Category: Top Dog

Calling all dog trainers / experienced dog owners! I adopted a one year old certified good boy last week. For starters, he has not even been in our home a week. In my opinion, he has been adjusting really well! The boy LOVES his crate! He has slept through the night every night since day one with no issues. But…I did discover early on that he will not tolerate being in the crate alone without me in the room and will start with the whining and barking. I have done a disgusting amount of internet research and have taken to some training tips / suggestions, but I was hoping for more guidance (and honestly some reassurance). He seems to only feel comfortable falling asleep in the crate in my presence. He will willingly go in, I will shut the door, and he will fall asleep on his own while I fold laundry, read, or doom scroll on my phone. I have practiced exiting and entering the room a lot to reassure him I am always coming back. In the beginning, I had given him a treat when I returned. Now, I do not really acknowledge him, I just pass through. I have gotten away with leaving him alone in the crate for almost an hour today without hearing a whine or bark. I think this is good sign? The last thing I want to do is push him too quickly and then end up having a real problem. Is this actual separation anxiety or is it part of the adjustment period for a rescue? I am aware of the 3-3-3 "rule" and while I respect it, I honestly do not believe this totally applies to him. He has never been timid, shy, or hid. He is rather friendly and loves to snuggle up on us. He is also really smart and has been picking up on routine that we have (attempt) to establish so far. Please! Any and all advice welcome! Thank you in advance for the replies!

My Cockapoo 2 years old has developed shadow/light chasing 6 months ago.

It’s only been 3 weeks since I really pushed hard to prevent him shadow/light chasing

• I put up blackout blinds as we have high sunlight in back of our house

• Anytime I see him starting to shadow/light chase I will clap my hands or “uh!” Command and move him along

• I will walk him morning for hour and afternoon for hour (play ball in park if weather permits)

• Hide treats in kong toys to play

• interact with him daily playing ball, doing tricks

He is showing improvements and feel I have 70-80% of my doggy back! But he still has that ‘urge’ to shadow/light chase even if there’s no light or shadow in the area!! It’s disheartening to see each time, I am probably over sensitive to it

He sometimes grabs a toy and lays down eyes darting left and right to things not there? So I will shoo him off but he will Godo elsewhere within seconds before I shoo again and he may be good or relocate

Worst days is the really sunny days Best days overcast

Night time coming slight problem from lights in house but only certain lights affect/trigger him??

Anyways

Any extra tips or suggestions to help train him out these habits?

I know a vet behaviorist is an option but medication along with what I am already doing?

Everytime I try to get him to sit down by holding a treat a little above his head he actually stands on his two little legs to get it. I tried putting it lower but it’s either mouth level or two legs no in between

My newly adopted large dog refuses to come back in the house after potty breaks. So far, I have tried:

• High value treats – worked only the first few times and no luck since then

• praise – not motivating

• toys/play – does not know how to play or engage with toys, not sure how to engage with humans

Unfortunately I can’t be outside with him 24/7 and he can’t be outside unattended. I don’t want to drag him into the house or carry him in because I worry it will make him dislike being picked up.

Any recommendations are welcome!

Luckily our dog isn't awful but will bark and whine a little when another dog is across the street (desperate to play). But I feel like at least half the folks we come across make their dogs sit and stay when they see another dog. I just always think, what if both owners are training their dogs, who gets to sit their dog down and wait? Because we are forced to walk quickly on most times because the other dog are sat down staring at us as a training exercise.

Just a random thought, thinking of a stand off with both owners with their dogs sitting trying to train them. Is sitting your dog down really preferably to just walking on and not making a big deal of it?

Hi,

I’m really struggling right now and could really use some support or perspective from people who’ve been through this.

We recently brought home a puppy, just a couple of days ago and even though I’ve had dogs before and consider myself dog-experienced, this situation has overwhelmed me in a way I didn’t expect. I’m a stay-at-home mom with two very young kids (a toddler and another small child), and I feel like I have no chance to focus on them the way they need. The puppy needs constant supervision, and I can’t even cook, go to the bathroom, or help my kids with something without feeling like the puppy immediately needs attention or redirection.

One of my kids is scared of the puppy, which makes everything feel even more emotionally heavy. I want my children to feel safe, calm, and like they still have me. Right now it feels like the puppy is taking all of my attention away from them, and the guilt is honestly crushing me.

My husband is in the picture, but he’s been sick with a cold since we got the puppy, and he also works full-time. Our kids are in part-time preschool, so in theory I should have the time and space to manage this — but I just feel overwhelmed and stuck in panic mode.

My biggest fear is: Will it ever be possible to do normal daily things again like cooking, using the bathroom, helping my kids with activities without having to constantly manage or supervise the puppy? Is it realistic that my kids will eventually be able to be in the same room as the dog without me hovering over them? I know I can’t leave them alone for a long time even when the dog is older, never ever!

Right now it feels impossible, and that scares me.

I know the puppy stage is temporary, but I’m questioning whether keeping him is fair to my kids, the puppy, or myself. At the same time, the thought of rehoming breaks my heart because I really want this to work. I just don’t know how to balance everyone’s needs.

Has anyone been through this with toddlers + a young puppy? Does it get better? How long did it take before you could do things without feeling overwhelmed?

I am taking my 5-month-old, 7-pound Cavapoo to weekly puppy training classes at PetSmart. I like the training, but find that basically all she does during the hour-long class is eat a bunch of treats. That's apparently how you motivate the dogs to learn. However, it's a lot for her stomach, and she keeps vomiting everything up in the middle of class, and then again after class on the ride home. A woman with a dog of similar size in the class has the same issue. The trainer basically brushes aside our concerns, saying the dogs need to eat the treats to participate in class. Does anyone with a smaller breed puppy have this issue, and if so, any suggestions? I want her to learn, but I don't want a puppy with an upset stomach once a week!

At the end of January my wife and I are moving into an AirBnb for two months as we're selling our house and buying a new build which won't be ready until the end of March. We had to agree our sale for January to keep our buyers.

Does anyone have any advice for my 1 year old Bichon during this time please? We're planning on boarding her with her beloved regular sitter for a few days either side of both moves as she's easily stressed out with too many people in her house and too much going on, but I'm not sure how to make the transition easy for her, especially in the AirBnb as it won't smell of us or have our regular furniture in it. She'll have all her toys and we're not going to wash her bedding from a few weeks before we leave until we're settled in the final house to try maintain as much familiarity as possible, but is there anything else? She's quite sensitive and easily upset and I just want to take care of her as well as possible.