Category: Top Dog

My old boy moved to eating strictly wet food, specifically Hill's Science Diet- the ones that are more like a stew, with chunks in liquid. The issue is he always leaves all of the actual wet soup part behind, just eating the meaty chunks, and I hate throwing away any kind of food.

I know it's a thing to dehydrate or mix with flour to make treats, but I only have a mini countertop oven to bake with, and I've read that flour isn't great for dogs. Maybe a dumb question, but has anyone here tried just baking the wet soup part before? Is there something else I could mix the liquid with that's safe for dogs? It has some tiny rice and veggie chunks in it as well, but I don't think it's enough to hold it together.

I am struggling with a career decision and some of the struggle comes down to my pup. I adopted her in 2020, when she was roughly 1 year old. Since I adopted her, I have worked from home, so it is all she knows. I live alone with just her. I’m not exactly sure what breed she is, definitely a mix of maybe Terrier, Corgi, beagle, dachshund?

I had a career change opportunity come up that would be a substantial increase in my salary, however, it would require me to go back into the office. Eventually I would get to work 2 days a week from home, but for the first few months/year, I would be in office 5 days a week.

How much would this mess her up? I would not be close enough to come let her out at lunch every day. While she isn’t the only thing factoring into my decision (I also don’t know if I want to go back into an office), I don’t want to do anything that will harm her.

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.

My dog is a 7 month old border collie Shepard mix. We adopted her 1 week ago, she spent a couple months at the shelter and was a stray/abandoned.

She bites a lot. Never aggressive, just playful. There are two main situations she bites during:

1. Softer bites while resting. especially if we try to pet her and she hasn’t had much activity for the day. These usually stop if we either hide our hands or if she is properly tired out. Not my main concern.
2. Harder bites while playing. These are the ones that scare me. My arms are covered in bruises and I’ve honestly been dreading playtime due to it.

We’ve tried (with no success) holding her mouth shut (which we’ve now learnt isn’t a good practice so we’ve stopped), redirecting with a toy, rewarding her when she goes for a toy, yelping when she bites and scolding her. stopping playtime and ignoring her when she bites has had medium success.

other than the bitting she is very well behaved, likes her crate, no accidents, minimal barking, doesn’t chew stuff up.

because of her breed i’m wondering if she is not getting enough activity. she consistently gets 1.5-2 hours of walks a day with usually 15-30 minutes of tug indoors and 15-30 minutes of more strenuous fetch outdoors. we’ve been inconsistent with training sessions due to busy schedules but she knows sit well and we’ve been practicing stay as well.

my question is, should we be following a more consistent exercise schedule. I’ve found that if we play too late in the day the bitting is worse (probably due to her being overtired). she usually wants to run around the yard after a walk so i’ll play fetch then but i’m wondering if she may be too tired after a walk to listen.

the other struggle is that playing is the most effective way to get out her energy yet we often have to cut it short due to bitting.

i know every dog is different but i’m really struggling here and wondering if anyone has any advice or suggestions for an exercise schedule.

TL;DR: 7 month old Shepard border collie mix bites a lot, interfering with play. looking for suggestions on stopping the biting during playtime as well as some guidance on an exercise schedule.

I'm a single dog mom of 2 small beans. Unfortunately I lost my Dad not long ago and am pretty much a lazy depressed grief log 24/7 rn.

It doesn't seem fair to my dogs and I can tell they're pretty bored. They have lots of mental stimulation toys,which they do well with but have mastered pretty easily at this point. I had wanted to use my current time off (on a temporary leave from med school) to do more intensive training, but am finding I am too depressed to follow through with my plans.

Ideas for games/mental stimulation/training activities that are as low effort for me as possible? Also, if anyone knows of budget training classes or group pup activities in LA I'd love to hear them. My budget is low because my dad was still working and helping support me and I can't work atm because of health problems.

The pups are well-trained in the sense of good with other dogs & no separation anxiety (one was a pretty traumatized rescue, so this was not an insignificant task), but not great with obedience or tricks and somewhat excessive barkers. Both small (mutt Chihuahua/pittie mix & pug/chi/poodle mix). Both are adults.

I am watching my relative’s dog while they’re in the hospital. I don’t have a fenced yard and I am trying to get this dog used to a leash to go out and potty- he has never used one his whole life. When I took him out, I tried to give him slack but he was frozen in place and wouldn’t move. Recommendations?

Welcome to the fortnightly separation anxiety support group!

The mission of this post is to provide a constructive place to discuss your dog's progress and setbacks in conquering his/her separation anxiety. Feel free to post your fortnightly progress report, as well as any questions or tips you might have! We seek to provide a safe space to vent your frustrations as well, so feel free to express yourself.

We welcome both owners of dogs with separation anxiety and owners whose dogs have gotten better!

NEW TO SEPARATION ANXIETY?

New to the subject of separation anxiety? A dog with separation anxiety is one who displays stress when the one or more family members leave. Separation anxiety can vary from light stress to separation panic but at the heart of the matter is distress.

Does this sound familiar? Lucky for you, this is a pretty common problem that many dog owners struggle with. It can feel isolating and frustrating, but we are here to help!

Resources

Books

​

Don't Leave Me! Step-by-Step Help for Your Dog's Separation Anxiety by Nicole Wilde

Be Right Back!: How To Overcome Your Dog's Separation Anxiety And Regain Your Freedom by Julie Naismith

Separation Anxiety in Dogs: Next Generation Treatment Protocols and Practices by Malena DeMartini-Price

Online Articles/Blogs/Sites

Separation Anxiety (archived page from the ASPCA)

Pat Miller summary article on treating separation anxiety

Emily "kikopup" Larlham separation training tips

Videos

Using the Treat&Train to Solve Separation Anxiety

introducing an x-pen so the dog likes it (kikopup)

Podcast:

https://www.trainingwithally.com/the-podcast

Online DIY courses:

https://courses.malenademartini.com

https://www.trainingwithally.com/about-2

https://separationanxietydog.thinkific.com/courses/do-it-yourself-separation-anxiety-program

https://rescuedbytraining.com/separation-anxiety-course

​

Introduce your dog if you are new, and for those of you who have previously participated, make sure to tell us how your week has been!

Hello everyone, I wanted to ask for advice about our dog. He gets along well with our cats typically, and they have been living together for almost 6 years (since our cats were kittens). A few months ago I heard a noise in the hallway and went to look when one of the cats cried out. I noticed that our dog appeared to be playing with one of our cats (bent low on his front paws and dodging back and forth near the cat). It looked like the dog was trying to play with the cat the same way he plays with my parent's small dog when he visits. When our cat cried out he ran away from the dog, and the dog did not chase him. I checked on our cat and saw that he had a scratch on his face and appeared to be a little bit shaken. He quickly warmed back up after I sat with him, and soon both the cat and dog acted as if nothing had happened and were napping together like normal. They are both very close and often sleep together, and the cat has never appeared to be afraid of the dog.
Today, we noticed another scratch on the same cat's face and believe it might have been the dog again. When we noticed the scratch, the cat was coming over to lay on one of us, and he seemed okay other than the scratch. He let us look at it and has not been scratching at it or seem to be bothered by it at all. It does not appear to be swollen or infected. We reached out to our vet, and they're not concerned about the scratch.

Our main concern, and my question to you, is has anyone else ever had a situation like this where their dog and cat suddenly did not get along a few times, and should we be concerned? The other cats seem completely comfortable at home and have never had anything like this happen. Our dog is getting older, so I did not know if this is something that we need to watch out for, or be concerned about as he ages (he is 8 1/2 years old now).