On Tuesday we sadly had to say goodbye to our beautiful 12-year-old Collie x Lab, Prim. I'd had her since she was one and she was honestly my best mate and shadow. She came everywhere with us, work, kayaking, camping, hiking, you name it. She was incredibly loyal, affectionate, intelligent and adventurous, but equally the most chilled-out dog at home. We called her our soul pup.

Everything happened so quickly. She'd been gradually struggling with her back legs, but on Tuesday morning she suddenly lost the use of them. We rushed her to the vets and discovered she had a large tumour in her spine, severely compressing her nerves and causing paralysis. After discussing everything with the vets, we were advised that there were no safe or realistic treatment options that would give her a good quality of life. Following their advice, we made the heartbreaking decision to let her go peacefully that evening.

The first few days were absolutely horrendous. Lots of tears, questioning our decision and struggling with the silence at home. But as this week's gone on, we've slowly started coming to terms with it.

Yesterday (Friday), we went to see Prim at the local crematorium for one final goodbye. Strangely, it was actually a really lovely experience. We had time to just sit with her, talk to her and process everything that had happened. Since then, we've both felt a lot calmer and almost at peace with it all. We still miss her terribly, obviously.

We've also started talking about getting another dog. This was actually something we'd been considering all year, originally as a companion for Prim, but we decided against it because she was happier with just our company and wasn't particularly tolerant of younger dogs in her old age.

We initially started looking at rescues, but have since come across some Collie x Lab puppies and are considering going to meet them on Monday (two days away). We've even started joking about names and imagining the absolute chaos of raising a puppy, and we're both genuinely excited about it! 😂

We're absolutely not trying to replace Prim. Nobody ever could. We just love having a dog as part of our lives. Prim followed us everywhere, including work and all our adventures, and even became a bit of a local celebrity! The house just feels so empty and quiet without her.

The timing is also strangely convenient, as I'm in a position where I can work from home for the next 3–4 months while catching up on admin, before my work gets busier again. So practically, it's probably one of the best opportunities we'll have to raise and settle a puppy.

But it's only been four days, and part of me wonders whether we're rushing into something too soon. At the same time, we're both such dog people. Having a four-legged companion by our side has always been such a huge part of our lives, and without that presence, we both feel a little lost. It's not just Prim we're missing, although we miss her more than words can say, it's sharing our everyday lives with a dog. The walks, the company, the adventures and even the little routines around the house. It just doesn't feel quite like home without one.

Has anyone else welcomed another dog this quickly? Did it feel right, or did you later wish you'd waited?

My 21 pound boy is a big chewer. He LOVES to tear apart his stuffed toys as fast as he can. Problem is, when he tears them apart, he also eats them. I am usually quick to react and take the bit out of his mouth but, I have found fabric pieces in his poo before. I do put his toys up (usually) when he is done playing with them but, I work from home and sometimes he BEGS and cries for a toy. He knows where I put them so, he runs to his chair next to me and to the shelf and back again. Repeat until he gets tired (about 5 in).

I used to give him 6" bully sticks - the thinnest ones I could find. But the vet told me that his teeth are starting to show wear already, and he's only 3.5 years old. Not good. He enjoys hide type chews but he goes through a typical sized one in an hour. Same goes with frozen Kongs and peanut butter, etc etc

He would chew and tear all day if he could - even after a walk. Are there any durable, edible dog toys that don't damage his teeth?

Thank you! <3

Hi everyone,

I have never been able to figure out what this behavior could possibly mean and why he does it. I am just so curious to hear what others' thoughts are.

Background: - Border collie lab mix. - Got him at 9 months old from the shelter, he is now 12. - We never trained him to do this, he does this on his own. He has done it the whole time we've had him.

The bone tour is a weird behavior my dog does when he gets cow knee bones. When we get them he is so excited. He then has to show it around the house and does the following: 1. Takes it into his mouth and goes outside. 2. Pretty quickly comes back inside. 3. Does a loop on the lower level of the house. 4. Goes back outside for longer this time. One time, I caught him just looking out at the yard with the bone just sitting in the grass next to him for 5 min. 5. Comes back inside with the bone. 6. Does another loop around the lower level of the house whining this time. 7. Finally settles down and starts chewing on the bone.

I think he is just excited for the bone and I guess wants to show off where he will eat it. But it is always in this order and I don't know why he starts whining or does most of the tour twice.

Just a silly behavior that I felt like sharing. If you have any thoughts about what it could mean, I would love to know.

My cats are going to be witches. Get it? Bc of cat familiars?

Anyway, I can’t decide what my dog should be. There’s not really an equivalent of cats/witches with dogs. So I’m here for inspiration.

Any automatic ball launchers that launch a XL ball? I've looked all over online and can't find one at all.

I am having rotator cuff surgery and will not be able to play frisbee or throw my dogs favorite XL Chuck Ball it with the launcher for possible some time. Even though I'm having just my right arm done, the stress of tossing the ball with my left may be difficult and cause pain/tear on the right. I hate the idea that my dog will not be able to go play fetch as we do it 3 or 4 times a day and typical do two walks a day as well. So trying to come up with any idea I can to keep her active.

Treats are not an option, she hates treats.

Anyone ever try putting the dog bed in a small tent for thunderstorms? My dog shakes. He gets trazadone but can’t relax. I thought maybe the covering over his head would help.

Hi, im currently trying to train leash pressure for my 2 month old bichon puppy. I have a harness and he would barely move when the harness is on. Usually he would follow me everywhere in the house without harness. But with harness, he will barely move. I feel it is because he is uncomfortable with it.

For example, he would follow me down the stairs without harness, but with harness he refuses to go down the stairs until i opened the front the of the house, in which he would finally go down.

Im thinking of using a collar to help him train on how to behave on a leash. What are your thoughts on this?

I have a 8 month old puppy. And she can chew through everything. She came from a shelter but we think she is a type of hunting dog, and man does she love to destroy her toys. None are safe. Heads and arms ripped off. Chew toys ripped to pieces. Kongs (black one and frozen at that!) have chucks taken out. Nothing is safe.

I keep trying to find something she can chew on that’s not all food - I don’t want her to get fat with hip problems. But the harder the toys to chew on, the more I worry about a broken tooth. Even if I’m watching her all it will take is one wrong bite….

I bought a yak chew bc they said easy to digest but now I’m wondering if it will be to hard to naw on. Advise?

Hi,

Last Friday I took my dog, Murphy, to the groomer. Murphy is a 13-pound poodle mix, and a bundle of energy and joy.

For the few days after the visit he was fine. But since Monday he has been acting differently. Notably he spends most of the day in his crate, where he usually only goes at night to sleep. He also does not want to jump on the couch or bed, which previously he did all the time. He seems hesitant/scared to jump up and requests he be picked up onto the couch or bed. He also has been far more on edge, for example startling very easy at noises he didn’t previously scare from.

For background he is anxious but he has never acted like this. The groomer is reputable and well rated, but I think this time may have been traumatic for him. I plan on finding a new groomer, but in the meantime how can I help Murphy feel better.

Please ask any questions for further clarification.
Thank you!

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.

About a week ago, one of my neighbors lost her dog. The next day she made some posts online about this and included information such as her phone number and her dog's name, age, breed, and photo.

In just a matter of three to four hours after making a Facebook post about it, she received a message from someone that claimed they found her dog. They then sent a photo of her dog...or so it seemed anyway.

When I talked to my neighbor about this she believed the photo was real at first, but there were tell tale signs that the image was AI. They then demanded payment via an app before she got to see her dog. (Red flag!) I told her it seemed to me this person took the real photo of her dog from her social media post and used an AI image generator to generate a fake and then used that to bait her into a scam.

The neighbor in question is an elderly lady and not well-versed about AI, but thankfully she took notice about a small patch of brown fur on the AI image that her real dog did not have.

Thankfully, two days after he disappeared my neighbor spotted him in her backyard and took him back in. He was okay!

With how rough losing a pet already is, scammers are using this as a perfect vulnerability to exploit people and using AI as a tool to help. If you ever lose your pet, this is just a reminder to be cautious about responses you receive and to scrutinize any photos from internet strangers before taking things further.

Stay safe!

Good morning. I have a 70lb mixed breed (husky, lab, Rottweiler, and others) she is five years old and a smart girl. All except for walks. We have done training, used harnesses and finally settled on the gentle leader about four years ago.

She doesn’t pull in the leader but spends a large part of the walk trying to get it off. It’s stressful for both of us. This has gotten worse over the past few weeks where she is constantly pawing at it to be removed. I correct her and we keep it on. But three steps later, she’s at it again. It used to be once or twice a walk, now it’s almost constant. I’ve tried going back to the harness but after a few days, she’s pulling me down the street.

I’m looking for suggestions on systems to try to make our walks more enjoyable for both of us.

Thanks

Hey I just adopted my dog from a rescue shelter about a week ago. She’s overall a good dog. However she’s kinda mouthy. I’m trying prevent her from biting me or it getting that far. I’m on a tight budget right now, I can afford a trainer.

My dog has a sprained shoulder so we have been carrying them up and down the stairs for two weeks now. I was coming up the stairs and tripped on the second or third step with my dog in my arms.

I was carrying him with his head towards the left and his butt towards the right and I fell kind of towards the right and forward, and he was placed hard on the steps a few above where I fell. I BELIEVE he landed on his feet and kind of ran into the front of the steps with his legs from the impact.

He appears to be walking normally knock on wood, including the strained shoulder side, but I am just panicking completely that I could’ve hurt him or injured him. I did not fall on him. I just think a little bit of my weight and the force of the fall pushed him into the front of the steps. He immediately got up and ran away, startled obviously before I could even get up.

Any thoughts to ease my panic as I continue to watch him?

My husband just started a new job as a therapist for a prison and now we’re having to leave our two dogs home alone. One is older and is used to being home alone but our younger one (2 year old Great Pyrenees german shepherd mix) is used to going into the office with him as she’s done that 3 days a week since we got her at 3 months old. 1 day a week she would go to doggy daycare and Fridays he was working from home. She is very attached to my husband. Thankfully my work is close to home so I’ve been going at lunch for potty breaks but checking my backyard camera I can hear her barking constantly and it breaks my heart. In the afternoon she gets a popsicle to help keep her entertained but still hear lots of barking. Both pups go on 3 mile walks most mornings as well. Any advice? How long will it take for her to adjust?

Just wondering how successful folks have been with using weighted vests, pheromone sprays and other non-medicinal hacks for their anxious pups.

My 2.5 year old poodle mix is the sweetest little guy, but for about a year or so we’ve noticed a few instances where his anxiety seems to go through the roof.

In the car during non- highway drives he whimpers and whines (no sick or accidents). We try giving him treats, bringing one his favorite toys but results are mixed.

At the vet and as during grooming he shakes like a leaf. Hes otherwise sweet energetic little guy always begging for play sessions and following us around to house.

TLDR: Just wondering how successful folks have been with using weighted vests, pheromone sprays and other non-medicinal hacks for their anxious pups.

I’m looking for bed recommendations to put in my dogs crate. She’s a rough chewer and recently started destroying her bed, like having way too much fun in her crate ripping apart her bed.

For those who are going to say “just don’t put a bed in there” I have reason not to follow this route.

I adopted her in January and her bed has been in her crate since then. She has not touched it until the past couple of weeks. She is on full rest per vet’s orders, so I think the combo of not feeling herself and her exercise needs not being met is really upsetting her lil terrier brain. I really want to keep her comfortable. Also, not having her needs met makes it incredibly hard for her to settle outside of her crate. She only sleeps in her crate.

If there’s a rougher bed that might survive better than the one we have now, I’d love to hear it. Even anything that isn’t necessarily marketed as a dog bed - if it’s worked for you please share!

I am thinking ahead to Thanksgiving travel. I have two teenagers (13 and 15) and now a 15 week old golden (so 22 weeks at Thanksgiving). We own a 2017 Subaru Outback. The drive will be about 2+ hours.

And looking towards the future when the pup is full grown--we road trip 8+ hours to Maine every summer, sometimes 3x a summer, and various winter ski trips to Vermont/western Mass (3-5 hour drives). Is a full size golden in a harness and two adult size teenagers too much for one backseat? Given that the human children already complain that there isn't enough room, I am going to guess that it's a tight fit. I don't know how we fit all our gear and a crate in the trunk (and we already have a roof box that is full to the gills when it is just the 4 of us traveling).

If we get a crate, what do you recommend? I've been in a few car accidents so car safety is really important to me. A new car is not in the budget.

Hello! I’m getting ready to adopt a dog and would love some breed suggestions. TLDR is I’m looking for a dog that wants to play fetch, go on walks, learn tricks, and solve puzzles… with ME! I’m basically a working dog in human form and would love the “job” of training a dog. I also am a Velcro person so would be very stuck to my dog haha, and want to take them everywhere with me. (Bonus is if I can owner-train them for psychiatric service dog tasks for anxiety/OCD) I’m a kids soccer coach, so I’m looking for a dog that I can train to chill on the sidelines during practice/games (read: a LOT of noise, movement, and small humans).

**Introduction**

1) Will this be your first dog? If not, what experience do you have owning/training dogs?

* No. My family owned a rescue for 16 years growing up (he was the best), and I regularly volunteer at my local animal shelter with both dogs and cats.

2) Do you have a preference for rescuing a dog vs. going through a [reputable breeder]( http://ownresponsibly.blogspot.com/2011/07/identifying-reputable-breeder.html)?

* Rescue all the way!

3) Describe your ideal dog.

* Wants to go on walks, play fetch (and play fetch and play fetch), and learn new tricks… with ME! Intelligent, non-reactive so that I can take them out in public almost everywhere a human can go, and a cuddly Velcro dog. Gets along with people and other animals. A medium-haired dog would be very cute also, love a bit of fluff haha.

4) What breeds or types of dogs are you interested in and why?

* So far I’ve read up about Australian Shepherds, but I’m coming here to learn more and find out about other options! Obviously, if I’m rescuing, the dog would likely be a mix. IMPORTANT: a dog that is 35lbs or less, so that I can pick up the dog if I absolutely need to. And at some point… the dog gets taller than me haha.

5) What sorts of things would you like to train your dog to do?

* Super strong recall so that we can go off leash everywhere. Fetch and bring the ball/frisbee back to me. Agility ladders. Psychiatric service dog tasks for anxiety. Being non-reactive with people and dogs. Sitting on the subway. All sorts of tricks. Biking with the dog, if it’s safe for them/their size.

6) Do you want to compete with your dog in a sport (e.g. agility, obedience, rally) or use your dog for a form of work (e.g. hunting, herding, livestock guarding)? If so, how much experience do you have with this work/sport?

* No sport competitions at the moment… but that may change! Work in regards to some psychiatric service dog tasks. I don’t have any experience training dogs for these tasks, but am so ready to learn. (I’m a soccer coach so I’m familiar with human-based training structures.)

**Care Commitments**

7) How long do you want to devote to training, playing with, or otherwise interacting with your dog each day?

* 30min at wake up + bed time for walk/fetch & train (total: 1 hour), 30min-1hr when returning from work for walk/fetch & train (total: 1.5hr), 15min at lunch for walk & train (total: 1.75hr); ideally taking them out in public with me to increase their daily hours; on weekends, minimum 1 hour out playing per day, but likely more

8) How long can you exercise your dog each day, on average? What sorts of exercise are you planning to give your dog regularly and does that include using a dog park?

* As listed above. Walks, fetch, puzzle toys, bike riding (if size appropriate), agility ladder training. Very excited to go to an early morning/late evening dog park open field sesh.

9) How much regular brushing are you willing to do? Are you open to trimming hair, cleaning ears, or doing other grooming at home? If not, would you be willing to pay a professional to do it regularly?

* Daily brushing is fine, weekly nail clipping is fine, but I’m open to going to a professional for anything sticky/wet.

**Personal Preferences**

10) What size dog are you looking for?

* 35lbs or less! If they get larger, they’re suddenly taller than me on their hind legs.

11) How much shedding, barking, and slobber can you handle?

* Shedding is fine, barking I want to train out because I live in an apartment, absolutely cannot do slobber. (Remember that OCD I mentioned?)

12) How important is being able to let your dog off-leash in an unfenced area?

* Super important. We want to have FUN and RUN AROUND and PLAY!

**Dog Personality and Behavior**

13) Do you want a snuggly dog or one that prefers some personal space?

* Snuggles all day, but can handle being not physically attached.

14) Would you prefer a dog that wants to do its own thing or one that’s more eager-to-please?

* Eager to please.

15) How would you prefer your dog to respond to someone knocking on the door or entering your yard? How would you prefer your dog to greet strangers or visitors?

* Non-reactive to strangers, greeting visitors on a “say hi/make friends” command, no barking because I live in an apartment.

16) Are you willing to manage a dog that is aggressive to other dogs?

* No

17) Are there any other behaviors you can’t deal with or want to avoid?

* No aggression, no biting, no jumping. (No jumping is a big one. Have I mentioned that I’m short? I think I have…)

**Lifestyle**

18) How often and how long will the dog be left alone?

* IF the dog can’t come to practice/games with me (ie I’m still training the dog to be non-reactive), then 4 hours daily.

19) What are the dog-related preferences of other people in the house and what will be their involvement in caring for the dog?

* I’m responsible for caring for the pet 100%. My partner and roommate are welcome to hang with my dog and go for walks if they want, but I won’t rely on them for caretaking at all. My partner prefers a smaller dog, and my roommate wants a friendly one.

20) Do you have other pets or are you planning on having other pets? What breed or type of animal are they?

* No pets currently. Potential for a cat in the future.

21) Will the dog be interacting with children regularly?

* Ideally, yes! But there are no kids in the house/no kids in the family.

22) Do you rent or plan to rent in the future? If applicable, what breed or weight restrictions are on your current lease?

* I currently rent. There are no breed/weight restrictions. I also want to avoid large dogs/pitbulls for this reason. I plan to get an ESA letter if I move to an apartment that doesn’t allow pets.

23) What city or country do you live in and are you aware of any laws banning certain breeds?

* NYC

24) What is the average temperature of a typical summer and winter day where you live?

* Summer gets hot (90+) and it snows in the winter. So, the full range!

**Additional Information and Questions**

25) Please provide any additional information you feel may be relevant.

* I mentioned this at the top, but I’m like a working dog personified, so I’m looking for a dog to match my energy. I have anxiety/OCD so would love to train a dog to help me with that. I’m going to reiterate: I’m ready to TRAIN a dog to do the things I mentioned above (strong recall, service tasks, etc), but I’m looking for a breed(s) that’s TRAINABLE for those things!

26) Feel free to ask any questions below.

* I would love any and all tips/advice! Thank you!

There are many guides online about slow introductions, and they‘re mostly the same but with slight tweaks. Some say don’t let the dogs interact at ALL until the new dog settles in, some say parallel leash walks should start from day 1 but no interaction in the house, some say interaction in the house but only ever supervised. What timeline has worked best for you and your dogs? What timeline works best with your lifestyle? Did you take time off from work? What mistakes did you make? What do you wish you knew going into an introduction period?

https://chapmanu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6KfZlMBHnZQ26Im

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.

Anyone have good recs for a no pull harness for a Pyrenees mix with a heck ton of fur?

Sometimes I see ones that are so tiny that it’s clear they’re just meant for people who want their dogs to play with other dogs. Then there’s others where it has a lot more space and you can really let your dog rip and run and you can steer clear of interactions because there’s so much space.

I’m looking for the latter. What about y’all????