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So we’ve got a 10 week old puppy, had him for about 2 weeks now. He’s a little gremlin and I’m slowly losing my mind, but I’m sure most of you can relate.

We live in an apartment right in the city center. There’s a dog park nearby, and since it’s one of the few good spots around, everyone goes there with their dogs. Our vet told us there’s been a lot of parvo cases lately, so I’m being super cautious and mostly keeping him at home.

He got his 2nd round of shots last week, so I’ve been slowly trying to take him out of the city when I can. I drive to some fieldy/foresty area where I’ve seen a few other people with dogs. It’s probably not 100% safe either, but I just feel awful keeping him inside all the time and I do my best to watch him so he doesn’t pick anything up. I try to take him there twice a day, but since it’s a 10–15 minute drive, on workdays I usually manage only once. At least during the day I carry him around the block a bit, just so he sees the world.

We’re not using a crate, but we do restrict the areas where he can go, just to make things easier while he’s still learning. He mostly goes on the pads, but I’m worried that if I wait untill he’s fully vaccinated, it’ll be really hard to switch him to peeing outside. Even now when we’re out in the forest, he won’t pee, just holds it until we get home, which kinda worries me.

How would you handle this? Is it worth the risk? Personally I don’t think so, but people keep looking at me like I’m crazy for carrying him everywhere and not letting him walk on the ground.

I've been eyeing the Little Beast carrier which I love the look & functionality of (lots of pockets!) but before I splurge, I wonder if anyone has any other trendy/stylish ones without loosing on quality & functionality? Another is by Paper Bunny, from Singapore, but I'm aware they're not primarily a pet brand.

I live in Asia, so I would be spending a lot on delivery if from US or EU, but open to it! My dog is 4.5kg & looking for an everyday bag.

Thank you in advance!

Hi! I’m in a bit of a pickle and looking for advice.

My pup is 18 weeks old and about 20 kg / 44 lbs. Because of his age and joints I’ve been carrying him down the stairs to go potty, but he recently developed a new… quirk. He now signals that he needs to go outside by sitting at the top of the stairs, but the moment I try to pick him up he runs away from me in circles, hides under the table or flops down and fights me. Most of the time he’ll end up peeing or pooping under the table while I’m trying to get him back to the stairs.

Even if we overcome his dislike of being picked up, I won’t be able to keep doing it much longer so I really need to teach him to go down the stairs on his own.

The problem is that this staircase is steep and narrow. He has no issue going up and down “normal” stairs elsewhere, but he’s just too afraid of going down this one. We've been working on him going down the stairs for a couple of weeks now. I’ve tried using high value treats to encourage him, helping him by supporting his body, manually moving his paws down and starting from the bottom step by step. He will go down the second step from the bottom, but once we get to the third step he freezes completely and won’t move.

I’m not sure how to progress from here and I’m worried that this behaviour is turning into a BAD habit. Plus, physically I won’t be able to keep carrying him for much longer (I'm 5'3/160cm 105lbs/47kg) as he will soon be heavier than me.

Any ideas on how to help a pup gain confidence with a steep staircase or am I destined to start weightlifting? lol

Hey guys, In December I will be minding two dogs the are not neutered from two different owners for 5 days. They are both unneutred so im trying to figure out how to avoid any puppies. Theres a unlikely chance the female will go into heat but I want to ensure nothing happens. Im not so worried about the day since me and my partner will keep eye on them however im more worried about night time or when we are away. I have heard that males will do anything if she does go into heat so I was wondering if putting him in a crate and putting a dog diaper on her would be enough, since he wouldnt be able to take it off her through the bars.

Also I am trying to find a different dogsitter during that time however this is incase I cant

Hi, do you think that adopting a dog from a shelter would be a good idea for a family of five(10,13,18-Age of kids ).We don’t have a lot of experience with dogs(before,we only had a labrador retriever ,who didn’t have any behavior problems).Moreover,we have two cats . Is there a big difference between a puppy from a shelter and a puppy from a kennel ?

I was going to post something after we'd had our pup for a month, as in my head everything would be rosy then, but today I realised that I may as well do it now, so here it is:

You love dogs. You always have. They're cute and sweet and cuddly and love unconditionally. How great would it be to have one of your own, for you and your partner? You d be a proper little family! We even moved to the country so we could get a dog. But we d best wait for the right time.

But then, your brother had a serious medical incident a few months ago. Hes fine and back home, thank god, but I dont think you ll ever forget first walking into the ICU and seeing him there. One of the fittest, strongest people you know, not even 35. Just shows it can happen to anyone. We have so little control over what happens to us, and no idea of how much time we really have.

So why you are waiting? Dont let fear control you. Get the dog, be brave.

But this is where you went wrong. Not in getting the dog, but in your expectations, for the dog and yourself. A puppy is not a dog. Its a puppy. Its a little baby learning about the world for the first time, with a 2 second attention span. And hes scared, and excited, and confused and hungry and thirsty, and he needs the toilet, and he needs a nap, but he cant quite work all this out just yet.

However hard you think it is, however many videos you ve watched, articles you ve read, it will be harder. There is a world of difference between knowing its going to be hard, and actually doing it. You hate noise, you re oversensitive to it. You hate frustration, and struggle to understand why other people or creatures can t just GET IT. This is going to test all of that further than you understand right now.

And, crucially, you did not factor in how triggering for your anxiety and OCD this was going to be. Hoping for a perfect dog. Perfect naps, going to sleep without a murmur, no biting, no accidents, a perfect dog that instantly fits into your life the way you want it to.

And of course he doesnt, because hes a baby. So when he barks for 40 minutes instead of going to sleep, when he learns to overturn his waterbowl, when he decides to eat another leaf, or go mad on the lead in the garden, or bite you and draw blood when you re just trying to help him, you re going to spiral. Catastrophise. This was an awful idea. What have i done? I dont want this, we need to take him back. I cant do this. Im too weak. Im not tough enough. Why isnt he doing what the videos and forum posts say? Which video do i need to watch, what guide should i read? Whats wrong with him? Whats wrong with me?

And so, here we are, at the start of week 3. We ve had some good days and some tough ones, some lovely moments and some really hard ones. You ve cried more in the last 3 weeks than in the last year, you ve struggled more than since you can remember, and thats coming from someone who in the past has been suicidal more than once.

And heres, the kicker: theres nothing wrong with the pup. Hes barely 11 weeks old. Hes a baby. Hes doing great at so many things. He needs love, persistence and patience. The issue is with you and how you are coping.

You need to let go.

Let go of the videos and articles. If there is a genuine question you need an answer for, look it up, but shut it off right after. There a million and one dog 'experts' online, and they all have completely different opinions. 'Teach your puppy this behaviour in week 1 or your life will be ruined and your dog will be a monster.' Just leave it all. Let it go. Let it go and just try your best.

Concentrate on a few basic things. Toilet training, naps, getting him curious about things, and learning that if hes good, he gets a treat. Everything else will come with time. Stop hoping for perfection, from both him and you. Let go. Take the risk he might be a demon creature who is going to ruin your life. Dont let fear control you. Understand that having a puppy is hard, and its meant to be. There is no perfect way of doing it.

Let go of the worry, the fear, all of it. Take each day as it comes, and instead of hoping it goes perfectly, hope that you can remember to do the right things in the tough moments, instead of the things which make it worse. Dont let fear control your life.

Also, a massive shout out to the partners of people like me, who want a dog, get one, and then promptly have a meltdown about it. I wouldnt be where i am today without my wonderful partner, and her strength and patience in the last 3 weeks has been awe inspiring.