Category: Top Dog

Hello! I was wondering to those with puppies or have experience, how did you encourage puppies to be more independent with playing and that boredom is ok?

My puppy is 12 weeks old and I have a decent routine going with her. Typically it’s potty, physical play, I usually just sit next to her and let her play with her own toys or if I need to do something put her in her pen for a bit, kibble time (I use about half for training and the other half in a slow feeder or sniffle mat), then when it’s time for a nap I usually give her a stuffed Kong, lickimat, or something like that.

She recently started mat training and it’s going pretty well. This week we’re just focused on getting her to lay down on it and teaching her to stay on and only get off when I say “release.”

She also has been crate training for the last week and she’s doing pretty well.

I do sometimes worry she would always need me to be physically next to her otherwise she won’t just play with her chew toys. I make sure to switch them out and stuff. I mean shes still very young I’m not expecting this to happen soon.. but any tips you guys have found to help?

I've never had to take care of a pregnant dog and I dont know what to do could somebody please give me some tips on what to do while my dog is pregnant and what to do while its giving birth and what to do after please

How can you explain to someone who much your dogs mean to you? I feel like my partner doesnt understand. To him, they might just be animals, but to me, my dogs are part of my life. They are the only ones who have been there for me even before I met him, they are the ones with me if im having a bad day or if im crying or if im feeling sick, they can sense everything about me and always just show genuine love to me so that is why i am the way i am with my dogs. He doesnt have that and i wish he did so he can understand how that feels and maybe he would care more. He was lucky enough to have an animal any timehe wanted growing up and him and his family took that for granted. An animal in his eyes is just an animal they arent part of your family, he doesnt have a connection with any animal because all they did growing up was have it for a little and then get rid of it. My two dogs are the only two i have ever had and thats why i dont take it for granted.

Lately I’ve been wondering what it would be like to have a child, but it’s hard to picture a bond deeper than the one I already have with my dogs

Help! I just got a corgi puppy! She is a cannon ball as she runs through our home! We play all day and that isn’t enough! I need toys, FAST!

How do I pick safe pet toys for her? What toys are not safe? Which toys do corgis like best?

I recently adopted an 11 week old lab puppy. Adorable, yes. A lot of work, yes. I live in a big city, next to the city’s main large park. It’s nice to be able to easily take my dog to a huge green space. But it’s making me seriously lose my mind how many people stop to pet my puppy. I don’t mind if we’re just standing around, but when I’m clearly trying to train a puppy or get her under control, it feels insanely rude to ask me to pet my her and start asking me questions (even worse when people don’t even ask…). I work from home, so take her out frequently between meetings. I’m already in a rush trying to get her to use the bathroom and not be distracted by squirrels, other dogs, etc., and on top of that I have at people stopping me at least 5x on each walk. It literally makes a 15 min walk a 30 min walk. Aside from it being extremely rude to my time and my puppy’s training, I worry it will stress her out always being touched, or cause her to get too excited every time she sees someone as she grows up. Has anyone else dealt with this? I don’t want to seem rude by telling people no or asking them to stop, but I also care a lot about my dog’s well-being and my personal time!

Do I take him to the vet? He is not acting abnormally aside from licking his paws (but I think it is because there is leftover candy on them — I saw a clump of blue sour patch kid under his dewclaw). Please let me know what you would do.

Got my (we think) 3-month-old Shichi around Oct 10. He was dewormed then but couldn’t get his shots because he was only 2 lbs. On Sunday he had a check-up to see when he’d be ready for vaccines, but a few hours before that he got really lethargic and wobbly, so I rushed him to the vet.

He’s gained a pound, and his vitals looked good (no parvo or parasites), but they found low body temp and mild liver inflammation. He got another dewormer and perked up once we got home. After that visit, he actually started eating fairly normally again—about 2–3 times a day—for a couple days.

Now today he suddenly refuses everything. He’s super picky and only wants the cat food (which is now put away). Earlier he even tried to drag around a bag of chips and wanted those instead. The vet said to try baby food (ham/chicken) mixed with his wet food, which worked for a bit, but now he won’t touch wet food, dry food, or even boiled chicken. He only nibbled a few kibbles around 4 a.m. and hasn’t eaten since.

He’s on Royal Canin, but won’t eat it if it’s softened with broth or water. We have Karo syrup on hand in case his sugar drops, but I’m scared he’ll get lethargic again. I’ve tried taking food away for 10–15 minutes and offering again, but no luck.

The vet said he might just be finicky, but he’s supposed to be eating at least 3 times a day. Any tips to get a picky puppy to eat? I’m at a loss and really worried.

My 10 month old terrier mix has developed this habit of laying down in the street and staring at when she sees other dogs walking by. She lays with her head fully on the ground, playing cute and waiting for the other dog to notice or the parent to walk over. While this sounds cute and inviting (it is), when she gets in this mode there’s basically no treat or command that can get her out of it, which of course makes our walks somewhat long, and I feel like it definitely increases her anxiety, especially if the other dog doesn’t want to play.

Has anyone ever dealt with this behavior before? This is clearly a reactionary behavior that, while positive at face value, indicates that we need some more training work. I’m also worried about it coming off as aggressive (sometimes she just stares)