My dog Maverick (border collie mix) tragically died 2 months ago and I'm missing him tremendously. I have found a puppy that looks SO much like him and the urge to adopt him is so so strong. The problem is that my husband is having serious health issues such that he can't and won't ever be able to help with care and my other dog Goose (4 F) is in the easy stage where she can be left alone and is generally well behaved. I need to be reminded how hard the puppy stage is.

Tell me the worst thing your puppy did this week or this month lol.

Owner of a 10 month old mini doxie

When I first got the puppy at 3.5 months old, experienced dog owner strongly advised against sleeping with the dog to prevent behavior issue (“they will think they are your equal and won’t listen to you”)

I’m now second guessing this advice.

Any advice/experience to share?

Thank you!!!!

UPDATE: THANK YOU ALL SO SO MUCH FOR YOUR ADVICE/SHARING OF YOUR EXPERIENCE. I read them all! I’ve decided to let my dog on my bed for a try at least, but then it turns out he’s just playing on the bed and refuses to cuddle or sleep 😭 I’ll wait a bit before trying again

PS: I really did not think about the second sense of the title AT ALL and it took me a while to realize and understand certain comments pointing that out. HAHAHA SO FUNNY… I mean, I feel even my 14 yo half-brother is more mature than this…

I watch a lot of murder mystery so maybe my imagination is running wild. The scenario. There was a sign with a phone number in front of the market advertising Berne doodle puppies. I called and asked for information and photos. The woman claimed she wasn't a breeder, they (the family with eight kids, one disabled - I mention this because she did and emphasized this) just did a few litters a year for supplemental income. They had Berne doodles and Golden Doodles for sale.

She sent photos and information. One was listed for $1,600, the rest were quoted $2,000 - $2,550. She said they are being sold for "less as compared to market" because she's a nurse and wanted to be certain her dogs could be (reasonably) purchased to be used for therapy dogs.

She sent over several images. I chose a mini Berne Doodle and a less expensive mini Golden for the meet and greet. She said they didn't like showing more than one dog, but she'd make an exception. We agreed on a time for the following day.

The next morning she texted to confirm our meeting. She asked that we give an exact time for arrival, and that we text when we left the house. Her house was 35 minutes away by freeway, located in a different county. I mention this because I thought it was odd that a garage sale type sign would be placed so far away from her neighborhood, and we're pretty far out of the way from doing a pass-by. She "forgot" to give us the (exact) address until I texted to remind her we didn't have it, and that we were in route. She confirmed we were on our way... and mentioned that she asked for us for the itinerary in case of traffic and delay. I said we might be delayed by five or ten minutes.

We arrived. She had three puppies in a small wire fenced in area. Two were (merle) golden doodles that I never mentioned I was interested in, and two Berne doodles; one she nicknamed "Chunkers" a tri-colored Berne doodle who I immediately fell in love with. The fourth was in her husband's arms; he was sitting in a lawn chair where they'd set up a little area for our meeting, outside, in the driveway.

The $1,300 dog was extremely hyper, the rest were not what I'd describe as excited like he was but curious enough. They weren't running or playing like puppies do at 8-9 weeks. (Maybe they were tired or sleepy?)

At the time it didn't occur to me why she was showing us four dogs.

I walked over to the fenced area and claimed "Chunkers" for the first. She put him in my lap and I held him while we talked. She gave my husband another dog to hold.

They were "vetting us" to see if we'd make good dog parents. They asked a lot of questions (none pertaining to dog ownership) about where we lived (exactly), what my husband did for a living, random fairly intrusive questions.

After a time (and I'd held all the dogs except the hyper one) she glanced at her watch and asked what I thought. No hesitation I chose Chunkers, he seemed almost too quiet, but since he wasn't acting like the puppies I'd been seeing in other breeder's places, he was "the one." Then it dawned on me they all seemed rather quiet, maybe subdued is a better word.

I haven't had a dog or a puppy before. But I've fostered two, and been around several of my friend's puppies. Something seemed off about the whole thing. The dogs were too quiet. And a couple of them licked a lot. Both husband and wife declared it was the training and upbringing that made the puppies so well-behaved. The puppies were well socialized and taught not to nip, bite, or jump. IS this even possible at so young an age? The other oddity is that while two of the puppies appeared to be the same litter, the goldens; the other two Berne's (supposedly from the same litter) didn't remotely resemble each other, body, fur, nothing.

I told them I'd have to think about it overnight and let them know by morning, but I was certain if we were doing business it was Chunker's.

As I was handing the puppy back to the wife and my husband was walking back to the car the husband said under his breath "that's what they all say" and got up, walked over and shook my hand, while glaring at me.

The puppies never barked or ran around, and when put back into the enclosure sort of acted like "where are we" while the hyper dog was still excited, but not overly so.

I asked the price to confirm what she told me ($2,400) and she said, they were $2,550 but for me she was lowering the price. I'm certain she didn't remember texting me what her original price was, but that wasn't what got me. What got me was in our initial conversation over the phone (she was on speaker so my husband heard the conversation) that all her dogs were going for around $2,100, only one or two were at the higher range, and they were the golden doodles.

After we left my husband said there was something really off... and that's when it occurred to both of us, they may have been sedated or drugged. Is this a thing? Has anyone ever heard of this being done? I wanted Chunker's so bad but I can't justify doing business with these two, especially if there is either something wrong with the puppy, or they drugged him. Thoughts and comments are highly appreciated. TIA

Edit Update: Thank you to all those who took the time to respond. I'm sorry if I posted incorrectly but it was my first time, and I don't even have a dog yet!! I didn't get hurt but I could have. I'm sorry for the dog, but the irresponsibility of the person(s) selling the dogs will be brought to the proper authorities attention. Again, thank you all. This has been quite a lesson.

My 1 year old corgi was playing in our neighbourhood park, small but dogs can run around and the gates are open. I’ve been bringing him to this park in over a year and he always plays off lead there. Today he was playing really nicely with a few small dogs then came a dog that he’s met many times but as they played the other dog started barking at him. His tail started going down and he started to run faster and faster while the other dog was barking to avoid being chased.

Then a german Shepard joined in from nowhere (he had a nasty incident with one in the past which has left him scarred) and he ran out of the fences and the gates (at this point he was quite far away from me). I ran after him shouting his name and he was nowhere to be seen. I did a few perimeter searches while shouting his name and then ran home (it’s about 10 mins walk away) while calling his name out the entire time.

When I got home I found him sitting nicely at the doorstep. I checked my security camera and it turns out that he’d been waiting there for 15 mins but had crossed busy road of traffic and cars to get home.

I am so happy to have found him but also so scared from this incident. He’s never ever done this before but now i know I’ll be scared to let him off his lead - it was so lucky that he found his way home but he could have easy run into incoming traffic (touch wood). How can i ever feel safe letting him off the lead in our park again?

Years ago, I adopted a puppy and picked him up from the foster mom at a Pet-smart. While we were shopping, the foster mom suggested we get a cat collar rather than a dog collar. She said as a foster, there were plenty of times her pups would get their mouths stuck on the dog collar or get caught on furniture in dangerous ways. Cat collars have an auto-release mechanism because cats, too, get into all sorts of precarious or tight spaces.

We had our pup temporarily at the house of a family friend while we were prepping a move to a Los Angeles apartment. You know how sleep deprived you become when you first get a puppy.

The first time I brought our 6 month old mix to the apartment, I was dead tired while waiting for the elevator. Our puppy would follow us everywhere. I couldn’t go anywhere without my pup following me. So I was shocked when I realized he was not in the elevator with me once I walked in, he was afraid of the closing doors and stepped back out. I froze in panic because our elevator was kind of dodgy and didn’t have auto-sensors that would reopen the doors once triggered by an arm, it could continue closing. It was a mistake not to carry my pup into the elevator with me.

In my panic and not wanting my puppy to get crushed by the doors, I allowed the doors to fully close. That’s when I realized the elevator had already begun to move floors, my leash was in my hand, and the other end of the leash was attached to my dog. At this point, I had not realized that elevators killed dogs annually this exact way. I started feeding the leash through the elevator gap while shaking and crying, simultaneously bashing the elevator buttons to stop.

When finally, I was able to begin the elevator ride back down to basement, I was terrified about what state I might find my baby dog in. When I arrived at the floor, the doors opened, and my puppy was just sitting there looking at me. The cat collar had popped off and saved my dog. And he’s my absolute best friend 6 years later.

So please please please. Until your puppy is old enough to stop getting into mischief, use a harness for walks and a cat collar for your home. I haven’t seen that advice anywhere online, so I’m hoping this post might save a tiny life!

Edit: just to reiterate, I agree that break-away collars should be used in-home only unless they have the double D-ring design for leashes. Regular dog collars or harnesses should be used for walks outside of the home

For this particular example in my basement’s apt, the cat collar worked because my dog’s personality was equipped for being a little follower. So doesn’t apply to all dogs.

I guess this post is mostly just food for thought: be more careful with your baby than I was in an elevator, something I’ll always regret, and consider a break-away collar for in-home situations. It’s just not anything I’d ever considered until my dog’s foster mentioned it!

I was playing with my puppy (15 weeks border collie) and he entered the velociraptor mode, running around the room and biting my ankles. I was trying to leave the room and he ran between my legs and I tripped over him. My foot landed right on his paw. He cried so much and limped, I hugged him and apologized and gave him lots of pets while I was in the verge of tears. A few minutes later he was walking and running normally. But I feel horrible. Poor baby looked so scared while I was hugging him. I gave him treats and played more with him. He’s now taking a nap. Should I be concerned even though he stopped limping right after? I don’t know if he limped because he’s injured or if he was just in pain. I’m so worried and sad, I feel so bad for him. I’m afraid he’ll hate me now :(

Edit: Thank you everyone for your comments, knowing how many people have had the same experience as me is comforting. I feel better now and so does my puppy <3

We have a 6 month old golden puppy, and this weekend we need to go out of town for a wedding. My mom’s friend said her son (17) could take care of the puppy for that day (literally just from morning until 5 pm) and that we don’t need to take him to the dog hotel in town.

I initially agree because he would come over and stay in our house with the puppy, but today I overheard my mom and her friend talking. She said her son was taking him to lunch with his friends (outside terrace) and that he was going to ‘really teach [puppy] some manners’. Mind you, he isn’t perfect (still bites when overexcited and has accidents at home), but he’s really sweet and I have been doing my best to train him along with my sister.

I told my mom I wasn’t letting him take the dog out for lunch with his friends and that I didn’t trust him with the puppy anymore after that, and she freaked out on me. I am having doubts that maybe I overreacted, but I have just reached out to the dog hotel in town to see if they could take him for the day. I know the owner and he has been really good, he’s a professional trainer and we have had a couple of sessions, but I have also heard two stories of dogs having problems at that hotel (fights, etc.)

What should I do?

Update: Thanks for the help! I talked to the kid, and he said he wasn’t going to take the dog for lunch, he was leaving for an hour or two and coming back. I wasn’t sure he was telling the truth, so I talked to his older brother today (He used to walk my old family dog, and I trust him more) and acted oblivious. He said that his brother was not only going for lunch out with all of his friends (10+ underage kids) they were going afterwards to one of the boys’ houses who has other (adult) dogs and a pool.

I called the kid and told him he’s not watching my dog tomorrow, and that I found out he lied to me. So I called the doggy hotel, and unfortunately they weren’t able to take puppies this young without a vaccine he doesn’t yet have (they apologized pretty profusely).

So I ended up downloading Rover like a comment suggested, and found a college girl who had great reviews and I do know her older sister! (went to high school together) So I contacted her, and she came over to meet the puppy first, she was great and really kind to the puppy. So issue is solved! I was pretty transparent that I will be leaving a camera and she was understanding of it, so everything looks great on that end. Thank you so much for suggesting the app and all the advice! <3

We’ve had our puppy Archie for 3 months now and got him from a breeder when he was 4 months old. He was originally sold to another home and was returned to the breeder to be rehomed two months later. When he was sent back to our breeder they reached out to us as we had just put down a deposit for an upcoming litter but were first time puppy owners who could benefit from a older puppy (true!) and Archie “matched” out personality (also true!) another bonus to a young married couple not going to lie: he came at a steep discount.

So we took Archie home and have loved him every day ever since.

We did ask our breeder why Archie was returned and while they said for privacy reasons they couldn’t divulge too much information that it was nothing wrong with Archie and was because of extenuating life circumstances. They also had a signed document from the previous owner they showed us where this was “checked” off.

Archie is a havanese and there’s a local Havi Facebook group that we joined and have gone to a few events for to help him socialize.

Well, a few days ago an elderly woman reached out to me on FB saying she was Archie’s old owner and explaining that her husband passed away, which is why she returned Archie. She saw a photo of Archie at a local meetup the page posted and wanted to know if she could come and meet Archie for a play date.

To be clear she in no way wants the dog back. She just wants to meet him. She also provided a photo of her and her husband with Archie and it certainly LOOKS like him (he has distinctive spots) and she did say who the breeder was and it was my breeder (which I don’t know how she would have been able to find out since I haven’t shared that online?)

What would you do in this situation? Part of me is like: “oh my god this poor woman, of course!” But then part of me is: 1. Worried this is a weird scam? 2. Worried about if this would have negative effects on Archie?

Has anyone ever dealt with anything similar? And did it break your dogs heart to see their old owner? Or hurt you and your dogs bond? It feels selfish to say but I feel like Archie JUST began to really bond with us and I don’t want to lose all that progress either…

A few weeks ago, my husband and I spontaneously decided to try fostering a husky-labrador mix puppy. Our thinking was that it would be a nice thing to do (there was a litter of nine with which the shelter needed help) and could be an experiment on how we felt having a puppy in the house. I have never strongly wanted a dog, but expressed that I would be open to it under the right circumstances. My husband grew up with dogs and wants our children (who are 2 and 5) to have the same experience.

Since then, I've traveled out of town and my husband has managed both kids and the dog solo, with the help of our neighbors and housekeeper checking in on the dog while he was at work. He came away from that experience feeling certain he wants to keep her.

On Wednesday, I told him we could keep her as long as we commit to training her well, but by Friday I was calling him sobbing because I was trying to work from home with the puppy and simply couldn't juggle it all. I work from home full-time, so now every single day is trying to do my job while juggling her care, and she requires constant supervision, training exercises, socialization, attention, bathroom breaks, etc. She's made leaps and bounds in terms of training already, but at the end of the day she's a puppy and I am really, really resentful. It's simply too much for me at this stage of life on top of parenting our children, not to mention the fact that what I crave most right now is autonomy and having a puppy takes that away. I also have some residual trauma and grief around Covid parenting / trying to WFH with a newborn.

Understandably, my husband is angry and sad and heartbroken that I would consider not keeping her after all. He keeps saying things like "if you make me give up my dog," and that he is horrified by how quickly I went back on my "commitment" to him and to her. I think he is well within his rights to be feeling these things, but I am also entitled to not adopt a puppy I can't manage and don't want to suffer for. When I propose to him that sometime down the road we could revisit this or consider an older dog, he says things like, "no, if not now then it's never" and "she feels like my dog and i want her to be part of our family" or "I don't want A dog; i want THIS dog."

I think she is very probably trainable and already loves our family. She's super young (7-8 weeks old) so we are in the trenches right now, and I know it won't be like this forever. Still, I'm really torn on what to do. I love my husband, I want him to be happy, and I know logically this is going to get easier. But right now, I hate managing her, especially during the work day, and I'm really resentful about even the minor mental gymnastics of every single decision because they take away from my focus on work or literally anything else. Help?

Everyone is saying that you cannot get a puppy if you and your partner both work full time and i am so confused how anyone ever gets a dog, especially before covid when wfh wasn’t a thing. I am considering to get a dog and everyone is saying that we shouldn’t because we both work 3 days a week (we wfh 2 days a week). I am never going to not work so i don’t get how i can ever get a dog?

My puppy is acting normal and he was showing zero signs of being sick. He got a fecal test for puppy class but he’s never gonna be able to do that now cause the test came back positive for giardia.

He couldn’t have gotten it anywhere else because he’s litter trained in my high up apartment and hasn’t gone out since we got him 2 weeks ago so we got him with this.

I’m high risk and I don’t have the ability to just clean my carpet I don’t own a carpet cleaner and cleaning it over and over by hiring someone will make me go broke. I keep reading you have to clean over and over every single place he goes and all toys and he’s already ran all over my living room the last two weeks. Not to mention my gfs cat is also staying with us right now.

What should I do? Should I keep him in his playpen for the duration of his treatment? Does anyone have any experience with this? This sucks cause he’s only 2 1/2 lbs and puppy class would be his only relatively safe socialization with dogs closer to his size here

But I’m germophobic and I’m high risk for pretty much anything I catch can make me ungodly sick so that’s also a concern

Added: also I tend to clean things with 97% isopropyl alcohol so I’m also not sure how I’m supposed to clean this either cause the internet isn’t giving me conclusive evidence if that works

The main concern is he’s been running everywhere already. He’s been in our blankets he was on the giant dog bed I bought for myself that won’t fit in a washing machine. He’s barely been on the couch cause I only let him if I pick him up. He’s literally been everywhere and I walk around with socks on the carpet and it’s probably in all the rooms now because I probably tracked it cause he had a quite a few poop accidents are the beginning. I did instantly clean all accidents with natures miracle but it’s sounding like that’s not enough

Added: I don’t know why it even matters but I have vision issues and cannot drive far because of it. Most things I get off Amazon or the store in walking distance. Even my vet is in walking distance. It’s not an excuse to have a medical issue I don’t know why I even have to explain this!

Considering a certain scene could be very traumatic for a young puppy to watch - especially since he’s a fellow animal of similar size and age - at what age is it appropriate for a puppy (9 weeks) to watch the Lion King (animated)?

My dog’s dad says upon two weeks of arrival is fine, but I’m thinking it might be too soon and we’re gonna end up paying for therapy sessions from the trauma. He would’ve just started puppy kindergarten and we know how puppies can be at that age. I don’t want to hinder his ability to make friends. As his mom, I also want him to feel comfortable asking us questions instead of learning about it in school.

Any guidance greatly appreciated. Thank you.

UPDATE: Thank you all so much for sharing your experience 🫶🏽 It has been super eye opening as new pet parents! After a long conversation, we think we’re gonna wait and gauge his emotional maturity and carefully select what to share with him. We want to be involved pet parents so we will also make it a point to be in touch with his kindergarten trainer regularly. Best of luck in your puppy rearing journeys!

(But real talk, hope y’all got a laugh in and thanks for playing along in the silliness! 😉)

Any suggestions on how to hide a pill for a particularly stubborn dog?

Our pup got neutered today and is refusing to take his trazodone to help him sleep at night. A friend suggested just putting it in his mouth and holding his mouth closed, but he also got two teeth extracted so we don’t want to cause any unnecessary pain. It’s not necessary for him to take it tonight, but later on it’ll be more needed to calm his puppy energy.

We’ve tried cheese. Peanut butter. Wet food. Soft treats. Pill pockets. Cream cheese. Deli meat. Put the pill in the back of his mouth and held his mouth shut for about a minute, he still spit it out. The dog is a wizard.

Update: after a night of no sleep because he wouldn’t take his sedative or pain med, vet is thinking it’s a dental issue from the teeth extraction or nausea. They currently have him for observation.

Final update: vet determined his mouth was hurting more than expected and that’s why he was refusing to eat. He also had a low fever. He got a morphine shot that’ll last a few days to ease his pain until his mouth is healed enough to eat again and he’s on antibiotics 🙃 Turns out he wasn’t being stubborn, just in a lot of pain.

Hi all, quick question really. Just wanted to see if people leave their pups in crates overnight or let them roam around a specific area? I'm finding toilet training really good during the day when we are around, but at night we let her roam around the kitchen as I'm worried 7 hours is too long to leave her in a crate without using the toilet. I've found this has been taking a step back in toilet training as she seems to go wherever when we aren't around.

Is it normal/okay to leaver her in a crate when going to bed at night, to train her to hold it for when we come down in the morning?

My pup is 5 months old. I got her at 10 weeks.

Training progressed quickly. She’s smart. Very quick learner.

Grooming is now a disaster. I started her from the beginning. Brushing her was not a problem and she liked it. Now runs when she sees the brush.

Brushing her teeth. She LOVED brushing her teeth. When I would brush mine she’d run to me and couldn’t wait to chew on the brush.

Now, she runs when she sees me get my toothbrush.

Ears, forget it. If I reach for the ear cleaner she runs. Was not a problem before.

Nails. Nightmare. Her breeder started her as a young pup and did them every week. Me, I pull out the dremmel and she will not let me touch her.

I’ve tried reaclimating her to everything and it has gone nothing but backwards.

She was trained from the beginning no jumping on me. Now she jumps on me if I pick up a toy, her food bowl, anything.

Focus is zero.

I’m frustrated. Burned out. She needs a bath, her nails done, her ears cleaned, teeth brushed, and coat brushed.

All the work I put in for the last 3 months is like POOF, gone. Like I never did anything.

What was fun is now frustrating. I’m burned out and feel like a failure.

i'm picking up my 3 month old dachshund next week, and i've been doing a toooon of research and preparation for her to come home, but i'd just like to cover all my bases and see if anyone has any advice they didn't anticipate or expect to be so important. thanks :)

We are adopting a ~1+ year old pup and we are first time owners.

So was wondering if there were any must haves must dos that would make life easier.

ie People who own cats swear by the automatic litter cleaner thing.

Hey community,

I am planning to become a (dog) parent in the long-term, so I'm starting to budget, learn, and prepare my life now. I created a mock budget for first-year costs of dog parenting. Have I budgeted enough?

Link to dog parenting budget: link

I’m coming up to the home stretch where I need to decide whether or not to actually get this puppy. I am a college student and was all in on it but then my parents started telling me that they think I shouldn’t get a puppy due to a variety of factors, mainly financial. I’ve been looking into costs of all the things I need to buy/do including neutering, food, treats, toys, shots, etc. but I wanted another persons opinion on the financial aspect. Thanks

This is a bit of a strange post, but I over-researched all the hard bits of getting a dog and have put myself off getting a puppy though I’ve wanted one for years. For those currently going through it, why SHOULD I get one?

We adopted two puppies from the same litter 4 months ago. One who is normal (a girl) and one who is blind(a boy). The blind one will wake up and start screaming like he is in pain and he’ll run across the room like he’s afraid of something. Sometimes he’ll even wake up and attack his sister. This is rare though. The vet has no idea what could be wrong. He never does this when he is awake, only when he’s asleep. He’s very playful, loving, and friendly. The shelter we got him from said those were his “Vietnam dreams”.

Edit: THANK YOU SO MUCH ALL! I tried essential oils around the house and i had my Alexa play classical music. I also brought a thunder shirt. This is the first time he’s slept through the night without waking up. He’s been so much more energetic today since he finally got some good sleep. I’m also scheduling an appointment either a behavioralist. She thinks it may be extreme anxiety and PTSD from living in the shelter.

I adopted her from the shelter 2 days ago, already spayed and vaccinated; she's a 10 week old mutt. On the first day she started peeing on the puppy pad right away and slept through the night; I keep her in the laundry/kitchen room and turned on the washing machine with no reaction from her.

Today is the second day - had a big dinner with friends yesterday and she liked them and slept through the noise. Today we have another puppy party scheduled. Only like 1/2 out of a million poops and pees was done outside of the pad, and she only woke up twice during the night. She lightly cried and then went back to sleep; peed on the pad during the night.

I work in the living room and regularly check on her during the day to play, but when I leave her room she cries just a little and then settles down. She also can settle down next to me in the living room and sleep with no problem. Has not chewed on any cables or anything else; no accidents in the living room as well. Already learned the sit command.

Did I adopt an alien?? Am I doing well?? I specifically worry about her getting too dependant on me since I live alone and work from home most of the time - I try to keep her in another room a lot of the times, so she gets used to being alone. Of course the crying is heartbreaking, but it stops after 2-3 minutes... Any advice?

EDIT: Wow this blew up, thanks everyone! Let's see how she goes from now on - I took her to my parent's house today and she's been great. She keeps looking at me for guidance and follows me everywhere. About the spaying - here (Portugal) spaying pets is not very common with the overal population, as it is expensive, and the shelter was just crawling with puppies. Lots of dogs are also abandoned in the streets so I think this is a strategy to control the population. I was also a bit shocked that she was spayed so early, but this is a municipal dog shelter so it's done according to regulations. It's called a "paediatric spaying" I guess. I'll take her to the vet soon to make sure everything is ok, and sign her up for puppy class. I'll make sure to give an update in a few weeks!!

My 5 month old puppy got attacked tonight. He was on lead at a public park.

We met the other dog, a collie, before inside a cafe at the same park and the collie tried to snap at my puppy. Tonight, the collie was off leash again and slowly walking towards my puppy. He wasn't running so I didn't think anything of it.

But in hindsight, he was fixated on my puppy and wasn't listening to his owner to come back. And then when he got closer he just attacked my puppy. This is the first time this has happened and I want to be prepared should this happen again. What are the tell tale signs a dog is not friendly? And if you can tell a dog is approaching you that doesn't seem friendly, what do you do?

My puppy was not injured and he seems okay. I pulled him off the other dog, while screaming and the owner pulled his dog off. I have reported it to the dog warden as this collie seems to have an issue with on leash dogs and has attacked other dogs before. (I learnt this after speaking to a dog walking group after the event)

Would love to hear if you’ve had a similar experience of your puppy getting attacked and how you dealt with it?

EDIt: I’m in the UK and this was a public park, not a dog park.

I have a 14 month old lab and he’s been pretty good so far, a lot has changed in his routine over these last few months and he’s been a trooper. During the work week, I usually keep him at home while I’m at the office, and two days take him to daycare.

My work is about to enforce 60 hours a week to help make up schedule, what should I do with my dog? I have a walker and a good place to leave him, but do I do it every day? Should I try leaving him at home for an extra 2 hours a day?

I’m kind of in a bind

This is for those of you who are struggling. This is the story of how the puppy I cried every day over became my heart dog.

Those first few months, in my case it was 18 months were HARD. Every second of every day was dedicated to this puppy who bit me, who pressed boundaries, who regressed after I dedicated so much time and training. We went to puppy class and after graduation I left her alone for 30 seconds in my house and she shredded up her puppy certificate AND her adorable little paw print we had made on graduation day. She would climb on me and yank my pony tail so hard you would have thought she was trying to kill me. After months of not ripping anything apart I made the mistake of leaving her unsupervised with a suitcase and she dug it apart into frays. When I was doing yard work she stuck her head in an underground wasp hive I didn’t know we had and I didn’t even notice until we were BOTH covered and getting stung by yellow jackets.

From those first 18 months I have almost hardly any photos or videos. I think looking back at it I was trying to create some distance between us because she was so challenging. I took a photo or video maybe once every 3 days. Not that it’s how you measure love, but there’s an obvious shift in when I became OBSESSED with her. I could have taken a picture closer to every 3 hours by the end and not been satisfied.

Those puppy days were hard, but I persevered. We tried all kinds of different training. We went through puppy basics and basic and intermediate obedience. We tried dog sports, agility , dock diving, lure coursing and barn hunt. Through those her confidence in me grew and my relationship with her strengthened , a LOT

Ultimately, she wasn’t really into any of the dog sports we tried, but her love of going on hikes kicked in. She loved to go outside and climb on rocks, and tree trunks, she liked to sniff along the trail and make up her own games. My untrainable puppy suddenly knew… everything. It all clicked for her all at once when we started to hike together, and I think it was that strong foundation we developed in just … trying things and finding what worked for her. For her, it was hiking. Her recall became perfect, I could take her on a trail and she would follow it exactly by sniffing previous trailer goers. She became off leash reliable.

I know I probably did, but it felt like I never needed to teach her another thing. She became so incredibly in tune with my life when I asked for new things, she just did them. We spoke a new language only the two of us knew. She became so in tune with my emotions she knew before I did it had been a bad day. Every single day that was bad, she became the funniest dog in the world. On the days I didn’t feel the best, she put aside her need for a 5 mile walk and had a lazy day. The good days she had her crazy energy and was ready to do anything by my side.

That dog became my entire heart and soul. She was my absolute everything. But it wasn’t like that from day one. Or even year one. I cried a lot. I was frustrated a lot.

Keep pushing through. Try new and different things with your puppy. Your bond will strengthen. And you’ll hopefully find THE thing that makes them happy. The puppy that makes you cry and you don’t think you can do it anymore very well may be your heart and soul in just a few years. Invest in them, and they’ll invest in you a hundred times over.