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Hi everyone, I need some insight or help with a problematic behavior. I have a 3y female lhasa apso, overall she's a very well behaved dog, she tends to bark a lot sometimes but she's a lhasa so not much to do there. The problem is, she really love to play with balls, but not in a healthy way, she keeps pushing the ball under furniture where she cannot reach and then starts crying, screaming, licking her paws and diging the floor like crazy. If I take the ball and return it to her is like I'm giving her a drug or something. I avoid giving her balls but she seems sad without it, she doesn't play with the other toys, she is not a dog that likes to play in the yard, so she just lays by the window. Today I took away the last ball and she keeps searching for it desperately, following me and my husband crying, but we don't feel like giving it back is a good thing, when she's without the ball for a while she is calm, doesn't lick her paws etc, but seems very bored and with the ball she gets crazy… I'd love to hear some advice, thank you.

I will call my dogs name and they ignore me. Like the most they will do is make eye contact and continue do what they’re doing. We recently got a new puppy and I call his name and most of the time he doesn’t come I’m starting to 2nd guess if he knows his name.

Hiya. I've got a 5 month old Whippet boy who is doing great at staying home alone in his crate for 2 hours max. He mostly sleeps, sometimes licks his lickymat if he has one with him, or chews his bully-stick, or just lies there, looking around. But I would say he sleeps 80% of the time. We have a cam on him.

After the 2 hours mark, he starts getting anxious.

I go to work at 8, come home at 10 (earlier if he shows anxious symptoms, but most of the times I come home before he shows any signs.) and stay with him for 30 minutes, play, potty, training, relax time, then back into the crate until 11:50. At noon we walk for 15-20 min, sniff everything, play, train, and relax. Then again crate at 12:40 to 14 or 14:30.

Our ideal home-alone time would be 8-11:50 – then again at 12:40 – 15:50.

So my question is: How do I increase his home alone time without letting him be anxious around his max time?

I feel like he's a little more anxious now, but I think that's because he's losing his puppy teeth A LOT lately. He just wants to chew and chew, and eat ice, and frozen leafs, but he can't chew through anything… So I think he's in pain in his gums. So I'm not saying I want to extend his alone-time now, just after teething is complete.

Hi everyone! I have an 8-week-old Pomeranian puppy, and I’m wondering if you recommend giving any supplements at this age.

If yes, which ones do you personally use or trust? Examples I’ve seen people mention include: • Salmon oil • Probiotics • Multivitamins • Coat/skin supplements • Calcium

I’m feeding him Royal Canin Mini Indoor Kibble.

Hi all!

I’m a new dog mum to a 9-week-old cocker spaniel and could really use some advice.

It’s just me in a one-bedroom apartment, I WFH (with one office day), and the last few days have been non-stop puppy. I can’t even cook or go to the bathroom properly. I really want to build some healthy independence from the start so she doesn’t end up with separation anxiety, but we’re struggling.

I’m trying to follow the “1 hour up / 2 hours down” thing. In that hour we do potty, training, sniffing games, play, food + water. But she now stays awake 2+ hours and hits overtired meltdown mode. From the 1-hour mark I’m already trying to settle her.

Daytime crate/playpen is the hardest part for the past 3 days). She cries the second I close the door (which I do rarely as I don’t want to traumatise her or make the crate seem a unsafe space or punishment) leaving treats aren’t motivating her at all. If the crate on the other hand is open, she walks straight out. She’ll only nap if she’s right next to me while I work or literally on top of me on the couch. She may stay in her crate but only if I’m next to it. When she’s overtired the chewing/biting goes wild.

What’s confusing is that at night, she sleeps perfectly fine in her crate with the door closed — as long as it’s right next to me.

I’ve started giving a bully stick or frozen carrot at the end of the wake window to help her wind down, but she still won’t settle alone.

Also some silly potty questions because I’m a complete newbie and literally questioning everything I’m doing. – If she pees immediately outside, do we go in? Or wait for a possible poop? – And how long should we stay out for a potty break in general? I feel like I go outside now with her 3 times nearly during her wake up period – Do I engage/play while waiting, or make it a super boring, non-event time?

She’s also a super fussy eater and nowhere near the recommended amount which may be contributing to all the regression, so I’m slowly switching foods to help.

We do have a lovely trainer (first session was Monday!), but I’m still feeling pretty lost and already a shitty dog mum. Is all this normal for 9 weeks? Any advice would be amazing.

Anyone got any good tips for potty training a puppy without using a crate?

So far we’re taking her out regularly or whenever she starts circling.

At night time shes sleeping in bed with us and mostly holds it through the night but sometimes jumps off the bed and uses a puppy pad, then wakes us up to put her back into bed with us.

So far the main accidents we’re having is when she starts circling and sniffing and we physically just dont get to her in time or if our attention is taken up by cooking or something. When we catch her having the accidents we just say “no” and then take her straight outside.

When having to go out we initially took her round to a family members to have them watch her but they totally ignored all our instructions for training and encouraged play biting and fed her adult dog food instead of the puppy food i provided which upset her stomach. She also returned with fleas despite having her flea treatment 3 weeks ago so i have decided to simply leave her in a puppy safe room with toys, bedding and puppy pads when we’re out (i’m able to pop back every couple of hours to check on her for 10 minutes or so, so she isnt alone for too long)

I think so far we’re doing things quite right so far but was wondering if anyone had any other tips that dont involve crates?

We’ve also just entered the puppy biting phase so we definitely have our hands full