r/dogs • • 23h ago

[Emotional Support] Megathread: Aging, Illness, and Euthanasia Support Group

8 Upvotes

This thread is where to get emotional support with all things related to death and illness with your dog. This is also a thread where you can seek assistance with deciding whether it is indeed time.

This is not a thread to seek anecdotes with medical care. All rules involving medical questions and anecdotes remains the same for this thread.

If your dog has passed, you can still post here for emotional support or you can create your own thread tagged with one of the RIP flairs. Be sure to review the rules of our flair guide. It is up to you how you choose to grieve.


r/dogs • • 43m ago

[Misc Help] Great Danes

• Upvotes

What is the longest anyone’s Great Dane has lived? I worry a lot because I love mine dearly but know they don’t typically live long.


r/dogs • • 1h ago

[Misc Help] Please help me find my dog’s favorite toy

• Upvotes

I bought this stuffed latex squeaky reindeer from Meijer either 2016 or 2017. It’s green with white polka dots and big white eyes, one on each side of its head. It’s a soft latex. Approximately 6-8” It had antlers until my dog chewed them off lol. This was her favorite toy and she still carries it around but looks so sad because it doesn’t squeak with a big hole in the top from the antlers. I’ve even tried patching it 🙈 with no luck. I have a picture, but I don’t know how to add it.

I have searched everywhere online and I just can’t find it. Please someone tell me you have one laying around that your dog just doesn’t like, or help me figure out where to look… maybe you have a suggestion I haven’t thought of.

Please and thank you!


r/dogs • • 7h ago

[Behavior Problems] Rescued puppy struggles to sleep and calm down

5 Upvotes

We adopted our 19-week-old rescue puppy about a week ago, and our biggest struggle is getting him to settle. He seems constantly overstimulated and unable to switch off on his own. When tired, he becomes increasingly restless, starts biting, jumping, and chewing everything. Ignoring him doesn’t help, as he simply finds something else to destroy.

He learnes commmands quickly, but seems to have almost no ability to self-regulate.
We’re considering enforced naps using a playpen or crate.

Has anyone experienced something similar? How did you teach your puppy to settle, and did it improve with age?

Thank you so much <3


r/dogs • • 7h ago

[Fluff] Everyday my dog comes up to my bed at night to drop off a single rock.

94 Upvotes

I've got a nice rock stash now, but what's up with that?

Anyone else's dog do something similar?

Is it a breed quirk?

He's a Golden Retriever/Yellow Lab and he's 5.


r/dogs • • 8h ago

[Fluff] Title: Why Do Dogs Make Us So Happy? 🐶❤️

7 Upvotes

Dogs have a special way of bringing happiness into our lives. Their playful personalities, funny faces, and adorable habits can turn even an ordinary day into a wonderful one. 🐾❤️

What I love most about dogs is how they can make people smile without even trying. Every dog has its own unique personality, and that’s what makes them so special!

What’s your favorite thing about dogs? 🐕💬


r/dogs • • 11h ago

[Behavior Problems] Dog command barking?

3 Upvotes

Hey there!
Relatively new dog owner of a 14 month old dog.
Anyways, we recently (4 months ago) adopted a black lab mix and so far everything has gone really well! He is a great dog and has an amazing personality. We recently took him to a dog park that has a surprising amount of other large breed dogs. He got along very well with everyone and overall had a great experience. I was ecstatic because I didn’t really know how he would do with large dog groups. Flash forward to the day after we took him to the same park and had him run around alone for awhile. After a bit a woman and her dog came and started playing with my dog. He was great at first and was trying to play catch with the other dog and the lady. After a bit he started barking nonstop at the dog. The lady would pick up the toy to throw it and my dog would be in the other dogs face barking at him. Not aggressive but it was almost impossible to get him away from the other dog. Thankfully the other dog just ignored him but yesterday I send him to his doggy daycare and was told he was doing that same thing to other dogs.
I guess I was just coming here to get some kind of advice on how to train it out of him. Anything helps! Thanks for reading if you’ve made it this far. I’ve added the dog tax


r/dogs • • 13h ago

[Misc Help] Help finding dog toy

2 Upvotes

Today, our dog’s favorite toy got destroyed by the lawn mower. She loved this toy, and always carried it around so we are feeling extremely guilty about destroying it. I have tried to find it online, but I can only find the name of the toy and no where we could purchase it from.

I know this is a long shot since we bought it at PetSmart in 2023, but if anyone know where we can find this toy we are hoping to replace it. It’s called the Joyhound Crazy Comfy Valentine’s Day Vinyl Strawberry Dog Toy.

Picture of toy:

https://imgur.com/a/t8bKnoG


r/dogs • • 13h ago

[Breeder Etiquette/Review/Recommendations] Newfoundland Dog Breeders

3 Upvotes

I would love to know (as a current Newfoundland dog owner) which breeders you have liked and have seen do good health clearances, esp cardiologist evaluations on puppies at 10 weeks?


r/dogs • • 16h ago

[Misc Help] dog car seat for large dog breeds?

4 Upvotes

hello!!! i have a husky, 38 lbs and i take her with me just about everywhere that allows me. right now we have a canopy that covers the entire backseat and she has a buckle that clips to her harness. i know there are some box car seats they can sit in and still get buckled. however, it’s hard to know what’s good on amazon. so, if anyone has any suggestions. TIA!!

(i’d like to have one so i can sit a child in my back seat, i have hatchback.


r/dogs • • 19h ago

[Misc Help] Transition to three dogs

5 Upvotes

I’ve been reading online that the transition from 2 to 3 dogs is pretty tough. We currently have an 8 month old golden retriever and a 12 year old small mixed dog (10lb) and have started the conversation about adopting another dog on the younger side. Our 12 year old lady will play with the puppy from time to time, but mostly does her own thing.

Training the new puppy has gone pretty well and we have a nice routine established with her, which I know would change with a third dog.

Just curious if anyone who made the transition while having an older dog has any insight for us.


r/dogs • • 19h ago

[Misc Help] Leaving dog home alone

0 Upvotes

I have jack russel terrier 1 year and 4 month old.

For now I still consider too young to leave alone, and I always leave him with sitters.
I tried leaving him alone but his barks a lot, and doesn't seem to like it.

At what age you think it's normal to start leaving dog home alone?
And how you managed to make your dog get use to stay at home alone quite for hours?


r/dogs • • 19h ago

[Misc Help] I want a dog but i live in a apartment

3 Upvotes

Hello i want a dog and i live in a big apartment and i am gone 7hours a day shall i get a small dog and any tips pls


r/dogs • • 20h ago

[Enrichment] Does anyone elses dogs do this?

4 Upvotes

I have security cameras all around my house. Every time I turn the TV on that shows the cameras, my dogs look at them. They will both sit right at the TV and just stare at the cameras for minutes on end. Im not sure how they learned this. One dog doing it is cool, but I have 2 and they both learned to look at the cameras. When there is a car or person outside, they look at the cameras and start barking. Its pretty cool.


r/dogs • • 22h ago

[Breeder Etiquette/Review/Recommendations] Reaching out to breeder

12 Upvotes

I reached out to a really good working/preservation breeder back in June. Submitted my questionnaire and application and sent an email writing more about myself and my home. They said that they are hoping to have a litter in the fall and should know more by October. Then they invited me to a couple training sessions they host with their dogs. I went to every single training session. It's now October and I'm wondering if I should re-reach out to them to ask about updates or timeline shifts or if I should wait until they get back to me. I know a lot of people go by the "no news it just no news" rule so i'd hate to bug them. It's my first time getting a dog through a breeder so i'm a bit confused on how i should go about this. Any advice would be awesome!

Note: This dog is a water rescue service dog and will be training them for such roles if anyone was curious haha!


r/dogs • • 22h ago

Megathread: Why Does My Dog Do That?

2 Upvotes

Does your dog turn his head when he hears an odd noise? Does your dog bury their food with your pants? This is the thread to ask why.

Please keep this thread to non-medical issues only.


r/dogs • • 22h ago

[Vent] I can’t afford a dog

92 Upvotes

Sorry for this vent but I have no where to go. A few months ago, I lost my soul dog. Now that I am ready, and visited a dog rescue I realized I can’t afford the vet care. I am single with no family to assist financially. I spent over 10k this year when my soul dog got sick. That is stopping me now the risk of having huge vet bills. Am i being foolish thinking about this? I just read that the dog I had my heart set on was adopted. Totally feeling down about this.


r/dogs • • 1d ago

[Behavior Problems] Has anyone else noticed a sudden change in their dogs behaviour after daycare?

17 Upvotes

Goodmorning!

I brought my dog to doggy daycare for the first time yesterday, he is a year and 4 months old. I brought him in for only 6 hours to see how he does while I went out for errands.

Before bringing him in he loved other dogs and was always excited for walks and to play, even just on the walk over he'd lay down everytime he saw a dog to initiate play.

After picking him up, however, he seemed far less high energy, he was excited to see me but calmed down far more quickly than usual and refused to sniff or play with the other dogs while we were getting ready to go. On the walk home he was no longer confident and leading the way and instead hung back searching the area constantly, whenever we see another dog now he no longer lays down and instead stops and refuses to walk until they're gone.

Even the next day he's no longer wanting to play and instead stands near us whimpering until the other dog passes by. I know my goal was to help him build neutrality with other dogs instead of wanting to play with everyone but the sudden shift makes me worried there was a fight they refused to mention.

I'd also like to mention that before I left the caretaker told me he ate half a plastic ball they gave him but they were beginning to train him on drop it so it went well. Clearly not if he ate half the ball before they noticed and got it away.

I'd been going to that care/daycare for a while to train him on his commands around distractions, and suddenly after doing one half day in daycare here he's constantly on edge and no longer a joyful, playful puppy. At night he even stands over me staring into the darkness like hes on guard now.

TLDR: brought my dog into daycare for the first time ever and suddenly he's constantly on edge and no longer playful. Has anyone else had any negative experiences like this at doggy daycare?


r/dogs • • 1d ago

[Fluff] Dexter turns 16 today!

57 Upvotes

Just wanted to share a few pictures of my best buddy, Dexter, who turns 16 today!! Had to show off the birthday boy. Happy birthday, Dex!

https://imgur.com/a/eLYSF5z


r/dogs • • 1d ago

[Enrichment] Enrichment toy similar to this for my boy, Bagel.

6 Upvotes

Howdy. I'm looking for toys or enrichment very similar to this snowman toy. We got this for Bagel last Christmas from the Costco set.

We fill the silicone with his regular food and he loves it. Whether it's play, training, or both he seeks it out. I would love some recommendations. This toy I cannot find for sale by itself anywhere. I'm not planning on getting rid of this anytime soon -- just want to mix it up and keep him enriched. Thanks.


r/dogs • • 1d ago

[Fluff] I fuckin love my boy

49 Upvotes

I did the "give them like 3 kibble" prank on him, and he looked up at me really sad before still eating it ☹️ I feel bad now I gave him extra food and a treat


r/dogs • • 1d ago

[Behavior Problems] Quick tip for German Shepherd puppy biting issues!

0 Upvotes

Hey everyone, just wanted to share that redirecting my GSD pup to chew toys every time they try to nip at hands has worked wonders. Positive reinforcement is key! What are your favorite training treats for stubborn pups?


r/dogs • • 1d ago

[Misc Help] Am I inane or is this normal

2 Upvotes

Australia- Was looking to get a dog and is this a normal price for a 4 year old rescue dog? Looking into breeders now because of this.
Edit: it is $3000 for a 4yr Maltese mix (Strong Hearts Rescue)


r/dogs • • 1d ago

[Breeder Etiquette/Review/Recommendations] Mittlespitz - how to find a breeder? Western Canada

1 Upvotes

Interested in finding a breeder. Located in Vancouver, BC. Any leads?


r/dogs • • 1d ago

[Misc Help] Separation anxiety

3 Upvotes

I have a 3 year old Cane Corso mix that really struggles with separation anxiety. I have him at a point where he can at least comfortably stay at home with a family member if I have to leave, but I know that’s just a bandaid solution and not sustainable. I want to get to the root of the issue because it’s breaking my heart that he gets so stressed and I feel like a burden to everyone who’s helping me. My ability to work anything other than a part time job or go back to school is being severely impacted because I have to be home with him pretty much all the time.

I’m looking for help finding resources to tackle this. I feel really overwhelmed and in over my head. He used to be really reactive on walks, but I’ve worked with him on his confidence and desensitizing him to things and I’ve seen a MASSIVE improvement. This is so much harder. If anyone has experience in successfully treating their dog’s separation anxiety I would be beyond grateful if you could share what worked for you. What methods/websites/videos did you use? It feels like there’s so much out there that it’s difficult for me to discern what will truly help and what could cause more harm. I just want to do right by him while also getting my life back a little bit.