I have a young dog, Rosie, she’s about a year and four months. I adopted her from the Southwest Humane Society in Vancouver. I’ve been training her, she’s the first dog I’ve trained on my own. I used to help my dad train our dogs. Currently we’re working potty training and basic commands. She’s doing well with it. Of course there’s accidents and she doesn’t always listen but with time I think she will do well. When I first got her from the humane society there was a few issues with her health. She had just been spayed and she hadn’t been wearing a cone, which wasn’t good because her stitches were dissolvable and it could’ve caused them to open up her incision. I got her one so it kept her from licking her stitches and her incision has healed very well since. She also had kennel cough and a fever. I took her to the vet and got antibiotics for her. I have other dogs at home so I had to isolate her from the other dogs, she really did not like that.

Rosie also has severe separation anxiety. There was some methods I tried to help her adjust to me being gone. I ignore her 30 minutes before I leave and usually 30 minutes after I come home, but most times she needs to go outside. I’ve got her special toys that she loves but only gets when I leave as a distraction. I’ve tried giving her melatonin treats as a way of getting her calm before I leave. However, Rosie still yelled and barked constantly while I was away or just out of her sight. Nothing really helped until I got her a thundershirt from PetSmart. The first day she started wearing it while I was away she was silent and she had no accidents. It was a pretty amazing immediate change in behavior. Thundershirts can be expensive but in Rosie’s case it was literally a lifesaver. It helped her calm down and in a way helped me feel better about leaving her home.

There’s a podcast I’ve been listening to while training Rosie for some extra help. It’s called Your New Puppy: Dog Training and Dog Behavior Lessons to Help You Turn Your New Puppy into a Well-Behaved Dog by Debbie Cilento. It goes through the whole process of getting a new puppy and where to start. Even before you’d bring the dog home. It’s a great idea for new dog owners. It was helpful for some tips on training Rosie as well as how to introduce her to the other animals in my home.
Some other influencers who I’ve found helpful happen to be on TikTok. The first influencer on the app is @nicedoglady. She’s a professional dog trainer. She has some tips on training and has made helpful demonstration videos. As well as things not widely known that aren’t good for dog training or just aren’t good for dogs in general. The second one is @imcesarmillan from Dog Whisperer. I remember watching the show when I was younger. I started watching his videos because I was like Cesar Millan has a TikTok? He makes some funny videos but also some informative ones.
Also if you’re adopting a dog or cat from any humane society, PetSmart will give you a coupon book worth $450 of savings for free. Including a free exam at their Banfield Veterinary Clinic and many other amazing deals to help you with your new dog.


