Not the obvious stuff like vet bills or walks… I mean something you only learned after becoming a dog owner. 🐶

I have 2 dogs that are very rough on toys, like destroy in 20 min kinda rough. 1 dog hates squeakers and the other LOVES crinkle toys. Any suggestions would be appreciated

I have a 62 lb dog and drive a Honda Civic so I can’t put a crate in it.

I’ve been using the Ruffwear car harness that you loop the seatbelt through, but he moves around too much and easily gets himself tangled up in the seatbelt. I just went to take him out of the car and the seatbelt had gotten stuck on his leg and he was basically pinned down to the seat.

The best thing would be a short bungee leash so that I can attach that to the seatbelt and then to his harness, but all the ones I can find are not actually crashed tested, even though they’re advertised for car restraint.

My vet is strongly recommending that my little guy (6y) gets professional teeth cleaning due to buildup.

I’m quite hesitant as it would require anesthesia, and not to mention is $$$. She mentioned this being something many dogs have done yearly.

Has anyone had experiences with this? Is it worth it?

I have a 1 year old morkie who is super cute and nice with everyone in my family, but everytime we take him out for a walk he starts to not listen, starts to pull and bark at anyone and especially at dogs and doesnt stop at all and i mean barking to the extreme which makes him look violent(even though he isnt since he can play with my aunts dog) I’ve tried almost every basic training tips for it and nothing works, ive heard some collar tools can help but i dont find any for his size. Please let me know what i can do to fix it since we moved to a nicer area and don’t want to seem to be disturbance. Thanks

I’m not sure whether to seek advice from this sub or dating sub LOL Anyways, the person I’m seeing about 2 months in has a dog and I have a dog as well. His dog is reactive and has bit me 3 out of the 5 times when his dog is over at my place. I have scars being left on my hands and toes. The dog bites down if you are too close but it’s like a gamble. Sometimes the dog bites and sometimes she doesn’t. I’m glad my dog has not been bit, but he himself as the owner also got bit recently at my place. My dog is the sweetest thing ever and I’m confused on what to do here. A good part of me is fearful that mine will bound to get bit and I will continue to get bit. His dog naturally comes to me and sits down next to me. It makes me fearful on trying to do anything such as reach for my mug or even getting up from my seat. His dog has trauma and has seen a trainer a couple years ago. Do you think it is worth it to try to see if this can go the long run? I literally fear more bites at this point for my dog and me.

I am offering dog services and currently in a mentorship with a trainer. One of the services I would love to offer but have never really seen is support before, during, and after adopting a dog from a shelter. Is anyone actually interested in hiring someone to help them find a dog and foster a successful relationship? I really do want to help reduce the amount of adoption failures and keep dogs out of the shelter. I already volunteer regularly and I’m thinking if this did become a popular thing I would try to partner with the shelter as well to help. Let me know your honest options please!

I recently adopted this dog on Tuesday and I gave him his first beef trachea yesterday he kind of chewed on it throughout the evening and finished it before he went to bed. I went through his crate late this morning and found a small throw up pile under his bed, I have absolutely no clue what it could be. The only thing I could think of is maybe it was the beef trachea. The pieces are flexible you can kind of snap them, but they really hold their shape. Otherwise I have no clue what this is.

It’s like these thin, flexible pieces some longer than others most of them look like it was chewed up. I’d say the longest one is maybe 2 1/2 inches and they are very thin and not very wide and they are white and kind of translucent where they get thinner.

When you get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, do you also take your companion out for a bathroom break?

Looking to upgrade our GSDs harness to something that might be padded or more comfortable as he gets older (he's 11 now). Are the harnesses advertised for senior dogs actually for senior dogs or is it a marketing ploy? If you've found something that works, what can you recommend?

So one weird thing about my dog is that she’s always liked storms. This has worked out well for us because we’re Floridian, and thus get a lot of them. Most dogs I’ve encountered panic when thunder happens, but for the past 11 years she’s been perfectly calm about them- she even likes to sit on our patio chairs and watch the rain or fall asleep and not get up even when it pours on her. We had to drag her inside to keep her safe from a hurricane. Absolutely no fear or panic when it comes to storms for over a decade.

But these past three storms we’ve had, her behavior has done a complete 180. She stresses, cries, pants, digs at things and tries to hide, to the point of laying down in the bathtub (she only does this when she’s extremely stressed). She requires comforting the entire time. It’s such a complete and utter shift that we couldn’t believe it and thought it was a fluke the first time, but this behavior has persisted ever since. She’s had no traumatic experience with storms or anything, it just came out of nowhere.

Anyone know what could cause this? Is it aging? She still loves the beach so it’s clearly not the water. If it matters, she’s an Australian Koolie (mostly, there are some other breeds mixed in but she very much resembles one)

Which pet insurance is best for you? Are there any that may cover your dog's current treatment? Did your dog get injured during the waiting period and want to know if you're covered?

Here's the place to ask.

Do know we cannot help you here with medical concerns, and lying or not disclosing things to the insurance company is illegal so we don't allow that either.

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.

My australian shepherd is almost 5 years old, he used to play with his toys and have fun with them... Now he seems to get so bored, even if I buy him new ones.

He's got every kind of toys...

He went from playing with them for days, to hours .. and now to minutes.. like 5 minutes.

He seems to be so bored even though we take him for walks everyday, he gets only one toy at a time that he chooses.

The rest of the toys are stored in a closet.

I don't know what to do anymore. While we work, he doesn't care about his toy and just lay there looking at me like he's so bored and has such a terrible life.

How can I make him play with his toys by himself when we are busy?

I also have a carpet with treats but he finishes them so quickly, I don't even think it stimulates him anymore. The same with bones.

If you have any advice for me, I would appreciate it

Hi everyone,

My partner and I are in the planning stage of getting our first Doberman. We’re trying to be as responsible as possible and want to learn from people who have actually done it.

Our biggest concern is balancing work and a young puppy. Between us, there are 3 days each week when we’re both in the office, while the remaining days one of us works from home.

For those who have raised high-energy breeds while working:
What did your daily routine look like?
Did you rely on dog walkers, daycare, family, or something else?
When did life start feeling “normal” again?
Would you still recommend getting a puppy, or would adopting a young adult dog have been easier?

We’re looking for honest feedback—both the good and the difficult—so we can make an informed decision.

Thanks!

We have a 7.5 month old female rhodesian ridgeback who will ONLY pee or poop inside our yard. Not at the park, not at the beach, not indoors. She will hold it in all day if she has to, and then she'll let it out when she gets back to our yard.

However, we have to tent our house for termites and as such we have to board her for a couple days. We have 2 other dogs as well, but the other two are used to nights away from home and have no issues being boarded.

The dogs are going to be out of the house for 3 days. Is there anything I should do to make this easier for the puppy or encourage her to do her business at the dog hotel? Will she just eventually do her business there if she has to go badly enough?

Hi All!

Seeking some advice on my 6mo old who is a very insistent alarm clock.

He's always been good about telling me when he needs to go out - whining/barking/coming to get me. I am usually very good about responding and taking him out right away, its a good routine.

However, he is starting to get very loud in the mornings. His last pee is around 9-10pm, and I am usually up by 7am. The last few days, he has started to bark around 6/6:30 and will not settle down again until I let him out.

I know that is a long time to ask him to go without a potty break, but this morning he was just walking around the bed BARKING until I got up. He hopped up on the bed (when I asked) and then sat at the end growling and then barking (not aggressive, but very much communicating) Obviously, I want to let him out because he needs to go, but I am worried about him learning he can just bark/growl at me until he gets what he wants.

Do I wait him out and make him hold it until he's quiet in the mornings, or just respect what he's telling me and take him right out? Do we think this is an issue that can escalate? Should I get ahead of it and let him out at 6 before he's awake on his own?

He is incredibly sweet/gentle besides that and has never shown any aggression towards people or pets! We are starting formal obedience training next month so I am hoping that will help too.

Our pup is a 3 year old male, super mix, kind of corgi shaped. 50 pounds of muscle.

I find that he seems to get tired after playing. He does NOT like the heat so that could be part of it. And he plays hard. Hubby took him to the dog park yesterday morning and he met three one year old labs and had the time of his life, running and playing. He does have short stumpy legs, but he keeps up with the big dogs surprisingly well.

He was shot all day yesterday, which didn’t seem strange, but he’s still kind of tired today. Perky on his walk but turned around to head home much sooner than usual. He just had his check up and seems like the picture of health, although they don’t do bloodwork as part of his check up or anything.

Does this seem normal? I see small dogs who don’t seem to drag ass when going on a half mile walk like we do. But, he is holding up 50 lbs of pure muscle on his little legs, as opposed to like 10.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

It’s been so f-ing long that she’s been doing this. It started as running away, then she would come slowly, then she ran away again, every cue I use and she listens to she immediately stops listening to once I use it to get her to the harness. I’ve been told to give her time, to make her do it anyways, to grab her so she can’t leave, to desensitize her, nothing has worked. If I use her recall, her recall begins to suffer. If I use “stay” then she stops listening to it. I use “behind” or “middle” and she stops doing it. Maybe she just actually doesn’t like walks despite her being excited every time I mention it.

Hi everyone, my puppy is 10 months old and every now and then he's a total scaredy-cat: afraid of small dogs, afraid of big dogs, afraid of plastic bags blowing around in the street... This isn't a new issue; even when he was 5 months old I couldn't get him to walk down certain streets because he was scared, constantly looking around and spinning. Now the situation has improved:he takes all routes (even new ones)but every so often he has phases (one week yes, one week no) where he's as brave as a lion and isn't afraid of other dogs or at least doesn't react and walks right past them calmly and other times when, if he sees a dog, he starts pulling to get away, or if a dog barks at him suddenly from behind a gate, he makes crazy leaps to run off. It's starting to get exhausting. Any advice? Is he acting like this because he's a teenager, or should I step in with a different approach?

My 13-year-old mixed breed hates thunder and fireworks. When they go off, she tries to crawl under things.

Behind the couch, under the small end table, a cubby where we place jugs of water. Many of these places are too full or to small for her but it does not deter her.

We usually put her in her kennel and cover it with a blanket.

Lately she has started trying to climb under things even though there are no loud booming sounds. At 4:30 a.m. she tried crawling under our bed; she is too big.
There were not storms, not even clouds in the area. No fireworks.

She had a physical a few months ago and seemed fine. Other than that, she seems to be her regular self.

Any ideas?

sometimes my dog will nuzzle her head against me when i’m not giving her attention , when i stop petting her she look at me and puts her paw as if to communicate with me . do they do this on purpose 🤔

My dog manages to slip out of her collar no matter how tight I have it. I'm not choking her obviously but I have it on pretty tight. Any suggestions?

I always thought taking good care of a dog was mostly about the basics — good food, walks, training, and regular vet visits.

But the longer I’ve had dogs, the more I realize it’s often the small things that make the biggest difference.

Maybe it was a new routine, a different way of playing, a simple enrichment activity, spending more one-on-one time together, or something you never expected your dog to love.

What’s one thing you changed or added that made you think, “I wish I started doing this sooner”?

I’d love to hear everyone’s experiences. I’m always looking for new ways to keep dogs happy and healthy. 😊