Category: Top Dog

Hey guys! I’m a brand new puppy owner and I’ve had my mini poodle for 17 weeks. Unfortunately I’m noticing what looks like aggression and I wanted to know if anyone has had similar stories.

She is fearful of sudden movements and touch, especially around her sides. (Vet checked for pain)

She growls and may snap if approached while resting or when she feels trapped. (Mostly when in the playpen but a lot at my kids. She’ll like growl at them if they approach)

She does not tolerate being hugged, grabbed, or petted forcibly. (I feel like she hates being Pet)

She has high energy and can become overstimulated during play if toys are grabbed or forced.

She loves chew toys and food puzzles, but should not have toys taken from her.

I have 3 young children. I’m scared they’re going to get hurt and I’m going to have to rehome her. I don’t know what to do…

I’m getting a chihuahua puppy soon and I have an older cat who’s always been pretty aggressive. Someone I trust told me the best way to introduce them is to just let them meet normally and not make a big deal out of it.

The plan is to bring the puppy home and let him explore the house while the cat is around, since the cat already “owns” the space. I was told it’s better not to use gates or keep them separated too much because that can make the cat more defensive, and that the puppy will learn boundaries if the cat corrects him.

Is it better if I leave while I let them interact so they don't get too stressed out? Is there anything else I should do, or am I overthinking it?

Thanks!

I used to do these posts more frequently but with the holidays I was busy.

Evie is almost 9 months old. Today I took a chance and brought her outside while I snow blew the driveway and sidewalk. Not only did she have a blast, she stayed in our yard the whole time, even when the neighbor came home she stopped herself from saying hi and stayed in the yard. I'm so proud of her pawgress.

She is also been doing much better with loose leash walking.

Just something I was thinking about. I recently got a poodle mix puppy last month. She bonded very quickly to me like within that first contact with her. She’s been glued to me since unless someone has food lol. Now when we go in public though she acts super shy. She won’t go up to anyone for pets and stares me down if anyone else is holding her (does this at home too). It’s like she doesn’t want anyone else but my family touching her. And she got scared when someone came to the house but was totally fine when I took her to a friends house. Don’t worry yall, we are working on socialization and she will be attending daycare more often and I try to take her out a lot but I was just thinking about why she and some other dogs tend to do this!

I know dogs voice boxes don’t physically allow them to speak human languages I also know Pavlov’s dog which is repetition, every time the dog rang the bell he would get food. But that still doesn’t answer my question. For instance my dog knows the word cage and if I tell him ‘’go cage’’ he listens and goes right in. If I say ‘’treat’’ he’s instantly excited and runs right to the treat container before I’m even there. So he obviously has comprehension of what and where things are. So he knows what I’m saying so why doesn’t he have the capability to talk to me other than being prohibited by his vocal features. Plus I know ya’ll have seen that dog on tik tok that literally starts its own conversations by pressing a multitude of sound buttons. I know this is a dumbass question but here we are.

hi everyone! we are looking around to adopt a puppy within the next 2 months. we will DEFINITELY be adopting and not shopping just since shelters are so overcrowded. we are not super specific about the breed we are wanting , other than not wanting a HUGE dog. we currently have an 18 month old little boy, so with every puppy we come across we are doing lots of research regarding their temperaments, what they need regarding exercise and any other special needs or accommodations. I’ve only ever had 2 dogs in my life that I had gotten as puppies and both were German Shepherd’s. I was a kid at the time and it’s been a while since both of my angels passed and I truthfully don’t remember much about the early years. I am aware of the potty training aspect, the chewing on everything and not sleeping through the night stuff. however, I’d like to be as prepared as possible for whatever fur baby we bring home.

a few questions I have for the more experienced…

-what should I expect within the first month?

-what gets easier and harder over time?

-what are the top 3 most difficult things with a puppy?

-what’s something you wish you knew prior to getting one?

-any tips/ tricks to help overall quality of life and comfort?

we are looking for a companion to grow up with our son and we are always home or going for walks or to the park so we have plenty of time to meet any/ all needs. I just want to go into this the right away and make this a positive experience and do right by our puppy!

EDIT: please be blunt!!!! please be honest!!! don’t sugarcoat things because im not in this to be a half ass shitty dog owner.