Category: Top Dog

I am out of the house from 7:30am-5:30pm and I have tried to get my dog (9 y/o terrier mix) to play with some enrichment toys, but he won't. I've tried all kinds, (kong, frozen treats, puzzles, etc.) but as soon as I leave the house he won't touch them until I get home. I try to take him on daily morning, evening, and night walks, but I feel so bad that he is just sleeping all day. Any suggestions for types of toys or enrichment ideas?

ETA: I've learned a lot from these responses! Thank you.

I have a ten year old dog who currently lives with my grandma. My dog recently got injured and now he cannot lift himself up so he relies on my grandma to help him get up. However, my grandma also has back pain and she can't really put the effort into picking him up everytime he needs to pee or needs to walk around. They live in a huge plot of land where my dog can walk around and pee anywhere he desires. We did get him a diaper to pee and poop without having to move but he does like to walk around and it's heartbreaking to hear him cry everytime he wants to get up and walk around but my grandma couldn't help him. I was wondering if there is a tool to help him get up on his own and walk around without hurting himself and without my grandma throwing her back everytime he needs to go on a walk. Thank you in advanced for any suggestion.

I've never so much as lived with a dog before, so I'm starting at zero! What books (or other resources) would you recommend to a complete beginner? I'm planning to foster-to-adopt through my local humane society so that I can make sure having a dog is the right fit for my family (myself and my 10 year old), plus making sure the individual dog is a good fit for us, but I'd love to learn what I can before we have a placement.

I picked up a pair of the dog suspenders sold by Canada Pooch for my Golden Retriever. Literally, from package onto her and out the door for a hike, I was super stoked for this as she get's a ton of snow in her paws.

Over the span of an hour, I had to readjust her pants 4-6 times, including a couple where her paw just like… came out. After the first time I started figuring out why, and it turns out every time it happened the Velcro strap around her paws had come almost entirely undone, and was unusable due to snow in the velcro. I had to scratch the snow out of it to put the pants back in order, only for it to happen again not long after.

Contacted Canada Pooch who told me that when out in the snow it's important to keep the velcro snow free, along with lint and hair and etc.

…What? How? I tried pressing the velcro together in every kind of combination I could to get this to stop happening to no luck. What am I doing wrong?

I'm going to take a piece of hockey tape and wrap each one once or twice and see if that makes a difference, but still. I also can't return them, as they've been used/opened/box and tags aren't still entirely intact.

If I'm missing something entirely here and this annoyance is unjustified, I apologize.

Hey everyone! I’ve been thinking about getting those dog stairs that are available online, but I’m not sure if it’s really necessary. My dog is small, and sometimes struggles to jump onto the couch or bed. Does anyone here use these types of stairs for their dogs? Do you think it’s worth it, or is there a better solution?

Would love to hear your thoughts or experiences!

Also, if you have any recommendations for good, affordable options, feel free to share!

Hello everyone this may be taken down, I think it is ok but rules can be interpreted different ways and I apologize if I got my interpretation wrong. I need some input/advice. I have a new non profit and am trying to start an animal sanctuary and am raffling off a Jaguar convertible to raise funds but… I have put the info on a few Facebook pages etc. and there is no action as far as tickets to the raffle. How should I go about this.

My dog (7 year old, pug/jack russel mix) constantly, and I mean constantly begs at our pantry door for treats. We keep his food and treats in there.

Any tips on how to break this habit? I ignore him, but I also feel like he does it for attention.

We have a 21 month old at home, so he is adjusting to that. And the winter months have us all stir crazy especially since we had a few weeks of really freezing temps where I couldn’t get him out for walks multiple times a week like we usually do.

It drives me nuts and I hate being upset at him especially when I definitely made him this way.

Please and thank you!

So we just got a dog from the shelter about a week ago. He’s a very sweet boy who is house broken except for occasional accidents when he gets super excited. He usually only does this when we come home or in the morning right before we take him outside. Otherwise, he never has accidents. I’m curious if I should worry about this being a medical thing like bladder issues or something. He is a young dog (around 2 years) Labrador/daushaund mix for reference.

Thanks!

My 13 y/o male lab got out of his harness yesterday and ran off into the forest after a deer. He’s been gone for almost 24 hrs. There is about 20” of snow on the ground. (Luckily it’s warmer today than yesterday) but I’m worried he won’t be able to find his way home.

Any ideas or advice on getting him home would be welcome. Or any advice on dealing with the grief and guilt of not being able to find him.

Editing to add an update:

Thank you everyone for your ideas and support. I’m looking into a drone/ tracking dogs in my area. I’ve seen locals post about using dogs to track deer.

I went out and searched where we last saw him and followed any tracks that looked remotely like dog prints. I left a blanket out on the ground. I’ll update again if we find him!

So my dog is 6 months old and he seems to go through toys like no one’s business and I’m just looking for some recommendations on good durable toys for him