Author: tranthe

My dog was a puppy 10wks 2 days old when we adopted her and my cat was about 2.5 yes old at the time.

They grew up together and all my dog wants to do is play and zoomies with that cat, but that cat has never and will never want anything to do with my dog. She has her territory and doesn’t often like sharing it with the dog but generally tolerates the dog on her space.

My dog just wants to play (part of it is her prey drive, but not in a I want to kill you way) and the cat will just straight up smack her. Usually the dog is smart enough to walk away when that cat growls. The cat ALWAYS wins even tho it’s 10 lbs and my dog is 35. My dog always yelps and ends up tail between the legs offended then goes back for more. She’s special.

However, you get the whipped cream out in a bowl and one will be on each side of you almost nose to nose trying to eat it at the same time.

Like they could be best friends, but the cat just ‘nopes’ her.

Yeah I was gonna say the “language” barrier is the main problem. What dogs consider play is pretty scary to most cats, but this cat trusts the dog which means they probably grew up together.

Actually the cat didn’t meet the dog until he was maybe 5 or 6 months old but they’re both sweeties so they got along pretty quickly.

Do you think cats are best buds with birds because some cats are totally fine with birds at home?
Because stray cats murder the shit out of birds in nature.
Same with stray dogs going after stray cats.

The biggest problem between cats and dogs is body language, dogs often seem aggressive to cats, when they are being playful. And dogs mistake cats for being aggressive, when they are playful. It’s great when they figure it out, as above, but often it fails.

We really want a dog but our new landlords said they’ve had problems with dogs in the past so they would rather us not get one. We don’t want another cat cause we feel like they’d team up and do too much diabolical annoying shit together lol. We haven’t talked to them about the dog issue since we were applying for the house so we might bring it up again soon to see how they feel.

Maybe if you get a dog that’s in foster care, you can show them, look, this dog does well in a house, he’s in a house right now, you can talk to his foster parents, get on a FaceTime, see that their house isn’t damaged. I’m in animal rescue and I’ve found that people have had luck if they can show their landlord a

In this case you can tell because neither animal is trapped here, if they wanted to leave they would. Especially for cats, they won’t play if they don’t want to – they have claws and will use them. These two also are clearly not using all of their strength – especially the dog – so it’s likely they play like this often and know how not to hurt each other.

In more general terms, the tails are a good indicator: dogs will wag their tail when they’re happy or excited; cats will have their tails up or flick them gently if they’re playing (harsh flicks usually mean they’re annoyed but cats’ tails aren’t as consistent as dogs)

Dogs will fake sneeze or lick their noses to show they’re playing. Cats will keep their claws sheathed and swipe with just the soft pad of their paws to show they’re playing.

When they don’t want to play anymore, cats will hiss and show their claws. Dogs will growl and show their teeth.

Slowly but surely he started winning them over with unconditional love and attention. Now everyone loves him, including my other dog. Goldens are the best breed.

Depends on the breeder. Some breed for looks, others for personality. This pup seems particularly calm in general. Many Golden’s I know are sweet but hyper and need training for good manners. I’ve met the rare Golden that was aggressive, just wired that way. So, in general, yes they are sweet, but there are the occasional outliers, so get to know breeders and the parents before diving in.

My cat did that to my golden mix. Just said “hey I’m your friend now we cuddle together and I share your food.” Dog was very much not on board for a long time but by the time the cat died they were best buddies and shared everything.

This cat is than fanciest cat ever . He has to get his bed heated in the dryer before naps. He’s Milo, recently he got a kitten sister to teach her everything.

My girlfriend and I are getting ready to move in together. I’ve got a dog and she has 2 cats. We’ve been basically living together at her place for the past couple months and the cats are finally getting “ok” with my pup but hoping that moving into a new space will out everybody on the same playing field and make another step towards actual tolerance lol

This definitely something that helped us in the beginning. A friend had the same situation and recommended a cat tree, so we got a giant 6ft one so they could get up high and away from her. My pup’s a bit on the older side so she’s not too big on jumping around, so it works out pretty well! And even better, another friend had a giant cat tree his cats weren’t using, so now we’ve got a tree for both cats!

We tried this, our cat decided it was the perfect platform from which to launch attacks on our poor pup. She’d wait for him to walk by and then jump off it right onto his back like a lioness trying to bring down a buffalo. We ended up selling it on eBay after a few weeks.

All cats are assholes. Some just find themselves dignified enough to show some class. Once they’re properly established in a high place befitting of their status, of course.

One of my cats started an ongoing war with a stray in our area when she accidentally fell out of a tree right on to him. They’ve hated each other ever since even though another one of my cats adopted him and he lives with us now lol.

1 of 3 do this. I have affectionately been calling her “poop cat”. She is pretty skiddish in general, so I am not sure if she feels comfortable doing this while we are pooping because we’re immobile and she feels safe or what.

The other time she does it is right as my wife lays down for sleep at night. She’s up an on her purring a storm and making biscuits before falling asleep on her.

I rescued one of my boys from a very dangerous farm, have spent thousands on his vet bills and ensure that he lives a life of comfort with good food, clean water and safety. Occasionally he let’s me hang out with him.

When we are looking my cat always squeals when my dog comes near like he’s hurting her but when we aren’t paying attention she constantly rubs against him and sleeps next to him…until we look at them again.

Cats are a lot smarter than a lot of people give them credit for. It seems like in the domestication of dogs we manipulated them, but in the domestication of cats- it seems like they’ve become masters at manipulating us

The relationships between domesticated dogs and cats is fascinating to me.

I fostered an ex racing greyhound years ago. Part of fostering is getting them used to everyday household noises, people and pets etc. He destroyed not 1 but 3 wire crates trying to get to my cat in the early days of him coming to my home. I was positive we would never be able to place him in a home with other pets.

I worked with him for 3 months and eventually he was adopted by a family with 3 cats! They would send update photos of him lounging with the cats.

Out fat little miss Jessica finally decided to accept our labradoodle (ie: not scratch his face) when she discovered he was warm. She now begrudgingly shares the bed with him. But he’s not allowed to look at her.

I’ve tried changing directions when she goes to the end of the leash, i’d try staying in one spot and walking the other way when the tension broke, i’ve tried literally every single thing i can think of.

As of this day she’s 4 years old and the best she does is come back to me when i stop walking (because there’s tension) then as soon as i start walking again she hurries off to the end of the leash.

I’m over it. i want to take my dog to the beach and to the forest and watch her run in the water and look for things in the bushes without being hyper and running off, but i can’t even walk her 4 blocks to the park because she pulls in the direction of anywhere she wants to go or anything that gets her attention.

I don’t know what to do my dog could have such a better and more active life than what she has right now but her impulsiveness and energy/stubborness and unwillingness to listen makes it so i can’t take her anywhere. even though i get mad at her it hurts i can’t do the things i want to do with my dog

Some dogs be stubborn! Have you tried a trainer? Maybe having someone train the dog what you want them to do might work? Afterward you can work with the trainer and dog to make sure things stick and doggo listens to you.

The thing that worked for us (to get her attention on walks) was starting in the backyard. It’s outside, but also pretty boring. Once I was able to reliably get her attention there, we moved to the front yard. A bit more distraction, but still pretty boring.

Once that was reliable, we were ready to work on getting her attention on walks, and it was way easier.

I would also up the value of the treats you’re using if you haven’t already.

But also, overall I agree with the suggestion to work with a trainer.

If you haven’t tried a gentle leader (head halter), would strongly recommend it. Your dog will probably try to fight it at first ( paw at it, rub it off, roll around), butjust keep it positive and rewarding and it will help a lot. You tube a video on how to train your dog with it., no hard pull corrections. Worked wonders for our pup.

Generally, teaching your dog what leash pressure means and teaching your dog emotional control are prereqs for having a dog that listens well on leash.

I would suggest looking into exercises called “It’s Yer Choice” looking into the basics of clicker training, and teaching leash pressure through the silky leash method.

I just had to go to a trainer for this with our dog. First thing was to use a collar not a harness. Then the idea is to keep you in the dogs peripheral vision. So changing direction randomly, not just backward and forward. Just as they start to pull forward you change direction

I saw another comment where you say you’ve tried on your own so are reluctant to get one, but honestly it’s worth it so you can have happy and enjoyable walks

Hi there, for you I would recommend a group training class.

A trainer who is making rounds will see you and your equipment and give you suggestions based on what is happening. I suspect that the equipment you are using now is not what you need to use, but I can’t give you advice because I can’t see it.

I think that you will feel very enabled at the end of this class, you will feel more connected with your dog and know more about them and how to train them.

I think that it will be very helpful for you to watch your dog physically shift into work mode as all of the dogs in the group get ready to start to do work. It’s an amazing experience.

I recommend that you start by looking up your local Dog Kennel Club and seeing when their group classes are. Many of these courses also have a focus on completing the good canine citizen certificate, and I think that getting that certificate would be amazing accomplishment for you. Like a cherry on top.

So around 10 days ago me and my gf adopted a female Podenco from an organisation. The first couple of days everything was fine, but after around day 4-5 she developed seperation anxiety – I cant even leave the room for 5 mins with my gf without her barking like absolutely insane. I asked the organisation/animal welfare before if its possible to leave her alone for 30-60 mins (like for a quick shopping tour) and they told us yes. But now it turns out it is almost impossible to leave her alone for 5 mins. I contacted them and they told me to just let her bark, she just wants some attention. But we are living in a rental appartment. Letting her bark for hours is not an option. We also have an issue with getting her energy out because

A: She is afraid of dogs – so a dog park or heavy visited park is not an option really.

B: She was sick for a couple of days and on anti biotics and the vet told us to let her rest a lot.

The lack of sleep is driving me insane and I always thought I would not be the one sending an already adopted dog back. But I am at a point where I cant anymore. Also besides her being 4 years old, she almost behaves like a puppy she ocassionally pees on the carpet.

Yes I got plenty of home office but not enough to work on so many issues. I wish they would have told us about this.

Now I am confliced because I am feeling connected to her, but also feel resentment, shame and embarrassment. The lack of sleep is probably not helping… But I literally develope anxiety when I think about home and the dog.

If it’s causing you not to sleep and you don’t think it’s something you can do. Then returning the dog may be best. But please do keep in mind that all dogs will have a big adjustment period that will take time and effort to combat.

How a dog acts in one environment can be very different for another, so it might not be that the rescue lied but actually didn’t know. Like you’ve said she’s peeing in the house, that can be because she doesn’t know where to actually go rather than not being house trained. Don’t just let her bark, it doesn’t help with the anxiety. My main bits of advice are:

-go back to basics with the toilet training and taking her out regularly then praising when she’s going in the right place. Don’t tell her off for doing it wrong, just clean it up with some enzyme spray

-Have a look into the flitting game, this can help dogs learn they can be on their own

This is probably an unpopular opinion but I think you should bring the dog back. Having a young energetic dog in an apartment takes a lot of effort under the best conditions. Add in the separation anxiety and fear of other dogs and you’re really going to be in for a rough time. Yes you can work on these problems but it takes a lot of time and effort, and even with that effort you may find you can manage the issues but never fully get past them. It sounds like this is your first dog, right? I really think this is not a good fit.

Yes all dogs need training and will have an adjustment period but you should be starting with a dog who will fit your lifestyle. If that means a house-trained, lower energy, dog-friendly, more independent dog you can find that, you might just have to look for a while to find the right match.

You can spend 3 months waiting for her to “settle” but it’s going to be harder on you, your partner, and the dog if you have to return her once you’ve all bonded. And if you don’t return her and she doesn’t naturally settle, you may be facing a very long road of expensive behavioral experts, lifestyle limitations, and ongoing “work” with minimal reward.

A lot of practical advice here for training which is great! I just wanted to say that I felt the same for the first few weeks with our rescue pup – I didn’t think we could do it, I was having panic attacks and crying because of the lack of sleep and I didn’t even feel a connection with the little guy. I’m so glad I stuck it out though – it’s such a big adjustment period for you and them. You’ve only had her 10 days so be patient with the separation anxiety – you’re the only comfort she has in this scary new world right now. Building her confidence is the biggest thing right now, there are a lot of resources online to help with this. If you can help her become a confident dog – a lot of the bad behaviours naturally slip away

You may end up having to return her if it’s really not working out but I would advise you to stick with it for at least a couple of months so you know you’ve given it the best go you could.

When I unexpectedly had to put my 13-year-old Aussie down last spring, the vet at the emergency clinic was so empathetic and reassuring after he had passed. She just sat with us for a little bit even though it was very busy, and I appreciated that. It helped with the guilt.

Saying goodbye to him was the hardest thing I ever did, but when they’re suffering and won’t have any quality of life, it’s the only choice you can make if you truly love your pet and want the best for them.

But fuck if I don’t miss that old pup every day.

You’re welcome! It took me a long time to realize what a gift euthanasia truly is; to free them of their suffering by simply going to sleep. I used to think I could never be a vet because of euthanasia but once I had that enlightenment of realizing the gift that is, I completely changed career paths to vet. Not one yet, but I’m working on it. Sending hugs to you and Ruby today. 🧡🫂

Don’t think of it as “having to do it to an animal”. Think of doing it FOR her. I once read somewhere that euthanasia can be one of the kindest thing you can do for your pet, when it’s the pets time to go. Her quality of life doesn’t sound great and quality of life so important. I know it’s hard and I’m so so sorry. ❤️ I’m sending you virtual hugs.

I appreciate that message. It sounds like it but at the same time she’s still got a lot of play in her and she still acts like a puppy here and there so I guess it doesn’t really feel like I’m having it done for an old dog but a puppy. Thanks a lot for your message I appreciate it.

No matter what she’ll always be your puppy even if she lived to 100. I guess the biggest question is, is she suffering? I’ve had to put a pet down but I look at it as I to away her pain and gave it to myself. She didn’t understand why she hurt and felt bad, and I couldn’t let her keep going in pain. No matter what you are and amazing owner, cause that’s who you are. ❤

This is my biggest regret about my childhood dog, Phoebe. I didn’t know in my late teens that you could be with them when they were euthanized, I thought the vets always did it privately (this was in the nineties, pre information being readily available).

Now, whenever possible, I have a vet come to the house so that my fur baby can be in their favourite spot, with people that love them, for the end. On a few occasions that’s been impossible (the traveling vet books weeks ahead, but if a pet is suffering I won’t make them wait), but I’m always there at the end.

I’m so sorry, but euthanasia is a gift you can give a suffering animal. The only thing the dog will know is going to sleep surrounded by the people he loves. I’ve had to do it for 2 of my pets, and it’s very calm and peaceful. It’s the right thing to do.

Sadly, it sounds like it’s well past time. I remember the night before we put down my dog, I spent hours looking up how to know if it’s the right time. you’re not alone in that worry. I learned that it’s better for both you and your pup to do it “too early” than it would be to do it too late. sending you good vibes ❤️

I put my dear boy down earlier this year when his coughing became too much for his body. I think I could have held onto him longer, but he coughed so hard he could no longer catch his breath easily (or nearly at all). (It was congestive heart failure and life expectancy once diagnosed is 3 to 6 months. He had the best 8 months I could reasonably give him.)

It hurt me to let him go, but I knew that it just passed the point where he could live comfortably. The moment his cough became bad it was just a matter taking him fast enough so he wouldn’t know pain.

I have had my first pup since she was 6 months old. Rescued (eh hem, stolen by an old roommate) from a shed she was locked in (and mistreated). Over the past 5 years, we’ve become inseparable. We are best friends. She gets SO sad and lonely when I leave, I thought rescuing her a new friend would be incredible for both of us. I am constantly interacting with our local shelter on socials, trying to help spread the word about new intakes and those on “Death Row”. I’ve mulled getting a new rescue over in my head for about a year now and knew that I’d KNOW when the right pup came along. Well, about 2 weeks ago, this sweet lab/pit mix was surrendered to the shelter. I took one look at her and knew she was mine. I just FELT it. She had been left on a chain outside (we assume very short based on her behavior), had scabs all over her body from fly bites, was emaciated and cowered, shook, and fell to the ground immediately when you tried to pet her. She also has HORRIBLE and heartbreaking-sounding nightmares. It kills me. I knew she was going to need a lot of love and patience, two things I have in abundance usually.

My new girl is about a year and a half. I don’t think she’d ever been inside a house or given toys, and her previous owners stated she’d never been around other dogs (when the shelter asked if she was dog friendly). She and my first baby ignored each other for a few days, but are now becoming fast friends. The issue I’m having is that New Pup is … well… finally allowed to be a puppy. She gets into EVERYTHING and has torn apart my house. Had immediate separation anxiety and crate training is not going well. She cries and breaks out of her crate. I’ve had to start zip tying her in there and I HATE IT, but I can not leave her out of it when I leave or she will destroy EVERYTHING in the house. She’s SO sweet and eager to please (when I am training her properly), but she just… doesn’t understand ANYTHING or seem to care about boundaries or rules I am trying to set. My first girl is SUCH A GOOD DOG and always has been. She’s so sweet and easy and doesn’t require constant attention.

I’ve been in a rut since January after losing my father unexpectedly, had a horrible back episode and had to have back surgery and life has just been really stressful and stupid. I thought bringing new dog into my life would give me purpose again, and I was right… except I have learned I have a serious limit to my patience right now and have found myself yelling and getting VERY frustrated at her. I feel AWFUL because I do not yell, I do not overreact, I do NOT treat animals poorly. Did I bite off more than I could chew? Yeah. Definitely. Am I ready to give up? Hell no. Never. I will never ever ever let that baby go and she WILL be part of the pack.

Training my first dog was easy peasy. This one, not so much. Which leads me to believe I don’t know what I’m doing. I guess A.) I just needed to get this off my chest and B.) I’m wondering if anyone has any good advice on how I can be a better rescue mom. I can tell she’s afraid of me now a little bit (I swear I haven’t raised a hand at her!) after the last 2 days and it breaks my heart into a million tiny little pieces. Where has my kindness and patience gone? I am just so defeated.

I think this dogs most immediate concern besides those things is that it has way too much energy. I’m a little worried you might have adopted a high-energy dog. But, this dog is still settling in and you won’t really know if this is an anxious energy or if this dog is high-energy until that settling period has ended. For now I recommend that you try to find a way to exercise the ever-living poop out of his dog. I know that some people say that and exhausted dog is a happy dog but it’s just that right here this dog has a lot of energy and I think that getting rid of the energy will help your training to be far more effective. If this is an adult dog, you might consider getting a doggy backpack and put weights inside of it so that the dog has to exert more energy when it walks. You might consider taking the dog to the dog park with no one is there and see if you can get it to run around. Run, not walk. Maybe you bike and it runs. Spend some time thinking about it. Maybe you get a flirt Pole or you play fetch.

I know that you have a dog already and that you did fine with them. But for this dog I recommend that you get enrolled into a local Dog Kennel Club, with a group training class. I think that group training class will help you with a bit of socialization but primarily to enable you to learn how to work with this particular dog, and help you to feel more successful.

I was looking for a cat to adopt for a couple of weeks, because while I love dogs a lot, I’m afraid my depression would make me unable to take care of one properly. I wouldn’t want to bring a dog into my life without knowing I could take care of it as well as it deserves.

While searching through cats, somehow I ended up finding someone rehoming a beautiful, timid-looking 8-year-old Chihuahua girl. She immediately stole my heart, and I knew I had to adopt her. I decided I would do my best to take care of her (I researched Chihuahua care for hours, everything from teeth brushing daily to how often they need to go out to the best kinds of food for older Chihuahuas) despite my depression. I’m very nervous about it, but in my heart I feel like it’s the right thing to do because I’ve loved dogs since I was little.

The only problem is, I’m pretty much nocturnal. This is mostly due to depression, but I’ve always been someone that stays up late into the night and sleeps through the day. I guess my question is, how would this affect the amount of times I take my dog out? Would I need to be repeatedly taking her out at night instead of in the daytime? Is it important for her to have more daytime outings than nighttime outings, or does it not matter what time of day it is as long as she doesn’t go more than 8 hours between trips?

And yes, I intend to wake up to take her out every morning regardless and as often as I’m actually awake in the daytime, and if necessary, change my schedule completely. I’m just asking if this is necessary.

She will learn and adopt your schedule. Just keep it consistent. I go to sleep around 2am and wake up late. My dog does the same. And for me – he’s a perfect motivation ( depression high five 😉 ) to function and take care of him 🙂

Thanks, that’s good to know! (depression high five indeed) I’m also typically up until around that time. Sometimes later, but usually 2 – 3 AM is when I’m heading to bed.

When you’re up that late, when is the “last outing” for the night? For example, do you take him out at 10 PM and that’s the last outing for the whole night? Or do you do it one more time before you go to bed at 2?

I’m also a night owl and my dog adapts to my schedule. My rule of thumb is that I don’t let him go for more than 8 hours without being able to relieve himself, so I walk him right before I go to bed and immediately when I get up, regardless of what time that is.

Thank you, this is a really sweet response and makes me feel much better. I don’t know why I had it in my mind it was cruel to make her go out at night. I guess I’m just nervous for no reason.

On feeding, are you supposed to have a designated “eating time,” or do you just leave a bowl of food out for them to eat whenever they want to?

Dogs will adjust to your schedule but I’d take an honest look at your depression and whether or not you can commit to always taking care of a dog.

I think a dog can be a great motivator for someone with mild depression, but if you have trouble using care of yourself, having a dog can also make depression worse if you start feeling guilty about not being able to take care of it like you’d like to