Category: Top Dog

Do any of yall have pet insurance? If so, which is it and do you recommend it. My breeder gave me a 30 day trial to trupanion and I’m not sure if I like it. So I would like any opinions on pet insurance!

Hi I really need some advice about dealing with my puppy at the moment. She's a 7 month old Springer Spaniel, and it just feels like her behaviour is getting worse everyday and I'm so exhausted.

Up until about a month ago, she was doing so well, all training was going amazingly, she was a happy loving girl. But recently it's just been so hard.

I've gone back to basics with training, and kept to our original routine. Tried more and less exercise, training etc. I was beginning her with some gundog style work when she was about 5 months, and it was going great but she just won't interact or listen to me outside anymore.

She's bitey, seems to be when she thinks I'm leaving her. She won't settle alone or outside of the crate, she no longer sleep through the night (wakes me up whining even if she doesn't need the toilet).

She also now barks at noises like people walking outside the house, the doorbell etc. She barks like mad when any unfamiliar voices are nearby.

She suddenly hates me putting a lead on her (never used to mind as I trained positive associations with things like that).

It just feels like she hates everything, she doesn't seem interested in walks or outdoor games anymore, she seems to get easily overstimulated but then she gets destructive if bored.

I'm so exhausted, and I feel like I've done something wrong for her to behave like this. I love her to death but every day feels like a struggle and I can't help but wish I had never adopted her.

I've actually already signed up for the training so this is more about managing my expectations. My Cardigan corgi will be right around 4 months old when he starts professional 1:1 lessons. He is signed up for 12 x 3hour sessions spread out over about 2.5 months. It isn't all just obedience drills the entire time they take him to parks, patios, dog/human socialization and do calming exercises as well – in addition to naps. This is also the place we did his puppy classes and will be doing other group classes and we're totally aligned with the trainer's process. The goal is to hopefully have him calm, obedient and non-reactive enough to take him to work with me at least for a half day a few times a week by 1 year.

However I find with him I can walk him about maybe 10 minutes until his brain gasses out and he goes full gremlin mode. He does focus on training when we're doing it but again I can do about 10 minutes until his mind starts to wonder. So I question how much he'll be able to really pick up with professional training and it may feel more like glorified day care. Has anyone had experience taking their young puppy to professional training? Was it worth it? Did you see behavioral improvements beyond just obedience? I'm hoping they can kick start the behaviors we want and give me homework since I've unfortunately forgotten more about training (my previous Cardi I took up to good citizen) than I remember.

Whenever my senior dog is walking around the house or outside the puppy with run into her on purpose and cause her to fall over. She sometimes jumps on her back and the older dog hates it. The puppy understands “stop” and “no” and “get down” but I have to keep telling her this everyday. She is a two month Pitt lab mix. The older dog is an 8 year old Puggle.

My wife and I are empty-nesters in our fifties, and have recently taken early retirement. We both absolutely love dogs, and after quite a lot of research we're going to be visiting a breeder to view a puppy this week. We haven't yet made a firm commitment.

However, we're also keen travellers who finally have the means and time to travel. As the reality of potential puppy ownership grows closer, we're starting to consider whether we may be making a mistake in terms of the impact that dog ownership would have on our ability to live the kind of life that we want right now.

We're very conscious of both the long-term commitment and responsibility that comes with owning a dog, and the amount of time and effort that's required from us, especially in the first ~18 months. We're under no illusions that it would sharply curtail our ability to travel overseas, especially during the puppy/adolescent phase, but also over the next 13+ years.

As I see it, the choice is not between getting a dog or never getting a dog; it's about whether now is the right time to get one. Obviously when it comes to the crunch we're absolutely not going to commit to getting a puppy unless we're absolutely certain that it's what we want right now – so realistically I think I already know where we're going to land with this for now.

I'm not exactly looking for advice, as it's a decision that only we can make, but I'd be really interested to hear from others who've wrestled with this dilemma and how you figured out what was the right thing for you.

When my dog died recently I wanted to sell back the unused medication so the vet could sell it to other people – certainly I had no use for it. The boxes were sealed and there were months left until the due date. However my vet wouldn't buy any of it (though had no problem taking it as a donation). If you also had a dog who died after a chronic illness, has this also been your experience? These were pills so not even something that needs refrigeration. If he bought from his supplier it would have been identical.

Yesterday at 1:00 PM I picked up a 13-week-old female Shiba Inu puppy. She was very stressed by the journey, and after arriving home she didn’t want to leave the carrier, which I placed inside a designated pen (a section of the room set up with a bed).

For the night I poured some water, which she drank completely, and put out some food, which she only nibbled at, but she still doesn’t really want to come out of the carrier.

Today it’s clear that she did come out while I was away for about two hours, because she ate the treats I had placed a bit farther away. However, in my presence she still does not leave the carrier.

This would seem normal (high stress and, unfortunately, poor socialization), if not for the fact that the last time she urinated was yesterday at 1:00 PM at the breeder’s, and she defecated from stress in the carrier. Since then—nothing. Is there any reason to be concerned?

Which pet insurance is best for you? Are there any that may cover your dog's current treatment? Did your dog get injured during the waiting period and want to know if you're covered?

Here's the place to ask.

Do know we cannot help you here with medical concerns, and lying or not disclosing things to the insurance company is illegal so we don't allow that either.

I’ve tried to post twice in here and don’t see my post?

Recently got a small bonus and threw away a table so I have a bit of extra funding and space and want to get something for my dog.

I live in a mid sized apartment in an eh area. It’s fine on one side but not the other so we do a lot of repetitive walks. I try and take him fun spots but can only really do that on weekend with work.

I want something to mentally stimulate him I can put in my apartment. I’ve done a lot of the puzzles and stuff and he likes those, but he is older and more stubborn now and not as good at learning new ones as he was as a puppy hahaha. I also have a lot of those

Curious what other people have that is cool and unique they like. Really open to anything you think he would like in any ways.

He’s a large mixed breed dog about 5 years old. Very active