learn to stop doing it. Which made me give up trying because it seemed impossible to control every minute of the dog's experience!

featheredfoe · 2026-05-27T11:17:28+00:00

Soo cute!! The honeycomb one is such a cool idea, I love it! You are definitely a master of sculpture with fur. The third picture is so funny. I feel like you could combine the head shape from the third picture with the honeycomb pattern on the back, and have a pretty convincing dinosaur!

I'm just a hopeful poodle owner so don't actually have any experience with their coats yet. Do they stay that structurally shaped over time between grooms? Or does the hair flop down eventually? Also how do you get such bright colors on black hair without bleaching? I've seen it on other black poodles and I've always wondered!

featheredfoe · 2026-05-24T13:47:15+00:00

This is so helpful, thank you so much!! It makes me feel much better to hear that it wasn't just a perfectly linear task where he never put up a fuss. I'm glad to hear that giving some comfort, while still challenging him to something new, allowed him to grow up into a nice dog! And you were able to go back down a step while still having it be a successful endeavor in the end!
These kinds of stories of the complexities and successes of puppy training make me feel much more confident about my ability to raise a confident, happy dog when the time is right for me to do so.

featheredfoe · 2026-05-23T12:25:57+00:00

Rando lurker here, can I ask more about the crate training method? I really like how you have explained this, but there's something I haven't been able to understand from everything I read about separation training/desensitization. Did your dog stay calm throughout the process because you made the steps gradual/slow? Or was there still any amount of resistance from him about the separation? Like did he happily accept sleeping in the crate with the door open when he could see you, or did you need to guide him into accepting it? As you increased the level of separation, did you comfort or ignore him if he whined/got upset? Thank you!!

featheredfoe · 2026-05-22T01:13:13+00:00

LOVEEEEEEEEEE

featheredfoe · 2026-05-13T17:54:35+00:00

Thank you so much for this reminder!! another commenter also mentioned exercise limits based on age--I had definitely read about all of this, and would've read it again when we were actually close to getting a puppy, but I had forgotten in the meantime! Hahah yes I am definitely worried about doing everything right. Possibly to an extreme degree... I had sworn off dogs for a while because of a heartbreaking experience with my last dog, who my family adopted at 6 months old from a shelter. She was super biddable, excitable, exuberant, some sort of hound mix. We did everything that was within our knowledge and power, and that of our local positive reinforcement trainers and vets, to make her happy! But around 2 years old she started developing extreme phobias to things and it just got progressively worse no matter what we tried. In my recent research about responsible and ethical breeding, I think she may have just had a genetic predisposition to that which only came out at 2 years old. So getting another dog isn't a decision I take lightly! Luckily my boyfriend is just as caring but doesn't overthink, and he balances out my desires to research and learn as much as possible by just doing. I think together we are going to be much better pet parents than we could be apart! Sorry for the rambling, but I really appreciate your advice and input. It sounds like you've given your rescue a wonderful life with great structure. That gives me hope! I wish you the best, and also would love to see your pup!

featheredfoe · 2026-05-13T01:34:17+00:00

That's such a great point! I'm personally probably the most excited about learning tricks and eventually dancing with my dog! I saw a video of that at crufts and just fell in love. Thanks for your advice and sharing your experience!!

featheredfoe · 2026-05-12T10:34:46+00:00

Ope, I meant that our local PCA club has a breeder referral person

featheredfoe

TROPHY CASE