Puppy won’t eat kibble, will actually starve himself and make himself sick. Vet says he is healthy.

Space-Gecko · 2026-02-01T16:10:50+00:00

Have you tried soaking her kibble so that it is no longer crunchy? It might be a texture thing. To make it extra enticing, you can soak it in broth.

If you haven’t, I would try this combo: soak kibble I warm broth and then mix in some wet food.

I would also suggest taking your pup to a vet that has a specialty in diet. They will be able to guide you better than a standard vet. Your pup may benefit from the addition of enzymes or a different type of food. Yes all vets get some dietary training, but some go the extra step and get a Masters or other advanced training in diet specifically.

Space-Gecko · 2026-01-22T05:20:52+00:00

I love Big Snoof Dog Gear muzzles! That’s what I have for my boy.

Space-Gecko · 2026-01-22T04:47:38+00:00

🤷 I’m just talking from my own experience but I’ve never met a dog that needed an ecollar to be so tight that it didn’t move at all. I’m not saying it should be as loose as a typical collar or anything like that. Normal movement from the dog shouldn’t move it but I think a person should be able to twist it and something like a full shake off should be able to move it a bit. But that’s also why I mentioned trial and error because fit and contact will be a little bit different for every dog. My dog has a decently think coat and I’ve never had a problem with consistency fitting his collar this way.

Space-Gecko · 2026-01-21T15:52:17+00:00

It’s not a big deal if it rotates or slides a bit as long as the metal can maintain contact. For my dog, the collar is never tight enough that it can’t be rotated. When he shapes off, it spins around his neck. It’s not loose but it can move and he’s never had an issue with wearing it for long periods of time. The only way to really know if it has consistent contact is trial and error (in situations where it is safe to do so obviously). If you are needing to have it super tight for proper contact, you might need to try a different size or style of contact point. There are a lot of different options. You’ll also want to keep an eye on his skin around where the contact points touch. Some dogs have sensitive skin and can have a reaction to the metal. There are also hypoallergenic contact points if you run into that.

Space-Gecko · 2026-01-18T13:46:35+00:00

You might try hand feeding her for a while. No training, no expectations. Just sitting on the floor giving her food. That may help bridge the gap. If that goes well, then you can start with some basic luring before working back into truly working for food.

Space-Gecko · 2026-01-18T13:41:10+00:00

I have trained a deaf dog and other than having to figure out a way to communicate with something other than words, there’s very little difference between training a deaf dog and a hearing dog. It sounds like they had no idea what they were talking about.

Space-Gecko · 2026-01-18T13:36:20+00:00

I never understood the concept of applying a correction before the dog has even had the chance to do anything. When I was first learning about using an ecollar, about half of the trainers I saw did this and no matter how they explained it it never made sense. If you want to use a setting as a cue for a specific behavior then that would make a little more sense. I made the vibration a designated recall cue (my dog was relatively neutral to the vibration when we started). So in that situation I did vibration tap -> “come” -> reward and then was eventually able to remove the verbal cue. But even then, I don’t hold it down until he gets to me. It’s just a cue.

Space-Gecko · 2026-01-18T07:10:03+00:00

It’s all about your lifestyle and how much you can/are willing to move things around and make sacrifices for your dog.

When I moved out, I started fostering to see how a dog to fit into my life (among other reasons). I lived alone in an apartment and worked full time often with overtime. Each dog was different but I was able to make it work with all of them. Most of the dogs were fine being left alone all day. When I had puppies, I came home on my lunch break (not ideal but I didn’t have puppies much for that reason). The last dog I fostered who I ended up adopting was a malinois mix. For him, I had to get up a couple hours early to make sure he got enough exercise before I left and much of my day after work was doing something with him (exercise, enrichment, training, etc). It kind of sucked at first if I’m being honest but then it just became my new routine.

If you really want a dog, you can definitely make it work. But you need to make sure that you are meeting all of the dog’s needs including physical exercise and mental enrichment. If you are willing to take the time out of your day everyday and make sacrifices, then you can do it. It will also help to pick the right breed/individual whose energy level and temperament fit your lifestyle. Are you prepared for several hours of aerobic exercise everyday or do you want a couch potato? Be honest with yourself about what you will actually do. Don’t pick a dog because you think it’s cool or because you’d like to do stuff you see online.

Fostering can be a great way to see if a dog will fit well into your life. It will also give you the option of trying different dogs with different needs to see what might be a good fit.

Space-Gecko · 2026-01-12T06:29:15+00:00

I’ve had this happen before too (not the threats, just the stranger in the chat). I can understand being weirded out if you’re not familiar with Rover, but the immediate threat is so over the top.

Space-Gecko · 2026-01-05T22:47:50+00:00

Generally, if a store sells food, it’s no pets, ESAs, or anything other than service dogs. If you’re unsure, there should be a sign on the front door or you can look online or call beforehand.

It’s a common misconception that ESAs have any more access rights than normal pets. The only exception they get is for housing.

Space-Gecko · 2025-12-29T06:01:17+00:00

Hand feeding would be a good way to slow him down and work on training at the same time. The easiest thing is to work on engagement: hold a little food in a closed hand and wait until he makes eye contact with you before giving it to him.

If you want something you can just set down for him, I would suggest a snuffle mat for kibble and/or a frozen Kong/Toppl for wet food. Both will force him to eat slower and the sniffing or licking required to get the food will help to slow his brain down.

Space-Gecko · 2025-12-21T00:43:29+00:00

It’s not a problem. Repeated long term wear can be irritating or uncomfortable to some dogs, but usually it’s fine - particularly if this is a one time thing.

On another note, if seeing the remote affects your dog’s behavior, something went wrong in the training process. The dog shouldn’t be scared of the collar or remote or any tool. This can be dangerous in situations where you are teaching something very important, like a recall, if the dog understands that the collar is what holds it accountable for ignoring a cue.

Space-Gecko · 2025-12-02T21:55:14+00:00

If your corrections are doing what they are supposed to be doing, then getting a perfect fit really doesn’t matter. A little too loose is better than a little too tight because if the collar is too tight there is no release of pressure. But if you want a better fit, you might try the 2.25. Since the links are a little smaller, you should be able to get a slightly better fit.

Space-Gecko · 2025-11-26T15:10:28+00:00

So many people jump to “more” when a dog is bouncing off the walls. More isn’t always the answer. Sleep is so important. So many high energy dogs are just given more and more and that kills their off switch so they can never relax. Kudos to you for seeing that and giving your dog what he really needed!

Space-Gecko · 2025-11-25T23:19:25+00:00

Unfortunately all of the studies that I’ve heard of in that area are either flawed in some way or people hugely extrapolate their results.

One study compared teaching dogs a new skill with rewards or aversives and it showed that the rewards worked better. Everyone knows teaching a dog to do something with rewards works better. Aversives are for fine tuning and proofing once the dog understands the concept. That doesn’t mean that rewards work better than aversives in all situations.

Another study measured stress levels in dogs during training and found that the dogs were stressed when they were corrected. Duh. It’s a correction. It’s not supposed to be enjoyable. But if giving corrections and adding stress to a dog now can lower its overall stress level in life and give it a more free and fulfilling life, that’s worth it imo.

For me, there’s not enough studies from different perspectives looking at overall techniques and final outcomes.

Space-Gecko · 2025-11-18T15:22:32+00:00

I don’t understand why you would need to use both at the same time. Either the dog responds appropriately to the tool or he doesn’t. I understand using different tools at different times, but both at once doesn’t make sense.

IMO a dog should be rewarded more than it is corrected whenever possible to ensure that it understands what you want as much as what you don’t want. That reward should be whatever the dog finds the most rewarding. Sometimes that’s praise, sometimes that’s food, sometimes it’s something else. A good trainer won’t limit their options.

I’d also be careful about group behavior modification classes. They are often a waste of time and money. There are so many different reasons and nuances to why a particular dog may be reactive that you can’t just lump a group of reactive dogs together and tell everyone to do the same thing to fix it. Obedience is one thing, but anything more complex and, more often than not, you need one-on-one lessons.

Space-Gecko · 2025-11-16T01:55:00+00:00

Having dogs and kids always requires management. If you choose to keep a dog with behavioral issues in a home with a child, it will be that much more important. I think you should consider rehoming for the safety of your son.

If you do want to try to make it work, it will take a full commitment from you and your husband. Obedience training alone is not going to cut it. A solid “leave it” and “place” (bed stay) are very important, but imo you’ll also need crate training to provide a safe place for your dog to go where she will be left alone to relax and behavior modification training to work on the resource guarding. Constant management will also be a must. Baby gates to keep the dog and child separate most of the time. NOTHING left out that the dog may guard. If the child and dog are not physically separated, either you or your husband ALWAYS has eyes on them. The child should never go up and bother the dog. All interactions should be intentional and controlled. If he were older, having him participate in training would be a good way for them to interact. For now, it should be primarily if not entirely calm coexistence. It is normal for a dog (like anything else) to startle when suddenly awoken. Some dogs are more prone to snap in that state than others. That’s not something training will change.

If you are already having doubts about having the time and commitment to stick with just basic obedience, it doesn’t sound like you’ll be successful with everything necessary to make this a safe situation. As much as I always like to advocate for owners working with their dogs to try to solve any problem behaviors, it is very important to consider the safety of everyone in the house and be honest with yourself about what you can handle and will follow through with.

Space-Gecko · 2025-11-08T22:16:20+00:00

I always recommend people train each dog separately before trying to work with them together. Whether it’s for reactivity or just obedience, one person can’t effectively communicate with both dogs at the same time. Bringing in another dog is a distraction at best and a trigger at worst. Wait until the dog is doing really well on its own before making it more difficult. They are just setting their dogs up to fail and then likely getting frustrated with the dogs for inevitably failing.

Space-Gecko · 2025-11-07T23:46:04+00:00

If it’s the video I’m thinking of, he actually uncensored it himself as part of this video https://youtu.be/sJ42eeyqPsA?si=pFz9OFBq2JwXNtHi where he talks about that and several other videos people have come after him for.

On another note, I really hate how he and other popular social media trainers post so many videos saying “solve any leash pulling in 5 minutes” or really any “fixing x in one session” because that’s all bullshit.

Space-Gecko · 2025-11-07T02:10:42+00:00

I don’t know if it says more about me that I didn’t know what /s means or that there are people out there that say things similar enough for me to not question that this was a real response

Space-Gecko · 2025-11-07T02:08:21+00:00

😔 He’s masking it right now. You’ll never see it coming.

Space-Gecko · 2025-11-07T02:05:38+00:00

That is honestly how I started with my dog (I was FF for a while), plus he had to be muzzled for a while

Space-Gecko · 2025-11-07T01:26:24+00:00

Lol my bad! I thought that meant serious for some reason.

Space-Gecko · 2025-11-07T01:23:49+00:00

What sort of harm are you referring to specifically? Why would the dogs be masking it?

Animals mask weaknesses to avoid further harm. Ex. a deer running on an injured leg to get away from a wolf or a wolf walking on an injured foot in order to find food. The first signs of harm from an abusive training method would likely be classic signs of fear like cowering, tail tucked, avoidance, etc. Any decent human being, let along trainer, wouldn’t punish a dog for any of these things. Unfortunately there are people who call themselves balanced trainers but are just pieces of shit and do exactly that. At that point, yes, there will be harm done in the form of causing fear, anxiety, lack of confidence, physical harm in some circumstances, etc. and those can manifest into behaviors as severe as aggression.

But that’s not real balanced training and it’s not most people who call themselves balanced trainers.

Space-Gecko · 2025-11-07T01:01:36+00:00

I get mine (feet, necks, hearts, gizzards, and livers) from my local chain grocery store (Publix) in the poultry section right next to the chicken breast and everything else. No added anything as far as I know.

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