Category: Top Dog

Helloo! I’m planning to get a puppy and was wondering if anyone has recommendations on what I should get. This is what I have on my list so far:

• Crate
• Bed
• Blanket

• Collar

• ID tag

• Harness

• Leash

• Puppy food

• Food & water bowls

• Slow feeder

• Portable water bottle

• Puppy pads

• Toys

• Plush toys

• Puzzle toys

• Brush

• Metal comb

• Toothbrush

• Dog toothpaste

• shampoo

• Outfits

If it helps, I’m getting a male Shih Tzu, and I live in California. I grew up with dogs and my family already has two, so I’m not completely new to this, I just want to make sure this puppy is extra spoiled 🥰 I’d also love any recommendations for good places to shop from (online or in-store) or brands/toys to stay away from.

Thanks you so much in advance!

This is similar to my last post, but my Golden Retriever Pittie is having some potty training issues.

She knows how to ask to go out, that she always needs to potty outside, that peeing inside isn't okay, etc. She also never goes #2 inside, only pees. When she does have an accident, usually weeks between, it's only on a furniture horizontal surface (specifically our couch.) It also doesn't help that when this happens, she shows no signs of needing to pee. She'll just drop to the surface she's on and pee while making direct eye contact. We've ruled out marking and veterinary issues as potential answers.

I've been doing the same potty routine as when we first adopted her (a little less strict now since she's older), like going out every 2 hours, after every nap, after every meal, after rough playtime, after being in the crate, etc. We're also reducing her freedom again and keeping her supervised 24/7 to avoid any accidents. No sitting on any furniture either. Any advice or extra questions would be greatly appreciated. 🙂

having a puppy is great and fun and all, but my cockapoos driving me crazy. He’s 16 weeks and is absolutely crazy. It’s likes he’s in the witching hour 24/7. He bites he screams and scoffs at us. I know he’s in the middle of teen phase but I just need reassurance that this will pass.

We added a toy poodle to our family about 6 months ago. We took him to all his vet appointments for needles and got him desexed at 6 months. The vet did a check of his teeth and was like “sometimes if they only have one or two we pull them out when we desex them but he has more so we’ll leave them”.

After he healed, i was curious I thought I’d check and it turns out he has HEAPS of teeth. He looks like a shark with two sets of teeth. Now we’re going to have to get the baby ones extracted which is going to be astronomically expensive. I’m in Melbourne. Does anyone know a decent vet who will do this? I’m also concerned because he has so many that it’s going to be really painful for him. Not to mention the adult teeth aren’t growing where they need to be because of the baby teeth that refuse to fall out.

This is probably a stupid question to ask, but my puppy is obsessed with trying to lick mine and my mothers ARMPITS… we don’t have an issue, we just find it funny but i want to know why she does this lol. Her eyes look all sleepy when she does this and overall looks weirdly comforted by it. She tends to lick everything, her toys, people, even the floor but again we don’t have any issues, i’m just wondering why she goes crazy to go for our armpits every time 😂😂

Over the past couple of weeks, my dog’s appetite has changed.
He used to get so excited during meals, but now he sometimes sniffs his food and walks away.
He’s still active and playful, but I’m starting to worry if this might be a sign of something deeper — anxiety? stomach sensitivity? or just a phase?

Has anyone experienced something similar?
What helped your dog get their appetite back? 🐾💚
I'd really appreciate hearing real experiences from other dog owners.

We recently adopted a 5-year-old dog and the first few days honestly felt great. She was playful, followed us around, and slept without any issues. Over the past week though, nighttime has been harder. She tends to retreat to her crate, whines softly, and sometimes gets really anxious when it’s time to go outside.

We’re trying to stay patient, keep a consistent routine, and give her space to adjust. Everyone’s a bit tired, but it does feel like things are slowly improving. This is our first time adopting a dog, so we’re definitely still learning as we go.

We’ve been reading a lot and trying to learn as much as we can from general dog behavior resources, but we’d really appreciate hearing firsthand experiences from people here. For anyone who’s dealt with something similar, how long did it take for nighttime anxiety to ease up? Was there anything that helped your dog feel more secure while adjusting to a new home?

a stray piece of popcorn fell and my dog scooped it up about an hour ago. she is a smaller dog (min pin/chihuahua mix). i immediately noticed she would repeatedly swallow. she then signaled to go outside and was eating grass. she is breathing fine, but just keeps swallowing. i imagine a little piece of the kernel shell (the parts that get stuck in our teeth) could have either scratched her throat or maybe is stuck. she had come inside and laid down, took a small sip of water. then later she wanted to go outside again and eat some more grass. i tried to look in her throat and put my finger around her mouth to see if there was anything and i didnt see it. she stopped swallowing for a sec and went inside. she is sleeping now next to me on the floor. she keeps swallowing from time to time but is able to sleep peacefully. is she okay? what should i be doing to help her? should i take her to the vet?

I have a yorkie shes 11 she has all these skin tag-type growths on her. The vets say they look typical of old age and not to worry. They have been popping up more and more and although they dont seem to bother my dog its weird petting her these days. I love her so much and she's all warty. Do other dog owners deal with this? How do you deal with it? She's so fluffy and soft but fluffy and warty. Please dont come at me with all the they could be xyz etc they are flesh colored and I just want to know that I'm not alone and that other fluffy dog dog dog owners feel the discomfort. I still love her very much, warts, 4 teeth and all.

Hi all! My pup has exposed pulp on one of his teeth. We go to the vet next week and I assume they'll advise extraction. Has anyone else had this issue with their pup? Did you extract or do something else?

I've read alternate solutions could be a root canal (which seems a bit too much to me) or maybe a crown (which seems maybe like an option). I know I'd have to go to a dental expert for those alternatives. I just worry about extracting one of his back teeth he uses to chew.

Appreciate any advice from others who had this issue. Thanks!