Category: Top Dog

We have 2 small dogs, one has been with us for 2.5 years and the other we adopted a few days ago. they play together a lot but the older one will sometimes correct the younger one or just want some alone time. Her safe space is our bedroom while the younger one loves to rest in the living room – is this how I should leave them when I can’t stay with them? I feel bad about closing my older dog in the bedroom, but she likes to often stay there with the door closed, even before we adopted the new one. However we never did that when we left the house, previously she could roam free. Would appreciate any idea or advice!

Hi guys, I recently got an 8 week old golden retriever puppy and whenever we try to go to sleep she panics. I’ve tried both in the kennel and in the bed with me and she constantly cries and seems antsy. Can anyone give me some advice? I feel like I’m doing something wrong but I just want nothing but the best for my dog!

Hello, I am a first-time dog owner. My Maltipoo puppy is 6 months old (I've had him since he was 3 months old) and I suspect he is showing early signs of separation anxiety and want your take on this situation.

Ever since my puppy has come home, he has been very clingy. At first (month 1), I figured it was because he is in a new home with new people that he was a bit anxious and nervous, but it has now been enough time that I think he is comfortable with his surroundings, but he still hates being alone.

He will follow me into every room. Even if he is sleeping and I get up, he will wake up and get up to follow me. Interestingly, if I am in a room for a while and he wants to go to a different room of my house, he will go on his own and explore, then come eventually back to me (he will immediately come if I'm making noise like moving around in the room or shuffling things). However, if it is the same situation but the door is shut to the room I am in and he cannot get in, he will panic. If I pick up my coat (he thinks I'm leaving), it's immediate panic and peeing and jumping on me.

He has never liked being confined in his playpen and will scream and stress eliminate (even if he just went potty outside) immediately if left in there alone, but if the door is open, he will voluntarily enter and play in the playpen. He has never really had trouble with sleeping in his crate. If he is placed in his crate, he will silently go to sleep. HOWEVER, if I exit the room, he will panic/stress eliminate/claw at the crate.

He used to be very attached to me specifically (and I am still his person for sure), but is now comfortable if anyone in my family is in the room with him. He just does not like to be ALONE.

I've been looking into getting a CSAT trainer to work with through his separation anxiety but wanting some opinions from you on my situation, since it is expensive. Especially since I've never had a pet, I don't know what is normal puppy behavior and what I need to actually be concerned about.

Half of me wonders if he is just young and has some FOMO, but the other half of me thinks it would be better to catch separation anxiety in the early stages, when his brain is more malleable. If you truly think this will be beneficial, I'm completely fine about the expenses, as I'm certain it will all be worth it, if it will help.

Goofy title. Basically, my 10 month old GSD/Husky loves every single person on earth, and would follow anyone home. Im glad she's friendly, but any time we are on walks she lunges at people when they get within two feet because she's trying to say hi. I know it's spooky for passers by, and I feel bad because she's choking herself to get to them. I try to get her to sit and sometimes that works. I just wish she'd be less interested. Ideas?

So my puppy is now 9 months old and because I take her to the dog park often she has gotten really good with not being as skittish around dogs but humans are a problem. She doesn't trust anyone but me. I live with my dad and she doesn't even trust him. If my sisters and their families come to visit she has to be next to me or on me the whole time or she will freak out. And if we pass a stranger on walks she will go on the other side of me to get as far away from that as possible. Like tonight on our walk, there was a family on the other side of the street and even that freaked her out. I don't want her to spend her life only feeling like she can only trust me and I know eventually something will come up and I'll have to leave her with someone and I need to know she'd be okay with that. How do I socialize her with humans and get her to trust them?

I'm sure you guys must get questions like this all the time, but I feel like I've tried everything. I have a 14 week old terrier puppy, and he bites me almost non-stop any time I interact with him. This means on walks he attacks my legs and shoes. He bites my hands when I put his harness on him. He bites my hands and arms even when I try to redirect him to toys. He is ONLY like this with me, not my husband. He bites hard and has drawn blood multiple times.

No noise I make deters him. Walking away does not deter him– in fact he bites my feet and ankles the entire time I leave. Distracting him with treats only stops him for a moment, and I worry it rewards him for biting. He does it immediately after waking up from naps too, so it's not that he's tired. If I crate him for a time out, he goes right back to it when I let him out. He listens to commands (sit, come, stay) just as well for me as for my husband, so I don't think it's an issue of authority. I understand I must have accidentally taught him this is a fun game we can play, but I'm sick of it.

How can I show him quickly that this is not a game and isn't fun?

EDIT: I forgot to add that I also have a lot of trouble getting him to let go once he bites down! This makes most strategies pretty hard to implement. Any tips on how to get him to let go?