u/Adventurous_Idea_517

I’m new to running with my 65 lb Belgian Malinois and trying to choose between the Ruffwear Front Range Flex and Non-stop Dogwear Rush harness.

She’s a moderate puller but mostly only really pulls when she sees another dog or god forbid a squirrel. She deals with reactivity issues so it definitely needs to be secure.

With me, she often wants to run out in front because I’m a way slower runner but she also runs with her dog walker who does around an 7-9 minute mile. Most of her runs are 3–5 miles.

I mainly want something comfortable and safe for regular running that gives her good freedom of movement and won’t chafe.

I tried a cheaper Amazon running harness and it rubbed underneath her armpits badly enough to scrape her skin. I feel horrible about it so I absolutely need to upgrade her gear ASAP and make sure I get something that fits correctly.

Has anyone used either the Ruffwear Front Range Flex or Non-stop Dogwear Rush for this type of running? Which would you choose for a dog who runs ahead/moderately pulls? Most importantly, has anyone had issues with either rubbing behind the front legs/armpits?

Thank you so much 😊

Just wanted to share! My 2 yr old foster Malinois, Nala, struggles with pretty serious reactivity. Dogs, people, kids, bikes, literally you name it and we've probably reacted to it. We've been training consistently for a year and yesterday I had one of those moments where I realized just how much progress she's actually made.

There's a woman who lives on the block next to me with a large German Shepherd. I've always thought she was a little standoffish and maybe even judgmental about Nala. A while back, we were walking on opposite sides of the street when our dogs noticed each other. Her dog made a small movement like she was going to come toward us and, of course, my dog reacts, she's barking, lunging, everything. The woman looked so scandalized, glared at me and basically backed away and ran in the opposite direction. I apologized profusely but she didn't say anything back. Ever since then, if she saw us coming, she'd turn around and walk the other way.

Yesterday I was walking Nala down her street and the woman was outside talking to the mailman. Suddenly her German Shepherd came running out of the house off leash, charged Nala, and started trying to go after her. These are two large, large dogs. Nala was understandably freaked out. She started barking while I worked on getting her away. The woman was running after her dog trying to get control of him. I managed to get Nala across the street while her dog was still extremely worked up.

But here's what I'm proud of: whenever Nala gets triggered, we've been practicing the same routine over and over. We create distance, sit, and wait until she can calm herself down so no heavy breathing or immediate pulling when we start walking again. But this time, I didn't tell her to sit; she did it on her own!!!

She was clearly stressed/agitated after having a dog charge her but she stayed in her sit. She didn't try to go back after the other dog. She didn't try to redirect onto me. She just sat there and worked through it while the other dog was still going crazy. Months ago, I can't imagine her handling that situation this way. It felt like a very rare moment where I saw that the training is making a difference and she's learning (there's been so many tears, so much frustration, guilt, anxiety, all of it).

The woman came over and genuinely apologized I told her I understood. My dog is working through a lot of reactivity and it easily could have been me in her position. She looked super surprised and said something along the lines of like "Wow, my dog has really similar issues. It's so challenging. Thank you for understanding" This morning we passed each other again. Instead of turning around or avoiding us, she gave me a huge wave and a smile, so I wanted to share this!

We really don't know what another dog owner is dealing with. I had interpreted this woman as being rude or judgmental when she might have actually been trying to manage her own reactive dog the entire time.

But I also hope the experience gave her a little more understanding of what it's like to be on the other side. When someone's dog is reacting and they're clearly trying to manage the situation and apologizing, you can just say "no worries" you can smile, just acknowledgment means a lot. Most of us with reactive dogs are already so painfully aware that our dog is making a scene but we're trying our hardest. I just feel like it's so easy and costs nothing to give other dog owners a little extra kindness and grace :)

Hi!

I'm visiting London and have been tasked with entertaining my friend's elderly parents for one evening. We're staying in Hampstead but are happy to travel pretty much anywhere.

It’s their first trip to the UK, and their tastes are I guess you could say fairly traditional…. Haha! They're not especially adventurous eaters, so I'm looking for somewhere that feels more like a classic London experience rather than the trendiest restaurant at this moment if that makes sense.

Ideally we're looking for:
-Classic British food or somewhere that just feels very London-ish
-Comfortable seating and not super, super loud
-Easy enough to get a reservation or walk in with about 24 hours' notice

Budget isn't a huge concern if it's worth it! A great pub with good food or a more traditional dining room or maybe even somewhere with a bit of history would all be perfect ☺️

Thanks in advance!

Hi! I live in an older apartment building with very thin floors and walls. I have two cats, and overall I have a good relationship with the woman who lives below me. We're around the same age and I'd like to keep things friendly.

Over the past year or so, she's texted me a few times to let me know that my cats are making too much noise in the morning. I wake up between 6:00–6:45am on weekdays for work, while she usually sleeps until around 8:00am or later.

I've genuinely tried to be considerate. I've bought rugs, put down those noise reducing floor pads underneath them, and tried to minimize noise as much as I can. But at the end of the day, they're cats. Sometimes they run around for a few minutes when they wake up, jump off furniture, or get the zoomies. You can’t train a cat to be quiet until x time, you know?

This morning she texted me at 6:15am (I was asleep at the time) and said the cats were being loud again. She specifically requested that I not allow them in my bedroom until after 8:00am because that's where she hears most of the noise.

I feel bad that she's being disturbed. I get that it sucks. At the same time, my cats have slept with me every night for the past five years, since they were about six months old. I've also lived in second-floor apartments for those same five years and have never had complaints from previous neighbors. I don't feel comfortable locking them out of my bedroom, and they're going to continue sleeping with me and moving around my apartment.

I want to stay on good terms with her and I'm open to any other reasonable steps to reduce noise but I also feel like there's a difference between excessive noise and normal apartment living noise from pets. It’s not like a dog is barking for an hour at 5am or I’m playing fetch at 6 in the morning.

Am I being unreasonable for basically saying no to her request that my cats be banned from my bedroom before 8am? If you've been in a similar situation, how did you handle it?

Hi! Hoping for some perspective from other reactive dog owners because this interaction has been bothering me for days.

A few days ago I was walking my reactive dog down my street. She doesn't love bikes, scooters, small kids, or anything small that moves fast and unpredictably. She can also still react to other dogs sometimes. She’s gotten much better but I always try to manage situations carefully and give everyone plenty of space.

One of my neighbors had her two young children biking in and out of the street and on the sidewalk. I started to cross the street to go around them but there was a man approaching with three giant dogs on that side. I didn’t want to try to squeeze through everything and everyone so I moved my dog off to the side of the street, had her sit, and waited for the other dogs to pass.

My dog sat calmly the entire time. No barking, lunging, whining, or pulling or anything. Very proud of her!!

But the mom was standing there glaring at me. I tried to be polite and explain why I was stopped in the street- I said something along the lines of like “Hi! my dog is in training and needs some space from the kids on bikes and the other dogs, so we're just going to let this man pass. Thanks for understanding!”

She didn't respond. She just continued glaring at me and told her kids to bike somewhere else. The man with the dogs passed. My dog was still sitting calmly. We crossed back over and I basically said “Thanks, hope you have a great day!"

The mom still didn't say a word to me. But while I was walking away, she suddenly started loudly yelling to everyone around us, "Stay away from that dog! Nobody go near that dog! Stay away!"

She then said she was going to make a post on Nextdoor to warn people about my dog. I was so mortified, honestly started tearing up.

What bothers me is that my dog never reacted. She sat calmly through kids on bikes, multiple dogs, and a pretty stressful situation with a lot of triggers. I thought I was doing the responsible thing by creating distance and communicating clearly. Kids can be super unpredictable and run up to dogs they don’t know, which is what I wanted to avoid.

But now I'm doubting myself. Should I have just kept my mouth shut and not explained why I needed space? Has anyone else had a neighbor react like this when you were actively managing your dog responsibly? Is there something I should have done differently? I haven’t seen any posts about my dog on Nextdoor yet but obviously having a lot of anxiety about it.

Thanks for any advice or insights or just good vibes if this has ever happened to anyone else 🙃

Hi!

I live in LA and tried to rent a car on Turo to drive to San Francisco.

The host told me that the car can’t be driven out of LA county because if something happened they wouldn’t be able to tow it back. Is this true or normal? I could understand out of state restrictions but I can’t even drive a car where I want to go within California?

Does anyone know if this is Turo’s official policy?

Thanks so much!