Category: Top Dog

Hi all,

My 12 week old Rottie cross had his flea and worming treatment yesterday around midday and hasn’t been eating any of his meals since.

He seems to be his usual excited self besides this.

So I just got my first ever dog yesterday and he is 4 1/2 months old.

He is a rescue dog.

Well, turns out he is quite scared and anxious.

I leave the room and he needs to follow and starts crying.

But that is fine.

But worse… he has peed four times since I got him and every time it was at home.

I go out with him all the time. And often times he has to go but he cannot calm down outside and freaks out and just sits or lies down and cries.

He also wants to go home immediately.

I know it is silly after a day but I already feel like a failure.

Is there a way to get him to actually do it outside?

My Golden retriever puppy is 12 weeks old now and I'm struggling to figure out the day-to-day of going back to work. I'm a freelancer and I work from home so I'm fairly flexible but I can't figure out how to do it.

Ideally I'd like her to occupy herself from say 9 – 11, then potty and play/train for about half an hour and I go back to work and then lunch at 1 plus potty and play some more and sort of end up with a two hour work, half hour puppy care rhythm until end of work day.

I have a few problems with this. First she's not a big fan of her crate. She'll sleep in there without much trouble and I don't think she's anxious about it or anything but she won't just stay in there with a chew toy. She never chews on anything inside the crate and we've given her many options.

This gets me to my next point which is that we're struggling with chew toy training. Every toy we've given her we had to train her to chew on it and even then, she only chews on them if we hold them for her or else quickly loses interest and starts chewing on the rugs. Which brings me to my next point:

I do worry that my schedule would require her to be in her crate for too long anyway even if she didn't dislike being in there. She has a room that's safe with baby gates to keep her out of trouble but because the floor in our house is quite slippery for her (laminate) we put some rugs down. However if left alone in there she chews up the rugs and will definitely pee on the floor.

I feel sort of stupidly stuck with this. People have way harder schedules and they figure things out but I don't know where to start.

One of our dogs, a 4 year old standard poodle, refused to leave me tonight and it was so strange. My husband had to physically pick her up and remove her. We have an 8 month old baby and he and I sleep in one room while my husband sleeps in another temporarily. The dogs sleep with him or wherever in the house, but we keep them out of the room I sleep in so that they don’t wake the baby. Tonight he was calling the dogs to come out of my room so we could close the door and she wouldn’t budge from next to me, and then even tried to jump in bed to get closer to me and she knows she’s not allowed in bed. It was so strange. Does anyone know why this would suddenly happen? Now I’m worried that I have something medically wrong with me that she sensed somehow 😅

Basically, my partner and I brought home a second dog (7M) today, and we were told that it would take a while for this new rescue to warm up to our first doggo (5F). We gave them some time to meet and greet at the adoption event, and new doggo had some growls at some points, but after about 2 hours, they were pretty fine coexisting on the sidewalk.

Fast forward to coming home, and our first doggo is ecstatic. Not territorial at all. And this new guy is just taking it all in, following her lead with sniffing and exploring the house with her, no growls. We took their lead and let them hang out in the same room, even though we have a baby gate up and fully anticipated using it for gradual exposure and controlled "shared time." They played together great, and they continue to follow my partner and me around together.

I guess I'm wondering… Are we doing the right thing in taking their lead versus precautiously separating them? Like, could this immediate cohabitation cause any harm? We're totally new to this. I do feel like following their lead is right, but I'm just a little nervous about messing this up right off the bat.

Right now we have the Kong harness that we bought at petsmart, seems like it’s getting a bit tight and looks a little short from the top and seems like it’s starting to rub his armpit, also he runs away when putting it on so we think it’s time to get him a new one, what are some recommendations?

That's all, this is the entire post 🙂

My gorgeous girl is officially 18years old today!!

I'm a full time teacher, out the house from 7:30-3:30, my husband works from home. we live in an apartment with a fairly large outdoor space (terrace).

im dying to get a dog but im just worried with my routine – is it possible?

I've had a dog when I was growing up, but there was always someone home with him when I was in school and college so I just don't know how it would work out now.

yes my husband is supportive and would be involved with raising the dog but he really has to lock in and work during the day.

Alternatively, should I get the dog during Summer break? When i wont be working? Im hoping to adopt a rescue puppy and thinking that perhaps if I see him/her through the first 45 days of being at home then the rest will be easier?!

Please help me! any advice would be appreciated

I help people navigate international pet travel and the same issues come up constantly.

The microchip thing — Many US dogs have 9 or 10-digit chips. International standard is 15 digits (ISO 11784/11785). Customs scanners at many destinations won't read older chips. Check your chip format before you start any paperwork.

Health certificate timing — Valid for 10 days, but USDA has to endorse it first (1–3 business days). That leaves a tight window. Do the math before booking your vet appointment.

The sequence matters — A titer test done before the rabies vaccine is invalid. Import permits for Japan or Australia take weeks and need to be in hand before travel. Get the order wrong and you're redoing steps.

Give yourself 3–4 months for most of Europe, 4–6 months for Japan, UK, or Australia.

Hi guys.

Since late January, my neighbour’s dog (in the upstairs apartment) has been left outside whimpering and crying through cold winter days and nights. On top of that, the dog has been urinating onto my balcony, which is just great too (!!).

I’ve told my council about it and no action except speaking to the upstairs tenants about it, which they’ve obviously taken no care or interest to fix. Instead, when the neighbours hear that we’re recording the dog whimpering, they come outside to yell at it and rattle its cage.

It’s currently 05:18 am. I’ve tried speaking to RSPCA on multiple occasions and they’ve repeatedly said they’d only take action if I can see the dog – which I clearly can’t because it’s upstairs in a cage. I’ve called enforcement and they’ve rerouted me to RSPCA and my local council is pretty much useless.

Is there anything I could say to RSPCA to make them come over to see the dog? Any help would be greatly appreciated and welcomed!