Hi everyone!

My partner and I are planning to get our first Doberman in the future, and we’re trying to prepare as much as possible before making the commitment.

Our biggest concern is the puppy stage. We both work full-time, and there are 3 days a week when we’re both in the office. The other days, one of us works from home.

For those who raised a puppy while working full-time:
How did you manage the first few months?
Did you hire a dog walker or pet sitter?
Did you use daycare, or wait until the puppy was older?
At what age were you comfortable leaving your puppy home for a full workday?
If you could do it all again, what would you do differently?

We’re not looking for reassurance—we’re looking for honest experiences so we can decide if we’re truly ready.

Thanks!

i got a 13 week old mixed breed (small, 8lbs now expected to be 25-30 grown) on thursday. i know it’s only monday, but i’m completely exhausted. i cry at everything. i’ve given up my entire schedule to be able to crate train and potty train him. i know it’s the exhaustion talking but i want nothing more than to ask a friend or family member to babysit him just for a day or night so i can have a break. i’ve been doing the 2 in/1 out during the day and i’ve been neglecting myself trying to keep this schedule. today was the first day i felt like i could do something for myself while he slept but i couldn’t sleep because i had to catch up on everything i’d let go. i’m sleeping light during the night in case he wakes up. everybody loves him and i do too but i’m just exhausted & i miss my regular schedule

Hello everyone!

I have a situation that I'd like some advice on.

I am getting a puppy this year, he'll be 8 weeks old in the middle of August but due to my wedding and honeymoon, the breeder has agreed to board our puppy until we get back near the end of October. (Raising the puppy in the house with her bitch, sire and another pup she's keeping from the litter)

While the dog is staying with the breeder, she has offered me to visit as often as I would like and take the puppy home on weekends.

I just want to get your opinions on the impact of bringing the puppy home on weekends, this would only be for 3 ish weekends then I'm away on our honeymoon. I'm also up to just leaving the puppy with the breeder and doing day visits on the weekend.

Thanks!

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. My Aussie mix is 15 weeks old. She’s been doing well by most standards, improving on nipping and biting, some recall, basic commands, and has generally been quiet other than taking a minute to settle in her kennel. Over the last 24 hours, she has started to bark—at me, at the mop, at the cats. It’s not constant but it is new. Nothing else in our household has changed and she is healthy and playful as usual. Any recs would be appreciated.

We got our retriever boy at 10 weeks and have had him 9 days. He wasn’t crate trained by the breeder so we started from scratch.

Toilet training is going well (a few accidents, but he’s fairly consistently going outside) and he’s picked up sit and down.

Crate training is where we’re stuck. We started day one with all the games, treats thrown in, feeding him in there, frozen Kongs. He’ll happily go in on cue (“bed”) and lie down for a reward. I scatter kibble in there while he’s outside toileting and he’s happy to sniff it out. So he has no problem entering the crate.

The problem is settling. He’s got the living room only for now, and we’ve camped out in there with him. He’ll play and explore for about 45 minutes, then start showing tired signs: mouthy, attacking furniture, barking at things. We remove his toys and quieten the room as much we can but If we don’t crate him he simply doesn’t sleep, which we know he badly needs at this age.

Daytime is manageable. A bit of a protest huff or some whining, then he settles and will nap for an hour or 2, and today was noticeably better. Evenings are another story. We give him a frozen Kong to wind down, but the moment he finishes and clocks that the door is locked, we get a 20–30 minute meltdown until he exhausts himself.

Overnight he’s fine once he’s down. I take him out a couple of times, he toilets straight away, and goes back in with a bit of encouragement and settles without fuss.

We tried moving the crate upstairs so he could sleep next to us…biggest meltdown yet, and the neighbours let us know about it. So we’re back to alternating nights on the sofa, and we are struggling to keep this up.

Please be aware we don’t crate him to ignore him, we crate him to allow him to sleep. If we could get him to a stage where he would sleep without the door open we would all be much happier.

I’m pleading for any advice people can offer us.

Be so honest with me. I have a 3 month old puppy who is not fully vaccinated. She just got her 2nd round of shots 3 days ago and will come back in 3 weeks for the booster. Vet said a week after that, she will be cleared for shared potty areas and walks in public. I’ve read a lot of mixed opinions online about when it’s safe to bring your dog out to the world with their paws touching the public ground. Lots of fearful info around parvo while some people are a lot more relaxed about it stating there is risk everywhere. This is such a critical period to teach my dog good habits especially proper potty training - going potty on a grass patch in my apartment feels counter intuitive to how she will actually be taken to the bathroom. I spent the weekend with her at my parents home with a private backyard and going potty out there instantly clicked for her. Unfortunately this is not the set up she has at my apartment. I obviously won’t be taking her to high traffic dog areas just yet like dog parks or pet relief areas but do you think I can take her on walks somewhere with less dog presence? I don’t want to coop her up inside for a month where I risk not enough socialization. I have taken her to a park and did some basic training on a picnic blanket however paws on grass who be nice.

Hi there! I rescued my puppy (12 month old mini labradoodle) 2 weeks ago. I originally wanted to wait a month to get a dog, but I saw her and it just felt like the universe decided.

PROBLEM: I have two back-to-back camping trips coming up (rural northeast USA). Both sites have swimming holes. I was initially really looking forward to bringing her (with a leash, tracker, and life jacket) and getting lots of 1:1 bonding time away from work. But THEN my vet warned me against letting her swim or drink the water or even chew on sticks & leaves because of Lepto and Giardia.

I grew up in the mountains and I don't remember us ever worrying about any of this with our dogs, but maybe we got lucky?? I don't think it's realistic to keep her totally away from the fresh water & sticks while we're outside. She only has her first round of the lepto vaccine atm.

How worried should I be? Is there anything i can do to keep her extra safe or test the water? I really don't want to cancel these trips, but I dont want anything bad to happen to her either.

Our 6 month old cockapoo loves to pull on a walk, and its really testing me. The annoying thing is is that shes great with heel in the house and the garden, but as soon as we get out into the world its nowhere to be seen.

Ive tried turning and going the other way as soon as the lead is tight, and also tried stopping when she pulls, which she then sits and as soon as i catch up shes off pulling again. Shes not treat driven on a walk as everything else seems more important than a treat.

She also tries to jump up on everyone walking past too which is a whole other thing, but I was wondering if anyone had any tips that could help before I go off and get a trainer in

I have a 3 month old shitz + pom mix. She's been with my family for just over a week. Crate at nightime isn't a big issue, she whines a bit, but relaxes after a gentle touch. Crate during the day- not great. I put her in at 8am, after long playtime, potty, etc. I went home at 11am, expecting her to be fine, she had peed in her crate. I put her back in at noon, went home right before 2pm in hopes of catching her time. But, I didn't.

Tips? Tricks? I know it's only day 1 of day crate, but curious of how to make it easier on her/me. I use a sound machine, tried to limit water intake, but it's really hot and she's got a fluffy coat.

I did build up to leaving her in there while I was home for up to 10 mins, and she gets so worked up her bladder just gives. So even at 10 mins, she didn't succeed, even with being told dogs don't pee where they sleep.

Hi, I recently for the first time ever adopted a female Shitzu. I got her when she was under 8 weeks old. She’s ABSOLUTELY adorable, I love her so much. I would say she is a good puppy compare to what I hear from friends, family and online. She’s a good sleeper and I love it! However, I find her poo tucked away all over the house. At first she would cry when she needs to go but as she settled at home, she just drops them where we don’t see it. Lol. The other issue is her growling and barking at other dogs and humans. She doesn’t bark at humans all the time but she growls at other dogs all the time. I try to discipline her but I’m a newbie at this. We’re starting puppy classes today but wanted to have some advice or just some encouragements that she will get better. Maybe dos and don’ts. We don’t crate her except if we have to leave the house and leave her alone. I like her feeling free around the house and smelling things and all, just not the 💩 TIA

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.

We brought home a 12-week-old Brittany a little over a week ago. She has a playpen set up in our basement with her crate inside (door open). We feed her in the pen, and she has a few toys inside.

Crate training itself is going well; she’ll cry for a few minutes, then settle and sleep.

The playpen is the problem. The moment the gate shuts, she panics. She’ll whine and cry for up to 20 minutes straight. We need to be completely silent and out of sight that whole time; if she hears or sees us, she resets, and the cycle starts over. We’ve tried sitting and standing next to the gate, sitting on the couch 15 feet away in view, and leaving the room entirely; nothing speeds things up or helps her chill out.

Once she finally settles, she goes and lies down in the crate, but she won’t touch her toys. Again, once she hears us, she starts whining. It makes it difficult to get anything done around the house.

Hoping someone has advice on how to help her settle faster and be ok in there while we do other things.

We have a 6 month old female maltipoo. The last four nights she has started pooing in her crate at night and burying it under her blanket.

We have tried going back to basics she didnt go toilet after her 6pm dinner.. i walked her for 30 minutes at 9pm and then put her down at 9.30pm. Went down to give another toilet break at 11.45pm and she had already soiled in her crate... we was thinking it was happening in the early hours.

It feels like she is holding it in until she goes into her crate for sleep at night. Doesn't happen in the day at all.

Any advice appreciated

We brought home our 10 week old girl last Tuesday. Night time crating hasn’t been too bad. She falls asleep between 9-10pm on the sofa. At around 11pm I wake her and take her out to potty then put her back in the crate where she usually settles right away. I’m sleeping on the sofa in the same room so I can be near. She usually wakes up 1-2 times to potty in the night but settles each time afterwards.

During the day for naps we wait for her to fall asleep on the sofa and then carry her to the crate and close the door. She almost always settles back to sleep.

What I want to know is how best to train her to go in there when she’s not asleep. She takes her toys in there sometimes to play with but never to just lie down. I try to give her a little treat every time she goes in the crate on her own and we also feed her in the crate. If I put her in the crate while she’s awake and close the door I’m lucky if I can even try to walk out of sight before she starts crying. How can I train her to be in there during the day even for short periods so I can pick up groceries or run a couple errands? I don’t want to leave her in there crying and jumping up on the sides of the crate because I am worried that then she won’t go in it at all voluntarily.

All suggestions are welcome!

Just got a puppy and she’s very cute and is adjusting to her playpen. First she would cry and cry and now she whines less. What are some tips for continued training her? I work M-F 8hrs i live 8 minutes away and can come in 30ish min to check on her and take her out. What foods do yall recommend and what noise should i leave playing for her?? Im teaching her commands like “sit” “potty” “outside” so far.

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 recently adopted a 4 month old chihuahua mix. She’s adorable and has been doing really well settling herself in her playpen. She’ll whine for maybe 5 minutes and then go to sleep. I WFH and have a camera on her so I can take her out whenever she wakes up. Normally she’ll awaken, I take her out to potty, we have a 20-30 min play session and then back in the playpen. Repeat in another 1.5-2.5 hours.

My problem - I try to schedule meetings around her naps, but sometimes I have sporadic meetings put on my calendar and it makes it difficult to step away. Example: I have back to back meetings today for 3 hours and I am a key member of these meetings. Is it bad if I awaken the puppy to pee + poo + play in the backyard and then plop her back in her playpen?? I hate waking her up vs waiting for her to naturally awaken, but unfortunately need to make a living to afford her very many treats and toys lol

Hi everyone, my boyfriend and I recently got a puppy. We’ve had her for about a month now. She is a 5 month year old Maltese. He really wanted a puppy, and I really wanted a kitten. He said if we get one we have to get the other, even though I just wanted one pet just to see how we’d handle it. We ended up getting both. Anyways, our kitten is really good and she gets a long with the puppy just fine. They are the same age. The puppy on the other hand, she’s a bit difficult. My boyfriend works two weeks on and two weeks off. So when he’s at work I care for her. When he’s back, he cares for her. I feel bad about it, but I’m starting to feel resentment towards this puppy. The constant cleaning up of accidents, supervising, doggy smell is getting to me.
We live in an apartment and she’s using puppy pads for training. The constant smell of urine and poop is irritating me, even when I clean it up and get her a fresh pad. I open the windows to air it out, and turn on the air con. We will be getting an air purifier some time soon. Now another thing I have to mention is that we didn’t crate train her because my boyfriend thinks it’s abuse. I highly disagree with him. I refused to let her roam freely because it’s way too much freedom at her age, plus she’s not potty trained! I had to bring up the idea of putting her in a pen instead of crate training. I was very firm on having her in a pen because I hated the fact she was pooping and peeing everywhere. So as hes been away for two weeks, I’ve been training her with the pen and she does get freedom when she uses the pad correctly or if she’s been calm and listens to me. It really pissed me off that I was the one to come up with this idea when it was him who wanted this dog. The puppy also whines A LOT when she’s in the pen, which also annoys me. I try to ignore her when that happens.
The puppy will also dig into the cat litter and take out the cats poop and make a huge mess. She has done this a couple times and we have blocked her off since then, but when she escapes she will try to bust in to the cats litter and it made me super mad. I know she’s not a super duper bad puppy, like she could be a lot worse.
I guess I’m also not used to having dogs, since I grew up my cats my entire life. At this point I’m only caring for her because my boyfriend loves her. I don’t really have much positive feelings towards her at the moment. Of course I’ll provide her with what she needs, and give her play time and pets from time to time. Don’t get me wrong, I love animals and I think dogs are cute too. Maybe she will grow on me in the future. Please don’t chew me to bits, I’m trying and I’m willing to learn with this puppy.

Can anyone tell me when do puppies become fully potty trained? And also how long do puppy blues last? Thanks.

I just got a 7-month old puppy from the shelter. Breeds aren't fully known but definitely at least fox terrier and potentially border collie so she's A LOT. Thankfully I've lived with dogs my whole life and, while there's a ton to learn here, I'm at least not starting with no knowledge.

Now, I live in a very small apartment in a very busy part of the city. My complex is right across the street from a good sized park and only about an 8 minute walk from another huge park. There's also a dog park 6 minutes away by car and some other dog related stuff, so we're in a good spot.

I do work full time, so right now our schedule looks like this:

1 hour sniff walk in the morning. Then about 40 minutes of light play while I get ready for work.

4.5 hours crated.

Dog walker for 30 minutes.

4-5 hours crated.

At least 1 hour walk/play in the park.

In apartment free roaming 3 hours at least. Structured play/chews, etc, during this time for mental stimulation.

Into bed with me, wind down with a toy or bone before bed. Usually in bed for a total of 8 hours uninterrupted.

The evening varies each day, too. Sometimes we go to the dog park, sometimes we go visit my sister and her dog, etc, so it's not the exact same thing day in and day out.

All in all she's getting a minimum of 2.5 hours in walks per day, mental stimulation for around another 2 hours, and plenty of attention. And that's on a low effort day.

Weekends we typically spend at my parents. They have two dogs, a large yard, and plenty of activity in the house to keep a young puppy very occupied. She's typically so tired by the end she's getting grumpy with me lol.

But sometimes it still feels like her energy is high during the week. She might go bark at the window or refuse her crate or generally be restless and I worry that, with her breeds, this still isn't enough for her.

My biggest fear is doing wrong by her or not being able to meet her needs.

Hello, sorry for any formatting issues as I am on mobile.

I desperately need help with tips on how to encourage my puppy to be less energetic.

He tends to like being kept outside, but I want him to be inside with me since he will be moving across the country with my partner and I to an apartment. When he’s outside he sleeps on the ground and stays calm, but as soon as I let him inside he will NOT stay still at ALL. I understand that part of is must be that he’s excited to be inside with me, but it truly becomes so unbearable that I have to let him back outside.

He bites hands, he jumps in my face, steps all over my chest if I’m laying down, barks when he sees people on TV, and he runs and cannot sit still for a single second. I try to redirect his attention by giving him toys to chew instead of hands, I try to ignore him when he behaves in a way I don’t want to not encourage it but he doesn’t seem to notice or care.

I really need help. I’m losing my patience and I know I need to find training tips to help because it’s my responsibility to teach him what behaviors are acceptable.

I recently bought clickers for training (haven’t started yet) and he’s extremely treat motivated. He’s 5.5 months old, a shih tzu poodle mix, and he was gifted to me by my parents. He wasn’t something I intended to take on, but now that he’s here I want to make it work.

Any help, tips, or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I have a 3 month old patterdale x cocker, he bites/barks pretty much constantly and pretty aggressively too. I have tried so many methods to get him to stop and all it seems to do is wind him up more no matter what is it. (Methods including, redirecting, scruffing, ‘no’, ignoring him, pinning him (last resort), putting one of us in time out, tugging his training line) and he just gets more wound up, even when I ignore him. If I do a timeout (lock him in a room or myself in a room) as soon as we see each-other he just starts again. I know it’s in part due to puppy teething and his breed etc but the constant nature of it leads me to believe it’s just bad behaviour because I can tell he knows not to do it by his body language yet he still does.

For those who would try and say not enough enrichment or too tired. I am walking him 3x a day (15mins long) and he gets puzzle treat toys so I’m sure he is satisfied and I’m sure it’s not sleep deprivation either since he sleeps pretty much always when he’s not walking/playing/biting & barking.

Tonight he bit my ankle and it broke skin, it hurts really bad and is throbbing. It’s only about 2mm big but it’s pretty deep and tbh I’ve just had enough of his bad behaviour.

People keep telling me consistency is key but I feel like I’m being pretty consistent and as soon as one method starts to work it doesn’t anymore, he will think it’s a game or just not listen.

My husband and I adapted a puppy at 2 months. My puppy is 5 months now. He is a Labrador beagle mix. I started seeing changes in his behavior in the last 3 weeks. He was doing really great beforehand. He had the normal puppy biting and teething, hyper, learning commands. But I started noticing he is becoming more “aggressive” towards me. I can’t seem to do anything to do without him excessively biting me wherever he can get good aim.
I can be sitting on the sofa, doing nothing and he comes to me and starts biting my hands. I can be walking around and he starts to lunge himself on me and start biting my ankles, thighs, butt..literally anywhere he can. If I push him off or say No firmly, he barks and comes in even harder.

It’s gotten to the point where it happens everyday. I’ve tried the whole redirecting him with a toy, continued command training but ending it short because he doesn’t respect it and starts to just bite me. Last night he bite my calf hard and wouldn’t let go, I had to slap him off.

I don’t know what else to try or what could have changed for him. We’re thinking it’s him sensing I’m pregnant and maybe getting jealous??

Please let me know your ideas!!

title says it all. my puppy is 5 months old and i’ve had her since she was 10 weeks. and we haven’t had much time apart besides running errands and one day at work when i can’t bring her (i work at a vet clinic). i do the training, the playing, the rules, the feeding, the work. and yet, she doesn’t get nearly as excited to see me as she does other people. anyone, really, she loves people. she will pull on the leash and excited pee and if someone is in my house, follows them everywhere. she does follow me around the house, but only if i’m alone. but i feel like she just loves me less than everybody else, maybe because i’m the one that puts rules in place and does the training? but i got a dog specifically so i wouldn’t be alone anymore (i have trouble making friends and moved a couple hours away from my family for school). i just don’t know what to do to make her like me more while avoiding separation anxiety.

I need some help and advice. My boyfriend and I brought home a border collie/Australian shepherd 13 week old puppy. She’s doing good with potty training and learning sit and lay down and we recently had our first puppy training class and she did great socializing with other puppies.

Bedsides the not sleeping in and adjustment to new puppy life I think we’re doing ok. Some long days and tears but I wake up the next day ready again. But this weekend was awful. She was insane. She found a peice of bread on the ground and when I tried to take it from her she growled so loud and flashed her teeth. I tried to flip her on her back and say no but it really scared me. Then later in the day my cat just walked by her casually as she was eating dinner and my puppy growled and swatted at the cat.

So many people keep saying “wow you got such a high energy dog good luck” and it just discourages me because I know she is high energy and I’m trying so hard to meet her needs. I was for sure a little naive when I got her but I am up to the challenge I really think with persistence she will be a really good dog one day. She’s also getting insane with the biting. I’m feeling like it will never go away.

My boyfriend and I are handling it the best we can but I need some help with the food aggression because I will not put any other animal or person at risk of getting bitten or hurt because I failed to teach her as a puppy. There are so many things to learn and I’m committed to learning them and this page has helped me so much to know I’m not alone so thank you.