Category: Top Dog

Hey there! I adopted a 4 month old mutt from a shelter 4 weeks ago. I told the shelter I needed a small to medium dog as I live in an apartment and I wanted a dog that was cool with occasionally being left alone, as I work in office 2 and a half days out of the week. They paired me up with my gorgeous girl. She was extremely underweight as she was found on the streets, so I now realize the shelter didn't quite have a good grasp of her actual temperament because she was extremely lethargic due to malnourishment. With the help of a vet we got her on a weight gain diet and the right kind of supplements and it's like I fed this puppy crack cocaine. She's constantly getting the zoomies, and I mean absolutely constantly. We walk an hour daily around 5K, and I'm training her as best I can with the Woofs app. She's very clever and already knows a couple of tricks. I'm especially focusing on the ones that involve self restraint like "stay" or "leave it" and I would say she's starting to get the hang of those. My problem is she literally never lays down to rest, except when I lock her in her crate for a couple of minutes so I can take my eyes off her for a little while, but as soon as the crate is open she's back to running arroumd the house like a maniac. She even ran so fast, intensely and carelessly that she ran straight into a cabinet so hard I actually took her to a vet to check she was ok. I spoke to said vet about her high energy and they where like "she's a 4 month old, she'll settle down". I have tried giving her puzzles and mental stimulation games to keep her from getting bored, and we go on walks daily absolutely religiously because I do notice that if I so much as walk less than normal she will become truly unruly. I have tried to reward the rare times she seems to settle down but she does it so rarely it's genuinely hard and if I get up to get treats she will get up and run around again. Petting or praising is not really an option for reinforcement, she doesn't like to be touched much, I'm assuming she might have suffered some trauma out in the streets. Is it normal for 4 month old dogs to be this hyperactive? Am I doing something wrong? Is she just not the right dog for me?

Hello friends, we have a seven month old pup, he is doing great. Toilet trained, haven't had accidents for months. Trained to wait, doesn't bite, doesn't demolish the house etc etc.

One thing we have done an awful job of is getting him used to being in his crate when we are not home.

We were forced to leave him for the first time ever a couple weeks ago but the cries did not stop for over an hour so had to send my parents round to collect him.

I know I've done a terrible job here so really looking for some real world advice as it starting to impact our freedom.

What steps do we take?

How did you get yours to be ok at home alone in a crate for a couple hours?

Have I missed the boat now he is 7 months?

Any advice will be greatfully received!

We have a 5 month old german shepherd husky mix who is a chewer. He has eaten parts of blankets and beds we have tried in his crate and it is at the point we feel it just isn't safe for him to have anything in there. The issue is he sleeps so much better with a bed in there. The only time he chews blankets and fabrics and beds is in the crate, specifically during his second crate nap in the morning and second afternoon nap. He has chew toys in there with him… but I guess the soft stuff entices him more.

Any suggestions? I've read the Kong indestructible beds aren't actually great and I dont see any on Amazon. I'm in Ontario Canada, but willing to order from basically anywhere if its tried and true to be indestructible lol. TIA!

I’m curious what issues are typical with dogs who were dumped as puppies. I have an 18-week rescue puppy who came to me as a 6lb, 8 week old foster. All six were emaciated and full of roundworms and giardia. What I notice in my now physically healthy puppy is hyper vigilance, fear, and in trying to work through handling found he startles even with a hand placed for a second on his rear. (Very cuddly tho, interestingly). His brother who I also had in foster for three weeks was reactive and a major chomper at 8 weeks. Are there common outcomes? No training advice needed, just looking for profiles.

My pooch had a rough day yesterday and i can’t give her any treats or snacks. there’s too much snow to take her for a walk and i can’t give her a ride in the car because i don’t have one. If anyone has any suggestions on the best way to pet my dog to make her feel good, please comment em.

Can anyone recommend a harness I can keep on my 14 year old that she can wear all day so I can help her up and down stairs?

I bought the "OneTigris" but the thing's like a full-on tactical vest.

Hello everyone! My puppy is now in her first heat! This is my first time going through it so please be nice! Also we will be spaying her after the first heat, we wanted to give her more time to develop. I got some cloth diapers for her and they seem to work better for her than the disposable. The instructions for them say to just soak them in cold water then low in the dryer. However if I do that then they are still stained. My husband has started putting them in the washer on rinse and spin and then an express dry in the dryer on low. That seems to work well but still some stains. Is there a dog safe detergent we could put with them? Has anyone else used cloth diapers and can tell me what worked for them?

Thank you!

I love love love it when my golden talks in her sleep.

A tired dog is a happy dog.

Currently have a 15 month old dog. He’s our first dog so I don’t have anything to compare him with.

He is sometimes in a grumpy mood or growls when you touch his face in particular, such as teeth, eyes etc.

We made sure to touch his paws, face, ears etc a lot as a puppy. I would regularly brush his teeth with no issues. However, ever since becoming a teenager he growls at us when he either doesn’t want to do what we ask him to do or brushing his teeth etc.

He’s been to vet and has no physical issues. The second he growls we stop and I respect that he is communication he isn’t happy but I am wondering where we went wrong as we did touch his face and trained with him since being a puppy. Are adolescent dogs prone to mood swings? Do they tend to mellow out as adults?

I want to continue working on brushing his teeth, touching his face etc cos I think it’s important the vet can check on those things safely and I feel it’s my responsibility to make sure the vet can do those checks without him air snapping/growling.

About a year and two months ago, this dog, now named Mocha, was wandering the streets and took shelter in front of my store.

It was raining that day and he was around five months old. Pretty sure it was his first rainy day. He looked completely lost, so I took him in. I took care of him and he’s now part of the family.

A year and two months later, I still have no idea what breed he is. I never did a DNA test because I honestly don’t care. He’s kind, loving, caring, and extremely hyper. Still curious what people think he might be.

Here's a short video from the day I found him. https://imgur.com/a/XlZeZGc

Here's a photo of him now. https://imgur.com/a/XPI1J4n

Any guesses?