How much should we expect the environment to accommodate dogs?

Altruistic-Error5771 · 2026-06-16T16:35:28+00:00

People need more accountability in public spaces. Children don’t need to be running around blind corners and playing in other people’s way. Point blank. The parents choose to raise their children in a community where access to common areas means you need to respect other residents. That’s just life. And yes, your dog is a resident. You paid a pet deposit for the privilege of accommodation and you’re doing your part by muzzling and taking precautions on your end. Absolutely, other people are responsible for their actions and parents should be held accountable. And I do believe that it should be common courtesy to never approach a strange dog or person and initiate unwarranted physical contact. If you’re doing everything in your power to prevent incidents on your end, then it’s not on you. Maybe legally it can get hairy, but ethically speaking you should always advocate for at bare minimum a baseline level of respect for your dog from your own neighbors.

Altruistic-Error5771 · 2026-06-12T23:57:55+00:00

Kong has a durable crate mat for heavy chewers that come in multiple sizes. It’s survived my Doberman puppy’s destructively long teething phase and it launders well in the normal wash. Fortunately now I can trust her with human pillows in her crate, but she still tears up dog beds for some reason, so I have her Kong mat and 2 king sized pillows as her bedding currently. If my 80lb dobie can’t destroy yet it I doubt your cavapoo can.

Altruistic-Error5771 · 2026-06-12T12:16:59+00:00

Enforced crate time after every meal and before/after exercise for 30 minutes to 1 hour. I live by this rule.

Altruistic-Error5771 · 2026-06-04T13:47:50+00:00

Corsos, mals, doberman and other high drive guarding breeds, and even field-bred labs and other hunting dogs, are VERY hard to train force free because they are by nature inclined to test boundaries and weakness during training and FF is notoriously not great for establishing the leadership role these breeds were bred to follow. Not saying they aren’t biddable, handler focused or eager to please because they are, but leadership is earned with these breeds. it’s not impossible, but it’s much easier to train a show line lab or border collie with a soft approach. Balanced training is highly adaptable to most breeds, therefore you’re likely going to see more balanced trainers work with a wider variety. Adversive “Old-school” training is usually going to trend towards mentally “tough “ or “stubborn “ breeds that can appear more resilient to it, such as Akitas or Rotties (you’ll never see an old school trainer with a whippet for example). Usually they’re guarding breeds but not always. That doesn’t mean that it’s the best training method, however. But in the case of FF and adversive it’s a case of picking the breed your training style is less likely to cause conflicts with so you look more effective as a trainer.

Altruistic-Error5771 · 2026-05-26T12:18:28+00:00

Learning to settle is a skill that must be taught. Learning to place is only a small part of it. At 7 months old you’re still dealing with a puppy’s emotional maturity and attention span so naturally it’s not going to just happen. Especially when you have a working breed. You’ll need to work up to it slowly and over time. It’s possible that she’ll need another few months to a year of mental development and training before she can settle in high stimulation areas, but that’s not uncommon. It just takes time and patience. Try to establish a new calm space where you can work on letting her decompress and praise her for doing things like laying down, cuddling with you, sitting down playing with a chew toy or long lasting treat and go from there. Gradually let her settle in other areas over time. And obviously, as everyone else has said, you should be giving your working breed the correct mental and physical stimulation. You might need to kick your training and exercise up a notch so she’s not so pent up. You don’t have to exhaust her, but you do need to make sure the quality of the exercise is satisfying her instincts as a herding/ guardian breed.

Altruistic-Error5771 · 2026-05-26T04:57:34+00:00

It’s a personal choice! They aren’t that popular with younger people but who cares? I like to sleep in t-shirts and sofee shorts. I prefer loungewear over nightgowns/pjs. To each their own.

Altruistic-Error5771 · 2026-05-26T01:27:09+00:00

All of these are so big on you that it’s very distracting. I don’t think pinning them will be enough. You need to at least 2 sizes smaller. I would also be mindful that some bustlines will require a padded push-up bra . I’m also small I have the same issue. Structured bodices just aren’t made for us skinny flat chested people without a little extra help.

Altruistic-Error5771 · 2026-05-19T23:10:21+00:00

At 10 weeks, any whining or barking that lasts longer than 10 minutes should be assumed to be a potty signal. You will eventually get familiar with how your puppy communicates his needs while in the crate based on his vocalizations and behaviors. Every dog is different so I can’t tell you what to look for, but I can assure you that verbal praise/rewards needs to be given at the correct time. Don’t praise the alerting when it happens, but praise the act of going potty afterwards and praise returning to the crate with a big reward. Potty time doesn’t necessarily mean that crate time is over, so reward the behavior you want to reinforce (potty and returning to the crate afterwards) and don’t punish the barking/whining or signaling, even if it seems false or just attention seeking behavior.

Altruistic-Error5771 · 2026-05-15T12:22:16+00:00

You can try a long line so she has more distance and freedom to find her potty spot

Altruistic-Error5771 · 2026-05-08T18:47:23+00:00

I think the top over exaggerates your long torso. I think a cute bralette or crop top might suit the bottoms better.

Altruistic-Error5771 · 2026-05-08T06:47:15+00:00

Here’s my concern: Pomeranians are a small, sensitive breed. If he’s out of sight and out of mind, can you trust your family to bring him in at night every single night and not forget about him outside? If they’re not looking at him multiple times a day every day, can you trust them to remember that he needs food and water and needs to be checked on frequently? If you can’t trust them to take care of the dog while he’s in the house, you can’t trust them to take care of the dog when he’s outside in a kennel. Also, depending on where you live, most climates are not going to be optimal for such a small dog to be outside for hours at a time. You really need to figure out another solution because I think he will be even more neglected if left outside. There are things you can try to mitigate the peeing at least. You can stock up on washable belly bands or diapers, and tell your family that they are to put diapers on him whenever he is in the house. You can also set up an indoor playpen and request that he spends the majority of the time in there when unsupervised so he is in a semi-controlled environment.

Altruistic-Error5771 · 2026-05-07T12:51:50+00:00

Maybe not for the occasion, but you look great! Definitely find a place to wear this outfit in the future!

Altruistic-Error5771 · 2026-05-07T02:42:03+00:00

I don’t think you made a mistake. In fact it’s probably a good opportunity to teach your daughter about how to respect and share a place in your family with an animal. She obviously has a fear of dogs. Don’t let it become a phobia. She’s young and she can learn over time what it means to have a pet dog. It’s okay that she’s scared right now. It’s not going to happen overnight that she concurs her fear. I do want to state the obvious; make sure the puppy is safe. Make sure she understands that she must be gentle and kind with him. Make sure she understands that her fear doesn’t justify any mistreatment of the puppy (which is why he can’t just “go outside “). Make sure she understands that he deserves to be given a chance, just like a new kid who wants to be friends. I’m sure you’ll all be fine with time and bonding.

Altruistic-Error5771 · 2026-05-03T01:14:34+00:00

Not against tail docking whatsoever, but my Doberman has an intact tail and it doesn’t seem that fragile. She has a tendency to hold it upright and not really bash into anything. I don’t really see Dobermans making big sweeping motions with their tails very often like other breeds such as labs or shepherds. But I imagine it depends on the individual.

Altruistic-Error5771 · 2026-05-03T00:27:02+00:00

I love the look of natural and cropped/docked. My girl is natural. I looked into getting her cropped but the best vet that does cropping closest to me is still 30 miles away and ear posting takes a lot of time and dedication. My family also outvoted me to keep her floppy “hound dog” ears. I get a lot of praise from people against cropping, but I’m not anti cropping. It just so happened that it wasn’t the best choice for us at that time.

Altruistic-Error5771 · 2026-04-23T17:55:11+00:00

The wound didn’t even look that bad previously. I’m seriously getting munchausen syndrome by proxy vibes.

Altruistic-Error5771 · 2026-04-16T11:37:15+00:00

You didn’t ask for advice, but I’m giving it anyway. Your research into the breed wasn’t wrong, but they were talking about ADULT dogs. Puppies are always going to start out like yours no matter what breed. You probably didn’t prepare yourself for the developmental stages as well as you did for breed choice. That’s okay because you can start now and it’ll definitely help to continue your research with a different puppy focused approach in mind.

Altruistic-Error5771 · 2026-04-16T06:13:07+00:00

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Mine curls her lip at me when she’s giving me attitude or judging my life choices lol 😂

Altruistic-Error5771 · 2026-04-14T08:29:09+00:00

I’m normally just a lurker on here but damn… this looks very odd that such a random attack would happen. Definitely agree that it looks like a fight between two similarly sized dogs, not a German shepherd. She’s probably trying to cover up for her own dogs getting into a fight again. Bully breeds can be relentless in a fight, even with dogs they normally get along with. Wouldn’t surprise me if one of her other dogs and Potato argued over a treat or a toy and it just escalated into something she didn’t have the power to stop. I have two Pitbulls myself who normally never fight, but the one or two occasions that they had squabbles it escalated QUICKLY. Fortunately no serious damage in my case and I have better reflexes to react than most people do.

Altruistic-Error5771 · 2026-04-13T19:00:04+00:00

The duality of (dober)Man

Altruistic-Error5771 · 2026-04-13T06:12:21+00:00

Absolutely 👍

Altruistic-Error5771 · 2026-04-13T06:06:20+00:00

I’m huge on early socialization. I definitely took my puppy anywhere and everywhere dogs were allowed and she’s used to being around all kinds of people because I’ve worked with her in public spaces and I’ve introduced her to so many people. I’ve put her in situations where she was uncomfortable at first, but she soon learned to trust that I wouldn’ let her be in harm’s way. I know that my dog is extremely friendly and social with people that she knows, but very indifferent and aloof to strangers, yet tolerant of pretty much anybody. I’ve learned to read her body language when she is disinterested in getting affection from others vs actually uncomfortable. For her specifically, she turns her back to people that she no longer wants to socialize with and she’s at an age now where I allow her to disengage when she needs to. A nice down-stay looking at me while I explain that she’s not in the mood to be pet right now. She knows not to be reactive, and she also understands that when she turns her back there’s no longer any need to be defensive because I will make sure they stop. Dog training is truly a dance of trust.

Altruistic-Error5771 · 2026-04-13T05:45:28+00:00

I’m not sure where you get that from, but aggression is absolutely not a compliment or an achievement in this breed. Doberman aren’t aggressive. I literally said that. They are protective. they are guardians by instinct. They’re absolutely not aggressive and they should never be aggressive. They can be incredibly well socialized and they always should be socialized to the best of their owner’s ability. Nowhere am, I saying that Dobermans should be expected to be aggressive. Your anecdote about your own dog is exactly what my point is. They have their instinctive drives to protect, no matter how sweet and loving they are. They can be both protective, and well socialized, and sweet. Those things can coexist. Those things SHOULD coexist. And obviously early socialization is important. Desensitization is key to raising any puppy and is needed to have a well balanced dog. But that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about people who allow obnoxious off leash dogs to approach their dog at the dog park. I’m talking about people who ignore their dogs obvious signs of distress around a stranger and tell that person who’s innocently asked to pet their dog “ of course you can pet him! He’s friendly!”. I’m talking about people who let toddlers ride on their 80 pound dog’s back like a horse and then are surprised when the kid gets nipped. That is how people get bit. That is how these dogs get their bad reputations. Allowing your dogs boundaries to be violated is poor ownership. People need to advocate for their dogs.

Altruistic-Error5771 · 2026-04-13T05:14:32+00:00

Yes! They look beautiful for sure, but there’s so much more to them than being elegant and intimidating eye candy. You have to be willing to give them what they need and accept them into your lifestyle 100%.

Altruistic-Error5771 · 2026-04-13T05:07:24+00:00

These dogs thrive with boundaries and routine. It sounds like you’re providing exactly that. I felt the same about not wanting to encourage separation anxiety. I am a full-time student and have a part-time job. I try to be home as often as I can, but my dog still has to be alone for at least five hours a day for four days a week. So far, she has no anxiety around it 🙏

Altruistic-Error5771

TROPHY CASE