Happy puppers enjoying the snow. And eating it lol.

Hi! As the title states, I wonder how often I should bathe my dog. She's 1 year old, and plays a lot in the yard, and in the rain, and after 1 week or so of olgwtting bathed starts smelling a bit.

After 3 weeks she smells a bit too much.

However, I was just told by someone that dogs should be bathed more than 3 or 4 times per year, because bathing them with shampoo removes a protective inner layer of that which makes them become cold and uncomfortable.

Is this true?

Thanks.

have a bit of a rant and also need some advice. I have a puppy, and I’m currently focused on making sure she’s well-socialized. Our dog trainer has advised us not to let her greet other dogs or people while on leash. I really like this approach because it teaches her that barking or lunging won’t grant her access to greet others. She’s been doing really well with this concept—we step to the side and reward her with treats when we pass people on the sidewalk, and when other dogs are in sight, we click and treat her for staying calm and focusing on us.

However, living in the city makes this incredibly challenging. I constantly find myself having to be firm (almost to the point of rudeness) with people who, without asking, try to call her over while I’m clearly working on her training. On the other hand, when I’m standing in place, clicking and treating her for being calm, people will stop to ask questions about her. This forces me into the awkward situation of having to pull her away while they’re still talking.

The obvious solution would be to simply tell people that we’re in the middle of training, and while that works for some, there’s always a portion who acknowledge it but continue doing exactly what they were doing—completely ignoring the fact that I’m trying to teach her not to focus on strangers. And don’t even get me started on people with lunging, barking dogs who ask if it’s okay for their dog to say hi—like, no, obviously it’s not!

Has anyone else struggled with this? If so, do you have any tips on how to handle these situations more effectively?

She's the pretty one...

Our little firecracker of a West German Long Coat Black & Red German Shepherd Dog @ 16 months.

After having Stitch my dog for more than 3 years since he was a puppy of a few weeks of age, they decided to send him away despite them knowing how much I love and attached to this dog, it began last week because of excessive barking they took a quick decision and decided to send him away right away to a dog hotel permantly, this wasn't the first time they tried to get rid of him and I was always the one getting in their way and trying to find middle solutions and I was able to comvince them everytime, but they succeeded this time, my heart is burning for him eversince, they are even trying to convince me to let go and leave him there forever but I will never do that, I treated him like a son of mine and I will never abandon him and now I will have to rent a space of my own as soon as possible and have him back despite this move might delay my life goals but I can't leave him like that...even if I got him back how can I ever forgive them for the suffering they caused me and possibly him too...he's not just a dog or just a pet he's a part of me I can never abandon, all my future plans were with him and I could never have possibly imagined my own family of my flesh and blood would ever keep him away from me and cause me this damage and adding more problems that I already have, this made me rush everything so I can have him again...

Belle looking very stoic. She is a 3.5 year GSD mix. I love her so much 💕

I went out to play with him fetch but all he wanted to do is sniff my chicken that is kept out for dinner. Am I a bad mom for not letting him do what he wants and keep on throwing 🥎 ?

I need advice. I’ve had many dogs before and they were all trained well enough. However, I now find myself with a 11 month old Mal/GSD and a 3 month Mal who I would do anything for. I understand they are intense working breeds and I am trying to best equip myself. I have met with several trainers and have come across 2 basic styles.

1. Leash Pop style training. Basically saying I’m the alpha and for the dog to focus on me. Communication is key and any unwanted behaviors results in a leash pop. This trainer used to train K9’s for the Sheriffs.

2. Ecollar equipped training. Initially using food as a lure, repeat, and eventually using an ecollar once ready.

Again I am new to both styles so if I have over simplified I apologize. In any case I just wanted some advice from your personal experience on both.

Side note: I do not want to do a board and train, I have a deep bond with my 11 month old and I feel like I need to be trained more than he does.

Hello meet queen my dogter… she doesn’t like to use it outside 😭 her breeders puppy pad trained her but she doesn’t even wanna do that anymore. I feel like she waits to come back in just to poop on my new wooden floors 🥺

Any tips will help?

Also heard that GSD are crate dogs (for their own space) but my SO think that will be cruel. I told him its not like we will leave her in there 24/7 but least she can sleep, have her own space when she overstimulated from our kids (5 under age 9). She’s such a sweet girl but since I’m disabled my SO cleans up after her the most…

He doesn’t know it yet, but he’s going to be treated to a sausage from the chippy!

I'm a college student who recently received a puppy from a family member at 8 weeks old. I know there are concerns about backyard breeding, and I'm not trying to defend it. Being Native American, I'm familiar with Rez dogs, which typically spend most of their time outside and rarely come into the house. The puppy came from the reservation so she also spent her time oustide with her parents and littermates. I got my puppy from a distant relative; my sister discovered the puppies and requested one as a gift for me. When I first got her, she was understandably scared, which is common for puppies. Initially, she was reluctant to go inside my sister's house, but as time passed, she grew more comfortable and started trusting me. So, it’s easier to go inside and outside now. Currently, I'm kennel training her, and our main challenge is leaving the house without her. Which hopefully we’ll be able to train soon. ANY ADVICE PLEASE. My mom spends most of her time with the puppy, who goes into her kennel to eat and sleep, even sometimes doing so on her own. I'm mostly concerned about her behavior in public. I've taken her out a few times, and during some of the outings, she has growled and barked at people who got too close or moved quickly. She’s mostly doing it out of fear she hasn’t lunged or gave teeth to anybody. She's quite vocal—a trait I didn't expect. I initially thought I might have taken her outside too soon, and that she still needs to adjust. She clearly establishes boundaries with my family, particularly with my brother, who can be a bit rough with her. I tell him to stop which he has done. Additionally, when we go outside to potty, she tends to stare at people passing by or just sits and watches them. I wonder if this is a sign of reactivity I usually try to get her away from fixating on people by having us walk away.. When it’s dark, she gets easily spooked by others and sometimes makes 1-2 barks. I don’t know what to do or start with when introducing public spaces and building her confidence outside. I'm thinking of talking with a trainer or doing puppy classes but, I don't know if I have the budget for a trainer for one on one sessions. I'm also worried the puppy classes will make her worse or she will get sick. I'm worried she will be reactive when she gets older and I would have to rehome her.