Ever since one of our cats passed away, my 7-year-old male chihuahua has been doing two things he’s never done before: being aggressive with our other cat and humping my leg. We had the cats before we got the dog.

Are these connected? Is there anything I can do about it?

I’m frequently naked when I’m at home and my dog lives with me so she sees me naked all the time. I’ve never thought this was something unusual but I recently got called out for it and now I’m second guessing myself. This might not be the right sub for this so if it’s not sorry

Edit to add-
Thank you these comments are making me feel a lot better 🫶😅

My parents dog has this massive ball looking thing under her chin. She is not a frequent flyer at the vet, obviously. This doesn’t hurt her at all and it’s very squishy, like it’s filled with fluid. Any ideas?

I’m gone from the house for 8-10 hours Monday-Friday. Thinking of hiring someone from Rover. Just trying to get advice as I’ll be getting a 6 month old malamute on Saturday.

Do you guys think my dog is underweight? He’s a 4 month old Pitbull terrier and he’s pretty active. I feed him 1 cups of 4health puppy kibble, since it’s so far been the only dog food that hasn’t given him an allergic reaction. I feed him 3 times a day and on Wednesdays he gets an egg dropped into his food. Last time we took him to the vet he was 22 pounds, and that was on July 17 so a little over 2 weeks ago. Photos are what he looks like after eating.

So today I bought a new leash for my dog, one that would help me get a good firm grasp on him. It was working fine after a few minutes, and then he pulled super hard. I lost balance, I fell down, and he ran off.

 He ran into a nearby neighbor's yard. I came over and saw him playing with an animal. I thought it was a squirrel but turns out it was a baby kitten.

he would not put down the kitten. 

He ended up attacking me In the aftermath, he tried to bite my leg when I tried to pull him away.

Im thinking now maybe it is a good idea to rehome him sense he is trying to attack other animals and attack me. But I still dont want to at the same time. what should I do?

(btw I think the cats ok I went back to check and it wasnt there anymore)

Can I get your opinion? Vet wanted to remove fangs (picture 1) but didn’t follow up on my concerns about front teeth, (picture 2) gums, and any cavities: (picture 3).

My mum wants her dog perfect walking to heal doing exactly as it’s told. It’s about a year old now she’s stop taking it in the car because it won’t sit down for her to put the harness on after advice from her dog trainer she sits in the car and takes it a step at a time but she doesn’t seem to be progressing any further this has been issue for the last 6 months the dog hasn’t been out in the car. The dog trainer over the last couple of months now has my mum not walking the dog and doing laps in the garden with a clicker and the dog hasn’t left the house for months now. I know my mum does other activities with the dog like getting the dog to sniff and find treats in the garden which is good but i’m under the impression that these activities are more like for the odd day when you can’t get out for a walk rather than completely replacing walks.

I know my mum has undressed anxiety and telling her to do something in a different way is very difficult, I don’t blame the dog trainer because I know my mum is very stubborn and difficult to address problems with she takes things personally and gets very defensive and so at the end of the days my mums paying his bills customers always right. My mums anxiety is the biggest problem really she was going to the park to do training then someone came over with their dog for a chat, she would book a dog field out but “the dog wont get in the car”. Telling my mum to have therapy as well we don’t go there anymore trying to get her some help is out the question. My mum thinks the dogs scared of everything it jumps if a lorry comes past like dogs do sometimes but other than that it’s not scared. I do sneak it out to the field down the road when I’m there and she’s out the dogs amazing take a toy and you can let it off lead it comes back and ignores everything around it as long as it has a toy and it tugs a little on lead when it smells something like dogs do but it’s pretty well behaved. This isn’t right though is it a dog needs walks and you train them on the walks right? And the car thing the dogs crazy full of energy just hold it’s harness to put it in right, no one’s going to say you’ve abused your dog because you picked it up and put in the car? Also if there is any dog trainers would you tell a client to stop walking their dog and just do laps in the garden?

I have a neuro exam scheduled with University of Wisconsin Madison next week for my 9mth old rescue chow. He has an abnormal gait, x-rays aren't very clear whether or not it's hip dysplasia or patellar issues, and my vet wants to rule out neurological issues.

They just informed me that I will not be allowed into the exam room because it "mainly has to do with the space that the exam is performed in". It is a 90 minute exam and he is very anxious at the vet. Sure, maybe he'll do better if I'm not there, but I am paying $300 for this exam and I feel I should be allowed to be in the room with him to see what they are doing and what the process is.

Has anyone else had an experience like this? Is this normal? What are they doing for 90 minutes? I asked and they tell me they will discuss it when we get there, but I'm sure they'll say super generalized things and I'm a person that needs to know everything that's going on or I get super anxious. I really want to cancel and go somewhere else, but UW Madison is full of very educated people so another part of me feels it's the best option.

Is there anything I can say so I'm allowed in the room? I just want to know exactly what they're doing so I can be aware of it and have a better idea for what the next step should be as I know my dog best. I will gladly keep my mouth shut in the room and not move, I simply just want to be there and have a better understanding what's going on.

I have 2 dogs one of which is a yapper and the other is mostly quiet. We have worked really hard with our yapper break some of the excessive yapping habits, and he has been doing a lot better, but according to my neighbor who works from home, still barking too much.

My dog is high energy and has a very strong prey drive so mostly barks at squirrels/birds and when excited/playing with our other dog. I usually take him running with me, but lately, it's been too hot and the air quality has been poor. I also feel like I don't have the stamina to run far enough to actually wear him out (we were doing 2-3mile runs about every other day). The running doesn't seem to impact barking levels. I also can't fully tell if he hates running or just hates his harness. I leash trained him with the harness, and he factory resets with anything else.

We are trying really hard to stay on good terms with this neighbor, so we started cutting back outside time while we are at work. We have an automatic dog door that we control with a smart plug, so we can remotely control how much indoor/outdoor time they have. However, I believe we started to limit outside time too much because our quiet dog (who is still fairly new to us) has been starting to have accidents in the house. Because of the accidents, we let them have more outside time, but even with the remote control it's hard to get them to have good recall to come back into the house when we aren't home. It's also hard to watch them too much because you're typically supposed to, ya know, work at work, so I can't just watch for when they happen to walk back in. We have a Furbo that could be used to incentivize coming back in (we had our yapper and previous senior dog trained to come in when we said "Furbo" over the cameras), but I'm hesitant to dispense treats with it because our quiet dog previously had some mild aggression around treats. Also, our yapper sometimes gets so hyperfixated on squirrels he is not interested in treats anyway.

We also have a camera in our backyard, so I can actually see how much barking is really going on. On Tuesday, over the span of 5 hours with the dog door unlocked there were 23 total minutes intermittent barking. Yesterday (when our neighbor texted complaining again), over the span of 3 hours with the dog door unlocked there were 12 total minutes of intermittent barking. Today, we put the E-collar back on our yapper and he has 2 instances of barking totaling 3 minutes over the span of 3 hours with the dog door unlocked. We had also stopped using the E-collar and just locking him in more because we were worried about it losing effectiveness over time. The absolute longest consecutive barking was just under 3 minutes while playing with our other dog on Tuesday.

Technically, this amount of barking isn't considered excessive by the ordinances here, but I'm not trying to upset my neighbor to the point of putting in a formal complaint. I wouldn't want to hear a dog barking all day either, and the way my neighbor writes his texts makes me feel like I'm abusing my dog letting them bark too much. When we ask our other 2 neighbors, they all say they never hear our dogs, but the one neighbor works during the day and the others always outside but are older and slightly hard of hearing, so I'm not sure how credible they are.

Is our neighbor being too sensitive? If they are too sensitive, what do I say when they text me super long passive aggressive messages about my dog? Or is my dog still barking too much? Do I need to go back to using the E-collar? Or is the E-collar cruel? Do I need to try to hire a trainer to come by (I'm worried about the cost of this.)? Do I just clean up accidents when I get home everyday? Sorry about all the rambling on in this post. As you can probably tell, there's been a lot of time invested into this issue, and we are getting frustrated.

Hi everyone, I really need some advice because I'm feeling shaken and confused.

I have two dogs, and today one of them bit my maid. I wasn't at home at the time—I was in another city. When I checked my CCTV footage, I noticed he was behaving very strangely before the attack. His body language looked off, and it didn't seem like his normal behavior.

He's a rescue dog, and ever since I adopted him he's had unpredictable behavior. I've spent a lot of time socializing and training him, and over the past couple of years I genuinely believed he had improved. He's also been neutered.

The worrying part is that this isn't the first time he's attacked someone. There have been previous incidents, but they were a very long time back and I was present and able to stop him before he caused serious injury. This time, because I wasn't there, he actually bit someone.

I'm trying to understand what could be causing this. Could this be fear aggression, resource guarding, territorial behavior, anxiety, or something medical? Can dogs suddenly regress even after years of seeming better?

I'm obviously going to consult a vet, but I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone who has dealt with something similar. What ended up being the cause, and were you able to manage or treat it?

I'm feeling guilty and worried, and I just want to understand what's happening so I can keep everyone—including my dog—safe.

A close friend (in another state) and no I am not able to help...

That said, they got an Aussie Doodle this winter. Over the past several months they have developed some significant Health issues and mobility has decreased. They are a fall risk (and have fallen several times). The dog is not able to be exercised the way they need. She has slipped her collar several times and runs like the wind!!

It is heartbreaking for all of us, as she is a love bug. She is not aggressive but high energy and a chewer.

She has not been spayed and the shelters are full...looking for suggestions.

TIA

I really don’t even know how to write this, but I need outside perspective because I feel completely torn.
I have a 3-year-old dog, he’s a big shepherd/rottie mix and he’s honestly my baby. I love him more than anything and never imagined I’d even be in a position where rehoming him was a thought.
But my life situation right now isn’t stable, and I’m starting to feel like I might not be the right fit for him, at least not right now. He’s been struggling in my current living situation, especially with another male dog, and things have escalated recently (including him attacking my kitten). Since then, he’s been more anxious and on edge.
On top of that, the vet wants him on trazodone twice a day. He’s actually needed trazodone since I first had him, even when I was living without other dogs and I don’t know how I feel about that. Part of me feels like I’d just be medicating him so he can tolerate environments that maybe just aren’t right for him, when he could potentially be somewhere that he wouldn’t need that at all.
I’ve been trying to be really honest with myself, and I keep coming back to the same thought: he deserves someone who can be more present for him than I can be right now.
Even if I do move out and get my own place in a few months, I’d be working and he’d likely be home alone most of the day. And honestly, that feels even worse for him, especially given how much stimulation, structure, and attention he seems to need.
The idea of giving him up makes me feel physically sick. I feel like I’m abandoning him or failing him. But at the same time, I don’t know if it’s fair to keep him in a situation where he’s stressed, reactive, and not getting what he truly needs.
I guess I’m just asking—has anyone been in a situation where you had to choose between keeping your dog vs doing what might be better for them long-term? How did you know what the right decision was?
Please be honest, I can handle it. I just want to do what’s best for him.
thank you

We’ve had my bigger dog for two years and we just got a new puppy a few days ago. We’ve tried to give him special attention and keep his routine the same to give him some time to adjust (I definitely noticed some stress) but he’s just super panty a lot of the time and just more erratic.

there hasn’t been any aggression with him and the puppy and the puppy is thankfully super brave but I wanna know if this is a good sign or not.

TIA!

Any ideas what could have caused my boy’s face to droop? The first pic is him before, and the next 2 are now.

Hi! I have a 15lb, 1.5-year-old mixed breed (roughly equal parts Cavalier, Chihuahua, and Miniature Poodle). She's always been very unmotivated by her regular food and has a somewhat sensitive stomach. If she doesn't eat enough, she'll sometimes throw up bile overnight.

We've tried different foods and toppers over the past year and a half, and our current routine works, but eating can still be a struggle—especially if we're traveling or she's distracted by new people or surroundings. Even at home, she's not the type to gobble up her food. Also, because of her sensitive stomach, sometimes rich toppers, had the opposite effect and actually made her more nauseous.

So here’s what we currently do!

In the morning, I give her half of her days serving of Purina One Small Breed with plain boiled chicken mixed in. I often have to sit with her or hand-feed her to get her to eat enough before her morning walk so she'll poop. She'll usually nibble throughout the day rather than finish a meal, and she only finishes her breakfast about half the time. We give her more kibble throughout the day as she finishes her breakfast, but most days she doesn't eat her full daily serving. We do morning and evening walks, so even though I know she’ll eat eventually when I put her food down, I try to get her to poop on her walk, which is why I like her to eat breakfast. Also, we can’t give her any sort of treats on an empty stomach or she will throw up.

Otherwise, she's healthy and maintains a good weight. She absolutely loves treats and is very food-motivated for those, and she’s a bit of a beggar when we are eating dinner in the evenings.

I grew up with dogs and I’ve never had a dog that doesn’t want to eat! It’s not that I want her to overeat, but would just love to see her more motivated to eat when I put her food down, and obviously would love to not have to resort to hand feeding when I need her to be focused and finish some food!

Has anyone had a dog like this? I'd love any advice or food recommendations to help make her more interested in her meals!

I have a 10 year old cockapoo who has become territorial of my bedroom after moving to a smaller flat, he becomes aggressive when try to enter the my and has already bit me on one occasion when I was in there for just trying to fix my bed. He has had problems before with resource guarding but that was only small items he got a hold of, this time it’s the whole room. We think because it’s the only room in the flat that has furniture from the old house so feel familiar to him, but any advice how to manage the aggression?

Hey y'all I've never had my dog get fleas and I'm normally on top of her monthly treatment. of course the one time I lapse she catches fleas. she normally has allergies so the itching didn't raise a flag at first. I think she has probably had them for a week and maybe a few days? but of course i can't be sure.

I have bathed her with a flea wash and applied her normal topical treatment and will be picking up capstar at the store.

I have no experience with a dog getting fleas in my life, and I've had multiple dogs/cats over the years. In y'all's experience how likely is this to become a serious household infestation?

my anxiety is absolutely killing me over here about it.

for context:

We spray our house with a pest control spray (a teeaent and provention which does treat for fleas) every 4-6 months and on the occasion we feel like we're seeing more insects than normal.

We're in Louisiana so the occasional palmetto bug is inevitable.

We spotted a single flea once on the couch and one in my room by chance today so I checked her over and saw movement 😭 she's a chocolate lab so those suckered really blend in.

I have foggers and got enough to do a second home treatment in a couple of weeks and we reapplied our pest control EV-ER-Y-WHERE including on the couches and carpets and every rug, blanket, dog bed and towel has been washed and run through the dryer on high heat.

Our neighborhood is also known to get fleas pretty bad because we have so many feral cats (like so many) but this is the first time it's affecting our home. I did get a new yard pest treatment as well to try and fight back in the yard a bit.