Category: Top Dog

We've had a rescue dog for 9 weeks, she's a 5yo Shih Tzu and came from a hoarding/breeding situation along with 120 others.

She's really bonded with me and so goes to be when I go to bed – she sleeps on our bed. If my husband is downstairs gaming any time he goes from one room to another she'll bark, when he comes upstairs she'll bark.

Same with my stepson who is here every other weekend. The first weekend he was here she was fine but since then she growls at him a lot and again any noise he makes she barks. Last night we couldn't sleep because she sat outside his room barking almost constantly.

Does anyone have any advice?

On the 6th Jan, I've got a dog behaviourist coming to help me try to break the separation anxiety, I can't walk more than two steps before she follows me!

But over Xmas my stepson will be here for a week and I'm worried we'll struggle to sleep!

what to do with a puppy that holds its poop .. trying to potty train him with puppy mats but its like he’s holding it on purpose .. like we have hard floor in the bathroom were he is but once we open the door he runs right out to poop on the rug . and cries from holding its poop🤦🏻‍♀️

When it comes to your dog's behavior, what are things you feel are nonnegotiable to teach?

I do a lot of hiking and outdoor activity with my dog and I’ve noticed how much mental work complements physical exercise. She already has puzzle toys, but I’m always interested in new enrichment ideas people have found genuinely engaging long-term.

Curious what routines, games, or mental challenges others have had success with for active dogs.

Looking for recommendations for a camera and maybe a harness to attach to a large Black Lab. Thanks everyone!

Hi! We just adopted a ~2 year old rescued street dog and I just started clicker training.

My old training style was misguided and authoritarian. I am absolutely DONE with that, and learning how to set boundaries with dogs and keep training positive and supporting her healing journey. She’s gaining confidence everyday. She’s been with us just 4 weeks.

So I started clicker training for crate training her.

She’s fairly nervous about the crate, so we are making everything positive. Do I mark when she makes movement forward (such as front feet in)? Or should I wait until it’s more what “load up” actually means (whole body in)?

(I went through the guide, but this is a specific aspect of clicker training I’m confused about in this application.)

My family has a 4year old Miniature Bernedoodle who has become a complete terror. (The whole doodle trend was not my idea, I know what a genetic wild card they are 😭.)

For unrelated reasons, I’ll be home taking virtual classes for the next five months, and I really want to use this time to retrain her. The problem is, I have no idea where to start.

Her biggest issue is peeing in the house. She’s trained to ring the bells by the door when she needs to go out, and sometimes she does. But more often than not, she’ll make direct eye contact with me and pee right in front of me. It happens everywhere the floor, the couch, carpets, beds, even inside shoes.

We’ve tried crating her, but she’ll poop in the crate, eat it, and then vomit it up. I’m honestly at my breaking point. We’ve taken her to the vet, and they insist she’s healthy and that everything is behavioral.

She also rings the potty bells incessantly when she wants food, even though she has had scheduled meal times since we brought her home. On top of that, she has severe anxiety. When we leave the house, she jumps onto the windowsill and chews through the blinds. We’ve had to rearrange furniture just to keep her from getting up there.

I feel completely lost, and I’m exhausted from having to carpet clean daily. I don’t know how to begin helping her or fixing any of this. PLEASE help!!!

We recently got a rescue puppy. A small 6lb chihuahua terrier mix who is very sweet.

Before our last dog (boxer) passed away we had to keep him and my parents dog (boxer) separate. They got into a fight once and reacted to each other every time after that. One dog always had to be on the couch while the other roamed the house and we could never let them be alone or get in each others space. We are at my parents a lot just to hangout. Now that we have this puppy I am terrified of introducing him to their dog. What are your best tips for introducing our dog to their two dogs? My parents babysit our dog and young kids when we are out so I really do not want this to be an issue for any of us. Plz help me 😩😩

Working with my pretty reactive dog on sounds (mostly car doors shutting, people talking outside, knocking, etc.) should I be treating at every occurrence?

Reason I ask is we live on a busy street and sometimes it’s upwards of 5-10+ treats pretty quickly. As of now I’ve been breaking into little pieces wondering if it’s giving same effect

I understand the answer to this might me “you don’t” but I thought I’d ask in case anyone has any great tips or activities to share.

We are fostering a little 9lb female dog, hoping to adopt her as she’s great, but she doesn’t quite understand that our other dog, 19lbs but very gentle and playful, wants to play with her.

She has a few moments daily where she gets hyper and hops around, but she’s not fond of toys or playing with him.

In case there’s anything we can start doing to foster more play, as our other dog would love at least being chased a tiny bit, let me know any tips! We’re not pushing her into anything, but she’s slowly opened up and will sit with him, etc