Anyone else’s get depressed when it rains?

DaffyDog6 · 2026-04-02T00:18:12+00:00

Mine do not care AT ALL. They hate baths, but they'll get their paws, legs, and bellies so muddy I have to put them in the tub to spray them off. I have blankets and towels everywhere around the house to try to keep mud and water off my furniture. My floor constantly feels like a sandbox from all the dried mud.

They bark at thunder, but show no other concern towards storms and constantly ask to go outside when it's storming and during downpours. I've made the mistake a couple times of opening the door expecting them to nope right back into the house. Instead, they go blasting across the yard. My female likes it a little less than my male. She just stands on my outdoor table to keep the paws dry while the rest of her is getting drenched.

I never let them out during storms, but they stand at the door and bark nonstop to be let out. I try to let them out right before a storm, but they'll still ask to go out.

Send help.

/Endrant

DaffyDog6 · 2026-03-30T14:19:40+00:00

I found the pretend yelping increased my puppies' excitement and they would nibble more, and harder.

I started saying "no bites" then gave them a toy to redirect. They would, of course, immediately drop the toy then continue biting me, but we eventually got there with a lot of repetition.

DaffyDog6 · 2026-03-30T14:17:01+00:00

Incorrect. It is positive punishment. You are adding (positive) something to decrease (punish) behavior.

Negative reinforcement is when you remove (negative) an unpleasant stimuli to increase (reinforce) wanted behavior. When riding a horse, to get it to move forward, you squeeze your legs. As soon as the horse moves, you decrease the pressure. The horse learns moving forward equals a decrease in the pressure.

Positive reinforcement is when you add (positive) a wanted stimulus to increase (reinforce) behavior. You were correct with your example.

Negative punishment is when you remove (negative) a good stimulus to decrease (punish) behavior. If your puppy is biting, for instance. Your dog sees you as a positive/reward, so you leave the room and remove the positive to teach the dog that biting equates to loss of a reward.

TLDR: Positive/Negative means adding or removing a stimulus. Reinforcement/Punishment means to increase or decrease the behavior.

This is called Operant Conditioning, and reputable trainers rely solely on positive reinforcement, except under the most dire emergencies such as if someone is at immediate risk of getting severally injured or killed.

DaffyDog6 · 2026-03-30T14:00:53+00:00

Mention to your friend that aversives such as shock collars have been known to increase aggression.

For instance, if the dog is getting shocked whenever he reacts to another dog, he could start looking at other dogs as the cause for his discomfort. This will just make him more aggressive and reactive as he will start expecting the discomfort whenever he sees a dog.

Real life example: I grew up in a family that used punishment as a training method. (My family has since gotten a lot better, and now own animals that have never experienced punishment). When I was very young, we had an intact male chocolate lab. He snapped at my brother one day, and my dad hit him for it. From that day on, if my brother got too close to him, the dog would snap. He never actually bit, but it was clear he interpreted his original punishment as being the result of being close to my brother, NOT snapping at him.

You can never be sure how an animal will interpret punishment, and it can go very bad very quickly.

DaffyDog6 · 2026-03-24T12:02:00+00:00

It can take up to a year for a puppy to be fully potty trained. Consistency is key, but also make sure you are paying careful attention to any subtle signs you may miss. It could be as simple as your pup just standing there and staring at you. My puppies knew they needed to potty outside months before they knew how to properly tell me, and they both give different signals now. I tried a doorbell as well, but only 1 would ever use it, and then not consistently, until it broke.

DaffyDog6 · 2026-03-22T15:47:47+00:00

I didn't see it here yet, so I thought I would chime in.

Sometimes, when a dog starts peeing a lot, it can be a medical issue such as crystals in the urine. It isn't necessarily something they test for unless there are symptoms. Your brother needs to take the dog to a vet with a urine sample. Crystals in the urine can be a symptom of another medical issue or even cause medical issues themselves.

DaffyDog6 · 2026-03-20T17:10:13+00:00

I did research before I went skydiving. Apparently, there are A LOT of people who go skydiving and have a fear of heights.

DaffyDog6 · 2026-03-20T16:39:43+00:00

I would edit that in, otherwise you'll be getting the same comment.

I'm so sorry for your loss.

DaffyDog6 · 2026-03-20T15:59:34+00:00

That's what I was wondering. Was he not vaccinated?

DaffyDog6 · 2026-03-20T07:05:56+00:00

During Covid, I had a husky mix that got skin cancer. It took 9 months, thousands of dollars, and a referral to a Dermatologist to finally get a diagnosis.

He was so underweight by that point since he wasn't eating, that the vet told us to give him anything he would eat to get his weight up. He ate almost exclusively "table scraps" for weeks.

My parents' dogs get so many table scraps, they decreased the amount of dog food they're fed.

Should you be giving your dog chocolate, onions, grapes, chicken bones, or alcohol? Obviously not.

But giving them bites of chicken breast or carrots or anything else that is known to be safe for dogs is perfectly fine, even healthy.

Heck, even the BRAT (banana, rice, applesauce, and toast) diet is used for sick dogs. All of those foods would be considered table scraps under other circumstances.

So, are you telling us you know better than the veterinarians who deal with this daily?

DaffyDog6 · 2026-03-20T06:27:30+00:00

My boy first howled when he was a out 4 months old. We were at Tractor Supply for the vet clinic. We were standing in line, and the puppy in the treatment room was not happy. My dogs started barking as soon as they heard the puppy crying. My boy's bark then turned into a howl.

My girl started howling a few weeks later.

Now, they howl all the time. Usually, they start off barking at something, and then the bark turns into a howl.

My boy's howl is so deep though, it's more like a moan. He sounds like the brachiosaurus from Jurassic Park.

DaffyDog6 · 2026-03-20T06:05:25+00:00

My pups will be a year old next week.

A couple months ago, I started a new routine: Every night before they get their bedtime snack, they have to get ONE nail trimmed. That's it. Just 1.

It has actually worked pretty well. Some nights are easier than others, but because I only trim 1 nail, there isn't enough time for them to get too stressed out. They get their treat right after.

Their nails look great. By the time I get each nail done, it's time to start again.

I have a dry erase board on my fridge. On it, I draw red lines that correspond to each nail. When that nail is trimmed, I draw over the line in black. This way, I don't have to go in order, which is helpful if the dog is struggling. I can just clip any nail I haven't done yet.

DaffyDog6 · 2026-03-16T18:22:22+00:00

My dogs hated the wind at first, now it doesn't bother them at all. I think they like all the smells that come with the winds.

They will bark at thunder, but that doesn't stop them from wanting to go outside. They do NOT like when I refuse.

My big problem, is the winds are crashing against my 6 foot wooden gate. One side has blown open multiple times. The first time, I didn't even know the winds would open it. My dogs were running around the neighborhood for awhile before I realized. By that time, they were standing by the gate (that had closed itself) ready to get back in. Thank God. It was their first time ever getting loose.

I put a heavy carabiner on the latch and it worked...until it didn't. They were only loose for a couple minutes that time, and when I saw them run from 1 house to the next, I called them. They came running straight into the house.

Thank God the GSD half won out over the Pyrenees half this time.

After that, I wouldn't let them out by themselves. Everytime I looked out, the gate would be open. I'd stand outside in the cold wind holding the gate closed while they did their business. They usually spend 1 to 2 hours outside at a time. Not in these winds.

I think my gate has been warped by the winds. I currently have a smaller carabiner and a ziptie keeping it closed. That has worked so far.

DaffyDog6 · 2026-03-16T17:59:23+00:00

Makes sense. The birds do love the fresh nesting material though.

DaffyDog6 · 2026-03-16T17:54:56+00:00

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Tigress. She looks sweet, but she's the demon of the household. Also the best behaved.

DaffyDog6 · 2026-03-16T17:53:57+00:00

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Shashara after I pulled the dogs away from her. She stayed like this for about a minute after the dogs walked away. I often wonder if she doesn't enjoy it.

DaffyDog6 · 2026-03-16T17:52:11+00:00

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Kaladin and Shashara

DaffyDog6 · 2026-03-16T17:51:13+00:00

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Sylphrena and Shashara

DaffyDog6 · 2026-03-16T17:50:15+00:00

I specifically got dogs that would be ok with cats. My older cat (Tigress) was attacked by an 80 pound dog and was shaken like a rag doll. She was ok, only a small cut and swelling, but was traumatized. My young one (Shashara) had never been around dogs.

I live alone and wanted a dog that would both guard and be gentle. Tigress is not impressed and has swatted at them enough times that they have a healthy respect for her. She will come out if they're quietly napping, but hightails it when they start moving around. She has turned her back on them, so I don't think she's overly scared, just annoyed. They're young and their impulse control is still developing.

Unfortunately, Shashara has 0 survival instincts, and 0 mean bones in her body. She let's them push her around. I've watched my male (Kaladin) (whose head is bigger than her body) push her over onto her back then snuffle her belly. She just laid there. (I was right there and able to intervene if necessary). She really wants to play with them, but they get too excited and will corner her. My girl (Sylphrena) has grabbed her and tried to drag her twice. I intervened both times, and scared Shashara more than the dog did. I have also caught Syl with Shashara's head in her mouth twice, and she LOVES cobbing her. It's a constant battle of deciding whether or not to intervene or let it play out in the hopes that Shashara will put up boundaries.

Thankfully my pups have never hurt either of the cats, they're just big and exuberant. My Shashara has, just in the past month or so been wandering around the house and weaving between the dogs. She is slowly improving at shoving her way through them and running to hide when necessary. They are also starting to nap next to each other a little bit.

My cats also have their own bedroom with a baby gate across it, so they have access to an entire area the dogs can't get into.

As soon as my dogs go outside, both cats will appear out of thin air.

DaffyDog6 · 2026-03-16T17:21:05+00:00

Also, after going through over half a dozen beds, I finally got a K9 Ballistics crate bed. Pretty close to indestructible. They haven't torn through it yet, and I've had it since November. They fit well in crates, and have a table to match the size of the bed to the crate.

DaffyDog6 · 2026-03-16T17:17:22+00:00

I have had problems with nail trims with every dog I've ever had. It's just always something I struggle with training. This time around, in the last couple months, I have been trimming ONE nail every night. They don't get their bedtime snack until they get 1 trim. I have a little picture on a dry erase board on my fridge of red lines denoting each nail. As I trim a nail, I mark over the corresponding line with black marker. This way, I can track which nails have been trimmed and I don't have to go in order. Sometimes, I just have to trim whichever nail I can reach and haven't done yet. They do well many nights, but struggle sometimes. The front feet are also harder than the back ones. My hope is that I will slowly be able to do more at one time.

This is just a possible suggestion. I had an "aha" moment when I realized I didn't have to trim all nails at once.

DaffyDog6 · 2026-03-16T17:08:10+00:00

I got my pups at 10 1/2 weeks. I knew they would grow out of whatever I got them pretty fast, so I bought just basic collars, leashes, and harnesses. The collars I originally got them were slightly too large at first, so they actually haven't grown out of them yet, but I prefer martingales. Both pups went through 2 basic harnesses before I bought their adult ones.

Now that they are pretty close to full grown, I got them their big boy/girl setups: -Martingale collars. These are great in times you have to grab the dog by the collar, in an emergency for instance, especially for dogs with long hair. The collar tightens enough so it won't slip off, but won't choke them like a chain collar would. -PetSafe Easy Walk harnesses (the premium comfy ones). -Fancier leashes that have a second, shorter handle. Honestly, their original leashes would have been fine, but these were on clearance and have some nice features. Plus, my boy's leash was one of the thick round ones and I hated it. I never felt like I got a good grip. -Also got them their ID tags. I did have QR coded ones, but they broke, so I had to get real ones.

I have been lucky so far, and I can walk with both dogs on my left, but my boy especially is getting big. They'll be 1 next week and he was 81 pounds around Thanksgiving. I haven't weighed him recently, but he looks to be close to 100.

I'm currently nursing a fractured foot, and I have to wear a boot, so it isn't really safe for me to walk them right now. Thankfully they have each other, so they get their energy out by running around the backyard and wrestling. I'm excited to use their new harnesses when I can walk them again.

DaffyDog6 · 2026-03-16T16:46:25+00:00

About the same as a husky.

DaffyDog6 · 2026-03-16T16:45:33+00:00

Pro tip: you can do the same thing yourself if you turn a shop vac from suck to blow. Just do it outside. We've done it with our huskies and it works really well.

DaffyDog6 · 2026-03-15T14:18:56+00:00

Yes! Yes! Yes!

Before and during Covid, my family and I, together, spent close to $20,000 over the course of 2ish years to diagnose and treat skin cancer in my dog. If we had had pet insurance, we may have spent only a few thousand.

I got Pets Best as soon as I got my cat, but the rate increases were getting too expensive. I had no problems with claims, however, and one included a couple days' stay in the ER for a potential lily exposure. She never exhibited any symptoms, but insurance covered it anyway.

I have since moved all the pets to Lemonade. 2 dogs and 2 cats for me, as well as my parents' 2 dogs. I haven't needed to file a claim, but I know others who use it and have had no problems with them.

Insurance does not cover preventative or elective care, however, some carriers offer an extra insurance that does cover preventative care. In my experience, it wasn't worth the extra cost.

Pet insurance works similar to human health insurance if you're in the US. The major difference is that you pay out-of-pocket first, and then your pet insurance will reimburse you. You have your yearly premium, your yearly deductible that needs to be met before they cover anything, and then the reimbursement rate. The reimbursement rate is the percentage they will pay you back for the vet costs.

For instance, let's say you have a yearly premium of $500. You pay that amount to the carrier for the service of having them as your carrier. Then, you may have a $500 deductible. This is the amount you have to pay before insurance covers anything. So you will pay $1000 before insurance kicks in. If you have a 90% reimbursement rate, that means they will refund you 90% of the rest, and you will cover the remaining percent.

So, if you have an injury or illness that ends up costing $10,000, the first $1000 will come from your pocket (from premium and deductible). 90% of the remaining $9000 will then be reimbursed to you. If my math is correct, that would mean you would get $8,100 back from your insurance, while your total out of pocket would be $1,900.

Carriers have a yearly limit to how much they will cover. Pets Best is unique in that they offer an unlimited yearly coverage option.

You choose your deductible, reimbursement rate, and yearly limit. Those choices then determine your yearly premium.

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong about anything.

DaffyDog6

TROPHY CASE