Adrienne

Hello and welcome the forums, With a behavior as such and neighbors complaining we certainly want to tackle this as soon as possible. I am afraid that, as the sun rises, your pup is in full awake mode and he wants to just re-unite with you, his family. Here are some ideas that come to mind: Keep him indoors. At this young age, I would worry about the puppy eating/chewing things in the yard or getting in some type of trouble, on top of the barking and scratching the door. I know you said your fence is escape proof, but puppies just have this big propensity to get into mischief, even in the best puppy-proofed yards. If you believe he's hot in the home, you should see him panting and seeking cool areas in the home. If that's the case and you have abnormally hot weather, I wonder if there's a way to keep him cool inside? Sleeping in the bathroom with a tile floor? Turning on the A/C? Providing a cooling mat for dogs? I have had dogs who felt hot in Arizona, but an A/C and tiled floor often did the job. The drawback: If you decide to keep him inside, you will need to keep him crated at night and take him 1-2 times outside at night to potty. The advantage though is that you'll be potty training him faster than a dog who just goes potty on his own when he feels the urge and never gets to learn how to hold it. Here is a guide to train puppies to love the crate. Your pup may struggle though being crated now though as he has developed a taste of too much freedom so you will need to create lots of positive associations. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/love-the-crate/ Postpone his bed time. If you can find a way to keep him indoors, it may help to postpone his bedtime. Going to bed at 9 is quite early and can be the reason why he wakes up at 5:40. That's more than 8 hours of sleep and the sun light showing tells him it's time to wake up. If you can get him to go to sleep later, you may get him sleeping longer gradually day after day. You can also trick him into thinking it's still night by keeping the room he is in quiet and dark. Install a doggy door. This may be a future project. Many owners of dogs who tend to get hot in the home have found a good compromise with a simple doggy door. This way, the dog can go out and in as desired. However, it takes some time to train a puppy to use one and it's best introduced once a dog has learned to hold it (potty trained). Provide mental entertainment. When he scratches to come back inside, it may help to provide something to keep your puppy occupied until you can re-establish a new routine. You can provide him a stuffed frozen Kong (look online there are many recipes), a Kong Wobbler with his meal inside or a Licki mat. Right now, he's gotten used to going on a walk that early, so his circadian system is not only used to awakening early but also going on walks so he will now always come to expect it until a new routine is gradually established. If your puppy is destructive when you are working, you need to confine him in a puppy proof area such as an exercise pen. Provide safe toys and have other family members engage him in several short training sessions/brain games scattered throughout the day which can be tiring as much as exercise (and some say even more). For the behavior when you leave, it helps to have family members engage him more and take over a bit in caring for him such as maybe walking him, feeding him and training him and keeping him busy and happy when you are away. Have them teach your pup that great things happen when you are not around. Start with brief absences. Have them give your pup a stuffed Kong or edible chew you have kept on the shelf (but that your pup could see so you can build a bit of anticipation) right when you walk outside without him. When he’s done eating, (have your family give you a signal) return. Here are also some exercises for clingy pups: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/following-owners-around-house/ I hope this helps, Let me know if you have any questions. Best, Adrienne

Hello and welcome to the forums, Lovely dog! I think I see some boxer in her 🙂 and I love the brindle coat! If she's in the house when she barks and she's seeing the kids outside playing, most likely you're dealing with some type of barrier frustration. Barrier frustration is just that, dogs getting frustrated when they cannot interact with others due to something physically preventing them (fence, gate, leash). Often times, the dogs get very excited when they see children playing with balls and they want to join in the fun. Ideally, we don't want them to practice this behavior because it has a tendency to establish since the dog has a deep need to vent. Barking, in this case, acts as a form of release from the frustration, and therefore, this behavior tends to strengthen and repeat. It soon becomes habit-forming and will automatically start taking place contingent upon the children playing. In some cases, more than barrier frustration, the dog is somewhat stressed/anxious, either because he/she wasn't socialized much around kids or isn't used to normal sounds children make when playing. This form of barking, may too become established as the dog is manifesting emotions and a need to increase distance. In some cases, the dog may be also barking because of some concern about the children's play behaviors, misinterpreting their vocalizations and behaviors for distress. And then you have some dogs who may bark to send intruders away from their perceived territory. This often happens when strangers pass by a property line or a dog's perceived territory. This form of barking, may too become established as the dog is manifesting emotions and, if the children happen to move away, even temporarily out of view, the dog may come to believe that it's thanks to his barking that the children have left the scene, and therefore the barking will persist in hopes of sending them away again and again. Soon, you're stuck in a loop with a dog repeatedly barking due to the children's coming and going behaviors. Regardless of the underlying cause, normally, in such cases, the best piece of advice is blocking access to windows, but it sounds like your home is structured in such a way that you have no rooms without window access. So in cases as such we may need to do some troubleshooting to find the best way to tackle this, here are some ideas that come to mind: Walk your dog. If children start playing at specific times, you can try taking your dog for a nice walk or have a family member do that. Simply, coordinate the walks with the onset of the children playing. This works out great as it provides an outlet for a dog's need for exercise and mental stimulation while also allowing the dog a productive way to vent. Block visual access. If your home has windows in most rooms or perhaps moving to another room may be impractical, you may find it helpful to apply some opaque window film to prevent the dog from seeing outside. This alone can tackle many cases of territorial barking. Buffer the Sound. Often, dogs bark as well in response to the sounds children make when playing. You can buffer sounds by turning on the radio or the TV to cover the sounds of children playing or you can create some white noise using a fan or a white noise machine. Encourage alternate behaviors. For mild to moderate cases, where your dog is responsive to you, you can create a new routine. Right when the kids start playing, you invite your dog to lie on her mat and you provide her with a long-lasting chew or stuffed Kong to enjoy. With time, your dog should start looking forward to her new routine! Here's how to train your dog to lie on a mat: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/train-dog-go-to-mat/ If your dog isn't very responsive to you when she's looking outside of the window barking, it may help to train her to respond to a smacking sound as described here, working first with low-distractions: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/university/look-at-that/ * Please use caution, some dogs who get very frustrated/aroused may bite if they are touched when they are barking! Provide confinement: Another option is to confine the dog to an area away from the window such as inside an exercise pen with a stuffed Kong to keep her occupied. As the saying goes: "out of sight, out of mind!" I hope this helps, let me know if you have any questions, Best, Adrienne Disclaimer: Some dogs when very aroused/frustrated may bite. If your puppy or dog is showing aggressive tendencies or is very aroused/frustrated, please play it safe and consult with a dog behavior professional (DACVB, CAAB) for safety.

Hi Alexia, Welcome to the forums! Are you planning to use toys to reinforce behaviors (like during training) and as a substitute for treats? Is he not taking treats outside the home? Or are you just looking for ways to encourage a dog not interested in play to play? Many dogs will play growl when they have something and we play tug with them, but if he's growling aggressively, then we may have a problem as that can be a sign of resource guarding. You generally will notice other signs such as: Carrying an object in the mouth and moving away from the owner Running away and hiding the object Laying down with an object kept tightly in the mouth Tensing the body Hunkering over the possession Showing the white of the eyes (whale eyes) Eating faster as the owner approaches Swallowing edibles/non-edibles fast to protect them Rushing towards a valuable before the owner can get near it Sudden bout of intense barking upon approaching something valuable Growling in a deep, guttural tone Snarling (showing the teeth) Snapping (quickly biting the air) Biting Here is a general guide to encourage some independence in clingy dogs: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/following-owners-around-house/ If you are using the toy to train your dog your dog to "drop it" then your dog is doing well. The goal is to have the dog drop it and he's doing just that. We can start with toys and then progress to other things. In your case though, since it seems that you actually want your dog interested in toys, you can try practicing drop its with other random things he may pick up during the day like sticks, shoes etc. or even a piece of bread to swap for something higher value. However, if your dog is prone to guarding toys, I would feel it would be more important focusing more on teaching a reliable "drop it" versus making your dog more interested in toys.

3) The growling when sleeping and people walk by, if someone sits near him. This behavior tends to worry me somewhat when I hear about it. This is because dogs acting aggressively upon being woken up often react very quickly and without much thinking involved. They may sometimes skip the warning signs they would normally give when in an awakened state. The reaction often occurs as a startle response, with the aggressive display appearing almost reflexive. The fact that he growls is somewhat reassuring, and it's great that you have been teaching your children not to approach him while he's sleeping, however, in cases as such, it's easy to lower the guard eventually. While a growl is communication, we must consider that with a growl, a bite can be just around the corner. It may happen one day that he may be more stressed than usual, or he may be in a deep REM sleep and awaken startled to the point of trying to bite. We should though avoid punishing a growl as that risks causing a dog who bites with no warning. You can read more about this here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/growling-never-suppressed-dogs/ One should evaluate in dogs who growl when woken up whether the dog may be guarding a resting area (some dogs guard beds and sofas or their mats but they normally do this when they're awake or just about starting to snooze) or if they are simply reacting to being startled and just waking up. Excess reactivity may sometimes be seen in dogs who are in dire need of a nap. Puppies need a lot of sleep, and noises can stress them. Living on edge like this makes them startle more easily. Such cases often require a close evaluation by a veterinarian or veterinary behaviorist. It is best to keep these dogs in an area away from any chaos (in a crate covered with a blanket, x-pen or behind a baby gate) so they don't get bumped by accident by well-meaning owners. This can also allow them to reach the deep REM sleep stages, so important for recuperating from daily stress. Calming aids such as DAP diffusers, playing calming music, calming supplements may help. Behavior modification for mild cases may entail tossing the dog a treat every time he is awakened (after he has been allowed plenty of rest), starting at first with a very light touch done with a long target stick or an "assess-a-hand" typically used in dogs shelters, for safety. The ultimate goal being creating a positive conditioned emotional response (+CER) upon being touched and awakened from sleep. Obviously, due to safety, this should be only done under the guidance of a dog behavior professional as done wrongly, it may worsen the behavior. More complex cases, may require strict management (dog always sleeping in crates/x-pen/behind a baby crate), and even medications for overly stressed dogs or dogs with a disorder known as "REM Behavior Disorder." I hope this helps, please let me know if you have any questions. Best, Adrienne Disclaimer: behavior modification comes with risks. If your puppy or dog is showing aggressive tendencies, please play it safe and consult with a dog behavior professional for safety and correct implementation.

2) About the reactions to the collar grabs. This can happen when puppies aren't used to being handled, or when they start to associate being grabbed by the collar with something unpleasant such as just being dragged, or put into a time-out or just away from his family. Once again, here, a mix of training and behavior modification is needed. Management once again requires using alternate methods to collar grabs for the time being, at least until we can establish a strong positive conditioned response to collar grabs. One alternate method as mentioned, is calling him. Here is a guide for training dogs to come when called: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/recall/ Make sure to reward for coming when called with a treat or a portion of his kibble or a toy to keep him busy while he's in the timeout zone to chill out a bit. Behavior modification once again entails desensitization and counterconditioning and ensuring he's kept under threshold throughout the exercises. An example of behavior modification for a puppy reactive to collar grabs may go as such: (please note once again, that every case is different, and therefore each program may need to be individualized). One would slightly touch the collar, feed a a treat while touching the collar, then remove the hand the moment the puppy is done eating the treat. This is repeated several times, until upon touching the collar, the puppy looks for treats. Next, one would start raising criteria: one would put the fingers slightly under the collar, feed a treat, once puppy is done eating, one would remove the fingers from under the collar. This is rinsed and repeated until the pup seems happy upon the person holding on to the collar. Next, one would grab the collar (without pulling) and feed a treat, once done eating, one would remove the fingers from under the collar and release. This is rinsed and repeated, until the pup seems happy with this. Next, one would grab the collar and gently let the pup walk a step, while showing a treat and feeding it once the pup moves and then, once done eating, he is released. This is rinsed and and repeated several times, until the pup seems happy with this. Next, from a distance, one would call the puppy and when he arrives, the collar is grabbed, the pup is encouraged to walk a few steps and is given a treat. Once done eating, the pup is released until the pup seems happy with this. Criteria can be further increased by having a helper hold a treat nearby. One can grab the pup by the collar and lead him towards this person who feeds the treat. Or one can place a treat in a food bowl (without the puppy knowing) and we can guide the puppy towards the bowl. As seen, the goal is to make great things happen when the pup is grabbed by the collar. While many pups swerve when you try to grab them by the collar, in my puppy classes, pups are actually eager to be grabbed; which makes it tremendously helpful in case of an emergency (and it also helps teach pups to give in to leash pressure) once they can go on walks. It goes without saying that you should avoid grabbing your pup by the collar to correct him or do anything your dog in general finds unpleasant as this can trigger defensive behaviors. So it important to maintain positive associations with this. Also important for persistent cases is to rule out any medical conditions that could make a dog reluctant and not wanting to be touched (eg. ear infections, neck pain) Next, will be addressing the reaction when sleeping. Disclaimer: behavior modification comes with risks. If your puppy or dog is showing aggressive tendencies, please play it safe and consult with a dog behavior professional for safety and correct implementation.

Thanks for the extra details, very helpful! Sorry, I missed the breed-just noticed only now that you posted it in the title. So in a case as such, I would suggest preventing putting him in situations that seem to trigger his aggressive displays as much as possible. So as I have already mentioned, try to keep things he shouldn't have out of reach. To put him outside, call him (check how to train a good recall in the obedience 101 section) and give him a treat or access to a toy once outside rather than grabbing the collar, and if he attacks when he sleeps, restrict him to an area where nobody walks by. Now these are management techniques that are meant to prevent him from rehearsing the problematic behaviors, so it's also important working on these issues. In cases as such, a mix of training and behavior modification will turn helpful. I will be posting some tips on how to tackle some of the behaviors you are observing, but I want to emphasize that, in a household with young children, and with a puppy that will grow to be quite large once mature, and that is already displaying aggressive behaviors, I feel it would be very important having a behavior professional assist in these delicate early stages so to ensure everybody is safe and that behavior modification is implemented correctly. So what is behavior modification? Behavior modification aims to change a dog's emotional responses, it's quite different than actual training (which is mostly operant conditioning), and often includes techniques based on desensitization and counterconditioning. Desensitization means taking a gradual, step-by-step, systematic approach to acclimate the puppy to something the puppy perceives as overwhelming/unpleasant/aversive. It requires very gradual, less intense exposures, sort of teaching a child to not be afraid of water by first letting him stand in water that is at the foot-height, than up to the knees, then up to waist etc. always ensuring the child is comfortable. You can read more about desensitization here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/desensitization/ We can power up desensitization by adding also counterconditioning into the mix. In counterconditioning, we aim to create positive associations with something the puppy perceives as overwhelming/unpleasant/aversive. So back to the child scared of water, he should feel much happier being in the water if, every time he is exposed to the water, in a step-by-step fashion, he is given some form of reward (like some candy, stickers or figurines, anything the child really likes). You can read more about counterconditioning here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/counterconditioning/ While we do all of this, we always need to gauge the dog's emotional state, watching for signs that suggest the dog is 'over threshold'. In other words, we need to be careful in reading the dog's body language for signs of being overwhelmed/stressed/fearful. Now, some signs of stress can be rather evident like growling and snapping, but there are often more subtle signs that can be missed. Here is a list of some signs of stress/fear in dogs: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/signs-fear-stress-dogs/ In resource guarding specifically, we may notice more specific signs though such as: Carrying an object in the mouth and moving away from the owner Running away and hiding the object Laying down with an object kept tightly in the mouth Tensing the body Hunkering over the possession Showing the white of the eyes (whale eyes) Eating faster as the owner approaches Swallowing edibles/non-edibles fast to protect them Rushing towards a valuable before the owner can get near it Sudden bout of intense barking upon approaching something valuable Growling in a deep, guttural tone Snarling (showing the teeth) Snapping (quickly biting the air) Biting Here instead is a read on threshold levels in dogs: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/ Now, these are just some basics on behavior modification. With this info on hand, it' true that we can better understand the goals of behavior modification, however only working with a professional, who has made of dog behavior modification his/her area of specialty (like a veterinary-behaviorist or certified applied animal behaviorist) can really cover all basis or at least most of them to ensure everything goes smoothly. The biggest problems encountered in behavior modification are usually progressing too fast through the process (slow and steady wins the race in behavior modification), failing to recognize early warning signs that a dog is going over threshold (it can take years of practice to recognize the mist subtle ones) and not knowing exactly when to advance or take a step back. With this being said, here are just some basic examples of behavior modification one may conduct along with a professional (consider that each case generally requires a personalized, custom-tailored approach based on a variety of criteria). Issue 1: Snappy, aggressive behavior when somebody is trying to remove something In such a case, a multi-faceted approach is generally needed. Firstly, as mentioned, one would institute management by puppy proofing the area where the puppy is most often kept and removing any items the puppy should not have. This as mentioned, prevents rehearsal of the problematic behavior and helps set the puppy for success. When time is available for active training and behavior modification, it is then possible to plan on working on some exercises. The goal of these exercises is to create a positive conditioned emotional response towards the owner approaching while the dog has access to something he may act protective about. A positive conditioned emotional response means simply a dog looking forward to something rather then dreading it. So in a dog who has guarded items in the past, a happy tail wag when the owner approaches rather than a growl, can be suggestive of a positive conditioned emotional response. Since the goal of a good desensitization program is taking a gradual, baby-step approach, one would first start with items that are perceived less valuable to the dog, so in the case of a puppy who has growled over a shoe (which likely is perceived as super valuable because it is not always available) one may start with perhaps a toy the puppy always sees around and hasn't shown possessive behaviors over it the past. It's a good idea to not to overdo any exercises by doing them altogether and all in one setting. Puppies should also be granted some free time where they get to enjoy their toys in peace. A word of caution is needed: although some of these exercises can help nip resource guarding in the bud when caught early, instances of resource guarding can always happen despite lots of training. All it takes is for a dog one day to find something so valuable (like a stinky dead bird carcass, which is certainly something many puppy owners haven't had the opportunity to practice with) to cause him/her to revert to his instinct. Practicing with trades The goal is to teach puppies that great things happen when their toy (or other item the puppy may have access to) is taken away. Owners should start with low value toys first and then move on to the next low-value items in list on the hierarchy of items guarded. It's important to consider here personal taste. For some dogs, certain toys may be higher in value than other types of toys. For example, some dogs may go bonkers over squeaky toys while others may like more toys to grab and shake. So compiling a personalized hierarchy of guarded items with the less likely to be guarded at the top of the list can hep. Once found something considered low-value by the puppy, the exercise would look like this. The puppy is provided with access to a low-value item and the person leaves. Then, the person starts walking by and every time he/she passes right by the puppy, a high value treat is tossed in his direction. This is done several times, until the puppy looks relaxed and starts showing signs of looking forward to the person passing by. Once a positive conditioned response is noted (the puppy looks happy when the owner approaches) it is possible to raise criteria, moving to the next step. In this case, it may be working on trades. Basically, when the puppy is chewing the toy or something else that is considered low-value, one can work on swapping the toy with something valuable that the puppy really likes. When trading, one will therefore need to use a dog's favorite edible chews. The big rule: it's very important that whatever is offered is always higher in value than what the dog has. One must also keep in mind durability. If a puppy has something that he's planning to chew for a while, such as a stick, one shouldn't just trade it for a single treat which will cause him to gobble it up and then return promptly to the stick. Instead, one should give something durable that will keep him busy for some time (like a large dog cookie to chew, bully stick, or a handful of his kibble if that's valued to the pup and more valuable than the item to trade). When working on low value toys, it is also possible to swap for a higher-value toy such as one the puppy hasn't seen for some time or a new toy. So with the high-value food in the hands (making noise with the wrapper if the food has it can also aid in getting the pup's attention), the person should approach the puppy, show the food, and when the puppy shows interest, toss it at a far distance and safely retrieve the item. For cases where there are bite risks, it helps to toss this high-value treat past a door or baby gate, and once the dog is behind that door, the door/baby gate is closed so the person can safely remove the object. This method works well because on top of getting the dog to voluntary relinquish the object, it also teaches him the art of "fair trading." In other words, instead of dreading a person coming his way when he has a possession, he looks forward to it because after several trials, he has learned that the person has always something better to offer. The dog therefore anticipates something great is about to happen. Gradually, one can then move up the hierarchy of value, always paying attention to ensure the puppy is not tense and enjoying the exercise and offering things that are higher in value. Once the puppy or dog seems to do well in being approached and trading, and his emotional response has positively changed, it is possible to introduce the leave it and drop it commands so that one can have more control over certain situations. Here is a guide on how to train these: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/take-leave-it/ https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/drop-it/ It goes without saying that puppies with resource guarding tendencies require lots of management and supervision in a household with children. A time can come when a child may drop something or try to grab something nearby the dog's reach (like a children's toy) and the dog will bite. Hence, the importance of tackling this early and with the in-person assistance of a professional. It is good he has some level of bite inhibition (doesn't cause much harm when biting), but this needs to be maintained and tackled early before he gets older and his jaw gets stronger and his permanent teeth are all in. So it's fundamental teaching good bite inhibition, here are some exercises: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/train-dog-take-treats-gently/ I will be addressing the other issues shortly in my next post. Disclaimer: behavior modification comes with risks. If your puppy or dog is showing aggressive tendencies, please play it safe and consult with a dog behavior professional for safety and correct implementation.

Hi Tana, This is certainly something you want to address sooner than later, as we don't want these behaviors to establish and obtain a strong rehearsal history, making them more difficult to eradicate. How old is your puppy? What breed? When you pass by while he's sleeping, are you touching him in any way or is he growling just as you are simply walking by? On what occasions is he being sent outside? To pee/poop? As timeouts? As a consequence for unruly behavior? How old are your kids? How do they interact with him? Does your pup have an area where he can get away from the kids and nap? Has he ever bitten? If so, how is his bite inhibition so far? Please don't encourage him to bite in any way for the sake of answering this, simply describe whether his bite breaks skin or if he holds and shakes the head or other details based on what you recall. Thanks, these extra details will be helpful for me to better understand the situation. In the meanwhile, please use strict management, e.g don't leave shoes or other things he shouldn't have around, if he gets a hold of something, show a long lasting treat like a dog cookie and toss it the opposite way as you retrieve the item. To put him outside, call him and give him a treat once outside rather than grabbing the collar, or entice him to chase you outside, making it fun, and if he attacks when he sleeps, restrict him to an area where nobody walks by. We want to prevent him from rehearsing these problem behaviors as much as we can.

Hi Cheryl, This can happen for various reasons, even as simple as just wanting to get your attention. Several shepherd/shepherd mixes also can be prone to mouthing human body parts to just encourage us to follow them, or do something such as interact with them. You do good to not reward this since you haven't specifically asked for it. I would try my best to ignore it as even looking at the dog, talking to him or touching him can reinforce attention-seeking behaviors. However, I would also evaluate if he's trying to bring something to my attention (needs to be taken out to potty? is telling me the water bowl is empty?)

I am not sure if a pdf file is available. You can try contacting support and ask about this: [email protected] If you go on the pages you wish to print though, you can press CTRL and P together, and that you should take you to a page that allows you to print every page individually or you can select custom and it should allow you to print several pages at once. Hope this helps, Happy training! Adrienne

It's that time of the year! Wishing all of our members and their canine companions, Happy Holidays! And a wonderful 2021! Cheers! Brain Training for Dogs

Hello and welcome to your forum, I hear you. It does get frustrating at times and we may have moments of feeling helpless and emotionally drained. We do need take breaks every now and then-we are only human. This is also why we have a forum, to offer support to each other and find ways to make our lives easier. I have gone through this multiple times. I sometimes must admit, I looked for it-when offering to volunteer for a shelter I often asked to foster dogs that were a "challenge" and deemed difficult to adopt. I ended up having no life-sleeping on the couch because the dog couldn't be crated nor left unsupervised until trained, going through bruises and scratches due to over nippy dogs, having to separate my dogs and almost totally ignore them for weeks on end (luckily my hubby took care of them!) as the problem dog absorbed every bit of energy I had. It can get very tiring. Although I wanted to help in fostering as much as I could, I had to take breaks from it after some time due to the emotional toll and the accumulation of compassion fatigue. We do our best and what we can. It's not easy and my heart goes out to all of those going through these challenges. Thank you for bringing up this important subject.

You are very welcome. It sounds like she's doing overall well on the leash, she just needs to work more around distractions. If meeting people is rare on walks, that makes the presence of people extra salient, so this seems to interfere with her ability to stay composed. This whole pandemic situation is making things more challenging for many dog owners and it's starting to show up with dogs who are overly stimulated when they see people/other dogs (the other problem is separation anxiety after weeks/months of owners home). Hopefully, once this COVID19 thing is over, you'll have more opportunities to practice. If you have people ever walking by your house and your dog can see them from a window, you can practice some look at that exercises (see link below). If you don't have any windows with people walking by, it can also help parking your car in a place where there are people walking by (from a distance where she's under threshold) and you can do some look at that exercises from there. Sit next to her, and when she sees a person, make a smacking sound and feed a tasty treat. Once you have a fast, almost reflexive response, this can work as a foundation exercise for the future attention heeling exercise on walks around people/other dogs. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/university/look-at-that/ In general, I am not too fond in granting dogs off-leash privileges until they have proven excellent on-leash skills and a strong bond has formed with the owner. The reasons for this are several. One of them, is that once they savor the freedom of being off leash and sniff around, the moment we put the leash back on, it seems like dogs start perceiving being on leash as punishment or at least they must feel stuck in some type of unpleasant situation-and we become a part of it. This happens mostly if we do so too early. On top of that, if we prevent them from accessing something they wish to sniff/greet/explore they may end up getting frustrated. Frustration may lead to leash biting and several displacement behaviors. A while back I had a dog over for board and training with the habit of eating his own poop (I know yuck, but this is rather common). This dog was often left for hours in the yard unattended and during this time, he would have fun eating his own stools. On my property, I decided to put a leash on him to prevent rehearsal of the troublesome behavior, and every time we passed by his poop with a short leash to start training, he was getting an itchy fit, in other words, he would sit down and would scratch. I noticed he would always scratch his collar as if manifesting his displeasure in wearing it and being prevented from doing what he did for years (eating poop). It's almost as if he had an "allergy to wearing his collar and leash." The frustration started to subside once every time we passed by his stools, I would make my smacking sound and he was fed tasty chicken which he loved. Rep after rep, he would start looking at his poop and no longer pull, but would come closer to me to get his reward. At some point we progressed enough that he was able to still stick by my side even without the leash on. We then got to the point where he would poop at a distance, then he would happily come to me as if he wanted to show it to me where it was, I would clean it up with my pooper scooper and he would then get a reward for helping me find it. So if your stopping and walking the opposite direction is causing Spirit frustration and leash biting, if possible keep a note of when it happens (what triggered it? a person or dog?) and plan next time to work at a distance from such trigger (so she doesn't get too frustrated). From that distance, ask her to perform an alternate behavior to the pulling (attention heeling) which will set her up for success while also teaching her that great things happen when she sticks by your side. Also, make sure that once you turn, you can praise her and reward her after doing a few steps next to you so that she'll be less likely to feel frustrated. Creating a strong bond for leash walking is very important. As we walk with our dogs on leash, will inevitably compete against many, many temptations. If we become a strong source of trust, fun and rewards, we can potentially obtain a dog who chooses to stick by our side(when safe to do so, even without the leash on) just because of all the great perks we offer. In beginner classes, I often enjoyed watching dog owners walk in a fenced area with the dog off leash. I monitored carefully how many times their dogs paid attention to their owners versus exploring the stimuli-rich fenced area. Often, dogs seemed to totally care less about them and were totally absorbed by their surroundings. Once on leash, there seemed to be a battle (dog wanting to explore, owners holding them back). After graduating from the leash 101 class, and re-doing the fenced area experiment, dogs would now stick always closely nearby, and even if they happened to explore, they voluntarily checked-in with their owners several times. If you have a fenced area, I would suggest rewarding any voluntary check-ins with your dog. Just every time your dog comes close to you despite all the temptation, hand feed a treat. This makes us interesting. It paves the path to a foundation of reinforcement. Then, you can even start to practice what I call the "invisible leash exercise," where the dog voluntarily picks you over other things to sniff/explore because you have become the best thing out there. Here is a sample of this (please excuse the video quality, but it should give you an idea of what I am aiming for in different dog breeds). Initially, in the early stages the behavior tends to looks a bit sloppy (these were the first couple of days), but with practice, you start seeing more and more fluid responses. *Please note: when I toss a treat ahead sometimes, I do this on purpose to show what needs to be done when a dog happens to be ahead pulling; the dog needs to be drawn again into heel position, back into the reward zone. The German shepherd practiced this only on leash because he had growing pains and I couldn't allow any crazy romping around in our acreage if he decided to take off for some reason. Now, this doesn't mean we will always want our dogs attention heeling all the time. Attention heeling requires concentration and I use it mostly for when we're walking by triggers/ distractions. We can have them just walking next to us without pulling though and dogs need to sniff too every now and then, and we can grant this wish by putting sniffing on cue. In other words, we can give them permission. We can therefore take our dogs to a spot and allow them to sniff around and then resume heeling once they start to lose interest in whatever they are sniffing. We can even attach a longer leash or a long line to help the dog discriminate between a shorter leash for heeling and a longer leash for sniffing/exploring. If the behavior in the fields is triggered when playing Frisbee, it could possibly be that 1) she is either getting tired of the game -when tired, games may even start to feel aversive and dogs may not know how to put it stop 2) she is getting too overstimulated/frustrated which can happen when play gets too out of hand, 3) she is looking for a different type of interaction. I exclude the seeing who submits first possibility due to recent studies showing that dogs aren't trying to dominate us as we previously thought. Instead, dogs are more likely to do the things they do because of some history of reinforcement going on. More on this here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/dominance/ I used to have a foster dog who would not do this while playing fetch, but anytime she saw something that excited/overstimulated her and she didn't know how to cope with that. Impulse control and frustration tolerance games helped her learn to cope better with her overexcitement/frustration, and it also helped gradual exposure. Brain games, relaxing mat games, clicker training, nosework helped a lot as well. She was no longer fed in bowls but worked for her every kibble, using it for training, brain games and for when she displayed calm behaviors. Lately, there has been a lot of discussion going on among dog trainers in regards to fetch. It's been described as an adrenaline-pumping activity with some dogs getting addicted to it due to its repetitive pattern. Other dogs instead just get too aroused. I like that you have a sit incorporated in it, but I would suggest watching when the biting behavior happens. Is it after a while you have been playing? If so, maybe it may help to switch to another activity (how about playing tug with a long tug toy if she is very tug driven? Many GSD love tugging games -but make sure to train her to drop and that if she bites you during the game, you stop the game, turn around and even pretend to leave and resume once she's calmer) or just give a rest period with some calmer games (do a treasure hunt? bring along a bottle game, Lickimat? or how about a herding ball to move around?) to engage with in between. It may be therefore helpful to switch over before she gets to that point. It is easier to redirect a behavior before it happens than once it occurs. I hope this helps, happy holidays! Best, Adrienne Disclaimer: Please note: frustration can spill into aggression. If your dog shows or has shown signs of acting aggressively at any time, please play it safe and consult with a force-free dog behavior professional for safety and correct implementation of behavior modification.

I hear you, this pandemic has certainly put a dent on all dog's socialization (and peoples' too). With her behavior around people, it sounds like she's doing fairly well overall. I know many young dogs who struggle a lot to even just sit so at least you have that part down. In this case though it seems like she needs to do something once she's done with the exercise. Here's the thing: when we have the dog sitting and then the dog gets a treat, once that treat is eaten, the dog thinks it's now OK to party as the exercise is over. It's sort of the end of the composure, so now we have a dog who not only still feels excited to be around people, but who is also wiggly and happy and celebrating being released from a sit. So we sort of get a dog in the mood for partying more than anything else. Most dogs who struggle with staying calm when meeting people or dogs are young dogs who are excited, although in some cases, there may be a bit of overstimulation and anxiety too at play. It may help to keep things very brief and sweet, for example, you ask your dog to sit first, then your dog says briefly hi and gets a treat from the person and then you're back off to walking before she has the chance to behave inappropriately. When I have dogs in training, I just tell people that my dog is in training so we're just working on meeting people politely for a few seconds and then off we go back on our walks. This is because we want to prevent as much as possible rehearsing overly excited behaviors around people and we also want to lower the chance of people making our dogs too hyper with baby talks and petting dogs at the wrong time. Because, let's face it: many times the problem are the people our dogs encounter as they may pet the dog and fuss over the dog while the dog is jumping on them. Just the opposite of what we want to train! Then very gradually, we can try to increase duration of our meetings with people. Often, we'll need to give our dogs something else to do while we are chit-chatting with others. We can for example, keep a tug toy in our pocket and tug with the dog a bit or we can ask for several hand targets in a row and reward them, always cutting the conversation short to prevent going past our dog's ability to stay calm. We can also incorporate a stay into the initial sit, but even with that, we need to go very gradually. If we really want to work on this religiously, to ace it, we can enlist the help of some volunteer friends for this (we can even start with family members we casually meet on our walks). When training service dogs, we like to take turns in group classes acting as the people to greet and have strict guidelines to adhere to. For example, one of us approaches, the handler asks the dog to sit, we shake hands and the dog must stay in the sit/stay position. If the dog breaks the sit and tries to jump, the person being jumped on makes an abrupt about face and leaves to communicate to the dog that this way of greeting is not acceptable. Folks with good timing will be ready to leave the moment they even notice the dog's attempt to jump. We do several reps on this with different people and after some time, this feedback starts sinking in: basically, dogs start realizing that, if they hold the sit/stay they get a reward, if they break the sit/stay and jump, the person they so eagerly want to greet abruptly leaves. The good news is that generally, as dogs mature, they will start getting less and less hyper around people. I have noticed this is more true with certain breeds such as German shepherds, Rottweilers and Dobermans. Around age 2-3, they become a little bit more aloof and this makes them much more manageable. Prior to that, it helps continuing their socialization, which right now, of course, isn't easy. With my female Rottweiler who was Miss social butterfly when young and was always crazy to greet/meet people, I was able to tone down her behavior a lot with frequent trips to the city. Actually, we even enjoyed a 15 day long stay once in the city just to practice. After seeing so many people and dogs, and rewarding her for sticking to my side and doing several steps of attention heeling, she mellowed down considerably. She still acted a bit excited when she would spot a random person walking in the country, but she was much easier to control and never jumped. With other dogs, it sounds like she's too over threshold to consider eating. You can read about dog threshold levels here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/ You may have to skip close encounters for now (we don't want her to rehearse jumping on other dogs, which other dogs may not take nicely) until she's better under control. I would aim to practicing seeing other dogs from a distance and doing several steps of attention heeling. You can train this at home, then in the yard and then on walks at a distance from other dogs where she's under threshold. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/heeling-attention-heeling/ On top of increasing distance, another way to decrease threshold is by practicing often. Daily walks are important. Seeing dogs only every now and then increases their saliency. There is a phenomenon known as "suburban dog syndrome" which takes place in dogs who live in suburban areas and are reactive to seeing dogs and people because they are not frequent sights. If you walk your dog only on weekends things get more difficult. A daily walk, even if short (10-15 minutes) and just seeing one dog at a distance and her showing a bit of progress can suffix and you can call it a day. And don't forget about exercise and mental stimulation (brain games!). If your dog is a ball of energy before walks, she will be much harder to control and over threshold. Drain a good part of her energy by playing games prior to the walk. Expect some setbacks along the way; they are normal. When they happen, go back a few steps and work from a greater distance and decrease the level of difficulty. It is best if this exercise is initially done with calm dogs that do not create too much excitement. When you are at a point where your dog is responding well, you can try these focus exercises with dogs who are more on the hyper side. Remember that every time you are adding strong distractions, you should work from a greater distance since it is more difficult for the dog. What to do if a dog is coming your way, but this dog is too close and you are afraid they'll send your dog over threshold? The Emergency u-turn may help in such cases: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/emergency-u-turn/ Please note: If your dog is difficult to control on walks, you may find it helpful investing in a front-attachment harness (harness where the leash attaches to a clip in the middle of the dog's chest). Strong pullers may benefit from a head halter, but this requires an adjustment period and some dogs struggle wearing it. Once you she's much calmer upon spotting other dogs on walks, I would aim to walk her with some other calm dogs. Start with a friend with one calm dog. Parallel walking can help a lot dogs who need to learn to act calmer around other dogs. Parallel walks are just walks with other dog owners who have their dogs on leash and walk parallel to each other with the handlers in between to give distance. The dogs aren't allowed to interact. This is beneficial because it takes the pressure off the dog who doesn't have to focus on meeting/greeting/socializing/jumping and can focus on other things, but the group walk still gives them a sense of group adhesion, and it's still socialization although in a calmer, composed way. If you want your dog to play/interact with other dogs, make sure it's under a controlled setting (like off leash in a fenced area). In other words, if we let our dogs meet and interact with other dogs on walks, they'll come to expect that every single time they see a dog and this builds frustration those times we don't let them greet them. With the episode in the field, what happened exactly? Did she not listen your request to sit or lie down? Was she not interested in the toy? Is she on leash or off leash when this happens? It sounds like a case of zoomies. I like your approach of reinforcing her when she's not jumping. Maybe we can make it a habit of playing some treasure hunt games when she's out there. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/elementary/the-treasure-hunt/

Hi Kathleen, Welcome to the forums, Issues such as fear, anxiety and reactivity, require more behavior modification than training initially. This is because dogs who are overwhelmed and anxious, are often far from being in a learning state. They are just too nervous to focus. Training therefore can be incorporated as they start calming down on walks. However, in the meanwhile, these dog may benefit from training indoors and mental stimulation (brain games) as positive training methods help dogs get more confident. So please make sure to provide several training sessions/brain games each day to keep his mind and brain busy. I would also aim to train some impulse control through these exercises: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/impulse-control-frustration-tolerance/ In a cases like yours, you need to take a very graduated step-by-step approach and invest time in doing lots of remedial socialization. Yes, because although we may have socialized our pups during their critical window of socialization, which closes at 12-16 weeks of age, there is such a thing as de-socialization. Puppies need ongoing socialization to maintain their social skills and keep habituating to their surrounding environments and that includes ongoing exposure to different types of people, dogs, animals and even normal every-day things we take for granted such as cars, trucks, shopping bags, mailboxes, flags etc. Even dogs who are super socialized can lose their social skills if they go from walking in the city and then move into a country home or a home in the suburbs. Dog trainer Jean Donaldson calls this 'suburban dog syndrome.' Remedial socialization therefore requires gradual exposures making sure your pup is not exposed to triggers at a level that he's overwhelmed and anxious. If he's barking and he's a nervous and timid fellow, I would take that as a reliable sign that he's being pushed too far over his comfort level. It's therefore important recognizing the signs he's over threshold and taking steps to prevent him from getting there too often. Here is a read on dog threshold levels: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/ Once you recognize signs that he's over threshold, the goal is therefore to keep him under. We can do this through systematic exposures (desensitization). Desensitization involves exposing the dog systematically to his triggers. Here is a read on desensitization: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/desensitization/ Desensitization on its own can work for very mild cases, but I like to power it up by combining it with counterconditioning. Counterconditioning involves creating positive associations with the dog's triggers. In order to work well, a good counterconditioning program incorporates things the dog finds very reinforcing provided contingent upon the exposure to the trigger. Here is a read on counterconditioning: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/counterconditioning/ So let's make an example of behavior modification taking place in a dog whose trigger is getting out of the door. In such a case, before approaching the door, I would start first with some fun training involving looking at things from a window. Please look up the Look at That game (link below) and practice it as your puppy pays attention to things happening out of you windows. Do several reps of this and aim for a fluent response. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/university/look-at-that/ Once, you have a nice response, practice this with your door opened, with your puppy on leash but not yet out of the door. Keep him at a distance from the door in a way that he's under threshold. Do the same exercise as before. The moment your pup looks at a anything that arouses your dog’s attention—this could be a man walking a dog, construction workers, joggers, and so on, make your smacking sound and offer him a treat. As your pups gets a hang of this game, you can start moving closer to the door gradually and then practice from there. If progress is further made, you can then move on to practicing just by the door, always paying attention that he remains calm or at least alert, but not anxious. If you ever have a setback and he starts barking, take that as a sign that you are progressing too quickly. Take a few steps back and move at a farther distance until he seems fine with that. Once you can move past the door, keep on working on keeping him under threshold as possible. Scan the environment. If you know his triggers, keep him at a distance from them and feed him a tasty treat upon spotting them. There are Christmas decoration next door? The moment he looks at them, make your smacking sound and feed him a treat. If possible, do this every time he sees a decoration that you think may concern him. Don't be stingy- use high-value treats your beagle loves and give them only for these outings. If you are worried about calories, consider that you can easily split a treat in dozens of pieces as small as a small blueberry. I would suggest walking him alone for now (unless you have a super confident dog that you can walk with him and which can act as a role model and influence him positively) as other dogs can feed off his fears and become easily alarmed as well. Then you're left with two reactive dogs to work on. On top of this, if you bring along another dog with you, you won't be able to diligently work on behavior modification which requires one-on-one attention. Thundershirts aren't really designed to work on their own. I know they may look like a quick fix, but they should be used along with some form of behavior modification, although some dogs may get calmer, but usually I have seen it's just with the very mild cases. I wouldn't aim for the dog park for now. That can be too overwhelming and often there are too many dogs with little social skills. if he's nervous, this will just prove him more that being around other dogs is unpleasant. Your dog may benefit instead from play dates though, but later on, once he seems calmer around dogs and he has formed positive associations. Before going that route therefore, I would aim to teach him first to be less anxious around dogs, continuing with the 'Look at that" exercises targeted to seeing other dogs. In other words, same exercise as with the Christmas decorations: you would keep your dog at a distance from other dogs and feed him treats as soon as he spots one. When the dog is out of sight, no more treats. Open bar/closed bar is a behavior modification method similar to "look at that" but it's more targeted as it makes it clear that good things happen contingent upon the sight of another dog. You can read about this method here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/open-bar-closed-bar/ What to do if a dog is coming your way, but these triggers are too close for comfort and you are afraid they'll send your dog over threshold? The Emergency u-turn may help in such cases: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/emergency-u-turn/ Here'a a case study with video if you want to see a demo of behavior modification: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/case-studies/03-homer-homers-reactivity/ Only once he is calmer and able to cognitively function, we can start asking for behaviors, for example, every time he sees a dog we can ask him to do several steps of attention heeling, making eye contact with us. Practice first in the home, then yard and then on walks and then around distractions on walks: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/heeling-attention-heeling/ Once he's much calmer upon spotting other dogs on walks, I would aim to walk him with some other calm dogs/older puppies. Parallel walking can help a lot dogs who need some remedial socialization. Parallel walks are just walks with other dog owners who have their dogs on leash and walk parallel to each other with the handlers in between to give distance. The dogs aren't allowed to interact. This is beneficial because it takes the pressure off the dog who doesn't have to focus on meeting/greeting/socializing and can focus on other things but the group walk still gives them a sense of group adhesion, and it's still socialization although in a calmer, composed way. Please let me know if you need any further elucidations on this. Behavior modification requires a gradual step-by-step approach making sure the dog doesn't rehearse the problematic behavior and keeping the dog as under threshold as possible. This requires close monitoring of body language and constant scanning for triggers. The most common cause for setbacks is progressing too fast and providing too intense exposure. The intervention of a behavior professional may be important for correct behavior modification implementation. I hope this helps! Best, Adrienne

Hi Donna, When dogs are in such an aroused state, it's important to avoid touching them as they may instinctively bite. Even saying "no" can put them on the defense if they have come to associate the word "no' with us pushing them. It can also be perceived as an aversive/threatening behavior from our side and dogs may react negatively. I would therefore advise to use the upmost caution. Since this is a new dog who is 4 years old and we likely don't know her past history, most likely this is a behavior that she has rehearsed for most of her life and it has become very ingrained. It could be no human every attempted to interrupt the behavior. In such cases, more than stopping the behavior, it may work better persuading her to engage in a more reinforcing behavior, but this will take a systematic, gradual approach. You may find the 'look at that" exercise helpful, although for your specific case, it may be best skipping the leash at least for now until she seems calmer. I would suggest using super high value treats and starting the exercise with very mild triggers along with the help of a professional for in-person guidance. Since her reaction is so intense, it may therefore be important taking a very gradual approach using desensitization. Desensitization involves exposing a dog systematically (using baby steps) to its triggers. Here is a read on desensitization: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/desensitization/ In order to work well, in a good desensitization program the dog needs to be kept as much as possible under threshold. Your dog is way over threshold right now. Here is read on threshold levels: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/ Below is the "Look at That' exercise: you will have to first work on getting a very strong response to your smacking sound initially in the absence of triggers, then work with very mild triggers, if possible at a distance from windows at first (maybe erect a baby gate?). However, once again, since you describe some rather aggressive behaviors (growling or snapping) I would highly advise working along with a dog behavior professional for safety and correct implementation. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/university/look-at-that/ When you cannot work on this, your dog should be kept away from the windows to prevent rehearsal of the problematic behavior. The more a dog rehearses the behavior, the more it puts roots and becomes more difficult to work on. If it is too difficult to distract the dog from windows or it leads to excessive barking, managing the situation may work best. Some dog owners black access to the windows or invest in some window film that visually blocks their dogs from seeing all these exciting outdoor stimuli Here is a read for dogs reactive towards door knocks and doorbells. After desensitizing to the sound of doorbells or knocks, we can turn these sounds as a cue that tells the dog to go to his mat. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/behavior-training/barking/doorbells-knocks-on-doors/ https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/train-dog-go-to-mat/ And here is a behavior modification protocol for visitors coming through a door, although it is more directed towards reactivity towards guests more than excitement, it is possible for excess excitement risking into turning into reactivity: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/dog-barking-someone-enters-room/ Again, since there are aggression components, safety is top priority-see disclaimer. I hope this helps. Best, Adrienne Disclaimer: behavior modification comes with risks. If your dog has shown/shows any potential aggressive behaviors please consult with a dog behavior professional for safety and correct implementation of behavior modification. Highly aroused states can easily spill into aggression.

Hi Kenneth, I am glad to hear things are going much better with the peeing in the crate behavior. In regards to the behavior on walks, we usually see mainly two forms of barking in puppies: the fearful/defensive barking seen in puppies who weren't socialized much with other dogs and who therefore aren't too friendly and the excited/frustrated barking of puppies who want to go meet and greet all dogs on walks. I will go a bit more in detail on both forms of barking. Barking Due to Fear/Defense Some puppies may bark at dogs on walks for the simple fact that they aren't comfortable with them. In such cases, the barking is a distance-increasing signal, meaning that the puppy would prefer to put more distance and avoid the situation as he's stressed and anxious about it. We see this type of barking mostly with puppies/young dogs who were under-socialized as puppies (especially during the critical socialization window which goes from about 3 weeks to 12-16 weeks) . Under socialized puppies may bark this way as their first line of defense against what they perceive as a threat. Young dogs who feel threatened, on top of barking, may also lunge, growl and appear overall aggressive. Barking Due to Excitement/Frustration On the other side of the spectrum, some puppies bark due to excitement/frustration. We see this type of barking especially with young, super social dogs who are easily excitable and who haven't learned enough impulse control. These pups often have a history of being off leash and playing well with other pups and dogs when off leash. The excited barking in this case is therefore usually a distance-decreasing signal, meaning that the dog would like to go meet and greet dogs and wishes to reduce distance, getting closer. The puppy is often pulling and barking/whining, eager to say hello. However, when a dog is super excited and cannot go greet and meet as he would normally do if he wasn't on leash, he may start getting frustrated. As the frustration builds up, this leads to a dog who lunges, barks and even growls, giving an aggressive appearance, because he's frustrated with the whole situation, leading to what is known as barrier frustration. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/barrier-frustration/ Now, telling the two apart isn't always easy. Here is a general chart: if your puppy has a history of playing well and getting along with other dogs when off leash, then I would be more propense to think you're dealing with frustration barking. Now, here is where things get a bit complicated: both forms of barking require a different approach. In fear barking, we would use behavior modification involving desensitization and counter conditioning, while frustration barking requires only desensitization but also training an alternate behavior and better impulse control. I will go over both. For Barking Due to Fear When dealing with fear/defense barking, behavior modification as mentioned is needed and often incorporates methods based on desensitization and counterconditioning. Desensitization involves exposing the dog systematically to his triggers. Here is a read on desensitization: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/desensitization/ In order to work well, in a good desensitization program the dog needs to be kept as much as possible under threshold. Here is read on threshold levels: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/ Counterconditioning involves creating positive associations with the dog's triggers. In order to work well, a good counterconditioning program incorporates things the dog finds very reinforcing provided contingent upon the exposure to the trigger. Here is a read on counterconditioning: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/counterconditioning/ For sake of an example, for a puppy reactive towards dogs, behavior modification may involve practicing in a T-shaped intersection. The puppy is kept at the farthest point from the intersection (at the base of the T) on leash with his handler, while another dog owner is instructed to walk by with his dog Distance helps keep the puppy calm, allowing exposure in a way that makes the puppy less likely to react (desensitization) and that clear passage of the dog allows the opportunity for the puppy owner to feed treats, creating positive associations (counterconditioning). After several reps, if all is done correctly, the puppy may exhibit what's known as a conditioned emotional response upon noticing the dog walking by. In other words, the puppy starts acting sort of happy because the presence of the dog walking by has been associated with treats. Afterward, very gradually distance can be reduced and if there is enough progress, similar exercises may be started in other areas upon spotting any dogs. *This method is based on Jean Donaldson's Open Bar/Closed Bar which you can read about here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/open-bar-closed-bar/ For Barking Due to Excitement/Frustration In the case of a puppy barking from over excitement/frustration, the first step is lowering the level of arousal. This is often done by providing some desensitization through the use of distance. Seeing a dog the puppy is dying to meet at a distance can help keep him more under threshold. When a puppy is under threshold, he's better capable of following our instructions so distance is your best friend. It will also prove beneficial in such cases, brushing up on the pup's training and teaching pups to do several steps of attention heeling contingent upon spotting another dog on walks. Puppies should be rewarded with high value treats for complying and making good choices. Here is how to train attention heeling: I like to make a smacking noise with my mouth upon spotting a dog and then bringing a treat at eye level: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/heeling-attention-heeling/ Further exercises can be done even from inside the home. You can have your puppy watch a volunteer walk his dog back and forth from a window and your puppy can watch them and come to you as you feed him treats to reinforce calm behaviors. Here is a guide for this: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/university/look-at-that/ As your puppy learns to be calmer, walks can also be organized with other calm puppies or adult dogs (which can act as role models). This way, the puppy learns that being around other puppies and people doesn't translate into overly enthusiastic greetings and over-the-top excitement. These calm walks therefore teach puppies to find interest in other things around them without getting hysterical and intense upon being around other dogs. On top of this, it would be helpful teaching puppies who bark due to excitement/frustration, to better control their impulses. It therefore helps training them several impulse control games for dogs. Here is a guide: Start with some easy ones and gradually increase the challenge as your puppy matures and learns to establish more self-control. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/impulse-control-frustration-tolerance/ The good thing is that once he gets better in controlling his impulses and is less excited over seeing dogs, people etc. he may learn to act calmer and his excitement urination may also start decreasing as he matures and becomes more confident. I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any questions, Best, Adrienne

Hi there, Welcome to the forums, I think he is unsure of what he has do so he may be "trying" some behaviors, or it's just that, as a puppy, he just wants to bite/mouth anything presenting in front of him. To remedy this, you can try several options: 1) Make sure you keep your hand very flat, so there's less chance for gripping anything. I can see though a big puppy still trying to mouth the whole hand, so another option is... 2) Be very quick to click/verbally mark and reward. If your dog has a long nose, there will be chances his nose will hit the palm of your hand a split second before he gets to mouth. So mark as fast as you can and toss a treat/kibble to the ground. With several reps, he should understand the goal of the exercise is just a light touch and then go to get the treat/kibble. It could be he's just trying to mouth because you have fed him treats by hand in the past and he's trying the easy way, but with several reps he may get it that he must nose touch your hand first in order to get the treat. 3) Encourage sniffing. You can try to hold some stinky treats in your hand before asking the hand target and see whether that may encourage sniffing. The moment he sniffs your hand, click/verbally mark and reward. 4) Try when he's a little more tired (but not to the point of being cranky) and less mouthy. 5) Try feeding a crunchy treat just prior so that he's mouth is occupied and offer your hand as a target while he's still chewing. He might not think of mouthing because his mouth is already busy, so you may get a nose target instead. Let me know how it goes. Best, Adrienne

You are very welcome! Keep me posted on how things go, Best, Adrienne

Hello, Welcome to the forums! Congrats on opening your heart and home to a new dog. Is this dog still intact or is he now neutered (castrated, altered)? Is he having pee or poop accidents or both? Are you dealing with urine marking more than actual accidents in the home? In urine marking we see a lot of raising the leg often and leaving little traces of pee on vertical objects versus leaving larger puddles of pee. Are you planning to train him to go potty outside? Thanks

Hi Penelope, Thank you for the added details, they are very helpful! OK, so any time I hear about a new behavior as such that starts out of the blue, and it happens to a rather confident dog who has always walked well on leash and is used to wearing a leash and harness and is not scared of anything apparent on walks, I can't help but wonder about something either medically going on or some type of discomfort. Things that come to mind medically are joint problems that can cause dogs to feel pain, vision issues, heart issues (usually with this the dog pants and appears exercise intolerant) and any type of sudden pain such as back pain or muscular problems. Some dogs may get temporary leg cramps. I once walked a dog who was doing this type of behavior and when the owners took the dog to the vet, they found out it was an anal gland issue. Emptying those glands was all that was needed to help ease the discomfort the dog felt while walking. So mentioning this to the vet can be important just to rule out any possible underlying issues. It could very likely be that heat is a factor if it's so hot where you live. Some dogs may stop walking if the pavement feels hot on their paws. Try touching the pavement with the back of your hand for 5 seconds, if it feels hot, it'll feel hot on your dog's paws too (of course, use hand sanitizer after that!). Heat can also make dogs walk sluggish and perk up when they know they are getting closer to home. Living in Arizona, I have walked dogs in the wee early hours of the morning or late evening to avoid the peak hours of heat. When it was scorching hot, I would sometimes give my dogs/guest dogs a bath and let them dry as we walked. Indoors I worked on keeping those doggy brains busy with brain games and nose work games which can sometimes be even more tiring than physical exercise. Clicker training can also tire dogs out quite a lot. I would also stop feeding all of her meals in bowls and start putting to use for training, brain games and food puzzles. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/adriennes-picks/top-5-dog-feeding-toys/ Sometimes fear of something on walks may cause dogs to stop, but it doesn't sound like yours may be the case. Anyhow, it may help to pay close attention to your surroundings just to see if it's possible to identify any sight, smell or sound that may trigger her behavior just to rule this possibility out. I hope this helps, Let me know if you have any other questions, Best, Adrienne

Thanks for the extra details, they are very helpful! At 6 months, she's entering the doggy adolescent stage, which is when we often witness some behavior changes, and among them, at this age, they have a deeper need for more exercise and mental stimulation. Often, we underestimate how much just tiring the brain can help during these trying times. So it's always a good idea adding some more mental stimulation (brain games) in those busy teenager minds. Here's a read about this stage: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/survive-dogs-adolescent-stage/ It sounds like from your description, this behavior tends to happen the most during the evening. If the biting therefore seems to occur in the evening when your dog ate and you are trying to eat, it can help to preempt it. In other words, plan on creating a new routine that makes the behavior more unlikely. For instance, it could be that she's biting you because she has just finished her meal (a time when most dogs are energetic and often get those post-prandial zoomies), while you are sitting and eating and these idle times are boring her so she's seeking interaction. In such a case, it may help to feed her meal in a Kong (at the same time you are eating) so that she's working for her meal (which discharges some good amount of energy versus eating from a bowl in seconds) and on top of that, it gives you time to finish up your meal. I know you said Kongs don't keep her entertained for long enough, but have you ever tried feeding her meal in one and making it a little more enticing? For example, if you are feeing her raw, you can stuff a piece of freeze-dried liver in the small opening of the Kong (the smell should entice her), then partially fill the Kong with raw meat or organ meats and then place the whole Kong in the freezer with the big hole facing up. Then, you can offer it to your dog simultaneously when your meal is ready. Offer it in an area that is easily washable and remember to clean up the Kong/floor surfaces as you would with anything you serve raw in to kill bacteria. The freezing makes for a more durable treat. If your dog is new to Kongs, you may need to take some steps to get her interested in them more. Like, you may need to place food in it that is valuable and easy to remove, before stuffing it in more challenging ways. You can start with some raw meat in it and then top with some peanut butter or plain Greek yogurt or some mashed banana before going to offering frozen meals. Once you are done eating and she is done too, you can see whether she is a bit calmer after working her meal out. There are many, many Kong stuffing recipes scattered throughout the web. Ask your vet what recipes you can try if you dog has any food allergies. Other ideas that come to mind: -When the biting starts, walk out the room and close the door or stand behind a baby gate. Then, try to return after a minute, if she still tries to bite again, go out of the room again, always closing the door behind you. When she's calmer, return, and start offering her something to do such as a few fun training sessions and end it with access to a chew toy or bully stick to calm her down for some time. -Alternatively, right upon noticing the gleam in your dog’s eye, denoting that a nipping episode is about to start, be ready to start tossing some treats/kibble around to keep her nose and mouth busy in a more productive way. Make it a fun game. For ease of convenience carry the treats/kibble in a pocket or treat bag or keep some handy in several cups on several shelves around the home. -Another option is to divert/re-direct with something super enticing. I know you said that re-direction is impossible, but often redirection is done with toys that are either too boring compared to interacting with us or that they see all the time on a daily basis. Have you ever tried redirecting to a real rabbit fur tug toy? I have seen dogs go bonkers over it and loved to tug on it. The rules for a good game of tug is to "drop it" on request and never bite your hands. If an accidental nip occurs, say "whoops! game over" as you remove the toy and even leave. -Many owners of nippy pups enjoy redirecting to a flirt pole. This is like a fishing pole stick that has a stuffed animal at the end. Dogs love to chase it around as we move it in erratic ways. -Some dogs who love to chase things can be redirected by showing a ball and tossing it the opposite way. -This sounds like arousal/frustration biting, and it therefore helps to train our dogs some more impulse control. Impulse control isn't something that happens overnight, but as dogs start maturing and are trained. Here are several exercises: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/impulse-control-frustration-tolerance/ -The fact that she is jumping and panting when you ask her to target, makes me thing she's struggling with the exercise because she doesn't understand it or is having issues with the training itself. Try not to show any frustration, make it a fun game. Watch your tone, don't make it sound demanding. Ask it once, then take a break, Then try again later to ask for another one. Then the next day, try asking a couple in a row. Praise her and reward her with something tasty. Finally, yes, sometimes they're just cranky and need to learn how to relax. I know you said that she has plenty of sleep, but we like to aim for at least 12 to 16 hours of sleep in a 24 hour period. So if she gets 8 hours a night, that leaves an extra 4 to 8 hours during the day. With some dogs, it's as if they just don't know when to stop and relax enough to catch some zzzs. It may therefore be helpful providing them with the right, calm environment to help them fall asleep and finally nap or at least relax with some calm activities (like several brain games). I always praise dogs (using a calm, soothing tone of voice) for showing calm, relaxed behaviors such as chewing on a toy, laying on a mat or just simply enjoying petting. They don't happen very much when they are teenagers, so catch them when you can and praise them! I hope this helps, Let me know if you have any other questions, Keep me posted on how things go, Best, Adrienne

Hi there, Welcome to the forums! You are right to be concerned because we don't want dogs to repeatedly rehearse problematic behaviors considering that the more they rehearse them, the more they establish, so we need to break the cycle and find ways to prevent this from happening. While it's true that some dog behaviors tend to decrease once puppies mature, some of them may stick around if there's some type of reinforcement fueling them. Now, I know of some very mouthy German shepherds who like to grab peoples' arms to conduct them someplace special. One of my clients has a stunning German shepherd named Quincy who would mouth his owner's wrist or hand to take him to the yard. He would only do this with very few people such as his owners, but he was very gentle in mouthing and owners found this endearing as it was as if he was grasping their hand to say "come with me and look what I found!" I am wondering if this is the type of behavior you may be seeing, only in a more insistent form and possibly from a dog who is feeling overstimulated or frustrated. In any case, it would be helpful to take a note of the behavior and determine the underlying cause so to tackle it accordingly. For example, at the very first sign of this behavior, you can see if walking towards the door that takes to the yard (if you have one) gets her to act happy as if you just understood her. If that's her case, you'll see her circling and maybe herding you to the door excitedly as if you just got it right. If that's the case, we may need to mostly refine her way to communicate, but at the same time evaluate why she may want to be in the yard with such impellent need in the first place ( does she need to potty? is there some critter outside? did she hear other dogs/people?). I am a big fan of preventing behaviors we find problematic and tackling the underlying cause. So I would suggest paying very close attention when this behavior occurs. Can she be cranky and in dire need for a nap? Does it happen in the evening after a long day of her being awake? Many dogs don't get the really restful REM sleep they so importantly need. When dogs are cranky, they can be very bitey and have these episodes of crazy like behavior. I see this often in dogs who were rescued recently and have lots of stress hormones and a strong need to learn to relax. Can she be having the zoomies? Many dogs get the zoomies (crazy running around) after meals and if they have no means for discharging this pent-up energy, they may try just go to jumping and nipping us humans in hopes of engaging us. Can she be anxious/overstimulated by something? Try to recall whether there were any sights or sounds (like from a window or from neighbors) that may have her worried and overstimulated. What were you doing just prior to her acting that way? Can she be nervous or frustrated about something you were doing? Or maybe not doing (like walking past her bowl, but not filling it up? Walking by the door but not taking her out? If you can find a trigger, that can be super helpful as we are more in control of the situation versus a behavior that occurs randomly without any prediction and therefore happening for no detectable rhyme or reason. There are several things we can try to prevent this behavior if we find a pattern. If for example, it happens mostly in the evening when you are sitting down to watch TV, you can try taking her for a walk prior and making a new routine, that every time you sit down to watch TV, you provide her with a long-lasting chew (like a stuffed Kong) to enjoy for some time. Let me know if you have noticed any particular patterns.

Hi Penelope, Welcome to the forums, Is this a new behavior that has started recently? How long have you had your dog? Has she always walked on leash fine in the past? What are you using to walk her (leash, harness)? Is she ever scared/anxious about any noises? Would you describe her as a fearful/anxious dog? Does she startles often? What methods have you used in the past to train her to walk nicely on leash? Is she new to walking on a leash? If this is an entirely new behavior, that has recently started out of the blue, I would suggest a vet visit, just to make sure everything is fine in the health department. Sometimes dog who stop walking this way may be having some type of pain going on, especially if your dog is the type who has always been fine going on walks on the leash before.

Hi Susan, Welcome to the forums! This may be a case of a dog being stressed in the car, but there also may be some concomitant anxiety about being left alone which can cause her to associate the whole car ride with being left alone. I have a few questions to better understand what you may be dealing with as these issues may require quite different approaches. 1) Does she seem to cope better if somebody remains with her in the car when you go to the grocery store? 2) Does she also pace, pant and drool when you must leave her alone in the house? Is she very clingy to you, following you everywhere? Have you been crating her when you must leave the house and she has been struggling with that? 3) Has she always acted this way since you got her? Even before her knowing you would go into stores? 4) Does she ever vomit in the car? 5) Does she seem to relax if you drive somewhere and you stop the car and stay in the car with her? 6) Is there a way to not leave her alone in the car? Like can she stay with a family member at home of can somebody come with you and take her for a walk as you go grocery shopping? Thanks, this extra info will be helpful.

Based on your description, since he sounds fearful of normal household sounds and anything new, I am wondering if maybe the breeder may have raised him out of the house such as in a garage, barn or other area. This is not too unusual with some of the most outdoorsy breeds. He is in great hands and lucky to have a dedicated owner like you! It's good to have him investigate and figure things out on his own terms. Praise for taking initiative and interacting with things you may also strategically place treats on new things just so he knows they aren't going to harm him and won't eat him 🙂 Hair dryer turns on (at a distance he's comfortable), treats happen yay!, hair dryer turns off, no more goodies. Careful the day you need to use the vacuum, start from the farthest room and work gradually while a helper creates positive associations.