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Hello all I’m looking to get a my first dog out on my own and I was wondering what the average starting cost and monthly cost after that was for a medium breed that eats a estimated 2 cups of food a day

Almost every time my dog poops, she covers it with the dirt or leaves or whatever. She will do her business and then kick her feet, covering her poop. Is this an instinct that wild dogs do? Do other peoples dogs do this? Is it because I have a cat and she’s learning behaviors from them? Just wondering if anyone else’s dog also covers their poop

Hello hello!

I've had my beautiful girl for just about 6 months now, she's a year and a half , mini long haired doxie.

She's wonderful and very intelligent, mastered all other parts of training, and is great on a walk alone or with other humans near, but every time we come across another dog, even at quite a long distance, she freezes up and just stares at the other dog until he's out of sight or has passed us. She's absolutely fine at the dog parc, on walks without leash at the beach

I've been reading about possible leash reactivity, techniques that include changing directions, treats to her nose, the "look at me!", I even have some real good treats in my pocket for when she doesn't react/ is okay walking past, and some rare days she will be just fine, the next it feels like we're back to day 1.. and on those days, none of these techniques work sadly

I'm planning on a visit to the vet and maybe considering going to a professional to help, I'm scared I might not be doing things right and making it worse for her, and was wondering if any nice souls would have some good advice on this thread? I'm at a loss and genuinely want to make things easier for the both of us, she doesn't deserve to be scared on a walk 🙁

Thanks so much for taking the time to read this, take care out there wherever you are! <3

Hi I have a 2 year old golden retriever, tried all the training classes but he doesn’t listen to them 😂🙈 any tips

Welcome to the fortnightly separation anxiety support group!

The mission of this post is to provide a constructive place to discuss your dog's progress and setbacks in conquering his/her separation anxiety. Feel free to post your fortnightly progress report, as well as any questions or tips you might have! We seek to provide a safe space to vent your frustrations as well, so feel free to express yourself.

We welcome both owners of dogs with separation anxiety and owners whose dogs have gotten better!

NEW TO SEPARATION ANXIETY?

New to the subject of separation anxiety? A dog with separation anxiety is one who displays stress when the one or more family members leave. Separation anxiety can vary from light stress to separation panic but at the heart of the matter is distress.

Does this sound familiar? Lucky for you, this is a pretty common problem that many dog owners struggle with. It can feel isolating and frustrating, but we are here to help!

Resources

Books

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Don't Leave Me! Step-by-Step Help for Your Dog's Separation Anxiety by Nicole Wilde

Be Right Back!: How To Overcome Your Dog's Separation Anxiety And Regain Your Freedom by Julie Naismith

Separation Anxiety in Dogs: Next Generation Treatment Protocols and Practices by Malena DeMartini-Price

Online Articles/Blogs/Sites

Separation Anxiety (archived page from the ASPCA)

Pat Miller summary article on treating separation anxiety

Emily "kikopup" Larlham separation training tips

Videos

Using the Treat&Train to Solve Separation Anxiety

introducing an x-pen so the dog likes it (kikopup)

Podcast:

https://www.trainingwithally.com/the-podcast

Online DIY courses:

https://courses.malenademartini.com

https://www.trainingwithally.com/about-2

https://separationanxietydog.thinkific.com/courses/do-it-yourself-separation-anxiety-program

https://rescuedbytraining.com/separation-anxiety-course

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Introduce your dog if you are new, and for those of you who have previously participated, make sure to tell us how your week has been!

(Didn’t know what flair to use, I’m not really bragging just laughing)

Before having sex my wife and I put our dog in her crate ever since we got her since we won’t be watching her and she’s still young and mischievous, plus the bonus of not doing anything in front of her.

This week we noticed when one of us takes the others clothes off the dog immediately goes inside her crate and stares at us waiting for her treat. It also worked with a spontaneous BJ, as soon as my wife started the dog went straight to the crate.

We find it hilarious, kind of embarrassing, but also really convenient! It was also never our intention to create this response but we aren’t complaining!

Hi everyone,

We have a 1-year-old male Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever. He’s generally calm, social, curious, and does well at dog school. On a regular weekday, he gets three walks:

• Short morning sniffy walk
• Long midday walk including dog park
• Medium evening walk (sometimes a fourth short one late at night)

In his puppy phase, we socialized him to skateboards and even went to the skatepark – he was completely at ease back then.

History of problem behaviors we 'solved' in the past:

• Separation anxiety: He would whine, panic, or do naughty things if we went upstairs or left him alone. We worked on this gradually and now we can go upstairs without him doing someting naughty in the living room.
• Destructive behaviours when left alone: We addressed this by making sure nothing was left around that he could chew or destroy, and by providing a puzzle toys whenever we left. This behaviour now also decreased a lot.
• Watchfulness/barking at the window: Now whenever we see someone with a dog, or loud people pass the window, we distract him with a toy or a candy. It’s absolutely not gone yet, but it's a lot better.

It feels like every time we 'solve' one problem, another appears.

The current problem:

Lately, he has developed fear and reactivity to skateboards and fast-moving bikes (but not all bikes, it feels random). When he sees these, he panics, chases, jumps, and barks. For a full minute, he goes in full panic mode and there is nothing we can do with him anymore. This used to be only skateboards, but now seems to be spreading to other fast-moving or unusual vehicles (wheelchairs,…). As far as we know, he never had any bad experiences with skateboards or bikes before.

Walking has become stressful for everyone. We’re constantly on edge, trying to anticipate triggers. It’s exhausting and not fun anymore and it's a safety concern. He even caused a leash burn on a friend’s leg yesterday when he suddenly lunged at someone on a skateboard.

Questions:

1) How can we safely desensitize him to fast-moving objects like skateboards, scooters, and bikes?

2) Are we doing something wrong that could have triggered this?

• We’ve started longer weekend walks (10–15 km with breaks). Could this overstimulate him?
• Since he's 12 months, he now sleeps with the crate door open instead of closed, choosing where he sleeps. He seems sleepier during the day. Could this contribute?

Thanks in advance for any advice or shared experiences!

I (22M) was back in town visiting my family for the holidays when one day, I was home alone, and I saw the family dog, (7F Lab-Pitbull Mix) was attempting to hack something up. Our other dog (1M Corgi-German Shepherd) was in the room.

Upon removing a chunk of rawhide from her throat, it must've hurt her pulling it out, because she bit down on my hand which she has never done before. It hurt very much and broke skin, I had to go to the hospital for nerve damage. I will be fine and this is not the issue. However I did scream in pain which caused the Corgi-German Shepherd to lunge at me. I do not know this dog very well but from everything Ive seen, he's been better trained than our Lab was.

Since returning from the hospital, the German Shepherd won't stop growling or attempting to lunge at me when I enter the room. I know longer can be in the same room as him while feeling safe and my family has since gated the downstairs off while I am upstairs for the remainder of my visit. I can get by when I have a treat in my hand.

How do I show this dog that I am not a threat to it and our other dog who since the incident behaves as normal?