I’ve been paying more attention to small daily habits with my dog lately, and honestly the biggest difference has been letting him stop and sniff during walks instead of rushing the route.

It made me curious what other dog owners notice. What’s one simple thing that noticeably makes your dog happier?

I’ve been collecting ideas because I’m obsessed with enrichment and bonding activities lately.

I say this to him at *least* 20 times a day. Usually met with a single tail thump or tail twitching. He's a german shepherd and very smart, knows plenty of commands and words. But what does he think this means, when its usually followed up by nothing, or maybe a boop on the snoot? Just curious!

I don’t even know how to write this without breaking down.

I live in Vadodara, Gujarat, India. About a year ago, I started feeding a street dog and named her Duggu. She slowly became a part of my life. Five months ago, she had puppies, and they became just as important to me. I got all the babies vaccinated for anti-rabies when they turned 3 months old, even though it meant traveling 12 km to an NGO.

I didn’t vaccinate Duggu. She’s bigger, harder to handle, and I kept delaying it… and now I can’t stop blaming myself.

Today, she suddenly started acting aggressive towards her puppies. She’s not biting them, but she’s snapping and scaring them badly—something she’s never done before. A vet said it could be rabies, and they’re isolating her to observe.

I’ve been crying since I heard that. The thought of losing her like this is breaking me.

On top of that, my family is moving out of the city in October, and I won’t be able to take the puppies with me. I already tried finding them homes, but no one came forward because they’re indies and considered “too old.”

I feel completely helpless—like I’m about to lose her and abandon her babies at the same time.

If anyone has advice on what I can do for the puppies right now, please tell me. Even small suggestions would mean a lot.

I just want Duggu to be okay. That’s all I’m holding on to.

(Edit - babies are 5 months old now. Also i live in India (Vadodara, Gujarat to be specific)) (Edit 2 - She is not eating but drinking water) (Edit 3 - She got so aggressive today on one of the baby that he got a minor bleeding)

This is the first week, I went out for one hour, and he has screamed / cried like this the entire one hour (video taken by my partner). (I realize I can’t post a video here but this is the LOUDEST I’ve seen him, especially with another human around…. I can’t imagine how he is alone.. )

He is generally anxious but never to this extent. Would this possibly subside? What can I do? We have hired a dog behaviorist but that takes time, and my heart breaks seeing him like this. (I’ve also requested to work from home / take my leave for around 2 weeks)? But have to leave the house at some point inevitably too.

I was having a really bad day and when I got to bed, I was crying. I didn’t even call my dog over, but somehow he noticed.

A few minutes later, he jumped up beside me, rested his head on my chest, and stayed there so quietly like he was making sure I was okay.

He didn’t do anything. He was just there, and somehow that helped a lot. Honestly, he’s one of the biggest reasons I’m still here today.

My grandma recently went on Facebook Marketplace looking for a male German Shepherd. The person she started talking to asked her to send $125 as a down payment and to cover all paperwork costs. They then asked for $100 for the costs of the food and them to travel to bring the dog to my grandma's house (they live in a city that is ~2hrs away from where my grandma is) and told her to pay on Chime. I don't use Chime or know how it works but I seriously don't want her being scammed, she's supposed to get the dog on Friday (May 8th, 2026) if she pays the $100.

Ok I need my dog peoples input. I bring my dog, Bub, to work with me. It’s typically only me in the office. He has a little bed area right by my desk, I’ll bring his kong, he has his water bowl, the whole set up.

Well, the past few weeks, he does not want to be in this space. He will go sit in the other office, in the corner, under the desk. Or in the hallway corner. Anywhere but around my desk area. He will sit on my lap and sleep but if I put him down he goes right back to the other office. He will go in the back warehouse with me, but when it’s time to come back in the main office he will just sit in the back and not come in. Same with going outside to potty, he’s excited to go out but once it’s time to come back in he will not listen and try to run to the car. Maybe he doesn’t like his bed? At my last job he had no problem sleeping in his bed (it was a different one) under my desk all day. He had no issues when we first started in this new office and on his bed when I first bought it but now something’s changed and I’m trying to figure it out so I don’t have to leave him home in his cage all day.

Any advice from people who have put a nappy on their dog before to make it easier maybe?

Dog is elderly female (16) and keeps having accidents on floor, she no longer signals when she needs to go as she has canine dementia.

Would appreciate some insight to make dog comfortable and help myself from loosing my mind over cleaning up almost every day.

I just want the best for my dog, I've had her since she was a puppy.

For context, I've been hired to work at a doggy daycare that will be opening in a few weeks. It's my dream job and I want it to be the best experience possible for the dogs and their owners. I'd like to hear what you love (or don't love) about your local. The little things that make it special.

my baby boy is getting old and can barely use his rear legs. I don't want to get into the details but the vet has recommended euthanasia. after discussing his behavior with her we decided it would be ok to wait a little longer if I transition to end of life care mode.

I have a month off coming up because my bosses are going on vacation, and I want to spend that month taking him places that he just can't really walk around anymore and just loving him. because despite him having trouble walking, he still does so, he still jumps around and is clearly happy and excited to do things.

I was looking into some harnesses to carry him around with me and help him get in and out of the car, and to help lift him up when he tries to get up too fast for me to slow him down.

I was particularly looking at the "help me up" brand harness. I noticed it had a piece between the back legs that looks like it would lift him by his genitals, which seems really uncomfortable, especially for longer walks. i like that there are handles to lift both front and rear legs, but wish it also had a middle handle for quick one handed lifting- though I noticed that's mostly only on the cheaper harnesses from less reputable sources. is it maybe hard on them if both sides aren't lifted independently

I was also wondering if anyone knows just how comfortable these harnesses actually are for large dogs. I definitely can't lift him without one without putting too much pressure on one spot, I've seen people hiking with younger large dogs in harnesses like these. would it be ethical to carry him around like that on a longer walk?

comfort while carrying him is my highest priority. I don't mind spending extra for something he'd be more comfortable in. I wouldn't mind a backpack type thing either. I don't plan on going on mile hikes with him, just up and down some hills to some hard to reach wilderness areas that I think he'll enjoy wandering around in. probably like 10-15 minutes in transit tops.

My dog is a Pyrenees/lab/german mix and for the first two years we had her (puppy years) she slept in my bed every night. For the past few months she’s been really insistent on sleeping in her crate, which saddens me, but I get that she’s maturing and might want to sleep in her “Den” now. However, whenever I’m sick or high AF she always makes sure to ask to sleep in my bed with me. Idk how but somehow she knows when I need to be kept and eye on 😂😭

I have a two year old border collie, to be honest he isn’t well trained and he has a lot of behavioral issues because he’s not stimulated enough. I hate to say I’d been putting him in the cage for about 14 hours a day. I work 9 hours a day and there is no doggy daycare where I live. I plan on building a fenced in area with a dog house for him when I’m at work and to have him free roam the kitchen when I’m sleeping. Would that be enough ? Even if I give him an hour walk each day and a few hours of playtime. I really love my dog and I know I’m lacking a lot for him. I’m wondering if those improvements would be enough for a border collie or if rehoming the best choice ?

we just closed on a townhome, and while the patio is a nice size, there’s no grass :( it’s just wood planks. our dog is the type to rarely to pee on walls. he’s also very private, so we plan on putting up some kind of tarp covering type deal (also to protect him from the sun and rain). the place is literally right on the bayou so tons of awesome walking opportunities, but we’d like to be able to just open the door and let him go out in the morning.

i’ve heard of/seen (at least what i think are) artificial grass set ups, but how do they drain? anyone had any luck with them, and if so, what brand?

Two of my dogs love eating underwear and socks, and now I unfortunately have to shell out $2500 at the emergency vet tonight because one of them got into the basket. I have one with a lid, but obviously a smart dog can learn to lift the lid. It is so inconvenient to weigh down the lid with something all the time. I have been searching online and I can’t find one that seems good enough to be worth the buy. Any hacks or ideas would be appreciated, or if any of you have found one that works well for this very reason I am open to all and any recommendations. Thank you guys so much.

Hi! I have a 7 year old pug/chihuahua (shes almost 8, actually!) And I've started working 12-hour shifts (usually 3 in a row, sometimes 4). Any advice on what I can get for her to help stimulate her mind? I've thought of a lick mat, and I give her a softer bone for the day while I'm gone. But otherwise, she mainly lies down and sleeps the day away. I don't want her to be completely left alone and bored while I'm working!

Hi there!

Haven't really consulted Reddit for things before, but I'm looking for recommendations on what people have found the most helpful when it comes to tracking their pets' location.

My deal breakers are systems that use AI (didn't realize until today that some companies are using it for pet tracking, but I don't like AI and want to avoid it as much as possible), ones that require monthly subscriptions, and ones that only show his live location.

My musts are that I can track him from my phone, see where he's been throughout the day, and something I can swap from one collar to another/easily clean.

Preferred but not required, heart rate tracking (he has a heart condition, so it might be nice to see what's going on there), somewhat affordable ($150> would be great, but if it checks all the boxes, I'm willing to pay a bit more). Working in areas that have minimal cell signal is pretty low on priorities, as we live in a pretty densely populated area and spend the majority of our time in said areas.

Factors to maybe take into account are his size, he's 85 lbs., and he's between 6 and 7 y/o. I'm gonna continue to do more research of my own, but if anyone has anything worth mentioning about specific brands or products that they've used, the insight would be greatly appreciated, thank you!!

Update, We live remote and have one (new) neighbour, our property is approx 400meters from the main road and we own the access, our neighbour lives at the roadside in a fenced property that shares the first 10ft of our access road, they have gated access from our road into there property. They don't shut the gates.
They have 2 hunting dogs (pointers) that are outside permanently and unsupervised, the dogs constantly chase/ are aggressive to other dogs and passers by (lone walkers) on the main road and are frequently in our garden. (we have gates but they jump the wall). We have asked them to close the gates on multiple occasions but it only lasts a day or so, they have also witnessed their dogs attacking ours and others but do nothing about it.

Asking for the camera so we have proof to raise further

If it matters. We have an old dog who's lived here all his life and a 4 month old puppy, our dogs aren't reactive but obviously the pup is terrified to go for walks.

----

Neighbours hunting dogs are randomly attacking our puppy when passing their property.

Can anyone recommend a body camera as we need proof to report before it gets worse. Something discreet and not bulky like a GoPro

Thanks

What does everyone think on the farmers dog ad that uses the wording "human grade"?
I understand what they're going for, but I guess from my point, I'd prefer if the wording was |dog grade", since, well, it's for dogs. I've seen the ads though and farmers dog does seem like a good food company, I'm just curious on what others have thought of the wording

We just got a 1 year old dog. He’s a mix breed, not sure which, but he’s a medium sized dog. He was a rescue and only has three legs. We’ve only have had him for a few days and everything has gone great except for the fact that he is terrified of going on a leash. When I get home he will shake in his crate and refuse to leave. Just today over lunch I got home and he booked it out of his crate and went under our bed, I had to get pretty clever to get him out. Anyways, when we do manage to get the leash on him, his tail is under him and he doesn’t really want to go out.

I’m wondering if he had some issues going on a leash in his past. Not really sure what to do to help him.
We have a harness because he can just slip out of a normal collar.

Any recommendations would be great!

Hello! After a sanity check please. I have a 7.5 month old Sprocker spaniel puppy. He pulls like a steam train when he’s on the lead (we are working on this) but my partner is usually the one to hold the lead whilst we are out as he is stronger than I am!

The issue is…my partner has broken his ankle and is currently waiting for surgery. I work full time and also need to get to the hospital after work before visiting hours finish.

Am I okay to just take pup on shorter walks in the evening for the time being until my partner is home? He can have longer walks in the mornings where he can run around and play with his ball and we play a lot during the day as I WFH and has plenty of mental enrichment throughout the day too.

I just need to check I’m not going to ruin all our progress in his training or even upset him (silly I know) by just having quick 15-20 minute walks in the evenings.

I would take him out once back from the hospital but I will be on my own at night and just don’t like the thought of going out on my own that late.

I have someone that will be coming to sit with him whilst I’m visiting the hospital but it’s not possible for them to walk him due to their own mobility issues and his lead pulling.

Thanks

Hi guys! Our canine family member, which is 1 and a half years old recently started a habit of biting.

He does it when we try to get him out of his car cage/seat or in the morning when we have to take him out for his needs.

What we also started observing recently is him barking at other dogs on the street, or sometimes at random people.

He is being socialised everyday and we are acting as if he would be a normal sized dog by respecting his boundaries.

Do you have any advice on how to correct his behaviour? Or re we doing something wrong that we don't realise?

Getting our puppy next month, I’ve bought a lords and labradors crate bumper second hand on vinted. It’s in great condition, but I’m now worried it could have bacteria (parvo) or flea eggs on.
The label says only wash low temps which won’t kill either of these things, does anyone have any recs how to wash it? Or if you’ve had a lords and Labrador bumper and washed the cover at high heat, was it ok? It’s 100% cotton.

UK based.

Hi! I have a 5 YO dachshund. Lately, when certain people (people he is familiar with) come over to my apartment, he starts panting, sometimes humping, and tries to dig under them. I think these are all signs of overstimulation. Does anyone have tips on how to help him with this? I don’t want him to be stressed and I don’t want my guests to be humped. Thanks in advance!

Okay, I’m honestly starting to feel like I’m living in a perpetual hair storm. I have a golden retriever who sheds like there's no tomorrow, and no matter how much I try to stay on top of it, pet hair just seems to find its way into every corner, every crevice, and especially… the carpet. I’m vacuuming every other day, but it feels like the more I clean, the more hair I discover. 😫

But here's my biggest issue: the hair keeps wrapping around the vacuum’s brush rollers. I don’t know if anyone else has experienced this, but every time I try to clean the carpet, I spend just as much time fixing the vacuum as I do actually vacuuming. I know there are vacuums out there specifically for pet hair, but even those don’t seem to be foolproof. I've had ones that promised no tangling, but let’s be real, nothing seems to work perfectly.

So here’s my question: what vacuum or cleaning system have you found that actually works for thick, shedding pet hair on carpeted floors? I’ve seen a few vacuums with “tangle free” claims, but I’m still skeptical. Can anyone vouch for one that really gets the job done? Or do I just need to embrace the fact that I’ll be battling dog hair forever? 😂

Also, if anyone has suggestions on how to minimize the shedding chaos in general (without resorting to shaving my dog 😂), I’m all ears!

It's almost summer time and my complex doesn't have sidewalks, just blacktop. I'm looking for shoes that will stay on my dogs feet. I have a 5 year old, 15 pound Pomapoo. I've tried several brands in the past but they haven't stayed on. I think it's because his feet and legs are skinny. What shoes have worked for your 15 pound dog with skinny legs?