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My pup is a 10 week old German shepherd collie cross. So far, healthy and no issues. We’ve only had her for a couple weeks now. I’m in Canada and I cannot for the life of me decide which insurance company to go with. I keep looking at fetch, trupanion, and as of right now our girl came with 6 weeks of petsecure, however I’m not sure if I want to stick with this company. I am not really looking to hear how I should put the money away monthly, as even if I do that it still may not cover whatever COULD happen. I understand by the end of it, could be thousands wasted. I just feel if I don’t get it, I will regret it.

I am in the process of moving into a condo from living in a house in the suburbs with my puppy (7.5 month old goldendoodle). My condo is second floor and has a balcony door that looks out on a parking lot/park, whereas before she really only had access to look out into a backyard. Anytime I’ve taken her to the condo so far the barking has been…incessant. Today we’re here and I wanted to have the balcony door open because it’s nice out, but that made things so much worse.

I need to buy blinds for the door for sure, but I don’t want to stay closed in forever with the windows and blinds shut 😅😅 any ideas on what I can do? Panicking a little at the idea of getting fully moved in and the barking never stopping again 😅😅

I want to start taking my dog hiking with me, but I'm worried about safe car travel. I want to get him a Ruffland kennel, but I'm afraid even the XL will be too small for him, and there aren't any stores near me that sell crash-tested car crates that I could take him to try out. For reference, he is a 100lb, 40-inch long, 28-inch tall rottweiler and very stocky. Anyone with big dogs have dog crate recs?

Please, for the love of god, how do I stop my dog from eating poop? We’ve tried it all. For-bid – didn’t work. We take him out on a leash and clean it up right away most of the time but I swear this dog will hold it and will not go until we let him out in the backyard unleashed and unsupervised. I’ve covered a fresh turd in cayenne pepper, didn’t care, he snacked on it. And before y’all tell me it’s his food, he eats what everyone on the internet recommends – PPP sensitive skin and stomach and rice. He can’t turn around fast enough to get to it once he’s done pooping. Please help! What has worked for you.

Does your dog turn his head when he hears an odd noise? Does your dog bury their food with your pants? This is the thread to ask why.

Please keep this thread to non-medical issues only.

this is more curiosity than anything as it’s not an issue that seems to bother my dog, but i’ve noticed as long as i can remember that at the tips of his ear flaps the fur is very dense and there seems to be a thick layer of what seems like dead flaky skin. it appears that a lot of the hair is loose and is easily plucked out. does anyone know what’s up with that?

Currently using one bought from Amazon by Bluzelle (random copy paste company I guess) sadly they’re no longer selling them and mine is getting a little worn and want a back up.

Any recommendations? I can see Etsy do them for like £70

I don’t want shorter and I know the standard is 2m for dog leads from what I see on the market

He turned 12 this week. I can still picture him on the day that I met him. His long skinny body, his short crooked legs and unusual ears… he wasn’t a rambunctious 10 months old dog but a bundle of insecurities that I instantly connected with. I was ready to take on the work it would take but wasn’t sure if I could provide him with the stability I saw he would need. He wouldn’t let me come near him and started anxiously barking whenever I turned towards him. So I didn’t and thought I might not have the right life circumstances for him or be the right person.

I stayed for a coffee and a chat between two strangers who connected over the love for the beautiful creatures that dogs are. His lovely foster home encouraged me to take him while she went on a week long trip and told me she hasn’t seen him interact as courageous as he did with me with any of the previous people who were interested in him but didn’t feel like the right home for him.

He’s all I could have ever wished for in a companion and so much more. He’s so many things I’m not and he’s truly my better half. He’s gentle, patient and courageous. He’s calm and balanced. What I thought I couldn’t provide him was what he provided me over the past 11 wonderful years that we got to spent together: stability and comfort.

He’s my rock and beacon in my darkest time. My bridge to relate to the world around me. He walks me out of pain into my best thoughts and he‘s done more for me than I will ever be able to pay him back.

He’s doing okay and doesn’t have any serious health issues but I find myself being scared lately thinking about the limited time we have left.

He has deeply affected my life and who I am as a person and I will be forever grateful for everything he is and honored to have him by my side and for the bond between us that’s deeper than words can fully capture.

Hello! I have two amazing dogs named peach and Daisy, before my question I’ll give a little bit of back story, we recently added peach to the family about 8 months ago, she’s a German shepherd mixed with boarder collie and Daisy we got roughly 2 years ago and she is a German shepherd husky mix, our concern is that when we have to kennel the dogs while we go to work Daisy has zero issues but peach has a few, she’s broke 2 kennels already and we have resulted in buying a steel cage to keep her in but she’s been destroying the walls and carpets around her while in the kennel. When we get home we have noticed a puddle of drool surrounding her. While she’s in the kennel we give her either bones or kong balls that inevitably go untouched. So my question is what can we do to fix this issue. We have tried to train her while we are home and leaving for short periods of time and she does great.

Hey everyone.

I’m thinking about getting a dog for the first time ever. Will absolutely adopt a young puppy from the local dog shelter, so I do not have any particular breed in mind, and am focusing more on size when grown (want a small dog). Inclined to get a male dog, I don’t really know why, I think we just prefer it (am I being a bit crazy?).

Living conditions. Couple living in a 3 bedroom apartment. My idea is to keep the dog restrained to the entry hall, kitchen and living room area, at least during the first weeks or months until I’m sure he’s not gonna pee and poop all over the house. There are sliding doors connecting all those, so he will have some, not a lot really, of space to be in. Thinking about getting some kind of fences to put on the doors so he won’t be able to roam the house, but at the same time won’t feet so trapped.

My main concerns and doubts:

1. Leaving the dog alone, particularly when it’s still a small pup. How long max? Any good practices to make him feel safe while we’re out?
2. I don’t have a balcony on my apartment, so there is no place for it to be outdoors while I’m not home. Will this be a major problem for him?
3. Best practices for potty training? I know that being a pup I will have to go for walks quite often, but ultimately the goal would be to train the dog to let me know he needs to go outside
4. Nights. I am reticent to bring the dog to the bedroom where we sleep. Ideally he’d be sleeping somewhere in the kitchen or living room. Not really sure yet how we’ll handle the sleeping

Another question is what are the absolute essentials and must haves I need to buy? Of course we know we’ll need the basic (leash, food and water bowls, sleeping bed, toys, etc.), but what else? As a first owner, I have nothing.

Lastly, any advice you may have is most welcomed!

Thanks everyone!