Adrienne

Lastly, I'm unsure about what to do in the following situation. I mentioned before that Cocoa jumps like a goat and bites us. As soon as she gets excited, which happens easily, she's jumping and biting. When we wake up in the morning and we're walking to the door to the yard, she's jumping and biting. I started turning my back to her and when she sits I give her a treat. In this specific context, it sounds like she's overly excited and maybe eager to be let outside. In such a case, I would make walking towards the door the main reinforcer and provide it a little at a time based on your dog's behavior. In other words, I would make it crystal clear to her that, every time she bites or jumps, you freeze and stop moving. When she stops biting and jumping you proceed to walking towards the door. If she still bites/jumps when you freeze, you turn around and move towards the bed (or the room you were coming from). It may take what feels like forever the first time you do this, but it gets better after several reps! I would suggest waking up a little earlier on the first training days in case she needs to go potty quick first thing in the morning. A family member should take the other dogs out while you do this, so to not let them interfere. So to cover all basis, here is a general guide: You wake up from bed, your dog sees you up and gets up too. You move out of the bedroom, if Cocoa jumps and bites, you stop in your tracks. If she persists jumping and biting while you are still, you turn your back and walk back to inside the bedroom. If she keeps at it, you even go back to bed and wait for her to give up (do something else or act calmer). Once she gives up, you get up again, rinse and repeat. If she jumps or bites, you stop and show her your intent to go back towards the bed if she persists. When she's calmer, you walk out of the bedroom. Move slowly. Now, I would start raising criteria. When you see her even approaching you with the intent to jump, stop in your tracks and stand still. Wait for her to give up. Then resume walking slowly but advancing. Calm behaviors unlock your movements towards the door that leads to the yard, biting and jumping making you stop and even retreat towards the bedroom or even go back to bed! This teaches dogs how calm behaviors lead to what they want while hyper behaviors get them farther from their goal. But what do I do when I'm just walking through the house and she's excited for whatever reason and jumping and biting? I would try to identify if possible what she's excited about and use whatever it is as a reinforcer providing it contingent upon calm behavior. For example, if it's meal time, I would use the above method once again, where her calm behavior gets you to work faster in meal preparation whereas, her impatient behaviors makes you slower and even sitting down. I like to have dogs learn to stay on their mats or hold a down stay during meal preparation as the final goal once they are calmer. I did like you demonstrated in one of the videos where I acted excited and she's understanding that if she resists the jump she gets treats, so that is going well. But now she runs and jumps on my back, well sort of parkours off my back, and then sits and I give her a treat. After a few of these times though I felt like she was thinking the back jumping is part of the ok behavior, as long as she sits after. I think you are referring to the case study with Maggie. In that particular case, Maggie was very excited when I was walking through the door. In the video, her calm behavior made me walk through the door and give her a treat and her hyper behavior made me leave. You can see how at some point things started "clicking in her brain" and the occurrence of her calmer, non jumping behaviors started increasing. After several reps, she was calmer and even learned to perform a default sit. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/case-studies/02-maggie-practice-greetings/ In the video on desensitizing to excitement, you can see where at some point we may be seeing the onset of what in training terms is known as a "behavior chain" basically a dog possibly learning to think that jumping is part of the exercise (every time I jump and then sit I get a treat). This sounds like what you are referring to. Some dogs are more prone to develop behavior chains than others. Here is the video: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/case-studies/02-maggie-assessing-jumping-behavior-desensitization/ Ways to prevent a behavior chain from establishing include: -Preventing the jumping in the first place: this is the method I used in the video. This method is useful because it prevents rehearsal of problem behavior, but it can be difficult to be always "a step ahead" of the dog" and "step in" before the dog jumps. Dogs are quite quick in their movements and it's easy for them to catch us unprepared. -Breaking the Chain. This is one of the most common ways to deal with a behavior chain, letting it extinguish by breaking the chain. In other words, we would stop providing reinforcement for the chain, so after some time it extinguishes. So in the case of the dog who jumps and then sits, we would stop rewarding all jumps followed by sits and just reward plain sits with no jumping prior. -Adding more Elements to the Chain In this case, we are trying to break up the association between one behavior and another by adding more elements to the chain. For instance, if the dog jumps and is used to sitting right afterward, we add asking the dog to give paw, sit/stay and then come when called before giving reinforcement. This method is crafted in hopes of breaking the association between jump and sit, but it's not proven to be very effective, for the simple fact that dogs are capable of understanding chains that are longer than two behaviors, so you may be stuck with a dog who still jumps, but then does all the following chained behaviors. - Creating a Delay Anther method is to create a delay in hopes of breaking up the association between the elements. So in the case of the dog who jumps and then sits, you would delay rewarding the sit in hopes that the dogs forgets about the previous behavior and thinks he is being rewarded for only the actual sitting. Trainers seem to have different preference on what method to use. I am a big fan of prevention. So today I was walking in the yard trying to practice "come" with them. She knows I have treats and she's jumping and biting my hands and arms, and jumping off me like a weird springboard. So I hold up my arms from her reach (which she can get to nearly my shoulder even though she's pretty small) and turn my back then she sits and I give her treat. I take another step and it repeats, jumping, biting, sitting. Is this just the process of her learning that sitting is what gets rewarded or am I accidentally reinforcing the whole pattern of behavior? It could be that you are seeing a behavior chain, although it can just be that she has very little impulse control and is just keeping on doing what she has always done but intermittently. It could also be that holding your arms up evoke the jumping as she's trying to grasp the treats. In such a case I would aim to prevent the jumping by: -Keeping the treats in your pocket or treat bag rather than in your hands when walking in the yard. Out of sight, out of mind. -When asking her for a sit, toss the treat at a distance from you (avoid if your other dogs are nearby to prevent any squabbles over food). This way, your dog gets work out going to get the treat, you can break a bit any possible behavior chains, and you have more time to prepare to ask for a next sit as she heads back towards you before she has a chance to start jumping again. I would also aim to train a powerful impulse control game, the Airplane Game, going gradually using kibble at first to make her less excited. This is done stationary, so she may be less inclined to jump and bite as it sounds like your movement *walking* seems to be a big trigger. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/the-airplane-game/ Other ways to prevent jumping and biting include the following (do this before your dog has a chance to bite/jump as once they're jumping and latching on they're rehearsing the behavior and often too overly aroused to listen and on top of that, we increase the chances for behavior chains. -As soon as your dog approaches you with the intent to bite jump, prevent it by engaging her with toys that add movement into the game such as a tennis ball tossed in the opposite direction (make it extra fun!) or a flirt pole (stick with a stuffed animal attached one end). The goal is to find a way to make these toys much more interesting, rewarding and fun to interact with than your body/clothing. I like to carry some tennis balls in my pocket and a flirt pole around my waist so I can use these tools at moment's notice. -As soon as your dog approaches you with the intent to bite jump, prevent it by redirecting to an interactive game with you. I like to keep kibble always in my treat bag/pocket ready for this. As soon as she approaches you, ask her for a sit and reward by tossing one piece of kibble/treat. She'll likely eat it and come for more if she perceives them as valuable enough. Repeat several times, catching her always before he even has the chance to think of biting. This makes your dog tired, provides an outlet for chasing instincts while you incorporate some fun obedience. -As soon as your dog approaches you with the intent to bite jump, prevent it by redirecting to an empty water bottle with no lid filled up. Most dogs cannot resist the crinkling sounds produced by chewing on these. They make an economical. temporary chew toy. Always monitor your dog when chewing if your dog tends to ingest things and consider that excess chewing can make some parts sharp. To make the bottle even more interesting, fill it up with a portion of your puppy's daily ratio of kibble so your puppy will keep busy trying to roll the kibble out. You can read more about this fun game here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/high-school/the-bottle-game/ Meanwhile I'm playing fetch with Suki and practicing "come" and "drop it," but Cocoa doesn't leave my side and just keeps jumping/biting. Maybe she's frustrated that the other dogs are getting treats too? Or the distractions make her act crazier? Ideally, I'd like to train them together as much as possible since it maximizes my time, but maybe that's not the best idea yet? I can't be sure if it's the other dogs making it worse, in general Cocoa is super food motivated so she easily gets ecstatic when there are treats involved. Many of the games we can play with just her own food and she's happy about it, but I was trying to use higher value things for commands like "come" that I really want them to do better. Usually, we want some level of impulse control in place before training so many dogs together. Here is a read on why it's so important training individually at first: I hope this helps, Let me know if you have any other questions. Happy training, Best, Adrienne

Also, I'm not sure what to with Cocoa in certain situations. Cocoa was a stray living on the streets of Mexico City until she was about 6 months old. She had a broken leg that the vet said occurred from a dog bite when my partner's cousin found her. She lived another two months in Mexico as she recovered from her leg surgery and started learning some basic obedience. During her time in Mexico, she rode in a car several times (mostly to and from the vet and then to and from my partner's mother's house) up to an hour at a time and she never whined. We then had to transport her to the U.S. where I live with the rest of our animals as my partner travels often, and because she was too big to fit under the seat in front, she had to ride in the cargo. Since arriving here, she whines in the car every trip. Now we are speculating that maybe the plane ride was a bit traumatizing and being in a moving vehicle makes her anxious. You asked if she is crate trained and yes, she is, but now that she has proven herself to be trustworthy (not destructive and house-broken), she hasn't been using the crate. She was getting a little big for it and our other dogs don't use crates so we transitioned her out of it. We could potentially use the crate in the car, but I have a camry so we couldn't fit her with the crate and the other dogs in the car at once. I thought maybe we could countercondition her to think the car is fun, so we gave her treats while we were out running errands, along with Suki for not barking at people, but she still whined the whole time. I know she won't be fixed in one attempt, but is this a possibly effective strategy? Counterconditioning is the way to go if she has some form of anxiety associated with car rides, but it needs to be coupled with desensitization, that is, taking very little baby steps to ensure that she doesn't go over threshold. Here is a read on desensitization: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/desensitization/ And here is a read about dog threshold levels: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/ Since you mention that she whined the whole time, it sounds like things went too fast too quickly for her, so we may need to tweak her behavior modification protocol to involve small steps. Here's an example; Start by allowing some fun time in the car while it's stationary. Give toys and treats and then end all the fun once your dog is asked to go out of the car. Rinse and repeat several times. Eventually, turn on the car, while offering some high-value treats and lots of praise. Stop feeding the treats, once your dog is asked to get out of the car. Progress gradually to driving the car for just a few seconds while a helper feeds treats or gives the dog a fun toy. Gradually increase the length of these trips, but randomly mix in some short trips as well. If, at any point, the dog shows signs of anxiety, the process should be halted and the exercise must resume at a level the dog was able to tolerate and gradually built from there. Consider that behavior modification may take weeks or even months of daily training to see results. One thing that may compound anxiety of the car is motion sickness. Often car anxiety and motion sickness go hand in hand, leading to a chicken-or-the-egg dilemma (dogs can even have a combination of both!), but often behind a case of car phobia is a case of car sickness acting as the leading culprit. Dogs are naturally prone to car sickness because their sense of balance in their brain is much better than ours so they become particularly susceptible to the motion of cars. Puppies are particularly predisposed to car sickness, and many luckily outgrow it with help, but not all dogs outgrow it as they mature. Dogs prone to car sickness tend to salivate excessively, lip their lips, yawn and drool. They may also pace, pant, shake, and swallow often, and some even manage to vomit. What makes things particularly challenging though is the fact that dogs who are primarily anxious, also tend to drool, pant, shake, whine and pace when stressed, so often it is not possible to entirely distinguish one case from the other. In general though, dogs who are motion sick tend to feel better once the car stops moving although it may take a little bit of time to feel better. If you suspect motion sickness, ask your vet whether you can do a trial of antinausea medications and see if it helps. And then there can be specific fears. Some dogs may be anxious in the car due to being noise sensitive and may act fearful upon hearing car honks, the sound of traffic and even the clicking turn signal. Some dogs are scared of rumble strips and speed bumps. And then, some other dogs may be afraid of their insecure footing, like when you use the brakes and your dog doesn't expect it. This is often an issue in dogs who are scared when the car moves. Attention should be paid on whether dogs anxious in the car appear to act fearful of specific stimuli or situations they are exposed to when in the car. Of course, dogs may also have fear of a combination of things/situations and the fear may generalize from one thing to another leading to a form of generalized anxiety. And then, there are dogs simply anxious in the car because they associate it with going to unpleasant places or being left alone. Dogs have a very strong perception of things and many dog owners swear their dogs know the way towards the vet's clinic and the way towards the dog park. When turning towards the vet, these dogs start panting and shaking, when turning towards the dog park, they start acting excited with happy anticipation. As seen, there may be several causes for dogs acting anxious of car rides. Treating the anxiety therefore varies based on the underlying cause, so if you are able to pinpoint any components that trigger fear, you are advantaged as you know what to work more on (creating positive associations with noises, movement, places etc).

Additionally, if we give them all treats - so Rizzo the 9 year old Husky has a digestive disorder and is just generally unimpressed with food and often takes her treat and goes and lays down with it but doesn't eat it for a while, or maybe not at all - Suki and Cocoa harass her. Suki barks at her from a safe distance and Cocoa (the 1 year old rescue) jumps up and down and growls and shows her teeth. We usually try and make the little girls stop and give Rizzo time to decide about her treat. If after a while she still hasn't eaten it then we take it and put it up for her to have later. Or if one dog is chewing on a bone that Suki later decides she wants, she just continuously barks at them. I'm not sure what we are supposed to do when she's barking at the other dogs. Ignore it so we don't reinforce it with our attention or stop it so she doesn't keep rehearsing the bad behavior? This sounds more like a management issue and a matter of not allowing the dogs to rehearse problematic behaviors. Practice makes perfect, goes the famous saying. The more your dogs rehearse the bothering-Rizzo-when-she- has-a- treat behavior, the more the behavior becomes habit-forming and ingrained, getting more out of hand. Soon, bothering Rizzo becomes the dogs' default behavior, even as soon as they see you grab the treat. Grabbing the treat and giving it to Rizzo basically risks becoming the "cue" of the initiation of harassment behavior. So rather than ignoring the behavior (which will only lead to it persisting and most likely even worsening) or stopping it repeatedly, it would be ideal to separate all dogs when there is high-value food involved. This is a win-win situation for all, as the dogs won't get to rehearse the problem behavior and each dog gets to eat in peace without a barking frenzy going on.

Thanks for posting the picture of your canine crew, adorable dogs and such a nice variety! I am glad to hear that you are feeling more confident on working with your dogs and that you are already seeing results. I can tell that you are a very dedicated owner and determined to help them out! I will be tackling the additional behaviors you are facing one by one (this may require multiple posts, so that it's easier to assimilate). In bold you will find your quotes and below my answers. You are totally right, the brain games are tiring them! They have even been sleeping later in the mornings after we practice some basic obedience and do some games during the day. They love the muffin game and the treasure hunt! We have started desensitizing them to noises, knocking on furniture and doors at random. They are doing much better about not barking or being anxious at these sounds. We also started desensitizing and counterconditioning Suki at the sight of strangers (all men, in this case). We often take them in the car when running errands so now we are prepared with treats. The other day I ran into Walgreens and there were several people around the parking lot and coming and going from the store. My partner was able to get her attention and give her a treat before she barked at any of the people she saw. However, she seems to have increased her attention seeking barking, as we are now totally ignoring her. I'm hoping this is part of the extinction burst. You have mentioned that Suki barks in a variety of circumstances. Now, normally, for attention-seeking behavior, ignoring helps. We do this when we have ascertained that the dog is excessively barking because he just craves a lot of attention and we have previously reinforced the whining/barking either by giving positive or negative attention. You can read more about attention seeking barking here, even though it says whining, it applies to barking as well. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/behavior-training/whining/attention-seeking/ When a dog who has been positively or negatively reinforced for barking/whining for some time, ignoring leads to extinction bursts. That is, the dog may whine/bark more insistently, or he or she may try to use some new behavior just to see whether it works. It's sort sort of like a toddler who cries and mom always buys candy at the store, and then, one day, after visiting a dentist who finds several cavities, no more candy is bought. The toddler the first day at the store throws a tantrum, crying and yelling and may even try pinching mom to get her to buy candy. However, if mom doesn't give in, day after day, the crying reduces once the child realizes it no longer works. Now, I not a fan of just ignoring and that's it. I think it's also important finding out why a dog craves so much attention in the first place so that one can take a multi-faceted, approach tackling the root cause. Is he or she getting enough exercise and mental stimulation? Can he she want more individualized attention? Can it be the dog is asking for something in particular? Can the water bowl be empty, can the dog need to be taken outside to potty, or maybe the dog has noticed something out of the ordinary from the window? Additionally, we need to differentiate attention-seeking whining/barking from anxious-based whining/barking which requires a different approach. Some forms of barking you have mentioned, sound anxiety-based (like the person talking on the other end of the phone or reaction to outdoor noises) which require a different approach (mostly based on desensitization and counterconditioning). More on this here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/behavior-training/whining/anxious/ One thing I'm unclear about though, she seems to bark at the other dogs for attention as well. Like if they are playing together and then the other dog stops, she barks at them until they start again. She also polices them. This can be due to her being an Aussie, which is a herding breed and Aussies can be prone to taking the 'fun police role." It can also be a "splitting" behavior which is often seen when play gets out of hand and the dog wants to stop things from escalating. Since it happens when they stop though it can also be that she's just playing the "cheer leader" role. In any case, if it gets out of hand or escalates to more than barking (chasing, body blocking, nipping in a controlling way) then it would be important not allowing her to rehearse this behavior as it can lead to fights. It can therefore benefit all three dogs, scheduling separated two-on-two play sessions. It is also possible working on this behavior, but it requires a superior level of training, in other words, behaviors trained to a fluent level. Here's the thing: dog are prone to instinctive behaviors, but we can morph these behaviors if we can prove to them over time that engaging in an in alternate behavior is far more rewarding. We can do this by reinforcing the alternate behavior with things the dog finds highly rewarding. For example, you can train Suki to do something that will keep her occupied and happy while your two dogs play. It's important though that she finds the alternate behavior much more reinforcing to engage in than playing the fun police role. For example, you can train her to come to you and hold a sit/stay or down/stay on a mat nearby you where she is rewarded with intermittent delivery of high-value treats for just hanging in there. Here is a guide on training a dog to stay on a mat: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/train-dog-go-to-mat/ Or you can keep her busy by asking her to do several obedience behaviors or fun tricks in a row like give paw, play bow and target your hand. It goes without saying that such behaviors need to be trained well beforehand and up to a very fluent level, before asking them in face of the strong distractions of your two other dogs playing. You may need to keep Suki on leash initially to ensure she stays focused on you and isn't tempted to just take off. Equally important is to recognize early signs of trouble so that you can interrupt her quickly *before* she has a chance of rehearsing the problematic behavior. Here's the thing: once your dog is already chasing and barking, it may be too late: she'll likely be too focused on the task to listen. For instance, my Rottweiler Petra had a tendency to be the fun police and I discovered it once I took her along with me to some specialized classes to become a dog trainer. Dogs in classes were allowed to be off-leash and play every now and then (these were great opportunities to watch and interpret different body language), and I knew she would go into "paw enforcement" mode when she would get a serious stare in her face (her forehead skin would wrinkle) and sometimes she would lift her paw before thinking to chase. If I would call her at this point, she would still be responsive to my "leave it" cue and would therefore switch her brain away from focusing on her targets. Being a young Aussie, Suki may also benefit from learning better impulse control and being provided with outlets for natural herding behaviors. Here are several impulse control games for dogs. These games help dogs better control their impulses. It's important training dogs enough to a level of fluency so they can learn how to cognitively function despite high arousal levels. Herding trials and the sport of Treiball also provide great outlets for natural herding behaviors, but it's important to also incorporate training. So if we tell our other dogs "no" for any reason, then she will bark and bite them (not super aggressive but not gentle) as though she's enforcing our will. This behavior sort of matches as well the herding and personality traits typical of herding breeds. Your "no" likely evokes some level of emotional arousal and puts Suki on alert mode and she redirects on them. We have two main ways we can tackle this, although when there is aggression involved, I always suggest to enlist the help of a dog behavior professional for safety and correct implementation. Option 1 would entail desensitizing to the word "no." In other words, your Aussie is on leash (away from your other dogs) and every time you say 'no," you mark it (with the click of a clicker or the verbal marker yes) followed by a treat. Once you have obtained a conditioned emotional response to the word no, you can turn the word "no" into a cue that tells your dog to come to you for a treat (you can use a smacking sound following the word "no" https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/the-airplane-game/the-smacking-sound/). Once you have a reliable response, you can practice with the other dogs present (keeping your Aussie always leashed initially until she has proven reliability). One problem with this approach is that you will need to use another cue other than “no” when you catch your Aussie doing something she isn't supposed to. My personal preference is that I don’t use “no” because it doesn’t give the dog any sort of direction. So if I catch a dog getting close to the trash can, I will use leave it. If the dog is carrying an item in the mouth he's not supposed to have, I will use "drop it". If the dog gets on the couch and it's not permitted, I will use "off." Option 2 is just that, avoiding using the word "no" and redirecting using more friendly communication such as "leave it" that has less negative emotions attached. So if your two dogs get in trouble, like getting near something they shouldn't touch, you can say "leave it" and then redirect to other activities. Your Aussie should be redirected first, so to keep her busy and prevent her from engaging in the undesirable behavior. You can once again, say "leave it' and then ask her to go to her mat where she'll receive something tasty to keep busy, while your other dogs can be sent out in the yard for some fun treasure hunts or a play session. Here's the guide on leave it: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/take-leave-it/ Hope this helps! I will be tackling the other behaviors in the next post. Disclaimer: behavior modification comes with risks. If your puppy or dog shows signs of potential aggression (lunging, barking, growling, snapping, biting) for safety, please consult with a dog behavior professional who uses force-free behavior modification techniques for direct in-person guidance. Articles, videos and general info found in the forums or course (or any online source) are not meant to replace in-person training/instruction. By using this course and forum, you are waiving any liability claims or other type of claims related to any dogs' behavior against you or others.

Hello and welcome to the forums, The heel position is considered having the dog walk next to you, more specifically, on your left side. Let me know if you have any other questions, Happy Training! Adrienne

Glad to hear Abbi didn't injure herself from falling off the couch, that must have been very scary! I hear you about being ravenous with the prednisone. This drug caused many behavior changes in our duo too. Petra once started getting very angry at Einstein just for walking nearby her food bowl (very out of character for her) and Einstein (who was on it too at some time) started to want to eat his own poop which is something he never-ever considered doing all his life, other than once as an experiment as an 8-week-old puppy 😉 I am sure she'll be extra happy and will feel pampered with her new couch. So nice of your kiddo wanting to train her roommates' dogs! Training can be really fun. Thanks for the update.

Tips for dealing with territorial behaviors directed towards dogs. Treating territorial aggression towards other dogs requires a mixture of behavior modification and training. For safety and correct implementation of behavior modification, it's important enlisting the help of a professional. The below tips are therefore just examples of what a behavior modification plan may entail, as every dog will need an individualized approach. Use Management Techniques Have you ever heard the saying "practice makes perfect?" Well, on top of allowing actors to perform well after rehearsing a play over and over, dogs practicing territorial behaviors over and over allows them to get particularly good at it, turning it into an established habit that is more difficult to eradicate. Here's the thing, every time your dog barks, growls or lunges towards other dogs, he will come to think that it's thanks to his barking, growling or lunging that the other dog ends up moving away. This allows the behavior to establish a strong reinforcement history. Management therefore entails taking steps to prevent dogs from rehearsing their problematic behaviors. Here are just a few examples: If your dog escapes the yard, steps must be taken to prevent this from happening. If your dog acts territorial towards other dogs that walk by the yard, prevent access to the yard when such dogs are walking by. If your dog must be taken out the yard, keep him on leash at a distance from the fence-line. If your dog acts territorial when in the car, park far away from other dogs. If your dog acts territorial when he sees other dogs through an indoor window, prevent access to such window (use baby gates or cover the windows with window film). If your dog acts territorial when taken on neighborhood walks, walk at times there are less dogs around and train your dog an emergency u-turn if another dog is coming your way. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/emergency-u-turn/ Provide Exercise and Mental Stimulation Dogs thrive when they are provided with exercise and mental stimulation. Deprived from this, dogs are more likely to feel chronically frustrated which can lead to undesirable behaviors. Aerobic exercises has been proven to allow dogs to release pent-up energy while also releasing feel-good endorphins which are known for promoting calmer behaviors. Mental stimulation provided under the form of brain games, food puzzles and training provides the mental enrichment dogs crave allowing outlets for instinctive behaviors in a positive way. Avoid Corrections It can be very tempting to deliver corrections through a shock collar, a prong collar or a choke chain, but this can end up backfiring. Here's the thing: dogs are animals who learn through associations. If a dog has neck pain and the owner grabs the dog by the collar when there's a visitor at the door, with time, the dog may associate that pain with a visitor. The same can happen when using shock, prong and choke collars or any other aversion-based methods. Basically, if every time your dog sees another approaching he is given a correction, he may come to associate the presence of the other dog with the pain/unpleasant sensation. This can create behavior issues from the get-go, or if they are already established, it just adds up to the dog's level of stress and tends to exacerbate things rather than ameliorating them. Preferable alternatives for walking large, powerful dogs are front-attaching harnesses (like the Perfect Fit harness) and in some cases, head halters (these require a conditioning period). Implement Behavior Modification The goal of behavior modification is exposing the dog to its triggers using baby steps in a structured, gradual manner (through desensitization) so to keep the dog under threshold, while also creating positive associations (through counterconditioning). Here is read about desensitization: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/desensitization/ Here is a read about counterconditioning: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/counterconditioning/ And here is a read about threshold levels: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/ So in the case of a dog territorial towards other dogs, behavior modification may entail the following (please note this is only an example, every case requires a personalized approach) Find a distance where your dog is under threshold. Your dog should be able to see other the dog (who is walked on leash by a helper), but this other dog should be at a distance that doesn't evoke the territorial behavior nor cause in your dog any particular concern. Begin feeding your dog high-value treats anytime he sees the other dog walk by. Start indoors by watching other dogs walk by the window. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/university/look-at-that/ Another helpful exercise is Jean Donaldson's Open Bar/Closed Bar method. This methods adds a level of clarity as your dog is fed treats when the other dog is in sight and no more treats are fed when the other dog is no longer in sight. Treat delivery happens contingent upon the sight of the other dog. Practice in several sessions, always ensuring your dog is comfortable. If your dog ever reacts, that's often a sign that he wasn't ready for that level of exposure. Keep tabs on what may have caused the setback (the other dog was too close, was too hyper) and aim to reduce the level of exposure next time before progressing. Aim to obtain what is known as a positive conditioned emotional response. In other words, your dog looks forward to the other dog walking by/approaching rather than dreading his presence. As your dog improves, start gradually raising criteria. In other words, raise the bar. Have somebody walk the other dog closer, but always being extra careful in taking baby steps as always. Use your dog's body language/reactions as a barometer of whether it's time to progress to the next step. A behavior professional very skilled in reading dog body language can help with this. Train These Helpful Cues Once your dog is calmer when other dogs walk by or approach, it can be time to further raise the bar and train your dog to engage in alternate behaviors when he sees the other dog. Train these behaviors fluently starting in indoors where there are no visible dogs, and then progress to practicing in the yard when your dog is on leash and then on walks. The smacking sound: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/the-airplane-game/the-smacking-sound/ For example, if your dog is unhappy with other dogs walking by the yard, you can train your dog to respond to a smacking sound you make with your mouth. On walks, you train him to respond to your smacking sound and do several steps of attention heeling while you pass by the dog. This tells your dog to look up at you as he walks and once he's passed the other dog he is given a treat. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/heeling-attention-heeling/ If your dog is territorial towards other dogs when he is in the car, you can find these tips helpful (this applies to barking at people, but works as well with dogs): https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/barking-strangers-car/ Enlist the Help of a Professional Once again, it's important to work along with a professional. This is for your safety and the safety of others around you. When dogs get very reactive towards other dogs, they can bite when touched or they may get into a fight with the other dog, and if you're nearby or somebody else is, you can become victim of a re-directed bite. The behavior professional can help you read your dog's body language, gauge your dog's progress, set realistic goals and coach you in person through the plan ensuring you aren't progressing too fast nor too slow. Enlisting the help of behavior professional who uses force-free behavior modification is important to prevent added stress. I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Disclaimer: behavior modification comes with risks. If your puppy or dog shows signs of potential aggression (lunging, barking, growling, snapping, biting) for safety, please consult with a dog behavior professional who uses force-free behavior modification techniques for direct in-person guidance. Articles, videos and general info found in the forums or course (or any online source) are not meant to replace in-person training/instruction. By using this course and forum, you are waiving any liability claims or other type of claims related to any dogs' behavior against you or others.

Hello and welcome to the forums, It is great that your GSD is so social and he's fine with people approaching him. With the whole COVID19 and social distancing, there's an influx in dogs who are becoming more and more de-socialized and reactive so it's nice to hear a dog who is doing so well around people. There is such a thing as territorial aggression in dogs, and it's main characteristic is that the aggressive display takes place in areas the dog perceives as his/her territory. This is therefore a very contextual type of aggression, meaning that it happens in specific areas perceived as territory and doesn't occur in areas that aren't associated with such perceived territory. In your case, it does seem like your GSD matches such criteria. In other words, you describe that he is reactive in your neighborhood and places where you routinely walk him as well as in the car (which can be perceived as territory as well). Unlike fear aggression which can have an early onset, in the case of territorial aggression, this behavior is though not expected to occur at least until the dog is 6 months of age or older. In particular, the onset of territorial behavior is expected to start at around 8 to 10 months of age and gets progressively worse over the next 12 to 24 months, especially if a dog’s environment isn't correctly managed (dog is allowed to rehearse the behavior). Certain dog breeds are more predisposed to territorial aggression. Typically affected dogs are guarding breeds and herding breeds. However, it's important to consider the environment in which the dog is raised as well. While territorial aggression may appear like a bold behavior, where the dog simply sends off intruder dogs from his territory, it is believed to have some fear components too. Typically, the presence of boundaries (like a door, gate or fence-line) tends to intensify the behavior. Dogs who engage in a lot of fence running and tend to escape their yards and spend time patrolling are more likely to attack or bite other dogs. In regards to him being an intact male dog, this may or may not have an impact. For example, if there is a female dog in heat nearby, your dog may feel more likely to roam and engage in competitive behavior with other male dogs (intermale aggression) approaching his territory. Once neutered, any hormonally-related behaviors tend to fade, but if the behaviors are driven by other factors such as fear/territoriality they are likely to persist. You are correct in saying that it will take more to work on this than using a collar (more on this discussed below). Territoriality requires management, behavior modification and training. I will be posting shortly some tips based on the assumption that this is truly territoriality-driven behavior.

This sounds more like anxiety and it's likely due to the fact that he's in a new place and the place hasn't established yet a sense of familiarity. Moving is unsettling to dogs and they may get clingy as they want to ensure that they aren't left alone in an unfamiliar place. I think that, in the case of whining and scratching due to anxiety of being in a new place, it can help them knowing that we acknowledge them and are there for them. It can help keeping them calmer by either leaving the door open so they can go in and out as they please or going out with them, at least until they seem more comfortable and the place starts feeling a bit more like home. Helping him get used to the new place until he's so comfortable to relax and sleep may or may not be worthy of implementing based on how long you will be staying there. If you will be staying for some time in this place, then it may be worthy of getting him used to the yard by creating positive associations with it (treasure hunts, bringing his toys out, staying out with him and getting him used to the nearby sounds, using the "hear that" method. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/fear-noises/ If you will just be staying a few days (like less than a week), it may not be worth all the effort, and therefore, he can just stay indoors with you and he can spend time outdoors when you go outdoors as well (even if it means sitting outside on a chair and reading a book as he relaxes and maybe tries to nap). Brain games in the home and yard, walks and play can keep him happy and mentally stimulated. Potty training when moving to a new place (dogs don't know we will be staying briefly so for them it's like a real move) can also sometimes have a setback. There are new sights and smells and pups may forget to signal to potty until they realize they can no longer hold it or they may feel anxious and just pee. So it's important to be extra vigilant and ensure the puppy is taken frequently out and rewarded for using the outside and that he has gone potty before being crated at night. Enjoy the holiday home!

Hi Gizmo, lovely markings! Reminds me of Harley a dog I worked with not too long ago.

Hi Patsy, It really depends on the dog and several variables such as age and breed. Some dogs who have proven themselves to not get into trouble over time can reap the benefit of spending time outdoors on their own, although like you, I am a reluctant because I tend to to be over protective and worry about mishaps. For instance, my Rottweilers had proven themselves over and over throughout the years that they were reliable being in the yard on their own, but one day there was a rattlesnake in my yard, and another day a mad skunk. Then, for some time we had some dead mice in our yard, only to discover they were poisoned by neighbors and dogs can die from eating rats that are poisoned so I am glad I removed them before my dogs could get have ingested them! I don't think they would have ingested them, but one never knows!. On top of this, in Arizona there are risks for Valley Fever, a fungus that lives in the sand and digging can disrupt the soil and raise spores so I discouraged digging behaviors. Many scary stuff! So it became a habit since they were young up until old age, that if they were out, either me or hubby was always out with them. This was important for me because it gave me peace of mind knowing all about them. Like I always knew how often they peed or pooped, whether they had diarrhea or blood in their urine, whether they ate grass from being nauseous and what they did when outside. If they were ever sick, I knew for a fact it wasn't from eating something outside. I learned a whole lot by watching them and therefore was able to notice right away if there was a health problem. Going out with them also allowed me to speed up potty training, train them to go potty on command, train them to leave it and drop stuff, and prevent them from rehearsing problematic behaviors many of my neighbors, who left their dogs unattended most of the time, where instead struggling with. If your dog is eating and pulling out plants, I would not recommend leaving her out alone, unless you can provide a part of the yard that is sectioned off and very dog-safe (with no plants, or things she can eat like a covered outdoor kennel area protected from the sun with water bowls), but most dogs get bored quickly when alone if they don't have things to do. Being part Yorkshire terrier, digging may be something she loves to do, so providing her with a digging area of her own can provide an outlet for this instinct. You can bury toys under the sand and watch her have a blast: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/behavior-training/digging/ She may also love the ball pit game which is inspired by a dog's digging instinct. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/elementary/the-ball-pit-game/ Indoor brain games that encourage scavenging activities such as the treasure hunt game may be fun too: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/elementary/the-treasure-hunt/ Of course, many dog owners feel perfectly fine leaving their dogs outside alone, so it boils down to personal preference. I think it's sort of like parents who feel OK keeping their kids playing in the street for hours while some others frequently peek to check what they are doing and just to ensure they're safe, but if the kids are the type up for trouble or there are certain dangers they can be exposed to, keeping an eye on them then makes more sense.

Hello and welcome to the forums, I am glad that you stopped taking Suki to the dog park as that would have allowed her to rehearse the problematic behavior of barking and chasing men and children. The more a dog rehearses a problem behavior, the more it puts roots and establishes. We want to avoid that. Hikes are much better, but I am sure it's not pleasant when a dog pulls most of the time! To answer your question, on how to exercise her while she's learning to walk politely on leash, here are some options: -It helps to drain as much energy as possible before walks. Play in the yard (if you have one), but don't forget about getting that brain tired. Many experts lately agree that keeping a dog's mind busy can be equally as tiring as physical exercise. Nosework, treasure hunts, brain games and clicker training can all be tiring activities. -Try a front-attachment harness. This can help you in the initial stages of training to keep her better under control. There are many makes and models nowadays. Some that have received rave reviews so far are the Perfect Fit harness, The Balance harness and the Ruffwear Front Range harness. -Walk in low distraction areas. Plan walking in low distractions areas at first so that you can set her up for success. -Provide consequences. When your dog walks nicely on leash and the leash is loose, praise/give treats and reinforce the loose-leash walking with forward movement (you keep walking with her). When your dog pulls and the leash is tense, stop in your tracks (or turn around and walk the opposite way). Resume walking only once your leash is loose again (if you stopped walking, you can train her to come back to your side to get you walking again). The loose leash is your accelerator, the tense leash is your brakes. Your first walks may take forever initially, but she will eventually learn that loose leash walking gives her a triple whammy of benefits (praise, treats, forward movement) while a tense leash gets her nothing (no praise, no treats, no more forward movement or actually she gets farther from what attracts her (when you turn the opposite way). -Use super high-value treats that help her make great choices. These treats must surpass in value anything that may attract her on walks. I had dogs learn to heel quickly using strips of baked liver cut up in small pieces. These dogs were literally glued to me. Once your dog gets the concept, walks get better, but its's normal initially to struggle when a dog has rehearsed pulling behavior for quite some time. You mention though that your dog is reactive towards people, in particular men and this may require more behavior modification than training initially. The goal of behavior modification is changing a dog's emotions towards triggers. I like to use methods based on desensitization and counterconditioning. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/desensitization/ https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/counterconditioning/ It may therefore turn helpful training her to respond to a smacking sound: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/the-airplane-game/the-smacking-sound/ And then doing some prep-work by creating positive associations by watching men walking by the window (before applying it on walks) https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/university/look-at-that/ and then progressing to doing something similar to this on walks (this is just an example, each dog may require a more individualized approach). If there are no men or children around for the time being, this can mean going to look for them. Driving to a nearest town and parking nearby a place where the dog may watch men or children from inside the car and practicing look at that from there at a distance where your dog is under threshold can be a starting place. Afterward, you can practice from outside the car, always keeping distance as needed. The smacking sound can turn handy as well for barking at noises. You can find a guide here that can turn helpful if you know what her triggers are. I can see it helpful for when people answer when you call them, just have treats or your dog's kibble (if she loves it) handy when you make those calls and catch her before she has a chance to bark. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/fear-noises/ Barking when playing with other dogs is rather normal in most cases and just the noise of a dog having fun. In regards to your new dog, it's very true that dogs learn quickly from other dogs. Barking is also self-reinforcing so it can quickly get out of hand. She can too benefit from the hear that method and it can be trained to both dogs. I would start training it individually and then adding the distractions of each other. It's nice when you can just make one smacking sounds and have both dogs stop barking and coming to you. About the biting, we would have hoped this was tackled much earlier, but with rescues, this is not possible, but there is still hope of learning some bite inhibition. This is a very important skill. A good exercise to train this using treats is here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/train-dog-take-treats-gently/ We also want to prevent biting us as much as possible: Here are some ways to redirect the behavior which needs to be done preferably before the dog has latched on to us: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/bite-inhibition-games/ We have many threads covering biting, here are a few: For barking at people here is an example of behavior modification: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/dog-barking-someone-enters-room/ For whining in the car, many dogs do better if they are crated. Have you crate trained her yet? Is it something you will be considering? Here is a guide: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/love-the-crate/ Other options are found here: Sorry if this is long. I hope I didn't overwhelm you, but it sounds like you have many things going on! As with training dogs, it's also important that you take baby steps and create small daily goals each day. Pat yourself on the back for each small accomplishment. Let me know if you have any other questions or concerns. Best, Adrienne Disclaimer: behavior modification comes with risks. If your puppy or dog shows signs of potential aggression (lunging, barking, growling, snapping, biting) for safety, please consult with a dog behavior professional who uses force-free behavior modification techniques for direct in-person guidance. Articles, videos and general info found in the forums or course (or any online source) are not meant to replace in-person training/instruction. By using this course and forum, you are waiving any liability claims or other type of claims related to any dogs' behavior against you or others.

Please don't blame yourself. You didn't make a mistake at all. Rewarding for appropriate behaviors is the correct approach and most trainers would have suggested that approach. Tackling the problem of barking on walks early on is important, as left untreated, it can put roots and become more difficult to work on. You also broke the treats into several small pieces to avoid filling her up. Also, when training dogs on the verge of the exciting moment when we start seeing results, it can happen that we fail to recognize how many treats a dog has consumed. Because of this, some dog trainers have even started asking dog owners to not feed their dog's their meals prior to the training or feeding less in the evening to make-up for the extra treats. While this can be OK a few times, over time though we need to consider that more treats and less food can become unhealthy. So we need to watch those calories, especially with small dogs. Usually, the bags of treats provide general guidelines on how many treats to feed a dog based on weight, but not always. So it may help watching calories and the amount fed so to not fill her up too much. We need to make sure that when she is fed treats, the amount of treats fed don't comprise more than 10 percent of your dog's daily caloric need. To determine your dog's daily caloric need, please consult with your vet. To keep calories low, we have several options. I will be sharing some here: -Split treats. We already discussed this, but it's worthy of just listing it here in case others are in your same situation and are reading this. With small dogs, it is best to consult with your vet and ask about how many treats your dog can eat a day based on your dog's weight and the treats' caloric count. Then, once you have the ideal number, split those into small pieces and arrange your training session around that. You can divide them in groups based on how many times you plan to train a day, ending the session/walk when you have finished the allotted amount of treats. -Look for low-calorie options. The less calories a treat has, the more you can provide without surpassing the 10 percent rule. Look for treats therefore that are advertised as being very low calorie. For instance, Bixbi Pocket Trainers provide less than 4 calories for treat. I have used these these for training dogs, especially when clients are concerned about their dogs filling up and where every calorie counts. For example, last time I had a small papillon mix that weighed a little less than 7 pounds. Her vet assumed that her caloric requirements were probably around 200 calories/day. With that in mind, considering the 10 percent rule, she would therefore need to not go over 20 calories from treats. At 4 calories for treat, she could get up to 5 Bixbi Pocket trainer treats a day (5x4=20). While 5 treats a day may seem like very little, once you break them up into 4 pieces each that leads to 20 treats that can be used to reinforce 20 desirable behaviors! There are many other low-calorie options on the market nowadays. Like Plato Small Bites Salmon or Zuke's Mini Naturals which contain just a mere 2 calories per treat! Of course, check with your vet if your dog has allergies before feeding anything. -Use dog Friendly Fruits and Veggies. Many dog owners use fruits and veggies for training their dogs. This is a good option considering that these healthy human foods have low calories which helps dog owners ensure their dogs don't feed more than 10 percent of the daily calories. Board-certified veterinary nutritionist Dr. Deborah E. Linder lists several low calorie options for dogs on Petfoodology by Cummings Veterinary Medical Center at Tufts University.https://vetnutrition.tufts.edu/2017/12/does-an-apple-a-day-keep-the-vet-away-harmful-vs-healthy-foods-for-pets/ Among the lowest calorie options for small dogs are blueberries with 1/4 cup or about 25 berries offering just 20 calories. A whole cup of green beans cut into 1/2 inch pieces or a 1/4 cup of green peas offers 30 calories instead. Please don't just feed any fruit or veggie you come across without ensuring it's not toxic to your dog. For instance, consider that grapes, raisins, onions and garlic are toxic to dogs. -Train with Cheerios. Cheerios are a favorite low-calorie food that can be used to train dogs. They offer the advantage of taking on the smell/taste of treats pretty well, so you can mix them in with other treats to make them more appetibile. -Concentrate the training on walks. In other words, if you only have 10 treats, make the best you can of them. So try to walk in quiet areas and plan to meet only up to 10 triggers. Use the emergency u-turn if you think another dog is too close or if you are meeting extra triggers that came unexpected (https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/emergency-u-turn/). Dedicate a part of the walk mainly concentrating on creating positive associations/reinforcing desired behaviors. If your dog is very toy-driven you can also intermittently provide a toy to carry, catch or play tug with to reinforce desired behaviors. -Use your dog's kibble. I know you mentioned that your dog is not impressed. But there are ways to increase motivation. Have you tried already mixing it with other smelly foods (like the salmon treats) in hopes of it absorbing their aroma? If you can get your dog to think that kibble is as good as treats, then you'll easily have plenty of training opportunities without having to depend on higher-calorie treats. Here's the thing: you can persuade your dog into loving to eat kibble by simply making your dog earn it. The scientific term is "contrafreeloading."This term was coined by animal psychologist Glen Jensen in 1963 who described the phenomenon of animals who come to prefer eating food that requires some effort to obtain versus food offered freely. To put this in practice, simply measure the recommended daily ratio of kibble you should feed and place it into a treat pouch and feed it throughout the day for training. If you happen to have any left overs, you can serve it in your dog's bowl, inside a Kong Wobbler or you can organize a fun treasure hunt game. To prevent a dog's stomach from building too much acid, it may help to do a small meal in the morning and one in the evening, and then use the rest as training treats. Consult with your vet if your dog has a health condition (like tummy troubles or low blood glucose) for guidelines. Finally, we need to find how to make her meal more appetizing. You can try adding some splashes of water and microwaving it for a few seconds so to make it more palatable (careful as it gets hot quickly) or you can see if a size change may help. Some finicky small dogs may prefer a toy or small breed diet that has smaller kibble making it easier to picky up and eat. Some finicky dogs also enjoy the extra attention they get when they don't want to eat their meals, so it's best to just act matter of fact and not plead them to eat or add stuff to just get them eating. This just reinforces fussiness. Finally, it's important ruling out any possible medical problems especially if the dog remains persistently finicky on eating meals despite reducing calories and amounts of treats fed. There may be a problem chewing or some other underlying medical issue and sometimes there may be something psychological going on as well (dog fearful of reflections on metal bowls, dog doesn't like to eat alone, dog is too anxious) or a problem with the food (dog food is rancid or has expired) or has been recalled etc.

Although annoying (and sometimes worrisome!) when pups get diarrhea, it's a good thing that an upset tummy was the cause as once his stools go back to normal, he should be back on track with holding his poop at night. Just in case, it does turn into a habit, you may find it helpful feeding food no less than 6 hours before your puppy is being crated for the night. For example, if your dog is crated for the night at midnight, plan to feed no later than 6pm. The later a puppy is fed, the more likely he's going to defecate overnight (of course, this won't work when a puppy has diarrhea requiring multiple trips at many hours). Also, training him to go potty on command can turn helpful to ensure he is empty (peed and pooped) before being crated. Here is the guide to train it. It takes some time to master, but if we're going out with the puppy to praise reward for going outdoors anyhow, it's worth training it in the long run: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/potty-on-command/ When young pups have diarrhea, it's important ensuring they are drinking enough and monitoring their stools in case there's blood and they don't solidify. Some pups need to see the vet if the diarrhea doesn't resolve and/or they start getting lethargic or show other signs such as loss of appetite and vomiting. The benefits of crating are various. -It's used for potty training to enforce a pup's "denning instinct." Ideally, good breeders will introduce puppies to the ABCs of potty training from an early age (as early as 3 to 4 weeks of age) They do this by inculcating in their young puppies the idea that eating, drinking, playing and sleeping areas are not meant to be soiled. To accomplish this, they raise mother dog and her puppies in a den-like enclosure with an area dedicated for eating, drinking, playing and sleeping and an area purposely made for elimination located at the opposite side. This area dedicated for elimination often has a special substrate that helps puppies associate walking over it with elimination. This area may be covered with pee-pads, newspaper, sand, straw etc. On top of this, good breeders will introduce puppies from an early age to a crate, getting them used to being in there and helping them learn that the crate is a place to eat, chew, chill, rest and eventually sleep rather than soil. The crate therefore should become more of a bedroom than a bathroom. Puppies who miss out these important life lesson (like puppy mill/pet store pups) may be more difficult to potty train. -Another benefit to crating is that it provides a safe place to keep a young puppy who may otherwise get in trouble when left alone. Puppies tend to want to chew and even ingest things around the home which can lead to intestinal blockages and destructive behaviors (like chewing table legs, plants, etc) -Crating can also be used when pups get cranky and need to nap. Young puppies often get overstimulated and don't know how to self-sooth. Placing them in the crate with something to chew (like a stuffed Kong) can help them calm down and get the sleep they need. -As you mention, another advantage is that dogs used to being crated fair better when owners must board their dogs, take them to places, have them travel (crated in car, plane) and when they are hospitalized (like when at the vet to be neutered/spayed) or groomed (groomers often used cages). As puppies grow, and learn to hold their pee/poop better and are less destructive around the house (and have proven it even despite the owner not being around), the use of the crate can be decreased, and some dog owners even stop using the crate altogether (replacing it with a dog bed), although it may be beneficial to keep using it (even if left with the door open for the dog to auto-crate himself) just to keep him used to it. Sure, there are puppy owners who don't use a crate at all (they use an exercise pen with a bed, food bowl, water bowl on one side and pee pads or dog litter box on the opposite side, but this is mostly used with small breed dogs living in apartments, although it turns handy as well for when puppies need to be crated for longer than they can hold it. However, with a puppy destined to potty only in the yard, this can cause an extra hurdle as the puppy learns to potty in the home and it can generate confusion, although I have had pups learn both ways. With keeping a young puppy outside-like in a yard, there are risks that they may get in some type of trouble (ingesting plants, chewing things, ingesting things that may lead to blockages) on top of possible regression in potty training as they go potty when they feel like it (rather than learning to hold it). Many puppies also get bored and may eventually start rehearsing problematic behaviors such as digging, barking at noises and scratching at doors to be let back in.

Hello and welcome to the forums! If there are noises in the home that you can hear and that happen in a predictable manner, you may find playing the "hear that" method helpful: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/fear-noises/ Chasing is a highly-reinforcing behavior, and the more we allow a dog to rehearse it, the more they'll chase. It would be therefore best to keep her under control as not every dog likes to be chased and we don't want her to chase every furry thing moving. I would suggest keeping her on leash or on a long line, until you can train her to be better under control in face of distractions. Here is a read on chasing: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/chasing-things/ Training her to reliably respond to a smacking sound can also be helpful: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/the-airplane-game/the-smacking-sound/ Many dogs struggle when in new places. Their routines change, there are new smells and unfamiliar surroundings can make them nervous. Being taken away from familiar schedules and places has an impact on the dog's emotional stability. It's as if their state of homeostasis is disrupted and this interferes with their normal functioning. How much dogs are impacted when they are "thrown off balance" tends to vary. In general, the more a dog has traveled and been socialized since being a puppy, the more she is likely to easily adjust and baseline rather quickly. So in the case of a holiday cottage, try to pay attention to what makes her extra vigilant. Is it people talking? The luggage rolling? Children running? People getting out of their cars? Outdoor noises? We have traveled with our two Rottweilers (Einstein and Petra) across the United States and abroad several times. This means lots of hotel stays and even cabin stays on cruises. Rottweilers, in general, have a tendency to bark at noises, and during our first hotel stays, both our dogs initially were starting to bark at people walking by the door. So every time people were walking by, I tossed my dog's treats or kibble making sure they landed away from the door in a treat-retreat fashion. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/treat-retreat-game/ I did this several times until positive associations were formed and I noticed a conditioned emotional response. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/conditioned-emotional-response-cer/ Basically, upon hearing the sounds of people walking, rather than barking, my dogs were looking at me with anticipation with the little stubs of their tails wagging! After some time, they calmed down considerably and got tired chasing treats, so I gave them a long-lasting chew and they would fall asleep for the night. We kept doing this routine on every trip and it always worked like a charm! Every trip, there was also less and less need of tossing treats, and at some point, we were able to even use their regular kibble, which was a win-win as they got to "work" for their food! More tips that come to mind: -Buffer Sounds Use some noise to cover up outside sounds such as leaving the TV or radio on. Using a white-noise machine may come in handy too. You can now even use YouTube videos offering free white noise. Some dog owners keep on the bathroom fan to help buffer sounds. -Play Calming Music. If feasible, bring along calming CDs made just for dogs such as Through a Dog's Ear. Nowadays, you may also find a lot of music specifically crafted for dogs offered for free on YouTube. This calming music may turn helpful for relaxing you too! -Use a Barrier. The closer your dog stays by the door, the more compelled she may feel to bark. You can make a barrier using chairs and your suitcases to prevent your dog from lunging towards the door area. -Bring a sense of familiarity. It may also help to provide familiar things along (food bowls, toys, doggy bed) . Train your dog to lie on a mat and bring along the mat for travel: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/train-dog-go-to-mat/ -Boost your pups' confidence. Here are some exercises. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/exercises-build-confidence-insecure-dogs/ Hope this helps, Happy travels! Best, Adrienne

Oh no! If this is a fairly new behavior, makes me wonder whether he could have had an upset tummy lately. Were the stools well formed, or more on the soft side? Is he pooping more during the day? I don't mind TMI for these things. Were there any recent changes in his diet? New treats? New food? Could he have eaten something our of the norm? Has he been dewormed? Any new stress? Are you making sure he has pooped before being crated at night? Is he still peeing in the crate? Just wondering.. by any chance, does he come from a pet store? If this pooping is something new, I think it would help to discuss with the vet as there can be underlying medical causes that may cause an increased sense of urgency that may override a pup's instinct of not soiling where he sleeps.

You are very welcome! Here is a more in depth training guide for teaching "off": Here's how to train it. Wait for your dog to jump on the couch. If your dog isn't jumping up, then plan your training sessions around that specific time your. Say your verbal cue "off" and then toss a treat or kibble on the floor with a downward motion of you hand. Tip: use hard treats as these are more effective in grabbing your dog's attention since they will make a noise when they hit the floor. Just as your dog jumps off the bed or couch and before he eats the treat/kibble, say "yes" or click your clicker (if your dog is clicker trained). Repeat this exercise several times as the opportunity presents making it a fun game. At some point, start saying "off" but this time without actually tossing the treat. Just pretend you toss it using your downward hand gesture. When your dog jumps down say "yes" or click the clicker and feed him the treat, but this time drop it from your other hand. Your ultimate goal is to say "off" and stop tossing the treat/kibble. Repeat the above exercise and start morphing the treat-tossing hand movement into just pointing at the floor and then feeding the treat from your other hand dropping it to the floor when you dog jumps off. This is to prevent dependence on the sight of treats. Now, it's time to raise criteria and add an extra challenge. A day may arrive when you need your dog to get off the couch, but you don't have treats. Start mixing in praise without giving treats or use other types of rewards such as giving a favorite toy, running together to the yard to play or giving your dog a nice belly rub. Don't stop giving any types of rewards or treats altogether though; as that may lead to the behavior extinguishing. The leave it cue can also be used to train a dog to not approach something and therefore can be also used to tell a dog to not jump on the couch. It has a "preventive" function, meaning it helps prevent the dog from jumping up versus dealing with a dog who has already jumped up. Here is how to train it :https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/take-leave-it/ And once again, make the couch inaccessible and unappealing when you aren't training or are away (you can place bulky things or move it to face the wall -some dog owners opt to cover the couch with plastic carpet runner turned upside down so the hard points are facing upward to make it lose some appeal or you can simply keep your pup in a separated area) and aim to work on making your pup's bed extra appealing by offering wonderful things when there (toys, treats, edible chews, kibble).

Anxiety when left alone in the car: These guidelines are once again general, and in the assumption he may be really suffering from separation anxiety (which should be diagnosed by a professional who would then provide an individualized plan). So this is just an example: Desensitize your dog to being left alone. The good thing about anxiety in the car is that usually one doesn't leave for too long. So this works to an advantage. To help your dog cope, you would therefore have to start with very brief absences (like just 1-2 seconds) and keep coming back making sure to not cause your dog to go over threshold. You can read more about threshold levels here; https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/ In your dog panics the moment you close the car door, you may therefore have to just start by walking around the car and entering it repeatedly before progressing to leaving out of sight. Repeat several times until she seems comfortable with that. Then gradually increase criteria, by increasing distance a bit, maybe walking in a larger circle around the car and then coming back. Once she's OK with that, you can start walking farther away in one direction, but then coming right back. Then move on to briefly being out of sight for a second but coming back. Important: Keep increasing gradually distance and duration, but make sure to also mix in shorter and briefer absences into the mix so that your dog doesn't panic because she senses the increase in difficulty. Create Positive Associations When you work on desensitizing your dog to your brief absences, it's also important to create positive associations with them, by giving your dog some super duper high-value treats to give while you leave. Make it clear that the treats are given contingent upon your leaving. Be careful: if you leave for too long and get your dog over threshold, your dog may come to associate the treats with you leaving and may start refusing them. This is why it's so important having a professional help out to ensure the dog stays always under threshold. Ideally, it may help if your dog is trained to start eating when you tell her it's OK to. Simply place the treat in front of him, move away and right before going out of sight, tell her it's OK to start eating. Estimate how long it will take your dog to eat the treat and strategically come back when he's done eating (alternatively remotely monitor him). As you make your absences slightly longer, you can try giving treats that are slightly bigger or that take longer to eat. For example, a stuffed Kong or a Lick mat smeared with some peanut butter or canned food may work out. If your dog is too stressed to take treats, then that means he's too over threshold and you'll have to split the exercise into easier steps. Take a few steps back and make your absences shorter until he's fine with that before increasing the level of difficulty. At some point, you may be able to go to a store to make a quick purchase and come back to a dog who is relaxed and just finished enjoying a goodie. Graduation time: go to a drive-through. Once your dog gives signs of tolerating your longer absence it's time to pat yourself both on the back and celebrate on your next outing. Go with your dog through a drive-through and get yourself and your dog something high value like a burger (if it's safe for him to have that). Let the burger release the tasty aroma for the drive and build your dog's appetite anticipation. Then eat your burger nearby your dog letting him watch you and making him hungry. Then get ready to run your quick errand in a store and give your dog the burger only (or a portion of it depending on your dog's size) to eat while you're away. Time how long he may take and come back around that time. Use remote monitoring: to further kick things up a notch and know how your buddy is doing, invest in some remote monitoring gadget to watch how your dog is doing while you are in the store. This offers you the advantage of knowing when you can return. Nowadays, technology has gone a long way. There are even great cameras that allow you to talk to your dog and even deliver goodies while you are away. One such camera is the Furbo camera, which has rave reviews from many dog owners. Consider Calming Aids. There are several calming aids on the market that can help dogs who are anxious about being left alone. Here are a few ideas: -Leave your dog with an article of clothing that smells like you (even better, a bit stinky, so check your laundry basket). Leave your clothing only if you're absolutely sure your dog doesn't ingest it or eat parts of it. -Play some calming music when you must leave the car. There are several CDs made to calm down dogs. Through a Dog's Ear, is one of them. On top of calming dogs down, music can help buffer outside noises. -Try a calming shirt. These are snug-fitting shirts meant to apply pressure to various pressure points, creating a sensation similar to swaddling a baby. A popular brand is Thundershirt which can also be used to treat car anxiety and separation anxiety. -Experiment with pheromone-based aids. These are synthetic versions of special chemicals that helps calm and soothe dogs. You can find them under the form of sprays (spritz some on your dog's blanket prior to car travel) and collars. -Consider calming supplements. Some mild cases may benefit from some calming supplements that are sold over the counter. Examples include Vetriscience Composure, NaturVet Quiet Moments and Zesty Paws Calming Bites. -Moderate to severe cases may require the intervention of a dog behavior professional. It goes without saying that in some cases, the anxiety be just too much and the dog may refuse food and be unable to relax no matter how hard we try. Seeking the aid of dog behavior professional such as board-certified veterinary behaviorist (DACVB) or a Certified Applied Animal Behavior Consultant (CAAB) would be important. These professionals can guide you through the correct implementation of behavior modification and may also prescribe medications to help lower your dog's threshold so that it becomes easier to work with them. I hope this helps, Please let me know if you have any other questions, Best, Adrienne

Hello, and welcome to the forums, Many dogs with separation anxiety struggle with the crate because they associate it with social isolation. These dogs need lots of baby steps. It is good that you work at home and your husband is retired as this offers the perk of working gradually and possibly taking turns when going outside as your new rescue adjusts. I will be posting below some info on separation anxiety and several general protocols. Something to consider firstly is that separation anxiety can be a little tricky to diagnose at times (it's now called "the great imitator" for this very reason). The best way to diagnose separation anxiety with more certainty is recording a dog's behavior when left alone and having your veterinarian or veterinary behaviorist take a look at it. Important would be to set your recording device with a clear view towards the area you exit and leave for a brief absence sticking nearby as you monitor him using a remote monitoring device so that you can come back quickly if he starts getting into trouble. Sadly, many dogs who are rescues suffer from this problem. It is not always clear if they were surrendered due to separation anxiety in the first place or if they go on to develop it due to trauma of being surrendered, creating a type of chicken-or-egg scenario. In any case, if your dog has truly separation anxiety, this requires time and lots of baby steps to tackle. One of the most challenging parts of separation anxiety behavior modification is that it requires management when the dogs aren't in "training." This means that to "protect" the hard work and preventing dogs from rehearsing the problem behavior, absences should be avoided during the behavior modification process. Working from home and being retired offers therefore an advantage as mentioned as it allows to take turns going outside. Helping a dog suffering from separation anxiety is not an easy task. Many dog owners wonder how long it will take and there's no easy answer as each case is different. The more a dog has been rehearsing the problem and the more severe it is, the more work may be needed. Severe cases may require the addition of medications (veterinarians are likely to prescribe them, if they feel it's needed). If separation anxiety is what your dog turns out having, here are some general protocols used for addressing this problem. It goes without saying, that each dog is different, so they may need a more individualized approach. What's needed? Interactive toys, treats, food, a mat, baby gates and some technological gadgets such as remote monitoring devices and/or automatic treat dispensers are used in the exercises. Although optional, the use of these technological gadgets come extra handy considering that they allow to monitor dogs remotely so to evaluate whether it's a good time to raise criteria or whether a dog is being pushed too hard. A safezone will also need to be established. This safezone is the dog's confinement area where the exercises will be performed. For comfort, it is best to use an area that is central to family activities such as an office, kitchen or living room. Dogs who enjoy their crate, exercise pen or playpen and love to lounge in it, can have it placed in the safezone as long as these enclosures remain open as some dogs with separation anxiety suffer from concomitant containment phobias. A safezone should be blocked out by a baby gate or in homes with open-plan layouts, a super wide gate may be needed. Tier 1: Protocol For Dogs Who Follow Owners Room- to- Room One thing many dogs suffering from separation anxiety share is extra clingliness, so much so, that many dog owners have started to nickname their dogs "Velcro Dogs." These dogs follow their owners from one room to another and like to sleep by their owners' feet so to be the first alerted when their owners are about to get up and walk around. This component of treatment for separation anxiety in dogs needs its proper protocol since it would be non-productive starting practicing outdoor absences if these dogs aren't even able to tolerate brief absences within the home. The goal of these exercises is to gradually build on distance until the dog can be left in a room while the owner is in another. On top of these exercises, it's ideal to encourage these dogs to sleep at night on their own bed or mat and sleep there as well during the day (rather than sleeping constantly on the owner's lap, glued to the owner's body or at the owner's feet). Note: some dogs are particularly attached to one person. To start the exercises easily, it is best to start with the person the dog is less attached to and then progress using the person the dog is attached to. Step 1: The first step entails having the dog to be able to relax and cope without following their owners everywhere. These dogs need to learn to perform brief sit/stays or down/stays on a mat or other comfy place while the owner walks around, but initially remains always in the dog's sight. Initially these sit/stays and down/stays should be very brief for just 1-2 seconds while the owner just takes a step or two away in various directions and then returns to reward. Criteria is then raised with the owner just walking a few steps away (3-4) and then returning to reward. Gradually, distance and duration can be added, but it's important to make sure to not make increases in time and distance predictable as dogs will soon come to predict this increase in difficulty and may grow incrementally anxious. To avoid this, mix in shorter (less time) stays and closer stays (less distance) frequently. For example, 2 second stay, then 4, then 3, then five, then 1, then 4, then 6, then 2 etc or 2 steps away, then 1, then 3, then 4, then 1, etc. Distractions at some point can be added as well. Clap your hands as you walk away, count to five out loud, turn your back to your dog, lift your arms, walk around your dog etc. If your dog ever breaks the stay just say a casual "oops" and send your dog back to the area where he was asked to stay. Resume the exercise, this time making it a bit less difficult before progressing to asking for more. Many clingy dogs follow their owners every time they get up from sitting. If your dog gets ready to follow you every time you are sitting on a chair or couch, and you put your hand on the arm rest or put down the remote, practice sit/stays and down/stays as you repeat these actions over and over. Then increase criteria, and start to get up repeatedly from your chair/couch/. Then get up and take a few steps and may be even walk around your dog and go back to sitting. These exercises should be done until fluent and the dog appears totally relaxed and no longer eager to follow. End the sessions with a jackpot of treats. Step 2: Gradually increase distance/duration. With longer duration, it's best to request down/stays to prevent tiring. Take more steps away (from standing or sitting) and for gradually longer times and start going out of sight. Ask your dog to down/stay on a mat as you briefly get out of view behind a wall or door for a split second, then return and reward. Repeat several times as you gradually mix in shorter absences and longer absences and shorter distances with farther distances, making sure to not allow you dog to detect an incremental pattern of difficulty. You can mix in brief errands too such as opening/closing a closet, grabbing a beer from the fridge or closing a window as long as they don't cause you to be out of sight for too long. These exercises should be done until fluent and the dog appears totally relaxed. Always end the sessions with a jackpot of treats. Step 3: Increase more the distance and duration. Install a baby gate, hide several treats around the enclosed area, send your dog there and have your dog explore his new confinement area and find the goodies. Leave the baby gate open for a couple of days so that the dog can freely visit and discover goodies in there. Next, practice briefs stays as you get in and out of the baby gate and return. Stay always in sight. Gradually increase the time you stay out as always mixing in briefer stays with longer ones, but not more than a minute in length. At some point, get out of the baby gate and start preparing a stuffed Kong that can be easily unstuffed in just a minute or so. Place the stuffed Kong behind the baby gate where your dog can see it and smell it and cannot get it. Your dog should try to get the Kong. Wait for a little bit of frustration to set in such as your dog trying to paw it or whine. Grab the Kong and give it to your dog as you remain in view at a distance behind the baby gate for 1 minute. Return inside. Repeat, reloading the Kong again making it more challenging to unstuff and then less challenging, so that you can increase the the time you stay out as always mixing in briefer stays with longer ones. Try to return when you know your dog is just about to finish unstuffing his Kong. Step 4: Start incorporating the treasure hunt game, using a portion of your dog's meals as outlined in the course. Have your dog sit/stay or down/stay as you get a portion of your dog's meal allowance and hide the kibble around. Have your dog watch you in anticipation and then as you leave the room and release your dog. Allow your dog to hunt as you are briefly out of sight. Return and repeat the exercise hiding the remaining portion of your dog's meal allowance and leaving as your dog goes on his hunt. As always, gradually increase the time you stay out of sight, mixing in briefer stays with longer ones, but not more than a minute in length. Alternatively, in lieu of the treasure hunt game, you can stuff a slow food dispenser such as a Kong Wobbler, Buster Cube or regular Kong with the kibble and let your dog work on it while you are away. At some point, start delaying your returns a bit so that your dog has finished hunting or eating from the Kong but doesn't appear to anxious about running out of food and being alone. Tier 2: Protocol for Uncoupling Pre-Departure Cues Dogs are masters in reading body language and learning all the cues that culminate into our departures. It's therefore not surprising when they start acting nervous when dog owners get up, have breakfast, and then put on makeup, shave, brush hair, put shoes on and grab the keys. These are all pre-departure cues that put dogs on high alarm, as these cues have been chained one to another and associated with departures. Uncoupling these associations requires some work. The work encompasses desensitizing to the pre-departure cues and breaking up their associations with the departures. These exercises are done when not leaving the home. Make sure that you therefore have time set aside for this. To start, compile a list of behaviors you perform normally when going to work or head out and identify the ones your dog seems to react to. Then, place them in order chronologically, starting with the one that is farthest away from leaving the house. You will then work on exposing your dog to these behaviors starting with the first and then chaining them one by one until the dog becomes uninterested in them as they lose value due to them no longer leading to departures. For instance, if your list looks something like this: put on shoes, grab briefcase, grab keys and walk out the door, your exercises will look something like this: (please note, sit on the couch/watch TV is an example, you can do many other things that your dog associates with you being home like knitting, washing the dishes etc.) Put on shoes, sit on the couch, watch TV (when you sit down and watch TV or read a book or go prepare a meal, do so for a few minutes each time) Put on shoes, grab briefcase, sit on the couch, watch TV Put on shoes, grab briefcase, grab keys, sit on the couch, watch TV Put on shoes, grab briefcase, grab keys, walk towards the door, sit on the couch, watch TV Put on shoes, grab briefcase, grab keys, walk towards the door, touch the door knob, open the door slightly, close door, sit on the couch watch TV Put on shoes, grab briefcase, grab keys, walk towards the door, touch the door knob, open the door, take a step out, then back in, close door, return, sit on the couch watch TV Put on shoes, grab briefcase, grab keys, sit on couch, walk towards the door, touch the door knob, open the door, take a step out, close the door (with you outside), quickly reopen door, close door, return, sit on the couch, watch TV. Put on shoes, grab briefcase, grab keys, sit on couch, walk towards the door, touch the door knob, open the door, take a step out, close the door (with you outside), lock the door, unlock the door, return, sit on couch watch TV. Put on shoes, grab briefcase, grab keys, walk towards the door, touch the door knob, open the door, take a step out, close the door, lock the door (with you outside), and increase duration of staying outside gradually, but for no more than half a minute (always mixing in shorter absences in the midst of longer ones), then unlock the door, return, sit on the couch, watch TV. Note: If your dog seems upset by any of these behaviors, you may need to split them further. For example, if your dog is doing well up until you start opening the door (like you catch your dog whining), then, you may want to split the action of walking to the door in further segments (e.g take a few steps towards the door, return, sit on couch, then, walk to the door and stand in front of it, return, sit on the couch, then, walk to the door and touch the knob for a split second, return, sit on the couch, then walk to the door and open the door a bit for a split second, return, sit on the couch. Do this until the door can be successfully opened without the dog worrying about it. Tier 3: Exercises by the Door Monitor your dog for signs of distress These exercises are more difficult, and therefore, require dogs to be very well proficient at the previous tier level. Dogs should therefore have reached a point where they are fine with being left alone for up to half a minute as the owner stands behind the closed door. Because these absences are longer and more distractions are added (car engine starting), it helps to provide some high-value long-lasting goodies for the dog to consume such as a strategically stuffed Kong with layers (e.g a layer of cookies stuck at the bottom, kibble mixed with peanut butter, a cookie stuck midway, canned food, another cookie at the top). For longer absences, on top of a Kong, an automatic treat-dispenser set to release treats at frequent intervals can turn helpful. When providing goodies to consume for these absences, it's important to provide them as well while you are at home to prevent them from turning into a pre-departure cue signaling to your dog you are about to leave. At this point, it may also be important to use some form of remote monitoring so to assess how the dog is doing and keep tabs on progress and/or setbacks. Body language should be carefully assessed. Anytime a setback is noticed, it means that one must work more on a lower level until the dog is perfectly comfortable with that level. For example, if the dog becomes anxious upon being left alone for 8 minutes, more time should be spent practicing at lower times. Increments should be done in seconds rather then chunks of minutes always mixing in briefer times to make the exercises as variable as possible. Build the time gradually up to 30 minutes if possible. Arrivals should always be no big deal. Ignore your dog as you walk in and just go straight to the couch. Example of exercises: Put on shoes, grab briefcase, grab keys, walk towards the door, touch the door knob, open the door, take a step out, close the door, lock the door, start car engine, then unlock the door, return, sit on the couch, watch TV. Put on shoes, grab briefcase, grab keys, walk towards the door, touch the door knob, open the door, take a step out, close the door, lock the door, start car engine, spend a bit of time in the car, then unlock the door, return, sit on the couch, watch TV. Put on shoes, grab briefcase, grab keys, walk towards the door, touch the door knob, open the door, take a step out, close the door, lock the door, start car engine, move the car a bit ahead and then back into parking space, then unlock the door, return, sit on the couch, watch TV. Put on shoes, grab briefcase, grab keys, walk towards the door, touch the door knob, open the door, take a step out, close the door, lock the door, start car engine, drive the car around the block and then back into parking space, then unlock the door return, sit on the couch watch TV and so forth. Gradually increase more time spent away, mixing in shorter absences. A Word About Treatment For Separation in Anxiety in Dogs It's important to consider that slow and steady wins the race in behavior modification. It will take time, commitment and determination to attain results. The goal is to get a dog to be calm and reward that. Setbacks are always possible during behavior modification no matter how well planned the program. To reduce the chances of setbacks, it is best to perform separation anxiety exercises with the help of a professional for in-person evaluations and coaching. Once the dog appears calm in the safezone, it's time to generalize the behavior and practice in other areas of the house and with other family members. Finally, remember that separation anxiety is often misdiagnosed and there can be other issues at play. Just to have an idea google " dog separation anxiety the great imitator," and you'll find an article divided in 4 parts written by a veterinary behaviorist doing an in-depth list of all the potential "differentials. " I will be posting about the car issue in my next post.

Glad to hear! Thanks for the update! Feel free to post here if you have any other questions. Best, Adrienne

Hi Megan, Is the couch going to be off limits all the time or just now that your dog is a puppy? We want to have clear rules from the get-go, so it's important to establish consistency and ensure that all family members are on the same page. I would avoid manually pushing off as this may teach the pup that hands are bad and it may lead to nipping. Saying "off' as you toss a kibble to the floor may work best for now (keep some kibble always handy in your treat bag or pocket), until we can teach him to go to his mat to nap/play rather than on the couch (you can keep the mat nearby the couch for now since pups like to stick nearby). https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/train-dog-go-to-mat/ When you must walk away, it would be important placing bulky items on the couch to prevent him from accessing it or keeping him behind a baby gate or in his pen.

Thanks for the extra details, I am glad that her itchiness is no longer a concern. If she is doing well on fish, that's a good sign that you are on the right path and it's good you are using as well fish treats. With the morning eating, there can be various causes. I have dealt with some dogs who for some reason or another they struggled eating their morning meals. I will share some possible causes (of course, these don't necessarily apply to your case). Causes of dogs refusing morning meals -Some dogs may suffer from acid reflux or what's known as bilious vomiting syndrome. Affected dogs may develop nausea (often manifested as drooling, lip smacking and licking surfaces) sometimes followed by vomiting which usually occurs in the early morning and consists of bile. Not all dogs vomit though, some just get nausea and struggle with eating in the morning. This doesn't sound like your dog, but I just wanted to add it to the list if any readers have dogs with this issue. -Some dogs may too overstimulated or excited in the morning and they just can't seem to relax enough to focus on eating. We used to have a puppy over for boarding and training who was super happy to be let out of her crate overnight and all she wanted to do was greet us and play with our dogs. When we offered her food, she would sniff it and then look for something else to do. If we presented the food again, she would mouth it and then spit it. However, she would eat in the late morning-early afternoon once she was calmer and more relaxed. -Sometimes anxiety can be the trigger. Carefully evaluate what is happening in the morning when your dog is refusing food. Can there may something going on that can be making her feel anxious? Sometimes children may be running back and forth as they are getting ready for breakfast or maybe the garbage truck is driving by as she is eating. If you feed your dog before going to work it can be hat your dog is too anxious about you leaving and can't focus on eating. You will need to be your dog's eyes and ears for a moment in the morning to carefully evaluate whether there may be something going on that may cause your dog to feel antsy. -Some dogs are simply waiting for something better. Some dogs may learn to skip their breakfast if they know that owners have something better to offer. It may start this way: you offer your dog her meal in the morning and she refuses it. Worried, a family member removes the bowl and offers her some of left over chicken instead. Your dog eagerly eats it. Next morning, the same scenario happens. Soon, your dog learns to hold off eating her meal because there's something better to offer. "Dogs are smart this way and will have you feeding them Mcdonalds' if you aren't careful," my vet used to say. I can see this happen if when she skipped her breakfast she was taken on walks and fed several treats. Being small she would then feel full. When a dog feels full with too many treats or people foods they can choose to be picky. -Some dogs instead enjoy the extra attention. Some dogs will bark when you sit down and watch TV, others may start chewing your shoes, and some others will play the "I don't feel like eating game." What happens with these dogs is that they enjoy the extra attention when they make a miserable face and stare at the food bowl and one tries to coax them to eat. These dogs simply start associating feeding time with interaction so they'll do what they can do to prolong things and get as much attention they can before eating. -History of free-feeding. Dogs who are free-fed therefore tend to learn to eat when they feel like it. Often-times, this means eating later on during the day when they start to really feel hungry. This is because, when food is left out all day, it tends to lose its value. Dogs do not feel motivated to eat because it's always readily available. It may take some time to get used to scheduled feedings. -Getting other sources of food. Sometimes, dogs who refuse food in the morning are getting food other ways. For instance, a child may be dropping food from the table at breakfast, the dog is eating kitty's breakfast or at night it raiding the trash can. Ways to Get Dogs to Eat -Rule out medical issues. As mentioned, sometimes a dog refusing to eat food in the morning may suffer from some underlying medical condition. Pain, digestive issues and metabolic disorders come to mind among various possibilities. Treatment varies of course based on the underlying cause. -Switch to scheduled feedings. If a dog has been free-fed and now you want your dog to start eating his meals at scheduled times, consider that it may take some time to adjust, but you will need to be strong to increase your dog's motivation. Basically, put the food bowl down and give your dog 15 minutes to eat. If she doesn't eat, that a sign that she isn’t motivated to eat. By removing the bowl, you can be assured that she’ll be much more motivated to eat at the next meal, explains Dr. Christine Zink, a board-certified veterinary pathologist. Usually, most dogs grasp the idea after skipping two to three feedings and feeling hungry enough. Important is to not feed any people foods or treats or the dog will come to learn to hold off the food in hopes of these getting these goodies and the extra attention. However, if your dog doesn't seem to build an appetite after repeated offerings, it's best to consult with your vet to see if there's an underlying problem. -Offer a Calm Environment. Dogs who are overly excited or anxious certainly benefit from a calmer environment. Give your dog a quiet place away from the hustle and bustle of kids getting read for school or outdoor noises. Avoid petting your dog, interacting with her and giving too much attention in the morning as this can get her excited and thinking about play more than eating. Keep toys away and out of reach and other dogs separated if your dog only thinks about starting to play. You want to therefore pick a spot that is near people, but not in a high-traffic area. A corner of the kitchen, a specific spot in the family room or a designated area in the laundry room with the door open may work well depending on your family's normal activities. If your dog is anxious because you are leaving for work, you may need to work on treating separation anxiety. Based on your info, worthy of trying is offering the morning meal in a quiet area. If she doesn't eat within a reasonable amount of time, pick up the bowl and no treats or people food until the next scheduled feeding. Check with your vet on this though as some small dogs can get low glucose levels if they go too long without eating. Once she eats, then you can take her on the walk and use treats (always broken in small pieces so not to give too much). If she eats in the morning, rather than giving her the treat in the bowl after to reward, if she likes to go on walks, I would call her, ask her for a sit by the door and clip the leash on and give her a treat to reward for that. Then, I would continue using the treats on walks to reward polite leash walking as needed (always giving small pieces). There are other ways to entice dogs to eat their kibble, but they often require adding something to the kibble (like some canned food, meal topper, garlic and onion free meat broth) and the dog may come to want that something added all the time or may learn to lick the addition and leave out the kibble.

That's great to hear! You will find some info on cat chasing in the below thread if, once he's more at ease in the home, he may think about chasing the cats. Hopefully though you won't need it:

I hear you, dealing with itchy pups can be very frustrating! Many dogs will eat when there is some sort of competition going on. Indeed, when I worked for a vet, a trick of the trade with finicky dogs who were hospitalized and were a bit reluctant to eat, was to feed them when there were other dogs around and they would eat their meals quickly when before they didn't want anything to do with the food. On the other hand, most likely she just enjoys the novelty of something different. With food allergies, vets usually want dogs only on one food protein (usually made with only a few ingredients) and if treats are fed, they must strictly share the same protein as the food. For example, if you must feed fish, then the treats must be fish-based only or you can feed some boiled fish as a treat. Even a small treat containing another ingredient a dog is allergic to is often enough to cause itching. I know though how difficult this can be with dogs who like variety in their diets.

Hi there, Welcome to the forums! I agree with you, he sounds stressed and likely all this travel has had an impact on him. Most likely he got used to being in his travel crate and felt protected in it, and now that he is a new place he just shuts down and wants to feel safe. Eating food and drinking water though is already a good step forward so it seems like he is slowly coming around. As to what to do, I have a few ideas, but they may or may not work depending on how your home is structured, noise levels etc. -One option that comes to mind is once he's up and moving, to place his bed near the door, so that when you open it, he can see you go outside and may feel more intent to follow you. This may or may not work well depending on whether the area nearby the door is noisy or the door opening may scare him. It may help though if he needs to walk a distance to go outside and he is scared of walking across the room if there are things he may be scared of (like large furniture, a fridge that makes noise). On top of this, seeing outside from his bed may entice him more to get up if he has been showing signs of enjoying to sniff around the yard. -If you need to pick him up, you can find this helpful, although I prefer a dog to walk on his own as much as it can be avoided, but this can help create positive associations: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/the-importance-of-picking-up-small-dogs-and-puppies-safely/ He may also benefit from getting used to touch: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/exercises-to-teach-puppies-to-tolerate-touch/ -Here is a general guide for fearful dogs: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/helping-fearful-rescue-dog/ -If he' scared of some noises, this can help too: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/fear-noises/ If you need to use treats, split them in several small pieces and give one piece for behavior to reinforce rather than giving a whole one at once. I can easily get 10-12 pieces out of a regular soft treat which means I can use significantly less while still reaping the benefits. If he eats his kibble and likes it, you can use that too.