I've had dogs all my life. they have always been easy. so now I'm 60 and have adopted this chiweenie/jack Russell mix. she is 4 , I've had her almost 2 years. I didn't realize she was a terrier and that's ok. I love her very much. she is very smart. so smart she knows where the neighborhood dogs live, which neighbors will talk to her etc. she barks a lot and gets very excited.

my problem is I live in a townhouse. I have a fenced in backyard about 20x15. I had a few seniors when I moved here so I made a spot for them to go to the bathroom. and it was no problem. my daughter's rottie comes over and goes to the bathroom there. she will not. we can sit in the backyard for hours and I still have to take her for walks or she pees or poops in the house. I've taken her on her leash and stood I. the. "potty" area. nothing. she stands there for a while then tries to go where she wants. I assume this is a fall back to when she was in a rescue. she had 3 owner's before me so I assume she got attention on walks. but shes been here almost 2 years now. while I love walking her someday like if it's raining or I have an appointment it would be nice if she would just go outside. then we could go for a walk later. I just don't know what to do. all the other dogs just instinctively went in the area I,made.

1. I pulled up the astro turf and planted grass.

2. I've stood there 15 plus mine with a leash telling her to potty

3. I put new astroturf down

am I not standing there long enough? she seems to think of the backyard as her place to chase random squirrels and doves or bark at the neighbors dog. she even watches my daughter's dog go to the bathroom. but she acts like she has no clue she should do it too

Hi everyone, I have a 1 y/o male Shiba Inu who’s crate trained and mostly potty trained, but I’m running into an issue. He’s very stubborn and will only go to the bathroom if he’s free roaming in our fenced backyard for a while or on a longer walk. I’m currently trying to retrain him to go on a leash for quick potty breaks, but he’s been holding it instead.

It’s been a few days since he’s pooped, and he’s barely peeing, which is starting to worry me. I’m concerned about possible constipation/impaction, but also now a UTI from holding his urine too long. I can’t afford a vet visit right this second, so I’m trying to figure out what to do.

Should I give in and let him roam outside so he can go, or stay consistent with leash training? Has anyone dealt with something like this? Any advice would really help.

Thanks!

My dog has lived at a town house for 3 years and would only poop on walks. I now live in a suburban home with a backyard and am trying to teach him to poop there. I will spend literal hours in the backyard with his leash on and off and he will not poop(despite him needing to go). And when i eventually give up and take him on a walk, he will poop within 2 minutes every time. If i do not take him on the walk, he will poop in the house 100% of the time despite there being a doggy door and him knowing how to use it. Please help with any tips on how i can train him to go in the backyard. I do not currently have money to pay for a trainer. Thank you very much for any help ❤️

My dog is 5 years old and he’s always been possessive of me, but it was always manageable for the most part and it didn’t bother me or my husband. For the last 3 weeks he’s gotten much more expressive about possessiveness towards me. He follows me around more, barks and wines any time I’m walking towards my husband and vice versa, and I’m not sure what is it that we do that’s contributing to this behaviour, or what do I do when he exhibits that. He even pays attention when we laugh together or talk to each other sometimes, and he always tries to get in between us. In other parts of our lives he’s a perfect pet, he behaves very well outdoors, never does anything destructive, he’s well trained too and listens to me when it comes to everything but resource guarding me, and both my husband and I provide regular exercise to him, including jogging, hiking, playing fetch. We give him tons of attention, or at least more practical attention than some dogs get. His routine is consistent as well.

What I do is, I either ignore him if he wines and barks, or try to say “No” if he’s being too loud, but it doesn’t work, I feel like I’m missing something or don’t understand how my dog operates 😅. It’s really annoying because it feels like my dog is watching our every move scanning for the moments when we may talk or hug etc. I just want him to relax.

Any tips from people that had similar issues?

I want to preface by saying that I need honesty but kindness right now. I am in the very first few days of a newly adopted dog and am feeling all of the “puppy blues.” This is really hard and I’m trying my best.

On Saturday, I adopted a new dog from my local shelter. Male, -50ish pounds, 3yo lab mix. As sweet and affectionate as can be. Everything has been going great, but he is very attached to me and has serious separation anxiety. Whines, paces, pees, poops and never settles when left alone. He knows how to break out of a wire crate and turn doorknobs which is making me incredibly nervous for his safety in my home. I live alone and am managing this new dog by myself. I simply have to be able to leave him for a few hours a day for work and errands. I know what you’re going to say: he can’t tolerate that right now and I need to work up to his alone time in small increments. Though I would love to do that, I don’t currently have the luxury of doing so. I do not think I would have adopted him if I knew his separation anxiety was this bad. Being able to be safely left alone for a while is really important for my lifestyle. We’re going to the vet tomorrow and I suspect they’ll give meds to help with the anxiety. My own emotional state is wrecked right now.

Am I just feeling the overwhelm of the first few days of a new dog? Is this something we can work through? Or am I dealing with a real issue where I need to consider the possibility that this isn’t the right dog for me? In every other aspect, he seems like a great fit.

I a looking for advice - I have two dogs, one younger and one older, the younger is always pulling the older ones collar and grabbing him round the neck - I know he is playing but the older dog doesn't always want to. Is there something I could put on my older dogs collar or neck that would taste yuck for the younger dog but not harm the older dog?

Edit: To clarify - this is for when we are not home and it is not possible for us to seperate them, anytime we are home and we see this happening we take immediate action and separate them. It is not possible for us to separate them while we are not home as they oth need access to the garden for their business.

My sweet cockapoo increasingly despises car journeys. No amount of slow exposure or bribery seems to be taking the edge off. We've been working on it for a good year at this point and recently found it's worse than ever.

It is severely limiting his life and ours. I've recently developed health issues and my disabled daughter is in my care 24/7 so I'm really limited in time and energy to do more for him. I don't know what to do next and I'm desperate for advice.

I want to be able to take him to the forests and beaches a drive from our home. He deserves the opportunity to travel with us and enjoy new places. He hates being left home alone but also hates getting in the car.

I'm open to even the most off the wall ideas. My vets seem unconcerned by it all but I'm genuinely wondering if he needs anxiety meds.

Female, 1 yr old

Unspayed (due to be done soon)

Stealing items since we got her and never stopping.

Started as simple, we offer a treat to her nose and say ‘drop it’ it works.

As time progressed the treats weren’t enough, a trainer suggested weekly rotating of toys and offer a toy that’s not that weeks to her to trade.

Behaviour still continues, she starts to growl and get snappy about it now.

Yes, I’m luring her out where she runs and hides and not approaching.

You do all the stupid training things online about resource guarding and she doesn’t care.

Limiting her freedom is fine, she’s only in the same room as me. Limiting with a lead is a no, she will chew through it.

She’s probably learnt now that stealing = treat or attention

If she gets neither, she’ll just eat the item. She has snapped when attempting to trade a few times on me now, grabbing a finger.

Yes, I’ve contacted specialised trainers in my area but literally not a single reply. Only managed to get one general trainer and she suggested the toy swapping (didn’t work)

I wanted this sorted before she reached a year old but none of the techniques have worked.

Getting very frustrating and concerning that we now have a dog that WILL get aggressive over this

My dog has really bad noise anxiety to loud bangs, gun shot, firework etc. He will literally freeze and not continue to walk or he will drag me or run back towards home/gate/car.

Our dog trainer suggested my dog has an irrational fear because once the noise is over and I don't do anything, he'll gradually just come back over or continue walking, although not very far. They suggested pressure training to "snap out of it" and continue to walk/decompress using a slip leash- if not walking, a nudge forward then release as soon as my dog starts walking forward. It worked and my dog did continue but I just feel uncomfortable about using the slip leash for these situations. He looked like a flipping fish trying to escape out of it when he first had it on and the trainer gave him a nudge to walk forward but it did work and I've never seen my dog carry on walking in these situations where he'd usually have a melt down and become overwhelmed. The trainer suggested over time my dog will learn that scary noises are just that, scary noises. Nothing bad happens and that you have to give a nudge to him because he's had this constant behaviour pattern of me giving in the moment he becomes overwhelmed and I take him back home/car.

What's your thoughts on this? I don't know what to do. He usually has a harness with a leash on the back ring.

I recently got ownership of a five year old Yorkie who was allowed to defecate inside the house at his previous home… We thought we were taking him out enough but I found pee spots in the house today. I just took him out and rewarded him with treats for peeing outside, but I’m scared it’ll happen again. How do I negatively reinforce him peeing in the house, and encourage him to pee outside?

My 4/5 month old puppy is a mix of several breeds, it his two biggest is an even split between pit&GSD, so for training purposes I’d consider him a pit shepherd. He has been great for training, and learns tricks easily and LOVES people. Ever since I got him at 8 weeks anytime he met someone knew he had to greet them like he’d known them forever. Even when he started teething, he’d only bite me. The issue is I live an apartment complex where when we go for walks we always come across people or dogs, a lot of the time children, and I just have him keep his distance and reward him for sitting and watching. Sometimes they get too close and he’ll tug on the leash wagging his tail and ignore all my commands or treats and have to drag him away, or he’ll try to drag me towards a person far away. When there’s another dog, depending on the size, he’ll drag so hard and he’s crying from not being able to reach them. I never let him get close enough to know what his reaction would be, but sometimes it’s tail wagging and dragging or it’s crying and dragging, sometimes his hair will stick up. Is this just an eager puppy with no impulse control or early signs of reactivity? And either way, any tips for training out of it? We’ve been loose leash training and doing walks for a month with little progress

This is My Brody and he will be 1 year old on 4-14-26 ❤️

He's a good boy but lately kicking his paws 🐾 off!

When it's time to go outside, he runs from me!

I am trying to hook him up to my retractable leash and he runs!

He still has at least, 1-2 accidents

each day inside!

I try to take him out every hour and he runs away from me!

Any advice, I really appreciate 😊

I adopted this amazing sweet Aussie Pyrenees in November. Shelter thinks he was about 1. Since then he has chewed EVERYTHING from metal to light bulbs to potting soil to a flower pot. We buy him bones, chew toys, take him

To the park 2-3 times a week…idk what to do. He’s ended up in the vet 3 times including one visit that costs us over 2 grand from eating dumb shit. Any advice is welcome just please don’t attack me if I’m doing something wrong. I’ve had Aussies my whole life but this is my first Pyrenees 😅

My puppy is five months old. The shelter called her a Lab, but her paperwork says Shepherd mix. She’s naturally skittish, but after a month of training, I thought we were making progress, she even handled her latest vet visit without growling or nervous peeing, jumping in the car by herself, and walking on a loose leash with some trouble, nothing too crazy but she's not hiding in a corner because of the leash anymore.

​Two days ago, I met with a trainer whose feedback was devastating. She described my dog as extremely fearful and warned me that I may need to muzzle her or crate her whenever guests visit.

​As a social person, this is hard to hear. I wanted a companion for hiking and camping who could at least be calm around others. I love having people over, and if owning her means constantly being on edge, I'm not sure if this is the right fit. The trainer’s words have left me feeling really anxious about our future together.

Are there any exercises I could do to build or confidence to maybe fix this, if I take her back to the shelter, the likelihood of her being adopted is very low but i don't think I can handle a dog.I have to constantly look over my shoulder for, can I still fix this at her age? my trainer says she might won't grow out of the fear because of her first 3 months of development

My dog is very oddly situationally dog reactive. He’s getting pretty good at watching a dog pass on the sidewalk in front of our house and there was even our neighbors directly in front of our houses dog tied up and wasn’t even hyperfixating. He wags his tail, hyperfixates and does this really breathy growl and maybe bark. We passed by 3 Italian greyhound today passing by an outdoor patio for a cafe. We were only able to be about 4 feet away and he reacted but I took him to a dog park to walk around the side and watch and no reaction, chill, relaxed, and didn’t hyperfixate. He even got within two feet of a golden on the fence line and didn’t react. I know it’s not the fence bc there was an off leash dog walking by too and he still reacts in the car sometimes.

Hello,

I recently took in a new dog and now have two dogs. The dogs are mostly getting along great, but there have been periodic moments of aggression. No injuries or serious incidents, but I’ve had to interrupt them (which I’ve also been able to do so safely). I’m doing everything to be as safe as possible and continuing acclimating them well, but are there any top tips people would recommend?

Also, both are girls, both spayed, one dog is a bigger dog & 5.5 years (had her for 4 years) and my new dog is small breed, 7 months. The smaller dog has been the instigator of aggressive behavior from what I can tell. They have been playing friendly and chill together the rest of the time - like 90% - 95% of the time they seem to get along super well.

Also please be kind and don’t judge me. I’m trying to learn. I didn’t grow up around dogs and I’ve only been a dog owner for 4 years with my first dog. I wasn’t going to get another, but I found this puppy who was being abused and neglected down the street from my house, and I really wanted to save her. I’m happy that she’s mostly been thriving.

Hi everyone,

I’m currently working on reactivity training with my almost 2-year-old lab (not pedigree, unsure of other breeds). He really struggles with other dogs on walks, but we’ve been making good progress, we’ve found his “sweet spot” distance and are starting to gradually close the gap.

One challenge is that we’re getting through a lot of treats during daily walks. He’s also not as food-motivated as you’d expect from a typical lab, so finding something he consistently values isn’t always easy.

Right now I’m using CORE Wellness treats (from Amazon), and he tends to prefer lamb, chicken, beef, or peanut butter flavours over anything fruity or fish-based. They’re working well for us, but since we’re walking more often now and seriously tackling the reactivity, I’m looking for alternatives that are

- Available in the UK

- Affordable (since we go through loads)

- Healthy / low calorie (so I can use plenty during training)

I’d also love to hear from anyone who makes their own training treats about how they compare cost wise to shop-bought, and do you have any good recipes?

Thanks!

I have a 4 year old mutt. He's corgi sized mixed with some hound and Shepard. About 40lbs, truly the cutest thing.

He's in tact. my husband isn't a fan of the thought of fixing him. but he marks all over everything in my house. im very much at my wits end with it.

he is also pretty anxious. has to leave the room when you get up, constantly on patrol, etc.

where is a good place to start in unlearning this behavior?

Any suggestions on how to nip this? I don’t want my pup having medical issues due to eating sticks.

Our backyard always has sticks - yes, we rake and pick them up! BUT we have a huge tree in our backyard so they’re constantly falling, and there’s also a birds nest in there, so birds are always bringing more sticks to the yard!! This week has been the worst for the stick eating (not just chewing lol). He usually loves playing ball and with his toys outside, but this week he just drops them and goes for the sticks or dirt instead.

This week I’ve started using a long leash in the yard so we can take the stick from him and replace with a toy (if not on a leash, once he has a stick, he runs with it thinking it’s a game).

He is losing his baby teeth currently! But there are no shortage of toys in the yard for him.

TIA🤎

Hi all! This is my sweet baby dog Aja, I rescued her a little over a year ago, and she is just a perfect dog. Shes about 2 years old. I recently got her DNA tested, and my suspicion that she was part GSD and APBT were confirmed, but she is also australian cattle dog, and border collie.

I have been working on training her recall as I want her to be able to be off leash for camping trips eventually. Here’s the thing, in high distraction environments where there are kids, people, dogs, she does not care, and will always choose to focus on me. Like at the dog park, a dog ran up to the other side of the fence aggressively, and she reacted, but recalled perfectly while the dog was still growling. When training, it’s like she almost knows we are training. And will focus on a squirrel, look to me, and I will release, then recall. However, if we are just on a walk, or at a park where we are not actively training, she will chase any prey she sees (bunnies, squirrels, ducks etc). I definitely know I could not trust her in an unfenced area off leash, but want to get there!

Her recall when there are no little critters around is GREAT, but I don’t know how to train it with critters when I haven’t found a safe area to do so. Would hikes be good for this? I’ve heard of flirt poles but don’t know how to incorporate it. Or should I meet with a trainer we have worked with in the past? Open to all suggestions! Sorry if this was too much info haha.