Category: Top Dog

Putting this out there just on the off chance that anyone has experienced anything similar.

My normally boisterous and healthy 4 year old dog suddenly started acting very strange this evening. It began with him shaking and crouching low when crossing the living room floor and within a few hours he seemed too scared to move.

I managed to get him outside and it was like a switch flipped — he began running around like normal.

We took him over to a family member’s house (he spends a lot of time here) and he’s definitely more comfortable here but still acting a bit off. Something about being indoors seems to be setting him off?

I’m totally at a loss.

Hey all! My dog likes to hide treats in his bed so I am looking for a 2 piece dog bed the inside cushion to be removable. We have been using ProjectBlu’s bed for 5 years now but after the last wash the zipper broke. My dog is 6 pounds so doesn’t need to be huge, just that the inner bed needs to be removable

I have a 1 year 2 months old dog. He normally poops everyday AM and every PM. Around 630 am and 430 pm. Recently this week he’s been waking up everyday around 12am-1am barking and slamming the gate to go out. We take him out he’ll pee never poop and then we come inside and within another 20-30 mins he’s at it again. We take him out he poops. Then finally he’s back to bed til about 630 am.

His poops during the day have been smaller then usual and more nugget type. But the ones in the middle of the night are a lot bigger and more structured rather then nuggets.

He eats dinner around 5-530 PM. He also still has the puppy habit of wanting to eat his poop… Literally have to stand there and grab it immediately as it comes down otherwise he’s already turned to get it. Is he lacking something in his diet?? Our trainer recommended adding some steamed green beans to his food to help with regulating the poop. And it does help but sometimes when we run out we aren’t able to get to the store right away with work which has how it’s been this week so i’m wondering if that’s why his poop is off because he hasn’t had the green beans. But i don’t know that he’s supposed to have these everyday for the rest of his life so i don’t know if he needs a new food or what… We are exhausted especially having to wake up for work so early. It’s been hard for me to fall asleep and stay asleep because i know that he’s going to wake up at some point and i’m just anxiously waiting for it to

Hello!

I’ve been researching dog breeds for the past few years while planning for a future companion, and I’ve become really interested in Japanese breeds and breed preservation. Some Nihon Ken, like the Kishu Ken and Kai Ken, could be considered at risk, so I thought it would be interesting to learn more about them directly from people who know them well. I also like their medium sizes!

I’m totally willing to put in the time for proper training, socialization and enrichment.

Since these breeds are on the rarer side, it’s been a bit hard to find detailed or firsthand info online, which is why I’m making this post.

If there are any Nihon Ken owners, breeders, trainers, vets, or anyone with personal experience with these breeds, I’d love to hear your insights! Things like temperament, lifestyle needs, challenges, or what living with them is really like would be super helpful.

I’ve already read the information available online, but I believe learning directly from people with real experience is especially helpful and interesting.

Thanks in advance! 😊

My chihuahua (1 year old female) puts her head under my clothes and rubs or licks my stomach or chest.

Other times, when I'm lying down, she'll get under my shirt, stick her head out of the collar, and lie on my chest for a long time.

Does anyone else have a dog that does this?

We crate our 1 year old border collie mix each night. We're trying to follow the general tips and trainings for crate training. One issue we've run into is that when we covered the crate, he would pull the sheet into the crate; the last time actually tore the cloth. Anyone have any ideas?

( If you do ) how do you keep a strong name recognition when other say it all the time (family) I want my dog to respond instantly with eye contact when I say his name, but my family waters it down a bit. I just feel like using an actual word such as “focus” isn’t really my cup of tea if you get what I mean.

Hello dog lovers and owners im coming here to vent about whats been going on the last year. To preface, I have two dogs both Boston Terriers, I have a 12 year old boy whos 25lbs and a 2 year old girl who is tiny and about 11lbs. My neighbour whom I have always been very friendly with, has an adult male border collie, I think he's about 3-5 years old but im not 100% sure. My neighbour takes this dogs on walks all the time, to dog parks OFF LEASH and says he interacts with other dogs all the time and has never had any problems.

The first incident between our dogs occurred more than a year ago when I was walking both of my dogs and all the sudden from 3 houses down, my neighbours dog ran out, off leash and instantly attacked my dogs. I picked up my smallest one and had her under my arm as I tried to separate my boy and the other dog. Eventually my neighbour ran over and was able to get the dog. My neighbour apologized in the moment but all I was worried about was getting home to assess my dogs of course. There was no major injuries just some scratches and redness but the incident in itself was alarming.

*This also happened when my 2 year old girl was very young still and this incident has scarred her, since this she does not like to be around other dogs, other than her brother, but becomes very reactive around any other unknown dogs now.*

Since the first incident whenever I see my neighbour out, or their garage door open I will turn the other way and avoid getting close in fear that the dog is going to attack mine again.

NOW, flash forward to this week. Im walking my two dogs again when I see my neighbour outside from 4 houses down with her dog. I immediately turn around and try to rush my dogs back to my house, when again out of no where my neighbours dog comes sprinting off leash and attacks my boy AGAIN. My little girl also got caught up in the mess but this time I saw my neighbours dog BITE my boy on his bum. After my neighbour came to separate them I took my dogs inside and see my boy has a bite mark on his bum. I took him to the vet, they shaved his hair to see the mark and sent us home with medicine and anti biotics. He dosent need stitches but the bite is about the an inch long.

Again my neighbour and I have known each other for a long time and so im trying my best not to be angry but I dont know what to do at this point. She is paying for whatever vet bills I have from this bite but there obviously needs to be action on her end to either further train or something.

I feel very worried because these attacks are COMPLETLY unprovoked and random, and I now walk my dogs in fear that this massive dog is going to come out and maul them.

What should I do, what would you do, anything helps. Thank you for listening.

This might be a strange question, but has anyone had a dog that got negative reactions from some dogs and later discovered the dog was sick?

Our 16-month-old pup just spent 2.5 weeks over the holidays with a very experienced Rover sitter. She’s cared for hundreds of dogs, has an excellent reputation, and our dog has stayed with her before without issues. This time, though, when we picked her up, the sitter mentioned she was genuinely puzzled by something she observed.

She noticed that our dog triggered reactive responses from some dogs who are normally dog-friendly. She said she hasn’t seen this exact pattern before. At first, she wondered if it was a confidence issue, but changed her mind when one of the dogs reacting negatively was a shy 7-month-old who was too young to be bullying or dominant. She also mentioned that it's a possibility other dogs sensed that something was “off” about our dog, possibly related to illness.

We’re already planning to take her to a veterinary behaviorist for some other weird behavioral quirks we’ve noticed. I’m wondering if this is a legitimate concern to bring up from a medical standpoint, or if it sounds like a stretch. Has anyone experienced something similar?