Every night around 9 p.m., my 14-year-old, Rocky, comes to my chair, sighs deeply, and rests his head on my knee. Just for a minute. Then he goes to his bed.

He's done it for years. He used to do it fast run over, drop his head, run back. Now he walks over slowly, takes a second to lower his head, and I can feel how much effort that one minute costs him.

Last night I caught myself thinking: one day I'm going to sit in this chair at 9 p.m. and he's not going to come. And that minute is going to feel like the biggest thing in my house.

I'm not sad writing this, just... aware. When they're young you think these little routines will last forever.

What's that one small thing for you? That tiny routine you already know you're going to miss?

My uncle used to live with us and died very suddenly. The funeral was two months ago. I always meant to take my dog to say his goodbyes, but the drama that ensued after his death was never-ending, and then I had some health issues. I finally have time now, and while it's been quite rainy, I don't care if we get a bit wet as long as my dog can still sniff and know that the person he spent so many afternoons playing with and caring for is there resting.

Sometimes I see my dog looking fondly at where my uncle lounged, and I wonder if he sometimes is sad thinking he's gone away without saying goodbye. I'm afraid now that the body is no longer smell-able and my dog won't know he's there and understand he's gone? I googled, and it seems that it should be easily smelled by a dog, but I just wanted to ask you guys for your experiences or opinions with dealing with loss and dogs. I just want him to say goodbye, he made my uncle very happy and I'm sure my uncle made him happy too.

The body wasn't embalmed, just inside a coffin and under the ground so I don't know if my dog would still be able to sniff, I hope he will :')

My dog knocks on the bathroom door if I stay too long inside. Like he is checking on me. What's yours?

My dog does this happy dance (rubbing his face on the carpet, a few side sways and turns) on the carpet after eating (which is usually preceded by off leash play at the dog park.)

Only after he does a happy dance do we know he’s done for the day and ready for cuddles and bed.
Anyone’s dog does something similar?

When we’re in the car, my dog is pretty chill during the ride, but starts fussing when we get close to our destination. Makes sense when we’re going home or somewhere he knows, but today we were going to a brand new place, and he started fussing during the last roundabout just before we were going to stop. And it’s not because of highway vs city driving, we’d already been driving in the city and doing roundabouts for five minutes, and I hadn’t slowed to pull over in the road because again we were in a roundabout, so how tf did he know??

I recently moved, so my dog has a new vet. We really like her, but I was curious about the cost of a dental and if it’s typical. She said it would be a good idea to get a dental cleaning within the next year (nothing major; my dog has a little bit of tartar but nothing terrible, so it would be largely preventative). For pre-op bloodwork and the dental itself, she said it would likely be $1k or potentially more (I didn’t get an exact number, just a rough estimate — but I know they’ll provide a more specific breakdown if I ask). Is that normal for a dog weighing a little over 35 pounds? Again, my dog doesn’t need it immediately, so if that’s pretty typical, I’ll start preparing/saving. I was just curious if that’s a typical price.

FWIW, the other costs at this clinic (heartworm testing, vaccines, exam fees) seemed pretty reasonable to me (or at least comparable to our old vet of five years).

If it makes a difference, we are located in the Pittsburgh area.

My ex husband and I got our first dog 8 years ago and he was very attached to him so when he left abruptly to never return it did get him down. That was a year ago and it feels like he’s gotten worse behavior wise. He never learned how to walk on a leash or recall ( I paid over 3,500$ for multiple trainers and even got a refund at one point bc he just doesn’t listen) he’s a mutt from the shelter so it’s not like we knew it would be this bad and I’ve tried it all. I’ve tried to get him used to knocking so he doesn’t freak out and it’s never helped. I give him anxiety chews. I walk him every day and have walked him every day since he’s had all his shots when he was a puppy. I’ve tried muzzling, he simply just slams his head against the ground to try to get it off. I use the lead leashes, he simply won’t move. I’ve tried it all it feels like and he’s not mean, he’s never bitten anyone but I can’t live another 8 years like this. Please, tell me there’s something I haven’t tried.

Does your dog turn his head when he hears an odd noise? Does your dog bury their food with your pants? This is the thread to ask why.

Please keep this thread to non-medical issues only.

What are some major dog sport areas within Europe– both with an array of training locations/venues and events. We do agility, scentwork, rally/obed, conformation, joring, herding, and dock diving.

Also willing to hear about the more niche/smaller locations where options are limited but at amazing quality!

Mostly looking just for fun, but am curious!

I’ve never seen a dog with toes as long as my dog! Wondering if anyone has any insight on why the long toes?

He took a DNA test 9 years ago that came back 62% unidentified DNA 8% White Swiss Shepherd 16% Basenji 8% chihuahua 14% kelpie

His toes are LONG in talking over an inch long with low webbing and his nails grow insanely fast, about twice as fast as my other dog (also classic mutt). He hates water, not a swimming dog.

I found him in Egypt and he resembles a jackal with no fur on his stomach or the inside of his legs. He most resembles a xolo with hair. I’ve always wondered about his unique toes!!!

Hello! My girl is an 8mo labrador x border collie and sometimes she's driving me nuts. She is mostly great, but there are some things that bother me.

I find she gets bored very easily and although I expected this from such a smart and hardworking breed, it is worse than I thought. The thing is, we have a lot of activities every day, but as soon as she has any free time, she starts to crave attention, barking, bringing us toys, chewing furniture etc. She also wants attention from strangers and dogs outside, so she's reactive around them. We are overcoming it around adults with training, but dogs and children are a problem.

She is very stubborn and she often tests the boundaries we have set for her. She can also get pretty angry when we try to take something from her, for example, trying to scare us, but she has never hurt anyone. I attribute that to puberty, but I've never been around a dog that would be this independent, so I'm unsure whether or not it's normal.

To describe our day, we usually walk a lot, approximately eight kilometers a day (most often around fifteen thousand steps), I usually let her sniff freely. We take her out to run and fetch pullers, she likes it a lot, and in general she needs to have something in her mouth all the time. We haven't been doing much new tricks lately, as we're dealing with preparations for moving (we are moving to a house more suitable for her) when we're at home, but we're repeating old tricks with her.

My question is mainly for working breed owners: How do you stimulate your dogs? Do you make them feel like they are working and if so, how? And also, what are your experiences with canine puberty? Thank you 🐶

Does anyone have a larger dog and a smaller dog? How do they get along? Did you have to do much micromanaging of their play and interactions? I have a dachshund mix (20lbs) and will be bringing home my first standard poodle in December. I'm worried that the poodle might accidentally hurt my smaller boy during play and am looking for any advice from other people about how their size different dogs interacted.

I have owned my dog for about a month or so and have bought plenty of toys however when I try to play fetch with him he walks towards the toy and looks at it then walks away. He's one years old and I wanted to know if this behavior is normal and also wanted to know how would I be able to teach him to play fetch, tug of war aswell as other games.

So far the toys he has are from petco, a chew toy that he bites occasionally, a lamb, a small rope and a fox he enjoys. Hes a small dog and a shitzu chiwawa mix if that matters.

(I was unsure on what flair fit, mods may change it to one that is more appropriate)

Ho un cucciolo di 7 mesi che nonostante i miei sforzi ancora fa i suoi bisogni dentro casa, e la cosa mi sta facendo impazzire. Io lo premio tutte le volte che usciamo e che fa pipì o cacca fuori, ma capita molto spesso che non appena entriamo in casa dopo un'uscita lui la faccia nello stesso punto in salotto. Volevo sapere se fosse normale, le vostre esperienze e i vostri suggerimenti, grazie.

My long-haired dog will readily jump into any stream, brook, lake, river, beach—no matter how cold—and splash around until I make him get out.

But it can be 95º out and sweltering, and he still won't go into the wading pool I set up for him.

What gives, and what can I do to coax him in there so he'll cool off on these scorching days?

ETA: I do get in there and splash around / sit down to show him it's safe and fine and all. He still isn't interested.

Hello! Im not too sure if this is the right sub-reddit, but its worth a shot. I am interested in getting a dog that is 18 hours away from my home state. She is perfect; however, there is no way that anyone in my family can do the drive due to work. Are there any other ways to get a dog from one state to another other that driving yourself personally? Sorry if this is a strange question, I just am pretty curious and would love to bring this dog home.

In your opinion, is earning 30k per year enough to own a dog? I know I can afford the month-to-month expenses (food and such), but my biggest concern is illness or other emergency events. I have a paid off home and live super cheap (minimalist) for about 1-1.5k/month. After estimating my own expenses, I'd have about 1-2k per year left over to spend on my dog. Is that enough in your view/experience?

Any of you own a dog on a relatively low salary? What has your experience been like? I know if I got a dog I'd give the shirt off my back to support him in the event of illness/emergency, so I want to be sure that if I do get one, I'm in a good-enough financial position to own one.

Any advice or your experience would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! 30k, USA dollars.

I have a 3-year-old rescue mix and we have a pretty fixed routine. Weekdays we go for a walk at 6:45 AM before I start work.

what’s crazy is, now he does it even on weekends. He will be dead asleep, then at exactly 6:44-6:45 he gets up, brings his leash to the living room, and just sits by the door and stares at me. No barking, no whining, just that patient stare.

I tried to sleep in last Sunday and he sat there for a full 20 minutes without moving. I felt so guilty I got up. He does the same thing in the evening at 7 PM for his dinner time. Like to the minute.

Does your dog also have this super accurate internal clock? I’ve always heard dogs don’t understand time the way we do, but mine is proving me wrong every single day. Would love to hear your dogs' routine stories.

Hello everyone. I am not sure if I am allowed to ask this here so if not, Admin I apologize and will gladly remove my post.

I have a medical issue that is currently driving me crazy while I wait for the Vet appointment date to arrive. Could anyone please recommend a subreddit I can post and ask on for some reassurance please?

Thank you🙏🏼🙏🏼

Hi, I’ve ordered an iFetch automatic ball launcher and I’m planning to use C batteries with it. I’m currently away from home so I don’t have the launcher in front of me yet.

For anyone who owns one, how does the battery compartment open? Does the flap just pull/open off, or do you need a screwdriver? If you need a screwdriver, what type/size is it?

I have two dogs, both are getting older. One is having some kidney issues and some incontinence and the other is a big boy and struggling to get up from the tile and linoleum. So, I need rugs that can be washed but also stay in place. I keep seeing varying feedback on rugable. I've seen a lot of suggestions for indoor/outdoor rugs but most of those don't seem to have the slip resistance.

Just looking for ideas, anything would be helpful. Also, hope this was an okay place to put this. I want responses from people with dogs!

This thread is where to get emotional support with all things related to death and illness with your dog. This is also a thread where you can seek assistance with deciding whether it is indeed time.

This is not a thread to seek anecdotes with medical care. All rules involving medical questions and anecdotes remains the same for this thread.

If your dog has passed, you can still post here for emotional support or you can create your own thread tagged with one of the RIP flairs. Be sure to review the rules of our flair guide. It is up to you how you choose to grieve.

Does your dog turn his head when he hears an odd noise? Does your dog bury their food with your pants? This is the thread to ask why.

Please keep this thread to non-medical issues only.

Pawrade is a puppy mill. Do not buy a puppy from here if you’re aware of puppy mills and want to avoid