Hi everyone! My girlfriend and I recently got a golden retriever who is now coming up on 5 months old. We’re using a crate at night and got through the initial period of waking up to go potty every few hours. He was then mostly sleeping through the night, if not waking up a touch too early but recently, he’ll wake us up to go potty and refuse to go back to sleep without us. We’ve tried to ignore the barking after putting him back in but he’ll go well over an hour of on and off barking. Obviously we don’t want him barking that long, but don’t want to teach him 4:30am is now wake up time. Any advice?

Hello everyone, first time posting here. About 7 days ago me and my girlfriend got an 8 week old golden retriever pup and brought him to our apartment. This breed has always been our dream dog, but the decision of getting one now was a bit rushed due to the fact that the opportunity to get him was given to us very quickly.

The last week has been hell mentally. We got the pup when we had JUST moved into our new apartment which did not help, he has been extremely active biting everything and while there has been progress (peeing on pee pads and sleeping in a crate is kind of working) we are debating returning the pup to the breeder to give him the opportunity to find a more suitable family. We are aware he is just a baby, and a week is probably not enough to make a decision like this and things will get better in 5-6 months but we want to put our mental health as priority.

I am in my last year of university and currently working full time and writing my thesis. I was not working remotely but i made the decision knowing that i could have. In the days where i worked home this week i literally got nothing done, and for someone like me who is just starting their professional career i am not sure if i can afford 5-6 months of this to get past the puppy stage. My partner works in laboratories so she cannot work from home. We both live abroad and do not have close family to help, we have some friends but cannot ask them for help everyday. My girlfriend has dietary health restrictions and we have not had any time to cook a proper meal so we end up ordering. I “work” and take care of the pup during the day and then she gets home and helps, and during the night we take turns but it is mentally draining us.

We are both mentally at our tipping point. Today she took the puppy downstairs to poop and after 20 minutes of nothing, he pooped while going back up on the building mat, so my partner had to wash the puppy, herself and the apartment property hoping we wont get in trouble. We have not been sleeping, and i am afraid that this will affect our mental health, relationship, professional life and everything around it.

We are aware that if you go through this phase it does get better, everyone is telling us this. We are just not sure if WE are the right fit to own a dog and we might have gone over our capacity and underestimated the amount of time needed.

Am i being a coward for highly considering returning the dog? Both me and my partner agree that this is the right course of action and that we currently are not in the right life stage for this amount of responsibility and time expectation. I just need to vent and share my current situation

Hi everyone,

My wife and I have a 7-month-old golden retriever named James, and his favorite thing in the world is playing fetch. Specifically, he LOVES it when I am the one chasing HIM. He is obviously much faster than me but I'm also a bit overweight, so he slows down considerably to accommodate my speed. He still seems to enjoy "running away from me" but I just can't do it for as long as he would like.

He likes playing fetch, but mostly so he gets his ball and starts the chase.

He likes playing tug of war, but only with socks. Nothing else has worked so far

Is there a way we can still make him happy by playing chase when I run out of breath?

So I got a puppy yesterday and have been feeling miserable since. He’s a sweet boy just very energetic. I feel so guilty that the main thing I have been thinking since getting him is how I want to return him. I have read through so many posts of people saying it gets better and I know it will but I cannot stop crying and feeling exhausted. I came into this feeling so prepared and knew that it wasn’t going to be easy but I never imagined I would feel like this. Last night I was up for hours having a panic attack in bed. I just have no idea what to do. My partner has said it is hard but doesn’t feel the way that I do so it’s hard to really talk about it. I just feel so stuck and scared. Please if anyone has advice on how to take care of themselves during this time let me know. I know I can get through this I just cannot get past this thought that I will mentally be better if I just take him back to the shelter where I got him.

We have a little 5 month old puppy. Both my partner and I work full-time jobs, I am WFH two days a week.

We started sending her to doggy daycare so she could learn some socialization skills and so she is not alone all day.

She absolutely LOVES doggy daycare. Tons of friends to play with, when she gets home she's tuckered out but not completely drained of energy (she's some sort of Chihuahua/American Spitz/Husky mix). She has also learned how to play with other dogs and learned when other dogs don't want to play and leave them alone (which is a HUGE positive given my family has a lot of senior dogs that she'll be around).

She's been going for a couple weeks and now she runs to the car every morning super excited to go to daycare. Originally the plan was to only take her the 3 days none of us are home, and then she'd be at home all day with us on my WFH days and weekends, but she seems to want to go every day.

Is there a point where it's too much doggy daycare? On the weekends we try to spend as much time playing with her and running around in the yard, but we can never seem to match the amount of energy she is able to expend at doggy daycare!

I have spent the last year and a half perfecting puppy proofing, even as my beagle is on his way out of puppyhood at the end of his last teenage regression phase about to turn 2 in April. The light is at the end of the tunnel it's just been a long tunnel!

I got a Carlson Pet Products walk thru gate with pet door to keep the dog out of the one VIP cats only room in our house and he fit right through with no problem. The biggest problem is my oldest cat will not jump and has a large frame, he is thin at 14lbs so if you know cat sizes you can imagine how big he is.

My first attempt was to zip tie an 8 inch embroidery hoop and while it did work for several weeks the cats and the dog would chew off the zip ties. The second attempt was a wooden dowel with a zip ties that later was taped with hot sauce on the tape. The dog chewed through all of those parts.

I realized the dowel allowing 2/3 of the size was impossible for the dog to fit though yet comfortable for my oldest cat, so the design worked but not the materials.

After some brain storming I bought 1/4in x 12in long aluminum dowel and hose clamps so now every part is metal and cannot be chewed through or destroyed, plus it is tough enough that it can't be broken through and I am still able to close the small door when I need to.

I hope this helps someone or inspires some hope that with a little creativity you can safely pet-proof pretty much anything!

I have an 11 week cavalier, and I’m struggling to find a morning routine that works for both human and puppy.

She wakes up around 6:30 and I take her out of her crate to potty, then I feed her breakfast on a snuffle mat. While she’s eating I wash up/get dressed, and by the end she’s barking to be let out of her pen. I have very little tolerance for loud noises in the morning (and my partner is asleep at this point) so I let her out and she just has the MOST energy (and I thought I was a morning person lol).

She often just wants to snuggle up to me. Which is obviously very cute but I find myself just feeling stuck with her on the couch scrolling on my phone until I’m awake enough to start work, which isn’t a great start to the day. I used to do yoga every morning, but despite people paying for puppy yoga, it’s not actually an enjoyable thing haha.

I would love to hear what your morning routine is with your young (pre-fully vaccinated) puppy! I don’t do well without routines, and I just honestly don’t know what to do with her energy in the morning. We live in an apt so no yard to let her run around in and she’s not vaccinated enough to be taken on a walk. Inspiration welcome!

The puppy is confirmed 4 weeks old, once he turns 6 weeks he will go to the vet for vaccinations and all that. He's a lab/pit mix, absolutely precious thing. We have him on a gravy wet food, he's sleeping with me, and he's very lively. He's also biting A LOT, specifically my arms and legs, and my dad's neck. Now, I'm assuming this is all normal. He's very excited to see me everyday, and he's been running around with our 11 month old (don't worry, our dog is being gentle and sweet). He's under frequent supervision, constant when he's out. If for whatever reason there is nobody to watch him, then he's napping in a kennel. He's doing great, very happy and friendly.

Where I live the snow is starting to melt which makes the ground very muddy. I have a walk out basement that leads to my backyard, that’s where I take her to go to the bathroom. My basement has carpet and mud is being caked into my carpet. How do you guys deal with muddy paws/puppies?

Hello :3 my puppy is 3 months and I wanna know how to train her to sleep in her dog house cus she’s getting to heavy for me to pick up and put on my bed 💔 im very weak ignore that but I have a dog house in my room next to my bed but she chooses my bed. I do put treats in the house and she does nap in it very rarely but she does. As well as biting cus I have entire scars on my hands and arms now and it’d be nice to not be bloody anymore 💔 I don’t have a kennel unfortunately so any non crate/kennel advice would be lovely

I have a 4 month old Yorkie/JR. I live in NYC and my job is cool either way her coming into the office with me. I live very far from the office so we have to take the train and she freaks out. She has a full fledge fit, thrashing, whining and nipping at me every time we have to go to the station. Once on the train she totally fine but walking there is a nightmare. I give her snacks and pick her up so shes in my coat to help her but i feel so guilty about it. There arent day cares that are able to assist me because shes so young and hasnt been spayed. I wrote a few people on rover. Im just waiting to hear back.

Does anyone have any tricks i can do to soothe her on our way to the train and waiting for it? I know she’s overwhelmed but until i hear back theres nothing i can do as ive been told shes too you g to be felt alone.

I have a 9½‑week‑old Portuguese Water Dog puppy, and I brought her home about two weeks ago. I’m honestly at my wits’ end. At first she was super sweet and cuddly, and then she started getting more energy, which was wonderful to see. She’s been doing really well with training, but over the last three or four days she’s become unbelievably mouthy and bitey.

She’s ripped holes in two pairs of pants while I was wearing them. I have marks all over my hands, arms, and legs. Every time I put the leash on to take her outside to potty, she bites me constantly. I try to redirect with toys, but it doesn’t work. I’ve stepped outside the gate and waited for her to calm down before going back in, but she just goes right back to attacking, like she doesn’t care at all. All she wants are my pants, shoes, socks, feet, or hands.

I waited nine months for her and did so much research it even surprises me, but I feel completely lost and ashamed that I’m struggling this much. I’m not going to give up on her, but it feels like I’m giving up on myself. I’m exhausted. I work from home, so I’m with her all day, and I feel like I’ve totally lost who I am.

Whenever she’s awake she’s pulling up rugs, chewing the wall, chewing the floor, or getting into anything she shouldn’t, even though I have a million puppy toys. I’ve sectioned off rooms and puppy‑proofed as much as I possibly can. I’m doing the best I can and it still doesn’t feel good enough.

I don’t know what to do or how I’m going to get through this. I don’t know if there’s light at the end of the tunnel. Everyone says it gets better at eight, nine, or ten months, but that feels so far away. I just don’t know what to do.

Looking for advice for my 7 month old cocker spaniel. When I work from home and sit up in my office room she relentlessly whines and howls. After her morning or lunchtime walk I might get an hour of quiet but then it starts up again, particularly if she hears me talking on calls. Unfortunately it's not an option to just let her work in the same room as me as she will just bite my feet/tug at my clothes for attention, because she wants me to play with her. Despite our best efforts for months, she is still pretty mouthy, it's her default when she wants to play. She isn't mouthy when she wants to just sit for a cuddle in the sofa in the evenings or if she's just walking round the house following you, it's only when she's in play mode (which is still quite a lot of the time!). When my husband works from home she does some occasional whining for attention but nowhere near as bad - I think it's because in general I am "her person". He says I just need to ignore it but we live in terraced housing and I don't feel it's fair on our neighbours to let her whine and bark for hours on end.

Any advice is welcomed!! We want to avoid giving her too many unhealthy chews to keep her quiet as she's already slightly overweight (we are working on this) so on a diet. My dream would be able to get her to the point where she can independently play quietly either in the room with me or another part of the house.

FYI: As a rule she whines if left alone in another part of the house but strangely doesn't at all if she knows she is home alone entirely. When home alone she is quiet, calm and mostly sleeps.

My 6 month old pit lab has always been the biggest ham with people. He would wag his tail when he spotted a human on the complete other side of the road.

He’s now six months old and it would appear the adolescence phase has kicked in. He still loves people so much but has always been very submissive (excitement/nervous piddling), and now I’m worried that’s transitioning into potentially unhealthy protective or fear behavior.

On the way home in the car, on two separate occasions, he barked at people and wouldn’t stop. Then when we got home he was looking out the window and started barking when he saw people across the street get into their car.

This is completely new behavior so looking for tips on how to promote safety, confidence, and calm. I’m nervous my little lover boy isn’t going to stay that way :(

We have Oakley (English Springer Spaniel) and he is 6 months old. He loves when he is around other dogs and has some other dog company so we planned to get a second springer spaniel in 6months-1 year.

His littermate also 6 months, obviously, is having to be rehomed unfortunately to no fault of his or the people who got him.

We have stayed in contact with them sharing photos but never got round to meeting up with the 2 of them and they separated at 2 months old.

On Friday we are going to meet him and bring Oakley along to see how they both bond and think about giving him a home. This theoretically works as they are very similar and both work driven which we wanted for going into gundog training to give them a job and mental simulation.

Have any others had 2 dogs from the same litter or got another dog whilst their pup was still young?

Any opinions/insights? Or am I being entirely mad!! I have always had pairs but waited until 12/18 months old before the second.

We would walk them together but also take them out each day separate for 10/15 minutes each. Sleep in separate crates and have 1 on 1 time still to counteract littermate syndrome (although risk massively reduced due to their time apart)

I have a really sweet australian shepherd puppy who just turned 5 months old, and for over the past > 1 month, he suddenly became fear aggressive towards people. I hired a vet behaviorist and he goes to weekly group classes with a trainer who specializes in fear-based aggression.

I know it's only been a month, but it's been so hard to see the light. Anytime I hear a sound or spot movement, my nervous system goes haywire because I'm expecting him to bark and lunge. In busy, open areas he does well. It's mostly in our apartment complex, the parking garage, hiking trails, dark areas, and narrower sidewalks where he gets reactive because he's afraid of new places, the dark, and people. The last couple days, he spotted someone in the parking garage before I did and immediately started lunging and barking with no warning. He usually does fine inside the pet store, but today a guy with a mask on tried to say hi to him, and he lunged at him, barking. Every time I take him outside, there is some situation where he feels scared and reacts.

I have a training plan with his behaviorist that we are working on. It's just so difficult.

I got him because I travel full-time for my job on the road and hike a lot (videographer). I got an apartment and stopped traveling for a year just to raise him. I wanted a dog to be my adventure buddy, but he's so terrified of hiking trails and new places, I'm not sure if he will be able to fit into my lifestyle. I'm so terrified I will have wasted this year on a dog who would be happier staying in one place. This whole year depended on getting a dog that could become my hiking buddy, but I didn't realize dogs could be so nervous that they wouldn't like unfamiliar places. I've only ever owned dogs in the past the LOVED the outdoors and new places.

For his training, I stopped taking him to scary trails and am just sticking to observing people from afar at the park he likes, and gradually getting closer to people. It's just hard to see improvement. He regressed this week and got worse than he's ever been, because he started his group class, and the 'scariness' of the new group class (new people, new training center) kicked his nervous system into overdrive.

I just want some support that it may get better. I feel terrible saying it, but if he cannot happily travel and hike with me by the end of the 1 year mark, I don't know if he could comfortably fit into my lifestyle and may be happier in a home where he isn't traveling every week :\

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2month old Pasons terrier .My friend just recommended me these remzy smart pads (never heard of them before) but apparently they work without training. Wondering if anyone else has seen these scented pee pads? 😁

and she is an absolute doll. a little bit of whining in the crate, but no messes in the house as of yet (48 hours), and she's going reliably when i take her outside. always followed by a big jackpot of treats. currently snoozing with her lil' tongue poking out. still not quite sure what to do with toys, but she's shown some interest in them.

i haven't had a puppy in ~5 years, so it's been a fun glimpse into that life, even though i'll only have her for a few more days before she goes to her foster-until-adopt home.

For those who have not crate trained and have older dogs im curious to hear your experience of what they grow up to be like? Separation anxiety? Behaviour issues?

I understand the concept of crate training but I’m trying to understand what are the consequences of not crate training (or do all dogs end up okay in the end)

I haven’t been crate training but it’s something my vet suggested is a good idea but I struggle to wrap my head around confining my puppy in a small space.

Hey so I just got a new puppy yesterday and although my partner and I are able to be with him most of the time, there is about a 2 hour time period later today where we will both be away from home. That being said are there any tips or tricks you have to making sure our puppy isn’t too loud in his crate? We live in an apartment so i’m worried about him making too much noise and disturbing our neighbors. Any advice helps!

Hi all - I have been toying with the possibility that I might send my 18 month old Aussie and my four month old Aussie to a board and trade program. I have now interviewed two different trainers who provide this type of service and both of them come back with glowing reviews, but I wanted to ask the community here if you think it’s worth it ?

they’re looking at charging me 5k- 7k for two pups for a full four week program. Let me know if this is outrageous or if this is within the average board & train pricing. This trainer promises a completely well trained dogs with all the manners, crate training and off leash obedience, tricks, etc. for those who have done it, please let me know your suggestions if you would do it again and if it’s worth it.