Adrienne

Hi Suzanne, I appreciate the details, the more the better. This must be so frustrating! I can't imagine how awful it must feel for dogs ( and their owners) going through the whole itching and chewing, especially when nothing seems to be working. When I hear about dogs itching on their belly and private parts, I always wonder whether products used on carpets, rugs and floors can be a trigger if the dog lies down exposing the belly on these surfaces. Food allergies can also be a common culprit for major itching. I hope with the help of your vet you can get to the bottom of this! He is so young! With all this itching and meds, I wonder if these new behavior issues may be related. As the Latin saying goes "a healthy mind in a healthy body." In humans with eczema we can see what impact this skin condition can have on mood, causing stress and depression and there have been recent studies showing that dogs with itchy conditions such as atopic dermatitis may be paying in terms of behavior issues popping up in them too. With the fear of the floor, you may be right that the tiles moving can cause some startling effect when he walks on them. Another possibility is that he may have slipped on them and maybe he became shocked by experiencing sudden poor footing. However, since it seems like he is avoiding in particular the area with the tiles moving, I think you are on the right tract. Any chance the shifting tiles can be repaired? That would be the easiest, less labor-intensive fix. The other option is placing some books, boxes or other bulky items on these tiles so that he can avoid them and hopefully forget about their existence for some time. The other option is to use a program focusing on desensitization and counterconditioning. That is making the dog face his fears gradually and by associating the area on the floor with good things. This is the most involved option and takes time, patience and commitment and may not be worthy of enduring if the tiles will be fixed eventually. If fixing them any time soon is out of question, let me know and I can provide some examples, but it would involve eventually getting your dog to walk on them, at your own dog's pace ensuring your dog is comfortable throughout the process. To reduce the itching at night, you can try the following: A late evening walk or outdoor time in the yard or on a car ride may distract him and tire him out. Try to feed his evening meal in a Kong Wobbler Engage him in brain games such as the Bottle game, Treasure Hunt Game and Muffin Tin Game Sometimes, letting dogs wear a shirt or men's boxers to cover the belly area/privates can reduce the itching/chewing (out of sight, out of mind) Will he play fetch with you? This can work as a distraction and hopefully tire him out Ask your vet about omega fatty acids and whether your dog may benefit from Benadryl to help calm him down in the evening. If this problem persists despite several vet visits, you may have to see a veterinary dermatologist to get to the bottom of this. I hope your boy starts feeling better soon! Keep me posted and let me know if you have any questions. Best, Adrienne Disclaimer: if your dog is showing signs of a medical problem, please discuss with your vet for proper diagnosis and treatment. Always consult with your vet before trying any supplements or over the counter medications for safety, to avoid interactions and for correct dosing.

Ziggy is adorable! Love all those colors.

Hi there! Welcome to the forums! What an interesting mix! He must be a cutie. Is he on medication for separation anxiety or just plain, generalized anxiety? I am asking because if he has separation anxiety, this can interfere quite a lot on the normal crate training process we do with dogs and therefore this becomes a compounding factor which puts a great dent in an progress. If he truly has separation anxiety, many dogs with this condition struggle with being crated because they go into panic mode, feeling trapped on top of getting frantic when left alone. This likely sounds like the case since you mention that he seems to do fine when he is crated in your presence. To diagnose separation anxiety, we often recommend recording the dog's behavior when left alone (preferably outside the crate) and then showing the recording to a veterinarian or dog trainer. Showing it to a veterinary behaviorist (if you have any near you) is a big plus, because these experts can prescribe medications purposely crafted for this specific conditions and provide an appropriate accompanying behavior modification plan. A proper diagnosis is also important because there can be other causes for the behavior you are seeing that are not separation anxiety related. These may require a different protocol. In general, if a dog is barking when left alone due to separation anxiety, it's a sign that we have likely pushed too far and need to take a few steps back, working at a level the dog is more comfortable with before working on longer absences. We may also have to incorporate a variety of exercises to desensitize the dog to our pre-departure cues (like tying our shoes, grabbing our keys etc) and teach these dogs to hold initially very brief sit-stays, down/stays when we leave a room if the dog tends to follow us everywhere and mixing in gradually longer stays every now and then, always making sure to not progress too fast. You can read more about separation anxiety in these threads: Let me know if you have any other questions or would like to go more in depth on the subject. Best, Adrienne

Hi there! Welcome to the forums! Are you talking about the front-attachment harness where the leash attaches to the ring by the dog's chest area or a head halter where the leash attaches to the ring under the dog's chin and the dog wears a halter like horses? Because these latter are the ones that when dogs pull causes them to turn the head to the side. With a front-attachment harness, when dogs pull we see their body turn towards us more than their head. I like to use the Easy Walk harness or any of the other front-attachment harnesses where the leash attaches to a ring in the dog's chest area. It helps to take baby steps, walking first in areas where there are less distractions and where you can set her for success. Start practicing in the home in the hallway, then in the yard, then nearby your home, then on a quiet road, and then gradually in areas with increasing distractions. Here is the guide on heeling and attention heeling: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/heeling-attention-heeling/ Arm yourself with high-value treats and practice, practice practice starting in low distraction areas. If you dog ends up pulling, stop in your tracks and ensure your dog turns into heel position before resuming to walk. Alternatively, you can turn and walk the opposite way. A short walk around he block may seem like it may take forever initially, but at some point, dogs understand that a loose leash is your accelerator while a tight leash is our brakes. Here are some more tips: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/pulling-on-the-leash/ Now, with the car chasing behavior, this could be one of those border collie quirks of being attracted to movement and wanting to chase and herd stuff. We need to be careful because some of these dogs can get a bit obsessed in chasing lights and shadows so we want to address this sooner than later. Here are some tips that come to mind: Provide more mental stimulation. On top of exercising the body, you want to exercise the mind. Engage your border collie's mind with brain games, interactive toys and puzzles. Border collies thrive when they are given directions. Ask your border collie to perform desirable behaviors such as eye contact, sit, stay, heel, lie down, come or even tricks using valuable rewards to reinforce those behaviors. Mix and match these commands so not to bore your dog. Use your training to redirect your border collie's chasing instincts. Ask your border to make eye contact with you and heel when there are distractions as described in the links above. You can also ask your border collie to sit when there are cars passing by or even lie down and stay when a cat is crossing the road. Reinforce with valuable rewards (treats, toys a game of tug). If your border collie has a hard time focusing, it means that he hasn't been trained yet for that level of distractions and is over threshold. Increase distance from the stimulus and find that sweet spot where your border collie is better under control. Practice at this level of difficulty before moving to more challenging levels. Here is a read on thresholds: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/ Enroll your border collie in some fun canine sports. In particular, herding trials are great as border collies get to do what they were bred for, but if there are no sheep in your area, the sport of Treibball (where dogs get to herd large balls) can be equally satisfying. You can also find some herding balls for dogs online that your dog can play with in the yard. For the tire biting, try to walk her the opposite side of the cars so that you are in between and give her some distance. Every time you notice her intent, try to redirect as quickly as possible by making a smacking sound with your mouth, holding the treat at eye level so that the moment she looks at you, you can reward by tossing her treats to chase. Hopefully, we can redirect this behavior this way. I suggest tossing rather than hand feeding because we can provide a positive outlet to her desire to chase and help make it a more rewarding activity as she gets to eat a treat too! If she loves her kibble, you can use that too. About heel positions, did you want to ask what side to let your dog heel? If so, here is a thread on this: Let me know if you have more questions or would like to go more into depth on any of this. Happy training! Best, Adrienne

I was afraid that I was not going to get permission the kennel her as much as I am. Let me describe my morning so far with our Stella. I get up at around 6:15, get dressed and open the kennel door for Stella. She and I rush to the back yard where she does her business. I clean up the poop and sit outside with her for a few minutes with my coffee while she runs around and picks up bones and toys. We come in and we go to my study/craft room and I try to keep her busy while I check my email, etc. I give her a few kibbles for sitting and throw some in her kennel to try to get her to settle in there with one of her toys. That may or may not work. I lock her in her kennel while I grab her breakfast. It is plain kibble but she loves it as if it were steak. I put a handful of kibble in about 10 piles all over the yard. I let her out and she hunts for her breakfast. She goes back with me into my study and I give her a raw bone to chew while I try to concentrate on a project that I am working on. (I am making masks for friends and family). She finishes her bone and goes to the study door. I get up and take her for a short walk. I saw your notes to me so I placed her in our garage kennel so that I can have a few minutes to respond. My plan will be to get her out of the kennel at 10 for a short training session. Oh no, I didn't mean to come across as not giving you permission to crate her. The choice is ultimately yours, as long as your dog is kept busy, (which from what you write seems like you are doing a good job!) you are not crating her too much considering that you are providing activities throughout the day. I know many dog owners who crate their dogs all night and then head to work during the day and their dogs are crated again during that time. Even then, as much as this seems a lot, they are walking their dogs first thing in the morning and after coming back from work and are providing brain games, training, nosework and interactive toys. My point was just to mention that, often we get more "payback," basically a return on our investment more quickly if in the dog's first months with us we can provide guidance and avoid the vicious cycle of dog misbehaving/closing/dog misbehaving/closing. Here's the thing. In general, when we bring a new rescued dog to our home, the initial three months are the most labor intensive. Patricia McConnell calls 3 the "magic number." She states that during the dog's first three days in their new homes they are in shock from all the novelties, in the next three weeks they start showing their real personalities and then it takes about 3 months for them to finally settling in, relaxing and understanding the family rules. I have personally noticed that it is true that around 3 months is when you start noticing the most substantial payback. The dog settles more into the routines, is more relaxed, and has a sense of belonging. Often, if we can provide all-day guidance, we can get these results as close as two months and a half or even two months in some cases, but this is very labor intensive, and yes, very exhausting. The peeing thing is really two fold. One was while we were house training her. I had to make sure that she went out every time we changed activity. She slept much more then so when she would wake up, we go out, she would finish a bone or with a toy, we would go out, etc. But sometimes I would just have her on a leash after we had just gone out to go to the kitchen for a snack and she would pee on the floor in the kitchen. That was a change in activity that I was not really prepared for but she has me trained now and this rarely happens . The other problem I am having was with dog beds. I moved her kennel out of my study and replaced it with a dog bed. She would like down on the bed but then begin tearing it up. I would tell her to leave it. Next thing I know, she has peed on it. When that happened three times, I moved her kennel back in and stopped trying to let her have a dog bed. In the potty training process, dogs tend to have to potty more right after getting up from a nap, after playing, after exciting/arousing activities take place such as greeting guests or barking at triggers, after being outside on a walk (if they don't potty during the walk). Sometimes dogs who sneak away to potty the moment we leave the room, do so because they want to avoid going potty in our presence. This can happen if we got upset with them for pottying or just simply are frustrated/disappointed when we notice the mess (Oh, no, what a mess!). It could also stem from the previous owners punishing the dog for going in the house. About tearing up beds, here's a troubleshooting guide, however, yes, removing the bed for now can be a good idea until shes 100 percent potty trained and when her chewing is more under control. With summer around, most dogs like to lie on cool tiles or a bare crate anyway. I feel like my study is puppy proofed as well as it can be for it to be functional for me. She will chew on a chair or the side of a container or a table leg. I would just like her to be able to chill with me while I do other things without me constantly giving her something else to do The raw bones that I use are organic, grass fed. Sometimes I will freeze and fill them up again with peanut butter and kibble but must I do this all of the time? It is like the only time I know she is able to settle and rest is when she is in her day kennel away from me. There are products such as Bitter Apple Spray that you can try to spray on the table leg or chair and see if it deters her from chewing those items. It doesn't work for all dogs though, as some dogs actually like the taste. It could be she previously didn't live in a home but out in the yard unsupervised, where she could chew sticks and just about anything or perhaps she lived in the home, but the owner got tired of her behaviors and surrendered her. From your description it sounds like Stella must be an adolescent dog. Her chewing, strong need for mental stimulation, and exercise seems to suggest that. On top of this, you are dealing as mentioned with the most labor intensive part when it comes to rescuing a dog. We don't know why she was surrendered it appears, but statistically dogs of this age group are frequently surrendered because of the extra challenges they pose during the teenager phase. Here's a read of dogs in this phase: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/survive-dogs-adolescent-stage/ With time, you should notice that the closer you get into 3 months, she should be starting to settle in more and you will be getting more and more breaks. Sometimes, you may notice behaviors getting worse as they turn a corner and then the next day or two things seem better. Then this repeats again several times. With the dog I am boarding and training at the moment (small dog), I was unable to do almost anything the first weeks. She just needed constant supervision and activities to stay busy or she would start to come to me to "pester me" or try to chew the couch covers, dig on the couch or chew the rugs. Long story short, she's a dog who due to her behavior (peeing everywhere, chewing everything and acting just boisterous) was closed in a small bathroom most of the day or on the terrace, but now as she is nearing three months, she has settled into a routine where she takes several naps and engages in more independent play, is getting the rules and I am able to do much more on the computer and even house chores. With dogs who had no training at all, it 's challenging, there's no bones about that. It feels like initially you have to spend a lot of time and energy to get just a little bit of peace, but as mentioned, it tends to get better with time. When I go back to work, he will be Stella's caregiver too. He is able to walk them both but Stella will need to be crated a good deal more when that occurs. If that's the case, it helps to start getting hubby a bit involved in being the caregiver. Like feeding her, walking her if that's possible, so that she won't go through too many drastic changes out of the blue. Regarding the laying down, I begin with Stella in a sit. I place the lure in front of her, then slide it across the floor. If she cannot reach it with her nose, she will get up to try to get it instead of reaching out further and going down. I will grab her front legs before she gets up and drop her down and then release the treat but that has not clicked yet. With lie down, we want to draw an imaginary letter L that starts vertically from the dog's nose and then straight down in between her legs and then pull out horizontally from her paws towards us. Make sure it's really near her nose so that she does she follows it. I would avoid if possible grabbing her front legs because we want the dog to perform it naturally on their own otherwise our help can become a difficult prompt to remove because the dog may become dependent on it too much. I am guessing you are struggling with the last part where we move the lure horizontally? Try to go slower and keep it close to her nose at all times. She can even nibble on it a bit gently as long as she doesn't snatch the whole treat from you. If she gets up, remove the lure and try fresh again. If she still struggles after a couple of trials, it's OK to do baby steps and split the exercise into smaller steps using a mix of shaping/luring. For example, use the food lure just from the nose to the her chest and reward her for simply looking down at first, then for lowering her nose to the floor, then for dipping his elbows slightly, then for lowering her chest, and then, when her elbows finally touch the floor and she is lying down completely, mark the behavior with your verbal marker or click of the clicker and give her a jackpot of treats (your food lure and extras). Here is a demo of the exercise, notice how the treat is kept near the nose especially in the last trial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=41&v=10tWGqh_SAE&feature=emb_logo Also, something worth mentioning, note when she lies down naturally in case she's the type of dog who lowers her back end before her elbows. I do appreciate your feedback. I guess that I would like to know if I can just give her a bone every time she just needs a new activity for now to keep her settled and with me? I have tried a few food stuffed toys and she has lost interest in them very fast. About the bones, as long as she doesn't get GI upset and that your vet says they are safe for her, in the quantity given, then there should be no harm. To give less, you can try other activities. For instance, you can try the Kong Wobbler since your dog seems to like her kibble so she's eating a portion of her meal. With the stuffed Kongs and other toys, I find that when they lose interest it's because they may be finding them too challenging and they just give up. Try to stuff them up lightly with food just near the edge so that it's easy peasy to remove, then gradually make it more challenging and longer-lasting. If you have an outside yard, try to toss a portion of her kibble there and let her explore and sniff while you read a book or check your phone. See if you can find toys that keep her busy, like toys she can carry around and shake. Hide treats around the house. Look for durable chew toys (Kong Extreme, Goughnuts, West Paw Zogoflesh). If you have a yard, make a sand pit and bury toys under. Fill up a bottle with her kibble. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/high-school/the-bottle-game/ I hope this helps, Let me know if you have any further questions. Keep me posted on how things go and don't forger to give yourself a pat on the back for all the hard work you are doing. It's not easy with these dogs, but things tend to get better with time. Best, Adrienne

Hi Suma, It is important to stick to a dog food that is formulated for puppies as puppies need special nutrients during their growth. Homemade diets have been found to lack essential nutrients, so if you plan to go the homemade food route, it is best to consult with a veterinarian specializing in nutrition so to ensure the diet is balanced. He or she can provide information about dosage based on your puppy's weight. Now, when we start offering wet food or fresh home food, something to consider is that we often pave the path to a dog who only wants to eat those and starts caring less about kibble. This because wet food and home made food are much more appetitive to dogs. I once had my dogs on canned for a bit and they never wanted to go back to kibble and it took quite some effort to gradually wean them back. They went on a couple of food strikes in the process, but thankfully we got back on track. I am sorry, but I cannot make any dog food recommendations. Every dog is an individual and may respond differently to what they are fed. Some dogs may thrive on one food, another may get sick. The ideal person to ask would be a board-certified veterinary nutritionist. These specialists have made of feeding dogs based on their individual needs their area of specialty. All I can say is that dietary changes should always be done gradually to prevent tummy troubles. In general, the process should take about 7 to 10 days, but this can vary based on how the dog does and if there are any special needs. Here is just an example: Day 1: 75 percent old food, 25 percent new food Day 2: 75 percent old food, 25 percent new food Day 3: 75 percent old food, 25 percent new food Day 4: 50 percent old food, 50 percent new food Day 5: 50 percent old food, 50 percent new food Day 6: 50 percent old food, 50 percent new food Day 7: 25 percent old food, 75 percent new food Day 8: 25 percent old food, 75 percent new food Day 9: 25 percent old food,75 percent new food Day 10: 100 percent new food Best, Adrienne

Forgot to mention also that some impulse control and frustration tolerance training can also turn helpful. You can incorporate these in your dog's daily routine: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/impulse-control-frustration-tolerance/

Hi Rose, Welcome to the forums! First of all, you need a big thank you for opening your heart and home to this beautiful dog. I am guessing from her behavior that she is young and likely in the doggy adolescent stage. I have a few questions for you. 1) Can you describe more in detail "I have tried leashing her to me but she will pee at my feet every time her activity changes." What activity changes are you exactly referring to? How often is she peeing? Has this happened since you got her? Have you noticed if she pees on your feet when you look at her, loom down or talk to her in certain tone of voice (excited, frustrated, irritated?) Does she still pee if she isn't leashed to you? 2) When she starts barking at you when she wants to be doing something fun or get a treat, what do you do? 3) Can you provide more details on what is happening when you are trying to get her to lie down? Is she following the food lure? Not interested in it? I hear you about the exhaustion. With dogs like this, they initially need our constant supervision and guidance to learn how to be good members of the family. They need routines, exercise and lots of mental stimulation through brain games, interactive play and training. They also need to learn some rules, what they can chew and cannot chew, where they can go and cannot go, what they can't get away with. I often find that with these work in progress dogs, the more they are allowed to stay around us, the faster they learn. If we leave them out in the yard or crated, we are losing the opportunity to provide them the guidance they need. They also risk coming back from the yard or from outside the crate in a too excited and overstimulated mindset which only causes us to feel overwhelmed and exhausted again so we send them out again or crate them, only for the cycle to repeat. If you have time still, it may be worthy trying to work around the issues, but we can make our lives easier by encouraging independent activities and getting their minds tired with training and brain games on top of exercise. I would strongly suggest no longer feeding meals in a bowl for now. Feed a portion of her kibble in a Kong Wobbler and then reserve the rest for putting her to work for each piece of kibble. Just the morning portion of her kibble should give you like 30-60 opportunities for reinforcement (depending on kibble size and how much you feed). Use the kibble to reinforce behaviors you like whether you asked for them intently or they occur spontaneously (like making good choices). When you must give a kibble, you can toss it at a distance so your dog also gets a workout and puts her nose to search them. When you give her outside time, make sure she gets some sniffing opportunities as putting the nose to work is quite tiring. Keep the kibble in your pocket or treat bag all day and if she tries to bark at you because she wants some ignore the barking, look away or even walk away if she persists. If she tries to nudge your treat bag when you are sitting, sit on it, clasp your arm against it or get up and walk away. When you notice she gives up and leaves, you can then ask her to sit and toss her a kibble. Giving kibble is on your terms, not hers. With time, she'll understand, just make sure you never drop any kibble or let her grab it the treat bag. Dog proofing the room where you spend the most time can save you from having to continuously tell her to leave things. Remove as much as possible things that may want to chew, leaving out only chews and toys. This leaves you with only a few things to work on her "leave its" rather than a dozen. Rotate her toys to keep her interest in them. Invest in Kongs (now with summer approaching freezing them with goodies can keep dogs busy for some time, look online for frozen Kong recipes) and check the link below where Jennifer shares several recipes: About the crating, we also need to consider your work schedule once you will be back to working full time. Is somebody going to be home with her? Or is she going to stay for a good part alone? Dogs like routines, and with this lock down, many behavior professionals are concerned about the potential for separation anxiety and dogs struggling with changes in their routines and schedules. About your older dog: we certainly do not want her to be pestered by your new addition and at the same time, we also don't want her to feel left out. We need to tread with care here, making sure she gets her dose of attention (possibly away from your new dog) and that she has a place to retreat to without your new dog. We want to avoid her turning into a target as sometimes younger dogs can be very persistent with older dogs and their relationships risk deteriorating.

" In case I could'nt avoid it and got again in front of a tension situation on leash. Do you think I should wait and do my best to not intervene and probably better let go of the leash in order to give her more space? Would they settle their differences just in a couple of barks and that's all? Or what should I do ? How can I manage my reaction, what should be the best reflex to take in those moments in order to help her react better as well?" I wished there was an easy answer for this. If it were that easy we would have a standard operation procedure to apply to these cases and everybody in the world would employ them and all on--leash encounters would be safe. Here's the thing: in dog-to-dog encounters there are many variables. For instance, there are dogs who are don't like other dogs no matter what we do. They'll just want to attack whether the leash is loose, the leash is tense, whether the other dog is showing appeasement gestures, whether the other dog is female, male, big, small, young, old etc. So a loose leash won't help in this case. Then there are dogs who may seem OK, but if the encounter is a little bit longer, they will grow intolerant. When I worked for a dog training company, they allowed very brief encounters with other dogs in their classes to prevent this. So we had dog owners training there dogs to do a quick sniff, count up to five seconds and then cue their dogs to back to heeling. This was an advanced puppy class though, so we knew all dogs were getting along great as we had them since early puppy hood. Many dogs start disliking other dogs once they reach social maturity between 12 and 36 months. Sometimes you stumble on dogs who are fine with other dogs until the other dog does something they don't like such as sniff their face or shoulders, or gets too close to their face or glances into their eyes for even a split second. Then, you have dogs who seem fine and then the moment the other dog is about to leave, they'll growl and lunge. I call this the "cowardly approach." And of course, then you have social dogs who just want to meet and greet, and there are not much risks, as long as your dog is OK with it (and all the stars are aligned correctly.) So lot's of variables there which is why our best bet to play it safe and do as much as possible to avoid iffy encounters (and even positive encounters since such encounters risk only teaching dogs that their excited behavior is reinforced). Just like we must protect our recall from becoming poisoned as it happens when we call our dogs to do something they may dread (give a bath, trim nails, which need to be worked on to make them less dreadful), a wrong encounter with another dog may negatively impact them, if not physically, at an emotional level which can have prolonged repercussions. A tight leash for sure can play a number on the encounter because it interferes with a dog's ability to communicate through body language, it may have a startling effect, not to mention, if we always tighten the leash when we see another dog approaching, we are alerting the dog of possible danger. Our anxiety about the situation can travel down the leash. Because of this, dog behavior professionals discourage on-leash greetings, and if an encounter is inevitable, both owners should maintain a loose leash, but of course this can only help if both dogs are social savvy dogs who are able to communicate well and negotiate without harming the other physically or emotionally. Keeping a loose leash with an unknown dog approaching hoping that all goes well is sort of like the risky advice of "letting dogs sort it out" in households with dogs who fight, only to regret it later when dogs get into a serious fight that could have been avoided. As you can see because of all these variables, the optimal way to proceed is to do as much as possible to avoid encounters. This can sometimes mean driving to areas that are less frequented by off leash dogs. As much as this may seem like a hassle, it's for the sake of preventing major problems down the road.

Hi there! I agree with you, we definitely do not want use our hands to correct the puppy as this may lead to more problems down the road. A German shepherd puppy was once brought to me for defensive biting upon being touched, because a veterinarian told the owner to grab the puppy's muzzle every time he was biting. From playful bites, his biting turned into defensive biting because he came to associate hands with bad things. This puppy indeed didn't like to be touched anywhere and would nip to protect himself. To discourage biting, I like to encourage games that focus on creating alternate ways to interact with us and that involve as well some training. In these exercises, you can see how hands are used to interact in positive ways. Here are some games to play with your puppy to discourage biting. If your puppy draws blood, you may want to use thick gloves the first times to protect your hands. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/bite-inhibition-games/ You can also find several more tips in the many threads on puppy nipping in this forum.As you can see this is a very common problem, I am listing you some so you don't have to go searching for them. It is good to read through the most challenging cases as they can give you several options to keep in mind as you navigate through the puppy nipping phase. You can also work on refining your pup's biting with these exercises which you can incorporate in your daily training: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/train-dog-take-treats-gently/ For the yard problem, you state "When we try to remove ourselves to give him alone time in these moments and come inside, he will not give you space so sometimes we have to lightly smack his bottom to get him away." I would suggest when you have to move away trying to toss a ball away from you, or toss some kibble scattering it around the floor so he can work on picking that up . If he is doing well with sit, you can also try asking a sit and giving a stuffed Kong to work on for some time. Be prepared if possible with these items kept in your pocket so that you can redirect as needed. Let me know how these work for you.

OK, so let's go to the other issue you mentioned...I will be quoting some of your passages. "Even if it is not constantly (because ironically Luna is very sociable) it happens when she is on leash and she will seem to jump to attack/play (from no apparent reason) or other times will seem to respond to another dog's "hostility". This so called hostility I've noticed that it happens very often when she is on leash but not the other dog and then when I pull her there it goes both dogs attacking themselves and my problem comes if some dog is bitten, because it is always Luna." When dogs are on leash and they encounter other dogs, they often engage in different behaviors compared to when both parties are off leash. Let's take a look at some dynamics. For starters, being on leash often forces two dogs to meet frontally, which dogs can perceive as threatening. Given the choice, many dogs with good social etiquette will meet sideways, in a curved manner, which doesn't force them to make direct eye contact. Additionally, the presence of the leash may cause dogs who are on leash to assume certain postures that other dogs may perceive as somewhat threatening such as standing with the head high. We must also consider the transmission of certain emotions traveling down the leash all the way to the dog. An owner holding the leash may transmit some tension to the dog if the owner is a bit nervous about the outcome of an interaction. Not to mention, a leash may prevents dogs from properly displaying calming signals. When two dogs meet off leash, they can communicate better and it's easier to use their body language prevent conflicts. We also must consider space. A leash forces a dog to not move away and therefore is unable to negotiate space. This puts a dog into the position of choosing fight more readily than flight should an interaction go sour. You mention that when you pull your dog away, both dogs are attacking. This is not unusual. Our intervention may cause a startle response if there was already some level of tension. This often adds fuel to the fire. Look at this video below and notice how the snark seems to occur the moment the owner pulls on the leash. Sure, it is pretty clear that the interaction didn't start very well, and you could almost palpate the tension in the air, but the leash pull seemed to exacerbate things. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=140&v=mSRQ9o22KG8&feature=emb_logo "Or then the other scenario, less common, but when both dogs are off leash and apparently when the other dog don't understand she only want's to play (she is very "enthusiastic" and will jump over the dogs on a playful way, sometimes they get it and play along and sometimes some dogs doesn't like it)." If your dog didn't get to see many dogs back in Central Africa, it could very likely be that shes hasn't gotten to learn too much about how to interact with other dogs. Or maybe she does just fine, but uses a bit of a "Canine Tarzan," approach that isn't appreciated by certain types of dogs, typically dogs who aren't eager to have other dogs "all in their face." "To conclude with this part, I feel impelled of admitting that if I analyse every time she got bitten or almost bitten has a relation with me being afraid of having her bitten or when it is not me but the other owner that will react protective/violent when Luna jumps or arrives running. So far it probably makes sense to you this cause-effect situation." It could very likely be that human intervention makes matters worse. It sounds like there are two dynamics going on: you intervene because you know your dog's approach may not be appreciated by certain dogs, and the other dog owners react because they know their dogs don't do well with certain types of approaches. "But my “profound” struggle started when I learned while Luna was still a puppy of around 6 months. That she doesn’t know how to bite - a trainer I saw back then, told me this, the first time she got in a fight- . That is why ever since I have been overprotective when it comes to a visible violent encounter. I always step up first avoiding the other dog to touch mine and I will defend her every time. So I don’t know if it is possible that my strong character and my overprotectiveness has affected her primary sense of self-preservation, is it possible ? Because I assure you that she has never returned the bite, she will bark, she will growl, she will push them with the paws but she never bite. What a tough americanstaff of mine right? " I wouldn't worry too much about Luna not biting. Trust me, you don't want to have a dog who readily bites as that can set you for some serious liabilities. Unless Luna has some type of malocclusion going on where the teeth don't meet as they're supposed to, it could simply be that she has learned superb bite inhibition as a puppy or that she simply prefers to use ritualized aggression as means of avoiding real conflict. Einstein my Rottie was this type. One day, a dog growls and tries to attack Einstein. Einstein quickly gets a hold of this dog by neck and pins him to the ground. I tell Eintein "off" and he readily lets go and I tell him to go find my husband who was just a few feet away. As he leaves, I go check this dog's neck area concerned about injuries, and there is nothing. Zero. Just wet saliva where I was expecting to see a huge gash. An 86 pound Rottie with a soft mouth! I was glad because I was already feeling the adrenaline rush of going to tell the dog owner that his dog got injured by mine and Rottweilers already have a bad rap so I wasn't looking forward to it! After all, I wasn't surprised, he always played well with other dogs and even grabbed birds without leaving teeth marks. He for sure did know how to bite if needed, but decided not to use that level of force. Perhaps all his playing with his litter mate sister must have taught him to be gentle mouthed and use ritualized aggression first. However, I truly believe that any dog can bite if pushed too far. Perhaps it just a matter of feeling enough stress or pain, perhaps it's a matter of feeling for the first time truly vulnerable. Maybe you haven't witnessed real fights, but just squabbles with lots of noise and mostly inhibited bites. Real fights are ugly and I hope you never get to witness one. It often leads to both dogs needing to get stitches. " I know I am a huge part of the problem, but I don't know how to deal with it. Of course I don’t wish either to have a dog that attacks or bites every other dog just in case and just because she can. I only wish to know what to do to avoid these situations to continue. Because I rather want to have Luna to watch my back and not the other way around." At this point, I would suggest to avoid as much as possible areas where there are off leash dogs when you are walking your dog on leash. These encounters don't do anyone any good, to you, your dog, the other dog owners and their own dogs. You don't know what type of dog you may stumble upon (will this dog accept my dog's play style? or will it become a potential fight?) and this will create tension. If you see a dog coming your way (if you live in an area with lots off -leash dogs) I suggest making a swift about turn and perhaps tossing some treats towards the other dog to prevent him from accessing your dog. This is to protect you, your dog and the other dogs, considering that every time there is a squabble or more serious fight between dogs, you and other dog owners risk becoming victims of redirected bites. Not to mention, we don't know anything about these other dogs (are they up to date on their rabies shots? Are they healthy?) If you know there are dogs that are accepting of her play style and she has fun playing with them at the park, it would be nice to organize play dates with these specific dogs so to prevent her from becoming potentially sensitized to dogs who correct her and can cause emotional repercussions that may linger and lead to future problems. Of course, always with supervision and keeping in a corner of the mind, that, as some dogs mature, they may become gradually less tolerant of other dog's play styles, so never letting the guard down. Now, a disclaimer is warranted here: If you ever have any doubts on whether certain dogs are compatible, please play it safe and a have a dog behavior professional assess the dogs in person and monitor some interactions so to increase the chances for safe interactions. I hope this helps! Best, Adrienne

Hi Brenda, Welcome to the forums! I will first start by addressing the first problem you are facing, the one about the recall. Moves can be surely stressful on dogs and dogs aren't that great in generalizing. In other words, what they learn to do in one place, doesn't easily transfer to another. This is why so many dog owners struggle when their dogs learn obedience in class and then in the outdoor world they struggle and their behavior falls apart. It also explains why dogs who are perfectly potty trained end up having a few accidents in a new home. In your case, you need to factor in also the fact that in Central Africa there were no parks nor dogs playing on the streets so this is a big change. One of the biggest challenges dog owners face is calling their dogs away from other dogs or other strong distractions. There may also be a component of anxiety going on in these cases since you mention she has been exposed to certain unpleasant encounters with other dogs. So it could be she is "on edge' when you release her into the park and this works against you. In general, we want to avoid as much as possible the scenario of us calling our dogs and our dogs not coming at all or returning to us later once whatever was distracting them subsides. This because by calling a dog with no response, we risk "un-charging" our recall when instead want our recall to be powered up as much as possible. So to remedy this, we want to help our dog succeed taking smaller steps and introducing distractions gradually, while also making coming to us super rewarding. So here are some tips/idea you can try: 1) Troubleshoot what is keeping her from responding to you. Think about past episodes when you called her and she wasn't paying attention. Was she sniffing the ground? Was she looking at other distant dogs? Was she listening to distant sounds? Was she focusing on romping around? 2) Once you identify what distracts her, you know that you should avoid calling her in those circumstances until you have worked on lower levels of distractions succeeding a good percentage of the time. So keep tabs on the challenging circumstances and save them to work on to later on. 3) Also, evaluate what your dog is most interested in and when her interest is most alive and avoid calling during these circumstances-for now. So, if possible, avoid calling her after she was shortly released off leash. This is the time when the environment is at its most salient level. Dogs are super charged up, they want to stretch their legs, romp and sniff around. Also avoid calling her when she is sniffing for now. When dogs sniff, a good percentage of their brains are occupied in analyzing smells. 4) Practice first in smaller, lower distraction areas that are fenced for safety like your backyard or a friends' backyard. If you have no fenced area to practice, you can use a lunge line (one of those long sort of leashes used for horses that can be several feet long) attached to your dog's collar. 5) Use baby steps. Call your dog when your dog has released pent-up energy and has sniffed and explored most areas. You may notice at some point that she is less interested in the environment and maybe is getting a little bored. Call your dog when there are no sights or sounds around her or they are less intense. Call her when she is close to you and you know there is not much that can distract midway. Reward generously to leave an impact. Feed several high-value treats in a row. If she looks thirsty, you can also call her and reward by offering her a drink from one of those portable water bowls followed by several tasty treats. 6) Don't call too many times necessarily or just to try to see if she comes. You want to protect your recall and maintain it strong. 7) Practice sit/stays and down/stays with a recall in your home, fenced yard to further empower your recall. Dogs get a double-whammy here: they are released from the stay and are then are fed your tasty treats from your closed hand, treat bag or pocket. The hide and seek games may fun to play too! 8) What if you call your dog and he does not come to you at all? In this case, you should avoid repeating the command over and over again. Rather, if you can, try to run away or leave the area, hoping your dog will follow you. Feed treats when your dog catches up with you. 9) If your dog has a history of not coming to you and you really want to polish the cue, change it. Your dog will have an easier time learning a new cue from scratch than hearing you repeat a command she has learned to ignore for a very long time. 10) Reserve special high-value rewards specifically for training recalls. So-so treats, yield so-so results. If possible, choose a variety of treats to surprise your dog. 11) If you take your dog to the park, it is important to learn how to call your dog when it is time to leave. If you call your dog every time to only snap the leash and leave, your dog will not be much eager to come to you next time, because she has started associating your recall with leaving the park. To protect your recall from having attaining a bad stigma at the park you can do the following: Call your dog at the park, have her sit, snap the leash on, give a treat and then unsnap the leash only to release her to go play again. When you really need to leave, snap the leash on and play with your dog using a tug toy or feed several treats as you both walk away. Make yourself much more interesting than anything. Leave a positive impact on your dog. 12) Consider that the recall is one of those things we actually never end training as there are always new challenges and opportunities. As always, it's important to ensure we put the dog up for success. I hope this helps. Keep me posted on how it goes. I will follow up on the other issue you are facing shortly.

You are very welcome! It sounds like she *could* be suffering from some level of separation anxiety/isolation distress which is putting a dent into her crate training. With these dogs, crating them can make them feel worse because they associate the crate with being left alone or just feeling vulnerable in not being aware of the owner's whereabouts which can add up to a simple dislike of being confined. You can find some information and reads with examples of exercises that can be done to reduce separation anxiety in the link below, although the more severe cases may require prescription medications from the vet. For diagnostic purposes, it helps to record her behavior when you are gone from the home and then show them to your veterinarian and he/she may decide whether meds are suggested along with behavior modification. Crating dogs suffering from separation anxiety is subject to debate. Some dogs may do a little better, but a high percentage do worse. In general, we see where the dog copes better when left alone (and this is where video recording once again come handy!) and stick to that as long as he/she is safe and doesn't risk getting injured.

Hi Ryan, Your puppy is adorable! Redirection by giving a toy can work if we are consistent and the puppy focuses on the toy, but often as pups grow, they start getting bored of the toy and will choose hands, legs, feet more and more. Of course, there are toys and toys. If you redirect to super duper fun and interactive toys, chances are your puppy will stick with them and not look back. Walking away may work too, until the puppy learns to attach to your leg as you are leaving and you are forced to drag him about, not fun! Of course, not all pups will do this, but several do! Whether a method works or not is evaluated by measuring the behavior over time. Is it decreasing? Staying the same? Getting worse? This gives us a baseline to evaluate. In general, I like to encourage games that focus on creating alternate ways to interact with us and that involve as well some training. Here is an example: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/bite-inhibition-games/ You can also find several more tips in the many threads on puppy nipping in this forum. Don't be afraid to read through the most challenging cases as they can give you several options to keep in mind as you navigate through the puppy nipping phase and encounter any hurdles:

Hi Alexis R! Welcome to the forums and thank you for adding details as they are very helpful! Sadie and Samuel are two cuties! When dealing with food aggression and toy aggression directed towards other pets sharing the household, often the best option is strict management. Let me explain. Dealing with resource guarding (being either food, toys or resting areas) more than training, behavior modification is needed. However, the "prognosis," basically how well it is likely to work tends to vary based on several factors. These factors can have an ameliorating (making better) or aggravating (making worse) effect on the prognosis. Examples of factors that ameliorate a prognosis are: 1) the attacking dog engaging in ritualistic aggression (all that noise made when dogs fight without an actual real bite occurring- basically dogs using their words) 2) a good level of bite inhibition (if the dog happens to bite, no serious bite wounds occur), early intervention (the earlier help is sought, the better) 3) the predictability of the attacks (they always happen in the same circumstance) 4) the attacks not occurring too frequently 4) a strong history of training (more likely these dogs be redirected at first signs of trouble, but of course up to a certain extent) 5) the attacks not having much of an impact on the attacked pets (the other pet just shrugs it off without living in fear) just to name a few 6) the other household pets avoiding to challenge the attacker (they stay clear and are careful to not provoke attacks and avoid to fight back) 7) the number of pets sharing the household (the more pets, of course, the more challenging it is to successfully manage them) These positive prognostic factors don't rely solely on the dog/dogs sharing the household, but on the owner as well, so we have to consider in the likelihood of success such as: 1) owner motivation (time and commitment to follow through) 2) owner's compliance and ability to follow instructions 3) a supportive environment (where all the family is committed to collaborate) 4) the ability to always monitor interactions 5) the ability to read the dog's body language intervening before matters get worse (it is more difficult to intervene once dogs are fighting) Examples of factors that aggravate a prognosis are: 1) a dog who skips ritualistic aggression and goes straight to attacking/biting (no growls, posturing, snarls) 2) Dog bites on a higher level of the bite scale 3) a longer history of rehearsal of the problem behavior 4) attacks occurring frequently 5) attacks occurring unpredictably 6) the attacking dog being much larger than the dog being attacked 7) The attacked dog fighting back rather than retreating 8) the attacks negatively impacting the other dog at an emotional level 9) a household with more than two dogs 10) presence of other types of pets that are more difficult to control (cats, ferrets, etc) Of course, some of these factors have more or less weight on the prognosis. In your case, what makes things more challenging is that you have several pets and most of them are cats. On the plus side, it seems like she is "using her words" more than anything which is good (although there are always chances for escalating, but some dogs just keep sticking to ritualistic displays as long as the other parties retreat). In general, if I was working on a dog who was mildly resource guarding food or toys towards another dog I would have the dog muzzled for safety for the exercises and I would work on using desensitization and counterconditioning. The exercises might look like something like this (disclaimer: this is just an example. For a protocol custom tailored for your specific situation consult with a dog behavior professional -veterinary behaviorist, Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist- to provide in person guidance and assistance considering that multi- pet household dynamics can be quite complex) Dog A (the resource guarder Sadie) is held by a handler on leash while another handler has dog B (Samuel) on leash as well. At first, dog B is walked at a distance where dog A is under is under threshold (she sees Samuel, but Samuel is at a distance where she doesn't feel threatened so she's rather chill). Every time Samuel walks by, Sadie is fed treats. When Samuel is no longer in view, food delivery to Sadie completely stops. Gradually and systematically, the distance is reduced. If Sadie at any time reacts, showing signs of tension, we know that she wasn't ready for that level of closeness yet, so distance is momentarily increased again, until distance can be gradually reduced again. Of course, all steps must be taken to avoid this kind of setback😞 At some point, dog A starts learning that food is contingent upon dog B's approach, so her emotions start changing. Since every time dog B is around she gets tasty treats, rather than dreading her presence, she starts anticipating it. At some point, you notice a change in her body language, her eyes are softer, her muscles relax and you even may notice a tail wag--you are witnessing what's known as a positive conditioned emotional response. Afterward, we start increasing criteria, we start doing these exercises when dog A has a toy she doesn't care too much about or is in front an empty food bowl. Every time Dog B is nearby, tasty treats are delivered. When dog B leaves, treat delivery stops. Also, as we progress, we may do exercises where both dogs are on leash and far enough and dog B is fed a treat first and dog A right after. This to create a positive association: every time dog B gets a treat dog A gets one too. This makes dog A think "cool! every time dog B is around, I get a treat, I now like having dog B around as it means I get treats!"So the dog comes to look forward to dog B's presence rather than dreading it. Then gradually distance is decreased, until the dog can be fed treats nearby. Now you can see, how involved this can become especially when you have to do the same exercises involving all the pets sharing the household and then hold maintenance sessions on a routine basis. At times, when things are too involved, the best and easiest thing to do is to simply avoid giving food to Sadie or toys in presence of your other dog and cats. This often solves lots of headaches, although we must face the fact that management is not always 100 percent effective. A day may come when there may be a crumb accidentally left on the floor, or maybe a cat vomits and Sadie wants to eat that (I know yuck!, but as a cats/dogs owner, I can attest this happens!) Supervision is therefore a must, you can never let your guard down when owning a multi-pet household. Now, I see you mention that your cats and dogs have their own separate feeding areas from each other. However, we may need to adjust this considering that Sadie seems to suffer from the worry of the possibility of the cats or Samuel getting too close. You see, the fact that she eats fast tells us that she is a stressed eater. She is gulping down as much food as quickly as possible because she is worried about some competitor coming along to steal her food. She is also likely very hyper vigilant keeping an eye on everyone. Sure, no dog will ever eat slow, savoring every morsel like us humans do, but they shouldn't be inhaling their food either. So I would suggest creating a "Sadie safe" eating area with perhaps a baby gate erected or feeding her in a separate room or in the yard. She may or may not slow down, but at least we take away a bit of the stress and prevent her from rehearsing the problematic behavior. To slow her down eating, you can try feeding her meal in a Kong Wobbler or doing a treasure hunt game in her separated area. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/elementary/the-treasure-hunt/ With the fear of the crate, it could be she has some sort of containment phobia going on, but can also be separation anxiety. Does she seem to struggle when you leave her alone regardless of whether she is crated or not? Does she panic in the crate even if you are there with her? For being grabby with treats, you may find this read helpful: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/train-dog-take-treats-gently/ It may help once again to train her away from your other pets, so she feels less the need to grab them quickly. Disclaimer: Behavior modification and training meant to tackle dog aggression comes with risks. If your dog has ever shown any form of aggressive behavior directed towards you or other pets, please seek the assistance of a dog behavior professional for safety and correct implementation. By participating in this forum, you automatically accept this disclaimer.

Hi there, So sorry to hear your dog is biting. I need more information on this to better answer your question. How old is this dog? How big is she? Are there any children in the household? If so, what ages? What level of biting? In other words, how would you describe it? Is she breaking skin? What seems to trigger her biting? Can you describe what happened prior to each bite? What have you been doing so far when she bites? You mention using treats or punishment, can you go into more detail on what you are doing exactly? Have you informed the rescue agency of her biting?

Hi there! Does your opened door lead to a fenced yard or is your dog free to wander? For sure training her to not bolt through the door is helpful here, however, I would never trust a dog 100 percent leaving the door open especially if without active supervision. Research from animal psychologists have found that dogs have the intelligence of a two-year old child, so just as with toddlers, it would be risky business leaving them alone to make their own decisions. Just like a toddler may just take off in the road after a ball, a dog may therefore take off upon seeing anything that entices them or triggers theirs instincts to chase. Sure, it is possible to attain super duper levels of training with dogs, where the dogs are always responsive, but all it takes is one mishap one day out of years of no incidents to make us have regrets. Because the risks at stake may be too high, I would therefore rather for safety, suggest installing a baby gate or indoor pet gate (that is high enough for your dog not to jump over), to play it safe if you aim to keeping the door open for extended periods of time. If she is barking and you want to tackle that, working on her emotions and getting a fluent response in watching these dogs from a window as explained in the look at that exercise (link below) can turn helpful. However, if she reacts this way only towards a specific dog, this gets more challenging because we fail to practice with what she struggles the most. Is it possible to have the owner of this specific dog walk him back and forth from a window or the door way, while your dog is on leash? That would be ideal! Here is the look at that exercise: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/university/look-at-that/ Now, if your opened door leads to a safely fenced yard, that gives us the perk of being able to work on this more without worrying about your dog taking off and potentially getting in trouble. Let me know if that's the case, and we can explore some more options.

Four hours is actually good! I had to get up every 3 hours with some pups with teeny bladders. Happy training!

You're very welcome! Keep me posted on how things go.

Usually, we recommend starting by placing the crate in the bedroom, especially with new puppies. The first nights are tough with these pups because they miss their litter mates and mom. I use Smart Pet Love Snuggle Pups Behavior Aid to help them through the first nights and place the crate next to the bed to reassure the puppies (occasionally by voice or simply lowering my hand for them to sniff) and inform them that they are not alone. Also, you need to have the puppies nearby because you need to hear them signal their need to potty so that you can take them out. Unfortunately, middle- of-the night outdoors trips are a must during the first weeks if we decide to crate train, so yes, sleep deprivation is very common in the process. This is also a time of decision making. If the dog owners wish not to have the puppies in the bedroom as adults, then, as they adjust over several nights, we start moving the crate gradually farther away. From next to the bed, to the middle, to the end, then towards the exit, then towards the hallway. If not, then once the puppies are potty trained, they are allowed to still sleep in the bedroom either still in the crate or onto a designated mat. If you need sleep, there are other options, but generally crate training is the fastest way to potty training because it encourages dogs to hold it and go potty outdoors from the get-go.

Hi there, Welcome to the forums! For dogs chewing the bed, I made this troubleshooting guide. You may find some tips/solutions on how to redirect and reduce this behavior. To destroy a Kong Extreme, your dog must be a very powerful chewer! With this toy, most likely it gets destroyed because he happens to chew on the rubber to try to get the food out. I don't think there is way to stop this behavior because the toy gets destroyed as your dog tries to get the food out or because it smells like food. Sometimes, a little food remains trapped in the top grooves which leads to dogs chewing this part too much leading to excessive wear and tear. Sometimes washing the Kong in the dish washer can help to remove any remnants and decrease this behavior, although not always. Dogs seem to know what parts of toys are most fragile and like to focus on these. As a side note; If you ever need to remove a toy from him because you think he's destroying it and may ingest parts, always make sure to swap with something else that is superior in value to prevent resource guarding. I like to toss a bully stick the opposite way and grab the toy while the dog heads in that direction. With dogs I do not trust, I toss the bully stick passed a door so I can close the door and safely remove the toy. I think there are some dog toys that offer some type of guarantee, such as Goughnuts or West Paw Zogoflex. Not sure which one, but I think one of them replaces their toys if they happen to be destroyed. Maybe worth a try. Other options that come to mind is using toys that don't encourage much chewing. A Kong Wobbler used as a kibble dispenser makes dogs focus more on getting the kibble out. This leads to more pawing at it rather than chewing. You can also provide edible chews (make sure they are safe! Ask your vet for recommendations) so you to provide an outlet for the strong urge to chew. Brain games can also provide outlets to instinctive behaviors such as the Muffin Tin game, Treasure Hunt Games etc.

Hi Lakia Moore, Since this has been an ongoing problem since you got her, it is more difficult to eradicate because it has established. For some reason, she doesn't trust bowls. The reasons for this may be several. I have seen this happen when, as you mention, the dog's collar or ID tags clack against them, but there can be other phenomena going on as well. For instance, some noise-sensitive dogs may dislike the sound of the kibble being dropped inside or maybe one day these dogs got frightened by the bowl accidentally being dropped or moved. With metal bowls, some dogs may get frightened by their own shadows reflected in the bowl or other shadows produced by nearby lights/objects. This often leads to dogs who grasp a few pieces of kibble and then quickly withdraw to eat them in another area away from the "scary bowl." Even reflections in water can startle sensitive dogs and some are worried about placing their heads in them too low. We don't know why this happens, but it could be also because they dislike feeling their whiskers make contact with the bowl and get wet so they like to drink from the surface. Here's the thing, when dogs get worried about something, the fear is likely to stick around because avoidance behaviors are reinforcing. And sometimes, all it takes is one scary episode to sometimes stick with the dog for life. This is called "single event learning." So what can be done? We surely want our dogs to not fear or dread something as simple as drinking water. While we can try to create positive associations with drinking from a water bowl, sometimes it's faster and less involved simply looking for substitutes to water bowls. For example, a dog pet fountain may likely be appealing to your dog and also removes bad tastes and odors, keeping water fresh. There is also a dripping system made by Nacoco it's called Pet Standing Water Dispenser that your dog may enjoy as it mimics the water dripping from a hose. If you are looking for alternatives to food bowl, you can use food dispensers which offer the win-win option of providing mental stimulation as well. Here are some options: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/adriennes-picks/top-5-dog-feeding-toys/ Hope this helps! Best, Adrienne

You're very welcome! Please do let me know how it goes.

Hi there, Congrats on getting your puppy to sit and lie down easily! He sounds like a happy camper! In regards to your Morkie, small dogs can sometimes struggle a bit at times with certain luring exercises because they are so tiny and they may be more wary about where our bodies are and have this instinct to slink, move away or back up. To answer your question there are some others methods you can try. Read through this thread for some troubleshooting ideas. You can try capturing which is in the last section. Below is a link with a video on capturing. Let me know if you want more details on this training method. Keep me posted on how it goes.

Hi there, I hear you about the walks, however, brain games, trick training and shaping games (especially through clicker training) can be as tiring as walks, and if you have a yard, putting her nose to work with treasure hunts games and other games can help as well. Car rides can be tiring too. Many herding dog breeds also enjoy playing with large balls (similar to the exercise-balls humans use) such as those used for the sport of Treibball. If you feel she really needs the walks for her and your own sanity, it would be best to stick to areas where there are no children around so to prevent rehearsal of the troublesome behavior (maybe drive to a secluded area? hikes?) or at least, see if you can have some distance (I don't know how the COVID19 situation is your neck of the woods, but many dog owners are finding the social distancing helpful for working on behavior modification, (while on on the other hand, owners of puppies or dogs in dire need of socialization are struggling). In regards to medications, yes, they can help to lower the threshold just enough to open up the lines to learning and start behavior modification. However, they are prescribed lightly, in other words, the veterinarian/veterinary behaviorist will usually prescribe them in cases where behavior modification alone is unlikely to work or has a history of not working. Each case of course is different, so it is up to the prescribing vet to determine whether their use is warranted.