Words of Advice needed, Aussie Puppy in NYC
So there’s a bit of personal life context that applies to this, so I’ll try to sum it up as best I can.
I’m 22, just reached a year post grad. Had a job over the summer of 2025 where I was still able to live from home but the work environment became unsafe for me so I had to leave, leaving me unemployed for the months of winter. I was in Virginia at this time. Couldn’t find even a part time job until around October, which is also the same time my childhood dog of 13 years died.
My relationship with my dad is a bit complicated and he shows his care through financial means, in this scenario, he surprised me with an Australian Shepard puppy in November. He didn’t consult me before hand and this was right before my mom, brother and I moved to a new house so the timing was honestly awful. I was in no financial position to be ready for a dog, let alone a puppy of this breed. But regardless I was so happy and who can say no to a puppy. I’m also ambitious in the sense where I convinced myself that I’d be able to do it. Somehow find a job and raise a puppy all on my own. I’ve always been independent & responsible so I believed I could do it.
Fast forward to February, I packed everything and left home to go live w my boyfriend in Long Island as my relationship w my mom was crippling, I was making no money at my part time job due to the season, and needed better accessibility to interviews in the city as I was starting to land them. My mom moved somewhere extremely remote in Virginia so I was isolated from everything, and so was my dog.
I landed a job in the city, sold my car, and got myself an apartment and a new life in NYC. Cosmos went to board and train for two weeks in Greak Neck while I moved in for two weeks. After getting him back, I could see the improvements considering he hadn’t been socialized that well bc of all the snow we got and bc of my environment of isolation. While he’s shown improvements from his behavior initially, he’s starting to really regress.
He’s about 8 months old now, and right now the worst issues are his reactivity. He can be super chill w a stranger and then suddenly be defensive with another. I can’t distinguish what triggers him but it’s very random. Doesn’t matter if it’s female/male/etc. I really try my hardest to emphasize his walks/activity as I’m working a 9-5. We wake up early and go on a long walk in the morning. I pay for an afternoon walk, and then I take him on another long walk in the evening and stop at the park to socialize w other dogs. Like I said, he has good days and bad. I give him grace because he’s a puppy, but sometimes the stress/anxiety of not knowing who he will react too really overwhelms me, and it’s a liability for me.
I’m making your expected post grad salary so I can’t afford to send him to another board and train and my dad is no use either as he’s just completely left me with this with no offer to help for his financials. It’s hard, and I’m trying to get by, but I’m losing hope.
I know this breed isn’t meant to be in the city, and if it were up to me I wouldn’t have gotten a dog right before this transitionary phase, but I have him now and I can’t give up on him. Plus, I’ve seen so many other Aussies/bigger breeds in the city and they seem to socialize and behave just fine, and so that gives me a sliver of hope. Absolute last resort would be to send him back home with my mom temporarily in Virginia while I try to figure my life out here, but that would devastate me. He makes me so happy.
Please offer me words of advice. I’m scared and I don’t know what to do and I want to hope that there are other ppl out there who know how to fix his issues. I’m simply searching for how to calm his nerves and not make him so defensive over me to other ppl. I want him to be friendly.
PS: he’s not neutered yet, and I know he needs to be, but it’s like $800 to get them fixed and I don’t have that chilling around right now. And yes I know I can ask my dad but I’ve already attempted and he told me that’s on me…. So 😅
Please be nice. I’m trying my best here.