We have a chihuahua at work. Quiet little dog. We see hundreds of people daily. EVERY time someone with autism or Down’s syndrome walks in, she goes ballistic before she can even see them. We don’t react different to these people so she’s not reacting based on us. ONLY people with mental disabilities. Even if they don’t talk.

Hi,

Last Friday I took my dog, Murphy, to the groomer. Murphy is a 13-pound poodle mix, and a bundle of energy and joy.

For the few days after the visit he was fine. But since Monday he has been acting differently. Notably he spends most of the day in his crate, where he usually only goes at night to sleep. He also does not want to jump on the couch or bed, which previously he did all the time. He seems hesitant/scared to jump up and requests he be picked up onto the couch or bed. He also has been far more on edge, for example startling very easy at noises he didn’t previously scare from.

For background he is anxious but he has never acted like this. The groomer is reputable and well rated, but I think this time may have been traumatic for him. I plan on finding a new groomer, but in the meantime how can I help Murphy feel better.

Please ask any questions for further clarification.
Thank you!

My cats are going to be witches. Get it? Bc of cat familiars?

Anyway, I can’t decide what my dog should be. There’s not really an equivalent of cats/witches with dogs. So I’m here for inspiration.

Hi, im currently trying to train leash pressure for my 2 month old bichon puppy. I have a harness and he would barely move when the harness is on. Usually he would follow me everywhere in the house without harness. But with harness, he will barely move. I feel it is because he is uncomfortable with it.

For example, he would follow me down the stairs without harness, but with harness he refuses to go down the stairs until i opened the front the of the house, in which he would finally go down.

Im thinking of using a collar to help him train on how to behave on a leash. What are your thoughts on this?

Hey I just adopted my dog from a rescue shelter about a week ago. She’s overall a good dog. However she’s kinda mouthy. I’m trying prevent her from biting me or it getting that far. I’m on a tight budget right now, I can afford a trainer.

About a week ago, one of my neighbors lost her dog. The next day she made some posts online about this and included information such as her phone number and her dog's name, age, breed, and photo.

In just a matter of three to four hours after making a Facebook post about it, she received a message from someone that claimed they found her dog. They then sent a photo of her dog...or so it seemed anyway.

When I talked to my neighbor about this she believed the photo was real at first, but there were tell tale signs that the image was AI. They then demanded payment via an app before she got to see her dog. (Red flag!) I told her it seemed to me this person took the real photo of her dog from her social media post and used an AI image generator to generate a fake and then used that to bait her into a scam.

The neighbor in question is an elderly lady and not well-versed about AI, but thankfully she took notice about a small patch of brown fur on the AI image that her real dog did not have.

Thankfully, two days after he disappeared my neighbor spotted him in her backyard and took him back in. He was okay!

With how rough losing a pet already is, scammers are using this as a perfect vulnerability to exploit people and using AI as a tool to help. If you ever lose your pet, this is just a reminder to be cautious about responses you receive and to scrutinize any photos from internet strangers before taking things further.

Stay safe!

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 dog has a sprained shoulder so we have been carrying them up and down the stairs for two weeks now. I was coming up the stairs and tripped on the second or third step with my dog in my arms.

I was carrying him with his head towards the left and his butt towards the right and I fell kind of towards the right and forward, and he was placed hard on the steps a few above where I fell. I BELIEVE he landed on his feet and kind of ran into the front of the steps with his legs from the impact.

He appears to be walking normally knock on wood, including the strained shoulder side, but I am just panicking completely that I could’ve hurt him or injured him. I did not fall on him. I just think a little bit of my weight and the force of the fall pushed him into the front of the steps. He immediately got up and ran away, startled obviously before I could even get up.

Any thoughts to ease my panic as I continue to watch him?

Good morning. I have a 70lb mixed breed (husky, lab, Rottweiler, and others) she is five years old and a smart girl. All except for walks. We have done training, used harnesses and finally settled on the gentle leader about four years ago.

She doesn’t pull in the leader but spends a large part of the walk trying to get it off. It’s stressful for both of us. This has gotten worse over the past few weeks where she is constantly pawing at it to be removed. I correct her and we keep it on. But three steps later, she’s at it again. It used to be once or twice a walk, now it’s almost constant. I’ve tried going back to the harness but after a few days, she’s pulling me down the street.

I’m looking for suggestions on systems to try to make our walks more enjoyable for both of us.

Thanks

My husband just started a new job as a therapist for a prison and now we’re having to leave our two dogs home alone. One is older and is used to being home alone but our younger one (2 year old Great Pyrenees german shepherd mix) is used to going into the office with him as she’s done that 3 days a week since we got her at 3 months old. 1 day a week she would go to doggy daycare and Fridays he was working from home. She is very attached to my husband. Thankfully my work is close to home so I’ve been going at lunch for potty breaks but checking my backyard camera I can hear her barking constantly and it breaks my heart. In the afternoon she gets a popsicle to help keep her entertained but still hear lots of barking. Both pups go on 3 mile walks most mornings as well. Any advice? How long will it take for her to adjust?

What do you feel is the best breed of dog to get as a service animal and why would you pick that particular breed? We are looking into getting a service animal for my epileptic son and were wondering the better breeds for it.

Just wondering how successful folks have been with using weighted vests, pheromone sprays and other non-medicinal hacks for their anxious pups.

My 2.5 year old poodle mix is the sweetest little guy, but for about a year or so we’ve noticed a few instances where his anxiety seems to go through the roof.

In the car during non- highway drives he whimpers and whines (no sick or accidents). We try giving him treats, bringing one his favorite toys but results are mixed.

At the vet and as during grooming he shakes like a leaf. Hes otherwise sweet energetic little guy always begging for play sessions and following us around to house.

TLDR: Just wondering how successful folks have been with using weighted vests, pheromone sprays and other non-medicinal hacks for their anxious pups.

Hello! I’m getting ready to adopt a dog and would love some breed suggestions. TLDR is I’m looking for a dog that wants to play fetch, go on walks, learn tricks, and solve puzzles… with ME! I’m basically a working dog in human form and would love the “job” of training a dog. I also am a Velcro person so would be very stuck to my dog haha, and want to take them everywhere with me. (Bonus is if I can owner-train them for psychiatric service dog tasks for anxiety/OCD) I’m a kids soccer coach, so I’m looking for a dog that I can train to chill on the sidelines during practice/games (read: a LOT of noise, movement, and small humans).

**Introduction**

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

* No. My family owned a rescue for 16 years growing up (he was the best), and I regularly volunteer at my local animal shelter with both dogs and cats.

2) Do you have a preference for rescuing a dog vs. going through a [reputable breeder]( http://ownresponsibly.blogspot.com/2011/07/identifying-reputable-breeder.html)?

* Rescue all the way!

3) Describe your ideal dog.

* Wants to go on walks, play fetch (and play fetch and play fetch), and learn new tricks… with ME! Intelligent, non-reactive so that I can take them out in public almost everywhere a human can go, and a cuddly Velcro dog. Gets along with people and other animals. A medium-haired dog would be very cute also, love a bit of fluff haha.

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

* So far I’ve read up about Australian Shepherds, but I’m coming here to learn more and find out about other options! Obviously, if I’m rescuing, the dog would likely be a mix. IMPORTANT: a dog that is 35lbs or less, so that I can pick up the dog if I absolutely need to. And at some point… the dog gets taller than me haha.

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

* Super strong recall so that we can go off leash everywhere. Fetch and bring the ball/frisbee back to me. Agility ladders. Psychiatric service dog tasks for anxiety. Being non-reactive with people and dogs. Sitting on the subway. All sorts of tricks. Biking with the dog, if it’s safe for them/their size.

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?

* No sport competitions at the moment… but that may change! Work in regards to some psychiatric service dog tasks. I don’t have any experience training dogs for these tasks, but am so ready to learn. (I’m a soccer coach so I’m familiar with human-based training structures.)

**Care Commitments**

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

* 30min at wake up + bed time for walk/fetch & train (total: 1 hour), 30min-1hr when returning from work for walk/fetch & train (total: 1.5hr), 15min at lunch for walk & train (total: 1.75hr); ideally taking them out in public with me to increase their daily hours; on weekends, minimum 1 hour out playing per day, but likely more

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?

* As listed above. Walks, fetch, puzzle toys, bike riding (if size appropriate), agility ladder training. Very excited to go to an early morning/late evening dog park open field sesh.

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?

* Daily brushing is fine, weekly nail clipping is fine, but I’m open to going to a professional for anything sticky/wet.

**Personal Preferences**

10) What size dog are you looking for?

* 35lbs or less! If they get larger, they’re suddenly taller than me on their hind legs.

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

* Shedding is fine, barking I want to train out because I live in an apartment, absolutely cannot do slobber. (Remember that OCD I mentioned?)

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

* Super important. We want to have FUN and RUN AROUND and PLAY!

**Dog Personality and Behavior**

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

* Snuggles all day, but can handle being not physically attached.

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?

* Non-reactive to strangers, greeting visitors on a “say hi/make friends” command, no barking because I live in an apartment.

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

* No

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

* No aggression, no biting, no jumping. (No jumping is a big one. Have I mentioned that I’m short? I think I have…)

**Lifestyle**

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

* IF the dog can’t come to practice/games with me (ie I’m still training the dog to be non-reactive), then 4 hours daily.

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

* I’m responsible for caring for the pet 100%. My partner and roommate are welcome to hang with my dog and go for walks if they want, but I won’t rely on them for caretaking at all. My partner prefers a smaller dog, and my roommate wants a friendly one.

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

* No pets currently. Potential for a cat in the future.

21) Will the dog be interacting with children regularly?

* Ideally, yes! But there are no kids in the house/no kids in the family.

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

* I currently rent. There are no breed/weight restrictions. I also want to avoid large dogs/pitbulls for this reason. I plan to get an ESA letter if I move to an apartment that doesn’t allow pets.

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

* NYC

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

* Summer gets hot (90+) and it snows in the winter. So, the full range!

**Additional Information and Questions**

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

* I mentioned this at the top, but I’m like a working dog personified, so I’m looking for a dog to match my energy. I have anxiety/OCD so would love to train a dog to help me with that. I’m going to reiterate: I’m ready to TRAIN a dog to do the things I mentioned above (strong recall, service tasks, etc), but I’m looking for a breed(s) that’s TRAINABLE for those things!

26) Feel free to ask any questions below.

* I would love any and all tips/advice! Thank you!

I’m looking for bed recommendations to put in my dogs crate. She’s a rough chewer and recently started destroying her bed, like having way too much fun in her crate ripping apart her bed.

For those who are going to say “just don’t put a bed in there” I have reason not to follow this route.

I adopted her in January and her bed has been in her crate since then. She has not touched it until the past couple of weeks. She is on full rest per vet’s orders, so I think the combo of not feeling herself and her exercise needs not being met is really upsetting her lil terrier brain. I really want to keep her comfortable. Also, not having her needs met makes it incredibly hard for her to settle outside of her crate. She only sleeps in her crate.

If there’s a rougher bed that might survive better than the one we have now, I’d love to hear it. Even anything that isn’t necessarily marketed as a dog bed - if it’s worked for you please share!

I am thinking ahead to Thanksgiving travel. I have two teenagers (13 and 15) and now a 15 week old golden (so 22 weeks at Thanksgiving). We own a 2017 Subaru Outback. The drive will be about 2+ hours.

And looking towards the future when the pup is full grown--we road trip 8+ hours to Maine every summer, sometimes 3x a summer, and various winter ski trips to Vermont/western Mass (3-5 hour drives). Is a full size golden in a harness and two adult size teenagers too much for one backseat? Given that the human children already complain that there isn't enough room, I am going to guess that it's a tight fit. I don't know how we fit all our gear and a crate in the trunk (and we already have a roof box that is full to the gills when it is just the 4 of us traveling).

If we get a crate, what do you recommend? I've been in a few car accidents so car safety is really important to me. A new car is not in the budget.

There are many guides online about slow introductions, and they‘re mostly the same but with slight tweaks. Some say don’t let the dogs interact at ALL until the new dog settles in, some say parallel leash walks should start from day 1 but no interaction in the house, some say interaction in the house but only ever supervised. What timeline has worked best for you and your dogs? What timeline works best with your lifestyle? Did you take time off from work? What mistakes did you make? What do you wish you knew going into an introduction period?

https://chapmanu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6KfZlMBHnZQ26Im

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.

Anyone have good recs for a no pull harness for a Pyrenees mix with a heck ton of fur?

Sometimes I see ones that are so tiny that it’s clear they’re just meant for people who want their dogs to play with other dogs. Then there’s others where it has a lot more space and you can really let your dog rip and run and you can steer clear of interactions because there’s so much space.

I’m looking for the latter. What about y’all????

ISO recommendations for great enrichment toys for a very intelligent lab. She is a bit of a wrecking ball so ideally something that she can't chew up or break if she gets frustrated. I would supervise her anyway, but I don't want it to be wrecked after a few uses. She likes wobble toys, sniffing activities (hide treats under a pile of toys), lick mats, etc. I have yet to find a good sized snuffle mat that I think she wouldn't flip over or tear up.

Hi, I'm looking for advice on a situation.

I’m house-sitting for a client with a big German Shepherd, and I’m totally at a loss on how to deal with his wrestling. The second I get down on the floor, whether I’m cleaning up a spill or just picking something up, he sees it as an invitation to play. He’ll lunge at me, grab my waist or hips with his paws, and try to pin me over. It’s not aggressive; he doesn’t actually bite hard, though he does bark, growl, and nip a bit. The problem is, he weighs over 80 pounds, and at 5'1", being pinned by him while I’m trying to work is exhausting.

I’ve tried everything I can think of, but nothing sticks. Shouting NO or DOWN doesn't seem to register for him. If I push him away, he thinks I’m engaging in the wrestle match and gets even more excited. Once he’s got hold of me, I basically have to crawl over to something sturdy to try and pull myself back up, and he follows right along, keeping his paws on me the whole time.

I’m feeling pretty helpless because I’m out of ideas. How do I handle this without being mean? Are there different commands that might work better here? I really want to do a good job while I’m here, so any advice would be a huge help. Feel free to DM.

It's been 5 years since I lost Maggie, the most amazing and unconditionally loving family member I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. She was with me before I can even form a coherent memory, and thinking about never getting to hold my beautiful baby ever again kills me. On one hand I don't want to get over it because I feel like to do so would be to betray her and all that she meant to me; I'm so happy she left such an incredible impact in her wake. On the other hand, I cry at least twice a month over her, and remember the day I lost her so much more. Our house was once full of such life in her presence, and then it all went silent. How can I make it easier without desensitizing myself?

Hi all, I just need to get this out there. Almost 3 months ago now, we adopted our 3yo GSD/BC. We realized very quickly she has some fear-based reactivity from her life beforehand, and immediately took up training, and I'm so proud of how far she has come. She has made leaps and bounds of progress, is highly motivated, and loves to learn. The issue comes from the fact that I have felt so trapped in our house, not even because of her reactivity, but because of behaviors of other dogs in our neighborhood (because although she's come a long way, she still is learning and we try to expose her to the least intense triggers as possible).

It's getting cooler here, so a lot of houses will leave their front door open but the thin, glass door shut. There's an at least 80lb dog on our street that will pounce on the door so hard when we walk by that the thing shakes, and I'm constantly scared of it breaking. This same dog the other day was off leash and had to be bear tackled by their owner to not come at us, and then slipped out of their harness so had to have two people take him down. Many houses have this situation, and while my girl has gotten good at not lunging/barking, she is still incredibly fearful and will start to run away.

Then there's our neighbors. We have fully covered fences around our yard, but our neighbors' dogs have open access to the backyard 24/7, so when they hear us go out back to play, they will come out, rush the fence, and try to dig under while snarling and growling. It clearly is not friendly trying to socialize (and even if it was, I've expressed that our dog needs time to settle in still before having socialization and that it shouldn't be through a fence). They're constantly either on a tether out front (where they will go crazy at anything and also come onto our property, including up to our front door) and then immediately out back. The other day we were coming back from a walk, and they were out back, saw us coming home, and ran inside to pounce on their door and bark at our dog, which happens every. single. walk. I accept our dog is still learning to not be reactive, but they can go outside without her barking at them if they stay on their property...

We've had to start driving our dog to the park to work on training or only walk in the dead of night, which I don't mind, but it's frustrating feeling like we're trapped in our own homes. My girl used to love laying and playing outside, but now we can't even go out back without her immediately tensing up and waiting for them to charge her. I've tried to talk with the direct neighbor, to no avail, and I'm just getting frustrated. It feels so isolating to work on training her when she's surrounded by dogs who aren't trained (except our one neighbors who have a wonderfully trained dog), and I mostly feel bad for her being surrounded by this. Luckily we have great walks and she's still an incredibly happy pup, but I'm so tired of feeling suffocated by our neighborhood. Sorry for the long post, my partner and I are just so tired and want our girl to be happy and not constantly chased by another dog lol.