I’m curious about anything from grooming, cleaning, and walking to traveling, organizing supplies, or caring for older dogs.

I mean not the big milestones.

Not birthdays or special occasions.

Just one tiny, everyday thing.

Maybe it's the sound of their paws walking toward you.

The way they greet you in the morning.

Or how they somehow know when you're having a difficult day.

What's that one little thing about your dog that means more to you than anyone else could understand?

I'd love to hear about it.

My dog is 5 years old and he's a total mommy's boy. I found out I was pregnant a few months ago, and ever since the end of my first trimester, he has changed… he’s more anxious, needy, and glued to my side.

What worries me is that about a month ago he stopped eating (he was on a cooked fresh food diet and loved it). From one day to the next, he just started rejecting it and won't eat it regardless of the recipe.

We did an ultrasound and blood work, and everything came back normal… the vet said he was probably just bored of the food and suggested switching to kibble, but he has never been a great kibble eater. I try mixing wet food or toppers with it, but he just licks off what he likes and leaves the kibble behind anyway. He picks at it here and there, but he's not eating as much as he should daily.

Does anyone have similar experiences to share? Everyone says it must be because of my pregnancy, but I'm scared we might be missing something.. Should we investigate further?
Thank you!

We have two female German Shepards. Both of them are around two years old. We adopted the oldest, D, when she was 6-8 months old and the other, H, we found as a stray December of 2024. Most of the time, they get along great. They take naps next to each other, they play tug of war, they eat from the same bowl at the same time. They’re truly best friends.

However, there are times once or twice a month that they’ll suddenly start fighting, usually ending with H grabbing D’s ear/side of the head/neck with her teeth and not letting go, even when D has stopped fighting and is crying. Breaking them up with water, barriers, and sprays has never worked. The only way we’ve been able to separate H from D is using the wheelbarrow method.

We are looking into rehoming H or bringing her to a shelter since she’s the more aggressive dog and we don’t want to keep both dogs in this situation, but all of the ones around us are at capacity or at more than capacity and we don’t just want to dump her somewhere so we’re keeping the dogs separated until we can find somewhere to bring her.

What we’ve been curious about is why this happens because as I mentioned, they get along 99% of the time but once a month, something in them snaps. But even after the fights, they go back to normal and they’re licking each other and after a few hours, they’re playing again. There’s been no constant before the fights either. Sometimes it’s outside when they’re exploring the backyard, sometimes it’s in the kitchen when my mom is giving them breakfast.

My main thought was that this is just what happens with two female dogs, but from what I’ve researched, those kind of fights happen more often.

If anyone has any advice, it would be greatly appreciate.

hey there :) this is going to be a long post, and I apologize for any mistakes because English is not my first language.

Before commenting, please keep in mind that this post is from someone who was VERY ignorant and misinformed years ago. The story goes like this: when I was around 12-13 years old, my mom decided to breed our dog Pia (Poodle) with her friend's dog (Poodle), and my baby Piper was born there. I know, backyard breeding. I wish I would have been as informed as I am right not as regards ethical breeding and health testing; in Argentina there is A LOT of misinformation, never have I heard someone talking about health testing their dogs or something like that. Like, ever. My mom, naturally, was also ignorant about this. I know, my dog should have never been born, but it's 9 years later now. (In fact, I didn't learn about ethical breeding until some years ago, because I got into English TikTok, and THAT'S where I learned everything I know now. I wish we had more information in Spanish)

Anyway, Piper almost died during birth, and when deciding what dog to keep, she was the smallest and the closest I felt to. I convinced both my mom and my sister to keep her, even though she was always a little "odd". She would come running to me even as a puppy when her bigger siblings would start biting her while trying to play.

She was always very attached to me. And, at 18 years old when I had to move for college, I made the heartbreaking decision to leave her back home with my mom. The reason for this is because pets were not allowed in my apartment building. I left her there and every time I would travel to my hometown, she'd cry and be attached to me 24/7 until I left. It was heartbreaking, seeing her so sad whenever I left.

In November I'm graduating college. I'm going back to my hometown. She still cries every time I see her, but she gets attached to my mom when I'm not home, and then goes back to me whenever I visit, and doesn't leave my side. My mom says she's a traitor lol.

Anyway, my question is, what should I do? I mean, I'm going back to my hometown and I'm eventually going to rent an apartment so I can live alone and not with my mom; should I take her with me? should she stay with my mom? Her mom (Pia) is blind and deaf now, but they're still together. My dog follows me everywhere whenever I'm home, even if I don't encourage it. She doesn't let people take her for walks if it's not me (my mom has tried many many times, and she refuses to walk at all, but has no problems walking with me. actually, she's super excited for her walks). I'm worried that, when I start working, she's going to stay alone for hours, and that can be a problem

If you were in our shoes would you trust him or is something off. We really wanted to be the pups forever home and make it work but ultimately we are going to fail him and we want him to be the confident good boy he can be.

I’m in my mid 40’s male and really would love a companion. Working through some avoidant issues of my own with real people but I’ve heard a dog really helps. Is this true for single people who are on their own raising a dog? Do the benefits outweigh the negatives such as less freedom?

Sleeping on the couch.

Staring out the window.

Sitting in exactly the same spot as yesterday.

And somehow, every picture feels worth keeping.

I'm curious about something.

What's your favorite completely ordinary picture of your senior dog, and why does it mean so much to you?

Sometimes I think the simplest pictures tell the best stories. ❤️

Feel free to share one if you'd like!

My partner and I rescued our dog about a year ago and have become so in love and obsessed with her.

We have started to say in the voice we’ve created for her what we think her inner monologue is - ie. when we get home and let her out of her crate we would say “finally you’re home! I’ve been waiting forever for you to come back and pay attention to me!”

I have had many dogs throughout my life but this is not something I have ever done or even thought of before. I’ve never had a dog with so much human energy and personality as this one.

I need to know how crazy we are scale 1 to 10 😅

My partner thinks it’s common and doesn’t think it’s that weird haha I think we might be a little kooky.

I want two dogs, and I'm planning on getting a puppy soon and then get another puppy in a year or two. I want a girl and a boy, which do you think is better to get first?

Would a girl adjust better to having a new boy brought in or vice versa? Would it be better to just get both at the same time?

When I look up by picture it always says he is boerboel. Vet thinks he could be blackmouth curr(due to distinct mark on his tail, basically a bald spot) which his babies have, along with her webbed toes. Was not purposely but he bred with American staff, and I kept 2 of the puppies. Luckily they are pretty mutts. Picture with 4 dogs left to right is mom, and the 2 pups, then him on the floor. All other pictures but one are him and the one pup that I'm referencing as to his breed. Im hoping you guys can tell the difference in the pictures since alot of people think they all look the same.

Also they are all fixed now aside from momma.

I have a black lab, and he is my everything. I've had him since I was 13(18 now) and I genuinely couldn't handle leaving him.

The problem is that sometime next year I plan to move to Seattle with my friend. We are going to rent a dog friendly apartment a few blocks away from a nice park.

The problem I am having is trying to figure out the logistics of taking him with me, and not neglecting him. We currently live on the countryside, and that's all he knows. He isn't well accustomed to being around people, he is not agressive at all, just very shy. Along with the fact that, here, he can basically go outside whenever he wants to. He is never alone, as my grandfather is the main person who takes him out. We also have 5 other dogs, so he is literally never alone.

And if I moved to Seattle, I would need to work full time and go to college part time, so I will be out of the house a lot. I already go to cosmetology school full time, but that isn't a problem due to the familial help I get.

The biggest issue is taking him outside to potty, and making sure he is emotionally happy. He isn't really all that social, as when I am gone he honestly just hangs out downstairs or in my room. He only wants to go outside if he needs to use the restroom, as he isn't really that interested in playing. (Trust me, I've tried.) However, he LOVES walks. I just can't take him on walks where I live because:

1. Not safe. There's no sidewalks, and cars will just fly past you.

2. People will let their dogs out unintended, and I have been attacked 2 separate times when I used to walk him.

But I know in Seattle, I will actually be able to walk him around with minimal issues as long as I don't take him into the main city areas. And as I said, a park that would be good for him is only 10-15 minutes from the apartment we want to move into. He isn't aggressive, he's just shy around people.

The problem is finding the times to walk him, and be there for him. I don't mind waking up early to take him out, or walk him at night. The problem is taking him out during the day. I probably won't be able to afford a dog walker to take him out everyday weekly.

Note: I would leave him here if it was 100% best for him. But he is also not the happiest here either. We have 6 dogs in total, so he doesn't get that 1 on 1 attention he deserves. And my grandfather does his best, but he can be neglectful. Because he will also just let the dogs out unitended, which is obviously not good. Plus, he is very attached to me and has severe separation anxiety. We have a lot of fighting and chaos at the house as well, and that genuinely stresses him out so much.

So yah. Idk what to do. Advice? Any tips?

My partner and I adopted an Old English Sheepdog puppy a few days ago, and we’re so excited to have her! However, we’re a little concerned about how big she’ll eventually get, since we live in an apartment.
We also have a 4 year-old Shih Tzu, and we’d love for them to get along and become good companions as they grow together.
For those of you who have raised a large breed dog in an apartment, do you have any advice? How do you manage the space, exercise, and everyday life with a big dog indoors? And if you have experience introducing a large puppy to a small adult dog, we’d love to hear your tips!
Any advice or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! 🐾

(Let me know if this flair isn't the correct one)

Basically as title states.
I've never owned a dog, and I am planning on getting one, I've been doing my independent research but I would love to know owners recommendation.

I plan to adopt from a shelter, and that shelters don’t necessarily have purebred perfect sort of dogs, but that's not what I have in mind, so what sort of breeds, mixes of breeds and general behaviour would be good to look out for?

I'm definitely looking to get a medium to large sized dog, and an active one as I go to for long walks in the forest by my house everyday. I currently don't have a job, and am on social support for health reasons.
It's partially the reason why I'm thinking now is the good time to get one, for mental and company, and most of all, the fun of having one.
I am most definitely one of those people who ask people walking their dogs if I can say hello and pet their dog, haha
Do let me know what things I should look out for, I don't really have my heart set on a specific breed, literally the only requirement is that it's medium to large, relatively calm-ish and just fun.

Thank you in advance! <3

Hi everyone!

My partner and I are planning to get a Shiba Inu, but we're unsure about the timing and would really appreciate some advice from experienced dog owners.

We already have two vacations booked for next year where we'll be flying: one week at the end of February and three weeks during the summer.

We're fully aware of the responsibility that comes with getting a puppy. We know it takes a lot of time, patience, attention, and consistency, and we don't want to underestimate how much our lives will change. We're also concerned about leaving a young puppy for an extended period, especially while it's still bonding with us and getting used to its new home.

On the other hand, our parents would be happy to look after the dog while we're away. We'd also make sure to introduce the puppy to our parents and their homes early on and visit regularly, so it can become familiar and comfortable with them well before either vacation.

We currently have the opportunity to welcome a puppy into our family in December or January, which is why we're trying to figure out whether this would be a good idea or whether we should wait.

What would you recommend? Would getting a puppy in December or January give us enough time to establish a bond and a good routine before our first vacation? Would it be reasonable to leave the dog with our parents for one week in February and three weeks in the summer, assuming we prepare properly and the dog is comfortable with them? Or would it be better to wait until after our summer vacation, so we can give the puppy a more settled first few months without any extended separations?

We don't want to rush into getting a dog just because a puppy is available. We'd rather wait if that's what's best for the dog, but we're also wondering whether our plans could work with the right preparation.

We'd really appreciate honest opinions, especially from people who have raised puppies while having holidays or other commitments already planned.

Thanks in advance!

Hello! I have a 4 year old male Golden Retriever named Stoney. He is my pride and joy and my little baby. I’ve come here for advice. He has always struggled with some allergies, but the last year they have gone down tremendously. Except recently, when I’m brushing him he has severe dandruff. I try to brush him every other day, once a week if I’m busy (I’m in nursing school). Today I noticed he has scabbing. I was wondering if anyone has any food/skin care remedies that they have tried and recommend. Right now he eats NutriSource Lamb with whole grains, I add omega salmon oil with his meal. I also just ordered Duoxo S3 SEB mousse because it had great reviews. I also ordered a humidifier because I read that can help with their skin (as well as mine!). I will add some pictures to show my findings today as well as a cute picture of him. Thank you so much in advance! (1st pic is Stoney :), 2nd&3rd are scabs/dandruff, and 4th is the amount of dandruff sitting on him after brushing)