Category: Top Dog

Hey guys, I'm just wondering if my dog understands why we're spending less time outside when it's really cold?

She's a shorthair dog from Texas and it's her first winter here in Canada, I can see that she's visibly cold during the -10° weather even with her jacket (working on getting the right size booties)

Because of this we're spending more time indoors lately and opting for shorter walks and 15-20 minute playtime at the dog park late at night by ourselves. She's a high energy dog though so I'm a bit worried for her, we play lots of mental work games like scent work and problem solving but it doesn't seem to be tiring her out as much as I'd like to to.

It gets to the point where she starts limping though because of how cold her paws are if we're out too long! So it's for her own good but I don't know if she knows that sadly.

I have 2 dogs, one chihuahua one schnauzer who are both around 12 years old, my chihuahua will not stop barking when I’m not home, I’ve tried calming treats and putting tv on for them just as background noise, and I thought it was working but but a 5th complaint just came in and now it’s more than 1 person complaining so they are giving me a 10 days to fix or 10 day evection notice if not. Please help

Today I witnessed a dog run across the street to meet with my dogs while the owner was talking to a handy man and not paying attention to his dog. The dog was struck by a car and rolled underneath the car, and was able to run away but probably internally bleeding. I really hope the dog survives the owner learns from his mistake. This could have been avoided by simply having the dog on a leash/lead and not just assuming the dog will be well behaved on a residential street in a city.

Please give all your dogs extra hugs. I know I will be tonight when I get home from work.

My english cocker spaniel is now only five years old … The past couple of months I've seen her eyes deteriorate real bad. Both of them have "stare" now. I don't have the money for the operation and I feel extremely bad about it. She doesn't even see me standing right next to her.

Honestly she doesn't seem to care at all, typical for doggo. But it hurts knowing she can't even see things properly or at all anymore. I don't have the money for this kind of operation … might take months for me to save up.

She's been everything to me, without her I'm sure I wouldn't be around so I feel like a real bad owner for it. Has anyone else experienced this and felt like this before?

anyone have dog toy recommendations?

my dog love love loves soft and fluffy things but usually with those toys he bites through them within a few days and the seams go, the only ones that remain indestructible are hard bitey toys but i know he’d love an indestructible fluffy toy

I recently bit the bullet and bought my Am Staff a collapsible Impact kennel. I had researched the heck out of these kennels years ago and thought this was the best choice so I've been keeping an eye on the price and it seems they never get below their black Friday pricing (paid $815 for the XL last week). Well I got it today and I'm.. less than impressed. Part of the deal was that it came with a bed that was meant for the kennel, but it is slightly oversized which will make it easier for him to tear up when he gets bored. Without the bed, there are screws all along the bottom inside of the crate that I'm worried he'll catch himself on. It was much more cumbersome to install than I expected and doesn't have a side door which would be ideal for where it is in the rv we live in. The final downside I noticed is that it looks as though the door would be pretty easy to break from the inside which surprised me. So after putting it together and noticing these things I decided to look it up again and now I'm seeing all the controversy with this brand that wasn't around the first time I researched. I'm heavily tempted to return it soon.

All this to say, does anyone have recommendations for alternatives? I found a place that will make custom crates for around the same price but would like to do more research.

Here are my desires in a crate and why: Durable: I have traveled/moved frequently the last few years. The wire kennels I've used in the past are fine, but as they weaken with each transport, my dog learns the weak points and then starts breaking out of them when he's bored. I fear when the current wire kennel gets to that point, no wire kennel will hold him any more. Portable: again, I tend to move frequently and will probably have at least 2 more big moves within the next 3 years. I prefer something that won't be damaged everytime it's collapsed and transported. Large: as this is primarily for in-home use and he's kept there anytime he's unsupervised, I would like it to be roomy and cozy. The Gunner brand seems nice but tends to be smaller as they are used more for transporting dogs from what I've gathered. Versatile: I want a kennel with both a front and side door. In our current living situation, the only place to fit a kennel for his size requires a side entrance but this could change depending on future living situations. This was a huge bummer that I had overlooked before purchasing the Impact. He has calmed down and become more confident as he's aged and gone through training so I'm not as worried about "high anxiety crates". I think he just needs something that won't immediately break or is easily manipulated (we once went through a period of having to ziptie his kennel shut. No idea how he was opening the latches and even carribeaners.) I think the more "closed-in" crates will actually help him calm quicker than the very open wire kennels.

Thank you for the long read haha! Any advice is welcome!

TLDR: bought and instantly regretted the Impact dog kennel and would like alternative recommendations for in-home use

I find it annoying that my dog can't let me eat. She's always staring at me and at my feet when I open a bag of chips, am eating a meal, etc, etc. She wants crumbs or is waiting for something to fall on the floor.

I've given up on dealing with it though. It seems like a moot point since her other owners won't stop giving her human treats. They always sneak pieces of food from the table, give her food while on the couch, etc, etc.

It doesn't seem possible to train her to not want food when she's being rewarded from it. Training isn't situational, right?

I also give her food while sitting down, but it's dog treats. I train her behavioral issues by using positive reinforcement (dog treats) at random or when she shoes a behavior. If I hear a noise outside and she doesn't react, I'll give her a treat. I am usually sitting down when this happens.

Hi all, what are some good summer time dog enrichment ideas?

It’s summer in Australia right now and it’s extra, extra hot. My dog is a nine year old miniature poodle and I can tell she’s been getting bored recently.

It’s reaching temperatures of 40°c/104°f by like 10 in the morning and the UV rays are in the double digits more often than not, so our usual outside walks and fetch aren’t really viable options because we both get too hot. I can’t even walk her in the early mornings or evening because the temperature doesn’t really drop at all.

She’s small and a bit skiddish, so big or loud things aren’t really her go.

I’m pretty keen to try anything, so please let me know some enrichment ideas!