Category: Top Dog

We took our 1 year old lab on a woods walk today. We avoid the woods as much as possible because the ticks are just horrible but my son was at soccer and I walked the quarter mile loop behind the school.

We came out and not even 1 minute later I saw multiple ticks crawling on her. Eventually- I discovered 9 on her and 2 on me.

Now she has one embedded in a very tricky spot.

These were all SUPER tiny. Did we happen to walk through a nest?

I’m finding myself so hesitant to do more enjoyable walks with her or go to any of the conservation areas that people love to walk because of this issue.

I don’t know how to feel happy or comfortable going to these places knowing we are getting covered

I have a 8th month old German Shepard puppy who’s gotten into the habit this month of jumping to bite at hands if we’re carrying anything. She seems to be progressing backwards

She thinks whatever we’re holding is a toy for her to play with but I’m not sure how to stop this behavior. I say no and leave the room when she does it but I’ve had no luck so far.

Would really appreciate tips on what to try // do better 🙏

My great pyr mix puppy is 1 year and 21 months old. Only a few months away from adulthood and I thought we would have figured everything out now, but everytime we take a step forward, it feels like we take 2 back.

When we found her, she was 8 weeks old and almost completely feral. Adjusting her to interacting with humans was hard, but we managed and got her to a good place. Then, she was diagnosed with IBS after a long fight. She was sick off and on for the better part of a year, i was constantly rushing her to the vet, trying different foods, and missing work to care for her. But we persisted, and finally got her on the correct medication. Unfortunately, because she is so young, she can’t be on steroids forever, so when the prescription food didnt work, the vet put her on a home-cooked diet as we tapered down the medicine. Twice a day, i’ve been making her a bowl of fish, sweet potatos, and noodles. Her stomach was finally getting better and I thought we would be able to do this. Finally, she could relax and be a normal puppy.

Nope! The past week her anxiety has randomly skyrocketed. Why? I dont know. We moved last month, but it hasnt been an issue in the weeks before. I have a large ace wrap on my arm due to an injury, but she seemed okay with it since i started having to wear it. Her eating and pooping are normal, so I dont understand. It started with her obsessively licking her foot, then she got scared and hid when someone walked in our direction on the street, and then, today, she actually growled at me for the first time when I tried to move her from lifting behind her shoulders. She doesnt have any pain in them, and she’ll jump up on me by herself, but if i do it myself she got really scared and flinches like crazy. She’s never had a problem with me touching her in any way before (except for clipping her nails). We JUST played the other day where I did this and she was having a blast, but now its a big deal.

I feel like a complete failure. I make her breakfast and dinner everyday, we play often, i do multiple training sessions, and I spend time on making enriching activities for her. I do all of her grooming myself because she’s scared of new people and i take her with me on trips because I dont want her to have the stress of being with a pet sitter. I spend almost all day with her everyday. I have basically dedicated my entire life to giving her the best one she could have, and it isnt enough. How is it that she cant feel safe around me in any situation by this point? What more can i do? Why can’t we ever be normal?

I’m calling the vet when they open to explain our current situation and look into more options, but it doesnt help me feel any better. Even if we get an answer, the appointment itself is going to be stressful and frustrating.

I’m sorry about the long rant, i’m just so tired and I feel like a terrible puppy mom. I’m not mad at her, i never could be, i’m just so frustrated with the situation.

He (almost 9 months) doesn’t whine when we leave him alone, but he will whine when we are in front of him or if we are in a nearby room while he is in his closed off playpen.

When we first got him (around 4-5 months), he would whine a few times then go to sleep. Now, it is continuous whining for a while. What should we do in this scenario?

Serbian 6 week old #rottweiler puppies in Sac.

My dog Rat (17-year-old Chihuahua–Min Pin mix) went from about 60% vision to completely blind in just three days, about three weeks ago. She’s had cataracts for years but I didn't expect it to randomly progress so fast.

The vet ran full tests everything was normal except a mild collapsed trachea. They said the blindness is permanent and cataract-related.

Rat is still very active, social, and affectionate, but now she’s bumping into things, gets anxious when navigating, and seems frustrated that she can’t run to people for attention. She's always been a needy little ball of energy.

When I’m home, I carry her in a pouch as much as I can. She loves tiny bags, boxes, my sweater pocket- whatever. She's like a cat. When I’m gone, she just sleeps all day and seems miserable or bored until I get back.

I’m considering setting up a small safe space (about 10×3–12×4 ft) with her beds, kennel, and a potty area to help her feel secure when I’m not home.

Side note: Rat might be going deaf too. She's always had selective hearing though so idk…

Rat is my everything so don't you dare post anything about my dog dying. She's old but the vet said "she's in excellent condition for her age". I know something could still happen but that doesn't matter. I want to give her the best days!

Questions:

Would a smaller space help or stress her out more?

Any scent cues, toys, or enrichment ideas for blind senior dogs alone during the day?

Anything else I should monitor or adjust for her quality of life?

Thanks so much for any advice!!!

Hey guys so we’ve (me 21, mum and dad) recently got a puppy. He’s almost 6 months and was a rescue from Cyrus so had a bit of hard start. We’ve had him one week (not long I know, I’m not expecting miracles but I’ve already cried 3 times this past week so I need help 🥲). He’s got virtually no training and we’ve been focusing on positive reinforcement for going toilet outside. However, he comes back inside and within 10 minutes he pees on the floor again. I’ll take him out and he’ll do nothing and come in a pee on the floor again. He’s not started asking to go outside yet so how do I catch it and stop him peeing inside? He’s a chihuahua cross and moves so fast he’s peed before we even know it, he needs constant watching and I’m honestly so tired. I’m his main carer, dad isn’t very involved (in anything tbh lmao) and mum is sick of it already. Please any tips you have I rly need them and please be kind. We’ve had many dogs and we’ve never had this much trouble before. TIA 🩷

My dog was just peeing and rubbed her entire face into what looks like a foxtail to me but they don't seem to be prevalent in Florida. I took a picture but it seems we can't post pictures on this thread ..