Category: Top Dog

My mum has a 10lb, 4yr old papillon. We live in Canada so it gets quite cold. He has an entire wardrobe of winter clothes (far more than we do!) as my mum keeps trying new things to try and keep him warm. Generally the advice for our area is put a coat on them when it gets to 5°c but he starts shivering when it's 10°c. She's tried layering coats with thermal under layers, completely covering him so only his face and junk sticks out, boots that go all the way up his legs, socks inside the boots, coats rated for like -20°c etc.

He has a stroller for longer trips (he has a luxating patella so he can't do long walks) which she has kitted out with mylar lining, hot water bottle, electric hand warmers vinyl cover so there's no wind and this dog is still freezing. We've literally tried everything at this point and nothing keeps him warm. Basically he doesn't go anywhere from fall to spring, only to run outside to quickly use the bathroom and he still shivers so much he can hardly go. The vet has no clue, it's not medical in nature so they can't help.

I would like to start taking her to different areas, but I live in a village and would need to take a long commute in order to even reach that. Im assuming she would sleep in the vehicles as shes a small dog whos used to her bag whenever i take her on quick errands with me, but I was wondering if the lenght of the trip would be too much for her just yet as shes only over 4 months old. I was thinking max a few hours of being in the actual area, but Im not sure if its too much for a puppy.

I very rarely go for a nap these days. I struggle a lot with sleep, and have been having a bad phase for the last few weeks.

Literally every single time I have decided to have a nap, since we brought him home in May, my lab puppy has done a low grade whine pretty much constantly.

Sometimes he does want a toilet. But tonight, I have been on my sofa for 2 hours, and I haven't managed to get any nap time. I let him out just before the first hour was up, and then half an hour later, he starts up again – this time wanting fed. He doesn't ever want to go out within an hour of being fed on an evening. But he does tonight.

I am feeling very frustrated today. My husband naps literally every single day, but I do not get the same luxury – despite probably needing it more. I could have asked him to nap on the sofa, but that would have made me feel bad.

Hi all, I have an almost 9 week old puppy. I can tell when he's really overtired because he starts to bite everything and air chomp and be 100% off the wall. Earlier he bit me pretty hard and I marked it with a stern no and then showed him his toy to redirect him. From there I quickly realized that he was needing a nap, so I put him in his kennel and sat down with him. I turned off all the lights and blacked out the room I put calming music on for him and I sat with him until he fell asleep do you think he will associate that with a punishment? I made sure not to put him in right away for biting. To hopefully avoid him associating the bite and the kennel as a punishment. I hear they are very in the moment creatures. So hopefully I gave enough time in between.

I love hiking with dogs that love the outdoors. My boy is a 3yr old border collie/mini poodle mix that turns into a wolf in the woods. 100% recall and great with other dogs.

NJ/NY/Eastern PA area only. DM me if interested!

Okay to try to make a long story short, my younger siblings saw some puppies get dropped off on the middle of the night in early November, with the help of all the neighbors, they were able to find them homes, my partner & I were in the market for a puppy, so they kept one for us.

They kept him for the first week, kept an eye on him, and bottle fed him since they knew he was young. They scheduled an appointment but couldn’t get him in until the 20th. We took him home after the first week.

We go to the appointment & find out there was some miscommunication & that he can’t be seen that day, but one of the nurses takes a Quick Look & tells us she’s assuming 8-10 weeks, & a boxer pit mix. We reschedule an appointment for the 24th, & the vet tells us that he thinks he’s actually only 6 weeks old, & gives him his first rounds of shots.

Anyways, hes an amazing pup, he’s great with kids, babies, elderly people, & plays with our cats& our elderly dog too. I feel like he has brought new life to our home & it’s amazing.

That being said though, we have no idea how to start training him with him being so young. We’ve never had a puppy this young, & never even had to train a puppy before, we’ve decided to crate train, & as of right now he eats most of his meals in there & he does sleep in there, so I think we’re on the right track.

I think our main fear is parvo, & how to potty train him. We’ve watched tons of videos & read a bunch too so we understand the basics, but most of these rules are aimed towards older dogs. Is 6 weeks too young to be going outside due to risk of parvo? Is it too young to be trained? It’s 30 degrees outside now, is it too cold for such a young puppy with thin fur? How do we go about potty training if so? With him being taken away from his mother so young, we’re trying to stay on top of everything & do everything right, any help or advice is appreciated! Thanks!

Apologies if this isn’t the most appropriate sub. Please let me know if there is a better place.

This is new for me

I’m working a Pyrenees mix who is part pet and part livestock guardian (I know. Not my executive decision)

She’s a good girl. Intact. Through her first heat. Great with her livestock. Great indoors (considering)

My job was to make her confidant with men in the house.

The only issue is that she it’s fixated on ME (f)

I’ve tried all the basics. Toy, treat and owner distraction.

Nothing works

I’m a former professional trainer so this isn’t novice behaviour

Ideas?

I’ve got a 6yo staffie mix who’s super sweet but pretty anxious and notorious for getting into things when I’m not home. She used to be crate trained when my roommate first adopted her at 3 (I now have full ownership🧡) but for the last couple of years she’s been free roaming. I work from home and rarely leave her alone for more than 4 hours at a time.

Any time I leave, I fully dog-proof the house (zip-tying cabinets, taking out all trash, closing doors). Before I got the routine down, we had a few scary emergency vet trips from her getting into things she shouldn’t. She also has trazodone for anxiety, which I only use when I really need to. I’m cool with doing all of this so she can hang on the couch and be comfy while I’m gone.

I’m realizing though that I get anxious leaving for errands or plans, and every time I come home I brace for what I might find. I’m starting to wonder if going back to a crate might actually be better, but I feel really torn because I don’t want to make her life worse just for my convenience. I love her to death I just want her to be comfy and safe and to also be ok with me leaving the house occasionally.

So my question – Do some dogs actually like having a crate as a safe space? Has anyone used a crate to help an anxious dog? I’d love to hear what worked (or didn’t) for you. Should I just shut up and deal lol