Category: Top Dog

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

Hey 👋 I just got a puppy and I was wondering if you guys can share some useful tips that you have learned. So far I have only had older dogs which were already trained so any help would be greatly appreciated

Hello, this has probably been asked 1 million times, I have a five month puppy we’re having a ton of trouble potty training her. She’ll go to the door and sit to go to the bathroom but when we take her out for 30+ minute walks, she does nothing until we bring her inside and she immediately pees/poops on the carpet. Curious, if anybody else has had this issue/solutions anything helps.

Hello. My husband I got our first dog, a springer spaniel, 6 days ago. She is 8, almost 9, weeks old and we are currently in the crate training trenches. We have a crate that is covered and a small space appropriate for her size. Whenever she falls asleep, we put her in the crate so that way she knows that is where she sleeps and is a safe place. She does great with this during the day when we are home. The problem we are having is night. She can’t seem to be away from us without crying, whining, absolute squalling. It sounds like she is getting mauled. I don’t think it’s separation anxiety? Or maybe it is? She can be outside by herself just fine (I keep a close eye on her when she is by herself). Anyways, the breeder told us to put her in her crate, covered in a back room and let her cry is out for probably 2 nights. Me and my husband tried it and she cried nonstop for over an hour before we went in there. I feel like this would cause more damage than help? Am I right in thinking that or does the breeder have a good idea. Me and my husband have been present with the dog since we got her but we will both have to leave for our job in 3 days. My MIL can check on her mid day but I feel like I’m running out of time to prepare my pup for that. Any advice PLEASE!

Hello! I need some advice. I recently got a super sweet bernedoodle, and she has been doing great in almost all aspects of training (potty, leash, crate, etc) but my bf works from home and has been doing so at my place because she cannot be left alone. Anytime she can’t see one of us, especially while crated she loses her mind. I don’t wfh and am hoping to be able to leave her home while I work and come home for my hour lunch, but anytime I try training / practicing with her she barks so loud you can hear it from outside my apt complex. I’ve tried the following training: – walk away for short bursts and coming back – rewarding her in the crate when she is quiet – keeping her occupied with a frozen kong or chewy

So I need advice, should I continue the training and hope it eventually works, hope that her barking will settle after a bit, or something else?

Thank you all!!