Category: Top Dog

We brought our 8 week cockapoo home last Friday and I had all the gear, all the articles and plans, but I still didn't anticipate the emotional and physical toll it would all be. I go between moments of calm, to complete regret and fear, anxiety is higher than it's been in a long time, and I keep just thinking every mistake, every accident he has, every time he doesn't finish his food, or he cries in his crate, that I'm messing up this poor pup. The sleep deprivation hits hard in the evenings, and I've cried to my wife most evenings at least once fearing I'm not cut out for it. Had a couple accidents in the house today while it was just me wfh, and felt immediate guilt that I didn't catch the signs. I'm hopeful that it'll get easier, and each night a get a little more sleep than the last, but it's overwhelming, and the amount of information online covering every do and don't, and other info saying the opposite, it feels like I'm drowning and unsure of the right things to do

Sorry, it's been a hard few days, and just needed to get some of it out

Hey guys,

My partner and I got a springador puppy 8 weeks ago. Due to health issues I’m at home all the time so I’m with our pup the majority of the time. His biting is crazy and he seems to bite me more than my partner. I am covered in bruises and cuts and I don’t know what to do.

He’s crate trained so when the biting starts I put him for a nap. The past 3 days he just won’t stop biting. It’s getting me really down and I don’t know what to try to make it stop. I know it’s probably teething but I’m not sure how much longer I can deal with it.

Does anyone have any advice?

Thanks.

I am a teenager, and I really have wanted a dog for years. I have only had like one pet, and it was a cat. It was young, I have marks were it scratched me. It has scratched my furniture, and it was misbehaving. Sometimes we would mistreat it, and it was very wrong. I just couldn’t stand it. I honestly think it’s because when we got the cat, he was with his brother, and we only bought one sibling, because the other got sold to another buyer. I still knew that I wanted a dog at that time. It’s just that my parents don’t want it, my siblings used to care but now, it’s whatever. I have no idea what I can do to get a dog. I do live in an apartment, and my neighbors have dogs so I didn’t think the apartment was a problem. My parents don’t think I’ll take care of it. And I can’t prove it cause nowhere near can I lend a dog. There are no, shelters, or lenders near. And I have no idea what breed I can have. My favorites are by far, Rottweiler, cane corso and even a retriever, but they are kind of expensive. These breeds are a little too big, but I love them. They are adorable, fearless, and at the same time scary. I love that. Does anyone have any kind of tips how, I can get a dog, and what breed suits me.

I just got a puppy couple of months back. He is currently 16 weeks old. This week his regular daycare caregiver is undergoing a surgery and will not be available for next couple weeks. I thought of using this time to train him to be home for 8 hrs.

Previously, he was left alone for short periods of times – for groceries, half day work schedules, quick drop off or appointments, but never full 8 hrs. I feel guilty seeing him through the Ring camera running near the door and sitting for few mins (guessing he is hearing noises out of apartment and thinks I am home 🥺) or Howl when he hears my voice over the camera (husky) 😭

Will i get over this? Is it okay to leave a 4 month old Husky all alone for 8 hrs? How can I do better so he doesn’t feel separated.

Future plan is to switch between daycare days and home until he is a year old.

Does your dog turn his head when he hears an odd noise? Does your dog bury their food with your pants? This is the thread to ask why.

Please keep this thread to non-medical issues only.

I’m honestly heartbroken seeing the state of animals here in Albania. The country itself is beautiful — the mountains, the coast, the old towns — but all of that beauty is completely overshadowed by the sight of starving dogs and piles of trash everywhere. It’s impossible to ignore.

Cats can somehow manage to survive — even then, it's a stretch. But dogs? They’re domesticated. They literally can’t survive without people. And here they’re just roaming around, ribs showing, hungry, terrified, limping, sometimes even lying dead by the road. Some are even just couple of weeks old puppies. I've met the most gentle puppy on the beach that we played with, and then that puppy came to some kids that are locals and were playing soccer, the kids just started to scare the puppy and try to throw things at it. HORRIBLE!!!!

I try to feed as many as I can when I’m driving through towns, but it’s obviously not the solution. The worst part is when they follow you — because they think maybe you chose them. That maybe they finally found a human who’ll take them home. And when you leave, they just stand there, watching. It’s gut-wrenching.

What hurts even more is how normal this seems to have become. Locals walk past like it’s nothing. I’ve googled, and there are barely any real shelters or sterilization programs. If people simply spayed and neutered them, this wouldn’t keep happening.

It’s hard to “enjoy” a vacation when you’re constantly reminded of so much unnecessary suffering. The scenery is stunning, but you can’t really smile when the streets are full of trash and the animals are starving right in front of you.

Stray dogs and cats are a problem created by HUMANS. End of conversation. We are responsible for these animals.

If anyone knows real organizations or rescue initiatives here that are actually active, please share them AND SUPPORT THEM. This problem deserves way more attention than it’s getting.