Category: Top Dog

Brought our 12 week Weimaraner home 2 weeks ago. She is now almost 14 weeks and we are still struggling with crate and potty training.

She will scream and scream and scream in the crate at night and I’ve had to sleep on the kitchen tiles to get her to sleep in it. We have tried all the normal positive conditioning but she freaks out when we leave the room.

As far as the potty training, she came from the breeder trained to puppy pads. We have never had a dog use puppy pads and always trained “puppy out” out the dog door and they would copy our other dogs. Now we don’t have another dog besides her and she’s not getting it. I’ve been taking her out every 10 minutes and removed the puppy pads and she peed right when came back in.

All help appreciated

Hi everyone,

I’m planning to fly from Germany to the New England area (either New York or Boston) and I’m trying to bring my dog with me in the cabin if possible. I’ve been reading airline rules but I’d really appreciate hearing from people who have actually done this.

My dog is about 52 cm long, around 42 cm high (including his head), and weighs about 8–9 kg. From what I’ve seen, many airlines say the limit is around 8 kg including the carrier, which makes me a bit unsure if it will work.

I have a couple of questions:

First, about the carrier. Is it usually okay if the dog lies down comfortably in the carrier while it’s zipped closed, even if he can’t fully stand up inside it unless the top is open? Or do airlines actually check that the dog can stand up normally while the bag is fully closed?

Second, does anyone have recommendations for a good soft carrier that works for a dog around this size but still fits under the seat?

And finally, which airlines flying from Germany to NYC or Boston tend to be the most realistic about letting dogs in the cabin? I’m especially wondering how strict they are about weight and carrier measurements. For example, do they actually weigh the dog plus the bag at check-in, or is it more about whether the carrier fits under the seat?

If anyone has experience flying transatlantic with a dog around 8–9 kg, I’d love to hear how it went and which airline you used.

Everyone knows to train a recall, its the single most important thing your dog can learn. A lot of people blend a recall, and an emergency recall, but for us, a regular recall is "head back this way", no real urgency to it, just come back closer to me.

Our emergency recall (we use "NOW!"), means "drop everything and get back to me this second". Our dogs regular recall is solid, i dont usually have to worry, but it does take her some time to get back to me.

Today we were in the field, on a long line because its not fenced and I dont trust her to know to stop at the sidewalk yet. I clip her long line to my belt loop, usually she doesnt get far enough away for it to be a problem. Today, she did. She saw something and took off towards it, all 75lbs of German Shepherd speed and stregnth, snapped the leash and broke the belt loop. She was totally detached from me and racing across a field after something.

I used our emergency recall, she stopped on a dime, whipped around and came racing right back (rewarded with so many treats of course). Would her regular recall have worked there? Possibly. I didnt want to rely on her trotting back in her own time when I no longer had control over her or the situation though, and wanted her back in arms leash ASAP.

Ive never been so happy to have a reliable way to get my dog back to me so fast. Train an emergency recall, its worth it.

My roommate and I both agreed to take care of our new dog. He is a 3 month German Shepherd mixed with Belgian Shepherd. Hes been crate training for 3 days.

We both feel horrible because we're both at work for 8 hours and we don't have anyone to help us dog sit. I can not afford to hire a day sitter, and we have been training the pup ourselves.

Once I get home, he is an absolute angel. Very calm and curious puppy, but I do hear him crying as I walk up to our apartment. I don't know if hes crying this loudly throughout the day or if its just because he can hear me walk up to the door.

If he is crying throughout the day…hes probably crying from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m….and I just feel like shit about it.

Positive crate reinforcement: we've been giving him chew toys, playing around/in the crate, leaving the crate door open while im home to give him freedom and access to a place to chill, lots of snacks/treats. We've got a bed in there for him along with a water bowl and a good bowl.

I know our situation is not ideal. Maybe I should just surrender the guy. I'm really stressed about him and I just want to make sure hes okay while we're gone. If anyone can give advice on how to help him get used to being in his crate for such a long period of time I'd be grateful.

Hi all! I'm planning to have my puppy spayed in the next few months. I'm not certain of his breed as he was a rescue but they think he is a mix of Chihuahua and Maltese at the very least, so he is a small guy. He's currently 5 months old, and is about 6.5 pounds.

I'm wondering how much time I should be planning to take off work (if any at all)? My partner and I share responsibilities in terms of his care so on an average day, he is never alone for more than 3 hours at a time. He's not crated – he has a gated off area where he has his bed, a few toys, a turf patch that he's very good at using when he's alone, and water. He's great at entertaining/playing with himself and does not really have separation anxiety in general. He sleeps throughout the night.

Will he need to be monitored constantly for the first few days? What was your personal experience when your puppy was neutered? Any advice will help, thank you!