Category: Top Dog

We adopted a 6 month old dashund from a home that had multiple dogs and also allowed the puppy to sleep in their bed with them. Because we have a family member in the house with a dog allergy, we have been crating the puppy at night. He excessively barks nonstop when we go to bed. Every night my husband has to get up and sleep on couch near crate in order to stop dog from barking for last five nights.

This barking isn’t sustainable nor is husband sleeping on couch long term.

Notes: -We put a blanket over the crate each night -We are not able to keep dog in any bedroom

So my Cavapoo puppy is 13 weeks and we took her for a walk in the park . It was very busy with other dogs and people . She was really scared so we carried her . Also she would not walk on the leash . Any tips on how to make it better? Maybe slowly introduce socialising

We adopted a puppy from a foster-based rescue almost 2 weeks ago, he's 5.5 months old, currently 15ish lbs (he's a small mixed-breed, they think shih tzu, Yorkie and maybe Australian shepherd).

His age is honestly throwing us off, he's older so more capacity for training, longer time btw potty breaks, past initial teething but at the same time he's new to us and this environment. Of course we expect some accidents and adjustment over the weeks/months.

Our biggest goal is fostering independence and settled alone time as we both work. 1 of us was home for the entire first week he was home and we worked on crate training during the day and night (he was also working on crate training at the foster home). He's great overnight. Daytime he self settles to nap anywhere but not as much in the crate, he doesn't panic or anything but doesn't sleep.

We've left him 1-2.5 hours in the crate several times and he seems fine when we get home (no destruction or soiling).

Our plan this week is awake around 6:00am (potty, feed, play, training, walk/potty) then crate just before 8am. We have a dog sitter coming btw 12 and 1 to let him out and hang out for a bit. One of us is home by 4:30pm at the latest. He's hanging out with us until bed around 10pm. This is the plan for 4 days, my husband is off on Wednesdays.

We are hoping this goes well for awhile and he can be crated while we are gone until potty training is more solid.

Should the crate not work or he cannot tolerate – what have others used – a pen seemed to be too stimulating for him as he had more room but couldn't get out. Back up plan would be gated off area of dining/kitchen that is puppy proof.

Welcome to suggestions ! Similar experiences, etc!

I have a french bulldog/stafford mix. He is around 5 months now and he listens amazingly when it comes to treat training when it is just me or my girlfriend and I. Now whenever I am trying to learn him to walk on the leash and not have him pull he stops caring about treats, he is way more focused on the surroundings, the people, the cars, etc. Same goes with dog training school: he is constantly trying to go to the teacher or the dogs next to him and all that. Now the other pups just stay calm and sit next to the other (occasionally they lose attention ofc but most of the time). His brother from the same litter also listens well when it comes to treats. Now I want to clarify that I love that my pup is a little social butterfly and feels comfortable with me to just explore the world but I have tried many different treats: kibble, treats (different brands), smelly treats, sausages, etc. And nothing works the second he sees others. He just wants attention then. I dont know if it is because I dont give him enough attention and I am doing something wrong? Or this grows out of him? But I would like some tips on how others dealt with this cause it does get embarresing at dog school how I say oh yeah he behaves very well and then shows the exact oppesite at dog school because he doesn't care about treats at all.

He also eats his own poop (vet said it should stop automatically by time but it hasnt). This started when he was ill but now after hes finally better, he still does it. I try my best to keep an eye on it but rarely he has a potty accident when I am using the bathroom or smth and I catch him eating the poop when I come back. Am I not feeding him enough or something? But wouldn't this mean he would want the treats then? I am very confused by my puppy and am worried I am failing in how I am taking care of him.

Let me preface that I love this dog, but I am so incredibly overwhelmed. I brought home my now 15 week old golden retriever puppy just over a month ago, and I’ve regretted that decision ever since. As far as puppies go she’s very good- picked up on commands and house training very quickly. Regardless, I find my life has turned into a cycle of working, cleaning, and tending to this puppy’s every need. I quite literally do not have time for ANYTHING I enjoy and I am beyond exhausted. I’ve asked for help from people around me, but that in itself usually causes more stress than anything else. My family offers to watch her for a day, but usually 6hrs in I get a call saying “I think there’s something wrong with her, she’s peeing everywhere!” Shortly followed by, “what time did you say you’re picking her up?”. My boyfriend has also offered to watch her, but I simply don’t trust him. He doesn’t watch her and just goes about doing his thing, paying no attention to her or what she’s getting into. EX: didn’t notice she’s shredding a toy and eating the stuffing, just lets her outside in his yard (fence has many holes) and doesn’t watch her. My friends are all upset I won’t go out to do anything, because on the 2 days I get off each week, I want nothing more than to sleep and clean my train wreck of a house (another thing, I’m very much clean freak and my house being gross and torn apart 24/7 truly puts me in distress..). I’ve voiced my concerns to everyone, but NOBODY HEARS ME. Everyone just blows me off and says it’ll be fine. Unfortunately it’s not fine, and I’m truly struggling mentally. I regret bringing her home every moment of every day and am starting to resent her for what she has turned my life into. Please tell me this gets better

I'm looking for a good read about dogs. The history of how people and dogs became so interlinked and the pyschology of how dogs think and act are pretty interesting to me.

If there are any good biographies/more narrative reads I'd love to hear about some of those too.

Thanks in advance!

My boy is just over 1 and a half and has always had to be woken up in a morning and convinced to go outside.

Recently, he’s started barking and whining like he’s desperate for the toilet between 4.30-5.30am but when I go downstairs to him he gets back in his bed and acts like nothing happened, then tries to follow me upstairs to my bed. I’m not letting him come upstairs as I feel like that’ll encourage the behaviour, but is it possible he just doesn’t need as much sleep anymore or am I being played?

i have a dental cleaning scheduled for my dog this wednesday but i’m reading all these horror stories of dogs having bad after affects after going under anesthesia.

am i overthinking the procedure? are the odds of something happening low?

My golden is the best but he doesn't have an off switch. Even after a long walk he's still a ball of energy. Need any other ideas to teach my good boy to chill.

We brought home a new 20-week-old dachshund today to join our 9-year-old rat terrier, and honestly it’s been a lot more stressful than we expected. There’s been some growling and snapping as they try to figure each other out, and our new guy has been pretty overwhelmed and not really eating yet. We’ve been keeping them separated so everyone can calm down, but it’s still been a tough adjustment. We also had to keep the puppy in his kennel for a while so he could settle, and he cried and barked for a long time before finally calming down. While that was happening, our rat terrier was also barking from the other room, which seemed to make everything more tense and harder for him to relax. I’ve read about introducing dogs in the backyard on opposite sides of a fence or at a distance, but our terrier tends to bark a lot and it ends up scaring the puppy, so that hasn’t gone smoothly either. We’re feeling pretty stuck and unsure what the best next steps are , we just want to de-escalate things and help them learn to coexist in the same house without this becoming a long-term problem. If anyone has been through something similar or has advice, we’d really appreciate it.