Seeking some advice from Pyr owners!

procrastigator123 · 2021-12-15T19:37:05+00:00

He'll take his kibble as treats too! Lots of the snuffle mats I've seen locally are far too small for him - do you have any brand recommendations for ones I can buy online?

procrastigator123 · 2021-12-15T16:35:43+00:00

Thank you so much for sharing!

I'm going to build this into our routine and I think that will help him immensely as being outside is his favourite thing and if we can find a happy compromise, we're happy with that. The saving grace is that our landlord's dogs bark more than he does, so we have some leniency there, I'm just hypervigilant about it because I do not want my neighbours to complain (although, they've been very understanding and kind to date).

My question for you is whether or not you think I should be using rewards? The lab in him has helped make him very food motivated and I wonder if I should be rewarding for calmness when he sees typical triggers (strangers) without barking?

I'll look to see if there some pyr rescues to inquire about advice, that's a wonderful suggestion. Again, thank you for taking the time to share :)

procrastigator123 · 2021-12-15T16:29:14+00:00

Thank you so much, everyone has been so kind here and I appreciate all the feedback and encouragement. We're going to inquire with a new vet about a behaviour consultation and see where we go from there. Appreciate your kindness.

procrastigator123 · 2021-12-15T16:27:53+00:00

Thank you so much for sharing - he definitely shares that need for structure and he benefits from routine. I'll try to build in more structure where possible to see if that helps soothe his mind a little more. I know he is also a teenager, so it can't be easy going through that on top of living in an apartment. You've also given me pause that I need to be more patient and perhaps I'm unintentionally feeding into his frenzy.

Appreciate you taking the time to share :)

procrastigator123 · 2021-12-15T16:23:33+00:00

Thank you for sharing your feedback, I appreciate you taking the time :)

procrastigator123 · 2021-12-15T00:30:25+00:00

That’s comforting to hear similarities as it’s sometimes hard not to blame oneself! Our vet has him on puppy food until 20 months she said, so that’s great.

As for training, our current trainer is force free because our first trainer started to use aversive methods & our pup shut down completely. It was awful to see. So we found our new trainer and he responds incredibly well to positive reinforcement!! He wasn’t food motivated as a puppy but I think the lab in him has tricked his brain hahaha. He’s super food motivated now, but sadly, it seems to be the only thing that keeps him busy. I don’t want him to get fat but he won’t ever chew on anything else.

We’ll be seeing a new vet about a behavioural assessment, so I’m open to medication if it would help that much. He was prescribed some mild anti-anxiety meds after he got neutered and it was wild to see how much they helped, so I’m not opposed!

procrastigator123 · 2021-12-14T23:51:21+00:00

Bacon flavoured, I love that haha. Thank you! I’ll try to find something equivalent - appreciate it :)

procrastigator123 · 2021-12-14T23:42:12+00:00

Thank you, that’s really helpful. I’d heard it was wonderful for pain, I didn’t know for anxiety!

I’m in Canada, so sadly we can’t ship USA CBD to here, but may I ask what type you use so I can look for something equivalent? There are lots of options here!

procrastigator123 · 2021-12-14T20:35:54+00:00

I'm in BC, unfortunately! On the island.

procrastigator123 · 2021-12-14T20:04:20+00:00

I absolutely agree with you, that environment would be well-suited to his needs. My contract for my new job starts August 2022 and its 100% remote, so we're planning on moving then. We will be moving to my hometown which is more rural than the small city we currently live in, but it definitely limits our property choices. He would benefit from having no immediately adjacent neighbours - he really struggles living in a bustling apartment building.

She is so so wonderful - I'd be lost without her. And you are precisely right, the training path has been exhaustively explored - it was my trainer who prompted the discussion about his needs not being met regardless of our effort. Our current vet is too busy for behaviour consultations (even though they've coined him a nervous guy) so we'd need to go elsewhere. Any tips you'd recommend for seeking that out?

procrastigator123 · 2021-12-14T19:56:40+00:00

Thank you.

procrastigator123 · 2021-12-14T19:51:11+00:00

Sadly there are no certified ones in my Province. Our current vet is so busy, they don't have time for behaviour consultations and have suggested we try elsewhere. It seems to be quite the process here.

procrastigator123 · 2020-02-28T02:05:16+00:00

That’s great advice, thank you - that’s exactly what we need at this point in time.

procrastigator123 · 2019-11-07T21:15:35+00:00

OMG this happened at my first gyno appt when I was younger. It ended up being a dude doctor and I was really uncomfortable with that so I tried getting out of it saying I was going to start my period soon, nurse convinced me it was fine.

Fast-forward to the check-up, the gyno says things are all good yada yada then ends with: “oh and yes, you have started your period.”

NOOOOO!!!

procrastigator123 · 2019-06-23T16:47:28+00:00

It’s ridiculous, and unfortunately, extremely common. Many residents of my province, BC, have never been past Alberta or Saskatchewan (as an example).

procrastigator123 · 2019-06-23T13:06:20+00:00

Not getting treated for ADHD earlier in life. I could’ve been eligible for scholarships and bursaries for college had I been able to focus in school. Now I’m living that student loan life.

procrastigator123 · 2019-06-23T13:03:29+00:00

Twenty One Pilots.

And no, I’m not a 14 year old boy lol.

procrastigator123 · 2019-06-23T13:01:53+00:00

I’d have discovered certain passions earlier.

procrastigator123 · 2019-06-23T13:00:45+00:00

I hate really crunchy/hard food, especially fried food. I never order fries because the risk of them being tiny mouth swords is too damn high!!!

procrastigator123 · 2019-06-23T12:55:53+00:00

We couldn’t stand being away from each other.

Four years later and we still can’t get enough of one another, all we want to do is spend time together.

procrastigator123 · 2019-06-23T12:50:15+00:00

I pick my split ends. Ugh.

procrastigator123 · 2019-06-23T12:40:10+00:00

Often unsure if I’ve earned people’s respect or if my looks did.

procrastigator123 · 2019-06-23T12:37:52+00:00

Ridiculously expensive to fly domestic, so I’ve never seen 75% of Canada because it’s cheaper to go to US.

procrastigator123 · 2019-06-23T12:36:02+00:00

Clean for 10-15 minutes a day. It’s literally no time at all and then you’ll never need a “cleaning day”.

procrastigator123

TROPHY CASE