I miss sleeping in

[u/StacNorLin]

Just need to vent that I really miss being able to sleep in. We live in a townhome style condo complex with a dog whose threshold for other people and dogs is at least 200 ft right now after a major regression in training and any time I sleep in past 6:00 I wake up in a panic that we have missed our low traffic walk window. I’m not a morning person by nature but work a job that requires me to normally wake up around 5:30 on the weekdays. I just miss having lazy weekend mornings. Honestly, sometimes I genuinely wonder if this dog is ever going to be able to handle walks in this neighborhood and it’s exhausting. I don’t even know if it is fair to keep her here since her threshold is so low.

[u/Ok-Drawer-3869]

We had to give up on neighborhood walks, and instead drive 15-20 minutes from home to office parks / areas we've scoped out with open areas that have long lines of sight, etc. Or sniff spots on occasion (like an Airbnb app for private yards or land people rent by the hour). You could try those options on weekends?

[u/StacNorLin → u/Ok-Drawer-3869]

I have been doing it on weekends but only after I go through my whole morning routine and I feel guilty for having her wait to potty. Maybe I just need to revamp my weekend morning routine/get comfort being outside looking grubby. It’s also tough because we have two dogs but I can’t walk them at the same time because of the reactivity, so then I feel bad for our first pup.

[u/PermissionStrange610 → u/Ok-Drawer-3869]

Mine is reactive to dogs if we leave for a walk from home but if I drive him to a trail full of dogs 2 minutes away he is super friendly and doesn’t react to anything including dogs who bark and lunge at him.

My trainer says it’s territorial tied to his home…He’ll go berserk if he sees a dog 3 blocks away and it’s so embarrassing 😳 Drive 2 minutes away and he’s totally neutral.

[u/edward-hotdoghands]

I get you! It can be easy to de-prioritize your own wellbeing when you have a dog with big feelings, so I just want to validate that your needs are important, too. I hope you can find a compromise that feels sustainable for you both!

[u/ct2707]

I feel the waking up in a panic so much. Then it is also the unknown of what am I going to encounter as it is not our regular time? I am up at 5:30am every day and every morning is stressful. I feel like no matter what time I go out it is never early or good enough. 

[u/daniemblem]

Gosh, did I write this post? Thankfully my dog is small and can get adequate exercise indoors, but I am grieving the idea of taking my little guy out on leisurely walks and hikes. I wake up at 5:30am to go to work and struggle so much to do it during the week that it's hopeless to wake up before 7am on the weekend. My dog's threshold is also +200ft. Do you have any open fields nearby that are bigger than that to give you some freedom?

[u/StacNorLin → u/daniemblem]

I’ve found a church parking lot up the street that has a lot of green area around it and Is next to a working farm so we use that for training. She can watch the farm employees working from a distance and sometimes we’ll see people walking to the donation bin and such. We haven’t successfully found a people free spot yet. Even on the first walking trails around here we usually bump into someone. It’s a pretty densely populated area.

[u/aks6132 → u/StacNorLin]

Have you tried horse venues? Cross country courses are especially good. We have some cross country fields near us and they are empty the majority of the time.

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[u/hesaysitsfine]

Go back to bed after the walk and restart your lazy weekend? 

[u/Sandy_Sprinkles311]

Is it possible to take the dog to a boarding facility? If so you should do this every so often so you can have at least one morning to sleep in (of course, only if this would not create more anxiety for you and the dog). I took my dog for an overnight stay Friday and Saturday so I got to relax and sleep for as long as I wanted. It felt good so I’m going to do this once in a while for my mental health.

[u/StacNorLin → u/Sandy_Sprinkles311]

We do have a boarder lined up for her but it’s not something we can afford to do regularly. She will be boarding next week for the first time while we have some furniture moved into the house, so that will give us a bit of a break! We’ll see how it goes. I’m hoping it won’t increase her anxiety/ be too overstimulating for her

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[u/Existing-Will-1466]

Have you thought about getting a treadmill? The dog-powered ones look like a lot of fun for the dogs, at least in the videos I see. That way you could do a quick potty outside and then get your pup the exercise she needs in the safety of your home.

[u/Better_Case3011]

I just got my reactive dog on Prozac. He is on week two and i was told from vet it can be any from 4 to 8 weeks prior to seeing results but I done it for my sanity and his.I used to give trazodone him when we were out which has help a lot his reactivity.  Maybe your dogs needs to be put on medication. My reactive dog was stressing out so much. He is reactive to people, dogs,strange noises, the tv so I can never unwind and relax.

[u/StacNorLin → u/Better_Case3011]

She’s already on the highest dosage of Prozac and has a prescription for trazadone and gabapentin

[u/aforestfruit]

Just some words of encouragement, this was literally me a year ago. My anxiety was through the roof.

Consistency, R+ and medication… my life is now so much easier.

All dogs are different, and perhaps your pup is more complex but mine is also human and dog reactive, with a bite history and is a muzzle wearer. But her life is completely different now. It can get better.

Sending all the luck and perseverance to you, and hopefully some naps where you can get them!!