Category: Top Dog

Hi there!

Our almost 2 year old Aussie/catahoula mix will not poop in our yard. We have about 8 acres, a lot woods with some trails. He had gotten into a habit of pooping near the weeds on the trails. for some reason he will really only poop next to something, an open yard just doesn’t do it for him. With snow on the ground it was fine, but now with ticks out we are trying our best to avoid weeds as much as possible. It was a battle to get him to poop when we first got him as he was a rescue, in the yard or on a trail. We worked on a lot of praise and redirection. He will go to the bathroom at parks normally with no issue also.

We tried to break this when we first got him and tried to get into the habit of getting him to go in our main yard but he would go almost 2 days not pooping. I feel bad as we had a good thing going for him but we have already found ticks on him.

Just looking for thoughts and suggestions to make this easier for him. We do plan on putting up a fence this year to give him a designated spot now that the weather is getting warmer, but in the meantime we need a temporarily solution.

Thanks!

Edit: it’s totally fine if we have to take him on walks on days we are home, but for convenience in the morning before we both go to work or to keep him on a schedule it is nice that he has a spot at home to poop. We don’t want ticks on us either and he will get them on him, regardless of tick medicine. We love talking him on walks down the road, but he won’t poop there either!

Hey y’all!

My Dalmatian is entering his senior years. I can tell he’s starting to get a bit uncomfortable on his raised cot.

In the past he has treated any dog bed like a giant stuffed toy and just shredded it.

Do y’all have any recommendations for tough beds that would give him a bit more support, but would also let him “dig” into his spot?

He currently has a thick blanket on top of the cot that he’ll scratch and dig into a little donut shape he’ll curl into. I’d like something he can still “dig” in, but will withstand for a few years.

Hello! My four y/o doggy is a rescue. I adopted him about a year and a half ago, and he’s very comfortable with me and at home now. The only thing he hasn’t really learned is how to play. If I throw a ball nearby, he doesn’t understand what to do, and he doesn’t seem interested in his toys either. He does get bored sometimes, though. Does anyone have any tips for teaching a dog how to play?

My mini Aussie turns 10 this month and LOVES chewing on hard nylon bones. Unfortunately, he recently shattered his tooth and his vet nixed these.

Has anyone been through something similar and found a good alternative?

He absolutely will not touch rubbery bones but was a big fan of natural beef bones in the past…. Just not sure if these would be too hard on his remaining teeth.

Any advice is appreciated!!!! ❤️

My two smooth collie pups have outgrown their Clickit Sport car harnesses and it's time to buy new ones. I'm looking at the Range as an upgrade but not sure it's better for us.

The Range version seems to offer more size options and the company says it's "easier to use," but I can't find much detail on what that actually means. It's also more expensive than the Sport.

Has anyone used the Range? Is the fit meaningfully different from the Sport, and is the price difference worth it? Especially curious if anyone has experience with lean, athletic breeds.

Hi, I have a rescue Collie mix and he is the best boy ever. I recently bought him a new house and he actually loved it so much. His previous house didn't have a door but the new one does. The problem is, yesterday was quite windy and the wind blew the door shut. He was trapped inside for 16 minutes. When I got the door open he was happy but gave two full body shakes (it probably stressed him out as he hates being trapped).

The problem started after he got trapped. I figured he might be scared of his house but I didn't think he would be this scared. He literally won't enter on his own anymore. I tried giving him treats in the house and he will enter when I'm around but he won't go in by himself. How can I make him trust his house again?

TL;DR: My dog got accidentally trapped in his new house when the wind blew the door shut. Now he's scared to go inside by himself and I need advice on how to rebuild his trust in his space.

Before someone rips me apart, yes I’m sure the Kong cheese is healthier for the dog especially if you use it a lot. But I usually buy human spray cheese because it’s less than half the price. And I don’t give it to my dogs very often for it to cause health issues.

My pup drinks water. Inevitably water sticks around in his jowls and drips out as he walks away or does whatever else.

My solution thus far is just to give him water multiple times/day in his crate with the intention of containing the mess while ensuring he's not deprived of water. This is tedious.

Is there any other way? Short of living in a house of drooly water drippings everywhere.

(Please be kind. I have found myself temporarily being a solo pet owner doing my best with two pups whose care is overwhelming to me. I'm trying to do my best to care for all three of us, and if there's any way I can reduce the time I have to actively care for them, I will be able to provide them better quality care all around.)

Hi all! I have an ACD/APBT/Boxer mix (confirmed via Embark) we adopted from an ACD rescue with really low drive. Ironically from an ACD rescue I was hoping for a high drive dog interested in sports 😅 he's been with us over a year and is family now, but what tips do you have to build on drive? He's treat motivated, good at obedience, but could care less about a fetch, spring tug, or flirt pole. He has a collieball and will sometimes herd that for a few minutes but gets bored.

Hi!! I've never had a dog before but I have always wanted to give the best life I possibly can to a beautiful coton de tulear, and i find myself scrolling instagram just falling in love with the cotons I see. I think having a dog would really make my life so much better, but I will soon be working a 60+ hr/week job. I am single, live alone in a 2BR apartment (quite spacious), and the work is not remote. Is there any way I can make this work? Are doggy daycares expensive / is it ever okay to leave a dog alone at home for 6+ hours a day? I dont know anything about the enrichment they might require / what kind of support they would need to not feel lonely / depressed.