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Hey everyone! Im in need of some advice because I’m starting to lose my mind. I have a 15 month old moyen poodle, he’s been crate trained from day one. He sleeps fine at night, he is an awesome sleeper to be honest. He even sleeps in a different room than us and we can leave him home in the crate for a few hours and he’s just fine( it took us a long time to get here but I couldn’t be happier with him). It is important to mention that he has 2 crates, one is a plastic one, he loves that a lot, I think it gives him a more enclosed feeling, we leave him in that when we leave him during the day. He also has a wooden one we use for the nights and that is his “everyday crate” (we use both because we couldn’t transfer from leaving him home in the plastic one to leaving home in the wooden one but it’s in progress.). the wooden one is bigger but more open.

Now for the past 3 nights he’s been awful in the crate, he’s been whining and stress breathing, sometimes clawing at the door. He doesn’t need to potty that’s for sure so I can’t imagine why this happens. He’s always been amazing in the crate, we only had a few nights where he was whining and that was mostly because of a weather front – he’s quite sensitive to those. But this seems different, he really can’t calm himself only after hours of whining on and off. Tonight I put him in his plastic crate and he is doing just fine.

So my question is, what should I do? Is it something that’s usual for a teenager puppy, is it like an adolescent regression stuff, should I let him sleep in the plastic crate for a few nights so he can learn once again that the crate is a nice place? Or should I be worried? As far as I know nothing’s changed in our routine and there was nothing that scared him when in the crate.

For some clarity: we don’t want to keep the plastic crate as an everyday crate for him, it is not big enough for that in my opinion. We are planning to buy some sort of fabric to cover the wooden crate so he can have a more den-like feeling, it’s a custom made crate so we have to sew the cover for ourselves and haven’t had the time to do it. He will stay crated because I believe that’s what’s the safest for him.

Thank you for every comment and advice! An exhausted puppy parent

Hi everyone

I’ve recently started a project called PetBehavior101, a simple website focused on helping new and experienced pet owners understand their pets better. The goal is to make practical, easy-to-read guides about dog and cat behavior. things like:

how to stop leash pulling

signs your dog is stressed or anxious

how to introduce a new dog or cat

why pets act a certain way

training and care tips for beginners

I’m building the site to be informational only (no products, no selling anything). I want it to become a clean, reliable resource where people can quickly find answers to common pet behavior problems.

I’m also improving the articles based on community feedback, so if you check it out and think something can be clearer, more accurate, or needs extra detail, I’d love to hear your suggestions.

Here’s the link if you want to take a look:

https://petbehavior101.com

Thanks, and I hope some of the guides help someone 🙂

Some days, I don't want to train my dog either. Not because I don't love them, but because life is a lot. There are mornings when the leash feels heavier than usual, when "just five minutes" turns into "maybe tomorrow," and when I'd rather scroll than shape a sit. Here's what l've learned though: the best training doesn't happen during the picture-perfect sessions. It happens in the in-between moments. While you're making coffee, brushing your teeth, walking to the mailbox. The real magic is in weaving training into life until it stops feeling like work and starts feeling like communication. You don't need an hour of drills or a perfect plan. You need ten seconds of intention. Ask for a sit before you open the door. Call your dog over while you're unloading the dishwasher. Reward calm when your dog settles next to you instead of nagging them for pacing. That's training. The dogs who thrive aren't being micromanaged all day. They're living with people who see opportunity in the ordinary. Who don't separate "life" from "training." Who build trust one grocery trip, one leash clip, one deep breath at a time. And if you feel guilty for not doing "enough," let me take that weight off your shoulders. You don't have to do more. You just have to do with purpose. Training is a relationship, not a routine. It's less about what you schedule and more about what you repeat. The little things done consistently beat the big things done occasionally every..single..time. So, if today's walk was just a loop around the block, that's okay. If the only thing you practiced was patience while your dog sniffed the same spot for two minutes, that's okay too. Because showing up, even in small ways is still showing up. Your dog doesn't need perfect. They need present. And sometimes, that starts with sipping your coffee, taking a breath, and deciding that today's training looks like living life together.

Before I explain, it's after hours and there are no 24/7 vet clinics near.

About 20 minutes ago, my sweet girl started shaking and holding up her leg. When I pet her, the shaking slowed down so I got up to see if she would get excited about a treat, she stood up but wouldn't put any weight on her back leg. I have no idea when or why this happened, she was fine not long ago and has been lazing per usual. Im concerned because I can't get to a vet until the morning, and Im looking for ANY advice on how to help her until then. The shaking is really upsetting and want to help her so much

My dog is about 1.5 years old. She is a mixed breed, but the majority breeds are 28% husky and 19% German Shepherd.

She truly is a chewer. It used to be all the time regardless of if I was around or not, we thankfully trained her not to do it. As long as we are present she won’t chew. She has chewed through cords that are plugged in, plates, towels, blankets, clothes, and even a glass straw. The most recent victim, my brand new couch that I worked so hard to buy. By some miracle she hasn’t hurt herself yet.

Things you need to know

She gets a kong to chew on and for mental stimulation. She gets long walks and lots of playtime. She is fed from a slow feeder for more mental stimulation. She has another dog to play with while we are at work.

My dog is crate trained, as long as I am present. We worked very hard to get to that point. If I am not around she will shake, chew, and claw at her crate until she’s breaks it to get out. If she doesn’t do that she howls and barks (which can’t happen because we live in an apartment). That is why crating really isn’t an option.

She knows several commands. Our main form of training is positive reinforcement.

We got our 9 week old bernedoodle puppy this past weekend and when we were picking him up they mentioned he loves water and drank some of his bath water. We made frequent stops the whole way home and he peed once. We were hesitant about giving him too much water but learned from the vet the following day not to restrict. Fast forward to today he’s had close to 2 cups of water and we’re peeing a few times outside every 10-15 minutes awake. If he naps, the moment he wakes up he pees before I can grab him and run him outside. Is this normal? From what I read it seems so, but is there anyway to space out the bathroom breaks? I work remotely but I cant be taking breaks as much as we have. Follow up question, is it better to just fill up the whole bowl at the beginning of the day or give small refills throughout? I’ve been refilling 1/3-1/2 c throughout the day but trying to see if there’s other ways to manage the pee madness.

Thank you for your help!

My 8-month-old puppy has been a champion sleeper since day 1. She's been crate trained since we got her at 8 weeks. Her crate is a happy place for her. Two to three naps a day and she sleeps at least 12 hours straight through at night. Today, however, she won't stay asleep for me. She's not sick, injured, bored or overtired, and she doesn't have unmet needs. I do ALL the things for her. She goes in crate, let's me cover her with her blanket, I sit with her for a bit, then close the door super quietly and leave the room. I have white and brown noise playing. The house is quiet. But today, she wakes up every single time I try to leave. I tried three or four times to get her down for a nap so far. Is this adolescence? Separation anxiety related to adolescence? Any tips on what to do? I don't want to just let her cry, but I don't want to reinforce the whining if I leave her. If I were to sit on the couch with her she would sleep on my lap. It's like she's sleeping with one eye open waiting to hear me leave. TIA.