Category: Top Dog

Hi all. I'm interested in getting my first puppy. He's a 3/4 month old pitsky mix at my local shelter. Here's my question. With the holidays coming up, I've got a couple of trips planned. For thanksgiving, I plan to drive down to visit my aunt for 3 days. I figure I could take him along with me then, of course we'd take potty breaks and all. Another option is I could leave him at home and my partner could take care of him (we live together), she'll be off school and would stick to the routine I believe.
For the week of Christmas (12/21 – 12/27) both my partner and I are flying to visit family out of state. Now normally with this I would think to just wait to adopt until after the holidays, however I have 2 roommates (a couple that also have a dog) that will be staying home for Christmas. So the pup would know them and trust them and not be left with a stranger while I'm gone.

My biggest concern is routine. I am planning to establish a regular training / playtime routine with the pup so he can adjust to his new home. My roommates (I do love them) are not as strict on the routine stuff as I am and while I know they will follow the basic rules (regular timing of breakfast/dinner, crate before bed, playtime 1-2x per day) I don't think they will follow the routine as firmly as I do.

Is this a bad idea? Should I just wait until the holidays are over and either look for a different pup or adopt him even though he'll be a bit older (assuming no one else adopts him)? The last thing I want to do is cause separation anxiety in the pup or confuse him as he adjusts to his new home.

Thanks in advance for advice.

Hello. We are bringing home our eight week old micro bernedoodle puppy this weekend. The breeder said he is on the Kirkland puppy chicken & pea formula kibble. Our last dog was allergic to poultry, so I wanted to feed him something else, but is this too early to gradually switch to a different formula? Is it better to wait until he’s a little older? TIA

So my 6 and a half month puppy pulls a lot on his leash. I shifted him on a harness cause he'd start choking on the collar but not stop pulling. The harness hasn't helped with the pulling at all. Today, after watching a whole bunch on youtube videos, I tried again with the collar. He responded to corrections and treats like a champ on his day walk but when I took him out in the evening, it was back to square one. He's not interested in treats even. I'd really appreciate some help. He's a large breed dog and 20 kgs already and its getting really difficult to handle him. I'm seriously exhausted.

So my puppy, Anna, is about 5.5 months old. She’s been doing great with training since my last post about her biting.

The thing is: my boyfriend and I left her at home for a couple hours to get some shopping done this morning. Nothing was different from the other times we left her. She had a treat, she was in her crate, had her toys. Before we left, she was very playful and happy. When we came back though, she was cowering in her crate. Ears back, tail tucked, and shaking. She also peed which she hasn’t done in there since she was about 8 weeks old. She’s acting very cautious of me and my boyfriend. She still seems disoriented and it’s been about half an hour. I’ve been hand feeding her the treats she likes and she seems to not trust it??? She also seems a little shaky on her feet. I’m just worried. Any and all advice/experience/anecdotes is appreciated!

Hey everyone! I’m trying to decide what kind of kennel or crate setup to get for my Shih Tzu–Poodle mix. For now, I’ll be gone a few hours each day (except Friday and Saturday), so I want something comfortable and practical for when I’m at work.

Ideally, I’d like:

Enough room inside for them to sleep and relax comfortably.

A door I can leave open that leads to a small, enclosed area outside the kennel where they can move around, drink water, and—if needed—use the bathroom while I’m still training them.

Something sturdy and safe that keeps them confined to one space but still gives them a bit of freedom to move.

Do any of you have recommendations for kennels or crate setups that include an outdoor attachment or playpen area?

Also, what are your favorite ways to keep your dogs enriched or entertained while you’re gone? I’m planning to set up a Nest camera so I can check in on the puppy, but I’d love to hear what toys, puzzles, or routines have worked best for you.

Do you think it’s necessary to introduce babies and dogs? My MIL has two dogs (Labrador size) that are 6 and 2 years old. High energy, never been socialized with babies and barely socialized with other people. The younger dog is scared of people (barks at me whenever I try to get near it) and the older one gets jealous if she is not given attention and jumps up when people come in the house. When my baby was born I wanted to slowly introduce the dogs to my baby but nothing happened the way I hoped. We were asked to bring the baby to MIL’s house and the dogs sniffed my baby’s feet and were able to roam around freely with my baby’s there. The older dog has growled at a baby that was crawling towards it and humps her pillow when she is not getting attention. I am not experienced with dogs so what are your thoughts? My MIL wants to babysit my baby and this kind of makes me nervous.