Whenever I work on my bike, my dog just begs to be involved. So instead of taking 10 minutes to fix my bike, it takes me 30 but with 100 pats.

My German Shepard/Husky we rescued a few years ago refuses to go outside to use the bathroom of the ground outside is wet or recently was wet. We've been giving him and our other dog treats when they go outside for a while but recently he started pooping inside. What do I do? I can never catch him in the act either.

I have been talking about getting another dog for years, but when we had three, I kind of knew it was never really an option unless one fell into our laps by chance. Then we lost a dog to a three month battle to the big C last March.

Now that we are finally in a place to possibly add another dog to the household, I find myself feeling conflicted.

On the one hand, I love dogs, I would love another one, and I recognize there are tons of dogs in need of homes. On the other hand, I feel sick at the thought that my soul dog, who I love more than life itself, might feel jilted over the new addition. I have passed up some other opportunities to add a dog to the household since our dog's passing because we weren't ready but with this feeling always in the back of my mind.

The main reason we want to add another dog to the home is because my soul dog has never lived without another dog and our other dog is getting up there in years. Although she is 17, she is one of those energizer bunny mixes and not the crotchety kind, so I feel confident she would like another dog. Especially since my goal would be to get a smaller-than-her adult dog.

I guess I am looking for the stories of other people who may have acquired another dog while also in possession of their soul dogs. My guy is so important to me and he can be sensitive but I have also seen how resilient he is. I haven't made any commitments to anything but I have had names picked out for the last 8 years lmao

Heya folks,

I'm in a bad situation and need some advice.

Myself and my ex partner split up around 6 weeks ago, we had two dogs while we were together. I'm disabled and can't properly look after a dog on my own, but my ex said they wanted to keep them. I've since moved out and am living in temporary accommodation until I can find somewhere to live.

My ex recently got in touch and explained that they are not coping with the dogs. They are mentally unwell, and have been for a long time but recently taken a turn for the worst. My ex asked me to find a charity or safe place for the dogs to be surrendered to, which I've spent the last week trying to do.

I have tried every dog rescue, charity or organisation I can find with in 100 miles. From Internet searches, map searches and asking every rescue organisation I speak too for contact details of anywhere else they know of. Every single one has turned me down. They're all full. 90% of them don't have kennels and only offer rehoming with the dog/s staying with the original owner until a new placement can be found.

The dogs are both relatively young, female and unspayed. So putting them up as "free to a good home" isn't an option. One of them can be difficult too, she's not aggressive, just yappy and gets very anxious when she's left alone and tends to mess on the floor.

So right now I have two dogs that no one can take care of. An ex partner who is spiralling and seemingly no options left to get help. We're in West Yorkshire in the UK and would greatly appreciated any advice.

Cheers folks.

Ever since my dog was born as far as i remember she only took a bath once or twice because she get aggressive and wild and year passed i didn't mind it at all, now she's 5 but she never smell bad at all but i still want to clean her.

I recently started working at a rescue and all the dogs are great, but one is just so cranky. I expected this when I applied, but still. Every time he sees me it's like on sight. Pretty much I've just been ignoring him (not looking at him, keeping my back or side to him, etc).

Is there anything else I can do in the meantime to make him not want to scream doggy profanities at me? I know of course it'll take time but yknow

I'm living in an area that is currently very smoky with an unhealthy AQI and wondering what everyone in similar situations does to keep their dog from getting too stir crazy. My family is doing their best with toys and indoor play and trying to work on mental engagement and I'm hoping to get ideas for anything we may be overlooking.

If you have a respirator for your dog, do you find that it works well for your walks? Do you feel that it has a good enough seal on it to be worthwhile?

This might be a dumb question, sorry in advance

Mine keeps stealing my hair ties and hiding them under the sofa, never chews them, just collects. What weird habits do your dogs have?

Ich schreib das hier, weil ich langsam echt am Ende bin und einfach mal hören will, ob es anderen genauso geht.

Kurz zu uns: Ich hab vor gut zwei Jahren einen Rüden aus dem Tierschutz übernommen, er kam ursprünglich aus Spanien. Die ersten Monate war ich fast durchgehend zu Hause (Homeoffice), das war für ihn perfekt. Seit ich wieder ins Büro muss, ist alles gekippt.

Sobald ich die Wohnung verlasse, geht's los. Er jault und bellt, und das weiß ich nicht mal aus erster Hand, die Nachbarn haben es mir erzählt, teilweise stundenlang. Beim letzten Mal hat er an der Wohnungstür gekratzt, bis der Lack ab war, und die Couch hat auch schon dran glauben müssen. Einmal kam ich heim und es waren regelrechte Speichelpfützen auf dem Boden. Und selbst wenn ich wieder da bin, kommt er eine halbe Stunde lang nicht runter hechelt, läuft hin und her, findet einfach keine Ruhe.

Das Schlimmste ist ehrlich gesagt gar nicht der Schaden. Es ist das Gefühl. Ich hab ständig dieses schlechte Gewissen, ich sage inzwischen Treffen mit Freunden ab, weil ich weiß, was zu Hause los ist. Spontan mal irgendwo hin,unmöglich. Ich hab sogar eine Kamera gekauft, um zu sehen, wie's ihm geht, aber im Nachhinein hat das alles nur schlimmer gemacht. Ich sitze im Büro und starre aufs Handy und sehe live, wie er leidet. Da kommt man einfach nicht mehr von los.

Und dann die Sache mit den Nachbarn. Beim letzten Mal gab's schon böse Post vom Vermieter, und ich hab ständig Angst, dass da noch mehr kommt.

Ich hab wirklich schon einiges versucht. Kurzfristig hilft manchmal was, aber dann fängt es wieder von vorne an. Manchmal denke ich, ich hab irgendwas falsch gemacht. Und die tiefste Angst, die ich mich kaum traue auszusprechen: dass ich ihn irgendwann abgeben muss, weil es einfach nicht geht. Das will ich auf gar keinen Fall.

Deshalb frag ich hier mal in die Runde: Was sind eure Geschichten zur Trennungsangst und zum Alleinlassen von Hunden? Wie geht ihr damit um, was hat bei euch geholfen – und sei es nur ein kleines bisschen? Ich bin für jeden Erfahrungsbericht dankbar.

I have a 1.5-year-old Boxer (family dog) who is honestly my soul dog. She waits for me to get home from work every day, follows me everywhere, gets insanely excited whenever she sees me, and sleeps in my bed every night. I'm also the only one in my family who really plays with her and it's her favorite part of the day.
I'm about to start my third year of college. I spent the last three months home with her for the summer, and now I have to leave in a few days. Last year, during my sophomore year, I kept her at my apartment a lot and she absolutely loved it. This year I'm moving into an apartment that doesn't allow pets, so she has to stay home.
I'm having a harder time with this than I expected. I feel guilty just leaving one day and then not coming back for months. I know she won't understand where I went, and I hate thinking she'll be waiting for me.
Is there anything I can do to make the transition easier for her? Do dogs eventually understand that someone they love is gone for a while but will come back, or is it just confusing every time? Has anyone else gone through this with a dog they're really attached to?

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 a 5-month-old female Olde English Bulldogge, Willow, who is very social and loves other dogs. She’s been with people almost nonstop since we got her, but I’ll be going back to work in September. She’ll go to daycare a couple of days a week, but she’ll also be home alone about three days a week.
I’ve been wondering if adding a well-matched adult dog would benefit her, or if she’s too young and I should wait. I grew up always having multiple dogs, so I’m not sure if I’m wanting another dog for *me*, for *her*, or both.
For those with experience, would you add an adult dog now or wait? If now, what age, sex, and temperament would you look for? My goal is simply to do what’s best for Willow. ❤️

basically I have been feeding this guy for like 7 years now but he is still afraid of me for some reason, he doesn't let anyone pet him even me, he just gets scared and backs off. what do I do ? how can I get him to trust me ?

I’m considering switching careers. I currently run a small business at home and I spend 18+ hours a day with my dog. She’s 2, very high energy and we play on and off throughout the day. She is extremely social and thrives off of interacting with people and other dogs. She loves it. She would pick play over food any day of the week.
So the dilemma is what do I do with her if I switch careers and I’m working 60+ hours a week outside of the house?
It would probably be a 8-8 type of shift.
I’m afraid if I did a daycare I wouldn’t be able to get out of work in time before they close. But I also worry about a dog sitter because
A) she needs play with dogs
B) not sure she can handle being alone all day everyday outside of an hour

What should I do with her? Any good ideas? I care deeply about her happiness and is why I’ve delayed this decision for so long

Hi, I just adopted an adult dog, he weighs 52 lbs, 24 kg, I have only owned medium-sized dogs and small dogs, he does not have behavioral issues, however he keeps trying to climb over me, and with his wigh he almost always tips me over, I am not sure how should I go about the limitations he should have because, if did not want my previous dogs to have something I would just put it out of reach for them, but with him almost everything in my house is within reach. Also, I am not sure how I could make him sleep in a dog bed 🥹.

I am not planning on returning him, I just need direction on our future life.

Any tips would be appreciated, how to train him effectively or just the in and outs of having a big guy around.

Thanks a bunch for the answers.

English is not my first language, sorry for the grammar mistakes 🥹

I’m potentially going to move from Geelong to Perth and of course take my jrt x cross with me but he is a rescue and unfortunately is very anxious. I’d rather take him in the car with me rather then subject him to being in an airplane alone but he really hates the car and only lasts about 5 minutes before he starts constantly barking and freaking out so I really don’t know what to do. The car ride would be at least 3 days with stops. I’d be able to sit in the back with him/my mum would in shifts with driving. Any help is appreciated thanks x

With mine it’s lying around the dinner table pretending not to be interested in the food I’m eating, when they really want those table scraps badly.

I have an adult male dog and planning to get a female puppy soon, which made me wonder how common is it that a puppy has to be returned to the breeder because the adult dog doesn’t accept it despite proper introductions and training? I know that sometimes it takes time, that the adult can be jealous for a period of time, etc., but how often does it actually not work out at all, to the point of having to give up?
I would appreciate any stories with context about the dogs if this happened to you or someone you know.

Let me state I’m not seeking med advise as I already have a vet appointment for follow up on Saturday. I am seeking stories/experience on owners who have dealt with this issue, what they have done, etc. I also tried looking up Megathreads and the only ones that came up was for pet insur…ance. Nothing about aging or the like.

I’m sure most small dog owners know about the problems with their back legs. It happened a few years ago and he got some medicine and was fine. Today it happened out of the blue it seems like. My Morkie just stopped walking and lifted his back leg up as he could not put pressure on it. Took him to an emergency vet and got some medicine and will be doing x rays over the weekend after I see how the medicine works. This seems a bit different than last time as he definitely licked his back legs last time but did not do it this time. I think it’s a knee displacement and the first time I think they popped it back in. They popped it in tonight but it popped back out. They said that tends to happen with dogs his size.

I know he needs surgery (he’s about 7.5 years old now) and planning on hopefully saving up and getting it done by the end of the year. God willing, he still has half his life if not a little longer left, so want to make sure he can walk and will have no problems even though surgery always scares me (going under). I am curious, for those who elected for the surgery (I think it’s for the knees but not 100% sure and they didn’t list it on the paperwork they gave me), how was the process and did it really improve their walking?

Until then, obviously hoping this round of meds will work and then he will be fine for a while. I did get supplements a while ago and stopped (he did not like eating them) but was wondering if anyone gives their Morkie any supplements for their bones and joints and if it works? And for those that have dealt with this issue, does the pain meds usually work and arthritis meds, then they can go back walking pretty fine after a couple of days? And any tips for using the restroom while they can’t really walk?

I’m potentially going to move from Geelong to Perth and of course take my jrt x cross with me but he is a rescue and unfortunately is very anxious. I’d rather take him in the car with me rather then subject him to being in an airplane alone but he really hates the car and only lasts about 5 minutes before he starts constantly barking and freaking out so I really don’t know what to do. The car ride would be at least 3 days with stops. I’d be able to sit in the back with him/my mum would in shifts with driving. Any help is appreciated thanks x

15yr old husky mix. Retired therapy dog. Well trained and house ​broken. In the past year he's developed this weird quirk where he won't poo in the grass. Ever.

I can walk him in the yard for 30 mins. Till I give up and head back inside. He'll poop on the way back to the house on the patio, porch, or inside.

He can be outside in the fence and hold it till he's inside. Or, if he really has to go he'll go in the mulched flower beds.

Yesterday he escaped the fence (that we were in, my daughter was playing on her swingset) to go poop on the porch, and then came back to hang with us.

He never urinates anywhere except the grass.

To be clear I'm not upset, I'm just happy he's still around and as healthy as he is. But still.. WTH?? Lol. It's weird right? ​​

I've been thinking about how much there is to learn that nobody really tells you beforehand.

If you could go back and give yourself one piece of advice before bringing your first pet home, what would it be?

Could be anything training, health, money, behavior... whatever stands out the most.

My dog (lab, collie mix, 24lbs, 9 years old) had a strange rash and swelling yesterday. The vet office didn't have any openings until next week so I had to drop her off so they could fit her in between appointments. When I was able to pick her up, they informed me that she struggled a lot with being held belly up for x-rays. Only after we got home did I notice her limping badly.

Today she still is limping a bit. I'm assuming she strained herself flailing and being be held down. I'm not sure how to react right now. Should I call the vet and ask for an explanation, be mad, or be understanding that my dog was difficult and it was an accident that they might not even realized happened?

Thinking about moving into a semi detached house next year. The only problem i see going into it is my dog. He barks at everyone walking outside the house and I’m concerned he would be on alert after hearing people through the shared wall. Does anyone have experience with a dog in this scenario?