r/puppy101

I’m sure many of you (in the US) are having a heartbreaking time watching your pup suffer because of the fireworks today (and maybe all week). It’s my pups first 4th. He’s been ok so far, my last sweet guy totally shut down after the first boom. It’s so hard to see them scared :(

He is 8 months now. There is nothing wrong with him, he is a sweet boy. He has separation anxiety though so I feel like I cant go anywhere. I cant mentally take it anymore. Ive become isolated, depressed and extremely anxious. When Ive tried to leave he barks, and my neighbours are upset about it. So I dont know what to do. Ive stopped working because Im overwhelmed and eventually I will run out of money. I love him and I cant really take the thought of not seeing him again but if it doesnt change then Im not going to be able to take care of anyone in 6 months.

I’ve been given the heads up about fireworks and how pets react to it. Just as the title says, as a first time pet owner, fireworks really give me a different perspective! I felt so bad for my pup (3.5months) because she was so scared and didn’t know what was going on! I stayed next to her and/or cuddled her to let her know it was okay and that she was safe. Mind you, we are in my apartment and living in the city, so many fireworks are going off! They should put some kind of curfew for fireworks for all of our fur babies. I just felt so bad :( Idk how you guys deal with it!!!

My boy is one year and two months, we (me and bf) got him when he was three months. I had the worst puppy blues that turned into a real depression that required therapy and medication. I was overwhelmed with responsibility and anxiety. And now he’s my best friend.

I have always loved my dog. He’s such a silly boy and has such a big personality. But puppyhood is hard. The crying, pulling, land shark biting, peeing inside. And it was just me when we first got him because my boyfriend was away for work. It was so hard and I cried often but I loved him and was determined to make it work.

He had tummy problems that we thought we’d never see the end of. Explosive piles of poop in the house. Then giardia. Then nightly explosive piles of poop again. Refusal to eat his bland kibble. But we finally got through that.

He’s reactive on leash because he gets too overcome with excitement at the sight of other dogs. This makes walking him challenging and means we have to be very picky with any dog walkers we use.

And then adolescence. Boy that was bad (and can get bad again since he’s still in adolescence). But he would scream at us. Intense fomo. Attitude air chomps. All while struggling with his reactivity.

The neuter recovery was challenging. He got a scrotal hematoma and needed laser therapy treatments. He was on four different sedatives simultaneously (trazadone, gabopentin, ace-something, and chlo-something) and was still resisting them and kept walking (stumbling) around.

And now he’s healed. He doesn’t scream at us anymore. He smiles at us on walks and you can tell it just makes his day to go on walks with us. His training has been amazing, reacting is improving. He started snuggling and sleeping with me. And he’s just all around wonderful. He loves us and trusts us so much. And we love him so much.

And so I just wanted to say that I love my puppy dog. Even after horrible puppy blues and everything we went through, he’s my best friend. And even if he gets another phase of adolescent attitude, I will teach him and be patient because I know my best friend is in there.

Hi, I'm going to be getting my new puppy here in a few weeks and trying to figure out which pet insurance is best to deal with and actually pays you back. I've seen mixed reviews about Healthy Paws and Lemonade. I'd love to know which insurance you decided to go with. And if they've actually actually paid you the reimbursement.

My puppy is not quite six months old, and he’s going through his very first Fourth of July, which sounds like a war zone outside of my house right now. He’s actually done really well, only occasionally barking at the noise, but not showing any fear at all. Yay!

However, my older dog (nine years) is VERY afraid of fireworks, we got him when he was about my puppies age and Fourth of July happened during his“scaredy puppy faze” which left him scarred for life, no joke. Any little pop no matter what time of year it is and he is running for someplace to hide - usually in a bathroom or closet, someplace confined and dark. Unfortunately, I moved into a very small house after my husband passed away, and I am renovating, so I don’t have any spaces that he can feel comfortable in as much as he used to. I have set up his bed in my room, which is very dark and cool, but he can still hear the noise really well and it’s stressing him out.

The good puppy behavior is that my younger puppy is actually, at times, trying to comfort my older dog. He actually dragged his dog bed into my room and put it next to my older dog’s bed so that he can lay next to him. I have never seen a puppy make such efforts to try to comfort another dog. Now, that’s not to say that it’s all peaches and cream, the puppy can still be annoying to the older dog, but it’s just very cute how he is trying to be comforting and understanding.

Our rescue boy is almost 9 months old. We've had him about 3 1/2 months now and over the past month or so he's like a completely different dog. He pulls, constantly, no matter how much loose leash training we do with him, and he's almost 60 pounds already so He's super mouthy. He barks at everything, especially when it's nothing. I have to bribe him into his crate every single time when he never had any issues before. Every time we try to do something new with him it's more stressful than fun. He is in puppy class right now, but he's the worst behaved pup there. I feel like I'm trying so hard to work with him and make him feel safe and every time he has one of these outbursts I feel like I've failed him somehow. People tell me that they went through the same thing and one day it clicks and their dogs become perfect angels, and I hope that's true, but right now I have these moments where I just do not like this little creature at all.

How are folks coping with the terrible teens? How can I remember that I love this animal when he's wrapping his lead around my ankles or trying to eat the furniture?

I really need help. I just adopted this 5 month old mixed breed puppy about 5 days ago. I dread taking him out for a walk even just for a quick potty break because he barks at everything.

If a police siren goes off, a dog walks by or barks in the distance, if someone is sitting down on their phone, people on bikes, people just standing not doing anything, a group of people talking loudly…he barks. And his bark is the kind of bark you would expect from a full grown adult german shepherd or something. It’s a deep bark that i’m sure you can hear a mile away.

The looks i get are just a whole other thing too. I had someone today look at me and the dog with disgust, i felt like crying. I know i shouldn’t feel this way but i feel like i made a huge mistake and wish i could have picked another dog. I even tried giving him treats whenever he manages to walk past a dog or a person without barking and i think that it’s working until he does it again.

But i do believe that animals are a commitment and i really don’t want to rehome him or give him back. Please please please does anyone have advice on how to stop this? I have considered getting a trainer but i consider that last resort because id like to fix this issue myself.

I am proud to say that Monster actually seemed to enjoy them. My last pup HATED fireworks and was a wreck all night, so I'm glad Monster doesn't have that going on. I did the "Lookit! Fireworks! Yay!" and she wagged her tail and got all excited.

How'd your pups do?

My puppy (a 14 week golden retriever) sometimes I bring in food and I leave it on my bed and I leave and when I come back she's eaten it and it's really annoying I've put it at a high place but sometimes I forget and it's super annoying when all I wanna do is to lay in bed with a good meal and to eat it and I don't want to take my anger out on my dog obviously so are there any tips of how to deal with when you get angry at your puppy?

Hey everyone, so I’m considering getting a small dog that will live in my apartment and be taken on walks outside…I’m gathering information about potty training and would like to train my (maybe) dog to go inside on fake grass pads, is this sustainable? Or should they only be temporary until they transition to going potty outside?

As much as I’d like my dog to go outside to potty, I’m a little scared of it getting attacked by predators , can a litter box be a solution to this issue?

I don’t mind cleaning as often as possible since I’m always home, thank you

I've been owning a dog for about 5 years now, an adult Chihuahua mix, and I've been considering getting a second dog for the last few of those years. However, as most puppy-wanting people I am incredibly concerned about it being the "right time" for bringing a puppy into our home and I could really use some advice?

At any moment now a very good friend of my mine's dog will have her puppies, and it's a breed I really like and that fits my preferences (Bearded Collie). It's a perfect opportunity to get a puppy from someone I trust knows the breed, cares about it's health, has 30 years of experience with it and can guide me if needed.

I really want to grab this opportunity, especially since my Chihuahua is getting older (12 years) and I honestly don't know if I can handle the trauma of loosing him. I am thinking that having another dog will make the transition easier for me, as I can't imagine coming home to an empty house without my best friend being happy to see me. My Chihuahua is incredibly active with great health, so i'ts important to me to get another dog before he reaches an age where a puppy would be a burden for him.

However, my concerns are:

1. I have never raised a puppy before on my own (only as a teen with my family on a completely different breed -Shiba). I've read a lot about puppy training and preparing over the years, but worry when I read other's experiences of puppy blues. How do I know if I am "strong enough" to handle the responsibility and breakdowns?

2. I've never had two dogs at the same time before. How do I walk both without them getting all tangeled up? What if my Chihuahua gets depressed from feeling less prioritised?

3 .I study for 4-5 hours, 4 times a week and work 4 hours twice a week and I am worried that I can't handle the stress of raising a puppy at the same time, as I am already feeling quite overworked at times, (During the first months a couple of friends of mine will care for the puppy while I'm at uni/work until it's old enough and trained to be alone). While having busy weekdays of work, studying and housework, is it really worth it to loose all the time for good sleep, visiting friends and self care?

I am really torn as I know it will be wonderful if I put in the work and things goes alright, but I am so worried that I can't handle the responsibility and only makes the life to all three of us worse than it should be. I would really like to hear your thoughts and experiences. Thanks.

So my fault for not brushing my pups teeth the first week I got her (plz don’t bash me for it!). I’m trying to brush her teeth but she keeps fighting me…even with treats. Any advice on how to go about it? Thanks!

Hi everyone. Our almost 6 month old rescue puppy has been home with us for about 6 weeks. She’s super affectionate with my husband and me, adores our 10 year old catahoula and is doing great with house training. Currently we are visiting my mom at her summer home a few hours away. She’s met my mom a few times before she left for the summer, the last time being almost a month ago, and was always fine with her. Since we’ve been at my mom’s, the puppy has been barking and growling at her, usually when she gets up and moves to a different room. We’ve had my mom try giving her treats, we’ve tried having her ignore her and give lots of space, Ive tried reinforcing calm behavior, but the barking/growling starts up again the next time my mom moves. I honestly feel like it’s gotten worse as we’ve been here (we just arrived yesterday and were hoping to stay 2 more days but are prepared to leave tomorrow).

I’d say she’s slow to warm up to people in general but shows interest in going over to people on walks and says hi appropriately. I’ve only seen her growl and bark at people walking by our house (and only twice). I don’t know much about what her socialization was like prior to the few weeks she spent with a foster before coming to us. We’ve started manners classes, and she’s been to busier places like our downtown and farmers market. We don’t typically have many people over our house and we were also dealing with hookworm and giardia, so she’s definitely not had enough experience with people who aren’t us in enclosed spaces.

We’ve never had a puppy before and our beloved dog who recently passed away befriended anyone with a cookie, so this is new territory for us. Our catahoula is an independent lady but just goes in the other room if she doesn’t want to socialize. I’m spiraling thinking that we’re never going to be able to visit family and that our sweet pup will be agressive with other people. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

I need help!

I have had my 11 week-old (as of today) Male Corgi home for almost a week now, and despite some real trouble getting him home involving a broken car, a 6-hour train ride, and delayed amazon deliveries for puppy-proofing that required some jank workarounds, he's an absolute joy, super good-tempered (except maybe when his frapping demon possesses him at sundown), super smart, and taking to all his training. I couldn't be more proud and happy that he has adjusted so well. He was even potty-trained within days of being home, and only has accidents when he goes to the back door with me and decides it's too hot outside (I've learned to carry him out during the hotter part of the day, then he does fine).

That said, I have one area that is causing a great deal of stress in an otherwise A+ training score... when I wipe the floor with a paper towel, he goes CRAZY for it and ignores all attempts to command "drop it" or offer a trade. During training he has no problems switching between toys and taking treat bribes to drop items, but paper towels are an OBSESSION. Cloth towels were too, and I think I curbed that with the freeze response after the command until he got bored, but the paper towels don't allow me to just ignore him until he gives up, because they just rip away when I try to go stiff and silent. Also, some of the time he does this, I'm wiping up pee, so I really don't want to let him just run into the puddle and start eating the urine-soaked paper towel, but I don't want it to be a game of "keep away" that is fun and reinforces the behavior. I can't even utilize his houseline since he's coming to me and not running away. His super treats are lamb liver pieces that work for EVRYTHING else I've been training him on, but it's like everything but the paper towels ceases to exist, and 100% of his focus goes to getting that paper towel, where noises, smells, etc. just don't distract him from it at all, not even a side-eye at his favorite treats.

He has also had a similar response when outside, once he starts snuffling in some grass, where he just starts ignoring everything else, which is a problem because the house I'm renting has a red oak in the corner, and he keeps finding small acorns to bite that are fun to dig up and have an enticing texture to him. I'm hoping the indoor "drop it" training will help with those. There are also azaleas he has no interest in (thank goodness), and I'd rip 'em out if the property manager would let me, but I can't, and I'm worried about the day he DOES get curious, especially if there are dead crinkly leaves which is another current issue I'm having with the oak leaves. The oak should be low enough in toxicity that as long as I get him following the drop command, it doesn't matter if he just picks one up for a second, but I want to teach him early about what he can and can't put his mouth on in the yard, that way I can let him run around more freely, especially when he gets the zoomies.

The paper towel thing is really annoying because it makes cleaning messes a whole ordeal, and I don't use confinement because I don't want him to build a negative association around his crate and pen by putting him there and walking away. I'm at a loss for how to restrain him in a way that's constructive to all our training. More than that, though, I want to keep him safe... if we can conquer the paper towel fixation, I feel like the rest will be a cake-walk. How do I keep him from approaching while I clean, and when that fails, how on Earth do I distract him from his one, true, desire in his little puppy life?

We got a 12-week-old mixed breed this past week who weighed in at about 6 pounds. His first couple days with us he didn’t seem to care about other dogs, but then he got what I think must have felt like a little too close to our neighbor’s very large, very bouncy Bernedoodle (Both dogs on leash, no contact.) and ran behind me all tuck-tailed, so I picked him off up the ground until they were out of sight. I was a little taken aback at how long it took him to perk back up again.

Since then, he’s been barking at other large dogs who walk by the complex. I need to nip this in the bud somehow; we can’t have him picking fights with larger dogs on the hiking trails when he’s older.

My first dog was already 5 times his size at this age, so being afraid of other dogs wasn’t really a thing for us. I spent his entire life making sure he didn’t hurt the little dogs that ran up to us and snapped at him. Being on the other end of this is 100% new to me, and I’m just not sure what our puppy needs.

Do we just people watch with him in my lap and I give him a treat whenever he sees a bigger dog or something? What do I need to do differently in these situations to keep him from getting further traumatized?

We are enrolling him in a puppy socialization class as an obvious answer, but it doesn’t start for a few more weeks.

My 5 month old Labrador has sadly been diagnosed with elbow displasia and is getting booked in for surgery.

I am reading that it is very important to keep his weight down with this condition, but also to take it easy on exercise.

Just wondered if anybody has got any experience with this condition, and how much exercise would be suitable without causing harm.

Hello all. I’m hoping to get some advice about our 9 month old pup because we’ve never adopted a jack russel into our family before and she’s completely different from our adult golden retriever. We love her so much and her personality is honestly so special. My partner and I are doing everything we can, and learning along the way as we’ve discovered that it’ll take a whole lot of work raising her.

So on to my worries, I’m concerned whether she’s showing signs of aggression and I fear the day she may actually bite my hand and I won’t know how to correct it properly.

She’s always been a very playful and vocal pup. Any times we’re playing, she’s growling like some gremlin monster, whether it’s playing tug a war, chasing each other, or I guess wrestling (I know, how would a grown adult wrestle a little pup)? Any time we’re playing she’ll show her teeth and open her mouth but she never bites down. If she does it’s by accident and we express loudly an “ow!” And stop playing and she goes to lick our hand. Her ears go down a bit and she’ll wag her tail with her butt wagging as well.

Now, she’s been getting rebellious lately. I wonder if these are the teenage years that people talk about. She seems to have selective hearing when we call her and sometimes ignores us. When we call her back inside the house after going out back, or she jumps on the couch and we tell her “no, get down” she will either look at us but lay down, or turn away and ignore us. Lately we’ve had to grab her and set her down/bring her inside. When I go to grab her, I will go from above and place one hand underneath her and pick her up. She sees it coming and she’ll growl and make an almost snapping action by turning her head back to try and grab the hand that’s picking her up. I’ll tell her a stern no and sort of point my finger at her and she seems to get scared that she’s done something wrong. When she has snapped at me, I’ve flinched back and I’ve tried not to because I don’t want to show fear but man I really don’t want to get bit Tonight she would not for the life of me, get off the couch. I would sternly tell her “get down” but she’d ignore me and lay down. I’d try tapping her butt to sort of lightly push her off but she’s adamant on staying on, pushing against my hand to stay on. When she sees me going for the under grab maneuver however, that’s when she’s quickly reaching back to snap. I’m welcomed to any corrections or advice. I’ll try and respond quickly to any questions that may help understand my situation. We’re in this for the long haul, she is our baby and we will work out hardest to take care of her. We sort of came upon her out of the blue and obviously we would have done more research and prepared more for such a unique breed. But the doggy distribution system works in wonderful ways. 🥹 Thanks guys 🐶

I got my puppy yesterday (she’s a 10 week old old miniature dachshund ) and I feel like I deeply regret my decision. When she’s calm it’s fine, but she’s only calm right after she wakes up (for about 3mins) but when she’s not it’s a nightmare. She chews EVERYTHING, my feet, my hands, the Lounge, the walls, the concrete!? And whenever I take her outside she usually doesn’t go to the toilet , she just runs around eating rocks, and she gets so hyped up that it is impossible to calm her down. Then she pees and poops inside and eats it as soon as I bring her in. I know these things are normal for a puppy, and it’s only been 2 days, but I feel like I can’t do anything, I’ve been sitting on the hardwood floor with her in the kitchen for 6hours because she goes to the toilet on anything soft like carpet and blankets.

On the food packet, it says expected adult bodyweight, which says my golden at 2 months should be having 320g a day? Is this right or is the expected adult bodyweight how much she weighs now, which would be 160g?

For context, my husky puppy and my aunts older mixed breed (small, yorkie type?) would get along really well and play. Sometimes he’d growl at her but it wasn’t aggression, more like a play response. Today my puppy got a little too close to him when he had something in his mouth and he bit her. He bit her nose and latched onto her ear until my aunt pulled him off. She’s always been a drama queen, crying at any little thing but she was literally screaming and whining for a solid minute. She has two small wounds by her nose that I’m worried about, and she sometimes holds her ear weird and shakes her head. What should I do? My aunt is upset, and I’m worried this set my puppy’s socialization back to day one. Does she need a vet? How should I clean the wounds? What can I do to prevent her from being dog reactive because of this in the future? Please help. It all happened in a split second but I still feel like I failed her as an owner.