Category: Top Dog

Hi, I need advice. My 3 month dog has been with me for 3 weeks. First 3 weeks she perfectly went to her peed pad (so proud!) But last few days she realised that pee pads are fun, shreddable, and get my attention.

She sees them as toys. When she is VERY calm she uses them (at night, etc) but during the day she has to go I get her to her zone, she plays with the pad, repeat, she pees wherever.

I bought yesterday a frame from Amazon but so far she doesn’t registers it as a zona to pee.

I can’t take her outside because she hasn’t finished her vaccination schedule.

What can I do?

We’ve had our 7 month old boxer since he was 3 months old. From the first night, he has slept through the night like a dream with no issues. He goes out between 10-11pm and sleeps until around 6:30am

Within the last week, he has been scratching and chewing at any bed or blanket in his crate. He’s completely destroyed 2 crate beds, and 3 blankets- so now all he gets is a folded large towel as I’m not going to let that pattern continue. He’s also now newly waking up at night around 1-2am whining since we removed the dog bed. The first time we let him out to potty and right back in his crate. Now it seems worse each night since where he is whining multiple times a night.

I can’t tell if he’s whining because he’s uncomfortable with no comfy bed anymore, or if he is cold with not a lot of blankets, just wants company or if he truly does need to go out in the middle of the night now when he never has before? I don’t want to start the pattern of pottying at night if it’s not truly needed.

Tonight at 2am he even pooped in his crate- which has never happened before. Didn’t appear to be abnormal or a GI issue. Happily climbed on the couch and slept while I cleaned it all up. It seems he’s doing everything he can to not sleep in his crate at night anymore.

Sleeping on our bed is a hard no- and sleeping in our room on a dog bed I don’t think he’s trustworthy enough to do, as he still gets into things often. Crate is too large to bring up every night and we have no space in our room for it.

Help?! I wake up with young kids every night as it is, with this happening I’m getting no sleep and I’m sure the puppy isn’t getting much. either!

I'm struggling a bit right now. partly puppy blues but also just practicality.

I live in a house with my gf, her two kids, and my gfs elderly parents.

our 17 year old dog died a few months ago, and then a short while later a lab shepherd mix fell into our lap. (the vet thinks she's mostly shepherd but with a labs coat and ears)

we've had her just over a month now. not only is the house full of people, but the layout is odd, it's a very old house, and the only room we could safely contain her in is what used to be our living room. it's fairly large, has three exits. mine and my gfs bedroom is off the living room, but obviously doored off.

then there's a standard door opening straight into the kitchen, and an extra wide opening (70+ inches) on the other side that leads to the front door, a staircase, and a hall wrapping back to the kitchen.

we got gates for both of those openings, ones with doors.

yesterday she learned she can jump one of them, the extra wide one (they're the same height but idk if she knows that yet).

if I'm not in the room, she will pretty much immediately go to try to get over it. the rooms on the other side are NOT able to be puppy proofed, it's a small kitchen and space is limited so we have to resort to storing things like extra drinks, cereal, chips, on the ground. there is no other place for them.

I found one gate that is taller, but pricey, but it should stretch the gap. but isn't that just temporary? she's just gonna keep growing and she'll still be a puppy when she learns she can jump this one too.

she's not… destructive, but she seems to prefer chewing anything other than the chews, toys, and other things we've given her.

we have a crate, I didn't want to, but her nippiness with me kind of forced my hand. (for a couple weeks I used it for short 2 to 5 minute calm timeouts to interrupt legit biting frenzies on me, my arms are still shredded from it).

but she doesn't mind the crate, she naps in there open and closed of her own accord. and last night she slept in there the entire time with never a sound.

but I don't want to crate her every single time I leave the room for several months more. a 15 minute bathroom break, a 45 minute blunt outside. every single time I'd have to crate her, and that just seems unfair.

I also wanna give her the freedom in the room to entertain herself without me hovering over her all the time, but now I straight up can't without her escaping

I don't wanna spend more money every month as she gets bigger

wtf do I do?

I brought home a 15 week old poodle last night and walking on the leash has been extremely difficult. He will not walk at all, and the rescue did let me know he has never been on a leash before. My question is, should I practice leash training indoors until he’s comfortable and then take him outside on the leash? Should I bring him out and hope he starts walking? I’m unsure how to go about this.

First full year of owning a standard poodle in Alberta, Canada. She was born Jan 2024.

Below are my estimated costs, how do you think they compare to yours? Compared to last year, costs went up $100ish a month.

-vet care $1,493.07 (spay by itself was $400) -dog food $458.00 -treats, bones $476.38 -toys $85.00 -pro grooming $629.95 for 4 grooms (average cost $157.49) -home grooming $537.90 for 7 grooms (average cost $76.84) (savings per home groom $80.64) -dog sports $946.16 for 4 shows -training $250.00 (1 round, 1 sport) -boarding $923.40 (2 stays) -misc $455.50 -insurance $285.00 (cancelled mid year) -insurance reimbursement $154.46

total $6,385.90 Or $532.16 per month

Expected difference for 2026: – fewer vet fees – more dog sports but fewer hotel stays – fewer home grooming purchases for greater savings (no big purchases, just shampoo/etc)

Last years's post https://www.reddit.com/r/puppy101/comments/1hofyr8/cost_of_puppy_in_alberta/

My 9-month-old Golden Retriever keeps pooping every time he’s left alone in a room in the house.

He’s let out regularly and goes potty successfully every time, so I don’t think it’s a training issue. This usually happens even if he just went outside. It seems like some kind of stress or anxiety thing,

Anyone deal with this before or have tips on how to help him get more comfortable being alone?

Edit: He is crate trained