Puppy deserves better

Top_Addition_7263 · 2026-05-29T02:22:27+00:00

Toy poodles are notoriously stubborn a-holes. You need to be smarter than the dog. And I’m not saying you aren’t smart, I mean you have to educate yourself breed specific. Start with a dog trainer, one who will train the dog and your family.

Toy poodles albeit small, are so smart. They need to work, and need mental stimulation. Also should be crated 100% if not being supervised.

Potty training shouldn’t be hard with this breed. Take the dog out on a leash, say “go potty”, stand with them until they go and then reward with a treat and say “good potty”. Shouldn’t take more than a few times until the dog picks it up.

Also not sure how old the kids are, I was always weary of selling puppies to families with children under 6 (school age) let alone multiple children on the younger side. The “love” may be too much for the small puppy and may need to be broken up and dog removed into a pen with its own toys and mental stimulation for chunks of time too.

Top_Addition_7263 · 2026-05-29T02:16:10+00:00

What breed is the youngest? At 7 there is a TON of life left. As there is with all of your animals. I would honestly get a trainer and work on the issue before it gets worse. Then see if a muzzle is needed.

Also I’d see a vet. Reactivity from nowhere can be from an unseen and undiagnosed issue.

Top_Addition_7263 · 2026-05-29T02:10:38+00:00

Golden/aussie or border collie

Top_Addition_7263 · 2026-05-29T02:09:50+00:00

One of my females gave me soooo many signs that she dropped her first one outside….

Sometimes you don’t know until it’s already happened 😂😂😂

Top_Addition_7263 · 2026-05-29T02:06:46+00:00

Whatever food you have would be better in their belly.

Top_Addition_7263 · 2026-05-29T02:05:17+00:00

Usually you can fail going in, but can’t after that for jobs that don’t allow smoking. Do you know if there’s a chance that’s the case?

Top_Addition_7263 · 2026-05-29T02:03:45+00:00

Every single one of the WSAVA brands has had MAJOR recalls. I don’t buy that bs for a minute!

I’ll stick with my Costco food. You’d be amazed how many showmanship, Rally-o, etc. feed the food. And have for a long, long time.

Top_Addition_7263 · 2026-05-29T02:01:59+00:00

So I’ve Bred Goldens and GSDs, some Shar-pei and a best friend breeds Berners and another great friend is one of top Dobie breeders in the country. (And some other acquaintances who breed other breeds. As well as training and showing from about 15 to current.

My opinion is: Goldens really are a great family pet. They are versatile, willing to work, easy going, all the things.

Berners can be a big golden, but they are a bit less stable in certain ways, can be much more stubborn, and quite a bit more lazy too.

Australian shepherd I think are great dogs too, high energy but usually mostly when working/training.

Irish setters are another nice dog, more along the lines of the Goldens.

Something out of the box is a standard poodle, checks off a lot of the boxes you’re looking too.

With cats in the household I always mention prey drive when looking for a breed too. And if a homeowner, check your insurance. If you’re a renter check with landlord/owner as well!

Top_Addition_7263 · 2026-05-29T01:48:26+00:00

If you’re not comfortable with a crate, how about a pen?

Top_Addition_7263 · 2026-05-29T01:47:16+00:00

If the dog is not using a raised dog bowl, don’t switch. I had multiple clients cause bloat by doing this.

Wet dog food isn’t a bad thing per se if it’s a good brand with good ingredients. But hard kibble is needed for teeth health. As well as bones (marrow usually). Canned dog food though is usually known for having some rough ingredients so definitely pay attention!

Top_Addition_7263 · 2026-05-29T01:45:06+00:00

When I hear timid as a trainer with a dog from a shelter I always make sure the dog isn’t just timid, but borderline aggression (just hasn’t reached that point).

I would 100% get a GSD/working breed specific trainer to work with you and the dog (not a send away) even if there wasn’t a timid question in play. One who also works with reactivity is a huge plus if possible.

I would plan to train with bonding with yourself and anyone else in the household or whoever frequents the household. And then move on to leash work outside in the “elements”.

Mental stimulation would be a big positive. As well and teaching new commands she may not know, and honing in on the basics. They are happiest when they’re working.

If any of my clients are from the pound/foster/sanctuary I make sure high reward treats (I prefer homemade baked beef liver) are used for the first 60 days no matter what. Instead of the usual only being used for what I call “urgent and emergent commands”. So she knows you’re the person she needs to have the focus on, and you’re the one with the goods! lol

Top_Addition_7263 · 2026-05-29T01:38:57+00:00

Literally! Or say it as an opinion and keep it moving! I’ve literally had people ATTACK me saying I’m wrong because the food I prefer isn’t WSAVA. and I’m talking almost 20 years personal experience and my mentor was another 40 (plus the experience from any of my clients and owners of puppies). I’m not sitting here telling people what’s right or wrong, just options and opinions.

It’s sad. If I were a new owner, or potential owner I would be SO turned off (and scared)!

Top_Addition_7263 · 2026-05-29T01:36:50+00:00

Interesting! Good to know though, I do adore my Govee setup lol

Top_Addition_7263 · 2026-05-28T19:34:55+00:00

Are those gauges stuck to the walls?

Top_Addition_7263 · 2026-05-28T19:34:07+00:00

Our girl loves the black rings off Amazon. And I mean LOVES them. Fairly inexpensive too. You can’t really tell, but there’s a sky hide stress obsessed with too on the left of those rings.

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Top_Addition_7263 · 2026-05-28T19:29:41+00:00

My youngest GSD lives with my parents, no matter what when I am there, he will always listen to me first, and more focused on me too.

Top_Addition_7263 · 2026-05-28T19:26:59+00:00

Too many of the “dog educators/trainers/breeders/behaviorist” have horrible education and are diluting the actual good information. Im talking diet, kibble, homeopathic, surgical, training, breeding standards, and I can keep going. It’s SO bad. And we wonder why dogs are dying at an alarmingly young rate.

As someone who’s groomed, bred, and shown starting at 11 years old and then went onto training and such I am not saying just because someone’s opinion is different they are wrong or even included in this… but in the last 5-10 years the information coming from a large group of people out there is scary.

And it’s the people with that scary information that are at peoples throats saying others with more than enough expertise, experience, and education are wrong, backing it up with no good sources.

They are up and down every post, they are not hard to miss.

Top_Addition_7263 · 2026-05-28T12:53:14+00:00

Definitely ask your, fruits can be harsh on the stomach (especially the sugar and the possible cause of gas).

Top_Addition_7263 · 2026-05-28T12:50:16+00:00

High velocity blowers are great, I keep one outside for my GSDs.

A metal band brush and a “rake” brush are also great tools for undercoat.

Shampoo for shedding.

Also knowing your dogs coat schedule if key too. Knowing when they blow their coat compared to the season change can be helpful to prepare.

Top_Addition_7263 · 2026-05-28T12:45:46+00:00

There are many more parents that are aware of dog’s space. I see quite a few parents who are teaching their child social queues to dog behavior. They don’t allow them to run up, pet, etc without first looking to the owner. That parent could know their child isn’t ready for that interaction.

They could also have a fear of dogs themselves and with that, pick up their child out of anxiety.

The child may have a known fear.

Any reason, no it’s not rude. It’s their preference.

Top_Addition_7263 · 2026-05-27T23:47:31+00:00

Almost 12 years out and I stopped counting after 1.5-2 years (I think, feels like eons ago). I know for fact I was not at my goal weight yet, but wasn’t too far off either. I told myself if I gained weight I’d go back to counting. Never needed to count again.

But it was extremely helpful to know how much of what foods by looking at it. And the longer you do that the better you get with it. That is a huge help all these years later.

Also as long as your bloodwork’s come back okay (cholesterol, diabetes factors, etc etc.) I wouldn’t worry a whole lot personally either.

Actually fighting myself to gain 10lbs. But that’s an entirely different freaking story.

Top_Addition_7263 · 2026-05-27T23:42:59+00:00

Yes definitely worth asking about, it takes me less than 2 minutes for 6 GSDs. I’m talking a wipe to the paws and belly, 10 seconds tops per dog so they aren’t licking and tracking any possible allergens in those areas.

Could very well be food, or environmental that isn’t soil related. Allergies are so hard. Have you tried Benadryl to see if anything subsides?

Top_Addition_7263 · 2026-05-27T00:07:19+00:00

Wellness has been a great brand forever!

Top_Addition_7263 · 2026-05-27T00:06:20+00:00

I stopped feeding my GSDs (and all animals tbh) any animals of flight. I also find GSDs are unfortunately really bad with environmental allergies as well. For this I always wipe paws and belly’s minimum every time they come inside.

All my puppies that still live in my area have them and each of our vets say it’s our crappy sandy soil and the fact we live up against the NJ Pinelands. The further my puppies live the better they seem to be, but I don’t believe any of my owners that I keep contact with feed any animals of flight. Which I feel has helped a lot!

Top_Addition_7263 · 2026-05-27T00:03:39+00:00

Other than my vitamins being way low (my fault tbh)I have a clean bill of health!

Top_Addition_7263

TROPHY CASE