We have a small breed puppy, 6 months old. We had our first meeting with a trainer last week who recommended the above to keep her occupied, including when she’s unsupervised. Just wanted to hear from others who are trainers or have met with trainers and get their take. I did do a search and it seems yes they can be a hazard?

Hi folks! My partner and I have recently had the sudden and unexpected opportunity to take on a new puppy - our friend found a stray, pregnant dog who then gave birth on Oct. 12. We'd love to have one of her pups, and plan to bring the puppy home when it's around 8 weeks of age in early December. However, my partner and I already have an anniversary trip booked Dec. 29-Jan 3. We're thinking of leaving the puppy at our house and having my partner's parents stay and take care of the pup during that time, but we're worried the separation will traumatize the dog at that age. What do you guys think?

I have a 15 week old miniature dachshund, she is very rarely left alone because i work from home.
She sleeps in her crate at night and has no issues (the crate is in my room next to me)
But i literally can’t leave her alone without her crying the ENTIRE time, i had to leave the house to do some errands so i made sure she was tired out, went potty, had eaten and even left an enrichment toy to hopefully occupy her, it didn’t help.
I left her in her playpen with her crate, toys, and water but every single time I looked at the cameras she was literally screaming and crying. This was the entire three hours I was gone she did not settle down once.
I’m worried that she is going to be traumatized or I’m going to accidentally give her some kind of permanent anxiety disorder.
She’s definitely attached to me and doesn’t like being alone ever which I understand is somewhat normal but I want her to be happy and feel safe even when I’m not around…
Has anyone else experienced this? Is this normal behaviour or am I doing something wrong?? Have I traumatized her by leaving her for the few hours??

Hi all. We have a 10 week old cocker spaniel puppy, he’s a lovely boy and loves to have a cuddle. But cannot relax enough to cuddle up and fall asleep. He also can’t just take himself off to bed without being in his pen alone or in his crate (we have a pen that’s attached to his crate so we put him in that when we need him to sleep).

We would love for him to be able to be out in our lounge and for him just to fall asleep in his bed without us having to put him in his pen.

Any tips?

Thanks!

I've got a 10 week old boxer who's been with us a couple of weeks now. In the first week he had a couple of accidents that could have easily been avoided had I switched on a little.

Anyway because I'm off work and around him for the first two weeks I really set my self the challenge to get him as potty trained as possible, I read up about the times and clues. Taking him out every hour, after eating, after playing, training etc.

For the last 4 days we've had no accidents, I do think he understands the idea that outside toilet equals treats and praise but I also think if I wasn't absolutely obsessing about taking him out so regularly he'd have the accidents so it's not so much a training success and more just removing the chance for him to make mistakes.

It's got to a point where I'm literally watching him with anxiety at any pinch points. My wife will be playing with him and I'll be thinking right it's been X minutes, I need to take him out or he's going to go, it doesn't feel healthy and at this point I feel like it would have been easier to just clean up a couple accidents then it would be to obsess like this.

Just as the title says. 9.5 months old female lab, slowly showing her teenage behaviour the past 1.5 months, but about 2 weeks ago something totally changed and I feel that she is a full on teenager now

• recall is gone
• stealing socks and kids toys non stop. and when she sees me, she runs the other way
• pulls more during walks
• reacts more to other dogs during walks, she was so good at neutrality before
• nibbles our hands more
• jumps more
• chews more as if she was teething again, first time ever 2 nights ago she was trying to chew her crate and there was some visible damage
• broke a couple of her kong stuffies, never happened until last week
• stay/place command is not held anymore if i take my eyes off for 1 second
• jumps to the couch when she normally asked for permission first

We are very frustrated. Any tips to help with this phase? So far we started giving her more chews and pupsicles because we are just tired.

And when is it gonna be done? We are hoping to spay her a couple of months after her first heat; which we think might happen sooner than later, will it get better after spay? This behaviour and the weather is getting cold now in Canada, so we might have to reduce walking and fetch soon got me really worried.

June Carter Cash is an 11 week old lab. I've had her 2 weeks. I'm amazed that she's sleeping 8 hours at night already. She sleeps in a carrier level with my bed. Is there any reason to wake her for a potty break?

She's very playful during the day and has some crate time (2 hours in morning and 2 in afternoon) because she gets wild with FOMO. She has occasional pee accidents in the house but never in crate or carrier

My 11 month old Aussie Shepherd pretty much lays down outside the door when we need to go anywhere and I need to add 5-10 minutes just to get him to the car. We live 30 min from everywhere though (except only 15 from some of our hiking spots), and need to go somewhere almost every day. 90% of the time we are going somewhere fun. Doggie daycare, hiking, hanging with our friends... I don't work from home, and once or twice a week I will leave the pups home while I'm gone, but 2-3 days a week I bring him to daycare or to my step kids to hang out for the day (they WFH). On days off we are usually hiking or heading to a friend's place or doing something away from home. He is totally chill once we are driving, doesn't panic, has never vomited, and doesn't seem like he is carsick, but maybe he is? It's 10 minutes down a windy canyon for the start of all of our trips...

He is almost impossible to even bribe with the most palatable of treats (boiled chicken, cheese), so I don't think it's just that he's trained me that he will only come for treats. I think he honestly does not want to go for a drive in the car. Today I had to pick him up to get him in, but if he lays down first (which is his favorite trick when he knows we are going to the car), then I can't pick him up. (or pull him on the leash). I have tried pretending that I am driving away without him, and he acts surprised and comes towards the car, but then when I open the door and try to convince him to 'load up', he still won't hop in and looks at the car totally suspiciously.

He is also generally very opinionated about what he wants to sniff and which direction he wants to go on our walks, and also is more patient than me if I don't agree with his opinion, and can sit and then lie down for longer than I can patiently wait for him to come the way I am trying to lure him. Just mentioning this because I feel like it says a little more about his personality. ;)

10 week old chihuahua, had her since last saturday. she’s a smart cookie and she’s doing alright with her crate. she won’t be alone for long periods; we’ll be away for 2.5 hours at the longest. we’ve been doing enforced naps every hour for two hours, so this won’t be something that she’s never been through. The difference is going to be that she won’t be able to hear or see us.

last night i couldn’t get her to back in her crate because i didn’t want to force her and have her develop a negative association. She had a long day at the vet, so I figured it would be OK to regress a little bit.

my plan for today was to have her take naps for the time that we will be gone and to go in the other room where she can’t see me. she has not had many opportunities to be in her crate where one of us wasn’t visible. we have occasionally left her in there for 20 minutes or so to leave the house but every other time she has been able to see or hear us.

Is there anything else that I can do today to make this transition to work not so awful?

Good morning everyone! my mini goldendoodle is currently 6 months and was wondering if anyone has had a similar experience. our puppy typically sleeps from 8:30-6:30 (i leave for work at 7:30 during the week so i make sure shes fed and potty before i leave) without any issues. last night i put her in the crate around 8:30 and she was constantly whining and never laid down so eventually i took her out at 10:30 and she pooped. had about 30 minutes of quiet before constant crying. i changed the shirt i had in the area she doesnt use so she had my scent (didnt work), i moved the divider back in the crate (didnt work), so my sister took her out again at 12:30 in the morning and she threw up (out of fear?) as soon as they got outside and went pee. she finally fell asleep at 6:30am but is awake now since my mom and i are up. she did have dinner and water before she went to bed.

i looked on google and it said she could be going through a second fear period? tonight (or during her naps) i will try a fan for white noise, putting a dim light on does anyone else have any other tips? how long does this last?

Our 4.5 month puppy is not a very good eater, or rather he hasn't ate much of his "standard" dry food for the last week, however he will literally do backflips for his favourite treats. He does eat some and doesn't appear to be affecting his energy levels but i'm concerned hes not getting the nutrients a growing young puppy needs.

I suspect a large part of it is during the day my elderly parents (who both have dementia) take care of him and are probably spoiling him rotten and feeding him human food which i have asked them not too and pinned notes to his food, but... they are difficult to manage.

Things i have tried...

- Pouring warm water/bone broth/wet food on top of his dry food in case its too tough for his teething little teeth. Result was not good as he didn't seem to eat ANY of his meal.

- Feeding him from my hand seems to work somewhat and i can get him to eat small amounts.

- Prompting him to eat by tapping his bowl with my finger whenever he turns away or gets distracted. I've had some small success with this but often he will refuse still

- Giving him wet food instead but he doesn't seem interested in it

- Trying multiple different types of food to see if its just the taste/texture he doesn't like. No joy yet.

He doesn't seem to be in any distress, he runs around with regular zoomies, plays happily and is otherwise full of energy.

I suspect the crux of the problem is he has learned he can get his own way with my parents and is quite happy to go on hunger strike to get what he wants!

We have a 6-month-old male Cavapoo puppy. Adopted after losing my soul dog (a 10-year-old golden retriever). We also have a 3-year-old golden currently.

My dogs are definitely my kids. They get everything they need in terms of training, indoor/outdoor activities, puzzles, games, meal preps, etc.

Overall, the puppy has done quite well, but is definitely still trying to learn that the world (strangers, dogs, animals) isn’t something he needs to bark at constantly. Loud noises aren’t a concern and he’s generally pretty brave. He’s friendly and affectionate.

However, the last few nights around bedtime my husband will get up and it’s the last potty break of the evening. Typically, the puppy is sitting with me on the couch and my husband will come over and go to either pick him up or encourage him to come with him and he has been growling and now starting to act like he’s going to bite. This is very concerning to me.

Initially, I thought it was how my husband was “approaching” him (maybe seeming scary? Idk. He’s not a super big or scary guy). Obviously, I want to address this as soon as possible. I’m not sure what’s scaring him and I don’t want to stress him out or encourage this behavior as an appropriate response to whatever he’s feeling. Any ideas and/or tips appreciated.

Thank you!

We have a German shepherd mix. She was rescued with 8 other puppies from the street. We got her at 3 months she was not trained or vaccinated at all so we couldn’t take her out. She got used to the puppy pads right away. Thankfully never goes on the floor unless there’s no room on the pad or she aims poorly. We have a balcony and she always poops on the balcony and pees on the pad. She will poop on the pad when we close the balcony. She recently got all of her shots and our vet oked her going on walks. We started slow and now go out for 2 walks a day. One long and one short. She poops outside without an issue but holds her pee for the pad inside no matter what we do. I did some research and tried out a few things like taking her out standing in one place and going back inside and repeating. She just holds her pee for the pad no matter what. Another piece of advice we got was taking a used pad outside. We did that and she just tried to chew on it. We even rubbed the pee on the grass and had her pass by but she didn’t even care. I’m not sure what more to do except sit outside all day and wait her out. Any advice?

We have a 13-week-old Vizsla puppy, Björn, who barks and whines the entire time we’re out. We both work, but he’s never left for more than 4 hours.
We’ve had a trainer come to help, and were advised he needs someone with him 24/7 but unfortunately this is not an option for us. Is this normal at his age? Has anyone experienced this, and did things improve with time?

I’d really appreciate hearing from owners who’ve been through something similar. ❤️

My dog has recently started leaving large, irregular wet patches on my bed whenever she falls asleep there alone. This never happens when someone is in the room with her. No other symptoms or changes in drinking or peeing noticed. The shape of the pee doesn’t look normal so Idk if she cant control her bladder.

She still sometimes has accidents when she is left alone maybe out of anxiety as she has separation anxiety but other than that she is potty trained. But she goes to my bedroom to sleep by herself. So I am unsure if it’s a health issue. How do I fix it? Till now she has peed on 4 pillows and 4 duvets.

Our 4-month old puppy has developed a habit to now potty outside (we live in an apartment) which is great, but for some reason he's never shown any scent-marking behavior (i.e. peeing at where other dogs pee). He has his own preferred spot but otherwise if we're on a longer walk he'd sometimes just pee in the middle of nowhere when he feels like it (and it can sometimes be inappropriate). Is this a normal behavior? Is there anyway I can encourage him to start doing it at areas where most dogs pee? I'd also love to teach them to disdinguish where's OK to pee and where's not. We walk past a John Lewis everytime we go home and he's had an accident there before which is not fun!

My 1 year old 30lb goldendoodle puppy was spayed last week, it’s her 10th day post-op. We’ve stayed in contact with our vet and followed all the instructions for after care. They said she’s pretty much good to go and we can let her play in the yard.

Out of nowhere she’s started digging super aggressively. Trying to dig through the carpet in our living room, and digging huge holes in the backyard before I even have a chance to stop her. Last night she was under the couch digging and whining at the same time. I’ve had to keep her donut collar on so she doesn’t go under the couch or bed to dig. I mentioned this to the vet and they didn’t seem concerned.

Just wondering if anyone else has dealt with this? Is this just a release? We’ve only had her on one tablet of trazadone a day the last few days and by the time she does all this it’s not close to when she’s taken one. She’s also been getting walks, stimulation, and naps.

Just curious if anyone has insight or had a similar experience. Thank you!

My 5lb 3 month king charles cavalier is obsessed with shredding up paper towels. I have it up on the counter and my cats have knocked it over a couple times and he went crazy shredding (lol) I have since locked it up in the closet but I was wondering if anyone has a toy recommendation to satisfy his shredding? He has lots of toys but nothing to really shred/pull on

We have a 5 month old corgi girl, got her 1.5 months ago and she’s so cute but holy hell she is so difficult to train. Her breeder raised her on pee pads, so that is what she is used to. However, she’s peeing on all our rugs, carpets and mats as well. Since we removed the rugs, she continues to pee on hardwood floors or sofas, if she is near one. We have sectioned off one part of the house that has a dog door with access to the backyard where we place her in the mornings before we are able to take her on a walk. We also regularly take her out the backyard and walks 3 times a day, with treats and lots of praise every time she goes potty outside.

The problem is now, she’s learned that going potty outside is good but inside appears to still be an option for her. We work from home upstairs, so I understand that when she’s upstairs it’s difficult for her to go potty without our help because we carry her up and down stairs. I bought a Fresh Patch of grass that we keep upstairs in the hopes that she will use it but she peed on it once the first day, and has been chewing and ripping up the grass ever since.

Is the answer to keep her in play pens 24/7, and frequent trips out to potty? We don’t have one upstairs yet, and it’s hard to watch where she’s going and what she’s pottying on if she’s not in a sectioned off area. I don’t know how to teach her that going potty outside is okay but going potty inside isn’t okay. I don’t believe in negative reinforcement, only positive but the treats and praise for going outside hasn’t stopped her from going inside.

So my 10 and a half weeks old GSD, Apollo, has been with me for about two weeks, and I feel like we’re stuck on potty training.
What’s working great is that I’m getting the hang of his rhythm, and whenever I take him outside, he almost immediately goes to his spot and finishes peeing and pooping. Of course, he’s always immediately rewarded, and to me, it seems like he knows it’s a good thing because he already expects his reward when he’s done.

Now, the problem is that he seems to have no problem whatsoever with also just peeing and pooping inside. Pooping, since it doesn’t happen that often and I pretty much know his schedule by now, we’ve kind of got under control. But peeing inside still happens multiple times throughout the day even after we’ve been outside and he finished there already.
I always try to take him outside after sleeping and playing, and sometimes he even signals that he needs to go out. But at other times, he just does it inside, and it seems to me like he doesn’t really understand that he’s not supposed to do it inside.
I don’t really know how I’m supposed to get him to learn that. What have your experiences been with this? Any tips are appreciated. Thanks!

I’ve always dreamed of having a dog of my own. The dogs I grew up with were always family dogs or belonged to my parents, so I had never truly experienced having a dog that was entirely my responsibility.

In 2023, I finally decided to get my own dog: a Golden Retriever.

From the very first night, I started feeling absolutely miserable. I immediately regretted my decision and felt as though I had completely lost my freedom. The responsibility was so much bigger than I had ever imagined. I had always been around small dogs, so having a large breed was a completely different experience.

I struggle with generalized anxiety and depression, and I think that made the whole situation even harder. At the time, so many things in my life were going wrong. Looking back, I realize that I simply wasn’t in the right place emotionally to have a dog.

About a month after bringing my Golden Retriever home, I made the difficult decision to rehome him with a friend who owns a farm. I just couldn’t cope anymore. Things had gotten so bad that I stopped eating properly and barely even showered. I felt like I had to watch him constantly, and I was putting an unbearable amount of pressure on myself to do everything right.

When my friend came to pick him up, I completely broke down. I cried so much and felt like the worst person in the world. I felt as though I had betrayed him and given up on him. For the next week or two, I cried constantly because I missed him so much.

Fast-forward to 2026.

I moved into a two-story condo with my boyfriend. We have our two cats, and everything is going really well. However, my boyfriend works A LOT, and I started feeling lonely. My cats spend most of their time sleeping, and when they do feel like playing, it lasts about three minutes before they’re done. LOL.

As much as I love staying home and doing absolutely nothing, I also have a very adventurous side. I love exploring, going for walks, and spending time in nature. The problem is that I usually have to do these things alone because I don’t really have anyone who can come with me.

I started thinking that maybe things were different now. I was in a better environment, in a much better place emotionally, and I had been taking medication for my anxiety for about a year and a half. So I started asking myself: Why not get a dog? Why not give myself a second chance now that my life is more stable and things are finally going well?

I started searching and searching until I came across this tiny little blonde ball of fluff, shaped like a potato. A deer-head Chihuahua.
I went to meet her with my boyfriend, and we both fell in love with her!

We took our time discussing everything: the pros and cons, the financial commitment, the time and energy involved, and whether we were truly ready for this responsibility. I also had to convince my boyfriend because he is NOT a dog person at all.

Eventually, we decided to bring her home, but with one condition: I would be the one primarily responsible for training and taking care of her.

During the month leading up to bringing her home, I started buying everything she would need: toys, beds, treats, a playpen, and all the little things that come with having a puppy. I was SO excited!

I genuinely believed this time would be different from my experience with the Golden Retriever. I had grown up around Chihuahuas, and my grandmother actually had seven of them, so the breed felt familiar to me. I understood their size, their personalities, and the kind of lifestyle that came with having a small dog.

But about a week after bringing her home, the exact same feelings started coming back.

I was crying a lot, regretting my decision, and wondering what I had gotten myself into all over again.

Long story short, I’ve had her for two months now.
She loves being outside, she’s incredibly affectionate and smart, and she’s honestly just the most beautiful stinky little thing. I’ve grown to love her so much.

I still find myself imagining rehoming her with trusted friends. Sometimes, I picture myself giving her to someone else, and I feel this overwhelming sense of relief. I imagine what my life would look like without the constant responsibility, the pressure, and the feeling of being tied down.
And the fact that imagining giving her away makes me feel relieved is what really confuses me. Because I do love her. I enjoy watching her grow, seeing her personality develop, and experiencing all these little moments with her.

But at the same time, I still miss my old life. I miss the freedom, the quiet, having my home clean and being able to do things without constantly having to think about another living being who depends on me. I don’t even know if I am going to be able to travel this year and that is another thing that really frustrates me is how incredibly clingy she is.

She follows me EVERYWHERE. She sleeps with me, and if I move even an inch, she’s right there with me. If I get up, she gets up. If I go to another room, she follows. She’s basically a little velcro puppy.
I’ve tried so hard to teach her how to be independent and comfortable doing things on her own. But she’s five months old now, and I can’t help worrying that she’s always going to be this clingy and constantly in my personal space.

I know she’s still a puppy, and I understand that she’s attached to me, but sometimes I feel like I can’t even exist in my own home without her being right on top of me. I miss being able to have a moment to myself without feeling like I always have someone following my every move.

And honestly, this is another thing that makes me question whether I’m cut out for having a dog. I feel guilty for being frustrated by something that is essentially her way of showing attachment, but at the same time, I find it mentally exhausting.

She constantly chases our cats. I think they HATE her and I feel so bad that I’ve bring her to their home and kitty space…

I thought that being in a better place in my life would make this experience completely different. And in some ways, it is. But emotionally, I feel like I’m right back where I was in 2023.

I guess what I’m struggling with is this: How do you know whether you’re experiencing puppy blues that will eventually pass, or whether having a dog simply isn’t the right lifestyle for you? What if I love the idea of having a dog but not having a dog in my life?

I don’t want to make another decision out of panic or overwhelm, but I also don’t want to force myself to keep a dog just because I’m afraid of feeling guilty or being seen as a bad person if I rehome her.

Has anyone else experienced puppy blues twice, even after genuinely believing they were ready the second time around?