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We started going to puppy school at 14 weeks. First he was extremely anxious just being on the training grounds.

I got adviced to stay out of the way of other dogs as much as possible during class until he would be less anxious. We worked hard and with a lot of patience, he became less anxious. Sometimes even sniffing other dogs on the lead.

But since we transferred from puppy to obedience class in January I don't feel he has learned anything new in 3 months because he is always so distracted by the other dogs. The last few weeks a dog that has been advised to get behavioral therapy outside of obedience class, has been falling out toward my dog a few times. And I have the feeling my dog has become even more stressed during class.

I was actually taking the classes in the hope of him getting used to being around other dogs from a young age, but I feel like by wanting to do the right thing, I actually did the opposite. So I decided to quit the classes and try to arrange some one-on-one positive interactions for him.

Today we visited a gentle dog of similar age and breed as mine (10 month old doodle) and it was a complete disaster. The other dog was quite excited and loud the first few minutes, but really gentle, just wanting to sniff mine. While my dog was really anxious barking the whole time, trying to get away (they were both off lead to have the choice to approach or back away) and when he came closer, even snapping at the other dog. I knew he was a bit wary of other dogs, but I had never seen this side of him before. And he didn't calm down. Yes, he would lie down, but the moment the other dog moved, he was in defense mode again.

So turns out by going to the school to socialise him, I actually failed miserably at it. And now he is a 10 month old adolescent who is aggressive to other dogs. I know we are in for an awfully long way back now, but I was hoping to get some advice or resources (classes/books/online trainers/behaviourists). How do I approach this the good way and how do you set up a good and safe meeting between dogs?

I would appreciate any help, negative comments about how it's all my fault can be kept to yourself.

We have a 13 week old, 12 pound rescue mix. We don’t plan to allow him on the furniture or our bed when he eventually gains access to the full house, but we do allow him on our sofa in the sunroom. My wife and I often watch an hour of TV at night on that sofa, and it’s a calm time where if he chooses he can sidle up to us and snuggle against our side or on our lap. We think this is important to our bonding. I have a friend who is adept at positive dog training who believes giving dogs access to furniture is a significant mistake and compromises control of the dog. Just curious about views on that.

One related concern is that recently he has started growling if we try to move him to his crate from the sofa to sleep. We usually back off for a spell and then try again by offering a treat (but with enough of a time passage so he does not think growling earns a treat), and that generally works. He generally settles down and sleeps in his crate well, and we don’t want to habituate him to falling asleep on the sofa. I would appreciate thoughts on that also. Thanks.

We have a 6 month old 19 lb super mutt… these breeds in this order, highest percentage is only 22%: chihuahua, husky, Malinois 🥵, small poodle, supermutt (chow, Pekingese, schnauzer), GSD. Tired yet? We thought she was a terrier. She’s definitely big enough to do some damage if she wants to.

She’s been here for about 3 weeks. At first people coming over was zero issue. She’d calmly greet them and show her belly. Now she’s barking and herding and nipping. My mom is here and anytime my mom moves, my dog quickly goes for her. She’s definitely put her mouth on her. So now I’m doing place work, have her on a leash, getting her to lay on her place and stay, which she picked up immediately thank god, but it’s non stop. They can’t be left alone together, and I have to keep a grip on her leash. If my mom is sitting still, theres no issue. She’s cuddly and sweet (i think it’s a control tactic lol).

We have a trainer coming over this morning but thought I’d come here for any success stories or support. The good news is she’s very smart. The bad news is she’s very determined.

Hello all,

My wife and I over the years have considered getting a puppy. We both love dogs and grew up with them: me with slightly older rescues and her family raised them from puppy age. We work from home and on average are away from home only a few times a week for a few hours.

We have been living in a foreign country for almost a decade, which is part of the reason we have delayed. We tend to like to visit family once a year or so and know that would complicate things. We also have to travel within the country a few times a year: but that may be changing which is why we are thinking about this a bit more seriously now. We also found a really nice option in town for a kennel for quick trips once they're older.

We've been researching Boston Terriers and reading up on caring for a puppy. My wife has some experience, but it's a bit new for me. We have been learning and planning, and have our name on a list for an upcoming litter, but it's low pressure.

Our landlords have a Chihuahua that is about 5 months old, and they had to go away for an emergency and we are watching him now. We thought it would be a nice way to kind of test the waters and see how much it would affect things. We realize that he's older, though.

Thing is… They literally dropped him off with a food bag, a toy, and a bed. No crate, which we expected and when we try to put him in a room to leave the house for a couple of hours he starts tearing apart the door so we've stayed home. Turns out he isn't really house trained like we thought and has peed in the house 6 times on the last 24hours despite us taking him out every 30 minutes, he's already taken out some fresh laundry, a couple of rugs. and fortunately the others were on tile. He bites a lot, which is expected, but my wife especially is starting to be pretty bruised and cut up. The diverting situation with his toy only helps a little, and yelping or giving him a little gentle nudge or restraining him for a second when he really bites doesn't seem to have an effect other than to make home bite harder.

I guess I would expect this from a new puppy, but expected things to be a bit better. I'm honestly pretty annoyed at this point. However, I think my annoyance might be more with his owners than with him: he's a baby. He's pretty much left alone outside on our buildings property all day. But it being a short period of time that we're watching him I don't feel like I can really improve the situation, and I wasn't expecting so much pee in the house from him, considering he's "house trained". The lack of a crate or a pen means one of us has to be on top of him constantly, and it's hard to give him an area to make him nap.

Anyways… I'm a little surprised that I'm more annoyed and exhausted than I expected. But I also feel like it could be different if it was actually a member of our family, and we were being consistent and trying to stick to more of a schedule, crate training, potty training, making sure he takes naps.

Is it a bad sign that we're finding this difficult?

Thank you for any advice or information you can provide!