Category: Top Dog

I have a 9 week old Golden Retriever, and in preparation to get him I did a ton of research and planning for his breed and needs.

We’ve been pretty successful so far in a lot of ways! I got him when he was 8 weeks old, and so far he knows how to sit, recall, potty outside, and is crate napping on a routine! Buuuuuut of course the puppy blues still showed up 😂

I’ve read a lot about how hard the puppy blues can be, how long they can last, and that they will subside, but if you’re willing to share I’d love to hear what it’s like on the other side! ❤️

Okay so ofcourse first things first my puppy is obviously just a puppy with her pup behaviour but I need some help

We have her since she was 10 weeks she is now 17 weeks old ( 4 months ) and she is quite smart and we try to learn her alot. Just one thing I can't seem to get is to stop her from shredding my clothes and limbs.

So I try redirecting her to toys, and reward her when she stops. We have chewing bones and toys for her teething but for some weird reason she only bites me quite hard and ripps every good piece of clothing I have and I end up crying every time bc of it and I just need to know if that will ever stop.

Weird thing is my fiance didn't really wanted a dog but agreed and now he is absolutely adorable with her but somehow she only listens to him with things she can't do like the biting, she doesn't bite she tries but never does and then ends up licking instead of biting idk if it's bc of his leadership energy and I'm too much of an energy or what but she really chose him. I go on walks with her the most and with training with commands and stuff she still listens very good until I try to do some hard stuff like learning roll over she just bites my hand where the treat is but that's okay. We try to give her as much excersize and brain excersizes what she can handle and try not to over do it so she doesn't get overwhelmed.

When she is peacefull she is really cute and comes to cuddle and stuff and gives kisses sometimes she bites but only when were like playing. So when we play I quit the playing when she bites me ans try to ignore but it hurts so much when she bites my legs and hands and arm I end up crying so she doesn't stop ofcourse. We do crate her at night since she likes to chew the walls and couch and stuff so for her and our sake we crate her for the night. But should I like give her 5 minutes time out when she bites me or? Yeah I have no idea I never had pups only adult dogs that were like 3 years or older so this is my first rodeo.

I think I'm trying my best but I just don't get why she doesn't bite my fiance but just me. I just wish she stops biting every piece of clothing I own I don't want to spend money on a whole new gardarobe ykn.

Anyways it's a mix breed of a frysian stabyhound and a american stafford but mostly a dutch breed. Her nose is more on the ground than in the air but that's okay I let her sniff alot she likes that. Also she comes from a farm of 11 pups and when we got her she was really scared of people and other dogs but I think we did a very good job she now honestly likes every dog and wants to play with everyone so she already changed big time and were proud of her.

Anyways does someone has tips bc It's giving major puppy blues but I'm never getting rid of her, atleast she doesn't bite my hair anymore.

If you made it this far thankyou for reading I appreciate that very much ! Sorry for all the words.

She is called Luna and a sweet one but that biting my clothes and lunging on me is just the most annoying thing ever 🫣

I adopted a lab mix in June. At the time she was 4 months old. Very very sweet and energetic dog. She was afraid of everything and very timid. Over the next few months she got comfortable in the home and trusted us to protect her and became best friends with my 5 year old Frenchie.

I took her to puppy training classes and while she wasn't the smartest pup in the class she was very eager to try to follow the commands and get treats.

2.5 weeks ago she got spayed. And the last week has been hell. My sweet big baby has just become…..very aggressive. Everything she does is at 1000%. Mind you she's still recovering but is running full speed and jumping and plowing into me. We taught her high five. She is aggressively hitting our hand now. She would follow commands to sit or lay down, now she will do it for a second and then bark in a way demanding a treat. We used to go on walks and she'd be timid with loud cars, now she is trying to drag me and pull me each and every way and chewing the leash. We would play fight and she learned soft bites, now those soft bites hurt (not vicious).

Admittedly, while she is recovery we are going on less walks. We were walking a few miles a day prior to the spay. Is that the issue or should I be concerned this behavior will continue or get worse.

I've always wanted a dog, and when Jolyne arrived, I was very happy. The problem is that since I work split-hours mornings and afternoons, I don't get to spend much time with her, and she's always with my parents. She loves me, but I don't feel connected to her. In fact, she always follows my mother around, always wants to be with her, and I can stay in my room, but she never comes to me. How can I become her human? There is a possibility to be that for her? She has 5 months now

I have fallen in love with this dog who has been at my Airbnb for three days now he sleeps outside my house and he won’t leave us alone. I I am really thinking about bringing him back to Canada with me. Has anyone experienced doing this? If so, please give me feedback. I’ve looked into it and I think I could get this done. I have people here who could watch him after his shots since I am going home in seven days.

Hey, I am just looking for advice on how I can get ready for owning a Shepsky.

I have 2 kids I have 50/50 with their mum, I work from home with 1-2 days in the office. I have a big long house with a long garden which would be perfect for a dog to run around. And I have a lot of good parks and long walks nearby.

I want a Shepsky because they seem to be complimentary breeds they are family orientated from the German shepherd and playful from the husky. They also seem to negate some of the negatives from both breeds where they are less if an escape artist but also not as reactive.

I'm aware that cross breeds aren't always predictable but from what I have read they seem to fit what I want. I am also aware of their high exercise needs and have watched lots of videos about training a working dog. I am wanting to have a dog that needs lots of exercise because I am into fitness and want to do more of it, perhaps running with the dog using one of those leads that go around your waist.

I'm asking how will I know if I'm ready and I'm not willing to find out the hard way that I'm not a ruin a perfectly good dog. I read that both Huskies and German Shepherds are not good dogs for first time owners. But I'm 38 now, by the time I'm not a first time owner I'll be over 50 since I don't really think I have time for 2 dogs in the next few years.

So in summary, I feel like I have read enough to know this is the right dog breed for me and the lifestyle I want. But how is there anything I should be doing to make sure I am ready to take this dog on as a first time owner?

Hi everyone,

My boyfriend and I recently adopted a 4-month-old Border Terrier less than 72 hours ago. For some background, I’ve wanted my own dog for as long as I can remember. Ever since my boyfriend and I moved into our new apartment, I’ve been begging for us to get a dog.

I suffer from chronic depression and anxiety, and since my boyfriend works long hours, I thought having a dog would give me companionship and comfort while he’s gone.

But the puppy blues hit me harder than a truck. I’ve been terrified to leave her in her crate at night and feel like I have to watch her every second. I’ve had multiple emotional breakdowns — sobbing in my closet, feeling like I can’t breathe, and desperately wanting an escape.

The hardest part is that she’s actually very well-behaved for a puppy. She’s sweet, calm, and already starting to get attached to both of us — especially my boyfriend, who’s completely fallen in love with her.

But since I’m a full-time college senior, I’m the one caring for her most of the time. I've already started to fall behind on my school work as well. I texted the breeder to ask about returning her, and although I feel like I’ve already made up my mind to do it, I’m in a constant battle in my head — feeling like an absolutely horrible person for even thinking this way.

I love her, and I can tell she’s starting to trust us, but I’m scared because I haven't been able to balance school, my mental health, and her needs at the same time. I have a schedule made for her, but I just can't seem to follow it.

Has anyone else gone through this? How did you cope or make peace with your decision? I’m really struggling and could use as much advice and perspective as possible.

My wife and I are at our breaking point. We got our puppy on September 22nd. She was born June 23rd, 2025, and is a mini Aussie/Chi mix, about 4.5 lbs now. From the start, it’s been rough. The place we got her from sold her to us with tapeworms and giardia. She spent her first 1–2 weeks with us isolated and having constant accidents during treatment. The parasites are gone now, but the potty problems never stopped. She poops or pees in her crate or playpen with zero warning—no crying, no pacing, no noise—and then stomps through it and licks it. We’ve caught it on camera more than once. She’s extremely anxious and fearful; our nanny cam shows her micro-pacing back and forth before or after she goes. Outside, she often doesn’t “go all the way.” She’ll poop a little, then minutes later go again, sometimes outside, sometimes inside right after coming back in. Other times she refuses to go at all, just lies in the grass eating leaves or grass, and then tries to poop or pee inside her crate or on the floor as soon as we come in. We’ve spent thousands on supplies, vet visits, and training attempts: Smallest crate possible (18 inches) for her 4.5 lb size Tried covered vs. uncovered crates, playpens, and short free-roam periods Enzymatic cleaners, dividers, bedding, puppy pads Strict feeding and potty schedule Multiple alarms every 1–3 hours overnight and motion-sensor cameras so we can take her out the moment she stirs Even on “good” days—just one or two accidents—it’s constant vigilance and little to no sleep. On bad days it’s five to ten accidents, multiple baths, and mess everywhere. She’ll go outside, but never consistently or completely, and it always feels like one step forward, three steps back. We probably should have returned her when we found out she was sick, but we didn’t want her ending up neglected. We’ve done everything we can think of, but it’s wearing us down. Has anyone dealt with a puppy like this—severe anxiety, no warning before accidents, incomplete bowel movements, constant crate soiling—and actually seen improvement? Is there something we’re missing, or is surrendering her at this point the only option? We have already had one local trainee tell us she will never be fully trained based on her behavior and refuse to take her.

My boyfriend and I live together and adopted a 7.8lb, 1.5 year old chihuahua about a month ago. She’s incredibly sweet, and I have definitely become her person. I am a woman, for what it’s worth. And I work from home, so I’m with her almost all the time. We also have another dog ,11yo, mutt, 48lbs, and my chihuahua LOVES her. Our older dog…tolerates her lol.

She’s completely comfortable with me, and she’s pretty much fine with my boyfriend when he’s just chilling on the couch.

She will approach him, ask for pets, and sit with him no problem. She doesn’t cuddle with him like she does me, though.

The issue seems to be that she’s much more wary of him when he’s standing up. Keep in mind he’s only four inches taller than me and he’s very average in stature. She gets very stiff when he holds her, will run from him when he goes to pick her up (in fairness, sometimes she runs from me too, she just doesn’t like being picked up very much), and doesn’t approach him when he’s standing.

I find this to be odd. He’s not imposing or anything. Maybe this is just an issue of time and exposure, but I’m probably going to have to go out of town for a while where he’s the only person handling her.

We have him as the only person who feeds her, when he’s home he’s the one taking her out to potty, and we are definitely associating him with high value treats. He gives one when he’s gets home from work, any time she potties, and then just randomly.

What else can we do to get her at the level of comfortability she has with me?