The same thing can apply to our household pets. As much as they're members of our families – and as much as we as humans have bred them to be more adapted to household living rather than running wild – they still have mental and physical needs.

It's our duty as pet parents to provide for those needs. The trouble is, modern society forces most of us to work 9-5s, spending a good portion of our waking hours away from the home and away from our canine companions.

That's where enrichment comes in. What can we do to provide enrichment for our pups, even when we're not around? Let's talk about it.

All About Enrichment for Dogs

Before I get into toy recommendations, I wanted to talk a little about what enrichment is in the context of dogs.

What is enrichment, specifically?

Any animal has needs. These needs come in different categories: physical, mental, and emotional.

When you examine each of these categories, you can further break them down into a bunch of different kinds of needs.

• Health needs, like disease prevention, parasite treatment, and pain management.

• Hygiene needs, like ear cleaning, tooth cleaning, and fur brushing.

• Dietary needs, including both regular food and treats.

• Exercise needs, usually focused on meeting physical fitness goals.

• Sensory needs, including stimulation for all five senses, as well as preventing undue stimulation.

• Safety needs, including environmental safety.

• Security needs, including both physical and mental security.

• Social needs, like being able to play with people or other dogs.

• Behavioral needs, which are often breed-specific, like herding or foraging behaviors.

• Mental needs, like mental stimulation, tricks, and puzzles.

Technically speaking, meeting all of these different kinds of needs is enrichment. However, these days, when you talk about enrichment, you're mostly talking about the "more than bare minimum" activities: letting your greyhounds run, letting your hunting dogs forage, and the like.

Think of it like cabin fever. Being cooped up in a small space like a home or apartment with nothing much to do will leave you bored and can lead to anxiety, neurotic behaviors, and more. It goes just as much for people as it does for dogs.

Why do dogs need enrichment toys?

Enrichment is critical to keep your pups happy and healthy. Enrichment toys are a way to help do that, either because you don't have a good way to allow a behavior and need to simulate it or because you aren't around enough to provide that enrichment yourself.

It's a sort of self-serve enrichment option, basically.

There are all manner of benefits to enrichment, but they all basically come back to one thing: keeping your dog healthy. Dogs that lack enrichment can develop behavioral issues like anxiety, destructive tendencies, neuroticism, and other issues.

Enrichment can also help extend the life of a dog. Bored and anxious dogs end up stressed out, and stress causes all sorts of problems and can make other issues – like diseases – worse.

Types of Enrichment Toys to Consider

I'm not going to give you specific toy recommendations because the market is huge. Instead, I'm going to talk about specific kinds of toys and leave it to you to decide what specific toys within that category you want to get.

Lick and Chew Toys

First up are some of the most common kinds of enrichment toys, which are toys meant to be licked at and chewed.

Often, these hide a treat inside, like a dab of (xylitol-free) peanut butter, which your dog can spend time getting at. The chewing helps keep their teeth clean, the licking gives them a sensory experience, and the toy can be a source of excitement when you bring it out and give it to them.

Chew toys need to be resilient, but even the most resilient toy can eventually start to break apart under continual chewing, so make sure to inspect it each time you use it and replace it if it starts to break up so your dog doesn't eat or choke on something they shouldn't.

Snuffle Mats

Snuffle mats are sort of like very plush rugs. They're meant to mimic the experience of rooting around in a fairly deep lawn, looking for anything interesting hidden in the grass.

Many different dog breeds love this kind of foraging behavior, and a snuffle mat helps you encourage it. Hide a couple of treats in the mat and let your pooch root around in it, looking for the nugget of tasty reward.

Snuffle mats need to be cleaned and, often, replaced as they start to fall apart. Fortunately, they're relatively cheap and easy to find, so you don't need to worry about their longevity too much. Just make sure they're made of a pet-safe material.

Lick Mats

Lick mats are a sort of cross between snuffle mats and lick toys. They're textured mats that you smear something like wet food or peanut butter in and let your dog go wild on trying to lick it all out.

It takes time because of the texture hiding the goodies in the nooks and crevices, but it's not quite the same kind of behavior as snuffle mats.

As an added bonus, these tend to be more easily cleanable and more durable. On the other hand, if you're not proactive with cleaning them, they can get really smelly really fast.

Puzzle Toys

Puzzle toys are usually made of fairly durable plastic with little compartments you can use to hide kibble or treats.

Your dog knows the treats are there – they can smell it – but they need to figure out how to get past the doors or mechanisms hiding them. It's sort of like a puzzle box for your canine child to figure out.

Simple puzzle toys are just sliding covers over compartments. More complex puzzle toys can be interlocking mechanisms that need to be moved in a certain order to access later treats.

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of different designs, so you may need to go through a few before you find one that is complex enough to keep your dog entertained but not so complex that it leaves them frustrated.

Hide and Seek Toys

Hide-and-seek toys can honestly be just about anything you designate as a dog toy. Many people do things like take a dog's plushie and hide it under a pile of pillows or blankets or just hide it somewhere in the house and then ask their dog to go find it.

Dedicated hide-and-seek toys are a combination of toy and hide. For example, a big fake eggshell with a plushie chick inside. You place the egg somewhere and have your dog go find the chick. It's the same concept, just without having to risk sacrificing pillows or blankets for the cause.

These are excellent toys for dogs that love to go seek out something, especially those who are bred to be hunting dogs or have a strong drive to dig. Uncovering a hidden treasure is a pleasure they love.

Scent Toys

Scent toys are somewhat similar to hide-and-seek toys, but they work primarily on specific scents to help your pooch find them.

Usually, they come with some kind of little scent spray or scent card that provides a unique scent to track, which you hide for your dog to locate when you call for it.

Agility Toys

Some dogs can't get enough of running around and jumping, and if they could, they would have you play fetch with them for 18 hours a day.

Agility toys and courses are a good way to help stimulate this drive while also adding an intellectual element to it so it can tire them out and leave them more satisfied.

I've written about setting up basic dog agility courses before, including what kind of agility elements work well and how you can lay out courses to get started. The only caveat is that you need the space to do it, but if you can get it rolling, it's a wonderful option.

Toys for You Too

There's also a category of enrichment toys that you have to take part in as well. Agility toys fall into this category, but there are also simple versions like durable balls for fetch, knotted ropes for tug-of-war, and other simple activity toys that work great, too.

On top of this, one of the best forms of enrichment is training. Teaching your dog new tricks and variations on older tricks helps to engage their brains. When those brains get working, you have a very satisfied dog at the end of it.

How to Pick a Good Enrichment Toy

Let's finish things off by talking about how to pick the right enrichment toys for your dog.

First of all, you'll never be able to just buy one or two toys and call it good. Dogs will get bored of the same toys over and over all the time, so you'll want to rotate the selection in and out.

You can do this when they start losing interest, on a set schedule, or even seasonally; it all depends on your dog and your selection of toys.

Secondly, you need to pick toys that address the specific needs of your dog. Different dogs of different breeds will have different proclivities.

Some won't take well to agility. Some prefer the more cognitive puzzles rather than physical activities. Some have a huge drive to hide and seek and aren't going to be interested in the more straightforward tug-of-war and other activities.

This will all change over time, too. It can depend on the breed of your dog, but also their age, their personality, and even their experience. Puzzles, in particular, tend to escalate as your pooch gets used to the simpler options and wants something more complex.

When it comes to selecting the toys specifically, there's a lot to consider.

• Make sure the toys are made of durable and non-toxic, non-dangerous materials. Expect your dog to be licking, chewing, and otherwise tearing at the toys. If it has something like a woven fabric or a filling, you need to make sure that if your dog swallows some, it won't hurt them. Long strings are a common failure point here and can cause intestinal blockages.

• Size them appropriately. Getting a toy that's too large for a small dog can be frustrating for them to use. Getting a toy that's too small for a large dog can also be frustrating in different ways, plus it can be a choking hazard.

• Don't overlap the same enrichment too much. Even if your dog is primarily food-motivated, using only food-based enrichment can get stale over time.

With so many options available, it's hard to pick anything to be the best, so expect to experiment until you find what your dog enjoys the most.

Dog Enrichment Toy FAQ

Let's answer a few questions you might have before I let you go.

I have two dogs that play with each other: do I still need enrichment toys?

Yes! If your dogs have to rely on one another for enrichment, things go wrong when one is ill or tired, and there's only so much of the right kinds of enrichment involved.

You still need to meet other needs beyond the social.

How much do enrichment toys cost?

It all depends on the kind of toy and the brand, but most enrichment toys will cost somewhere between $10 and $40.

If you're paying much more than that, ask yourself what you're getting for the money; similarly, if it's much less, wonder what they're cutting for the savings.

What if my dog isn't very food-motivated?

There are all sorts of enrichment toys that don't need food to be successful. Scent toys, hide-and-seek toys, and agility toys all fall into this group.

Every dog will have something they love; you just need to find it!

So, what are your favorite enrichment toys for your dogs? Let me know in the comments!

There are many large breeds of dog, but one stands above the rest – literally. It's the Great Dane, the current holder of the world record for tallest dog ever recorded. The specific tallest Great Dane is one named Zeus.

What is the truth behind Zeus? Don't worry; there's no dark secret, no "allegations" or doping involved here. Just a very large, good boy.

All About Zeus, the World's Largest Great Dane

Zeus was the official record holder for the world's largest Great Dane and, consequently, the world's largest dog. He was also a very good dog; despite his huge stature, he was a loving lap dog when given the chance. He liked nothing more than to hang out in the laps of his parents while they spent time on the porch.

He was also a certified therapy dog, often visiting hospitals and schools around his hometown in the Kalamazoo, Michigan, area. His gentle demeanor and immaculate training helped him ease the anxieties of students, hospital patients, and many more people besides.

Zeus was a huge dog, and huge dogs have huge lives. At his peak, he weighed 155 pounds (more than some people!) and was tall enough that he could drink from a kitchen sink without having to work for it. He ate a whopping 12 cups of food a day to sustain his massive frame.

When measured, from his front paw to his withers (the front shoulder of a quadruped), he was three feet and eight inches tall. When standing on his hind legs, he could stretch up to seven feet and five inches.

Remember those wolves I mentioned in the intro? The average wolf is only 2.5-3 feet tall at the shoulder. Great Danes stand as tall or taller than wolves! Of course, wolves are bulkier and fluffier than Danes, so it's hardly a fair comparison.

Unfortunately, Zeus passed away in 2014, at the age of six, from symptoms of old age. This is one sad and unfortunate truth: the larger a dog is, the shorter their life span is going to be. Smaller breeds (without health complications) can live to be 14 or older, but giant breeds like Great Danes often only live to be around six, up to 10 at the oldest. For a dog as large as Zeus, six was on the shorter end of expected but still within expectations.

Zeus held the title of the world's tallest living dog while he was alive. After his passing in 2014, his record was taken by a dog named Freddy, also a Great Dane, from Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, England. Freddy was slightly shorter than Zeus, but since the record was for the world's tallest living dog, it naturally had to move on.

Freddy passed away at the age of 8 in 2021. His successor was another dog named Zeus, this time from Bedford, Texas. This Zeus was also a hair shorter than the previous Zeus, though he came closer. He has passed as well; a diagnosis of bone cancer led to the amputation of his leg, and complications from that surgery caused pneumonia that led to his end.

The current tallest living dog is named Kevin, after Kevin McAllister from Home Alone, and stands three feet and two inches from foot to withers. He's from Des Moines, Iowa. For now, anyway, he holds the record until another tall dog comes along to challenge him.

For fans of the original Zeus, don't worry; he still holds a world record as the tallest dog ever recorded, which even his successors as the tallest living dog don't match.

Everything to Know about Great Danes

If you love the idea of a giant canine by your side, there's a lot to know about them. Giant breeds like Great Danes are definitely larger-than-life, but the reality of caring for one as a pet parent needs some grounding before you go find a puppy to adopt.

As a giant dog breed, Great Danes fortunately have a very pleasant temperament. They're fairly good with children and other dogs, though sometimes their size can cause problems just out of sheer bulk and scale. Luckily, they're also very affectionate and loving; otherwise, they could be very scary creatures.

The Great Dane was officially recognized as a breed by the American Kennel Club all the way back in 1887. They're known by a bunch of different names around the world, including German Mastiffs, Boarhounds, and Grand Danois. Once upon a time, they were commonly seen as guardian dogs for the German nobility and were often used as hunting dogs when pursuing prey like boar, deer, and even bears.

Most Great Danes aren't as large as Zeus and his successors. The breed is usually around 32" tall at the shoulder (where Zeus was 44"), with some smaller and some larger. They're still massive, but they're also fairly lean dogs. They aren't as chunky or as fluffy as other huge breeds like Newfoundlands, Saint Bernards, or other mastiffs. In fact, their coats are generally short and sleek, almost similar to horses in a way.

The Health of the Great Dane

As a giant breed, health is extremely important. Danes are susceptible to a variety of illnesses, but the number one cause of death for Danes is GDV, Gastric Dilation-Volvulus, also known as Bloat. This is an awful condition, also known as "twisted stomach," wherein the dog's stomach is excessively stretched, rotates due to excessive gas, and gets cut off. It's an illness that can affect dogs primarily, but in rare cases, it can even affect cats and guinea pigs. It's simply more common the larger and deeper-chested the breed or species is.

Since GDV is such a risk and has such a high mortality rate, some Dane parents get a prophylactic surgery that can help with some of the worst aspects of it and buy more time if it does occur.

Danes can also develop eye issues, hypothyroidism, cardiac problems, autoimmune thyroiditis, and hip dysplasia, especially as they get older. Great Dane breeders screen for conditions as much as possible, and responsible pet parents make sure to get Dane-specific medical examinations regularly.

Caring for a Great Dane

Taking care of a dog the size of a Great Dane is no easy feat. Fortunately, since they're affectionate and loving, they're also fairly easy to train and aren't going to be too headstrong, at least in general. Individuals, of course, can vary.

Danes have short coats and don't shed much, but even a little bit of shedding in a dog that size is going to be a lot of fur. Moreover, they do have an annual shedding season, where they shed a lot more. You'll need to brush them at least once a week and possibly daily during shedding season. Otherwise, their coats are fairly easy to care for, and you only need to give them a bath occasionally.

Definitely make sure to keep their nails trimmed. Since their feet are huge and they have a lot of weight behind them, over-long nails can cause pain, they can scratch your floors, and they can lead to problems with walking and even joints down the line.

Dogs the size of Danes need some amount of exercise to stay healthy. Fortunately, they aren't as active or as demanding as some of the more energetic breeds like Aussies and Greyhounds. They're fairly sedate, in fact, and are often happy just to hang out near you.

A couple of good walks every day is still good for them. You can bring them on more fast-paced jogs or runs, but only when they're older, so you don't risk damaging their joints as they're growing. Danes under two years old should be treated with care as they develop.

Danes are also fun dogs to teach agility to, though your average tunnels are going to be too small for them, and they're tall enough that the jumps might be steps. A course tailored to their size can be an impressive sight, though.

While I've said that Danes are loving, fairly obedient, and good with other dogs and children, you still need to make sure they're well-socialized when they're young, or they can cause problems. The larger a dog is, the harder it is to wrangle them if they're being disobedient. You especially want to make sure they're aware of themselves and their surroundings.

Despite it all, they respond well to affection, and you may not even need treats to train them; praise and loving are good enough for most.

Food is also critical for Danes. They require great nutrition, both so you don't stunt their growth when they're young, and so you don't hurt them and shorten their lifespans as they age. Overweight Danes put a ton of stress on their joints and will very quickly develop pain while walking.

• Give them high-quality food. Yes, they'll eat a lot of it, and yes, it will be expensive, but that's part of having a giant breed.

• Avoid table scraps. Anything with cooked bones can be deadly, and anything with high fat content can cause GDV.

• Give them more frequent, smaller meals throughout the day. This helps prevent overeating and stretching the stomach, which can also cause GDV.

It's a lot of work to care for a Great Dane, but the rewards are a huge, loving, and fiercely loyal dog who will be with you for many years.

How to Adopt a Great Dane

If all of this sounds like a burden you're willing to bear, adopting a Great Dane can be a great option.

This is where things can get a little tricky, though. I'm a firm believer in the "adopt, don't shop" ethos. There are simply far too many loving dogs stuck in shelters while people seek out purebred puppies from breeders.

Great Danes are huge and a lot of work to care for properly. That means a lot of people buy Dane puppies but end up surrendering or abandoning them when they get too big to handle. This is devastating for these loyal and loving dogs, but it's also a good opportunity for you.

Seek out a respectable and reputable rescue, first and foremost. Generic rescue services like Petfinder can help, but you're more likely best off going with specific regional rescues.

For example, Great Dane Rescue is a nonprofit group that was founded in 1993 as a way to help care for and re-home relinquished Great Danes. They cover parts of the Midwest and Ontario, Canada.

Another great option is Save Rocky, a Great Dane Rescue and Rehab organization. They're also a reputable nonprofit organization based out of Texas. Their name comes from a Dane who was euthanized needlessly despite offers to save him, and his mark is carried forward by the rescue organization. Save Rocky is based in Texas but operates nationwide, so the further away you are, the more you'll need to travel to adopt.

Others you can check out include:

• Regal Dane Rescue, serving Arizona and parts of New Mexico.

• Great Dane Friends, in North and South Carolina.

• One Dane At a Time, based out of Southern California.

• The Mid-Atlantic Great Dane Rescue League, operating along the East Coast from Virginia to New York.

If you know of other reputable Great Dane rescues, feel free to mention them in the comments below, as well! These gentle giants deserve loving homes, and there are enough of them out there that – in my view – there's no reason to get one from a breeder.

While the Dane you adopt isn't likely to grow to be a world-record holder like Zeus, you're sure to have a giant friend with a giant heart making a giant mark on your life when you adopt one.

When The “Natural” Claim Isn’t Enough—Choose Third-Party Certified Raw Materials for Your Dog Supplies

It’s veeeery easy to fall for pet products that claim “natural,” “safe,” or “eco-friendly” properties—until you realize those words mean nothing without proof. And when it comes to your dog’s health, happiness, and longevity, guessing isn’t good enough.

At toe beans, we make products for dog parents who double-check labels, follow recall news, and know better than to trust mass-market promises.

We fondly like to call them “the well-informed dog parents.” If you are one of those, keep on reading.

We Don’t Just Say It’s Safe—We Prove It

Unlike almost all overseas-made pet products out there, often white-labeled and loaded with cancer-causing chemicals, all toe beans items (with a few exceptions) are made here in the USA by us in our own facility, or by thoroughly screened and vetted American artisans who share our values and believe in the superiority of American manufacturing, small batch production, full raw-material traceability, and supply chain controls and oversight.

We unapologetically reject the pet industry’s pervasive practice of cutting corners in their raw materials to increase profits. Rather, we only use the highest quality of raw materials the world has to offer to meet the most stringent third-party certifications standards —like USDA Organic, USDA Bio-based, GOTS^®, Oeko-Tex^®, and FSC^® certifications amongst others.

Hey, we get it, we ain’t cheap, but we are not meant to be either. The market is already infested with enough cheap options, we are just not one of those. You’ll find that same level of commitment to quality and radical transparency in every single product we make and sell, whether it’s:

• Our USDA organic dog paw balms (no sulfates, dyes, or artificial fragrances)
• Our eco-conscious chew toys made from renewable materials
• Or our USDA Organic Dog Treats, made in the USA with zero fillers or toxic preservatives

Because Your Dog Supplies Labels Shouldn’t Lie

As pet parents, we know the guilt that creeps in when something you trusted for your dog turns out to be harmful. That’s why we’re radically transparent from the ground up —no hidden ingredients, no overseas factories, no “globally sourced ingredients”, no games.

Our promise? Products you’d use on your own body if you had fur and four paws (or three). Not joking here.

Ready to upgrade to truly clean? Explore our full line of American-made dog supplies and make the switch with confidence.

The things we eat as people aren't always the things our canine companions can eat. Just like how there are plenty of foods that are toxic to cats, there are human foods our dogs shouldn't eat either. What should you keep off the menu to avoid giving your pooch a hard time?

Can Dogs Eat Fruit?

First, a simple question: can dogs eat fruit at all? Fortunately, the answer is yes. While dogs aren't obligate carnivores like cats, they do have some dietary restrictions, largely related to certain chemicals that can give them a bad time.

Dogs can enjoy fruits as treats. Fruits like apples, blueberries, pears, strawberries, watermelon, mango, and others are all good options. My guide (linked right there) can give you some great ideas on which fruits to use, and how to use them.

What Makes a Fruit Bad for Your Dog?

Some fruits are going to be bad for your dog, but why are they bad? Are they full of chemicals that are fine for humans but toxic to dogs? Are they going to trigger an allergic reaction?

Generally, there are three main reasons that can disqualify a fruit from being part of your dog's diet.

The first reason is sugar. A lot of fruits are considered fairly healthy, but they're full of natural sugars. Natural fructose is better for you (and your dog) than artificial sugars, and it's way better than chemical sweeteners like xylitol, which can be toxic to your dog. But, it's still a lot of sugar, which can cause problems with obesity and diabetes, especially in older dogs.

The second reason is something that could choke your dog. Fruits that have large seeds or pits can be obstructions and, depending on the size of your dog, can block their airway or their bowels. Both of these can be very dangerous and painful to your pup.

On that note, it's a good idea for any canine caregiver to know how to help a choking dog because time is of the essence. Check out this guide to the canine Heimlich Maneuver to learn more.

Some of these fruits are fine if you prepare them right, while others might have other reasons to avoid them as well. I'll get to that in the actual list.

The third reason is toxicity. Some fruits do, in fact, have toxic compounds in them. At best, these can cause bowel upset or vomiting. At worst, they can become a life-threatening medical issue. It's better to avoid them entirely.

Now, let's go through the list.

Fruits a Dog Shouldn't Have Because of Toxic Ingredients

First, let's talk about the fruits that your dog absolutely shouldn't have. Any fruit with toxic compounds in it should be avoided entirely.

Avocados

Avocados are often thought of as vegetables, but they're actually fruits. They also fit both the toxicity and the obstruction points because the pit of the avocado is tough and can be a choking hazard.

The most important part, though, is that avocado skins, pits, and leaves all contain a compound called persin. While persin generally won't kill a dog unless it's very small and they eat a lot of it, it's going to cause gastrointestinal distress, including vomiting and diarrhea. That, combined with the high-fat flesh of the avocado, makes for a bad time for everyone.

Persin can also cause pancreatitis if consumed in sufficient amounts or over a long term.

Note that you can still use products like dog fur conditioners that include avocado oil; these ingredients have been refined to remove anything toxic. Since avocado oil is a great way to add luster and shine to your dog's coat, many people still use the fruit, even if it's not for eating.

Cherries

Cherries are a fruit that really hits all three of the reasons why a dog shouldn't have them.

They're pretty sweet and sugary, especially sweet cherries (tart cherries are a little less so, though they do still have a lot of sugar in them.)

They have pits. Those pits aren't going to bother a larger breed, but small dogs might choke on them.

Most importantly, though, they contain cyanide in the pits.

If you carefully pit cherries and give them to your dog in moderation, it's probably fine that they have one or two here or there. If you have a cherry tree, though, make sure your dog can't go to town on fallen fruit. The same goes if you eat cherries; make sure your pup can't fish the pits out of the trash.

It's also a good idea to learn the signs of cyanide poisoning. Dilated pupils, difficulty breathing, and red gums can all be signs.

Grapes

One of the worst fruits for dogs, grapes of all sorts are bad for our canine friends. Grapes (and raisins) are so toxic to dogs that they can cause sudden kidney failure in surprisingly small quantities. Just keep them away from your dog at all costs.

This is a good place to discuss the symptoms of poisoning in dogs. If you're worried that your dog might be poisoned or ate something they shouldn't that could hurt them, look for symptoms like:

• Bowel issues, including constipation and diarrhea.

• Lethargy and delayed responses.

• Standing with their back hunched.

• Twitching or seizures.

• Vomiting, drooling, or foaming at the mouth.

These symptoms indicate an emergency, and you should rush your pup to the emergency vet ASAP to get treatment before their organs shut down. Your vet will administer treatment like activated charcoal, a medication to induce vomiting, and scans or even surgery to address what's wrong. Obviously, it's better to keep the grapes (and other toxic fruits) out of reach.

Green Tomatoes

Tomatoes are part of the same overall plant family as nightshade, so it's not really a surprise that it can be toxic to some animals.

Fully ripe tomatoes are fine for dogs, but under-ripe or green tomatoes, as well as the green parts of the plant, all contain a chemical called solanine. That chemical is only mildly toxic, so your dog would probably have to eat a whole tomato plant or more to get really sick over it, but it's still better to avoid it, wouldn't you say?

Plums

Plums are another fruit where the pit contains cyanide and can be a choking hazard. Basically, any stone fruit is going to have these issues since they're all similar.

The flesh is fine, but the pits are very dangerous, so you have to be careful with how you dispose of them.

Raspberries

Raspberries are right on the fence. They're a healthy fruit and they're undeniably delicious, but they do contain a very small amount of xylitol.

One or two isn't going to be enough to hurt a dog unless they're very, very small or are very sensitive, but a whole package of raspberries – or a dog left to their own devices next to berry bushes – can cause problems quite quickly.

Fruits a Dog Shouldn't Have Because of Obstructive Elements

The second group is fruits that should either be avoided or be prepared properly if you want to give them to your dog. That's because they contain something, like a pit, a core, or seeds, that can block airways or obstruct bowels if your dog swallows them. Avocados, already listed above, fall into this group because of the pit as well.

Peaches

Peaches are a good example of a fruit that can be fine in moderation for dogs, but can also be very high in sugar, and the pit is dangerous.

Not only is the pit capable of blocking an airway, but it also contains a chemical called amygdalin, which, when digested, creates cyanide. So, why didn't I list it in the toxic section? The edible part of the fruit is fine.

Oranges

Oranges aren't bad for your dog, but vets generally recommend leaving off the skin and removing the seeds when possible. By the time you're done doing that, it's practically not worth it for a treat anymore, right?

That said, some dogs don't like citrus at all because the citrus oils are very strongly scented, and your pup's sensitive nose might be irritated at having them close. If you ever peel an orange and notice your pup avoids you, that's probably why.

Other citrus all fall into this category as well. Lemons, limes, grapefruits, pomelos, mandarins, citrons, tangerines… the list goes on. Relatedly, did you know that all citrus we enjoy today are cross-breeds and hybrids between three original citrus plants? Mandarins, Pomelos, and Citrons are the three originals; everything else is some manner of derived hybrid between them.

Persimmons

Persimmons are a less common fruit, but the seeds they contain can be obstructive to your dog's bowels. They aren't super toxic, which is why they aren't listed in the toxic list, though they do contain compounds that can cause digestive upset.

Under-ripe persimmons are also very astringent and can also cause digestive upset. The flesh of the ripe fruit is fine in moderation, though.

Fruits a Dog Shouldn't Have Because of Excessive Sugar

Finally, let's talk about some fruits you should consider avoiding. These aren't necessarily dangerous for your dog, but they are high in sugar. That means if they have diabetes, or you're worried about obesity or them developing diabetes down the line, it's better to avoid them. They can be given in moderation, though; a single bite here and there, as a high-value treat, can be just fine.

Bananas

Bananas are emblematic of this entire category. They're very sweet and have a ton of sugar in them when they're ripe, but they also have a lot of healthy minerals and vitamins that your dog will enjoy.

A slice of banana tossed to your pup with you eating one yourself is fine, but they shouldn't be part of their primary diet.

Canned Fruits

I'm not specifying one particular fruit here. Many canned fruits are canned with added sugar or even syrup, and that's a huge hit of sugar your dog doesn't need. Obviously, if the canned fruit is one with another issue, you have twice the reason to avoid it.

Note that even fruits canned in water or juice still tend to have added sugar to them. Syrup is worse, but juice isn't always better.

Dangerous Fruits for Dogs FAQ

As usual, let's wrap things up with a few common questions.

What should I do if my dog ate a bad fruit?

This depends on the fruit. Grapes? Take them to the vet ASAP. Other fruits? Keep an eye on them. If they exhibit the symptoms of poisoning, take them to the vet. Otherwise, just keep an eye out for obstructions and be prepared for a messy bathroom break.

Fruits that are high in sugar are only bad for weight and diabetes reasons, so if your dog is otherwise healthy, a bit of over-indulgence won't hurt them. Just don't make it a regular thing.

How can I get rid of pits and seeds?

Many people recommend a dog-proof trash can for things you really don't want your dog to get into. I've known some very clever dogs that find their way into these, though, so make sure whatever you get can resist the cleverest pupper around.

Alternatively, make sure to store the waste out of their reach until you can get rid of it.

What is the worst fruit for dogs?

Undoubtedly, grapes. It's actually kind of crazy that we don't even know which compounds in grapes are the toxic ones, but we know that all kinds of grapes, even in small amounts, can lead to very sudden kidney failure and even death.

If your dog even eats just one grape, you should be extremely vigilant for signs of poisoning and call your vet ASAP.

As always, if you have any non-medically-related questions, I'm always more than happy to help however I can! Just leave me a comment down below, and I'll get back to you as soon as possible!

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Perhaps the single most routine surgery in the veterinary field is that of the spay/neuter. Most people are aware that these surgeries are done and why, but not necessarily what they do, how, or what needs to be done after the surgery itself. I wanted to take a moment today to talk about it!

What is Involved in a Spay or Neuter Surgery?

Spaying and neutering are surgical procedures, which means they are invasive and require anesthesia, monitoring, and potentially IV fluids and other care.

The surgery is a lot less invasive for male dogs than for females due to the anatomy involved, but either way, it includes an incision in the flesh of the dog's underbelly, ligation of the blood vessels leading to the relevant reproductive organ, and the removal of that organ.

In male dogs, it's the testicles, while in female dogs, it's usually both the ovaries and the uterus, though in rare cases, it can be just the ovaries.

If you're interested in a closer look, this article covers neutering a male dog, and this one covers spaying a female dog. Fair warning: the neutering article includes pictures, so skip it if you're squeamish.

The key point to take away here is that both surgeries involve incisions of the skin and cutting away organs inside.

No matter how well-practiced the vet, these can always be potentially dangerous due to infection, failed ligations, or other problems.

Your job is to keep an eye on your beloved canine companion to make sure nothing goes wrong and that they heal normally.

What Are Common Symptoms After a Spay or Neuter Surgery?

Surgical recovery is a lengthy process, though your dog probably won't show it as much as you expect them to.

In the first 24 hours after the surgery, your pup will be recovering from being under anesthesia. They'll be groggy and nauseous and may have other symptoms, such as:

• Glassy-eyed looks

• Sleepiness

• Wobbly movement

• Excessive vocalization

• Shivering

• Irritability

All of these are normal. They're shaking off medication and dealing with both an unpleasant sensation, a bunch of disorientation, and a general feeling of not being entirely normal.

They don't know what's going on, and they don't have the language to understand if you explain, so they can only do what they feel they can do: whine about it, usually.

Because of their nausea, your dog is probably not going to want to eat very much. One of the main risks here is dehydration, so make sure to encourage your pup to drink. Offer food in small amounts, but be prepared if they can't keep it down.

After the first day or two, your pet will largely recover mentally, but they are still healing from the surgery. This is the most dangerous time for three main concerns.

The first is infection. While many procedures are in place to make sure your pet is as clean and sterile as possible during the surgery, there's always the risk of infection with any surgery, no matter how thorough the procedures. Keeping an eye out for the signs of infection is your most important job.

The second is reopening the incision. A small amount of bleeding on the first day is normal, but after that, it should remain closed, though it can be red and a little swollen.

If your pet does something that reopens the incision, you'll need to talk to your vet to get it closed back up. Fortunately, these aren't big incisions, so it's not a huge emergency if they reopen.

The third is internal bleeding. Part of the surgery is tying off the blood vessels that feed the organs being removed. There's always a risk, however small, of these not remaining properly tied off and causing internal bleeding. This is one of the biggest emergencies that will need immediate attention.

How Long Does Recovery After Spay or Neuter Surgery Take?

In general, dogs take around 10-14 days to fully recover from a spay or neuter surgery. The first day is the worst, and each day after will be better.

Some dogs take a little longer to recover, which can depend on their age, their size, and if there were any complications with the surgery itself or with their recovery process.

Many dogs will feel like they've recovered earlier, but they aren't great at judging the state of their healing internally, so your job is to keep them relatively calm and still so they don't hurt themselves in their excitement to get back to normal.

What Do You Need to Do to Care for Your Dog After a Spay or Neuter Surgery?

Caring for a dog after a spay surgery is fairly simple, but if it's your first time, it can be a little nerve-wracking. Just remember that millions of pet parents do it every year, and most of them don't have issues, so you'll probably be fine, too.

When you first bring your dog home, let them rest in a quiet, safe place. If you have other pets, kids, or anything stressful in your house, find a place your dog can stay away from them and let them recover there.

Check on your dog frequently for the first 24 hours to make sure they're fine. Complications can happen quite quickly, so you want to keep an eye on them or even stay with them while they rest and shake off the anesthesia.

Give them small amounts of food and water later in the evening. Their appetite won't return to normal for probably about two days, but you want to try to keep them hydrated and fed. Just be prepared for the risk of vomit if they can't keep it down.

Encourage frequent movement. Statistics show that if your dog spends most of the first day sleeping or resting, their recovery is probably going to take longer. You want them up and moving, even if it's just a walk across the room.

At the same time, discourage exercise and play. Jumping, running, and excessive playing risk reopening the incision or the ligations and can cause complications.

Keep the surgical site dry. No swimming, no bathing, no playing in the rain or the snow.

Keep checking the incision. A little redness and swelling are normal, but if it bleeds, reopens, leaks a strange fluid, looks bruised, or is otherwise unnatural, contact your vet.

What Symptoms Should You Watch for After a Spay or Neuter Surgery?

You can generally categorize issues post-surgery as normal, needing attention, or emergency. Let's go through each category.

Normal issues after a surgery.

Normal issues are things you may or may not see, but if you do, they aren't something to worry about. If they stick around or get worse, then they escalate into the next tier of severity, and you'll want to talk to your vet about them.

To be clear, you can call your vet about anything you aren't sure about. They're generally pretty happy to help, even if they are overworked – they love your dog almost as much as you do – and they won't be mad about a nervous call. Just don't necessarily rush your pup into the emergency vet for something that isn't a problem.

So what's on the list?

• A small amount of blood or bloody discharge from the incision site on the first day after the surgery. Small things like a minor red stain on their bed where they were lying are pretty normal. If it's bad, there will be more volume, or it won't go away even after days.

• A bit of redness or swelling, or even bruising around the surgical site. An incision is, after all, cutting through the skin. Think of it like when you get a cut yourself; it will be red and irritated because it's damage to the skin.

• Your dog whining and crying about their situation. Some dogs are way more dramatic than others in their discomfort, but most just won't know what's going on. They'll be disoriented, uncomfortable, and probably in a little pain, and they'll be vocal about it.

• Not doing their business on schedule. Potty training is important, so this can feel bad, but anesthesia basically halts the digestive process, and your dog probably won't go back to normal for at least a day.

If any of these happen for a day or two, don't worry, and just keep an eye on it. They should go away on their own.

Issues that need some attention.

Now, let's talk about the issues that will require attention but might not need an emergency trip.

These issues include:

• Significant swelling of the incision. This might be a sign of infection or could require medication to help manage.

• Colored discharge from the incision. This is generally a sign of some kind of infection and will require medication and maybe cleaning.

• Pale gums. This can be a sign of internal bleeding or an infection and is worth getting looked at.

• Long-term lack of appetite. If your dog refuses to eat or drink even after a day or two after the surgery, something might be wrong, and they'll need attention.

• Intermittent vomiting. Same deal here; it means something is wrong but not immediately life-threatening.

If your dog is experiencing any of these, you'll want to call your vet and talk to them about it. They might be able to do a quick video visit and give you a prescription or advice to try to care for the issue, or they might want you to bring your dog in to be looked at. Follow their advice.

Issues for the emergency vet.

Now, let's talk about the true emergencies. If you see any of these, you'll want to bring your pup to the nearest emergency clinic.

These issues might require another surgery to correct or could be a sign of something dangerous occurring:

• Consistent blood from the surgical site. This can indicate a failed ligation that will need to be redone.

• Consistent vomiting that doesn't go away. This can indicate a number of issues that need to be checked out.

• Difficulty breathing. This is another potentially serious complication that needs immediate attention.

• Inability to stand or not waking up. Terrifying!

These are your true emergencies, so get going ASAP if you see them.

Dog Spay Surgery FAQ

Now, let's wrap things up with a couple of other questions you might have.

Do you need to keep the incision clean?

Follow your vet's instructions.

Generally, you only need to wipe off discharge if it happens, but otherwise, it's better to leave it alone.

What kind of cone should you put on your dog?

Cones aren't generally recommended these days; instead, a more flexible e-collar is the way to go.

If your dog doesn't seem interested in licking or scratching at their incision, they don't need a collar or cone. If they can't seem to leave it alone, you need to protect the incision from their picking at it, so use the collar.

What if your dog doesn't tolerate a cone?

There are a few other options. One of the most common is a onesie, which can protect the site of the incision while being harder to work around and more comfortable for your pup.

You can also try something like boxer shorts – the fly is for the tail – though with both options, you still need to remove or alter them for potty time.

When all is said and done, you should be in a good position both to have a safe and healthy dog and to go through the whole process again with another dog in the future.

Remember, there are no stupid questions, and you shouldn't feel bad about being concerned. We all have to learn somewhere!

If you have any non-medically-related questions, I'd be more than happy to help out however I can! Just leave a comment down below, and I'll get back to you as soon as possible!

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Obviously, there are differences between breeds; a tiny breed isn't going to be able to pull a dog sled, while a huge breed will have trouble running an agility course, and some are better trackers or hunters than others.

Beyond that, though, we have to think about physical disabilities. Just like people, dogs can be born with congenital defects that hinder their abilities. Others might contract illnesses or suffer injuries when they're very young.

Blindness is not a common problem in young dogs, though it can still occur. Those puppies deserve just as much love and affection as any other, but many people may be unwilling or unable to provide them with the care they need. Training a blind puppy can present a lot of challenges, but with dedication, time, and love, they can be overcome.

If you're willing and able to care for a blind puppy and train them in all the things they'll need to know when they grow, I salute you. To help, I've put together this list of ten of the most useful tips I can find, backed by expert dog trainers and behavioralists.

Let's get right to it!

1: Understand Differences

One thing that can be worth thinking about is when your dog lost their sight.

Some dogs are born with either very limited or no vision. These dogs don't know anything different, and while those around them might act as though they can see, the blind puppy doesn't know that. Your puppy will adapt to not having sight with relative ease as long as you're there to help care for them.

For puppies who lose their sight early to injury or illness, don't lose heart. They will still be able to adapt, and probably quickly, too. They just won't adapt quite as fast, because they were learning how to navigate the world with sight, and they lost it and have to learn to compensate.

At the same time, these dogs have some advantages in having some basic idea of what the world is like and what scents might represent, even if they haven't really interacted with it much. They'll probably lose this over time, but it can help overcome some initial hurdles.

As for dogs that lose their vision later in life as mature adults or seniors, there is a whole other array of challenges to consider. Since you aren't as likely to need to train them, though, that's somewhat outside the scope of this post. Some of the tips can still help, though, so keep reading!

2: Be Gentle and Patient

The Browns from Alpha Paws Training recommend being patient and gentle when training a blind pup. Blind dogs may be slower, more hesitant, and less confident in their explorations of the world around them.

They will still be receptive to learning new things, but the usual dog training schedules might not apply. You'll probably need to take longer to train them in certain things and be kind and gentle if they're having issues or accidents.

This is one of the greatest challenges of training a special needs dog. It can feel like they're stuck in their training or they aren't making progress fast enough, and it can be disheartening. Many people have a crisis around this time and consider giving up their pups to someone who has more time and ability to train them.

In my view, as long as you aren't neglecting them or made a promise to do something you couldn't, there's no shame in giving up a special needs pup. They deserve love and care, and if you can't provide it, it's better to hand them over to someone who can instead of struggling in a way that hurts both you and the puppy in the long run.

3: Create a Household Scent Map

Jennifer Mauger, a contributor to Chewy, says one of the most important things you can do is build a household scent map.

A household scent map is a fairly simple thing to build; all you need to do is get something like a bottle of vanilla extract or a lavender essential oil. Rosemary, Cedarwood, and Frankincense are all also good options. These are all scents dogs like and are pleasant enough to people that they won't be unpleasant.

A scent map just means you take that scent and dab a little bit of it on various parts of your home where your dog should know something is there. Corners, doorways, the legs of furniture, even walls.

Since your dog will have a keen sense of smell even though they're blind, they can use this to build a mental map of where things are. This helps them avoid running into walls or furniture, so it's both safe and enjoyable for your pup.

You can even dab some scent on their toys so they know where to find them! You don't need to use different scents for everything (though you can use different scents for different categories of objects, like one for walls and one for toys); just one or two will serve the purpose.

4: Use Clicker Training

Susan Gary of Top Dog Pet Sitters highly recommends clicker training. A clicker is just a small, sharp noisemaker with a button that makes a click when you press it. It's an auditory signal that a blind dog can learn and hear; critically, it's unique enough that your dog won't mistake other noises for it, which is essential for reliable training.

The click alone doesn't mean anything. Your first task with clicker training is to associate the click with a positive outcome, usually a treat. Just click and offer a treat periodically throughout the day to associate the noise with the reward.

Once that's in place – and it won't take long – all you need to do is use the click to identify a specific behavior you want to reinforce. So, say you're teaching your blind puppy to sit; when you say sit, and they sit, the instant their butt touches the ground, click and reward. Eventually, you can drop the reward aspect; the click is enough to reinforce a behavior.

You can read more about clicker training in this guide from the American Kennel Club.

5: Teach a Stop Command

Another important element of training a blind dog is training them to stop on a dime. You can't afford a dog that will run wildly and ignore your commands; there are all kinds of things they can run into or encounter that can be dangerous.

Moreover, there's only so much you can do to dog-proof everything around you. In your house, sure, you can keep things out of head level or away from their common paths, as well as scent-mark things that can't be removed. But other things can change or can't be marked. The edge of a pool or a pond, the trailer hitch on a truck, road traffic, the list goes on.

In these cases, having a firm command that your dog always obeys and that gets them to stop no matter what is critical.

6: Teach Step Up

Another useful command to teach your blind pooch is "step up" or "step down." These are simple commands that serve to warn your pup that a step like a curb or other short stumbling block is just ahead. This can help prevent tripping up or down that step.

While a single misstep is unlikely to cause an injury, it can lead to them being more cautious and hesitant because they don't know when the ground is going to jump out at them (or drop out from under them.)

If you've ever been leaning back in a chair and felt that jolt of almost falling or missed a step when climbing the stairs, imagine how they feel with the same experience but no eyesight.

7: Consider Household Safety

Lara Shannon of Pooches at Play recommends taking some serious time to make your household as safe as possible for your dog. Get down on their level and look at anything that could be head level or below that could cause an issue.

Consider things like:

• Adding corner protectors to doorways and other corners so that even if your dog gets excited and runs into one, they don't hurt themselves.

• Baby gates at the top of staircases so that your dog can't trip and fall down them, potentially injuring themselves in the tumble.

• Adding rugs or other surfaces to slippery floors and other footing hazards.

• Removing fallen branches and other low hazards in your yard where they could run into them while playing or doing their business.

• Adding markers around trees and other outside objects that can't be reliably scent-mapped; a simple ring of a different surface a foot or so out from the trunk of a tree can help warn your pooch something is coming up.

How much you do and what you need to focus on will depend on where you live and what your dog is like. Consider things from their perspective and make them as safe as possible.

8: Don't Rescue Them

Gillian Young, from the Wonder Dog Institute, says one thing you need to do is avoid "rescuing" your pup from common obstacles. It's one thing to snatch them up from a dangerous situation; that's fine. What you want to avoid is "rescuing" them from things that are just a little hard for them.

For example, if your blind dog is having trouble climbing stairs, your goal is to train them to be more confident going up and down the stairs. If you just pick them up and bring them up the stairs in your arms, it can hinder their training and even disorient them.

Blind dogs rely on their other senses to get around, and a big part of that is building and maintaining a mental map of your home and the things in it. Picking them up and putting them down somewhere else means they have to spend time figuring out where they are, and that isn't always easy. Scent maps help, but it's still better not to do it to them in the first place.

Guiding and helping them remain independent is better in every respect.

9: Don't Do Too Much At Once

This is less of a specific tip and more of a story you can take a moral from. Mardi Richmond of Whole Dog Journal tells the story of Orbit, a blind dog who was well-trained and socialized by his parents. One of the biggest challenges he faced was sound, particularly ambient noise.

Blind dogs use scent to map the area around them, but they also use sound to build that awareness. They can hear quite well, too, and can get a lot of information from ambient noise.

The challenge is that we people often tune out a lot of that noise or take it for granted. Things like crowds, traffic, loud machinery, and other noises can be disregarded because we know what they are.

The trouble is, for a blind dog, that's all potentially relevant information. Suddenly being immersed in it can disorient and overwhelm them, especially if they aren't used to it. So, when you're introducing them to new circumstances, be mindful of the noise.

10: Work on Socialization with Well-Trained Dogs

Another tip from the Orbit story is to be slow and careful when socializing your blind dog with other dogs. Since your pup is blind, they won't be able to see the visual cues that other dogs give and expect to be received. Whether it's play bows, social hops, attempts to sniff, or just a wagging tail, it just won't be seen.

So, if the other dogs your dog is learning from are rambunctious, aggressive, or unlikely to recognize a dog without the right social cues, it can cause a communication issue.

The ideal is to make sure you're socializing your pup with stolid, calm, and unflappable dogs that can be just as graceful to a social faux paw as you will be.

As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to let me know! I'd be more than happy to help however I can!

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Which fruits are the best, and are there any fruits you should avoid? Let's dig right in!

#1: Apples

Apples are readily available all throughout the year and come in dozens of different varieties, which can be sweet, tart, and everything in between. They're rich in vitamin A and vitamin C, both of which are important for a healthy canine, and the dietary fiber they provide can help ensure clean bowel movements and minimal mess to clean up on those walks.

One important note about apples is that you should always slice them and keep the core away from your pooch. The core, which contains the seeds of the apple, is both tough and less pleasant to eat, and the seeds have cyanide in them.

While it's not enough cyanide for us humans to really worry about if we accidentally eat a seed or two, our dogs are much smaller and more vulnerable to those kinds of toxins.

Apples are also fairly firm, so cutting them into smaller bits helps reduce the risk of choking. That's going to be true of any firm fruit, so keep it in mind as you go.

#2: Blueberries

Blueberries are one of the healthiest fruits around for both people and puppies. They're super rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, and they're very tasty to boot.

As an added bonus, they're already bite-sized for dogs, so they're easy to just use as small treats or to hand over a handful after a good day of training.

Different people give blueberries differently, and it can also depend on the size of your dog. Small breeds might find berries to be a bit of a choking hazard, especially if they don't chew them properly, so you might consider mashing up the berries first.

You could also partially freeze them so they're more solid to chew on, which can be helpful if you want to put them in an engaging puzzle feeder.

One thing to keep in mind about blueberries is the pigment in their skin can stain, so don't give your dog blueberries when they're in the room with the white carpet. That same pigment can tint their poo later, too, so don't be too concerned if it looks a lot darker than normal after a handful of berries.

#3: Pears

Pears are a safe, tasty, and relatively inoffensive fruit you can give to your dog. Pear juice is used in tons of beverages because it's essentially a neutral flavor that just adds sweetness without adding too much sugar, and the same goes for using it as a dog treat.

Your dog will enjoy it, of course, and it's full of vitamins like vitamin C and vitamin K, which are important for a healthy doggo. As with most fruits, though, you want to make sure to remove the seeds and core before handing it over.

#4: Strawberries

Strawberries are sweet, delicious, and healthy for most dogs. They have vitamins, antioxidants, and plenty of healthy components. More importantly, there are no toxic substances you have to worry about.

Your dog could even eat them with the hull still on if you want, though I find that prepping a bunch of berries and leaving off the hulls is easier.

Strawberries are just on the edge of having too much sugar, so keep that in mind and only feed them in moderation. Smaller dogs can also find them a choking hazard, so making sure they're soft and ripe, mashing them, or cutting them into smaller pieces can be a good idea.

#5: Watermelon

A staple of summer, watermelon is one of the best fruits you can feed to your pup on a hot day. The rind should be removed, of course – it's tough and indigestible, so it's not very pleasant for your doggo.

The seeds should also be removed if possible, but they aren't likely to cause a huge problem if you miss a couple. Seedless watermelons can also be a good option if you don't want to go through all of that hassle.

The biggest benefit of watermelon is just the first part of the name: water. Watermelon is 90% water, so it's great for hydration without overdoing it on the water bowl and risking an accident or other problem. It also has a lot of potassium and vitamins, so it's generally healthy. Cut it, trim it down, and let them enjoy it!

#6: Coconut

Coconut is an interesting fruit in many ways. Obviously, you can't just give one shell and all to your pooch, but if you break it open and scoop out some of the fruit inside, it can be a tasty treat.

This really only applies to fresh coconuts, though. You don't want to be giving your pup sweetened and shredded coconut, or even coconut flakes, for both digestive and sugar reasons. On the plus side, it's a fruit rich in healthy fats, which can be a key part of your pup's macronutrient profile.

#7: Pumpkin

Depending on your perspective, pumpkin might be considered more of a vegetable than a fruit, but it's on my list either way. Pumpkin can be very tasty, healthy, and good for your dog, but you have to make sure you're either using unsweetened, unadulterated pumpkin puree or baking your own pumpkin so it's soft and good for them. Obviously, a pie filling full of sugar and spices just won't do.

Pumpkin Is also a key ingredient in healthy dog treats, dog treat recipes you can make at home, and even mixed with chicken for a tasty food when your dog is feeling under the weather.

#8: Cranberries

Cranberries aren't just a staple of juices, Christmas recipes, and that sauce in a can that comes out as a cylinder; they're an incredible superfood. They're packed with so many vitamins and minerals I could write a whole post just on how good they are.

I recommend sticking with fresh cranberries rather than dried, though; dried cranberries often have added sugars or even xylitol, and that's no good.

Are There Fruits to Avoid Giving to Your Dog?

Not all fruits are great for your dog, but most of them are at least safe. Some can be toxic, and others harmful in other ways.

The poster child for fruits to keep away from your dog is grapes. Grapes contain compounds that can be extremely toxic to dogs, but it's a per-dog sensitivity. Some are fine; some go into shock very quickly. Keep them away to be on the safe side. Note that this includes raisins as well!

Avocados are another example. It contains a compound called persin that can be dangerous, and while the flesh of the avocado doesn't have a ton of it, it can still be enough to upset your dog's stomach. The high fat content can also cause problems.

Another fruit you might want to avoid is pineapple. Pineapple can be given to your dog in moderation, but it has a few problems. For one thing, it's very high in sugar, which is generally bad for most dogs, especially dogs with prediabetes or diabetes.

The pineapple skin is indigestible, so it can cause digestion issues and even bowel obstructions. There's also the enzyme in it! If you've ever eaten a bunch of pineapple, you know that funny feeling in your mouth? That's the pineapple enzyme breaking down your mouth skin. You don't want to do that to your pooch, right?

Another fruit you might consider avoiding is blackberries. They're full of antioxidants and healthy phytochemicals, but they also contain naturally occurring xylitol, which is toxic to dogs. Your dog would have to eat a lot of them (unless it's a very small breed) to be hurt by it, but it's still better to be safe, right?

Dog Fruit Snacks FAQ

Now, let's round things out with a couple of questions that I didn't have space to cover in the list above.

What other fruits are good for dogs?

Most fruits are at least safe for your dog to eat or are safe after you do a little preparation. For example, mangos are a tasty treat, but you can't just give them one whole. The pit can cause problems if you do, and the skin is hard for your furry friend to digest. Peel and core the mango and give them bites of it, and you're fine.

Other melons than watermelon – like cantaloupe and honeydew – are also good options, but they have the same caveats. No rind, no seeds, in moderation because of the sugars.

What fruits should you leave off the list?

There are a handful of fruits that are healthy and won't hurt your dog the way a toxic fruit might but are still less good for them than the other fruits on the list.

One big example is bananas. Bananas are full of potassium and other nutrients and can be perfectly fine treats for a dog, but they're also very sweet and full of sugar, which can cause problems, especially if your dog is diabetic. Oranges are also one that is often more trouble than it's worth. You want to leave off the peel and the seeds, at which point you have a mess on your hands.

Peaches aren't bad for your dog – as long as you don't feed them the stone – but they're also emblematic of a common mistake, which is using canned rather than fresh peaches. Canned peaches have tons more sugar and are much worse for your dog. The same goes for any canned fruit, really.

Grapefruit is another fruit you should consider leaving off the list. It's annoying like oranges, but it's more acidic, which can upset your poor puppy's stomach. There are also compounds in grapefruit that can interfere with medications – it's more of a problem for people, but you don't want it to cause problems in a senior dog, right?

Is it a good idea to give dogs fruit as a treat?

Many fruits can be good treats. They're tasty, they're usually fairly healthy, and they serve to break up the usual routine of kibble and treats like cheese or sausage.

Even so, they should be considered a "sometimes food" because of their sugar content, and you still have to avoid the ones that can be bad for your pooch.

Do dogs need fruit to be healthy?

Nope!

As people, we're used to a balanced diet from the food pyramid, and the recommendation to get however many servings of fruit and veg each day. Dogs are omnivores just like us, so they can eat most of the same things, but they don't need to.

The biggest reason why is actually their existing food. Dog foods are specially formulated to contain all of the macro and micro-nutrients your dog will need to stay healthy. They don't need added fruits, vegetables, or anything else to stay healthy.

Why can we make a nutritionally-complete kibble for dogs but not for people? Dogs have much less complex dietary needs, for one thing. Human nutrition is immensely complicated, especially since we need to get it right, or we start to develop neurological problems.

We also live a lot longer, so there's a lot more time for problems to develop. Dogs might have problems subsisting just on kibble if they lived to be 60 as well, but they don't have that kind of lifespan.

How much fruit can my dog have?

Not much! In general, treats should make up 10% or less of your dog's diet. Fruit should be considered a treat, not a staple, for this purpose. So, try to avoid giving them too much fruit!

If your dog is eating too much fruit on a regular basis, they'll generally start to develop signs of an upset stomach. You don't want to make your fur baby sick, right?

So, there you have it: a good rundown of what fruits are good for dogs in moderation and which ones you might want to avoid. If you have a specific question about a fruit I haven't listed, feel free to drop me a line!

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Now, we've all been there, right? Everyone has that moment as a kid where they eat too much cake and feel sick, or gorge on holiday candy and treats, or just go too deep on whatever it is they're fixated on at the time. However, we don't usually eat until we actually throw up. And, critically, we're doing it with something we enjoy.

So, do dogs just really like eating grass? Is this a behavior we should be worried about? Let's talk about it.

Why Do Dogs Eat Grass Until Vomiting?

First up, let's talk a bit about why dogs eat grass in the first place. Then, we'll get into whether or not you should be concerned and what you should do about it.

Before getting into the actual reasons, I wanted to mention a common myth: that dogs are intentionally gorging themselves on grass to induce vomiting.

So, you know how when you have nausea, and you feel the bile rising in your throat, and your mouth starts to salivate a lot? It's a biological reaction to get you to swallow a lot of liquid to try to settle your stomach, or at least coat your mouth and throat before you vomit to protect it from stomach acid.

In dogs, the same sort of thing happens, but they don't really know how to deal with it. Most of the time, they start licking or chewing on anything nearby. If they're outside in the yard or on a walk, they'll start eating grass in an attempt to settle their stomachs, but since grass isn't really part of their diet, it can trigger their gag reflex and make them vomit.

Basically, they aren't intentionally making themselves vomit, but that's what ends up happening, and since vomiting often alleviates whatever was causing the digestive upset in the first place, it kind of works out.

Another common reason people think dogs eat grass is out of boredom, but that's not really accurate either. Dogs, when they're bored, are more likely to be destructive than consumptive. They might eat things like grass, cardboard, furniture, pillow stuffing, and whatever else they can get their paws on, but it's more of a side effect of just tearing it apart. They aren't doing it to eat grass; they're doing it as part of just doing something to get your attention.

What are the actual reasons dogs eat grass? There are basically three main reasons.

Reason #1: They just like the taste.

The first reason dogs eat grass is just because they like how it tastes.

You and I eat vegetables and (usually) enjoy them, right? Whether it's some lettuce in a salad, some broccoli or cauliflower roasted in the oven, or a nice pile of carrots and potatoes on the side, vegetables can be quite delicious.

And, of course, we all know that dogs love eating things they find tasty. Whether it's their kibble, a treat like a bit of cheese, or a pile of something weird and gross on the ground, they'll dig right in. Their tastes might not make sense to us, but to them, and the way they see the world, it's delicious.

Grass can be tasty in its own right. Even plants you might not think you would eat can be tasty in the right preparations, and to dogs, that right preparation might be as simple as "still wet from morning dew or a rainstorm" or "covered in the scent of other animals that ran through here."

It also ties into the second reason; after all, when you evolve to do something, you probably evolve to at least find it palatable.

Reason #2: It's an instinctual behavior.

Dogs are a distant offshoot of wolves, and wolves also eat grass. They do it for many of the same reasons, but also, it's just part of hunting. Sometimes, they need something moderately nutritious to fuel them while they hunt prey. Sometimes, when they take down prey, as they eat the meat, they end up with mouthfuls of grass as well. They can't necessarily afford to be picky eaters, so they take what they get.

A lot of times, dogs just have this need to eat grass as they pass by. There doesn't really need to be a deeper meaning to it at all; it's just something they do because their little goofy brains tell them it's a good idea.

Reason #3: They have an upset stomach.

I already covered this one above in a roundabout way. Dogs don't really have the drive to eat grass to satisfy an upset stomach, but if they're feeling nauseous, they might want something to try to keep it down. If they don't have access to grass, maybe they'll just start licking the carpet, or they'll go and drink a bunch of water.

And, truth be told, sometimes it works. In fact, while the experience of a dog eating grass and then throwing up seems universal, studies have shown that only around 10% of dogs show any sign of being ill before they eat grass, and only a quarter of them vomit after eating grass. You might even be able to attribute the vomiting to over-eating in general or to eating something on the grass that disagrees with them.

In a way, it's a lot like how we can settle our stomachs with neutral crackers or digestives or something else that can soak up churning stomach acid and help the system move a little faster.

Should You Worry If Your Dog is Eating Grass?

Honestly, probably not!

It's fairly natural for dogs to eat grass from time to time. Some of them will want to eat grass pretty often, maybe on every walk or every chance they get. Others might only think of it as a sometimes snack, taking mouthfuls of a tasty grass they find along the way but generally leaving it all along.

There are a few good reasons why you might want to do some redirection training and help keep your dog from eating grass too often, though.

• If they eat too much grass, it can fill them up, so they won't eat their normal food and can end up deficient.
• If they eat too much grass, it can cause an upset stomach and lead to problems.
• They might eat things along with the grass that they shouldn't, whether it's sharp bits of wood, stinging plants like nettles, plants like poison ivy that can cause a bad reaction, or things like stinging insects that can cause other problems.
• The grass they eat might have chemicals or other nastiness on it that can be dangerous for your dog, even if the grass itself is not.

Overall, if your dog is eating grass, you should look at the situation and figure out why they're doing it and if it's cause for concern. If it's sporadic or occasional and doesn't seem to cause them any problems, you can leave it be.

If they're eating grass while also doing things like digging holes or tearing up the carpet, it probably means they're bored. They might also do things like eat your houseplants, which is also obviously not something you want them to be doing.

Boredom means that training isn't likely to work since it doesn't address the cause of the problem. You'll simply need to find ways to keep your dog entertained and engaged, even when you're not around. That might mean hiring a pet sitter for the day, or a dog walker, or getting friends to hang out and care for them. Alleviating boredom and the anxiety that comes with it is the key.

If your dog seems to have a compulsion to eat grass and they seem to be fixated on it whenever you take them out, there are two things you can do.

The first is to take them to the vet to see if there's actually something wrong with them. It's pretty rare for this to be the case – your fur baby isn't going to be eating grass as their sole symptom, so you'd be able to recognize if they're sick in other ways – but it's possible. A rare disorder called pica, or disordered eating, can lead to dogs trying to eat just about everything they see, including grass. Other medical issues, like gastric reflux, IBS, or pancreatitis, can also lead to eating grass. It's a good idea to rule these out.

The other thing you should do is try redirection training. Redirection training just means that whenever you see your dog start to lean over to eat grass, you give them a call or command to distract them and reward them for not eating the grass. I find that a "drop it" command can be pretty effective.

If you do this consistently enough, they'll attach the reward in their mind to the act of refraining from eating grass, and they'll stop. You do need to be consistent and proactive with it. It will take some time, just like all dog training, but it's not actually all that hard to do.

Overall, though, unless your dog has accidentally poisoned themselves, gotten themselves sick or parasitized, or is eating so much that they cause problems, you probably don't need to worry about them eating grass. Sometimes, the things dogs do are just things dogs do, and they aren't a sign of anything worse.

Another thing you can try is changing their food. There was one recorded example of a dog that ate grass to the point of vomiting every day for years, and it turned out to be something with their food that disagreed with them. When their parents changed their food, they stopped eating grass, and everything was good. That might not be the case for your dog, but it might be worth a try.

Dog Grass Eating FAQ

Now, let's round things out with a few questions you might have that didn't fit into the main sections.

Do dogs like eating grass?

Maybe! Like most things, your dog is an individual, and they have their own preferences. Some dogs don't care about grass one way or the other. Some prefer to avoid it when they can. Some like the texture or the taste of the grass. Some might not actually be going after the grass itself, but rather, some kind of chemical or fertilizer or a specific plant in the grass, like clover. If you notice that your dog eats grass a lot more in the spring, that's likely it; fresh grass shoots and wildflower sprigs are sweeter and more tender, while later summer and fall grasses are rougher and more likely to be bitter.

Is grass bad for dogs to eat?

Only in excess. Dogs are omnivores just like we are, so just like we can eat some vegetables in our diet, dogs can have a little grass as a treat if they like. Cats are the same way, though they aren't quite the same kind of omnivore.

That said, if they eat too much grass, it can cause problems, so you should probably try to train away that behavior as much as you can. You don't need them to fully stop; just not eat to excess.

More importantly, though, even if the grass isn't bad for your dog, you never know what's in the grass. There could be toxic fertilizer, pesticides, roadside chemicals, and even parasites that can come along for the ride. If you keep your yard free of contaminants, you may be fine, but it's best to be safe.

Is eating grass a sign of nutritional deficiency?

While this is a pretty common myth, it's actually just that: a myth. For one thing, if you're feeding your dog right, they won't be nutritionally deficient in the first place. More importantly, if they are deficient in some nutrient or another, they'll have symptoms of that deficiency, usually weight loss, lethargy, loss of coordination, or another sign of illness.

Overall, you generally don't need to worry about your dog eating grass, even if they vomit after doing it. It's only if they do it over and over and over that it might be an issue, but even then, it's unlikely to be an emergency. Just mention it next time you bring them to the vet, and work on some training along the way.

As always, if you have any questions about anything I covered in this article, be sure to let me know in the comments section!

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They're still babies, so they're still learning how to exist in this wild world of ours, and it's our job to make sure they're set up to succeed as best they can.

Potty training isn't necessarily easy. You need to keep track of their needs and their progress, make sure they aren't suffering from an allergy or dietary sensitivity, and they aren't getting into things they should that lead to accidents.

It also requires you to be very consistent, to make sure your pup knows when you take them to potty, it's for potty, not for play or socialization. While you can potty train a dog of any age, it's easiest and most effective when they're very young.

Sometimes, unfortunately, your pup may regress in their training. If they're still a puppy and they're still in the midst of training, a regression might just mean accidents you need to deal with. If they're an older dog, incontinence can be a greater concern.

So, what can cause potty training regression, and what can you do about it? Let's talk about it.

What is Puppy Potty Training Regression?

Potty training regression generally refers to your puppy having accidents they shouldn't be having. Say, for example, you've been taking your puppy out to potty every couple of hours, but they're getting better at holding it, and you're able to let them go for 4-5 hours at a time instead.

For a few weeks, they've been good, with no indoor accidents, going outside when you bring them outside for it, and all seems well.

Then, out of nowhere, they start having accidents inside again. It's not necessarily even just a single accident, but a series; it seems like you're going to have to go back to every two hours, and the broken sleep once again.

This is potty training regression: a return to an earlier point in the potty training schedule, accidents when there weren't accidents before, and the frustration of seeing things go awry.

Are There Different Kinds of Puppy Potty Training Regression?

While a regression is a regression, the age and level of training of your puppy can mean different things.

If your puppy is regressing when they're around four months old, it's probably the most common kind of regression, which is just progressing training schedules too much, too soon.

We like to think that our puppies are more or less fully potty trained around this age, but that's really just optimistic. Most puppies take a little longer, and a regression at this point is normal.

If your puppy is regressing when they're closer to seven or eight months old, it's also a very common reason: training tends to lighten up. You don't want to have to give your pup a treat every time they go to the bathroom, right?

So, you're probably lightening up on the training and the positive reinforcement, and that can make training regress. Basically, you just have to stick with the training – and the rewards – a little longer.

If your puppy is regressing when they're around 10 or 11 months old, there are a handful of reasons why it might be happening. This is a time when puppies are starting to reach sexual maturity, which causes a lot of changes.

Male puppies are more likely to start marking their territory – which isn't quite the same as an accident – and female puppies are dealing with floods of hormones and distractions.

If your puppy is regressing when they're a year or more older, it's less likely to be a training regression, and more likely to be something like a medical issue. I'll talk more about that in my list of possible causes.

If your dog is much older – into their senior years – and they're having accidents, it's regression in another sense. Sadly, it's a sign of doggy dementia. Again, more on that in a bit.

What Are the Different Causes of Puppy Potty Training Regression?

There are a ton of different reasons why potty training regression can happen. Some of them are behavioral, some of them are reactionary, some of them are medical. Let's talk about them!

Regression Due to Overestimation or Overeating

One of the first – and thankfully, least bad – causes of regression is that your puppy simply can't hold it in any longer. One of two things happens here.

The first is that you've overestimated how long your puppy can hold their bowels, and you're not taking them out as often as they need to go.

Young puppies only have so much ability to control themselves, and when you're training them, your goal is to extend that amount of time. But, just like we people, if they go too long without having the chance to go, they'll experience cramping, pain, and, eventually, involuntary incontinence.

The solution here is simply to keep track of how long they can go without going, and don't push too far, too fast.

The second possibility here is that you've overestimated your puppy's capacity for food and water. When you drink a lot of water, you have to pee a lot sooner than you would if you don't drink much water. You can't deny your puppy food and water, of course, but if they overeat or drink too much, they'll have to go sooner rather than later.

This is particularly common when you're getting them more exercise, playing a lot to tire them out, and then bring them back in and let them drink until they're restored. You'll probably need to take them back out right away, but if you don't think about it, you might not realize that, which leads to an accident, and a regression.

Fortunately, this is just another case of vigilance. You need to pay more attention to the situation and take them out when they need it.

Regression Due to Medical Issues

Another common cause of potty training regressions – and accidents as your puppy gets older – is medical problems.

All sorts of medical problems can cause regressions. Some of the most common include:

• A urinary tract infection, or UTI, which causes irritation and pain as well as a loss of bladder control.
• Diabetes, which is rare in young puppies but can occur due to genetic or congenital factors, and needs to be appropriately managed to prevent incontinence.
• Inflammatory bowel disease, which is a chronic condition characterized by bowels that don't work quite right and get inflamed easily, leading to incontinence and other symptoms.
• Kidney disease, which can be caused by a bunch of different factors, including undetected UTIs, and cause more accidents.
• Medicine side effects. Sometimes if your puppy is on another medication, they can have side effects including incontinence. Your prescribing vet should tell you about it, so you can prepare, and it should alleviate once they're off the medication.

If you're taking your puppy out on a tight schedule and they shouldn't be having issues, but they're still having regressions, you might consider taking them to the vet as soon as you can.

It's not "rush them to the emergency vet" dangerous, but you should still schedule a rapid consultation if you can. UTIs and other infections are no joke, and chronic conditions need to be managed to prevent problems down the line.

In some cases, a simple medication or a change in diet is all you need to solve the regressions. Other times, you may need more long-term treatments.

Regression Due to Stress or Anxiety

Another cause you might consider is significant sources of stress and anxiety.

Some dogs get separation anxiety, which can manifest particularly when you're away at work or you're asleep at night.

Whether it's night crying, accidents, barking, whining, or other behavioral issues, it's a kind of anxiety that needs to be handled before it becomes a huge disruption.

Other times, it might be because of a change in lifestyle or routine. If you recently had to move to a new house, for example, a whole unfamiliar place can be very stressful and can lead to regressions. Similarly, major life changes can do the same.

Similarly, if you're getting another new animal, uncertainty with the new pet might also cause problems. A particularly sensitive puppy might relieve themselves out of submissiveness, or they may be bullied, or they may just be anxious and scared. This usually alleviates with proper socialization.

Regression Due to Allergies or Sensitivities

As you might expect, the cause of incontinence might not actually be a regression in training, but rather, a problem with what your puppy is eating.

Allergies can cause stomach upset, which can lead to diarrhea and incontinence. Sensitivities are the same, but are broadly less dangerous.

A sensitivity can be disruptive to the digestive system and is definitely unpleasant, but an allergy can be both very damaging to their systems and even, in some cases, fatal.

If you've switched to a new food or a new treat recently and regressions have started happening, check to see if there's an ingredient your puppy might be sensitive to or allergic to. You might also talk to your vet about allergy tests. There are some tests, like a RAST test, which can help identify allergies.

Regression Due to Faulty Training

Unfortunately, one of the other common causes of potty training regression in dogs is faulty training.

If you're not consistent enough about it, or you stop giving rewards too soon, or if you just hit a point where you assume they should be trained and treat them as if they are, they can regress because they aren't being given the constant feedback. While this is definitely a pet parent mistake, it's at least easily fixable by buckling down and taking training more seriously.

Even if your dog seems like they're very good at letting you know when they need to go, they aren't always actually aware of it themselves, and you might not always recognize the signals they're giving you, especially if you're distracted. Similarly, if you're co-parenting, your partner might also not be on the same page as you, and that can cause problems as well.

Puppy Potty Training Regression FAQ

Let's wrap things up with a few of the common questions I get about puppy potty training and training regression.

Is potty training regression dangerous?

Usually, no. It's annoying for you to have to clean up the mess when it happens, it's stressful for your puppy if they're stuck in a crate with that mess and can't distance themselves from it, but it's not itself dangerous.

The danger comes from if the root cause of their regression is medical. Medical issues like infections or allergies require diagnosis and appropriate treatment, and if you don't get them, they can get worse and have disastrous consequences. If you're at all unsure of why a regression is happening, call your vet!

Is puppy potty training regression normal?

Unfortunately, yes. There are a lot of possible causes of potty training regression, almost all of which are fairly common. In a way, it's almost rare to have a puppy that doesn't experience at least one regression. That's really just part of the training process.

Does regression mean you did something wrong?

Maybe, but not necessarily. If it's something you did, it's either because of a lifestyle or schedule change that stressed out your puppy, or it's because you're rushing their training when you should be taking more time to make sure it's reinforced. Either way, it's relatively easily corrected; just like your puppy, you need to learn and grow.

At the end of the day, the biggest thing you need to know is that potty training regressions are normal and can happen for a lot longer than you might think.

Don't take it as a personal failure, and definitely don't take it out on your pooch! You both want what's best for each other, so act with kindness and keep up the training. I promise things will work out.

If you have any additional questions that I haven't covered in this article, be sure to let me know in the comments section! I'd be more than happy to help however I can!

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The idea that they're natural enemies has a foundation in reality, though, so it's something you need to know and account for when you're introducing the two.

If you have a household with established cats, and you want to bring a new puppy into the fold, you need to do so very carefully. If your cats get the wrong first impression, it can set the tone for their whole relationship, and the last thing you want is antagonism between your beloved furry children.

So, let's talk about what you need to do to successfully introduce a new puppy to your cats!

Why Cats and Dogs Don't Get Along

Cartoons may have you believe that cats and dogs do nothing but fight, but there are also plenty of adorable photos showing the exact opposite, and that copacetic relationship is what you really want.

But why is it that cats and dogs so often don't get along? Well, it comes down almost entirely to behaviors.

The dog prey drive.

For example, dogs have an engrained prey drive instinct. This is the same instinct that compels dogs to play fetch, chase squirrels, and – in the case of herding breeds – round up livestock or even people.

So, when they see something smaller than them, like a cat, they're likely to try to chase it around. For a cat, of course, that's incredibly stressful and terrifying; they feel like they're being, well, chased and hunted.

Even if the dog doesn't do anything to them but say hi, lick, or play when they catch them, the cat is likely going to be very stressed about the whole process.

Dogs are also usually larger than cats, so it's a lot easier for the cat to feel threatened by them, even if the adorable doggo is just a huge puppy.

Body language of cats and dogs.

There are also fundamental differences in body language. In a dog, wagging a tail is a sign of happiness; for a cat, a swishing tail is a sign of agitation and irritation. So, a dog seeing a cat's tail swishing around might interpret it as a time to play and be social, while the cat just wants to be left alone.

Eye contact is also a big one. Cats lock eyes and stare when they're afraid or hunting; dogs lock eyes and watch when they're having a good time. Cats that are comfortable and happy tend to do long blinks and look away; dogs don't.

When you're bringing a dog into an established cat household, it's also important to realize that this feels like an intrusion on their territory.

Cats are pretty territorial and like to lay claim to their areas, and when a dog is added to the mix, it's another animal – another predator – taking over some of their space.

Depending on how defensive your cats are, this can be a huge source of stress and defensiveness.

How to Introduce a Puppy to Established Cats

If you want to bring a new puppy into a household with established cats, you need to go about things the right way.

Otherwise, you're going to have a lifetime of stress, fighting, and vigilance to make sure they don't hurt one another. Fortunately, this isn't uncommon, and introducing the dog as a puppy is the best option.

It's even better if you can have the cats socialized with dogs when they're kittens, but that's not always possible.

So, how do you go about the process?

Laying the groundwork for cats and dogs to coexist.

The first thing you need to do is make sure your cats have a lot of freedom they can use to escape the dog. Cats, when they're stressed and have had enough, prefer to retreat and hide to chill.

If they don't have a place they can go to relax and feel safe, they'll get more and more stressed until they lash out.

First, make sure there's a room where your cats can access, but your puppy isn't allowed. This might be a bathroom, a bedroom, or even a closet, but it needs to be a hiding place the dog can't get into so the cats can feel safe there.

Make sure they have the essentials in that room, including a litter box, food and water, toys, and a scratching post. This ideally won't be a permanent arrangement, but you definitely need it as long as your animals aren't comfortable with each other yet.

It might also be a good idea to set up some high perches and shelves where your cat can retreat to and your puppy can't.

Cats also like high places, and they can provide a bit of sanctuary from a rambunctious and energetic puppy, as well as a place your cat can go to watch this new creature without having to fully hide.

And, of course, remember that you're going to have to supervise every interaction between your new puppy and your cats for at least the next few weeks, if not months, until you're sure they're on good terms with each other.

Start with a barrier.

Just like when you're introducing two cats to each other, introducing a puppy to cats means you're going to need to keep them separate. You can't just bring a new puppy into the house, let them run wild, and expect things to work out.

Generally, you will want to designate one room or space for your puppy to be their sanctuary room, just like your cats have one. This is where your puppy will be confined outside of times when you take them on walks, to the vet, and for puppy training.

This will likely last for at least 3-4 days, and more likely for a week, depending on how the animals react to knowing each other is there.

To help foster some faint interactions, feed them on opposite sides of the same door, where they can smell and hear each other but not interact with each other. This helps them get used to the presence of the other animal in small doses.

Train your puppy early.

Speaking of puppy training, you definitely want to be working on the basic commands ASAP. In particular, you need them to be able to obey commands like "sit," "stay," "come," and "leave it" so that you can control them when they're interacting with your cats.

If you notice your puppy is harassing your cats and your cats aren't enjoying it, you need to be able to separate them, and a command is the easiest way to do so.

Start face to face meetings.

Once your critters are more comfortable with one another on the other side of a door, you can start to let them meet face-to-face.

It's best to avoid using either one of their sanctuary rooms for this, though some people prefer to set up something like a baby gate to keep the dog in theirs while the cats can see them.

Another option is to put your puppy in a harness and on their leash, and hold them by you while you allow the cats to roam as they want.

They'll likely be skeptical and skittish, but when they realize the dog can't chase them down or go after them, they'll feel a bit better exploring and watching from a distance.

For your part, this is where you really want to have managed some level of obedience training. If you can keep your pupper calm at your side, despite their instincts to go say hi to the new friends, it helps keep the cats calmer and friendlier.

Generally, you want to keep these meetings pretty short. It also helps if you have a friend or family member who can help supervise the cats, as well.

Finally, you want to have treats for both creatures on hand. Treats will help keep your puppy calmer and distracted from staring at the cats, and treats for the cats can help teach them that they're safe to eat and enjoy space and time despite the puppy being there.

If either side exhibits aggression, make sure to redirect that aggression, usually with a treat or a toy. It's all part of animal training, using positive reinforcement to distract away from problematic behaviors and reinforce better behaviors.

Progress to more unfettered social time.

Once your cats and your dog are more comfortable with each other's presence in the same room, you can start letting your puppy off their leash and allowing the two to interact.

You want the leash still attached, so you can stop them if a problem occurs, but ideally that won't happen.

If all goes well, you can continue to perform these meetings for longer and longer amounts of time until there's no need to keep supervising them.

If there's a squabble or a problem, you'll need to dial back and spend a bit more time on socialization.

It's still a good idea to keep the fuzzy babies separated when you aren't there to supervise, at least until you're sure they get along, so no problems happen when you're not available to redirect.

Puppy and Cat Introduction FAQ

Let's wrap things up with some common questions you might have.

Why do cats and dogs not get along?

It's mostly a matter of body language, honestly! Cats and dogs have similar body shapes and similar actions, but they interpret those actions in almost completely opposite ways, so when a cat is signaling, "Don't come close, I don't want to deal with you," your puppy reads it as "Come play with me!" and when your puppy is staring at the new friend in excitement and playfulness, your cat reads it as aggressive and hunting behavior.

Once your furry friends are familiar with each other, they get to know how to deal with these things, but the socialization process takes time.

How long does it take to socialize a puppy with cats?

This can depend a lot on the personalities of both the puppy and the cats. Some cats don't care much and take to any new friend almost immediately.

Others are very standoffish and will be defensive for a long time. Expect at least a month or two of socialization before you can let them be, and possibly more.

One thing to be aware of is that if you have cats that were strays or have had bad experiences with dogs in the past, it's going to be even harder to socialize them.

It should be possible, just time-consuming, so know what you're getting into before you sign the paperwork to adopt the puppy. There's nothing worse for the puppy or the people than having to surrender a puppy back to a shelter when they don't fit in with your existing household.

Does the breed of the puppy matter?

A little, but not as much as you might think. Different dogs of the same breed can have very different personalities, after all.

Dogs with more of a prey drive will have a harder time with initial socialization, and dogs with high energy levels will be more difficult for a cat to get used to. Larger puppies can present more of a challenge to cats as well, though small breed dogs can be more defensive.

Every dog presents their own challenges, though, so don't assume a rigid schedule is going to work. Adapt to the interactions you see!

What should you watch out for?

The biggest is when one animal bullies the other. We usually think of dogs as the dominant in these relationships because they're larger, but cats can be aggressive enough to counteract that and harass the puppy into submission.

Unfortunately, this stresses out the puppy and can lead to them lashing out when they're larger, which can injure or even kill a cat. Definitely make sure you're an advocate and mediator for both sides so they can't build up this kind of relationship.

You should also make sure that you feed them properly, in ways that they can't steal each other's food. Defensiveness over food is one of the biggest causes of problems between cats and dogs, so make sure to mediate it.

Do you have any other questions that I didn't cover in this article? If so, be sure to let me know in the comments section! I'd be more than happy to help you out.

The theory is that dogs, as descendants of wolves, are social pack animals. This has a lot of repercussions in dog training, or so the theory goes.

I want to talk a little about this today, and give you some tips to help you keep your dogs well-trained and under control.

The Problem with Alpha Theory

First, I want to talk a bit about where this theory is coming from, and why we can safely disregard it.

The theory is that in a pack of wolves, the social group needs to be dominated by the strongest and most competitive, usually aggressive, wolf of the group.

Less aggressive, weaker wolves are dominated, and as long as this social order is maintained, the pack can exist in harmony.

This theory comes from a study produced by David Mech and Rudolph Schenkel several decades ago. Unfortunately, there are a bunch of reasons why we should ignore it, even though a lot of people today even still promote it.

First of all, it was a study of captive wolves in an environment where food, space, and other resources were limited. In nature, wolves don't stay in situations like that.

They'll break up a pack, or they'll move territories, or the resource scarcity will "thin the herd" until an equilibrium is maintained.

There's on need for a dominant "alpha" wolf in nature, because it's a reaction to constrained environments and what was essentially forced conflict.

Moreover, the original studies ignored a lot of other wolf behaviors. Wolf packs are often a lot more social, collaborative, and mutually beneficial than they're often portrayed.

They form complex bonds and social relationships based on kinship, mutual assistance, and cooperation for things like raising puppies, hunting, or defending a den.

While there may be an "alpha" wolf, it's not a firm position and is more like a project leader; one wolf takes up the mantle for whatever needs doing and cedes it to another when another task is at hand.

There were also some serious flaws in the original research. For example, you probably know that a dog rolling on their back and exposing their belly is a submissive behavior, showing vulnerability; the original study actually attributed this as a dominant behavior!

And, of course, there's one very important detail that needs to be acknowledged: dogs aren't wolves!

The behaviors and social dynamics of ferocious predators roaming the forests of the country are very different from the behaviors and social dynamics of our adorable little fur babies, who would have trouble intimidating a fly and only have to hunt for your location when it's dinner time.

In case you still want to hold onto it, it's also important to remember that Mech and Schenkel, the original researchers, have even admitted that they got things wrong and have tried to retract the alpha theory, though it persists in popular culture despite their efforts.

Why Alpha Theory Doesn't Work for Dog Training

The biggest issue with alpha theory isn't necessarily that it's based on old research that is inaccurate and discredited. It's that the things it asks you to do to train your dog are generally a bad idea.

For example, if you train a dog using alpha theory, the idea is that you're trying to position yourself as a dominant "alpha" in your pack of two. This means:

• Depriving your dog of things like pets, attention, or even food if they aren't obedient.
• Depriving your dog of stress relief like toys and taking them away if they try to guard their limited resources.
• Using physical punishment as a warning for violating the "rules."

Many, many studies into dog training and decades of evolution in training processes have firmly covered this ground.

Deprivation and punishment simply don't work. Deprivation doesn't work because your dog is generally fairly simple-minded and isn't going to attach the cause to the effect.

Punishment doesn't work because dogs aren't as avoidant as they are motivated, so all you really end up teaching them is that violence is okay.

Moreover, all of these "training" methods end up stressing out your dog, making them less social, making them more prone to lashing out, and hindering socialization and friendliness. They may be more appropriate for a guard dog, but they certainly aren't effective for a beloved family pet. You end up with a dog that doesn't trust you, only the threat you represent, and that's not what I advocate for here on Toe Beans.

Five Tips for Proper Dog Training

Instead of relying on punishment and dominance, which are proven to be ineffective and actively harmful to the relationship you have with your fur baby, what can you do instead?

Here are my five tips for appropriate dog training. If you want to know more, here are a few other resources you can read as well.

• The Ultimate Guide: Teaching 20 Essential Dog Commands
• The Beginner's Guide to Off-Leash Training for Dogs
• What is Dog Recall Training and How Do You Start?
• Dog Parenting 101

If you're ready to abandon the idea of the "alpha dog" and learn how to really form a social bond with your pup, read on.

#1: Use Positive Reinforcement

We tend to think of reward and punishment as two sides of a coin, but in terms of classical conditioning, they only represent half of the spectrum.

There are two factors you control: beneficial and non-beneficial stimulus and the addition or removal of that stimulus. In other words, adding a good thing, adding a bad thing, taking away a good thing, or taking away a bad thing.

• Positive Reinforcement is like giving a dog a treat when they do something good.
• Positive Punishment is like kicking at a dog when they do something bad.
• Negative Reinforcement is like turning off an annoying noise when a dog does something good.
• Negative Punishment is like stopping petting a dog when they do something bad.

While technically, all of these have the potential to work, three of the four really don't. Trying to add an aversive stimulus – that is, like trying to hit a bad dog – is abusive and ineffective.

Meanwhile, the removal of a stimulus, good or bad, isn't itself an action that a dog is going to interpret properly.

By far, the most effective way to train a dog, or any other animal for that matter, is by rewarding them when they do what you want.

What most people don't realize is that you can even train away behaviors you don't like with this method through consistent observation.

If you want your dog to not bark at noises outside, you don't punish them when they bark; you watch them, and if they're about to bark, you distract them and reward them for not barking.

When they realize that barking means nothing but not barking gets them a treat, they'll stop barking.

The best weapon in your arsenal for training a dog is a bag of high-value treats, like bits of sausage or cheese. It really doesn't take much!

#2: Consistency is Critical

The second most important thing about dog training is consistency.

Consistency in:

• Your expectations. If you want a dog to learn not to jump up on people, don't let them jump up on you even though you don't mind it. Likewise, don't encourage them to sit on the couch if you don't want them to jump up onto other furniture.
• Your enforcement. If you reward them some of the time when they do something but not other times, they might not learn correctly. You won't need to reward them every time they do something you want forever, just until they've fully learned the behavior.
• Your family. Until a dog is fully trained, you need to make sure everyone who interacts with them for any length of time understands the training. That way your dog isn't getting mixed signals.

All of this is true, regardless of whether you're trying to train a new puppy to come when you call, or train a show dog in a more advanced series of tricks or commands.

#3: Pick the Right Rewards

Most of the time with dog training, what you need is a high-value treat, but what works best for one dog might not be the best for another.

For example:

• Small cubes of cheese are great for some dogs but upset the tummies of others.
• Small bits of sausage are usually a good option.
• Some dogs don't need a high-value treat, and a kibble or two is good enough.
• Some dogs aren't very food motivated and respond better to praise, pets, or a quick play session.

The tricky part is if you get a dog that isn't food-motivated. It can be harder to find a specific toy or bit of praise you can use as a reward, distinct from normal interaction with your pup. Keep at it, though; there's always going to be something!

#4: Keep Training Sessions Short

Another important tip for dog training is to keep training sessions short. This isn't like cram school where you're teaching a whole certification program in a few weeks of long days; it's more like life experience, gathered over time.

Most experts, including the American Kennel Club, recommend keeping training sessions short.

For dedicated training sessions, where you're trying to teach a dog a specific command, keep the sessions to no more than five minutes.

Dogs don't have very long attention spans, so the longer the session is, the more likely they are to get distracted, and that's when the chance for learning is over.

A lot of training isn't something you do in dedicated training sessions, though. It's something you address when you see it to sculpt behavior over time.

You aren't really doing dedicated sessions here; instead, everything is done as you see it. That's why it's important to keep the relevant treat on hand, at least until they age out of needing treats for training.

#5: Don't Bite Off More Than You Can Chew

One of the biggest stumbling blocks with dog training is trying to train too much, too fast. Puppies are fast learners, but you still need to start slow and train in the basic behaviors, especially if you want to get into more advanced training.

Think about those dog agility courses where an energetic pup runs through tunnels, in between poles, and over jumps.

That's not one course of training! Each of those obstacles is trained separately and built up into whole routines over time.

The same goes for any other dog training, even if all you're training is "come," "sit," and "fetch." The more you want them to learn, the longer it takes, and the more you should focus on a narrow set of commands before building into others.

Dog Training Tips FAQ

Let's wrap things up with a round-up of some common questions about being "the alpha" and dog training in general.

Is the alpha dominance training method effective?

Absolutely not. In fact, if you're trying to play for dominance, you're likely stressing out your dog and making them afraid of you, which makes them more likely to run, be defensive, snap at you, or turn mean.

Many poor dogs have even been put down because of this "uncontrollable" behavior, which is just a natural reaction to what amounts to abuse.

What should you avoid with dog training?

Dogs aren't very good at understanding the concept of punishment or negative reinforcement. If you're doing something negative to encourage or discourage certain behaviors, chances are it isn't going to work very well.

The only exception is something like taking away a toy when they get too rough with it. Most of the time, instead, you should redirect their behavior and reward them with a treat when they leave what they were doing behind.

How long does dog training take?

Good dog training is a lifelong commitment. But, training individual behaviors and tricks doesn't have to take more than a few weeks of dedicated effort. On the other hand, ongoing behaviors like night barking may take longer just because you can only train them when they would happen.

Do you have any other questions? If so, let me know in the comments!

Since they don't have hands, their mouths are their primary way to interact with objects. That's why they chew things, lick things, bite things, mouth things, and generally put things in their mouths.

This isn't a learned behavior. Puppies, from the moment they open their eyes and can start moving through the world, will start to bite and nibble on things.

Whether it's a plush toy you give them, a disc or ball you use to play fetch, or a cool stick they found, they're going to use their mouths to figure out what it is, carry it around, and possibly even give it to you, whether you want it or not.

Of course, having a puppy that chews on everything isn't necessarily a good thing. It's one thing if they chew on a toy meant for chewing. It's quite another if they're chewing on your kid's homework, or your shoes, or the cables to your computer.

There are a lot of things in the world that, when chewed apart, can be harmful. Sometimes, that harm is to you and your life; sometimes, it's to your puppy, who can accidentally swallow things they shouldn't or get objects lodged in their throats.

Naturally, you want to know how to train your puppy not to chew on things. But can you really do so, and is it ethical to do so? After all, in a sense, it would be like training a child not to touch things with their hands. Is that kind of behavior even possible?

Let's talk about puppy biting and chewing, what's normal, what isn't normal, and how you can manage it.

Why Puppies Mouth, Chew, and Bite

Biting behaviors from puppies start early. In fact, even before they're old enough to open their eyes, they feel around with their paws and their mouths. That's part of how they find their mothers, so they can eat, after all.

As they get old enough to explore and interact with you and the rest of the world, biting will be one of their main behaviors. This serves two purposes.

The first is that they're telling you they want to play. Play biting is usually soft – they aren't trying to attack you, naturally – but puppies often don't know their own strength or how sharp their tiny little teeth are.

This plays into the second reason, too. Puppies bite and nibble and chew and mouth things, including your hands, because they're still figuring out how their mouths work.

If they bite hard enough to break the skin and hurt, you need to react appropriately because that's how they learn how much force is too much force.

There's also the fact that they are, very likely, teething. This is painful for children and puppies! When teeth grow in, they have to work their way out through the gums, and that leaves the gums swollen, tender, and painful.

Teething by chewing on things helps relieve that feeling, even temporarily. It's why we give teething toys to our children, and it's why we should do the same thing for puppies.

What Biting and Chewing is Normal?

Puppies will bite, chew, and nibble just about everything, just about all the time, when they're very young.

When they're under two months old, they won't be biting as much, just because they're barely active creatures at that point. As they get older and explore and learn about the world, the biting and chewing ramp up into high gear.

It's best to think of this as a phase. As they get more experience with the world, they'll start to learn that they shouldn't be biting and chewing on everything.

Their teeth will have come in, and they won't need to teethe to alleviate the mouth pain. They'll have learned that some things are hard, some things are soft, and some taste really bad, and they'll associate the sights and scents with the tastes and the feelings.

By the time a puppy is 5-6 months of age, they'll be doing a lot less biting and chewing. They'll still probably chomp on things a little too hard from time to time (especially if they're an energetic working breed), but they'll be more selective about it.

What triggers a puppy to bite and mouth?

So far, I've mostly said that biting is a natural behavior, and that's entirely true. At the same time, there may be some triggers that make your puppy more likely to bite and chew on certain things.

Think about:

• Are there big, fluffy objects your puppy will find very compelling to bite? Dressing gowns, fluffy slippers, housecoat ties, curtains, puffy jackets; these are often similar to the objects you allow a puppy to chew on, and sometimes can even be infused with delicious (to them) scents and flavors.
• Are they nervous and use biting and chewing as a coping mechanism? Often, you can identify sources of stress and remove them, or just put more time into tiring them out so they don't have the energy to chew.
• Are they teething? If they're usually chewing on objects that are stiffer and more resilient, they may be trying to soothe their gums. There's not much you can do to stop this, but it doesn't last too long as a phase.

Regular exercise, regular rest, and regular meals all help as well. Heck, sometimes your puppy chews just because they're hungry and want to eat, but they don't know how to otherwise express it.

Can You Prevent Puppy Biting?

No, not really. It would be like telling you not to move your tongue. Not only is it an unconscious and entirely necessary behavior, it's essentially impossible if you want to live and enjoy living.

That's not to say you can't manage puppy biting, though.

The goal isn't a complete restriction on the behavior. Rather, it's to redirect it away from things they shouldn't chew, to teach them that some things are bad to bite, and to teach them self-control.

The official name for this, by the way, is " bite inhibition training." You basically just want to teach them to think twice before biting something.

How to Train Bite Inhibition in Puppies

Training starts early, and there's a lot you can do to help train a puppy not to bite on things they shouldn't.

If your puppy has other puppies to socialize with, they naturally learn some bite moderation.

When they play, they bite at each other, and when they accidentally bite too hard, the negative reaction of their playmate teaches them that it was too strong of a bite.

If they don't have a playmate, then you have to work on that yourself.

This is where things get tricky. Advice differs, and different authoritative sources (the ASPCA, the American Kennel Club, and others) have different advice!

For example, some people say you shouldn't play with a puppy with your hands. If you do, you're basically teaching them that it's okay to play with people by biting at their hands, and once they're older, that can get them in a lot of trouble.

On the other hand, other sources claim playing with your hands is the best option. That way, if they bite too hard, you can yelp and scold them, which teaches them they went too far, just like if they were playing with another puppy.

However, still other sources say you shouldn't do the yelp and scold because sometimes that kind of reaction has the opposite effect.

Some puppies realize they did something bad and stop, but others might find the noise encouraging, and you really don't want to teach them that people make funny noises when they're nibbled!

Navigating tricky training.

So, what's the truth?

The truth is, it varies by dog and by age.

The older a dog is, the less you want to play with them with your hands directly. When they're very young, you can play with your hands and use feedback if they go too far.

Over time, start to replace your hands with toys like tugging ropes or plush toys. These can take more abuse and are better for your dog to chew on.

Should you yelp or not? That depends on the dog as well. If you try it and they just get more excited, it's obviously not going to work, so you need to stop.

On the other hand, if it makes them back off and cuddle or lick at you instead, then it's an effective way to help train them to be more controlled in their nibbling.

Playtime is over.

The biggest thing you need to do, regardless of how you play or whether or not you yelp, is to reinforce that if they go too far, playtime ends.

While scolding them verbally can be a deterrent, if you keep playing with them afterward, it's not a very strong deterrent.

On the other hand, if you stop playing altogether – or even put them in another room for a time out – it teaches them in no uncertain terms that there are lines they cannot cross.

Redirecting behaviors.

As your puppy gets old enough to stop teething and return to just biting and nibbling as a way to play and interact with objects, you can start redirection training.

When you're playing with your pooch, and they start chewing at your hands, it's best to have something like a stuffed toy on hand to replace your hand and get them to chew on that instead.

What Not to Do

When trying to train your puppy to be more regulated with their chewing and biting, there are some things you should avoid.

Don't roughhouse and encourage biting. Yes, flipping a puppy over and scratching their belly while they try to nibble at you is adorable, but it also encourages them to go overboard and bite when they don't even really want to. Be careful with any over-play that encourages biting, especially if it's something that "traps" your puppy.

Don't use physical deterrents. There are distressingly many people who still feel like the best way to stop a behavior is a bop on the nose, but that kind of physical reaction doesn't actually work when training animals like dogs. There's no way to be light enough to not hurt them and still act as a deterrent, and being hard enough to hurt is abuse.

Don't just blindly follow advice from the internet. Every puppy is different and will respond differently to different actions and reactions. If your puppy immediately understands that a yelp is crossing a line, then yelp. If walking away and ending playtime makes them think that it becomes a game of chase – or their unsupervised time is a chance to chew on something else – don't use time-out as a solution.

The goal really just comes down to finding what works best for your pupper and using those options. Just remember to take it slow; a brand-new puppy isn't going to be well-disciplined and well-behaved right away.

Puppy Biting FAQ

What are some of the biggest questions about puppy biting and how to stop it? Let's look.

How much biting is normal?

Puppy biting is pretty much the only thing they can do for several months of their puppyhood. If they're biting a lot and they're under six months old, it's perfectly normal. If they're reaching a year old and are still biting and chewing on everything, then you have some work to do.

Do bitter sprays work?

There are some sprays you can use on objects like furniture that taste awful, so if your puppy tries to chew on it, they get a mouthful of unpleasantness. These can work as long as they're refreshed enough to stay effective. Just don't make sure to spray too much that they end up stressed out because of it.

Can you train a puppy to stop biting entirely?

No, and you really shouldn't try. No matter what, your dog needs to be able to use their mouth to interact with the world around them, and if you're trying to stop it entirely, it's never going to happen.

What's the most important part of puppy training?

Positive reinforcement! When training a puppy not to bite, it's not about discouraging the biting; it's about rewarding the times they don't bite. This can be tricky to identify, but the rewards don't need to be big, either; just a little praise can go a long way.

Do you have any other questions? If so, ask me in the comments! I'd love to help.

If your canine companion is wetting the bed, you want to stop it, but how? Here are the top dozen tips I've gathered from my many years as a pet parent, along with some common questions at the end.

Tip #1: Take Them to the Vet

If your fur baby is peeing where they shouldn't and there's no obvious reason why, like a huge sudden change in lifestyle or schedule like the addition of a new baby to the family, then there's a pretty good chance there's a health problem going on.

A lot of different health issues can cause potty issues in dogs. The most common is a urinary tract infection or UTI. These very frequently cause accidents, but fortunately, they're easy to test for and easy to solve with some antibiotics.

Other kidney and urinary tract problems can also cause bedwetting in dogs. These can include kidney disease, kidney and bladder stones, cystitis (which is an inflammation of the bladder), and tumors in the bladder and surrounding area. Diabetes is also a common cause of bladder problems later in life, so if your dog is getting older, that could be a possibility.

All of these can be evaluated and diagnosed by a vet, so make sure to bring them in ASAP if they start having bladder control issues.

Tip #2: Make Time for Potty Breaks

Sometimes, potty accidents are caused by a dog really needing to go and not being able to. If you notice their accidents tend to happen when you're at work for a long day, and it seems fresh enough to have happened relatively recently before you get home, it's possible that they'd just done the deed because they couldn't hold it any longer.

The best solution to this is to make sure you're available to take them out when they need to go. Especially for younger or senior dogs, that might be every couple of hours. You may need to make sure you can take routine breaks from work to get home and take them out or have a friend or family member who can do it for you if you aren't able to (or if you work too far away for it to be feasible.) If all else fails, a trustworthy dog walking service might be the way to go.

Tip #3: Reduce Excitement for Younger Dogs

Puppies and younger dogs, especially those still going through their potty training, might be prone to letting a little urine go when they're really excited. A lot of the time, this is going to be when you're playing with them, taking them to a park, or taking them somewhere new and fun. Unfortunately, sometimes it's just because they hear a fun noise or they're bored and want to make their own fun. If that's the case, and they end up having that fun on your bed, well, that's where they dribble.

You might want to consider taking some steps to reduce the ambient levels of excitement your pooch can experience when you aren't around. It's not super likely that this is the cause of issues on your bed specifically, but it might be, so it's worth considering.

Tip #4: Reduce Fear and Stress in Older Dogs

Letting go of some urine is also a sort of defensive mechanism and natural reaction to fear, anxiety, and stress. Older dogs, especially dogs that are well-trained, might respond with stress-peeing if they're shocked, afraid, or stressed.

There are a bunch of different ways this can crop up, and a lot depends on the dog. Something like moving house can cause it, for example, so they might take to someplace they're comfortable (like your bed, saturated with your scent) and end up cuddling in fear. Loud and unexpected noises can trigger it as well, like nearby construction or fireworks.

Anything you can do to reduce their ongoing stress, fear, and anxiety is generally a good thing. This is also helpful to prevent things like night barking and other behavioral issues.

Tip #5: Check for Signs of Submission

Urinating is also a bit of a submissive behavior. This might occur if your dog is afraid, particularly if they're afraid of you and you scolding or punishing them. Even if you particularly don't do that, if your dog was formerly under someone else's parentage and they weren't treated as well, those habits might have been developed against your best interests.

What might happen then is that your pooch does something they know they shouldn't, or even just is scared by the aforementioned stress and anxiety. Then they either go to you to be submissive, or they go somewhere they know you would be and leave "proof" behind. It's sad to see but the only good way to handle it is to reduce the reasons why they might be submissive, and try to train them out of the behavior.

Tip #6: Change and Clean the Sheets

We all know that dogs have a very keen sense of smell. Urine carries unique scents that are sort of like a smell-based fingerprint for a dog. Dogs can tell not just that another dog left urine in a spot; they can tell which dog did it. They also can tell when they've marked a space, and they will frequently go back and check it out, possibly re-marking if they feel the need to.

Unfortunately, this means that just tossing your sheets in the wash might not be thorough enough to remove all of the little enzymes that soak into the fabric. It's even harder when it comes to the mattress. You'll want to use a stronger detergent and possibly an enzymatic cleaner that can break down those scent compounds more effectively than just soap and water.

Tip #7: Deep Clean the Mattress

Similar to the above, you need to deep clean your mattress to get rid of the scent so your pooch doesn't come back to repeat their accident. Mattresses are harder to clean, unfortunately, so you'll need to get really deep with your cleaning, clean multiple times, and keep your dog away from the bed and bedroom entirely for quite a while as you do it.

I would also recommend getting a mattress cover that isolates the mattress from the bedsheets so that if they do repeat, it can't soak back into the mattress itself and will be easier to clean. It's still a pain, but less of one.

Tip #8: Consider Replacing the Mattress

If you can't successfully clean your mattress well enough to stop your dog from doing the deed, you might consider replacing the mattress. Be careful if you decide to do so, though. You don't want your dog to immediately soil the new one because you put old sheets on.

Usually, you might need to make sure they can't be in the bedroom at all, and that means no sleeping with you at night either. It's sad, especially if you're used to it, but it's probably better for both behavior and health.

Tip #9: Train Away Territorial Marking

If your fur baby is marking their territory, you need to train the behavior away. First, though, how can you tell the difference?

Territorial marking is usually a relatively small amount of urine, enough to smell but not enough to soak the area. They tend to mark new objects, so they might go some time in between "accidents" while the scent lingers in their sensitive noses and then re-mark when it fades. If you have more than one dog, it can also trigger another to either avoid the area or counter-mark, causing more problems.

Cleaning is the same, but training can be tricky. You may need to work on "leave it" commands, and watch them to catch it in action so you can stop and redirect the behavior. If you can't watch them that closely, your only option might be crate training instead.

Tip #10: Get Rid of Pee Pads

Puppy pads can be useful when a puppy is too young to control themselves, but as they get older, it just teaches them that there are soft objects they're allowed to pee on, and to a dog, your sheets or pillows might look a whole lot like pads.

Wean them off of the pads as soon as you can and teach them that it's never okay to go in the house.

Tip #11: Keep Your Door Closed

If your dog is marking or having accidents on the bed, but they don't anywhere else, just keep them off the bed and out of the bedroom. There's not a whole lot more to it than that, right?

You might have to deal with them whining and begging outside the door, and you won't be able to let them sleep with you, but that's better than having to clean your mattress and sheets every other day when they can't hold it in.

Tip #12: Be Kind to Doggy Dementia

I put this one at the end because it's kind of sad. Incontinence is an issue that starts to crop up in elderly dogs when they start to develop "doggy dementia" and either forget their training or just aren't able to control themselves.

There's no amount of added training, scolding, or behavioral redirection you can do to solve this. It just means your companion is nearing the end of their life, and you need to do what you can to make it comfortable for them. They can't help it, but don't hold it against them.

Common Questions: Dogs Peeing on the Bed FAQ

Now, let's wrap things up with answers to some of the more common questions I see when we're talking about dogs going where they shouldn't.

What health issues can cause bed wetting in dogs?

Dogs, unless they're poorly trained or not trained at all, generally have pretty good control over their bladders. They aren't going to widdle just anywhere. That means there's potentially something wrong, and you'll need to check it out.

Talk to your vet to check for and rule out:

• Urinary tract infections.
• Cystitis, an inflammation of the bladder.
• Bladder and kidney stones.
• Kidney disease.
• Diabetes.
• Urinary tumors.
• Cushing's Disease

Any of these can lead to accidents, and in fact, accidents can be one of the first signs for some of them. Mostly, they can be cleared up with the right medical care.

What behavioral issues can cause bed wetting in dogs?

A well-trained and housebroken dog isn't going to go on your bed, but they can do so if they have behavioral problems.

These can include:

• Poor or incomplete training.
• Poor bowel control when excited.
• Poor bowel control when fearful or anxious.
• Territorial marking habits.
• Submissive behaviors.

These can usually be trained out of your fur baby, but it will require dedicated effort and attention, especially if they're already aged out of being a puppy.

Will I need to replace my bed if my dog is peeing on it?

When dogs pee somewhere, among other things, they're leaving scent markings in that space. This is important for territorial marking even when that's not their original intent. Unfortunately, dogs are prone to returning to the "scene of the crime" and becoming repeat offenders if they still smell lingering scents.

Sometimes, you can clean your bed well enough to eliminate all lingering scents. Other times, no matter how deep you clean, some of those little doggy enzymes will linger. In these cases, you might consider replacing your mattress since there's no real way to clean it more deeply. Just in case, a protective, waterproof cover on a new mattress is a great help.

So, it's not required, but in some situations, it might be helpful. Mattresses are expensive, though, so I get wanting to do everything you can to avoid it.

Do you have any questions about anything we went over in this article? If so, I'm always more than happy to help however I can, so be sure to leave a comment down below, and I'll get back to you as soon as possible!

Some of us are familiar enough with it that we keep track of those odors – unpleasant as they can be – as a sign of health.

One of the key factors that influence a dog's breath is their dental hygiene. Unfortunately, while dogs can be trained to do a lot, you really can't train them to brush their teeth, floss, or use mouthwash.

Even if they wanted to, they don't have hands! So, you have to do what you can to keep their teeth healthy and strong.

What Dental Care Does Your Dog Need?

Dogs need to keep their teeth for as long as possible because it's how they chew their food and how they handle things in their mouth.

If their teeth aren't properly cared for, they can cause pain, lead to infections, break, or fall out. Over time, your dog may end up without teeth entirely, and you'll need to adapt the kinds of food and other activities you perform with them.

What care does your dog's mouth need?

Daily Brushing

Ideally, you will brush your pupper's teeth once a day. The biology of the mouth is the same between dogs and people, more or less, and that means after they eat, bits of food, saliva, bacteria, and other stuff form a sticky plaque that adheres to teeth.

This plaque is alive due to the bacteria, which secrete acids as they live. Those acids eat away at teeth and cause inflammation, decay, and infection to gums and bone.

Therefore, the best time to brush your dog's teeth is shortly after a meal. However, as we often don't have the time or the patience to do that, you can pick any time that is convenient for you as long as it gets done.

Better Food

One of the dirty secrets of dog food is that many dog foods contain fillers. We all know this, of course, but what most people don't realize is that those fillers are often much worse for oral health than natural ingredients.

Things like grains and other carbohydrates are better food for the bad mouth bacteria and more readily form plaques. So, feeding your pooch better food will help in a bunch of different ways, including with tooth care.

Regular Exams

Routine dental examinations, including x-rays and cleanings, can help prevent the build-up of plaques and gum disease and detect abscesses under the gums, lesions on bone, and other oral issues. They can even detect other forms of illness, including oral tumors before they get large enough to become a visible problem.

You often don't need a full anesthetic dental visit every six months. Your vet will check for signs of tooth and mouth problems in a casual examination when you bring your dog in, and only if they have signs of issues will a dental trip be recommended. At that point, you can plan for a trip where anesthetic may be likely, a deeper clean is required, and even dental care like fillings can be performed.

How to Help Keep Your Dog's Mouth Healthy at Home

Keeping your pooch's mouth healthy at home will have long-term repercussions. They'll be able to live without mouth pain, they'll have teeth that can keep them happy and healthy for longer, and you won't have to worry about softer foods for a while.

Older dogs can still succumb to the inevitable – that is, teeth will decay over time, and there's not much we can do about it – but the longer you can hold it off, the better.

So, what can you do to help keep your dog's mouth healthy at home?

Get in the habit of brushing their teeth.

Sadly, while we all know that caring for teeth is important, less than 1% of dog parents actually brush their pup's teeth. As a result, nearly 80% of dogs over three years old have full-blown periodontal disease, and will have long-term repercussions because of it.

Some dogs are placid and happy to let you mess around in their mouth. Most, though, aren't, so you're going to need to train them to tolerate it.

First, buy a doggy toothbrush and doggy toothpaste. Toothbrushes are designed with soft bristles, angled handles, and even multiple heads to make it easier to get all the angles of all the teeth fast and effectively.

Doggy toothpaste is especially important. One of the most common additives in human toothpaste is xylitol, which helps to restore tooth enamel. Unfortunately, it's also very toxic to dogs. Doggy toothpaste also comes in flavors they'll enjoy, like chicken, peanut butter, or beef.

The actual act of training is slow and works best if you start when they're young.

• Start by just getting them to hold still while you inspect their mouth.
• Once you can do that, start introducing the toothbrush. Don't brush yet; just touch parts of their mouth to get them used to the feeling until they can tolerate it.
• Introduce the toothpaste. You might want to put a little on a finger or on the toothbrush and let them sniff and lick it so they know it's not something to be scared of.
• Start brushing teeth. It's easiest to hold their lip up and brush their front teeth to start, so they get used to the sensation.
• Over time, add more teeth until you can brush all of their teeth inside and out.

Throughout this whole process, praise them and pet them for tolerating it without complaint. If they start to reject it, dial back, and don't force it. You'll be able to help them get used to it over time.

The American Kennel Club goes into this process in greater detail if you want a bit more elaboration.

Buy dental-friendly dog food.

Something I already mentioned above is that dog foods can be pretty bad for your dog, especially if they're full of carbohydrates and fillers that fuel the bad bacteria.

Dental dog foods aren't as good as tooth brushing, but they can help cut down on the food that fuels the bacteria that cause tooth decay.

Unfortunately, they tend to be more expensive and harder to find than normal dog foods, and they aren't always compatible with allergy foods, so you may not be able to use them over an allergy-friendly food.

There are also prescription dog foods for more extreme or more sensitive cases. Some dogs need carefully balanced food, and some are just a lot more susceptible to tooth decay than others. In those cases, getting a prescription might help with insurance covering costs and other benefits, as well as making some foods available to you that otherwise wouldn't be available.

Invest in doggy dental chews.

Dental chews are basically healthy treats for dogs. They're textured and ridged, stuff enough to scrape plaque off of teeth, but not so hard that they can cause damage to teeth or gums as your dog chews on them.

Sometimes, they also include ingredients that help fight mouth bacteria and ward off tooth decay.

Dental chews aren't a replacement for tooth brushing, but they're a good supplement, and if your dog really doesn't want to have anything to do with a toothbrush, they can be better than nothing.

Give your dog a chew toy.

Chew toys aren't just for enrichment and entertainment; they're also a way your dog can chew on something that not only doesn't contribute to plaque formation but helps get rid of it.

Chew toys of various sorts, including plastic, rubber, nylon, and even rawhide, can help keep your pooch entertained and bust some of the plaque that builds up over time. Rotate through different kinds of chew toys so they always have something fun and new to play with.

Consider powders and sprays.

For dogs that are extremely averse to any kind of dental hygiene, you can try powders and sprays.

Sprays are spritzes you can either spray directly into your dog's mouth or onto something like a chew toy so that when they lick and chew on the toy, it gets into their mouth and on their teeth.

It's made of a bunch of different ingredients, but the most important are minor antibacterials that will kill mouth bacteria. The end result is less plaque build-up, better breath, and less tooth decay.

Powders, meanwhile, are similar, except they work in a different way. They're probiotics, which means they're made up of good, healthy bacteria.

You sprinkle some on your dog's food, and when they eat, the good bacteria eat some of the leftover bits of food that the bad bacteria normally would, out-competing the bad bacteria and preventing tooth decay.

Again, they aren't as effective as tooth brushing, but it's a good supplement, especially if you can't find or can't afford dental-friendly food.

There are also powders and drops that can be added to your dog's water dish to do the same thing. They're tasteless and odorless, but they help kill bad bacteria and keep your dog's mouth clean.

If all else fails, try dental wipes.

Dental wipes are basically cloths soaked in a dental-cleaning liquid. Instead of using a large and irritating toothbrush, you can wrap one around your finger and just use that to "brush" your dog's teeth.

They aren't as good as a brush at getting into all the little divots and nooks in a dog's mouth, but they're often more tolerable than a brush and can help you give your dog a brushing without using a brush or toothpaste.

Dog Dental Hygiene FAQ

Let's round things out with some common questions.

How often should a dog visit a doggy dentist?

Just like people, our pupper pals need to have dental exams and cleanings on a regular basis. Often, that should be about once every six months, just like it is for people. It can be part of a general vet check-up, or as a special doggy dental visit.

It's important to remember that a casual dental inspection can't catch everything and that a full, in-depth cleaning and examination requires general anesthesia.

Your vet will need to check for places where teeth touch a surface they shouldn't, where guns are inflamed or prone to bleeding, and where cavities may have formed under the gumline. They will also check the soft tissues and palate, tonsils, tongue, lips, and more.

What happens if your dog gets a cavity?

Cavities are actually a lot less common in dogs than in people. Usually, dogs end up with gum disease that, if it progresses, can damage the jawbone and the gums. Cavities are less common because of dog diets and how much more exposed their teeth tend to be.

There's a common misconception that dogs don't get dental care the way we do. In fact, if your dog has a cavity, they can get a filling just like we do; they can even get a full root canal and crown if necessary.

The downside is that it's usually quite expensive, so many people opt for having the tooth pulled instead. This can be fine for a single tooth, but over time, if your dog loses too many teeth, it can hinder their quality of life.

What dogs are most susceptible to tooth decay?

In broad strokes, the smaller a dog is, the more likely they are to have issues with tooth decay. There are two reasons for this. The first is that smaller breeds are just genetically a lot more likely to have issues than larger dogs.

The second is that their teeth are physically a lot smaller, so even a tiny spot of decay can cause more problems, whereas a larger dog has more leeway before it causes issues.

Are no-anesthetic dental visits viable?

Unfortunately, no. Some doggy dental clinics offer no-anesthetic cleanings and procedures, but these tend to be pretty traumatizing for our poor pup pals and can make it harder for you to take care of their teeth later. It's better to opt for the anesthetic when it's necessary.

Do you have any questions about maintaining your dog's dental hygiene, or was there anything I mentioned in this article that you'd like additional clarification on? If so, I'm always more than happy to help, so be sure to leave a comment down below, and I'll get back to you as soon as I can!

Fortunately, with modern technology, we have an option to help. GPS trackers are a great way to ensure that even the most adventurous pooch can be tracked down before something happens to them and brought home safely. They aren't quite as simple as they seem, though, so let's talk about them.

What are Dog GPS Trackers?

Some people, especially people who haven't had pets before, might think that the microchip implanted in our furry friends is a form of tracking. As we know, though, it isn't. A microchip is just a chip with an ID number on it; the ID can be looked up in a database, and that database stores information like your name and phone number. There's no way to track down where a pet is from their chip, but if a pet is found, their chip can be scanned, and your information can be used to find you.

Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/16176711@N02/53766536280

GPS trackers are different. A GPS tracker is a much larger device, usually attached to a collar. It can connect to a communications network (more on those later), and you can look up where the tracker currently is. That way, if your pooch gets out and goes on the run, you can load up an app and track them down.

There are several different kinds of GPS trackers, and they have some distinct pros and cons, so let's talk about them all.

What Are the Different Kinds of Dog GPS Tracker?

GPS trackers for dogs generally fall into one of three categories.

These include:

• Satellite Trackers
• Cellular Trackers
• Bluetooth Trackers

They function in different ways, so it's important to know which kind works best for your area.

Satellite GPS Trackers Explained

GPS is a fantastic technology, and it's one of the foundational pieces of technology that have been developed to power our entire society. These days, we often take it for granted that there's a planet-wide network of satellites that can pinpoint exactly where we are down to a few feet of accuracy.

Usually, sat-based trackers are very accurate and as close to real-time as possible. The downside is that they're generally larger and heavier and require a battery that has to be charged regularly. Because of this, they might not be suitable for smaller breeds and smaller dogs, and many people take them off when at home or to charge – which means if your dog escapes at that time, they aren't wearing the collar and can't be tracked.

Some modern satellite/GPS trackers are hybrids that roll in many of the same features as cellular trackers, which gives them even more precision. Many of them are also smaller because they're able to rely more on apps than on their own powered transceivers. In general, pure satellite trackers are most useful in areas where cell service is limited or unavailable, such as deep in the backcountry or wilderness.

Cellular GPS Trackers Explained

Cellular trackers are a lot like your cell phone, except without the ability to run apps, make phone calls, or really do anything your phone needs to do except connect to the cell service towers in your area. They use the same sort of SIM card as a phone and can connect to GPS satellite networks and cell phone towers to triangulate exactly where the chip (and, by extension, your dog) is.

If you've ever wondered how something like a Google Maps app on your phone knows where you are, it's the same as these kinds of trackers. Usually, you're always going to be within range of 3+ cell towers because we've constructed them all over the world to make cell phones useful anywhere. By measuring the amount of time it takes a signal to reach any given tower, a fairly exact location can be calculated.

Cell trackers are usually smaller and a little more passive than satellite trackers, but the biggest downside is that if you're in an area where cell service doesn't exist, these trackers won't exist either.

Bluetooth GPS Trackers Explained

Bluetooth and similar short-range trackers are a little different. These are a lot more like Tile trackers or Apple AirTags; they don't connect to an external network but rather to nearby cell phone devices. Apple relies on the number of people around the world who have iPhones to track AirTags, for example.

The downside here is that if there are no devices within range – and the range is very short – there can be no tracking. They also don't update very quickly, so if you get a location ping, it might be anywhere from five minutes to an hour old.

Since they're cheap, small, and don't require constant recharging, many people opt for these kinds of trackers, but they just aren't all that great. I wrote about them in detail here if you want to read a deeper analysis. For the most part, they aren't really even GPS, so I won't mention them for the rest of this post.

Other Kinds of Dog Trackers

There are a couple of other kinds of dog trackers you might see on the market.

One kind is a radio tracker. These are most commonly used for specific purposes, often hunting, where you're expected to be out in the wilderness and away from cell service. The collar component will have a full, powered radio transceiver, which broadcasts the location of the transceiver (and your dog) in a way that can be picked up by a radio you carry with you. You can use it to track and follow your dog through the wilderness. Since they're larger, heavier, and single-purpose, they aren't generally used for casual tracking purposes and are more for working dogs.

Another kind I have already mentioned is the hybrid tracker. These connect both to GPS signals and cell signals and use both kinds of information to provide more accurate, faster tracking. They're generally the best but can be more expensive than other kinds of trackers because they're the most recent iteration of the technology.

What Are the Benefits of Dog GPS Trackers?

The benefits of dog GPS tracking are obvious, really. You know where your dog is if they run off and escape! That's really all there is to it.

Instead of needing to run down the streets calling their name, leaving a shirt out on the porch, putting up flyers, and other tactics, all you need to do is load up an app, and you'll be able to track them down.

What Are the Drawbacks of Dog GPS Trackers?

With that much of a benefit, are there drawbacks to dog GPS trackers? Unfortunately, yes; otherwise, everyone would buy one as a matter of course, and we'd all have them.

First, they can be somewhat expensive. Some dog trackers are in the $20 to $50 range, but you can, if you want a very advanced and accurate device with advanced features, spend almost $1,000 on one. Full tracking systems from a big name like Garmin can be even more, though those are again meant for true professional use.

At the same time, many dog GPS trackers also require a subscription fee, just like you're paying for cell service on a phone. While a monthly fee might not be very high, it's still an ongoing cost, and if you feel like your pooch is never going to run off on you, you might be tempted not to keep it up, putting you in a vulnerable position.

Many GPS trackers, as I mentioned above, can be bulky or heavy. While they're still small and light enough that they won't cause a problem for a mid-sized breed, the smaller your dog is, the harder it is to manage. For the smallest breeds, you might even need a whole harness to carry it instead of putting it on a collar.

The cheaper a GPS tracker is, the more likely it will be to have a critical flaw as well. Most often, this means a shorter battery life, but it also might mean a lower range or less active response. Still, it's always better than nothing.

Is a Dog GPS Tracker Worthwhile?

This is a question only you can answer.

If your dog is well-trained in recall and even the most attractive distraction is easy to ignore when you call for them, then you usually won't need a GPS tracker. Similarly, if your pup doesn't seem tempted to run out and away and is content to hang around with you, there's no real need to worry about them.

On the other hand, if your dog likes to roam or if they've gotten lost before, a GPS collar can give you a ton of comfort and peace of mind. The expense is nothing compared to the emotional peace, right?

Dog GPS Tracker Frequently Asked Questions

Let's go over some of the frequently asked questions I get about dog GPS tracking.

Which kind of GPS tracker is the best?

The best tracker and the best tracker for you are probably different. The best trackers have multiple modes of tracking, come with handheld devices, don't rely on an app, and have real-time tracking. They're also very expensive, large, bulky, and meant for professional hunting, rescue, search, and other dogs. Most of us have no need for them.

The best trackers for typical home use are going to be hybrid trackers that can access cell networks and GPS signals. They don't need to be huge and elaborate or have multi-day battery life because you're likely only using them for an hour or three at a time when you take your dog out for a walk or go on a short trip.

Are Bluetooth trackers a viable option?

Almost always, probably not. Bluetooth trackers are good for wallets and other items that are likely to be lost in well-populated areas and, more importantly, aren't moving. Your dog might not be lost where people are around, and the delay on pinging home can mean it's frustratingly inaccurate to try to use them. If your pooch is skittish and flees from people, especially strangers, that makes it even less likely that these short-range devices are going to do you any good.

If you live in a rather densely packed area and can reasonably expect the right kind of phone to be within ten yards of your dog at all times, then sure, these can work. Otherwise, probably not.

What should you look for in a dog GPS tracker?

A lot depends on your needs, but consider these factors:

• Cost. The up-front cost and the over-time operating costs are both important.
• Size and weight. The larger and bulkier a tracker is, the more annoying it will be for your dog, and the more they might try to pull it off.
• Shape and form factor. A lot of modern dog GPS trackers are meant to sit flush with a collar and have a minimum amount of dangling or obstruction. This is primarily because dogs like to chew on things, and if they can reach and chew on a dangly tracker, they can destroy it. It can also get caught on the environment if your dog is lost.
• Reliability. I haven't done the work, so I can't tell you which brands are more reliable, but you'll probably want to read reviews and even something like a Consumer Reports testing report for the tracker you're considering before you invest.
• Accuracy. Some GPS trackers can track with more reliable accuracy or more real-time speed than others. You want one with low enough latency and high enough accuracy that you can use it to track down your pooch.

As long as you keep all of this in mind, you should be able to pick a GPS tracker that suits your needs.

If you have any other questions that I may have missed in this article, be sure to let me know in the comments section! I'd be more than happy to help you out however I can!

Whenever there's a funny "challenge" to feed a pet some strange food, though, I always ask myself: is this safe? Is it okay to feed a dog something like broccoli, or are there toxic compounds or chemicals that can aggravate them if they eat it?

Fortunately, with broccoli, there's good news. If you want to contribute to the growing pile of hilarious dogs confronting broccoli on the internet, you're safe to do so.

Is Broccoli Safe for Dogs?

The short answer is yes, broccoli is safe for dogs to consume.

It's safe both when it's raw and when it's cooked, too, so you don't need to worry about having to steam it up every time you want to give them a treat.

You might also discover that your dog likes cooked broccoli more than raw – or vice versa, and they like raw broccoli more than cooked. Just like people, dogs have different preferences, and cooked and raw broccoli have both different flavors and different textures.

Watch out, though; broccoli florets are made up of tons of little bits, and all of those bits can get everywhere if your pooch is a messy eater. You'll be cleaning up green stuff for ages.

There is a longer answer, though.

How Much Broccoli is Too Much for Dogs?

Unfortunately, broccoli does contain a particular chemical compound that is actually mildly toxic to dogs. It's called isothiocyanate, and it's common in all of the different kinds of brassica vegetables. In case you don't know, a lot of different edible vegetables are just various kinds of brassica we've bred over the millennia to be different species. Turnips, rutabagas, radishes, wasabi, horseradish, kohlrabi, kale, cabbage, bok choy, collards, watercress, arugula, mustard greens, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, and of course broccoli, are all brassicas.

Luckily, this chemical isn't going to kill a dog if they eat broccoli. It causes mild gastric upset and, in sufficient amounts, can lead to vomiting, diarrhea, and rarely, potentially severe side effects.

So, why do we say it's safe for dogs to eat broccoli?

You would have to be feeding your dog a lot of broccoli for this to be a problem. The American Kennel Club specifies that broccoli should be no more than 10% of their diet to stay safe; anything over 25% of their diet causes problems, and severe side effects are unlikely unless they're eating way more than that.

Why just 10% of their diet?

Using a percentage here is important because it's impossible to give a measurement in cups or grams. After all, if you feed two cups of broccoli to a mastiff, it's going to have a very different experience than if you feed two cups of broccoli to a chihuahua, right?

The AKC and other organizations tend to use percentages for these kinds of things when it's just a general recommendation for exactly this reason. It's just a way of saying keep intake down and don't make broccoli a key part of your dog's diet. You probably aren't going to be doing that anyway, but, you know, words of caution.

For more specific chemicals, medications, and the like, these organizations will instead use dosages per kilogram or pound of body weight to adjust for the size of the dog being treated. That's important for medications and compounds with a strong effect, but not so much for something like broccoli.

Is Broccoli Beneficial for Dogs?

Sort of. As a vegetable, broccoli is rich in dietary fiber and low in protein and fat. It's also high in vitamin C. On top of that, it has other vitamins – A, D, K, and more – as well as lutein, a beneficial nutrient for eyesight and heart health. These are nutrients that are beneficial to dogs just as much as they are to people, so it's not a bad thing for your dog to have some as a snack.

At the same time, the isothiocyanates can be detrimental in large amounts, and there's a lot in broccoli that isn't really important to a pooch. We tend to think of things like broccoli as healthy because they're healthy for people, but they aren't as great for dogs; they're just fine.

How to Prepare Broccoli for a Dog?

If you want to give your pup a snack with a little broccoli, you should make sure you're doing it right. There are four rules you absolutely have to follow; otherwise, you will put your pooch in grave danger!

Okay, well, it's not quite that scary. But it's still important!

Rule number one! Cut the broccoli into bite-sized pieces. Broccoli, especially if it's raw broccoli, is actually kind of tough. And you know dogs, they barely chew their food, and they'll snarf it right down if they get the chance. Put a bowl with a few broccoli florets on it in front of them, and if they like it, they'll start gulping. And then what? Then you have a dog choking on broccoli! Nobody wants that. So cut the broccoli small. As an added bonus, this also helps you keep track of how much you've given them.

Rule number two! Cook the broccoli first. This isn't actually that firm of a rule – some dogs can eat raw broccoli just fine – but it's also a way to help keep it safe. Cooked broccoli is softer and easier to chew, so it's much less likely to get stuck and become a choking hazard. It also holds together better and makes less of a mess when your fur baby starts going to town on it.

Cooking the broccoli is also important for food sanitization reasons. Unfortunately, food regulations are in a lull right now – you've probably noticed the seemingly weekly recalls for things like salmonella and listeria – and those bad bacteria can affect dogs, too. Cooking the broccoli makes it safer for both your consumption and your doggo's.

Rule number three! Start with a small amount until you know how your dog reacts. Some dogs won't like broccoli at all, and cooking up a bunch for them doesn't do you any good. Some dogs will love it, and if you're not careful, they'll try to get at every salad you make.

More importantly, though, some dogs will be more sensitive to isothiocyanates, so it takes a smaller amount of broccoli to cause them digestive upset. Give them no more than a floret or two (depending on the size of the dog) and watch them to see if they start to have digestive symptoms or signs of an allergic reaction. Allergies are very, very, very rare, so they shouldn't be a problem, but you still need to make sure the first time you give them any.

Finally, rule number four! Never, ever cook the broccoli with spices, seasonings, or anything else. That means if you're making a tasty broccoli dish for yourself, it's just for you, not for the puppy! Salt, garlic, onion, oregano, caraway, tarragon, and a bunch of other spices and herbs are bad for dogs – much worse than isothiocyanates – so you definitely don't want to put them on the broccoli you give to your pup.

Most of the time, you want to give your dog the florets of the broccoli and not the stems. The stems are tougher, harder to chew, and more likely to get stuck in the throat. If you chop them small and steam them well, you can give them the bits, and I know some people will even puree the broccoli stems for a liquid treat as well. Those are options, but if you want more whole vegetables, the florets are the way to go.

What Are the Side Effects of Giving a Dog Broccoli?

When you feed your dog some broccoli, you're probably going to be in for a slightly unpleasant time.

So, here's the thing: broccoli is healthy and tasty, a lot of dogs enjoy it, and it's safe if you give it to your pooch in moderation. But, it also contains some sulfur compounds and a lot of fiber, both of which combine in a dog's digestive system for one particular result.

You probably already know what I'm talking about, right? Stink bombs.

Broccoli, even small amounts of broccoli, can make your dog gassy. If your dog is already naturally gassy, they'll be even more gassy. Worse, broccoli farts are definitely unpleasant.

Some dogs might not be really affected by this. Others might be walking chemical weapons for the rest of the day. There's really no way to tell until you give them some and see how they react.

Truthfully, this is also something you might consider enough of an adverse side effect to stop you from giving them any more broccoli. It's not going to be truly harmful unless it's really bad, but even some bloating and gassiness can be unpleasant for your pooch, so think carefully if the funny videos or the quick treat is worth it.

Dogs Eating Broccoli FAQ

Let's wrap things up with a quick summary of some of the most common questions about dogs and broccoli.

Can dogs eat broccoli safely?

Yes, as long as they don't eat too much of it. Handing them a floret as a snack or for a funny video on TikTok is fine. Feeding them a vegan diet full of broccoli is not. You want to make sure it's a snack or a treat and not a significant portion of their diet.

How much broccoli is too much for a dog?

The AKC recommends no more than 10% of a dog's daily diet be broccoli. That's not much, but it can be more than you might think, depending on the size of your pooch. Either way, treat it as a snack or a treat, and you'll be fine.

What do you need to do to give your dog broccoli safely?

Start with a small portion to make sure they don't have a bad reaction. Make sure to cook it – usually by steaming it – with no added seasonings, not even salt. Cut it up into small bite-size portions for your pooch, and make sure to watch them in case they choke even on the little bits you give them.

Special note: when you cook broccoli for your fur baby, make sure to let it cool before you give it to them! You don't want to accidentally burn their mouths or throats, after all.

My dog likes frozen broccoli! What can I do to make it safer?

If your dog likes frozen broccoli but doesn't want to touch it if it's cooked, you can try cooking it and then freezing it. That way, it's still cooked, softer, smaller, and easier for them to digest once it thaws, but it's still frozen, so they can still enjoy it while it's cold.

Should I consult with my vet before giving my dog broccoli?

Probably. Your vet might have specific information for you or for your dog, or simply based on their own past experience. In general, they'll tell you the same things I've told you here, but they might have more specific information.

This is especially true if your dog has any ongoing health issues. For example, an elderly dog with some digestive problems in the evening might actually benefit from a little bit of a fiber snack like broccoli, while a puppy might not get much out of it. Other health issues can be affected by gas and bloating as well.

Have you ever given your pooch broccoli? Have you taken one of those funny internet videos? If they act funny around broccoli, I highly recommend it; having that video to laugh about later is great. Plus, I'd love to see it!

I don't blame you! Packing away your fur baby and sending them on a plane without you is hugely stressful, and that's even before you read the horror stories.

The simplest alternative is to drive with your dog or dogs to your destination. It's easy to say that, though, and it can often be a lot harder in practice. It's one thing to drive for an hour or so to visit family across the state, but it's a whole other issue if you're trying to manage a cross-country trip. So, whether you're moving for a job or just going on a vacation and needing to bring your pups, how can you do it the right way?

How to Train a Dog to Enjoy the Car

The first and largest hurdle is training your fur baby to enjoy a car ride. Some dogs love it, but others don't, and the last thing you need is a dog with anxiety, nervous energy, or fear huddled in the back, whining for dozens of hours of driving.

The key, as it so often is with dogs, is proper training. Dogs that have anxiety or fear in a car are either very young puppies who aren't used to the noise, motion, and new experience, or are dogs that have been conditioned to find car rides unpleasant. A dog that only ever goes in a car when they're being abandoned at a shelter or taken for an invasive procedure at the vet is a dog that will definitely not enjoy the car.

If your furry friend is fine with the car, you can skip this part entirely.

Step 1: Figure out how averse your pooch is to the car.

The first thing you need to do is determine how averse your dog is to the car in general. If they're fine with short rides but get anxious on longer rides, you have a much easier job ahead of you than if they won't even get near the car in the first place.

Step 2: Work on accommodation.

Your goal, no matter how averse they are to the car, is to work on getting them more comfortable with it. As with most dog training, this just involves exposure and reward. Bring them to the point where they're comfortable, and then push them slightly further and reward them when they sit there. That might mean bringing them to sit next to the car, or sitting in the back seat when it's stationary, or taking them on a short trip around the block or to the local dog park.

Step 3: Extending the trip.

Depending on how long your trip is going to be, you may need to train your dog to be able to lie down and even sleep in the car for a longer journey. It's already stressful to stay on a highway for hours, but if your dog is anxious, fearful, or crying the whole way, it's going to be even worse. It also definitely helps if you can have someone along for the ride who can hang out and comfort your pooch, too.

Training this will generally involve going on longer and longer car rides. Even if all you're doing is driving circles around the city, there's no real way to acclimate a dog to a long ride other than simply taking them on a long ride.

Preventing Motion Sickness in Dogs

One of the biggest risks of a long car ride with a dog is motion sickness. This tends to impact puppies more often than adult dogs, but some dogs just don't have a good time in a car simply because of the motion, making them nauseous and upset. The same thing can happen to people, after all, so it's not surprising that it can happen to dogs.

If your fur baby gets motion sickness – especially if they vomit because of it – you'll need to do what you can to prevent it and prepare for the issues that occur if they do.

• Keep the temperature in the car on the cooler side. While you might end up a little chilly, it's easier for you to wear warmer clothing than it is for your dog to suppress their stomach.
• Make sure there's some air circulation. Depending on the kind of driving, you may be able to open a window, or you might need to turn the car HVAC on higher and aim it towards the back.
• Limit food and water before the trip if you can. For longer trips, you can't really avoid feeding and hydrating your pooch, but for mid-length journeys, you can make sure they go before you go and can delay feeding until you've reached your destination.
• Take your dog on a walk and play with them for a while, at least 20 minutes before your trip, so they're a little tuckered out and are more likely to stay calm or even nap.

You can also talk to your vet about anti-nausea, anti-anxiety, or motion sickness medications for dogs. Medications like Maropitant, anti-anxiety medications like alprazolam and trazodone, and even CBD tinctures may be viable options, but talk to your vet about it first.

Preparing for the Trip

When it's time to actually go on your trip, you need to make sure you have everything you're going to need.

The exact list can vary depending on whether you're moving or just going on vacation, but here's a decent checklist to get you started. If you can think of anything I forgot, let me know in the comments!

Travel Food and Water

For longer trips, there's a pretty good chance you're going to be stopping at just about every rest stop along the way, either to give your fur baby some food and water or to let them stretch their legs, do their business, and relax a bit from that particular leg of the journey.

Speaking of doing their business, you'll also want bags to clean up after them (most rest stops ask that you do this but don't provide their own bags the way a dog park might), wipes to clean up if there's a mess, and possibly even puppy pads for the car if there's no convenient place to stop and there's an emergency.

Pre-Trip Vet Checkups

One important thing to do before you embark on your trip is to take your fur babies to the vet to make sure they're in good health. You can talk to the vet about anxiety and motion sickness, as well as pain, general illness, and other considerations. Your vet will probably have some advice that can help, as well.

If you're moving and this is the last time you'll see that vet, you may also want to make sure you get physical copies of important paperwork, health certificates, vaccination records, and similar records. All of this should be available electronically at whatever other vet you pick at your destination, but having hard copies can smooth the way to setting up at your new location. If you're not moving, having copies of important documents like vaccination records can be good in case an incident happens, and you need to prove good health.

If you've been putting it off, this is also a good time to make sure they're up to date on their vaccinations and have a microchip with accurate information on it. The last thing you want is to lose your pup at a rest stop or overnight stay and have outdated information on that chip!

Plan Your Journey

For shorter trips, you might not have to stop overnight somewhere with your pooch. For longer trips, you might need accommodations that allow pets. Depending on the kind of trip you're planning, you may need to call a hotel ahead of time, or you might need to make sure your Airbnb or VRBO or whatever kind of short-term rental you pick allows them. Unexpected fees, cancellations, or denials can throw a huge wrench into your plans, so make sure to prepare ahead of time.

You'll also want to make sure you have all of the relevant supplies you'll need. Things like:

• Collars and tags, with spares, just in case.
• A leash or harness for whenever you need to bring your fur babies to unfamiliar places.
• Paperwork, medications, and grooming items to keep them comfortable and happy.
• Toys to keep them occupied and distracted as necessary.
• Food and treats for longer trips and stops. A water bowl is also helpful.
• A bed they're familiar with so they have a place to curl up and sleep.

Your exact list of items will depend on the kind of trip you're taking and where you're going to be staying, so customize it as necessary.

Extra Tips for a Smooth Road Trip with Dogs

Now, let's cover a handful of additional tips that can make your road trip smoother when you have a dog – or several dogs – to bring with you.

Bring a doggy first aid kit. Your human first aid kit – which you should also have in your vehicle at all times – can cover some basics, but a dog-focused kit can make sure you're prepared for anything. These kinds of kits can be found online for as little as $30, so it's easy to pick one up and keep it with you.

Consider a doggy car seat. These are raised, secure, and comfortable platforms your pooch can use to watch out the window without getting in the way, risking hitting buttons with their paws, or otherwise being a bother. They're also more comfortable than a normal car seat or the floor of the vehicle. If you buy these ahead of time, you can also make sure they smell like home and are more comforting for your fur babies.

Make sure to plan your route. The unexpected can always happen, from road delays and construction to accidents, so make sure you know where the rest stops are along your route and have some idea of where you can pull off the highway to a park or even just a fast-food place to get a break if an emergency happens. Similarly, make sure you know about pet-friendly lodging along the way.

Don't forget to leave time at these pit stops. You might only need a couple of minutes to hit a restroom and have a snack, but your fur baby will probably take a good deal longer to get comfortable enough to do their business. Make sure you aren't on a tight schedule that forces you to hurry this along.

Dogs in Cars FAQ

To wrap up, let's answer some of the most common questions about traveling with a dog or dogs, especially long distances.

Do dogs dislike car rides?

That depends a lot on the dog. Some dogs are perfectly fine or even excited to go on car rides, even longer trips. Others are initially excited but get tired or bored being cooped up in a vehicle for more than an hour. Others are fine for short trips but get motion-sick on longer trips. It really comes down to the individual.

How often should you stop for a break with a dog?

Generally, the average is every couple of hours, which is coincidentally often the distance between rest stops across America's highway system, though this does tend to vary regionally. If you have puppies or older dogs who may have incontinence or other issues, you'll need to stop more frequently.

Is it better to drive or to fly with a dog?

This depends on a lot of factors. Flying is a lot faster for long distances, but it can be more expensive. And if your fur baby is a larger breed, they'll need to fly through a pet cargo service and can't fly with you on a plane. Most dogs handle car rides a lot better than plane rides, though. In the end, it's up to you and what works best for your needs.

So, did I miss any important questions you may have about traveling in a car with your dog? If so, be sure to leave a comment down below, and I'll get back to you as soon as possible with an answer!

At the same time, they're often something of a weight around your neck. How many times are plans canceled or rescheduled because of vet trips or unexpected canine injuries? How often do you have to adjust your choice of lodging or method of travel to bring your dog along? It's a fact of life that not everywhere allows dogs (other than service animals), so they can be a limiting factor as well as a joy.

So, if you need to travel long distances, and the only sensible way to do it is to fly, can you bring your dog? If so, how do you do it, and what do you need to keep in mind? Let's talk about flying with dogs and everything you need to know about it.

If you're looking to fly with a pet but you have a cat rather than a dog, I have a guide for that as well, which you can read here.

Can and Should You Fly with Your Dog?

First, let's answer two of the more obvious questions: can you fly with your dog, and more importantly, should you?

Can you fly with your dog?

The answer to whether or not you can fly with a dog is simple: probably. Maybe.

Different airlines have different pet policies, but most of them are going to be similar. They put limits on the size and weight of an animal that can be carried on the plane with you; otherwise, they may be stuck in a kennel and put in the cargo hold.

More importantly, these cargo hold spaces are broadly not available for most pet parents. You'll usually see a disclaimer somewhere on the airline websites that says the cargo spaces are only available for the pets of U.S. Military or State Department Foreign Service personnel. We regular people can't bring our pets in the cargo hold.

So, there is functionally a size and weight limit for the dogs you can bring with you on a flight. Lap dogs, terriers and chihuahuas and other small breeds, are fine. Larger dogs aren't going to fit in a kennel under a seat.

Note that certified service dogs are allowed on planes and don't need to be restrained to a kennel. This does require actual service dog training, though; the "emotional support animal" loophole has been closed due to abuse.

So, whether or not you can fly with a dog generally depends on whether your dog is small enough for the flight. Now, for the related question: should you fly with a dog?

Should you fly with your dog?

This is a harder question to answer.

Flying is a hassle. Flights can be canceled, there are delays, there are stresses, and planes are a notorious haven for illnesses. They're stressful and unpleasant for most people. So, how do you think your dog is going to feel, being restrained in a relatively small kennel and trapped under a seat for the duration of a flight? You can't pull them out (except maybe to take them to the bathroom mid-flight), so they're in an even more cramped position than you are.

The truth is, if you can avoid flying with a dog, it's usually better to do so. Yes, driving across the country is a much, much longer (and frequently more expensive) journey, but there's beauty and adventure to be found along the way. More importantly, it's a lot safer and more flexible for you and your pooch.

How Much Does Flying with a Dog Cost?

Each airline will have its own pet policies, so make sure you double-check with your choice of airline well in advance.

Also, make 100% certain that you've purchased your pet ticket ahead of time and confirmed availability. There's pretty much zero chance that you can show up with a dog in place of your carry-on and still be let on the plane.

Most airlines have a few limitations on pets on flights. The size is the biggest one, since a carrier needs to fit under a seat, which is a very limited amount of space. They also tend to limit how many pets can be on any given flight. Age limits are also in play, and pets will generally need to be at least two months old to fly. This is primarily for the health of the animals, but also for the comfort of other passengers.

The actual cost varies, but is likely in the $125-$150 range. Southwest is $125 each way for a flight, United is $150 plus an additional $125 for any layover over four hours long, and American is $150 per carrier. This is pretty typical of the major airlines.

Finally, you're often restricted to just the continental USA. Only certain airlines will allow pets on international flights, and certain countries will have very restrictive laws about importing pets, so keep it in mind.

What Can You Do to Make Flying with a Dog Easier?

Flying is going to be stressful and irritating in the best circumstances, and trying to fly with a dog, especially long distance, is going to be even worse. I'm not saying this to scare you; I just want you to have realistic expectations. Prepare for the worst, and if everything works out, you'll have a better-than-expected experience.

One of the most important things you need to do is crate-train your pupper. Crate training should be started early, and you want your furry baby to be comfortable staying in their crate for a long period of time. If they get antsy, nervous, or risk an accident when they're stuck, you're going to have a miserable time. Just imagine having to sit on a plane for hours while your poor baby is crying at your feet, and you can't do anything to help.

Similarly, you want to make sure they're potty trained. If your fur baby is going to be stuck on this plane for an extended period, you want to avoid any accidents that can make the flight unpleasant for everyone. Make sure you have puppy pads (and backup pads), as well as wipes and other items to clean up if an accident does happen, as well.

It can often be a good idea to limit food (but not water) in the morning before a flight. That way, your fur baby doesn't have anything in their system that will need to come out. You don't want to starve them, of course, and they still need to be hydrated, but solid food should be limited.

Make sure they go before you put them in the carrier for the flight, as well. Some airports will have a dedicated space for dogs to do their business; others will just require you to make do with the usual human facilities. This is extremely regional and depends on the airport, so just do the best you can.

It's also a good idea to bring your dog to the vet for a thorough check-up before you plan to fly. You may need to discuss possible health conditions and how a flight might affect them, or you might need an updated list of vaccinations and medications. If you're flying to certain destinations or internationally, you may also need an updated health certificate based on the destination's regulations.

What About Dog Airlines?

There's another option we haven't mentioned yet, which is dog-focused airlines like Bark Air and K9 Jets. These are dedicated charter airlines made for pet parents who want to fly with a dog that otherwise won't be able to fly in the cabin because of their size and who might have anxiety flying in a cargo hold. They're also for people who want to fly to destinations that they normally can't, like across the ocean (Bark Air, for example, offers flights to London and Paris, and K9 offers a variety of international destinations).

These are luxury travel options that allow your dog to roam the cabin, have a wide range of services to keep your dogs happy and healthy while flying, and have vets on every flight to make sure nothing can go wrong. So, what's the problem?

The biggest issue with these services is the price. As private, charter flights, these start in the $6,000 per seat range. They're also quite limited in capacity and destinations. If you want to fly across the sea, or from New York to California, you can probably do it; otherwise, it's going to take more expense and effort to find an option that works for you.

Flying with a Dog FAQ

Let's run down some of the fast-answer questions you may have about flying with a dog.

Should you sedate your dog for the flight?

Generally, no. If your dog is a nervous pooch who has trouble with new experiences and will be frightened, risk an accident, or constantly make noise for the whole flight, you might want to reconsider flying. Most airlines have policies that reflect the American Veterinary Medical Association's advice, which is not to sedate pets for a flight.

Because of things like changing air pressure, the stress of a flight, and the lack of available veterinary care, sedation poses very serious risks to health, and if an emergency happens mid-flight, there's very little you can do about it. Leave the sedation at home!

Are there breed restrictions for flying with a dog?

Yes.

The two main restrictions are based on size and facial structure. Size is simple; if your dog can't fit comfortably in a carrier under a seat, they can't fly with you. Facial structure is a little different. Many airlines prohibit even small dogs if they're a snub-nosed breed like a Boston terrier, a pug, or a bulldog. This is because the changes in air pressure and air quality on a plane can make it more difficult for these pets to breathe, and again, there are no emergency pet facilities on a plane to address a problem if one arises mid-flight.

Do any airlines offer cargo shipping for a dog?

Yes. Several airlines, like Alaska and American, offer services such as PetEmbark. These services are essentially like putting your dog in the mail; they'll be loaded onto a plane that is specially-designed to fly animals, has a trained vet along for the ride, and allows larger dogs.

The drawback here is that only certain routes, certain destinations, and certain flights allow this, and the chances are you won't be on the same flight. You will likely either need a friend at home to check them in after you've already flown to your destination, or a friend at your destination to receive them while you fly in yourself. It's difficult to coordinate, but sometimes, it's the only viable option.

Are there other non-flight options available?

If you don't want to drive and you don't want to fly, there may be some additional options. For example, some people will take a cruise that allows dogs to travel from one place to the next. This obviously only works if you're traveling between destinations where a cruise will stop, but if so, it can be a surprisingly viable option and fun to boot.

Alternatively, there are pet taxi services that will drive your dog, possibly with hand-offs for different legs of the journey. These can be effective but difficult to organize, so your mileage may vary. Still, they can work better than having to do a lengthy cross-country drive yourself!

Have you ever had to fly with a pooch? Did you have a surprisingly good – or distressingly bad – experience? Whichever one it was, let me know your story in the comments! You can help others avoid the worst options or point out something we didn't think of along the way. I look forward to hearing your story!

Effective crate training isn't all that difficult. In fact, I've written a whole guide to effective dog crate training, and it doesn't take very long at all! But there are always going to be issues along the way.

One common issue is puppies that can't seem to stop chewing on their beds. Crates are harsh and uncomfortable when they're empty, so it's good practice to put a bed in there for your pup to enjoy while they're sleeping. But some dogs just can't stop themselves from chewing their bed apart.

This isn't just a matter of annoyance when you find bits of fluff and foam on the floor in the morning and the expense of buying a new bed for them whenever they destroy the old one. It can also be a health hazard! Dog beds are meant to be safe for a dog to sleep on, but not for them to eat. Those bits of foam, fabric, fiber, and more can all cause problems if they swallow any of it,

Why Do Puppies Eat Their Beds?

When you get your puppy a new bed, they're probably going to be excited. They hop on and off of it, they roll on it, they curl up and doze, and yes, they probably give it a nibble or two. A lot of this is just expressing their excitement, but it can calm down once they're used to the bed.

Sometimes, though, that chewing never stops, and they just keep on biting, ripping, tearing, pulling, and generally destroying that fancy new bed. But why?

It's part of their nesting instinct.

First of all, it might be part of their overall nesting instinct. You might not think of dogs as having nests, but they actually do, though we don't usually call them nests. You've heard of a "wolf den" before, right? It's the same concept: a dog or a set of dogs working to make a specific place where they spend their time as comfortable as possible.

Dogs "nest" in a bunch of different ways. They dig at the ground to create small hollows where they can lay comfortably. They arrange padding and other materials to create a softer bed for themselves. They can even drag and wrap things like fabric around themselves, which is why some dogs will curl up in a blanket to nap.

With a new bed, your dog is probably trying to break it down into a more comfortable form for themselves. That might mean scratching at the bottom, chewing at the rim, or just pulling it apart to make it into a form they find cozier and more comfortable.

While all dogs can express a nesting instinct, it's strongest and most common with pregnant mother dogs, especially in the week or so before they're due. It's an important part of creating shelter and comfort for their pups.

It's part of marking their territory.

Another reason a dog might chew at their crate bed is as a way to mark their space. This can be especially common in dogs that spent some time as strays and in dogs that have spent a lot of time with other dogs and want to carve out a space of their own.

A huge part of how dogs identify territory is through scent. Moreover, dogs have scent glands in their paws, and they can identify the unique elements of their breath and other smells they produce. All of this means that when they're chewing, scratching, pawing, and otherwise damaging their bed, it's really more about infusing that bed with their scent.

This allows your dog to create a space fully their own. You might notice that the chewing behavior is worse with a brand new bed (which smells like a factory, like off-gassing foam, and other smells) or in the immediate hours and days after you wash it.

It's a nervous tic.

Another common reason why puppies chew at their beds is as part of separation anxiety. This is especially common if you notice that they only seem to chew up their beds when you're asleep or away from home at work, and they're stuck in their crate. It can also be related to night crying.

Puppies have a lot of energy, and they're forming a lot of attachments and bonds, especially when they're young. They want to spend time with you since you're their parent figure and packmate. When you're not around, they may be worried, scared, nervous, or anxious. With very little space to maneuver and very little to do, they might start expressing that nervousness by chewing on their bed.

In a way, it's kind of the puppy equivalent of human fidgeting. They have nervous energy and anxiety, and they find a behavior that soothes it.

Some dogs that have separation anxiety develop it due to a lack of socialization. Others have it because of a quality of their breed (especially small breeds), and still others are simply too young to feel secure on their own just yet.

This can also be caused through an excess of energy. We often describe this as having "nervous energy" but it can manifest in any dog that is cooped up too much and doesn't have an outlet for all of their energy.

Your poor pooch is teething.

Another common reason why your puppy is chewing on their bed is because they're chewing on everything. When your pup's teeth are coming in, it's going to be sore and painful, just like it is for human children. In order to help their teeth come in and alleviate some of that pain, they chew on anything they can wrap their lips around. During the day, that usually means chewing on toys, though they may also chew on pillows, table legs, sticks, stray toes, and whatever else they can find.

At night, in their crate, they don't have access to much else, so they chew on what's available: the bars of the crate, the bed, any toys you put in, and so on. Usually, this is a temporary behavior once their mouth stops aching, though.

Other reasons your dog might chew:

There are a handful of other reasons your dog might be chewing on their bed in their crate.

They might just be curious. Some dogs have an innate drive to "try it and see what happens" and that can manifest in the form of chewing on things. This tends to abate as they get older and know more about how the world works.

Another reason is hunger. A hungry dog might be attempting to forage around the space they can access, and if they're in their crate, that means in their bedding. This can be especially true if you ever give them treats in bed or if they bring food there, so their bed has lingering scents of food.

It can also be due to illness. A dog that is sick or in pain – even if it's just the equivalent of a puppy cold – might be seeking something to soothe themselves, and chewing can be an outlet, even if it's not a very effective one.

How Not to Stop a Dog from Chewing Their Bed Apart

Before getting into specific ways that you can address bed-chewing behavior, let's talk about the one thing you don't want to do: engage with them positively.

This is a tricky line to walk. You can't punish your dog for chewing on their bed because they won't associate the behaviors, so they won't learn. You need to address the behavior, but without giving them the kind of attention they might be seeking. They want to engage with you and have fun with you, and if they find that you're normally distracted (or not home) but you give them attention when they chew, well, they're going to chew more.

Basically, you just always need to be aware of how your interactions with your dog are going to be perceived and what behaviors you're reinforcing.

One other thing is that you don't want to take away their bed, at least not for long. If they're chewing on it when you're around, you can take it away, but if you're going to be putting them in their crate overnight, they need something comfortable. You don't want to make the crate an unpleasant place to be; otherwise, you damage crate training routines!

How to Stop a Dog from Chewing Their Bed

Now, let's talk about what you might be able to do to stop your pooch from chewing apart their brand-new bed. You have a couple of options.

Start with redirection training.

The first thing you want to do is start with redirection training. Redirection training is fairly simple. When you see your dog start to chew on their bed, scold them a little (just say "no!") and then hand them a more appropriate chew toy. When they chew on the toy instead of the bed, praise and reward them.

You can also do other minor forms of training. When you see them resting on their bed without chewing on it, praise them. When you see them chew on a chew toy rather than their bed, praise them. Simple reinforcement is all you really need.

Address other causes of chewing.

If your pooch is sore, sick, anxious, nervous, or scared, you can address these issues in various ways. Calming scents, CBD tinctures, and your own presence can help alleviate the stress of being alone. That's why I spent so much space on why your pup is chewing, so you can figure out the reason and address it directly.

Sometimes, too, all it takes is time. As your puppy gets older and calms down, they'll be less likely to chew their bedding into shreds.

Puppy Crate Bed Chewing FAQ

Now, let's answer some of the most common questions you might have about puppies who chew up their beds.

Why do dogs chew on their beds?

There are a bunch of different reasons why your pooch might be chewing at their bed.

Here are some of the most common reasons:

• It's part of their nesting instinct to create a safe and comfortable place to sleep.
• It's a scent-marking technique to help them firmly claim the space as their own.
• They have separation anxiety and are chewing as an outlet for their feelings.
• They're teething to relieve the pain of new teeth coming in.
• They're sick and are seeking some form of relief.
• They're hungry and are seeking something to eat in the middle of the night.

There are other possible reasons as well, but again, these are the most common.

What are some ways you can stop your dog from chewing their bed?

You have a few options here.

Some options include:

• Implementing redirection training to get them to chew a toy instead.
• Using a protective cover to make it unpleasant to chew.
• Making sure to tire out your dog and address anxiety issues.

Essentially, you want to figure out why they're chewing and get rid of those issues.

What should you avoid?

For the most part, you want to avoid anything that punishes your pup. Don't take away their bed for long periods of time or make their crate an uncomfortable place to be.

Don't attempt to punish them directly, either. Most forms of punishment don't work because the association doesn't exist, so it just adds stress and makes behavioral issues worse.

Should you try a chew-proof dog bed?

This one is up to you. Chew-proof dog beds advertise being extremely durable, so even if your pooch chews at them for hours, they won't rip them apart. They tend to be pretty expensive, though.

It's often better to address the behavior, however, because if they're prone to destructive chewing, it won't stop at the bed.

Have you ever had to stop your furry friend from chewing up their crate pad? If so, what did you do to stop it? Let me know in the comments section! I'd love to hear all your stories!

So, say you've decided to adopt a dog from your local shelter or even snagged one that someone abandoned or one that has been living feral in your neighborhood and was finally wrangled.

These are some of the most challenging dogs to socialize and train, but also some of the most rewarding, most loving, and most emotionally engaging relationships you can form with a pup. Taking a dog from a disadvantaged and difficult scenario, and bringing them to a state of love, contentment, and happiness, is so incredibly rewarding it's difficult to describe.

Among the many behavioral issues you'll need to work on with your new rescue is housebreaking, also known as housetraining.

Step 1: Assess Your Dog's Current Abilities

Different rescue dogs have different amounts of socialization and training, depending on where they came from. Some of them might be almost entirely housetrained already, and just need a reminder of their training. Others, especially feral dogs, may never have had that training at all.

So, your first step is to determine how much they can do. Do they know any commands? Do they naturally "hold it" when they're in the house? Do they mark their territory?

You should establish a few baseline pieces of data.

Data to keep track of with your pup

Consider writing down information like:

• How long your dog goes before they need to go.
• How often they have "accidents" when you're not around.
• If they can sleep through the night in their crate without incident.
• When and where accidents happen, if they happen.

You'll also want to perform a basic assessment in conjunction with a vet.

• Are they fixed? An intact pup is more likely to have issues and less training.
• Do they have any illnesses? Things like worms and infections can cause bowel issues.
• Are they on any medications that might have incontinence as a side effect?

All of this gives you a baseline you can use to know what's normal and what isn't for your new rescue pup.

Step 2: Monitor and Control Your Dog's Diet

The second major step is to make sure you're feeding your new pup a relatively bland and inoffensive diet.

I'm not saying you need to go full upset stomach chicken-and-rice meals. Those are useful for a sick pup, but they aren't always a healthy baseline. But, a diet made to be as easy to digest and as simple as possible will help you identify if they have any food allergies or sensitivities.

The last thing you need if you're trying to train your dog to have better bowel control is feeding them something that makes them need to go all the time, right?

Make sure you're also controlling:

• The amount of food you give them, so they aren't over-eating and causing problems.
• The speed at which they eat, so they don't eat too fast and give themselves an upset tummy.
• The timing of when they eat, so you have a consistent pattern built into each day.

Feeding your dog a bland diet at the same time every day gives you a strong foundation you can use to build upon over time.

Step 3: Take the First Steps Slowly

Even if your rescue dog was housetrained originally, there's a chance that they've lost their control and habits over time.

This can happen for a few different reasons.

• They've been stuck in a rescue kennel for too long and haven't been taken out often enough, causing accidents.
• They were abandoned or on their own for long enough that no reinforcement kept them from abandoning their training, so they just do their own thing now.
• They're wild enough that the odors of a new environment and potentially other pets in the home drive them to mark their areas.

So, when you adopt a new pup, you need to figure out if they had training initially or if you are going to be starting from scratch.

Step 4: Set the Ground Rules

Before you can embark on potty training a rescue dog, you need to set the ground rules. And no, I don't mean sitting your pup down and telling them how it's going to be. I mean understanding yourself how you're going to have to handle the training.

Consistency is key.

Everything needs to be done at the same time each day, on the same schedule. If you can't get the breaks off work to come home and do it, you need someone else who can do it for you. If it means setting an alarm for every couple of hours throughout the night, so be it.

When I say everything, I do actually mean everything. Get up at the same time each day and take them out. Feed them at the same time each day. Take them on walks at the same time each day. Consistency is absolutely critical for successful potty training, especially if you want to do it as quickly as possible.

Use praise.

A key part of training any dog is praising them when they do the behavior you want them to do. It's called positive reinforcement, and it's really the only way you can successfully train an animal. Primarily, that means praising them when they do their doo outside appropriately.

This may also mean praise indoors if you see them go to mark, and they stop. It's all about rewarding them for their actions in the right environment.

Add a verbal component.

While it's often not strictly necessary for a dog to have a command to do their business once their training is in place, it can be helpful to reinforce what you want them to do in a given environment.

This is helpful, especially if you have different kinds of outings. Taking them out to play, taking them out for recall training, taking them out for an exercise walk; these can all have different purposes, and you may not want them to potty just anywhere. So, saying "go potty" when you want them to potty – and saying it again when they're actually doing it – helps build that association.

Use confinement.

It can feel bad, but any time you aren't around to directly supervise your dog and make sure you're enforcing the rules of potty training, they need to be confined to a crate or other small, enclosed space.

One fact about dogs is that, unless it's an extreme emergency, they will be very averse to relieving themselves too close to where they are spending their time. Fear, anxiety, and illness can all cause it, but if they're just not trained, they won't do it because it's unpleasant.

Step 5: Putting it All Together

Once you have all of the ground rules down, for yourself and your dog, all you need to do is put it together.

While regulating their time and behavior, watch what they do. Praise them when they do what you want them to do. Don't punish them when they act up – it doesn't work and it can make behaviors, anxiety, and fear worse.

If there's an accident, clean it up. It's going to happen, and that's unfortunate, but there's not a lot you can do about it after it happens. Again, punishment doesn't work. You just need to figure out why it happened and adjust your training to account for it.

That might mean taking your pup out more often, changing their diet or medication, or working with them to feel safer so they don't fear the unknown as much. Whatever the case may be, it takes time and dedication, but it can be done.

Housebreaking a Rescue Dog FAQ

Now, let's go over some of the questions that come up when talking about housebreaking a rescue dog.

Can you housetrain a rescue dog?

Of course! Rescue dogs are almost never a "lost cause," but you need to be prepared for accidents, smelly cleanups, and a lot more difficulty in training than you would have with a brand-new puppy.

Once you get the ball rolling, though, it can be extremely rewarding to see an unruly dog start to take commands and learn to be a better companion. Just like any other difficult but ultimately satisfying endeavor, it takes time and dedication, but you can definitely do it if you put your mind to it.

Is there a difference between housebreaking and housetraining?

Not really!

Some people claim that there is a difference and that housetraining still includes things like using a puppy pad, whereas housebreaking means never going inside the house at all. Other people don't recognize the difference.

Personally, I'm pretty sure the only reason we use housetraining instead of housebreaking is the connotations. "Breaking" is such an aggressive word, isn't it? It implies things like punishment, animal abuse, and a broken pup, and even if the results are very different, it's not the kind of impression we want to give as animal lovers.

How important is diet to potty training?

Somewhat! Diet on its own isn't going to have a huge impact, and as long as their diet is healthy enough that it's not causing problems, you're fine.

The issue comes when your rescue dog is eating something that upsets their stomach and leads to unpleasant side effects and accidents.

What are the most common reasons for a potty accident?

There are a handful of reasons why your pup might be relieving themselves where they shouldn't.

You'll want to consider the context and situation when an accident happens.

• Lack of training. A completely untrained dog won't have the foundation to know where they shouldn't go and might just find a corner in the living room as good as a corner of the yard.
• Submission. Some dogs are habitually submissive and may release their bladder a bit when they get too excited or as a form of submission to another dog they're greeting. It's only urine, and it's not much, but it's still a habit to fix.
• Territorial marking. When your pup leaves urine on the furniture, door frames, or anywhere around the home – and sometimes feces, as well – it's because they're scent-marking their territory.
• Fear and anxiety. Separation anxiety, loud noises, and threats – perceived or otherwise – can lead your dog to lose bowel control.

Depending on the cause of the accident, you may need to focus your training on different ways to solve the issue.

I just took my dog out, but they had an accident as soon as I got back inside!

This isn't a question, but that's okay. This happens a lot if you're trying to rush the process. Dogs often need to spend a bit of time investigating the area to make sure it feels safe for them to go. If you're impatient – and especially if you're trying to use a command and they're ignoring you – it feels like they don't need to go and are just messing around.

Then, you bring them back inside, where they know it's safe, and they immediately find a place to go.

The key is two things. First, make sure you give them plenty of experiences in your yard to make sure they feel safe there. Second, give them plenty of time to investigate before they do their deed. They probably do have to go; they just aren't quite comfortable yet.

So, there you have it: a guide to housetraining a rescue dog. Do you have any questions? If so, leave them in the comments, and I might be able to add them to the FAQ! Meanwhile, do you have any experience housetraining a rescue dog? Do you have tips or advice I haven't covered? Let me know!

A lot of the time, this won't be an issue. After all, you're there, and you're keeping them safe and secure, training them to come when called, sit and stay, or seek out specific objects (all of which are part of the 20 essential puppy commands.)

Other times, though, your puppy will feel the loneliness and isolation that comes with not being part of a pack. Even if you have other dogs, they may not take on a parental role, and your new pup might spend their evenings anxious and crying.

"Night crying" is a common problem with young dogs, and it's honestly heartbreaking. Few of us can go to sleep and rest peacefully when our new puppies are crying and whining and begging for attention and comfort in the dead of night from their crate in another room, where they can't see you. And all of that is just the tip of the iceberg; an anxious puppy is more likely to have a night accident or hurt themselves pawing or chewing at their crate.

How can you help your puppy make it through the night and deal with night crying? Fortunately, there are several things you can try.

Night Crying vs. Night Barking

In the past, I covered night barking in dogs. Night barking and night crying are similar! Puppies whine more than they bark, while older dogs are more likely to bark because they know it's louder and gets more attention. Some of the same causes are behind the issue, too, though it's not entirely the same.

In adult dogs, night barking can be caused by:

• Separation Anxiety
• Fear or Alarm
• Boredom
• Pain or Hunger
• Canine Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome
• Responding to Other Dogs

When you're thinking of a new puppy specifically, several of these aren't going to apply. CCDS, for example, is primarily a disease affecting elderly dogs, so it's not something your puppy is likely to experience. Others, though, like separation anxiety, can be primary drivers.

It's important that you recognize the difference between night crying in puppies and night barking in dogs because the same techniques aren't going to work between the two.

What Causes Night Crying in Puppies?

A new puppy crying at night is going to be, primarily, whining, grunting, and maybe some growling. In certain breeds, you may get some barking, yipping, and baby howling, but whining is the most common vocalization.

The biggest question is, why is your puppy crying at night? You can't treat the issue without first knowing the cause.

Fortunately, there aren't many reasons, so it's fairly easy to diagnose:

• They need to go potty. New puppies don't have a lot of control over their bowels and bladder, so they're more likely to need to go in the middle of the night, where an adult dog will be able to hold it longer.
• They're seeking comfort. Being isolated and contained in a crate is anxiety-inducing for a new puppy. They're probably used to sleeping with a parent and a pile of littermates, so being kept alone in a cold, dark box isn't comfortable for them.
• They have too much energy. When you're stuck indoors with a bunch of energy on a rainy day, you can go a little stir-crazy; your puppy is the same way. They have energy, they took their nap, and now they want to do something, but you're trying to sleep, and it's dark out, and they're stuck in that crate, and HELP!
• They're uncomfortable. Your puppy doesn't have a lot of ways to problem-solve and may not even be able to recognize why they're feeling uncomfortable. Even something as simple as a draft chilling them out in a colder house in the evening can be enough to make them whine all night.

There are always a few other possible issues, like something scaring them, an illness or injury causing them pain, or something distracting them all night, but these are less common.

Priority #1: Don't Give In!

Alright, before we get into the nitty-gritty, we need to discuss the biggest point of contention: do you suffer through it and ignore the problem, or do you provide comfort and aid to your puppy? There are arguments in both directions.

For one thing, the "cry it out" method has been used throughout history for both animals and people. Studies have shown that it doesn't really work for human babies and can lead to emotional trauma and anxiety as they get older.

It's similar in dogs; when they're seeking comfort and reassurance in the evening, and they don't get it, they fail to build trust in you, and that can mean they keep crying all night, every night.

On the other hand, training is training. If your puppy cries at night and it gets you to get up and give them comfort, play with them a little, or otherwise engage with them and make them feel happy and loved… you're effectively rewarding them for their crying, and that just further encourages them to cry at night.

So which is it?

Truthfully, it's both. It comes down to why your puppy is crying. If they're having toilet issues and need to go, ignoring them all night is going to be miserable for everyone involved. On the other hand, if they just have some anxiety and they're trying to fish for comfort, providing that comfort reinforces the fact that it works.

Here are some of the things I'm going to cover:

Fortunately, a couple of the solutions will help you address both points at once without conflicting signals.

Embark on Proper Crate Training

Proper crate training requires a lot of work, effort, and setup. You can't just put a crate in a corner, put your puppy in it, and close it up. How would you feel being closed in a room with no bed, no carpet, and nothing to keep you entertained?

I have a whole guide to proper crate training, which you can read over here. It goes through all of the major elements of crate training, including routines and more. Give it a look!

Beyond that, it's important to make sure the crate is a comfortable, safe place for your pooch. You want them to feel at ease, safe, and happy in that space, and you want it to be a place just for them.

A blanket, a favorite comfort toy, and even using treats to encourage them to enjoy their time in the crate are all good ideas. Of course, you can't exactly give them treats to stop them from whining unless you want to be whined at any time they want a treat.

Also, one of the biggest issues with being stuck in a crate all night is temperature. We people tend to like our houses a little cooler in the evening than during the day, but that can lead to a drafty, cold, and uncomfortable space in a crate, and since it's closed up, your puppy can't simply find a nicer place to be.

This is why the bed and blankets are a good idea, and you might also consider a cover or a blanket to drape over the crate for more insulation.

Make Sure They're Potty Trained

Young puppies need potty training, and the younger they are, the more frequently you'll need to escort them to the yard where they can do their business. For very young puppies, expect to have to do this every couple of hours.

Part of the key here is to make sure that, when you get up and give them attention for potty purposes in the middle of the night, that's all you do.

Don't talk at or coo at them, don't play with them, don't praise them unless they go, don't pet and engage with them. Give them praise and rewards when they go, then return them to their crate and leave them until the next time it needs to happen.

You want this to be brief and entirely potty-focused because otherwise, you're encouraging them to act like they need to go so they can get rewards. That's why it's critical to make sure they're actually doing their business before rewarding them and why you can't play or otherwise engage with them.

Consider the Crate's Location

If the main reason your puppy is crying is because they want to know you're nearby and have the reassurance that they're safe and cared-for, you have a few options.

One of the easiest is to put the crate in your room with you. Sometimes, your pooch doesn't need to be right there with you, in your lap or in your bed; they just need to be able to see, hear, and smell you.

Putting the crate in your room gives them the opportunity to know you're nearby, and they'll likely be able to sleep better.

If you don't want their crate to be in your bedroom, for allergy, odor, or noise reasons, you can gradually move it further from your bed every night, eventually moving it outside of your bedroom and towards its final space.

They'll be more used to knowing you're there, and can handle greater distances.

Give Them a Piece of You

Dogs are very scent-driven, and your new puppy might not be as comfortable as you'd want them to be without some element of you nearby.

One of the easiest options you have is to put a shirt or other item you've worn in their crate with them so they have a nearby scent source to snuggle with and feel comforted by.

There are also training aids you can use. One of the more effective options is a heartbeat toy. These are plush dog toys that include a small device that puts out a nearly inaudible heartbeat noise.

They can also have a way for you to stuff a shirt or something into them for the scent and even a heat pack for warmth. All of this tells your puppy they aren't alone and gives them that added comforting presence when you're not there with them.

Wear Them Out

A big part of crate training is making sure your pupper is all tuckered out at the end of the day. The more exhausted they are when they go to their crate for bed, the more likely they are to sleep without issue and sleep through the night. That means plenty of play and activity throughout the day, especially a little while before bed.

Just make sure you don't work them too hard right before sleep because they'll want to drink to recover, and then they'll need to go. That's not terrible, but if you want to avoid nighttime interruptions, it's a reasonable concern.

Make Sure They're Healthy

Everything above assumes that your pooch is in good health and is just crying for attention, bathroom needs, or out of anxiety and discomfort. Once you solve those issues through training and habits, you're good to go.

If you address those concerns and your puppy still won't sleep through the night without whining, you may need to look for underlying causes.

Young puppies aren't immune to health issues, so if they're sick or uncomfortable from some kind of internal pain (be it teething, an injury, or an illness), they'll have a hard time at night. If you suspect anything strange, talk to your vet.

With luck, consistent training, and good behaviors, you can help make sure your fur baby sleeps through the night in their crate without issue. Ideally, it will only take a couple of weeks at the most to get them trained for their bedtime. Just make sure everyone is on the same page with the training and you're good to go.

Have you ever had to help your puppy with their night crying problem? If so, what did you do in your particular situation? I'd love to hear all your stories, so be sure to leave those in the comments section!

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Read More Dog Behavior Guides

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While no one wants to lose their pooch, if it's going to happen anyway because you have a furry escape artist, you want some way to be able to track them down.

One of the most popular forms of tracking is the Apple AirTag. In fact, the AirTag is often even marketed as a way to track down lost or stolen goods, including animals that escape. But does it work? Is it a good option, or should you pick something different? Let's talk about it.

What is an AirTag and How Does it Work?

Apple's AirTags are small discs about the size and shape of a poker chip; a little larger than a quarter and a bit thicker to boot. They're very simple devices, with a battery and a circuit board that allows it to connect to nearby iPhone devices, which it can use to ping Apple's servers and broadcast its location.

AirTags are surprisingly elegant in their design. Because they rely on the widespread market share of Apple iPhones in pockets all around us, they don't need heavy-duty batteries, GPS signal monitoring, or active broadcasting technology. They're basically just passive emitters that do a ping phone home when a nearby iPhone detects them.

With a dog, the idea would be to attach the AirTag to their collar alongside their other tags and let Apple do the rest. It's a great way to track down lost items, but is it effective for a moving object, like a lost dog? Well, let's dig a bit deeper into that.

Can You Use an AirTag to Track Your Dog?

Ostensibly, yes. AirTags can be used to track anything they're put on. Attaching it to a small keychain-style mount and putting it on their collar alongside their normal tags just adds one more little thing to jangle around their necks while they're out and about.

AirTags are moderately water-resistant, so if your pooch is playing in puddles, caught out in the rain, dives in the local water fountain, or ends up in a pond or stream, the AirTag will continue to function.

They rely on a single small watch battery to keep them powered, and their battery life is around a year, if not longer. They're entirely passive, too, so you don't need to worry about turning it on before your pooch escapes and runs off.

You might note, though, that I didn't say yes here. I don't think AirTags are a good option for tracking a dog, and there are a few major reasons why.

Why AirTags Aren't the Best Option for Tracking a Dog

There are a handful of very compelling reasons why you probably shouldn't use an AirTag to track your doggo.

They only ping home when an iPhone passes nearby.

This is a pretty big drawback. AirTags are Bluetooth devices, and they're part of the Apple ecosystem. That means two very important things.

• They can only ping home when an iPhone or other Apple device passes within their Bluetooth range, and
• The device that passes nearby needs to have Bluetooth enabled.

In a world where privacy-conscious people are disabling Bluetooth and other forms of tracking, and in a world where only around 28% of smartphone owners have Apple devices, that means a good portion of the people walking by aren't going to be able to interact with your AirTag.

In fact, your pup could walk right up to someone, and the AirTag might not phone home because they don't have an Apple device.

The "passes nearby" part of this is also critical. The range on an AirTag is only around 10 yards at the most, and that's in clear conditions without obstructions. Realistically, the iPhone has to get a lot closer than that to tag the tag.

The location ping can be on a significant delay.

If you were hoping that the AirTag could provide a real-time feed of where your pooch is and has been going, unfortunately, that's not the case.

AirTags only phone home when a device gets close enough, and real-time tracking isn't available. In fact, some people have reported that the AirTag pings can be on as much as a 15-minute delay!

Basically, the AirTag is meant to be a tool for if you accidentally drop a wallet or your keys and want to know where it is in general so you can search for it.

It's not super precise – though it's close enough that you could try to get your dog to come when called from that range – but it's best used for stationary targets. You'd be able to see if your keys got lost on the side of a trail or if they were moved and turned into a nearby lost and found.

Meanwhile, if a phone pings your dog's location, and it doesn't report to you for 15 minutes, you then mobilize and head out to that spot, which takes an additional 10 minutes; your pooch has already been gone for nearly half an hour. It only really works, then, if your doggo was found and stashed away in someone's yard or home while they try to track you down.

They're relatively easily exposed and can be chewed on.

AirTags are just small disc-shaped devices, so they need a mount. For dog tags, that mount is usually a keychain-like hanger, and that's often exposed enough that your pooch could pull it off or chew it up. It depends on how much your dog likes to mess with their tags, but it could be a consideration.

You really need to be an Apple user to make AirTags worthwhile.

While the AirTag relies on the people around you to have iPhones to make it track worth anything, it also requires you to have an Apple device to manage it.

The AirTag will automatically ping and beep if it doesn't detect its home network in a couple of days, and if you don't have any Apple devices for it to sync to, it's going to cause those problems constantly. This is a common question, and people on Reddit have even suggested opening up and removing the buzzer just to get it to stop.

You can track an AirTag using just an Apple account on their website, but that doesn't get around the phone-home device limitations. So, while you can technically use it without an Apple device, it becomes a massive hassle.

That's a lot of drawbacks! So, if AirTags are out, what other choices can you try?

What Alternative Tracking Options Do You Have?

First, let's talk about another option that doesn't do what you want, and that's the Ring Pet Tag. Ring is almost as prevalent as Apple, so having something that connects to Ring devices would be handy, right?

Well, it's even worse in this case. The Ring Pet Tag is actually just a piece of metal with a QR code on it that alerts your Ring app if it's scanned. That means someone needs to find your dog, scan the code, and ping Ring to let you know.

So… why not just have a tag with a phone number on it? Same deal, except instead of funneling the info through Ring, they just call you directly. The only reason to avoid it, really, is privacy; if you don't want people to have your phone number, you might not want your dog to have it, either. Who knows who they're sharing it with, right?

There's no real tracking on the Ring tag, so don't even consider it.

Now, let's talk about some of the real options available to you.

Option 1: Tractive's Dog Tracker

Tractive is one of the leading brands of dog tracker in the world today. The tracker is a relatively large plastic box that attaches securely to a collar, without dangling or leaving itself exposed to chewing (unless your pooch can get their collar off, but at that point, all bets are off.)

The Tractive tracker has a few benefits. For one thing, you can set a home zone and get automatic alerts if your dog roams outside of that home zone.

You can let them out in the yard unsupervised and be secure in the knowledge that if they escape, you'll be notified right away.

Tractive also has real-time GPS tracking, so if your dog gets lost, you can see the path they take, the place they are, and the direction they're moving.

It makes it way easier to track them down. And, since it's GPS-powered, it doesn't rely on nearby Apple phones or other specific devices or people.

There are a few downsides to Tractive, though.

• You have to pay a subscription fee. It's relatively inexpensive, ranging from $5 to $13 per month depending on the kind of package you buy, but any subscription fee is a fee.
• It requires decent cell service in the area. GPS trackers like Tractive use cell service to phone home, so coverage can be spotty in rural areas or areas where cell service is disrupted.
• Since it's an active tracker, you have to charge the battery a lot more often. The small version for smaller dogs has a tiny battery and needs charging about once a week, whereas the larger version for big bois can last up to a month between charges.
• It may be limited to the US. You have to pay for a premium plan to access their tracking outside of the US, so keep that in mind.

Overall, Tractive is generally considered one of the best, but they aren't the only option.

Option 2: Jiobit Trackers

Another option is the Jiobit tracker. These are tags similar to an AirTag in form factor, but they have GPS real-time tracking and geofencing the same way as the Tractive, and even has a full history of where your pet has been.

Jiobit isn't just designed for dogs, though. It's actually a general-purpose tracker, and has a bunch of features your dog is unlikely to use, like an alert button to call for help. It can also connect to local open internet signals!

Otherwise, Jiobit has a fairly high initial buy-in at $130 for the device, and a subscription fee ranging from $9 to $15 per month. It does have a lot of different accessories and connection options, though, so it's easily customized to the best way to attach it to your pooch.

Option 3: Fi Collars

The Fi collar is similar to both Tractive and Jiobit, except it's much smaller and is built directly into the collar itself. That means it's one less thing to have to attach to an already-laden collar, though it's not as useful if you're using a different collar for fashion or sentimental reasons.

It's also reportedly better than Tractive or Jiobit at using actual satellites and not just cell service to track locations. I can't verify whether it's outright better or not, but it does claim to have a longer range.

The collar itself is $100 and the subscription starts at $20 per month. It also has a one-time activation fee of another $20.

Other Options

There are other GPS trackers available as well. For example, the PitPat tracker is a little smaller than Tractive, a bit more expensive, and limited entirely to the UK. It's a pretty good tracker, as far as I know, but since it's only available in the UK, it's not part of the main list.

You can also consider something like Link, which is a combination tracker and training tool. It facilitates training by allowing you to use noises or buzzing to assist with training activities.

There's also the Halo collar, which is the most fully featured out of everything on this list, but it costs way, way more. The basic collar is $600, and the membership is $10 per month after that.

I'm sure I've only scratched the surface of the options available, so here's where I turn it over to you. What is your favorite dog tracker? Let me know in the comments!

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Young or old, if your pooch is digging holes, there's a reason for it, and it's not just to annoy you or in some vendetta against the landscaping. You can get them to stop, but it's important to understand why they do what they do. So, let's talk about it!

Why Do Dogs Dig Holes?

In cartoons, dogs dig holes because they want a place to bury their bones for later, or they're searching out that buried treasure, or sometimes because it's a prison break. None of that is really accurate to real life other than the fact that dogs will dig holes. Why do they do that, though?

Digging is an instinctive behavior of many kinds of canines. Even wild wolves will dig, sometimes enough to form whole dens for their pack. Modern dog breeds vary in how strong this instinct is; the "earth dogs," breeds like terriers, were historically bred to be small enough to chase problem rodents to their dens and even dig out those dens to get at the pests.

Back when pest control was more of a matter of keeping predators around than it was mechanical devices and chemicals, that was just how it was done, and some dogs were bred to be better at it.

Other dogs might not have been historically bred to be mousers or hunting dogs, but they still have some instinct to dig. Sometimes, it's because they hear or smell underground prey like moles. Other times, they smell something interesting under the surface. But these aren't the only reasons.

Another common reason is simply that the earth is cool beneath the surface. On a hot day, your dog gets overheated and wants to seek a cooler temperature to relax. They might find a shady spot in the yard to lie down, or they might seek out a puddle from last night's rainstorm.

Or, some dogs recognize that if they scrape away a layer of hot sun-heated dirt, the dirt beneath it is cooler, and they can lie down and let the ground absorb some of their heat. This is especially common with certain breeds like malamutes and huskies, who both love being cold and love being active.

And, to go back to those cartoons, the "dog burying a bone" image actually isn't as far off from reality as you might think. Dogs like to keep their valuable items safe, and while in the wild, that's usually excess food, in our house pets, it's more likely to be a chew toy or other beloved item they don't want to get stolen.

You're more likely to see this in breeds with a bit more anxiety and self-defense behaviors, where they're worried about other dogs in the house stealing what they have.

The jailbreak idea isn't too far from the truth, either. If your dog really wants to explore beyond the borders of your yard, but you have a pesky fence in the way, well, if they can't jump the fence, they can certainly try to dig a tunnel under it.

In some cases, it's not curiosity but anxiety that drives this behavior. A dog that is anxious and fearful might want to escape your yard so they can find a calmer and more isolated space.

And, hey, let's be real here. Digging holes is pretty fun. A bored dog with energy to burn can only do so much running in circles and barking at the trees before they try to find other behaviors, and those behaviors are often things like digging. This goes double if you've been gardening recently and they've seen you digging holes; they're just helping!

It's one thing to know why they're digging holes, though, and quite another to stop it. So, what can you do?

Ways to Stop Your Pup from Digging Holes

Knowing how to stop your pup from digging requires knowing what is leading them to dig in the first place and finding ways to redirect the behavior.

Keep your pup busy.

If your fur baby is bored and has excess energy they need to burn off, and they've decided digging is the way to do it, then you're going to need to find ways to spend that energy that don't involve digging.

Some of your potential options include:

• Playing fetch. Active toys engage their body and their mind, especially if you make a more complicated game out of it than just grab and return. Some dogs have endless energy and need their mind occupied more than their body, so coupling the fetch with other tricks, like getting them to hold before chasing, can be a good option.
• More walks. Especially for active breeds, you may need 2-3 walks per day, long enough to engage them and burn some energy. If you take them to frolic in a dog park, they may have more active time spent per walk and won't need as many, but it's contextual to the breed, age, and kind of activity of each walk.
• Keeping engaging toys around the yard, especially for less supervised time. Make sure they're toys that are mentally engaging and safe enough that your dog isn't going to hurt themselves by chewing on them when you're not watching them. Change out toys regularly so they don't get bored with them.

Generally, you just need to give them something to do with their boredom and nervous energy other than digging. It's not always possible without direct supervision, though.

Disincentivize digging.

There are a few options you have that can help disincentivize digging. You might notice that your pup is often digging in the same spots over and over. They also tend to like sniffing and exploring the dirt they're digging through.

A common option to try to stop this behavior is to make it unpleasant to keep digging. Some people recommend, for example, using a bit of their poo and burying it at the bottom of their holes. Then, the next time they go digging, they find their leavings.

A lot of dogs love exploring and even eating poo, but more the poo of other creatures and dogs, not their own. They generally don't like going after their own leavings, so finding it at the bottom of every hole they dig is going to become unpleasant and teach them not to dig.

If poo doesn't work, a couple of other options are lemon or cayenne. A bit of lemon juice at the bottom of the hole can be unpleasant enough that they stop digging, though it's tricky in that it won't last too long, so you need to get the timing right.

Cayenne, red pepper, or any capsaicin-containing spice can work too. It's not toxic to dogs, but it's irritating; putting a small sprinkle in the hole before you let them out will leave them reeling, unhappy with having sniffed it. Just don't use too much!

Make a dig pit and redirect the digging.

One of the best options is redirection. Digging is, as I mentioned above, a natural behavior for dogs. It's practically impossible to fully train out an instinctive behavior like that, so it's an uphill battle.

The actual best way to handle digging is to accept that digging is going to happen and just try to redirect it to a place where it won't bother anyone. A sandpit or sandbox, a corner of the yard you don't care about, wherever it is, it's a place you teach them it's okay to dig.

Then, when they dig anywhere else, redirect them to the digging place and away from your garden or the fence line or wherever else it is they're digging.

The tricky part with this kind of redirection training is that it takes a lot of direct supervision and fast reactions with rewards. Stay close to the digging area, and if they dig anywhere else, call them over. Reward them only if they dig in the digging area and not if they dig anywhere else.

You can help make this more interesting by burying treats or toys in the digging area so they have something fun to unearth and play with. If they dig anywhere else, they won't find anything rewarding, so they'll be more likely to dig in the digging area because they know they will find fun things there.

You definitely need to be consistent and intentional with this kind of training. If you have to leave them alone, either have someone else watch and train them or have some kind of very enticing toy that will hold their attention until you return. Consistency is critical for any training like this.

Try to ward off pests.

If your fur baby is digging explicitly because they hear, smell, or otherwise notice underground critters like mice and moles, no force in the universe is going to override their hunting instincts and keep them from going after their prey.

Unfortunately, there aren't too many ways you can ward off these critters. Sometimes, fencing that reaches a bit underground around your yard can help. Sometimes, certain plants or scents can keep them away. It's very hit or miss.

What you definitely shouldn't do is try to put out poison or another chemical to try to keep the smaller creatures away. Anything dangerous or deadly to a rodent is dangerous to your dog, whether they encounter it directly or they dig up and chow down on a poisoned rodent.

Try a ground cover.

If your fur baby is trying to dig under a fence or other barrier and get out of the yard, there are two ways to stop it.

The first is to figure out why they're trying to escape and remove that cause. Maybe there's something very attractive outside the fence that's harder to handle, but you may be able to collaborate with a neighbor to adjust schedules or otherwise avoid letting two dogs out at the same time. If, on the other hand, there's something in the yard they don't like, try to figure it out and remove it. You don't want to drive them away, after all.

The second is to make it unpleasant to try to dig around the base of a fence. Something like a ground-covering roll of chicken wire or chain link can make it uncomfortable and unpleasant for your fur baby to walk across and can keep them from approaching the property line to dig.

You can also use large, partially buried stones along the bottom of the fence line so they can't dig there, or even just a border barrier of something like gravel or lava rock that they'll find unpleasant both to walk on and to try to dig through. It can be a bit of a landscaping project to put these down, but once they're in, they should only require some ongoing maintenance.

Note: be very careful with chicken wire in particular. Since it's made of a thin wire that can break, rust, and be sharp, if your poor fur baby tries to walk over or dig through it, they can cut their paws. You will, generally, need to replace any chicken wire every year or two, depending on the condition, and you need to make absolutely sure the sharp ends of the wire are folded back and away from anywhere your pooch can access.

Your Ideas

Do you have any ideas on how to stop a dog from digging? Punishment is right out, of course. Never use punishment to try to train a dog; it doesn't work, and it's inhumane.

Other than that and the ideas I've mentioned above, do you have any? If so, feel free to let me know in the comments! I'd love to hear from you about your experiences with a pup that wants to live underground.

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They learn by playing with one another, they learn by watching their parents and being scolded or praised accordingly, and they learn when someone like you comes in and teaches them a behavior that otherwise might not be a natural part of their lives.

If you're fostering, raising, or adopting a new puppy, it's important to know what you can train them and when, as well as how long it's likely to take. So, what does a puppy training schedule look like?

Age 0 to 8 Weeks

From the moment they're born, puppies are learning. The trouble is, the things they're learning when they're under a week old are things like "how to breathe", "how to walk", and "how to eat", so they aren't really trainable behaviors.

At this point, they're too young to do much more than eat, sleep, grow, and gradually learn how to be living creatures. You aren't going to be training them much of anything.

In fact, if you're adopting a puppy rather than raising the puppies your current dog had, you won't even have them when they're this young. The vast majority of rescues and adoption services don't allow adoption until at least 8 weeks of age.

Age 8 to 16 Weeks

For adoption, this is the earliest you can get your puppy. Otherwise, this is the earliest you can start training them in behaviors beyond simply existing.

The first and most important thing you should be working on at this age is familiarity and comfort. Puppies learn best when they're in a safe and secure environment, so the more stress they're under, the harder it will be.

They'll need to get used to things like traffic noises, car rides, visitors, other dogs, and being handled, especially by the vet.

Tip: Many vets have special puppy visits you can schedule at this age, where they don't do any handling or invasive testing; all they do is sit with and play with the puppy, and reward them for their time. This helps train them that a trip to the vet isn't always going to be unpleasant or bad. If your vet offers these, look into having a few scheduled.

A lot of the early training you do with your puppy will be bringing them to new places, showing them new things, and helping keep them safe. That's not the only goal you have with training at this age, though.

The second goal is impulse control. This includes all of the most basic obedience commands, such as Sit, Come, and Drop It.

Some of these are to help keep the puppy safe – you don't want them running to and fro when you're waiting to cross a street, and you want to be able to get them to let go of an item they're chewing on that could be dangerous – but in general, it's all about teaching the puppy to obey you rather than their instincts.

Another bit of training to work on during this time is potty training. Potty training a new puppy is a complex task and it requires a lot of firm behavior on your part, but if you do it right, it really doesn't take very long. You can read more about the intricacies of puppy toilet habits in my guide here.

Other training you can work on during this time includes:

• Chewing and mouthing behaviors. Puppies use their mouths to explore the world around them, but you want to keep them from chewing on things they shouldn't. Two reasons for this. The first is to protect your furniture and other items from those sharp little teeth. The second is to protect your puppy from chewing on something that can harm them, like a toxic plant, a sharp item, or something they could choke on. You can't fully stop chewing, but you can redirect it to chew toys and other safe items.
• Socialization. If you've ever met a dog that gets really defensive at other dogs or other people or is scared of seemingly everything, it's likely because they were poorly socialized and have had bad experiences in the past. When they're young puppies, this is the best time to teach them that most things aren't dangerous and that you'll keep them safe.
• Leash training. Getting your puppy used to wearing a leash, even if they're mostly just pulling at it, is also important during this time. Leash training is best done in short bursts to start, potentially without even leaving the home, just getting them used to having it on and the feeling of being restricted.

A lot of the early training is just about laying the groundwork for future easy training and healthy behaviors.

Age 16 Weeks to 6 Months

At this age, you're essentially just continuing all of the things you've been teaching up to this point, and adding in the occasional more advanced version of them.

For example, a big goal of training during this time is polite play. Polite play is all about enforcing boundaries, understanding stop commands, and learning what is and isn't available for play.

Your puppy will likely be teething during some portion of this time, and that's a miserable experience, so they'll be chewing on a lot of different things; be sure not to punish them for it, just redirect it to acceptable chew toys.

House training should be going smoothly at this point. Potty training a new puppy is never an entirely smooth and easy process, but you should be able to address any issues that come up quickly and easily.

Leash training, as well, should be going smoothly. You can take them on walks with the leash now – even if it's just around the yard – and they should be learning more about how to stick close to you instead of constantly pulling in every direction to explore their boundaries.

Another bit of training to introduce and increase during this time is leaving your puppy alone. If you're too attached to your puppy, they'll never want to leave your side.

That means when you need to go to work, go to bed, visit a friend, or go shopping, your puppy is going to be anxious and miserable. Separation anxiety is also a big part of night crying. This "reverse socialization" in getting your puppy to learn how to be comfortable alone is critical.

Crate training should be ongoing as well. You'll likely have started this earlier, but dedicated crate training is its own beast, it's also part of a lot of other forms of training. Good crate training ends up being integral to a healthy lifestyle with your pup.

In your pursuit of more advanced training, your puppy will have already mastered basic commands like Sit, Stay, and Come. To layer on top of this, you'll want to get deeper into recall training. I have a whole guide on dog recall training, which you can read here, so give it a look!

Tip: If you're interested in getting into dog agility training – you know, the fancy running courses, weaving between poles, and jumping over gates – this is the time to start. Agility training isn't necessary to have a happy and well-trained dog, but it can be a good way to increase your bond with your pup, as well as give you new social outlets and exercise of your own. If you're interested in agility training, check out this post.

Any advanced training you want to do can be learned over time, as well, and you never have to go all the way. It's only in cases where you're training a dedicated service dog or other top performer that you need to be aggressive and rigid with training early on.

Age 6 to 12 Months

As your puppy gets older and more obedient, and you get better at learning how they react to various forms of engagement and praise, you can build up more advanced versions of everything we've listed.

If your dog is going to be a working dog of some form – whether it's in agility competitions, animal herding, or a service dog – you can work on more of the advanced commands and techniques they'll need to know.

A lot of your more advanced tricks and sequences of tricks can be taught during this time. A lot of the basic obedience commands can be really tested here as well, such as the sit and stay combo or the come/heel command in a place with significant distractions.

You'll also be validating their current training. Make sure recall training works while off-leash when there are distractions (like a friend with something tasty on hand) so you can trust that they'll come when called no matter what.

Missing Milestones

So, what happens if you're adopting a dog that is already older than the puppy stage, was poorly socialized, or was otherwise not treated properly during their formative months?

The answer is that you have a challenge on your hands.

Older puppies and adult dogs that have had a hard early life are going to have bad behaviors they need to be trained out of, and they are likely not going to be obedient to the common commands because they never learned them or had them reinforced.

Training an older dog is entirely possible, it just takes longer and requires more care. You need to be prepared for the challenge or leave it to someone who can dedicate themselves to it because it won't be easy. Still, older dogs deserve love, especially if they've had a hard early life, so please, if you can, take that time.

Tips for Smooth and Effective Puppy Training

Puppy training requires consistency, reward, and positive reinforcement.

One of the best tools you have at your disposal is your puppy's food. Food – and sometimes, high-value treats like bits of cheese – is one of the best ways you can motivate a puppy and reward them for their behavior.

When using food as an aid in training, make sure you're only giving it to them when they successfully do what you want them to do. If you reward them regardless, you aren't training them, you're just feeding them.

Unfortunately, there's no shortcut to training. You need to put in the time and effort, and you need to practice. You can't show a dog a trick once and assume they'll have picked it up. You need to start small and build up.

Even something like the "sit" command isn't something they'll have the self-control to do indefinitely. Teach them to sit, reward them when they do, and let them go. Gradually increase the amount of time they need to stay sitting before the reward, to build up patience. The same goes for pretty much all forms of training. Start small, start simple, and build up.

Consistency is critical, and I can't say it enough. Consistency in rewards, consistency in commands, and consistency between people. A common issue you see in puppy training is that one pet parent is on the ball and keeps track of a behavior, but the other ignores it or rewards the wrong thing, and it muddles the waters.

I've also mentioned this many times before, but don't use punishment. Dogs don't respond well to punishment and negative reinforcement. Plus, it makes them more fearful and anxious of you and of other people, and can lead to a defensive, or even aggressive, adult dog. Nobody wants that if they can help it, and it's a lot of work to undo the damage caused by punishment.

Finally, don't forget that different dogs, and even different breeds, learn different things at different paces. A working breed like an Aussie is going to have a lot more energy and be more intent on herding behaviors than a larger and lazier breed.

Some take commands very well, while others are less self-confident or more anxious. Every dog goes through the same kinds of training and experiences, but they may learn in different ways or at different paces, and you need to be able to accommodate that.

When all is said and done, though, you'll have a happy, bright-eyed, and well-trained pup to keep you company for many years to come.

So, now that we're at the end of this article, do you have any questions? As always, I'd be more than happy to help you out however I can. Be sure to leave me a comment down below, and I'll get back to you as soon as possible!

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There's one thing that pretty much all of these have in common, though. Can you guess what it is?

That's right; it's all beginner training. These are the kinds of training you do with a puppy to keep them safe, happy, and groomed. Sure, you can train older dogs that haven't been well-socialized or trained in the past, but it's still basic concepts and entry-level dog training.

What about more advanced kinds of dog training? Sure, there are all sorts of complex tricks you can teach your pup, and watching that furball go through a whole routine at your command can be pretty exciting, but that's not what I'm here for today.

Because, you see, there's a certain kind of pinnacle to dog training. Two, in fact. The peak performance of a pupper can be expressed in one of two ways.

The first is as a working dog. A great example of this is sled dogs. Sled dogs have a job to do, and make no mistake, they love doing that job. They want nothing more in life than to be inside that harness and drag a sled in tandem with their best buddies in all the world. Herding dogs, hunting dogs, and other kinds of working dogs are all the result of a lot of consistent training to do a specific kind of task, usually a task that the dog was bred to love.

The second pinnacle of a trained pup is a show dog. Dogs that compete in agility contests are some of the most well-trained, excited, lovable, and loving dogs you can find. But agility training isn't easy; there are a bunch of tricks that need to be performed in sequence (and often in a sequence that changes), and it's all about not just doing those tricks but following your lead as you guide them through those tricks.

Of course, you don't need to go all-in to competitive agility performances. Training your pup on a few agility tricks isn't very hard; it's fun to do, it's a good way to make sure they're disciplined and obedient, and it's an excellent way to tire them out. Plus, agility course props like jumping gates, tunnels, and see-saws can be pretty cheap and easy to set up, move, and store away when you don't want to use them.

Are you interested in agility training? If so, keep reading, and I'll tell you everything I know.

Is Agility Training Right for Your Dog?

Agility training often seems like an exclusive sport for dogs bred for speed, endurance, and, well, agility. You often see border collies, Aussie shepherds, and other similar breeds in competitions. And sure, that's true if you're hoping to reach a competitive level.

The truth is, pretty much any dog can even reach a competitive level in agility, though it's not exactly fair to put a chihuahua up against a mastiff in competition. It's all part of why divisions are important.

Your dog doesn't need to be an agility breed or even a pure breed. There are even special competitions just for older dogs, with lower jumps that won't put stress on their joints.

Your dog needs to be physically healthy and obedient enough to obey commands, but that's pretty much it as far as the requirements to get into the sport. Even then, those are the requirements for competing; if all you want to do is get into agility in your backyard, you can do that too, and you don't even need anything special to do it.

Consider getting into agility if:

• You want a unique and exciting way to get your dog to exercise.
• You want to give your dog a sense of purpose.
• You want to strengthen your bond with your dog.
• You want to build teamwork, trust, and communication with your dog.
• You want to open the door to social groups and friendships with other trainers.
• You want to get some exercise of your own, above and beyond simple dog walking.

Dog agility training and performance can be fun, rewarding, and exciting, and if you choose to pursue competitive-level agility, there can even be tangible rewards as well. Who doesn't like a little prize now and then?

Foundational Training for Dog Agility Training

You can't get a new puppy, so bring them to your backyard where a bunch of jumps, hoops, and tunnels are set up, and get started on agility training. There are a bunch of other commands and forms of training you need to do first.

• Basic obedience. Your dog needs to know at least the basic commands of Sit, Down, Stay, and Come. All of these are critical for managing a dog off their leash, particularly in exciting, high-pressure, and novel environments like competitive arenas or parks where other dogs and people are everywhere.
• Eye contact. You need your dog to be able to pay attention to you and nothing else because once they get distracted, it's all over.
• Crate training, especially if you're traveling to competitions and shows, since your doggo will generally need to be in their crate for a lot of the time for their own safety and that of others.

After that, you can start building up intermediate tricks and coordination activities.

One very useful trick, for example, is nose targeting. Nose targeting is a kind of focus training where you get your pup to touch their nose to your hand or to a specific target you're holding.

When you see dogs running an agility course, and their trainer is running ahead holding their hand out to guide them through obstacles, that's what they're doing; guiding their dog with the hand they want to touch.

Teaching your dog to walk backward is also a good and useful trick. It's great for bodily awareness and can help in training agility tasks if they miss something or get stuck in a tunnel and need to back up.

Tricks to Start With for Building Agility

Once your dog has a good grasp of being obedient and following your cues through various obstacles, you can train them in additional tricks that can lead up to learning the specific agility obstacles.

There are many different tricks you can try, each with their own levels of difficulty:

The most popular ones to start with are:

• Hoop jumping. Training your dog to jump through a hoop held close to the ground is a lead-in to training for tire jumps higher off the ground or when combined with other obstacles.
• Figure-8s. Training your dog to spin in circles in both directions and to weave through your legs, table legs, or other poles in a figure-8 pattern is good training for flexibility and for the pole-weaving tricks commonly seen on agility courses.
• Simple jumps. Dog agility jumping can be both through hoops and above poles and with varying heights. Jumping is a core competency for agility dogs.

All of this helps you build up towards a robust and full understanding of how to behave when faced with various obstacles on a course, in your backyard, or anywhere else in life.

Getting the Obstacles

There's one thing I haven't touched on yet, and that's the obstacles themselves. If you want to train your fur baby to run through them, you kind of need them, don't you? Well, fortunately, you can set up some pretty decent obstacles with some DIY materials or repurposed children's toys.

Before getting into specific obstacles, one thing to keep in mind is that your course should be customized for your pup. Older dogs should have lower jumps and more spacing.

Tunnels need to be big enough for your dog to get through without getting stuck. Dogs of different sizes need different scales of objectives. If everything is the wrong size, it won't be fun for either of you.

First you have the jumps. Simple gate jumps are poles with adjustable heights that your dog needs to jump and clear without knocking the pole over. Agility sets generally have at least six jumps, and often have more.

The simplest way to set up jumps is with some PVC pipe. PVC is resilient, easy to buy, cut to size, and put together like puzzle pieces with various poles and joints.

The main things to keep in mind are that they need to have adjustable heights so you can train different difficulties of jumps and that the bars need to be able to be knocked loose, both as a sign your pup didn't clear the jump and to prevent them from either knocking over the whole apparatus or hurting themselves running into it. Here's a simple example of a homemade jump gate.

The second kind of obstacle is the tunnel. Tunnels are great because they show your dog doesn't need your guiding hand every second of the course. You can also curve and bend them however you like to make simple S, C, or other bends.

Tunnels can be tricky because when a dog barrels through it at top speed, it risks tearing or breaking, especially if they slip, lose control, and tumble against the side. Fortunately, tunnels are cheap; you can get dog agility tunnels for anywhere from $25 to $250, depending on how long, how much, and what construction the tunnel has. If you're working on a budget, there are also cheaper tunnels made for children to play in that you can repurpose, at least until you've decided you're into agility enough to get more equipment.

A commonly forgotten but also useful obstacle is the pause table. These are raised platforms your dog jumps up onto and, critically, pauses for a moment. It's part of a demonstration of obedience and gives both you and your dog a chance to catch your breath for a second and refocus on the next sequence.

You really don't need much for these, just something that is sturdy enough to support your dog's weight and won't wobble or tip over when they jump up onto it.

One of the most iconic obstacles is the weave poles. They're also one of the easiest to set up; all you need are poles and ground soft enough to stick them in. Alternatively, you can build a frame with adjustable spacing to hold poles, but again, you don't even need that until you're sure you want to get deeper into agility.

How to Set Up a Course

This is where things get interesting. Putting it all together! Obviously, you want to start slow. Your dog knows the basics, but you'll want to walk them through how to put each bit together, with course markers to go around, poles to weave through, jumps to make, and so on.

How do you arrange your obstacles? At first, it really comes down to how much space you have to set them all up. There are defined course options, like the Birgitta Hermansson sequence or other more general sequences, but you really don't need to get into anything that well-defined, at least not right away.

Just put together a few obstacles, train your dog on how to recognize and go through them, and gradually work on doing it faster and in more complex ways. Change things up, slowly raise jump heights, and you'll be agility-trained in no time!

Setting Your Goals

Finally, the one remaining piece of the puzzle is goals. Broadly, you probably fall into one of three categories.

1. You just want agility tricks in your repertoire; you don't plan to take it seriously, but think it's fun to have a dog obedient enough to make it through a course you set up.
2. You want to take agility somewhat seriously and maybe participate in local clubs, but you aren't really going to compete or make it a serious hobby.
3. You want to go all-out on agility dogs and raise a champion.

Knowing your goal gives you something to work towards and, more importantly, some idea of how seriously you want to take things, how much budget you can dedicate to it, and how much time you want to spend on it.

Agility is a lot of fun, but it's important not to take it too seriously and keep it fun. Hopefully, getting into it will give you a good experience and open the doors to a whole new world of people, dogs, and tricks!

Have you ever attempted dog agility training before? If so, what was your experience like? I'd love to hear all your stories, so be sure to leave those in the comments section!

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It's one thing if they're digging in the garbage or getting into some hidden treats you've kept in a cupboard. It's quite another experience altogether if they're getting into something much less savory, like your cat's litter box.

Cats and dogs? Cohabitating? It'll never work! The truth is, though, cats and dogs can get along great. They have different instinctual body language and interpret each other's behaviors in different ways, but that doesn't mean they have to be aggressive to one another. They can be friends and love each other just as much as we love them.

The biggest issue comes with the territory of caring for animals. While you can take your dog outside to go potty, cats generally should stay indoors, and that's what the litter box is for. So when your pooch decides to investigate that litter box and finds some tasty treats, well, not only is it gross, but you might wonder if it's dangerous.

Is cat litter dangerous to your dog if they eat it, or is it more or less harmless? The answer is a firm "it depends."

Cat Litter and the Differences Between Cats and Dogs

Many pet products are designed to be harmless to their respective creatures, but different kinds of animals have different needs. Something harmless to dogs might cause digestive distress or other damage to cats, and vice versa. They have different nutritional needs, after all, and can be sensitive to different kinds of chemicals.

A big example is xylitol. Xylitol is fine – even beneficial – in humans. It's used as a sugar substitute that doesn't rot your teeth, so it's increasingly found in everything from candies to peanut butter.

As any responsible dog parent knows, though, xylitol is toxic to dogs. It lowers their blood sugar to potentially dangerous levels and can cause organ damage, especially if your pooch gets into a tub of xylitol-infused peanut butter and has no self-control.

Cats, though, don't much care about the ingredient. Xylitol doesn't seem to have much of an impact on cats at all.

So, it just goes to show that different substances have different impacts on different pets, and it's not always clear or obvious what does and doesn't have an impact.

Cat litter is explicitly made to serve three goals.

• It serves as a substrate media for cats to bury their waste, since cats prefer to find some place they can dig and bury their leavings to help avoid detection or contamination where they hang out.
• It absorbs moisture and, more importantly, the odors that develop from your cat's waste, so you don't have to smell it throughout your house.
• It often (though not always) has material properties that allow it to clump up when moistened to make it easy to clean a litter box without wasting excessive amounts of cat litter.

You might notice that the safety of the cat isn't on this list. In fact, one of the most common kinds of cat litter – bentonite clay litter – is actually toxic to cats, because sodium bentonite is dangerous.

Not only can it be toxic, it can also clump up inside your fur baby, hardening into an impossible-to-pass lump that causes an impacted bowel.

Not great!

So why is this allowed? Well, the simple answer is that cats have zero desire to eat their refuse or their litter. It's simply not a problem outside of extreme circumstances, and if your cat is suffering in such an extreme circumstance, there are much bigger problems to address as well.

What about dogs, though? Is cat litter harmful to dogs? There are two factors to consider.

Factor 1: What Kind of Litter Did Your Dog Eat?

The first question is, what kind of litter are you using? Different kinds of cat litter have different material and chemical properties.

There are actually a bunch of different kinds of cat litter. They come in two categories: clumping and non-clumping. Within each category, there are a bunch of different types of materials available as well. You can read a bigger breakdown of these types of cat litter in my guide to litters, here.

Paper product litter is generally made from recycled paper products. It's sterilized and cleaned, so there aren't things like toxic inks in the pellets.

It's generally non-toxic to animals, but if your dog eats too much of it, it can cause an intestinal blockage, which can be serious. More on the repercussions later, by the way.

Silica or "crystal" cat litter is made with a silica gel kind of product. Silica gel is used as a desiccant, which means it absorbs moisture. This is useful in cat litter for absorbing urine and for odor control. But, if your dog eats it, the moisture inside them can be absorbed into it.

Those silica gel packets say "do not eat" on them, after all. Fortunately, in small amounts, silica gel can be passed just like anything else your dog eats. It doesn't clump up, so it won't form a blockage. All you need to do is make sure your pooch drinks plenty of water.

Clay cat litter is made from bentonite clay. This is the archetypal clumping cat litter; the clay pellets, when they get wet, get sticky, and stick to both waste and one another.

This means they absorb moisture and turn into blockages, making it one of the more dangerous kinds of cat litter for dogs. Some bentonite clay can also include trace amounts of quartz, which can be carcinogenic when inhaled (causing silicosis), which is bad for everyone and everything.

Grain cat litter, like corn litter, or wood litter, like pine litter, are all generally safer. They aren't typically going to be as good at their jobs as the main clay or silica litters, but they'll also be less dangerous if your dog eats a mouthful.

Factor 2: How Much Litter Did Your Dog Eat?

Here's the thing: your dog isn't going after the litter. You know that, I know that, and as much as we don't like to think about it, it's simply a fact.

Your dog is after those little nuggets of leavings your cat buries; the litter they eat along the way just happens because it's stuck to those nuggets.

That means that when your dog is eating cat litter, they're doing it with very little in the way of actual litter as their goal.

They might take a mouthful while they find a turd to eat, but they're generally not just chowing down on the litter box unless it hasn't been cleaned in a long time, and again, in that case, you have bigger problems.

In general terms, if your dog has only eaten a small amount of cat litter, they're fine. A tiny amount of cat litter probably won't be toxic to any but the smallest dogs, and the issues with dehydration and internal clumping generally only happen if a lot of litter is eaten at once.

What Are the Problems with Your Dog Eating Cat Litter?

So, if your dog has decided to dig into the litter box for a snack, what are the primary risks?

Toxicity. As mentioned above, cat litter is usually not toxic to dogs. That said, if you get scented cat litter, perfumed litter, or litter with some kind of additive to it, it's possible that your fur baby can be sensitive to that ingredient, or it could include a chemical that is toxic to your pooch. This is why unscented litters are generally better.

Allergies. Similar to toxicity, your dog might have an allergic reaction to some component of the litter. This is, again, most common with scented litters and perfume compounds, which are usually chemicals that can cause various problems, even in people or cats as well as dogs.

You can also identify if your dog is going to have a reaction through a skin test, and if so, change litters ASAP to avoid a problem down the road.

Intestinal blockages. Clumping litters in particular can cause blockages internally when they clump up and get stuck in the bowels. Depending on where in the system they get stuck, this can range from simple constipation all the way to an impacted bowel that might require surgery to correct. Usually, small amounts of litter won't cause this, and non-clumping litters usually won't either.

Dehydration. Cat litter is almost always designed to absorb moisture because moisture is what allows bacteria to grow and what causes the stench of waste. Moisture is also what keeps every living thing alive and is what allows the bowels to work properly.

Dehydration causes all kinds of problems, and if litter in the gut is absorbing too much moisture from the surrounding digestive system, your dog is going to suffer from it. Fortunately, in all but the most extreme cases, all you need to do is get your pooch to drink more, and it'll be fine.

Infections. This one doesn't have anything to do with the litter, but rather with your cat's refuse. Cats can carry parasites, including worms, and bacteria like salmonella.

If your dog eats their droppings, then your dog can contract one of those infections as well. Now, ideally you have antiparasitic treatments for all of your animals and the only risk is bacteria, but it's still something that can crop up at any time.

Other than extreme levels of internal blockage, dehydration, or allergic reaction, none of these are going to be life-threatening, at least not right away. Still, it's something you need to watch for.

Signs Your Dog is Suffering from Eating Cat Litter

Normally, it should be fairly easy to determine if your dog is eating cat litter. Dogs aren't the most subtle or crafty of God's creatures, after all. Still, you should pay attention to their behavior and keep an eye out for symptoms of impending problems.

Look for:

• Irregular bowel movements or constipation that can indicate an internal blockage or problem.
• Lethargy and other signs of dehydration.
• Symptoms of intestinal parasites and worms.

Your dog may also vomit, and that vomit might contain litter and can be a sign that they ate more than what came up and that you may want to get them checked out.

As mentioned, the majority of the time, your dog won't be in an immediately life-threatening condition, and you can call your vet and schedule an appointment in the next few days to have them checked over.

If they seem to be struggling with dehydration, lethargy, or a complete inability to potty, then you should be more concerned and consider the emergency vet.

Stopping Your Dog from Eating Cat Litter

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and if you want your fur baby to stay away from the litter, your best option is physical separation.

You have a few options here.

• Buy an enclosed litter box with a small door that your dog can't get in through, but your cat can. Cats also tend to prefer more protected and enclosed spaces for their litter needs, so this serves double duty.
• Use a baby gate or other barrier that your cat can bypass, but your dog can't, to separate the area where you keep your litter.
• Make sure your dog has enough activity and engagement so they don't get bored and start getting into things they shouldn't.
• Consider training your cat to use the toilet instead of a litter box and, eventually, get rid of litter entirely.

These are some of the most common options. You may also just be able to train your dog well enough to stay away from the enticing litter box treasures. In rare cases, you might even be able to train your cat to go outside on a harness to do their business, just like your dog.

Really, there are plenty of options for you to explore. Which one has worked best for you? Be sure to let me know in the comments section, down below! I always love hearing from you all!

Since most puppy parents go through this nibbling phase, I decided to put together a Q&A for the ten most common questions I see about it. If you have a question I didn't answer here, feel free to ask it in the comments! I'm always here to help.

#1: Is Puppy Biting and Nibbling Normal?

Absolutely! As I mentioned in the intro, dogs don't have hands, which is something we all know, but it can sometimes not quite sink in what that means for how they interact with the world around them. They can bark. They can sniff and smell. They can paw at and dig and scratch with their toes. But, most of the time, they're going to use their mouth. They bite things, nibble and chew on them, even suckle on them if they're deep in puppy mode. Even adult dogs do this, which is why we always give them toys to play with that involve chewing and nibbling. Whether it's rawhide, a Kong filled with peanut butter, or just a plushie they can't put down, they're going to be using their mouths to handle it.

Well, puppies are the same way. The only difference is they're still babies, so they're still learning what is and isn't acceptable. They know they have to use their mouths to interact with the world, but they don't know what does and doesn't taste good, what is and isn't allowable to chew on, what can hurt them if they bite it and it sticks or pokes at them, and so on. They'll eventually figure out some of it – and your training and reinforcement handles the rest – but it takes time.

It's also worth mentioning that some breeds are more prone to chewing and biting than others. Cattle dogs and other working dogs, for example, tend to be a little more bitey. Anxious breeds might have a bit of an oral fixation to calm their nerves as well.

#2: Can You Train a Puppy to Stop Biting?

Of course! In fact, it's right up there, along with basic commands and potty training, as something you should get to work on as soon as you can. Puppies can be receptive to training very young, and it only takes a couple of weeks of consistency to teach them a behavior that will last their lifetimes.

Here's the thing, though: you aren't teaching your puppy not to bite. I can't stress this enough: dogs need to interact with the world, and trying to prevent biting fully is going to be impossible. What you want to stop is inappropriate biting. It's one thing to nibble on a toy; it's quite another to bite at any hand coming near that toy.

Chew training is about redirecting biting to the appropriate kinds of items. Whenever you're interacting with your puppy, and they're likely to be biting, keep a toy or chew of some sort nearby and put it at their mouth when they try. Doing this consistently to redirect their behavior is almost all you need.

It's also a good idea to recognize when biting is happening because your pup is overstimulated and it's time for a nap. The more they're taking nips at you, the more likely they just need to calm down.

#3: Is Your Puppy Biting Out of Aggression?

Almost definitely not. Puppies are energetic and rambunctious and, more than anything, innocent. They may feel scared and posture to try to scare off whatever is bothering them. They might try to mimic defensive or aggressive behavior from older dogs around them. But generally, they aren't trying to be aggressive, defensive, or territorial. They're too young for all of that.

Now, this isn't always the case. Sometimes, puppies can show actual aggression, especially if they were born and raised feral and haven't been socialized before. You'll generally be able to recognize their behavior, but it's also possible that you will need to talk to a professional about it.

#4: Why is Your Puppy Suddenly Biting?

If your puppy wasn't much of a biter to begin with, but recently they have started biting more, there are a few possible reasons.

One of the biggest is because they're teething. Puppies develop their primary teeth – the needle teeth they have as babies – around three to six weeks of age. These are sharp and usually come in without much issue, and they're the sharp and painful teeth that cause problems when you're playing with young dogs. Even then, your puppy may or may not be very mouthy at this age.

When they reach around 12 weeks old, their primary teeth will start to fall out, and their permanent teeth will start to grow in. This can be an irritating and bothersome process, and your puppy might seek things to chew on simply to have something to alleviate that discomfort.

It's also occasionally possible that they're suffering some other medical ailment that is causing them pain and aggravation, which is, in turn, driving them to seek some kind of stimulus to distract or alleviate. They might also nip and snap at you out of an instinctual defensiveness. In these cases, you'll need to bring them in for a checkup to see what might be causing problems.

#5: Does Yelping When Bitten Help?

This one is a tricky question. A common piece of advice for when your puppy bites you is to make a yelping noise and pull back. Supposedly, this teaches your puppy that what they did hurt you, and since puppies are empathetic and social creatures, they don't want to do something that hurts you, and they learn that it's a bad thing to do.

The trouble is, not all puppies interpret it the same way, and a lot of it depends on the context around the noise you make. Some puppies can recognize your yelp as a cry of pain and will stop. Others might interpret it in the same way they would a squeaky toy: an interesting, compelling, and fun noise that actually encourages more biting.

As with most dog training, what you actually want to do is pick a denial word. Even something as simple as "no" or "stop" is enough, and it works doubly well if you're already using that word to disincentivize other behaviors.

Part of the trick with this kind of training, though, is that you have to actually remove yourself from the situation so they can't just ignore you and keep biting. Whether that means putting them in a pen, behind a gate, or on the other side of a door, you're just clearly signaling that playtime is over because they bit.

#6: What Kinds of Toys are Appropriate to Redirect Biting?

Part of training a behavior you can't stop, like biting, is to redirect it to something that it's acceptable to bite. So, what kinds of toys are acceptable, and what aren't?

Avoid anything that is too hard and could break teeth, anything that doesn't bend or flex when bitten, or anything that can break into sharp edges or shards. Unfortunately, since this encompasses practically everything, you're going to have to maintain supervision. Many dog toys and chews are edible and soft, but sufficiently large bites can still cause blockages and problems. Other chews may be resilient but can be a choking hazard once your pup reaches a large enough size. Talk to your vet about what they recommend, as well.

The biggest risks of an inappropriate toy are accidental swallowing, leading to blockages in the throat (that suffocate), blockages of the bowel (leading to impaction and surgery), or perforation. All of these are obviously terrible, so be careful to watch what your puppy is chewing on, no matter how safe it claims to be.

#7: Do You Even Really Need to Train Away Biting?

This is a bit of a contentious question. As I said above, chewing and biting is how a dog learns and interacts with the world, so you can't get rid of the behavior entirely. It's just the inappropriate and excessive biting that causes problems. But here's the thing: most of the time, that's a teething thing, just a phase they go through when their mouth is changing and they're irritated. In a lot of cases, you might even think your training is working, but it just coincides with them aging out of that phase.

Training is necessary when a puppy is excessively biting everything, but otherwise, it's often not as important as other kinds of behaviors.

#8: What Other Options Are There?

If you've tried the stern commands, the walking away, and the waiting it out, and nothing seems to work, what can you try when all else has failed?

One of the biggest revelations of puppy behavior is that, much like human children, puppies don't know how to regulate themselves and their emotions. When they're tired, cranky, overstimulated, exhausted, or they want something, they have a feeling, but they can't necessarily recognize what that feeling is or how to express it in a way that gets what they want. Biting is one of their only means of expressing themselves.

So, consider. What have you been doing, and what does your puppy need? Are they hungry or thirsty? Are they cooped up and energetic and need some outlet? Are they overstimulated and need to settle down for a nap? Sometimes, the best thing you can do is put them in a dark room where they can curl up for a nap and let them doze off.

#9: Is There Anything to Know in Multi-Person Households?

There sure is! One of the biggest challenges with training a dog is consistency. You're looking to reinforce behaviors with rewards, but to do that, you need vigilance and consistency across the board. If you are encouraging a particular behavior – or rewarding not performing a behavior, like biting – and another member of your family is just letting it go, it becomes an inconsistent and ineffectual training method.

Mixed messages make it much harder to effectively train any behavior, whether it's potty training, a trick, or anything else.

It can be difficult to get children to play along, but the worst is when another adult is subverting your control and training. Everyone in the household needs to be on the same page. Otherwise, you're going to end up with a troubled and difficult-to-control dog as they get older.

#10: What's the Most Important Advice for Puppy Biting?

Everything is contextual. Every puppy is different. Some breeds have predilections for biting, while others are calmer and won't nibble as much. Some are much more energetic and prone to all manner of such behaviors, while others are more content to nap in between play sessions.

It's important to learn what your puppy's attitude is and how they respond to different kinds of stimuli and training. Sometimes, the tips you find online work perfectly, and sometimes, your puppy ignores them. Finding what works for you and your pooch is a big part of training, and learning what most motivates your puppy will help throughout their life.

As always, though, make sure you're never physically punishing your puppy for biting or other behaviors. Physical discipline doesn't work and creates a less social, more aggressive dog.

There you have it! Ten of the most common questions I've heard – or ways to answer them anyway. If you have any other questions, feel free to let me know! You can also check the rest of this blog for a lot more dog and puppy advice, cat advice, and more. And, if you need toys, brushes, or treats or are interested in my eBook on dog training and grooming, by all means, check out my store! There's something in there for every pet parent.

There's a whole range of training, too. Some people train their fur babies for the bare minimum – the commands like sit, heel, come, and stay – so they can keep control over their unruly pup and maybe give them a few tricks they can perform.

Other people have very well-trained doggos who faithfully stay at the side of their designated pet parent, seemingly unconcerned with the cool smells, squirrels to chase, or distractions in the world around them. We think of these pups as well-trained, but even they aren't as trained as they could be.

The extreme end of training is service dogs. Whether they're the local K-9 unit, trained to sniff out drugs and catch bad guys, or they're disability service dogs who can do everything from fetch a beverage to perform specific kinds of first aid. It's crazy what you can teach a dog with some dedicated effort and training!

If you want your fur baby to be able to do just about everything short of holding down a paying job, it's all about the training. Training requires consistency, a keen understanding of how dogs work and what their reward system encourages, and patience. It also helps to start when they're young, but you can keep adding more commands over time. You can actually teach an old(er) dog new tricks if you do it right.

So, let's talk about the 20 best commands you can teach your pup. This encompasses everything from the most basic, common commands to more complex and nuanced commands, but once you have the full roster down, you'll have a dog that is better-behaved and more capable than a lot of people you and I know.

Before we dig in, though, I'll note that these are commands, not necessarily generalized behaviors. As such, things like training your dog to let you clip their nails aren't on the list because they are not commands. What are commands? Let's get started.

1: Come!

One of the most important commands to teach a dog, and often one of the first you teach them, is how to come when you call them.

This is such an important behavior that it's the foundation of recall training, and I wrote a whole guide on just this one command. You can read that guide to dog recall training here.

2: Sit!

Sit is an essential command that ensures your pup can stay in one place calmly enough to avoid being a disruption while keeping themselves planted on the floor.

It's a good way to keep them from jumping up or onto people, and it's useful in a ton of different situations. Here's how to teach it.

3: Stay!

Teaching a dog to stay where they are is one of the most important commands you can teach.

It keeps them out of trouble while you do something they shouldn't be part of, whether that's stepping into the bathroom, waiting to cross the road, or just testing their self-control before giving them a reward.

4: Potty

Potty training is important for every pooch, but relatively few people actually teach a potty command.

I recommend it, though; it can be a good way to make the distinction between "we're going out for a walk" and "we're going out for potty," which can be a pretty significant difference, especially when you're waking up at three in the morning to deal with your pooch.

5: Lay Down

Often, "lay down" is the follow-up command for sitting, and it's a way to get your dog to get themselves comfortable where they are. It also often forms part of a trick chain, where you get them to sit, lay down, roll over, shake, speak, and more, all to show off how well-behaved they are.

Laying down is relatively easy to teach, though getting them to stay laid down is another matter.

6: Drop It!

Dogs investigate the world around them with their faces. Since they don't have hands, there are only so many ways they can interact with an object, and the most common is with their mouth. That's why they chew on pretty much anything, after all.

Well, if you want to keep them from chewing on something valuable or important – or, critically, something potentially harmful to them – teaching them to drop it is critical.

7: Go To Bed

The "go to bed" command can be a very useful one, and not just for the evening when you want to go to sleep. It's also a good way to get your fur baby to settle in when you and the family are having a meal, or when a guest comes over and you want your pooch out of the way until they're settled in.

It's part of crate training and definitely something you should teach.

8: Find Your X

Sure, an entire breed is called the "retriever," but that doesn't mean retrieval is limited just to our dopey goldens.

Retrieving an item can be useful for any number of circumstances, such as:

• Grabbing a toy or pillow to present to a guest to keep them calmer.
• Grabbing a specific toy to play with.
• Grabbing designated household items as part of service training.

The key is to make sure every distinct item you want them to get has a specific name they can attach to it in their adorable doggy minds.

9: Heel

Heel is another very important command when you and your fur baby are out on the town. The goal isn't just to get them to come to you but to keep them at your side as you walk.

A well-trained pooch sticking to their parents' side while they walk, even without a leash, can be impressive to witness. Fortunately, it's just like any other trick and isn't all that hard to train.

10: Down

Some dogs are extremely excitable and love to hop or stand up, especially if they're trying to get a closer look and closer sniff of whatever it is you have in your hands. Or maybe they just love you and want to lick your face, but your face is all the way up there and they're down here and just let me up!!!

Many people don't enjoy being jumped on, though, so teaching your furry child to stay down is always a good option.

11: Leave It

Similar to "drop it," "leave it" is the command you give to your pooch when you see them about to get into trouble.

Whether they're about to try to steal another dog's toy, take a nibble of that delightful roadkill, or just pick up a big gross stick you don't want them carrying around, getting them to leave it alone is a great command to teach.

12: Paw

Another great command you should teach your fur baby is to hand you their paws. It's sort of like "shake," except that instead of just being a parlor trick, it's a useful command for grooming.

You need to check paw health and trim nails, and if you have to fight your pooch to do it, it's going to be worse for everyone involved.

13: Speak

Interestingly, a lot of the time we pet parents try to teach our pooches not to bark. So, teaching them to speak on command seems like it runs counter to the plan, right?

Well, it actually works together with keeping quiet. You can even teach them different volumes of barking for different commands, like whispering. Sadly, no matter how much you try, you aren't going to be able to teach them English words; they still only speak their native canine!

14: Hush

Dogs bark all the time for just about anything. Teaching them to bark on command doesn't necessarily teach them not to bark at other times. That's a whole other process and one I've written about before.

The goal of teaching a hush or quiet command is to try to get your fur baby to be quiet when their barking is otherwise disruptive. They still might let out some boofs when they see a squirrel they'd love to chase or an unexpected visitor shows up at the door, but

15: Under

Unlike the tricks above, Under is a service dog command. It's not one you're likely to be using in casual life with a dog, but if you have a service dog that accompanies you when you're out shopping, going to restaurants, or otherwise engaging with the world around you, it can be very useful. The main use is to instruct your fur baby to position themselves under something, usually the chair you're sitting in, so they're out of the way and as minimally disruptive as possible. Unfortunately, despite society allowing and normalizing service dogs, plenty of people still find them disruptive even when they aren't.

Your pooch doesn't need to be a service dog to learn service dog commands, though, so if you find that this behavior would be useful to train, there's no reason not to give it a shot!

16: Find Todd

Another potentially useful command is teaching your dog to go to another member of the household. Maybe it's "go find daddy" or "go find mommy," or maybe it's a more robust list of people you know that you can teach them to find.

You can even accompany this with another command to get them to bring an object to someone else. It's a more complex command, though, so you'll likely want to teach this one after a lot of the rest on this list are already learned.

17: Open

This is perhaps one of the riskiest commands you can teach a dog. It's essential for service dogs, but if your dog isn't extremely well-behaved, it can be very dangerous.

Open is the command you teach to get your dog to open a door. It's usually accompanied by special tools to help your pooch open a door, and it's a very useful service command if your hands are full or you have trouble opening doors on your own, but left to their own devices, a dog with freedom of movement can be risky.

18: Back Up

Another potentially useful command is to train your dog to walk backward.

Taking a few steps back is useful for a bunch of different situations, including keeping your pooch away from something dangerous, from another dog, or from a person who is afraid of dogs. Teaching them to walk longer distances backward, meanwhile, is a fancy trick you can use to show off.

19: Sit Pretty

Sitting pretty is another word for beg and is just an advanced form of sitting.

You're not actually teaching your dog to beg – they're more than happy to do that without training – but it's a fun display command.

20: Car

Car can be a useful command to get your doggo to hop up into the car when it's time to go somewhere, like to the park or to the vet.

It's tricky, though; you need to use it all the time and avoid poisoning the command by only using it when you're taking them somewhere unpleasant. You may also have a unique command specifically for longer car trips where they'll be chilling in the back seat for a long time.

21: Post It

Did you know that with a little dedication, you can teach your dog to write whole blog posts? It's true!

Well, okay, it's not actually true. As much as I love my fur babies, their command over the written word leaves much to be desired. Kind of everything to be desired, actually. They can't even write their own names. Wouldn't it be cool if they could?

On that note, there are tons of different commands and variations you can teach, and dedicated service or working dogs have specialized commands as well. You really can teach a dog just about any behavior, as long as you find a way to reward them for doing it in a way that associates the behavior with both a command and a reward.

What are your favorite dog commands? Have you taught any of your fur babies anything particularly unique or useful that I didn't cover here? If so, tell me all about it in the comments below! There's nothing I love more than hearing the stories of adorable fur babies and their antics.

Dogs like to get into things they shouldn't. And, since they have a limited number of ways they can interact with the world, they often just put things in their mouths. Often, that means they're licking, chewing on, or even eating things they shouldn't be. Sometimes, it's fine, even if it's a little gross. Sometimes, it can lead to an upset stomach. In worse cases, it can cause something worse, like an infection, an intestinal blockage, or another dangerous problem.

Fortunately, there are ways you can tell what's going wrong and how concerned you need to be, and whether you can just sigh, clean up, and move on, or if you need to rush your poor pooch to the vet. Unfortunately, it involves inspecting the vomit that comes out of your pup to interpret what it means. It's not like reading tea leaves or palms, but luckily, it's a lot more useful.

Vomiting vs. Regurgitation vs. Coughing

One of the first things to learn is that, though we use the terms to mean the same thing in general, vomiting and regurgitation are actually different things.

Have you ever had a case where your dog is so happy to be fed, possibly after a long play session, that they absolutely go to town on that bowl of food? It feels like a cup of kibble disappears in the time it takes you to blink.

Then, seconds later, it's back; a little chewed, a little damp, but right there on your floor, your pooch having barely gotten it all down before it comes right back up.

While unpleasant for you – and possibly just as attractive as the first time around to your doggo – this is regurgitation. Your dog ate their food much too quickly, and their body wasn't prepared for it, so it just pushed it right back up.

Regurgitation almost always happens pretty much immediately after eating, with little or no delay. It also comes with little or no warning, no retching, heaving, or contractions indicating they're trying to purge their stomach. That's because regurgitation usually happens when the stomach isn't even open for business, at least not for the sudden burst of food coming its way.

Regurgitation is not vomiting, and it's usually not dangerous unless it's happening every time your fur baby tries to eat. If it is, they may have something wrong that is preventing them from keeping food down, and it's a good idea to call your vet about it if it happens more than a couple of times in a row. A little regurgitation from an excitable pup is nothing to be too worried about, though. It just means you should get a slow feeder.

How about a second scenario? Have you ever had a time when your dog starts hacking and retching, like a chain smoker trying to clear their lungs, until something gross and gooey comes up? Often, it's white or clear, foamy, maybe a little yellow, and has the same sort of consistency as whatever you hack up when you're sick.

This is phlegm and spit more than anything, and it's not vomiting, it's coughing. It's more coming from the sinuses, throat, and lungs, rather than the digestive system. It can be a sign of a respiratory illness, like kennel cough, so if it happens frequently you should call your vet. Otherwise, though, it's not much different from you clearing your throat.

Vomiting is different from either of the above. Vomiting happens when your dog starts retching and hacking, clearly trying to expel something. You have a bit of warning to put something in front of them or take them away from the nice carpets, but probably not a lot of warning. Vomiting is expelling the contents of the stomach, which means it will contain whatever your fur baby has swallowed, whether it's food, bile, roadkill, parts of a toy or bone, or whatever else they've gotten into.

Vomiting is the most dangerous of the three, in general. It's a natural process where the body expels something causing it problems, but that means something is causing problems, and it's not always directly something your fur baby ate. If, for example, they end up with an impacted bowel, they won't be able to defecate, and food will get backed up in their system. Eventually, trying to eat more simply won't work, and if they try, they'll vomit.

When a dog vomits, it can be caused by a wide range of different problems, and those problems can be partially diagnosed through an inspection of the vomit itself. It's gross and unpleasant, but it has to be done.

Interpreting Dog Vomit

Knowing what vomit means can be the difference between taking your time cleaning up and rushing your fur baby to the vet before something terrible happens. So, let's talk about it, unpleasant though it may be.

Color and texture are generally related, so we'll cover them both as we go.

Before diving in, though, it's worth saying one thing: vomiting, while natural, is a sign of something wrong. Sometimes, something is as minor as a bit of an upset stomach and resolves itself immediately. Other times, it can be caused by an infection, a parasite like worms, poisoning from eating something toxic, or an injury.

Vomiting more than once in a day and more than a couple of days in a row is almost always something you need to talk to your vet about. At the very least, give them a call, describe the issue, and they'll ask you questions about what's going on and can tell you if you need to bring your dog in right away. Sometimes it's a clear emergency, of course, but if you're at all unsure, it's always better to be safe than sorry.

White Vomit

If your dog's vomit is white, it's either smooth or foamy in consistency. This can be regurgitation, but it can also be a sign that your fur baby ate something mildly toxic to them and they're purging it. It can also be a symptom of digestive upset, acid reflux, or an intestinal blockage, though the latter is less common.

White vomit tends to happen the most because your fur baby had an upset stomach and tried to eat some grass to soothe it. It often doesn't work and, worse, since grass often has chemicals like fertilizers and pesticides on it, it can be dangerous.

White foamy vomit can also be caused by bloating or other gastrointestinal issues. If they're trying to vomit repeatedly and can't seem to get up anything more than white foam, call your vet ASAP because they may have an intestinal blockage. If, on the other hand, it resolves itself after a few attempts, contact your vet for an appointment when you can, but you usually don't need the emergency trip.

Green Vomit

Green vomit is almost, but not always, caused by your fur baby just eating way too much grass. It can also be caused by them eating something that contains green food coloring, probably something they shouldn't have been getting into, which is why they're vomiting it up.

Green is also the color of bile, which can indicate some minor illnesses or food allergies. You should usually be able to tell whether or not there's grass in the vomit, and if there isn't, it may be slightly more of a cause for concern. That said, pretty much all of the causes of green vomit – except for poisoning, which will have other symptoms as well – are minor, so it's not something you need to be too concerned with.

As always, though, if your dog keeps vomiting repeatedly throughout the day or across several days, it's more likely to be an illness or emergency, and you should contact your vet right away.

Yellow Vomit

Yellow is one of the most common and least dangerous colors for vomit. It's tinted with bile, but not a lot of it. Yellow vomit is usually just a case of an empty stomach disliking something that hit it or a case of acid reflux. It's unpleasant, but it's not dangerous.

The exception is if it happens regularly. That can be a sign of a stomach disease, a consistent food allergy, or some kind of gut inflammation that is causing an imbalance in their system. All of these are non-emergency problems, but they should still be addressed as soon as you can get a standard appointment.

Brown Vomit

Brown is one of the trickier colors to diagnose, because it's either virtually harmless, or quite dangerous. Why? Basically, brown vomit can be caused by three things.

First, it can be partially digested food. This is most common if your fur baby has some kind of upset stomach after eating, and vomits up their food partially digested. This usually has a chunkier texture, more like wet and chewed food, and while it's certainly disgusting, it's actually the least bad of the three causes.

Second, it can be feces. Dogs love to get into things they shouldn't, and you've almost definitely had to stop them from eating both their own excrement and whatever piles they find from other creatures out on their walks. Unfortunately, you probably can't keep them under your watchful eye 100% of the time, and they may have slipped the net and found something to eat that they shouldn't have. Then, when it comes back up, it's brown like it was when they first ate it. This, while disgusting, isn't dangerous at all unless the feces they ate had something like worms in it that have gotten into your dog.

The third is the more dangerous of the three, and it's blood. Usually, blood in vomit is more obvious. But, blood further down the digestive tract is partially digested, and that oxidizes it, just like how blood dries brown, basically. If there's a little blood in their vomit, it can look brown. How can you tell? Basically, just use something white when you clean it up, like paper towels. The redness will be more obvious against something white. If you see red, then you should call your vet.

Red Vomit

Red or pink vomit is one of two things. It could be red food coloring or dye from something they are, whether it's a human candy or even kibble that has dye in it. That's distressing but not really dangerous beyond the fact that they were eating something they shouldn't have.

The more common cause is blood. The "good" news is that if the blood is red, it's fresher blood. That means it could be coming from something like a cut in their mouth, a scratch in their throat, or a gastrointestinal problem.

I put good in quotes because any blood in the vomit, especially if you don't see an obvious mouth wound, is dangerous. It's definitely emergency vet time, so don't delay.

Black Vomit

Black vomit is one of the worst kinds of vomit. It usually has the appearance sort of like coffee grounds. Unless your dog, well, ate and vomited up actual coffee grounds, this is a sign of a very serious problem. It's blood, again, but it's blood that was digested, so it's deeper in their system and probably more dangerous. Definitely take them to your emergency vet ASAP, as this can indicate a life-threatening problem like a gut puncture, among other things.

None of us like to see our fur babies in distress, and definitely none of us like to be cleaning up piles of vomit on the carpet, furniture, crate, or other floors. While cleanup is important, you can't just close your eyes and mop it up; it's critical to know what you're dealing with to make sure there isn't a worse problem at hand.

Hopefully, your fur baby is okay, and you don't have to worry. I'm rooting for you!

Now, after reading this article, if you have any non-medically-urgent questions, be sure to let me know in the comments section down below. I'd be more than happy to help you out however I can!

If your fluffy doggo is having a hard time maintaining that fluff, there might be something wrong. So, let's talk about the causes, severity, and treatment of bald patches in our fur babies. While they can be dramatic, they have a lot of possible causes, and a range of different severities. So, while a bald patch is cause for some concern, you should hold off on the emergency trip to the vet E.R. until you're sure there's something worth the rush.

Are Dog Bald Spots Dangerous?

Before we dive into the specific causes for bald patches in dogs, let's address the elephant in the room: how dangerous are they? It's obviously distressing to see a patch of that lustrous fur coat disappear, or to be brushing your pooch and have much larger clumps of fur than normal come away with each stroke. How bad is it?

The answer here depends on the cause of the issue. Unfortunately, it's never a simple answer, because there are many different reasons why your fur baby might be losing some of their fur. Fortunately, most of the time you don't need an emergency appointment, and when you do, there are usually other more concerning symptoms – like difficulty breathing – that warrant the trip.

My recommendation is this:

• Check for serious symptoms that might make an ER trip a good idea.
• If no symptoms exist, call your vet and explain the situation.
• Your vet will ask you questions, which can help you determine whether you need an urgent appointment or a normal appointment.
• At your vet's recommendation, do any home treatments that may help in the meantime.

Bald patches can turn into lesions, sores, and infections if they're left untreated, and they can return if you don't know the cause and address it. Plus, they're often pretty uncomfortable, not to mention unsightly. While your pooch may be just as happy as ever despite the spot, deep down, they may not be comfortable, and we don't want that.

What Are the Causes of Bald Spots on Dogs?

As with cats, there are a variety of different possible causes that can lead to bald spots. Many of the causes are the same, but there are a few differences we'll talk about as well.

To determine what the issue is, your vet will ask you about symptoms and probably run some tests. They'll look for where the hair loss is, how big and how it's shaped, and can inspect the area with a trained eye. As for tests, they can check a blood panel, a biopsy if there's a suspicion of a tumor, and skin smears that can show bacteria or other infections. If nothing else comes up, you may have to go through an elimination diet to check for allergens in food.

Allergies

One of the most common reasons why a dog ends up with bald spots is allergies. Dogs can have allergies or sensitivities to things like mold, dust mites, pollen, household chemicals, and even foods. While allergies present differently, especially depending on how the allergen is exposed, bald spots are not uncommon.

Basically, it works in pretty much the same way as dermatitis does in humans. Your dog either brushes up against something that they're allergic to, or they eat it, and it causes a flood of histamines in the affected area. This leads to inflammation and a whole bunch of symptoms, including itching, scratching, biting and nibbling, sneezing, irritated and watery eyes, eye discharge, runny nose, and, of course, bald patches.

Allergic reactions are also part of the other causes of bald patches, as well. I'll mention those when we get to them.

So, how bad is an allergic reaction? Well, just like in people, it can range from a minor and temporary irritation all the way up to an emergency situation. A person who is allergic to peanuts, for example, might get itchy and red when exposed, or they might break out in hives and run a fever, or they might go into anaphylactic shock. The same can happen with dogs; it can be a minor irritation, a significant problem, or a life-threatening ailment.

Fortunately, if the main symptom you're seeing is hair loss, it's probably not immediately life-threatening. Most allergens, if they're in the system long enough to cause hair loss, are a low-level, long-term kind of reaction. If it's life-threatening, it's going to be abrupt and cause respiratory problems first and foremost.

Parasites or Infections

Pretty much any nasty little gribbly that gets into or onto your fur baby can cause bald spots. Infestations – like fleas, ticks, ringworms, mites, or other kinds of parasites – occur because they bite or live in or on the skin. The skin, of course, doesn't like that and reacts with inflammation, irritation, and other symptoms.

Flea infestations are honestly one of the most common causes of bald spots on dogs, especially when those spots show up in areas like around the collar and behind the ears, where fleas can hang out without the dog getting at them.

The most extreme cases of this are things like mange, which is a type of mite infestation that can go wildly out of control, especially in stray dogs or dogs that get lost for an extended period.

Infections, meanwhile, are similar but inside the dog. Things like worms, skin infections, or bacterial infections can all present with a variety of symptoms, including hair loss. This is often more general, but a localized infection – like if your dog ran through a thornbush, got scraped, and had a cut that got infected – will have more localized bald spots.

Generally, with these kinds of issues, you want to look for other symptoms. Things like mites, fleas, and ticks are all pretty obvious. Other infections might have characteristic looks, like roundworms. Also, keep an eye out for things like thickened skin, itching, oily skin, or circular patches of hair loss.

All of these are pretty well treatable. You're generally going to need your vet to identify what the infection is and give you the appropriate treatment, which might be antibiotics, antifungals, antiparasitics, or something else. You'll also likely be given something like a soothing cream or a medicated shampoo to use, and in some cases, steroids to help with the inflammation. It's rare that anything but the most unchecked, antibiotic-resistant infection is dangerous, at least.

Pressure Sores

Another relatively common cause for bald spots is pressure. In humans, we get bedsores and pressure ulcers. Dogs, with their fur coats, have that insulative layer to take the brunt of the pressure first.

Basically, pressure and friction rub at the fur and skin, and that damages the fur and skin over time. The more pressure and friction, and the longer it happens, the more damage builds up. Eventually, it can wear away enough at the fur to cause a bald spot, and eventually can start to cause skin irritation, and even scarring or calluses over time.

This is most common in large, heavy dogs and in older dogs. It's also characteristic of places where your dog's skin contacts some object. It's usually in elbows, hips, and other joints. It can also happen with dogs that have very low activity levels.

There are a few ways you can handle this issue. An orthopedic bed can reduce pressure and friction if your dog finds it comfortable enough to use. You can also use baby clothing and bandages to cover the areas that are seeing hair loss, allowing the fur to regrow because the fabric takes the friction instead. In some dogs, you might use compression sleeves as well.

It's also a good idea to get your pooch moving from time to time, so they get up and aren't laying in one position for hours at a time. Of course, for elderly dogs, you might just want to let them sleep. Either way, this isn't a terribly dangerous cause for bald spots unless it's starting to cause ulcers and infections, and you generally won't let it get that far, right?

Cushing's Disease

Hair growth is governed by hormones, and one of those hormones – the stress hormone cortisol, also known as adrenaline – can cause hair loss when it's present in excessive amounts. This is why people and animals lose hair when they're stressed.

Cushing's Disease is the name for hyperadrenocorticism, which is when your dog's hormonal system goes wild and produces too much cortisol. This can be caused by anything from age to a tumor on some part of the hormonal system and is most common in older dogs.

Other symptoms of Cushing's Disease include increased thirst and hunger, frequent urination, panting, thin skin, lethargy, reduced activity, a pot-belly appearance, and a higher chance of skin infections.

How bad is it? Moderate. Cushing's Disease is manageable with medication, and in the case of something like a tumor, it may be treatable with surgery. However, it's something that you're going to have to actively manage and pay attention to for the rest of their life.

Stress

Cushing's Disease is when the body produces too much cortisol, but it's not the only reason why the body might produce more cortisol than normal. Stress, ranging from a major move or rearranging of the house to a bad encounter with another dog to general anxiety, can all lead to increased cortisol levels. This can, in turn, lead to hair loss. Unfortunately, this is often delayed – it takes time for the hormones to affect the hair follicles and longer for those hair follicles to grow out or die off – so the actual stressful event may have been weeks or months in the past. Fortunately, as long as the stress is temporary, so is the hair loss.

Boredom can also cause hair loss in some cases. Separation anxiety, boredom causing excess grooming, and other issues can all relate.

Genetic Hair Loss

Just like how we people – men, mostly – lose hair as they get older, so too can dogs. Genetics can play a role in hair loss, and it's not always graceful. It is, however, generally related to breed and age. Dogs like Dachshunds, Chihuahuas, Whippets, and Greyhounds can end up with patchy hair loss when they hit around 1-2 years old; other breeds lose hair as they get into their final years.

There's nothing you can really do about genetic hair loss, but you still might want to check with your vet to make sure it's not a different problem.

Other Causes

There are a few other potential causes for bald patches. An injury, especially one that scars over, can leave a bald patch behind. Post-surgical healing can do it, too. Cancer can wreak havoc on your fur baby's system, too, and cause hair loss both from having weird bulges from tumors and from disrupting hormones.

All of these have different levels of severity and different kinds of treatments. As usual, talk to your vet at your next appointment.

Have you ever had to deal with a dog with bald patches or spots? What did it turn out to be, and how did you fix it? We never like to imagine our poor fur babies suffering, so it's always helpful to share the signs and symptoms with fellow pet parents so we can all be prepared.

Fortunately, at least, most of these causes are pretty minor and easily treatable. Whether it's a simple prescription medication, a medicated shampoo, a changed diet, or a fancy outfit, dogs can adapt to anything, and we can keep our fur babies happy and healthy as long as possible. So, tell me your story below!

Among the many different kinds of vocalizations a dog can make is the growl. Growls aren't necessarily all bad, but they can be off-putting and, for many people, enough to warn them away. A growling dog could be a dangerous dog, and for anyone who doesn't know how to listen to their language, there's no real difference between growls. And, for that matter, sometimes the difference is in the body language that accompanies the growl.

If you have an unruly or poorly socialized puppy, or you're trying to help reign in a lost or stray dog, or you're just concerned about a neighbor's pooch that doesn't seem to like anyone, knowing what those growls mean can be very important. There are eight main kinds of growls a dog can make, so let's go through them.

The "I'm Scared" Growl

First up is one of the more common growls, particularly if you're dealing with a stray dog or a dog that has been abused or neglected. These growls are long, low, rumbling growls made with a closed mouth. The pooch in question won't be having a good time, that's for sure. When a dog is scared, most of the time, their first instinct is to run and hide. But, when you're trying to contain a dog that keeps escaping or has been lost for who knows how long, you're going to try to corner it, and that's when this kind of growl shows up.

Dogs with fearful growls are warning you that they're uncomfortable and scared and hoping that the growl will warn you off and keep you away. They may escalate to other, more aggressive kinds of growls if you approach them. This can include snapping, barking, and more angry growls, depending on the dog.

Body language is important here as well. A dog making this kind of growl is probably also cowering, presenting their side, hunched over, and maybe even shaking. They'll keep their mouth closed and might be afraid to make eye contact as well. They're trying to keep the situation from escalating, but as a cornered animal, they don't have many options, so they're avoiding the things dogs use as threat displays, like bared teeth and staring.

Sometimes, your doggo might make these kinds of growls when they're leashed up, and you're bringing them into a new situation. Dogs with anxiety and self-confidence issues tend to feel cornered when they're on a leash and are confronted with whatever is scaring them, be it a vet, a stranger, another dog, or something else.

The "I'm Angry" Growl

Angry growls are the most terrifying growls a dog can make. They're not just a noise; they're a threat. Anything that persists in approaching them or their territory is liable to be in for a world of hurt. These kinds of growls trigger something primal, even in us, and they hearken back to the primordial period when the only thing standing between that angry, hungry wolf and your tender flesh might be a campfire.

Angry growls are also fairly familiar to all of us because they're the growls you hear dubbed over wolves and angry, mean dogs in all kinds of movies and TV shows. They're a sign of an aggressive animal ready to lunge and attack.

In a way, anger growls are similar to scared growls. They're long and low and rumbly. The difference is that a dog making these noises is not cowering, hiding, or trying to run. A dog making these growls is standing its ground, preparing to lunge, or straining against a leash. The growls may be interspersed with sharp barks. In terms of body language, the dog is tense, aimed at you, and baring their teeth in a clear threat display.

No matter how much you love animals, and no matter how much you're used to animals loving you, a dog making these kinds of noises is a threat. Keep yourself safe, don't approach, and if necessary, put a barrier between you and the dog, and call a professional to handle the situation if it's the kind of situation that needs handling.

The Anxious and Defensive Growl

This growl is best summed up with a demonstration, helpfully provided by NatGeo here. This growl is a combination of two things: anxiety and defensiveness. In the case of the example above, the dog is not anxious and defensive itself. Rather, as a faithful companion of his parent, he's feeling her nervousness and reacting to anything nearby in a defensive manner. He's anxious, yes, for her, not for himself.

You can see it in the way the barks and growls aren't really aggressive or angry, like an anger growl, but the dog himself isn't cowering and trying to hide the way he might be if he was truly scared. It's all based on the energy of his pet parent, and that's why even a brief demonstration in a two-minute video shows how a change in demeanor can change the attitude.

Of course, not all dogs with anxiety growls are going to be so easily placated. Many times, an anxious dog is anxious about a lot of different things. They might be anxious because you moved the space their crate was in. They might be anxious because your hours have changed or you got hurt. They might be anxious because they're in a strange location when you travel, or because you changed their food, or because a neighbor moved in and they have a new dog, and while the two have never met, they can smell each other.

Anxious growls are usually short, and while they're low-pitched, they're more like growly barks than longer growls. It's kind of a cross between growling and barking and is often accompanied by bodily flailing; your pooch isn't really sure what is making them uncomfortable, just that something is, and the growl-barks make it feel a little better, if only for a moment.

The Frustration Growl

If an anxiety growl is a growl at the world for the injustices it heaps upon us, a frustration growl is the same thing, directed at the source of that injustice.

Frustration growls are one of the most common kinds of growls and vocalizations a dog will make. You probably hear them all the time, and they're always directed at something. Maybe you gave them a puzzle feeder, and they can't get the last few kibbles out, so they're growling at it. Maybe they're trying to make themselves comfortable, but the corner of the pillow keeps popping back up, so they growl at it. Maybe you've been playing fetch for an hour, and you're getting tired and stopping tossing the ball, so they growl at it and you because obviously they can't throw it themselves.

Frustration growling is almost in the same vein as an anger growl, but even your dog knows how unreasonable it would be to get angry and growl at an inanimate object. It'd be ridiculous! Frustration growls are two things: an expression of emotion that makes them feel a little better and an indication that they have a problem they can't solve themselves.

Unfortunately, frustration growls are often rewarded; when your pooch is growling in frustration at some problem, there's a decent chance you'll notice and solve the problem. In their fuzzy little minds, they'll associate problem-solving with growling.

Unfortunately, this kind of growling can be a problem; if your pooch growls like this in public, other people or other dogs might misunderstand why they're growling. This can set off a chain reaction of, well, reactions and can even lead to conflicts, though often those conflicts don't last too long.

Play Growling

While frustration growling is very common, the actual most common growl you're likely to hear out of an otherwise well-behaved pup is play growling. Play growling comes up between dogs playing with one another and dogs playing with you. If you've ever grabbed one end of a knotted rope and played a rousing game of tug-of-war with your pooch, you've almost definitely heard play growling.

Play growling is definitely playing, and it's hard to misconstrue it. It can include bared teeth, posturing, and almost aggressive-seeming displays, but it's also accompanied by happy body language and posture, perky ears, a wagging tail, and none of the signs of real aggression.

These growls are also more like grunts and, sometimes, even just like ragged breathing. Different dogs have different kinds of play growls, too. It's usually higher pitched and can stray almost into whines or barks and chuffs, and it's breathy as well.

Growls of this kind are messages as well. If you're playing with your pooch and they bow down, front low and rear high, making a brief growl while they look up at you, they're asking for a chase, a mock attack, some kind of play.

In rare instances, play can go too far, and playful growls turn into more defensive or aggressive growls. This can happen particularly between dogs playing with one another when they otherwise don't know each other. Different dogs have different kinds of socialization, and if they aren't trained to recognize the same signs in the same way, they can misinterpret the noises they're making. Fortunately, this rarely leads to significant scuffles; our puppers are smart, and they figure things out.

Pained Growling

Growling can also be an expression of pain. If a dog hurts itself or is trapped in some way, they'll make one heck of a ruckus, barking and growling and snarling and generally lashing out. Sometimes, if they're being attacked by another dog or a predator, that can drive them away. Other times, it calls in a nearby human for aid. And sometimes, if it's a pain they can't handle, like a broken leg trapped under a heavy object or caught in a hole, the growling is more of a visceral reaction.

The most obvious sign of this kind of growling is everything else. An injured dog, a dog in pain, is going to be yelping and barking and growling, and it ends up pretty obvious.

In less obvious cases, or in cases where the pain is milder but triggered by touch, the dog might only growl when the affected area is touched. For example, a dog with an injured leg might be fine if you scratch their ears, but if you pet too close to the leg, they'll growl at you for it.

The "That's Mine" Growl

Territorial and possessive growling is growling used as a kind of defensiveness behavior. You've probably seen those funny videos of a dog sitting with a paw on a bone or with a treat in front of them, where they growl if you reach for it. Sometimes it's more playful, sometimes it's more threatening, but either way, it's all because of the same instinct to defend.

This is actually somewhat similar to the anxiety and defensiveness growls mentioned above but tends to apply to specific areas, rooms, people, or objects the dog loves the most.

The Happy Growl

Also known as the purr, this kind of growl is a noise a dog makes when they're happy and experiencing pleasure. If you've ever managed to scratch that itch just right and your pooch is in absolute doggy bliss, the noise they make might sound a little like a cross between a growl and a cat's purr, and that's what this is. It's about as far away from any sort of aggressiveness as you can imagine, and if you hear it, you know you're doing something right.

So, that's it! The eight different kinds of dog growls, all here in one place. So tell me, what growls does your fur baby make? Do you have any fun or funny stories? Or others, the stories of an irate stray you properly read and were able to wrangle? Whatever the case, let me know! I love to hear your stories.