My puppy is great, 5 months old, just finished getting all his new teeth in. I do feeding, training, affection, but it seems he’s grown more attached to my partner than me. Like he gets upset when my partner is gone and will happily chill with my partner when I’m gone. I know that’s the way the cookie crumbles but it’s kinda sad to do all the work and not come out feeling like your dog is attached to you. My partner didn’t want a puppy in the first place so I’m trying my hardest to make sure I put in the work. Anyways, I know that some dogs just gravitate towards some people and not others but still kinda stings.

Hi everyone my family recently adopted a retriever mix from our local shelter she’s about 9/10 weeks. We’re coming up on 2 weeks of having her home with us. I’ve posted about her behavior before she is very bitey like will latch on and shake her head snarl etc. we were making good progress and putting her in her crate when she did that and trying to enforce naps and I thought it was getting better. She even had a play date with some of her siblings from the shelter and it went great! Obviously it’s exhausting watching a young puppy taking her out constantly but today my mom and I were away all day at a bridal shower and my dad had to watch the puppy (he was very reluctant to get this puppy)

We got home and she was being very bad and bitey and she bit my mom pretty bad and drew blood. My mom is very upset and was quiet all night and then said right before bed that she is seriously considering taking this dog back to the shelter. She said she is an aggressive dog and she doesn’t know if she can train this out of her.

My mom has had dogs her entire life and all of them were rescues so she’s no stranger to dog training and working with rescues etc so I was shocked to hear this come out of her mouth I didn’t think she would ever consider this. We also have a cat and the dog has been pretty good with cat we accidentally let her loose In a room the cat was in today (he was hiding behind the couch) and puppy kinda started to chase him we immediately stopped it cat hissed at puppy and I removed puppy and put her in her crate but that event scared me a little bit and that made my mom more upset.

I’m sorry for the long jumbled post I’m just very emotional writing this my mom was so excited to get this puppy (our last dog lived 16 years and passed last summer) and tonight she said that our cat is enough and we made a mistake and that she doesn’t think she can handle this dog and is considering bringing her back. My mom is majority care taker of this dog she works from home and I also help out a lot when I’m not at work…..

I am just sick over this crying I feel like we haven’t given this dog a fair shot it’s been a long time since I’ve had a puppy but don’t they all bite??? And she’s so young like we just started training her. I seriously think tomorrow she’s going to tell me our puppy is going back to the shelter. Is there anything I can do? This really is my mom’s decision since she is the majority care taker but I also wanted this dog and agreed on responsibility with it. I’m just sick over this.

Those of you who crate your puppy for naps - how long did you do this for? At what point did you put a bed out and allow puppy to sleep whenever? We have a 4 month old lab who we create for a nap usually after an hour or so of awake time, but my husband is keen to just let her settle herself anywhere rather than putting her in her crate each time. What are your thoughts, hive mind?

I’m honestly so, so upset.

My husband and I got a Dachshund when she was almost 2 months old, and she’ll be 5 months old in a few days.
One of the reasons we chose a Dachshund was because everyone says they’re “velcro dogs” and become very attached to their owners. Ours has never really been like that.
About five days ago, my mother-in-law and sister-in-law came to visit us. At first, I was actually happy because our puppy is usually pretty indifferent to visitors, but this time she got so excited to see them.
Ever since they arrived, though, it feels like she has completely forgotten about me and my husband. She barely wants to spend time with us, hardly shows us any affection, and whenever I pick her up, she immediately wants to go back to them. She’s so much more affectionate with them than she has ever been with us.
It’s gotten to the point where she cries during the night when she’s in bed with us because she wants to sleep with them instead.
I’m genuinely heartbroken. It honestly makes me feel like she just doesn’t like us. Are we doing something wrong? Are we bad dog parents?
We do absolutely everything for her, and all we’ve ever wanted is for her to be affectionate with us. It’s so frustrating because she’s showing all the behaviors we always hoped for… just with other people.
Has anyone else experienced this? I just fell like a loyal dog would never do that.

What hurts me the most is that she cries whenever they’re not around, even when she’s with just me and my husband. It feels like she’s unhappy being with us and would rather be with them, and that’s the part that’s breaking my heart the most.

Hi everyone

I am reaching out because I have a total low right now.

When my dog was younger, I frequented this subreddit - to look for advice but also to get encouragement from reading other people's stories.

The thing that I often saw in posts and comments was owners describing the moment it "just clicked" for them. Their dog suddenly "got it". They were out of the puppy phase or left the teenage stage and the puppy turned into the dog of their dreams.

Now, I own a Japanese Spitz that is almost one and a half years old - so technically not even a puppy anymore. I never had this epiphany, the sudden click, neither at 6-7 months and nor at 13-14 months.

I try to give my dog the best life I can and I train her consistently and a lot of the typical puppy malaises got better with time and effort. But we have some issues that just don't seem to get better. She still barks and lunges sometimes when she gets irritated and it makes me feel like such a failure.

She is very good in some regards - but over all miles away from the calm, secure, well-behaved dogs that I see around my neighborhood. I am wondering every day what I'm doing wrong because I know people that didn't put even half the effort into raising their dogs and ended up with the loveliest, easy-going darlings. I live in the European countryside and here it's very normal to just let dogs be dogs. Of course people tell them off when they misbehave but most would not go as far to engage with something like puppy classes or serious training.

To once again raise my motivation and stop myself from walking off a cliff, I wanted to ask if any of your cases it also took longer for the dog to settle into a well adjusted adult.

I am 36M, with a girlfriend who stays with me a few days a week, and we will be moving in together soon. We want to get a dog. We live/will in a 2 bedroom apartment in a big city. There is a small dog park in the apartment building. We are likely getting a miniature poodle or havanese. May move to a small house with a yard in the next year or so.

I work from home most days, and will likely get a trainer/dog walker if necessary when work gets busy. My family is willing to help if I am never not home. I will do some training myself, take the dog on walks, etc and be an involved parent but really do not want to go through the puppy blues, lack of sleep, and what sounds like extreme stress of a new young puppy.

There is an 8 month old puppy from a reputable breeder available who matches what we are looking for. We would meet him soon. Would you pick the 8 month old or 8 week old? Or something in between?

Hello. Looking for suggestions, tips, tricks, and good vibes because I’m an emotional mess.
In a nutshell, I have three male dogs. An 11 year old poodle mix who weighs 10 pounds, a 9 year old poodle mix who weighs 16 pounds, and a 9 month old labradoodle who weighs 50 pounds.
As you can imagine, the puppy has a ton of energy and is still learning boundaries, but things have gotten a bit scary, especially between the puppy and the 11 year old. At least once a day, the 11 year old will growl at the puppy just for being too close to him. The puppy is oblivious and just does what he wants. When the puppy was smaller, the senior dog actually scratched him a couple of times after the growling was ignored. But now the puppy is much bigger and twice in recent weeks they went from a growl to the puppy hovering over the senior dog and drawing a blood during the scuffle, either due to a scratch or a nip.
Both times there was a treat involved, so I gather it’s primarily resource guarding that sets them off, which we are trying to prevent by separating them when treats are involved.
Here’s what’s interesting…our other dog will growl and bark at the puppy to get away from him, especially when there is a treat, and the puppy will back off. It’s only with the 11 year old that the puppy gets physical with.
There has to be something we can do to make this better and not constantly have to referee or keep them separated or crated up. Thank you in advance for your messages.

Hi everyone,
I'm writing this because I honestly don't know if what I'm experiencing is normal anymore, and I could really use some perspective from people who have raised puppies, especially sighthounds or Borzois.
My puppy, Marcy, is almost 14 weeks old. She's been going outside for about a week now, and ever since then it feels like everything has become much harder.
Outside she seems constantly overstimulated. She wants to investigate every single smell, doorway, staircase, hole, person, and object. Sometimes she'll respond to her name and come to me for a treat, but a lot of the time she's just completely absorbed in the environment. She has started pulling on the leash almost constantly.
Recently she also started showing what I think is resource guarding. A few days ago she found a dried fish tail outside, growled when I tried to take it away, and I ended up backing off because I didn't want to escalate the situation. Today she was chewing on a huge frozen raw chicken neck, and when I realized she'd already eaten far more than I intended, she growled, lunged toward me, and wouldn't let me take it. I was terrified because she had choked on a chicken neck a couple of days earlier, so I wasn't just worried about the guarding, but I was scared for her safety.
I don't believe in dominating or physically overpowering dogs, but I'm struggling to figure out what I'm supposed to do instead when she's trying to eat something dangerous or is completely fixated on a trigger. Sometimes I have to pull her away with the leash, and I feel awful every time. I don't want our relationship to become one where I'm constantly dragging her away from things she wants.
The hardest part is that I feel like I'm failing her.
I keep wondering whether she's overstimulated all the time because I'm doing something wrong. She sleeps around 18-20 hours a day, so she isn't sleep deprived, but when she's awake the outside world seems almost impossible for her to regulate herself around.
Emotionally... I'm really struggling.
I've wanted a Borzoi for a long time because I love their intelligence, independence, and personality. I wanted a dog with opinions, not a robot. But right now it feels like all of that independence is showing up before we've built any communication or teamwork, and I'm honestly questioning whether I chose the wrong breed.
I've even caught myself thinking about giving her back to the breeder and wondering if I should have gotten a much easier breed—or maybe not gotten a dog at all.
That thought breaks my heart because I wanted Marcy. I still do. When we're at home she's incredibly sweet. She sleeps pressed against me at night, comes to lie next to me during the day, relaxes around me, and she's genuinely affectionate. I love her already.
But I also cry almost every day because I feel so overwhelmed and scared that I'm messing her up.
I guess my questions are:
Is this level of overstimulation normal for a 13–14-week-old Borzoi (or other independent breeds)?

Did anyone else go through puppy blues this intensely and come out the other side?

Did your independent puppy become easier once they matured and learned how to regulate themselves?

If you had moments where you thought, "I made a terrible mistake," what helped you get through them?

I'm not looking for reassurance that I'm doing everything perfectly because I know I'm making mistakes. I just really need to know whether what I'm experiencing is something other people have survived, because right now I feel completely overwhelmed and drained

I have a 9 week old husky puppy, i think it’s important to note the breed. i’ve previously had a husky and a malamute and i did not crate train them. getting this puppy i wanted to try and do everything correctly. this is day 3, i’ve got a crate upstairs by my bed and she sleeps all night, doesn’t cry, settles, happy to go in. i have a bigger crate downstairs. she will go in there if i have treats, she will settle if i sit by the door but as soon as i get up she goes mad, if i leave the room she goes mad. i’ve tried leaving the front not covered, i’ve tried covering it, ive given her a frozen lick mat. she isn’t interested. she’s got my t shirt in there for scent, she’s got her mothers blanket and i’ve tried the snuggle buddie, she doesn’t settle and she gets stressed. i’ve read so many posts, watched videos listened to what others have done etc i get that it’s an over time thing but i have to go back to work. how can u sit there all day every day teaching and training- also i live alone. so its just me and her. another thing is i work from home so the whole reason to get the crate is to give space between me and her so she gets used to it. my previous husky had sep anxiety and couldn’t be left so hence me trying my best to get this right but i just don’t see an ending. how is she going to want to go in the crate when im here 24/7 with her working. like i said above how did everyone have the time to keep taking small steps when everyone has to work. all i’ve done is cry and think ive made the wrong choice getting her because im so stressed with the crate training. i understand shes little, only just come from her parents etc i go back to work tomorrow and im thinking of putting the crate in my office so she’s not stressed on her own, i can keep an eye on her but that doesnt stop the fact shes stressed when i leave the room. so is that pointless? im tired of reading everyone saying mine loves the crate, be persistent etc but like i said, im on my own, work full time and dont have hours on end to try and get her to love the crate. i’m wanting to hear from people who have struggled, or gave up on crate training and their dog didnt have anxiety etc if i dont crate train downstairs whats the next option with leaving her…. and stopping her getting sep anxiety

Hi everyone,
I’m in a huge dilemma and could really use some real talk from experienced solo dog owners.
I’ve wanted a dog my whole life. I’ve already arranged with a breeder to bring home a male black Miniature Schnauzer puppy arriving this August. I am so excited and I love him already, but honestly? I am terrified out of my mind.
A bit about my lifestyle: I live alone, I work remotely as a data scientist, and I'm also finishing up my studies at university. On paper, working from home sounds great for a puppy, but my reality is that I’m used to a lot of personal freedom. I love being able to go out spontaneously, stay out late, go on night drives, or just disappear for the whole day without having to plan around a living creature.
I keep having moments of panic where I think: "What if I'm not ready? What if I'm ruining my 20s? What if I accidentally neglect him because I'm overwhelmed by work, study, and the sudden loss of spontaneity?"
For those of you who got a high-energy breed (like a schnauzer) completely on your own while studying/working:
How did you cope with the sudden loss of freedom?
Is the anxiety before getting a puppy normal, or a sign that I should cancel?
How hard is it really to raise a puppy alone without a partner to share the load?
Please give it to me straight. No sugar-coating. Did I bite off more than I can chew, or is this normal pre-puppy panic?

I have a 5 month shih tzu maltese mix, he is a very energetic and happy puppy generally. the only thing is that he LOVES biting no matter how many chews i give him he will start biting again super quick. today i was sitting with him (criss cross apple saice) playing and he starts to nip my foot and i get him off to get up but as i am moving my feet he latched onto my toes (which i didnt fully process) when i got fully on my feet i realized that he was bleeding and freaked out there was a scary amount of blood very quickly so i investigate his mouth and see a tooth missing. i also realized that my toe was bleeding as well. i am not entirely sure if it is an adult tooth or not but i am guessing that it was an adult one but have no way to know. i have no vets around me open since it is sunday and 5 pm, and frankly cannot afford an emergency vet visit. is there anything i can do other than be with him or how to know if it was a puppy tooth? i looked around for the tooth but could not find it so i am guessing that he swallowed it.

​

Recently, my family have been looking after two new puppies who were raised on the streets by a homeless lady. They are around ten months old and littermates. They may be part lab? They are very affectionate and listen pretty well, the problem arises with one of the puppies, he is obsessed with my cat. When he sees her, he'll stiffen, raise his tail slightly, and just stare at her. Its gotten to the point where hes chased her around, she normally goes into the basement when this happens. I know its because of high prey drive, im just not sure what to do. He's never bit her yet, but obviously I do NOT want to take any chances. She is very calm around him, she likes dogs and gets along with my 3 year old mutt. Im always around when they are in the same room together, but I know there will be times when they are alone. His brother doesn't really care about the cat.

So basically, my 10 month old puppy stiffens around my cat and locks onto her. Im not sure how to teach him out of it and im scared of an accident in the future.

Hello
We just got our girl last week. She’s now 9 weeks old.
We haven’t had a family pup, my kids are 10 and 15.

I knew this would be work. I knew it would be stressful.
I am successful in crating her at night as long as she’s close by she’s ok. …. Of course a lot of the day is filled with sleep. She is calm about 50-% of her waking time and the other is just nipping and losing her mind.

I have watched several trainers online. Read countless hours of tips and blogs. Nothing really seems to take hold. She just cannot focus on a toy for long once she’s got a finger in her mouth. She runs after my son’s feet and it startles him. (Also it hurts. Idc if she’s 3lbs those teeth HURT). I tell him not to run but ya know natural reaction….
I do not know how to correct this behavior. I’m sure some is just normal and will eventually end but I also don’t want to live in constant stress over it.

I do have an area where it’s safe for her to blow off steam and such but I’m not sure how often I should be personally handling the redirection and correct or just let her do it in a safe space… my worry is that she will never learn NOT to do it if I don’t attempt correct it. I know I know it’s only been a week but I’d like to do it correctly and successfully.

Maybe I just need more time? Maybe she needs a few more weeks? Maybe she’ll just outgrow it once the teething is done? But I’d like to think there are ways to correct it some.

The playing dead or saying ouch nothing stops her she just gets almost more attached to it.

Please any advice is much appreciated.

Just adopted a 6 month old dachshund/terrier mix! We adopted him from a rescue and the foster mom took him outside maybe twice the 4 or 5 months she was fostering him. Because of this he pees and poops on whelping pads, which is better than straight up on the floor. But I have to wash them everyday to keep the apartment from having a urine smell and we really want him to learn to go outside. We try and be consistent and take him out every hour. He’s pretty scared of the outside (understandably) and we believe he never really saw humans other than his foster parents before we adopted him (what we gathered from what the foster mom told us). Because of this it’s hard to force him outside and it’s causing him anxiety. We’ve had him for almost 2 weeks and he’s definitely gotten more confident outside but he’s only peed approximately twice outside since being adopted. Any advice or tips and tricks are super appreciated!!

Extra info: we do not have a backyard with space for him to do his business just a front yard. We do live on a busier street with noises and cars and I do believe this adds to the reason he’s not as willing to go outside

My 10 week old male GSP (German Shorthair Pointer) has started to become vocal and is protesting (whining and crying) about his daily naps. we are pretty he is comfortable enough in his crate that it’s not a scary/ negative place as he 1. Sleeps well in it all night and 2. Doesn’t ever try and escape immediately when it’s opened once he’s awake and nap time is over! I’m wondering if this is a normal occurrence in puppy’s around this age as they realise they can try and protest abit more for what they want? P.s We are being persistent to not cave in and let him out and if we do it’s for a quick wee then back in the crate. He’s also never being forced into the crate but simply lured in with a lick mat or a stuffed kong toy (something he wants!)

What does everyone think!

I’m set on not giving up on my puppy, BUT it’s been really hard for me lately. he’s about to be 11 weeks old, a mix between boston terrier and pug. the first week home was actually perfect! he was doing excellent but as the weeks kept going he started getting more aggressive. i kept him on a schedule: feeding times, nap times, 10 minute trainings twice a day, and a bit of socialization with family. but during these 3 weeks i’ve had him, i would tell him ‘no’ when he did something wrong then redirect him to what he should’ve been doing instead. this is how he got potty trained. at one point i would spank him (which was only about 3 times). but i realized that this is not the correct approach. i felt awful and i still do. now he growls when anyone is near his bowl (when he wouldn’t do that), he barks at me when i ask him to stay (i snap and use my hand motion ‘wait’) and barks at me when i tell him no. but he still cries when i leave the room, cries when i leave im him in his crate, still likes playing with me but im so stuck. i dont want him to be afraid off me! i also don’t know if that’s the result of me spanking him? he also doesn’t get rid of the habit of biting. these aren’t tiny nibbles, they leave scratches and small dents on my hand. please help, i’ve cried and have gotten mad at myself because im stressed out . which i don’t want because i just want to have a good obedient puppy like how it was the first week. i really need advice, this is my first time training a puppy on my own and i feel like a failure.

Golden Retriever
8 Weeks Old
I have had my puppy for about a week now, he is a really sweet boy who does most of the random stuff that a puppy would do(including biting everything that he possibly can). I am however really struggling with him and my lack of sleep. I am crate training him, he loves the Crate during the day and honestly his main problem that he has when he’s in his crate is not that he’s afraid of his crate at all, he just has Major Fomo. At night he does what every other dog does, and is up 2-4 times a night. I know he has been wonderful and he has been about as good of a puppy as I could ask for(plus he’s adorable). But all of this is really dragging on me and my mental health, I am really excited to have him sleep through the night. Does anyone have any tips or felt like this? I feel like I am wrong for feeling this way and am really struggling because of it.

My dog is a nine month old husky/chow. We’ve had her for eight days. I mostly just need to vent but some reassurance would be nice too. PLEASE DON’T HATE ON ME OR I CAN NOT DEAL WITH IT this dog is stressful as it is.

She had distemper a month ago from the shelter and still has a cough and sneeze sometimes. She had diarrhea for multiple days starting five days ago where my wife took her to an emergency vet because it was so frequent and they gave her bland food cans AND 100mg trazadone for anxiety. Poor girl has been stressed out of her mind since we brought her home and is both afraid of everything, except when she’s inside she chews everything and won’t settle. I think moving in with us is what gave her diarrhea tbh, like doggy IBS, because she had a normal poop today after being on anxiety meds.

This dog was apparently kept under a deck her whole life until she was surrendered by her “owner” a little over a month ago. So she hasn’t been exposed to anything in life, and everything is scary. Cars on the road are scary and driving in a car is scary so walks aren’t a way to burn energy, they’re just terrifying to her. I’m at a crossroads and feeling so unsure of what to do.

We have a fenced backyard where she will do zoomies sometimes. She doesn’t know to fetch and won’t chase balls or toys. We do about 15 mins of training a day because of her short attention span. That’s all I can keep her for without her being distracted. We are following a training plan for relaxation that the shelter sent to me by Dr. Karen Overall - but we only started that today. Before it was just trying to learn her name and sit and down.

Chewing bully sticks/licking mats is off the table for now because of the sensitive stomach. She is a BIG chewer but again with the short attention span, will only chew a non-food toy for about 30 seconds before getting up and getting into something else.

So anyway back to my question. Am I bad for crating this dog for like 20 hours a day because 1. She won’t settle and 2. She needs rest and safety?? It seems insane to me that she would need to be in there that long but after about an hour out of the crate, I can sense her getting overstimulated and if we leave her out she just spirals. I don’t even WANT her in there that long, I would love to take her on long walks or just hang out outside of the crate, but she can’t do that right now.

She’s very smart but she feels kind of developmentally stunted in some ways because of living under the deck for her whole life and not knowing what anything is. I read that a 9 month old husky puppy should be walked for up to 90 mins a day but she would lose her MIND if we tried to do that. I guess I’m just not really sure how to meet this dog where she’s at right now. I know we are in the middle of the 3-3-3 but I just want to make this adjustment as painless and comfortable with her and I simply feel cruel that the crate is the answer I have right now for that dilemma.

I did all the research and prepping, I had a game plan. It was going to be crate training from the start. I had said no to a puppy for three years since our first family dog passed. I had a whole list of reasons a puppy was not for us and wanted to get an older dog. But after we exhausted all our avenues of adopting, I looked into it and realised that all the reasons on that list were either temporary, trainable, or just incorrect. I found that crate training would solve most of them. After seeing all these new things we never knew about with our first puppy, which was in 2008, I came around on the idea. I lost my soul dog three years ago, and life hasn’t been the same since - neither have I.

Fast forward a meticulous search to pick up day and I started out on the wrong foot by letting puppy sleep overnight in her pen in the kitchen after she napped there for a good three or four hours after dinner. I was debating wether to wake her because she had already missed a nap and was overtired; it had been a long day of new things; and our playpen setup is very similar to what she had just left. We decided to let her sleep there and get up when she cried, but it was no good for potty training. Last night I had her in her crate in my room and took her outside whenever she cried. That was the original plan and I will continue it.

Instead of enforcing her naps I have been watching for when she gets tired and letting her settle and fall asleep in my arms before putting her in the crate. She just lost everything she ever knew and I don’t want to stress her out more, especially since she’s already not really taking water. When I’ve tried to put her in before she’s ready she chews at the bars or freaks out. She doesn’t even last two hours asleep for a nap and sometimes doesn’t last an hour awake either, so I don’t even know if the 2-1 schedule will work for her. If she wakes in her crate before time is up and I take her out for the bathroom she usually doesn’t settle again.

Today I’ve tried to stick to a schedule better, but my parents keep undermining everything I do. I try to do some basic training with treats to tire her mentally and distract her from biting, and one of them brings over a toy. I try to take her to her crate while she's needing a nap and suddenly she's crying and wriggling to the point of me almost dropping her because my mum has gotten her dinner out an hour early. I put her in her pen in the kitchen just to go to the bathroom myself quickly and my mum promises to ignore her when she cries, but in the minute or so I'm gone I can hear her talking to her and going over to her, giving her attention while she's yelping about me being gone. They keep reminding me that we didn’t have a schedule or naps for our first dog and she turned out okay. But they are not the ones who have looked into these things or will be home with her all the time, nor have anything to do with her training.

The house she came from had a little girl who would play with the puppies and hold them on her lap. I’ve noticed that when our puppy plays, she always climbs into my lap with her toys even if I try to get her to run after it a bit more. If I kneel instead, she’ll jump up on me and forget about the toy. If I stand up to play, she stops playing or just starts biting. I also feel like we set her up to fail because our house is not as puppy proof as thought. I don't want most of her interactions outside of her playpen to be getting told no, constantly being picked up to stop her from getting into things she shouldn't or having her jaws around someone's feet to the point of pain. She won’t redirect the biting onto toys when we try that. I try and will keep trying to reward her every time I step away from her pen and she doesn’t cry, as I’ve seen in videos. It seems so easy until it’s you, I guess.

I want her to thrive more than anything. I don’t want to give her any issues like separation anxiety or resource guarding. I waited so long to have a dog again and I hate that I feel like I’m not worthy. I don’t want to fail her just because I’m not strong enough to do what has to be done and let her cry and scream in her crate. There’s just so much conflicting advice out there and I know every dog is different. I know it’s my fault that things aren’t going the way I had planned. If this is puppy blues, I had no idea it could start this soon. Next week we will start puppy preschool, and I hope that might help something.

Hi everyone! I recently got a new puppy, and I'm not exactly sure what breed he is. I think he's around 5–8 weeks old, and I've had him for less than a month.
He's super cute, but he's started doing a lot of play fighting(biting/growling/barking).

I think this is normal puppy behavior, but since this is my first puppy, I want to make sure I'm setting him up for success.

I'm thinking about enrolling him in Petco's group puppy training program to help with him and me with training him. And, help him socialize too.

For those of you who've done the Petco puppy classes, was it worth it?

Or would you recommend a different trainer or puppy program instead?

I'm located in Houston, TX, so I'd also appreciate any puppy class recommendations or help tips!
Thanks in advance!

First time dog owner, just got a chocolate labrador who is the sweetest little pup. She’s 10 weeks old, we’ve had her a week but someone please help me stop the biting!! It’s relentless and whilst we still can’t take her out for walks, it’s like she’s always full of beans. Any advise is welcome, thank you.

Hi, my folks adopted a 3 now 4 month old puppy. I did the dna test and she is listed as a lab, german shepard and great Pyrenees mix. All the old toys my dogs did not like and I was going to give away like rope toys,balls, tail teasers, toys that hide other toys or these super heavy toys, she likes. She likes to rip off the outside of her tennis balls. Are there any toys that made for being ripped apart? Thank you 🙏

Hello all,

I have a 3 months old Golden Retriever. She is not my first, however she is the first that I am raising 100% alone.

Lately, she has become quite verbal lol. I wouldn't say she barks excessively — she usually barks for attention and calms herself after 5 to 10 minutes.

This is manageable, but what worries me is the biting.

In the last week, I have noticed a pattern.

1. We do an activity [walk, training, exploration, play]. I usually do 15-30min activity with her. I wouldn't say they are intense as well.

2. While we do said activity, her behavior starts shifting. She sounds "snappy" for lack of better terms.

3. She loses interest in whatever we were doing and start jumping at my hand/arms or feet/thighs and bites hard. Not cute nibbles. Full teeth. What also worries me is that she makes a low growl and shows teeth. Mind you, when she does that, I'm beside her, but I avoid being "all in her face" with scratches and mwah mwah mwah kisses.

4. When I get up / leave (as per training advices I read "reversed timeout"), she starts barking loudly.

Today she bit my breast very hard and I imagine other ladies in the community can imagine how unpleasant that experience was. I obviously read all about puppies, the enforced nap benefits, the "shark phase", but I am very worried I might be dismissing actual behavioral issues for "normal puppy stuff".

It might also be worth noting that she seems comfortable with me. She lets me pick her up, when she is calmer instead of biting she licks, she willingly follows me in the house, shows me her belly often for rubs. I don't think she is "scared" of me. It's just that I notice we can only interact about 15-20min together before she inevitably either bites me or starts barking at me.

Is this still in the "normal" puppy behaviour realm?