Adrienne

You are very welcome! Keep me posted on how things go. Feel free to post here and we can always do more troubleshooting.

She is not left in the yard alone since my yard would be one big hole if I did - lol! I am out there with her. Most of the time she is playing fetch with me, playing hide and seek with treats, or playing with the dog from next door. She also has a digging box, several toys, and things to chew on. This is great! She's very lucky to have all these opportunities to keep herself busy! If there is another dog next door and he/she barks too at other dogs, it can be contagious as they form a sort of "social group" who bark at intruder dogs. If a person or dog appears in the alley or one from down the alley starts barking, she runs to the fence and starts barking. In such a case, it would be important preventing her from going to the fence line and start barking as this type of barking is highly reinforcing to the dog considering that it's a distance-increasing barking. In other words, when she goes to bark at the fence she's telling the person or dog to move away and when they do since they are coming and going, she'll come to think that it's thanks to this barking that they leave. The more this is practiced, the more it puts roots. We have practiced the smacking sound and me whistling, both which she responds to if we are out for a walk or are in the house. We have a great place we go to with trails and trees where we meet other dogs, but she doesn't bark at them except for the very rare occasion. She also has quite a good recall most of the time and we do "look at that" as well. If there is a dog in the alley, she won't respond to any of these. When a dog is able to respond to a trained cue in some settings (like on a walk) but not in others (dogs/people passing by the alley), it's because the dog is too over threshold. It would be important therefore to find ways to lower her threshold. This can be done with distance and some prior foundational ground work. The hear that method can be a good introductory method that helps create a different response to the sound of other dogs barking or other sounds like dog tags jingling. You can find these recordings on youtube, and practice playing them at low value and creating positive associations with them. The goal is to obtain a CER: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/conditioned-emotional-response-cer/ Then, the volume can be gradually raised. Then, the sounds can be initially played in the yard with her on the deck/by the door, and then even by the fence line with her on a leash at a distance where she's not over threshold. Then, one can move to creating visual setups. The look at that exercise by the windows watching people or dogs passing by and then maybe even creating setups with volunteers willing to be walking back and forth for you when you are ready to train. Open bar closed bar is another method that can work well with this, you can use the smacking sound as well to announce treat delivery. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/open-bar-closed-bar/ Once gained a more responsive state and her being responsive on a leash, then on a long line (long leash often sold in horse tack stores on online for training dogs recalls), she would graduate to being off leash, but it is important catching her before she start rushing to the fence and barking. Once she's off it's often too late for her being responsive. You would therefore have to use your smacking sound or "leave it" cue the moment you see her acknowledging the sound of somebody approaching, practicing a lot up to where the dog learns to come to you when she senses somebody approaching versus rushing and taking the matter in her own hands. Worth mentioning is that adding some visual blockage initially and then reducing it very gradually (or keeping it permanently if it helps -some dog owners skip all the training and just manage this way) may also help lower the threshold. Installing a privacy fence or anything the prevents seeing can help, however, dogs can still sense others through smell and sight, so not always it helps 100 percent. In your case, you may need nothing drastic if there is only a portion of the fence allowing visuals of the alley so maybe even a panel of privacy fence or some other visual blockage can help. Some dog owners find this as the best compromise. Here are some options: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/fence-ideas-dog-owners/

Couches will be very tempting to pups because they want to be close to us, it is true, they may value closeness more than their kibble. While with small dog breeds, many owners allow them on the couch, but with bigger dogs it can be problematic (they take the whole space!). I usually keep bulky items on the couch next to me so to reduce the habit so that there's no space for the dog to jump up. This is for management and also to prevent a habit from establishing. It also helps prevent our requests to get down to lose its power (if we say a cue too many times with the pup not listening, it risks becoming irrelevant (learned irrelevance). Then, when I have time to train and can anticipate the going on the couch, I will remove the bulky items and practice some leave its when I notice the pup is thinking about climbing up, and if he manages to climb up, I'll use the off cue as described above and encourage the pup to relax by a mat on the floor nearby the couch. Alternatively, I may get up every time the pup goes up on the couch so he gets off to follow me and rinse and repeat until the pup gets tired and I can reward him for lying on his own mat nearby me. I will ensure he gets praised and rewarded when on the mat. I am not sure for the vinegar to help repel from the couch. I think the couch will still remain valuable. I know some owners who had success placing plastic carpet runner turned upside down so the hard points are facing upward to make the couch less appealing, but you pup is extra fluffy so maybe he wouldn't even notice. Since Loki gets easily hot, I wonder if it may help placing warm blankets on the couch next to you and offering him a cooling mat at the feet of the couch. This may make the couch less appealing while the mat should be more appealing helping him make a good choice?

He's doing way better. Last poops has good texture and color, (I'm always feeling weird discussing details of poops lol) and we didn't do anything specific I think the heat thing may have been real. Also, I'm thinking his digestive system, and immune system are "creating", so it may have reacted to something new : as you suggested it's better to have edible chews in one setting, we bought varieties of them to have variation of time and taste for him He may have reacted to one of the new ones. Glad to hear he is doing better! Ad now worries, I am used to talking about poop and always go on "poop patrols" when working with dogs as it gives so much insight on how they are doing emotionally and physically. On another note, some parts of the training are way better. He made some wonderful recalls on walks. And we started to have some "leave it" on walks also, if it's not too much value, like dirt, or slugs... "Drop it" is a bit harder, but now that I walk with the liver paste, it has enough value for trading, and it has been quite some times I had to force something out from him. It is wonderful you are starting to see some results in your training. You are doing a good job, he's a puppy so he'll feel tempted to mouth things and carry them around. Lesser good news are : - the car : we started again wayyyyy back : going in the crate + treating, crate + engine + treating, little trips + treating the whole time... it won't fight sickness, but maybe having a positive association will compensate a bit the current hatred / fear of the car If you are successfully going on little trips this is good as long as he looks relaxed and doesn't get sick. The good news is that research shows that most puppies are expected to outgrow motion sickness by the time they are 1 year old. However, there are exceptions to this rule. My sister-in-law has a beagle who is two and is still vomiting on car rides, especially the longer ones. She never took the time though to desensitize and create positive associations to the car, she avoided the trips. You are on the right track though. Persistence of motion sickness can be attributed to never getting used to riding in the car and associating the car with the nausea and/or anxiety-triggering events associated with the car (noises, car movement, hot environment, unpleasant destinations). To prevent conditioned carsickness even after the ears are fully developed it's important going on car rides where the sickness doesn't occur. However, for the longer rides you haven't built up yet to, prescription medications obtained from your veterinarian may be important, before too strong negative associations are formed with the car considering that no amount of training can convince him he doesn't feel unwell, and lately also his harness : his last one may have been too tight, or too small, and it has been really difficult to put it on. While he loooooveeeees the walks, putting the harness was a bit of a fight lately, he was fleeing it. So we bought a bigger one (I felt a real tightness on the chest on the old one, even in the most loose position), and had to start from the beginning : showing the harness + treat, touching in with the harness + treat, just the head + treat... If it was too tight, he may not have liked the restricted feeling or may have cringed when it was snapped on. If you identified what part of putting the harness on he struggled with the most, you can work on that by splitting the action into smaller steps. Like is he disliked when it's snapped on, you can start snapping the clasps without your dog wearing the harness at a distance and tossing your dog s treat. Snapping sound, treat, snapping sound treat, snapping sound, treat until obtaining a positive conditioned emotional response where your dog looks happy hearing the snapping sound. You have started on the right paw in creating positive associations with the harness. little question : can he be starting teenage period ? he's 4 months / 17 weeks now and we had quite a fright this weekend : he was behaving well, so we wanted to reward him and let him untied in the yard... He ended up in the neighbor's garden, and then on the street as her garden is not totally fenced Rewarding on less control was a bad idea, but as I saw that exploration is one of the big teenage period marker, I'm wondering if it can be the start of it ? (I would think it's early, I still have the impression of being in puppyhood with all the teething, and biting :)) He's currently at the flight stage, which borders the onset of adolescence (which usually starts around 6 months, but may vary based on breed) They tend to want to explore more during this time. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/flight-instinct-period-4-8-months/

Hi Patsy, welcome back! Your pup is part Yorkie and they can be quite prone to barking. If your dog spends a good amount of time in the yard alone without directions or anything else to do, they'll just take up the watchdog role and make it their favorite hobby. Preventing rehearsal of the troublesome behavior is important so to prevent excessive barking to become the norm. Barking at triggers can soon get out of hand because it's reinforcing to the dog/dogs especially when the trigger the dog barks at moves away. This will create persistence in barking as the dogs will bark insistently until a trigger leaves. Reducing this form of barking would entail always monitored time out in the yard and redirection. Yard time should ideally be quality time spent sniffing, exploring and interacting with the owner (playing brain games, playing with a ball, digging in authorized spots, and rewarding desirable behaviors as they unfold) rather than rehearsing problematic behaviors. I would suggest practicing with "look at that" starting first indoors and then moving to practicing this in the yard. Firstly, obtain a good response to the smacking sound: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/the-airplane-game/the-smacking-sound/ Then practice with your pup on leash watching other dogs walk by a window: Here is the section on how to train this: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/university/look-at-that/ Then practice in the yard, first just by the door with your pup on leash and then on a long line. Then gradually move more and more outside as your dog progresses. The hear that method can help too to desensitize to the barking sound, it's discussed at the bottom part of this article: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/fear-noises/ It's important to ensure your dog is under threshold at all times: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/ And of course, keeping the dogs occupied during the day with brain games, obedience and walks ("look at that" can be done on walks too adding steps of attention heeling https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/heeling-attention-heeling/ ) will help reduce certain forms of barking because dogs are provided with "outlets" for pent up energy and this helps fulfill their need to have a "job," whereas dogs left in a yard with nothing better to do, may easily fall into the pattern of rehearsing undesirable behaviors such as barking, digging and chewing on stuff. As Jennifer pointed out, this is something that needs lots of practice. You are working against ingrained instincts, and Yorkies/Yorkie mixes are notorious for wanting to be watchdogs and shihtzu like to be watchdogs too (they were used to alert intruders in monasteries).

What a cutie Bruno is! Lovely markings and adorable face. ❤️ Nice composed sit for the picture.

You are very welcome, I tried to cover most basis, I know some may not specifically apply to your pup, but always worth mentioning if others are reading and dealing with a similar issue. Your trail by the ocean sounds beautiful! It's good for him see many people and dogs, it's just important to ensure he's not too overwhelmed. Watch his body language, if looks happy he's doing fine, if he seems confused, shut down, or you notice signs of stress, it may too much for him. Here are signs of stress: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/signs-fear-stress-dogs/ I think going on walks with your daughter's dog may help if your daughter's dog is confident and social on walks. If Bruno for some reason lies down and refuses to move during the walk, your daughter can stop walking and start loving on her own dog praising and happy talking, which may act as an incentive for Bruno encouraging him to join in the fun. As he resumes walking, you can make your smacking sound and reward for a few steps of him looking up at you. . Puppies are a lot of work! It's for real like having a new baby in the home! You're then stuck with a toddler-like stage and then comes the lovely teenager stage. Training (and brain games) though helps make things much more manageable and bearable. As dogs mature, you then get the biggest payback for all the effort.

It does seem like some probiotic- type thing, however, I took a look at reviews on Amazon and it doesn't look too good as for success rate. Many say their dogs are still feasting on kitty 'Tootsie-rolls."😲

The search feature thinks this is a taboo term and I agree! 😆 LOL, I didn't know the forum had this feature! Monkey is a free cat who tends to poop in the piles of leaves our trees provide. Given that he buries these I can't easily scan the yard before letting the pups out so I was wondering if there was a product known to make cat poop taste less appealing. Failing that, maybe a supplement I could add to Monkey's food. There is a product for cats to feed and that causes their stools to taste awful and it's called Forbid. However, dogs may keep tasting the feces every now and then and if the product is interrupted, dogs will go back to feasting in no time. Also, if I recall well, it contains MSG which in my opinion is something that isn't good for cats nor dogs. Vets though have been promoting it for some time for both cats and dogs, but I personally cringe about feeding something with MSG 😞 NaturVet makes a possible better version called 'Outta my box". What better name than that? I don't see MSG listed, but the ingredient list looks a bit iffy and need some deciphering. Like what is ProbioStrive? What does it contain exactly? And is it totally safe?

Hi Adrienne. My dog is a four and a half month old miniature schnauzer. The biggest challenge is the heel command. Bruno often lays on the ground refusing to walk Young puppies do best with short training sessions. I like to do about 5 minute sessions scattered throughout the day rather than risk with a longer session that the pup may perceive as too long or tedious. Always make training fun and upbeat and end it on a positive note. With a puppy who lays on the ground refusing the walk, a variety of things come to mind. I will be listing some possibilities here: -The walk is too long. Puppies need less exercise compared to fully grown dogs. They tend to sleep a lot during the day because they are doing a lot of growing. Puppies who are smaller and have shorter legs need less exercise in general than taller, larger dogs. Puppies also have short attention spans and may struggle being trained to walk for too long. -The weather is too warm. Puppies also don't tolerate the heat as much as an adult dog so it can be a bit harder on them. It would be important to bring along water in a collapsible dog bowl just in case the puppy gets thirsty. Also, consider whether the pavement may be too hot. -Not being used to wearing the collar/harness and leash. Many young puppies stop on walks because they aren't used to wearing a collar or being on leash. Getting puppies used to wearing a collar/harness and leash is a gradual process that may encompass several days/weeks. -Being frightened about something. Does Bruno stop walking once he's past the driveway? Does he walk well in other areas but struggles in your neighborhood? If so, he may have become frightened about something. Perhaps it's a dog that is barking as he's walking by a property or maybe the trash truck driving by or any scary construction going on could have left an impact if that's the case. -Reluctant to leave the home-base. On top of this, consider that young puppies may feel uneasy leaving the home. In nature, young pups wouldn't walk too far from their maternity dens until they are a little bit older. Going too far may feel unsettling so it may help to start with brief walks in familiar surroundings and as he gains more confidence moving to farther areas. With these things in mind, here are a few ideas/tips. -Rule out medical conditions. Make sure your puppy is healthy considering that an underlying medical condition can surely put a dent in a puppy's willingness to go on walks. For example, a puppy with joint problems may be reluctant to want to go on walks. Puppies with heart problems may tire easily and struggle to keep up. -Avoid hot temperatures. As mentioned, puppies tend to be less tolerant of heat and they may need to drink often. Bring along water during walks and try your best to avoid the warmest hours of the day. -Make sure your puppy is used to wearing the harness. Get him used to wearing it and walking with it on by making it super fun when he wears it, praise, feed something tasty, give him attention. And when you take it off, make life get boring again. -Teach to give in to leash pressure. Teaching your puppy to give in to leash pressure is easy. Simply sit on the couch holding the leash and very lightly put pressure/gently tug and lure your puppy to move in your direction by showing a treat to encourage him to release the pressure. Praise your puppy the moment he gives in to the pressure and moves your way. -Practice in the home/ driveway. Do the same exercise with you and your puppy walking in a hallway. Put a little pressure into the leash and then feed kibble so he can learn that moving in the direction of the pressure releases that pressure and he also gets rewarding for that by reaching for the kibble. Do this several times until he learns to give into leash pressure rather than resisting it. Then practice walking up and down the driveway rewarding you pup for giving in to the pressure before going on brief, fun walks. -Start with short walks. In order to gauge exactly how puppies fare with walks, start them out on something completely manageable. You don’t want to crush their enthusiasm right off the bat with a long, tiring walk. Make the walk fun and upbeat and reward your puppy for being close to you. -Bring along a doggy friend. Do you have a friend with a puppy or dog who literally adores going on walks? If so, enlisting these dogs' help can be sometimes far more effective than us trying a variety of things. -Avoid dragging and picking up. Dragging a puppy by the leash or getting irritated/impatient with the puppy for lagging behind or lying down only makes matters worse. The puppy risks not associating the walks with fun and may dread going on them. A dog's opposition reflex will make the dog resist more and dogs may eventually just give up moving and respond by stopping and possibly even lying down. On top of this, consider that if we get angry or frustrated with our puppies, this can impact them at an emotional level causing them to freeze into a state of learned helplessness. Picking the puppy up also leads to another problem. The puppy learns to stop walking to be picked up and this can put a dent in teaching him to walk on leash as he'll likely want to be picked up more and more. This should therefore be used only when strictly necessary. *If your puppy hasn't finished his vaccinations yet, please check with your vet whether it's safe for him to walk in certain areas if they are often frequented by other dogs due to the risks for infectious diseases which can be rampant in certain areas. cries and barks because he wants to play with every dog. I bring lots of treats and some days are better than others. This sounds like barrier frustration, more on this here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/barrier-frustration/ I like to teach a strong response to a smacking sound combined with just a couple of steps of attention heeling as it adds some movement and gives a pup something else to do: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/the-airplane-game/the-smacking-sound/ https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/heeling-attention-heeling/ It helps if you work with your puppy under threshold, by creating some distance from the other dogs: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/ I hope this helps, Happy training! Best, Adrienne

It's great that you are using a baby monitor and how neat to have a phone call when puppies need to be taken out! More on littermate syndrome is discussed here:

Hi there! How is Loki doing? I hope he is feeling better.

I am happy to hear they are good boys and that they are doing so well already in their potty training! If you search the forums, you will find many threads on ways to work on puppy nipping. Having two pups makes it easier as they'll play with each other rather than totally depending on humans, however, being littermates, it's important to dedicate time in separating them for training, walks, socialization, to prevent overbonding (the so-called infamous littermate syndrome). I feel snuggle puppies work best for young puppies who are distress vocalizing the first nights because they miss their mom and litter mates. Your pups are a little older so it may not be as necessary as much as with younger pups. However, if it is distress vocalizing (like puppies ear-piercing screaming for several minutes) from missing their littermates and mom, and feeling their heartbeats/warmth, these can be soothing. If it's more of puppies who are overstimulated and not wanting to nap, then these just need a few extra steps to induce a more relaxed, sleep-inducing environment. -Keep your puppies busy during the evening. Left to their own devices, puppies may sleep a whole lot in the evening and then will be awake and full of energy by the time it's time to go to bed. Try instead to keep your pups busy in the evening, play treasure hunt games, take them in the yard to explore, play a few indoor games, do a little training. -Bring your puppies to the place where they usually sleep (crate, exercise pen). Remember though that puppies being very social, are always happiest being near you. -Remove access to overly stimulating toys. -Provide a safe chew toy or edible chew to gnaw on (these can act as pacifiers and help create positive associations with the crate). -Talk to your puppies in a quiet, soothing tone of voice. -Act calm. This will help your puppies calm down too. -Close all curtains and blinds. -Turn lights off (or place a blanket over the crate). If the blanket intimidates them, then just being in a dark room should help. -Play calming music (like Through a Dog's Ear or any online music for dogs) so to cut down on any residual background noise. -For young puppies, provide a shirt that smells like you. You can gradually move you air bed farther and farther away over the course of several days and see how they do. You may have to still set your alarm for a middle of the night potty break.

Apollo is super playful, he loves dogs people. My issue is when we approach a park or even on the street ( he is on lead), he gets super excited and pulls to get to the dog. If he is friendly and playful then this likely fits the description of barrier frustration as Jennifer pointed out. Here is a read on that: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/barrier-frustration/ Attention heeling on walks can help with that: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/heeling-attention-heeling/ Walking on the street is ok I manage it with treats and a heal, but I feel his energy. Try exercising your dog with play, training and brain games prior to the walk to drain a bit of this surplus energy. When we get to a park where I let him off leash he just bolts to another dog, at this point he doesn't know I exist. The problem I have here is although his not aggressive, other dogs warn him off with a growl, as they may not want to play with him and he keeps going in to play. Of course I get to him and leash him again then leave the park, but I want to be able to bring him there and he interacts with us as apposed to dogs that may not want to play. He is now an adolescent and this behavior is not atypical for this stage: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/survive-dogs-adolescent-stage/ He may approach too boldly or in a pushy, too direct way that other dogs do not like. I would keep him on leash considering that one day he might meet a dog who won't be tolerant of this behavior. He should also not be left off leash if his recall isn't very reliable that he can't be called away from approaching a dog. This is too advanced training for him right now. It may help to work him on leash and do recalls, make him responsive to smacking sound, https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/the-airplane-game/the-smacking-sound/, look at that, https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/university/look-at-that/attention heeling https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/heeling-attention-heeling/ and leave it https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/take-leave-it/and sit/down stays https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/stay/ Then, you can practice with longer leashes until he is very reliable and only then progress to off leash. If he's prone to be too direct with certain dogs or there are dogs who are a little grumpy, if you can find one or two play mates to organize play with, it may be better than going to a park with many unknown dogs. I will add when we take him on bush walks off lead he listens to our recall most of the time but not 100%> This is good, it sounds like he needs to work more in learning to respond to training under more distracting environments. Once he's more responsive, you can train a "go play" cue where you first ask him to sit, you unsnap the leash and say "go play!" as you make a gesture with your hand sending him off. Then you can use your recall to call your dog away from certain dogs (always be very generous in rewarding this), leave it to prevent him from approaching certain dogs, down stay to keep him nearby you like when you are doing something and want him to not move, smacking sound to keep him focused on you at certain times, attention heeling when you must walk past dogs.

These predatory behaviors are so strong in some breeds, especially those selectively bred for hunting! Here's the thing: Prey drive is instinctive and self-reinforcing which is why it's so hard to work against. When dogs search and chase, they have a rush of adrenaline and dopamine which makes the activity extra rewarding and even addictive. The adrenalin helps get the dog quickly into action and ensure he uses the necessary caloric resources, and the dopamine plays a role in the rewarding aspect of hunting, making the pursuit of prey intrinsically rewarding because it creates positive feelings as the reward centers of the dog's brain are activated. Allowing a dog to repeatedly chase prey animals will therefore allow the behavior to put roots and establish, making it more and more difficult to eradicate. So, can prey drive be trained out of a dog?" The answer is no, you cannot completely remove prey drive from a dog, however you can provide outlets for it and channel it to alternate activities. I will point out it's not easy once they got a taste of how it feels. This requires patience, time and determination. There are usually setbacks in this training. When there are setbacks, embrace the challenge and make a point of working harder in that particular setting by making it easier for your dog to make good choices. I find that tackling high prey drives requires a multi-pronged approach. Here are some tips. -Manage your dog and his environment. In other words, try your best to not put your dog into situations where he gets to rehearse chasing behaviors. Don't let your dog free off-leash to roam the neighborhood, avoid having him get too close to critters. -Watch what you do. When you are out and about walking your dog and you spot prey animals, stay as calm as you can and avoid pulling the leash back as soon as you notice a critter that you dog hasn't seen since that can become a cue for your dog that you have just spotted prey. Instead, train your dog to do an about turn, here's how to train your dog an emergency u-turn and walk the opposite way:https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/emergency-u-turn/ -Train alternate behaviors. These alternate behaviors will give your dog an outlet for his predatory drive and something else to work for, while still catering to the dog's seeking system Ask for behaviors that are incompatible with chasing animals as explained below. These behaviors will also help you bond more and make you more salient and relevant (rather than invisible!) than other distractions around. -Train your dog to respond to a smacking sound. Make a smacking sound and reward your dog for looking at your by giving a high-value treat. Train this at home first, then in the yard away from prey, then on walks and then at a distance from potential prey. The goal is to eventually have a dog who learns to look at your rather than attend to sights and sounds of prey. Here's how to train it:https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/the-airplane-game/the-smacking-sound/ -Train your dog to do several steps of attention heeling. With your dog focused on looking into your eyes while walking, you can train him to walk past distractions this way. Here's how to train it: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/heeling-attention-heeling/ Practice dog leave its and drop it exercises. These are important in case your dog attempts to approach a small animal or grabs it in his mouth. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/take-leave-it/ https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/drop-it/ -Use high-value treats. These treats are used to reward your dog when he performs alternate behaviors (like looking at you rather than chasing). They need to be good enough to compete with all the wildlife and therefore entice your dog to engage in alternate behaviors more and more. -Add distractions gradually. It's a big mistake to train in the home and then expect the dog to respond reliably on walks with prey animals around. Distractions need to be added very gradually around different sights, sounds, and smells. Only once your dog has show to be responsive in a quiet environment, you can gradually increase the level of distractions. So start in low distraction areas with your dog under threshold and build up from there. When on leash, stay as much as you can at a distance from the critter. More on thresholds: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/ -Reward voluntary check-ins. When you walk your dog to take your dog to a safely fenced area, praise and reward him for checking-in with you such as looking at you or coming your way. He's choosing you over engaging predatory behavior, and the more you reinforce this, the more he'll check-in. -Organize surprise treasure hunts. This is my version of Clarrissa Von Reinhardt's "Sausage Tree." Occasionally, prior to going for a walk or in the yard, scatter some high-value treats around a tree or bush. Then, put the long line on and let your dog explore around, then reach the bush while your dog is distracted and call your dog saying something along the lines of "Hey! (dog's name), look what I found!" in an excited tone as you pretend to dig with your feet uncovering some treasures. This makes you interesting and helps your bond as you help your dog find tasty treasures. -Organize Rock Tossing Games. If you ever happen to be in an open field with tall grass, you can add distractions by tossing rocks in the tall grass (or having a helper do that for you). Your dog will orient towards that noise, at that point make your smacking sound and therefore work on focus exercises despite this distraction. If at any time your dog doesn't respond, take it as a sign that your dog isn't ready for that level of training yet. Take a few steps back. -Organize 'stuffed animal walks." With a foster dog I worked with last year who had a very strong predatory drive, at one point I had my hubby dragging a stuffed animal on a long leash in tall grass to mimic prey, as we worked on focus exercises. -Channel that prey drive. Sure, treats are a powerful way to get dogs to perform behaviors, but in dogs with high prey drive, the opportunity to engage in predatory behaviors is often the biggest reward. As Jennifer pointed out, try to invest in a flirt poles. Also tug toys (how about those made of rabbit fur?), balls and dog Frisbees. Engaging in such prey-driven activities is not only fun for your dog, but also satiates his strong drive. Offer these activities away from prey animals to help him make good choices. If he picks to chase prey over a game, the game value would have weakened. -Provide brain games to keep that mind stimulated. Treasure hunts, food puzzles and interactive toys will keep that brain busy. Also, consider training impulse control games:https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/impulse-control-frustration-tolerance/ Hope this helps, Best, Adrienne

Hello and welcome to the forums, Congrats on your new puppies! Are they brother and sisters? How old are they? And how would you say they are doing so far? Do they do vocalize as if in distress (loud, ear-piercing stressful-sounding crying)? If so, how long are they doing it for? Are you sleeping on the airbed all night? Do you know if the breeder already acclimatized them to the crate or is the crate totally new to them? Since you have used the crate for only two nights, where were they sleeping prior to that? This is one of those things that vary from pups to pups, but I think what works best is to go gradually. Last batch of pups I had got better after 3 days and improved a lot after a week, but they were already familiar with the crate, the previous ones took a little longer, but I had to get each a Snuggle Puppy behavior aid for them because they were very young at 7 weeks old (they were strays). I personally prefer having the pups in the bedroom and then gradually moving their crates away a little bit more at a time until they are out of the room, but I have also done the other way around, although it's a little more inconvenient.

Thanks for sharing your experience with Loki!

I have little questions about this : - as you work with a vet, does this actually makes sense ? to me it does, it seems to fit the "time of the day" behavior + Loki's fur, but I'm no professional I am no longer working for a vet and in any way I am not qualified really to answer this, but what I would do (and this only my personal opinion) I would see the vet just to rule out other things. If it persists and you decide to go to the vet, make sure to bring along a stool sample. All you need is a small amount (like about the size of a teaspoon). Make sure it's fresh, not older than 24 hours and that it's stored in a clean container with a tight-fitting lid and label it with your dog's name, contact info, time it was collected. - I saw good things about ginger. We are definitelity big ginger consumers at home, and I see lots of places where they say little pinch of ginger powder can work magic for upset stomachs in dogs. What is your opinion about that ? When dogs had upset tummies, the most common remedy our vets suggested was a bland diet, but your vet will need to decide if he/she feels it's worthy of a try or not or if he prefers to have you just bring Loki to see him rather than losing time with home remedies. I hope his tummy issues resolve soon.

It's wonderful you got such a nice agility kit! I remember buying one once and returning it because it looked all nice and big in the pictures and then once I received it, it looked like it was made for midget dogs. Just a word of caution about jumps: various studies have shown that the closure of growth plates in dogs doesn't typically happen until a puppy is 12 months old, and 18 months of age for the giant breeds. So prior to this time, it would be important checking with the vet before starting any jumping activity.

In such a case, it may help to try your best to persuade him to follow you outside. I am not a big fan of using startling actions like making a loud noise to startle them, but I like to use upbeat “let’s go outside!” as I try to entice the dog to following me to the door and go outside. I often train this beforehand so that I get a strong response. Important is to clean the mess using an enzyme-based cleaner to remove as much as possible traces of odor. If this pooping is a new behavior, it may be his tummy is upset for some reason, if so, he may have more accidents and it would be important mentioning these potty regressions to your vet just to rule out medical conditions out.

Good news tonight : the tummy problem has passer He made again a night from 10pm to 6am with no accident whatsover Glad to hear he's feeling better and that he no more accidents in the crate! Little concern though, he didn't settle until quite a moment in the crate : he whined 10+ min, which is a lot for him lately... This time we were sure the needs were met : he was fed, we saw pee and poop. So I was thinking : - as the day was spécial in terms of schedule, the session before bedtime may have been a little short - my biggest fear : a real regression about the crate. Last night should have been horrible, and perhaps now the crate is a less cool place to be - it's just normal fluctuations. 10+ min is not that big of a deal. Sometimes they just a little less eager to go sleep, like a kid wanting to watch TV a little bit more should this be a source of concern and something to address ? should I redo some crate reinforcement ? Can I just see how it goes as a one time thing may not be that significant ? It doesn't hurt to err on the side of caution and keep on working on creating positive associations with the crate. With dogs, I like to always remind them that the crate is a great place to be, even if they enter it voluntarily and seem happy in it.

Hello and welcome to the forums! Jennifer gave you wonderful advice and many great interactive toy ideas. Gotta love Chewy, they are a wonderful resource and bless their hearts for their generosity (they even once told me to keep a bag of dog food my dog didn't like when she got super picky from having cancer and they reimbursed me the amount and told me to donate the bag to a shelter). Please see my observations/tips under your posts. Hi there! I have a 1 1/2 year old husky/terrier mix who can be very demanding. At this age, we are at the adolescent stage, and yes, this can be a challenging phase to deal with. You can read about what happens during this time here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/survive-dogs-adolescent-stage/ He will bark non stop to get his way. Whether he needs to go outside, eat, play, or just wants a pet, he will bark in my face until I do what he wants. It sounds like your dog may benefit from a plan where he gets all the good stuff contingent upon acting calm and not barking. For example, when you catch your dog acting calm and not barking, reward that. Be careful though to avoid a behavior chain (more on this explained below), so you need to wait that enough time has elapsed from his last bark before you reward his calm behavior. For example, if your dog barks as a way of begging to be petted, pet him when he is in a calm state of mind. Call him to you when he is calm and not barking, ask him to sit and pet him telling him what a good boy he is. When you are done, say ''all done!" (add a hand signal to it for more emphasis) and get up to do something else. Make sure to be very consistent with this, all done means all done. If your dog keeps trying to demand more attention ignore and leave the area if he persists. Also, train him to sit before you toss him a ball rather than him barking for you to toss it. Train him to sit before being taken out, train to sit before he is fed his meals, train him to sit when you put the leash on. More about this is covered here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/impulse-control-frustration-tolerance If you are about to do something you know your dog badly wants, but he manages to bark, provide a consequence for that barking by making the likeliness of it happening decrease. For example, if you are preparing his meal and he barks as you pour food in his bowl, put the bowl away and return once he's been quiet for some time. I like to emphasize this a lot, like I strategically plan to prepare food when a dog is calm and in a non-barking state. If he barks though when I start, I put the bowl away. If he keeps barking I even leave the area. If he is quiet for a bit, I will go back to meal preparation, but if he barks again, it's the bowl away and me leaving the room again. Then, I try again. If he is quiet, and I am able to pour the food in the bowl, I may next walk towards the dog, but if he barks, I will turn around, and even think about walking away if he persists. Once he is quiet again, I will try again to walk towards him. If he finally manages to stay quiet until the end, I will put the bowl down (I like to ask for a sit and then release with an "ok!" once the bowl is on the ground) Your first meal preparations may seem to take forever the initial days, but most dogs catch on quickly if you are very clear in communicating that quiet gets you to advance in meal preparation, while barking slows you down. The goal is therefore to teach your dog that calm behaviors unleash all the rewards, when barking and acting impatient does not. He barks even more if my husband and I sitting together. Like, he is mad he is not the center of attention. We have separated ourselves from him, ignored his barking, given him interactive toys, and pretty much do everything we can to keep him mentally stimulated, but then, it's like he remembers that he needs to bark at us and won't stop once he starts. I am trying to figure out what I can do to help ease him of this habit. This sounds like a form of attention barking mixed with some frustration. Of course, before assuming this, it's important first to ensure all the dogs' needs are met (he was fed, has water, has gone potty, and has received enough exercise and mental stimulation for the day, more on this is discussed below). Now, the biggest hurdle with dogs barking for attention is that any type of attention (even attention of the negative type) constitutes a reward. This means that you can't shush your dog, laugh at your dog, look at your dog, smack the dog (never recommended) or even ask you dog to do something else because all of these things ultimately qualify as a form of attention! So what's left to do? Ignoring seems to be the only option. Ignoring means just that, not paying any attention to the dog as he barks while you're both sitting on the couch, and even walking away and leaving the room if the barking persists. I know you said you tried to ignore, but in order to work well, the ignore program needs to be super strict. Here's the thing: when ignoring a dog who has barked and received attention for it in the past (even attention of the negative type), this situation paves the path for what's known as "extinction burst." An extinction burst causes the barking to intensify (louder or for longer) and the dog may even try new behaviors (like pawing). When we see this happen, we often assume the ignoring is not working, but if we are very adamant in ignoring the barking or any newer secondary annoying behavior (leaving the room may help with this), the barking may eventually stop, although more bouts of extinction bursts are expected in dogs with a strongly established history. For sake of an example, it's sort of like kids that when they don't get candy at the store and they start whining. And when they see that whining doesn't work, they'll escalate to crying and screaming and putting up a tantrum (extinction burst). If we stick to our plan and don't give them candy despite all the drama, they'll learn to stop pushing it and the behavior will eventually extinguish, but if we give in though and buy it-even just that one time-, they'll always try to ask for candy because by buying the candy we have reinforced persistence. Now enduring an extinction burst is not easy. If we end up giving the dog any attention during this time (because neighbors may complain or we just can't take it anymore), we would yes, reinforce persistence allowing the behavior to become even more stronger than before. However, if we have no close neighbors or live out in the boonies and are able to endure the cacophony of sounds, chances are the dog may eventually give up, however, we need to consider though that the dog may still have unfulfilled needs despite what me may think. So does ignoring solve a dog's attention seeking barking? If we can endure the extinction bursts and stick to the plan, yes, it can help, but let's consider that, barking is also a self-reinforcing behavior. This means when your dog barks, he's also venting his frustration feelings so it still feels good to bark to some extent (just as it feels good for us to talk to others when we are upset about something) Ignoring a dog that attention barks, can therefore, yes, help a specific situation, but it's more of a short-term goal. We must remember that, our ultimate goal is to get to the bottom of the barking behavior, and pre-empting it as much as possible since barking is an outward sign of an internal emotional turmoil that needs addressed. This brings us to the need of multi-modal approach to use on top of the ignoring approach. Here are some tips: Make Sure Your Dog's Physiological Needs Are Met Before sitting on the couch for the evening, make sure that your dog has been fed, that he has access to a clean bowl with fresh water. Also, make sure to take him out to pee and poop. With your dog's basic needs to eat, drink, pee and poop met, you know that at least you have all of that covered. Make Sure Your Dog's Exercise Needs are Met Most dog breeds were crafted for specific tasks, and this required often a good level of energy and stamina. Retrievers were collecting downed birds, spaniels were flushing birds out of bushes, scent hounds were sniffing trails, sighthounds were chasing hare, small terriers were hunting vermin, huskies were pulling sleds etc. etc. Nowadays, most dogs are unemployed, so they are very prone to getting bored and frustrated. So before sitting on the couch, it may help to go on a nice walk, relax and enjoy the present and every now and then, don't forget to let your dog sniff around as a reward for walking nicely. Just loosen the leash and tell your dog "go sniff." Sniffing can be a tiring activity too as it requires concentration. Make Sure Your Dog's Needs for Mental Stimulation Are Met After taking your dog on nice walk, and ensuring all his basic physiological needs are met, before sitting on the couch, make sure to provide your dog with some activity. The activity doesn't have to necessarily include you (although it would be great if you could play with your dog for a few minutes each day). You can encourage independent play by providing some entertaining food puzzles and brain games for him to enjoy using a portion or your dog's entire meal this way (no food bowl!) Nowadays, there are many food puzzles on the market. Snuffle mats, Licki-mats, Kongs, Kong Wobblers, Nina Ottoson puzzles are just a few of the many. Jennifer has provided links to some of these. Brain games such as fun treasure hunts, bottle games, muffin games, encourage dogs to use their seeking system which promotes focus, confidence and self-control. Make Sure Your Dog's Needs for Chewing Are Met After being walked and provided with a cooling down brainy activity, there's nothing better than chewing on something to end the day. Chewing is a potent stress reliever for dogs and helps release pleasurable endorphins into the body. Providing your dog with a safe, edible long-lasting chew (ask your vet for recommendations) can help your dog feel happy after he has walked, "hunted for his kibble" and now that he has "killed his prey" he can enjoy chewing on it, so to say. Chewing helps dogs release some stress and frustration, and at the same time, it provides dogs with something to do in alternative to barking. Make it a habit of providing the chew on a your dog's doggy bed placed nearby the couch. Your dog can learn to lie on it for it and will look forward to his new routine. Make Sure Your Dog Has a Quiet Place to Nap By now, your energetic dog should feel quite satisfied about his day. He was walked, was given opportunities to sniff, he was played with and given fun food puzzles, and now he has a nice long-lasting chew to enjoy. By the time he is done with his chew, he should be relaxed enough to feel like it's time for him to take a nap. You can provide the perfect setting for a nap by dimming the lights a bit and refraining from talking in too exciting tones. Another thing to consider is that, if your dog has been walked, exercised, played with and given enough mental stimulation, it may be your dog is tired and getting a little cranky. You can help a moody, cranky dog by reducing stimulation so to help him settle down, relax and nap. You can do this by taking the following steps: Bring your dog to a quiet place where they usually sleep (crate, exercise pen dog bed). Remember though that dogs being very social, are always happiest being near you. Remove access to overly stimulating toys. Provide a chew toy or edible chew to gnaw on top of a mat/ dog bed (these can act as pacifiers). Talk in a quiet, soothing tone of voice. Act calm. This will help dog calm down too. Close all curtains and blinds. Turn lights off (or place a blanket over the crate). Play calming music or keep a fan on so to cut down on any residual background noise. Watch for the Onset of Behavior Chains! This is worthy of mentioning, so to cover more basis. A common recommended approach that you may find in a variety of websites or dog training books is to reward a dog for moments of silence. While this approach seems to make sense, considering that behaviors that are rewarded tend to repeat and strengthen, this approach ignores the phenomenon of behavior chains. Behavior chains take place where an undesirable behavior becomes part of a chain. For example, your dog may learn to bark and then stop barking to get a reward So be careful in what you do. When you want to reward your dog for being quiet do so only after some time has elapsed since he last barked. Will the Barking Stop For Good? I am not a big fan of the word "stopping." Dogs have a voice and we can't just stick a mute button on them for the rest of their lives. We can reduce barking though. In a similar way, we aim to reduce a baby's crying in the night by changing diapers before they cause irritations and ensuring the baby is fed, but we can't expect a baby to stop crying once and for all. Of course, dog barking can be super annoying, especially when ear-piercing and getting out of hand and when he have neighbors. However, they were selectively bred for this from ancient times and it used to be a blessing back in time when we needed them to alert us. We also need to factor in other phenomena. For instance, while teaching a dog new routines and desirable habits, it takes time for the barking to reduce. You may therefore encounter here and there, a phenomenon known as "spontaneous recovery." In other words, along the path, the barking behavior when you're sitting on the couch will eventually come back. It's as if the dog remembers the behavior out of the blue and thinks about trying it again. If you stick to your new habits, this too shall pass. As new routines are established (dogs love routines as they give them a sense of security), you should see a gradual yet steady reduction of your dog's barking behavior while you're sitting on the couch. Hope this helps, Happy training!

As I read, I may have overreacted in the sense that a chicken leg was not even dangerous... It's just that I didn't know where it was from... Perhaps it was from a sick beast, perhaps it was rotten... The absence of control over what he had and how he did made me think the worst I understand. I would be concerned too. While dogs do better than us in eating raw meat, they can too get salmonella. Puppies and older dogs can be vulnerable as they have a little more fragile immune systems. If it was cooked, ingesting it can be dangerous too as cooked chicken bones can splinter too. Your message if really helpful to understand what's at stack and what could be done better Actually some elements was on contrary of what I've been told, and that may have caused the issue - he more often on long leash than short one so he can enjoy the area - I've been encouraged to detach the leash in safe environnement to work on recall, and give him more pleasure in walks - the dog walking area in the neighborhood are forest and farmer's field and it's a super for most dogs and owners It all boils down to not allowing rehearsal of problematic behaviors and safety. If you have safe areas where you can walk him on a longer leash and there are very, very slim chances for him to pick up stuff and you can easily scan the area from a distance (not tall grasses), then the benefits are in your favor. Off-leash for exploration or to train recalls, I feel it's best if done in safely fenced areas that have been inspected first (small areas of course offer the advantage of being easier to inspect than larger ones). You will find many points of view on these things, sort of like with parenting kids. I personally prefer to err on the side of caution. Especially with young puppies, who are grabby and eat stuff and who haven't finished their vaccines, (due to concerns of infectious diseases picked up from other dogs like parvo). You said your vet gave you the OK to take him to places because your area is pretty safe, but in the USA parvo is pretty rampant in most areas so vets tell most puppy owners to avoid places that may have been frequented by other dogs or certain wildlife. So to sum it up again about "drop its" just to provide some clarity, it may be impossible for us to practice with all things imaginable that our dog may grab throughout his lifetime, and of course, you can't practice with things that are dangerous, because the risks at stake may be too high. However, if we practice with a lot of different and new items, we may gain a generalized response where our dogs will almost reflexively drop when dealing with novel items or in novel situations. So consider that, the more bases we can cover, the more likely, we'll be able to attain a nice generalized response.

Potty time... And he pooped... While he never poop first thing in the morning.. besides it finished liquid... I had a bad feeling about this...There was indeed a poop accident in the crate... He never pooped at night so I didn't even considered that would be his call...I just thought of excitment with the pen access open and the pee he actually made. Poor baby, it sounds like he was trying to alert you about his tummy troubles. Will that provoque a setback in crate training ? And pooping in there made a négative association ? How do I proceed from here ? Or it's ok and will get back to normal? Normally, this is perceived by pups just as an accident. Since your puppy was whining, he showed that he didn't want to poop in his crate. So this is good, it shows that he has the instinct to keep his crate clean. You will need to be very attentive to take him out before he messes the crate so that you reinforce his not wanting to poop in there. I cleaned with just water. In house accident I also use white vinegar but didn't want to put some in the crate as I used it for the repulsive effect. Will water cleaning be enough ? I usually recommend using enzyme-based cleaners (made purposely for cleaning puppy accidents, in the USA Nature's Miracle is a popular one) to remove any lingering scents since dogs have such powerful noses. It helps prevent further accidents, just in case the puppy smells a previous accident and feel like going there again. If there was bedding in it, that should be washed too. And of course, puppy may need a bath too. Poor guy should have had an horrible night. He didn't touch his breakfast Kong and fall asleep in the middle of the living room He had a vaccines booster shot friday but was totally fine saturday and sunday... So I dont think of this to be the issue... Too much fruits as treats can provoke liquid stools and higher poop frequency ? Anything new fed to a puppy or dog can cause tummy troubles. New treats, new foods, new chews, etc. And of course anything given too much can do that too. If it persists, your pup may need a trip to the vet. He finally ate breakfast in Kong + in Muffin game. Tried to tug on clothes a bit, but finally made on some on toys. He got a super chew and start crashing in the living room. We skipped the morning walk, and put in directly into crate with open pen, and while he starting the nap in the pen, he now settled in the crate. (I finally used baking soda to finish cleaning the crate as I read it's a natural odor remover) That's a little hope for me in the sense that it hasn't traumatized him of the crate and didn't kill the good training he had with it so far Happy to hear he is feeling better and that he slept in the crate!

I was really hoping to be able to do something... But motion sickness is a médical issue, not a behavior thing, or at least something you can control with training. It's still good to do baby steps and go for the shorter drives that don't typically evoke too much nausea/vomiting, considering that, if they outgrow it, some anxiety may still linger on. The brief and fun trips can also help desensitize to movement. I didn't want to arrive to the point of medication... my Mum has motion sickness, and it does not get any better the more we take the car... In general, puppies tend to outgrow the motion sickness by the age of one so that's a positive thing. Let's hope that's the case with Loki. We'll go on with training for shorter distance and at least avoid feeding him before, but maybe medication for the bigger trips would be needed. Frequent stops and fresh air can help too.