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Like when I’m trying to teach her my having treats in one hand and closing my fist like the YouTube video told me to and the video said to wait until the dog looks at you to give a treat but the thing is my dog doesn’t look at me

So we got a 6 week old lab/pit mix from the animal shelter. Obviously way too young to be taken from his mom but he was there and we took him in. We have a 3 year old girl who is our soul dog. The first week I bawled my eyes out almost every night and seriously considered taking him back because we felt like we messed up our big girl’s life. We were so unprepared for everything that comes with a tiny puppy that young. (We got our older dog when she was 3 months old)

He growled, he barked, he bit, he charged. He terrorized our older girl constantly. He peed everywhere. He pooped everywhere. The first month with him was an absolute nightmare. Absolutely no retention of training besides some basic commands (sit, stay, come)

Fast forward to him now being 3 months old. All the hard work we put in over the past 6 weeks has paid off. We finally had our first “no accident inside” day. Our older dog was a pushover so we worked hard to create boundaries: separate play time, monitored play time together, intervention when he was too rough. They now choose to play with toys together without him barking and growling.

I guess I’m posting this for those that have older dogs and little puppies and are stressed about a healthy relationship. If you put the effort and training and attention in, it will work out. I know he has the adolescent stage ahead, but we finally got over the serious puppy blues slump and I promise: it really really does get better.

I’m getting my German shepherd puppy soon and this is a schedule I’ve put together. My puppy is going to have a large playpen with a crate, water, safe toys, and fresh patch until 4-5 months when he can comfortably hold his bladder for more than 4 hours or so. I work M-F so this will be his schedule for weekdays. Weekends will involve long walks/adventures/public trainings/socialization classes etc.

My husband’s work schedule varies, so he will be home sometimes as well. Puppy is my responsibility because my husband isn’t a big fan lol but he will help me out if needed. I would love any feedback! I will also wake up earlier as time goes on and puppy needs longer walks in the AM as time goes on :).

Pre vaccine schedule (8-16 weeks old)

6:00AM: wake up; take out of crate, use potty (fresh patch in playpen), feed breakfast

6:10AM-6:25AM: personal hygiene, get dressed

6:25AM-6:40AM: mental stimulation; training, and lick mat

before I leave home

Leave home: 6:40AM-11:05AM

Come home 11:05AM-11:20AM; give frozen Lunch

Leave house 11:20AM-3PM (may come home at 1:30PM-1:40PM before gym if needed)

3:00PM: Outdoor walk with stroller/lowes training (depends on day)

4:15PM: Shower/cook/clean etc.

6:30PM:Train/puzzle with dinner

7:30PM-8:30PM Play/train/stimulation/lickmat

Puppy bedtime (crate) 9PM

After 16 weeks (or fully vaccinated)

5:45AM: Wake up,take out of crate, use potty (fresh patch on patio), feed breakfast

5:55AM-6:15AM: Get ready personal hygiene, get dressed

6:20AM-6:40AM: Relaxed walk/some training/ fetch,lick mat before I leave house

Leave home: 6:40AM-11:05AM

11:05AM-11:20AM: Come home; outdoor break; potty/fetch, give lunch (frozen or puzzle)

11:20AM-3:00PM: leave home

3:00PM until whenever: Outdoor walk/training/fetch etc.

Whenever home -6PM: Shower/cook/clean etc

7:30PM:Train with dinner/ lick mat before crate time

Puppy bedtime (crate) 10/11pm (whenever I go to sleep)

I am looking for advice on my new puppy. He is doing okay with the basics. He uses his pee pad and goes into his crate as long as I am standing right next to him.

The second I leave the room he is in or head out of the apartment, the crying starts. I live in a tiny Bay Area apartment so I am trying to keep a strict layout: he eats and plays in the living room pen with lockable dog door; he sleeps in the bedroom crate; and he potties on the pad by the front door. I’m also trying to get him used to the travel bag since we’ll be flying in a couple months.

I have been using treats to lure him to these three spots but I think it backfired. He figured out that the treats are just a trick to get him where I want him. To top it off he is extremely sensitive to noise. Even opening a window or running the laundry seems to scare him. His attention span is very short. Sit command is not consistent and he does not even know his name yet.

How do I restart training without him feeling like he is being tricked? Does anyone have tips for separation anxiety and noise sensitivity in a small space?

I have a 5 month old puppy who loves eating everything on the ground. I’ve taken so many trips to the vet due to that.

I want to begin off leash training for him but I’m worried that he will eat something when I’m not there so the trainer we go to suggested getting him a muzzle until he grows out of eating everything. If any of yall use muzzles which one do you use? Any other advice will be greatly appreciated!

I just got an 8-week-old chocolate lab puppy! I work from home, so I’m able to take him out frequently and he’s rarely alone during the day.

Right now he sleeps a lot (obviously), but the second I’m in a meeting is when he decides he needs attention 😂

I’m looking for toys or enrichment ideas that will actually keep him occupied for more than a few minutes. He loved the Playology raccoon for a bit, but got bored of it pretty quickly (and my older lab destroyed it anyway).

What has worked for you guys especially for labs or high energy puppies? Open to anything: toys, chews, DIY ideas, etc!!!

** Bonus points if it’s something I can use during meetings and doesn’t require constant supervision! **

My puppy is a year old and we’ve had him since he was 14 weeks old. From the get go, he was already an anxious dog— peeing out of fear, shaking whenever anyone would hold him, and excessive drooling and shaking during car rides. He has always been a very timid dog and I’ve just accepted it.

Recently we had him stay at his trainers house for 2 weeks for a board and train due to his destructive behavior, stubbornness, and persistent potty accidents inside the house. He came home perfectly trained and I was pleasantly surprised. However, to maintain what he has learned, the trainer insists that I establish the same schedule my pup had at the trainer’s at home, and this included crating him at home. At the trainers, he was perfectly crate trained but when we transitioned to establishing crate training at home, it has been a handful.

I crate him from 8 AM – 5 PM with potty and play breaks every 3-4 hours. With this however, I’ve noticed he has become extremely anxious inside his crate. He is panting excessively, refusing food and water when the crate door is closed, biting and yanking the gate, and just destroying everything inside. He doesn’t sleep or take naps in his crate either. When I do let him out, I notice that he drinks A LOT of water and has accidents in the house because of how much water he’s drank. The accidents are in the middle of the night or when I’m not looking and this concerns me because he has never woken up from his sleep to potty INSIDE the room before. At night, he sleeps with me on the bed and I’ve noticed since crating him, he’s become really lethargic during bed time. I don’t know what to do!

I’ve been consistently positively reinforcing his relationship with the crate by feeding him inside with the door open. I throw treats inside and he’s able to go in and out without a problem. He is able to stay occupied and calm in his crate when I’m around. However, the minute I close the gate and leave, his destructive and anxious behavior starts to happen. Most of the time I’m seeing this through my doggy camera I have that is facing his crate.

I am a pretty anxious and helicopter pet parent and I only want what is best for my boy. But crating him is the safest thing for him because without it, he’d be chewing, peeing, and pooping on everything. I’m hoping that crate training him will lead to him being fully house trained but with how things are going, I don’t know what to do anymore. It kills me to see him so anxious in his crate and just feeling not like himself. It’s only been a week with this schedule at home, should I see it through? Please, I’m open to any solutions or tips. He’s starting to concern me with his excessive thirst, potty accidents, and excessive panting…

sadie is a 6 month (omg i can’t believe she’s 6 months already) old english cocker spaniel. she’s crazy and loving and all the things a puppy is. she’s crazy bitey, has accidents sometimes still, ya know the normal puppy behavior.

HOWEVER. i live in an apartment and we brought sadie home dec 2025 so she’s had a solid 3 months to get used to the apartment and surroundings outside. now it’s march 2026 and our apartment just put down fresh pine straw and it’s all fluffy and not what she’s used to. i’ve noticed in maybe the past few days or so, she isn’t pooping as easily outside and comes inside and immediately poops in the house even after being outside for like 10-15 mins. is it because of the pine straw or am i crazy? could be the teenage phase creeping in where shes testing her boundaries or maybe she just isn’t as fully potty trained as i thought. but am i making excuses for her by saying “oh she’ll grow out of it and be used to the new pine straw in a week or so” or am i crazy lol