Adrienne

Sometimes, the simplest solutions turn out being the most effective. Glad to hear it seems to be working. These dogs are so smart they seem to always be a step ahead of us. Keep up the good work. Thanks for the update. Happy training!

Hi there, Welcome to the forums. Humphrey is so handsome! With leash biting, we see this happen in dogs for a variety of reasons. It may happen just out of play, but also due to frustration, excitement and over stimulation. Have you noticed whether this behavior starts taking place at the beginning or at the end of the walk? Have you noticed any pattern as to when this behavior starts? Like after seeing a person or dog walking by or after trying to pull somewhere and not allowing the dog to reach what he was pulling towards? Although at times it may difficult to find an exact trigger, it helps to pay extra attention to what happens right before this behavior takes places. This provides an important puzzle piece as it gives the opportunity to know what to work on. It may be something as subtle as the dog seeing a person walking from a distance, hearing a sound or being bored when you stop walking to talk to a person. If you have noticed any specific patterns, let me know so that I can suggest the most appropriate course of action. Thanks!

I hear you, it can feel overwhelming. At this point, it's a matter of picking one that does less harm to both of you and finding a compromise. It's a bit like selecting shoes, picking the ones that do less damage to our feet. As with shoes, you'll therefore find mixed reviews because there will always be people who are satisfied or unsatisfied with them. I think what would matter the most is that your dog is comfortable wearing it. Preferably, no shifting of the front strap, no compromised gait, no chafing of skin. It needs to be fitted properly. A harness that has a Y design (the Y is how the straps appear if we look at a dog frontally) is known to be less restrictive to front leg movement compared to those that have a horizontal strap. I am not very familiar with specific types of harnesses sold in the Netherlands. I am looking at the picture of the Matzer type you posted but I am not sure about what's meant by the "pesky feeling to the nerves" produced when pulling considering that nerves are distributed everywhere on a dog's body and whatever tool we use (including regular collars) would compress nerves in some way or another. I would need to see the product website (Google translate may help me ) to truly understand what is meant by that. It could be they were referring to pressure points, but not sure. In general this type of harness (it has a horizontal chest strap so it would be classified as restrictive) should work by putting pressure on the shoulder area and tightening when the dog pulls. I am instead familiar with the Perfect Fit as it has been having a lot of rave reviews (along with the Balance harness) from my training colleagues. It's a Y design harness which means it is non restrictive, therefore doesn't restrict shoulder movement as the restrictive type, but still offering the control of the front connection. The double lead/two leads attaching to both the back and front ring enable more control allowing you to redirect your dog's attention back to you for training and treats. I can see where your debate stems from. I think it all boils down to this: all harnesses are just tools and are not meant to be a substitute for training. So the ultimate goal is training and behavior modification more than reliance on a tool. In other words, since you'll be working with a behaviorist, you'll be taking baby steps and working on keeping Chester under threshold initially in areas of zero to low distractions. There should be minimal pulling in the process, and if it occurs, it should just be a reminder that the process needs to fine tuned to prevent setbacks. You will therefore have to go back some steps where he was comfortable and not pulling until you ace that level before going forward. Your behaviorist should be there for you to guide you though set backs and progresses. So this to say that equipment alone doesn't teach a dog to walk nicely on a leash and not react. The goal is to ensure the dog feels safe and comfortable first and has mastered a set of skills and behaviors to fall back on so he doesn't resort to lunging and pulling when not sure what else to do. So you'll be working a lot on teaching him alternative behaviors for the rare occasions when distances may be misjudged and your dog reacts (too close to the trigger for comfort), but even if that should happen, you can count on a tool that won't have your dog dragging you while also preventing harm to delicate body parts or pain to the dog (along with the risks for negative associations). I hope this helps clear things for you, let me know if you have other questions! Best Adrienne

Hi Joan, I will be more than happy to help you with choosing a suitable harness for Chester, but there are many models and brands of harnesses on the market nowadays (and new ones being constantly added), not to mention there are different countries making different brands. If you could provide me more details (like the brands to compare to) I can give you my personal input. I personally tend to gravitate more towards front-clip harnesses (like Walk your dog with love, Sensible harness etc), but am open to other types of harnesses if they can benefit the dog/owner.

You are very welcome! Best, Adrienne

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

Shadow is very lucky to have found such dedicated owners! I am thrilled to hear he was behaving so well when your nephew stayed for the weekend and that he is learning so quickly. It's also great to hear that you are able to see improvements on his walks and reactivity towards other dogs. That's awesome! I am always here is you have any questions or want to share updates. In the meanwhile, keep up the great work and happy training! Best, Adrienne

Hi there, Welcome to the forums, and thank you for rescuing! It is wonderful that you are taking your time to help Shadow become less reactive on leash. It takes great patience to work with these fellows, and the fact that you were able to get lovely results so quickly goes to demonstrate your dedication. Knowledge is power, and the fact that you are aware of the potential for setbacks puts you in a better position as you'll know what to do (take smaller steps and aim to lower those threshold levels). To answer your query about the mounting behavior, we need to first understand that the behavior is quite normal doggy behavior, just as barking, digging and stealing things from counters. However, this doesn't make it acceptable. It goes without saying that mounting is an impolite behavior and it's best to be discourage it, especially when humans are on the receiving end. From what you describe, it is possible that he has chained the two behaviors, and there are ways to tackle this to break the chain. My favorite is to simply catch him before he has the chance to mount. In other words, don’t wait for the hip action to begin, interrupt him before he gets to grab a leg with his front legs, or even better, the moment you see him walking towards a guest or you notice that look (or some lip smacking some dogs do before the act). This is also helpful because he is prevented from rehearsing the problem behavior. The more dogs rehearse behaviors, the more they become habit-forming. With humping guests, my preferred course of action is to train an alternate behavior. Many times dogs learn best if we can train them to perform an alternate behavior that is far more rewarding to engage in compared to the mounting. We can therefore train our dog to interact with guests in better ways. For instance, we can train them to target the guest's hands with his nose in exchange for a tossed treat. We can do this exercise several times. Here's how to train it: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/preschool/targeting/ and then, after several reps, we can train our dogs to go to a mat and reward them for staying there with a long-lasting chew: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/train-dog-go-to-mat/ You can certainly do the sit to re-direct, but once again, you'll have to ask for it before he gets to start mounting, and therefore, you will need a super fast, almost reflexive response and you may have to use an upward hand gesture to get his attention initially (gestures are more salient to dogs than voice). This training though takes time, so ideally, prevent rehearsal of the problem behavior in the meanwhile through management (keeping him in a crate, in an exercise pen, tethered or behind a baby gate or in separate room when you have guests over and give him a long-lasting treat like a stuffed Kong), while you work in the background on the desirable behavior you’d like your dog to perform when guests come over. Worth mentioning are also these options in case he manages to try to mount unexpectedly: Tell your guests that your dog is in training and instruct them to get up and walk away the moment you or them notice that your dog is about to start mounting. Alternatively, you can have your dog around guests, but have him wear a short leash snapped onto your dog’s collar so that it is trailing. Keep a close eye on your dog, anticipating his behavior and step in to interrupt it in a timely manner. Therefore, every time he tries to mount your visitors, without any fuss, grasp the leash and lead your dog to a quiet room, where you can socially isolate him from any contact for a little while. Make sure he has access to some chew toys in the room so he can keep occupied. After this “time out,” you can then allow him to return, but be ready to repeat as needed. Remember: it is far easier interrupting the behavior before he gets to mount than once he has latched on. Use caution: some dogs may react aggressively when they are mounting and you try to remove them from a guest's leg or other body part. If your dog ever reacts this way, enlist the help of a dog behavior professional, and in the meanwhile, keep him safely crated or in another room when guests are over. It would be also important to consider Shadow's underlying emotions. The behavior may stem from excitement, but there may also be some level of anxiety at play. Not all dogs may be totally comfortable having guests over, and sometimes this may lead to some stress. Or perhaps, your dog may have already been exposed to some type of stress prior to your guest's arrival, and now it's time to wind down and release some of it with a little bit of humping activity. Mounting in this case may be what ethologists refer to as displacement behaviors. These are out-of-context behaviors that take place when dogs are faced with conflicts. For example, your dog may overly excited, and perhaps even a bit anxious about having a new guest over, so mounting may be his way of acting out so to relieve his excited energy or stress. Basically, it boils down to this: when your dog is unsure on how to behave in a certain situation, or if he’s overly excited about the arrival of guests, mounting helps relieve his tension. If your dog is anxious, it may therefore help to take steps to reduce his anxiety. Ask your guests to talk in a calm tone of voice and use subtle movements. Create positive associations with having guests in your home, give treats for when they talk louder, laugh, get up or move around. Reduce the number of stressors from your dog's environment as much as you can. He is very new and all the changes can be taxiing on dogs. If you are noticing a tendency to mount/act overstimulated in the evenings between 5 and 8 PM, then there is likely a need that is not being met during this time, so your dog tries to change how he's feeling himself by humping. Often this stems from a need for interaction or mental challenge at this time of day. So brain games and maybe a walk may turn helpful during this time so you can interrupt Shadow's need to do the unwanted behavior and prevent it from becoming a pattern. Humping tends to increase the arousal/excitement level so it is particularly important to prevent it from happening. I hope this helps, Keep me posted on his progress. Best, Adrienne Disclaimer: The above tips are based on dealing with a dog who is friendly and safe and not a bite risk. If you are unsure or have a new dog, best to play it safe and consult with a dog behavior professional.

It can be that he has learned to associate your presence with "leaving things" and perhaps this may be part of the inhibition. In other words, he may have learned to inhibit his impulses in you presence. Since he's a rescue, who knows, it could be that in the past, his owners were harsh with him for getting a hold of things, so he developed a strong restraint. Other options that come to mind, is to simply just say "leave it" even if he shows no interest in getting a hold of things. So for instance, if you drop something from a counter, just say "leave it" and place your shoe on it as you reward him for leaving it by tossing a treat. This may teach him that leave it means "stay away from it." If you do this several times, he may come to associate that word with him leaving stuff. Then, you can further test the waters, progressing to the more difficult task of dropping something from the counter and moving slightly away from it. If you notice he moves towards it the moment you move away, be ready to say "leave it" body blocking access to it. If he complies, you can reward him with something higher in value than what he has left. If you are afraid he may dive in for the food, and he has a history of a solid response to your "uh" you can say initially "leave it' and then follow up with "uh" if he doesn't seem to understand. You need to be very quick with this tough. If you are planning to use the cue "leave it" to replace your "uh" this would actually be the actual procedure needed to transition to the new verbal cue. You simply say "leave it" followed by the familiar "uh' and do this several times, so that your dog starts associated the two words. As always, praise and reward. Then, at some point, you only say "leave it" and if your dog complies without you needing to follow up with your "uh," you lavishly praise and reward with a jackpot of treats. Rinse and repeat therefore only using "leave it.' Then, you can go a further step forward and see if you can use something he may find appealing, let it drop from the counter and then move away more or even try to leave the room, but yet keep an eye on him somehow. For example, you can pretend to leave the room, but then glance back or spy from behind a door or furniture. Or if you have a mirror, place it strategically in a way that you can see what he does from a distance, or if the room has outdoor windows, leave the area and then spy from behind the window. Another option is to use some type of remote monitoring. The moment you see him approaching, you can say "leave it", and if he complies, you can reward him with something higher in value than what he has left. If you are afraid he may dive in for the food, and he has a solid response to your "uh" you can say initially "leave it' and then follow up with "uh" if he doesn't seem to get the message. You need to be very quick with this tough. If you are planning to use the cue "leave it" to replace your "uh" this would actually be the actual procedure needed to transition to a new verbal cue. You simply say "leave it" followed by the familiar "uh' and do this several times, so that your dog starts associated the two words. As always, praise and reward. Then, at some point, you only say "leave it" and if your dog complies without being followed by "uh" you lavishly praise and reward with a jackpot of treats. Rinse and repeat therefore only using "leave it.'

Thanks for the details, they are helpful! I got the picture of her, she's a cutie! It sounds like you are doing many things right, like going out with her, praising and rewarding when she goes outdoors, taking her back if she won't go in 15 minutes, and then again until she goes. Other things that come to mind is cleaning all accidents on the floor or bedding with an odor neutralizer such as Nature's Miracle to make sure to not leave any residual odors which encourage further elimination because those places to a dog smell like "bathroom." I am familiar with the play pen you are using as I have purchased several of those in the past. I am not sure what size you have, but it likely it isn't snug enough to encourage the denning instinct (the instinct to not pee where the dog sleeps and therefore what triggers the ability to hold it since the dog cannot move to a farther area so to avoid the sleeping area). So if the play pen allows it, most likely, when she has the urge, she'll get up from where she's sleeping and just move to the other side of the crate to pee. If this peeing occurs often when she is left alone, it may be worthy of recording her behavior when you are out and then watching it. From this recording we may deduce what may be happening as there may be other forms of peeing at play. For example, if she is acting distressed when left alone, pacing and panting and peeing, it could be her peeing is due to some form of underlying anxiety (such as separation anxiety or fear of noises or confinement). If she peed before being enclosed in it (and therefore is "empty" when you leave), and then she pees towards the time you are about to return, it could be she is being enclosed for longer than she can hold it. If she pees the moment you enter the home, she may be engaging in excitement urination. Hopefully, by acknowledging her and acting excited about it, will encourage her to seek you out. I used this with a dog last month, and this small dog learned to pace back and forth and then if I wasn't paying attention she would jump on the couch and circle around me to get me to accompany her outside. Sometimes, after the dog develops a sign that grabs our attention, but we want something a little more substantial, it may help to pretend to ignore the subtle behavior in hopes that the dog starts thinking "OK,this is not working, I need to find a better way to get her to take me out" and when the dog does something more significant.(like bark) we can promptly reinforce that with our excited "Wanna go out?" as we accompany her promptly to the door.

Sounds like a plan! Keep me posted on how things go.

You are very welcome. Fences make good neighbors, but I think they also make great dogs!

Hi there, Welcome to the forums! I am happy that you have made the choice on working on your puppy early rather than later on, 150 pounds later. This approach is great for starting on the right paw. I have a guide on using dog nail clippers, which technically requires a similar approach, but there are some variances to keep in mind, so I will be posting some steps here. With using a Dremel we need to work on several levels: 1) getting the pup used to having paws handled, 2) getting the pups used to the sound of the Dremel and 3) getting used to the sensation of the Dremel grinding the nail. I had to add another level for my dogs: getting used to the smell. Both seemed bothered by the smell of the powder being released upon grinding their nails more than the grinding sensation itself. Sometimes I had to place myself in between to prevent the fine powder from reaching them as it often irritated their airways and made them sneeze. The methods I use are based on desensitization and counterconditioning, paying attention that the pup is not sent over threshold. 1) Make it a habit of touching/rubbing each paw (don't forget in between the toes!) and delivering tasty treats. Paw touch-treat, paw-touch treat, paw touch-treat. Do this often enough that your dog comes to associate the paw touch with treats, leading to what's known as a positive conditioned emotional response. In other words, upon touching the paw, your pup looks happily up to you in anticipation of the treats. 2) Make the Dremel your dog's best friend. Let your pup get used to seeing it around. Don't just get it out when your dog needs a nail trim. Keep the Dremel behind your back and then show it to your dog. Every time he sees it or sniffs it, give a treat. Then put it behind your back again once he has finished eating the treat and repeat several times, aiming once again to obtain a positive conditioned emotional response. 3) Help your dog get used to the noise. Turn the Dremel on and feed a treat, then turn it off when your pup is done eating the treat. Rinse and repeat. Noise-treat, noise-treat, noise-treat. Once again, look for that happy, anticipation response. Gradually, bring the Dremel closer to your pup's paw, but no touching. If he acts scared at any time, take a few steps back, splitting the exercise into smaller steps (present it farther and work at the distance until he seems comfortable before moving it closer). 4) Start making contact with a nail. You will likely need a helper initially. Make the Dremel (turned on) touch the nail and have a helper feed him a treat while you do this. Once the dog is done eating the treat, remove the Dremel. Rinse and repeat. Once again, aim for that positive emotional response. If your dog acts scared at any time, take a few steps back, splitting the exercise into smaller steps (maybe have the Dremel turned off initially until your pup seems comfortable before turning it on). 5) Once your dog seems comfortable, you can start feeding the treats on your own after each trimmed nail. Trim one nail, then once done feed a treat. Trim another nail, then once done feed a treat. Remember to go slow. Don't make those nail trims a tedious job during which your dog is wincing every time a nail is trimmed. Try doing just one or two nails a day and make it a fun, rewarding and upbeat activity! Once your dog is relaxed enough, you can even try trimming the nails when your dog is resting, giving a treat every now and then to reward compliance (I never take that for granted!) As seen, it may take several steps to create positive associations with nail trims. This is because many pups aren't very comfortable having their paw handled. The process may require some adjustments (going back a few steps before moving forward) if we notice any signs of being uncomfortable, but the good news is that if we go at the pup's pace, we can progress to the point of the pup growing to accept nail trims, and in some cases, even being relaxed enough to nap through it!

Awww... your dog looks like a sweetie, and her posture denotes an appeasing, 'I mean no harm" nature. It may take some time for dogs like this to acclimate and feel more comfortable in their surroundings. It's very rewarding though watching them bloom. After the honeymoon period is over (usually after 3-5 months), you may start noticing more confident behaviors as she makes herself more at home. Fortunately, most of the behaviors taught in obedience 101 require food more than toys. Even among the brain games, there are a lot of games involving working for food. Another game you can play with her is tossing her some of her kibble to catch. You can do this to reward her for desirable behaviors or just the plain fun of it. As she eats each kibble, praise her starting with a less enthusiastic tone "Good girl!" gradually increasing enthusiasm if she seems OK with it. Another toy that comes to mind, is the Premier Tug-a Jug, which consists of a toy made from a bottle and with a rope in it. Because the bottle is filled with kibble or treats, the dog will learn to shake it and tug to release the goodies. Or you can even encourage her to play the bottle game: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/high-school/the-bottle-game/ Newly rescued dogs may also benefit from a predictable daily routine (it's reassuring for them) and some confidence building exercises: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/exercises-build-confidence-insecure-dogs/ Keep me posted on her progress. I am here if you need any support or have any questions, Best, Adrienne

OK, if the pups tend to growl when they are eating a treat bone (or anything valuable) we are looking at potential resource guarding which we want to nip in the bud as soon as possible. For starters, best to offer high-value foods like treat bones with the pups in separated areas (at a distance from each other) so that they don't feel too on edge and competitive over it. On top of this, we should avoid touching or picking dogs up when they have valuables. This can make them more likely to react in negative ways as most dogs (and humans!) prefer to be left alone when they eating or sleeping. Here's the thing: the more a dog rehearses resource-guarding behaviors (lunging, growling, snapping, tensing up), the more these behaviors become habit-forming and ingrained, making them more difficult to extinguish. So we want to avoid as much as possible putting our dogs into situations that trigger resource guarding. However, resource guarding is a matter of mistrust (the puppy or dog growls because he's afraid of losing access to something he is eating and doesn't want to be bothered) so we want to also work on changing the dog's emotional response towards us approaching them. We can do this is various ways: -For pups who are not guarding food bowls yet, but we want to avoid this behavior, we can make it a habit of, every now and then, nonchalantly walking by our pups' food bowl and adding some goodies to it (like a few treats or some food that is safe and healthy for dogs). As a general rule of thumb, the food offered needs to be perceived by the pup as more valuable than what he/she is already eating. If the pup is already possessive over the food bowl, rather than directly adding goodies to the food bowl, we can toss them from a distance from which the dog doesn't seem uncomfortable with us. Then, we can gradually decrease distance, always making sure to not send the puppy over threshold. The goal is creating a positive conditioned emotional response to our approach (in other words from the dog feeling threatened from our approach, he/she looks forward to it). With time your pup may therefore wag his tail and look happy as he knows that something really good is coming. -The same exercise can be done when the pup is eating a treat. As the pup is eating, walk by and from a distance toss something that is considered higher value than the treat (for example, if the dog is eating a dog cookie, toss a meat-based treat or anything else your dog your dog loves a whole lot). -It is also important teaching pups the art of trading as times may come where we need to remove something the shouldn't have (either food items, objects or toys that are chewed apart). It therefore helps to teach puppies that great things happen when their belongings are taken away (they are swapped with something higher in value). So if you need to remove a toy from your puppy, trade it for a higher-value toy (a new one or one your dog doesn't see often) or a treat. -Now, for trading food items that a dog shouldn't have or some long-lasting chew that is getting too small or sharp, it's best to trade for another long-lasting treat. For instance, a bone that has been chewed down a lot can be traded for some long-lasting edible that can be fully consumed (e.g. bully stick). An empty marrow bone can be removed and then immediately returned with something tasty smeared in the middle (like cream cheese or peanut butter). Of course, these are just examples. Use bones at your own risk and discretion and make sure they are appropriate for the age your puppy. --Also, make it a habit of, every now and then, when you catch your pups showing signs of really "being into" something, get something that is super high-value for your dog and practice an exchange. Surprise your pups! You want him to look forward to these little exchanges because they are so valuable! Do this when you have a chance every now and then. -Tip: Getting puppies used to having their mouths checked at an early age is good for getting them used to having their teeth brushed and mouth checked by your vet, but also in case you ever need to retrieve some item out of their mouth. Every now and them, open your puppy's mouth open and stick a tasty treat inside. At some point, if you catch your pup with an item in his mouth (that he isn't prone to guarding), let him sniff a super high-value treat as you remove the object from the mouth, promptly replacing it with the tasty treat. This will make your puppy more collaborative and help him learn that when you remove something from his mouth, something tasty will follow. However, aim to train your puppy to drop it so you no longer have to manually extract things. -A word of caution for dogs who resource guard and potentially bite: the safest way to trade may be to toss the higher-value item at a distance, and retrieve the object/food left behind only once the dog has moved away and grasps the higher value item. For severe cases, toss the higher value item past a door so that you can close the door as your dog is on the other side so you can safely retrieve it without your dog being around. Avoid Doing This Avoid touching or picking up dogs when they are eating or have something valuable. Avoid chasing your puppy around to retrieve an item he has has in his mouth (even if just for play). Avoid prying your dog's mouth open and retrieving something out of their mouth by force (train the drop it command instead) https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/drop-it/ Avoid confrontational methods such as scruff shakes, alpha rolls, etc. Here's some more info on resource guarding food: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/overprotective-food/ Disclaimer: The above exercises are mostly for prevention of resource guarding, and are, therefore, not intended to be used as part of treatment. If your puppy has been showing signs of resource guarding and are worried he/she can potentially cause harm to you or your family members, please consult with a dog behavior professional for in person-guidance and safety.

First of all, congrats for socializing Miss Chloe very well which is a very important step for any dog who is meant to live in a social world. I have gone through a similar issue with my female dog when she was younger, although rather than being a Lab she was a Rottweiler. This created several logistical problems because not all people were eager to meet a large, powerful Rottweiler who pulls and acts over excited wanting to jump on everyone she met. So how can we tackle this problem? For starters, you may find it beneficial making changes to your walking gear especially since she is a large, powerful dog. Being dragged by a large dog who wants to meet everyone she encounters can be quite problematic and can result in you getting hurt too. If you are therefore walking your dog on a regular buckle collar or perhaps a choke collar, you may want to switch to something else. The buckle collar may work poorly in preventing your dog from pulling, and the choke collar can potentially cause your dog to choke, gag, and even damage her trachea/larynx area in the long term (laryngeal issues later on in life are a real thing in Labs). Instead, you can try a "no-pull harness," also known as a "front attachment harness" where the leash attaches to a ring strategically positioned in the middle of the dog's chest. People who have problems walking large, powerful dogs are often happy to notice more control once they try a harness. What's so special about this type of harness? The front-attachment harness provides owners with more steering power when compared to a collar considering that it controls the dog's shoulders and chest area. Dan Merson, the creator of the "Walk Your Dog with Love" harness, has a neat explanation that takes a peek at physics. He claims that dog owners are put at a disadvantage when walking their dogs because dogs are more horizontal than vertical and their horizontal shape results in the advantage of having a more stable center of gravity. We humans, being vertical beings with an unstable center of gravity, lose our balance when our powerful dogs pull more easily. While a no-pull harness can help reduce pulling, it's important to note that it's just one part of the resolution of the problem. It won't magically stop your dog from running up to people and jumping on them. In order to set your dog for success, you will also have to implement some training. Often this issue though is matter of people compliance. In other words, exposing your dog to people who are compliant in not giving her attention when she pulls and tries to jump on them. Because what social butterflies are mostly after is attention. So if you have friends willing to help you out and follow some simple instructions, you may instill in her some new notions that may change the way she interacts with people. In other words, you would have several of your helpers show up on one of your walks and the moment your dog tries to jump on them, they should turn around totally ignoring your dog. If she keeps jumping, they may even walk away and leave. Rinse and repeat several times until your dog gives up trying to jump on them or grows bored of it. At this point, you can ask your dog to sit and bingo, your helpers can turn around, pet her (if she doesn't get too excited otherwise skip this) and feed her a treat. The same exercise can be done at home with guests. Have several guests show up at your place. If she tries to jump, they should turn around and if she persists, they should leave and exit the door. Rinse and repeat several times, until she acts calmer. At this point, you can ask your dog to sit and bingo, your helpers may enter the home and pet her (if she doesn't get too excited) and feed her a treat. If on walks she pulls to meet people, you can also use the Premack Principle, in other words, if she walks on a loose leash you move towards the people to say hi, if she's pulling you turn around the opposite way or have your helpers turn around and leave. Calm behaviors lead to meeting people, hyper behaviors leads to not meeting people. "You have to heel or sit nicely in order to meet people" should be the new rules of the game. More on the Premack Principle here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/premack-principle/ Of course, it goes without saying that this exercise will need lots or rehearsals in order for the new behavior of sitting becomes ingrained. If sitting still is too challenging for her, you can see if having your guests ask her to hand target can help redirect her to that rather than jumping. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/preschool/targeting/ Some dogs who are initially too excited to cognitively function and focus on performing behaviors such as sits and hand targets (or dogs who are a bit anxious rather than excited), may start off by simply going "on treasure hunts" when they meet people. In other words, the moment there are in close encounters with people on walks or guests in the home, you can toss several treats on the ground to give her something else to do rather than focus on jumping. Often this suffixes to divert the jumping behavior in something else and prevent rehearsal of the problematic behavior (the more a dog jumps, the more the behavior puts roots). Then, once the dog appears calmer, we can focus on training sits or hand targets. Something else that I find helped my dog a lot and other dogs I have trained, is taking social butterflies in crowded areas frequently. This may be impossible to do now with the COVID-19 situation but can be a good future project to keep in mind. Seeing many people all at once, to the point of saturation, can lower the drive to meet and greet until people become "blah" a part of normalcy. When around lots of people as such, it also helps taking advantage of the calmer state for working on loose-walking and attention heeling using high-value rewards as explained here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/heeling-attention-heeling/ I hope this helps you, Let me know if you have any other questions! Best, Adrienne

Hello, Welcome to the forums, This is not an uncommon issue with rescue dogs, especially if they are a recent addition. It just takes some time for them to adjust to their new place so to feel safe and comfortable enough to play. With rescues, we may also not know what these dogs have gone through. Sometimes, they may have had owners who were very strict and corrected them for touching or picking up anything and this puts a dent in them taking any initiative and can put a real big dent in training things like take, drop or fetch. So it may help not to put much pressure on if they won't pick up toys or play. Sometimes, they misunderstand our enthusiastic tones to encourage play or they may feel a bit intimidated. We can try with a variety of toys, but without putting pressure. One toy I have found several dogs find irresistible are tug toys made out of real rabbit fur. The smell seems to awaken their prey drive and desire to play. For herding dogs, toys like big balls that can be moved around may also be attractive. I think she may have fun with Kong Wobbler as it's a toy with food inside. Praise her for playing with it. However, not all is lost if you want to train drop. The good news is that you can practice drop with just about anything your dog grabs. So if she is eager to take food, you can try to practice with some type of food that is quite large, safe and your dog in unable to eat or gulp down quickly. For instance, one of my favorite foods I like to practice drops is a big chunk of dry bread. This is hard to eat all at once and even if in worse case scenario, if a dog would end up eating some, it's bland and won't cause big issues. On top of this, it offers a good starting point as it's perceived as lower value to many dogs. Of course, to get the dog to drop, you have to use something that is perceived higher in value than bread such as a treat that is meat-based. Studies have shown that most dogs tend to find meat more valuable. Once she gets the concept, you can then practice your drops its if you happen to notice your dog spontaneously grabs a stick in the yard or something else she shouldn't have like he remote control, your slippers etc. Of course, never place items/foods that can pose a danger to your dog purposely on the floor to practice with!

Hi Cynthia, Is your pup spayed? What breed is your puppy? Some pups take longer to potty train, although at 8 months we would expect them to be able to hold it for several hours. In order to encourage dogs not to pee where they sleep, we need to make sure the place where the dog is confined inculcates her "denning instinct. " Often this is accomplished by using a crate that is snug large enough for the dog to be able to stand, walk around and lie down, but snug enough that the dog doesn't feel comfortable peeing or pooping on one side and sleeping comfortably the opposite. Now, with larger confinement option such as a play pen, we may have too big an area to inculcate this instinct (especially if your dog is on the smaller size), which is why crates are often the preferred enclosure for the purpose of potty training and teaching a dog to hold it, whereas, a play pen or exercise pen is often used when we must leave the home for longer times and need to encourage dogs to sleep in one side and pee or poop on the opposite side by placing some pee pads there. So you may have more luck with a crate if she's accustomed to that or installing a doggy door if she'll use that, but if she tends to get in trouble in the yard, this may not be a good option for now unless you fence off an area of the yard just for pottying with nothing else there than dirt. Something though doesn't add up. When you are taking her out every hour is she going? Are you going out with her to ensure she goes? This is very important for potty training dogs to go potty outside as we need to be there to reinforce outdoor elimination. If she doesn't potty when let out, that means you'll have to crate her or or keep an eagle eye on her in a small area near the door until she gives signs she needs potty so you can take her out promptly until she goes. Then, you can relax until she's due for the next outing. If you take her out and she doesn't go and you let her have the full run of the house, it is natural for her to want to potty at some point and if we're not there, she'll just go. Now, we can encourage dogs to communicate better with us a need to go potty. For example, the moment you notice her going towards the door, you can act excited saying in an upbeat tone of voice something along the lines of: "Wanna go out? Yes? Wanna go out? Let's go outside!" Your dog should act excited in response wagging her tail happily and sort of herding you to take her out. Soon, repetition after repetition your dog should learn to come to you and get act a little excited, pacing and acting a bit anxious to communicate her need to go outside. She is also old enough to hold it to go the door and ring a bell, but you will need to be able to get to her very quickly the moment you hear the bell ringing to let her out. Also, there's a risk that dogs may start ringing the bell just for the fun of spending time in the yard. If that's something you may want to give a try, let me know and I'll post more details.

At 8 months, Lexi is at the peak adolescent stage, a time when it is quite normal to see an increase in chewing, only that now the jaws are much stronger and capable of causing more significant damage. It's as if these dogs go through a "second teething stage," but instead of chewing as a way of getting relief from sore gums, adolescent dogs instead are prepping their jaws for a lifetime of hunting and chewing bones. Sure, while it's true that dogs no longer need to hunt to survive as we feed them kibble in shiny bowls, the instincts to chew at this life stage remain strong nonetheless. You can read more here about the dog adolescent stage: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/survive-dogs-adolescent-stage/ As you work your way in training a fluent "leave it" tackling this stage of chewing is more a matter of management and helping the dog make good choices considering that dogs don't chew out of spite. Chewing in dogs is a natural, instinctive behavior that is self-reinforcing considering that it feels good to the dog (there is belief that when dogs chew, feel-good endorphins are released) and helps maintain good dental health. So for tackling the chewing here are some tips: -Manage your dog's environment by keeping items you don't want your dog to chew out of reach. In other words, try your best to dog-proof your home. -At the same time, help your dog make good choices! Leave out in the yard only safe items to chew. Adult dogs may enjoy chewing on stuffed Kongs (for powerful chewers there'sa black Kong known as Kong Extreme), bully sticks, dental treats and Himalayan dog chews. It goes without saying that dogs should always be supervised when chewing. Ask your vet for safe and appropriate chews for your dog. -You can invest in a Kong Wobbler to give her some longer-lasting challenges. I like to stuff a portion of a dog's meals in the Kong Wobbler and add some larger treats that slow down the speed of the kibble coming out for longer-lasting entertainment. -In young dogs, boredom and excess energy are often the most common triggers for chewing. That need for mental stimulation and excess energy must go somewhere! We may sometimes send dogs out in the yard in hopes of them stretching their legs and getting some fresh air, but often, once in the yard, dogs engage in undesirable behaviors. The end result is often dogs who pace and bark at anything that moves, dogs who dig to their hearts' content "dogscaping" the yard into what may look like planet Mars, and dogs who chew anything they find in their path. These dogs benefit from daily walks, games, interactive toys, socialization, sniffing adventures, brain games, training and play. -When you cannot actively supervise your dog, keep her in an area where she can be confined with a safe chew toy. An exercise pen, a dog kennel or an area closed off by a baby gate that is dog proofed, can help. On top of the Kong Extreme, other toys crafted with powerful chewers in mind include Goughnuts (which I think come with some sort of guarantee for being indestructible or they'll replace it) and I think West Paw still makes some sturdy line of indestructible toys too. -Now it is also true that in dogs, there may be different causes for chewing. On top of boredom and excess energy, dogs may chew from frustration and anxiety. Frustration may occur when dogs face a situation in which they cannot achieve their goal. Excess restraint or confinement, routine changes, over-stimulation or unmet expectations may all trigger bouts of frustration chewing in dogs. If you suspect your dog suffers from a low frustration tolerance, aim on offering interventions that garner a better development of general frustration tolerance and coping skills. Some suggestions can be found here: how to train your dog better frustration tolerance. Here is a guide: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/impulse-control-frustration-tolerance/ -Dogs chewing from anxiety may benefit instead from an anxiety-reduction program through the use of calming aids (pheromone diffusers, calming sprays, prescription meds from the vet) along with behavior modification. -If you catch your dog chewing something in the yard or in the home that she shouldn't, don't just try chasing her around trying to pry his mouth mouth. This can lead to problems such as playing hard to catch and even resource guarding and biting. Try instead swapping the object with something else, you can read more about the art of fair trading in this article at the bottom section: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/overprotective-of-toys/ With diggers, fencing off an area and dedicating it for a dog's digging pleasure can help. More tips on digging can be found here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/behavior-training/digging/

Hi Elizabeth, Welcome to the forums! Your puppy is very young and she seems to be exhibiting rather normal behaviors (although I cannot ascertain that 100 percent without seeing her). We can certainly though start working on some of the behaviors you have observed so that we can help her adjust in a new home and start from the right paw. At 9 weeks, pups are very young and vulnerable and feel quite insecure when left alone. They have left behind their mom and siblings and it takes some adjustment time to get used to living in a new home with different sights, smells and sounds. Actually, we must consider them to be quite resilient after all as it's not easy. So whining when you leave the room is not unusual. It is great that you are taking turns watching her as puppies benefit from being around us. When you must leave the room it helps providing an attractive chew toy or stuffed Kong to keep busy so to create positive associations with being left alone. To create some anticipation, I like to leave these goodies out of reach but in a way that the pup can see it and smell it and then provide it contingent upon us leaving the room. Here are some ideas on how to create more positive associations with confinement (this can apply to pens and crates): https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/love-the-crate/ A little growling during tug is normal too if it's playful, I would aim though to train a final drop it cue when you are done playing swapping it with a treat or kibble or other toy rather than removing the tug toy without warning. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/drop-it/ Nipping goes hand-in-hand with puppyhood. I like that you are training her to sit and hand target so that she learns to engage in these alternate behaviors. I would however skip shaking coins, grabbing her collar or scruffing her neck as this may lead to fear of noises and possibly defensive biting. To stop her from chewing things, I would suggest using the techniques outlined in this guide: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/behavior-training/chewing/ I hope this helps, Let me know if you have any other questions. Best, Adrienne

Hi there! Welcome to the forums! Here's a big fact: From the day you bring your puppy home, your puppy will be constantly learning, and that includes both good behaviors and bad. If you keep your mind focused on this very important fact, you will be more likely to provide guidance so that your puppy will often make good choices. Puppies are learning with every interaction so they are perpetually in "training." Play is training. Resting is training. Walking is training and even learning to be away from you is training. Embracing all these life events as training opportunities is incredibly beneficial in helping a puppy develop into the dog of your dreams. Because let's face it: by encouraging good behaviors from the get-go, we can avoid the hassle of fixing bad habits that straighten over time and become more and more challenging to overcome. So how long should a puppy be trained? There are no general rules set in stone on how long and how often a puppy should be trained. It tends to vary on an individual basis. Just like us (think students who can sit in class concentrating on lessons while others are glancing out of the window daydreaming), some dogs can tolerate more training than others. For instance, how is the pup's attention span? Is she easily bored? You can generally train your pup as many times as you like as long as you pup is enjoying it and isn't getting bored. Nothing is worse for a puppy than a tedious training session that is boring or too difficult! In general, with a pup of 8 months, you can do about 10-15 minutes of training every day in brief sessions spread throughout the day. This would be a good place to start, making sure you end the session on a positive note and always when the pup is still interested. This builds a strong desire to learn. Your pup is now in the full adolescent stage so she'll benefit from training and some impulse control. You can read about the dog adolescent stage here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/survive-dogs-adolescent-stage/ Making the sessions fun will make them less likely to feel "intense" for both owner and puppy. As the puppy matures and the attention span sharpens, it is possible to do longer sessions, but never to the point of boredom. So I would say start with brief sessions and watch how your puppy does. Now, dog owners may wonder whether it's best to focus on one behavior and teach it up to the level of mastery or whether it is best to teach a variety of behaviors at the same time. While there is really not right or wrong way to train behaviors (the important factor is that the puppy keeps learning and is eager to do so), with young pups it would be optimal to mix up several different behaviors. Puppies can get bored easily so mixing up different behaviors can help them stay focused. Puppy owners can also take advantage of their pup's energy levels and plan what to train accordingly. For instance, most puppies wake up with lots of energy or they may get the "zoomies" after finishing a meal. These are good times to take advantage of this energy bursts and train some recalls. Then, as the puppy gets a bit tired, why not focus more on some stationary exercises such as sit, down and stay? Once they are relaxed more, then you can resume with some more kinetic energy exercises such as polite leash walking. These exercises feature shifts in energy that are more in tune with the pups' activity levels and therefore can help maintain interest. On top of training different behaviors, it's important to also train them with different people and locations. All family members should be involved and take turns asking for behaviors. While training should start in a quite room, it should progress to involve various rooms of the house and the yard and then outside the home. I hope this answers your question, Happy Training! Adrienne .

Hi there, Welcome to the forums, Belgian malinois are one of my favorite dogs! Not the easiest dogs to own, but so sharp that it's rewarding training them in the long run that you sort of get addicted. From my understanding your dog has some inhibition in getting things from your open hand and/or is one step ahead, and I can understand the challenge if he has learned to not even try to get it. In such a case, we can think out of the box and try getting him interested in something by perhaps dropping it on the floor rather than keeping it in the open hand. Many dogs think that when things fall onto the floor they automatically belong to them. So you can try to practice with maybe a piece of bread being dropped on the floor or from a counter and telling him to leave it by covering with your foot (this is actually the next step in training leave it and it is mentioned if you read further down as a way to increase difficulty. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/take-leave-it/ This solution may also lead to the resolution of the pawing behavior you describe. You can then go further to the next steps in proofing your leave it which entails practicing leave it by dropping safe food from a counter top, or leaving something safe unattended on a chair, and asking to leave things on walks.

Hi Jasper, Welcome to the forums, When a dog who has proven over time having a very fluent response to our cues starts having setbacks, we need to carefully evaluate what may be going on. In many cases, such setbacks occur because our dogs are exposed to certain situations they haven't been entirely proofed for before. As upsetting as this is, the resolution is mostly a matter of working more under certain distractions and presenting such distractions in such a way that we can obtain a better response, although in many cases management is far safer and more practical. Now, in your case, it may be difficult to re-create the exact situation that unfolded in the field area, unless perhaps you can organize with such dog walker the exact same scenario,or if you know with certainty this dog walker will walk this same dog at the same time each day. If that's the case, I would suggest having your dog on a long line (those long 15 to 30 feet long leashes that are often sold in horse tack stores, but you can find recall training leashes on Amazon too) and practicing your "this way" or recall cues using that. A female in heat is certainly a big distractor for an intact male dog, probably at the top hierarchy of distractions. I know many police dogs are neutered (although there are exceptions) to keep them focused on the task. I know breeders who would never trust their intact males off leash, the hormonal drive being so high, but I also know many dedicated breeders who have trained a pretty solid recall and focus even around their females in heat although it is worth precising that they have practiced around the female dogs in heat they own, so not sure how they would behave around an unknown female in heat walked on leash or a stray. It's certainly doable though with lots of practice, but we're talking here about an advanced form of training where we can practice in settings that have known to act as distracting, although the best practice would be to simply manage the situation and keep your dog on leash (or on a long line if we want to give more freedom) unless you're absolutely sure there are no other dogs frequenting the area and no other possible dangers. There are too many stories of off-leash dogs who go greet leashed dogs and both parties get into fights (some dogs on leash can be reactive) or simply get into trouble taking off. Sure, we can train them, but dogs are not robots and a time may come where an unexpected distraction pops up for which we haven't work on before or something out of the ordinary happens and this can turn out disastrous in some cases. You also must consider that your dog is in the full adolescent stage and this is a time when dogs may behave differently and this includes sometimes acting oblivious to our requests. You can read more about this stage here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/survive-dogs-adolescent-stage/ Most likely, the encounter with the potential female dog in heat has given him a touch of the exhilarating sensation of freedom (and potential for finding mates) leading to him escaping once again. The hormonal drive to roam in intact male dogs is very strong when they sense a female in heat, so he may be on the lookout for other females since the earlier encounter. He likely never smelled a female in heat before and now it's hard for him to think straight. Please don't take it personally. So I would suggest keeping him on leash (or if you want a compromise to allow him more freedom, a long line) in your future outings to play it safe. Off-leash time is best left to safely fenced areas. To prevent door bolting, it may help installing a tall baby gate somewhere prior to the door that leads outside so that you can exit the baby gate knowing that your dog is inside and can't bolt out.

Hi Jerry, Welcome to the forums, Beautiful dog! My in-laws had two German shepherds, one of them named Black was an intact male GSD, large and beautiful. It was almost funny that, as big and imposing as he was, he would start shaking in fear the moment my brother-in-law would practice playing the flute. You could see the sheer terror in his face as he would go to a corner and lie down on a small chair curled up in the doggy version of our fetal position, making him look small and insignificant. Fortunately, playing the flute wasn't something my brother-in-law would do that often other than once in a blue moon. My female Rottweiler, on the other hand, as she aged, out of nowhere developed a fear of our smoke alarm. We had an over sensitive one which would turn on easily if I burned a bit our meals (which unfortunately happened quite often when I was busy either watching dogs or preparing consults). Every time this sound would start, she would start panting and pacing and wanting to go out. She would also shake and the shaking would persist for some time even past the sound stopping. By working on the issue though I made it much more manageable to the point where she was starting to look forward to our rewarding "fire drills." Basically, every time the smoke alarm turned on, I would rush to a room where she was fed tasty treats that were kept on a shelf purposely for this issue. I would therefore feed treats for as long as the smoke alarm was beeping (luckily didn't last long and in this particular room it was less intense) and then stopped when it stopped and then things got boring again. Drill after drill, my dogs learned to look forward to this sound because it meant great things. I say dogs, because I would allow my other dog to join in too, just to keep him happy and possibly erase any initial fears/awareness that may have been present or starting to present, since dogs can easily feed off other dogs' fears/emotions. Now, I understand that you are playing a recording of sport whistles, which is great, but I feel that desensitization on its own may take longer to yield results and may risk leading to sensitization ( which is just the opposite, increasing the fear) when we aren't sure how the dog is exactly feeling when the recording is being played. Is he bothered by it? Can it be he can't wait for it to be done? Will he be OK when we raise the volume a little more? If the dog communicates his unease, will we recognize it promptly so that we can make quick adjustments? We need to make sure our dog is not over threshold at all times. And even if he seems OK, we will need to factor in, will he be OK when your neighbor will use his whistle at full intensity out of the blue? In an ideal situation, the dog would get used to the sound sort of how we habituate to the sound of trains or airplanes when moving to a home near a railroad or an airport. However, we must consider that the dog has a fear on top of just simply being annoyed by a sound. This is why I like to power up desensitization by using it with counterconditioning. Counterconditioning aims to change the dog's emotional response. When used with desensitization, the effect is therefore powered up. You can read more about desensitization and counterconditioning here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/desensitization/ https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/counterconditioning/ And here is my "hear that" method for dogs fearful of sounds: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/fear-noises/ So you can certainly play the recording at a low volume but I would start with just playing it very briefly at first. For example, play the sound of a whistle blow once, and feed a treat simultaneously at first. Whistle blow-treat, whistle blow -treat. Several reps in a row. Then, start letting him hear the beginning of the sound followed by the treat so that the sound predicts the treat sort of how an alarm bell tells children it's time to grab their school bags as class has ended. Do this again several times until you notice him looking at you upon hearing the sound in expectation of the treat (positive conditioned emotional response). You can then gradually increase duration by keeping on playing the recording as your dog is fed something long-lasting (like a safe edible chew or stuffed Kong) that will last the duration and stop the recording the moment your dog is done eating (this makes it clear that the long-lasting treat is given contingent upon when the recording starts, and ends when the recording ends). So to make it clear, turn on the recording, at the first blow, hand the long-lasting treat and then watch him as the recording continues. When dogs are comfortable in their surroundings, they will usually take treats and eat long lasting foods (although there are exceptions to this) so we can use that as a way to gauge his emotional status. We can then gradually up the volume, or if we can, we can even start using a sport whistle on our own (start blowing lightly at first) to train our dog that it means a treat is coming or we can even use it to signal meal time as hunters use gunshots to signal meal time to hunting dogs who are getting gun shy. Now, something worth mentioning is that changing a dog's emotions and dealing with fears, falls under behavior modification rather than regular training. In training, we can afford to make a few mistakes here and there and remedy them with no major problems (like correcting a sloppy sit or getting a dog to heel closer to us), but with behavior modification we can risk making fears worse or there may safety issues at play (as in the case of reactive dogs). It goes without saying therefore that it requires a certain level of skill and continuous monitoring to prevent setbacks and knowing what to do should they occur (in most cases, it requires taking a few steps back in the process). This is why behavior modification is best done under the in-person guidance of a dog behavior professional, at least for the initial sessions. Also, some dogs may have so much fear, that they may need calming aids or RX meds so to lower those threshold levels as much as needed for the associative learning to take place. Not to mention, there are never guarantees on the outcome of behavior modification, sometimes all we can do is manage things. So you may end up doing a lot of work and all of it may undo and go back to square one if one day you are not home and you neighbor sounds it closer to your home or your dog may be stressed or not feeling well and may therefore perceive it for some reason as aversive and scary again. Finally, (this may be quite a stretch)- since all this behavior modification may sound like too much work for the occasional whistle, maybe you can suggest your neighbor to start using a Silent Whistle instead? A silent whistle is made on purpose for dogs and may be less ear-piercing and perhaps your dog may be more accepting of it (we don't know until we try). If you are up to it, maybe you can buy one for yourself, test how your dog reacts to it (once again using baby steps and positive associations with food) and if your dog comes to appreciate it, gift it to your neighbor or if you like it, get an extra one for him. Win-win! I hope this helps, Best, Adrienne

Good to hear you are implemented separated times for each pup! The play you describe with a few squeaks when a pup is a bit rough, seems pretty normal as that is the way pups learn to refine their bite inhibition. Make sure though to dedicate some time in training them to use their mouths gently on human skin too. Here are some games: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/bite-inhibition-games/ It would be helpful knowing in what circumstance they seem to angrily lunge and growl at each of you. I know you said it happens at the odd time, but what are you doing exactly when this happens? Are you reaching out to pet them? Looming over them? Are they eating something? Playing with something? Resting? Any little detail is extra helpful so if can think back at the past episodes (don't recreate it for the purpose of letting me know) and you notice a pattern let me know or just let me know all the details surrounding these events and we can do some troubleshooting on what may be doing on. In regards to the training you are doing, we don't want to turn the treats into bribes so depending at what stage they are in the training, it's important to start fading the food lures. What commands are you working on? Are you luring as depicted in the course or are you using other methods? You can read more about the process here; https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/polishing-up-training/fading-food-lures/ And here's a guide on using treats; https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/dog-listens-treats/ This can also be an issue of training them together, where the pups are more willing to go back to being with each other rather than working with us, because they are over bonding.