Category: Top Dog

I’m loosing my mind. My puppy is making me question my choice.

I brought home a 9 week old American Cocker Spaniel puppy last week on Tuesday, and I feel like I’m loosing my mind.

We immediately got to outdoor training, and crate training him. He had that down well for the first two days, then last night he started peeing in the house (even after we’d take him out) as well as pooping indoors. He also seems to resist sleeping in the crate when we’re home but will willfully go into it and sleep while we are working. If we’re home and he can’t physically see us he barks, the whole damn time.

I couldn’t take a shower today without just putting him into the shower with me, because he just wouldn’t stop barking the whole time. My other pets seem ok with him now, but still standoffish.

When I enforce naps he barks for 40 min. He’ll only sleep during the daytime but is so resistant to any naps from dinner to bedtime.

I know I already have the puppy blues, but I feel like I’m doing everything wrong. I try to figure out answers online and immediately feel like I’m causing my puppy to have separation anxiety, or regress on his toilet training because he isn’t doing as well as the dogs trainers on Instagram say they should be.

I’m doing everything I’m told I should. He go for car rides, he’s been in the stores in the buggy to socialize him. He plays independently, and can sleep for almost 3 hr stretches (usually it’s no more than an hour and a half at a time though). We do enrichment and training and we’re signing him up for puppy classes.

People have had dogs for centuries and yet I don’t feel like they felt this way, or as much thought was put into their dogs!

His only saving grace is he only gets up twice during the night. And he is very smart and has picked up things quickly. He’s just suffocating me right now. Is this normal?

We’re bringing home our golden retriever in a few weeks and have a decent drive with them ~4 hours. They’ll be about 9 weeks. After a lot of research, we’ll be using a crate for the journey. However, I’ve seen a lot about keeping the crate as a safe space / creating positive environment with crate. I.e letting them get in and out on their own at first etc. I might be overthinking, but how can I prevent puppy from being scared of crate out of the gate since I’ll be putting him in one for car ride? I plan to try and warm them up to it before leaving, but other than that, any tips?

Hello! I have a 15 week staffy pup that I has lived with me for a week now.

She was separated from her mother at 6 hours old and raised by a veterinarian. Her first three weeks she spent in an incubator. She has a cleft lip which the breeders felt was a waste to raise.

We are having problems with her lack of boundaries and social cues around our other dogs. She has a lack of bite inhibition and her desperation for food has meant she needs to be fed in a different room and has to be in her pen while we eat so she doesn’t create tension with the other dogs and is in a safe place.

We have tried to teach her basic commands and hand feeding. Unfortunately her lack of bite inhibition means hand feeding is also very difficult since she never got to experience a mother. These are very common issues we’ve found in puppies who are separated early. Are there any specific training methods for puppies like her?

Also to add she is only 10 pounds and extremely tiny for her breed so we worry development wise she might be behind others of her age

I've got a 11 week old Shiba girl I brought home at 8 weeks old. She's been a joy (and gremlin in equal measure) to have around and I wouldn't change it for the world. I've got her in puppy preschool for basic commands and socialization and she's making good progress in her vaccinations. The puppy blues have sucked but my village of friends who have dogs have helped keep me grounded to the reality that she's a baby, that I'm doing everything right and she's doing fantastic which has helped immensely with my anxiety about messing this up. She's my first puppy without family assistance with raising them and the first fully in my name.

So to the issue at hand. I've been doing my research on the breed for forever but one thing I've never really been able to nail down is spay timing. I've seen just as many people saying before her first heat cycle as after. This has even come down to the breeder I got her from who recommended waiting until after her first cycle and my vet who recommends just before her first cycle at around the 6 month mark. From what I've gathered doing it before reduces mammary cancer chance but doing after slightly increases that chance but reduces UTI and bone density issues. I guess my question is, does anyone have other things to add that might help me on this front? I know I'm probably over thinking it but I've had multiple dogs pass in my life from cancer so the lower risk by doing it before feels like the better option since UTIs can be treated and bone density I'd imagine we can help with supplements.

So if anyone has any other thoughts/sources to add I'd be ever so grateful cuz I want to do right by my little girl. I really appreciate it. <3

I have a 15 week old Small Munsterlander. We've had her since she was 9 weeks. She is a wonderful dog and the whole puppy experience has been great. Came pretty much potty trained, crate training took 5 nights, has been sleeping through the night for weeks, and clicker training is working really well.

I work from home so I am the primary care taker. She has definitely bonded closer to me than my partner, although she loves him too. She will often fall asleep on me on the couch in the evenings, and our morning routine is couch time while I drink my coffee, snuggles, and then she falls asleep on my lap.

What I am curious about is her excessive licking of my face. She will come inside from being out in the backyard, or getting settled in for the night, or just hanging out, and she will jump on me and lick my face for minutes. I will be sitting or lying on the couch, she will jump up, crawl up to my face, and put both paws on my shoulders. Then she will lick my face for at least five minutes. I try to put my hand in front of my face, but she gets mad and gets a little bitey (we are working on that, but she is a puppy). It feels like a grooming thing. My face is breaking out a little more than normal despite all the face washing. She often times falls asleep on me immediately after licking the you know what out of my face.

Is there anything I should know about this behavior? Will she keep doing this more and more if I let her? Can I enforce making her stop?

I have a 19week old German shepherd mix. I have had him for over two months now. Recently he started having soft stool. Not watery but not logs either. It can either be the entire stool, or he'll have a few firm logs and then end with a string of this mush. He's been on the same large breed puppy food for weeks now. He has a negative fecal test from about a month ago, and it doesn't seem to be related to treats in any way. What could be causing this?

She’s a rescue. She’s likely some combo of Australian shepherd, Australian cattle dog and border collie. We got her this past Monday evening. So we’ve had her 5 days. She was not potty trained at all. The puppies just had pee pads in the crate. We take her out every time she wakes, after eating, when she’s sniffing the floor, looking at the door etc. She probably goes out at least every 90 minutes. And almost every time, she pees or poops, or both. We praise her a lot and give her training treats. She is confined to 1,2 or 3 rooms at most. We do put her in her crate on and off during the day. Our eyes are on her pretty much all the time when she’s not in the crate.

She loves playing with our 7 year old. dog. They roughhouse (they don’t hurt each other) and chase each other. We’ve noticed she will frequently pee in the house 2 or 3 times after these play events. Even if we take her out right when she’s done playing, and does pee out there, she still comes in and pees. She definitely still has accidents otherwise, but not near as much.

Has anyone ever experienced this? Any ideas for us??

I have an 11 week old pit/lab mix male. And a 3 year old pit/lab mix female. I wish I could post videos here because I’m constantly stressed if the “playing” they’re doing is appropriate. Older dog has always been chill and quiet, even as a puppy. But my little dude is constantly growling when they play. We’ve had him since he was 6 weeks old (got him from the shelter) and he’s always been like this. We monitor them every second they are together. But it’s been 5 weeks and he still growls and bites my older girl constantly. Both tails wag while they play and it seems like they’re having a good time, I just don’t know if I’m encouraging the growling and biting by letting them “figure it out” for a few minutes. (He’s also on a strict crate nap schedule so it’s not because he’s overstimulated, it’s just how he plays). I guess I’m just looking for validation that he’s not going to grow up to be an aggressive/reactive dog

I just recently had my baby in February and my 8 year old Golden/Aussie Mix has been somewhat disinterested in the baby. Even when the baby is fussy or screaming there isn’t much of a reaction from the dog.

However when my husband leaves for work (he’s gone for two weeks at a time) the dog starts growling and trying to show teeth towards the baby.

Today he came over to snap at my baby’s hand when he was just laying here not crying just moving around.

I thought he was coming to lay in front of us since there was no growling or any sign of aggression from him. I kicked him away in time before he could make contact.

I’m scared to death since my dog is 110+ pounds and very quick. He has bitten my niece before years ago but we were rough housing and she screamed which I think is what triggered him.

He’s shown aggression towards strangers and other dogs before which is why we were an only one dog household and put him up when company comes over.

What are my options? What do I do?

Hi everyone,

I’m trying to figure out the best way to fly my dog from Europe (Cyprus) to the United States (Boston area) sometime this summer, and I’d really appreciate any advice from people who have done this before.

My dog is a large breed, so flying in the cabin isn’t an option — it would have to be cargo or a pet transport service. I’ve been researching airlines and relocation companies, but it’s honestly a bit overwhelming and prices seem to vary a lot.

A few things I’m hoping to learn from people with experience:

• Which airlines allow large dogs in cargo on transatlantic flights?
• Are there any pet relocation companies you recommend (or ones to avoid)?
• What ended up being the most affordable option for you?
• Is it cheaper to book the dog directly with the airline cargo department vs using a pet shipping company?
• Any tips for summer travel (heat restrictions, best routes, paperwork, etc.)?

I’m also wondering if it’s easier/cheaper to fly into New York and then drive to Boston instead of flying directly into Boston.

Any tips, experiences, or things you wish you knew before transporting your dog internationally would be super helpful. I just want to make sure I do this safely without spending way more than necessary.

Thanks so much in advance!

Rafa