In this live chat, I sat down with Veronica Mountain (CPDT-KA) to talk through what it was really like raising her Toy Fox Terrier puppy, Orbit—who showed big behavioral red flags almost immediately. Orbit was reactive by day three: barking, snarling, lunging, and generally feeling “over threshold” in everyday life. We dig into what those early signs looked like (a guarded, serious puppy with intense fear of people), and why generic puppy-raising advice often isn’t enough when your puppy needs extra behavioral support. We also talk about what helped: choosing the right kind of puppy class (small, positive reinforcement, with space to observe), and focusing less on “perfect obedience” and more on functional skills for real life—like name recognition, U-turns, “find it,” and being able to move with my body (instead of relying on food lures that can create conflict for some dogs). Veronica shares how management and trust-building were essential, including careful handling/pick-ups on cue with reinforcement. One of the biggest takeaways: don’t treat medication like a last resort. Orbit started medication around 5.5 months, and Veronica is clear that training progress wasn’t possible until his brain could settle enough to learn. We also cover using stable “helper dogs,” avoiding forced greetings, and aiming for neutrality—because most things out in the world are simply “none of your business.”