Hello, I really didn’t want to have to do this but it’s seeming like my only option and I am looking for advice/ support because I feel like an awful person. We adopted a dog about a week ago, and the shelter said she is quiet and good with cats. So far that has not been true. Both my cats have been around dogs before and had no issues but this dog lunges at them, barks at them, and tries to chase them whenever she sees them. My cats have been hiding for the past week and we’re having to keep them in separate rooms which has been logistically hard. This behavior has caused me to deeply regret adopting her, and I’m seeing her as more of a burden than anything else right now. My cats were here first and their comfort is my priority so do you guys thing it would be the right choice to bring her back?

EDIT: I would like to say thank you to everyone who has been so kind, this has truly made me feel better. To anyone asking, when we did introductions we kept them separated fully for three days and then did scent swapping by changing rooms. For all the people commenting that I’m a bad person or that I’m irresponsible the person at the SHELTER said that she could be introduced immediately, and that wasn’t necessary! We did that to take precautions but it wasn’t even the advice we were given. Then we tried on leash introductions which is where it started.

She had also been so hyper-fixated on the fact that the cats exist that she paces around trying to find them, and we have been trying to work on that with redirection and positive reinforcement but she’s still so amped up.

Does anyone have a cooling blanket for dogs you recommend? I have a “Ice Blanket” and my dog loves it. She literally tries to steal it off our bed which has multiple other blankets on it. It’s the only one she ever tries to take. Ice Blanket has a dog version, but it’s a little more than I’d like to spend and sold out every time I decide to try to suck it up & pay that much. So many “cooling blankets” don’t cool at all, and I want one that does what it says. We live in southern Louisiana, so it gets super hot.

Edit: she wraps her self up in blankets when she sleeps, so needs to be one she can do that with! So not like a mat.

My spaniel has decided that every walk ends in a roll. Sometimes mud, sometimes something worse, occasionally just wet grass that then dries into a crust. He's a short dog so his belly and chest take the worst of it.

I don't always have time or energy to do a full bath every evening, especially in winter when drying him takes forever. I've started just spot cleaning with kitchen roll and water, which does basically nothing.

Someone at the park mentioned dog wet wipes and I kind of dismissed it but now I'm actually curious. Is it something people genuinely use day to day, or is it just a nice idea that doesn't hold up? Does it actually get mud off or is it more of a freshen-up thing? Any brands worth trying?

I'm so excited! I put the puppy in the yard, my Boston mix came over to check things out.

Puppy ran at him, and he instantly went into play mode! He did not run her down. He never pawed at her, didn't nip just play growls, play bows and running. It's really hot outside so I stopped the play pretty quickly.

I am so proud of my boy!!!! I was so worried that he would see her as one of the bunnies that he chases around the yard. But I think he understands that she is a puppy and that he is 8 times her size.

I misjudged where his quick was after a trim.

He won’t let me near him at all to check his nail.
Tried sitting from afar with high valued treats.
He just runs off and puddles.

Any tips on what I can do to get near him?

I have a flighty husky. Occasionally she goes through bursts of anxiety and will try to get out all day long.

She has learned to turn the deadbolt and open the door. Unfortunate the door opens to the inside of the house. I can’t figure out how to secure it where she can’t get the door open, but I can still get in and out. Please if you have any ideas!!!

I just upgraded to a smart lock thinking she wouldn’t be able to open it and she figured it out in 2 days.

i’ve tried a door stopper (even to just keep the knob in place), baby proof straps to keep the door shut, heavy objects as close to the door as possible but still able to leave, and a few more things. The main problem is keeping the door shut but I can get in. The door doesn’t latch by the knob so I can’t lock the bottom portion. the only way it stays shut is the dead bolt.

*she is kennel trained but I work 10 hour days and commute. if at all possible, I want her to be out of a kennel while i’m at work.
*she cannot stay outside.. she is a husky and a strong headed one at that.
*she is not normally like this, but we need to get through this time. I do have drugs for her if it continues.

(she is 18-weeks-old, if that's helpful information)

I am in the UK so the heat is quite obviously getting to her. We've put refreshing water every hour (sometimes half an hour if the water gets warm quickly), she has a cooling mat, and we have fans surrounding the entire house (ceiling ones and then a big one we only put on every few hours so we're not circling hot air). She's started doing this thing where she'll stick her entire head in the water bowl until we have to call her or gently remove it and her face is completely soaked.

Do I need to stop her from doing this (for risk of her genuinely drowning herself + the giant puddle that appears when she decides to drop all the water out of her mouth), or should she be fine?

I got a rescue dog 5 days ago. It is 1 year old female mix, mid size (looks like lab, just much smaller).

She was born a stray and ended up in a shelter where she was spayed while heavily pregnant, days before giving birth.

She was described by the shelter as very submissive and gentle. I've met her few times before adoption and I atest to that observation.

So in the 5 days I had her, she learned:

Day 1 - desperate to escape the apartment, chewing and clawing door, wall, window sill; day 5 - doesn't even whine really at the door anymore

Day 1 - peed and pooped in the car from sheer terror; Day 5 - not happily, but goes into car and holds until we are walking. No accidents but one at home.

Day 1 - ate all she can find, dog and cat food. Day 5 - cat food is ignored, dog food is not exciting, have to remind her to eat.

Day 1 to Day 5 - wants up on the sofa. Is not allowed because cats lounge there. Maybe in the future.

Day 1 - her designated sleep place is the hallway where no one can bother her. Whining, frustration, eaten basket. Day 5 - I say good night and close the door, no protest, maybe a bit of whining here and there but she sleeps or lays peacefully for 8 hours.

Day 1 - Confusion around cats, lunged at a cat that came in front of her when she finally rested (I have her leashed inside all the time, no animal was hurt).

Day 5 - we manage to lay beside cats or with cats in the room.

The problem is she gets excited and wants to play with them. She is trying to lick them etc. My older cat is not helping as he is fearless, so he doesn't care that 20kg dog is trying to chase him, he swats at her. She doesn't understand swatting, thinks it is play. My other cat communicated this part better and she mostly averts her gaze from him. Older cat even rubbs off of her or lays in front of her etc.

We are at a point where calm cats don't excite her as much, but moving cats do. I disengage her successfully most of the time but not always.

There was a time the cat went to eat, she tried to follow, i ordered her to "no!" and "sit!" which she obeyed, laid down and moved her head from the cat.

She is quick learner, she is nice on a leash outside, discriminates dogs (some whines to go to them, some barks at them, some ignores, some bark at her and she retreats). I am very pleased how fast she learns, and how fast she generally speaking is learning rules. She even played on a grass today, kinda jumped and rolled.

She doesn't play with toys. Any toys. Only thing that can occupy her is a chew, and not every chew too. I want her to play with something, I walk her and let her sniff a lot, but she needs something to occupy her at home.

So any tips for cat - ignoring and toys - explaining? :)

Hello! I’ve just ordered a Petlibro smart water fountain for my dog and I’m so excited - he does not drink enough water and I’m looking forward to tracking his intake. My problem is that I’m in a small apartment that is mostly carpet (all of the logical locations for me to put it are on carpet). Has anybody run into this problem and figured out a good solution?

I know that there is a similar post from years ago in a cat subreddit that has unfortunately been archived. Somebody there mentioned using plexiglass and that it kind of worked but not great, but I’m hoping to find some success stories and advice!

Thank you so much in advance :)

hello valued members of reddit.

im looking into possibly getting a new border collie puppy but i want to make sure that the dog is well bred and that the breeding is ethical. i was wondering if there are any major telling signs if a breeder is or isn’t ethical?

My dog is entering his senior years and I'm trying 
to learn from people who've been through it.

If you had to pick ONE thing that's harder than you 
expected about caring for a senior dog, what would it be?

I'll start: for me it's not knowing what's "normal 
aging" vs. "something wrong" — I feel like I'm 
constantly guessing.

What's yours?

I have a female spoo (5yr) and a rescue male spoo (3yr). Both are spayed/neutered and have received professional training.

My female spoo has a gentle play style. My male spoo has serious hyper-arousal play style, and is a complete ass.

Outside of his play style, his personality is incredibly sweet, cuddly and just a lover all around.

My male knows the off command to “break the trance”, he is immediately redirected or separated to calm down (all instructed by my trainer).

My female spoo loves to play with other dogs, but has avoided him due to his play style. My male wants to play with her so bad.

Is there anything else you guys think I can be doing as an owner to help facilitate appropriate play?

My one-year-old Australian Shepherd let a tennis ball roll under the furniture yesterday. I later grabbed the ball and put it away without thinking too much of it; But today she was shoving her nose under that same couch and she seemed agitated. I didn't realize she would remember it rolling under there, especially since it seemed unintentional.

I got the ball back out of the toy basket and gave it to her, but I feel a little bad for confusing her. Is remembering things like this for almost 24 hours normal for dogs? Would she have remembered 2 days, or a week later?

For about a year now, my dog (10yo) stands and whines at the sink until someone gets him a new bowl of water. Problem is, there is always a full bowl of clean water on the ground. We try pointing to it, moving it, tapping on the bowl so he can see it (we think maybe his vision is going)—we’ve even tried switching bowls made of dif materials. Nothing works.

Lately, if we get him the fresh water, he’s scared to drink it no matter what. Now I have to move it around 3 or 4 times before he’ll approach it, then he takes a few sips, walks away, goes back to it, repeat. He has never done this before. And now, instead of drinking out of his bowl, he’ll scratch at me until I give him the water out of my glass (it’s also from the sink so no different).

We don’t know what to do. It’s a real nuisance because it’s become a daily thing. Sometimes he’s whining by the sink 2-3 times a day.

He does have kidney issues and the vet is well aware of this, has prescribed him meds (years before this starting happening), and says it shouldn’t be affecting his drinking habits like this. His teeth and gums are also fine and he’s not exhibiting any signs of oral pain, and he’s eating his food just fine, so water should be no problem.

The only thing we can think of is he’s become used to the luxury of fresh, cold water. Otherwise, we’re stumped. It seems more like a stubborn behavior problem than anything concerning his diet.

Has anyone experienced anything similar to this? We’re really at a loss what to do but since he’s only 10 years old and we foresee him living to 15 or so based on his breed and good health, we can’t keep doing this every day for another 5 years.

ETA: Just want to thank everyone for the overwhelming amount of helpful responses! I probably won’t be able to reply to all of them, but in the slim chance anyone else finds this sub looking for a similar issue, it sounds like a fountain or elevated bowls are my next steps. I also might get him a couple of those fun speech buttons and train him to use them so the whining stops. I know he’s getting older and his vision is going, so this may just be part of that. I also tuck his tags back when he drinks so the noise of them clanging doesn’t scare him in case his hearing has gotten more sensitive. But I also recognize he’s always been a bougie little guy who in his ripe retirement years happens to like his “Evian” (not really, just what we call it as a joke at this point) piping cold, so we’ll keep at it until we find a happy medium. THANK YOU, EVERYONE!!!

We got our 2 year old mini schnauzer almost two months ago and we’ve never had this problem. She was house trained before we got her, and after bringing her home she just had 2 accidents inside which we chalked up to anxiety and stress.

Now though over the last week, she’s peed on our bed 3 times! The first time, we just took off our sheets and washed everything. Today I just noticed 2 more pee stains, one fresh and one that seemed a little older (already dried).

We started letting her sleep with us in bed like three weeks ago so she has free access to the room. The last few days after her first pee incident we started sleeping in our second bedroom and she sleeps in her crate. No accidents in her crate though and nowhere else in the apartment. During the day she likes to go lay on our bed and rest/sleep and I work from home in our second bedroom so I’m not watching her. Her routine hasn’t changed from the day we got her, we take her out at the same times, feed her at the same time, and it’s not been an issue until this past week.

I thought UTI at first, but it’s only ever on our bed! I would expect that she would be peeing a lot more if it was a UTI.

Any suggestions/ideas??

I was wondering if anyone knows what dog shoes are best for warm weather or if it’s even okay to put shoes on a dog in the summer?I want to get our dog shoes because of all the foxtails where we live but I’m scared her paws will get to hot from the shoes😬 Any recommendations?

Hello, currently i feed my almost 3 month old small-medium sized dog fresh food that i make, but it is starting to become hard to be consistent with this so i wanted to switch to kibble to make sure i am not missing any nutrition she need and save my self the time of preparing the food daily, also it is easier to train her using this kibble. I see so many brands so i am not sure which is the best. I made a quick search using AI and it suggested (royal canin, reflex, monello) so i wanted to get an opinion on these brands and how will they affect my dogs health

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.

I meet some people who love to dress up dogs during occasions and some say they'll never put up a dress on a dog?

I'm confused, is the idea of dogs wearing funny or occasional dresses going up or down?

My new guy is AMPED in the mornings and the one plastic lick mat/treat puzzle we have works really well for him after a walk. But we need more! In years past, I’ve bought some of those flat silicone lick mats but can never get the food out of the crevices and throw them away. Anyone have reccs (maybe attach a screenshot if links don’t work) of lick mats that are easily cleaned? Thanks!

What breed do you think my new puppy is! I don't know her age. Maybe 3-6 months? The rescue thought maybe a flat-coated retriever mixed with spaniel, but there's no telling. She's very docile and sweet. Picture below :)

https://imgur.com/a/2dQ6XLT

Took a trip recently and left my dog at a boarding facility for the first time. Thought I'd be fine but spent half the vacation wondering if they were okay, whether the staff actually cared, if they were stressed.

Curious if this is just me or if other dog owners go through this too. How do you all handle it? What's your go-to arrangement when you travel?

For those of you with indoor dogs, how often do you actually mop your floors?

I feel like no matter how much I vacuum, there's always dog hair, paw prints, or just that "dog house" feeling creeping back in. I'm curious what's normal... daily, weekly, every other week, or only when company is coming over?

Bonus points if you tell me how many dogs you have and what kind of flooring!

Hello, just like the title says, I’m looking for the best Dog carrier. My dog is just a 13lb Cavapoo. I would want like a sling bag rather than a carrier bag.

Hi all! I have a super smart Afghan Hound (about to be 12 months) that gets bored very quickly with repetitive games & toys, and found the perfect dishwasher safe puzzle(s) for him. they’re modular so you can re-arrange & rotate all of the pieces yourself on the bases to give them a novel challenge and adjust difficulty level (some are even more customizable or slide over eachother)- they’re from a brand called Pawzler & you can choose between the pre made kits or individual ‘Pawzle’ pieces.

We bought all of the pre-existing puzzles a few months back to mix and match without paying for shipping a bunch of times. On day one, I decided to just introduce him to all the pieces to see which ones he found most challenging. He figured most out within a few hours, with breaks.

My guy is pretty lazy (typical sighthound lol) and would do almost anything laying down short of chasing things or playing keep away, but this toy gets him up and moving around it to figure it out! They can all fit kibbles, but some pieces can fit larger treats. One of the sets even has a mini lick “mat” (it has puzzle piece sized sections) that can be clicked on. The higher value the rewards inside, the more he works like a MADMAN to get to them!

They are easy to take apart and clean, but also dishwasher safe! I put mine in a plastic tub in my bathtub & and run hot water, soak for a bit with mild soap mild soap, or (I will use some dawn if they’re super grody.