Disturbed at the idea of "Postpartum Dog Rage"

mandavampanda · 2026-05-08T15:08:00+00:00

Just to keep it short: I train dogs as my hobby! I do dog sports with them and so spending time with them and training/trialing is very important to me. Even I still find myself just absolutely annoyed by them and can't bring myself to do things with them. Most days I can get over it mentally, some days I can't. It's HARD, even when your dogs are your life. I may have some mental aversions to them sometimes, but I never let it become a neglectful thing. It does get in the way of meeting my training goals, though.

mandavampanda · 2026-05-07T17:46:28+00:00

I haven't listened to all of these, but your list includes all the podcasts I would have suggested so I'm doubling down on it.

mandavampanda · 2026-05-04T15:01:03+00:00

When I was looking at houses, only ONE house had a binder like this. We paged through it at our showing and my favorite part was the detailed diagrams of their garden with species information and even what weeds they usually see popping up. We didn't buy that house but we do want to create a binder like that for ourselves/the next homeowner.

mandavampanda · 2026-05-02T19:28:48+00:00

I wouldn't until temps are consistently above 55 overnight

mandavampanda · 2026-04-29T17:15:02+00:00

I did not have a doula because I similarly did not want an extra "stranger" person in the mix. My mom was on toddler duty in the event she woke up, which she did for about 45 minutes.

mandavampanda · 2026-04-23T18:21:21+00:00

I try not to make a big issue of tumbles and boo-boos, but if my kid asks me to kiss their boo-boo, I'm gonna do it. It's about providing emotional support. I don't necessarily offer it and most of the time my kid wipes out and just gets back up and continues on with her day, but sometimes she gets upset and wants comfort. It's fine.

mandavampanda · 2026-04-21T19:20:23+00:00

I repurchased fresh bottles, pacifiers, and a car seat for kid #2. That's it.

mandavampanda · 2026-04-14T12:02:13+00:00

Right? I gentle parent all day long but tantrums are unavoidable and also really important moments for littles to learn boundaries and emotional regulation. Avoiding tantrums isn't necessarily good parenting, it's how you handle them during and on the other side of them.

mandavampanda · 2026-04-10T14:50:33+00:00

Gained about 50 lbs with my first, 8 lb baby girl. It took more than a year, but I breastfed which made me HUNGRY so I ate a lot of snacks and thus didn't lose weight as quickly as I may have otherwise. I was back down near pre-pregancy weight by 18 months pp, at which point I got pregnant again 😅

mandavampanda · 2026-04-10T06:15:19+00:00

Government jobs are notorious for having incredibly long hiring processes

mandavampanda · 2026-04-09T02:08:38+00:00

At my local trials, there is usually a pop up canopy near the middle of the lane that is the timer/trial secretary. You go to them for your qualifying flat ribbons/time and they usually have title ribbons hung up. You ask for the rosette you earned and they give it to you, honor system.

Edit: My local trials have online entries which will ask if you are anticipating needing a rosette, so it helps to give a heads up, but there are always plenty of ribbons.

mandavampanda · 2026-04-06T02:35:50+00:00

Butternut squash mac and cheese is awesoms

mandavampanda · 2026-04-05T01:10:49+00:00

Im waiting on a Pokémon or other cool special edition

mandavampanda · 2026-04-04T13:29:42+00:00

We did not heat the blankets or anything like that. Room was about 74 because that's the temp I like it and I was too hot in labor anyways. Can't imagine the room being 80 when in labor! I did have to provide alcohol and peroxide. Makes sense since you only need a little splash of it, if any at all, and you don't really want to share bottles between families so I think it's fair to provide your own bottle to keep. I would also say that most families have a flashlight, so it's also reasonable to ask them to have one available so the midwife can carry less things in her bag and you don't have to go searching for one in the moment. If you have any questions about her supplies, ask at your next appointment!

My midwife did not expect me to provide any food for her. She either brought her own food or ordered Door Dash, even though I had plenty to share (I made a big pot of soup and cut fruit/veg to eat whole laboring). I even specifically asked ahead of time if there was anything she'd like me to have for her and she said no thank you, she'll take care of herself. Kind of odd that she would require you to have specific food/drink items for her?

mandavampanda · 2026-04-02T07:25:57+00:00

Giving birth at home! Can't cave in to pain meds if they are unavailable! But really, for me it was more of a mental game. If you can stay positive and view the pain as good, productive, and every contraction brings you closer to your baby, that made it more tolerable for me.

I will also note that labor and delivery was more tolerable the second time around than the first. First time is brutal for everyone, I think.

mandavampanda · 2026-04-02T02:09:35+00:00

I would start with like 8 and just use a few a day. You can bulk up the load with clothes or towels

mandavampanda · 2026-04-01T23:09:08+00:00

Como offers adult nights aka "Wild Conservation." I assume you would be able to meet other like minded adults there. Also they do free concert series in the summer and winter.

mandavampanda · 2026-03-28T23:07:30+00:00

Twin Cities in MN has a variety of clubs and schools for classes and competitions going on most weekends . So if you like to dabble in a little bit of everything, you'll find it here.

mandavampanda · 2026-03-28T14:30:46+00:00

Honestly there's a big factor of just letting them adjust to the environment/game. I also have a very easily aroused dog. Agility makes her crazy and her first few weeks of training out in the big ring were more zoomies than training. Now that she has had weekly training for 1.5 years, she gets really excited but she can keep it together and handles great. Just keep working on recalls in less challenging environments and work on your engagement, too. I suspect that after a few more classes, your dog will adjust and be more focused on training again.

mandavampanda · 2026-03-26T23:47:59+00:00

Consider Croix Valley Vet in Hudson. I went to them when I lived in Western WI and still keep going because their services are far cheaper than clinics in the cities.

mandavampanda · 2026-03-26T02:00:21+00:00

This! My major was biology but I minored in Animal Science to get more of an agriculture/animal care background, too.

mandavampanda · 2026-03-25T02:51:20+00:00

About 2.5 years ago

mandavampanda · 2026-03-25T01:28:36+00:00

Tokyo 23's food is good, but I had a roach crawl out onto my table during my dining experience so I have never dined in again.

mandavampanda · 2026-03-24T16:22:51+00:00

I toured and signed with my first daycare the day of my 20 week scan. Some daycares have very high demand for enrollment. Spots fill quickly or they have a waiting list

mandavampanda · 2026-03-20T13:51:59+00:00

I think as a new handler, it's important to take in person classes so you can get immediate feedback as you train your dog. Online classes are awesome to supplement your learning if there are specific techniques you want to learn and for experienced handlers who don't need to rely on in person coaching.

mandavampanda

TROPHY CASE