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hey everyone. there is a 21 week old springer spaniel puppy in my household. not my dog, not my decision. but he's here and i want him to succeed.

I work from home, and I'm usually the first one awake in the morning, so if he need to pee in the morning it falls to me to bring him outside. we don't have an enclosed space where he can free roam, so I have him on a leash. I only have so much time between when I get up and when I have to start work, and the pup would lay outside all day if we let him. So when it's time to go inside (especially as it's getting colder now and I don't enjoy being thrust outside first thing in the morning), he resists and gets frustrated and takes out that frustration by jumping and biting at me.

what can I be doing to get him to come inside peacefully? I've been trying to bribe him inside with treats, but he's started getting jumpy and aggressive with my treat bag too. I would like to stop getting attacked. thanks 🙏

we brought home our 10 week old show cocker spaniel 4 days ago. we are crate training and will go in and out his crate during the day to chew his toy, we also feed most of his meals in there (doing this in a range of formats, sprinkling kibble, plain old out of the bowl etc)

but he is definitely not sleeping as much as he should. We’re really struggling to enforce naps as he won’t go down unless he falls asleep on us. We then place him in his crate but then wakes up and gets out as soon as one of us tries to leave the room or get on with chores so he generally only stays asleep about 40 mins

are we expecting too much for day 4? Reading all of these accounts of pups putting themselves to sleep in the crate and sleeping for 2-3 hours at a time and i could only dream of that right now!!

Adopted Sandy at 8mo a little over a week ago. She is a 10 pound terrier which mean she can climb onto anything. She is like one of those goats you see balancing on one foot on a vertical cliff in the European Alps.
What is the best way to curb this behavior? She has done great with potty training, walking, sleeping, drop it etc. but then I turn around and she standing on top of the dining room table or standing on the tiny windowsill! We have puppy proofed the best we can, but I can't move windowsills and dressers. I am worried for her safety and need to stop it fast.

I currently have a 6 month old pup that I have in basic obedience classes. I am still struggling to employ some of the commands at home, especially off leash. Biggest stuggles in getting her to come off leash and to stop ripping up grass (leave it/drop it). Are my expectations too high for a puppy?

What is good generally progression timeliness?

Also, and tips and tricks would be helpful! Thanks!

I have 1.8kg Pom puppy (very small) and he has accidents inside if left longer than 4 hours indoors… he doesn’t pee in living room but does in the rest of the house. He stopped having accidents in the crate overnight about 2 months ago, but we can’t get him better at holding it during the day! I wonder if anyone else has experienced this… he’s not marking as they’re big pees! Any tips!?

I adopted a lab-pittie mix from a woman who wanted to get rid of him, he’s 5 months old and I’ve noticed that I absolutely cannot have him around other dogs. He starts barking and if he or the other dog is not immediately taken out of view he starts growling and lunging at the other dog. I want to fix this behavior while he is still small !!!! Any advice is going to be taken!!!

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.

Breed Recommendation Questionnaire

COPY/PASTE THE FOLLOWING FOR AUTO-FORMAT WITH BULLETS

1. ⁠Copy/paste the text below into a new text post..
2. ⁠Replace "ANSWER" with your response but do not delete the asterisk (*). Leave a space between the asterisk and your response.

3. ⁠Remember to include [Breeds] in the title of your post.

   Introduction

1) Will this be your first dog? If not, what experience do you have owning/training dogs?

• my family has had two dogs. I only did indoor training with them

2) Do you have a preference for rescuing a dog vs. going through a reputable breeder?

• i have a preference for reputable breeders

3) Describe your ideal dog.

• moderate-high energy, low shed, small-medium, preferably has a swimming coat but i don't mind too much, not super yappy (I'm fine with some occasional barking, but not constant), not too prone to stubbornness, eager to please, quite smart, versatile

4) What breeds or types of dogs are you interested in and why?

• standard poodles, i love the low shed, versatility and temperament. Boykin spaniels, i love their energy and outdoor pleasure. Mudis, i love everything about them apart from the yapping

5) What sorts of things would you like to train your dog to do?

• agility, swimming and barnhunts

6) Do you want to compete with your dog in a sport (e.g. agility, obedience, rally) or use your dog for a form of work (e.g. hunting, herding, livestock guarding)? If so, how much experience do you have with this work/sport?

• Yes! I don't have experience

Care Commitments

7) How long do you want to devote to training, playing with, or otherwise interacting with your dog each day?

• I'm happy to play/train until they lose interest or get tired

8) How long can you exercise your dog each day, on average? What sorts of exercise are you planning to give your dog regularly and does that include using a dog park?

• probaly 2-3 hours just walking. I have a field not too far from me and parks (the parks typically have alot of dogs but there's quiet parts). There's also some hikes within an hour

9) How much regular brushing are you willing to do? Are you open to trimming hair, cleaning ears, or doing other grooming at home? If not, would you be willing to pay a professional to do it regularly?

• I'm fine with brushing for 30 or so minutes daily. Yes i am

Personal Preferences

10) What size dog are you looking for?

• small to medium. I might be okay with a larger dog if they aren't massive and tick my other boxes.

11) How much shedding, barking, and slobber can you handle?

• i could handle moderate shedding aslong as it isn't year-round. I'm fine with a few daily barks but constant barking would annoy me overtime. I'm okay with a bit of occasional slobber (like while the dog is watching me prepare it's food)

12) How important is being able to let your dog off-leash in an unfenced area?

• i would love to have an off-leash dog, but i don't mind too much if it wouldn't ever be possible.

Dog Personality and Behavior

13) Do you want a snuggly dog or one that prefers some personal space?

• i would like to have some snuggle sessions with my dog

14) Would you prefer a dog that wants to do its own thing or one that’s more eager-to-please?

• eager to please

15) How would you prefer your dog to respond to someone knocking on the door or entering your yard? How would you prefer your dog to greet strangers or visitors?

• i would want them to be neutral

16) Are you willing to manage a dog that is aggressive to other dogs?

• yes

17) Are there any other behaviors you can’t deal with or want to avoid?

• i would like to avoid reactivity

Lifestyle

18) How often and how long will the dog be left alone?

• for 30 minutes to an hour sometimes, for over two hours occasionally

19) What are the dog-related preferences of other people in the house and what will be their involvement in caring for the dog?

• low-shed. Hoovering

20) Do you have other pets or are you planning on having other pets? What breed or type of animal are they?

• i have alot of pets but they won't be in contact with the dog

21) Will the dog be interacting with children regularly?

• no i wouldn't let any kids near my dogs

22) Do you rent or plan to rent in the future? If applicable, what breed or weight restrictions are on your current lease?

• no

23) What city or country do you live in and are you aware of any laws banning certain breeds?

• Iceland, yes

24) What is the average temperature of a typical summer and winter day where you live?

• summer maybe 10-13c, winter about 1c

Additional Information and Questions

25) Please provide any additional information you feel may be relevant.

• No additional information.

26) Feel free to ask any questions below

How much do boykin spaniels and Jack russells/fox terriers shed?

The focus of this isn’t about the sitter themselves, just the situation. I understand things come up. Now, onward to my current nightmare…

I just brought home my 8-week-old Golden Retriever puppy on Sunday that I have been waiting for years to have an ideal financial and work situation in place before adopting. In preparation, 2-weeks prior to pick up, I arranged a Meet and Greet with a great sitter through Rover with plans to have puppy at “day care” whenever I was at work (I do not have a job where I can just take time off whenever). I was adamant that I would not leave the puppy home alone, which I why I waited until the financial means were in place to afford day care.

However, when I messaged to sitter to adjust the meet and greet time by a couple of hours, they said they were now fully booked and could no longer meet or accommodate the daily day care. I scrambled to contact other sitters within a distance I could manage, but NOBODY was available. And since he’s only 8 weeks, he doesn’t have the vaccinations yet to go to either of the great doggy day care businesses that I’ll be taking him to once he IS fully vaccinated, he can’t go there.

Thankfully my gift-from-the-universe college aged niece has stepped up and happily said she will come be with puppy on M/W/Fs, and on Thursday this week I have a half day in the morning at work. But that means my only recourse today (and next Tuesday before Thanksgiving vacation starts Thursday) was to pump out his set up at home with a large penned in, puppy safe area with a den-like crate, puzzle toys, things to chew on, and a fake grass potty tray that BLESS HIM AND THE BREEDER he is already trained to use.

But my stress levels are through the roof for the puppy’s sake and my neighbors because every 45 mins-1 hour between naps, for 20-30mins, he’s been going on 30 sec-1 min intermittent howling/screaming binges between playing until he settles into the crate to nap. (I got a camera to check in.) I hate that he’s stressed, and I feel like such an a-hole to my neighbors because I live in an apartment.

I have calming classical piano playing, I put handwritten apology/thank you cards on my neighbors’ doors this morning, used as much as my time with him to give him love/accustom him to being in the pen with high value treats and colocating in the room with him in the pen so he sees he’s safe and rewarding quiet activity/get him good and tired before leaving this morning (and instructed my niece to do the same when she’s there so the times she’s not there aren’t totally unfamiliar and a shock to his system).

I guess I’m just saying that I planned for the ideal situation, it fell through last minute, and now I’m making the best of a less-than-ideal situation. But I’m incredibly stressed out and feeling terrible and helpless, and hoping for some advice or commiseration.