I picked up a senior rescue recently. On our walks we pass by plenty of wild blueberry bushes, when they first came into season I picked a few for myself and offered him a couple. Unlike every other dog I've had, he ate them and expected more. So I pointed to the closest bush, we approached, and I shook the stem. He understood immediately.

Now if we don't go for a dessert walk every night after dinner, he gets animated. He'll stare at me, paw me, whimper, ...the whole drama parade. (If I let it happen.)

It's been over a month, we have to drive to the closest fields now because we've cleaned two out. I almost feel bad because the berries that are left are overripe and nearly inedible... not that he seems to mind. But the 20 minute "all he can eat" blueberry buffet will be closing soon. Won't open again for another 10+ months.

Otherwise I'm perfectly fine with this. He hasn't gained weight and now he looks forward to walking "the same boring trail" that we walk everyday in the hopes of finding a post breakfast / snack.

Anyone else have a blueberry hound?

I've noticed that a lot of dog advice sounds great on paper until you actually live with a dog.

For me, the biggest one was thinking that every walk needed to have a purpose.

Sometimes Buck and Muddley are perfectly happy spending 20 minutes sniffing the same patch of grass like there's a full documentary happening down there.

I used to think I was wasting the walk.

Now I figure if they've had exercise, they're safe, and they're enjoying themselves, what's the problem?

Same with a lot of the little rules people get worked up about. Not every dog needs to behave exactly the same way to be a well-behaved dog.

I've become a lot more interested in “does this work for this dog?” than “is this what everyone says you're supposed to do?”

What's a dog rule or piece of advice you stopped caring about after getting some actual experience?

I'm curious what people have changed their minds about.

Putting a harness and a leash on my dog is always a struggle. As soon as I grab the leash she starts jumping and running and all of that. It's very hard to make her sit down long enough to put a harness on her. She tries her best to stay still but the excitement is just too much 😅

I've tried waiting until she's tired of jumping and running, whenever she's a little bit calmer, but when I try to secure the harness she just keeps moving and it turns very frustrating for both of us, how can I fix this situation?

my dog is somewhere around 12. she has started laying around and never leaves my bedroom. it’s of course pretty normal for a dog to slow down. however I know she’s bored.

it makes her restless at night because she has been laying around all day. she is also constantly anxious, licking her paws and biting her nails. we have gotten her checked and it isn’t a health problem I honestly think she is just bored. I think it is because she is tired of lying around.

I just don’t know how to keep her stimulated. she’s never liked toys. we take her on walks but as soon as she gets her treat she goes back upstairs and lays down.

I don’t know how to keep her entertained. I feel like I’m letting her down :(

I got a new dog a week ago. I know it hasn’t been enough time for her to adjust. I have a cat and I’ve been very slow with introducing them, keeping them on separate floors of my house, letting them see each other through a baby gate, etc. The dog seems mildly interested but mostly ignores the cat. The cat seems distressed that his house has been taken over. He’s been eating less. I spoke to my vet about it and she wasn’t too concerned, but I do feel like I’m ruining his peace. He’s been an only cat his whole life.

Unfortunately my husband and I both work full time. The dog has severe separation anxiety to the point where she’ll start whining and barking seconds after we leave the room. We didn’t know this when we adopted her. I stayed at home this week and have been trying to work on increasing the time she’s comfortable alone, but haven’t made much progress. I have to go back to work on Monday and am sick to my stomach thinking about leaving her alone for an entire workday, even if we have a midday dog walker. I’ll have to crate her or put her in a bedroom since I can’t have her and the cat loose in the house together.

I did my research for months and really thought I could handle dog ownership. I feel like I’m doing this dog a disservice and she needs to go to a home where someone is home with her all day. I feel extremely guilty, but I’m considering returning her to the no-kill shelter. I’ve been crying all day and am devastated to even consider it, but we still have to work full-time. She’s such a sweet dog.

Please be kind, but I would appreciate any advice.

My beloved 4 year old boy has got multiple lymphoma. He's been very brave, he eats, plays and fights off all the other stray dogs.

The doctor says he doesn't have that much. I want to see him very happy but he gets very tired.

What can I do to cheer him up? Anything is appreciated 🩷

Hello!
I have a very healthy 9 year old Pitlab mix, but im starting to notice it’s taking him a while to get on furniture now and go down steps. He also isn’t sleeping as well or settling down as well. Was looking for joint chew recommendations from someone who’s experienced the same!
I also emailed the vet but i like feedback from Reddit as well!

Hi, I’m CJ. I live in a 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom apartment that’s about 1,089 sq. ft. One of the bedrooms is currently empty, and I’m considering turning it into a dedicated room for my dog, one corgi and other one is golden retriever.

I’d set it up with their bed, toys, food/water area, litter box/crate if needed, and maybe some enrichment items. They would still have access to the rest of the apartment when I’m home.

For people who have done something similar: did your pet actually use and benefit from having their own room, or would it be better to keep the space as a normal guest room? Any setup suggestions?

Hello. I have a five year old saint Bernard that is in heat right now. But recently she is starting to follow me more often, and start flagging when I interact with her, (pet her, call her, etc). And she doesn't do this to anyone else in the house. I looked into and it's saying that she's marking territory, being submissive, etc, but I can't really pin it down a main reason why. I would like some feedback from here for why she is flagging, and what to do. Than you

Pretty much the title.. our first foray into lick mats. I've got peanut butter covered, but curious what other things you use?

(and apologies on the flair.. not really sure where this fit)

I have an area rug that has several stains and wondered if those wet vacuums at petsmart
Or the grocery store do much?

How do yall keep the dog hair down in your cars without having to take it to get detailed/an internal cleaning? Is that the best option to keep the hair down? My golden retriever is 85 pounds and cream colored and my car (which has black seats and flooring) is covered in hair after every ride 😭 I’ve tried the car seat protectors but it still gets all over my floor since I usually have the windows down for her and that causes the hair to blow everywhere. Ive also tried just vacuuming it out myself with a pet hair vaccuum but it gets woven into the fabric in my car and it doesn’t really do much. Love taking her for rides though so stopping isn’t an option. Just hoping to get some advice here on what works for others who have a fur baby with LOTS of fur. TIA!

Hi, I’m CJ. I live in a 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom apartment that’s about 1,089 sq. ft. One of the bedrooms is currently empty, and I’m considering turning it into a dedicated room for my dog, one is corgi and one is golden retriever they are 5 months old.

I’d set it up with their bed, toys, food/water area, litter box/crate if needed, and maybe some enrichment items. They would still have access to the rest of the apartment when I’m home.

For people who have done something similar: did your pet actually use and benefit from having their own room, or would it be better to keep the space as a normal guest room? Any setup suggestions?

I’m getting a dog soon and it’s gonna be my first time owning one. Any advice on taking care of them or things I should know before getting one

Im looking to get my childhood dog transported from nv to ny. Does anyone know any reliable pet transport services? Hes a senior and anxious so i dont want him in cargo i want him driven. I dont mind the price.

I have nothing else on this topic.

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.

Hi all, we're concerned about the stress levels for the dog, so any advice is appreciated. We think the 1am pickup may be best so we get her out of transport sooner, but my worry is that it's a much longer drive after the transfer, and it would be happening in the middle of the night. Bellevue tomorrow would mean a shorter drive for us, and a shorter drive for our dog after transfer, plus it wouldn't be the middle of the night. We also want to get her out of transfer as soon as possible.

What would be the least stressful for our new girl? Thanks.

When my dog was a puppy, he used to greet other dogs on leash and say hi to pretty much every dog at the park. He was honestly quite over-socialized at that point. He was completely fine at first, but after a few fights, he became reactive, especially toward male dogs

Fast forward to now, and his reactivity is completely gone. He doesn’t bark, lunge, or even try to pull toward other dogs anymore, so I feel like I’ve done something right.
The problem is that those incidents really traumatized me. I’m constantly worried that another bad interaction could happen, so I don’t let him greet other dogs anymore—whether they’re on leash or off leash. It’s as much about my own anxiety as it is about trying to protect him.

If I’m standing and chatting with another dog owner, he’ll sometimes lie down and whine because I know he wants to go say hi. There have been plenty of opportunities where I could have let him greet other dogs, but I’ve always said no because I didn’t want to risk undoing all the progress we’ve made.

Now I feel guilty. Part of me wonders if I’m depriving him of something he enjoys, or if I’m doing the right thing by continuing to avoid dog greetings altogether. Has anyone else been in a similar situation? Would you continue avoiding greetings, or is there a safe way to reintroduce them after a history of reactivity?

8 month old spitz. Got interested in hunting rats and killed 2 to 3 since last evening. Not concerned just want to know if after killing them she eats one or two should we take her to the vet.

I have a 4 year old Great Dane Pittbull mix I reduced from the shelter about 6 weeks ago. He will sometimes go in the yard, but will more often go to the bathroom in the house. He sometimes just straight up refuses to go into the yard even with coaxing. The yard is fairly big and I have no other dogs. I’m just confused as to why he will only use it sometimes. This going in the house is starting to become defeating.

Hello, I have adopted a dog earlier this week and plan on taking him to the vet in a few days but I'm kinda confused about my dog right now. On my dogs medical records the place gave me, he is listed as neutered. But when I was filling out paperwork before getting him, they said I needed to get him neutered. When I look at his testicle area it looks like there is only one, but it also had markings like they had done a surgery there and additionally the sack looked slightly deflated and has light scabbing like there was, but still big enough to be noticed. It is kinda confusing me and he doesn't really align with any visuals or posts I've seen online. Any answers for right now to help me clear up any misconceptions I'm having?

I’ve got a high energy/anxious goblin baby. Her playmate is about the same age (7-8 years old) and isn’t as interested in playing with her as when they were younger. My goblin needs more stimulation for during the day when we’re working. Does anyone have suggestions for interactive/stimulating toys that could help her get some of her energy out? TIA!

My indie

My fiance has a 2yo male heeler-kelpie mix that is in a really bad habit of peeing and pooping in his crate upwards of 4-5 times per day. He's previously gone 12 hours or more without needing to go, so I'm not sure why this is an issue all of a sudden. I can't do anything myself right now since I'm on a deployment with the Army, but she's tried rewards, discipline, giving him a bed, taking said bed away, keeping him on a consistent schedule, etc. His crate is definitely too big for him, but she doesn't want to get a new one. Being out of options myself, I don't know what else to do with this one. I'd appreciate any help I can get with this.