Category: Top Dog

pretty much what caption says. my dog is a super mutt (according to dna test when we rescued him), and his body proportions reflect that lol. most jackets that fit his body are too tight around the neck, and if they fit around his collar/neck area they are way too loose or long on the body, and he’ll end up pissing all over it. he’s at ideal weight according to the vet so i don’t think it’s an issue of him being overweight. any recommendations? we live in a cold climate (forecasted single digit temps (F°) next week) and he spends two days a week outside all day at a camp, as well as walks in the woods multiple times a day, so it needs to be fairly warm and waterproof as he’s a short hair dog.

We just got a rescue puppy 2 weeks ago. He’s literally been the sweetest dog ever; super snuggly, likes to crawl in our lap and is great with our other animals (8 yr old dog and 12 yr old kitty). Of course he’s a mini piranha and tries to chew on everything, but he’s never ever mean. He got into something outside (I was watching him the entire time but it was a tiny berry) and I thought I got it all out of his mouth before I brought him inside, but guess not. About 30 minutes later he started puking. I went to move him out of the way and he started snarling and growling at me. Wouldn’t let me near him. My teenager tried to redirect him and the puppy lunged at my child. We were finally able to get him out of the way so I could clean it up and the puppy was immediately back to normal. He never guards his food or toys so this was completely out of the norm.

Was it just from him feeling sick or does this mean he has aggressive tendencies? We don’t know what he’s mixed with, but he definitely looks like there’s pitty in him.

we got our GSD puppy at 9 weeks. He will be 11 weeks tomorrow. My husband has done puppies like 10 years ago but I have never.

Our puppy can NOT handle kennel or play pen UNLESS he’s already asleep/falling asleep and then passes out. Otherwise, he screams and barks. He has no problem passing out if he’s next to us on the couch or bed. We always put him in play pen or kennel when he naps/eats, but I’m at my wits end because we need sleep. Both play pen and crate are NOT in our bedroom. Nor is the room LOL.

We have done encouraging work like high value treats, kongs, etc in pen and crate but he still hates being left in confinement away from us. If he cries for 30 minutes, we will “no fun” potty him and put him right back, but nothing has let up.

My next guess is getting him a smaller crate (he has big one) and a crate cover and try that. I’m ready to give up and let him sleep with us at night. (We haven’t had a potty accident overnight yet.)

Any tips on what the right thing to do is but ALSO a way for us to try to get sleep by getting puppy to calm down after 15 minutes.

Hi,

We adopted a rottie last week, he’s 9 weeks now and for the most part a really good boy.

He potty using the pads, eats well, and is very kind.

However we have a few issues.

We doesn’t take naps during the day, or just too little. Today he slept only for 3h total in the entire day.

At nights he’s generally good, he just sleeps on a blanket at the floor and is very quiet. However, during the day he doesn’t settle easily, he’s chasing me constantly and laying on my feet when I’m cooking or at the sofa, sometimes when he gets sleepy he goes to his blanket.

The little guy has a bed and blankets inside the crate but mostly sleeps in a blanket in the floor.

By evening time he’s sometimes a nightmare because he’s extremely tired.

We tried put him in the crate and close the door twice today, after 20+ min of whining we had to let him out, it was only escalating to the point made me feel I was a bad person!

Tethering worked better, but he never settles, he just want to be next to us, but when he sleeps he sleeps alone and all good, so I don’t think he has an anxiety issue yet, maybe is early as he’s been separated from his family recently.

Anyway, looking for help! We scheduled a video call with a dog trainer next week, but looking for tips on something we can start actioning ASAP to help him rest during the day.

Thanks!

Hi there,

Recently my grandma passed away and I just remembered that, even after having my golden retriever for 5 years before she passed, he would ALWAYS avoid her. We brought him over to her flat and he always avoided her, even when she loved him so much and tried to give him treats. He also avoids other members in my family that are in their elderly years.

He is so nice with everyone else, why is he completely ignoring old people ? Its like, and I feel bad for saying this, but like he already sees them as dead. Is there a reason? Do you guys live that too?

We have a 7 month old Doodle mix that we adopted when she was 14 weeks old. She's always had a lot of puppy energy, but is very smart and pics up training easily. But holy cow this teenage stage is no joke. She's reverted back on basically every skill except potty training, luckily she's good with that still. She's become more reactive to people and other dogs, she's biting like crazy again, she's pulling me off my feet on walks, forget about settling during the day! On top of that, I work nights and she's reverted on her crate naps and whines the whole time while I'm trying to sleep. Not going to give her up, but I'm starting to resent her and regret ever adopting her.

My pup is 11wks old and a very sweet boy but oh my goodness he seems so frightened of everything! We have gotten to the point where car rides come without whining (it was really bad when we started) and he can handle pet stores really well when I am holding him. However, when I try to take him on walks around the neighborhood he truly wants zero part in it. I’ve tried to get him to follow me with treats but he refuses, so I usually just end up walking around holding him to show him its not as scary. We also practice sitting in my driveway and watching things go by, during this he whines almost the whole time. Today I am taking him to Lowes to ride around in a buggy but I don’t want to traumatize him or make him further scared. I am stuck between not wanting him to be too uncomfortable while going out but I also do not want to keep him in such a comfort zone that he has no socialization training. Please send some advice!