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I 31F am currently a full time stay at home dog mom to my relatively new 7month old bichon puppy. I’ve had her since October and she’s been a blessing and surprisingly easy to train! However our ongoing concern is crate training. I’ve done some cursory research and learned that the best way to crate train is by making positive associations with the crate so that your puppy will want to go in on their own, and I’ve been doing this by making a “puzzle” out of her favorite blanket and some small treats. I’ve been folding up the blanket and sticking the treats in the different folds and she’ll go inside the crate to search for them, which is great since she likes to dig. However today I realized there may be a problem to this method unsupervised. I was sitting next to the crate playing ACNH when my puppy started barking in an agitated manner. I looked to investigate and discovered that she had worked her way into the folds of the blanket that she could not extricate herself from easily. She was struggling and panting so I quickly unwrapped her and got her settled. She’s perfectly fine now, but this is clearly not a safe way to entertain her while she’s unattended. I hate to think what would happen if I hadn’t been here!

All this to say, does anyone with more experience have some safer alternatives for this blanket search that you can leave your pup to unattended? I go back to working in one more week and I want to make sure she’s safe for the few hours neither I or my husband will be home. Any advice is appreciated!

I have a 9mos old cavapoo. I need ideas to keep her from being the wild child that she is post spay! The trazadone my vet gave us to giver 2 times a day (because she knows her too well) worked well for the 1st two days but yesterday and today she is acting like I gave her nothing and she didn’t just have surgery 2 days ago 😂 I’ve tried lick and sniffle mats and that only provides about 20min of reprieve. I have a big house an open floor plan and the rooms that I can lock her in have way too much in there for her to get into. I put her in a playpen and a crate and she starts climbing up the walls. It doesn’t help that my 3yr old dog wants to play that’s really when all hell breaks loose.

Hi everyone. I really need some support and stories from people who raised a puppy completely on their own (no partner).

I have a Havanese puppy, she just turned 3 months old. I got her when she was 10 weeks old. I’ve always dreamed of having a dog. Before getting her I read a lot, planned my life so I could stay at home (I work from home), and tried to set up a good routine and learn how to train and socialize her “the right way”.

She’s been with me for almost a month now. During the first weeks I cried almost every day. Even with all the preparation, the reality was very different. Now it’s a bit more manageable: we kind of have a routine, and in my head I understand she’s just a baby learning how to live in this world with me. In some ways she already makes me a better person. But honestly, I still get so tired and overwhelmed sometimes.

I also realized that my “old life” is gone. It’s funny to think how I imagined I could just keep my evening activities (like dance classes) and simply “fit the dog in”. In reality she can’t stay home alone for long yet, and that changes everything.

I used a pet sitter once, because I really didn’t want to miss an important event and completely disappear from my social life. When I came back, I didn’t feel guilty, I actually felt relieved and happy to see her – which maybe is a sign that this balance is possible.

I read a lot about dogs, training, schedules, etc., and sometimes it feels like I’m not doing enough, and other times like I’m doing way too much. I just can’t find that golden middle. People keep saying “enjoy the puppy stage, it goes so fast”, but honestly sometimes I just can’t wait for her to grow up a bit so life feels less intense and I can get at least some parts of my old life back.

My parents live in another country, and they’ve been very emotionally supportive – we talk more now and it actually brought us closer, which is a big positive thing. But I still cry sometimes (way less than before, but it still happens).

I’m not trying to complain or say I regret it. I fully accept the responsibility, and I already feel like she’s part of my home and family. I just really want to hear from people who also got a puppy while living alone:

• How did you cope emotionally?
• When did it start to feel easier?
• What happened to your social life?
• Were you able to go back to hobbies / classes / evenings out?
• What helped you not feel “trapped” at home all the time?

Thank you so much to anyone who reads and shares their experience 💛

Hi wonderful people! I brought home two 8-week old foster puppies and have some questions about training. I will only have them for about another week, so I’m wondering what’s the most valuable training I can do in this short time to set these pups up for success. We’re currently working on potty training with puppy pads, although it’s a little hard with two because they both want to go at the same time. They sleep in their crate together at night, so we’re sort of working on crate training but I suspect they will have a rougher time being alone in the crate when they are adopted individually. Is it worth it to work on individual crate training with them or maybe just some basics like sit? Also any guess on their breed?

What do you guys use for treats? I know I can use kibble but my large puppy eats purina pro plan and the pieces are tiny! Can I use a larger kibble for treats? I figured it would be more cost effective. I would appreciate any recommendations!

Our 8 month old ACD does amazing with structured crate naps, but is otherwise incapable of settling by himself. We really want to start transitioning him to just settling whenever he wants throughout the day so he can graduate to more freedom.

He’s a stickler for rules and has never even tried to chew anything that isn’t his, and has had free roam of half of the house since about 5 months old (he’s a Velcro dog tho so he’s usually within 10 feet of me anyways), so we think he’s finally ready!

Yesterday we didn’t enforce a nap and he just relaxed while I worked and then eventually went into the crate to sleep with the door open. In the afternoon after a long walk, he also just settled down on the floor and took an hour nap unprompted. We did have to enforce a third nap when he kept getting up to check on the cat every time she walked by, but it was a great first day!

And now on day 2, we did a walk and some play, and he is now napping away on his bed for the past two hours!

Overall I’m just so obsessed with him and how good of a dog he is, he’s completely my best friend already, and even if it’s small, these past two days help me see how much he’s grown and matured and just becoming the dog I was hoping he would ♥️

Would love to hear other stories of puppies as they mature and big wins you saw as they chilled out!

This is going to be super long and if nobody reads/responds totally understand.. just need to vent lol I’m new to Reddit and this is my first post so please be kind if this is read :,)

New dachshund puppy owner, we have had him for 3 weeks he’s about 3 months old now and OMG it has been tough. Like we did our research and knew it would be a ton of work we aren’t shocked about that it was expected, I guess it was just more than we even expected. So when he’s good, he is so lovely and a joy to be around but when he’s not…. Oh lord it is rough. He seems to be on a better schedule with me than my husband, I enforce naps more and am a bit more strict. My husband tries so hard he really does but he just does not nap when he’s with him and I don’t understand. And then I get frustrated telling him he isn’t doing enough or it’s not the “right” way and then we fight… I feel bad because he doesn’t deserve that because he is trying and I continuously tell myself that. I always get nervous because I see how puppy’s need 18-20 hours of sleep daily and I know our pup is not getting this as hard as we try. We crate train him and when we go to sleep at night he’s amazing he will basically sleep through the night and not cry and is just a great boy. But during the day…. Trying to enforce naps can be a hit or miss. We put the crate in our bedroom in the dark with the white noise machine, we use snacks, toys (calming toys) and try to make it as comfy as possible. Of course I have to literally sit with him until he falls asleep or he starts losing his MIND which in itself is sooo annoying but whatever it is what it is. But then at the same time I worry because I know they are prone to separation anxiety and the last thing I want to do is be a reason my dog does not turn out to be independent and untrainable. I constantly go back and forth with these emotions like what am I doing wrong, I am trying so hard and don’t want to screw it up or screw him up… soooo some advice and have others struggled with their pups not wanting to take their naps during the day?? Also one last thing to point out sometimes of course he is good and we’ll get him to nap but for those times it’s difficult that’s why I’m reaching out. This was very long so yeah thanks for hearing out my venting lol

Ive had my golden retriever pup since 8 weeks old. About 3 weeks ago, he had an accident in his kennel. I didn't wake up when he first whined to go out, so he peed. I still took him out and cleaned up his mess etc. The next night no accidents. The night after he whined when he needed out, but I noticed he had already peed in his kennel, and then he didn't go potty when outside the next night i set an alram for 3 am (which is when he would be whining to go out) when my alarm went off, i got up to get him, but he had already peed in his crate. To make this worse, he began drinking it.. I immediatelystopped him, got him some water to drink (because omg gross), brought him outside, and cleaned up his kennel.​

Fast forward to now, he has now adopted a behavior ​of peeing in his crate and doesn't alert when he does it, only after. Even with me setting alarms to try and stop it. It has become consistent. I've read dogs will not go where they nest, yet he has made it a routine to do so.

I've tried taking him out at different times, waking up earlier to take him out. He's even been caught "sneaking" into his kennel to pee instead of trying to go outside.

I'm having to give him several baths a week because he's non stop peeing in his kennel. Taking the kenel away is not an option, as we tried keeping him in the bathroom, but he ended up chewing on the molding of the cabinet, and I rent.

The stressful part of this is that I got my pup to be my service dog. He does well with training, and all else, but i can't et him to shake this peeing thing.

I need help ! ​

this is my first dog as an adult (I’m 36)

I am trying to find a good groomer in Houston, but they all kinda give me sketchy vibes. they all seem to also do boarding and I want to find a groomer that only does grooming.

also I don’t like how you gotta buy packages for services rather than just paying for what you want. is that the norm?

primarily I want to find a groomer that prioritizes what’s optimal for the dog. meaning don’t cut coats that shouldn’t be cut, don’t use perfumes, dont dye his hair weird colors, etc

can you guys give me some pointers?

thanks!

My dogs have little space to be in and we have no food to feed them