Category: Top Dog

Before you freak out and call me an irresponsible plonker, one of my family members heard me mention a dog and has signed a contract on a 6 week old black labrador male already. I am basically legally bound to this dog through no fault of my own and i dont really know how to feel about it yet.

And i am shitting enough bricks for a decent cottage over it.

He is a Black Labrador (English), Kennel Club registered with good lineage, 6-7 weeks old as of today and ready to pick up nov 4th at eight weeks of age.

So far i have purchased a crate and crate bed, bowls, leashes, collars and puppy pads. Everything else is still to get. I understand he will need vaccinations, puppy classes etc and i have enough money hamstered away to cope with this.

I mainly come here to ask HOW ON EARTH do i get through the first four weeks with this dog? Are there ideal scedules? Tips? Things i need to do? I imagine he will need training which i can research and do. But is there anything that made your puppy easier?

Any help is greatly appreciated. And i am doing my own independent research on the side as well.

Thank you!!

My puppy comes home next weekend. I plan on being super careful about parvo, and have purchased puppy pads, fake grass, and plan on taking him to low traffic areas outside to potty.

However, I want him to be socialized and plan on taking him out in a sling every day before he's fully vaccinated. I was wondering how I should let him potty if say, he's in a sling at the park with people and dogs around, or at a brewery with other dogs around, and suddenly he starts squirming and needs to potty. Should I bring a travel potty pad and set that up for him? How did you all manage this? Thanks!

Hi guys,

I've been to view a lovely dog today who is almost 3. She was supposed to be a sheepdog but she's not cut out for the job so they are trying to rehome her. She's got a lovely temperament, the only issue is she is caged outside.

I'm worried about how she would adjust after spending almost three years outside to living in a home. She's smart and young so hopefully she would adapt quickly but does anyone have any experience with a similar situation?

New to the sub, sorry if this has been covered already! I have a 14 year old jack russell mix who has separation anxiety. For this reason, and just that he’s old and I don’t want us to miss out on adventures together, I want to find a way to take him with me places.

It would be awesome to have something that would allow me to take him on hikes, but also easily put him on my lap/floor when we are on the train. I’m not sure if this exists. I looked online and saw a ton of different options and I’d like to know what works for other people before making a decision.

If you have a favourite dog carrier bag for these situations please leave a suggestion! Thanks in advance!

I have an 11 month old female standard poodle who is spayed.

My dog LOVES dogs, and is very eager to play with them any chance she gets. We are learning when to leave it and when to engage, but I’ve been sick recently and haven’t been able to take her on walks, so we’ve been going to a large dog park near me for her to get her energy out.

This is my first dog so I am still learning body language, but I’ve gotten pretty good at understanding that my dog is almost always initiating play behaviors and showing submission to other dogs (tail wagging, loose/bouncy movements, give-and-take engagement). She does not growl or become stiff, and I know when she needs a break from a pushy dog when she comes to me and curls her back end in.

That being said, my dog is a little pushy with wanting to play. I have noticed that some dogs don’t readily engage with her, and will chase her/be chased by her, but also kind of bite at her neck or legs. My dog also does this, but it didn’t seem like it was in an aggressive way, and she only does it to dogs she knows well. My dog will continuously try to engage play in a dog that doesn’t seem interested, and I am worried about a dog attacking her.

So, my question is, when should I disengage her behavior and redirect her? It’s been difficult for me to tell when a dog is showing aggression since my dog doesn’t show it often, so I don’t have much experience. We haven’t ran into too many problems (other than a dumb owner letting go of the leash of a clearly aggressive dog) and overall have had good experiences at the dog park, but I would hate for something to happen or make another owner uncomfortable.

Should I be teaching her to back off? How do I do so? When is a dog showing aggression to another dog during play when it looks like they’re playing? Anything helps!

Hey guys,

My puppy doesnt mind his crate, its not his fav as he HAS to be involved in everything, usually he quiets down and sleeps within a few mins. However, this he REFUSES to sleep, even after eating his own food, if he can smell food cooking.

We dont have the luxury of moving him upstairs yet due to him still being in potty training.

The whines are heart breaking! Any tips?

My pom puppy is nearly 9 months old and since 7 months has had a tendency to randomly be very impulsive, reactive and crazy when we are out in public. I notice he struggles on buses, in cars, in cafes. Sometimes will bark on the way to the park. He seems frustrated/overstimulated. He used to be able to do these things fine, and sometimes he can if distracted with a chew. Other times he is crazy. It’s embarrassing and I cried on the bus. Lol

We have tried lots of things to try to get him used to these scenarios, but they don’t really seem to be working. Could this be him forever? Or is it a fear period… 2 months seems too long.

SOS will he calm down haha. He has not been neutered yet – can’t tell if this will help or hinder his behaviours…

We have a beautiful 10 month old Maltese mix (believed to be part dachshund) that we got from a shelter. He'd been found in an abandoned home and was with the shelter for about 2.5 months before we got him. All they know is he was abandoned. No idea of his life prior to the shelter. He has been with us for about 5 weeks now.

Overall, he's an amazing dog. Very wary of strangers and loves to play and cuddle but he also really loves hand biting.

We've tried saying "ouch" and tipping, we've tried standing up and ignoring. We've tried "no bite" nothing works. He gets distracted and goes off and then comes right back.

However, the worst is when we're doing something…could be anything. May be playing with a pull toy, maybe my wife and I are at dinner sitting at the table and out of the blue he goes into this frenzy and starts biting. First ha ds and if that doesn't work, anything on us he can grab. If we stand up, he will go for legs.

If I pick him up and hold him he'll usually calm down but may or may not go back into a frenzy or may or may not just go on biting hands.

Any tips? Thoughts? Ideas?

We love him dearly and he's been with us just over a month now.