Adrienne Farricelli

Hi there, and welcome to the forums! It is very true that dogs who are high energy and anxious may engage in a variety of undesirable behaviors. These dogs need to learn how to better control their impulses, they need structured exercise and lots of mental stimulation(brain games!), outlets for their natural instincts (border collies love to follow moving objects, stalk, eye and chase), a good diet, routines, gentle training methods and the right amount of sleep (many dogs get cranky when they are in dire need for a nap). If your dog is starting to get overweight, you are providing more calories than what he is consuming. So it's a good idea to start cutting on the amount of treats, and providing more exercise and activities that tire his body and mind out. If your dog loves his kibble, I am all for it, especially for certain types of training that are carried indoors. If you have ever counted how many pieces of kibble are in your dog's daily meals those are many, many opportunities for training! If your dog therefore 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 much 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. *I would though leave the treats for the life-saving types of training, such as recalls, leave its and drop its of valuable things. Here are some other tips on reducing calories (on top of splitting them in small pieces and using kibble). -Look for Low-Calorie Options The fewer calories a treat has, the more you can provide without surpassing Dr. Freeman's 10 percent rule (treats should comprise no more than 10 percent of your dog's total daily calorie needs Look for treats therefore that are advertised as being very low calorie. For instance, Bixbi Pocket Trainers provide less than 4 calories per treat. I have used these for training dogs, especially when clients are concerned about their dogs filling up and where every calorie counts. For example, last time I had a small Yorkie mix that weighed a little less than 7 pounds. Her vet assumed that her caloric requirements were probably around 200 calories/day. With that in mind, considering the 10 percent rule, she would therefore need to not go over 20 calories 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 Zuke's Mini Naturals (one of my favorites) which contain just a mere 2 calories per treat! - Use Dog Friendly Fruits 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 dog owners ensure their dogs don't eat more than 10 percent of the daily calories. Board-certified veterinary nutritionist Dr. Deborah E. Linder lists several low-calorie options for dogs on Petfoodology by Cummings Veterinary Medical Center at Tufts University.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. -Train With Cheerios Cheerios are a favorite low-calorie food that can be used to train dogs. They offer the advantage of taking on the smell/taste of treats pretty well, so you can mix them in with other treats/kibble to make them more appetizing. Warning: Avoid any cereals that contain raisins or the potentially deadly ingredient xylitol. I will be tackling the issues you are encountering with drops it, in the next thread shortly.

That's very nice to hear about Esther's improvement! Keep up the great work! Impulse control training can really help a lot on so many levels. The black splotches are likely proof of her chow inheritance, although I have heard from some that it's not easily a trait passed from one generation to another, while others say it's dominant and easily inherited (when crossed with different breeds). It seems complicated to understand genetics, but fascinating nonetheless! I hope you get to finish up the trail soon, I too had issues with solar lights. You'd figure with all the sunshine in Arizona they would work at peak performance-but um, no.

Hi Jennifer, I took a look at those results and you surely have an interesting mixture of breeds! Variety is the spice of life! Personally, I saw mostly pit bull and Labrador in her. The Catahoula and Chow chow is certainly surprising. Is her tongue all pink? I love to have dogs sit politely at doors, it's one of the first things I train because it's so helpful in many ways. With young puppies, I wait until they have some better bladder control and they catch on quickly and soon it becomes their way to grab my attention and signal when they need to potty. Sorry to hear your hubby got Covid, so many people I know have been catching it. I hope he feels better soon. Glad to hear you are OK. That's encouraging news the fact the Esther is doing better with her incontinence despite having temporarily stopped the meds. Definitely inquire with your vet on this. Glad to also hear that things have been OK between the girls with no fights. It's nice to hear that Esther is backing off. Did you cue it or is she doing so voluntarily? Has your trainer worked with you directly on the issue? Thanks for the update!

Thank you for posting these! I was expecting some corgi blood considering her predisposition for "splooting." Very interesting results!

Hello and welcome to the forums! There is indeed such a thing as "the husky blues" that is seen when huskies feel lonely and bored or when they are cooped up for too long. It was nice of you to get Yuko a friend to share the home with and play. It sounds like they are good buddies, although you have been noticing some conflict lately. The dynamics you present are not uncommon. Indeed, according to a study, the dogs most involved in fights are same-sex dogs with female dogs being overrepresented, followed by male dogs. This implies that fights in male/female combinations were less common (although in my experience not unheard of). Typically, the instigators of most fights were younger dogs and the second dogs added in the home. Many dogs in the study had risk factors known for predisposing dogs to fights such as coming from a shelter or pet store, acquiring the dog after the critical socialization window or acquiring a singleton puppy. The presence of the owner appears to play a big factor. Half of the cases required veterinary attention for treatment of dog wounds and medical treatment for owner injuries sustained from attempting to break up a fight. The severity of the attacks were greater among dogs sharing the home than dogs who did not. The first episodes of fighting typically occur when one dog reaches social maturity (this takes place typically between 12 and 36 months) and starts becoming confident enough to use aggression to control access to resources. It is also seen when one dog starts getting older. The owner intervening to support a particular dog can also contribute to fights, creating instability and increased conflict. With this in mind, on the positive side, out of the 217 dogs involved in the study, 55 pairs (25.3%) had poor outcomes (with 23 pairs requiring complete separation from one another), while of the remaining 162 pairs, 100 (61.7%) did not have to be separated following behavioral intervention, while 32 (19.8%) had to be separated during triggers, and 21 (13%) were kept separate when unsupervised and during triggers, and 9 (5.6%) were kept muzzled when together and supervised. So this means that despite some negative outcomes, there is always some good level of hope for things to get better especially when intervention is sought in a timely manner. On the plus side, you mention that they seem to get along well most of the time and that they play well. It also sounds like the most conflict occurs in presence of rawhide rolls, which is suggestive that you can control the situation at least in this aspect. It's also good that that most disagreements are just loud noise and for the most part ritualistic, although you do mention recently an instance of Niko biting Yuko producing a gash but it didn't need stitches. Yet, although this demonstrates that Niko has some good bite inhibition, we need to tread with caution when things escalate like this, as with time, Niko may use this strategy more and more because it has "worked" in the past. Now, I must share some ugly bite incidents. Although dogs may leave only a gash, even a simple gash can turn ugly requiring several stitches. Not too long ago, when I trained at a facility where doggy day care took place, two daycare employees held two dogs by the rear legs (wheel barrow method) to separate them. While this method worked to separate them, a small bite puncture turned into an ugly long laceration requiring 12 stitches because one dog was pulled away as his tooth snagged on the other dog's skin. This can happen as well when one dog is biting and the other dog pulls away. As Jennifer already pointed out, management is very important as part of a treatment plan. Management, entails removing all potential souses of conflict to prevent rehearsing problematic behaviors. This means no longer giving high value items or no longer giving them when the dogs are in presence of each other. If a crate is not possible, you can use baby gates, indoor tethers, one dog in the yard while another in the home, and see which of these options work best to remove any form of tension. In some cases, even eye contact can be a trigger, so factor that in and use visual barriers or whatever method prevents that. Even with attention, considering their history of fighting, best not to give it when in presence of each other if that is a source of conflict that could escalate if not tackled correctly. If on the other hand, the kitchen area is a "hot spot" for tension, place a baby gate so no dog can get close to the areas of tension and do not give food to either dog in this area so there is no anticipation for something. Cases of conflict between dogs sharing the household can be complex, and often require the intervention of a professional for the most custom-tailored behavior modification plan. This is because fights between dogs may potentially escalate, and getting in between two highly aroused dogs that are fighting puts owners at great risk of getting injured due to redirection (dogs in an aroused state tend to bite anybody who gets in between them). Your best bet is, therefore, to consult with a dog behavior professional such as a certified behavior specialist (CAAB) or a board-certified veterinary behaviorist (DACVB) who can carry out an assessment and provide in-person guidance on the best approach based on several factors. 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 (DACVB, CAAB or dog trainer specializing in aggression) who uses force-free behavior modification techniques for direct in-person guidance. Articles, videos and general info found in the forums or course (or any online source) are not meant to replace in-person training/instruction. By using this course and forum, you are waiving any liability claims or other type of claims related to any dogs' behavior against you or others.

Hands - I have also read your files on hands. She is very timid around new people especially when they go and pat her, again she backs/slides away. But she is so comfortable and loving with my husband and I, we could put our hands and face anywhere and she loves it. I find it hard to train with other people and again it's not just one imparticular person, so is there anything we can do to help her around new people? It may help having new people skip the patting for now and asking for hand targets instead: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/preschool/targeting/ Make sure to reward those hand targets! Do your games improve confidence in general or is it now a desensitizing situation to every individual thing, since we have obviously done something wrong in the socialisation period 😞 We just have a gorgeous sweet girl who is scared of many things and i want her to be more confident with the world and comfortable and love to be around people. Thank you! The desensitization and counterconditioning methods target the issues dogs fear directly, going to the root of the problem by tackling the underlying emotions. Exercises to increase confidence, brain games and training/clicker training work at a broader level, helping dogs from a variety of angles such as teaching them to investigate and interact with objects, knowing what to predict (if I sit, I get a treat), and over all increasing their sense of confidence and level of trust towards us since we provide them with guidance (the so called -secure-base effect). I think both work in synergy by taking a "holistic approach" sort of like taking an antibiotic to fight an infection while also working on improving the immune system. Hope this helps, Let me know if you have further questions! Keep us posted. Happy training!

Kids - she is quite fearful of kids and backs away from them, occasionally also barks at them. But then in the next breath she is going up to them and wants to play, then they will make a sudden movement and she will back away again. Kids are so unpredictable and it would be hard to train with them. Do any games or training we can do help her generally improve her confidence around kids or do you really need to teach with kids to gain confidence and trust? With kids, we need to be extra careful in preventing exposures that can be overwhelming. The exercises are similar to creating positive associations with sounds. In other words, starting easy and baby steps. The goal is creating positive associations with children, ideally in highly structured, controlled settings using desensitization and counterconditioning and preventing exposures that can be perceived as overwhelming. It seems like she is a bit conflicted on how to behave around them, she may want to trust them, but the way they act in unpredictable ways, makes her uncertain. It may help going back to basics and having her firstly watch kids play at a playground from a distance she's comfortable watching and feeding her treats as she watches. Or letting her watch children play in front of your window, both times using the "look at that' game:" https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/university/look-at-that/ I would also use the "hear that' method and play recordings of children giggling, screaming, crying yelling and feeding treats when hearing those. Here is how to implement "hear that"https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/fear-noises/ Scroll down at the bottom for it. You can then move on to doing this exercise in the car, with a driver and you behind with your dog (windows shut-children may insert hands through windows), making a smacking sound every time a child is around and feeding tasty morsels. Continue these exercises in front of your home with your dog on leash and then on walks (in calm areas at first, where you know you can just leave and not be trapped with children everywhere) only once you gain a solid response on the window exercises. Always practice caution and scan the environment for your dog. You will have to be your dog's eyes and ears and make an about turn if you notice any children coming your way fast that you know may be too much for your dog. When your dog is ready, you may start with some direct exposures, (see muzzle training video below if ever uncertain how your dog may react). Age is a big factor, start with older children who can easily follow directions. No running around, screaming or moving suddenly. Let them know your dog is nervous and needs to learn how to trust. In these cases, the treat/retreat game may work as the dog feels more free and better moving away after each exposure: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/treat-retreat-game/ Once you notice signs of her getting better, you may start working with younger children, always instructing them though on how to behave around the dog and trying your best to end the sessions with her feeling a little more confident and less fearful. When out and about, I always have treats on me in case of the unexpected. One day a child popped out from no where and hugged a dog I had in training from behind (which I didn't know how she was with kids) and I was so glad I had treats with me to feed so to keep her mouth busy and turn something that could have been scary into something less intense. With children we therefore need to be extra cautious because fearful dogs may go into fight and flight mode and bite if they feel threatened. These are therefore some extra precautions to keep in mind. Use a basket muzzle if you are afraid your dog may harm children. Children may pop out of nowhere sometimes approaching your dog from behind and petting, this can be a recipe for a bite. A muzzle can have you covered and it's always best to err on the side of caution. Here is the guide on muzzle training: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/train-your-dog-to-wear-a-muzzle/ Never leave children alone with a dog, not even for a moment and no matter what. Make sure you teach kids how to to be respectful of your dog's space, and ensure your dog has a safe place to retreat. When you cannot actively supervise, have your dog in an area where there is a physical barrier such as a baby gate between dog and children (make sure kids don't stick their hands or fingers through!) If your dog shows even shows any concerning behaviors around children, please consult with a behavior professional for in-person guidance. We need to consider that in some cases, fearful dogs may never get to feel enough comfortable being around children. If they didn't get much exposure during the critical socialization period (roughly between 4 weeks and 12 weeks of age) they may have an underlying suspicion towards them. Sure, we can help them with remedial socialization, but we may only do so much in covering all basis. In such cases, it's important preventing full intensity exposures, and training some fluent responses to get the dog out of potentially overwhelming situations (emergency u-turns, attention heeling to ignore children, hand targets etc). 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 (DACVB, CAAB or dog trainer specializing in aggression) who uses force-free behavior modification techniques for direct in-person guidance. Articles, videos and general info found in the forums or course (or any online source) are not meant to replace in-person training/instruction. By using this course and forum, you are waiving any liability claims or other type of claims related to any dogs' behavior against you or others

Hi there, welcome back! Please see my replies under your question in bold: "Noises - there are loads of random small noises we make around the house that set her off barking. I have read your files on getting dogs use to a certain sound (the rusty bus brakes) but the sounds are so random it would be hard to do this. For example one day she will bark at cutlery banging together sound, but the next day she wont, etc. So is there a way to generally get her more confident with loads of sounds?" It sounds like you are on the right track, only that you are struggling with random noises. Here are some tips: 1) Compile a list of the sounds she barks at. Every time she barks, jolt it down on a piece of paper so that you have a list. You can even create a hierarchy of triggers based on her reactions, placing at the very top of the list the reactions she seems to respond to with more intensity (barking louder, waking up from sleep, getting up startled) so that you know what you need to work more on and can use the highest value treats for those. Since you mention the sounds are produced by you or other family members, you have the advantage of being in control of them. In other words, you have the power of creating setups and re-creating those sounds so you can be presenting them at a lower level, so that she remains under threshold. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/ Dedicate some time to working on these sounds and creating positive associations with them. Like if she barks at cutlery sounds, use the cutlery on the cutting board, as if chopping very lightly (so she's under threshold) and the moment she orients towards it (twitches her ear in your direction, turns around), toss her a treat her way. Sound- threat, sound-treat, sound-treat, as explained in the hear that method, which you mentioned about and that's discussed here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/fear-noises/ Repeat several times until you notice signs of a conditioned emotional response: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/conditioned-emotional-response-cer/ Then you can gradually progress by increasing the intensity of the sound produced, always ensuring to keep her under threshold. If at any time she reacts, it's likely a sign that the sound produced is too intense. Take a step back and present the sound in a less intense way, and then gradually re-introduce the higher-level sound. Even increasing the value of treats can help overcome small hurdles. 2) If you are dealing mostly with sounds produced in the home, make it a habit of carrying a treat bag around the home or treats in your pocket so that you can use them to create positive associations with random sounds. In these cases, more is better. In other words, it doesn't hurt to toss a treat for sounds she doesn't seem to react to normally or for which she has reacted to in the past and now is no longer reacting. If she's fond of her kibble, you can use that, especially for the lower level sounds. That's a great way to put her meals to good use rather than just giving them out freely. 3) Before serving her meals in a bowl or filling up a Kong with some goodies, make it a habit of making some noises in the meal-making process. Make sure she is aware that you are preparing her meal and make the noises initially light. We want to create positive associations with the sounds. 4) if there are noises that are a bit too intense (power drill, hammer etc) best to minimize direct exposure. Keeping her in a distant room or playing white noise to cover it up, can help Too loud, scary noises potentially lead to sensitization, rather than desensitization. If something still happens, it helps making it a fun game! If you happen to drop something that makes noise, always think about your dog first before picking it up and resuming working. For instance, if somebody around me happens to drop a metal bowl or other loud-noise making event, I might say something like "rain fall of treats!" or "treasure hunt!" as I toss treats in all directions right afterward, turning it into a scavenging game.

Awesome works! Kudos to you for finding the right treat on Loki's hierarchy of treats so to work on the issue.

Yes, "take" means just that, "you can have it!"

I hear you so well !!! 🙂🙂 They can be not collaborative, but not on purpose. Reminds me for of my father-in-law, in summer we were having a little apero in the garden, and while we were training Loki not to come begging, he went onto him with his little cute and fluffly face, offered a sit with nice eyes, and my in-law couldn't resist and gave him a little sausage !!!! thanks for the setback !!!! Ha-ha! Brings back memories of when hubby and I had to leave and we asked my parents to watch our Rottweilers for a few days. My parents were instructed to not give them ANY food at the table, even if they made the cutest faces. I had to remind my dad several times because I know he found that difficult. With our cats, he was always feeding them some cold cuts at the table, the urge was stronger than him! So when we came back, I asked if our dogs were good and they said they were and all went very smoothly. When we sat at the table though, both Petra and Kaiser sat nearby instead of on their usual mats and they were visible anticipating something and DROOLING! With dogs, the truth always comes out.... Turns out, my dad finally admitted to feeding "a little" left over bread every now and then! I guess "guest education" is also a thing : - Many of them tried to pet him from above, and right on the head, and of course Loki went on "full defense mode" and tried to get the hand. Even if we're not worry about harming the guest as we did bite inhibition while little, it still triggered a little excitement and play mode that encouraged the jumping - when he's getting excited, they still pushing with the hand, which becomes a nice target Sometimes, when we have guests who can't resist petting or who don't know how to properly pet a dog, we need to intervene to help our dogs out. I have been working with a very nippy 8-month old English setter. My history-taking has revealed that owners have been giving physical corrections (grabbing his mouth, pushing him away, which has made things much worse) and to further compound things, the male owner has been inappropriately "playing" with the dog using his hands. Thank goodness he has decent bite inhibition. So we had a worker come install things, and I kept him on leash. The worker, loving dogs, came close to say hi. I told him I am trying to train him to not jump and nip and that's why he is on leash. He let him sniff his hands and pet him on the shoulder/chest area as I fed him treats he loved best so to keep his mouth busy and not nipping. I didn't have him sit as he wasn't ready for that level of focus, but I was at least happy he stay composed, without jumping and nipping so I was glad with that session and ended it quickly by tossing a treat away from the worker before he had the chance to think about nipping or jumping . Next time, the worker came, things went differently. The worker ignored him as he entered carrying heavy stuff and started to straight work on things, and the dog, feeling ignored I guess, started barking at him. The worker said "Oh, I forgot to say "hi!" so he came closer, but since he was barking and appeared willing to jump, we did an about turn as I said "wait a moment, let me get some composure," and when he stopped barking, I let him approach. I fed him again treats as he pet him, but this time he was petting him too close to his mouth so this triggered his mouthing behavior so I said withdrew the treat I was about to give him while saying "eh eh" and made an about turn. The worker want back to working, but I wanted to really end the day with a good session, so when he was about to leave I just had him on leash nearby him as we shook hands and chit-chat a bit, and the fact the dog was just standing there not nipping or jumping was good enough for me to feel satisfied and call it a day. Now, in a previous post on another thread you said: "For example, to brush Loki, we had trouble to make him stay in place, while using normal treats, because some places were unpleasant to him as he has knots. When we switch to cooked hot dogs, no problem anymore, he would stay, and I could even pull on the hairs quite strong without him bulging." This is great! I think you can treat the patting of people sort of like you have been doing with brushing. Try feeding him the hot dogs initially simultaneously as he "endures" very brief petting sessions, then progress to delaying giving the hot dogs until the very brief petting session is over. Baby steps. Start with family members, then practice with people under controlled settings, then expand with the occasional strangers who want to pat. Of course, for liability purposes, only progress to people patting when you know he has progressed enough to no longer nip. Enlist the help of a professional if there are any concerns. Feed the hot dogs low so he doesn't feel like jumping. With the mouth busy, he shouldn't be able to nip, and on the bonus side, you will be creating positive associations with people with food he loves to make up for the lack of education of humans in proper petting protocols. Win, win! After some time, start inserting a sit prior to petting. Keep the exercises short and sweet so to up chances for success. Below is a summary video of similar work I did with the English setter, the owners were thrilled to be able to finally pet him! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsiNfp2cLzI Happy training! 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.

You're very welcome, keep us posted!

Thank you very much for this most detailed advises. You are very welcome! I know how precious Loki is to you and your girlfriend and how dedicated you both are in raising him well. I appreciate all the work you both put in. We both know that she may have reinforce unvolontarly the behavior, but I wouldn't be harsh on her, given I'm pretty sure I could also have made the same mistakes in the same situation, if Loki would have been onto me like he was onto her... If you're working on something important, or have a meeting in a moment, and you have a dog that jumps on you, bark around, you may indulge here and there... I know, it's an easy way out, and short term, but sometimes you just don't see any other way And except for those "emergency moment", we're really in the same mindset about the education... so I cannot say for sure that he's more into her because she's more easy with him. Oh no, I don't want for you to be harsh on her at all! I fully understand, sometimes we may be in situations where we need our dogs to be quiet quickly and the fastest way is giving them what they want at least until we can find a better way. Been there, done that, especially with dogs living in apartments where no more than a few minutes barking is tolerated. The important thing is that you have found a solution that seems to be working (the swapping office spaces). Yes we are firm believer of environment control before counter conditioning in order to set the stage for easier victories instead of too difficult too soon Don't want to pat us on the back too soon, but since then, while he's still a bit clingy when she gets there, it seems to have less "bad behavior" like pawing and jumping It surely is easier when she's not sitting at the desk, but even with sitting in the living room it seem there are less sollications...We'll try now to follow your advice about "prediction", trying to find the exact state and triggers that make him behave like that, to try correct that. Sounds like a great plan!

Hi Kenneth, Thank you for the extra details! It's nice that they allow you to bring your dog in a cafe'! This brings back nice memories when we once visited France with our Rottweilers and they were allowed to stay with us as we dined in an outdoor restaurant and we were even able to take them on a boat ride! So it sounds like you are dealing with some forms of enthusiastic barking and possibly a little bit of frustration as well. This is not unusual in young dogs who are full of energy and need to learn a little more how to control their impulses and cope with daily frustrations. To tackle the issue directly, we firstly want to prevent rehearsal of the problem behavior as the barking is self-reinforcing on its own, but to further compound things, if every time he barks, you take him out of the cafe', or take him out of the car, he'll come to believe that his barking "works" so the behavior, (if not tackled correctly), will likely keep on persisting and establishing, making it more difficult to eradicate. So in this case, here are a few tips/ideas that come to mind: -If possible, take your dog out of the car only when he is calm. Wait for him to quiet down a few seconds, and the moment he is quiet, start the process of getting him out of the car. If he barks, stop in your tracks and go back inside the car and sit down. Wait him to stop barking, then try again. The moment he's quiet again, progress to opening the door and letting him out, if he barks, stop in your tracks again and go back to sitting inside of the car. Got the drill? You are trying to give him the message that only calm behaviors make you progress in the process of getting him out, the moment he acts excited or impatient, you regress. If he persists in barking, go back in the car and even drive around the block before you try again. Rinse and repeat as needed. The first days, it may take several trials until your dog gets the message, but in general dogs learn fairly quickly once they realize how their barking no longer works, whereas instead, quiet gets them faster what they want. -Same thing can be done in the cafe'. The moment he barks, take off your jacket and sit down again. Then once quiet, try putting the jacket again on. Rinse and repeat as necessary. He barks once your jacket is one and you are leaving the cafe'? Make an about turn and possibly even remove your jacket and sit down again. With time and several repetitions, you should be able to put on your jacket and leave with him being quiet. Now, it might not be very practical practicing this in a cafe' as the barking may annoy other customers, so if you can find another similar setting where you can practice first, this can help. Maybe, try at a friend's home mimicking what happens in the cafe' or you can practice maybe at the cafe' when there are not many customers, if the owner is a friend who won't mind. -Alternatively, there is another way to tackle the issue. You can help your dog not to bark by asking him to sit while you put on the jacket as you reward your dog for his cooperation by hand feeding several treats in a row and continue doing so as you both leave. With the dog's mouth busy eating, it's impossible to bark. Another option is, after your dog sits and as you put on your jacket on, let him play tug with a toy as you walk for several steps towards the door or letting him carry a toy or something else he may find valuable (like a small edible chew such as a bully stick you can carry in your pocket). Again, the principle is the same, keeping the mouth busy and draining some of that extra energy as you put on the jacket and walk towards the door. Timing is everything. Make sure to provide these things *before* your dog has a chance to starts barking so not to accidentally reward the barking. And avoid giving him food or toys around people if your dog is prone to resource guarding food or toys. You may need to practice in quiet settings (such as at home) first to get him used to sitting as you put on your jacket. You may need some dexterity, by feeding a treat from your hand as it goes through one sleeve and then feeding more as you put on the other sleeve. In cases like this, it also helps upping the dog's training and working some more on impulse control exercises as described here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/impulse-control-frustration-tolerance/ You also may want to read about the Premack Principle and how it can help your dog learn how to better cope with frustration. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/premack-principle/ With time, your dog should learn to better control his impulses and his barking. Happy training! Keep me posted on how things go! Best, Adrienne

I'm usually the one doing the walks during the days, and after the walk, he would settle for some time, usually few hours, while we work. But lately, he would nap like one hour, and then, would go to my gf in the office, and start some kind of attention seeking behavior : pawing on her, biting feet, sit and look at her while whining... The thing is, she may have reinforce the behavior, as sometimes, to be sure safe a few moments, she would go play with him a bit, perhaps mistakenly showing him "if you seek attention, i would come"... but ignoring was difficult as he would become more "physical", like more pawing, a bit of jumping, louder whining... The reinforcing sometimes yes and sometimes no can really put a dent on any progress working on the issue. When we reinforce behaviors like that intermittently, they become more and more ingrained, sort of like playing the slot machines where the winning every now and then helps maintain the gambling behavior leading to an addiction. It's the power of variable schedules which leads to steady, high rates of responding. This works fine with behavior we want, but with undesirable behaviors they can easily get out of hand. If on top of reinforcing every now and then, we also reinforce behaviors that become more and more physical and intrusive, we are reinforcing persistence (as it happens when we reinforce when the dog is exhibiting an extinction burst). It would therefore be important reminding your girlfriend to be consistent so that you are both on the same page. Attention is given contingent on quiet, calm behaviors. Pushy behaviors grant no attention, zero, including attention of the negative type. Unclear directions or family members who give in to a dog's requests while others do not, can lead to confusion in the dog. Dogs quickly learn that they can "get away" with some behaviors when in presence of some family members, while with others they cannot. So if a dog seems to always sit next to a particular person for petting it may not be a sign that dog "loves" this person more, but just that this person is more likely to pet the dog when he approaches him/her compared to someone else who will ignore the dog. It's the power of reinforcement. Behaviors that are reinforced strengthen and repeat. If one family member therefore allows the dog to solicit attention, even inadvertently, such as distractedly petting the dog after he barks or paws while talking on the phone, while another family member gives attention only and exclusively after the dog calmly sits, this can lead to problems. Although this may seem like a little mishap, these types of inconsistencies quickly add up and may potentially create hurdles that may be challenging to work on once established. It may be also related to the will of going outside (the yard is now forbidden if not under supervision as he would sometimes dig, or bark on anything passing by), but even if he's allowed outside for a bit, he would come back, and redo all over again the attention seeking behavior. If he's no longer allowed in the yard, you may need to find some replacement activities to make up for the change. Foraging activities, nosework, clicker training, more sniffing adventures on walks (maybe on a long line), food puzzles etc. Abrupt changes (like if he was used spending time in the yard and now suddenly he cannot) may lead to a behavior vacuum which needs to be filled with other activities. He does not do that with me... I'm not sure if I'm jealous or not 🙂 I don't know if it's more "respect" towards me, in the sense "this is the boss, I shouldn't make weird stuff with him", or less affection (which I would find a bit sad, as I'm the one that wanted him in the first place :)) It could be you are more consistent. On top f this, several dogs seem to respond more to requests from men compared to those from women and children and this can be due to the fact that men's' voices have deeper tones. We tried a new approach, but I'm not sure it's a correct one : we switch back office again today...And it was quite hard... he whined a lot in front of the stairs... he barked a lot in the house...But he never went on me as he usually did on her... and at some point he settled. (I gave a chew to help soothe things a little, he took it a few minutes, then went back whining in front of the stairs, then back to chew, and loop...) Is it ok to make those kind of "changes" ? I mean, he seemed to settle in the end, but perhaps it "broke" his routine / usual environment ? With my gf being upstairs, it's easier not to reinforce the "you seek attention, I come" with me ignoring him, as he doesn't go much to me, and when she gets downstairs, then she plays, pet him, showing more "it's ok, I'm not there always, but if you're nice, I would come back to you and do stuff with you" We think a bit more of absence can lighten the clinginess, but can the "absence" cause anxiety / depression and the fact that he settles is more something like "pfff life sucks..." I think you are on the right track. Antecedent arrangement (just a fancy name for environmental management) is one of the primary preferred behavior intervention strategies. Antecedent arrangement basically entails strategically setting up a dog's environment in such a way that the dog is less likely to make a mistake during training or exhibit a problem behavior during behavior modification. The benefits of this strategy are several. Firstly, antecedent arrangement prevents the dog from rehearsing the problematic behavior. Just like actors who get better and better the more they get to rehearse a play, dogs get better and better in rehearsing problematic behaviors. In a nutshell, the more a dog gets to practice an undesirable behavior, the more it puts roots and becomes more difficult to eradicate. At the same time, antecedent arrangement sets both the dog and the dog owner up for success. It helps evoke desirable behaviors while making the exhibition of the undesirable behavior harder. With antecedent arrangement, dogs are therefore more likely to engage in desirable behaviors and dog owners are more likely to be happy with the results. By changing the conditions that occur before the behavior, it is therefore possible to change behaviors for the best! You are basically manipulating the environment to increase the likelihood of a desirable behavior you want. Antecedent arrangement strategies work best when dealing with certain behaviors that tend to occur in specific contexts or circumstances. If you can describe your dog's behavior by saying something along the terms of "when my dog sees me ____ he starts jumping " or "every time my dog hears the ____ he starts barking" you have a great advantage on your side: predictability. Anytime you can predict when your dog may engage in an undesirable behavior, you have the power to make changes Since Loki tends to bark and solicit attention when your girlfriend is working (the antecedent that triggers the behavior), then you can take steps to preempt the behavior and the office change where your girlfriend is no longer easily accessible can help accomplish that. Since no longer accessing your girlfriend can lead to some frustration, it may help providing him with something desirable to chew. I see you already did that so kudos to you for taking that step! While he chewed a bit and then went back to whining, it seems like he made peace with the situation and with time, he'll come to accept the new situation. I wouldn't worry about the break in routine as long as you provide him with something to do as it sounds like he may be bored and has this strong desire for attention. I am dropping a link that shows the primary preferred methods to use in order to change dog behavior and you'll see that antecedent arrangement ranks second spot. https://www.ccpdt.org/about-us/least-intrusive-minimally-aversive-lima-effective-behavior-intervention-policy/ The primary spot consists of evaluating distant antecedents which encompass setting events variables such as health issues, lack of sleep, need for more exercise or mental stimulation, stress-inducing environments and phenomena like trigger stacking etc. - after switching desk, we started ignoring the whining. And some times, my gf would come down, and play with him / pet him, making sure this is her decision, not his. It that the way to go ? Yes, it would be ideal that petting is provided contingent upon calm, non-pushy behaviors and yes your girlfriend should decide as long as it's a time where Loki may enjoy the interaction too (like not while he's eating, barking at something or in a hyper mood). When done petting, we can give a verbal signal such as 'that's enough" accompanied by a hand gesture to call it quits. I like to make a horizontal line with both hands in different directions as I then cross my arms and wait for the dog to leave. No attention is given should the dog try to solicit it. We may even get up and leave it the dog persists. But now he is starting to whine again for whatever reason, and the worriness is coming back like "what ? why is he whining ? he wasnt whining lately... is something wrong ? what should we do ?"While several weeks we would have been "mehhh let him settle alone" 🙂 You are describing perfectly the teenager stage where there are moments of regression. It is important to remain consistent and provide lots of opportunities to keep that brain and body busy and this too shall eventually pass.

Hi Thomas Briggs, Welcome to the forums! You are correct, it's not easy when we have to potty train two puppies at once, indeed, among dog trainers the term "double the trouble" is often used to describe the effort needed in socializing, training and potty training two puppies at once since they need lots of individual attention to prevent over bonding and what's known as "littermate syndrome." More on his below: Having raised two Rottweilers from the same litter, I can attest that it's not an easy job and I often felt like I needed to grow a pair of eyes on my back! It helps to carefully evaluate when the accidents are occurring so to take preventive steps. Here are a few tips that come to mind: Have them on a feeding schedule: this makes for more predictable outings. If you feed your puppies at the same times each day, they'll likely poop around the same times each day. Have a log: log in the times they potty outside and when they have accidents. When they have accidents often, aim to take them out a little earlier next time in hopes of preventing them. Watch their water intake: when two puppies play together, they get very thirsty and may guzzle water like there's no tomorrow. When you notice lots of drinking, factor that in and take them out earlier. More trips: if you notice several accidents, increasing the frequency of trips grants more success and will emphasize how rewarding it is to go potty outdoors. Have clear unobstructed views: make sure nothing is blocking your view so the pups don't just sneak away behind something to potty. Make it easy to reach the door: keep the pups in an area where you can easily and quickly take them out at the first signs of needing to potty. Recognize the early signs: most pups as they develop will show distinctive signs of needing to potty. Circling, sniffing and walking away from the playing area are some early warning signs that should prompt you to take them immediately out. Watch for other forms of urinations like submissive and excitement urination. Learn when this happens and how to differentiate it from true potty accidents and how to tackle these. More info on these here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/submissive-urination/ Train to potty on cue: this will help you assure they are empty once they come back inside. It may take some time to teach, but it's easy and the results are worth the effort in the long run. Hope this helps!

My main question is how to train without involving the guests ?I do not say they will never like to help, but when you're inviting guests over, it's not ideal to start the party with "hey can you help me do dog education ? he would try to jump on you but we will try to teach an alternate behavior like a sit or down" You can practice yourself with Loki initially and then progress to family members and friends who are willing to help. The problem with guests who are not collaborative is that they can be the very cause for major setbacks. I can't say how frustrating it is when you have progressed a whole lot and start to finally see results, and guests will start petting your dog right when he is jumping and you are then back to square one because behaviors that are reinforced intermittently (sometimes yes, sometimes no) are more difficult to extinguish. Dogs seem to fall into a pattern where they think that if guests aren't paying attention, they'll need to jump on them to get some or they may just keep thinking that's the default way to interact. It doesn't hurt to have the dog on leash and tell your guests as they enter:"I am trying to train Loki not to jump on people, so I have him on leash at a distance from you. He shouldn't be able to jump but if he does, would you mind please not giving him any attention despite how cute he is? Actually, if you could turn your back away from him, that would be wonderful! Thank you!" After that, you can then praise Loki and put him in a different room or in an x-pen or behind a baby gate and offer something tasty to enjoy to keep him occupied while you pay attention to your guests. If you have guests that you do not wish to ask them for a little collaboration, it is best to not allow any interaction rather than allowing him to to rehearse the problem behavior over and over. Using a baby gate can work well as it puts a barrier in between dog and person so that the dog cannot directly jump on the person. There are even organized events organized by dog trainers for this purpose. Trainers have owners bring their jumpy dogs to classes where the owners take turns greeting and meeting each others' dogs and the dogs are taught to ignore or engage in an alternate behavior. All the owners adhere to the basic rule of not giving any form of attention should the dog still manage to jump. This structured setup can be very beneficial. A prospective service dog I had in training was adorable and many people on the street were eager to meet her. This didn't help at all as most people couldn't resist. They either made excited tones that prompted her to get excited and try to jump, or worse, they rushed to pet her while jumping. I had to use one of those "service dog in training, do not pet" vests as a warning. Only after another trainer and I organized several sessions of meeting several other dog owners with similar problems we were able to make some good progress. Indeed, training dogs not to jump is a little unique in it's own way because it's part people training, part dog training, so to say.

Hi Kenneth, So this barking has started at the coffe shop right when you grab your coats and are about to leave? You mention the barking started this way, can you please describe other circumstances in which the barking/howling takes place? I am looking specifically for info such as what happens right prior to the barking and right afterward. Dogs bark for various reasons, and finding the underlying triggers can be helpful. I know it may seem like he's barking for nothing, but in most cases, there is an underlying reason.

You are very welcome, keep us posted on how it goes! Happy training! Adrienne

Sounds like a plan, keep us updated on the progress! Happy training! Adrienne

Hi there, Welcome to the forums! It is indeed important that this is addressed early as you are right, things can get complicated as Della matures. To get to the root of the problem, with a pup like this it helps to implement some impulse control training and frustration tolerance exercises. Basically, start asking for sits for a variety of things during the day (sit for meals, sit before being let out of a door, sits before attaching the leash). This helps pups learn how to "say please" rather than giving in to their instincts. More on this is covered here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/impulse-control-frustration-tolerance/ Also, providing food puzzles during the day (like Kong Wobbler, Buster Cubes, Frozen Kongs) can help the pup make good choices allowing legit items to chew while making other look less desirable. Rotating toys can also help make them more interesting compared to having them out all of the time. To tackle the issues you are facing, I think some small adjustments can make a ton of difference. For instance, if you are leading her in a direction that is different than where she wants to go, say "heel" as you tap your knee area and give her treat for complying. Once your pup realizes that she gets a tasty treat, she may be more collaborative. You can even do some exercises at home, to teach her to "give in" to leash pressure versus opposing to it. In other words, sit on the couch while she wears the leash, when she moves away and the leash tightens, encourage her to reach you (you can make a smacking sound to grab her attention) and as soon as the leash is slack again, praise and give her a treat. We want the pups to learn that giving in to leash pressure and walking where we go is extra rewarding. Here is a read on teaching the smacking sound: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/the-airplane-game/the-smacking-sound/ Here is a guide on teaching pups to heel: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/heeling-attention-heeling/ It's scientifically proven that dogs respond better when we tell them what we want them to do rather than telling them what not to do. When we get frustrated or angry, our dogs sense that, and it can lead to undesirable behaviors such as barking back, nipping, growling etc. So rather than saying no when chewing on something, try teaching her to "leave it" which means "move away from the item" and reward that with a treat. Here is a guide on leave it: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/take-leave-it/ With pups, I like to carry a treat bag on me at all times, so that I can redirect at a moment's notice and reward desirable behaviors as they unfold. The treat bag doesn't have to contain treats, even the pup's kibble can work well in indoor situations. Rather than letting them eat it within seconds, at least I can put it to good use! More info/tips on chewing: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/behavior-training/chewing/ I hope this helps, feel free to post if you have other questions!

Hi there! With excited greeters, practice, practice and more practice is what is needed. More than corrections, these dogs need to learn what we expect from them and we need to make the desired behaviors extra rewarding. Now, one may say, how can I teach my dogs to behave despite the distraction of guests, when they are over the top and super "over threshold"? Here is a read on threshold levels by the way, and what it means: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/ We basically help them through management, baby-steps, using super-duper tasty treats and organizing set-ups for training in a systematic way. Let me go over these. Management: practice makes perfect. The more dogs rehearse over-the-top, overly excited behaviors, the more these are likely to establish and risk becoming their default behaviors. So yes, if they act uncontrollably and over the top, it is best to keep them away (behind a baby gate, in another room, in a safe yard, crated with some tasty goodies, or in an x-pen), at least, until you can get them a little more under control and get the cognitive part of their brain in a semi-working state. This is usually just a temporary measure, and/or for those times when you don't have willing guests who take directions on what to do or you need to give them undivided attention. Baby steps: Dogs learn best when we present them with training offered in easy-peasy steps. These easy-peasy steps have a two-fold advantage: they help dogs better assimilate the training and help us as well as we are more likely to get results, which makes us more energized and motivated, versus getting discouraged and frustrated. Steps are offered incrementally, gradually raising criteria. If at any times, the dog struggles with a certain step, it's a sign we need to go a step back and make it easier or make some other adjustments. Super-duper treats: greeting guests can be a very exciting and overstimulating event for dogs, there may also be some stress mixed in. It may be difficult to grab the dog's attention and therefore we need to use super high-value treats that are capable of competing against the saliency of guests. Organizing set-ups: these require that we have some volunteer guests who can follow our instructions. Guests who give dogs ANY FORM of attention when they bark and jump all over them, are a big no-no because they will likely reinforce those behaviors. So you need guests who are cooperative and can ignore your dog when entering your home ( no "aww, what a cute dog as the dog jumps all over them!"). It is very helpful to start with only one dog, since dogs feed off each others' emotions and tend to compete over greeting guests. You may find it helpful leashing your dog initially and keeping distance from the guest and taking baby steps. Skipping the knocking/ door bell can also help if your dogs start getting overly excited by that. You can work on that separately, here is a guide of desensitizing to door bells and door knocks: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/behavior-training/barking/doorbells-knocks-on-doors/ Training starts easy peasy, by having your volunteer enter the door as you toss several small pieces of tasty treats on the ground. Once the dog is about to finish the treats, the volunteer leaves. Rinse and repeat several times, until your dog seems calmer. After several trials, have the volunteer enter and try asking for a sit before tossing the treats. If your dog was able to sit, toss the treats and once again, have the volunteer leave once the dog is about to finish the treats. Rinse and repeat several times, until your dog seems calmer. Next, further raise criteria, see if you can ask your dog to lie down before tossing the treats. If your dog complies, toss the treats and have the volunteer leave once the dog is about to finish the treats. Rinse and repeat several times, until your dog seems calmer. Repeat the above with your dog off leash. If your primary door leads to unfenced yard, practice only with a door that leads to a fenced yard for safety (many dogs will escape if a door is opened just a bit and they see something that attracts them). Next, further raise criteria. Add a mat, place it nearby the door and as your volunteer is about to enter, ask your dog to go lie down on it. Give the treats there. Have the volunteer leave once the dog is about to finish the treats. Rinse and repeat several times, until your dog seems calmer. Next, ask for a long down/stay on the mat. As your volunteer enters, ask your dog to lie on the mat and this time offer a longer-lasting chew *(like a whole dog cookie). Have your dog stay there as you chit-chat and shake hands with the guest. As your dog is about to finish the chew, have your guest leave. Further raise criteria. As your volunteer enters, ask your dog to lie on the mat and this time offer a much longer-lasting chew like a stuffed Kong or safe long-lasting edible. Have your guest sit down on the couch for some time. As your dog is about to finish the chew, have your guest leave. Then, you would practice with both dogs together each lying on their own mats. *Avoid this exercise if your dogs are prone to resource guarding valuable foods in presence of people or each other. The goal is to be able to have the dogs engage in alternate behaviors. These alternate behaviors help dogs swap to a rational, cognitive state versus acting over the top. The alternate behaviors can be several (doesn't have to be lie on a mat, although this may work best as it has built-in duration) and you can pick which ones you prefer. Having the dogs hand target the guest's hands when the guests are sitting works also well to replace obnoxious hyper behaviors. If your dogs also jump on you, it also helps to do several trials at home where you see what behaviors evoke hyper behavior and gradually expose your dog to them as your dog sits watching, then you can work on entering the house, turning around and exiting when your dogs act hyper, and entering and praising when your dogs act calm and even sit. If your dogs can't resist jumping on you, they will find it even harder not to jump on guests, so make sure they learn with you first before working with guests. Here is a case study on working on jumping: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/case-studies/02-maggie-assessing-jumping-behavior-desensitization/ https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/case-studies/02-maggie-practice-greetings/ Hope this helps, I am here is you struggle with nay parts or need to do some troubleshooting. Best regards, Adrienne

Hi there, When you are outside, do you mean in a yard? If it's your yard, is it fenced? Is she leashed when taken out?

Hi there, Welcome to the forums, Where does your puppy stay when you leave the home? In such a case, you may find it helpful to keep him confined in an exercise pen with the pee pads on one side and on the opposite side his mat/bed, food and water bowl and toys. This should help inculcate his denning instinct, which is a dog's natural tendency to not soil where they eat, drink, sleep and play.

Hit there, When it comes to training, there are ultimately no exact general rules of thumb when it comes to how long to train per session and how many sessions to do a day. There are many variables at play such as the age of the dogs, breed, energy levels, health, level of attentiveness, the experience of the person training, current mindset of the dog, whether the dog was ever trained before etc. Since your dog is a young pup, it's best to start with several brief sessions. You can start with just 3-5 minutes of training a day and always watch for signs of frustration, stress or tiring under the form of yawning, a sudden itch, walking away, loss of interest etc. You want to avoid though getting to this point. So to play it safe, best to keep sessions short and sweet at first, always ending on a positive note. As for quantity, there are variables too. After testing the waters with a few brief sessions, you can eventually progress and try and fit several of these brief sessions in a day always watching for the pup getting bored or uninterested. Some of my busy clients like to use television commercial breaks for training. You may find that you can train more and longer on some days, while some days less. Just like us, dog may have more productive days than others. When you are done training, some dogs may find it frustrating for the all the fun and interaction to end, so it may help to end your training by giving your pup something to do that doesn't involve you, such as giving a stuffed Kong or a portion of his meal in a Kong Wobbler or doing a Muffin Tin game. Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions, Happy training!