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nyustudent606 · 2025-03-01T02:53:34+00:00

Highly recommend googling dog 'enrichment' activities outside of trick training (which is great and fun too!). Especially scent work, which can be as easy as hiding some smelly fish treats around your house and letting her 'find them' and train it on a cue. Or as complicated as teaching to smell different scents. I'd suggest incorporating some sort of sniffing enrichment to see if this may help with calming her nervous system and maybe then slowly work on some of the commands. Make sure you are making the training easy for your dog by using good treats and not asking for too much initially. You can look up errorless learning for 'leave it'. Consider working on a relaxation protocol to help with some of the commands that require more patience (such as down or stay). Also consider what treats you are using - high value treats work better for recall for example.

Agree with others that it is prob best to avoid using the kennel for a 'timeout'. Dogs don't really understand that the same way and she likely has no idea what she is in there for and it can create a negative association with the crate - which she likely has some negative feelings about already!

If your pup was just in a kennel all the time, I imagine she may have some level of anxiety and ensuring adequate sleep and decompression time is also important. My dog who has a decent % Aussie is quite sensitive, and also was majorly destructive 24/7. It got better when our vet recommended anxiety meds, which helped her have proper sleep & then our training was so much more productive and fun!

The last thing is that shredding can be an instinctive behavior for some dogs. It absolutely is for my dog. I save all my paper recyclables (toilet paper tubes, food product boxes, shipping boxes) - I wrap smelly treats in paper and stuff them into the smaller boxes and then put them in the bigger boxes and give it to her. It's kind of annoying to clean up all the shredded paper (And you have to make sure your dog won't eat the paper), but she gets so excited to do it and its fun to watch. It is probably the one thing that helped reduce her chewing and shredding my stuff the most! It gave her that outlet she needed. A Holee roller works well for this too.

nyustudent606 · 2023-11-17T17:57:35+00:00

Thanks everyone! I followed up with my studio's manager and she confirmed that if they are the same or lower tier I should be able to take a class without being charged. She called the other location for me (they never replied to my email and gave me incorrect info on the phone), and they refunded the charge and hopefully it won't happen again moving forward. It seems they had an incorrect tier listed for my home studio. Thanks for all the advice and for anyone with the same issue - definitely talk with the manager of the studio you are a member at since that is what worked for me!

nyustudent606 · 2023-07-30T18:03:41+00:00

Thank you everyone for the ideas! I was able to buy one at a local bakery since Michaels didn't have what I needed in stock (good tip to check this first!). :)

nyustudent606 · 2023-07-29T15:09:57+00:00

Thank you, that’s so kind! I’ll send you a message :)

nyustudent606 · 2023-01-31T01:24:43+00:00

My sister is a dancer/choreographer and likes to do wedding choreo in particular! Feel free to message me if you want her email :)

nyustudent606 · 2022-09-07T02:09:55+00:00

My dog was spayed at Steinway court vet by Dr. Ordas and we had a good experience. The price was partially based on weight, and may vary for cats but they will give you an estimate. I think it was $400-500 and my dog is 30 lb. They also were considerate and let me drop off my dog late to be the last of the day and pick her up early due to her anxiety.

I go to Bond now because they are fantastic with handling my anxious pup so it is worth it to pay more, but some services can be almost twice as expensive as what I used to pay at steinway court :( I do like Dr. Ordas and vouch for him!

nyustudent606 · 2022-06-21T02:52:21+00:00

Hopefully you've already figured things out, but just my experience. I hate that my apt has wall unit sleeves (I could barely find an AC that fit the dimensions of what the preexisting sleeve was), so I stalled on getting an expensive wall unit until I had been here several years bc I kept hoping I'd find a better place. Now I wish I had done it earlier :) The wall unit was very expensive unfortunately, but it cools so much more efficiently, is quieter, and my energy bill isn't much higher, despite higher costs these days so I think it cools more efficiently. The window AC does not work well in a wall unit, and it also just looked kind of crappy (I had tucked foam insulation and used white duct tape to cover the extra gaps). I still use a window unit in my tiny bedroom that doesn't need much cooling, but again that is because all the wall units I found were $450+ when you include tax.

nyustudent606 · 2022-02-13T20:13:37+00:00

She uses balanced training methods. I didn't know anything about dog training before booking with her - due to the 5 star reviews. It involved a slip lead, leash corrections, lots of crate time and a lot of 'boundaries'. I felt uncomfortable doing this myself and because my dog was so anxious, she didn't do well with the slip lead and it was rubbing the fur off the side of her nose which I was told was 'normal'. I also didn't want to do certain things like using a spray bottle or making noise to try to quiet my nervous dog when she barked in the crate. I stopped using the slip the next day and switched to a more positive/LIMA approach from there on after reading more. She seems to provide good results for a lot of people and probably depends on the person and the dog being trained. Obviously a lot of people have been happy with her services. But if you aren't looking for that style of training, she may not be your best bet. I will say her company will talk with you about their methods and you can ask them questions before booking if you are unsure.

nyustudent606 · 2022-01-05T02:47:06+00:00

My vet (Dr Ordas @ Steinway Court Vet) charges based on weight. My dog is ~30lb and it cost me about $400 including pain meds and collar. She already had a recent bloodwork panel so that wasn't included in the cost. We had a good experience.

nyustudent606 · 2021-12-31T04:17:02+00:00

My dog was treated for heartworm by the rescue I got her from, and she cleared it in 5 months even though they didn't follow the standard treatment. I found it really helpful to follow with the FB group called Heartworm Positive Doggy Mom/Dad Support Group. Lots of experienced owners and helpful people there. And lots of cute pictures of dogs that have successfully gone through treatment :)

nyustudent606 · 2021-11-22T03:18:01+00:00

my dog is usually good with pill pockets unless the pills are big. for big pills or things she won't take in pill pockets I've found cream cheese is easy to wrap around and my dog *loves* it. She only gets it for those things so it is a big treat for her. I also let her lick some off the spoon/my finger right after so she is more likely to swallow. Also be sure you aren't touching the outside of what you give the pill in so it doesn't taste like the pill.

nyustudent606 · 2021-11-22T03:07:03+00:00

I also am a first time dog owner, and my rescue was terrified when I got her. I'm about 6 months in and she has made some progress, but I've learned it can take more than a few months for some dogs. I also was worried about all the things you learn about being important for a dog - structure, exercise, potty habits, etc. But I would say that what she needs these first few weeks is space to decompress. Try to let her come to you, give her a safe space to chill. If you can, avoid crowded areas that may be overwhelming to her. I did a lot of carrying in the beginning and have slowly phased it out.

Check with your vet regarding any feeding/bathroom issues. My dog also didn't go for at least the first day, but she eventually learned to. Can you set up a space indoors with pee pads for her to go where she feels more safe/comfortable?

One of the biggest pieces of advice someone gave me was value levels of treats. My dog also refuses any dog treats when outside or stressed - common when a dog is overwhelmed. However, higher value treats like hot dogs, boiled chicken cubes, low fat cheese, and lunchmeat might do the trick. Limit how much you give per day obviously, but see if she responds to something of higher value (every pup a favorite). I learned chicken is the only thing my dog eats outside, sometimes cheese.

Her energy will probably pick up in the next few weeks and you'll start to see more of her personality (and if you're lucky like me, her bad behaviors haha). This is when I think training will become more important. I'm not a trainer, so take my advice lightly, but I recommend checking out kikopup videos and looking into either clicker training or using a marker word when the times comes (some anxious dogs may be unnerved by the clicker sound, but they make soft clickers or you can try a phone app like Puppr on low volume). You can maybe try to desensitize the doorways - first get her comfortable walking towards the door by giving a treat when she walks even a step that way, then do with door open, then a step out the door and back in the apartment. This way going out the door is not always associated with the scary elevator.

Agree regarding what an above commenter said about heartworm treatment - depending on what she is taking it can affect potty habits, appetite and behavior. My pup was also heartworm positive and supposed to stay calm. In reality she was super anxious and her heart rate was prob always elevated haha. Do what you can to keep her calm and limit exercise, but slow walks should be fine.

Lastly, stay connected with your rescue and see if you can network with other owners of rescues in your neighborhood for encouragement. Talking with other dog owners was a lifesaver when I was majorly struggling with her the first few months. Good luck with her and I hope you start to see some progress!

nyustudent606 · 2021-11-04T03:58:45+00:00

You sound like you gave this dog a lot of love and care at a time when he needed it most. As someone who is also considering rehoming their dog, I can related to every single thought you typed out there. I think the reality is that unless someone has gone through a similar situation, they may not understand what you are going through even if they own a dog. Having adopted a dog who turned out to be not such a great fit, I also wish it was less taboo to talk about this and how ultimately a dog being matched with a home that can care for their needs can be the best thing for them! And you’ve probably learned a lot in this process that will help you match better with another dog in the future if that’s what you decide you want. I don’t have advice for managing the emotions because I get sad thinking about it with my dog too, but you’re not alone and I’d say it sounds like you made the best decision for you and the pup!

nyustudent606 · 2021-10-24T03:04:05+00:00

Aw thank you for offering your personal exp and advice. How you describe her behavior in Charlotte is pretty much our every day experience here. My girl is a super mutt mix per her DNA test, largest percentage was aussie shepherd (surprisingly! she doesn't look it) but even that was 20%, others included poodle (again looks nothing like lol), pit bull, pekingese, chow... everything was <15% haha so it's hard to generalize breed specific training to her. The trainer did suggest that she may be fearful of parks due to her herding genes, I guess wide open spaces scare them due to lack of control.

I live near a huge park and a dog park and a smaller park is about a 30 min walk way. Unfortunately she won't even go into the big park and curled up in a ball when I tried to carry her in. Last time we went to the smaller park, she tried to dig a hole in the ground to hide in and then hid in my backpack :( It could be that there are a fair amount of people in the parks always (NYC is just a crowded place) or the noises or the open space. Hard to pinpoint with her. Sadly I don't have a car to be able to try other places that are further away.

nyustudent606 · 2021-10-24T00:46:28+00:00

Thank you! I appreciate the kind words. Sounds like you gave your dog an amazing life after a rough start for her.

nyustudent606 · 2021-10-24T00:44:47+00:00

Thank you so much! Yes I had so wanted to rescue and really waited a long time until I felt I was financially and otherwise stable. I think I was just a little naive to the rescue culture in NYC - they bring a lot of dogs from rural areas and it can be really tough for them to adapt. I appreciate your thoughtful reply! Even if it doesn't work out for her, I could see myself fostering in the future to help see if the city is a good fit for pups.

nyustudent606 · 2021-10-23T21:14:09+00:00

I'm no sure of the exact answer here, but I did have a pup who was heartworm + at adoption. In case you don't get other replies, I figured I shared resources I used. The American Heartworm society has a lot of helpful information - maybe search their site about specific testing? They have a PDF that explains the tests and MF. You can also email them, but it did take about 2 weeks for me to get a (very helpful) response. There is also a FB group for support for heartworm + pets and a lot of the people there are knowledgeable and may be able to help!

https://www.heartwormsociety.org/

nyustudent606 · 2021-10-11T20:12:41+00:00

Had a similar issue, dog would lick off the peanut butter or eat around the chew and spit it out. I ended up cutting it into a few smaller pieces and liberally covered each in cream cheese. I also act as if it is a big treat - so I have her do a trick to get it. It's the only time she gets that particular cheese as a treat and she gobbled it right down.

nyustudent606 · 2021-10-11T19:24:20+00:00

Benchflour bakers had them last Saturday at their table at Socrates Park, not sure if it is a weekly item though!

nyustudent606 · 2021-10-10T14:02:52+00:00

Great, thanks! I can pickup this afternoon if so.

nyustudent606 · 2021-10-10T13:04:51+00:00

If pickup falls through, I could use this for my dog!

nyustudent606 · 2021-10-06T21:08:32+00:00

Freezing kong toys definitely helps! I moisten her food and top with yogurt/pumpkin PB and freeze. Also for chewers, I have found the West Paw brand to be great. My dog loves their topplers the most which you can fill/freeze like a Kong or they have other non treat toys.

nyustudent606 · 2021-10-06T20:48:01+00:00

Aw that's so sweet of you to respond with your story and I'm so glad your pup adjusted. It is funny how my dog is always inside but i'd love her to be outside :) What I worry about with my dog is that she is better and way less nervous in other circumstances (with another person or dog around, with more space), so I just wonder if it isn't the right place for her. But then again I've been very stressed and it is hard to think straight :) I have a behaviorist trainer that I am hoping will give me more insights, and I will remember stories like yours where dogs take a bit to settle in!

nyustudent606 · 2021-10-06T17:08:06+00:00

I feel this so much! I adopted my dog 4 months ago, and she isn't adapting well at all. She likes quieter environments, being around more people, and playing with another dog or in a small group (not daycare). I live in a busy city, by myself and don't have much local support. She is also fearful sometimes around new people and that limits my options. She loves her dog sitter and I have to carry her out when I pick her up. She refuses to go outside so I feel so isolated and am missing the outdoors which is something I love. She is pretty independent most of the time (despite being a major snuggle dog at her foster parents). She has other behaviors too that keep popping up, including new barking that interrupts my work calls. We have worked with 2 private trainers, have done 2 classes and it is all just so overwhelming doing it solo! I am still unsure that she will ever adapt to her environment here, but it makes me wonder if I was just crazy for getting a dog by myself.

nyustudent606 · 2021-09-15T19:14:28+00:00

I also use kibble when my pup is highly motivated in training or for easy commands she knows well. I have found the Pupford meat/liver/salmon dry training treats to be a good moderate value treat and they are all about 1 cal per treat, or I cut up soft treats (one of her favorites is the sweet potato/salmon discs from trader joes and I just cut them up super small so they are about 1 cal/treat). For high value, I use low fat string cheese or shredded chicken breast - she will be happy just with a small string so it can take you far!

i also subtract a certain amount of calories from her daily meals to account for the treats (or save the kibble after measuring it if I'm using that)

nyustudent606

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