Category: Top Dog

hey, i have been reading that puppies should sleep for 18-20 hours daily. my 9 week old pup is definitely NOT getting that much sleep. she seems pretty content with sleeping on our laps but unfortunately we can’t sit around all day, and she’s not super interested in sleeping in her crate (it has a bed, blankets, a toy) so she’ll just follow us around and whine or nip at our ankles.

she is definitely acting up by the end of the day due to the lack of sleep. im not entirely sure how to help her get more sleep in? any ideas/advice is appreciated!

Hi everyone. I recently adopted a 2-month-old mixed-breed puppy (Australian Cattle Dog / Husky mix). She grew up on a farm, mostly outdoors with her mother and other puppies, and has been with me only a few days.

I’m not worried about normal puppy barking or whining. What concerns me is how she experiences wake time and stimulation. She doesn’t seem to “play” in a relaxed way. Instead, she becomes restless, paces back and forth, whines or barks at nothing, and looks unable to settle. She’ll sometimes lie down for a few seconds, then get up again and start pacing, as if she’s overtired but can’t switch off.

During these overstimulated moments she may jump up on me, mouth or nip at my clothes or arms, and occasionally bark directly at me. It doesn’t feel like true aggression (though sometimes scary), more like she’s overwhelmed and doesn’t know what to do with her energy. When this happens, I try to stay calm, avoid eye contact, not speak, and disengage until she settles. That generally helps, but the cycles repeat.

She focuses very well on food (chicken works great) and quickly understands that calm behavior gets rewarded. Outside of food, though, it’s very hard to engage her in play, and toys often seem to overstimulate her rather than help her relax. We can’t go on proper walks yet due to vaccinations, which I know limits her outlets.

She eats, drinks, sleeps, and goes to bathroom normally, and there’s no consistent aggression toward people, just barking and mouthing during these dysregulated states.

My question isn’t how to stop barking or biting, but whether this kind of restless, overwhelmed behavior during wake time is normal for some puppies, especially very young ones or working-breed mixes. I’d love to hear from anyone who had a puppy that struggled to self-regulate at first and what helped over time. (i only have experience with a labrador puppy, but that’s a whole different story – came from a breeder, and totally different behaviour)

Thanks in advance!

I’ve had my guy, JJ (Jake Jr) for almost 3 months. He’s so easy. I’ve heard so many horror stories and read some frustrated posts on this and other subs but I can’t relate. I know the puppy phase can last for a couple years and Jake Jr is only 7 mos but since I adopted him he has been my absolute home boy.

He’s great on and off leash, great in the car, gets along with all people and other dogs, potty training only lasted a week or two, I can leave him home alone not locked in his crate, he eats his food but doesn’t beg, doesn’t seem to be scared of anything like water or loud noises etc., doesn’t chew anything he’s not supposed to, I can go on and on about how chill and amazing this lil dog is but am I in for it soon? Is he going to go gremlin on me any day now? Why does everyone I talk to act like he’s about to go nuts on me any day?

I’ve had dogs all my life but never a puppy so this is new ish territory for me.

JJ’s info: Male Chug (we think) 7 months old, balls JUST dropped, lives with his mom and dad in a 3 bedroom apt in East Hollywood no other animals, has three best friends; Spider a Pomeranian, Penny a golden retriever, Benito a Pom mix, loves to chew twigs and leaves, favorite snacks are cottage cheese and blueberries.

My partner and I have a 17 week old Shepherd Husky. We got her at 12 weeks old and oh my did the puppy blues get us. She was already crate trained but required us to sit next to her for the first 30-60 mins while she fell asleep. She was overnight toilet trained, however, would wake us up at 4am howling (huskies, am I right). By the 3rd night, I was about ready to return her!

My key hints and tricks from someone that went from the above, to a pup that is now reasonably well behaved, well socialised and can be left alone without destroying my house, with the help of this community.

-Persistence is key! -Acclimate them to anything new. -If not already crate trained, make the space enjoyable, offer a treat for entering without the obligation to stay in there. -Toileting schedule, we took her to the toilet before and after every single nap plus every 30-60 mins when awake. We found puppy pads made the process worse with more accidents. Our lifestyle made this possible though. -She got car sick when we brought her home. We took her for small trips first. Rolling down the windows slightly for smelling distracted her from the drive. Feed them at least more than an hour before you travel if they get sick! We just completed a 3 hours drive home for Christmas (with toilet stops) -Get them into puppy school early, socialisation and training is so important! -We set up a camera and left her alone for short periods and watched from the other room. This helped prevent separation anxiety and we can now leave her home alone. -Frozen fruit and veg for teething. Nutritious, cleaned her teeth and something to chew. -Find a good vet! We had a terrible experience with one. -Wahl dog deshedder brush from Petbarn is a life saver! -Huskies sooks/howls never stop

In the true Aussie way, I am always down for a chat!

Ps, I have all fingers crossed she stays an angel for the teenage years. We’ve been too lucky so far.

My puppy is 16 weeks today. I’ve had him for 4 weeks and he absolutely loves my neighbour across the hall. He runs to her if he sees her and cries if he hears her in the hall. They haven’t spent that much time together so I’m confused. I know I’m OCD and probably in that training mode and maybe lose sight of cuddles and sweet talking. But I am totally a dog person… and love him so much. To clarify. . I’m a single mama with a 5 year old living in a building with no support system so I’m trying to ensure puppy grows up socialized with boundaries. Of course I do cuddle him and love him. Please help. Is this normal.

I'll keep this relatively brief as I have the tendency to write long posts 🙈

I have a 16 week old Labrador, 7 weeks in our household. Two things I would appreciate advice on:

1. Crate training. He sleeps through the night, and needs to be forced to nap because he doesn't have an off switch. However, in order to settle, me or my husband need to sit next to the crate for him to settle. Then, we are able to leave the room and be quiet as some noises can sometimes wake him up. Should I keep doing what I'm doing until he develops more, or should I just put him in the crate and leave even if he's not settled? I worry he will bark, get anxious, get thirsty and create a loop where instead of going to bed, we keep taking him outside for potty break.

2. Doesn't pay attention on walks. If we go on walks, everything distracts him – leaves in the wind, trash on the ground, people and dogs. He will usually sit when he reaches the end of the lead, but then he's very eager to say hi to dogs or other people. In situations like that he doesn't react to anything I say. Do I need to carry chicken and cheese with me on walks to ensure he listens to me? Or is this, again, something that will developmentally change as our bond grow?

Thanks!

My dog eats poop unless she eats special treats. The problem is, the treats have a puree consistency. I tried training her with spoonfuls of the treat but she still needs the treat to be inside my hand for this initial part of the training. She won’t obbey consistently if i have the spoon on my other hand while making the gestures. Im afraid to give other treats because she already eats around 1/11 of her calories in special coprophagia treats. I bought an ice tray who produces 1 cubic centimeter ice, in the hopes she will want to do tricks for a 0 calorie treat. What else can I try? I thought about freezing some safe tea (another 0 calorie treat), like chamomile or mint.

I have a 16week old puppy and i brought her home at 9weeks. She has been a velcro pup but from what ive read it was to be expected from a young pup. I live alone and wfh so it’s a lot of time with me, we do crated naps during the day and she does well with those. Rn im staying with my parents and i left her with my mum and went to a shop and she was whining a lot. If i go to the toilet she whines/barks etc. Is this a beggining of a separation anxiety? What can i do to help her? Thank you so much for your time and help im advice!!!!

He's a mini poodle and he first began having seizures when he was only 8.5 weeks old. He had 3 total over 24 hours. They discharged him on phenobarbitone. All tests came back as normal and every vet I have spoken to is puzzled. I was advised against an MRI scan for now because there are too many risks with putting such a young puppy under general anaesthesia.

He didn't have any further episodes until today at 11 weeks old. I recorded it and forwarded it to the neurologist along with any other info I thought was relevant. She got back to me and told me it was early onset idiopathic epilepsy.

It's heartbreaking because this is his "critical window" and he's already had such traumatic experiences and I believe there are also side effects from the medication in the mix. I can see this is all affecting him and it's affecting me too. I'm a first time dog owner and I knew it would be a big challenge, but this has added an extra layer of stress and uncertainty. 😞