Category: Top Dog

Which pet insurance is best for you? Are there any that may cover your dog's current treatment? Did your dog get injured during the waiting period and want to know if you're covered?

Here's the place to ask.

Do know we cannot help you here with medical concerns, and lying or not disclosing things to the insurance company is illegal so we don't allow that either.

Hello! I have a rescue who we’ve had from 6 months old and now he’s a teenager, he’s so much stinkier 😂 I’ve been looking for some elasticated sofa covers that are machine washable but can only find scammy/poorly reviewed ones. Any suggestions?

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.

I recently had a medical event that requires I take it p easy for a week or more. My 5mo giant-breed is already bored and turning to mischief for engagement and, in her independent nature, sees right through my ability to actually enforce the rules atm. lol

We’re typically quite active and I spend a lot of time on her training and needs but we live in a pretty small space, a cabin really, and rely on outdoor space for most training and fun. It’s very rainy this week and I can’t be on my feet for very long- I certainly couldn’t throw a ball or stick. She’s not used to this!

I have some very generous helpers but still would love any suggestions for how to get through such a low-energy time. Easy fun, short range/seated training, low prep games, especially tiring enrichment, etc. anything else you might know about such circumstances.

(we do not have a freezer in the cabin!)

Hi everyone,

I have an eight year old male husky about 80 pounds. He jumped at me today during our walk and I noticed him limping afterwards. We’re home now and he’s having trouble bearing weight on it. I am going to call my vet first thing tomorrow and bring him in.

In the meantime, should I get a trolley or cart to help move him? I’m not even sure how I’m going to put him in my car if I do have to bring him to the vet. He’s fairly heavy so picking him up is a bit more difficult for me because I’m a smaller female.

Any advice would be super helpful and appreciated.

Hi all! We are so lucky so far with our boy Milo, he’s crate trained, potty trained, does great on his walks with no pulling, and plays well with his sisters. He’s recently started teething, also losing three of his teeth so far and he’s not finishing his meals! I’ve read a few similar posts but with his breed mix he needs 5 cups a day currently and I can maybe get him to finish 2-4 cups. We took him in to the vet when he first was picked up two weeks ago and he was a tad underweight. I will say that ice chips have helped, grinding up beef liver into powder and sprinkling over kibble, as well as adding warm water to his kibble. He eats, but intermittently? He eats a little and walks away… comes back for a bite or two and repeats. But then he eventually won’t finish. Any other recommendations or just wait it out? We aren’t feeling TOO much concern considering he is normal Milo otherwise, pooping peeing eating and drinking. Just not finishing the meals. Is that okay for now?

My puppy is 24 weeks, mini Aussie. He’s been pretty destructive lately and I’m wondering what I’m doing wrong? I feel exhausted. He wasn’t like this before. (Sorry in advance, this is a lot of information and details, I just want to make sure I don’t leave anything out).

If he is outside in the backyard he starts to dig holes, tear up at the grass, bite at my clothes if I’m outside with him (I redirect to a toy or remove myself if it continues), etc. If he is inside with me while I’m wfh, he’ll be biting and chewing on things he shouldn’t like my clothes/shoes that I’m wearing, my desk, my bed frame, his crate cover, his dog food container, etc. If he is inside while I’m doing some chores in another room he behaves fine 95% of the time and will be laying down or chewing on a toy. I have cameras both indoor and outdoor, so I’m able to see all this. Whether inside or outside I provide him with toys (changed out in cycles to try to prevent boredom), chew toys, a blanket, and a bed, but he plays or lays down for 5-10 minutes before moving on to the destructive behavior. We do train “leave it” and “drop it” which he listens to 70% of the time now but then goes back to it a few minutes later. If I’m working I can’t constantly be telling him to leave it or redirecting him to a toy/chew instead. I also reward him for good calm behavior trying to work towards a place command.

For physical activity, I can only walk him once a day because he refuses to walk unless it is at night. I’ve tried morning walks as recently as three days ago and he will get 30 steps down the sidewalk before he just stops. I let him sniff, I try to lure him with treats/toys, but he will not move further. His legs are literally shaking every time we try. And yes he’s been socialized since we got him at 3 months. We still take him out and give high value treats but it doesn’t seem to help his fear. I also cannot make the one walk any longer as I am a female who lives in a not so great neighborhood, so it can be dangerous to walk at night. We go a little after the sun starts to set and get back right before it is completely dark. I try to make up for it by letting him sniff a lot during the walk and by playing with him as I outline below.

This is our typical schedule during the weekdays although not rigid. What am I doing wrong?

Wake up at 7:10am play tug/flirt pole/fetch in the backyard. Train at 7:40am using a handful of breakfast or treats. Feed at 7:45am in a slow feeder and the rest in either a puzzle toy/snuffle ball/snuffle mat. Leave him in the backyard with some toys, chew toys, etc. while I start wfh at 8am. Bring him back in at 8:45am and let him play on his own in the room with me/give him a lick mat or Kong. 9:30-12:45pm crate nap. 1pm take my lunch break and go outside with him to play and train a bit. 1:30pm I give him his lunch in either a slow feeder or a toppl while I clock back in to work. 2:15pm bring him back in and let him play on his own. Give him either a pupsicle/bullystick/kong in the room with me. 3pm-6pm crate nap. 6:25pm-6:55pm walk. 7pm dinner in slow feeder and the rest in either a toppl/puzzle toy/snuffle ball/snuffle mat. Then we do some training and a bit of light play since he just ate. 8:15pm we go back inside to the room (he does not have access to the rest of the house). I used to let him on the bed with me for a portion of this inside time and he would just lay down next to me to watch tv but the last few times he’s been looking out the window and barking like crazy so I can’t anymore. I tried closing the curtain and he will go look behind it still. I now sit on the floor for a bit to have cuddle/petting time. The rest of the time I let him be on his own, while I do some chores. 9:30pm start pre bed time routine. 10pm sleep in crate.

We will be picking up our soon-to-born puppy in January. As we will be covered in snow at that point, this decision can be deferred a while. Do dog septic tanks work? Bagging and tossing poop isn't a great solution. Poop should ideally go through a sewage treatment. This seems like a much better solution: you use a bagless pooper scooper, and empty the contents into the tank you buried.