Adrienne Farricelli

Hi Lisa, welcome to the forums! So at 10 months, your pup is actually quite young considering that it takes approximately two years of hard, solid work to train a service dog and most service dogs are fully trained by the time they are 2-3 years old. Service dog candidates should be mentally and physically mature before they're able to handle what a service dog will need to handle. Asking too much, too soon, may lead to burnout so it's important to work at the dog's pace. I am sure you are doing this already, but wanted to just point this out because it's easy to sometimes get carried away and place too high expectations especially if we happen to see other dogs doing perfect heelwork and get frustrated. Perfect heelwork is a work in progress that requires a strong foundation of practice in low distraction areas before moving to areas with more distractions. Because dogs walk naturally faster than us, it comes instinctive for them to resume their normal pace after walking at our (unnatural) pace, and some dogs think the exercise is over once we deliver the treat to reinforce staying in heeling position, so this can sometimes lead to what I call "yo-yo" walking. So let's do some troubleshooting: -When you mention that she can heel for a very short time, can you quantify that? Is it just a couple of steps? Two seconds? Five seconds? One minute? -How long ago did you start working on heel with her? -When she's pulling ahead is she moving towards something that's distracting her? To sniff something? Meet a dog or person? -Where are you practicing when this happens? -When you stop walking when she gets ahead, what happens next? What does she do? What do you do? -Are you working on regular heeling or actual attention heeling (with the dog looking up to you? this latter require much more concentration) Thanks!

Hi there! Welcome to the forums, Howling is a behavior in dogs that is triggered from losing access to their social group. The dog is trying to be re-united with his family. The secret is to do this transition very, very gradually, so rather than moving him to another room cold turkey, to reduce the chances for frustration or stress, you would start by moving his bed a little farther and farther from your room each day. If your dog struggles at a certain point, it could be because he no longer sees you or hears you or it's just too far for his comfort. In that case, you can try moving the bed back where it was the day before, and let him stay there a little while until he adjusts to that, and then move the bed again a few inches and see how it goes. Feeding a long-lasting treat on his bed can help create positive associations with the area. Sometimes, a compromise can be found by keeping the dog at a distance where he his paddling legs can't be heard, but running a fan/white noise machine in the room so as to create some white noise and help block the leg paddling noises. Installing a baby gate by the bedroom to help him learn to sleep just out of the bedroom, while still allowing him to feel part of the family, may sometimes help too.

Hi there, Welcome to the forums! You are right to be concerned about passing owners not picking up other dog's poop. We don't know if these dogs are dewormed or vaccinated, so yes, we want to keep your pup away from this area. Even walking on poop can be problematic at her age. You have several options here: -Ideally, try using an indoor substrate that is as as similar to the substrate your dog is using in the yard. For example, if your yard has grass, try using a Fresh Patch https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005G7S6UI/, if you have tree bark try a litter box filled with tree bark: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005G7S6UI/ Puppies are known for forming a substrate preference at around 8 weeks and a half which makes them picky over surfaces to go potty. -If she is using the rugs, you can remove the rugs so as to stop her from using those and make her aware of the pee pads. You may need to attach several pee pads together so as to make the area larger and easier to not miss the mark. -Create a den-like enclosure with the pee pads on one side and her bed and toys and food on the opposite side. Let her out when she successfully eliminates on her pee pads. More tips of teaching a dog to potty indoors can be found here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/advanced-potty-training/training-your-dog-to-go-indoors/ As you wait for her to be fully vaccinated and use the outdoors again, dedicate some time to training the 'leave it" cue which should turn helpful in telling her to avoid getting near any poop: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/take-leave-it/

Hi there, Welcome to the forums! You can find several tips of reducing puppy biting in the below links. One very important step is training puppies alternative behaviors to engage in and making these extra rewarding: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/replacement-behaviors-to-stop-puppy-biting/ Here are some more games: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/bite-inhibition-games/ Here's how to habituate your puppy to being handled without biting: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/exercises-to-teach-puppies-to-tolerate-touch/ Here's how train a gentle mouth: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/train-dog-take-treats-gently/ This article explains why when trying to ignore puppies they may bite harder: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/why-yelping-doesnt-always-work-to-stop-a-puppys-biting/ A helpful trick for nippy puppies is talked about towards the end of this guide: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/my-hand-made-kong-trick/ When you need to give your puppy some chill time, use a treat to toss in the kennel and give her something to chew on (like a stuffed Kong) so as to not make her perceive it as punishment, more about this is discussed here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/love-the-crate/ Also, make sure to create positive associations with collar grabs, this is covered in the touch/handling exercises under "rewarding collar grabs" https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/exercises-to-teach-puppies-to-tolerate-touch/ Unfortunately, puppy biting won't stop overnight, it's more of a process than a one-time fixed ordeal, but if we work on making replacement behaviors more fun than anything else, we may be able to expedite the process. Your child may be also taught to toss kibble to keep the pup focused on that rather than on nipping her otherwise, "play" between a child and puppy will almost always involve some level of nipping as that is how puppies mostly play (especially if children are moving fast and running around). If the puppy has moments of acting hyper around your child (too over threshold to listen), it's best to keep her behind baby gate rather than keeping on rehearsing nipping behaviors over and over. You'll know things are improving once you see a higher ratio of your puppy engaging in replacement behaviors more and more and less and less in nipping. I hope this helps, keep us posted on how things go. Happy Training! Best, Adrienne

Hi there, Welcome to the forums! It's great that you are thinking in advance, this way you will be better prepared on facing some of the common challenges with pups. With a brand new puppy I would prioritize the following: Making the crate a great place to be so that your pup's stress is reduced those first nights your pup is in your home (keep the crate nearby you in the bedroom if possible): https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/love-the-crate/ Socialization: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/socializing-your-puppy/ Potty training: we have a whole new guide just for this: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/advanced-potty-training/ Reading thorough the whole puppy section found by scrolling down this page, you'll find many guides on puppies, some of the most important are under the "further reading" sections and are about getting pups used to be touched, preventing separation anxiety and preventing resource guarding: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/#puppies With a young 8 week old pup, you can get started on some easy obedience training like sits and recalls" and then some easy brain games such as those in preschool and elementary: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/ Behavior training is more for specific issues you may encounter as your puppy develops, it's still good to give it a read beforehand though just so you are prepared: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/behavior-training/ Happy Training! Best, Adrienne

Thanks for the extra details. In this case, you are looking at some more specific conflict involving competition over owner attention. As you keep them separated during the heat cycle, this would be a good time to accomplish some important goals: 1) Training them individually and establishing some important obedience skills such as a rapid response to requests to sit, lie down, leave it and come when called. These are all covered in the obedience training section. You will need to rely on these cues upon noticing the first signs of conflict which brings us to the next important tip. 2) Become a Pro in Reading Your Dogs Before dogs get into a "fight," there are several precursor signs going on. It's crucial to familiarize with these signs so that you are able to intervene quickly before any conflict erupts such as by asking your dogs to sit or lie down. Dogs who are sitting or lying dog cannot be fighting at the same time and therefore it's crucial training these behaviors in homes with multiple dogs. Only by recognizing these signs you will be able to intervene and diffuse any tension before any conflict. Here is a general guide: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/dogs-dont-bite-blue/ and more: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/signs-fear-stress-dogs/ The goal is to Create Positive Associations After the separation time, both dogs should be introduced gradually and systematically. You can start feeding each dog treats upon seeing/hearing each other with the dogs well under threshold https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/ preferably starting off the property to prevent territorial feelings, in a neutral area. The goal is to establish a strong positive conditioned emotional response upon seeing/hearing/ each other: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/conditioned-emotional-response-cer/ Teach Dogs to Take Turns Receiving Attention Once both dogs have shown signs of being well under control and responsive, you can start practicing asking your older dog to sit and petting him briefly, while your pup is patiently sitting at a distance and is intermittently fed some tasty treats (work along with a professional if your dogs are prone to resource guarding food). In the initial stages, both dogs can be leashed (you hold one dog, a helper holds the other one) and can wear bite-proof basket muzzles as an extra precaution for safety. As they do better, you can pet for longer periods of time, while always feeding some tasty tidbit to the other dog. Here is a case study on a similar case with a video of me doing the exercise: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/dogs-fighting-over-owner/ The importance of management to prevent conflict: If climbing on the couch and being near you is a source of conflict, it's best to not allow any dog on the couch. If giving attention to one dog evokes fights, it's best to not give attention to any dog when in presence of the other. If your two dogs are prone to fighting/ or if the fights persist despite your precautions, it may be necessary to work along with a professional for safety and the correct implementation of behavior modification. I hope this helps, keep us posted! Best, Adrienne

Hi there, Welcome to the forums! Sorry, for the late reply, I must have missed this post. If your puppy is pacing back and forth and sniffing loudly after half hour of being crated, there may be chances that he has learned that this behavior gets your attention and now he's using it more and more in hopes of being let out. This can get quickly habit-forming. It could be that the first time, there was a real reason for the pacing and sniffing and now he has seen a pattern where his behavior leads to being let out and therefore the behavior strengthens and repeats. Where is he sleeping when he is let out? Does he fall asleep right away once he's let out? It may be worth of investigating whether there may be a treat stuck or lodged somewhere under the crate? or something on the floor? I had a dog once who was fixated on digging the couch and after a week I found there was a cookie buried under the pillows! Any chance of any female dogs in heat in the neighborhood? Can there be critters in the basement, rats inhabiting the walls? I would think of creating a new bedtime routine of giving him a long-lasting treat to enjoy when crated (e.g., a stuffed, frozen Kong or a long-lasting edible chew like a bully stick or Himalayan yak chew). Ask your vet for suggestions based on your dog's individual health. This may keep him busy for some time and hopefully fall asleep right after. Make sure your pup is exercised enough and offered mental stimulation as well through food puzzles, brain games, sniffing adventures, and environmental enrichment during the day. If he's anxious about anything it would important tackling that too.

If she is starting the heat phase and your male is not neutered you will need to keep them separated until the heat cycle is over. This can be as long as 3 to 4 weeks. It can be challenging to keep them away from each other and often the best option is to have a friend keep the male or boarding the male for the time being as smelling/seeing/hearing each other without being able to mate will cause a lot of frustration. Him peeing on her pee is often an instinctive sign of "claiming her" so that other potential male competitor dogs are aware of his presence. It could be that the "fights" you are seeing are hormone-based with her trying to get his attention, but not being ready to mate yet, and him rebelling to her challenging behavior. Rat terriers can act feisty at times. As you keep them separated until her heat cycle is over, it would be insightful to see how they will behave once all the hormonal surges have declined. This may be a good time to start all over and go through a more gradual introduction and carefully manage their environment and work on creating positive associations: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/introduce-dog-new-dog/ What type of "jealousy" are you observing? Do they seem to get into fights over your attention?

You're very welcome! Glad to hear Atari is feeling better. Keep us updated on how it goes. Best, Adrienne

You're very welcome, keep us posted on how it goes! Best, Adrienne

That's great that you have been working on teaching your daughter to leave the pup alone when eating and sleeping. I hope you have also started working on some training with your pup and creating positive associations. Although your pup may not seem stressed and your home is quiet, consider that growling is a sign of stress as they dog is manifesting not feeling comfortable in certain situations. We want to ameliorate the situation so that the puppy doesn't feel the need to growl because she feels more comfortable around us and trusts us. When you say "food rewards" don't work, can you explain in what exact circumstance? Is it when you are trying to close her in the crate? Have you worked on creating positive associations with the crate? Are you using high-value rewards? If you need to pick her up often, it would be important taking steps to making picking her up feel less aversive to her, here is a guide on this: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/growling-when-being-picked-up/ Video demonstration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZZPrHc0JQE I would avoid having your child pick your pup up until she can do so correctly so not to undo all your hard work. If you stop doing what you are doing when she is growling, you are communicating to your pup that you are aware of her emotions and that you'll take steps to make her feel more comfortable in the same circumstances in the future. It's when we suppress growling that big problems start: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/growling-never-suppressed-dogs/ After you pick your pup up to put her in the crate, it may help to give another treat once in there so to further help provide positive associations with the crate.

I hope all is going well with your pup, let me know if you have any questions. Best, Adrienne

Please see my answers in non-bold: " I got him as a puppy, he took a foundation basic obedience class with 10 other dogs or so, he goes leash free in dog park sometime there are other kids and lot of grown up obviously, and he is not bothered with anything but I have stopped doing this since a couple of months as I saw an article that dog parks are not a good place. Other than that I take him to pet smart or pet value but very rarely. As a matter of fact can I take him to the dog parks because I don't see any other way how I can socialize him and meet strangers in his own comfort zone. he will not anyone approach him while we are on a walk. if a stranger is passing by him on the same lane that's alright but he will let a person approach him or not depends a lot in the person himself. Recently I was talking to a gentlemen who has experience with dogs and Miskha was just comfortable sitting in front of him (we met this person for first time) and even took a treat from his hand, but another friend of mine (I explained earlier) who was having a walk with his wife approached to talk to me and perhaps with the intention to touch Sky (may be) and he barked at him (not aggressively, a warning bark). hence wondering how to continue the socializing? Should i continue doing the dog park visits. I also heard that GSD temperament changes as they approach adulthood, something that he tolerated by another dog as a young puppy may be a challenge for him now? Dog parks can come handy by using them for training. What I like to do is walk at a distance from the perimeter and practice obedience cues and "look at thats" when seeing people and other dogs. If you have people with other dogs that your dog seems to do fine with, you can also organize "parallel walks" and praise and reward for doing steps of attention heeling despite the distraction of their presence. These structured forms of socialization are a win-win because they help polish your dog's training while also creating positive associations with the people/dogs around him. If at any time other dogs or people are coming too close for comfort or I notice early signs of stress, we would execute a u-turn that was trained previously at a fluent level. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/emergency-u-turn/ You can also work on obedience skills in presence of dogs/people at the pet store or the pet store parking lot or if you really want to kick his training up a notch, you can try enrolling him in Reactive Rover classes if there are any held in your area. He visited the vet in Feb this year, the vet said he has "control aggression" i.e. he doesn't want to give his control to a stranger. I think that's rooting from the fact that he did not let the vet touch him at places. His assistance touched him with stethoscope (without any muzzle) and he was growling (warning that its a new experience and he is not comfortable). Then we muzzled him for the Dr. to exam his heart etc. I don't think there is any stress going on, I have observed dry skin and itching recently but nothing apart from that. I am not too keen in accepting a so readily dispensed diagnosis of "control aggression" as it seems to insinuate something about being in control and the whole outdated dominance mythologies .https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/dominance/ His reluctance to being touched as you correctly mention is most likely due to not feeling comfortable in that situation. If you are lucky enough to have any fear free vets in your area I think they could help you and your dog out. If he's barking and growling on a routine basis, that is often a sign of underlying stress. Here is a directory for finding a Fear-Free practice near you: https://fearfreepets.com/resources/directory/ How is he doing now in regards to his reactivity in regards to seeing other dogs on walks? With a treat in my had he is doing excellent so far. I told you earlier that he had a bad experience with a lab earlier and he tends to react when he sees him but with treats in my hand at the time of crossing each other (on other ide of road) he mostly passes 9 out of 10 times without even a bark even with these labs. If the other dog is reacting on the other side then too I am able to make him cross without a bark (9 out of 10 times). That is great news, keep up the great work! Another question, is there a way I can make these conversations about discussing the behavioral issues private instead of discussing in open forum. I don't know who is watching and if they can misuse the info/problem against me or my dog? Is that possible or I am just being paranoid? I am not sure how to make a post on the forums private. On my moderation side of things, I can hide this post if you want, I am not sure though if it would also hide it from you though. I also have a delete option if you wish which you can always request after you have read. I don't think there are any particular risks, as long as you aren't using your real name and malicious people who know you aren't on these forums. This forum is private and only open to members who are seeking help with their dogs just like you. You can try by emailing support about this as I am not very techy and they may know best about answering this. Support email: [email protected] Hope this helps! Best, Adrienne Disclaimer: behavior modification comes with risks. If your puppy or dog shows signs of potential aggression (lunging, barking, growling, snapping, biting) for safety, please consult with a dog behavior professional who uses force-free behavior modification techniques (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.

Thank you for the extra details, they are very helpful! I agree with you that, since you were four people entering the door from the outside, it is difficult to establish who Sky may have been exactly barking at. Also, the fact that you were outside with them may have made him more likely to bark, considering that, when left alone, many dogs may feel more insecure and they may be more prone to take a "bark first and assess later" role. All the commotion you describe could have startled him, making him more likely to react. On the other hand, we need to consider the possibility of the barrier (the dog gate) potentially having caused him some level of frustration. Dogs who are generally friendly toward people or other dogs, may develop what's known as barrier frustration. In this case, the behavior may look quite reactive, (and even scary sometimes!), but it's mostly a temper tantrum tossed from a dog who is simply frustrated because the barrier prevents him from meeting and greeting as he normally would. If the said dog was free from the barrier, he would act in a friendly way (approaching and greeting happily with a wiggly body). More about this phenomenon: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/barrier-frustration/ So this can be one differential to consider, but since we don't know for sure what his true emotions were and based on his past history, I feel that in these cases it never hurts to be extra cautious, so let's assume that he was specifically barking at the child and that the barking was because he wasn't comfortable with the child being there. We also need to factor in that he is now about one year and a half which is the age when a German shepherd reaches social maturity. During late adolescence/early social maturity is when their territorial/protective instincts kick in in fuller gear. German shepherds are known for being extra attentive to their surroundings which are the traits that have made German shepherds cherished guardians of the home and farm. These dogs, (just like Rottweilers) are not the average Golden or Labrador retriever who, as social butterflies" will rush to greet and befriend anyone they meet (although there are always exceptions). Sure, in general, young German shepherd as pups and juveniles are happy and eager to meet and greet people. As they meet and greet, they are all wiggly and may solicit attention and petting from people, but as they start to mature, they may edge more on the reserved side and their standard clearly states that their aloofness "does not lend itself to immediate and indiscriminate friendships." With this breed's innate predisposition, it is therefore important recognizing how, without proper socialization, training and guidance, one may be walking on a fine line. Left untackled, a German shepherd's natural aloofness may morph into suspiciousness, mistrust, reactivity and even excessive territorial aggression. We also have to be wary of excessive "protective behaviors" as it's not unheard of some dogs to start acting protective of children living in the home with them and not allowing other children/humans to approach them. It may start in a subtle way like getting in between, and then the behavior may get more and more intense, building up to snarling/growling at anybody who approaches the dog's perceived family. We want to avoid getting to this point. I have said this, and will say it again: I feel that it's far better having a "failed guardian" than a liability on our hands. German shepherds and Rottweilers are already intimidating on their own and normal people wouldn't mess with them based on their looks alone. Yet, I never told people that my Rotties would rather lick strangers to death than harm them, so this was my big secret. How did I get to that? I may lucked out with their genetics, but I also worked oodles on getting them to not bark/react to Fedex guys and any general delivery men/repair persons/gardeners/you name it as soon as the first protective/territorial signs of this started. The big test day arrived when my landlord ignored the "Rottweilers on patrol sign" in my yard and climbed over the fence to start painting our shed. He froze in horror when my Rotties rushed to him, but all he got was tail wags and some love licks. I attained this positive conditioned emotional response https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/conditioned-emotional-response-cer/ through lots of practice doing the "look at that" though the window exercises explained below and then practicing this when on leash making my smacking sound repeatedly and giving treats when encountering people. Consider that your smaller dog may also influence your German shepherd (just as it can happen on walks) to react to things in his environment excessively, causing him to be in a hypervigilant state, when we may rather want these dogs to remain poised, and only switch into full barking/growling gear when there is a true threat (think a thief in the middle of the night breaking in). So this is something to consider if you notice him being influenced by the smaller guy (which you may want to involve in the training). If this whole barking behavior is generally a relatively new behavior, you are therefore doing the right thing about wanting to tackle it early rather than just assuming it's normal behavior and allowing it to put roots and establish. So in these cases, I would suggest implementing management and behavior modification, (which is somewhat similar to the work you have done for Sky's reactivity on leash). So here are some general guidelines/approaches about dog/child safety and having dogs better cope with visitors in the home. Some of these may sound obvious, and some may appear to be overkill, but it's so as to cover many basis. It's always important mentioning them and always making safety top priority if there are ever concerns. Prevent Rehearsal of the Problematic Behavior The more your dog rehearses problematic behaviors associated children/people entering his perceived territory, the more these problem behaviors put roots and establish. It is therefore fundamental that you take steps to manage your dog's environment so that your dog isn't put into the position of practicing problematic behaviors which are often reinforced by the children/humans withdrawing. You can implement management by setting up a designated area in the home where you can take your dog when visitors, especially children, are present. This allows your dog to have access to a a quiet and secure area where he can relax without feeling stressed and rehearsing problematic behaviors over and over. Based on the level of a dog's reactivity, this space may or may not allow visuals of the visitors. If your GSD is capable of jumping a dog gate, it would be important investing in a taller one or securely stacking another gate on top of that. Become a Pro in to Reading Your Dog This is important for anybody who owns dogs. Prior to barking or growling, dogs often exhibit a variety of subtle signs. It's important to therefore get as accustomed as possible with a dog's precursor signs so as to intervene quickly and reduce any stress associated with visitors. Kendal Shepherd's Ladder of Aggression can come handy: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/dogs-dont-bite-blue/ Supervise All Interactions Active supervision is the key. Toddlers and young children generally under the age of 10 in particular are known for carrying out behaviors that may not be well-tolerated by dogs, even the most patient ones. According to a study, the majority of dog bites occur in children 5 years of age or younger with over half of the cases being provoked. Children 5 years old and younger in particular are at high risk for being bitten in the face by a familiar. Yet sometimes supervision is not enough. One day we had some children over, which our dogs were fine with since puppies. One child happened to trip and almost fell over our dog which was caught by surprise and in turn growled and snapped. Pheww... that was really close and I couldn't stop thinking all evening how quickly things could have turned very bad if my dog happened to intently bite. What a wakeup call! From that day on, I took steps to ensure nothing like this could happen again so interactions were limited to having the dogs behind a baby gate and having the children ask them to sit or hand target and feed them some treats. This was a win-win because this structured setting helped further polish our dogs' training, gave the children a safer way to interact (rather than running around) while also creating positive associations. Give Your Dog Some Breaks Being around children can be exhausting to dogs. If your dog lives in a home with children or is around children for prolonged periods of times, it can cause overstimulation and stress which lowers a dog's threshold for aggression/biting. Encourage only positive interactions in a structured and as safe as possible way and provide breaks so as to have the situation under control by having the children behave when around the dog and reinforcing the dog (with tasty treats) for engaging in desirable trained behaviors and attending to your cues. If you have *any reason* to suspect your dog may act aggressively around children, it's always best to play it safe and limit/avoid direct interactions. Muzzle Train Your Dog If you are concerned about your dog manifesting potentially aggressive behaviors when around people, you may want to muzzle train your dog so as to add an extra layer of safety. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/train-your-dog-to-wear-a-muzzle/ Look for a bite-proof muzzle. Examples of bite-proof muzzles include wire basket muzzles from Dean and Tyler and some varieties of Jafco muzzles. Consider that children fingers can fit through gaps so you may need muzzles with no gaps (like muzzles with "stool guards") if your dog will be around children. ***Important! Always inquire with the manufacturing company to make sure that a muzzle is truly bite-proof before purchasing. Don't just trust what you read online or what people tell you! It's important to realize that a muzzle won't fix any aggressive tendencies. Putting a muzzle on a potentially reactive/ aggressive dog without working on the underlying issue is looking for trouble. Even though a muzzled dog can't bite, he will still be emotionally charged and he may get to rehearse reactive/aggressive behaviors such as barking, growling, snarling and lunging. Once again, the more dogs get to rehearse these problematic behaviors, the more they put roots and become habit-forming. On top of this, when dogs rehearse reactive/aggressive behaviors stress hormones circulate around the dog's body. Therefore, it's important to avoid any situations that may cause your dog to react negatively. This is once again attained through management and the systematic implementation of behavior modification. Address The Root Problem While managing the environment can turn helpful in the immediate situation, it's important to tackle the underlying issue and search for a long-term resolution. It's unfortunate, but management usually fails at some point. The more triggers and situations that require to be managed, the more likely one is to have a failure in the management plan. If management remains the only way to prevent a dog from potentially harming a child, then the situation is quite critical. It is therefore important to address the root problem. Whether a dog's dislike of strangers/visitors/children is triggered by fear, stress, anxiety, territorial instincts, past negative experiences, or a combination of factors, you'll need to invest time in taking a multipronged approach aiming to change your dog's emotional response towards children. This can be done through the use of systematic desensitization and counterconditioning carried out under the guidance of a professional for safety and correct implementation. There can be many ways to approach the problem behavior by incorporating elements of desensitization and counterconditioning. I will list several ones, but each case is different and will often require a different, individualized approach. Here is a read on desensitization: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/desensitization/ Here is a read on counterconditioning: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/counterconditioning/ The goal is to gradually expose the dog to children/adults visiting in a controlled systematic way, starting with a distance and level of intensity where your dog is well under threshold and doesn't trigger their reactive behavior. Positive associations can be formed through the use of high-value treats delivered contingent upon observing the children/adult visitors at a safe distance. This can be started with a simple "look at that" exercise where the dog is taught to respond to smacking sound and not react to watching people/children walking by from an indoor window: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/university/look-at-that/ The same exercise can then be done by having the dog watch people/children walk by parallel to the property with the dog is on leash through an opened door, where the dog is fed treats contingent upon seeing them walk by and treat delivery is stopped when people/children are out of sight in an open bar/closed bar fashion: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/open-bar-closed-bar/ Then progress can be made by having adults/children visiting the house and always working on small steps and creating positive associations. Here is a general guide on how I worked with a dog who barked when a particular person entered the house: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/dog-barking-someone-enters-room/ The treat/retreat game can turn handy too if there is a large enough indoor space as adults/old enough children can be instructed to toss a treat past the dog so as to create positive associations. This can be started outdoors. General guide: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/treat-retreat-game/ Revised edition: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/how-to-play-the-treat-and-retreat-game/ You asked: "In ideal scenario, if guest are here and I am with them, then one warning bark may be is okay but then he should settle down?" Yes, we can have a warning bark or two, but then we want them to settle down and be responsive to our cues, which brings us to the next general tip. Train Helpful Cues On top of changing your dog's emotional response towards visitors, it's also important training your dog to develop a steady-fast response to certain training cues that can come handy when around visitors. Important cues to train include the following: "sit," "down," "stay," "come," "hand target" and "leave it," which can turn useful when you'll need to quickly redirect your dog's attention to you and maintain control in situations involving visitors once his emotions are better under control. You may also find it helpful training your dog to go to a mat: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/train-dog-go-to-mat/ ***Remember: If your dog is in an unresponsive state, he is too over threshold. Behavior modification should pave the path towards a calmer emotional state that allows a dog to better cognitively function. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/ Avoid Punishment Studies have shown that the implementation of punishment risks making behavior problems worse, not better. "Our study demonstrated that many confrontational training methods, whether staring down dogs, striking them or intimidating them with physical manipulation does little to correct improper behavior and can elicit aggressive responses," points out board-certified veterinary behaviorist Dr. Meghan E. Herron, the lead author of the study. Such punishment-based approaches should be therefore be avoided as they may evoke fearful or defensively aggressive behaviors in dogs. On top of this, you risk suppressing a dog's early cues which act as warning systems. For example, if you punish a dog for growling at children, you risk suppressing the growl, which is an important warning system. You may therefore end up with a dog who directly bites without giving any warning. This is likely removing the batteries from a smoke alarm. You have no more warning system to rely on. Seek Professional Help Once again, enlist the help of a certified professional dog trainer, certified applied animal behaviorist or board-certified veterinary behaviorist experienced in working with behavior issues. The goal is to carry out a thorough functional assessment and design a customized behavior modification plan so as to address the specific issues your dog is facing. Working with a professional is important for safety and the correct implementation of behavior modification. My preferred go-to are Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists (CAAB) and Board-Certified Veterinary Behaviorists (DACVB). Be Patient and Consistent It goes without saying that changing a dog's behavior takes time and it's best to nip behavior problems in the bud before they establish. Behavior modification takes time and no guarantees can be made over the outcome of behavior modification. Any progress will be gradual and you may witness setbacks, but with consistent effort and professional guidance, you should be likely to notice improvements over time. Keep Socializing Your Dog Socialization efforts should be in place for the rest of the dog's life. While it's true that puppies go through a critical socialization period, it's also true that dogs keep learning throughout their lives. Teach Children How to Behave Around Dogs This involves teaching our own children how to behavior around our dog as well as any visiting children. Teach them to avoid moving suddenly, use their "indoor voices," and respect your dog's personal space. Be your dog's ambassador. You can warn any approaching children that you think your dog may struggle with by telling them that your dog is a guard dog and not for petting. Basically, do as much as you can to control the situation and help your dog feel secure knowing that you're there to 'protect' him from random strangers/children that you feel he's not eager to interact with. A Word of Caution The ultimate goal of management and behavior modification when it comes to dogs who struggle with visitors/children is to attain a reduction in the frequency and intensity of behaviors such as barking and growling. When it comes to the interactions between dogs and children, there are several risks that need to be considered. Children are particularly vulnerable and there are specific risks involved due to the fact that they're less reliably to follow instructions and struggle recognizing subtle cues that dogs are getting increasingly stressed and may be about to bite. The stakes are therefore much higher and it’s harder to control the outcome when it comes to dogs and children. Of course, every case is different. An old and toothless small dog weighing 10 pounds poses less risks compared to a a two-year old dog weighing 90 pounds. The risks at stake are always high as there can be dangerous consequences for any mishap. It's important to recognize that some dogs, despite the commitment and the skill level of the trainer/behavior specialist, will pose a high risk and the situation may be too dangerous should management fail one day. Of course this is the worst case scenario, but worth mentioning. No trainer/behavior specialist should provide guarantees on the outcome of training/behavior modification. I will be answering your other queries shortly in the next post. 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 back! Just a few questions to better "assess" the situation. Has your GSD ever been around this 5-year old child before? Have you always been using a dog gate to keep your dog away from guests/children or was this the first time? If for the first time, was there a reason for using the dog gate? If you have used the dog gate before, have you noticed any changes using the dog gate versus letting him freely approach guests (even if on a leash)? Please don't try this, just provide details on whether you have noticed any differences in the ways he reacts when introduced to guests in different ways. When he used to play with the kids in the past months can you describe in which ways he "played?" Also, would you say he seemed willing to participate and having a good time, or just tolerating them? Just to clarify, is this the first time he has barked at children visiting, or does he routinely do that even with adult visitors? You mentioned there was a lot of giggling, jumping going on. Recalling past events, has he been fine with this in the past? Or would you say that in this encounter there was more commotion than usual going on? Have you had him since a puppy? If so, has he been socialized as a pup to a variety of people/children as a puppy? Many dogs obtained during the pandemic have suffered from decreased levels of socialization and they may struggle with habituating to some normal things children do. Has he recently seen the vet? Is there any stress going on in his life? Any recent changes? How is he doing now in regards to his reactivity in regards to seeing other dogs on walks? Please keep on making safety your top priority as children are particularly vulnerable especially at this age. Thanks!

Hi there, welcome to the forums, There is quite an age gap here. It sounds like your older dog is overwhelmed and stressed by this new addition. Here are some reads to get you started: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/how-to-introduce-a-puppy-to-an-older-dog/ Some dogs urine mark when there are novelties introduced in the home: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/why-does-my-dog-pee-on-anything-new/ A few questions: Is your new female spayed? Is your male marking something in particular? Was your male giving signs of enjoying play when he was barking or did he appear tense/defensive? Can you describe the aggressive behavior you are seeing? (barking/growling/snarling/snapping/biting?) Are you noticing any patterns as to what may be evoking such aggression? (toys? sleeping spots? your attention?) Or is it just their mere sight? Does your male have any health issues? How large is your male dog compared to your new puppy? Any ideas of what breeds they are?

Hi there, Sorry for the delay. I have been away from my computer for a week and have been able to only sporadically connect here and there. I have put an announcement in the off topic section of the forums of being away from the 18-25th and hope that you were able to find some resources to help you out in the meanwhile. I am sorry to hear that your 5- year old child was bitten by your 3 month-old puppy. I hope she didn't cause much damage. To answer your question on whether this behavior is out of the ordinary and whether you may need some outside help, this is not easy to answer as it depends on a variety of factors. In general, it's not unusual for pups of this age to show this behavior, especially if they had to compete over resources when they were in the litter or if the environment in which they are living, gives them reason to feel stressed around resources (too many pets, children running around, noisy environments that don't allow them them to eat/sleep undisturbed). In face of the problem, the fact your puppy is growling is a good thing as it's her way of communicating her uneasiness. Problems though start when the growl (or other signs such as tensing up, keeping the head over the bone, turning the head) are ignored which can cause the puppy to escalate to biting. It's unfortunate that young children often struggle in understanding what dog are trying to communicate and this is one of the many reasons why they are the most commonly bitten. It doesn't also help that their erratic movements, loud voices and running around makes dogs often feel uncomfortable, stressed and overwhelmed. At this age, puppies needs plenty of sleep. They have a lot of growing to do and that happens mostly when they sleep. I would recommend giving her access to a place where she can sleep undisturbed so that she doesn't feel the need to growl to communicate her need to get some rest. Puppies can get cranky when they don't get enough sleep and this increases their chances for nipping/misbehaving in general. Giving her a place of her own (crate, exercise pen) also prevents her from rehearsing the growling behavior and your child/other family members from waking her up, ultimately keeping your child safe. If you really need to move her from a resting spot to another, you can wait for her to wake up on her own (always ensuring nobody bothers her in the meanwhile) or calling her name and tossing a treat or ball so that she goes to the crate or placing some canned puppy on a long spoon (or a Lickety stick) and seeing whether the scent of that arouses her from sleep and then guiding her with the spoon to her resting area and letting her lick the spoon once there. This offers a win-win because she shouldn't feel defensive when wakened up (think about how we would feel if we wake up to the smell of coffee and croissant!) and this helps her form positive associations with us and the place where she's meant to sleep. Ideally though, we would place our pups in their sleeping spots prior to falling asleep elsewhere so that we can stick to a routine and there is no need to move them around. You can give treats/ food puzzles there so as to create positive associations. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/love-the-crate/ She will also need a place to eat and enjoy her food on her own. If you want to give her a bone, she will need it away from your child so she doesn't feel the need to protect it. The more your pup rehearses food guarding/sleep guarding behaviors, the more these behaviors will put roots and establish, so nipping these behaviors in the bud is paramount. The first step is therefore managing your pup's environment so that she doesn't feel stressed in these particular situations. This means letting her eat/sleep undisturbed in a crate or behind a play pen/baby gate (ensure your child can't stick fingers through). Your child can be in the same room, but at a distance so that your pup learns that your child poses no threat to her when she is eating or sleeping. Active supervision is paramount. Always pay attention to what seems to cause your pup stress by observing her body language. Growling, snapping and biting are the most obvious signs, but there are often many subtle signs preceding that. Here is Kendal Shepherd's Ladder of Aggression: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/dogs-dont-bite-blue/ While management prevents rehearsal of the problematic behavior, if you want to work on the behavior, you will need to help your pup establish trust. Guarding bones is a matter of not trusting us near them as they fear they will lose their possession. Since your puppy is so young, early intervention is likely to be successful if implemented correctly. If you haven't visited yet this page, it gives you an insight into preventing resource guarding and it can also be used as early intervention for mild cases in young puppies too. One very important step is keeping the pup under threshold as much as possible. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/the-importance-of-preventing-resource-guarding-in-puppies/ In general, these procedures when carried out correctly are enough to help pups overcome a pup's initial trust issues, however, since you have a child, it would be safest carrying out behavior modification under the guidance of a professional and/or using stringent management protocols when the pup has a valuable or not giving any valuables at all (some prefer to stop giving bones if that's the only thing the puppy/dog guards). Bones are often guarded more than food because they tend to be at the top of the hierarchy as the top best things dogs like, and because it takes time for them to chew them making them a long-lasting valuable which requires the dog to be totally relaxed in a lying down position which can make them feel vulnerable. Make sure to start training your pup the leave it and drop it cues as they will turn valuable that day she approaches or tries to pick up something she shouldn't have: "Leave it" is needed when you are actually seeing your pup approach something that she shouldn't have. To start training this, you will need to practice with safe items that are low in value, and that you know don't evoke any possessive, resource guarding behaviors. Then, you gradually add more and more challenges. The fundamental rule is always rewarding with something that is higher in value than the item left so that your pup becomes more and more compliant because "great things always happen when I leave something and look up at mom." Here is the guide on training "leave it": https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/take-leave-it/ Here is a video demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwbbAeEZPaU "Drop it" is needed instead when your pup is actually in possession of something and you likely missed telling him "leave it" on time. As with leave it, you will need to train this starting with items that are very low value from your dog's perspective and then gradually practice with things that are more and more valuable (yet safe to practice with). You will also need to use rewards that are higher in value than the item dropped. We can't practice this obviously with items that can pose a danger to our pups, but we should practice enough to obtain a fluent, almost reflexive response that will carry over to those items because of such a strong and positive rehearsal history. With lots of practice, dogs will become more and mor compliant because 'when I drop something from my mouth, I always get something that is far better!" Here is the guide on training "drop it:" https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/drop-it/ Here is a video demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUnItd7OEmw If it's something that is possibly dangerous for a dog to ingest, we can try the above approaches as well, but if it's something really life threatening we need to think quickly and evaluate risks to the dog and our safety. This often takes a judgement call and quick thinking. How dangerous is the item to the dog really? Our vet and websites such as Pet Poison Control/ASPCA poison control center can educate us on some essentials. Knowledge about these can help us in our decision making. How good is the dog's bite inhibition? Here are ways to refine it in puppies (this guide is for adults not chilfdren) https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/bite-inhibition-games/ How is the dog's owner's relationship? Are there trust issues? Does the dog have any health issues? In dogs prone to pancreatitis ingestion of something fatty may cause severe digestive upset. There are many factors to consider. I hope this helps! I will be happy to discuss anything further. 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.

This surely is worth of investigating further (by setting some cameras and observing all pets carefully) and discuss with the vet as having accidents can be one of the first signs of something medical going on. Since she vomited and is not eating, this makes it more suspicious (although it could be a coincidence). Her being distracted by the children and ignoring her need to empty her bladder also makes sense. In these cases, it helps to train a "go potty" cue so to evoke elimination prior to the children/guests being over. If you haven't caught her in the act, we can only speculate it was her to pee, as I have had many cases of assuming it's the dog when it's the cats. Cats are likely to pee on surfaces when stressed and are prone to UTIs as well as dogs. Your theory of her using the couch to pee is also a great observation if she was caught in the act of peeing on the floor in the past and now associates the floor with your emotional response. Single event learning (learning from one single episode) is very possible. On top of this, it appears that several dogs prefer marking on surfaces that are absorbent when urine marking (the scent lasts longer there) or they may intuitively recognize that the mess on carpet, curtain, couch or bed is more inconspicuous than a mess on the floor. I pet sat/trained a small dog once who would repeatedly urine mark on couches because the scent of the cats must have been stronger there and she didn't want them to be on the couches and would chase them off. You asked: "Is it possible to teach her that it is acceptable to sleep on the couch but not jump on it or chase the cats?" In general, dogs do best when there are black and white rules in place. Shades of grey confuses them. In other words, it 's easier for them to understand the rule of "don't be on the couch" or "you can be on the couch." If we allow them on the couch sometimes yes and sometimes no, that generates great confusion and ends up frustrating us. Sure, there are exceptions to the rule and through training we can achieve good results that go against the common advice of "giving dogs clear black/white rules" if we make use of certain prompts/cues. For instance, service dogs can be trained to walk at leisurely pace when wearing a leash and walking next to the owner when wearing a mobility harness. We can also train dogs to learn to heel when using a 6 foot leash and go sniff when using a longer leash. Dogs can also discriminate when we are going on a walk with them when we wear certain shoes and go to work when we wear others. Although the common denominator is going outside, they may act calm when we wear the walking shoes and go in a panic when we wear the work shoes. However, we need to tread with caution and consider each case on an individual basis. For instance, is Atari really playing with the cats, or is there more to it? Because if she's chasing the cats on the couch because she's resource guarding the couch, this may increase the chances for future urine marking it. If you suspect she's the one peeing on the couch, I would set some cameras (this may work well if it's happening often enough rather than sporadically, unless you have cameras that can run 24/7) and then if it's her, we would need to carefully evaluate why this is happening. It's always best though starting with a vet exam to play it safe.

Hi there, welcome back! Sorry to hear that you have been noticing accidents on the couch. In these cases, where the accidents are sporadic, we often need to put our investigative hat on. Firstly, since this happened in both cases when you were away and haven't witnessed it and she knows she isn't allowed on the couch, it may be worthy of ruling out whether it's not one of the cats. Cats can sometimes have accidents around for a variety of causes. If this is truly her, and this is uncharacteristic for her, and hasn't had accidents for some time, I would play it safe and discuss this with the vet. Afterward, I would consider whether she may be marking over the scent of cats. I would also ascertain whether it's pee and not vomit from being on an empty stomach or drool or vomiting after drinking. Make sure to clean any soiled areas with a good enzymatic cleaner like Nature's Miracle. In these tricky cases, it may help to set some cameras up.

That's so nice! I love how well behaved Lupo is around the chicken and not trying to catch the crumbs, and that's some lovely heelwork there!😍 Careful around strong distractions, even though our dogs can be perfectly behaved and trained, there are always chances for them taking off. Keep up the great work guys!

Hi there! I am so sorry to hear about Loki's past incident at the vet's office. Hopefully his bite didn't do much damage. I think it's important in these cases to remind ourselves that dogs can sometimes act out of character when they are put into situations where they are restrained and forced to endure potentially uncomfortable or even painful procedures. That fight or flight instinct kicks in, causing them to react defensively. Even so, it still hurts us at a deep emotional level when this happens and I think it's because we expect our dogs to endure things and cope with them without wincing and perceive their reactions as some type of failure on our side. At least, this is how I felt when Petra once started snapping wildly in all directions when they were trying to microchip her (she hated shots) or when Einstein growled when the vet was getting really close to his face with an ophthalmoscope or when the technicians couldn't find a vein on his neck and kept holding him still in an uncomfortable position. In the first case with Petra, I didn't like how the vet and vet staff handled the situation. They were very rough and oriented on getting the task done in the least amount of time and really cared less about the amount of stress this was causing her. They also were condescending towards me (and later noticed the same attitude towards other dog owners) when the dogs in their care weren't as collaborative as they would like. I never took Einstein nor Petra to that vet again. In the second case, with Einstein, I fortunately found a wonderful vet who understood how dogs struggle with certain procedures. She realized it was weird for Einstein having a weird instrument and herself so close to his face. She always allowed me to stay in the room with Einstein and use my treats (they delivered treats too) and they even started doing vet visits outdoors, in open spaces, allowing dogs to feel more relaxed versus crammed in a small space. I always felt welcomed there and they always took steps to ameliorate the situation. Let me list you a third case, just for laughs...This is a true story. When I was a child, my mom took me to he doctor and the doctor was rather rough in using the tongue depressor and he made me gag. My knee-jerk reaction to this was biting the doctor's hand! Yes, you read that right! I still remember him withdrawing his hand looking at me as if I was some wild animal and rushing to disinfect his hand and cover it up with a bandage! I wonder if my medical records had some "caution, bites" plastered all over after that incident! Jokes aside, for me it's fundamental that the veterinary team takes proactive steps to help ameliorate these situations and that they work with us collaboratively and respectfully so as to help ensure the best possible care. This often takes a mutual approach and some planning, with us dog owners trying to do out best to create positive associations with the vet's office and getting them used to having certain body parts handled, and them taking steps to enforce this so as to create a partnership. Loki's story is very similar to Petras'. As a small pup, she cared less about her vaccines, but then somewhere along her yearly vaccination booster, for some reason, out of the blue, she started screaming when they gave her the shot. I was very surprised, especially because a small Chihuahua was given a shot just prior to her and cared less, and here was a big Rottweiler screaming in pain. People in the waiting room were also surprised when we came out and some were even joking about it as they expected another Chihuahua to come out of the room. The bad microchip experience then made the situation even worse, turning it into a phobia, to the point where she would even pee on herself in fear. This is when I decided I had to be her ambassador and find a vet who was more understanding, while I would work my best on helping her out. After her snapping, I made the decision of always muzzling my dogs and the dogs I have fostered when at the vet as an extra precaution for safety, even when I knew they had very mellow temperaments. So here are some tips that come to mind: -Yes, keep on muzzle training at home. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/train-your-dog-to-wear-a-muzzle/ Don't just aim for him tolerating it, aim for him looking forward to wearing it, feeding him through it and aiming for a positive conditioned emotional response. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/conditioned-emotional-response-cer/ Let him wear it as well for a few seconds when visiting the vet just for fun and feed him through it (as long as it doesn't evoke negative emotions). -Yes, keep taking him to the vet for fun visits, with nothing but positive things happening. -Yes, keep on working on creating positive associations with being handled (use a muzzle for extra safety). This should ideally be started as pups, but it helps to keep on holding ongoing sessions. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/exercises-to-teach-puppies-to-tolerate-touch/ -For fear of vaccines, it's hard to replicate them of course, but I have found a way to get Petra to at least better tolerate needles better by desensitizing and counterconditioning her at home pretending to use a pencil as if giving "shots." It seemed to work well for some time, until she had a CT scan at the age of 10 and was "sent to the back" without me. This turned out being once again a traumatic event for her and likely undid all of our progress. Basically, this is what I was doing: I would routinely pretend to give her shots with a pencil, saying "pichuuu!' and feeding her a treat initially simultaneously and then right afterward. Then I moved to using a syringe with no needle. Same exercise. Then I started further desensitizing and counterconditioning her to me giving very slight pinches over her body, feeding treats and making it a fun game. Using a muzzle during these reps, helps to further make it similar to the real thing, while also adding an extra layer of precaution just in case. These "mock vaccine practices" along with asking vets if they could give the shots outside (like in the parking lot) helped a whole lot. -Ask for outdoor visits I will never forget one marvelous vet who came out towards our car and pet Petra and then quickly gave her a shot as she was wiggly into greeting mode (she loved men!), before she could even realize what he was doing. I still kept her muzzle on-just in case, but this was memorable because there was zero restraint. More and more vets now offer visits outside. -If there is fear of restraint, it may help practicing restrain at home in an open area working in baby steps, from very loose restraint, barely holding to gradually tighter, always working under threshold. A helper can praise and feed when restrained and treat delivery/praise would stop when the restraint is over with the purpose of obtaining a positive conditioned emotional response. For safety, once again, best to use a muzzle just in case. -If you can be around for vet visits, ask your vet if while they restrain him, you can feed him treats. My vets like it because it keeps my foster dogs busy. If for some reason the dog had to stay very still (like for a blood draw from the jugular) I would just hold some high value food in my hand closed as if my hand was Kong and let my dog sniff and acknowledge I had the goodie. This would build anticipation. Once free from restraint, my dogs would party happily and I would open my hand and give the food. Here is the guide for the Hand-held Kong trick: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/my-hand-made-kong-trick/ -Look for a fear-free vet. I don't think there are any in France, but in the US they are gaining more and more popularity. If not, you may need to ask around and look for honest reviews and see if you can identify vets who have knowledge in how to work with dogs who are fearful at the vet. Taking these dogs to the back room is often not the answer. The root cause needs tackled. https://fearfreepets.com/dont-leave-take-pets-back/ -Meds can help too If the fear is intense, or the procedure remains somewhat aversive no matter what, consider that sedatives given prior to the appointment can help. https://fearfreepets.com/calming-pet-owners-concerns-sedation/ https://fearfreepets.com/benefits-clinic-sedation-fear-free-practice/ Finally, an interesting trait of the Finnish Lapphund is the fact these dogs are blessed with a strong startle reflex. While this may sound like a problem, it's actually a blessing considering that herding large reindeer wasn't without risk. Just consider how important it was to avoid the antlers of reindeers. Despite their reputation for pulling Santa's sleigh, reindeers are flighty animals which can do lots of damage by turning and trying to trample the herding dogs. A mere touch would therefore have Lappies startle quickly enough to move away and get themselves out of a sticky situation. Who knows, there may be chances that Loki's reaction is carried out so as to avoid the vet's "antlers" in other words the "needle prick" and he's just doing so out of instinct. I hope this helps you and Loki! Best wishes and happy training! Best, Adrienne

Hi there, welcome to forums! In this case, it would be insightful trying to carefully evaluate what may be his potential triggers. If he was fine before, what could have caused him to develop now fear? You mentioned him not being leash trained, and in many cases that can absolutely be a trigger. I will be listing some of the most common triggers I have seen in pups this age and yes, issues with walking gear is often one of the most common. 1. A Reaction to Leash Pressure If your puppy hasn't been given enough time to adjust to wearing a collar and leash, his balking and stopping may be a reaction to wearing such unfamiliar gear and its associated sensations. The unfamiliar pressure exerted by collar and leash around their neck may cause pups to resist or try to pull away. Soon, puppies start associating these unpleasant sensations with the walk, and next the fear generalizes to the entire walk. Puppies need some time adjusting to wearing new accessories and learning how they should respond to them. Ideally, breeders should work on teaching pups to walk on a leash early, but many don't, leaving pups fearful and confused and new pup owners are left with all the homework. 2. Feeling Overwhelmed by the Outside World In some cases, the pup may be perfectly fine with wearing the collar and leash, but they are simply overwhelmed by all sights, sounds and smells of the world around them. This can happen in particular with pups who haven't been socialized much or pups who were raised in a farm or suburban area and are now being walked in the city or in a totally different environment. If you watch these pups carefully, you'll notice them walking tentatively and engaging in excessive scanning behavior, looking in all directions. They may walk in a zig-zag pattern and may be easily get startled by unfamiliar sounds. Scary sights and sounds may evoke a puppy's flight or freeze response, causing him to stall or try to escape. 3. The Onset of a Fear Period Fear periods are phases of the puppy's life when they undergo a peak time of sensitivity to fear. The first fear period takes place between the pup's 8 and 10 weeks of age, at a time they especially sensitive to the effects of fearful stimulation (Fox, 1966). A second fear period takes place between the age of 8 and 14 months, although this period may vary from dog to dog, lasting a few days or weeks or even the entire timeframe. Since your pup is 4 months old, I suspect his fearful behavior may be correlated to the leash pressure or something that may have scared him outdoors, but it could possibly also be a mix of the two. In these cases, you may need to take a multi-pronged approach or try se. Following are several tips. -Try to Pinpoint the Problem Think back to when your puppy has stalled, sitting down or lying down in the past. Have you noticed any particular pattern? Does it happen when he's lagging a bit behind and the leash puts pressure on the collar? If so, suspect this is to be a walking gear issue and a matter of getting him more used to it. Was there a bike passing by? A loud sound? Calculate that dogs react almost immediately to things that frighten them, so every time your pup stalls evaluate what has happened 1-2 seconds just prior. Of course, we may not always be able to pinpoint the trigger, and sometimes things are complicated as the trigger may even be internal (think a sharp pain). Paying extra attention to what is going on can help pinpoint the problem and know what needs worked on the most. -Walk Him in His "Elements" If your puppy has been raised on a farm and is overwhelmed by certain sights and sounds, it may be worth trying whether he may benefit from walks in quiet areas such as quiet parks and woods and other places away from the city/towns. If he does well in these areas, this may provide you with a little hint as to whether the leash was the problem or the environment. *If your pup hasn't finished yet his vaccinations, please check with your vet for safer places to walk your puppy so as to avoid infectious diseases such as parvo and distemper. -Teach your pup to give in to "leash pressure" If you suspect he's reacting to the leash exerting pressure, you'll need to work on teaching him how to release that pressure. Start at home in a quiet living room. Have your puppy on leash and keep it loose. When the puppy is at a distance, kneel down, exert very, very gentle pressure on the leash and encourage your pup to reach you. You can show the treats for the first couple of reps if needed to encourage your pup to reach you. Once your puppy moves your way, praise and feed him a tasty treat. Rinse and repeat, but at some point, stop showing the treat. Keep it in your closed fist or pocket. Once you puppy starts moving in your direction, praise and once he reaches you, feed him a tasty treat. Bringing The Exercise Outdoors Once your puppy get the idea of the game, start doing this outdoors, nearby your home. Reach the end of the leash, kneel down and encourage your pup to reach you. You may need to use higher-value treats for this since outdoors there are more distractions. After several successful reps, rather then kneeling, stay in a slightly crouched position and repeat the same exercise, only that now, you can walk a few steps backwards as your puppy approaches you, and feed treats as he's walking. Next, rather than being in a crouched position stand normally and repeat the same exercise praising and rewarding your puppy for moving towards you. Then gradually start turning your body more and more sideways so that you are no longer walking backwards. If at any time your pup goes back to stalling/sitting/lying down, start kneeling down again and gradually progress to standing up. More about how to get pups used to wearing walking gear can be found here under the heading "Habituating Puppies to Training Tools":https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/exercises-to-teach-puppies-to-tolerate-touch/ -Reward Walking It's very important to present the food only when your puppy is actively walking so as to reinforce that. If you present the food when he's actively stalling, the food risks gaining some negative connotations, and your puppy may even refuse to eat when in presence of intense or scary distractions. There are also risks that you may inadvertently reinforce stalling behaviors as the puppy may learn that "every time I stall, I get attention and treats. " Tip: to help you effectively reward your puppy while walking use soft and small bite-size treats. -Swap to a Longer Leash/Long Line Some pups may do better wearing a longer leash or even a long line so that they are less likely to feel repeatedly pressure on their collars as seen when using short leashes. Of course, use a long leash or long line only when safe to do so (no traffic, nothing harmful on the ground your pup may accidentally ingest, no other dogs around). -Walk With a Confident Pup Sometimes, interactions with a more confident pup is all that's needed. Find a play mate your puppy adores (that is also vaccinated) and then try taking them on walks together. You puppy may "feed off' the other pup's confidence and may learn that the outside world isn't really a scary places as previously thought. Let your pup watch the other pup have a blast walking and getting treats and toys on the walk. -Take a Break If walks are too scary for your pup and they cause more stress than anything, it may be a good idea to skip them for a bit and find other ways to socialize your puppy and help raise his confidence levels. In the meanwhile, positive associations can be formed with scary stimuli by watching them from a window or hearing scary noises played at a low volume using a CD and feeding treats. If your pup reacts fearful to certain sights (like people on bikes) the "Look at that" exercises done from a behind a window can be a good starting place: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/university/look-at-that/ For fear of noises, you can ty the "hear that" method, outlined in this guide: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/fear-noises/ Make sure your pup is always under threshold: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/ -Use Calming Aids Some puppies may need a little "extra help." This can include calming aids such as an Adaptil collar and over the counter calming supplements such as Alpha-casozepine (Zylkene). This latter may take 1-2 days to kick in. Check with your vet first before trying any supplements. Work with a Professional Some challenging cases benefit from some professional in-person help. A board-certified veterinary behaviorist (DACVB) in particular can help with cases of deep anxiety, often getting them started with some RX meds to lower their anxiety at a level that it's easier for them to cope with and learn. I hope this helps! If you find a potential trigger that is in his environment, feel free to post your findings here and we can do some further troubleshooting. Happy training! Best, Adrienne

Yeah, she's a happy camper, gets lots of attention and sometimes even some tasty morsels from people sitting at the bar wiling to share a little Italian brioche. She already has somebody who feeds her along with the other dogs, so all those are extras 😉

Hi Jennifer, So sorry for your loss. She had a long and happy life with you guys. I am sure she's been getting crazy amounts of licking, pats and greetings from all the loved ones waiting for her. RIP sweet Abbi.❤️ Keeping you, hubby and your other pets in my thoughts.

Hi there, Welcome to the forums, All puppies bite, it's totally normal behavior. I know how frustrating it is, but this is how they play, interact and explore. It's something deeply ingrained and it will take some time to get under control. In the meanwhile, we can use several strategies to interact with them that doesn't involve them biting us. Here are some guides you will find helpful: Bite inhibition games: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/bite-inhibition-games/ List of replacement behaviors https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/replacement-behaviors-to-stop-puppy-biting/ Teaching your puppy to tolerate touch: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/exercises-to-teach-puppies-to-tolerate-touch/ Why yelping doesn't always work: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/why-yelping-doesnt-always-work-to-stop-a-puppys-biting/ How to teach dogs to take treats gently: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/train-dog-take-treats-gently/ It will take some time for her to figure out how those food puzzles work and develop enough impulse control to work on it for longer periods of time. Right now, she's like a toddler not being interested in doing crossword puzzles. So you will need to make those puzzles extra easy for now. Like stuff Kongs very loosely or you can do the muffin tin game without any balls on it: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/elementary/the-muffin-game/ If she's chewing everything in the home, most likely she has too much run of the house. Your puppy should be confined to a section of the house only and that area should be puppy proofed (and most things she shouldn't chew removed). This is also important for potty training.