a small brown dog lays under a blacket

Ask Crystal: Early Rising Dog Starts the Day on the Wrong Side of the Bed

Dear Crystal, My dog sleeps in her crate at night. She’s quiet through the night, but barks every morning at 6am. I take her outside to potty right before bed. She’s started this early morning barking in the last few weeks. At first,…
a fluffy white and black dog urinates behind a tree

Ask Crystal: Potty Training From Scratch

Dear Crystal, Hi, we took in a 12-week old pet store male Labrador. He was given to us from a friend that couldn’t keep him any longer. I’ve had trouble getting him potty trained. Funny thing is, I take him out to the spot and he…

Ask Crystal: How to Make the Crate Great!

Dear Crystal,  I have a 6-month-old puppy. He will be calm and collected in the crate as long as he sees me or my partner. If he doesn’t see any of us, he will begin to bark nonstop. He also is very destructive with anything we…
Looking through a wet window on a dog laying on a couch

Ask Crystal: Rainy Day Poo Blues

Dear Crystal, When we got our 10-week-old puppy almost 2 weeks ago it started raining. At our house, anyway, it rained till last Saturday. I would take my pup out almost every hour, but he simply would sit between my feet and not “do…
a brown and white puppy lays on tje floor asleep surrounded by dog toys

Ask Crystal: Puppy Routine for a Good Night’s Sleep

Hi Crystal, Thank you for letting me ask you a question or 2. I have a two-month-old puppy. We're trying to get her to sleep in the crate at night.  After she's in there for about an hour or so she'll start to cry and then my wife will…

Ask Crystal: New Dog Slow to Warm up

Dear Crystal,  We’ve just adopted rescue 3-year-old dog. We already had a year old Leonberger who has a lot of puppy energy. They got along and played fine at the rescue playground, but once brought home the new adopted dog stays on…
a black young dog lays in the grass outside

Ask Crystal: When House Training Hits a Roadblock

Dear Crystal, I have a 5-month-old puppy that was doing great at housebreaking. The last month no matter what I do he refuses to use the bathroom outside. Even taking him when I know he needs to go. Even using crate training/housebreaking.…
white dog with black spots and ears stands nose to nose with a short haired tan dog

Ask Crystal: New Roommates Take Time to Warm up

Dear Crystal,  I recently adopted a new dog. My current dog (female, 1.5 years old) is nervous around him but not exactly aggressive. She just has a lot of fears (ex. growls or barks a lot at outside noises) but she has never been aggressive…
A light brown puppy wearing a collar and leash lays in green grass

Ask Crystal: One Step at a Time

Dear Crystal,  My 6-month pup constantly sits or lays down on a walk. Treats can get him going a little. What can I do to work on this?  Sincerely,  Stubborn Pup    Dear Stubborn, This can be a very embarrassing…
small brown dog looks out a window

Ask Crystal: Sir Barks A Lot

Dear Crystal,  I have a long-haired mini-dachshund - Sugar - who is barking a lot. He likes to sit on the back of the couch and bark at passers-by. He barks when we are on leash walking. The most annoying habit is barking at anyone coming…