Category: Top Dog

Hi! My girlfriend and I just got a new 3 month old puppy two days ago. I work from home 4 days a week and go into the office one. Bonnie will be going into the office with my GF the one day I am at my office. Any advice for crate training during the day? Originally I didn’t even think about this as we were strictly crate training at night so far but my dad and one of my co workers recommended it to me as a way to also help with potty training. Any advice on how we should approach this?

My husband and I have an 11 week old female Boykin Spaniel pup. We took her home at 8 weeks from a reputable breeder. We were very prepared for the puppy insanity, and overall things are going really well. We're doing lots of training, and are especially dedicated to the prevention of possessive tendencies/resource guarding after a really traumatic experience with a previous dog.

However: I'm worried that our past experience and trauma has made us too careful/paranoid around potential guarding situations, and I don't want to inadvertently cause guarding issues because we're over rotating on the prevention.

My main question: how should we be handling low- to mid-value bones and toys around the house?

So far, we've been keeping toys out of reach unless we're playing with one together. We want them to be high value items so she's excited to play with us. We've got a good game of tug trained, with a pretty reliable "out" where she drops the toy (as long as we have cheese for a trade). We've been keeping bones out of reach unless one of us is holding it for her to chew, and we have 1-2 crate safe bones that live in her crate. For meals, we hand feed/train or feed her in her crate, and we're doing exercises with the food bowl to create positive associations with us being near it. All of that is going great.

In the last week or so, we've been letting her play with bones (Nylabones and Benebones, nothing super high value) around the house on her own. I realized that by keeping them all out of reach, we were potentially increasing the value of these bones…and that maybe if they're available all the time, they'll be less valuable (and she'll be less likely to guard them).

As for toys, we have 1-2 softer tug toys that we play tug with. I never leave her alone with these, mostly for safety because I don't want her to chew them and swallow small pieces of fabric. But she's started to figure out where we keep these, and definitely took note today when I put her favorite purple cow tug toy away after a game of tug, and I can feel that she's like: "but wait a minute, why can't I have it all the time?"

I also know Spaniels are literally bred to hold things in their mouths…but after watching her carry a few of her Nylabones around the house, I am just so paranoid now that she'll start guarding one. I also know that dogs can smell adrenaline/tell when someone's nervous, so I don't want to accidentally cause guarding behaviors because I'm freaking out over nothing.

Are we going about things the right way? Should we take these bones back and keep them exclusive (available only in the crate or with us), or does that just make them more valuable and increase her chances of guarding?

Looking for support (and/or advice) regarding my 17 month old that I am losing my mind over. I’ve got a field golden retriever and he has been semi-insufferable recently.

-He’s had some recent behavior changes over the last month and now he dearly/anxiously reacts to other on leash dogs were passing by (we’ve got some bad neighborhood dogs that I think are a contributing factor). -He has been so hormonal and wants to hump his dog friends if he’s playing with them and can’t control himself. – he also cannot settle at my boyfriend’s house anymore, though still does fine at home. Always up and wandering around/getting into things and whining (even when he has been exercised/fed/etc). – He also doesn’t stop licking you!

He’s getting neutered in a couple weeks which I’m hoping will help. We’re also working with our trainer regarding the new reactivity. But I am so frustrated with him and have found myself having such little patience. I read that this can be the time where dogs “settle” down a bit and become better citizens, but I feel like his craziness has ramped up. Trying to give him grace because I know this is still technically the teenage stage. Anyone else experienced this with their dogs around this age?

we’re getting a bernedoodle soon and i’ve been deep in the pet insurance rabbit hole trying to get this right from the start. i keep going back and forth between fetch pet insurance and trupanion. trupanion looks really simple on the surface, which i liked at first, but once i dug in more i realized exam fees and meds aren’t covered. with a puppy, especially a bernedoodle that’s probably going to be at the vet for random stuff, that feels like a pretty big part of the bill to leave out. i’m trying to think long term and not just pick what looks clean on a quote page. would love to hear from anyone who’s gone through this with a bernedoodle or another doodle breed.

Does your dog turn his head when he hears an odd noise? Does your dog bury their food with your pants? This is the thread to ask why.

Please keep this thread to non-medical issues only.

Edit: I think some of you might have misunderstood the context. I was talking about the dog rather than the owner. I am referring when it’s pouring, especially when the streets are flooded or filled with water. What interests me is how different owners in these regions manage that balance between giving dogs their exercise and protecting them from potential harm. Some breeds, especially smaller ones or those with thin coats, I am thinking about hygiene, paw health, and stress etc. What happens if they get soaked?

What do you do when it's raining?

Hi, so we recently got a puppy, she will be 3 months old soon and she was raised outside. Now shes an indoors dog. The problem is we have no clue how to teach her that taking a poop and peeing inside shouldnt be done. We have tried so many methods and nothing is working.

We will go for a walk, she'll do all the stuff come inside and still take a piss.

Im at my wits end, feeling like pulling my hair out.

We have laid out pads but she destroys them and doesnt use them at all even with all the tips and tricks.

Hello! I just took my dog to the vet and he has a collapsing trachea that he’s gonna be on medication for.

Was wondering if you guys have any recommendations on harnesses, he does tend to pull which is probably one of the reasons besides his mild bronchitis.

Maltese poodle mix about 11-12 pounds I would say he’s a medium to small sized dog

Thanks in advance!!

Which pet insurance is best for you? Are there any that may cover your dog's current treatment? Did your dog get injured during the waiting period and want to know if you're covered?

Here's the place to ask.

Do know we cannot help you here with medical concerns, and lying or not disclosing things to the insurance company is illegal so we don't allow that either.

Do any of you who work outside of the home bring your dogs to the office? If you can't, would you if given the chance?