Category: Top Dog

I love Do More With Your Dog, they have over 100 tricks for free. I’ve bonded with my dog so much. It’s super motivating. You can learn tricks, circus stunt dog, dog acting, dog photoshoots, and canine fitness. You pay to get your badges which build on one another.

My favourite tricks so far, (4 month old border collie puppy)

• flamingo (jump through arm and leg In a circle) -skateboard -“reading” cue cards with tricks -balance beam -whisper (little woof) -off leash heeling -various tricks with hula hoops -retrieve toys by name “pinkie” “cowie” “croc” etc

Practical tasks – go to bed (go in crate) – wiping paws on doormat – get your leash – go here (point) – stay (walks out of sight for 30 seconds)

It starts super easy with sit/down/stay etc. if this looks complicated, it snowballs. The more your dog learns and understands the training process, the more words the dog understands to train new tasks.

This is super good for intelligent breeds, my puppy is tired after about an hour of this whereas walking it normally takes many hours to tire him even at a young age. He doesn’t demand bark anymore because he is getting his needs met. I know not all dogs are as people pleasing as my puppy is, but I think all dogs could get to a novice level at least

Our Cavapoo who we have had 2 weeks is really hesitant about going for a walk. We live in a quiet neighborhood and I can encourage him with treats to walk. With no treats he doesn’t want to move or explore. I keep it really short, just past my neighbors house and the second we turn back he makes a run for home. Once a neighbor dog barked and this scared him to want to run back home. Are there any tips to help him enjoy going for a walk? The breeder described him as shy and although he doesn’t seem anxious he isn’t brave or bold.

Our 10-week-old golden retriever pup won't stop gnawing at the bars on her playpen. I don't really want her to be chewing on metal, and also in general I want to reinforce the idea that chewing her toys is okay, but other things are not.

I'm unsure how to communicate this to her, though. Every time she chews the playpen I say "No thank you!" kind of loud and move her away from the bars/edges. Usually I try to redirect her to another toy or chew (she has a ton of fun stuff in her playpen) but it's like no matter what I do she just keeps going back to the bars. It's kind of driving me nuts honestly.

Generally she really likes her toys and chews and is pretty good about playing with them on her own, but sometimes she just gets in these moods where she won't do anything other than go for the playpen bars. I feel like I'm spending my entire day going "No thank you!" and moving her away, ineffectively. I'm also a little worried she's starting to sense my annoyance and, as dumb as it sounds, I feel like we're both getting stressed over this back and forth all day long. And I don't even know if I'm communicating to her in a way she understands. A few times today I've resorted to giving her a timeout in her crate if she keeps doing it, but I'm guessing that's probably not the right thing to do either.

So how do I tell her "no" effectively? What do I do if redirecting doesn't work?

Obviously a yummy food treat or lick mat would trump the bars, but there comes a point where I can't give her any more food for the day.

Also just to note, she does get lots of exercise and supervised play during the day where she's out of her playpen, so it's not like she's cooped up in there all day. I'd just love to know how to get her to stick to appropriate chewing/playing during downtime after we're pretty much done with playtime for the day.

Thanks in advance 🙂

Hello! I’m a new puppy parent to a now 7 month old Cavapoo.

I’m seeing a lot on contradicting information on bones (whether to offer, what types).

Seems there is a risk of eating a shard or breaking a tooth? But dogs love bones and it seems ancestral.

What is the consensus on which ones are safe/worth the risk? (Obviously no cooked chicken bones but which are SAFE). Unrestricted access or only while I’m home? Only as an activity or for hours a day?

She deserves a way to self soothe IMO but I want her safe and healthy.

If dogs ran the world:
-Mail trucks? Gone.
-Treats? Unlimited.
-Couches? Public domain.
-Dinner? Every time you make eye contact.

What law would your dog pass first?

It’s been raining for two days. We are just making mad dashes out to relieve her. I would love to get out and walk. I could go to a mall, but she can’t. Are there any indoor places big enough to walk around with a dog?

hey so, i’ve been having some worries + probs w/ my 3mo pup

1️⃣ he just wants to BITE. like, ALL. THE. TIME. if i crouch down to hang w/ him he jumps straight at my face 💀 it’s super annoying. he literally doesn’t know how to interact w/o biting and idk what to do anymore. he’s been working w/ a really good trainer and she told me to say “no” firmly + press his tongue when he bites. i’ve been doing that but… IT. DOES. NOT. WORK. 😭 anyone else dealing w/ this?? i know it’s a puppy thing but it’s so frustrating not being able to just chill w/ him bc of the constant biting :/

2️⃣ i’ve got a cat (1yo) and a dog (5yo) and they hate him 😭 he’s been w/ us for over a month now and still ZERO interaction. during the day he stays outside, and at night he’s in a restricted room. they see him but don’t show ANY interest in getting closer—actually the opposite. my dog just barks non-stop and my cat keeps hiding + growling 😭