|
Have this sweet 4 month old dachshund.  What are some good toys/games that can distract them for at least 20 minutes? When we get up in the morning we'd like something to stimulate her for a little while whilst we get ready. Chew toys either last 1 minute before she moves on or require us to play with her. We have a kong and lick toy I put peanut butter in that does a good job but looking for some other things. She has not figured out the wobbler kong yet that she can tip to get dry food out. That seems to freak her out a bit. Ideally nothing that gets her too worked up and excited too. OneSizeFitsAll posted:Interesting. I've started using https://postimages.org/ due to imgur not working in the UK anymore - might be something to do with that, though I've used it a few times on the forums now. As someone also in the UK your image is the only one I can see on this page. I've had to switch to postimages as well.
|
#
?
Nov 4, 2025 09:25
|
|
|
|
| # ? Dec 9, 2025 23:10 |
|
|
oh no, imagebb doesn't work either? I'll look into postimages I guess, thanks for the info. I am a full time dog cuddler so I don't have any advice for you, sorry 
|
|
#
?
Nov 4, 2025 10:49
|
|
|
If you want a good VPN so you can avoid the uk blocks on stuff, Mullvad is the go-to
|
|
#
?
Nov 4, 2025 18:08
|
|
|
Captain Invictus posted:If you want a good VPN so you can avoid the uk blocks on stuff, Mullvad is the go-to Cause monies though and gently caress them harvesting my data, I get enough of my personal information stolen by Tesco and Boots just so I can pay normal prices for products..
|
|
#
?
Nov 5, 2025 01:59
|
|
|
Ragnar Gunvald posted:Cause monies though and gently caress them harvesting my data, I get enough of my personal information stolen by Tesco and Boots just so I can pay normal prices for products.. Mullvad knows nothing about you, they assign you a random number that you use to identify your account to pay them and you can pay them in mailed envelopes of cash if you want.
|
|
#
?
Nov 5, 2025 03:22
|
|
|
when people recommended them initially I did some research and it seems not only do they not collect data on you, they SO don't collect data on you that when they were ordered by a court to release info on users they were basically like *hands up* sorry, no can do, we've got nothing.
|
|
#
?
Nov 5, 2025 04:03
|
|
|
stopped posting for a while to re-evaluate and get some assistance because i think most of the things you guys were saying was correct but i was mad anyway we got a private trainer, enrolled in puppy classes, enrolled in the next level of puppy classes, and even did a ten day board/train program with the training facility, and im happy to say we have an excellent little girl :3 got through the puppy shark phase, she's deep in her annoying teenager phase but we've reached an understanding. we can take her out to cafes, she's great on walks, no longer bites me to play all the time, and in general she's just a delight now. i no longer want to kill myself every morning when she screams at me here is her graduation photo, she was coughing in it  anyway she rules and she's doing really well. we have a big road trip coming up for thanksgiving that i'm a little unsure about but i think she'll do great, she loves cars.
|
|
#
?
Nov 5, 2025 05:19
|
|
|
Glad to hear it's going much better. I know we were making GBS threads on you a bit, but we wanted your dog to have a good life and give you the best chance of success, and it seemed like you wouldn't take anyone's (very good) advice. Thank you for doing the work. Also be aware that the work never ends. It'll get easier, but as adolescent dogs hit different phases in their development, they will periodically test boundaries. It's maddening, but keep at it and it will pass.
|
|
#
?
Nov 5, 2025 06:05
|
|
|
WhiteHowler posted:Glad to hear it's going much better. Ultimately I'm glad you did, I think there was part of me that thought we could just wing it and be fine and we probably could have but she would have been a nightmare, I think she's doing much better with structure and we are also doing better with structure. We're at the point now where we can leave her in the living room when we go to work and she won't destroy the carpet or chew on furniture. Looking into a dog walker for those days where we're at work for longer periods of time, I think it'll help. Even when we do leave her alone for an extended period of time she just lays on the couch all day, I've checked the cameras. Only thing she's really struggling with right now is she gets pretty protective if she has something she's not supposed to have, got bit a few times wrestling something out of her hands that REALLY shouldn't be there which I know is ill advised. Working on "trade" which she is getting a bit better at. Her weird teenage quirk right now is that she absolutely refuses to put the harness on to go for a walk but also absolutely loves going for a walk, and I cannot get her to understand the correlation. At the moment when it's walk time I just grab her and put it on her while I'm holding her, which she seems to be fine with. All things considered though she's doing great and I think we're really headed in a positive direction.
|
|
#
?
Nov 5, 2025 06:31
|
|
|
Hell yeah, congrats and thank you for taking criticism exactly how it should be.
|
|
#
?
Nov 5, 2025 06:47
|
|
|
also she got to sit in front of our fireplace for the first time and I think she likes it. only downside is that for some reason she's been trying to eat the fireplace bricks which I'm not a HUGE fan of aesthetically, although this bitter apple spray is doing a great job in keeping her off of stuff i have a lot of pictures i have not shared but most of them are just her sleeping in stupid places Thumbtacks fucked around with this message at 07:10 on Nov 5, 2025 |
|
#
?
Nov 5, 2025 06:56
|
|
|
Happy to hear this worked out well  e: it's not just you, pretty much everyone thinks they know everything they need to know about training dogs and we have a lot of bad cultural biases that get in the way of this and that a lot of pop media people exploit to make money, further reinforcing the dumb poo poo Everyone Knows about raising dogs 
|
|
#
?
Nov 5, 2025 12:10
|
|
|
Hey Thumbtacks that's awesome to hear!
|
|
#
?
Nov 5, 2025 13:17
|
|
|
She reminds me a lot of my first family dog who, in the days before DNA tests, we assumed was a border collie corgi mix. She was so beloved that she got two separate family friends to get a border collie and a corgi respectively. They had to learn the hard lessons of having a dog bred for a job that has been taken away.
|
|
#
?
Nov 5, 2025 15:36
|
|
|
She does still have some potty training issues which is probably my fault, even the board and train lady was like "hm she is...stubborn" but the good news is she pees on every walk so we're making progress. hard to catch her going to the bathroom when the difference between standing and peeing is like one inch, but we're getting there. also got news from my property owner that they're going to install a fence so in the next few months I'll have a side yard which will help IMMENSELY. unrelated, I'm going on a road trip in a few weeks from Portland down to San Diego, so it's about 16 hours. Going to need to be two days, of course, and I'm planning for a lot of stops for the bathroom and walks and stuff. But I don't have a great idea about how to travel with her. I was going to just get a mesh dividing wall and set up a bunch of blankets in the back, she has a car seat but for a long drive she seems to like to look out the windows so I'd rather give her the flexibility. On the other hand, everything I've seen online is telling me to buy a travel crate so that I don't turn her into a projectile if I get into an accident. She does have a crate but it's not a travel crate. I can go get one but she won't be used to it so we'll need to do a bunch of drives in it first, I guess.
|
|
#
?
Nov 5, 2025 16:28
|
|
|
Thumbtacks posted:this bitter apple spray is doing a great job in keeping her off of stuff Lupe thinks bitter apple spray is awesome and she tries to eat the spray cap while I am spraying it onto stuff I don't want her to chew. My dog is crazy. Also getting big. Here she is making sure the human keeps the belly scratch foot moving. 
|
|
#
?
Nov 5, 2025 16:37
|
|
|
Thumbtacks posted:also she got to sit in front of our fireplace for the first time and I think she likes it. only downside is that for some reason she's been trying to eat the fireplace bricks which I'm not a HUGE fan of aesthetically, although this bitter apple spray is doing a great job in keeping her off of stuff My parents have had 2 corgis, and both of them love the hearth, even though they've never used the fireplace.
|
|
#
?
Nov 5, 2025 18:38
|
|
|
Congrats on putting in the work with your pup and helping her get to where she is today. Thumbtacks posted:On the other hand, everything I've seen online is telling me to buy a travel crate so that I don't turn her into a projectile if I get into an accident. She does have a crate but it's not a travel crate. I can go get one but she won't be used to it so we'll need to do a bunch of drives in it first, I guess.
|
|
#
?
Nov 5, 2025 19:17
|
|
|
There is one more advantage to a travel crate, it gives us a second crate. She has one in the bedroom that she sleeps in that she (more or less) likes but she doesn’t like being in it if we’re not in the bedroom. A second mobile crate that we could put in the living room when we’re not driving might be helpful and give her a place where she can feel safe but also watch what we’re doing. I’ll look into it. We did have a medical emergency with her a few weeks ago and I learned an important lesson, namely that Banfield’s “wellness plan” is not in fact pet insurance, so that was a few grand. But she’s fine now.
|
|
#
?
Nov 5, 2025 20:13
|
|
|
I have a crate that lives by the front door area when it is not in the car. If I need to open the front door, she goes into her crate and gets closed up while the house door is open. Otherwise, it just sits there with the crate door open and she naps in it occasionally. I toss food in there from time to time so it is just another place she checks out around feeding time. I felt like a genius once I realized she would happily go into the crate and I didn't have to try and entertain her elsewhere while people used the front door.. dogs are so cool. Oh, she still doesn't "like" me or anyone really, and I am still deeply unhappy that my one dog isn't a people person. But she's a great roommate. Sucks that I still can't tell how she feels after a year+ with us.
|
|
#
?
Nov 5, 2025 20:58
|
|
|
night yorb posted:Oh, she still doesn't "like" me or anyone really, and I am still deeply unhappy that my one dog isn't a people person. But she's a great roommate. Sucks that I still can't tell how she feels after a year+ with us. Some dogs aren't as emotionally demonstrative as others, but you shouldn't take that to mean that they don't like you.
|
|
#
?
Nov 5, 2025 21:52
|
|
|
We’ve been working on crate training more recently because she’s started to regress a little bit with her teenage phase, yesterday I caught her just chilling in the crate which I haven’t seen her do before. So I do think it’s working. I’ll have to look into a sturdy extra crate to keep for travel and an extra place for her in the living room, hopefully I can find one that’s sturdy enough for travel but also not a total eyesore if I keep it out in the open. Also here is another photo I have. She fell asleep chewing on her bone  
|
|
#
?
Nov 5, 2025 22:16
|
|
|
thumbtacks i am so glad you decided to stick with the dog and are getting results. you took on a real challenge and i was worried when you hadn't posted for a while, but it sounds like you're doing a great job.
|
|
#
?
Nov 6, 2025 00:15
|
|
|
I’m glad everyone is happy to see our progress. I think I really should have done more research, not that I didn’t want a puppy, but I should have been more prepared. We did play catch up for a bit but I think we’re through the worst of it and now we’re mostly just seeing improvements. Unfortunately potty training is still an issue but now that she’s got some probiotics (she loves drinking like pothole water) and her poop is normal it’s been much easier to deal with, and we are making progress. It’s not perfect but we’ll get there, our trainer advised that we remove the pen entirely and keep trying to throw her outside when she goes to the bathroom and it’s working so that’s good. I think this is the price we pay for waiting too long instead of listening to you and everyone else, but that’s okay. Luckily she’s fun to walk now, she’s loose leash walking like a champ I also talked to my landlord today and they were already planning on installing a fence so I have a side yard, so me talking to them just expedited it. So shortly I will have a yard for her to frolic and scream at passerby in.
|
|
#
?
Nov 7, 2025 05:00
|
|
|
Lupe decided to pose nicely for me this morning during our early time outside. So have some Lupe pics!  Later she got a super wound-up case of the zoomies in the house, and ended up helping me clean under the sofa. 
|
|
#
?
Nov 7, 2025 05:37
|
|
|
Thumbtacks posted:I’m glad everyone is happy to see our progress… I love reading this stuff, thanks for posting your updates. The Locator posted:Lupe decided to pose nicely for me this morning during our early time outside. So have some Lupe pics! What a pretty girl/anti-couch furmissile Fall certainly has Newton excited, with cooler temps and leaves to run through https://imgur.com/5WPX19X.mp4 Unmute for angery race car noises
|
|
#
?
Nov 7, 2025 15:13
|
|
|
Pavlov loves this weather, we've been going on three walks a day. He's making it very hard for me to work, by sitting quietly next to me and staring holes into my back.
|
|
#
?
Nov 7, 2025 15:30
|
|
|
i own every Bionicle posted:Fall certainly has Newton excited, with cooler temps and leaves to run through How do you (and others) get to the point where you trust your dogs off the leash to not just disappear over the horizon? Lupe absolutely loves to run in the dog park, and she generally sticks to me, but of course, there are fences. I don't often get to a place where she can just run free like that, but on the rare occasion I do, it would be awesome to be able to let her off the leash, but I'm afraid she'll be so happy and just zoom off. I'm in Mexico right now and I would love to take her to the beach and see how she does, but I certainly don't want to lose her.
|
|
#
?
Nov 7, 2025 15:55
|
|
|
Newton has always been pretty good about sticking near me and has never shown the desire to run off and explore. The shelter manager where I got him told me once his buddy dug under the fence to take off and explore and Newton followed him but got cold feet as soon as he was out and waited by the fence. Also we walk this area every day and there are never any cars on that road and I only let him off leash in certain places. He’s only off leash for a minute or so at a time and he gets a treat when he comes back to me. I know huskies are difficult for this kind of thing, so I asked our trainer (whose training dog is a husky) about how to transition. He recommended letting the dog drag a leash around to get used to that feeling, then dragging a really long leash around in an area where you can always get to it. Some dogs just never get there though and always need to be leashed.
|
|
#
?
Nov 7, 2025 16:13
|
|
|
Noa has always been relatively good about coming when I call her even when she gets loose, but Gus is just straight up no thoughts head empty run off into the distance and I've never been able to change that.
|
|
#
?
Nov 7, 2025 16:19
|
|
|
Captain Invictus posted:Noa has always been relatively good about coming when I call her even when she gets loose, but Gus is just straight up no thoughts head empty run off into the distance and I've never been able to change that. My very first dog when I was just a small kid was a dachshund mutt from the pound. She would run around like crazy, but there was almost an invisible leash about 100' long that she would never go beyond. Later in life I had an Aussie Shepard - Dingo mix and she would just run like the wind when she got out. Finally in my dumbest pet decision when we adopted the wolves... she would escape the yard and I would get calls from 3-5 miles away in less than 12 hours after she escaped that someone had her in their yard (she vaulted 6' block walls without any problem at all). Lupe usually sticks pretty close to me at the dog park, unless she's actively running with another dog, but I'm just worried about whether I could get her to come back into reach without the fences to guarantee she doesn't run. i own every Bionicle posted:He recommended letting the dog drag a leash around to get used to that feeling, then dragging a really long leash around in an area where you can always get to it. Some dogs just never get there though and always need to be leashed. I'll start doing this before and after walks. She still really dislikes having the harness put on, but loves whatever we do after she's got it on. I normally don't clip the leash on until we are ready to go out, but I could let her drag it around for a while for sure. I'll have to get a longer leash and maybe use that and take her to the beach before trying the 'run loose' idea.
|
|
#
?
Nov 7, 2025 16:41
|
|
|
We live in a village with lots fields around, which is great for me in letting Darwin off the lead so he can run around. He quite likes to range ahead - I don't know if it's the Kangal in him, but he doesn't always stick too close. One set of fields we go to we do a circular route, which is great. The exact route varies, so whenever he gets to a point where there are alternatives, he waits for me to see which way we're going. He'll sometimes run off if he sees another dog, but he's pretty good about stopping and coming back if I do a recall. There's another field we go through which is more of a connecting route. At one end is a road, where we turn left and about 50 metres down is our house. One time a few months ago and maybe a couple of months after we adopted him, I was walking him towards the road and he vanished. I panicked, went up and down the field, then into the neighbouring farm to look for him. Then I went home and and the fucker was there - I was very relieved. He's much better now, and aside from recall, understands "with me" (stay in my vicinity) and "not too far" (don't range any farther than you currently are). But the other day he went well ahead again, out of earshot. This time though he stopped at the road and waited for me. My wife uses a whistle for those situations where he is too far away to reliably recall vocally - I think I'm going to get one as well. The main thing is just to be really secure in their recall. At least then you can rectify any situation where they're farther away than you want. I do recall training with him every night when he gets an evening treat(s), and frequently on walks as well. OneSizeFitsAll fucked around with this message at 16:48 on Nov 7, 2025 |
|
#
?
Nov 7, 2025 16:46
|
|
|
I dont have a fenced yard and by the woods, so I'm lucky my dogs have never been runners. The last one did like exploring some but she'd reliably come when called immediately from wherever she went, the current one has horrible recall but also has no interest in exploring or running off anywhere, only in convincing me to play with her or do things with her. Only concern with the current one is if someone comes by she's gonna want to go say hi, but the only people who come by are people who know her since we're on a dead end. Thankfully shes been doing super good with her training and reliably sits, comes, and heels (among other things) with one major exception where she doesnt listen at all. That, of course, is when I indicate its time to go back inside. Edit:  This is as close as she will get until she's done, she will sit there patiently waiting for play to resume for a long time before giving up GlyphGryph fucked around with this message at 12:27 on Nov 8, 2025 |
|
#
?
Nov 7, 2025 16:48
|
|
|
I have news. Debbie has pooped on a walk for the first time. Thank you, that is my news.
|
|
#
?
Nov 8, 2025 06:24
|
|
|
|
|
#
?
Nov 8, 2025 15:19
|
|
|
congratulations 
|
|
#
?
Nov 8, 2025 16:34
|
|
|
Neither of my dogs had a problem pooping anywhere the urge occurred, so that was always nice. But hole hell, when a 6lb cute puppy squats on the sidewalk and drops a tiny little poop by the busy farmer's market you'd think it was the most adorable thing that's happened in the town in 150 years.
|
|
#
?
Nov 8, 2025 21:37
|
|
|
In the vein of off-leash chat, do people have good training programs for recall, loose leash and car rides? For context, Stevie is a 10 year old 30 lbs pit/boston mix, and mostly muscle. She'll pull like hell if we don't have a front clip harness (like, to the point of choking herself), and even then she jerks a fair bit which irritates my wife's shoulders/hips. I've currently got a lot of time on my hands to do training with her (but not $$ for paying a trainer). She also is bad at recall. Like really bad. If we take her to the dog park or a yard, she'll run all around the dog park and run away from us / not hear us calling. When we do get her attention, she'll run straight at us and then past us to something else. Sadly we don't have a yard or any good place to train her beyond the local dog parks, and i absolutely do not trust her off leash outside an enclosed area. (she will also not poop if she's not on grass or dirt, which is fun when you're in a ski town with no exposed dirt)
|
|
#
?
Nov 9, 2025 01:54
|
|
|
Turns out my puppy loves snow. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pb1y-LWHPsI 
|
|
#
?
Nov 10, 2025 19:45
|
|
|
|
| # ? Dec 9, 2025 23:10 |
|
|
Why do dogs like to step on your feet? Both of my dogs specifically try to step on my feet or place their paws on my feet when they lay down. This has been especially aggravating and/or painful because I recently had surgery on three of my toes, and despite my best efforts one of them managed to stomp on them today and were promptly scared shitless when I roared in pain Like I don't know if they even mean anything by it or are conscious of doing it but they do sure do it a lot, more than it feels like it would be coincidental
|
|
#
?
Nov 11, 2025 22:55
|
|