Adrienne Farricelli

Awesome, glad the hand Kong trick has helped you! Some dogs need a little time to get the idea, but sounds like Finn understood the concept right away. Smart boy! I think he's super duper attentive and in tune with how you feel and can anticipate what you are about to do. It seems like can tell when we are doing something with a certain intent. Like my dogs could tell when I am getting up from my chair to just do house chores from when I am getting up with the intent of going outside or to do something out of the ordinary. They can be very observant of our moods and body language. Sounds like Finn appreciates (or at least tolerates) "the burr removal" as part of massaging routine, but thinks that just going straight to remove it is too intrusive and worthy of a correction! Great observation, the knowing how over threshold he is by how he takes treats! What a great team!

Glad to hear there has been improvement in the evening barking. Your experimenting seems to have yielded fast results! It's truly a balancing act, because if we get them too tired, they might get cranky, but it sounds like giving him something to chew has put him in the right mindset. If we keep it up, we may find the perfect concoction, although barking may occasionally pop up here and there, due to a phenomenon known as 'spontaneous recovery." Ignoring these is important to prevent a comeback. In regards to the sticker in the fur, here's what I do. So, in Arizona, we have these wicked plants that form a sort of burr with sharp spikes. I literally hate them because they embed in fur, but not only, sometimes they also embed in between a dog's toes or directly in the paws (ouch!). As much as we have tried to get rid of the plants, the wind (in particular, dust devils which are like mini-tornados of sand) would transport some of these burrs in our land. This sometimes has caused me to be stuck in "sticky" situations, meaning I have to remove these embedded burrs in a dog's paw (which of course is painful as most dogs would lift their paw and stop walking upon detecting it) not knowing how the dog could react and what his /her bite inhibition is. Not to mention, several dogs dislike having their paws touched! So I would always carry some low-sodium hot dogs and feed them with one hand, while the other quickly removed the burr. If it wasn't easy to remove, I would make getting the hot dog piece a little challenging to remove from my hand/fingers as well (letting the dog nibble on it without releasing it completely or holding the hot dog piece in my hand like a Kong allowing the dog to try to remove it with his/her tongue) so that the dog concentrates on that, while I work my best in removing the burr. Einstein trying to remove a hot dog piece from my "hand-made" Kong. I do use the same strategy when trying to brush out mats from long-haired dogs. Of course, life doesn't always allow advanced preparation, so one may stumbled on a day where we need to remove something very quickly, but are out of treats. But I think of this as an investment. In other words, if the dog has learned that every time I must remove a burr (as with my Rottweilers over the years of dealing with these) he is fed something tasty, that day we are caught off guard, and have no treats on us, chances are good that the dog will comply and allow us, in anticipation of the treat. The dog will not get the treat in this case, but lots of pats/praise, so we have good chances that things will be still OK, because we have built a strong reinforcement history "in the piggy bank" to overcome this little hurdle. This has happened with my dogs. They learned to stop walking, raise their paw and look at me in anticipation of a double whammy of reinforcement: having the treat, and having the burr removed so to resume walking. If one day I had no treat, it was quick removal, pats and praise, no biggie. This was though the exception to the rule. If I did this too often, most likely my dogs would start paying more attention to the burr removal and maybe perceive the whole situation as slightly aversive. Why take that risk? And we must consider that any dog can bite when they feel pain/uncomfortable, no matter how trusted, so best to never take things for granted. If a dog is prone to biting, it's best conditioning to a muzzle to play it safe. So we need to factor in too intense pain or dogs who are sensitive/not comfortable being touched. Every dog may react differently. It's best to always tread with the upmost caution, as every dog is different. And behavior can never be said to be totally static, a dog may act differently one day to another or from one situation and another. One needs to also factor in how roughly dogs take treats, so I always aim to work firstly on teaching a dog to take treats gently before going into full-mode training and just in case of some annoying burrs/mats. This is what I do: :https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/train-dog-take-treats-gently/ In regards to how dogs may react to harsh training methods, we have some studies. Below is one of them. Some dogs react with fear and others with aggression (defensive) so yes, like you said, that can lead to more troubles down the road that could end up with relinquishment to a shelter: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0168159108003717 I wish you continued progress with Finn. Keep up the great work!

I’d be more than happy if he relaxed by us, and I’d be happy to stroke him for as long as it takes, but he seems unable to do so. He comes over regularly for cuddles and strokes, but can’t actually settle by us. If he goes tired he’ll wander off to another seat or on the floor to crash nearby. And as you say if the stroking goes on for more than a minute or two he gets over stimulated and starts mouthing. I wish there was some way to teach him to relax by us, we’d all benefit from this. What can we do to encourage it and why is he like this I wonder. Most of our friends who have dogs get fed up by their pestering to lay by or on them. If he likes to wander to a separate area for his sleep that's OK. It's always good to "let sleeping dogs lie" and respect their preferences. We want them to sleep undisturbed and get that nice, restorative REM sleep. It's a good sign when they take a deep sigh, lie on their sides and get that kind of sleep where they twitch and dream. From your description, he literally crashes, which likely suggests that he tries to stay awake until he just can't cope anymore, maybe with no little intermediate states in between. I have have boarded/trained dogs like this, some even almost feel asleep standing up, they were so resistant to falling asleep! Why some dogs are like this can vary. As mentioned, some have fear of missing out, others may be anxious (like about their owners leaving while they're asleep or worried about things in their environment-like startling noises which prevent them from feeling relaxed) others can be workaholics that are addicted to doing things-they would just work until they drop, and can be genetically wired to be antsy and wound up. We can help them tolerate better touch with some handling exercises which aim to get dogs more comfortable being touched. These are best taught when puppies, but I have successfully helped hyper older dogs chill with touch through gradual exposures, creating positive associations with having body parts touched. As with the getting the pups used to being brushed, they can be taught to get used to our hands stroking them. Warning: *I don't recommend doing these exercises alone if a dog is prone to aggression or has little bite inhibition. There are always risks in behavior modification and therefore it's best to exercise caution and work alongside a behavior professional for safety and correct implementation. It can e be easy to an untrained eye to miss precursor signs of a dog starting to get more and more overstimulated/frustrated/defensive. A muzzle may be needed for additional safety, but always being attentive to not push dogs over their comfort levels. Here is a basic guide, but since this guide is more about prevention, and Finn sounds like he may have some background history of practicing overstimulated behaviors, you may encounter more challenges along the way: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/exercises-to-teach-puppies-to-tolerate-touch/ With petting, we start with very slight touch while we simultaneously feed a treat, touch/treat, touch/treat, touch/treat. We do this with several body parts, (you may want to start with areas he tolerates more). Then, we raise criteria and start touching first and then feeding the treat (kept out of sight), touch then treat, touch then treat, touch then treat. Keep the sessions short and sweet and look for a positive conditioned emotional response https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/conditioned-emotional-response-cer/ where your dog looks forward to your sessions. In other words, the dog starts looking forward to the touch because it has started to become associated with treats. Afterward, touch may become gradually more pronounced as the exercise continues, touch-treat, touch-treat, touch-treat. Again, repeated several times in hopes of getting again a positive CER. Afterward, duration may be added by touching for longer periods of time (instead of just a touch, a little stroke). Same exercise, stroke/treat, stroke, treat, stroke treat. If your dog ever shows signs of not being comfortable, it means you have progressed too fast. Take a few steps back in the process and use baby steps. For example, if your dog struggles with two strokes, go back to one stroke until he seems very comfortable with that, then try with a stroke and a quarter, rather than two, then a stroke and a half. Here is a video on some work done with a nippy Setter who was hand shy and nippy when overstimulated: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsiNfp2cLzI You may also find the "number 1 basic handling game" handy: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/bite-inhibition-games/ More tips for dogs unable to relax: -Reduce stress One may wonder, how can a dog be stressed if he's fed high quality food on a schedule, has access to ample toys and is pampered all day long? Anything can qualify as stress such a lack of sleep, noises, abrupt changes in the dog's routine, a new baby, a new pet, scary events, excess confinement, excess exercise, medical problems, barking at triggers in the yard all day long, too little stimulation, too much stimulation, being fed low quality foods, the use of harsh training methods, inconsistencies in rules/boundaries etc., can all put a toll on a dog's emotional stability and can lead to stress. A stress reduction program can help. This may entail less intense exposures to stressors, desensitization, calming music, calming aids, enrichment etc. -Watch what you reinforce. We often may inadvertently give dogs attention when they are misbehaving and that reinforces hyper behavior. For example: Giving our dog attention when they jump on us (even negative attention may do to a bored, attention-motivated dog) Giving attention when they bark at us Feeding them when acting hyper Putting the leash on when they're acting wild Being dragged on the leash Letting them free to play at the dog park after dragging you there Letting them out the door when they're scratching at it Encouraging rough, out-of-control play (jazz up settle down/gives more structure and control https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/high-school/jazz-up-and-settle-down/ Letting overactive kids fuel "hyper behaviors" through inappropriate play (screaming, running, chasing, hitting) - Reinforce calm behaviors You can take a handful of treats/kibble each day, keep them in your treat pouch and deliver them when you "capture" a calm behavior as it unfolds. Be careful for "behavior chains," in other words, aim to reinforce calm behaviors that aren't immediately preceded by hyper behaviors (for example, dog jumps and then sits). If you reinforce the sit right after the jump, you risk reinforcing the whole package, with the jump included too, so wait for your dog to be sitting for several seconds or to be safe, stick to reinforce behaviors that aren't preceded by undesirable, hyper behaviors (for example, praise and treat when your dog sits after calmly walking or after looking at you. -Use The Premack Principle Just as grandma says: "If you eat your broccoli, you can have your ice cream sundae." So how to apply it to your dog's training and exercise regimen? Here are some ideas: Ask your dog to sit before opening the door and letting your dog out in the yard Ask your dog to sit when you attach the leash Ask your dog to dog to sit for petting. Ask your dog to sit before putting the food bowl down. So if you are preparing his meal and he starts spinning in circles, stop preparing his meal; when he stops circling, resume. If when you walk with the bowl towards his feeding spot, he jumps up, turn around and take a step back. When he sits, walk and put the bowl down; if he attempts to jump as you are about to put the bowl down, lift it up. When he sits, put it down but be ready to lift it up if he gives signs of getting ready to jump up. Here is more about the Premack Principle: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/premack-principle/ -Stick to routines Among humans, mentioning the word "routine" may evoke thoughts of dull, boring events. Instead, when it comes to dogs, routines may be perceived as a cherished blessing, especially when they come to predict safe and comforting events. Many dogs thrive with the predictability of routines. While dogs can't tell time the way humans do, dogs have an internal biological clock that causes their emotions and instincts to kick in at certain times of the day. -Create a zone that induces relaxation/sleep You can help a moody, cranky dogs sleep by reducing stimulation so to help them 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 (like an exercise pen). Remember though that most dogs being very social, are always happiest being near you. Not necessarily stuck to your feet, but at least nearby where you are within sight. -Remove access to overly stimulating toys if they distract your dog. -Encourage calming activities by offering snuffle mats, Licki-mats, and food puzzles. -Provide a long-lasting chew toy or edible chew to gnaw on top of a mat/ dog bed (these can act as pacifiers for some dogs). -Act calm. This will help your dog calm down too. -Close all curtains and blinds. -Turn lights off (or place a blanket over the crate). -Play calming music (like Through a Dog's Ear) so to cut down on any residual background noise. Invest in calming aids. I hope this helps Finn relax more. Relaxation doesn't happen over night, rather it's a process that requires less intense exposures to triggers, more ability to control impulses, better predictable routines, and other measures. Keep us posted!

Sounds good. I'm glad that Steph was finally able to see the intensity of the behavior and make suggestions! I wished all dogs could live that long! I have been tempted of getting a heeler since they live longer compared to other large breeds and apparently tend to be even quite hardy and healthy! When I lived in Missouri they were very popular due to the expansion of farms and there was a nice one in the shelter and I was very close to fostering him, possibly adopting him if he was a good match with my Rotties, but then they assigned me a teenager Lab mix with super duper arousal issues that she would redirect through nipping and she was in desperate need for help. Not to mention, needed surgery for a large epulis in her mouth.

Thanks for the video and extra info. The barking directed towards you (and maybe somebody sitting next to you?) in that way looks like he's expecting a response or some type of interaction. If there are no noises around he's attending to, and triggering this, this type of barking can be seen in dogs who are in search of reassurance/ guidance/interaction and struggle with changes in their environment/idle times. So in these cases, we may need to take a multi-pronged approach, and also try various things and see what works best. These cases can sometimes be tricky; some dogs may just need a little tweaking with more exercise/activities, while others need considerably less. Balance is key, but getting there, may take some experimenting as each dog has different needs. So with the provision of exercise/activities there can be too main issues: Too little exercise/mental stimulation. This doesn't sound like your case, but just pointing it out for readers. This is often the case of dogs left home alone for a good part of the day and then they are fed and owners watch TV without providing enough exercise/activities. However, it can occur as well when working at home where not much time can be dedicated to the dog. Maybe the dog is walked, but it's just a walk around the neighborhood, the dog just gets exercise and very little mental enrichment or the dog is just let out in the yard to rehearse problematic behaviors most of the day. A yard doesn't cut it for meeting a dog's needs for exercise and mental stimulation. Too much training/exercise/activities. I can see this as a possibility, since you are so committed. When we do too much, we risk over-compensating and the dog may get used to all the attention, that, the moment it's lacking the dog gets lost, and looks for something to do. Even distracting the dog can be perceived as a form of attention. These dogs may need to learn to cope with just doing nothing and enjoy downtime that doesn't involve direct interaction with us. Balance is therefore key and sometimes finding that right balance can require some experimenting to see what works best. For example you can try: -Making some little tweaks to his routine so that puzzle toys are given during TV time and his nap shortly follows. -Providing activities that don't involve you directly. It may help to let your dog "find these remotely" rather than showing your dog that you are giving him something to do at the lightest sign of him getting bored/seeking interaction. For instance, you can take him out in the yard or let him explore a room he's not around much, while a helper prepare in advance a Muffin Tin game, stuffs a Kong or Kong Wobbler or hides kibble around the home/some of his favorite chews so that when you sit down to watch TV, he finds his own activities that don't personally involve you. -You can try "overlapping" so to prevent the barking. For example, if one of you is cooking, the other can take him on a sniff walk or ride in the car and then come back home when the whole dinner preparation is done. Or during TV time, one starts watching and the other takes Finn out and then returns and lets him find several things to do prepared in advance that not involve you (bubble making machine for dogs that emits bacon flavored bubbles, automatic treat dispenser set to toss a kibble at set intervals). -Barking can be reinforced if we provide any type of attention to a dog seeking interaction. That involves looking at the dog, talking to the dog, even scolding him or pushing him away. Even giving him something to do qualifies as attention. Inadvertent attention is one of the primary causes of attention-seeking barking. This can be worked on by becoming "professional ignorers", staring at a blank point, acting like a statue when the dog barks, but there are extinction bursts to be aware of where the behavior gets worse before getting better in hopes of getting attention. The behavior worsening is sign that ignoring is working. For sake of an example, imagine a mom who always gives in and buys candy for her toddler when she whines and cries for it upon visiting the grocery store. Then, out of the blue, one day the child's dentist notices the candy is ruining the child's teeth. So from the next day, no more candy. At the store, the toddler therefore cries, and cries and cries in hopes of candy, and then eventually starts throwing a super big temper tantrum at the store (behavior getting worse), since the crying is no longer working as before. What happens though if, after several days in a row, the mom is super determined to not give in? After the crying has gotten temporarily worse, it eventually extinguishes just like a fire that is deprived from oxygen. Moral of the story: if your dog barks for attention, food or for you to toss a ball and you decide to totally ignore your pup's attention-seeking/demand barking out of the blue, expect the behavior to get worse before it gets better. During the extinction burst your dog may bark louder and for longer or he may even try new behaviors in hopes of re-gaining attention or out of frustration such as pawing at you or chewing something nearby (remove expensive rugs). If you stick to the plan though, after such increase, you should see the behavior gradually declining and then eventually extinguishing (other than an occasional whine here and there due to another phenomenon known as "spontaneous recovery.)" What happens though if during an extinction burst, you happen to inadvertently give any attention? This can create significant setbacks. The reason is because now, you will have reinforced persistence. Back to the toddler example, if mom decided to purchase the toddler some candy to just shut her up and avoid the momentary embarrassment, this would fuel the behavior even more than before, turning it into a bigger fire that is always more and more difficult to extinguish! Next time, you can bet when the child doesn't get candy, she'll be turning into a scaled down version of the Incredible Hulk! Now, if mom decided again to be more determined to not buy candy, she would likely have to go through more intense and sustained yelling and screaming behaviors because the toddler has learned that if she insists, and reaches mom's breaking point, she can finally get what she wants, but after that hurdle the behavior should eventually extinguish. I am not a big fan of ignoring as a "stand-alone approach," although it can and does work. The reason for this is that it can cause major frustration in some dogs (sometimes frustration may turn into aggression, so in dogs prone to this, it's important working with a behavior professional) and it also fail to tackle the underlying cause of "demand barking". So I usually suggest taking note of when the barking occurs and trying to take steps to prevent it from happening in the first place (antecedent control), while also taking measures to tackle any underlying anxiety/ unmet needs etc. So we need to consider whether his behavior is an underlying sign of stress/anxiety and that root cause needs tackled. Pay attention on whether he struggles with certain noises, sights etc. It sounds like he needs help to learn how to cope with idle times and not being involved in certain activities. Some dogs also have a deep fear or missing out (FOMO). We may need to take baby steps in teaching coping skills always taking measures to not push the dog over threshold/repeatedly rehearsing the problematic behavior. There are many calming aids nowadays on the market that can help too take the edge off. There are calming sprays, diffusers, supplements and even diets and probiotics that are crafted to help dogs cope. -Helping him relax during TV time through petting is another option, but *only in case* we are sure his evening barking is due to being cranky and tired (you mention he usually naps after his tantrum). The objective is making a new routine where the TV turns on and you sit on the floor or couch, call him to you (before he has a chance to bark) and ask him to sit and lie down (I like all dogs to learn to say "please" by sitting or lying down for petting so to not inadvertently reward nudging, jumping up or pawing) and pet him/massage him in a soothing way in hopes of him relaxing enough to fall asleep. However, a disclaimer is warranted here: this may or may not work. If he's too hyper he may try to nip or be rough in which case it won't work (we can lower these chances by draining some of that excess energy prior in low-impact ways discussed earlier). On top of this, this option comes with some "side effects." You may be stuck with a dog who wants to be pet every evening this way. Einstein turned out being this way, but hubby has always loved to pet him for long while watching TV so this turned out being a win-win, although aging caused him to ask for less pats. With my female, I pet her a bit and then gave her a "that's enough" cue because she could have gone all night long," pretending to fall asleep" and awakening if I stopped petting and then ask for more. So I just left it to a few pats, that's enough and then she would plop on her bed and lie down chewing her toy. Hubby instead has found the evening affection time with Einstein very relaxing. As a plus, research has found that when we pet our dogs, our cortisol levels drop and there's the whole oxytocin thing going on. so it became the routine. In the best case scenario, the dog relaxes and eventually falls asleep and you can return to sitting on the couch. The worst case scenario is that, he will not accept petting, or will awaken when you stop petting and start demand barking to resume. In which case, a consequence is needed for the barking, and that may involve, rather than taking him into another room, you leaving the room until he is quiet and then return once quiet and rinse repeat until he gets the idea that barking makes his owner leave. However, when in doubt, it may be best to just use management, which involves also teaching him more how to chill. So rather than putting him in timeout when he barks while watching TV, he can be placed in his crate/exercise pen/ behind a baby gate with toys and chews *beforehand.* So these are just some options worthy of trying.

Yes, we definitely don't want to use any harsh techniques considering all the progress you have made and even more so considering your dog being on the "soft" side rolling over and peeing excitedly/submissively when greeting. It sounds like the timeouts in a different room are perceived as too aversive (despite the fact he's given toys) so we want to skip going that route. We usually see these behaviors in dogs who are bored or understimulated or haven't seen their owners for a good portion of the day, but it looks like you are doing a great job in keeping him exercised and mentally stimulated, although these collies are workaholics and seem to never get tired enough. It may be worthy of experimenting tweaking a bit his routine and seeing whether offering activities prior to the 5 to 7 "witching hours" can help make a difference. Like if he has a nap between 3-5 dedicate that time to do exercise, play and walks to see if investing that time in these activities can yield some more relaxing hours afterward. Many dogs get an energy burst after eating, so after that, it may be a good time let him spend some time in the yard doing some low-impact but tiring activities such as hiding a remaining portion of kibble around the yard or walking him on a loose long leash around just to sniff around. Hiding some kibble in some boxes to find (they also sell nosework kits) can be also be surprising tiring. Shaping with a clicker can be mentally draining too. Some questions that come to mind is what have you done in the past in these circumstances. When barking while you are cooking, have you ever fed tidbits of food? When barking while watching the TV have you tossed him a ball or given him something to do in response to the barking? These forms of barking often take place when we have done something and they expect a continuum of that, but it can also take place when there's some underlying anxiety. Does he enjoy being petted? Belly rubs? Massages? Does he seem to struggle relaxing/falling asleep? Does he get enough sleep during the day? Does he follow you around all the time and struggles being left alone? Does he seem to always want attention? Have you been providing activities that encourage independence/allow you to ignore him intermittently throughout the day so that he learns to cope better with withdrawal of attention?

Sounds like a plan! If there are any new dog foods being added, make sure to follow the directions on the bag about how to switch over gradually so to avoid upset tummies. You're on a roll with the training, keep up the great work!

Back from Georgia. Traveling with a senior dog and an Esther . . . likely not to happen again. Gerts was, of course, 95% perfect. Momo and Esther should have met. Mo would have taught her some manners, and how to curb her energy. He knew how to read when Gertie was done (9 times out of 10) and how to adjust his fervor to her level. Sounds like Momo could have been a wonderful teacher dog. These dogs are not easy to come by. Esther tried to drown Gertie in the creek (but, yay Esther for getting in the water!) and the tie outs kept getting tangled and hung up on debris so we didn't try the creek again. It was also difficult to get down into - no steps and super mushy mud so we sunk down another 6" after trying to step down 18". Very awkward for 2-legged creatures! That's great that Esther had the courage to get in the water! That's a big progress! Last week, for the first time I had the courage to immerse myself in deep sea water where I couldn't touch with the help of a life vest. I don't know how to swim and deep water has always scared me. I reminded myself to take baby steps and shaped my way going down the ladder backwards so not to see the bottomless water. I stuck by the ladder the whole time and felt tense like a cat not wanting to be bathed, but what counts is that I was able to float for several minutes and even enjoyed it, before recognizing how uncomfortable it is to wear a life vest! Abbi didn't enjoy it, but by the time we were headed home she at least calmed down, lol. We had to drug her up the first two days. Xanax the 2nd day, but the big guns the first day. We won't do this again until she's either got someone to take care of her (which our family won't or can't & hubby doesn't trust anyone else) or she passes away. It's not easy with these senior dogs. Some cope well, others don't. We only know until we travel. My friend has a 14 year old who is literally still a happy camper, even with rather disabling arthritis goes everywhere she goes. We had to stop travelling with our Rotties once they got older as travel started stressing them out rather than relaxing them. There was no fence, so we know to look for that feature next time. Esther was kind of a pain half the time, and pretty okay half the time. I had to buy some enzymatic cleaner because she had some oopses. Thankfully they had a washer and dryer (another amenity we'll require in the future!). She was uncontrollable at Fall Brooks Falls, but we couldn't leave because folks crowded us in. It was fairly clear when we got up there, but two large groups came in behind us so we just had to let her lose her mind a bit (there were two smaller dogs at the bottom of the falls). She's starting to do better with bigger dogs - we can get her attention and calm her down faster, but small dogs she goes nuts over. Accidents aren't uncommon when in new places. Glad they had a washer/dryer! That's great she's improving with large dogs, with the small ones, well, the good thing is you know what areas she needs more work done so you can cover all basis. Gertie will definitely be wearing her front attachment harness next trip. That little stinker took advantage of us having to focus on Esther and Abbi! Her 5% was showing! She doesn't pull so much as walks ahead, which I'm not okay with but can tolerate more than being sled dogged up a trail. I made her walk on the left on the way down because I could just see her bumping me off the ledge while following her nose. New places can trigger pulling, especially if they're a bit anxious/overly excited and haven't walked in new places for some time. The novelty factor puts a dent in helping them generalize. The front clip harness could have helped reduce it, for sure make sure to include it in your checklist next time! We learned that Vrbo is about 40-50% more than renting from the people directly, but their site makes it so easy to find what we need. We were first time Vrbo users, and didn't realize the additional cost. Now we have a few sites, though, so pfffft to that extra money! 😄 We got in trouble at Mercier Orchards, lol. Husband was told dogs were okay to go in the store, but then a different employee said we couldn't unless they were service dogs. So we had to take turns perusing the store. I scored boysenberry jelly, elderberry jelly, and a raspberry / fig jam. Another thing we learned - everything takes longer with dogs. It was a 9 hour drive instead of 7, for example. We left Esther home to eat at the Toccoa Riverside Restaurant. They have a Pooch Pad (enclosed patio) for those with dogs. There were two reactive Australian Shepherds so we made the right call. Their companions were speaking to a couple there with a small dog and the Aussie companions, along with the dogs, had the poor little dog corralled in and it had nowhere to go so it lashed out a bit and the big Aussies responded. I reiterate, glad we didn't bring Esther, lol. Gertie was being 5% as it was, doing that call out bark to get other dogs' attention, the stinker. She settled down after the first 10 minutes, though. Omigosh, and the amount that has to be packed for dogs! I had my crochet backpack and a carry on bag. Husband brought a little more, but then the rest was all dog and it took up most of the room in my truck. We didn't even bring their real beds, just a Chuck It for each big girl, and a small bed hubby bought for traveling. So much adventure! It can be stressful. Potty breaks, taking turns buying stuff, bringing along all the stuff. I can't recall a totally stress-free trip. Makes you think about getting a ginormous RV and just chilling there. LOL, I literally has a visual image of Esther at Toccoa Riverside Restaurant sitting at a table and being served! How cool though for a restaurant to offer this kind of service. The Pooch Pad sounds like fun. Now I'm trying to get scheduled with Stef to come over so we can get Esther firmed up on the couch etiquette, treadmill, nose work, and I think that's it. Don't forget about the barking at the TV and possible changes you were thinking of implementing. A demo is worth more than 1,000 words!

What are your thoughts on how to work with two dogs that could benefit from individual attention but are also anxious when apart? If you are training, there are several options. You can: -Crate (if they're crate trained) a dog with a stuffed Kong to keep occupied until it's his/her turn and then swap. You can keep the crate nearby and then gradually move it farther and farther. -Have the other dog spend fun time in the yard with a family member while the other is trained. -Have another family member train your other dog while you train one and then swap (you will need to make sure you both use the exact same cues and hand gestures). You will have to keep them on leash so that they are distant from each other and not interfering with each others' sessions. As your dogs get better, you can gradually increase the distance until you are training in separate areas out of sight. Mix in closer distances every now and then so they don't predict a pattern of the distance increasing over time. The great news is that once both dogs are getting more and more fluent in performing the desired behaviors, you can get them to perform the behaviors they were taught together, which works great as part of the proofing process (dogs responding nicely despite the distraction of each others' presence). See what seems to work best without creating stress. Happy training! Let me know if you have any further questions and keep us posted on how things go. Adrienne

-they bark and lunge at other dogs when walking on-leash - they react to other dogs by, what looks like they are sort of drifting/circling around other dogs almost everywhere - except the groomer (this is so interesting to me??)? - they whine/yelp when the other leaves, almost like they are jealous that they do not get to participate In these cases, it's important recognizing whether they are barking out of not liking other dogs and asking for space, or if it's more a matter of barrier frustration (liking other dogs, but being frustrated from not being able to meet and greet due to the leash). It could also be that one dog is a frustrated greeter, while the other isn't fond of dogs or is protective. These differentials are important because to tackle them, they require a different approach. Dogs who dislike other dogs, require methods which aim to gradually desensitize and countercondition them to the presence of other dogs. These methods are discussed here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/attacking-dogs-walks/ Dogs with barrier frustration instead benefit from learning alternate behaviors to engage in. I like to use attention heeling exercises. This topic is covered more in depth here. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/barrier-frustration/ It goes without saying that in order to tackle this, each dog should be trained and walked individually. This means taking them on separate walks, and then once trained better, having one walker per dog (one family member can walk one, while you walk the other). This because when dogs live together, they feed off each others' emotions. If one of your dogs reacts, your other will react too. Not to mention, each dog will need individual attention in order to be trained. So this brings to the next question.

Hi there! Welcome to the forums. It's so great to hear that you have opened your heart and home to these two Westies! So it looks like they have been rehearsing some behaviors from 2020 and you would like to tackle them. However, it's possible that these behaviors may have been rehearsed for much longer, -like ever since being in the previous home. With established rehearsal histories, it won't likely be a walk in the park, but there are several things that can be done to ameliorate the situation. So let's get started! 1) Reactivity to outdoor noises As you already know, this breed has a tendency to bark. Westies are basically quick to announce anything different in their environment. This can be just about anything, from people walking by to squirrels climbing up a tree to even a bee buzzing around. I assume that they may have started making out of barking, their new favorite hobby, especially if they don't have a "job." However, in several cases, dogs who bark are often stressed, and too much stimulation in their surroundings (noises, sights, sounds) can cause them to overreact, and the more they overreact, the more it gets habit-forming, making it more and more challenging to eradicate. In these cases, it helps to: -Identify what triggers their barking. If you can find some patterns as to what triggers the barking, more power to you! You can start implementing what I call the "hear that method." This helps activate your dogs seeking system with its associated dopamine production which helps provide a distraction and may ultimately change your dog's emotional response towards the trigger-from dreading it, to looking forward to it. You will have to train this separately until each dog is responsive, before introducing the distraction of each other. Barking can be very contagious! This method is discussed here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/fear-noises/ If you cannot identify triggering sounds, here is a list of possibilities and several solutions. If you live in the country, critters may be a main culprit. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/behavior-training/barking/nothing/ -Train Alternate Behaviors Once your dogs are better under control in presence of sounds, you can consider training alternate behaviors your dogs can engage in so to replace the barking. For example, the moment a noise happens, rather than just tossing a treat, immediately start asking your dogs to perform a trick or two or sit and down and then give a treat to each. Train these behaviors at a fluent level previously away from distractions before cueing them around the sounds. - Buffer the sounds When you cannot work on the hear that method/train or the sounds are too intense, you can try to find ways to make the sounds less salient. This could mean moving to an area of the home where noises are less intense or creating some white noises (blowing fan, white noise machine, white noise YouTube channels). -Place Window Film Place window film on your windows if your dogs will bark at triggers out of the windows, or you can make it difficult to look out by moving couches away from the windows if they use the couch to gain access. -Provide Exercise and Mental Stimulation Consider that many dogs who bark at every noise outside may be bored dogs. These are dogs who are simply looking for something to do. It sounds like your westies are on the energetic side. These dogs can be helped by providing more enrichment. Provide chew toys and food puzzles, clicker train them, do brain games, if you have a yard, create a digging pit, terriers love to dig! Alternatively, they may like this: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/elementary/the-ball-pit-game/ -Do Decompression Walks Aim for calm decompression walks in areas where your dog can engage in lots of sniffing and don't get to rehearse barking/reactive behaviors. This could mean driving somewhere. If the walks cause more stress/reactivity, that stress will accumulate and make dogs more likely to bark indoors. -Consider calming aids If barking is due to stress/fear, consider calming aids. There are several supplements, plug-in diffusers etc nowadays. Discuss these options with your vet, after excluding medical issues. -See the vet Some medical conditions may cause behavioral changes in dogs, making them more likely to react. For instance, older dogs may develop changes in their hearing or vision and this can trigger them to bark/react with more frequency. I will cover the other issues in the next posts.

Hi there, Welcome to the forums! In order to better understand the situation, I would need some extra details. How many dogs do you have sharing the household? What are their ages and breed? How long have you had them? Are they spayed and neutered? Is this behavior you are seeing happening among your dogs sharing the household or with other dogs? If with other dogs not sharing the household, where are they? In a dog park? Off leash? What happens right prior to the "aggression?" Is the play more on the rough side placing paws on shoulders, mounting? Have your dogs ever bitten other dogs? describe what the aggressive behavior looks like (growling, snapping, biting but no teeth marks?) Do you know if the male dogs are intact (not neutered?) Are these episodes fairly new or have they been going on for some time? In regards to behavior towards people when being off the lead, the solution is rather easy. A dog who runs up to people and barks aggressively should not be given any off-lead privileges. Firstly, because it can cause fear in others and in many public places there are leash laws in place, secondly because by keeping her off lead, we are allowing her to rehearse a problematic behavior, which with time risks getting worse and even escalating to potential biting. I know how tempting it is to let our dogs romp around and have fun, but this privilege should be granted only when our dogs have an almost perfect response to a recall, stick nearby us, and don't engage in problematic behaviors involving other people, animals or other dogs. There are fortunately solutions for giving our dogs more freedom without letting them rehearse problematic behaviors such as walking them on a long line (at a length that she cannot just go up to people and bark) or using fenced properties to let them run around. In the USA, there is recently also the option of renting by the hour large safely fenced properties just to let dogs romp and play. If the area you walk your dog doesn't make it easy to avoid close contact with people or you can't keep her effectively under control/ grant enough distance with a long line, stick with regular leash and train your dog to do an emergency U-turn when people are coming too close or you're not sure how she reacts: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/emergency-u-turn/ If your dog still barks at people when on lead, you will have to stay at a distance where she doesn't react (under threshold https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/) and notice whether there is a pattern to the people she reacts to. Are they men? Women? Taller guys? People wearing glasses? Wearing hats? People doing something in particular like greeting your dog? Bending down? Making eye contact with your dog? Talking to your dog? If you notice a pattern, you can then work on desensitization and counterconditioning exercises with the help of a professional, such as Look at that: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/university/look-at-that/ Open bar/closed bar: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/open-bar-closed-bar/ Treat retreat: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/treat-retreat-game 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 (no shock, prongs, or physical corrections) 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.

Hi there, Welcome to the forums! I will be able to provide some tips, but will need some more information. What breed is your dog? How old is your dog? Are you home with your dog when your helper leaves and your dog starts barking? or is your dog completely alone? Does the barking subside after a little while or is it sustained? How long does the barking last? Is your dog ever left alone at other times? Does your helper also feed your dog, walk your dog, play with your dog, give attention? I understand your concerns about giving chewing treats when your dog is barking, but in these cases, if the barking is triggered by stress/fear of being left alone, consider that you cannot reinforce fear, because fear is an emotion. For sake of an example, imagine a child who cries when mom drops the child off for daycare. If the daycare workers give the child a lollipop and let the child play, the child will be less likely to cry in the future because he's learning to feel safe and not afraid. Soon, his emotional state changes, and there's no more need for crying. We are basically working on tackling the underlying emotions, and the barking is only external manifestation of an internal turmoil. If we tackle the underlying emotions, as a result we should also address the associated barking so its function becomes redundant. However, giving treats when a dog is barking is a rather a simplistic description. When dogs show signs of separation anxiety/isolation distress, behavior professionals work on it using desensitization and counterconditioning, which may look like giving chewables when the dog is left alone, but there's a lot more going on than that. We are systematically working starting with low intensity contexts, while also changing the dog's underlying emotions so to create better coping mechanisms.

There are lots of ways around the extra calories if you're concerned. Rather than tossing 3-4 whole treats on the ground, you can split a treat in multiple pieces and toss those instead and if you are left with very little you can mix in some kibble if he likes that and see if his enthusiasm stays the same. I would test this though first just in case, because it would be a pity losing the lovely progress you have made over something that can be remedied. I don't know what type of treats you are using, but if they're the soft, chewy type, you should easily be able to split each in maybe 3 pieces. Perhaps the best way around this is to split the treats more in other areas of training (where you are dealing with less distractions, like at home) and leave the "largest portion" for the biggest outdoor challenges. Many dog owners are often surprised when they see how small I can break up the pieces of a regular-sized treat. I often can get as many as 4 to 10 smaller pieces, and each piece can be used to reinforce one desired behavior. This means that with just one treat I can reinforce as many as 10 to 20 behaviors! Of course, in your case, you could use this for training in other scenarios, like at home under less intense distractions, leaving the biggest chunks for working on behavior/emotional issues. If you really want to delve deeper on calories, consult with your vet and firstly determine if your dog is packing pounds and then ask about how many treats your dog can eat a day based on your dog's weight and the treats' caloric count. Your vet can provide info on your dog's daily caloric requirements and how many treats would be OK. Then, once you have the ideal number, split those treats into small pieces and arrange your training session around that. You can then divide them into groups based on how many times you train your dog a day, strategically ending the session when you have finished the allotted amount of treats. There are also lower calorie options. The fewer calories a treat has, the more you can provide. Look for treats that are advertised as being very low calorie. For instance, Bixbi Pocket Trainers provide less than 4 calories per treat. For sake of example, last time I had a small Yorkie mix that weighed a little less than 7 pounds. These small dogs can get full rather quickly. Her vet assumed that her caloric requirements were probably around 200 calories per day. With that in mind, she would need to not go over 20 calories from treats considering that ideally we don't want dogs to obtain more than 10 percent of their caloric intake from treats. At 4 calories per treat, she could get up to 5 treats a day (5x4=20). While 5 treats a day may seem like very little, once you break them up into 4 pieces each, that leads to 20 treats that can be used to reinforce 20 desirable behaviors! There are many other low-calorie options on the market nowadays, like Plato small bites and Zuke's Mini Naturals (one of my favorites), which contain just a mere 2 calories per treat! Also, there's the option of using dog friendly fruit and veggies. Many dog owners use fruits and veggies for training their dogs. This is a good option considering that these healthy human foods have low calories which helps avoiding that dogs eat more than 10 percent of the daily calories. Board-certified veterinary nutritionist Dr. Linder lists several low-calorie options for dogs on Petfoodology by Cummings Veterinary Medical Center at Tufts University. Among the lowest calorie options dogs are blueberries, watermelon and baby carrots. https://vetnutrition.tufts.edu/2017/12/does-an-apple-a-day-keep-the-vet-away-harmful-vs-healthy-foods-for-pets/ Please don't just feed any fruit or veggie you come across without ensuring first that they're not toxic to your dog. For instance, consider that grapes, raisins, nuts, onions and garlic can be harmful and some of them even toxic to dogs. If you have used up your dog's daily allotted quantity of treats, but would like to train more or capture more desired behaviors, you can keep on rewarding, but this time using your dog's kibble. Have you ever counted how many pieces of kibble are in your dog's daily meals? Those are many lost opportunities for training! If your dog loves eating his kibble, and you can get your dog to think that kibble is as good as treats, then you'll easily have plenty of training opportunities without having to depend on higher-calorie treats. Here's the thing: you can persuade your dog into loving to eat kibble by simply making him earn it. The scientific term is "contrafreeloading." This term was coined by animal psychologist Glen Jensen in 1963 who described the phenomenon of animals who come to prefer eating food that requires some effort to obtain versus food offered freely. To put this in practice, simply measure the recommended daily ratio of kibble you should feed and place it into a treat pouch and feed it throughout the day. If you happen to have any leftovers, you can serve this extra kibble in your dog's bowl, Kong Wobbler, or you can organize a fun treasure hunt game. To prevent your dog's stomach acid from building too much acid, it may help to do a small meal in the morning and one in the evening, and then use the rest training treats. Consult with your vet if your dog has a medical condition, such as food allergies or low blood glucose for guidelines. A trick of the trade to increase the value of kibble for training is to place it in a bag with some pieces hot dogs in the fridge. Mix them well so they rub and retain some "hot dog juice" then you can remove the hot dogs if you want, but the kibble will smell and taste like hot dogs. Now, if your vet gives you the amount of calories/treats your dog can have a day, and you need to make the best out of that, considering the need for behavior modification (which is priority over training tricks at home), you can strategically make the best out of that by working around that amount. So let's say a dog can have 10 treats which you can divide in 4 pieces each, making them 40. Make the best out of that by walking in quiet areas and plan meet only up to 10 triggers. Plan to toss 4 pieces at a time (mixed with kibble if your do is willing to eat that too) and not encountering more than 10 triggers. Use the emergency u-turn https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/emergency-u-turn/ if you're running short, and once the treats are about half way used (like 20 left), start walking back home. Try to never run short on them as unexpected things happen. I had the unimaginable happen at the end of walks, like my neighbor forgetting her gate open and her group of 6 chihuahuas trying to attack the heels of dogs on walks and those treats came handy to distract them as I made a quick exit with a reactive dog. If your dog is toy-driven, you can also intermittently provide a toy to play tug with or catch, but you may need to test its value beforehand. Careful with playing tug on walks as some dogs get addicted to that, and if one day they're really aroused by something and no tug toy is presented, they may start venting their frustration by biting and tugging the leash. So bottom line is, make the best out of treats using them for where you need them the most (behavior modification/areas of high distractions/ emotional arousal). You can then use small pieces of treats or kibble or fruits and toys for training in quieter areas (like at home). If your dog responds well to these latter, you can therefore leave the highest value treats for where they matter the most.

You are very welcome! The good thing is that this peeing happens only in two specific contexts (greeting guests/play) so that gives you a certain level of control over those situations (avoiding full intensity exposures, ensuring she has pottied before, keeping her busy/giving her something else to think about, etc). Keep us posted on how things go. Happy training!

Thank you so kindly for providing all of these details, they are very helpful! I can understand how frustrating this can be, but fortunately, most puppies outgrow this as long as we take some steps to prevent this from becoming an ingrained habit. So based on the information provided, I would talk about this to the vet just in case we're dealing with some underlying medical issues. As mentioned, sometimes emotional and medical issues overlap. Although this sounds like the classic case of excitement/submissive urination, we want to make sure to have all basis covered, also because if there's an underlying medical or anatomical issue at play, it's difficult to get anywhere in trying to modify behavior. So since you have an appointment scheduled for the 17th, please do mention this to the vet. In the meanwhile, we want to manage the situation as much as possible. If this peeing is happening when around your boys playing with her around the furniture, there's an easy peasy fix: simply not let your boys play with her when around furniture. However, this won't tackle the emotional side of the problem. If they were to play with her outside, in the same way, she would likely still pee outside. So this is sort of putting a bandage on an infected wound, it won't go to the root of the problem. In the same way, an easy fix for puppies who pee excitedly/submissively when greeting guests, is to let them greet the guests outdoors so there are no messes to clean up, however, once again, this won't fix the problem. The puppy would likely still greet and pee outdoors. So again, we need to go to the root of the problem. Therefore, we want to tackle this at a deeper level. Most likely, this form of play is either too intimidating or too excitedly overwhelming for her. So we may need to allow her to take a break from this intensity of play and carefully evaluate whether we can find some less overwhelming types of interactions. Maybe it's a matter of using quieter indoor voices? Of not moving too quickly and unexpectedly? Of not looming over her? Of not letting her to get to the point of having the indoor zoomies? Here are just a few examples of things that can trigger puppies to pee excitedly or submissively: -Greeting them too excitedly after even a brief separation -Playing excitedly with other dogs or people (rowdy play) -Being around children -Animated training sessions -People happy talking, praising -Talking in loud, excited or harsh tones of voices -Walking directly towards the puppy -Staring at the puppy -Bending over to pet the puppy -Petting the puppy in a happy, energetic way -Even certain facial expression or unexpected movements can trigger excitement/submissive peeing Now, you mentioned of moving to a new home recently, but the behavior started about a month before. Chances are, if she is very sensitive to her environment, she may have picked up some subtle cues of something about to change. This can be anything, from starting to put things in boxes, to moving things around, to having people over for garage sales, to even dogs picking up on our stress in the preparation efforts. Dogs can easily pick up these things. Maybe there are other changes too that have created a compounding effect, like maybe your boys being around more after school has been over. Now, any time we deal with any form of inappropriate urination happening in the home, we need to be very, very careful on how we react. If we show that we are upset, even if just sighing and frustratingly saying no in an upset tone of voice, our pups sense our anger and frustration, and we risk excitement urination turning into submissive urination which takes place when puppies start to pee just in hopes of appeasing us (calming us down). This can lead to a vicious cycle and the problem becomes more involved, because then we'll have a puppy who pees anytime we are upset about something or do anything they perceive as intimidating such as looking at them, looming over them, talking in a certain tone, or even using a certain facial expression. To tackle this issue, you'll therefore likely need a mix of strategies, here is a general guide. -Rule Out Medical Conditions As already mentioned, if your puppy has been doing very well with her potty training, and now, she is having accidents around the house, have her see the vet before assuming you're dealing with a case of excitement/submissive urination. In some cases, a dog peeing frequently and in small amounts may be suffering from a urinary tract infection or some other bladder issues that prevent normal elimination. -Prevent Full Exposure to Triggers If your pup is prone to peeing when around the boys or when guests show up, set her up for success, that means not letting her be exposed to these full intensity exposures. We want her to stay under threshold as much as possible. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/ Do this at least until things aren't better under control and you have a plan in place. When your kids are playing or when you guests over, give her a place to retreat to. This could mean, Crating your puppy with a stuffed Kong Keeping her in an exercise pen Safely tethering her (always under direct supervision/using a harness) Keeping her with you in the yard Taking her on a walk Keeping her on a leash at a distance where she feel calmer/less overwhelmed -Avoid Any Form of Intimidation Any scolding or frustration on our side, can end up backfiring. The puppy may start peeing more and more out of submission and possibly causing more problems along the road. For example, the puppy may come to associate our presence with punishment, leading to a puppy who still pees, but does so out of our sight. So the puppy may start to trickle urine behind a couch or under a bed or pee when we have our back to our puppy and not watching. I once worked with a cocker spaniel puppy and an almost 90-year-old lady who get very upset every time her small 10-week old puppy had an accident (I really felt for her as she had back and vision problems!). She read in some old book or was told by somebody to grab the pup and shove the face in the mess. The occasional messes though rather than decreasing, started increasing, as now the puppy, feeling intimidated, felt the need to pee submissively more and more. So she called me and we worked on crate training the pup and putting her pup on a schedule to pee and to ignore any mishaps no matter how upsetting and to praise for successful outdoor elimination. -Clean Up Accidents Properly When a dog pees in an area, it is fundamental that the area is properly cleaned. Failure to do so, can lead to the puppy frequently revisiting the area with the intent to pee there again, because the area smells like "bathroom" and prompts her to have accidents there. Therefore, make sure to use an enzyme-based cleaner such as Nature's Miracle, and then use a black light to carefully inspect whether you may have missed any spots. Under a black light, any residual urine will glow in the dark, providing you hints about areas that need to be revisited for deeper cleaning. You certainly may have missed these areas, but your dog puppy's nose would have known! -Put Going Potty on Cue Teaching your puppy to go potty on cue will turn helpful in these cases on several fronts. Firstly, you teach your pup to follow you in the yard and go potty. Since you praise and reward your pup for going outside, your pup learns to make that her favorite potty spot. Second, you empty your pup so there is not much urine left for urine marking (although some astute dogs won't empty their bladder completely so to have a reservoir). You can therefore put this cue to work *before* guests come over (or before anything that you know can trigger the peeing, but presented in less intense form) in hopes that she's at least empty. If she has a habit of peeing when she has the "zoomies", at the beginning of the zoomies, take her immediately out to potty so at least she's empty once back inside. Here is the guide for training pup to potty on cue: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/potty-on-command/ -Reduce the Level of Excitement These are some steps to lower the level of excitement, so that your puppy is under her threshold for peeing. If your puppy pees upon being greeted, she may perceive your guests' greeting posture, body language and voice as intimidating, excessively exciting or overwhelming. Here are some tips Act calm and composed around your puppy When you come home, ignore your puppy, act low key and matter-of-fact. Avoid staring, talking or petting your puppy. When petting don't loom over your puppy, get at her level or pet her on the couch if she's allowed there. Pet under the chin, chest area or sides so to avoid patting over the head. Avoid looming over her or talking in harsh or excitable tone of voice. Avoid fast movements that may frighten her Ask your guests to avoid interacting with your puppy, especially during the first 5-10 minutes or until your puppy appears calmer. Teach your kids to remain calm around the puppy and not to play rough around the puppy. If old enough to take directions, involve them in positive reinforcement obedience training. Ignore when your puppy pees, but if you catch her about to pee, try to persuade her to follow you outside. Then praise in a very calm tone and toss a treat to reward for outdoor pottying. I like to train a happy 'let's go outside! cue and make it extra fluent to so to use it then under more distracting scenarios. When training, avoid excited praise and petting, rather toss treats. Work on increasing your pup's confidence levels and provide outlets for pent-up energy (consult with your vet before enrolling into any doggy sports or intense exercise regimens as puppies can sustain injuries due to their growth plates not being closed yet). Here are come confidence building exercises: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/exercises-build-confidence-insecure-dogs/ Implement Behavior Modification If you want to actively work on the problem, you'll need to still avoid high-intensity situations and give your puppy something else to do so to keep her mind off the peeing. Here are some examples: -When you come home, act calm and encourage your puppy to go grab a toy or have him sit before you drop some treats or toss a ball the opposite direction. Tossing a ball discourages from jumping and redirects the pup's tendency to act excited or submissive into prey mode. -It also helps taking your puppy outside first thing upon coming home and telling her to go potty. -Also, before having guests over, give your puppy an opportunity to go potty outside, so when they're over your puppy is empty. -When you have guests over, and they are ignoring your puppy, drop treats to the ground and tell your puppy to "go find" them. This way your pup is busy going on a fun treasure hunt! -When guests are sitting on the couch, take turns asking your puppy to sit or target your hand and toss treats to reward so to keep the pup busy. Here's how to train these: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/sit/ https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/preschool/targeting/ -If your guests cannot comply and act calm, your best bet is to keep your puppy away from them so your pup doesn't get to rehearse the excitement peeing. -If playing is a trigger, remain calm and try structured games like fetch, asking your puppy to sit every time before you toss the ball. Or play tug and routinely ask to sit, drop or take. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/drop-it/ In some severe, persistent or complicated cases, your puppy may need the help of a dog behavior professional, such as a certified applied animal behaviorist or a board-certified veterinary behaviorist. This latter can carry out several tests to rule out medical or congenital (present from birth) issues with the bladder which can sometimes overlap. Testing may include urine testing, X-rays, ultrasounds and contrast studies of the urinary tract. He or she may also prescribe medications that can help your pup from a medical or behavioral standpoint. For example prescription medications that help lower emotional arousal or help increase your pup's urethral sphincter tone. Will Excitement/Submissive Urination Go Away on Its Own? In some cases, pups outgrow the excitement urination on their own, once they gain better bladder control and learn to better control their emotions. However, if the issue is tackled the wrong way or the puppy is allowed to rehearse the behavior for too long, it may persist into adulthood. So this is something best to nip in the bud! Here are some more reads about these forms of urination (they can sometimes overlap): https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/submissive-urination/ https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/urinating-when-excited/ I hope this helps, please let me know if you have any questions or want to dig deeper on this. Best, Adrienne

You're very welcome! Keep us posted, feel free to post any follow-up questions and send pats to Buddy and Zella from us!

So assuming your puppy is around the age of 16 weeks or 4 months, your puppy is at the peak teething stage. So you would have that double whammy of a strong need for play and interaction coupled with the need to chew and get relief from those sore gums! Here are a few tips for nipping: Provide a Variety of Interactive Toys You want your puppy to gain more reinforcement from interactive toys so that he chooses them more and more over playing roughly with you. Look for toys that offer some form of engagement. Some of the best toys are the ones that offer reinforcement under the release of kibble and treats. Examples of such toys are Kong Wobblers, puppy Kongs, Buster Cubes, Licki mats and Snuffle Mats. You also may want to do some brain games like: The muffin game: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/elementary/the-muffin-game/ The treasure hunt game: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/elementary/the-treasure-hunt/ Hand targeting: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/preschool/targeting/ Airplane game: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/the-airplane-game/airplane-game-training/ You may also include the smacking sound so to teach him to pay attention to you: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/the-airplane-game/the-smacking-sound/ These games encourage play that doesn't involve you, or the games involve you, but interacting in a different way that doesn't involve biting or jumping. Some also allow some level of impulse control (the treat in the airplane game is released only when the dog doesn't jump and decides to make eye contact). Encourage Alternate Play Encourage your golden retriever puppy to play games that do not involve physically jumping up on you and nipping. Ideally, you should catch your puppy *before* he has had the opportunity to jump on you and latch on. Once your puppy has jumped up and latched, it will be more difficult to interrupt the behavior, you allow rehearsal of an unwanted behavior and you also risk creating an unwanted behavior chain if right afterward, you distract your pup with a toy. These forms of alternate play may require you to carry some items with you or keeping them extra handy, but it's totally worth it! Here are several options for alternate play (make sure to offer these as soon as you notice your puppy approaching you with a possible intent to jump/bite). -Carry kibble in your pocket and treat bag. The moment your puppy approaches, toss kibble the opposite way. Rinse and repeat. Your pup will love the game. If your puppy knows how to sit, you can ask that before tossing the kibble or you can train a little later. Here is how to train sit: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/sit/ -Use a long tug toy and encourage your puppy to play tug with it the moment he approaches. If your puppy knows how to leave it and drop, you can add these cues in the game. Here is how to train these: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/take-leave-it/ https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/drop-it/ -Keep a flirt pole handy. I like to carry one on my shoulder or keep it around my waist. The moment your pup approaches, let him play with it. -Keep several balls in your cargo pant pockets. The moment your puppy approaches, toss a ball the opposite way. -Ask your puppy to target your hands. To help your puppy succeed, practice these while you're sitting keeping your hands low so he won't feel like jumping, then gradually progress with asking this while standing up. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/preschool/targeting/ Teach Bite Inhibition You want your puppy to learn to bite less strongly before his permanent teeth set in and he develops stronger jaws. This can be done by providing feedback, such as training your puppy to take treats gently: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/train-dog-take-treats-gently/ and through bite inhibition games: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/bite-inhibition-games/ Ensure Your Puppy Gets Sleep Puppies are generally very active pooches, but their batteries tend to discharge quickly. One minute they're up and running, the next they are exhausted as they used up all their energy and need to re-charge. Pups have a lot of growing to and they need to get all the rest they can get. After all, it is known that growth hormone production increases while the puppy is resting or sleeping. Similar to children, they may be reluctant to go to bed and you may have to enforce naps by placing them in the crate with something to chew and providing a quiet environment. Avoid Wearing Tempting Stuff Watch carefully when your Labrador puppy jumps up and bites, is your puppy trying to reach something in particular? What exactly is your puppy nipping? Puppies with high prey drive are strongly attracted to anything that moves and captures their attention. Watch carefully what your puppy does when he jumps up and nips. In many cases, puppies are after your loose sleeves or your pant legs or that scarf or necklace that is dangling. Some pups may also be after your shoelaces, long skirt or even your hair as it moves around as you walk or from the wind. To puppies reaching these things are irresistible, because they are moving and stimulate their desire to chase and grab. It may help to avoid full exposures to things that attract puppies so much at least until we have their behavior better under control. So it may help heaps temporarily keeping hair up, not wearing dangling jewelry and using shoes without laces. Tucking flapping pant legs in socks may help too and so does wearing tall Wellingtons if the pups aim to bite feet and ankles (I know, with this heat, last thing we want is to wear tall boots!). Once we have strongly reinforced other ways to interact with us, we can gradually re-introduce these. Go to Puppy Classes Puppies benefit from puppy classes for the socialization, foundational training and the opportunity to play with other puppies and to further refine their social skills. These sessions give your puppy the opportunity to engage in the type of play he craves so badly and this further helps drain some excess energy while allowing him to socialize with other puppies and people in safe place. Look for puppy classes run by positive reinforcement dog trainers who put an emphasis on ensuring safe and happy interactions. I hope this helps! Puppy biting won't stop overnight, it's a process rather than one-time done ordeal, but with these interventions, you should see a gradual and steady decline with an increase in more desirable behaviors, especially if you reinforce them with great rewards! Happy training! Feel free to ask any more questions or post updates. We can always do deeper troubleshooting as needed. Best, Adrienne

Hi there! Welcome to the forums! It's normal to feel overwhelmed when getting a new puppy, there are so many things to deal with at once: puppy chewing things, puppy biting, puppy peeing and pooping, puppy not wanting to be left alone. Pups also move so fast, one minute they're playing with a toy, the next they're chewing the leg of a table, then as they're moving away, they dribble pee- so much going on!. If it makes you feel better, most new puppy owners deal with these feelings. It gets better with time on some of these things, but I agree with you, it's best to tackle behaviors early for some other behaviors. So let's tackle some of the issues you are facing: 1) With young puppies, I am not too fond of giving pups the responsibilities of alerting us by ringing a bell. This is because: 1) they may not make it on time to walk by the door, ring and wait for us to open. 2) if we live in a big home, we may not hear the bell 3) pups may learn to take advantage of the system and ask repeatedly to be taken out just to go play and explore. Because of these disadvantages, I prefer putting the pups on a pottying schedule, taking them outside on a 6- foot leash, and if they potty, we can praise, give a treat and unleash them, and if they don't go, we go back inside and try again, while always watching them carefully. I also highly encourage training puppies to go potty on cue: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/advanced-potty-training/potty-on-command/ So how to transition from an open door to a closed door? We would close the door and keep taking the puppy out at our scheduled intervals. If the puppy heads towards the door on his own though, we should acknowledge that (wanna go out?) and take him out, always leashed. Then, if they go, we can praise, give a treat and unleash them (if safe to do so) and if they don't go, we go back inside and try again, while always watching them carefully. The use of the leash is to prevent them from having too much fun, and to create a habit of pottying first, otherwise, we may get stuck with a pup who always wants to be taken out just to have fun. I don't see his age posted, but I assume he's maybe 14-16 weeks old? If so, he should be able to hold it for at least 2-3 hours so start to take him out for those intervals and closely watch for signs if he wants to go earlier. If he does well with that, then you can gradually try to take him out a little later, but always closely monitoring him if he wants to be taken out earlier. When not out to potty, he should be supervised indoors either in a room with somebody always watching him carefully, with no obstructing views and nearby the door or in an exercise pen/ crated when it's time for nap time/ chew on something good or when nobody can monitor him and he's not too close to his potty trip. Meanwhile, he is jumping up on people and furniture, chewing on furniture and wall corners and attacking our older dog Zella. I know Buddy has a need to chew (we have lots of chew toys and bully sticks) but I have mobility issues that affect my ability to get to him quickly, tell him no and give him a chew toy. By the time I get to him, he has stopped chewing so the reprimand won't be effective. I would suggest trying to manage these behaviors for now. Place items on the furniture so that it's inconvenient to jump there (like upside down chairs), give him a comfy mat or bed to lie down on (if he chews these, use a Kuranda bed) prevent chewing by removing as many things you don't want him to chew out of reach, but leave out chew toys of different types, rotating them so that his interest is kept alive. Poor Zella! Young pups can easily overwhelm adult dogs and if your pup is persistently pestering her and she is unable to get her message across, you will need give her access to place that isn't accessible to the puppy. Puppies can be really a pain to adult dogs, think grandma dealing with a toddler pulling her hair and skirt, screaming in her ears and not understanding her requests to stop. So keep them separated and introduce them for short periods of time when Buddy is calmer. Practice obedience training when she's around with your pup leashed, asking your puppy to do sits and downs nearby Zella. Zella can turn out being a great teacher dog by teaching him the art of being calm. Another helper can train her too at the same time so that she can be a good model for him. Does Zella ever play with the puppy? Or is it straight avoidance behaviors most of the time? In the first picture, it's blurry, but I assume she was trying to avoid your pup from trying to mount, more than engaging in play, in the second picture her ears are back, her weight shifted to the side, with you in between and maybe, while "rolling her eyes," she was thinking something along the lines of: "Oh, boy! puppy monster is approaching, what did we get into?" For the behaviors of jumping, clawing and biting to obtain things he wants, if these are safe things you can provide to him like a treat, food puzzle, his bowl of food or a toy, teach your puppy to say "please" when he wants something. Ask for a sit and once he's sitting nicely, reward him with whatever he likes. Basically, use the Premack Principle as outlined here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/premack-principle/ With access to Zella restricted, we reduce the problem of her getting overwhelmed, but we may though run into another problem, the puppy protesting and wanting to be with her and/or the puppy wanting to interact with you more since he lost access to his favorite playmate and that often means nipping more and more. I will be posting more on this shortly.

Thanks so much for the extra detail! That's OK, when we are so focused in the moment, it becomes difficult to recall the exact mechanics, but your description helped me out. As previously mentioned, I still suggest sticking to your "get it" cue if it seems to attain better results. If you are using the smacking sound in the same fashion, it's likely that your "get it" attains better results because it has a stronger history of rewards (if you have been using it for longer), and your voice likely has been established as a predictor of a double whammy of fun: catching fallen treats and eating them. Keep having fun with it, sounds like Finn is having a blast! Another thing to consider is that, with the smacking sound, after several trials, the goal is to get dogs to start making eye contact with us in anticipation for their treat, so we're working a bit more on an operant level. This is a bit a step higher in difficulty than plain saying "get it" and tossing the treats. In presence of strong distractions or when training hasn't been started yet, it may be easier to forego the eye contact (or any other operant behavior) and just go the "raw" route and directly toss the treats. I often suggest this strategy (without the cue) with nippy puppies who are approaching owners with an intent to nip. Being that they likely haven't been trained yet at a fluent level and their impulse control needs tweaking, just a simple treat toss will work well to prevent the problem behavior. As the pup matures and does better, we can then insert a sit/look at me' hand target or other operant prior to the treat toss. Keep up the great work with Finn!

I wish she could talk! She played with Steph's dogs, and the report was that they had a splendid time with no issues. But, Esther had also gotten accustomed to their dogs, and vice versa. I still think she lacks polite doggy language and would come on too strong for new dogs so we'll continue to exercise caution. It will be a hot minute before she can even see another dog without going wacky so it's pretty easy to be cautious - no one wants to come near her. For sure! It's always good to exercise caution, dogs that come on too strong risk, should they one day encounter a dog who has very little tolerance for this. Some dogs though are greatly skilled in diffusing the situation. Perhaps Steph had dogs with this skill. My sweet Petra used a loud snark to correct hyper youngsters with poor social skills, but she couldn't put up with it for longer than a few seconds, if they persisted, she felt overwhelmed and would literally try to leave the scene. Einstein had better skills with dogs, he would do a growl, and once the youngster got the message to not mess around with him, he would reward that with engagement and play. Although I must say, his play often incorporated "mini-lectures" should the youngster push boundaries and dare to put a paw on his shoulder or try to mount. On the couch she has her leash on so we can grab that. Husband has agreed to stop grabbing her, which makes me feel infinitely better on a couple points. A) less risk of bite redirection B) less reinforcement (good or bad) for Esther C) less chaos! So when she starts perking up I don't move, but I do mentally prepare to grab the leash. He can't do it because Abbi is on the other side of him. Esther crowds me on the couch so Gertie sits next to me. Gerts will move, Esther will simply ooze back onto my lap. If she barks I say, "uh oh," and matter of factly take her leash and lead her out of the living room. She hasn't fought me on it and willingly goes, though she tries to get a peek at the screen as we're moving away. I haven't given her the treats in the crate, yet, only put her in there. I was of the thought that it may be perceived as a reward. She's so complicated! Thus far she's seen a pig, a rabbit, and a cow - no more dogs have appeared since Sunday. She perked up for the pig, but did not give any further reaction so I praised her for being calm. Last night I sat with her on the couch and played dog videos, with sound, on my 12" tablet and she cocked her head this way and that while they howled and barked and ran. A couple times she paced and whined, but for the most part she was trying to see where the dog was. She kept looking under, over, and around the tablet. I encouraged her to touch with her nose so she could see they're not real. We did that for 15 minutes with only those occasional pacings and concerned whines. Next will be my computer monitor. I highly suggest keeping Steph in the loop on this, especially if you're making changes to her guidelines, (like not giving anything in the crate). Without the reinforcement in the crate, this then falls more under the official "timeout" using negative punishment, and while it can be effective, as other forms of punishment, it can lead to" side effects," such a dog no longer liking the crate, playing hard to catch, perceiving being reached for as a bad thing. It's also important to monitor data to ensure it's working. If data reveals that the dog is frequently put in timeout, that can mean that it's probably not effective. Progress and setback needs to be carefully monitored and follow-up updates to Steph will be extra helpful so to gauge whether all the interventions are implemented appropriately and whether more troubleshooting needs done/ criteria needs to be split more. I am glad you were able to praise her for displaying calmer behaviors. Great job in capturing those! Training today went well, and not so great. She nailed the spin, emergency u-turn, stay (which she does Not nail at home), lie down with me walking around her, then over her, then touching her lightly with my shoe. Buuuut, today seemed to be Everyone bring your dog to the pet store day and there were about 6 more dogs than usual coming through the door. At one point Steph could see I was struggling and was out of tricks so she took control. This is after we were throwing treats (Steph's liver treats rather than our own so it would be something new) on the ground to distract. Once again it turned into a game to Esther so we started waiting for her to come back and be quiet on her own, then rewarded that instead. At the end there were dogs on all sides of us so Steph had us make a hasty exit (literally told us to tell Esther, "hurry,") because Esther was past threshold. Yeah, weekends are quite busy in pet stores that allow dogs. When I used to train in a pet store, we had to reserve spots for dog-dog reactive dogs on days that were less busy. I would sometimes do training in the parking lot where more space allowed. Funny: she was teaching everyone how to teach their dogs to unravel themselves from their leash. Every time I got Esther tangled up she got out right away (it's one of the first things I teach my dogs so I don't have to constantly fix their leash). So we worked on the spin instead. There was a couple who stopped to stare at us, but this time instead of training them I kept training Esther. It was a good distraction because they were respectful enough to only watch, rather than try to get her attention. She did say she sent two texts but didn't get a response. I don't have any from her so we have a technical issue. They're still ready to come over for the treadmill, and we'll get her to experience the television as well. And you're right - Smarty Pants here figures things out too quickly (except for where the dogs really are when we have screen time!). I feel like she's well above my pay grade, lol. Gertie was very pleased with the pats and says thank you. 🙂 Glad they didn't interfere and start small talk! It's nice to encounter considerate people sometimes! I am happy to hear that eventually Steph will stop by to help you out on this.

Re: the mealtimes, we're still at 2 minutes and I've ignored the up and down stuff on his bed, like you suggested and thrown in a 'wait' at 1m 50 to get us over the last few seconds without a bark coming. We'll see how that goes. If Finn keeps struggling with this increase, there may be chances that he's starting to predict a pattern of the exercise getting harder and harder. We can see this happening like for example, when we're increasing duration in a dog staying in a crate or increasing duration with our absences, leaving out of a room or door (as in the case of dogs struggling with separation anxiety). We think of this often for dogs who are anxious stressed, but in a dog who is learning the ropes of more impulse control (like young, adolescent dogs) or has been receiving tid bits of food at the table and now no more, this can create some frustration and/or stress too. A little tweak that can help in these cases if you notice signs of struggling, is dampening the impact of that increase in time, by mixing in, every now and then, shorter durations. This variability can help the dog not to feel such big hurdles when the time is increased. Therefore, you can try to add a bit of a variety of times. Like 2 minutes- 1 min. 45 seconds - 2 minutes 15 seconds and so on.

Sounds like things are progressing nicely! So just to clarify things, and make a fair comparison, the moment Finn sees a trigger (cats) are you: -Tossing the treats first, and then saying "get it?" -Tossing the treats as you're simultaneously saying "get it"? -Or saying first "get it" and then tossing the treats? Also, in what order are you using the smacking sound? The order in which we do things can really make a difference.

We're taking all the girls on an adventure soon! Husband found a cabin in Georgia that is near a creek, about 15 minutes away from Blue Ridge. Best part: they allow dogs. I got a gate for the stairs so they can have free reign of the wrap around balcony, and for Abbi I got a playpen made from tent material so the husband doesn't have to hold her her the entire time. He wanted a sling for carrying her because I "make" him go to Esther training, so a sling he got. I've never seen a manly man get so excited over such a thing, haha! I tried to go the stroller route because that's easier for me and I can see her limbs to ensure she's not twisted wrong, but he insisted on the sling. So funny! I only have to hope that Esther's crate, Abbi's play pen, Gertie's bed, and the gate for the stairs all fit while allowing room for their food as well as our clothes and sundries. Oh, and crochet. Cannot forget crochet! With the sports sedan it wasn't possible, lol, but now I have a small SUV so everything should fit. It's a 6-hour drive so we definitely want to be comfortable! That's great! I hope all works out well and fits nicely. I have been to Georgia once when hubby was graduating from the Army at Fort Benning. I remember the super humidity, the crocodiles and the heat and it was only May! Being that you're from Florida you're likely used to it, but it was a shock for me coming from Arizona! We talked to Steph about the television and she looked entirely puzzled. She said all they watch is the nature channel and Esther didn't pay one lick of attention to it. Sooooo, that tells me it's us, not her. That's interesting! I remember you mentioned this and I came up with several possibilities as to why she may have not barked at the TV in her home. I wouldn't be that quick though to assume it's you, as there may be other factors at play. Really, a thorough functional assessment would be needed to come closer to the root cause, but even then, we may need to test several hypotheisis. However, Steph had time to observe her over several days so her hypothesis has its weight and I respect that. I wonder whether she's suspecting it to be an attention-seeking behavior or some minor issue in execution or other factors at play. Steph suggested that rather than trying to soothe Esther, or even get her on her bed, to simply remove her from the room for 2 minutes. No pause, let the TV run and put her in her crate with a toy or treat. Her reasoning was that Esther wants to be with us, and being removed takes away what she wants. When she's calm she gets to come back. If she barks again, out she goes! Husband asks, "how are we supposed to watch shows if we're up and down (by we he means me, buwahaha)?" Steph, "slower." Haha! She's so matter-of-fact and blunt - exactly what he needs! Saturday and Sunday evening she was removed from the couch and taken to her crate. Last night and Monday I didn't have to do that, but there weren't as many animals, either. It sounds like a sort of timeout is being suggested, which is based on negative punishment, but its aversive affect is dampened being that she's being put in the crate WITH a toy or treat. Overall, not much different from the end goal of having her go to her bed or mat for treats overall, biggest differences being that there is no antecedent arrangement going on (measures to reduce the chances for the behavior/making it less intense), you'll be bringing her there (rather than her going on cue/voluntarily going) and she'll be crated (which can be helpful so that she can't make the same mistake after a short period of time and she has more chance to cool down). Will Steph be able to work with you on this directly? I feel this would be important for proper execution and safety guidelines. -For example, you have mentioned that Esther is a very aroused state when she sees trigger on the TV, to the point that you were concerned about your hubby touching her when in this state. -I also think you mentioned once that she would have gone through the TV given the chance, so I imagine there may be risks of Esther doing damage or getting injured if allowed to rehearse the behavior. I think this should be discussed with Steph considering that she never witnessed the intensity of the behavior. -Timing is everything in these cases if we want the dog to make the connection that every time she reacts she's closed in the crate away from family. You may need to use a verbal marker to bridge her action with taking her to the crate considering that it may take some time to get her there. - What equipment will be used? If we're reaching for the collar, this can be perceived aversively by the dog, unless previously conditioned to it. A drag line attached to the collar or head halter may be needed. -With timeouts, a dog may quickly learn to play hard to catch (or in the worst case scenario bite) as he/she may start perceiving being reached and accompanied away as a bad thing. However, this can be offset if the dog finds the crate as a great place to be, plus knowing that Esther is great in making connections, after some reps she may come to want to go there since she's be getting a toy or treat. -If the barking at the trigger is due to fear/ not liking the other dogs, going to the crate may feel as reinforcing as it gives relief, plus she gets a treat on top of that. So some things to consider. I am not saying to not give this method a try, actually this can provide a tentative answer as to whether she's barking as a way of seeking attention, although there are several subtleties to consider, but I would suggest doing sessions along with Steph so that she can keep track on how things are going, ensure proper execution, monitor that things don't get too intense, and evaluate the effect of competing reinforcers. If you were to ask me, I prefer to follow Friedman's approach, but every trainer has their personal preferences and techniques, and she knows your dog more than me and may feel that this approach is more suitable for this particular behavior and dog. She was of the same opinion as you - we were starting to Reward that behavior, or at least it was becoming a game. Such a fine line sometimes! We had the same thing happen in training. Esther was barking at a puppy that was sitting by the door while his human companions chatted away. We kept calling Esther off with scattered treats; however, that soon turned into a game so Steph said to wait to see if Esther barks, then comes back right away. Sure enough, she did. She was just pumping us for treats! So then we started rewarding self corrections. The puppy moved before we could extinguish the barking, but there was improvement. We got more accolades for being able to call Esther back to us more quickly now. Talking about behavior chains. If access to the toy or treat supersedes her value of family time, miss Smarty Pants may come to learn that if she barks at the triggers, she'll be closed with a tasty treat. If her barking at the dogs is due to fear/not liking dogs, she gets a double whammy of reinforcers (being away from the stress (negative reinforcement), and a treat on top of that! (positive reinforcement). Oh, and that lady who was trying to get Esther's attention? She works in the strip mall and was walking past again on Saturday, but this time she ignored Esther. Guess my finger wagging worked, lol. She likely thinks I'm mean as can be, but oh well - my training session went far smoother so I'm okay with being the meanie. 😤 LOL! We gotta do what we gotta do to protect all our hard work! Gertrude, on the other hand . . . she's bumped down to 93% perfect, lol. She's too good to sit these days. She looks at me as though to say, "Really, I must sit to go outside? Who am I, Esther?!" Nope, you're my Gerts and you shall sit! And then I get the chuffing snort (it's a highly difficult vocalization to describe) as though she's either laughing or telling me off. Such a stinkpot. So much personality in this gal! Send her my pats!

Hi there! Welcome to the forums, Peeing issues often require some investigation. Firstly, any time a dog who is well house-trained develops a urinary issue out of the blue, it's important to rule out medical conditions, so I would suggest mentioning this to the vet just to be on the safe side. I know in many cases the accidents are because of something emotionally going on, but sometimes medical issues can be the root cause. For example, a cat may pee in the bathtub because she has associated the litter box with the pain/burning sensation of a urinary tract infection, but then develops a preference for using the bathtub even when healed. Have you mentioned this to the vet? Have there been any recent changes in the home in the past month? Think about anything, from new furniture arrangement, to a neighbor with a new dog. Have you been using puppy pads to train to potty train her? You mention it happens when she is running around the house, does this means she's jumping on furniture and peeing there while she runs around? Does she sniff and stop to pee or it just comes out as she's running? What are you using to clean the accidents? Is she ever scolded for her climbing on furniture? Does it happen only when she's running around (other than occasionally when greeting guests?) and always picks fabric on furniture? Is she spayed? or intact? Do you have cats or other pets? How old are your boys? What are they doing when she pees? Do they take her out to potty? These extra details can be very helpful.