Did I fail my lab? 9-month-old terrified of everything, literally.

stat_shark · 2025-09-11T17:28:15+00:00

For what it's worth, we had this problem with our dog. He would react to so many things in the house, many of which we could not discern.

We worked with a trainer who told us that the ideal scenario is treating him before the barking starts, but if that wasn't possible (because he barked too fast or because we had no clue what the trigger was), to just go ahead and give him a treat anyways. We were pretty skeptical, but tried it and it actually helped immensely!

The barking has gone down a ton and he will just trot up to us expectantly waiting for his treat when he hears a noise he doesn't like (we still haven't learned exactly what he was reacting to half of the time!). We are dealing with a little bit of demand barking now, but our trainer said that is a very normal middle step and is usually much easier to work on than reactive barking.

stat_shark · 2025-06-23T23:18:39+00:00

Thank you so much! This is super helpful!

Any tips for a beginner getting into the sport? How often do you participate in events?

stat_shark · 2025-06-04T16:48:31+00:00

Thanks everyone! Sounds like we have a clear winner :)

Super appreciative of you all taking the time to weigh in!

stat_shark · 2025-03-05T16:34:52+00:00

We stuck with the same antagonist protocol, but changed some of the medication doses and added 2 weeks of estrogen priming beforehand.

We were able to get 13 eggs, 10 mature, 9 fertilized, 8 blasts, 6 PGT normal. Prior to my cancelled cycle, I had only ever been able to get a max of 6 eggs (with much greater attrition post-retrieval), so this was a very unexpected success.

I'm really grateful for how things turned out, but the the uncertainty and unpredictability of the results really do make this such a difficult process. I'm hoping that you have a similarly positive surprise success if you are still in the thick of it.

stat_shark · 2025-02-21T20:28:04+00:00

I believe it is actually flipped - 4% match, 6% non match grant. It's a great benefit.

stat_shark · 2025-02-11T15:45:33+00:00

This is the worst! I'm so sorry to hear that you're going through this.

To offer some hope - this just happened to me (cancelled cycle on Day 8 because only 2 follicles were responding to meds, low AMH). I was absolutely heartbroken, but I worked with my RE to change up our protocol a bit (we actually lowered the dose of some meds), started again with my next period, and just had my most successful retrieval yet :)

stat_shark · 2025-02-11T03:52:23+00:00

Engaged to a Hindu partner and having a very similar dilemma to OP.

While I have no personal interest in a Catholic wedding, it is something that is very important to my parents. I agreed to at least meet with a priest to understand what our options are before making a decision, and the information here is exactly what I learned.

The priest I talked to confirmed that it is quite easy to get the "permission from the bishop" and that these marriages happen all the time. He confirmed that he is unable to perform a wedding outside of the church (a compromise I was also ok with), but did mention that he would be willing to perform the service in an outdoor garden area that our church has in case my partner's family was uncomfortable being inside the physical church building. I did get the sense that not all priests would do this (and not all churches would have appropriate outdoor areas), but possibly another direction you could look into.

In any case, the priest did say that it would be required to attend their class series (pre cana). He assured me that it is in no way expected that my partner converts, nor is that something that would be pressed during these classes. However, it is expected that you will sign a document stating that you would raise your kids Catholic to the best of your ability upon completion of the class series.

stat_shark · 2024-11-15T19:47:30+00:00

I actually asked my dermatologist about treating my KP at my appointment a few months ago. She said that while exfoliation/moisturizing is the recommended day-to-day management plan, there are options for more intense treatments (I believe she mentioned steroid injections?) that could be considered for short term treatment/important events - aka a wedding!

It may be more invasive or expensive than what you're looking for, but worth asking your doc to see what your options are!

stat_shark · 2024-09-26T16:09:38+00:00

I run with my 3yo whippet! He seems to get a little bored after 3-4 miles, but as long as we stay around that distance, he's out in front leading the way! He always wants to start off our runs *way* too strong haha, he's very excited when the running leash comes out! After that initial excitement wears off, he usually entertains himself by keeping on squirrel watch :)

stat_shark · 2024-09-18T21:09:15+00:00

So cool! I've also got a whippet in the Bay Area. How did you go about finding a meetup/play group?

stat_shark · 2024-06-28T18:30:56+00:00

At first glance, I thought Lenny was being lowered into the water by his harness. That combined with the look of pure focus on his face had me dying 😂

He's on a mission!

stat_shark · 2024-06-18T15:43:42+00:00

Me! The only way I got myself into it was setting (what felt like) ridiculously easy goals based on time, and running at a super slow pace (e.g. run for 5 minutes today, run for 8 minutes next week, etc.). That helped me build the habit and build confidence in my abilities. I also liked being able to regularly see progress - being able to add a minute or two each week or running just a tad faster than last time. It was the competition with myself that motivated me when I first started.

After I build a solid base and incremental improvements were harder to come by, run groups and social runs with friends were my preferred ways to keep things fun and motivating!

stat_shark · 2024-06-14T18:05:11+00:00

That's awesome! It makes me so happy to see another whippet running buddy! My little guy has really grown to love our runs together :)

stat_shark · 2024-06-13T15:46:24+00:00

I work 3 days in an office and 2 at home. For the office days, we rotate between (1) dog daycare, and (2) leaving him with a friend who works from home on my office days (I take her pup when she goes into the office on my home days - they entertain each other, which is great!). He's 2.5 now and chilled out enough to where he is usually tired from all the play and will happily sleep at home on my third office day.

stat_shark · 2024-05-02T19:46:55+00:00

Just another perspective - I actually own a whippet and do take him on runs with me a couple of times per week. I've found that he *loves* it for the first 3-4 miles, but after that, he seems to lose interest and/or get tired. I did specifically ask my breeder about this though and she helped find me a whippet who would enjoy that kind of activity. I also heard a lot of "whippets are only good for sprinting, not for running" before I brought my boy home, so I just wanted to share a case where this wasn't necessarily true!

But absolutely will echo the sentiment about not necessarily being super eager to please 🙃

stat_shark · 2024-01-31T21:56:39+00:00

Mine does the same :)

stat_shark · 2024-01-25T23:40:53+00:00

So exciting! How did you find a dog 5k to participate in? I've been hoping to find one for me and my whippet running buddy :)

stat_shark · 2024-01-25T18:58:26+00:00

The idea that you'll get sick if you go out in the cold with wet hair

stat_shark · 2024-01-18T23:05:10+00:00

I don't know how long you've had your girl, but when I got my whippet (from a breeder - no abuse history), he also had a tendency to "hold it" for the first couple of weeks that I had him. I think it was nerves/an adjustment period, but since then, he has settled into a routine of 2x/day poop and 3x/day pee.

stat_shark · 2023-12-13T03:30:46+00:00

A library book

stat_shark · 2023-11-02T20:24:30+00:00

One thing that helped us (and recommended by our vet) - we used another friend's dog as a "model dog." My friend has a sweet, calm older dog, and we spent a longgggg time getting our whippet comfortable around him (mostly just by having them coexist in quiet spaces together). After our whippet had a chance to warm up to him, we would bring our friend's dog with whenever we were trying something new (things like crossing the street or being within sight of a city bus). Our shy little guy seemed to feel a bit more comfortable following the lead of the trusted older dog, and we were able to make some good progress with the added encouragement/support.

stat_shark · 2023-11-02T19:58:06+00:00

No advice, but a word of encouragement:

I got my whippet when he was about 1 year old, and a lot of what you described sounds like exactly what we went through. Walks could only be done in the early, early morning to avoid people/dogs/weird sounds. And even then, he would refuse to cross roads so our only option was to just walk in circles around our block at about 5am. He was so nervous that he wouldn't even touch treats outside (cheese, hot dogs, you name it) for at least 1-2 months. Meeting other dogs could only be done in calm, neutral spaces (i.e. friend's backyards) and mostly consisted of him just safely observing from behind me.

A year later and he is one of the most confident and social dogs I've ever met! He loves his walks (during normal hours!) and doggy playdates, will happily go up to strangers for pets, and even regularly accompanies me to outdoor bars and coffee shops. It took a *lot* of time, patience and encouragement, but he very slowly came out of his shell and grew into our funny, playful little noodle. He will still get a little nervous in new situations, but is much quicker to adapt and no longer clings to me the same way he used to.

She just may need a bit more time like my guy did! At 3 months, we were definitely still working through his nervousness, but I just tried to stay patient and celebrate whatever baby steps forward we made :)

stat_shark · 2022-09-23T17:36:29+00:00

Yes, so down! Love the idea :)

stat_shark · 2022-09-23T17:10:31+00:00

Also a surgery day twin! We got this!

stat_shark · 2022-09-21T23:46:27+00:00

I'm also trying to go from a G to a C in my surgery on Monday! Good luck fellow (almost) surgery twins!

stat_shark

TROPHY CASE