Category: Top Dog

Flair is not that accurate, just a behavior question, on one hand I feel like she likes me, she gets excited when I come around, lays on my clothing close to me, has frequently laid back facing toward me and enjoys when I do the things she likes. On the same token, she seems to stop moving when I pet her, doesn’t always follow my hand and sometimes just seems generally uncooperative, as if she’s more interested in what I can bring than me on my own. I will admit she hasn’t had a perfect life, her previous owners treated her badly, and I didn’t have a lot of knowledge on how to care for her in her first year other than that she needed food, water, toys and walks. I want to do better but I need to know where to go from here?

TLDR; my dog seems to like me, then she seems indifferent. Any way to cement the bond? Her life didn’t start perfectly but I am working on her now. Questions are allowed. 🙂

My 12 week old puppy (crate trained) refuses to poop outside regardless of how often or how long we go outside. She’s pretty great with peeing but pooping is a different story. We clean any accident throughly with nature’s miracle to minimize any odors (and let it soak in).We just brought her home so she’s a little older than normal so that may have something to do with it. We just never went though this (at least to this extent) with our other dogs. WAlso she hates the cold so even when it’s relatively warm (45-50) she’s trying to run back in and shivering.

Post neuter for my 9 month old lab pit has been so hard. Nothing will stop him from licking his incision, he gets extremely bitey when I try to button or un button a surgical suit. He also grew out of his biting phase so this not normal behavior for him now. It’s like his behavior has reverted to being a 3 month old puppy.

Now he has a post neuter hematoma which I was told could take weeks to go away 😫. He won’t let me ice it, we have been able to keep activity at a minimum but I’m dreading having to keep him this way for longer. Has anyone experienced this and how long did it last?

So 2 weeks ago on wednesday we adopted a little 9 week old, male, Labrador Retriever from a rescue. The father was unknown but they guessed the mom was a labrador based off of her looks. Some of my little mans (Named Cruz BTW) siblings had bright blue eyes, had blonde, brown and black colors all in one pup, and so I assume both the mom and dad were super mixed and so we really don't know how he'll grow up to look. We got him Purina Pro Puppy Plan food (I think the names slightly different but its fine) in the large breed. Hes been taking the food for 2 weeks and hasn't gained too much unhealthy weight, hes grown well, we've taken him to the vet once but he did have kennel cough so they couldn't give him any vaccines instead gave him medicine which has now fully stopped his cough (yay!). We have a vets appointment on the 31st for his vaccines he was supposed to get before at Banfield Pet Hospital which we are contemplating getting the puppy plan for preventative care because hey vaccines and stuff are expensive. I was encouraging my mom to get injury and illness protection from Spot insurance specifically but since its kind of expensive (its not bad she's just a bit of a miser) . Im worried he'll get injured and we'll have to pay a lot lot. Anyways whenever he goes out he feels the need to eat everything. I've kinda given up on telling him no and just letting him figure out that leaves and dirt don't taste good. But of course things like porch lights or cigarette buds I always take away. He has treats like milkbones but also takes a dental chew, daily vitamins, and teething sticks along with 3 meals a day. And my mom loves to spoil and feed him with baby food, peanut butten, carrots, apples, milk, all at a specific small dosage btw. He plays a lot, sleeps a lot, he's started being slightly aggressive with biting but Im sure its just the teething and we make sure to redirect and tell him no. I don't find it a huge deal because its not super constant. He sleeps a lot too. He's started getting into the habit of sleeping while im doing school (im homeschooled) and he just sleeps on my lap infact he is sleeping right now on me while writing this. The only issue is his potty training we do use pee pads and take him outside once an hour (or we try..) and reward him when he goes outside or on pee pads but he does commonly have accidents. Also TMI maybe but in his poop he commonly has hair making it get stuck making it very uncomfortable for him and taking quite a bit of time. Its like a single strand too so no clumps. I don't know where this little man finds a bunch of hair since this has happened so many times. He is also scared on unfamiliar areas outside and we haven't left him alone at home for any amount of time so im already suspecting a bit of anxiety towards that. Anyways heres an old pic of Cruz – https://www.petfinder.com/dog/haphazard-78598957/sc/rock-hill/halfway-there-rescue-sc396/ taken by his rescue, super nice people. And now you basically know my situation so please let me know anything I can do better or should stop doing. <3 edit – he has lick mats, snuffle mats, and kongs also he has a crate sometime when hes being too rowdy we have to put him in while working, cooking, etc. but he whines just a bit then ends up falling asleep.

Hi I have a 4 month old pup! She is teething and chewing everything, so I've been letting her have natural chews (mainly pig ears). I'm just looking for general advice/insights!

Are there any specific animal parts/natural chews to avoid for puppies, or to avoid in general?

Where is a good place to buy from? I'm in the UK. My local independent pet shop has a pick and mix of all these kind of things but they are quite pricey!

Is there a limit to how many they can have a week? Can they be bad for digestion especially as a puppy?

A pig ear generally lasts her a day or two, she doesn't actually eat any of it until she's spent hours softening it, and I obviously supervise!

Any advice or tips welcome! Just want to make sure my girl is safe and healthy!

I am getting a puppy soon and have read a few books now on crate training etc. I'm trying to understand a few things.

1. In e.g. "The Puppy Primer", she says that in the beginning, your puppy should be in the crate whenever you are not playing with it or able to give it your 100% full attention (i.e. washing dishes and glancing at your pup from time to time doesn't count). Does that mean that the puppy will be hanging out in its crate most of the day (obv you take it out every few hours for potty and/or playtime)? Based on this sample schedule "Example schedule for puppies for those who work from home" here (https://www.keendogtraining.com/blog/daily-schedules-for-your-dog), it does look like it, but i wanted to check?

2. I keep reading that when crate training, you shouldn't put the puppy in the crate. You entice it with treats, and feed it the first few meals there etc until it *wants* to go in the crate.

What I'm trying to understand then is, if you are supposed to keep the puppy in the crate but it has not been crate trained yet because you just brought it home, then what do you do? You cant put it in the crate… but you cant leave it out of the crate, lol.

Followup question, if the puppy is not willingly entering the crate on its own, you are not supposed to push it. What happens if several hours later, when it is the first night, and the puppy still isn't going into the crate on its own? You can just leave the puppy out and wild on night one. So then what?

Hey guys! I have a problem and I'm in need of an advice. I have a 7week old puppy and I don't know how to deal with snapping. Most of the time he's a good boy, but usually when he's overstimulated, tired or does not get his way – he starts snapping (not just nipping, but growling, biting with full on tantrum). How do I deal with him during these tantrums?