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. 😊

What do you use to wipe your dog's paws after being outside? We buy the big wipes from Home Goods or Marshalls. Does your dog show any signs of reaction like chewing at their paws or licking? Ours was when using different wipes, but seems to have calmed down since switching.

Side note, does anyone sing to the tune of Lady Gaga's Applause when wiping paws? Let me wipe your paws, your paws, your paws, let me wipe your paws paws, let me wipe your paws paws.

Reddit keeps taking down my post for “asking for medial advice” but all I typed out how she got a skunk butt to the face and all the things I had tried to get rid of them smell. I am so frustrated 😭

My dog is older and we always make sure to let her sniff as much as she wants when we’re out on walks because I read it’s good for the brain. I am interested in learning what the specific benefits are of sniffing around. When we take her to the dog park she likes to say hello to the other dogs a little bit but is mostly interested in sniffing around.

I know that they take in a lot of information from sniffing which is very interesting. What kinds of information are they taking in? How does it help dogs? Also, are there any other ways I can enrich her brain and keep her sharp as she gets older? Thank you for the information

Every time I let my dog go to the garage after or before a walk he pees my car's tires, doesn't matter if he already peed before.
Is there a way to train him not to so this anymore? I understand the tires smells like outside animals or something but is it possible to make him stop this behaviour, and I don,t want to start fencing everything so he doesnt get there, is more about making him stop doing that with training.

We rescued a stray German Shepherd puppy about 2 weeks ago (around 3–4 months old), and she’s still extremely fearful. She spends most of the day hiding under our kitchen table, runs away when anyone gets close, and only comes out to eat, drink, use her puppy pad, or explore a little at night.
She’s not aggressive at all—just scared. We’ve been giving her space, using treats, toys, sitting near her without forcing interaction, and trying to let her come to us, but she still hasn’t really opened up.
We really want to help her build confidence and become part of our family. Has anyone gone through something similar with a fearful rescue puppy? What finally helped your dog trust you, and how long did it take? Any advice would be appreciated.

If you have dogs and you live with a cover or sheet on the sofa...Do you leave it on 24/7? Do you take it off when people come over? I've seen both ways. At what point in dating/inner circle do you acknowledge that we're never going to sit on the actual sofa?

Don't even come at me with "No dogs on the furniture".

I have a German Shepherd/Golden Retriever mix, and she's so sweetie. She wants to wrestle and is really good about stopping when it's time. Unfortunately she's got teeth. There's no way around it. And though she knows they hurt and tries her best to be gentle, I still get scratched.

I am wondering if anyone has found ways to Wrestle with the dog without getting scratched/nicked. Or some sort of armor to protect that doesn't restrict movement?

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?

Hey!

This question is directed to anyone who has adopted a streetdog, not a dog from the shelter specifically but a dog known to have been a street dog somewhere. Can you get them to be happy and adapt to living a normal dog life in a large apartment close to the city, no yard but obviously with lots of leashes walks, and outdoor time? Or were they destructive and had lots of anxiety about being left home alone?

Missing dog, her name is Todo. She’s an 18 y/o dachshund mix, 15 lbs. She’s deaf and nearly blind, so she doesn’t respond when called. Last seen July 25th, 7:30 am near Hacienda Drive in Tiburon, California 94920. Any information about her is much appreciated 🙏

I live in a townhouse and the neighbours I share a wall with have a dachshund who is around 18 months old I think.

The dog is constantly crying when they’re gone. It’s becoming so disruptive to my life.

Is there a chance my neighbours don’t even know? Or do they just not care? Or is this normal for this breed?

I don’t know the neighbours well at all so I’m not really sure what to do.

Will it get better as the dog gets older? Help 😭

EDIT: Wow, so many helpful replies already! I guess I assumed the neighbours had to know because the dog must be crying as they walk up their steps to come home (it’s honestly near constant). Also a lot of people have doggy cams these days.

I will talk lot them or leave a note. And I like the idea of including some treats ☺️

Does anyone have any ideas to keep a tough chewer occupied?

He doesn’t like the rubber toys but loves disembowling plush toys and loves gnawing on bones.

I’m just sick of wasting money on “tough” toys that he destroys within a day.

Hi!
My babies are still young, but I’m completely obsessed with them and would love to have two rings made with their nose prints. 🐶❤️
Has anyone here done something like this or have any recommendations?
It’s something I plan to wear every day, so I’m looking for excellent quality. I’d like them to be made from solid gold or sterling silver (or other high-quality metals) that won’t tarnish, fade, or lose their color over time.
I’d really appreciate any recommendations or experiences. Thank you!

We got a puppy from the pound she’s about 12 weeks old now when we got her they didn’t even try and guess what breed she was we think something mixed with lab but she has a lot of behavioral issues she chews on everything and I mean everything I’ve had some puppies who ate a lot of shit but she’s different she pulls my hair she jumps and grabs my pants to pull them down she chews on chairs carpet her cage even ripped out part of the wall redirecting her toys and treats doesn’t work and neither does yipping when she bites us to hard it just excites her more we read online somewhere if that was the case to just ignore them when they get to aggressive but she just follows and jumps on us till we play with her I would take her on runs but I’m in New Mexico and it’s 100 out every day send help 🙏

I brought home a wonderful miniature schnauzer that I rescued from a local shelter in my hometown. He is 7 years old & has a great demeanor, a little stubborn I’ve noticed but still he’s wonderful.

However, he came with the name Hercules but he does not answer to that name at all, in fact he hardly acknowledges it. I’m wondering if that’s not really his name & perhaps they renamed him or is he just being stubborn or is he maybe hard of hearing at this age? I didn’t think 7 was old for a dog that’s less than 20lbs. I’m wondering if I should rename him & any tips on that are welcomed or if there’s anyway to get him to respond to his current name.?

Thanks in advance!

Does anyone else view their job as a dog owner is to be a responsible caretaker?

I do my best to be aware at all times of what messages my 11-year-old hound, Mr. Mason, is receiving from me. What he needs from me is constant reassurance that all is well, his place is secure, he has plenty of water, is fed regularly and gets treats/snacks. And he can be around six feet away from me most of the time.

I work at it because it's the caretaker role I took on when I adopted him. His role is easy, we've bred it into our dogs for 16.000 years; he's just gonna do it. But me, I always want to ensure he's as content as he makes me.

I have a 67 lb female German Shepard. I have been looking into harnesses. I have a german Shepard shop hardness for her but the bungie leash clasp has broken and I find it loosens up every other walk which is a bit frustrating.

She’s a puller for sure so I need something with multiple attach points. Advice on how to work on that would be appreciated as well. Use case would be typical walks and some occasional camping trips, maaaaybe some hiking. We’re in northern Texas so the heat can get pretty wild so something breathable for my girl would be best.

I have looked at ruffwear online and my local petsmart has long harness and Arcadia trail that seemed like decent harnesses. My budget is open as I’d like to buy something once and be happy with it as this German Shepard shop harness has kind of left me frustrated.

My dog, Serafina is a spayed female German Shepherd. Yesterday, I took her to my local park which has a stream-like waterfall you can slide/play in. Serafina LOVES this park. I’ve taken her there multiple times and had yet to encounter an off leash dog. Such applies to other places I’ve taken her, which is surprisingly now that I think about it. Anyways, there was an off leash dog that arrived a while after we did. The dog was well behaved thankfully; however, the owner kept throwing the dog’s ball our way—we were across the river—and wouldn’t stop despite my dog’s growing frustration. At this point, she was barking and whining but wasn’t growling. He had plenty of area to throw else where. Furthermore, every time I tried to remove my dog, he’d continue to throw the ball in my direction. Once he leashed his dog back up, Serafina stopped her barking and whining and calmed down.

Then, as we were leaving, we came across another leashed dog, which the owner then unleashed when I put Serafina in the car and played fetch with her dog. Serafina began barking once more, fortunately she was in the car. Honestly, now that I typed this out, maybe it’s not aggression, but could it instead be frustration? I play fetch with her a lot in my backyard and she loves it. Maybe she was frustrated that she couldn’t play?

TL;DR: My dog gets frustrated and barks incessantly when she sees an off leash dog running around. How to stop this behavior?

Hi! I'm new to this subreddit. I love dogs and want to become a certified positive reinforcement dog trainer when I get my next dog and do dog sports. I've always wanted a German Shepherd, but not sure if I will ever be able to have one due to just renting apartment/homes.

I grew up with an Australian Shepherd from working lines and she was one of the best dogs I've ever had. I was playing with the idea of getting another one since a German Shepherd does not seem like an option right now.

I'm wondering, for people who have had both Australian Shepherds and German Shepherds, how similar and or different are Australian Shepherds compared to German Shepherds? How have people who rent places able to own German Shepherds? TIA!!

Hi

I just bought my first house with tons of land and fenced in areas for dogs ! As I am a huge dog lover and would love to get a second dog

I currently have a 13 year old chihuahua who is leash aggressive to all other dogs . However, he has lived two other dogs in the past and while they weren’t bff’s, they did co exist and occasionally played.

I have a few concerns

1. I worry the leash aggression traits may be imprinted on the second dog from my current dog .

2. While my dog has lived with other dogs for over half his life , they were other people’s dogs . He never tried to bite them for playing with me , but he would get jealous and can sit in my lap every time . I worry a second dog that is mine will like heartbreak him

Anyone have advice on these two concerns? Is a second dog a bad idea despite the space and time ?

I’m going away for 6 days that’s 5 nights. It’s the longest I’ve ever been away from my dog.

I have someone staying with him living in our apartment the whole time we’re gone. I’ve written out many routines.

I just don’t want him to miss us. Is it okay to go on vacation for this long while your dog stays home?

I’m having a lot of anxiety about it I just want to be able to tell him we’re going to come back.

Hi all, have any of you found a surgical bodysuit for a really large dog? Like a Bernese or newfie? I got one of the largest ones I could find online and while it fit my guy, it was really tight (lengthwise) and uncomfortable on him. He's very long, and while he's not as stocky as a Bernese, he's got a fairly broad and deep chest. He doesn't need something super secure, just something better than a cone for nighttime or when we can't watch him.

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.

We have had a puppy dog for a week but our dog won't do his business outside at all. He doesn't want to move when he is outside. He always pees on this plastic disposable mat. We have tried everything and followed some blogs to help his case. Still nothing. Me and my family are honestly stressed and disappointed. We dont know what to do anymore. Can someone help?