Category: Top Dog

I have a Boston terrier and he is usually very calm and quiet, but lately he has been scratching his right ear a lot, and I very worried about him.

I have a wonderful dog I love very much. Her background is she was a street dog or bush dog for 4-6 years, then she got picked up and sent to the pound, and I adopted her.

She has her quirks, like she's terrified of the wind and thunder storms and loud noises. But it's just her and I living together and I accommodate for her in every way I can think.

She has a big dog door she can go in and out of, since I got her 5 years ago. She has no issues with it.

10 months ago we moved interstate. I now live in a much colder climate, versus the hot climate where she's from.

The issue is that she's choosing to sit outside, in the dirt, under some trees in the back yard until it's bed time (when she comes to sleep either on my bed or next to my bed on her bed) – which is great during the day or on a clear evening. But she's also choosing to lay out there when it's 4 degrees Celsius and/or when it's pouring with rain.

I worry about her out there, freezing cold and soaking wet! When I call her, she doesn't come. When I put fresh or roast chicken under her nose, she doesn't come. The only thing I can do is put her lead on her and then she obediently (and reluctantly – head down and trembling) walks back into the house with me.

At first I thought it was because of the wind, and she felt safer outside where she was familiar with the noises versus inside where she may be able to hear windows rattling.

But now she's doing it when it's definitely not windy.

She also seems to be afraid of my kitchen. She hesitates coming up the stairs to the kitchen from outside, and she runs through it quickly to get to elsewhere in the house. I wonder if it's because a door has slammed once in the wind and it's spooked her?

I've taken her to the vet for a full checkup and bloods and they've said there's nothing wrong that they can see.

Why do you think this is? How can I give her her space, but also ensure she doesn't get sick? Any help would be appreciated!

Hello, my 7mo Bichon puppy is afraid of the elevator. Specifically, she is afraid of the threshold, so to speak. Once she's insidey everything is fine. I kind of get it, because it's just a big, gaping hole in the floor and if I'm not careful, the doors will close on their own while she's still standing in front of them, sniffing skeptically.

I began by carrying her into the elevator and rewarding once we've gotten inside. Then I took it a step further, and this is where I'm stuck. For the past couple of months, I've been using high-value treats and lots of praise to try to get her to jump across the threshold, onto my lap. In the beginning, I was sitting right on the threshold, and I have increased the distance further and further each time.

For the last 2-3 months, we've hit a plateau. Once I'm sitting inside in a way that doesn't cover the big hole, she refuses to jump on my lap. She starts backing away, shaking her head, barking and just generally seems very frustrated. Increasing the value of her treats doesn't seem to do much, it only riles her up more. She doesn't mind carefully sniffing the doors and the threshold and eating treats off it (as long as they're located on "her" side of the hole)

I am wondering if I am approaching this in the wrong way and if there is something else I could try to increase her confidence about the elevator? Has anyone made similar experiences?

Hey everyone. Me and the fam just adopted a 7-8 month old puppy from the humane society 5 days ago. Shes a small Pitt mix. Not my first bully, or dog.

Shes having a rough time, don’t blame her. We have to crate train and she does well at night, not so well during the day. I come home at lunch and let her out and play with her. We’re seeing how she does out of the crate tonight to relieve some of the tension of being crated all day.

I’m having reservations. I mean, my stomach hurts. Constantly. She’s aggressive with my cats, and I hate seeing them miserable. I’ve fostered and I’ve had dogs before but this one is getting to me bad. Need some help if I can get some feedback:

• How do you gate in a dog that is like a little antelope? Looking for options outside of the crate to learn to trust her.

• did your puppy finally get along with cats?

• am I ever going to feel like I’m not going to implode? I thought an older puppy would be easier but I skipped straight to the terrible teens ffs.

I’m trying to get more info to help me out from the rescue and the previous foster. I’m pissed they didn’t cat test appropriately and worried.

heya I have a Greyhound x Saluki, Sid, Male

Sid's about 2 years old, he went through 3 homes before me and my husband, he was 8 months old when we got him.

I've been home with Sid for his whole time with us, I try to not pay him lots of attention in the day.

But now I have a new job in a setting where I have to leave the house, so I'm not around Sid. How do I try to help Sid to not loose his mind, he was okay yesterday but today flipped out for 2 hours non-stop when I left and even then he wasn't happy.

He seems completely fine when me and the husband goes out, Sid & our other dog goes to sleep.
So I'm confused why Sid is acting like that – he is clingy to me sometimes though. But my husband's home.

I don't make a fuss when I leave. I just walk out the door but to get out of my house, I have to go through the backdoor and either around to the side gate, which I have to pass our windows where Sid like to look out off or to the end of the path and out the gate (the front doesn't have a fence so its dangerous)

My puppy (13 week old golden retriever) is learning how to like her crate. She is good in there when she’s sleeping or has an enrichment toy. The other night she slept for 5 hours straight without waking me up to potty which is good for her. That just leads me to wonder, how long can I leave her in the crate during the day? Usually her daytime naps last 1-2 hours, and as soon as she wakes up she needs to pee.

I’m assuming i need to wait until she’s a bit older to leave her in there for longer than 2 hours. I don’t want to freak her out, nor do I want her to pee in the crate. When they get older will they be able to just wake up and settle themselves back to sleep again if they’re left in there for longer periods of time?

My maltipoo puppy is 4 months now and we’ve had him for a month now. I’ve been feeling so anxious, frustrated, and overwhelmed lately. Sometimes I wonder if this was even a good decision? Should I send him back? It’s so much work and sacrifice taking care of a puppy. I thought I was ready for it but now that we’re actually going through it, it’s HARD. When does it get better?

We love him so much and he’s been doing good at commands like sit, paw, and stay. But he’s always high energy and has random accidents around the house despite going on the wee pad 80% of the time. We know this phase will pass but omg it’s so much work.

My cattle dog (idk if breed is important but she's a cattle dog shepherd mix) started her heat cycle a few weeks ago. Maybe 2ish. She isn't bleeding anymore or at least not a noticeable amount. How do I know when her cycle is done? Ive never owned a female dog before so I'm kinda new here

Our 7mo standard goldendoodle (42lbs) attacked our 8yo daughter in the yard. It was bad. He was playing fetch off leash. She came running out to join us. He went into full on prey drive and relentlessly bit her. She has gashes on her back and her arm. I was able to pull him off and get him to his crate. I am at my wits end. He has been a very difficult puppy when it comes to biting. I’d never seen him get this aggressive before though. I am concerned for my kids’ safety. How do I curb this behavior? He is crated unless he’s being directly supervised by me. Unfortunately he was still able to do a lot of damage in the 30 or so seconds it took me to pull him off her. I’m worried we won’t be able to trust him.