r/dogs

A few days ago, I made a post here asking for breed recommendations. I wanted a large dog (preferably a Great Dane) but live in an extremely small studio and didn’t think there was a good chance it would be good for the dog. I had researched a lot and kept being told by sources that I _Could_ make it work, but I still had a weird feeling and decided to make a post here. Ive wanted a big dog my whole life, and I feel like wanting a dog so desperately could’ve so easily blinded me to just accept whatever told me it could. A lot of you told me I _could_ make it work, and maybe I could’ve. But an even larger portion told me they couldn’t foresee it working. Maybe you can have a Great Dane in a studio and be happy but it would definitely be a stretch for a first time dog owner and after thinking realistically about my personal situation I decided against it. I want to thank this community for the support. to whomever finds themselves in a small space with a big dog I hope the supportive comments in my post help you (thank you to the commenters), and to those who pushed back against my idea, thank you as well. Hopefully soon I’ll be in a position where i can have the dog I always wanted while giving him the care it needs, but for the time being i just decided to volunteer at local shelters.

I'll probably be looking to get a new car within the next year or two. Right now I have a Honda Civic sedan and a 3 year old 65 pound GSD/Lab mix. We are in the car often - going for hikes or to the dog park. The back seat is not very comfortable to her, but she manages. On longer road trips, I feel bad for her because I know she would like to spread out and sleep like a hog as she does at home 😂

I would like to get something bigger for her and for me - like a Toyota Tacoma double cab, but I'm worried about her getting up and out of it in her older years. I know I can get those little stairs or ramps to help - but just wondering if that becomes a pain, from people who have used them. I like Hondas and Toyotas for their reliability, otherwise I might consider a Suburu Outback - I think it's more space but lower to the ground?

For context, I will keep a car until it dies so I won't just trade the truck out for a smaller car down the line. And we probably will always travel in the car a lot because it's her favorite thing to do. And yes, my entire life revolves around my sweet dog, lol, so she is a big factor when considering a new car.

So, people with bigger dogs: What vehicle do you drive and what are the pros and cons of transporting the dogs in them?

Edit: considering space, but also and primarily the height of the vehicle, for further down the years in her old age.

I just want to share how proud I am of my Labrador for being the best girl ever. I sometimes get anxious at night and struggle to breathe from it, and I always wake up with her acting as a weighted blanket. This morning she was resting her head over my neck and lying right next to me when I woke up, and I felt much more well rested after that. Power to all labradors in the universe, they are so kind and well behaved.

Also sorry if this is not a fully fleshed out post I got like 3 hours of sleep despite her help, but I was just too proud I had to share.

A lot of people have a single dog while others have multiple, what is the psychology behind it. Do single dog owners want to have more dogs or are you fine? And why?

My 8yr old dog seems to dislike swimming and water in general. She's generally a confident dog and I can convince her to go in the water but she usually will come straight out again. Shallow water is ok but she seems scared by actually swimming and will panic if she gets too far out. Like instead of swimming normally she will flail her legs everywhere.

I really want her to be able to swim since it's good for their fitness as they get older. Does anyone have any tips please? She's also not very interested in toys so throwing them in the water doesn't help.

Hi all,

I have been considering getting another dog in about a year and I think it would be nice to adopt. However I live in a country without street dogs/dog shelters and most of the ways to adopt a dog is usually by getting a dog that is being rehomed (sadly most of this cases are for dogs with reactivity issues or that need to live in a farm) or import street dogs from other countries, which comes with lots of paperwork and you won’t get to meet the dog until you have already adopted it (which might not be ideal).

Therefore I would like to ask people from countries where there are no street dogs/shelters, have you found a way to adopt a dog? If so, how? And how did it went afterward?

Thanks for all the answers in advance!

as the title says, I'm interested in your solutions, how do you transport your small dogbon a bike?

Basket? What kind? Front? Back?

It would help if someone has a solution for a gravel bike.

I would like to ask you for pictures and where you bought it and how satisfied you are, if you made it yourself, how?

thanks a lot in advance, my parsson russell Trouble can't wait to see what good idea you will treat us with

4th of July is here and this year brings both fireworks and thunder, both of which scare the fuzz off my dog. I have him wrapped up in a blanket and am sitting with him, he won't drink or eat treats.

Is there anything else I can do for him? I'm just petting and hugging him while he shakes and pants.

I know it’s not recommended to raise a dog by yourself but Idk if I’ll ever be in a relationship. I’m almost 30 and still struggle meeting people. I’ve desperately wanted a dog ever since my family dogs passed five years ago. Idk if I can wait until I find my person, idk if that’ll ever happen.

Is it possible to take care of one by yourself? Do my work hours work in my favor or against me?

Sitting here trying to comfort my scared doggos from the sky booms. Is there anywhere in the US that actually enforces no fireworks?

They were both outside dogs but we always thought they didn't like each other much so we gave them there own spots. But since one has passed (we think he was killed by someone that was trying to break in). Our rockweiler hasn't barked, not as energetic and not really eating. Is there anything we can do or will time just have to pass. We didn't let him near the body but it was there long enough to were it swelled up and he could see it.( we were on vacation). He also saw use move the body away.

I have a rescue that I rescued 6 years ago. We have had issues with him tearing up the house when it rains for 6 years. We have tried everything. Thundershirts, all kinds of meds, music, etc etc. if you suggest it, we have tried it. He’s awful. And he’s getting worse as he gets older. I can’t ever leave my house. And me and my husband both work, so we have to when it rains sometimes. I have no choice. If I lock him up, he destroys the walls, if I don’t lock him up he will tears all my carpet off of the floor and shred it. If I drug him he does the same stuff. Nothing will work. I’m at my whits end with it. I just spent so much money fixing my house up for other things and he just destroyed it all. I just don’t know what to do at this point, nothing is going to work. The vet has no other suggestions. I’m not even going to lie, I have thought about putting him to sleep since he’s old anyways. I just can’t have him rip my house to shreds anymore. Does anyone have any off the wall ideas? Or any advice?? Bc if he wasn’t so old, I would be rehoming him.

How does one overcome fear of dogs
I avoid walking near them
I see them everyday and still get scared af

Hi! I was just curious about some methods to prevent my dog from eating things he shouldn’t. He’s about a year and a half and has lately been digging in the bathroom trash. I’ll come home from work and he’ll be hiding under my bed or in his crate while chewed up *used* tissue,papers and now even tampons 🥲 are scattered around my bedroom. I’ve crated him after doing this, I’ve reinforced “drop it/leave it,” and made it a habit to always close my bathroom door, but it doesn’t help that it’s a pull down kind of lock so he can open it 🫠.
Any tips on how to keep this from happening?

One of my girls pees almost like a boy. That is she doesn't pee all at once but just a little bit several times during a walk. I can't figure out if she is marking her territory or she is just so excited to walk she can't be bothered to stop for more than a second. Any idea what is going on? Note she is spayed, 1 1/2 years old. I am used to boys doing this but never saw it by a girl.

Our senior Chihuahua is reacting more to fireworks noises than in previous years. Tramadol works just after she takes it, but it wears off quickly. What's worse is that she continues to be anxious long after the noises stop. Last night she had several accidents and we couldn't get her settled down until 3 a.m. Would blocking her ears with something help?

Everyone was so helpful with my question yesterday about my new baby who was stuck upstairs, so I thought I’d ask another question here. My new dog pulls a lot on a leash and doesn’t know that many commands from being moved from the shelter to foster home to the shelter and back to a foster home. I helped train the family dog when I was younger, but I only did an okay job. This is my first time doing training courses for a dog. I want to set him up for success!

Recently adopted a 5 year old Siberian Husky from a shelter. He was given to the shelter because the family who owned him from puppy hood, until now, were moving and couldn't take him. Yesterday was our third day with him. My wife and I went out to lunch for an hour to see how he acts home alone (We live in an apartment) and everything seemed fine. A bit of whining at first, but fine. Tonight I went to work, and when I came back, the entire apartment was torn apart. Blinds were eaten and carpet chunks were missing. This could get us evicted. I tried putting him in a kennel with the tv on and a blanket that smelled like me in there, but he barked so loud you could hear it from the street. I tried melatonin treats, they did nothing clearly. I had walked him for two hours directly before I left, so he should have been tired out. He has plenty of chews and toys to play with as well. I have work tonight and I'm completely lost on what to do.

I live on a property with 3 other homes spread apart. Recently a family moved into one of the homes and the kids started feeding my dog. So now she goes over there all the time and she doesn’t come when I call her.

She did this in the last place we lived with another family but for the last year she was sooooo good about staying home and not wandering off.

I live abroad in an open air style home, so it’s hard to contain her inside and I love giving her the freedom to be outside when she wants.

But the problem is, I take it so personally that she chooses to spend time with the families over me. I internalize it like I’m not good enough for her. And it makes me mad and sad that she isn’t loyal to me.

I know it stems from my own history that I think that way. But it’s such a trigger for me and then I end up getting really mad at her.

She’s a rescued street dog and really such an angel. I’ve taught her over 30 tricks so she’s very well trained but still had the tendency to leave when tempted by food or families.

I honestly don’t know what to do except keep her locked inside. But even then, every chance she’ll get to escape she will and it’s so hard because the doors are open all day.

I will talk to the family and get them to stop feeding her, but already after just one day my dog went back to their house so she learned that fast. And the family had her locked inside so she couldn’t get out which also really bothered me because she’s my dog and I don’t know them.

Any advice?

Hey everyone. My dog is 9.5 years old and around 83 lbs.

Thinking of switching back to a harness instead of a collar. Looking for very breathable harnesses etc. tell me why you like it. Thanks for your time.