The best way to tell if your dog has worms or some other type of internal parasite would be to take a fecal sample into your local veterinarian to be checked! You can certainly see worms in their stool. Tapeworms are flat and can look like rice in their poop, and roundworms will be the spaghetti looking type. Your veterinarian will run a fecal test to determine what parasite your dog may have and send you with the appropriate dewormer.

However, diarrhea, vomiting, and scooting can all be signs of parasites, so keep your eye out and monitor your pets stools!

Coughing can be almost always be narrowed down to three things, two of which are pretty significant.

1. Allergies. Just like humans, dogs can suffer from food or environmental allergies that can essentially end up with a cough.

2. Kennel cough. While they make a vaccine for this (Bordetella), dogs can still occasionally get it. This is going to sound like a dry, hacking cough as if they are trying to bring something up. Kennel cough is viral and extremely contagious, so regardless of what he/she might have, it is very important to take them to the vet in order to rule this out. They can pick it up from dog parks, boarding facilities, apartment complexes, or from being around another dog that is carrying the virus.

3. Heart disease. This is probably the most serious one, and the main reason I am going to ask you to take your pup to the vet. Heart disease can be there for a long time before any symptoms show, so once they begin coughing, it's most of the time going to mean starting life-long meds. Another heart condition that could cause coughing are heartworms. This is why your dog needs monthly preventative. Once they get heartworms, treatment is very expensive to treat, and it's a very difficult treatment for your dog.

So, my recommendation is to take your dog to the vet to ensure that it's nothing major!

However, you can give your dog Children's Robitussin for coughing as an aid to help them feel better.

Limping can be caused by many different things, both minor and major. As Paige mentioned above, you should certainly examine your pups paws/legs to ensure there are no cuts/pokes/sticker burrs buried anywhere on their leg. However, while you can examine your dogs leg to try to pin-point the source of the pain, this is something veterinarians are trained to do as orthopedic exams, and I would highly recommend taking your pup to the vet to have this done. If you can pinpoint the location of the pain on your own, that is great. But your veterinarian is going to be able to tell whether or not the pain is caused by something like a torn ACL, a luxating patella, or if there is just simple join swelling caused by too much exercise. After they perform the orthopedic exam, they will go forward with their treatment, and 9/10 will send your pup on an anti-inflammatory and/or pain medication to relieve some of the swelling and pain to help them recover faster. A lot of times with limb injuries, waiting too long can be detrimental to the damage already caused, so I don't recommend waiting too long. But if your pup seems to be recovering well, you can certainly monitor at home for a couple of days if you are comfortable.

Speedy recovery to your pup!

Unfortunately, it is not easy for a veterinarian to determine if a dog is pregnant until after a certain time of their pregnancy, and even then it's not certain. There is no pee-stick for pets, unfortunately.

A great way to estimate your dogs age is by their teeth, although this is something typically better performed by a veterinarian. Keep in mind, however, that this is always a guess, and unfortunately there is no way of truly knowing how old your dog is if you don't have records of it's past.

Most illnesses like colds are species specific, meaning you cannot give to your dog and your dog cannot give to you - or a cat. However, remember that a lot of times colds in humans are gotten because of a sudden change in temperature or environment, and this is the same for dogs. So both you and your dog could have a cold because of this!

However, you CAN carry in viruses or parasites from the outside in to your dogs environment which can cause them to get sick. This is why it is so important to have your pets fully vaccinated and on flea/tick/heartworm preventative!

A great way to estimate your dogs age is by their teeth, although this is something typically better performed by a veterinarian. Keep in mind, however, that this is always a guess, and unfortunately there is no way of truly knowing how old your dog is if you don't have records of it's past.

If you feel like you deserve a refund because of a bad experience with Rover or your Sitter/Walker, definitely contact Rover support and explain your issues! They love making their customers happy, but will not cover things that are your fault (ei. if you tell your sitter to leave your dog out of their crate, and your dog destroys your house).

TREATS TREATS, LOTS OF TREATS!

Using your pups favorite treat as an incentive to move forward, and a reward when they do, will ultimately teach them that by walking along with you, they will earn their most favorite prize!

This is a tough question, and I understand how frustrating it is for you!

My main recommendation for you is going to be lots of patience and positive reinforcement. If your dog is barking while on walks, make sure to take lots of your pups favorite treats and begin practicing. Come up with a key word to get your dog to focus on you and ***nothing else***, and every time you pass a dog, use this command. If it works and your pup pays attention to you and does not bark, reward them with a treat. If not, redirect them away from the situation in a calm manner and try again. Again, this will require a lot of patience on both of your ends!

Another thing you can try, that I personally don't have any experience with, are bark collars. They make specific collars that will squirt water or citronella (or any other safe, bad smelling product) in your pups face every time they bark. They will soon see barking as something that is followed by a bad experience.

Last, I know this is not going to be very popular, but it is up to you to do it responsibly, is a shock collar. If your dog is getting to the point where you can't enjoy going out and both you and your pup are miserable and scaring those around you, you can try a properly used shock collar, that surprise, doesn't just shock your pup. It can work hand in hand with my first method, but when your pup starts barking a light shock/buzz can deter them from doing so. Most shock collars come with different settings - a beep, a vibration, and a shock. You should start with the beep overtime they bark. If they do not stop, move to the buzz, and if no change, then do a light shock depending on the size of your dog. Soon, they'll start remembering that a beep leads to a buzz and then a shock, and shortly you will only need to beep for them to know their behavior needs to be changed. This, along with tons of positive reinforcement when they are doing well is a great plan - as long as you are responsible and use the collar well.

Best of luck!

Hi Sarah, if you are still looking for advice, I love the PetSafe Easy Walk Harness. Unlike most harnesses, it clips in the front of the chest, and when they pull it turns their body back to you, which ultimately completely eliminates pulling!

Best of luck!

Ps. If possible, buy it on Amazon! It's generally about half the price on there than in stores!

I love love love and therefore always recommend Natures Miracle. It works amazing getting not only smell and stains out, but to completely remove any trace of potty issues from your surfaces so that your pup can't smell them and try to use the same spot again. I'm not sure how well it would work on blood, but it should at least get rid of the smell that attracts animals to the spot. I second using cat litter to soak it up, but just be cautious that some dogs are attracted to the smell of litter.

I love love love and therefore always recommend Natures Miracle. It works amazing getting not only smell and stains out, but to completely remove any trace of potty issues from your surfaces so that your pup can't smell them and try to use the same spot again. Not only that, but it is safe to all surfaces and especially to your pets and family!

I completely understand your concerns. Eating rocks or any other sort of foreign object is a good way for them to catch a disease/parasite, or chip their teeth, but most concerning, it is a good way to get an abdominal obstruction which many times requires surgery.

Because of that, I will be very honest with you. Getting the pup to curb this habit is going to be a long tricky process that will require a lot of patience and training on your (and the owners) part. First and foremost, you must never leave her outside where they can reach the rocks unsupervised, and you must always be watchful while on walks. With that, it is important that you always have treats/toys or whatever the dog enjoys most. Every time she reaches for a rock, you will give your command (drop/leave/watch or whatever you would like) for them to leave the rock alone and instead focus on you. When they do this successfully, give them their prize and lots of praise. The key part, you must do this every single time. Puppies are very easy to train if you are doing it correctly, and most of them are easily trained away from bad habits with nothing but love and treats!

I know its tedious, but it is so important that you curb her behavior before it becomes permanent.

Best of luck!

I completely understand your concerns. Eating rocks or any other sort of foreign object is a good way for them to catch a disease/parasite, or chip their teeth, but most concerning, it is a good way to get an abdominal obstruction which many times requires surgery.

Because of that, I will be very honest with you. Getting the pup to curb this habit is going to be a long tricky process that will require a lot of patience and training on your (and the owners) part. First and foremost, you must never leave the dog outside where they can reach the rocks unsupervised. With that, it is important that you always have treats/toys or whatever the dog enjoys most. Every time the dog reaches for a rock, you will give your command (drop/leave/watch or whatever you would like) for them to leave the rock alone and instead focus on you. When they do this successfully, give them their prize and lots of praise. The key part, you must do this every single time.

I know its tedious, and doesn't necessarily mean that it will work for good, sometimes once a dog settles on a behavior it can be nearly impossible to change it, but it is the only way.

Best of luck!

This is a tough question, and I understand how frustrating it is for you!

My main recommendation for you is going to be lots of patience and positive reinforcement. If your dog is barking while on walks, make sure to take lots of your pups favorite treats and begin practicing. Come up with a key word to get your dog to focus on you and ***nothing else***, and every time you pass a dog, use this command. If it works and your pup pays attention to you and does not bark, reward them with a treat. If not, redirect them away from the situation in a calm manner and try again. Again, this will require a lot of patience on both of your ends!

Another thing you can try, that I personally don't have any experience with, are bark collars. They make specific collars that will squirt water or citronella (or any other safe, bad smelling product) in your pups face every time they bark. They will soon see barking as something that is followed by a bad experience.

Last, I know this is not going to be very popular, but it is up to you to do it responsibly, is a shock collar. If your dog is getting to the point where you can't enjoy going out and both you and your pup are miserable and scaring those around you, you can try a properly used shock collar, that surprise, doesn't just shock your pup. It can work hand in hand with my first method, but when your pup starts barking a light shock/buzz can deter them from doing so. Most shock collars come with different settings - a beep, a vibration, and a shock. You should start with the beep overtime they bark. If they do not stop, move to the buzz, and if no change, then do a light shock depending on the size of your dog. Soon, they'll start remembering that a beep leads to a buzz and then a shock, and shortly you will only need to beep for them to know their behavior needs to be changed. This, along with tons of positive reinforcement when they are doing well is a great plan - as long as you are responsible and use the collar well.

Best of luck!

Throughout your entire pups life they should be getting the necessary nutrients, vitamins and minerals from their food (which is why it is so important that they be on a carefully selected diet). However, dogs can certainly benefit from extra vitamins and minerals as long as they are not in excess.

For example, dogs prone to arthritis and/or hip and joint issues could certainly benefit from a joint supplement with glucosamine and chondroitin, and this can be given early in the dogs life as a preventative measure.

I also give my dogs salmon oil (fish oil) to add some vitamins to their diet and to help their skin and hair.

Overall, as long as you are giving things in moderation, and consult with your veterinarian first to ensure your pet is healthy enough for whatever you want to give them, your pet could certainly benefit from some added nutrients.

9/10 when dogs hump they do so as a form of dominance. However, dogs can sometimes hump for sexual reasons, which a lot of times is the case when they hump objects such as pillows, toys, or beds. Is she spayed? This might have something to do with it, but not necessarily.

9/10 when dogs hump they do so as a form of dominance. Essentially, your dog is trying to show your cat that he is the boss around the house and a higher rank. If your dog is intact, a solution to this is to get him neutered. However, some dogs develop behaviors that stick around even after they have been fixed. However, dogs can hump for sexual relief, or attention, which is why they hump blankets, pillows, and in your pups case, the air.

First and foremost, I would recommend going to the veterinarian and having their body condition score examined, as it will give you an idea of just how much weight your pup needs to lose.

As for the task itself, there are plenty of dog foods aimed to help your pup lose weight, so getting on one of these is important. If your dog is not to the point where they need diet food, I would take a look at how much you are feeding them daily, and how many treats/scraps they get a day. It is very important in weight loss to stick to a plan and don't break it! If that means giving your dog 1/2 cup of food twice a day and only one treat, DO THAT! Because an extra treat here and an little bit of human food there really does add up and can be very detrimental to their weight loss!

Last but not least, dogs need plenty of exercise, just like us! So get out, go for a few extra walks, take a hike, and get your dog moving and burning calories!

The best way to tell if your dog has worms or some other type of internal parasite would be to take a fecal sample into your local veterinarian to be checked! However, diarrhea, vomiting, and scooting can all be signs of parasites, so keep your eye out and monitor your pets stools!

Most illnesses like colds are species specific, meaning you cannot give to your dog and your dog cannot give to you - or a cat. However, remember that a lot of times colds in humans are gotten because of a sudden change in temperature or environment, and this is the same for dogs. So both you and your dog could have a cold because of this!

However, you CAN carry in viruses or parasites from the outside in to your dogs environment which can cause them to get sick. This is why it is so important to have your pets fully vaccinated and on flea/tick/heartworm preventative!

This is a tough question, and I understand how frustrating it is for you!

My main recommendation for you is going to be lots of patience and positive reinforcement. If your dog is barking while on walks, make sure to take lots of your pups favorite treats and begin practicing. Come up with a key word to get your dog to focus on you and nothing else, and every time you pass a dog, use this command. If it works and your pup pays attention to you and does not bark, reward them with a treat. If not, redirect them away from the situation in a calm manner and try again. Again, this will require a lot of patience on both of your ends!

Another thing you can try, that I personally don't have any experience with, are bark collars. They make specific collars that will squirt water or citronella (or any other safe, bad smelling product) in your pups face every time they bark. They will soon see barking as something that is followed by a bad experience.

Last, I know this is not going to be very popular, but it is up to you to do it responsibly, is a shock collar. If your dog is getting to the point where you can't enjoy going out and both you and your pup are miserable and scaring those around you, you can try a properly used shock collar, that surprise, doesn't just shock your pup. It can work hand in hand with my first method, but when your pup starts barking a light shock/buzz can deter them from doing so. Most shock collars come with different settings - a beep, a vibration, and a shock. You should start with the beep overtime they bark. If they do not stop, move to the buzz, and if no change, then do a light shock depending on the size of your dog. Soon, they'll start remembering that a beep leads to a buzz and then a shock, and shortly you will only need to beep for them to know their behavior needs to be changed. This, along with tons of positive reinforcement when they are doing well is a great plan - as long as you are responsible and use the collar well.

Best of luck!

Most illnesses like colds are species specific, meaning you cannot give to your dog and your dog cannot give to you - or a cat. However, remember that a lot of times colds in humans are gotten because of a sudden change in temperature or environment, and this is the same for dogs. So both you and your dog could have a cold because of this!

This is a tough question, and I understand how frustrating it is for you!

My main recommendation for you is going to be lots of patience and positive reinforcement. If your dog is barking while on walks, make sure to take lots of your pups favorite treats and begin practicing. Come up with a key word to get your dog to focus on you and nothing else, and every time you pass a dog, use this command. If it works and your pup pays attention to you and does not bark, reward them with a treat. If not, redirect them away from the situation in a calm manner and try again. Again, this will require a lot of patience on both of your ends!

Another thing you can try, that I personally don't have any experience with, are bark collars. They make specific collars that will squirt water or citronella (or any other safe, bad smelling product) in your pups face every time they bark. They will soon see barking as something that is followed by a bad experience.

Last, I know this is not going to be very popular, but it is up to you to do it responsibly, is a shock collar. If your dog is getting to the point where you can't enjoy going out and both you and your pup are miserable and scaring those around you, you can try a properly used shock collar, that surprise, doesn't just shock your pup. It can work hand in hand with my first method, but when your pup starts barking a light shock/buzz can deter them from doing so. Most shock collars come with different settings - a beep, a vibration, and a shock. You should start with the beep overtime they bark. If they do not stop, move to the buzz, and if no change, then do a light shock depending on the size of your dog. Soon, they'll start remembering that a beep leads to a buzz and then a shock, and shortly you will only need to beep for them to know their behavior needs to be changed. This, along with tons of positive reinforcement when they are doing well is a great plan - as long as you are responsible and use the collar well.

Best of luck!

This really depends on your dogs breed! Most dogs have specific times when they are changing their coats, getting ready for either winter or summer. This can be caused by hotter/colder than usual weather in your area. This is the most common reason that dogs shed.

Dogs can also shed because their skin is lacking the nutrients it need to be healthy! You can try giving your pup some fish oil, coconut oil, or even a raw egg in their meal to help. I personally love the Salmon Oil made for pups that you can get on Amazon - it has helped my dogs and their shedding tremendously!

Not as common, dogs can also shed because they are sick or extremely stressed. Skin infections such as mange, immune disorders and even cancer can cause dogs to lose large amounts of hair in short periods of time. However, this is the least of my worries when it comes to shedding. I would recommend giving your pup a good bath and brush, or even getting them groomed, starting them on something for their skin and seeing if it improves. If it does not within a couple of weeks, then I would recommend taking them to the vet just to be on the safe side!Without seeing your pup, this is difficult to diagnose.

A bald spot could be caused by allergies that have made your pet itch a certain spot causing hair loss. This could sometimes also be related to fleas. On occasion, we do see dogs come in with mange (a skin disease) that causes hair loss in spots. This can be very contagious to you and other animals, so it is important to take your dog to the vet to ensure that this is not the case.

This really depends on your dogs breed! Most dogs have specific times when they are changing their coats, getting ready for either winter or summer. This can be caused by hotter/colder than usual weather in your area. This is the most common reason that dogs shed.

Dogs can also shed because their skin is lacking the nutrients it need to be healthy! You can try giving your pup some fish oil, coconut oil, or even a raw egg in their meal to help. I personally love the Salmon Oil made for pups that you can get on Amazon - it has helped my dogs and their shedding tremendously!

Not as common, dogs can also shed because they are sick or extremely stressed. Skin infections such as mange, immune disorders and even cancer can cause dogs to lose large amounts of hair in short periods of time. However, this is the least of my worries when it comes to shedding. I would recommend giving your pup a good bath and brush, or even getting them groomed, starting them on something for their skin and seeing if it improves. If it does not within a couple of weeks, then I would recommend taking them to the vet just to be on the safe side!

Some dogs just love to explore! They are curious about the world and this leads them to running away. If your pet is intact, they often will run away to chase a mate.

A lot of times, if you are trying to get your dog back inside and are calling them or chasing them, they will see this as a game - dogs love to play chase! They will see your attempts as enticing and will run away from you hoping you will chase them.

The most important thing if your dog is like this is to ensure that they are always on a leash unless they are in a secure yard. I recommend working a lot on recall with your pup, teaching them that if they come back to you they will get an awesome reward!

Most of the time, humping by dogs is done as a sign of dominance, mainly wanting to show whomever they are humping that they are the boss. Sometimes, dogs will hump for a sexual reason. If your dog is intact, sometimes getting them fixed can solve the humping behaviors. However, some dogs do retain those bad behaviors even after they are fixed, and at this point all you can really do is work with your dog to deter them from humping.

Limping can be caused by many different things, both minor and major. As Paige mentioned above, you should certainly examine your pups paws/legs to ensure there are no cuts/pokes/sticker burrs buried anywhere on their leg.

However, while you can examine your dogs leg to try to pin-point the source of the pain, this is something veterinarians are trained to do as orthopedic exams, and I would highly recommend taking your pup to the vet to have this done. If you can pinpoint the location of the pain on your own, that is great. But your veterinarian is going to be able to tell whether or not the pain is caused by something like a torn ACL, a luxating patella, or if there is just simple join swelling caused by too much exercise.

After they perform the orthopedic exam, they will go forward with their treatment, and 9/10 will send your pup on an anti-inflammatory and/or pain medication to relieve some of the swelling and pain to help them recover faster.

A lot of times with limb injuries, waiting too long can be detrimental to the damage already caused, so I don't recommend waiting too long. But if your pup seems to be recovering well, you can certainly monitor at home for a couple of days if you are comfortable.

Speedy recovery to your pup!

Without seeing your pup, this is difficult to diagnose. A bald spot could be caused by allergies that have made your pet itch a certain spot causing hair loss. This could sometimes also be related to fleas. On occasion, we do see dogs come in with mange (a skin disease) that causes hair loss in spots. This can be very contagious to you and other animals, so it is important to take your dog to the vet to ensure that this is not the case.

Dogs can get upset at their owners, and this usually results in dogs hiding from/ignoring their owners for a little while. Most of the time, the dog comes back and starts acting normal within a few hours. Lack of energy/lethargy, and odd behaviors most of the time mean your pup is not feeling great and you should take him/her to the vet to ensure nothing is wrong. It can be something as simple as an upset tummy, to a severe illness, so it is important to check as soon as possible, since dogs can't speak to us and tell us what is wrong.

Without knowing more about your dog/the sneezing this is a difficult questions to answer. Most of the time, sneezing in a short-nosed breed (pugs, frenchies, shitzus) is caused by their genes. Constant sneezing in most dogs could be a sign of an infection, cold, or allergies (basically, anything that could cause irritation like in us humans). Occasionally, you see foreign objects in the airway, such as a blasé of grass, which can cause forceful sneezing as the dog tries to get it out. Regardless, I recommend taking your pup to a veterinarian to ensure the sneezing is not something to worry about.

9/10 when dogs hump they do so as a form of dominance. Essentially, your dog is trying to show your cat that he is the boss around the house and a higher rank. If your dog is intact, a solution to this is to get him neutered. However, some dogs develop behaviors that stick around even after they have been fixed. I recommend working on positive reinforcement with your dog, praising and giving treats when he is not humping your cat/anything else, and deterring him from the behavior when he is, by removing him from the situation, removing your cat from the situation, or stopping him (spray bottle, loud noise, etc)

Without seeing your dog, or knowing his breed, this is a hard question to answer. Most times, dogs grind their teeth to ease the pain caused by crooked jaws/teeth. Or, like humans, dogs can also do so out of stress.

Golden Retrievers are a somewhat difficult breed to groom, so many recommend taking them to a professional groomer to have it done. Personally, as long as you are brushing daily, and keeping matts off, and trimming around their feet you are doing a great job! Don't forget to check around their tail area for dingleberries!

Typically, humping is done to assert dominance. However, some dogs (depending on personality and whether or not they are intact) hump as a game. I would recommend doing positive reinforcement, and giving your dog treats or pets whenever he is NOT humping your boyfriend, and deterring him from the behavior when he is.