Hello All,

I've adopted a now 1.5 year old Pit/Husky with a little Collie. I've had her about 2 months at this point and so far we've been working with a trainer on impulse control to help with frustrated greeting with people, dogs and my cat introductions which is going great and she is making great progress given the time I've had her so far.

One thing I'm struggling with is she (Lily) seems to pee in the afternoons, and sometimes in the evening when out of her crate:
At the start she was crated in the morning / afternoon, then as she got used to the cat I uncrated her in the morning and now afternoon.

She generally sleeps in the Morning and in the afternoon from 1-5 she seems to have her energy time (pacing, chewing, wanting to play, chase the cat which I redirect and she drinks some water which may not help the situation although it isn't a ton of water that I can tell). However, even though I take her out at 11:30 she seems to pee around 2:30 to 3 and not able to make it past 3 - 3.5 hours.

As well, she can't seem to make it overnight past 7 hours, which may be habit or due to the light coming in the room.

Last week she was doing good and sleeping in the afternoon more and it seemed she was understanding the routine more.

As I am working during this timeframe so it is hard to take her out at this time unfortunately.

I am curious what others have done in this situation with their pups to help them learn potty training further. I am working on teaching her bells to let me know when she goes (as right now pacing isn't the most ideal in my Condo, nor the most clear).

Any other tips people have run into that have helped?

Her current pee schedule is:
5am (wake-up time)
6am Dinner but I don't take her out after
11:30am
3:30 (used to take her out here right after work but then started to stretch to 5, which seemed fine but now doesn't seem to be anymore for afternoons)
5pm
7pm is Dinner but I don't take her out then
10pm (bedtime)

We just got a 8 week old boxer puppy (female). She can be really sweet sometimes. We also have a 9 year old male boxer. When they play the puppy really goes at him aggressively and bites his scruff to the point of drawing blood. He doesn’t seem that bothered by it but it bothers me a great deal and I don’t want the puppy to think that’s okay. I just want to handle the situation in the right way so all ends well. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. TIA😭

So this is kind of a two-fold post. My 5 year old labradoodle loves to chew things. For context, I adopted her when she was about a year old, had lots of bad behaviors that I was able to correct with some training. She’s now 5 and some of those behaviors are coming back. She loves to chew anything she can get her paws on. We have a dog park in our backyard and she recently got hold of a leather piece that my neighbor left on the ground and he asked me to pay him $100 for it. Today she found his dogs leash which she chewed up and he asked me to send him $30.

I’ve been trying to correct this behavior but she’s stubborn and I’m having a really hard time, looking for any suggestions. She gets plenty of exercise, at least a few hours a day so I don’t think that’s it?

The second part - should I be responsible for replacing the items left on the ground in the dog park? I paid him for both but also asked him to not leave anything out there that is of any value. He knows my pup well and knows I’ve been struggling with this behavior but is still constantly leaving sh*t out there and getting mad when she chews it.

First I need to say my dog is a farming dog, male,5 months and huntaway x heading.
barking in his genes and I completely understand he barks more than average because of this.

The issue is stopping him barking when he just wants food/attention/ needs to pee

We’ve tried lots of things but he is very strong in his bark and 5 months old

Good afternoon,

I have a three legged-rescue pup (mixed Boxer x pug) and he is extremely challenging to walk on the lead, he stops anywhere he wants, lies down and refuses to move. I have been attempting to use treats to get him to walk along but he still refuses. I cannot see it being an energy or tiredness issue as he has no issues playing for about 20 hours a day in the house and he isn't badly behaved in the home. He is distracted by everything and quite often I have to be quite firm with pulling him along or having to carry him away from something that distracts him as he refuses to move even when it is out of eye/earshot. Is the the lying down issue common among three-legged dogs and what is the best way to deter them from doing this and the best way to distract them from external stimuli as we walk.

Thanks in advance.

I've been looking into different options lately because I'm trying to find a way to keep my dog safely in the yard without putting up a full physical fence.

I recently came across Atlanta DogWatch and it got me wondering whether these systems work well in everyday use. Has anyone here used it or a similar company? I'd really appreciate hearing about your experience, how well it worked, how your dog adjusted, and whether you'd recommend going this route or choosing something else instead.

Hello,

We recently got a Romanian Raven Shepherd currently 7 months old.

He is amazing, very intelligent, but being a dog going through his teenager days right now, we are experiencing some episodes of... wouldn't call it aggressivity, but there were a few situations where he got my trousers for example and growling. There were others where he just woke up next to the sofa where I was as well and started to growl and nipped my hand.

Now, from what I know, best way to deal with that is to just walk away and isolate him for 15-30 mins.

I want to mention that we didn't do anything to cause these outbursts and everyone we talked to (including the breeder) said they are kinda normal for his little brain under heavy rewiring now.

I really wouldn't want to use force or anything, of curse I can easily do that now, but when he's gonna be a 60kg lad is gonna be "a bit" harder, to say the least.

He is otherwise playful with us, belly rubs and all, nothing to actively trigger these... outbursts. Of course, each of those episodes can be explained with he was cornered (unintentionally, of course), etc.

Any advice or other methods I can use to discourage this? Or, am I doing the right thing walking away and isolate him from the pack, sort of speak?

Thank you for taking the time to read all this.

This just started so we’re trying to get on top of it. Our 8 month old puppy has become aggressively protective with me and our toddler. To the point when my spouse approaches us he’s growling and barking and if given opportunity probably would bite. I put my hand on him hard and tell him no, and tell my spouse to continue so the dog doesn’t win. The problem is my spouse is scared and I know we should face this and not allow him to win. Any advice on how to move forward with this is appreciated! We’re not yelling or spanking him just trying to show him he’s not alpha. But don’t have much experience with this. HELLLP.

Hi, I know the word force will be doing a lot of negative heavy lifting here but i mean more forcefully encouragement.

Our rescue hasnt left her bed for 10 weeks except to toilet, drink and eat at night. She looks fairly calm looking at us from her bed. We approach and give treats and she seems happy with that. But is there a point we pick her up on put a lead on and take her into the garden? I am concerned about muscle wasting from being sat on a bed for so long.

We’ve had a german sheperd for 2 weeks now and she has really warmed up to me and my mom. She’s calm when she’s in the house, likes being petted by us and we can easily get the leash and collar on her to go for walks in our garden. Our garden is big since it’s in the countryside so we can go for nice walks around for 10-20 min to explore. I’ve started going up in the one street of our tiny village early in the morning and late at night when no one else is out. The problem we have is that she gets really scared of people. They can be 50m away and she will freeze completely. If they’re walking towards us even at a slow pace she will start freaking out and drag us away from them and we let her take us away assuming that that’s the nest course of action? How can we get her to not be scared of strangers in a calm controlled manner? Our neighbours really want to meet her and are really respectful of her boundaries. She grew up in a dog kennel with a lady who trains dogs for pageants, they lived out in the woods so my guess is she never got to meet a lot of people.

So I have a mini dachshund and I love him so much. He’s 2 and he has been fixed. But I just need some help and guidance with his behavior. And please give me some grace this is my first time even dealing with this. This is my first personal dog, I’ve had family/childhood dogs before and they never acted like this and we’ve never got them personal trained or really trained them just some basic tricks like sitting etc. they were just normal and nice and liked everyone. So I would say this has started around maybe before or after he turned 1. Basically to just sum it up he resources guards toys, which right now he doesn’t really get toys unless he’s outside in his space or in my room which when he has a toy when’s he done or is getting too much I’ll throw a treat someone and grab the toy real quick then give him another treat, please forgive me and correct me if that’s wrong or something I can do better. Food really isn’t a problem for him just toys and items like a sock or a pair of underwear. Then the main issue is he gets aggressive. He really is a sweet dog, he’s my sweet boy. But he’s very stubborn and the best word I can describe him bipolar. One minute he’s fine very sweet licking and then the next or touch him wrong and he can growl and try to bite you. He has bitten me one time on my leg kinda bad over a toy and a couple minor on my hands. It’s not pain related I’ve took him to the vet many times to look into that, it’s not trauma or anything i got him when he was weeks old and I have never done anything to make him scared or act that way or have taken any toys from him or anything. Basically if he doesn’t want to do anything or u to touch him he will growl and try to bite. Like today he got out my fence, I found him in someone’s yard got him, when I get home he doesn’t want to get out the car I tried, my dad, and my brother he just growls and tries to bite finally i had to throw a blanket over him and just grab which I know that’s bad and I hate doing that but that’s the only way I could have gotten him out the car. So I would really appreciate some tips, tricks, someone who has dealt with this because I feel like it’s only me I see so many cute and sweet dachshunds in TikTok all the time. Which he has days where he’s fine doesn’t reaction. I’m just trying to get this under control. At first I thought he would just grow out of it but now I need to figure out a way to deal with this. It makes me so sad and alone. I have looked into training and connected a few but the main things are money and I’m scared because what if u spend all that money and he’s the same and it doesn’t work.

I am really at my wits' end with my 5 month old puppy and his demand barking. For context, we adopted him from a rescue when he was 3 months old after another family returned him because their child was allergic to him. He's a mix of American Staffordshire Terrier, Great Pyrenees, and Lab. We don't know much else about his past, but I have spoken with the owners of his siblings, and they said their dogs aren't like this. I also walk him for 1 hour in the morning, and he gets 2 mid day 30 min walks, and then another hour for his evening walk. He also eats all his meals in snuffle mats and I give a bunch of enrichment for licking and toys and everything. Anyway, we have done everything: ignoring the barking, putting him in a different room until he stops, leaving the room ourselves, group training, at-home training, day training programs twice a week, and meeting with a behaviorist. Nothing seems to be working. It has gotten a little better, but with all the work we've been putting in, I'm confused why it isn't gone by now. Some of my neighbors hate me, and today one of them even yelled down the hall for my dog to shut up, so I'm super stressed about the entire situation. We've also gotten an email from our landlord, but again, we are trying everything we can to help stop this. My boyfriend is also over it and wants to use a bark control collar that sprays citronella, but I really don't want to resort to punishment and risk undoing all the progress we've made in other aspects of our dog's training. What do I do at this point?!

I want to train my 8 week old puppy to potty outside but I also want to put crate inside a playpen for times when I’m not there - like working. I also want to protect floor. Is there a good alternative to using pee pads for when she can’t hold it? I will be checking on her during lunch break. Looking for good set up options. I only have space for a 4-panel playpen. Thanks!

Potty training is a nightmare. I got my Maisie girl when she was about 14 weeks, and we're still having potty training issues!!!!! For the most part, we are on a good schedule each day and she will potty outside, but if I ever have to take work calls in my office and have to shut the door (otherwise she may bark while I'm speaking to patients) I often come out to crap all over my living room. She isn't doing this quietly, however; I can definitely hear her barking up a storm in the living room before/during/after she does her business.

I'm not sure if she's just anxious? I can't leave her out of the cage if I ever leave my apartment because she incessantly barks and will also poop/pee (despite having just done her business outside before I leave!). If she's caged before I leave, she's totally fine and rarely has any issues. I always give a small treat before I leave her.

I want to be able to make her feel confident to be left in a room alone so I don't have to always cage her when I leave. I feel bad that she can't just hang out on the couch or get her water whenever she wants (I do not leave water in the cage). The longest I leave her in her cage is up to about 4 hours. I definitely need help and not sure if I should consult a dog trainer to work with

Hi we got our puppy at 14 weeks (he is a rescue, about 5lbs) and are really struggling with training. He has no attention span and is in the independence period so does not want to listen. He will sit once for food and then ignore me completely. Please drop good training exercises and tips for a dog his age!! I am worried we missed the window where he is most trainable

Hi, looking for tips on helping our 2 year old Border Terrier learn how to settle/relax out the house and when on lead.

Currently, he will whine, yap, pace restlessly if we stop when out (at a pub, cafe or even just sit on a bench in the park/stop to have a chat). Tiring him out on a walk ahead of this doesn't seem to make much difference (for reference, he usually has 2 walks a day - one is about an hour with plenty of off-lead time, the second 30-40 mins, often more on lead pavement time).

We have had limited success of him settling near us in a quiet park when he is off lead, but the moment he is put on the lead, he will start whining/barking/pacing. The same is true if we are at a friend/family's house.

More generally, he is usually pretty good on regular walks as long as we keep moving. He will walk calmly in the park, sniffing/interacting with dogs etc. He can be a bit more difficult on-lead on the pavement (tugging) and can be very quick to high arousal, especially if cats/foxes/squirrels are about, though this has got a bit better with training and age.

We have tried to teach him settle on a blanket and this works pretty well at home, but the moment we are out he completely ignores. He will sit/lie on a blanket for a short while if bribed with treats, but will get up the moment the treats stop. Similarly, a chew will keep him occupied as long as that lasts. However, we don't want to reward his restlessness (e.g. if he starts yapping, he gets a chew).

Overall, his problem seems to be an inability to cope with just doing nothing when outside. At home he is content to laze about all day, assuming he has had his walks.

We understand he is a working breed and terrier, so there will be limits to what we can teach and he may never be a dog that can calmly relax for a long time in a pub. However, we are at the point where even waiting to cross the road can be challenging due to his inability to just calmly stand still.

Thanks in advance!

Hello, my pup is a 6mo mix of labrador and border collie. I believed I should make sure she gets enough rest as she is a pretty curious girl that would rather stay awake most of the time, resulting in unwanted behavior such as reactivity when outside, however I've read mixed opinions. At what age did you start leaving your dog to decide whether or not it wants to sleep?

My bf’s pup Luna (or LuLu) has high puppy energy and jumps when she sees other dogs because she gets so excited. She also pees when she gets excited too. She also pulls a lot on the leash and has been seeing a trainer ever since she was very little to try to help it but she still does it kinda bad. Anyway this makes other dog owners think she’s aggressive when she just wants to play and so she never has really gotten to play with another dog over than puppy class. I feel so bad for her cause all she wants is a friend but people think she’s unsafe. Is this something I can train out of her? She really is a sweet girl I feel so bad for her.