r/Dogowners

Looking to get an estimate of how many times on average people are walking their dogs. I’m building a new app to help people start tracking their dogs walks and kind of gamify / make it competitive with your friends who also have pets. Any feedback is appreciated!

My german shepherd is 8 months old. He knows to go outside to potty and I take him out 3-4 times a day. He will go no problems outside. He wont hold it though if he is in the house and he has to go and will just poop on the floor at free will, especially if nobody is around at the time.

Shouldnt he be able to hold it more? Am i doing something wrong or is 3-4 times a day enough or should it be more often?

He has liver cancer, mostly asymptomatic so he isn't in pain, but his appetite comes and goes. We just give him whatever he wants at this point. All his life, he has been a somewhat reactive dog and he gets very excited on walks, often making himself sick with it, so that combined with his weight loss and weakness, we haven't taken him out much. All the treats and all the pets, but it feels so underwhelming. His last days should be made more special for him. We always said we would give him a big roast dinner before he dies but here we are and he just doesn't have the appetite for it. Is there anything else to do but wait?

I’m getting an 8-week old puppy soon and am totally overwhelmed by the sleep at night thing. My plan was to let her sleep in the main downstairs crate with a Snuggle Puppy. Now, after watching umpteen You Tube videos I’m grappling with getting a small crate for upstairs or an Elevated Dog Bed that elevates to the height of your bed. I’ve seen one advertised on Chewy and Amazon. Also, would a pet carrier work for sleeping at night? I know I could get good use out of that for vet visits. I realize I’m probably overthinking all of this but help, please!

Thought about this cause I've seen a few cat lovers on the internet talk about how dog owners "only like control" and that we "don't care about consent and boundaries". Some people speak like dogs are robots that never experience things negatively and that's why we like them? (I like cats btw, and never understood the rhetoric that a cat's love is hard to earn since they're usually very sweet creatures and it's been quite easy, but that's off-topic).

All I can think when I see that stuff is, like, no? Dogs have very clear boundaries and all sorts of personalities. They're extremely trainable, yes, but that's because they're much more blended with human society than cats or any other animal and they often have actual jobs (and they do know it's a job). I just think that's very impressive and not so different from people who get trained to do their own jobs and behave properly in society. Yes we need to train our dogs, because they go out to the public and can be in danger, or a danger to others, if you don't guide them. Yes we know better than them and they need to understand this. NO that doesn't mean it's ok to cross your dog's boundaries. I think these things are very different.

A dog WILL let you know when they don't like whatever you're doing to them. It's absurd to believe they don't.

My own current dog is only about nine months old, very young and still learning, and I try to respect her boundaries. She's not the greatest fan of getting pets. She'll let me know by turning her face away when she doesn't want it (or walking away), and she will come to me when she does. The only time she's ever growled at someone was at my mother, because she just kept touching her face and neck even after she turned her face away. I was very surprised, but it made sense. That's just the way dogs let you know they don't like something after you've ignored all other signals, and if they bite after that, that's on you. That's not an agressive dog, that's a dog that wants their personal space respected.

I don't know if having a pure bred dog is super different, I never had one. Mine's a rescued mutt that barely resembles a greyhound, but smaller. I know she's a LOT, LOT harder to train than a well bred dog, but is this aspect of their personalities different too? Do these people have a point?

[Portsmouth, NH] We’ve traveled to many places across the U.S. and internationally with our 9-pound poodle, and we’ve never had an experience quite like this.
When we visited this town during the summer, we were surprised by how few places were dog-friendly. Most restaurants didn’t allow dogs—even on their outdoor patios—and many parks, including some state parks in New Hampshire, prohibited dogs altogether.
What made it even more frustrating was that AI and Google indicated these parks were dog-friendly. But when we arrived, there were large signs at the entrances clearly stating that dogs were not allowed.
There were only a handful of places—mostly bakeries—that welcomed dogs on their outdoor patios. Because of that, whenever we wanted to have a proper lunch or dinner, we had to walk to Kittery or drive to another town in Maine.
While I appreciate that many shops put out water bowls for dogs, it feels contradictory to be welcoming in small ways while banning dogs from parks and outdoor restaurant seating. For travelers with well-behaved dogs, it makes the area much less enjoyable and far less pet-friendly than expected.

We've got a dog on a few different meds at different times, and between me, my partner, and the kids sometimes helping out, we've had a couple of close calls where nobody was sure if a dose had actually been given or not.

I've seen people here mention sticky notes, Google calendar reminders, even a homemade IoT button - which honestly sounds brilliant. Just curious what everyone else does, and whether a simple shared app (where whoever gives the dose taps it and everyone else gets notified) would actually be useful, or if that's solving a problem that doesn't really exist for most people.

Not selling anything, genuinely just trying to figure out if this is a real gap or if I'm overthinking it.

Like I can teach dogs how to sit, paw ect but I want to know if there is any dog trainers out there who provide loads of videos on stuff such as pulling ect
I know there’s mcmahondogtraining but I just need some opinions

I’ve had my puppy for a month now she currently 14 weeks old and I feel like she does not like me

I make sure she has everything she needs I train her, play with her, try to be fun and interesting but i don’t think she likes me, I feel like she just tolerates me because I feed her

When I haven’t seen her for a while she does get excited but when I sit down or start to play with her she just does her own thing, which is great bc I don’t want her to become really anxious when I leave to do things but at the same time I feel like she loves being around my other family members so much more

It’s just really upsetting as I love her so much and I want to be her favourite person but I don’t know how I can do that for her

I know she’s a puppy still and a bond takes time , but i feel like the bad guy when I’m disciplining her not because I do it a mean way it’s just I say “no” to her and take anything away anything which she’s not ment to have bc no one else in my family does and now she never wants to be near me every time i go near her or give her a toy she will sit away from me and sometimes not on my bed anymore ( i have stairs so she can get on my bed )

I’ve been trying to hand feed her near me and treat her when she sat on my lap but I don’t know if it’s helping much

I feel so confused as I keep comparing me and my puppy to me and my sisters and her puppy loves her and sits of her laps,
Plays with her and her puppy even gets excited to see me and sit on my laps

I know puppy’s are all different but I wish she could be a bit more cuddly or even give me a bit more attention

TW: death

Hi everyone, I’m looking for some advice - ideally from someone who has had a few bichons over the years.

For background: I had an amazing bichon, the best wee guy, my little shadow. We lost him when he was nine, total shock. He had a heart attack and died one night, totally healthy, no indication of any issues. Genuinely healthy, no problems, clean bill of health from the vet, and suddenly just gone. I was devastated. He was just the best. And he just died, no warning.

That happened just under two years ago and I’m still coming to terms with it. I thought we had years more together.

In the last few months I’ve started to think I am ready for a dog. Not a “new dog” like a replacement. Just… a dog. A new member of the family. Nothing can replace our last dog, but I think we’re ready for a new addition. We’re a family of three (son is 9). He wants a dog, I want a dog, my husband wants a dog. We’re all aligned. We’re a dog family and there’s a hole where our old dog used to be.

BTW I’m not saying the name of our old dog because I need to retain my anonymity, but please know I don’t call him “our old dog”!! He has a name!

I wanted to ask people who have lost dogs before - how do you do it? How do you bring a new dog into the family after a loss?

I have a lot of allergies, and bichons are really the only dog I can tolerate without serious reactions (ended up in hospital a few times after a stray hair or a nip). Bichons are weirdly ok. My face puffs up a bit, but that’s a small price to pay for these wee guys!

How do you do it? You’ve had one, they’re such a big part of your life. You get a new one - does it bring back the memories of the first one? Does it have the same face? Bichons look so similar, I feel like I would see this new puppy and think “my old dog did this too”.

I really want a dog as part of our family, but I don’t know if I’ll mess it up for everyone if I can’t handle my grief here.

Has anyone gone through this? Any advice? Thanks!

Anyone use dog GPS dog trackers such as Fi or Tractive, etc.? I have been running across Tractive commercials and was thinking about buying one for my dog for hiking/walking purposes to keep track of her health vitals. But at the same time I don't feel like it justifies enough to buy and have a subscription especially she's kept on leash and we have a fenced yard. For owners who have these trackers, what are your thoughts/experience? Was it worth the money for you?

I have a 6 year old Border Collie and he keeps pacing the back door and jummping against it hard. We dont want him to stay inside because when hes inside he just stares at shadows. I thought it was anxiety but we constantly give him enrichment. He has other dogs to play with and toys because we originally thought it would help him. He has done this for a long time and ive posted about this before but had no help. I just dont know how to help him. We give him room to run around and play but im at a loss.

Hello! My partner and I are hoping to welcome a Shiba puppy into our home, however, we travel a fair bit. Is it advisable to leave our Shiba at home (with a trusted house sitter) or is this a bad idea?

This has happened to me like three times now and I'm baffled.

I'm walking my dog - 25lb poodle mix. I turn a corner or it's dark out and I get within maybe 10 yards of someone and their big ass pup. Dog starts lunging and barking and it takes me a literal second to assess as they catch me off guard. I need to know if they have handle on their dog and if I need to pick mine up or something. They are always struggling to wrestle their dog(s). I'm already walking in the other direction. Then, they yell something along the lines of "get your dog away!". Now, I know what you're thinking. Maybe they just want it to be over. Maybe they're trying to urge me. But one of them called ME an idiot while wrestling THREE big aggressive pups unable to move them away. And the other two had this attitude like it was MY fault? I'm already walking away...lady, if you lose your grip on that leash I need to be ready. And I'm already walking away. My question is, why are people like this? Is it lack of accountability? Coping? I've never said anything back out of sheer confusion.

Edit: my dog is on a short leash. Again, it's dark outside and we're both turning a corner. Accidents happen. But I don't expect an insult for not running for my life in the literal second you gave me. Get your dog professional training if you're unable to train it yourself.

Recently I've been trying address my dog's issues to the online community on reddit etc.

Honestly I didn't benefit or "learn" anything about dogs here; except that the online dog communities are rather unhinged and that members need a reality check.

It seems that they're only competing among themselves as to who's the biggest dog nutter.

On the other hand; I've come to see that dog owners are the one's in need of professional help - in the sense that they struggle with society and with connecting to people but somehow they can connect to a dog.

It doesn't make you any better than the next pal just because you feel a connection with an animal.

In fact, I'd be worried around such a person bc they lack the means to connect to humans.

Once again, the online community keeps pushing an aggressive agenda on how owners should humanise their dog, misinformation and spending more time, energy and resources on said animal - the sky is the limit.

That's clearly crazy.

I've never been verbally abused and threatened by any online community except those of dog owners.

At this point it's fair to say that they can take their so-called ( jaded ) knowledge, wrap it up in a burrito and sit on it.

My point here is that online dog owners seem desperate, lonely and they're not what I'd call the cream of the crop - and their using a dog to fill some inner voids is bc they can't attract a decent human being.

For example; I tried asking about my dog begging for food etc and the answers I got were contradicting in nature.

One crowd screamed "It's all YOUR FAULT bc you keep feeding him scraps.."

While the other crowd screamed "Why not give him some of your scraps...what's the big deal ?? You're a horrible person.."

One nutter even crossed the lined sending threats like "Don't you dare place your dog outdoors.."

Bro, are you in your right mind or are you telling me what to do with my dog ? Can you feel a connection to my dog from across your keyboard ??

Back to humanising dogs; where do you draw the line ?

⚠️ Warning to Dog Owners – Please Read Before
Choosing a Boarding Facility

If you’ve had an experience with this facility and would like to share a genuine review, you’re welcome to post it here. There’s a chance your Google review may be reported and removed by them just like all the others “bad” reviews, so this can be a place to ensure your experience is heard.

I’m sharing my experience because my Google review was reported and removed, and I want other pet owners to have access to the information before making a decision.

This is probably the 100th time I’ve had to write this. My genuine Google review keeps getting removed, along with reviews from other people. Instead of addressing the concerns being raised, all they seem to be doing is reporting negative reviews. Whenever a bad review disappears, there often seems to be a sudden surge of positive reviews within the hour.

Several people have also come forward to me saying they left Google reviews stating that they believed the punishment style used during training was harsh and involved excessive leash tugging, and they told me those reviews were removed as well.

I left my dog at Safe K9 Boarding & Training Dubai for approximately one month. Prior to boarding, she had never been around other dogs and had very limited exposure outside the home. She appeared completely healthy when I dropped her off.

Within a day of picking her up, she developed respiratory symptoms and was hospitalized. A respiratory PCR panel later came back positive for two contagious respiratory infections: Bordetella bronchiseptica and Mycoplasma.
I understand that boarding facilities can never guarantee a dog will not become sick, especially in environments where many dogs are together. My concern was not the illness itself, but how my concerns were handled afterward. I asked whether further investigation would be carried out for the wellbeing of other dogs and whether additional preventative measures could be considered in the future. I did not feel my concerns were taken seriously and their responses were very defensive.
I am not telling anyone what conclusion to reach. I am simply sharing my documented experience, which includes veterinary records, PCR test results, invoices, and communications.

I would also encourage people to read not only the positive reviews, but the business’s responses to negative reviews. In my opinion, the way a business responds to criticism can tell you just as much as the reviews themselves. Also keep in mind that genuine negative reviews may not remain visible. My own review has repeatedly been removed, and I’ve also seen other reviews discussing infections and other negative experiences disappear over time.

As a pet owner, watching your dog struggle with an illness is heartbreaking. I encourage anyone considering a boarding facility to do thorough research, ask detailed questions about health protocols, and make the decision they feel is best for their pet.

I adopted my 3 months old dachshund a month ago, and wasn't able to train him well at all for mostly doing his business outside and biting me (but wait- he can seat!).

I was looking for a course online and saw Ethan Mcmahon a lot on Instagram and loved his videos.

I saw that he has a complete puppy training course but I saw it costs **150 dollars.**

Because of what I consider a high cost I searched for reviews online but didn't find anything.

Anyone tried this course and has any opinion?

Do you have any other recommendations? it's really tough and I am really desperate.

Thanks