Category: Top Dog

I got a puppy a little while ago and he is the sweetest most amazing boy ever. Only one problem- he is a bigger boy than anticipated and needs way more space than my apartment has. I feel so bad because he’s constantly running into stuff. I live in the middle of the city so there isn’t really any parks around. Idk what to do but he’s still only 4 months and I think my best option would be to find a family with a big yard so he can run an have fun. Idk how to approach that though because under no circumstance am I gonna put him in a shelter. What should I do?

We’re getting a 4 month old puppy Friday. I’m debating whether to put her crate in my room or a separate room to sleep? My toddler sleeps in bed with me, and I don’t want the puppy waking him up and vice versa! But I’m also worried I won’t be able to hear the puppy crying in another room.

Any suggestions? Has anyone else been in this situation? And yes, I’m probably crazy getting a puppy while also having a toddler

I’m getting my puppy tomorrow! I’m so excited and also nervous. I’ve been reading through these posts as well as the puppy start right book and I have all the basic items of importance (crate, food, bowls, harness and leash, treats, toys, etc). But this is my first puppy so I’m sure there will be lots of twists and turns 😂

If you’re scrolling by and have a minute, give me your best “wish I knew this the first week” tips! 😊

Our puppy is approaching ~9months in about 2 weeks and for the last week he has been a nightmare. We adopted him at 6-7 months old. Most posts here mention how they got their puppies at a few weeks old and it makes me feel like we are SOL.

He was doing so good with training and leash walking. He even graduated from basic obedience. It started with his walks where he's been pulling like crazy. We've done the stop walking altogether, the u-turns, and doing some play at home before the walks. We wait for him to calm down before walks too. He'll start okay then it gets progressively worse. He doesn't bite as much anymore but he did bite tonight on his walk.

He'll listen occasionally and gets distracted easily. A friend said he should be medicated like her dog, but I find it hard to believe that this isn't just teenage rebellion and that consistent training won't help.

Does this sound familiar to anyone else? I'm hoping there's a light at the end of the tunnel. We had a good few weeks of him being perfect and now it's like we just got him again 😭

Hey everyone, I have a 5 month old Jack Russelll x Chihuahua. He's the best boy ever, he is so communicative with me and spends around 20 hours a day with me, I never thought I was a small dog person but he has become my baby and best friend.

Recently, he's started barking and growling at everything. I understand this is a phase in his development and is completely normal. The issue is, I live in a home with other adults. When he was younger, he would sleep through the night curled up on top of me no issue, but recently any new noise or sight startles him into growling and barking. For example, suddenly noticing a coat hung on top of a radiator that has been there before but he's never paid attention to, he will see it like its the first time and he has no idea what it is so he will start backing up and growling at it until I touch it and tell him it's okay, then he relaxed and sniffs it. He's going through an "anxious adolescence" phase.

The issue is, I live with other adults, and recently any noise at night has started waking him out of his sleep. Noises that were previously "normal" to him will make him jump out of his sleep and bark. Noises like somebody else walking to the bathroom, a bag crinkling in another room, a door handle being used, ect.

I don't know if I should be getting him up at every single one of these interactions so that he can go and see that it's okay, if I should reassure him, ignore him, or what. When it's during the day, I'll let him know that whatever he's startled by is completely okay by going up to it myself, but I cant really walk into somebody else's bedroom at 2am with him to show him that it's only somebody opening their dresser to get socks when he wakes up barking.

Am I just going about this the wrong way from the start, and I should just let him figure it out himself without intervening? I just want what results in the least amount of stress for him long term.

Hello! I was wondering to those with puppies or have experience, how did you encourage puppies to be more independent with playing and that boredom is ok?

My puppy is 12 weeks old and I have a decent routine going with her. Typically it’s potty, physical play, I usually just sit next to her and let her play with her own toys or if I need to do something put her in her pen for a bit, kibble time (I use about half for training and the other half in a slow feeder or sniffle mat), then when it’s time for a nap I usually give her a stuffed Kong, lickimat, or something like that.

She recently started mat training and it’s going pretty well. This week we’re just focused on getting her to lay down on it and teaching her to stay on and only get off when I say “release.”

She also has been crate training for the last week and she’s doing pretty well.

I do sometimes worry she would always need me to be physically next to her otherwise she won’t just play with her chew toys. I make sure to switch them out and stuff. I mean shes still very young I’m not expecting this to happen soon.. but any tips you guys have found to help?

Help! I just got a corgi puppy! She is a cannon ball as she runs through our home! We play all day and that isn’t enough! I need toys, FAST!

How do I pick safe pet toys for her? What toys are not safe? Which toys do corgis like best?

I recently adopted an 11 week old lab puppy. Adorable, yes. A lot of work, yes. I live in a big city, next to the city’s main large park. It’s nice to be able to easily take my dog to a huge green space. But it’s making me seriously lose my mind how many people stop to pet my puppy. I don’t mind if we’re just standing around, but when I’m clearly trying to train a puppy or get her under control, it feels insanely rude to ask me to pet my her and start asking me questions (even worse when people don’t even ask…). I work from home, so take her out frequently between meetings. I’m already in a rush trying to get her to use the bathroom and not be distracted by squirrels, other dogs, etc., and on top of that I have at people stopping me at least 5x on each walk. It literally makes a 15 min walk a 30 min walk. Aside from it being extremely rude to my time and my puppy’s training, I worry it will stress her out always being touched, or cause her to get too excited every time she sees someone as she grows up. Has anyone else dealt with this? I don’t want to seem rude by telling people no or asking them to stop, but I also care a lot about my dog’s well-being and my personal time!