Category: Top Dog

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!

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.

Just need to rant a bit about a recent experience where I considered adopting a shepard-breed from a ranch rescue. First off, I believe they’re well-intentioned people. They just seem to have this ignorance when it comes to what it takes to have a dog in an urban area.

1 – They didn’t like that I don’t take dogs to the dog park.

Like, seriously?? Dog parks are probably the worst place to socialize and/or exercise a dog. The percentage of shitty dog owners at a dog park is much higher than the overall average because dog parks are a prime resource for lazy dog owners. When I said I bring my dogs to sniffspots, they had no idea what that was.

2 – They kinda freaked out when I asked if the dogs are muzzle and crate trained and insisted that type of training isn’t necessary for their dogs.

OMG…ensuring that a dog can tolerate being crated and muzzled doesn’t mean that they’re going to be locked away 23 hours a day. Muzzles and crates are safety and management tools that are sometimes needed. They become torture devices if you need to use them with a dog who has never been trained on them.

I also asked if the dogs were leash trained and they said not really because the dogs are used to just running around on the ranch.

Again…I think these are well-intentioned people but they don’t seem to realize that their dogs might be better set up for success if they learned about urban / suburban dog lifestyles and prepared their dogs to transition into them.

Worst of all, the kind of people that “match” their preferences—dog park goers who don’t train / manage their dogs—are awful dog owners (esp in a city or suburb).

Super aggravating.

I’m going to be traveling from Boston to San Diego (probably with a layover, so my dog can pee and stretch). I am moving for summer employment.

Last time I tried to fly with him, we were told that he was too big to be in the cabin. He’s 14 lbs, and fit in the carrier, but he couldn’t stand up and spin around without touching the sides of the crate.

Does anyone have advice for which airlines will be less strict about this?

My son and his wife have a 4yo male Husky who loves other dogs but because of his size no one will play with him. We have a 6 yo lab mix who is simply overwhelmed by him, although he tries 😊does anyone know of any groups of owners who get together at a dog park anywhere in the Phoenix/Glendale area?

Earlier this year my cousin came to visit and stayed the night. He fell in love with my dog, as she did with him. I was really excited for her to see him again for Thanksgiving, but when he came over she was barking incessantly at him. He does this unique whistle, so I said to do that so she'd remember him, but she didn't let up until we gave him some sweet potato to feed her. Then she calmed down. In comparison, about 15 min later more family showed up and she happily greeted them and immediate jumped into my other cousin's lap and licked the face of my 5 month old nephew (both of which that she had previously also only met once over the summer). I'm racking my brain for why she was more aggressive with the first cousin, and am wondering if it's because he stopped smoking several months ago? Maybe his smell changed so she thought he was a stranger. Could that be it?