Blog

  • barkbox subscription worth it for dogs who destroy toys instantly

    my dog destroys toys in like 10 minutes. literally every toy. im spending $30-40 a month on toys at petsmart that last less than a week.

    everyone keeps telling me to get barkbox but its $30+ per month. seems expensive for a box of toys my dog will destroy immediately?

    do the toys actually last longer or am i just paying for cute packaging and instagram content lol

    also the treats – are they actually good quality or generic stuff i could buy cheaper at the store

    genuinely trying to figure out if its worth it or if im better off just buying tough toys in bulk from amazon

    submitted by /u/someone77155
    [link] [comments]

    Source

  • Reactivity

    Hi, I have been training my dogs, dog reactivity ( he’s a mix of excitement and nerves depending on the situation) but I’m at a bit of a stand still with it and I’m unsure how to proceed. Currently if we are in a busy park, passing lots of dogs and people, he’s pretty good, will be very focused, or if he’s not he will respond fast to verbal cues or refocus words. He maintains a loose leash and walks next to me when asked. Which is all great, but we don’t go to those places very often, most busy areas are far away and not super accessible, as in i probably can’t go more than once a week, so not very helpful for our day to day life. Our walks are usually at the local park, with paths, open fields and play grounds. Unfortunately these places are not busy very often. Quite a few people will pass through during the day, but I don’t often see many dogs, and if I do they are off leash so we can’t get to close, other wise we might encourage the dog to come over, which I don’t want. He’s is way more reactive at these types of parks, since we will only pass or see a dog maybe once of twice the whole hour walk. This makes it very difficult to train him to not pull towards other dogs. I really want him to be able to disengage and walk past other dogs. But with a lack of dogs to practice with it’s getting pretty tough. The training we do at those busier parks doesn’t seam to transfuse over to the quieter parks with just a dog or two passing. Group sessions with other dogs, or having someone’s dog set up to walk past also doesn’t aid our progress. We go to weekly rally OB training nights, he’s around 10+ dogs and doesn’t react and usually doesn’t try to pull towards other dogs there. But even after half a year of that, he still can’t walk past a dog at the park. Set up dogs also don’t phase him, he might be a little pully for a minute, but settles down and does beautiful. So with that knowledge of his behavior I feel it would be very impractical to use other known dogs to help his training as I would need to get about 5 different people each walk to be set up around the park to make any real difference 😭😅

    I’m genuinely lost and unsure what to do. I just want to be able to walk past another dog without him pulling like crazy to reach it. 🙁

    submitted by /u/Crafty-Cranberry-454
    [link] [comments]

    Source

  • STSK9’s MVP program alternatives? certified trainer wanting to sharpen skills and have fun

    hey guys! so quick backstory, i’m already a certified ff trainer, still pretty early in my journey but not totally green either. i’ve been eyeing stsk9’s mvp program for a while now. part of it is because i’m still working through some stuff with my own dog, and part of it is just that the content looks fun and up my alley… even if the price tag hurts a little.

    i’ve seen pretty mixed reviews online from my brief research, as well as some good ones from people that HAVE done it, but I'm still a tad iffy about it. so before i drop that kind of money i figured i’d ask here. are there any solid alternatives that are just as comprehensive? i’m looking for something that covers drive building and redirecting, relationship and engagement work, behavioral issue stuff, the flashy fun obedience like clean heels and that polished, quick response look, and just general improvement as a dog handler.

    it would be great if it included an actual community and real feedback from the trainer, not just a fully self-paced theory dump. i’m looking for something interactive and structured, not just videos to binge.

    would love to hear your thoughts or experiences and recs, either from your own personal experience or otherwise💛

    submitted by /u/rtnabrx
    [link] [comments]

    Source

  • Training a dog to get used to loud environments?

    Hey all! Looking at adopting a lab. I have experience with dogs but this will be my first that would live with just me at home. I'm more than ready for the challenges of training and caring for a pup, and they bring me great joy. I have enough space for one, a dog park at the apartment complex, free time during the day (I am home most workdays)

    My issue is that I work in auto racing. It would mean a lot to be able to take the dog to the track and work with me on weekends. Certainty won't be the only pup at the track but I'd like to make sure that I can get them adjusted to car noises (with hearing protection!) such that I'm not scaring or hurting the poor thing. A "track dog" would be great as I mostly work indoor (media center/motorhome/race control) and could take care of them during the day without having to shelter or hire a dog sitter for 12-15 weekends a year. With that frequency and 8-16hour days at the track, as you can imagine it's pretty important.

    There are many dogs who are track dogs in every series/track. I'm wondering if any of you have experience in getting a young pup adjusted to the sounds and training them to be comfortable in an environment similar? Best practices? Will some dogs just naturally never be able to have it "trained out of them?" Good products to help? I don't want to adopt only to give a dog up because they can't mesh with my work schedule, as that wouldn't be fair to them.

    submitted by /u/Totschlag
    [link] [comments]

    Source

  • Newly Adopted Dog sits at end of walks and refuses to move

    My wife and I adopted a 2 year old Pyrenees mix about 1.5 weeks ago named Tank. He is such a good dog, so sweet and kind. He’s well house trained. He pulls some on walks, which we are working on and may do some training sessions with an actual trainer. A few days ago though Tank would sit at the end of walks and refuse to come in our apartment building. We could coax him at first with positive energy, then had to use treats, and now cheese. We do not give him anything until he is in our actual apartment. When he sits though, sometimes he refuses to move and I’m worried he won’t respond to cheese soon. Especially when he walks with my wife, I don’t know what to do to get him in the building. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

    submitted by /u/katm06
    [link] [comments]

    Source

  • Can I have a peaceful household with a dog and cats?

    Has anyone been able to train their dog to not completely lose its mind with cats around? We adopted a 10 month old puppy 3 months ago, and while we have figured some things out, one of the biggest headaches still remains, and that is having him live with indoor/outdoor cats. Our other dog never paid attention to them, but he loses every ounce of control when he sees them. I've had to make our upstairs their save space, but they're not used to not coming in and out.

    If I carry them outside (they all started as outdoor cats), he barks to a degree that sets off my watch for a loud environment. I can't get him to stop. Any recommendations?

    submitted by /u/WickerStan
    [link] [comments]

    Source