Adrienne

OMG, that's so funny! Not you cleaning all the messes of course, just all the funny things you have mentioned (like her eyes floating, haha!). I hope she didn't ingest too much though if you have chlorine in your pool. I had to deal with something similar when my dogs went the first time to the beach with us in France and they developed "beach diarrhea." Little did I know back then that drinking too much salt water would cause very liquid, projectile diarrhea that seems to just shoot out of the dog's rear end!

Look yummy! What a wonderful mix! The kibble will absorb some of the scent of the other goodies. Keeping them together overnight in a zip lock bag can also further increase the aroma and the kibble may soften too from absorbing the moisture. Fun fact: if there was ever a competition between humans and dogs over who had more taste buds, our dogs would rank rather poorly. With a mere 1700 taste buds compared to our astounding 10,000, contrary to what dog food commercials may try to make us think, the number of a dog's taste buds aren't really that impressive! So if dogs have such poor taste, why are they so eager to eat most of the time? That's because, a dog’s ability to “taste” food, mainly resides in their nose.

She was just sitting on the couch and our dog just came over and started nipping at her, gently at first but then started to increase the pressure. She removed herself from the are and went into a bathroom. When she came out he started jumping up on her and nipping so she turned her back towards him and he did it again and ended up biting her lower back. She said it wasn't very hard but she tends to bruise easily. Any suggestions on how to stop this? I am glad the nipping wasn't very hard, as that tells us he has some bite inhibition. At his age, we can still work of refining it. Play with other dogs of his age can help him work on this to some extent, but he needs to remember that human skin is extra sensitive while dogs have layers of fur. We can remind this by hand feeding him and teaching him to take treats gently, here is guide on that: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/train-dog-take-treats-gently/ Bite inhibition games can also teach pups other ways to interact with us, I specifically feel that hand targeting can turn helpful. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/bite-inhibition-games/ This is a video with some demos of these exercises: When a young puppy starts biting somebody on the couch, one of the first thought that comes to my mind is a bored/understimulated puppy who is seeking interaction/attention. The other thing that comes to my my mind is cranky puppy who is dire need of a nap. -A Matter of Seeking Attention/Engagement Many puppies struggle when we sit on the couch. This is because when we sit on the couch it often means all good things ending (sort of like returning home from a walk). We may start reading a book or watching TV when a puppy's brain and body is screaming for activity. So when a puppy starts nipping upon us sitting on the couch they want to find ways to get attention or at least gain some more engagement from us. Here's the thing: when it comes to getting attention, puppies, just like toddlers, seem to appreciate any form of attention, even if attention of the negative type (pushing the puppy away, scolding the puppy). So just like a toddler starts misbehaving when you are talking on the phone, an attention-driven puppy may start nipping, jumping and barking for attention or as a form of protect the moment one starts sitting on the couch. -Getting Overstimulated and Cranky. Many puppies are very active during the morning, then they may take a small late morning early afternoon nap and then get active again and they may stay active until evening. By this point, a puppy may be getting increasingly tired, but they may still feel overstimulated. An overstimulated puppy eventually needs to crash, but many struggle to fall asleep. A puppy feeling cranky is the perfect recipe to misbehave (just like kids!), which leads to excessive jumping, barking and nipping. In any case, if this happens predictably upon sitting on the couch, there is one main advantage on your side: predictability. Predictability of a behavior offers you the benefit of preparing a plan and having it in place prior to sitting on the couch so that you can work on decreasing the chances for the problematic behavior. So here are some tips/ideas: Prevent Rehearsal of the Behavior. The popular saying "practice makes perfect" applies to dogs as well. Just like an actor gets better by rehearsing parts over and over, dogs get better at performing behaviors whether desirable or undesirable to the point of them becoming almost habit-forming. It would be therefore important preempting your GSD from rehearsing the problematic nipping behaviors by using offering alternate activities that will keep him busy. For example, just prior to sitting on the couch, the pup can be taught an alternate incompatible behavior that is far more enticing to engage in than the actual nipping. As your puppy increasingly chooses to engage in this alternate behavior, the problematic behaviors should start going to the backburner until they are eventually abandoned for good. Examples of alternate behaviors to offered prior to sitting down can be: Training your puppy to lie on a mat where he will receive a valuable chew. Here is how to train that: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/train-dog-go-to-mat/ Training your puppy to go grab a special toy on cue (using different ones each time to keep he interest alive) and play with it. See the section on how to train "take:" https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/take-leave-it/ Alternatively, your wife can offer him to take a bottle filled with treats/kibble right before sitting down: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/high-school/the-bottle-game/ Training hand targets and asking for them and rewarding them with tossing kibble at a distance: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/preschool/targeting/ Carrying a flirt pole can help offer an alternate behavior to nipping body parts when the pup is seeking interaction. A long toy can help as well. This training and games can be mismatched so to offer some alternate, calmer activities that your pup can look forward to and that will help take some "steam" off. If the pup is cranky and in need of a nap, placing him in his own area (exercise pen, area behind a baby gate) with a chew toy (stuffed frozen Kong, Topple toy) can help him relax and fall asleep. If your GSD engages in biting as your wife walks randomly around, before he starts to nip, let him focus on the floor, by tossing several kibble/treats on the ground in a treasure hunt fashion and telling him to "find it!" Have her carry them in her pocket or treat bag so that she can engage him quickly. If he knows sit, have her ask him for that and maybe mix in some downs or hand targets before tossing the treat/kibble. Important is to avoid getting upset at the dog or using physical methods. It can be very tempting to correct a dog who bites when excited by scolding the dog, pushing him away or maybe even delivering an alpha roll, muzzle grab or a scruff shake. These methods though are very likely to back fire, exacerbating the arousal or even turning a dog from biting from play or excitement into a more serious, more difficult to treat form of biting: biting for defense. So anything physical or any approach based on intimidation should not be used and if used before they should be stopped. I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions! Happy training, Adrienne Disclaimer: behavior modification comes with risks. If your puppy or dog shows signs of potential aggression (lunging, barking, growling, snapping, biting) for safety, please consult with a dog behavior professional who uses force-free behavior modification techniques for direct in-person guidance. Articles, videos and general info found in the forums or course (or any online source) are not meant to replace in-person training/instruction. By using this course and forum, you are waiving any liability claims or other type of claims related to any dogs' behavior against you or others.

Thanks for the extra details, very helpful! If there is a pattern of biting the leash when heading back home, it could be the pup doesn't like going back inside the home because the great outdoors is valued more. In such cases, it can help to take a multi-faceted approach. For example: -Encouraging more fun activities inside the home. Brain games, clicker training, nose work, food-dispensing toys (Kong Wobbler, bottle game https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/high-school/the-bottle-game/, treasure hunt game: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/elementary/the-treasure-hunt/ -When the behavior is expected to take place, preempting it by offering a flirt pole to play with or offering a long tug toy. Make sure your pup knows how to drop in exchange for a treat: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/drop-it/ It's important that we offer these activities before he starts biting the leash so to make the activities preferable and prevent rehearsal of the problem behavior (the more a pup does it, the more the behavior persists) . Alternatively, a find it game by tossing several kibble on the ground to let the dog focus on finding rather than jumping up and biting the leash. -Offer a stuffed animal to carry at the end of the walk. Use one your pup doesn't see often. Many puppies will happily carry the stuffed animal which will keep their minds off the leash. -Avoid leash corrections/pulling as some pups come to associate the leash with the negative sensation and will start biting it. It sounds like your wife is trying to get him inside which sounds like there is some reluctance on his side. Training some steps of attention heeling can help make the return more positive: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/heeling-attention-heeling/ and it also can help having a brain game ready upon his return so to create a look-forwarded-to routine. -Using a metal chain leash (as mentioned, dogs don't like the feel of chewing it in general) or other strategies discussed above. -At 6 months, your GSD is nearing the adolescent stage (usually in this breed starts at 8 months). This is a time where there may be some regressions. Offering mental stimulation, training and impulse control games https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/impulse-control-frustration-tolerance/ is important. Here is a guide on what to expect: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/survive-dogs-adolescent-stage/ By encouraging fun activities in the home, preempting the behavior by offering alternate activities, avoiding leash corrections and possibly using a metal leash, you should see a slow, but steady reduction in the problem behavior over time since it's tackled from different angles. I will be tackling the latest nipping episode shortly in my next post.

Hello and welcome back! Please see my answers/observations under your statements in bold. My pup Maisy is a koolie x staffy and is almost 2. She is the sweetest, smoochiest dog when she is at home with people she knows. She was a pretty well behaved puppy, she was mostly off leash when out for walks etc. She has always had trouble understanding children but left everyone else alone, however lately she has developed a really intense fear of men. It's wonderful that your dog is very sweet and does so well at home with the people she knows. I am sorry to hear though that she has recently developed this fear of men. If she was fine with men before, but now she is fearful that makes us wonder if something must have happened that has convinced her that men are not trustworthy. This can be anything as subtle as being intimidated by a certain tone or seeing a man carry something changing his silhouette. Dogs, especially the sensitive/nervous ones, tend to struggle with things that change our shapes and sizes or that make us appear a bit odd. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/fear-people-wearing-hats-accessories/ It began with one or two random incidents of her seeing a man walking alone and running to them, circling them and barking. Her recall is really good and would come back almost straight away. As time has gone on, its almost every man she sees walking alone and its not just off leash anymore. If she is in the car and we are in traffic or stopped at a light, if she makes eye contact with a man on the street or a man is walking strange/wearing accessories/has facial hair/is pretty much doing anything she barks quite aggressively. Same goes for some men while she is on leash and especially when my housemates have men over she hasn’t met before. Koolies are herding dogs and therefore they have a strong ingrained tendency to herd moving things and the circling and barking around could have been herding instinct, but it sounds like there may be some fear components at play since she seems to target more men wearing accessories or having facial hair or men moving in a strange way. I always have toys and treats for distraction, and every chance I get I work on training her to look at me as we walk past distractions and we practise walking past men without putting her over threshold. You are on the right path. Keeping under threshold is very important, so we need to be extra careful about not putting her in situations she's not comfortable with and that allow her to rehearse the problem behavior, considering that the more a dog practices a behavior, the more it puts roots and becomes established. With dogs as such it's therefore important to use lots of management (no off leash walks, keep her crated in the car, keep distance from men on walks, keep her behind a baby gate or in a separated area when men guests are over). Management is to prevent rehearsal of the problem behavior and to keep everyone safe. It also helps prevent excessive stress hormones from circulating in the body, which will only cause her to be more and more hypervigilant and alert. When not using management, behavior modification using desensitization and counterconditioning should be implemented. Such methods focus on low-grade exposures and changing the dog's emotions. Here are two articles to familiarize with these methods that work in synergy when used together: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/desensitization/ https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/counterconditioning/ When these two methods are employed, you want to aim on creating a positive conditioned emotional response upon seeing men: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/conditioned-emotional-response-cer/ Is there a particular way to react/respond when she does run and bark or simply barking (if on leash, at home or in the car)? This is where I am worried I may be reinforcing if I don’t react correctly. What's important to do is low-grade exposures to prevent her from going over threshold and aiming to create positive associations. Three things one may do wrong with behavior modification is allowing too intense, too close exposures, going too fast in the process, which only go to confirm in the dog's mind that men are truly scary and allow rehearsal, and the other is us tensing up as well which sensitive dogs can pick up causing them further validation of their fears. So it's important to go slowly and very gradual, stay calm and focus on creating positive associations. If you are concerned about reinforcing your dog's fear of men when using treats, consider that fear is an emotion and it cannot be reinforced. For a better understanding on this watch Dr. Yin in this video and observe how the growling goes away rather than being reinforced. A good starting place may be investing some time in "Look at that" exercises. You can start practicing this by having your dog at home watching men walk by a window and teaching her to become responsive to you despite the distraction. The goal is to provide positive associations with men walking while also creating an alternate response to barking (looking at you for a treat). Here is a guide for training this: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/university/look-at-that/ Once you have a solid response, start using the smacking sound in other places where you have some control over the environment, meaning you can do an emergency u-turn or go back inside the home should a man you know that is likely to trigger barking approaches too closely or too fast. Here is a guide for training an emergency u-turn: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/emergency-u-turn/ You may find it handy to compile a list of circumstances that have caused your dog to bark at men in the past. Think of each event carefully and jolt down the circumstances that may have led to the barking. Was the man running? Was he wearing a hat? Sunglasses? Carrying tools? Was it evening? Did he have facial hair. Knowing all your dog's triggers can help you understand what may be too much for her too handle and when avoidance is the best approach. When in the car: You want to do a similar exercise to as Look at that watching men walk by your window, only that now you'll be working from a parked car. You'll need to have a helper drive as you sit with your dog in the car and create positive associations. Here is a general guide, it's about dogs barking at strangers, but if your dog barks only at men, then focus mostly on that. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/barking-strangers-car/ When you cannot work on behavior modification your dog should be crated in the car. Placing a blanket on one side to reduce visual stimulation can help, just make sure you have the A/C on to prevent your dog from overheating and make sure to stop and check on her every now and then. When on walks: Create setups with some volunteers where you can sit on the porch with your dog and have men walk by as you work on creating positive associations. Setups are helpful because you can control the environment so that you can instruct them how close to walk by and what to do to increase criteria (like if your dog did well watching a man walk by several time, next time try with the same man wearing a hat, but at a farther distance). If you need to go on walks (it's better to hold off walks if they stress her out too much when she encounters men) then you'll need to be extra careful, walking close to home so that you have a "homebase", you can move back to if one trigger is approaching that she's not ready for. An emergency u-turn can help as well too. If there is a lot of 'background noise' meaning lots of stimuli around and you want to really make a point that men are the predictors of good things (and nothing else), it may help working on open bar/closed bar: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/open-bar-closed-bar/ When men guests are over: Here's a behavior modification example of how I worked on a case of a dog reactive towards a man. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/dog-barking-someone-enters-room/ When you cannot work on behavior modification, your dog should be keep in a separate area from the guests to reduce stress, prevent rehearsal and keep everyone safe. While men are in the home and your dog is in a separated area, you can still work on the "hear that "method which aims on creating positive associations with mens' voices or foot steps. You can find it here under the section" Bonus Case Study 3: “Hear That” for Man-Reactive Dogs." https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/fear-noises/ As tempting as it may to have men feed treats to fearful dogs, this risks encouraging approach/avoidance behaviors. The treat-retreat game may be a better option: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/treat-retreat-game/ These are just a few examples of behavior modification. I feel that when it comes to dogs acting fearful/reactive, it's important enlisting the help of a dog behavior professional. This because behavior modification requires a certain level of experience/skill to effectively gauge the dog's threshold levels, determine when criteria should be raised and when a step back is needed, carefully observing subtle signs of stress/ relaxation and also for a matter of safety considering that fearful dogs can bite when they are stressed. I hope this helps, Let me know if you have other questions. Best, Adrienne Disclaimer: If your dog shows signs of potential aggression (lunging, barking, growling, snapping, biting) for safety, please consult with a dog behavior professional who uses force-free behavior modification techniques for direct in-person guidance. Articles, videos and general info found in the forums or course (or any online source) are not meant to replace in-person training/instruction. By using this course and forum, you are waiving any liability claims or other type of claims related to any dogs' behavior against you or others

Hello and welcome to the forums, When it comes to training, there are ultimately no exact general rules of thumb when it comes to how long to train per session and how many sessions to do a day. There are many variables at play such as the age of the dogs, breed, energy levels, health, level of attentiveness, the experience of the person training, current mindset of the dog, whether the dog was ever trained before etc. Since your dog is 7 and hasn't received any training yet, it's best to start with several brief sessions and keeping an eye out for signs of tiring. You can start with just 3-5 minutes of training and watch for signs of frustration, stress or tiring under the form of yawning, a sudden itch, walking away, loss of interest etc. You want to avoid though getting to this point. So to play it safe, best to keep sessions short and sweet at first, always ending on a positive note. As for quantity, there are variables too. After testing the waters with a few brief sessions, you can eventually progress and try and fit several in a day without the dogs getting bored or uninterested. Some of my busy clients like to use television commercial breaks for training. You may find that you can train more and longer on some days, while some days less. Just like us, dog may have more productive days than others. Since at 7 he is likely now a senior, make sure he looks happy and eager to train and watch for signs of pain/tiring when asking for sits and downs and recalls in case he has joint pain. Generally, a dog should learn to sit on command (using only the verbal cue "sit") within a couple of weeks, but every dog is different. We also need to factor in the fact that when we ask a sit indoors it's one thing, and when we ask for a sit in another setting like outside around distractions, it's another thing. Dogs aren't that great in generalizing the training done indoors to areas with distractions, so it helps to go gradual when increasing criteria and using higher value treats outdoors can help compete with the distractions. Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions, Happy training!

I now can get him off street objects and food by a simple leave it or tossing treats away from him. What a lovely pup! Congrats and kudos to you for making so much progress!

As mentionned on the other thread on kibbles, Loki does not take them anymore from the bowl. I'm a bit concerned about oxydation as it's open since a month. Still it takes from a Kong or treasure hunt. This is not unusual. In 1963 animal psychologist Glen Jensen conducted a study involving 200 rats where they were given the choice between food offered freely in a bowl and food offered in a food dispenser which required the rats to step on a metal bar several times for the food to be dispensed. Interestingly, the rats preferred the food dispenser option over the food easily obtained through the food bowl. Jensens' studies were backed up by several other experiments which obtained similar results. The choice of working for the food was also observed across a variety of species including rats, birds, fish, monkeys and even dogs. Surprisingly, only one animal went against the trend and that was the domesticated cat! This suggests that cats rather be served than work for their food. Contra freeloading is the term used to depict this phenomenon of animals choosing food that requires some effort to obtain versus food that is offered freely. Feeding from food dispensers rather than bowls has become a rather common trend now in families with dog and in zoos to offer enrichment and improve the welfare of captive animals. Thing is I find myself only training with high value treats, or kibbles I put in the same container to take the smell. Is it ok ? Or too much high value will lessen the training efficiency. On walk he get one per good behavior, at home I try sequence to give him one. This is a trick of the trade and many dog trainers suggest that. I have used this strategy myself. It's discussed here and you can see a picture of the treats and kibble I mix in a trail mix fashion. You will need to see how your pup responds to them. If he's happy and eager to train then that's good! On walks, it's good to go higher value.

Awesome! Send pats to them for me. It's so great to see them sleeping happily together. ❤

Hello and welcome to the forums! Good to hear that your training with your pup is going well! Please see your questions in bold, and my answers right under. I have one question for you and it’s a problem that you didn’t mention in your program. We have one year old Epagnol Breton and among other things, the thing that is disturbing a lot is that we can not leave anything without surveillance. A book, cloths, newspaper, pen, whatever object we forgot to move from his vision he is “stilling “ It running away and destroying it. We have a guide for dogs who steal right here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/stealing-things/ I am not running after him, I am taking a treat, I am saying to him to let it go and I am taking the object. But his behavior is not changing. Do you have some suggestions how we can solve this problem? It is good that you are not running after him as that would encourage the 'keep away" game and make him more reluctant to give up items. Training him to "leave it" and "drop it" is very important, for his safety. All dogs should learn these life-saving skills. Jennifer posted the links for you on how to train those in the hyperlinks. It s a kind of a dog who is very frustrated in inside space. Your dog is right now at the adolescent stage https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/survive-dogs-adolescent-stage/ a time when dogs have great needs for play, training, exercises and mental stimulation. Make sure he has access to plenty of safe toys and that you rotate them routinely. Play brain games, go on walks, take him on sniffing adventures, do clicker training, nose work, work on gaining better impulse control and frustration tolerance: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/impulse-control-frustration-tolerance/ Also use management. Remove as much as you can items that he tends to steal, especially those that are valuable to you or that may harm him from chewing them into pieces. Puppy proof your home and leave around plenty of toys you rather have him play with and chew so that he can make good choices. When you have time to actively supervise and work on leave it and drop it, add a few items he commonly steals (as long as they aren't things he can destroy or ingest) and practice on these cues. Just for a record he started to pee again from time to time in the appartement??? He is one year old so he should be fully capable of holding it by now, but incomplete potty training can be an issue at times. Is he neutered or intact? Do you know if he is urine marking or simply peeing? Here is a guide that covers some forms of urine marking: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/urine-marking/ Does it happen only when he is left home alone? When he sees triggers from the window? Has there been any stressful events lately? The more details on when these accidents happen the better! Hope this helps! Best, Adrienne

That sounds very relaxing! Thanks for sharing. Love the new pics you posted of Esther and Gertie.

Hello and welcome to the forums! This sounds like a case of zoomies, technically known as frenetic random activity periods. They are very common in puppies especially in the evenings after their meal. These moments of hyper behaviors are simply evoked by the presence of excess of energy occurring in certain contexts. Typically, dogs with a serious case of zoomies will develop a crazy, play-face look as they perform a play bow with the tail wagging wildly side-by-side. Next, they take off zipping up and down hallways with a hunched-up posture, dashing around tables and bouncing off couches. New puppy owners sometimes describe them as episodes where their puppies appear to be "possessed by the devil." If this happens predictably every evening you can try de-escalating them by offering alternate activities to burn off some steam. For instance, you can: -Rush towards the door and into the yard, if you have a safely fenced one, enticing your dog to follow you so that he can burn off some steam in a fenced yard. With a spacious yard, your dog has more room to stretch his legs and less risk of getting injured or knocking down items or chewing things he shouldn't. Once outside, encourage your dog to sniff or engage in other calm activities like doing a treasure hunt, playing the ball pit game or digging his toys out of a sand box made just for him. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/elementary/the-treasure-hunt/ https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/elementary/the-ball-pit-game/ -Try redirecting your pup's energy to a less rowdy activity such as a game of tug using a long tug toy or playing with a flirt pole. Make sure your dog knows how to drop: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/drop-it/ -Schedule a training session or keep your dog's mind stimulated with brain games or fill some interactive food-dispensing toys with treats. -Walk your pup in the evening right after meals if you do not have a safely fence yard. -Skip the food bowl in the evening and instead start feeding your dog's meal portion through feed dispensing toys like Kong Wobblers or Buster Cubes. You can also do a treasure hunt with his kibble in the house or make him work for his kibble by asking for sits, hand targets, downs and tossing one kibble to reinforce each behavior. The rest of the kibble can be used for a muffin game or bottle game: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/elementary/the-muffin-game/ https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/high-school/the-bottle-game/ -If you have any friends with social pups, you can organize evening play dates. -Consider crankiness. Sometimes puppies get cranky and start acting out when they are very tired. If your puppy receives enough exercise and mental stimulation during the day, it could be your pup just needs to learn how to settle down and nap. After a few minutes of zoomies or play time, you can try providing a quiet spot (draw the curtains so it's darker) and a quiet activity (such as gnawing on a safe chew toy) until your pup falls soundly asleep. The grabbing the remote and running away or hiding from you when you need to take him out in the evening sounds like he's playing and wants you to catch him. Don't fall into the trap of chasing him around in the keep away game. . Here is more about how to work on this: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/stealing-things/ I would create a new routine of giving a small tasty treat (or his kibble if he loves it) for having the leash put on every chance you have during the day. This with time, should create positive associations with being leashed so that he voluntarily will come to you to have it put on. I hope this helps, Keep me posted on how things go and I am here in case we need to do more troubleshooting. Best, Adrienne

This harness has received rave reviews from dog trainers and veterinarians. They are very accommodating in helping you get the correct size, the name says it all! Yes, I am from Italy. Well, I was really born in New York from Italian parents, then raised in Italy, then back to the USA after getting married and now back and forth between USA and Italy. Great to hear you lived in Italy for a while, now I know why you called your dog Fido! Buon addestramento! Saluti cari a te e Fido, Adrienne

Hello and welcome to the forums! Well, for a pup being 8 months old and therefore at the peak adolescent stage, I think over all your pup is doing great. So you need to pat yourself on the back for doing a great job! I will try to tackle the issues you have posted one by one. Your questions/concerns are in bold, my answers/further requests for info are not in bold and are right under. The first problem we encounter and only recently is , rather than getting excited to be going for a walk he actively tries to avoid , by heading out the kitchen door and not responding to any encouraging, would prefer to chase the cat. When going for the walk I take loads of meaty treats, Possum,( a local pest to the environment, made into a dog roll) Lambs liver or beef or chicken jerky. On the walks I have rewarded him for walking beside me and ever time le looks to see where I am ,he is rewarded. I was told this will pay for itself in future, not seen any sign so far. It sounds like you are doing a great job walking Pip. The treats are creating positive associations with the walks and you are reinforcing walking next to you and checking on you. This is all great! Bad Points , doing a disappearing act when the harness appears , this is only recent , and only started after I purchased a larger one. The detail about this starting after purchasing a larger harness is important. Is it the same exact type (make and model) only larger? Or is there more to it, like requiring something new such as having a loop go over his head or lifting his paws to place them through some straps or having different clasps that are producing a different sound? These are all things that can impact a sensitive dog. You described Pip as being a nervous dog, so a simple change can make a big difference to him. It may be interesting to see whether he perks back up if you show up with his older harness. The trainer did a test at about 16 weeks , on name recognition , only 40% score. Seems to have gotten worse. Was the trainer testing his response on coming when called and he only came back 40 percent of the time? What are you using to reinforce coming back to you? Does he seem to struggle coming back to you in specific circumstances? If so, please list some circumstances. Have you ever called him when you were upset with him? With dogs who aren't too motivated to come when called, I like to insert a sit/say or down/stay into the exercise. In other words, I would ask him to sit/stay or down/stay and then move away at a distance and say happily "Pip come!" This offers a double whammy of rewards: being free to move again and then receiving some tasty morsels that he only gets when training. Here is the guide on training stay, in case he doesn't know that yet: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/stay/ As always, start training in areas with little distractions (inside the home in a quiet room) and then gradually work in areas with more distractions (yard, in front of the house, of course always on leash when not in safely fenced area) If he loves so much getting in the water, I would use that natural love of the water as well for training a nice recall. Once he's good with sit/stay/ down stay, I would ask for that and then move towards the water area and then call him to come join you and play in the water. If he doesn't know "stay' yet, you can have a helper hold him as you move away, and he gets eager to follow you, then call him to join you for the fun by the water. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/recall/ Not motivated by much , sits on front seat of ute on way to park , once there , happy to sit there and not get out ,he is lifted into the ute (must be over 10Kgs),once out of ute , very much a sniffer, seagulls are fair game ,and small sparrows likewise, not that he can catch one. He gives the impression of being laziest dog on the planet , would happily watch Netflix with the girlfriend . Well, he walks a lot so that needs to be factored in. Also, as the weather gets warmer, dogs tend to get more lazy. You can try to walk him in the cooler hours of the day and see if he perks up. However, being a nervous dog, it would be important to consider whether he's being lazy or perhaps frozen in a state of learned helplessness. Some nervous dogs freeze and become sort of limp, when they are faced with too much overstimulation and if they are nervous a whole lot, they need a lot of recuperating to do to recover for the stress, so they'll want to rest and sleep more. So I would keep an eye on his body language and see whether he displays signs of being overstimulated or anxious when exposed to certain stimuli or situations. Here are some signs to keep an eye for: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/signs-fear-stress-dogs/ Finally, if this laziness is rather new and somewhat out of character for him, a vet visit would be important just to make sure he checks 100 percent fine in the health department. It would also be important to ensure that the walks aren't too much for him, does he seem happy to walk along or does he show signs of tiring along the way?

If I want to walk him in one hour because I've got to go in 2 hours, it's better to give a less durable chew and fill the time otherwise instead of giving a big one and taking it back for the walk ? (I ask because we had the case : pup was on a chew, my wife finished work, we wanted to walk him, and exercise him before confining him a bit, but didn't know what / how to do) Great question! So when it comes to giving our dogs resources and taking them away, we need to try our best to identify what dogs find more valuable. So in the instance Loki is provided with a long-lasting edible that is lasting too long and you want to take him for walk, we need to evaluate whether going on a walk is something that he finds to be low value, medium value or higher value compared to the edible. You should get a response directly from him by watching what happens when you grab the leash. If upon grabbing the leash and walking towards the door Loki cares less about going out, you know he rather have the edible. If Loki looks your way and gets up leaving the edible behind, but then seem a bit in conflict, maybe moving towards you but then looking back, you know he's undecided. If Loki rushes to you eager to go on the walk with no hesitation and forgets all about the edible, you know walks with you are far more valuable to him. So if the latter is the case, you have a clear answer, he has made his choice and it was likely a no-brainer for him. Walks with you are higher value. You can take him on the walk and a family member can remove the edible that was left unfinished once he is out the door. With our dogs, we often used this strategy, as they always wanted to be outside when we were going out in the yard so they would follow us out and one of us would then proceed to remove the item left unfinished. Of course, outside we had fun taking them on sniffing adventures, meeting our friendly neighbors and practicing recalls or other training. Because we noticed that, sometimes even after all that fun, our dogs would rush inside to the spot where they left the chew, we made it a habit that when one of us removed the unfinished edible, we would leave a few pieces of treats there as a replacement. If your pup doesn't seem to care much about the leash, and you really need to take him out, you can swap it for something that is higher in value but that won't take too long to eat. For example, several thin slices of low -sodium hot dogs or pieces of baked liver strips scattered treasure hunt style at a distance can be offered so that the chew can be retrieved and the dog can then go on the walk. Ideally though, yes, if we can coordinate the timing of how long it takes to eat the edible with the start of next activity, we have a solution that doesn't require any swapping or having the dog make choices. I was wondering also if a last minute dodge during fetch is some kind of resource guarding or it's just a badly known fetch ? When excited enough, pup would tug the toy, sit, wait, I throw, he goes, start to come back to me, then turn around in the middle and goes lie down in a corner of the yard with the toy. I find it quite funny, and I usually make a little fun of pup ("loool Loki you're not that smart actually, you're supposed to get it back to me...") So, should it be a concern I should try to correct ? If so, how ? Not necessarily. Many dogs are attracted to the toys we play fetch with and would rather lie down and chew on them in a quiet area. They often do so when they get tired of playing fetch or they realize how nice the toy feels on their teeth and are tempted to chew. However, I can see your concern since he seems to go to in a corner of the yard as if afraid to be disturbed or have the toy taken away. To play it safe, I would suggest avoiding forcibly removing the toy from him and doing swaps as well. This is covered here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/overprotective-of-toys/

Hi Eric, Welcome to the forums! For the nipping at your wife's pant legs, does that happen on walks? If so, has you wife identified whether there is a specific trigger? For instance, does it happen at the end of the walk? The beginning of the walk? Upon encountering triggers like other dogs and people on walks? When taking a specific path? The more details the better, so we can evaluate whether there is a common trigger that evokes this behavior. Predictability of a behavior is empowering as we know whether there is some aspect we may need to work on. You will find several solutions for the habit of biting the leash in these threads below. Many find switching to a chain leash as the fastest solution as many dogs dislike biting on metal. However, some persistent biters may still enjoy chewing on the metal so it won't work for all.

Hello and welcome to the forums, It sounds like your GSD perceives these outings as fun opportunities to play. The vocalizations sound like excited play barking and then he tries to engage your other dogs in play, but it sounds like your other dogs are rather annoyed by his behavior. Of course, these are just assumptions, since I cannot observe the behavior. This sounds mainly like a management issue, but it would be helpful as well implementing some training which your dog/dogs should receive anyway. Management-wise: - Prevent rehearsal of the problem behavior. By allowing him out to behave this way (barking and jumping) he gets to rehearse the problematic behavior which allows it to put roots and establish. Dogs are routine-oriented animals, so the more this is allowed, the more it turns into an annoying habit that becomes more difficult to eradicate. -Take your GSD out separately. This will make your neighbors happy so that they won't have to deal with the barking at 5AM, and at the same time, it will prevent your GSD from engaging in the troublesome behavior and your other dogs will be more relaxed knowing that they won't have to protect themselves from your GSD's excited play. The above are management options. They are meant to prevent rehearsal of the problematic behavior and can be used as a short-term or long-term solution. To tackle the issue directly, it would be important implementing some training/engaging the dog in an alternate activity that the dog chooses to engage in because it is more reinforcing than the problematic behavior. On top of this, it also helps to ensure that this young dog's need are met so to decrease the saliency of being in the yard and training better impulse control to reduce the chances for engaging in overly excited behavior. So here are some other tips/ideas. -Provide more exercise/mental stimulation/training. Your GSD is now an adolescent. More on the adolescent stage here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/survive-dogs-adolescent-stage/ This is challenging time when they need lots of guidance and activities. Take him on walks, organize brain games, do clicker training, provide chew toys and offer food puzzles. Provide these activities in a separated area from the other dogs . -Teach him better impulse control and frustration tolerance. This will help him learn to be calmer and control his impulses, gradually increasing his tolerance of frustration. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/impulse-control-frustration-tolerance/ -Establish a new routine. We want to establish a new routine that prevents him from thinking that these outings mean time to act overly excited and play. We can do this by providing activities that become far more rewarding than the behavior he is engaging in. Following are some ideas. You can see what works best for your dog based on his response and individual preferences. -Organize a treasure hunt. You can keep him on leash and encourage him to do a little treasure hunt in the yard away from your other dogs (avoid if your dogs are prone to resource guarding). Here is the guide on the treasure hunt game: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/elementary/the-treasure-hunt/ -Organize a muffin game. You can keep him on leash and encourage him to do a muffin game in the yard away from your other dogs (avoid if your dogs are prone to resource guarding). Here is the guide on the muffin tin game: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/elementary/the-muffin-game/ -Let him carry something. If your dogs don't resource guard toys, you can try to see if he'll be willing to carry a toy in his mouth. With his mouth busy, he won't be able to bark and this can keep him occupied. -Encourage a game of tug/play with flirt pole. If your dogs don't resource guard toys, keep him on leash and try to engage him in a game of tug or play with a flirt pole. -Teach the leave it command. Practice with low level distractions and then around increasing distractions. This is an important cue that will be helpful in many other settings such as when there may be squirrels around the yard, cats, or when your dog is about to grab something he shouldn't. Here is the guide to train it: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/take-leave-it/ You will have to take him out with you on leash initially at a distance from your other dogs while your other dogs are out to ensure he doesn't make a mistake and starts rushing towards your other dogs and jumping on them. Then you can progress on a long line, and once he is more responsive and reliable, you can move on to doing the new routine with him off-leash. I hope this helps! Happy training, Best, Adrienne

But I have sensed something was wrong. He was relunctant to give it back, and when I got it, he seemed a bit stunned, or lost, and I doubt about what I did quite fast, as it didn't seem to finish as a fully positive experience. You were spot on in recognizing something was amiss. Good observation! Loki is very young so that gives you extra power on preventing resource guarding and establishing a level of trust. I think if you can find the perfect edible that takes time to eat and attracts him enough and that he can eat/lick in one setting, and is safe, you'll have the perfect solution. Keep us posted!

You are very welcome! I understand perfectly. Loki is very fortunate to have such dedicated and caring 'pet parents'! I am always here for any questions or concerns. Keep me posted. Best, Adrienne

I may be thinking also, maybe when waking up at 5-6am, perhaps the night is not totally finished. He got to potty right out of the crate. One time I tried to crate him back just after, but it was major tantrum, so I concluded his level of energy said "I don't think so, I'm fully woken up" , Most pups I fostered/ trained were this way. They are early morning risers, once they are taken out to potty early, once that light impinges on those specialized cells in their retinas, their brains are informed that it's time to embrace the day. I found it easier adjusting to their schedule rather then putting them back in the crate with risks of them protesting. This was for the most part temporary, a few weeks later they were able to hold it for longer and longer and we could enjoy the luxury of getting up at 8 am. After getting up at 5:30 they would then crash mid-morning. Nap was from 11:30 to 16:15... I started to worry but followed your advice and let him sleep. While awake, no worrying sign. Was playful and bitey as always 😂. I would thought the following session would have been intense after such a long nap, but after physical ans little obedience, he got an edible chew and actually settle at our feet. That kinda confirmed me you were spot on, and he really has a big need of sleep, even if he's always trying to prove the contrary. That's a long nap! As long as he's healthy and happy I wouldn't be concerned. It does sound like he may be making up for the lost sleep if he's getting up so early. Also, count in if he takes long to fall asleep. Of course, check how he does the rest of the day and whether he sleeps well at night and judge accordingly. Little question : as I explained in our schedule we enforce naps in crate, otherwise he would wanders around, doing everything he's not supposed to, while his body language screams "I m soooo tired..." Is it ok about crating time ? I read that a puppy shouldn't be crated too long (like one hour per month of age+ 1) but for me, it was for "awake crating". Even if I cannot be sure he's asleep when he's in, crate is the place to sleep, no to be in when we need him confined. We have the pen for that and currently training him about that. It sounds like you are trying to enforce a good routine which is reassuring and important for dogs. Yes, we want to crate them when they're getting overstimulated/cranky and provide a quiet setting that will help them sleep. A Kong or Toppls (easier for puppies to access) can help in this case to ensure the crate stays pleasant. You can even attach a cue to going to take a nap, such as saying' nappy time' as you crate your pup and give him chew. With time, your puppy may follow you and even crate himself on his own to receive his chew. Chewing can help the pup self-sooth and is sleep-inducing. Sort of like a pacifier. When your pup wakes up and you are not around to take him out he can resume chewing if he feels like it, rather than just starting around. Since he's so young, it would be important taking him out right away when you notice he's awake for a potty break. As for as how long to crate, if your puppy is crated for 8 hours at night, it would say it would be OK to do about 2-4 hours in the crate twice or trice a day (based on how much he naps) and then do the play pen/walks/social times with you for the awake times. There are really no rules written in stone for this, as every pup is different. They go through occasional growth spurts and do most of their growing in their sleep.

We tried a much higher value : a beef knee chew He looooooved it. He spent around 30 min in the playpen, closed, just working on the knee. No whining, no trying to get to us. 30 min around, I went back, open the door, and got the knee back. I did that because I've seen such high value treats are good to be available only when alone in playpen so the association is good like "YAAAYY I ll be alone in the pen, so I can get the super knee !!". Like some articles that says to remove the Kong once he's out Poor guy was sooooo disappointed... He just wanders around in the pen, sniffing here and there to see if another super treat was coming again I feel like the bad guy. He wasn't much up to do anything after that... I tried to initiate some tug, and some obedience, and he was like "meh... whatever, the world is sooo crual" Is it still a way to go? Well, when we work on these separations, we want to use edibles that can be licked/consumed in one setting like a stuffed Kong, Lick mat or some other type of edible chew. This prevents us from being the "bad guys" removing something the dog was still enjoying which can pave the path towards resource guarding. The goal is to provide the dog with the goodie, and strategically time our return once the puppy is done or close to being done. This leaves you with nothing to remove. The impact removing things can have on dogs was discussed today in a thread just below yours. You may find this read helpful to work on ways to prevent resource guarding in puppies. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/the-importance-of-preventing-resource-guarding-in-puppies/ Today's 30 min was a test. We didn't expect it to be so efficient. Maybe I try that more regularly for my morning coffee ? Like 10 mins every morning ? To get him to "you get it when you're alone, I get it back when you're not meanwhile you can enjoy as much as you want" I would simply stick to something that he can eat in one setting. If a stuffed Kong doesn't work for him, you can try a stuffed Toppls (easier for puppies to access). I am afraid a beef knee chew may be risky, especially for a young pup. I would suggest checking with your vet.

I have trained him heaps and he doesn't growl or fuss with when we are around his food or toys. I am glad to hear this! You must have been doing a wonderful job if you were able to accomplish this. If I recall well, he once bit you when you were attempting to remove a wrapper he was eating. The issue I have is when we give him a juicy bone and we try to get it off him after a couple of hours of him chewing on it. I've been told they shouldn't have it too long so even two hours is over kill. I have eventually lured him away with giving him his dinner, but I had to tie him up so I could get the bone as he was showing aggression , which I haven't experienced with him before. I feel. The more he gets into a raw bone he becomes more wild it that makes sense as he is super playfut loves all dogs is very effectionate. As Jennifer pointed out, luring him with his dinner doesn't compare to the value of a juicy bone, which is often at the very top of a dog's hierarchy of resources. You would have to therefore engage in a fairer trade, swapping it with something that is superior in value and preferably long-lasting so that he won't gobble a treat or two quickly and then go back to to looking for his bone. For example, if he has a bone that has been chewed on a lot with no more meat, you can trade it with a long-lasting edible that can be fully consumed (e.g. bully stick). Several pieces of steak tossed around, at a distance as Jennifer suggested, is also a good idea as it's high-value and will keep him busy for some time searching for it. You will need to keep in mind what your dog values a whole lot and offer that to trade, but it's important to do the trade safely. My favorite method is this one: Find something edible that is higher in value than what your dog has and that is safe for him to have. Whatever it is, keep it always handy so that you can reach out for it as needed. Make noise with the wrapper, open the fridge, unlock the jar storing his favorite edible chews. Chances are, he'll prick his ears and watch you carefully. Let him clearly see what you are doing. Don't walk towards his bone. At this point, your dog may drop the item he had in his mouth voluntarily to come see what you are doing or he may approach you carrying the item in his mouth to check what you are doing. Don't walk towards his bone. Once you have your high-value items to trade for in your hand, let your dog see it, and as soon as you notice interest, walk past an open door or baby gate, toss the desired item that way and as soon as he's past the door/baby gate to go get it, close the door/baby gate between you and your dog so that you can safely retrieve the bone. This method works well because on top of getting your dog to voluntary relinquish the object, you are also teaching him the art of "fair trading." In other words, instead of dreading you coming his way when he has a possession in fear of losing it, rep after rep, he looks forward to it because he has learned that you always have something better to offer. My question is, is it realistic to be able to go up to yr dog and trade his bone or is it matter of luring away to grab it. Then do i promote resource guarding when he sees that I take the bone and throw it. It is realistic, it just takes time and lots of practice to establish that level of trust. Of course, it's more labor-intensive in dogs who have a history of resource guarding, versus those who haven't resourced guarded much or never had. Dogs who have learned to associate our approach with us offering something better, ideally will develop a positive conditioned emotional response https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/conditioned-emotional-response-cer/ where they will basically stop chewing and look up the owner approaching eager for the swap. Some will drool or even wag their tail in anticipation. When they receive their tasty trade, if fair and therefore, being superior in value, they'll forget all about the lost bone and will hardly notice the owner tossing the bone. This requires diligently working with lower value items upward, always swapping for something better and establishing a level of trust, working at the dog's pace ensuring he doesn't go over threshold. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/ This is delicate work requiring reading the dog's most subtle body language carefully, making several judgement calls so to know when to go back a step or raise criteria. For safety reasons and correct implementation of behavior modification, it is important working alongside with a professional who can coach you through the process. Should I let him just bury it so he knows it's his when he wants it. And if I allow this, can the bone make them sick from being in the ground. Sorry for alot of questions, I just want to have the right approach as I don't not want to give him a bone. With bones in general, there are risks to keep into account. For example, I like to remove bones when they are overly consumed, getting sharp or small that a dog can swallow it whole. I like to keep an eye on the status of bones for safety reasons, and with a buried bone we can't keep all that into account. For getting sick from eating a bone being in the ground, I would say that dogs have pretty good stomachs meant to produce acids to kill bacteria. After all, wild dogs and feral dogs have engaged in the art of food caching for centuries and this is the way they adapted to feed as opportunistic feeders and scavengers. However, if for some reason the dog's immune system has weakened or the dog happens to have a sensitive stomach, it is possible to incur in problems with this habit. On top of this, consider if you are out in the yard and fail to notice your dog has the bone in his mouth and you get too close for comfort risking a bite. With you being in control of when the bones are given and removed, you have more control of the environment. As Jennifer pointed out, you may be better off sticking to edibles that are lower in value and can be easily swapped with something higher in value or that can be eaten in one setting without even requiring a swap. If you want to stick with bones, you will need to be very attentive and make sure you can safely swap, but working alongside with a professional is your best bet regardless because you want to go to the root of the problem and change that emotional response. The more your dog rehearses the guarding behavior, the more he will get tense around you, when the goal is instead to get him to relax because our approach means only good things. Hope this helps, Let me know if you have other questions. Best, Adrienne Disclaimer: If your dog shows signs of potential aggression (lunging, barking, growling, snapping, biting) for safety, please consult with a dog behavior professional who uses force-free behavior modification techniques for direct in-person guidance. Articles, videos and general info found in the forums or course (or any online source) are not meant to replace in-person training/instruction. By using this course and forum, you are waiving any liability claims or other type of claims related to any dogs' behavior against you or others

I am so happy you mentioned Jenny Higgins! She's the one in Gainesville so now I Know she's good people if she has your stamp of approval! ❤️ Niki is closer and Leslie isn't all that much further. Jenny is the furthest and it's still a reasonable drive, about 45 minutes. I can say Jenny has good credentials. She's a CPDT-KA with a degree in psychology and has taken Niki Tudge's behavior consulting course. Niki Tudge has created that program after attending the same course I have been attending. When she woke up I played with her, holding her and treating her, being sure to go slow. She showed zero signs of being uncomfortable so at least she's still cool with me. That may have something to do with the almost full bag of Power Bites she got at Petsmart. That's lovely! It's a nice start, then working on gradually increasing criteria with intensity in holds, duration of holds and distraction of holds (different places, different people) etc always working at her pace, and wearing a muzzle, just in case. I am not sure if you've done muzzle training yet with her, but it would be important because at the vet it sounds like she must have been able to take it off probably because she didn't like it. The goal is for the dog to be happy to wear it, where the dog voluntarily sticks the nose in it and is relaxed wearing it. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/train-your-dog-to-wear-a-muzzle/ It can also help to train her a "stay stand" in other words, training her to stay when in standing position. This is just like training stay, only that the dog is standing. This can turn helpful when vet needs to examine the dog. Einstein was trained to do this when we were doing Rally-o, but it turned handy for vet visits too. With Petra, I was afraid that since she hated shots so much, the cue to stand would become poisoned eventually, so skipped that and aimed for outdoor vet visits and vets who were quick to love on her and distract her. Worth mentioning is to practice also if possible at the vet. We can work a lot on making those vet places happier, more rewarding places, however, I feel there will always remain some element of aversion. Just think about dogs who are pooped scared there and release anal glands secretions which acts as an alarm for other dogs, causing them to tense up. Some procedures may remain unpleasant no matter what (palpating for painful areas to elicit a response, waking up from surgery, checking painful ears), so I think an element of "white coat syndrome" will always remain. Of course, with the stupid COVID19 situation working on positive associations there may not be possible for now, but some vets are doing outdoor visits which can be a plus. I was wondering if doing little pressure / pinches during this training might be a good idea. I like the slow approach starting with a pencil and working up to little pinches better than diving right in with the pinch. With Petra it seemed to help her, very light pinches, making it a game and praising and popping treats, but I knew for sure she was scared of the needle. Her last appointment to get her rabies shot, the vet (male) was giving her attention, scratching her rump which she loved and then he just delivered the shot very quickly with one hand and she didn't even flinch. I think her fear was mostly the anticipation, than the actual shot. Like, in the room, she would plop herself on her back expecting it, and would start yelping in fear even before the injection. I think the microchip injection traumatized her for good and she was always expecting that large gauge needle and level of pain.

Are you sure you don't want to move to Florida? 😉 Florida is actually on our mind as a place to eventually move to one day! There's a dog trainer who offered to partner with me, so who knows! Banfield is still not allowing pet parents into the exam rooms. Esther went willingly with them, but I got a call 5 minutes into it that she was all done. Wow, that was fast for everything! The little stinkpot tried to bite both the Vet (the sweetest man) and the Tech (a gentle younger gal) when they restrained her for the vaccinations and DNA test. We decided to try again with me muzzling her. 5 minutes later I get a call. /sigh She has the muzzle hanging from her neck and is happy as can be. I'm thinking, "what on Earth is happening back there?!" I know these two people well and I know they're the kindest ones at this location so it's got to be little missy. Apparently this time she wigged out, gator rolled, and managed to get the muzzle off. Yet she still takes treats from them. So, restraining her is the issue. How do you give a dog shots, etc . . . without restraining? I really really dislike muzzles and am leaving that to a last resort. I'm struggling with How to get her to allow people to restrain her. I can do darn near anything to her and she just flops over and enjoys it. That was actually one of the tests I did with her at the Humane Society - I picked her up to see if she would tolerate it and she melted into me. Same with the husband, though she's just the Slightest bit hesitant with him. That's a baby step we can take towards trust at least. When she stops hesitating with him we can go to the next step, but what can that be? Restraining in a confined area maybe? Or with us crowding her? I had them show me how they're restraining so I can emulate it and get her comfortable with being held in that manner. Oh, I know how you feel! I had Petra who was terrified of shots. I don't even know how it all started. Maybe it was a fear period. She went for her first puppy shots and all was well. Then on her second round, I don't know why, but she literally screamed! This startled all of us and the people in the waiting room expected to see a small Chihuahua come out and not a tough-looking Rottweiler! It didn't help that a few months later we had to go to Italy for some time and our Rottweilers were to come along. Petra and Einstein needed a microchip for travel and that needle is quite large. As soon as she realized a shot was coming, she started rolling over like an alligator and then eventually started snapping towards me and the vet's hands! I was mortified. Didn't expect that! Vet told me to stay away and the vet tech restrained her and was able to keep her still, but she gave the vet a hard time screaming with terror in her eyes. When she was released, we noticed poor Petra had peed all over the exam table from the scare. Einstein was next and he looked worried after seeing his sister's reaction. So from that day on I dreaded when her vaccine appointments were around the corner. I tried to act brave and confident for her, but it's like that traumatized her for life. Single event learning at its best. When in this state of mind, she cared less about treats. So I did muzzle train her for shots from that time on, but I still wanted to work on the issue, so at home I would routinely pretend to give her shots with a pencil, saying "pichouuu!' and feeding her a treat initially simultaneously and then right afterward. Then I moved to using a syringe with no needle. Same exercise. Then I started desensitizing her and counterconditioning het to me giving slight pinches over her body, feeding treats and making it a fun game. We sometimes stopped by the vet for just treats and I always brought her along for Einstein's visits, just for the good experience of getting a cookie from the vet. This along with asking vets if they could give the shots outside helped a whole lot. With fear of restraint, it may help practicing restrain at home in an open area working in baby steps, from very loose restraint, barely holding to gradually tighter, always working under threshold. A helper (your husband) can praise and feed when restrained and treat delivery/praise would stop when the restraint is over with the purpose of obtaining a positive conditioned emotional response. Then, the dog can be swapped, with your helper doing the restraint and you the praise and treat delivery always aiming for a positive conditioned emotional response. For safety, best to use a muzzle just in case. If you can be around for vet visits, ask your vet if while they restrain her, you can feed her treats. My vets liked it because it kept my dog busy. If for some reason the dog had to stay very still (like for a blood draw from the jugular) I would just hold some high value food in my hand closed as if my hand was Kong and let my dog sniff and acknowledge I had the goodie. This would build anticipation. Once free from restraint, my dog would party happily and I would open my hand and give the food. If you can't be with due to Covid, ask them if they can give treats for you. I had some techs refuse, but the vet I used to go to were very good at this and accommodating. When she stops hesitating with him we can go to the next step, but what can that be? Restraining in a confined area maybe? Or with us crowding her? I had them show me how they're restraining so I can emulate it and get her comfortable with being held in that manner. Yes, those sound like good new steps. And if you ever have to take your other dogs to vet it's good to take her along just for a positive experience or just visit the vet for treats. It was very smart of you having them show you how they restrain her so that you work on it, great thinking! It may also help doing some positive handling exercises (described below) in case she's a bit reluctant of having certain body parts touched and organizing "mock vet visits." I even ordered a stethoscope and otoscope to practice with my dogs. For safety, best to use a muzzle just in case. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/exercises-to-teach-puppies-to-tolerate-touch/ How do you give a dog shots, etc . . . without restraining? I will never forget one marvelous vet who came out towards our car and pet her and then quickly gave her a shot as she was wiggly (she loved men!), before she could even realize what he was doing. I still kept her muzzle on-just in case, but this was memorable because there was zero restraint. More and more vets now offer visits outside. My favorite vet (now retired) did this, and I would refer owners of fearful dogs to her because it does make a difference. I know you really have lovely sounding vets, but if Esther struggles with this, it may be worthy of trying a fear-free clinic and see if that makes a difference. I don't know if you have one near you, but here is where one can place a zip code and see if there are any. https://fearfreepets.com/resources/directory/ I can't vouch for them all being good, but they do specialized training and may work more at your dog's pace/feed treats to help make those visits more pleasant. She is so reactive to dogs as well that even a dog on the screen gets her going. I think I have my first step towards deescalation / conditioning her to other dogs with that tool. She's Very keen on television where none of our other dogs could give a care about it. I am fairly certain it's barrier frustration so I'll take her to the dog park to work on that by walking her outside the fence and "looking at that." Then maybe we'll try Lowe's or Petsmart again. There weren't any dogs in the store today and I needed to get back home to work and get Abbi out of her crate. I'm starting to wonder if she was handled roughly, or even perhaps abused at some point. The folks who returned her had a Down Syndrome 5-yr old and they said Esther was "too much for the kids." I'm a little suspicious there, thinking maybe the kiddo was too rough with her and she responded in kind like she does with Gertie and Abbi; or maybe the parents were overly reactive / protective if Esther did something wrong around the child. Doc said it's common in shelter puppies, but neither Momo nor Gertie were like this and they're both shelter pups. Mo was nervous as heck in later years, but he still let them do the things they needed to. Except the temp check. He didn't allow that and I can't say that I blame him! I walked her around the store playing "look at that" with the people to start working on her skittishness. There was an older gentleman with his wife and Esther was perfectly fine with him, a little less sure with her. I think it had to do with his confidence. His wife was confident enough, but not as much as her husband. I did let them know she's been reactive today and to go slow, but he didn't need to. Esther took right to him. She jumped when my bag touched her rump while she was sniffing so I worked on tapping her body while she was sniffing and giving her a treat after she realized it was just me. Eventually she stopped reacting to the touch. This girl is going to take a Lot of work if she's this ornery at 6 months. I anticipate a few breakdowns on my behalf and am so very glad I have you here! I found a Behaviorist 45 minutes away, but her schedule is at night and I can't drive at night so back to the drawing board! There Has to be someone in Marion County, I just need to find them. I found a Behaviorist 45 minutes away, but her schedule is at night and I can't drive at night so back to the drawing board! There Has to be someone in Marion County, I just need to find them. In Florida, there is Nicki Tudge and Leslie Clifton (not sure though if she retired). I think Jenny Higgins has started doing behavior consults/ aggression cases too. Oh, while they decided not to continue today in an effort to avoid trauma, I did get sent home with Trazadone for the next attempt. I will work with her for about a week and then we'll try again. They didn't Completely turn me away. 🙂 I just wish they'd let me in the room with her. This Covid stuff needs to knock it off already. It sounds like you have lots of stuff to work on! Bless your heart for your dedication. These work-in-progress dogs can teach us so much and it can be very rewarding as they start to bloom. She is young and that works in your favor. Keep an eye on her tonight and allow her to de-stress. Some downtime away from your other dogs can help avoid a trigger-stacking effect from all the cumulative stress. It can be hard on them when they go to the vet and react this way.

Hello and welcome to the forums! With a mini doxie, it can be challenging at times getting an ideal fit due to their conformation of having short legs and those long backs. Have you tried the Perfect Fit Harness? It has been receiving rave reviews lately as it's non-restrictive. The company offers modular designs so that they can cater to all dogs of all shapes and sizes. If you contact them on Facebook, they are very responsive. I checked with them no too long ago and they offer assistance with fitting as long as one provides the dog's girth measurements and they also like to have a picture of the dog so to get an idea. Of course, you'll still need to spend time on training with this, but the advantage with a front-attachment harness like this is that it is designed in such a way that the legs have freedom and the throat is clear, and should the dog pull, it pivots the dog towards you giving you the opportunity for delivering reinforcement.