r/dogs • • 15h ago

[Emotional Support] Megathread: Aging, Illness, and Euthanasia Support Group

3 Upvotes

This thread is where to get emotional support with all things related to death and illness with your dog. This is also a thread where you can seek assistance with deciding whether it is indeed time.

This is not a thread to seek anecdotes with medical care. All rules involving medical questions and anecdotes remains the same for this thread.

If your dog has passed, you can still post here for emotional support or you can create your own thread tagged with one of the RIP flairs. Be sure to review the rules of our flair guide. It is up to you how you choose to grieve.


r/dogs • • 42m ago

[Misc Help] Does my dog think I'm a kickass apex predator?

• Upvotes

So I've read somewhere that when you feed your dog it thinks you've gone hunting or some shit. So does he think I'm like a kickass apex predator whenever I come home with a pallet of dog food? Or how does that work.


r/dogs • • 8h ago

[Misc Help] Be Aware of AI Pet Scams

16 Upvotes

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!


r/dogs • • 8h ago

[Misc Help] Crate vs Harness (and which type) in a Subaru Outback with four people and golden retriever?

12 Upvotes

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.


r/dogs • • 6h ago

[Equipment] Tough bed for a rough chewer?

4 Upvotes

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!


r/dogs • • 5h ago

[Training Foundations] What is YOUR ideal slow introduction timeline?

2 Upvotes

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?


r/dogs • • 14h ago

Megathread: Why Does My Dog Do That?

8 Upvotes

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.


r/dogs • • 10h ago

[Misc Help] no pull harness

2 Upvotes

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


r/dogs • • 8h ago

[Misc Help] Looking for help on dealing with a dog that is always trying to wrestle

1 Upvotes

Hi, I'm looking for advice on a situation.

I’m house-sitting for a client with a big German Shepherd, and I’m totally at a loss on how to deal with his wrestling. The second I get down on the floor, whether I’m cleaning up a spill or just picking something up, he sees it as an invitation to play. He’ll lunge at me, grab my waist or hips with his paws, and try to pin me over. It’s not aggressive; he doesn’t actually bite hard, though he does bark, growl, and nip a bit. The problem is, he weighs over 80 pounds, and at 5'1", being pinned by him while I’m trying to work is exhausting.

I’ve tried everything I can think of, but nothing sticks. Shouting NO or DOWN doesn't seem to register for him. If I push him away, he thinks I’m engaging in the wrestle match and gets even more excited. Once he’s got hold of me, I basically have to crawl over to something sturdy to try and pull myself back up, and he follows right along, keeping his paws on me the whole time.

I’m feeling pretty helpless because I’m out of ideas. How do I handle this without being mean? Are there different commands that might work better here? I really want to do a good job while I’m here, so any advice would be a huge help. Feel free to DM.


r/dogs • • 1d ago

[RIP] Support How do I deal with this loss?

40 Upvotes

It's been 5 years since I lost Maggie, the most amazing and unconditionally loving family member I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. She was with me before I can even form a coherent memory, and thinking about never getting to hold my beautiful baby ever again kills me. On one hand I don't want to get over it because I feel like to do so would be to betray her and all that she meant to me; I'm so happy she left such an incredible impact in her wake. On the other hand, I cry at least twice a month over her, and remember the day I lost her so much more. Our house was once full of such life in her presence, and then it all went silent. How can I make it easier without desensitizing myself?


r/dogs • • 6h ago

[Enrichment] Favorite Enrichment Toys

0 Upvotes

ISO recommendations for great enrichment toys for a very intelligent lab. She is a bit of a wrecking ball so ideally something that she can't chew up or break if she gets frustrated. I would supervise her anyway, but I don't want it to be wrecked after a few uses. She likes wobble toys, sniffing activities (hide treats under a pile of toys), lick mats, etc. I have yet to find a good sized snuffle mat that I think she wouldn't flip over or tear up.


r/dogs • • 8h ago

[Enrichment] Dog Park Vs Off Leash Area

0 Upvotes

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????


r/dogs • • 12h ago

[Breeds] 📝Recommendation Please help me pick my next dog

2 Upvotes

Hi, I’m an experienced dog owner who spent several years working as a trainer for a service dog organization so I have a decent background in training (albeit young, well-bred Goldens and Labs). My past dogs include: Lab/hound mix (neutered male) adopted at approx. 4 months from a local shelter where I was a volunteer for several years, Doberman (neutered male) adopted at approx 2-3 years old (was a stray so exact age unknown), 3 retired greyhounds, a pit-boxer mix (neutered male) that we inherited from a family member at approx 2 years.

We’ve been incredibly lucky to have wonderful canine family members in a variety of breeds.

We are starting to research our next dog so we’re ready when our aging pit-boxer passes.

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

See above intro

2) Do you have a preference for rescuing a dog vs. going through a reputable breeder?

No preference. We’ve loved our mixed and purebred dogs. To us, it’s all about temperament.

3) Describe your ideal dog.

Here are the basics: 40-80 lbs, active, cuddly, biddable, able to be trained and trusted to be off leash with us on our 25 acre rural property, friendly with people (including well-behaved and supervised children) and other dogs.

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

Any breeds or mixes that are likely to have the temperament described above but are not prone to serious genetic disorders.

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

Basic obedience: Recall, sit, down, stay, loose leash walking in a variety of situations, leave it, low/no drama car travel, acceptance of strange, friendly dogs and people, comfortable at vet and/or groomer, nail trims, teeth brushing

Extra points for willingness to play retrieval games, and learn easy tricks for fun.

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?

Probably not completion, but would definitely love to train him/her to be a certified therapy dog.

Care Commitments

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

Several hours

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?

Dog will be outdoors (off leash) with me and/or my husband for multiple hour+ periods daily. Will also interact regularly, both inside and outdoors with other family members’ and friends’ dogs.

Also, hiking and accompanying us to dog-friendly venues.

Probably not dog parks.

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?

Brushing several times a week + as needed. Trimming, ear cleaning, tooth brushing at home. Major grooming/clipping would be done by a pro.

Personal Preferences

10) What size dog are you looking for?

40-80lbs

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

Average shedding, drooling when exposed to food but not constantly. Barking during play or for a limited time when greeting strangers.

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

Very important

Dog Personality and Behavior

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

Prefer snuggly (our dogs sleep on furniture)

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

Eager to please but willing to entertain him/herself with chew toys when necessary. (Don’t want a dog that needs to be entertained every waking moment.)

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?

Short duration of barking (<2 minutes) for strangers, minimal or none (alert bark) for familiar people.

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

No. We already have to do that with our current dog.

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

Want to avoid or be able to effectively modify chasing wildlife.

Reliable recall (with distractions) is extremely important).

Lifestyle

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

We are retired/work from home so dog will have human companionship most of most days. Needs to be able to be ok with occasional 2-3 hour alone stretches.

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

No other people in the house other than my husband and me.

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

No other pets planned but possibility will always exist for another dog or cat.

21) Will the dog be interacting with children regularly?

Yes, well behaved (dog friendly) and closely supervised small grandchildren

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

Do not plan any long-term rental but would want to take dog with us for 1-2 month vacation rentals.

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

Western NY, US

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

Summer - low 80s F Winter - 20s F

Additional Information and Questions

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

  • No additional information.

26) Feel free to ask any questions bel


r/dogs • • 19h ago

[Behavior Problems] How handle traumatized dog from adoption?

5 Upvotes

Hey guys,
Need some help.

After 5 months after my 2 dogs passed away, I decided to adopt another dog. I adopted a 5 years old Podengo Portuguese girl, very sweet but that was returned previously from adoption. I asked the shelter why, and they were very open about it: she was returned because she bite the men of the family. They had a situation a month after, when they were in adoption fair, she panicked, run and bite a man again. They thought that could be related to some trauma with specific circumstances to men.

I was ok, I am woman alone, since she is already 5, probably to find someone in my condition, could be difficult so was thinking it was a good fit.

For small context: I already had an adopted very traumatized dog in the past. I know that requires patience, consistency and love. So I understand the path is not a honeymoon.

She is very sweet, she sleeps by night very well. I don’t let her to sleep with me since I have sleep problems and want to avoid too much attachment.

The problem it’s during the day. The walks have been a little better, but inside house not that much. One trigger and she will be triggered for the rest of the day.
I bought a backpack that expand and transform to a bed/“burrow” to her: she entered, but after 1 move, she didn’t enter anymore, only when I train her for 2/3 min max.

I was doing the decompressing leaving the house. The first days she was doing fine. But she completely regressed yesterday and today, even though I let everything “prepared” and do what it is recommended: don’t do much leaving and when I arrived.

I am doing phototherapies since day one with her, I know took time, but I am worried because she seems to loose weight due the stress.

Now I am worried about the all currently situation:

I live abroad, and I will be returning to my homeland in 3/4 months max, changing houses on December. I thought I could take her in the cabin, but she will not fit the size, just the weight.

I do not intended to return her and I did this overseas trip with my dogs. But they were years already for me, and now I am scared to something to happen to her in 12/13 years flight.

I am seeking here a behavior veterinary specialist, to see if she needs medication now, if the trip it is possible.

I know I could find this before, but me and the shelter thought was a very specific trigger, since she wasn’t that much time in the shelter and was little social in general.

In the meantime just venting here 🥲 and find someone that could help in this case in the meantime I try to find a professional (do not seams that easy at all here).

Many thanks from me and my sweet grl. 💕


r/dogs • • 14h ago

[Fluff] New York Times article (gift link)

2 Upvotes

r/dogs • • 10h ago

[Misc Help] I have Belgian Shepherd Tervurens (aka long haired malinois)– AMA!

0 Upvotes

I am intensely passionate about the Belgian Shepherd, which includes the well known Belgian Malinois. I myself own two Belgian Tervurens (the long hair fawn colored variety), but have a great love for all of the varieties!

They are highly active dogs on our ranch and spend lots of time with the horses and cows. Between the two of them, we actively compete/train in conformation (showing), agility, scentwork, rally/obedience, disc dog, fastcat, and dock diving. We previously played in both bikejoring and canicross as well. They have both been started in herding, but due to limited access to instructors, we have not ​been able to pursue that heavily. We love to travel all over, camp, and hike. ​

Ask me anything!


r/dogs • • 4h ago

[Breeds] 📝Recommendation [Breeds] Looking for a low maintenance lap-sized affectionate dog that doesn't shed

0 Upvotes

Introduction

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

  • No, we currently have a 14-year old beagle/JR terrier/something mix.

2) Do you have a preference for rescuing a dog vs. going through a reputable breeder?

  • A rescue would be great, but I think for the type of dog we want, we will have to go to a breeder.

3) Describe your ideal dog.

  • I want a dog that's cat-like, because my wife is allergic to cats. Maybe something around 20-30 pounds. Soft hair. I'd like for it to be able to sit in my lap. And of course, I'm lazy so one that doesn't need much exercise would be good. Maybe a 1/2 hour walk every day or two. Not anxious (i.e. barking at every little thing). My wife wants a dog that does not shed. She's allergic to... a lot of things. My daughter does not want quote: "a crusty white dog" (I think that means dogs like the bichon frise, shih tzu, etc).

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

  • englishdoodle (current favorite), greyhound, havanese, basenji, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

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

  • Mostly self-maintenance type training (e.g. telling us when they need to go out to the bathroom, going to the crate when needed, "come", "stay", "no bark"). I'm not concerned about tricks but I wouldn't mind teaching it to fetch.

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, just a family pet.

Care Commitments

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

  • Ideally fifteen minutes per day? I have some experience training, but don't have much patience to play handball against the curtains if the dog is stubborn.

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?

  • Maybe a half-hour to an hour of a walk per day (although less in MN when it gets cold).

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?

  • Totally willing to take it to a professional groomer when needed.

Personal Preferences

10) What size dog are you looking for?

  • Medium to small. Around 30 lbs plus or minus. Not a large breed.

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

  • Fine with slobber. As minimal shedding as possible. Would love a minimal barker, but understand a dog is going to bark, but would love it if it's not hypervigilant and looking for reasons to bark like a cop manning a speedtrap.

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

  • We have an invisible fence and intend to train the dog to that.

Dog Personality and Behavior

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

  • I definitely prefer a snuggly affectionate dog, one that can sit in the lap and be petted while watching a movie. But doesn't need 24/7 constant attention (e.g. sleeping on the bed, needing to be carried in a purse everywhere).

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

  • I assume this is referring to trainability, and I would say maybe one that's middle of the road. I like a classic "you are my master and I live for you" dog, not a "oh, you're here again" dog.

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?

  • I would PREFER a dog that doesn't go crazy when someone rings the doorbell or greets strangers totally hyper, but I know that's not always avoidable. Fortunately, we don't often have visitors, and the dog I'm aiming for won't be so big that it jumping on a person is a problem.

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

  • Yes, because we plan for this to be our only dog for most of its life.

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

  • I would like to avoid frequent barking.

Lifestyle

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

  • Both of us work. I work at home, she does not. But I work in the basement. Our current dog is not allowed in the basement. We would be willing to allow the dog in the basement, depending on the dog we get. But we don't want a dog that gets anxiety if it's left alone.

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

  • THEORETICALLY, we are all aiming for the above mentioned characteristics. In terms, of training, that will probably mostly fall to me, because I will be at home and she will not (she's a teacher). Which is fine, it'll be good for me to get up every once in a while. My wife does not want a terrier at all.

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

  • Other dog is a 14-year-old JR terrier mix, but A) we're anticipating it's at the end of it's life B) we'd like to get a dog soonish so our 16-year-old daughter can spend some time with it before going to college.

21) Will the dog be interacting with children regularly?

  • No

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

  • No

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

  • Suburb of the Twin Cities Metro Area. No laws about breeds but there are laws about the number of dogs you can have.

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

  • 29F in Winter, 79F in Summer

Additional Information and Questions

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

  • No additional information.

26) Feel free to ask any questions below.

Mostly, I'm here asking if there are any breeds that I might have missed or haven't heard of. Ones that don't get much coverage, designer dogs like the Englishdoodle for example (i.e. dogs that don't have good SEO).


r/dogs • • 16h ago

[Vent] Feeling Trapped in Our House

2 Upvotes

Hi all, I just need to get this out there. Almost 3 months ago now, we adopted our 3yo GSD/BC. We realized very quickly she has some fear-based reactivity from her life beforehand, and immediately took up training, and I'm so proud of how far she has come. She has made leaps and bounds of progress, is highly motivated, and loves to learn. The issue comes from the fact that I have felt so trapped in our house, not even because of her reactivity, but because of behaviors of other dogs in our neighborhood (because although she's come a long way, she still is learning and we try to expose her to the least intense triggers as possible).

It's getting cooler here, so a lot of houses will leave their front door open but the thin, glass door shut. There's an at least 80lb dog on our street that will pounce on the door so hard when we walk by that the thing shakes, and I'm constantly scared of it breaking. This same dog the other day was off leash and had to be bear tackled by their owner to not come at us, and then slipped out of their harness so had to have two people take him down. Many houses have this situation, and while my girl has gotten good at not lunging/barking, she is still incredibly fearful and will start to run away.

Then there's our neighbors. We have fully covered fences around our yard, but our neighbors' dogs have open access to the backyard 24/7, so when they hear us go out back to play, they will come out, rush the fence, and try to dig under while snarling and growling. It clearly is not friendly trying to socialize (and even if it was, I've expressed that our dog needs time to settle in still before having socialization and that it shouldn't be through a fence). They're constantly either on a tether out front (where they will go crazy at anything and also come onto our property, including up to our front door) and then immediately out back. The other day we were coming back from a walk, and they were out back, saw us coming home, and ran inside to pounce on their door and bark at our dog, which happens every. single. walk. I accept our dog is still learning to not be reactive, but they can go outside without her barking at them if they stay on their property...

We've had to start driving our dog to the park to work on training or only walk in the dead of night, which I don't mind, but it's frustrating feeling like we're trapped in our own homes. My girl used to love laying and playing outside, but now we can't even go out back without her immediately tensing up and waiting for them to charge her. I've tried to talk with the direct neighbor, to no avail, and I'm just getting frustrated. It feels so isolating to work on training her when she's surrounded by dogs who aren't trained (except our one neighbors who have a wonderfully trained dog), and I mostly feel bad for her being surrounded by this. Luckily we have great walks and she's still an incredibly happy pup, but I'm so tired of feeling suffocated by our neighborhood. Sorry for the long post, my partner and I are just so tired and want our girl to be happy and not constantly chased by another dog lol.


r/dogs • • 2d ago

[RIP] Support Lost my dog of 15 years, I just turned 19

394 Upvotes

I was playing video games with my headphones on, and my dog was in his bed next to me. I went to pet him, and with just one touch I could tell he was gone. I freaked out really bad and broke a few things. It happened so suddenly, I don’t know what to do. He passed away Monday morning at around 4 am, so it’s been almost 2 days. But I still feel so sad and I feel a bit guilty because I’ve been away at college, and was visiting over the weekend. I know I’m lucky that he was even around this long, but it also makes it hurt more. I don’t really remember a life without him, he was like my brother. And I also can’t help but feel bad that I missed his last moments playing video games. Maybe if I didn’t have my headphones on I would’ve heard something, and possibly been able to help? I don’t know, I’m sort of in denial right now. My parents removed him from my room because I couldn’t touch him, and put him outside overnight so we could bury him in the morning. But I kept going outside to check on him because I thought he would be cold outside if he somehow miraculously woke up. I don’t know, I’m just typing a lot for no reason getting my thoughts out. Thank you for listening.


r/dogs • • 1d ago

[Fluff] Does anyone else's fully grown dog still think they're a tiny puppy?

53 Upvotes

I've always loved how big dogs seem completely unaware of how big they've become.

They still try to curl up in the same tiny spot, squeeze onto your lap, or rest their entire body on you like they weigh five pounds. 😂

What's the most ridiculous thing your grown-up dog still does like a puppy?


r/dogs • • 2d ago

[Misc Help] My dogs act indifferent to each other but show signs of a deeper relationship

293 Upvotes

Just curious if anyone is familiar with this dynamic or has any insight...

I've had one dog (female) for 10 years and adopted another one (also female) about two years ago. They're roughly the same age.

They act totally indifferent toward each other. They like to see what the other is doing in a very "quiet" way but don't really interact. No play bows or anything like that either...just a quick glance in the yard and sometimes they'll walk in the same direction but it doesn't look intentional, which makes me laugh because it does seem like they care about each other but don't want to show it.

I recently had to take a trip and they were with a new pet sitter for a few days. I was very surprised when she told me that the dog I've had longer was constantly checking on the newer dog. She said the newer dog sometimes didn't want to go on walks and that the older one wouldn't leave her once she realized she wasn't going on the walk with them. She said that any time the newer dog went into another room, the older dog would go find her just to kind of a do a quick check, then carry on. They don't interact at all, so I'm just curious if this is normal pack behavior? To cooly coexist, I guess?


r/dogs • • 1d ago

[Fluff] "What breеd should I get????" My friend, go to a dog show.

34 Upvotes

It's one of the reasons for a dog show. Even if you want to rescue who better to talk to than someone who has contacts all over the country who may know of a specific breеd in need of rescue? Ever wonder why rescues like borzoi rescues are always totally empty? Not because borzoi never end up in need, its because the breeders are the first person they come back to and the breeders handle it.

At a dog show you can meet all these dogs and talk to their owners about them. You can get pointed toward ethical breeders at the same time. People who have hands on experience with these brеeds will always have better knowledge of them than someone online who just read about them. I have skye terriers and i can't tell you how many times people have thought skye terriers are too active to be a house pet because they see "terrier" and assume every terrier is the same.

Don't know how to find dog shows? Look on infodog. Its a website where you can search for shows by state. You'll want to find conformation shows that have the "AB" abbreviation under the column that says "type" thats an all brеed show. You don't have to dress up any kind of way, you can come spectate in your every day clothes. Just show up and ask before you pet a dog and try to talk to people only after they come out of the ring.

Dog show people are nuts about dogs so most will gladly talk your head off. Just get in and talk to folks and meet some cool dog breеds.


r/dogs • • 1d ago

[Behavior Problems] New dog owner picking up large dog concern. Afraid of going through doors

3 Upvotes

Hello, I recently got a large dog and am training her. She is a rescue and almost deathly afraid of going through doorways. I've been able to coax her through with treats and a few times, she's even managed to walk through out of her own will when i lead her through. A few times she just absolutely refuses and pancakes to the floor, forcing me to pick her up to get her in the door because i'm needing to get her in and don't want to string her by the neck with a leash and collar.

Maybe this is just me as a new owner overworrying, but will picking her up hurt her? I placed both my arms relatively spread apart under her belly but part of me worries it's squishing her abdomen. Please tell me she's fine

Also if anyone has any tips on dealing with a dog afraid of doors


r/dogs • • 1d ago

[Misc Help] Dog is restless at night

6 Upvotes

Hello, I was just curious if anyone else has gone through this with their dog. Also, let me say first, I don’t think it’s early signs of dementia, but maybe I’m wrong, because she is completely normal during the day.

She’s a jindo/terrier mix and she’s 8 years old.

So last week my dog woke up crying, I took her out to use the bathroom twice because she normally cried when she had to use the bathroom. Nothing. And she cried and was restless the whole night. Also, her bed is right next to my bed on the ground. She would normally sleep the whole night until I woke up in the morning.

The next day she was fine. The day after, she was a little restless, but when I told her to go back to bed, she would.

Yesterday, she woke up and got out of bed and looked at me and went back in bed sitting there and then slept.

This morning, she was in my bed. I put her back in her bed, (we both don’t get good sleep when she’s in my bed because she doesn’t like her butt touched when she’s sleeping and when I move around, I can’t help it), and then she kind of walked around and looked at me laying in bed.

During the day, she’s exactly the same. She’s actually been more playful this month than she has in a while. She’s eating, drinking, going to the bathroom normally, etc. all normal.

I was just curious if anyone had this happen? She has a more round bed, idk if I should get her an orthopedic bed. Also, she has severe PTSD as a rescue dog from the meat trade, so when I bring her to the vet, she nearly to be heavily sedated, so unless it was really serious and crying constantly, I don’t wanna take her right then and there, because she will literally have to be completely sedated. Everyone’s telling me maybe it’s a nightmare, maybe she has anxiety, but do you think I should take her to the vet this week or play it out?


r/dogs • • 2d ago

[Fluff] How much time do you spend with your dog every day on average? Be honest!

167 Upvotes

Basically the title.

How much time are you giving your dog every day? That includes walks where you are present and not just looking at your phone, it means cuddling, sleeping together, providing food and comfort etc.

I'll start.

I take out my dog 3 times a day. These walks are usually around 20 minutes in the morning, 40 minutes on the lunch and around 20 in the evening (I have a cavalier king charles spaneil, so he does not really fancy longer walks than that).

I actively cuddle with him for around 30 minutes every day (excluding sleeping) and he sleeps next to me every night.

I also provide the meals and some snacks/playtime (like hide and seek which he loves) in-between that would equal to say 15 minutes.

I also work from home, which means I am always close to him so he is never really alone.

Some time is also spent with my S/O, of course.

What does it look like for you and your dog?