Category: Top Dog

My sweet little 19 week old puppy and I have been living at my parents house since she came home at 8.5 weeks. She’s been okay until recently when home just with my parents (never quite as happy as when I’m around) but this week has started shutting down entirely when I’m not there – doesn’t want to leave her crate/growls when my parents try to get her out of it. She’s alright with me leaving the room when I’m in the house, it’s really just when I’m not there at all it seems.

She started puppy daycare a couple weeks ago 2x a week – not sure if that could have anything to do with it? The first day there she spent a lot of time cuddling with the trainer, and they say that she’s a lot more confident now than she was at the start, playing with a couple other small puppies and does a nice job in her crate. When she comes out she’s always happy and wagging before she sees me too, so I think she enjoys it.

Any tips on getting her to be ok with my parents? I’m trying having them feed her (she’s not super food motivated so that’s tough). Should I leave her with them more to get her more used to it?

My 12 week pup is sliding on our hardwood floor but I've had to remove the large rug because she associated it with pee/poo. What's a good solution to help her not slip inside without a rug? Thanks!

I’ve got a very active GSD and a newborn. I’m getting out to throw the pups ball for about an hour a day but feel like she needs way more stimulation. Any ideas for how to help her while I’m beat from changing diapers?

I have a chow chow that is exhibiting serious reactive behaviors to touch. And I asked elsewhere if it would be better for me to have training done at home or in a kennel, and 99% of the people who also have the same breed answered that at home was better and more reliable.

Between yesterday and today, I contacted the most renowned trainers here in São Paulo – Brazil and none of them do home training, and all for the same reason: the dog needs to sleep in the kennel FOR AT LEAST 30 DAYS so that they can "detoxify" the dog from my house and also be able to bond with him.

But to what extent is this true or just marketing to be able to attend to more dogs simultaneously? In the other place, all the answers are from people from abroad, and even though it's the same breed in both countries, how can everyone abroad be 100% sure that house training works, and here in Brazil everyone is 100% sure that it doesn't? I really don't know which way to go.

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.

We’ve just adopted a 4-and-a-half-month-old Australian Shepherd, and he’s very reserved and quite fearful. Is this a typical trait for this breed? How can we help speed up his integration into our family?

I am trying to improve my singing skills so have practicing a lot. This includes some opera songs. I can no longer record myself if my dog is in the room because he has also decided to become a singer. If I'm not seriously practicing, I will record our duets. He will also then sing along when I play videos of him singing.

It is adorable but also could get on so many people's nerves haha.

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.

So I can manage to do 6 days a week of walking with my dog ,but what can I do when it’s too much rain? She’s a fairly high tempo lab and I just want to give her more enrichment than just throwing the ball around inside.

Can you tell if your house has an off smell?

I've never had issues with my house smelling like animals, other people visiting have confirmed this. However, I have heard of many people without animals saying that everyone's house with pets stinks.