Adrienne Farricelli

Hi, welcome to the forums, Your description started with what seemed like a wonderful dog, travels well, hasn't destroyed anything, totally housebroken and is generally really good. Then you mentioned him being relentless, doesn't stop barking and nipping, and goes on for hours, and you would have to be constantly feeding him to get him to stop because all he does is whine, bark, jump and nip. And when he bites he draws blood. This is a very concerning situation if he's acting in an aggressive manner. However, I have seen some dogs do this not aggressively, just as an obnoxious, unacceptable way to ask for attention or trying to engage the owners in interacting with them/play, but sometimes this exacerbates getting more and more rough and may on occasions truly morph into aggression. It tends to get rougher in particular in two circumstances: 1) if we' re ignoring them, (which may evoke an extinction burst, during which the dog tries to get rougher to gain interaction) and then we interact with them during that, which only encourage persistence, increasing the behavior ten-fold. 2) if we start getting physical with them (like alpha rolling them, holding their muzzle closed, pinning them to the ground or just innocent pushing them away) which makes them escalate and risks turning into actual defensive aggression. I have several questions to better understand your situation: 1) Has he always been acting this way? When did this behavior exactly start? 2) What have you been doing so far when he gets into this mindset to stop him? 3) What seems to trigger this? Is it always happening when you are both sitting on the couch trying to watch TV? 4) Was your wife sitting on the couch and reached for her phone when he bit as you were writing? Does he resource guard anything? (like threaten to bite when somebody comes near his food bowl, toys, bed, you our your wife, or other objects? 5) Are his bites always breaking the skin? Did this bite occur as a result of your wife moving her hand away from his mouth and his teeth scraping her skin or is it an actual puncture wound? 6) Since you had him, has he received any obedience training at all? If so, what? 7) Is there something in particular that seems to predictably start this behavior? (for example, days he isn't walked much, when he's bored/ hungry or needs to be taken outside to potty?) 8 ) what are some circumstances that seem to NEVER make this behavior happen? 9 ) Other than when engaging in undesirable behaviors, what does he seems to enjoy? What are his favorite activities? What is his day like when he doesn't he not bark, jump. nip? How much time does he spend in the RV and outside? What activities does he have when inside the RV? 10) I understand it may feel like he does this all day, but in many cases it just feels like that. I would like to actually know what percentage of his day he is really engaging in this problematic behavior. 11) Have you mentioned this behavior to your vet? 12) Does he appear to be ever stressed? D you notice any of these signs? https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/signs-fear-stress-dogs/ Now, if he just bit your wife please make sure she receives medical attention for it, as left untreated some dog bites can turn quickly into nasty infections. As a first intervention, we need to take steps to prevent this from happening. If this behavior keeps going on, it's because there's some level of reinforcement happening that makes him want to repeat this over and over, making the behavior habit-forming. Let's not allow him to keep making the same mistakes and risk harming your wife. This is mostly done through management. If you know when these attacks predictably occur, take steps to prevent them. This can mean, redirecting him at the earliest sign (or even better, before watching TV if that predictably evokes the problem behavior) and placing him behind a baby gate where he can't gain access to both of you and keep rehearsing the problem behaviors. I hear that you live in a trailer, so this would mean sending him to a safe area away from you that can be blocked off if possible. Since touching him such as grabbing his collar likely causes him to bite (which I am almost positive it does), you need to do this in the least intrusive ways as possible such as tossing a treat (or his kibble) in that area and then giving him something to chew (bully stick/stuffed Kong) to keep occupied. It would be best if this area is nearby so that he doesn't feel left out, but at least he can't rehearse the nipping/biting behavior. Another way would be letting him wear an indoor drag line attached to the ring of his harness, so that he can be removed from the situation at the earliest sign or better before he gets to rehearse the problematic behavior and then taking him to the area where a stuffed Kong is provided (so he has something alternate to do and can keep occupied and looks forward to going to this area, versus dreading it). Another alternative to a baby gate is tethering him (using an indoor dog tether attached to the back clip of a harness, not clipped to the collar and giving him something to chew.) Tethering needs several safety precautions in place such as always supervising the dog when tethered and never tethering to objects that may fall over, collapse or be dragged. Here's an example of an indoor tether: https://www.amazon.com/Waggin-Train-Medium-Chew-Proof-Indoor/dp/B005IHUG72?th=1). It shouldn't' allow him to come close enough to rehearse the problematic behaviors, but caution is needed, because it's easy to forget how long the tether line is and you or your wife may walk get up from the couch and walk too closely which may evoke the problematic behavior if he's still in at that possible " wanting attention" mindset. If needed to get up and walk by, it may help to toss a few kibble his way (going and coming back) to get him to do engage in an alternate behavior. Ideally, we would make this a routine. If TV watching time is let's say every evening at 6 PM, let's take him on a walk prior to that, give him plenty of opportunities to engage in several activities he loves, and then, he's sent to this area or tethered with something he loves. This doesn't necessarily mean that you'll need to fill him up with treats, you can take advantage of his need to eat nourishing food by stuffing a Kong with his evening portion of wet kibble, freeze it and give it to him to enjoy when it's TV watching time, at least to break this cycle of rehearsing problematic behaviors. This could mean making some sacrifices at first, such as coordinating TV time to when it's his dinnertime or when he's tired and most likely to nap after chewing on something or maybe watching TV in bed using a smartphone or tablet when he's sleeping at night in his crate, but most behavior intervention plans require some level of change in the ways we interact with our dogs to evoke changes in them as well. This is management: in other words it helps break the cycle, but your dog would really need to learn to engage in an alternate behavior such as lying quietly on a mat when watching TV with a stuffed Kong. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/train-dog-go-to-mat/ This would need to be trained first outside of the problematic setting (not when watching TV, but in other settings when he is chill) at a fluent enough level before asking him to do so when sitting down in front of the TV (if that's the common event that sets his behavior). The use of an indoor tether (clipped to the back ring of a harness) and the strategic placement of a Kong on the mat may further help him make good choices, especially in the initial stages. Since he's biting and breaking skin, I highly recommend working along with a dog behavior professional who can guide your through the process for correct implementation and safety. Some cases can be very difficult to treat. It may be difficult to interrupt a dog's behavior, or maybe he bites too hard and this makes him more likely to bite (when in fear we may move which dogs interpret as interaction). You need to therefore make safety top priority. Look for a reputable dog behavior professional (like a board-certified veterinary behaviorist) or a dog trainer with years of behavior consulting under the belt and using force-free methods. Sometimes, dogs may need medications to be under threshold enough to allow them the opportunity to learn better coping skills and better frustration tolerance. I also suggest muzzle training him since it sounds like he may not have much bite inhibition. Since he's a Frenchie, he will need a special muzzle designed for brachycephalic dog breeds. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/train-your-dog-to-wear-a-muzzle/ It's important to note that a muzzle doesn't stop a dog from acting in aggressive ways. Putting a muzzle on an aggressive/rough biting dog without working on the underlying issue is looking for trouble. Even though the dog can't bite, he will still be emotionally charged and he may get to rehearse reactive/aggressive/undesirable behaviors such as growling, snarling and lunging. 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 while in the background steps are taken to train an alternate behavior. If he's barking on walks, you would need to determine what evokes the barking and work around that. Here is a general guide on reducing reactivity on walks: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/how-to-make-your-dog-less-reactive-on-walks/ Notice how several steps are similar to changing the behavior when sitting on the couch. You may therefore need to walk him away from the RV park or stop on purpose by some nature trail areas where you can walk him where there are no triggers and his barking doesn't bother others. If you're worried about calories when training your dog, here are ways to dramatically reduce them: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/worried-about-calories-8-ways-to-train-without-over-feeding-your-dog/ I hope this helps. Looking forward to your responses to get a better insight on his triggers. 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.

You're very welcome, You're doing a wonderful job considering how comfortable he's getting in the yard already. Keep up the great work! Keep us posted on how things go!

If you want to get started on potty training we have a new course here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/advanced-potty-training/ Other common puppy problems are listed here if you scroll down to the puppy section: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/ And of course, if you need help on a particular problem, we can always do some troubleshooting here. I hope this helps, Happy Training!

Hi there! Welcome to the forums, Congrats on your new puppy! I am sorry to hear you are confused! We have a structured course on this page if you want to follow it through systematically, starting from scratch in obedience training: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/ But you are free to start some brain games, at least the preschool/elementary ones. If you click on the "getting started tab" at the top you will have access to what will be needed and some basic info to get started.

Hi Brian, welcome to the forums! How lovely that you rescued a street dog from Mexico, what a lucky fellow! I am glad to hear that he's great around the kids and super smart. The behavior of pooping only on walks isn't that unusual in a street dog. If we think about, these dogs are used to having access to lots of space and may wander from one area to another. I have studied the behavior of some street dogs on some remote islands in Italy, and they often don't poop around the town (where they are fed and sleep), but go to more remote areas where other dogs poop. Their territories are quire large! It may take some persuasion to get these dogs used to using a yard to poop if they have a history of wandering a lot for most of their lives, but we can surely take some steps to make the process a little easier. It's important to use some strategies that are effective, but without using the 'tough luck" approach, where the dog is kept in the yard until he poops, which can cause significant discomfort, especially if a dog is really determined to hold it for as long as he can. Here are some tips/ideas that come to mind: -Check Your Dog's Substrate Preference Many dogs develop a substrate preference (a preferred surface on which to eliminate) and seek this substrate out when they need to poop. So when your dog poops on walks, pay attention where your dog poops. Is your dog going mostly on grass, gravel, leaves, sand, cement? If you notice a pattern, try to see if you can recreate this surface in the yard. -Place Poop in the Yard I see that you have already tried to place his poop in the yard, and it appears to have not worked well. What if we place though some poop from other dogs. This may be gross, but if you have a friend with a dog who is healthy and regularly dewormed, it may be worth a try. As you may already know, dogs use their pee and poop as business cards to advertise their age, sex, diet and territories, so it may happen that upon detect a foreign dog's poop, your dog may find a little more incentive to poop in the yard. -Change the Routine Some dogs can sometimes get stuck on a routine. For example, if you walk your dog every day at 8AM and 4PM and your dog poops at those times in the same exact spot, this can soon become an ingrained habit. So this tip is if your dog is always pooping approximately at the same times each days and in the same place. It may therefore help to shift things around and start changing the routine and places your dog is walked. For example, rather than walking your dog at 4 PM (if that's the time he usually poops on walks), try moving it closer to 4:30 and then walk your dog in a different area from where he poops. The goals of this are twofold: letting him learn to poop in different areas, or even better, letting him hold it until he can no longer take it and then letting him go to the yard. In the first case, letting him poop in a different area can help him generalize his behavior so that he starts learning to poop in different places, which is a step forward compared to a dog who sticks to the same area. If he poops in a new place, it's worth it to praise and reward him for a treat. If he doesn't poop on the walk to different place, hopefully, by the time you head home, the need to poop has grown impellent enough that he'll poop on the way back closer to home, or even better, in the yard. If he does, praise and reward with a treat you have kept in your pocket. Play Fetch in the Yard Walking and running stimulates a dog's colon which helps trigger a dog to poop. My female Rottweiler was very sensitive to this. Every time I walked her, she would poop up to three times on a walks, but if the weather was bad and she stayed at home, she would poop only once. Getting your dog to play fetch can sometimes provide enough exercise to stimulate the dog to poop. If you notice him at some point, wandering away from the game, let him be, as that may be a sign he needs to poop! Be ready to praise lavishly and reward with some treats from your pocket (always keep them handy!). -Long Walks in the Yard Try to walk your dog repeatedly on leash in the yard back and forth allowing him to sniff around. Aim to stay out for 10 minutes and then take your dog back inside. Watch him very carefully when indoors as he may have an accident in the house. Then take him out again, rinsing and repeated as often as necessary. If your dog eventually goes, praise, reward again and then unleash him to go explore in the yard, or take him on walk-anything he loves to leave a long-lasting impression. -Train a Go Potty Cue Here is how to train it: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/advanced-potty-training/potty-on-command/ Use it on walks for the time being just so that your dog knows what it means and makes the association between the word, going potty and the praise and rewards. Do this all the time and aim for getting your dog to poop in different areas on walks. Then play with your dog in the yard, walk him nearby the house back and forth, then in the yard and start saying the "go potty cue" in hopes of him understanding what is being asked. If he goes then take him on a walk so that he knows great things happen after he poops and doesn't fall into the mindset of "the longer I keep it, the longer the walk." This may take a while to master, especially in a street dog who was used to just go where and when he wanted, so be patient. I hope this helps, Happy Training! Best, Adrienne

Hi there! I was wondering how things were going with Loki! I am glad to hear that all is going well! WOW, he's so handsome😍 his coat is amazing and eyes are so bright. He looks happy and confident. How lucky you are to have each other and that your lives intertwined! Cheers! Adrienne

Hi Helen, Welcome to the forums! Thank you so kindly for rescuing a greyhound, that is wonderful! Based on her breed and her reaction to the cat, I am assuming her predatory drive must have kicked in and this has made her restless. Sighthounds were selectively bred for chasing (and sometimes killing small prey) so they are very visually stimulated and any small fluffy animals can make them go into "overdrive." Sometimes, even small dogs can cause them to get into "predatory mode" and they may bark at them in hopes of getting them to move around so they can be chased. It may also be possible there may be some element of fear at play as she didn't expect to see a cat there out of the blue and this unsettled her. In any case, in these cases, it's best to not let her rehearse the problematic behavior and become obsessed about it. The good thing is that you know that her reaction is most significant at night, and if the cat is there, so I would suggest when you need to take her out, during the day and during the night, to use your leash and take her the farthest away from the window. If the window is right by your door exit and is inevitable, I would try to walk from the front door if that's feasible. If that's not an option, then before taking her out I would do a quick check alone to see if the cat is there or not, so to at least lower the chances for her to see her there. This is to prevent rehearsal of the problematic behavior. When dogs get to rehearse problematic behaviors, this ultimately causes them to become more and more established, and habit forming. Management is therefore important. However, since you have a neighbor with a cat, we can't go through the avoidance route forever, it will be inevitable that at some time or another Misty will see that cat again, so I would say, let's take some steps turn this situation into a teaching opportunity to polish her impulse control and make her less likely to go over threshold. So while implementing management to prevent rehearsal, in the meanwhile, I would suggest working on creating a solid response to the smacking sound: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/the-airplane-game/the-smacking-sound/ that results in several high value treats being tossed on the ground for your dog to find. You can also add the cue 'find it!" when the treats fall to the ground making it an extra fun game. Once she starts reliably looking at you for treats upon making the smacking sound, you can start working on some impulse control exercises by gradually adding in some distractions. For example, you can start with having a helper use a stuffed animal and showing it a distance, and practicing getting her to respond to your smacking sound followed by treats tossed, then, raise criteria (add a little step of more difficulty), now the helper may start moving the stuffed animal around as you practice more the smacking sound, then, further raise criteria, have your helper attach a string to the stuffed animal and start dragging it around or you can practice running a remote controlled car and training her not to chase it by making the smacking sound and tossing some treats. If at anytime, you notice that Misty is having difficulty responding to your smacking sound or "leave it" cue, as she gets hyper-vigilant, take that as a sign that you have progressed too quickly at a level she wasn't ready for, so lower your criteria and go back a step or two making the exercise easier (adding less movement, increasing distance) and work at that level more and then gradually raise criteria again. So if you see the cat by the window, start with easy exercises, such as with the cat at a distance and stationary and Misty on leash. Choose a distance from which your greyhound is well under threshold. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/ Start making your smacking sound, once your greyhound looks at you, praise and reward by tossing several treats to the ground for her to go after. Rinse and repeat and then gradually raise criteria (cat is closer, cat is walking, cat is running). You can then do exercises by having her sit or lie down, and just look at the cat and turn her head towards when you make the smacking sound. The goal is to keep her under threshold and get her into a responsive state versus become hyper focused and barking. Do this exercise on leash so that your greyhound doesn't get to rehearse any problematic behaviors such as pacing near the window, or trying to chase the cat, which is highly rewarding and can quickly undo all your hard work. I would also do some flirt pole work. Wiggle a flirt pole around, with your dog in a down stay and remind her to "leave it" then tell her to "get it!" Once she gets a hold of it and has played with it for a bit, ask her to "drop it" and rinse and repeat several times. This exercise helps your greyhound learn some good impulse control, while giving her a legit outlet for her prey drive. Here are the guides on leave it and drop it: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/take-leave-it/ https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/drop-it/ Impulse control games come also handy overall as part of training: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/10-impulse-control-games-for-dogs/ You can also practice impulse control by having treats being placed in front of her and telling her to "leave it" until you then give permission to "go!" The bottom line is that the ultimate goal is lowering our dog's arousal levels, by keeping them under threshold and making the association that upon seeing the cat, food appears from us so that it's no longer "see-cat/get aroused/bark/chase but see cat/look to owner for food. This requires lots of practice and it may take a little longer to get a responsive state from this breed, especially in those who were used for racing or who have a past history of chasing critters for some time. Something important to consider is that, we can't expect to train a dog to not ever chase a cat or critter if the dog is sent out in the yard alone. Left to their own devices, their strong instincts will kick in and they will quickly revert back to undesirable behaviors. Hopefully, your neighbor doesn't let the cat out in the yard as that becomes more labor intensive versus just seeing a stationary cat by a window. I hope this helps, Keep us posted on how things go! Best, Adrienne

You are very welcome! Charlie is in great hands, he is so lucky to have such a dedicated and concerned owner as you. You recognized the issue early and he's so young, so he should bounce back as you keep on making all those positive things happens. Have fun with him! Best, Adrienne

Hi Kim, thank you so much for the extra details! They are very helpful. So in this case, we are dealing with what is known in technical terms as a 'poisoned cue.' Basically, if day after day, you call your dog when you need to apply ear drops, and your dog dreads this activity, you may notice your dog will start walking towards you very, very slowly and tentatively or may decide to avoid coming to you altogether. Worse case scenario: the dog will be hiding somewhere or missing in action. To remedy the situation, you will have to 1) train a new recall that you will use exclusively for pleasant things, 2) find alternate ways to calling when you need to carry out the unpleasant task 3) make your ultimate goal making the task more pleasant. Let's delve a little bit deeper on this: -Find An Alternate to Calling When you need to clean your dog's ears, you will have to get quite creative so to find a way to get ahold of your dog without using an cues. You need to be vary careful because dogs have the uncanny ability to associate one event with another. For example, if you show a bag a treats and your dog comes rushing towards you, eats the treat and then as he's eating, you air lift him on your lap to have his ears treated, chances are high next time you open that bag of treats, he'll be reluctant to come to you. It may therefore help to break the associations between one event and another, however, this should be only short-term as the ultimate goal is to make the ear treatment less dreadful to the dog (we will see how in the next section). -Break the Chain of Events How can you break the associations between one event and another? By avoiding predictability and changing the events leading to the treatment. - For example, you may one day grab the leash, clip it to your dog's collar and right by the door treat his ear (trying to make it as pleasant as possible) praise and immediately going on a walk. -The next day, you may have guests over, and as he's greeting, you may quickly treat his ear and then return him to greeting the guests. -The following day, you may take him on a car ride, and before he goes meet his friends at the dog park, you may treat his ears. Remember: the ultimate goal is creating positive associations with the ear treatment which is discussed below -Create Positive Associations Since you are forced to treat your dog's ears, you might as well do everything possible to make the treatment the least aversive as possible to your dog. You can accomplish this by taking some time in creating positive associations with the whole treatment plan. For example, you can start by presenting the ear drop bottle and feeding your dog a treat for looking at it. Rinse and repeat several times. Next, raise criteria and give a treat when your dog sniffs the bottle. Next, start touching the edge of your dog's ear, and feed a treat. Touch-treat, touch-treat, touch-treat several times. Next, touch your dog's ear a little more. Touch-treat, touch-treat, touch-treat several times. Next, pretend to touch your dog's ear as if about to put the drops, but without doing so. Touch-treat, touch-treat, touch-treat several times. Next, start touching the edge of your dog's ear with the closed bottle, and feed a treat. Touch-treat, touch-treat, touch-treat several times. Next, pretend to touch your dog's ear as if about to put the drops with the bottle, but without doing so. Touch-treat, touch-treat, touch-treat several times. Next, instill a drop into the canal and massage the ear as you happily praise and drop several treats to the ground(jackpot!) always praising your dog lavishly like if he's the done the best thing ever and he's the best doggy in the world. It's very important that you watch your dog closely for signs of stress https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/signs-fear-stress-dogs/ and work at your dog's level of comfort and watch for signs of him going over threshold: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/ Remember to break the task down into smaller parts as needed and to progress very gradually, always working at a level that causes the less stress to your dog using a desensitization approach: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/desensitization/ Aim to creative lots of positive associations using counterconditioning: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/counterconditioning/ See if you can eventually get a positive conditioned emotional response: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/conditioned-emotional-response-cer/ I worked with a Pomeranian who dreaded being brushed, and by using these methods after a couple of weeks, as soon as she saw the brush, she would leap on the couch for being groomed (and all the associated tasty treats). I made this "our special time," and made it extra salient by initially not giving her much of this special attention at other times. -Inform Your Dog What's About to Happen Once your dog appears calmer with the whole treatment plan and starts showing signs of tolerating the procedure or even enjoying some parts of it, you may add a cue word that informs your dog what is about to happen. You can say something that exudes something happy is about to happen such as "cuddle times" or "treat party!" However, this many not be necessarily needed as there may be other cues at play (such as getting the ear drop bottle and sitting in a particular spot), as it happened with the Pom I worked with where just seeing the brush informed her of what was happening next, but it can turn helpful for us in remembering to create lots of positive vibes. *Use this cue only once your dog is giving clear signs of doing better, if you use it when your dog seems to still struggle, this can become poisoned too just as the recall. -Act Calm and Confident Dogs are masters in detecting our emotions when we are nervous about something. It is therefore important that we stay calm and confident when administering those ear drops to your dog. Your dog will likely pick up these positive emotions and should feel more at ease and comfortable. -Train a New Recall Cue Since your former recall has been "poisoned" it's important to introduce a new cue so that you can start from fresh. Train it from scratch starting in a quiet, low-distraction environment and make it extra fun, praising and giving treats when he rushes to you. Take advantage of your poodle loving his food and toys, by calling him when you need to feed him or give him a new toy. Then start calling him as you hold the food bowl or toy behind your back and surprise him with once he rushes towards you. You recall exercise seems good, but I would aim to set him for success so to lower as much as possible the chances of him ignoring you. Every time we are ignored, we risk weakening our recall a bit. Outside may be a little too distracting, but if you have always given the ear drops indoors, it can be the best option for now, although I would suggest starting in a neutral indoor room where ear drops were never applied (I like to use the hallway). Having a helper hold him gently can help build some anticipation as you call him happily kneeling down at the opposite end. If your pup doesn't seem too motivated, you can try running to the opposite end so that you can time your recall with when your pup starts showing signs of wanting to rush towards you. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/recall/ This is the method I generally use, but of course, use whatever works best for you to get your pup rushing to you. Every pup is different, so we need to consider here several individual factors, such as whether your husband holding him can make your pup think he's being restrained for ear treatment? If so, we would need to work more on restrain (collar grabs) and handling exercises: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/exercises-to-teach-puppies-to-tolerate-touch/ So stick to what seems to work best in getting your pup rushing to you and protect this new recall cue, by using it only and exclusively for pleasant things. If you need your pup's immediately attention and you're not sure if he'll come, rather than risk your recall going to deaf ears, try running away and once your pup reaches you, praise and give treats. Playing hide and seek can also be a great bonding game for when he's getting good at his recall again. Since your pup is young and likely hasn't mastered a strong stay yet, have a helper hold him as you hide starting in very easy places. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/university/hide-and-seek/ What if I need to call my dog for an unpleasant task? Use your alternative options to calling for when you need to do the unpleasant task for the time being, but again, your ultimate goal is creating positive associations with the the ear treatment/unpleasant task. -Look for a fear-free vet clinic Once you have worked so hard to create positive associations with the ear treatment, make sure you protect all your hard work by taking him to vets and groomers who adhere to the "fear-free movement" and take steps to make vet visits and grooming sessions more pleasant for dogs. All our hard work can be easily undone if a vet or groomer handles our pups roughly and just one incident can be enough (it's called single-event learning). I hope this helps with your poodle and that you can soon restore your wonderful relationship! Keep us posted on how things go. Happy training! Best, Adrienne

You're very welcome! Keep us posted on how it goes, and post here if you need any help.

Hi there, Welcome to the forums! I am sorry to hear that this ear infection and its associated treatment has put a dent into your training and your pup has developed trust issues. This is a tough situation because treatment is important and our pups don't understand it's for their own good. To better understand the situation, I have a few questions: -Have you been calling your pup when you have to give the ear drops? -Is the ear infection gone now, or do you still have to administer ear drops? -Does he act distrustful/wary of you in other contexts other than when you call him? Like is he wary of you moving towards him or petting him? When you have to feed him, does he come rushing to you? When you have a toy to give him will he readily approach? Will he readily chase you if you run away? Does he go on walks with you? Does he play with you? Are you the only one involved in the ear treatment or are other family members involved? Thanks!

Hi there, Welcome to the forums! Potty training takes time, so it's not totally unexpected for a young pup to have accidents here and there. It definitely doesn't take just a few days or a couple of weeks to fully potty train a puppy. If she is being left alone in the yard, there may be chances that she doesn't go potty when outside as there are likely too many distractions going on. I would suggest always accompanying her on leash until she goes potty and teaching her to go potty on cue: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/advanced-potty-training/potty-on-command/ Once she goes potty outside, then you can take off the leash and let her explore and play in the yard and be free for some time once back inside, but always keeping an eye on her. A young puppy as such should also not have the full run of the house. Keep her where you can always keep an eye on her so that she doesn't sneak away in another room to go potty. More about this is discussed here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/advanced-potty-training/potty-training/#wheretokeepyourpuppyduringtraining Make sure to clean the areas she has peed with an enzyme-based odor neutralizer such as Nature's Miracle. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/advanced-potty-training/potty-training/#usingtherightproducts The main potty training section for teaching a puppy to go potty outside is here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/advanced-potty-training/training-your-dog-to-go-outdoors/ The whole potty training supercharged course is must read for all new puppy owners. I know there's a lot of info there, but it can help set your puppy up for success: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/advanced-potty-training/ I hope this helps, Happy training! Best, Adrienne

I perfectly understand your concerns, they are very valid, especially with the surge of separation anxiety cases associated with the pandemic and owners staying at home more and then suddenly going to work. It has been estimated that separation anxiety affects 20 to 40 percent of dogs referred to North American animal behavior practices and these numbers may be higher now. However, although widespread, separation anxiety in dogs isn't always diagnosed correctly. There are several cases that may mimic separation anxiety, when in reality dogs are affected by something else. Board-certified veterinary behaviorist Dr. Meredith Stepita in her series of articles on Separation Anxiety: the Great Imitator, lists several other causes of behavior that might be confused for separation anxiety. Therefore there are chances that many dogs that show signs of separation anxiety may be dealing with something else. When true cases of separation anxiety though appear, we are often left to wonder what may have precipitated its onset. Research from veterinarian Gerrard Flannigan, board-certified veterinary behaviorist Dr. Nicholas H. Dodman lists several potential causes that may not be exclusive and that may even overlap. Several potential causes of separation anxiety in dogs listed include the following: Enduring a traumatic experience when the dog is left alone Formation of a pathological attachment to the the owner Changes in family circumstances (divorce) Genetic predispositions Dog separation anxiety specialist Dr. Malena De Martini, in her book: "Treating Separation Anxiety in Dogs" adds several other contributing factors. Dogs with a history of being rehomed multiple times Illness during puppyhood A dog never being left alone The loss of a family member (human or animal) Moving to a new home Owners being at home most of the time and then suddenly starting to work (as it has happened during the pandemic) Noise phobias Old age There's not much research done to see whether there is a possible correlation between dogs sleeping in the same room with their owners and the onset of separation anxiety. We do have though some research about dogs sleeping on the owner's bed, which has prompted the advice of not letting dogs share the bed due to this risk for separation anxiety. The advice of not letting a dog sleep on the bed due to the risk for the onset of separation anxiety is something that has been promulgated by several books, online articles and dog trainers. This belief has likely stemmed from the fear of dogs developing a dysfunctional hyper attachment to their owners due to the closeness when sharing the bed may bring. If we think about this closely, this advice doesn't sound too off the mark. After all, the formation of a pathological attachment to the owner is listed as a contributing factor, which makes us wonder whether sleeping on the bed may create a too strong bond and codependency. Can sleeping on the bed cause dogs to become so bonded to their owners that being left alone becomes intolerable? Research by veterinarian Gerrard Flannigan and board-certified veterinary behaviorist Dr. Nicholas H. Dodman clearly state that activities associated with spoiling dogs such as allowing the dog on the bed or feeding the dog from the table were not found to be linked with separation anxiety in dogs. You can access this research here (there is a download available for the full text). https://www.researchgate.net/publication/11827860_Risk_factors_and_behaviors_associated_with_separation_anxiety_in_dogs This overall appears to be good news for owners of dogs who love to cuddle and share their bed with a furry companion. However, the research also revealed that dogs with separation anxiety were found to be particularly clingy, being 3 times more likely to follow their owner excessively and being almost 4 times more likely to exhibit excited greeting behaviors lasting over 2 to 3 minutes. What does this potentially insinuate? It insinuates that, if your dog sleeps in bed with you and follows you around all day long, struggling when you're in another room to the point that you can't even use the restroom in private, he may benefit from learning to become more independent and part of that may include teaching him to sleep on his own bed. After all, this makes sense, if a dog can't tolerate being away from us for even a second, how can we expect them to to tolerate being left alone a couple of hours when we need to buy groceries or even 6 to 9 hours when we have to go to work? This though doesn't mean letting our dogs sleep in a cold basement all alone. It just means that one should aim to gradually work on fostering in the dog more independence by initially letting him learn to sleep on his bed/crate on the floor and if one desires, the bed/crate can be gradually moved further away. Of course, this is done very gradually without causing stress. Owners of such dogs may also want to take steps to teach the dog to be less clingy. Several tips on how to accomplish this can be found in this article: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/general-guidelines-for-clingy-dogs-dogs-with-separation-anxiety/ So in your case, I guess in the big scheme of things, the big question is: how is Teddy doing over all? Have you ever recorded his behavior when you leave the home? Looking at the video can give you an insight on how Teddy is really doing when left alone. Generally at the age of 5 months, pups are prone to becoming more independent compared to the prior months when they used to shadow us and possibly cry when being left alone.

Hi there! This is a very good question, the answer to this though is not super easy as we may need a little more research. So basically, it boils down to this: Many trainers and behavior professionals have advised not to make a great deal of greeting dogs when coming back home due to the fact that it may increase the saliency of our presence. In other words, if we party with our dogs when we come back home, it makes things appear dull when we are away and super fun when we come back creating too much contrast between our absence and presence. This belief has likely stemmed from some studies. McGreevy and Masters (2008) found that dogs that engaged in game playing with their owner in the first 30 minutes of the owner arriving home was correlated with higher separation-related behavior scores. Appleby and Pluijmakers (2004), further suggested that leaving and returning rituals of owners can reinforce anxiety. This has led to the common recommendation of ignoring the dog before departures or on arrival, and only interacting with the dog when calm (King et al., 2000) Ignoring the dog has therefore often been recommended to produce, “low arousal” departures and arrivals from the home, for the purpose of creating a calm environment before and after owner absence (e.g. Schwartz, 2003). However, correlation does not imply causation. According to a recent study, the results QUOTED "indicate that high excitement and playful levels of owners during departures and arrivals is not associated with the development of increased separation-related behavior in newly adopted dogs. It is important to make the distinction, however, that low arousal departures and arrivals are a well-documented treatment for separation-related behavior, and our results only reflect that these arousal levels do not appear to play a causal role in the development of an increased frequency of them." "Based on the results of this study, intensity of departures and greetings may not be correlated with separation anxiety, and it may not be necessary to advise owners to ignore their dog when leaving and returning home; however, further research including video-recorded observation of newly adopted dogs when owners leave and return—is warranted," points out veterinary behaviorist Dr. Katherine A. Houpt. Here is a link to this latest study: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1558787820300460?via%3Dihub

Thanks for the extra details, very helpful! Bluey is such a pretty pup, I love the pattern of his colors! With such a cutesy face, it's hard to imagine him turning into a green-eyed monster, I know right? I have to give you credit though, Aussies during puppyhood (just like Australian cattle dogs) have a rep for being little landsharks. We can't blame them though, these pups were originally bred to work on farms and ranches with the purpose of herding livestock such as sheep and cattle. As you are already aware, with a history of herding, these dogs are very attracted to movement, so this means they'll find chasing cars, bikes, joggers, cats, children and our arms, feet and legs, irresistible. On top of this, they're hypersensitive to lights, shadows, sounds and motions which makes nipping feet or legs their favorite pastime. It's therefore not unusual for us to struggle walking from point A to point B without having a landshark puppy attached to our legs! It also doesn't help that these pups are very energetic. The biggest challenge therefore that comes with living with these pups in modern settings, is teaching them how to relax and take it easy in their roles as pets versus eighteen-hour day workaholics on the farm. The fact you have a 50-acre cattle ranch though makes him super duper lucky! To reduce your Australian Shepherd's puppy biting, you will need to take a multifaceted approach, tackling the issue from a variety of angles. In many cases, the biting starts as a result of teething. Teething in puppies generally takes place between the ages of 2 and 7 months. When a puppy's adult teeth start erupting, the process of them cutting through the gums causes discomfort which is relieved by chewing. When these puppies bite, it feels good (especially cloth and fabric), and therefore there is some good level of internal reinforcement at play. However, on top of this, there are chances that other reinforcers are at play when nipping such as attention and interaction from owners and carrying out instinctive behaviors causing the behavior to persist. You may therefore have to implement a combination of strategies to reduce the biting behavior. Following are some tips: -Provide lots of age-appropriate toys of different textures and rotate them so to keep his interest alive. -Use barriers such as baby gates so that you can walk away from him when he's in "green-monster" mode. -Provide teething toys that can help him during the teething stage (make sure they're specifically crafted for teething puppies) -Aim to train him to sit, hand target and lie down so that you can use these cues to gain some control when you see him approaching you with an intent to bite -When you must walk in the yard, try to freeze in your tracks and stop walking/moving ignoring him totally. Imagine turning into a lamppost! Many pups will lose interest as they're after the "resistance" we provide when moving as that allows them to play tug and latch even more. If it's difficult to freeze due the painful nips, it may help to wear tall Wellington boots and extra padding on the knee area. -Provide a new routine in the yard for that 6:30 outing that prevents him from thinking about nipping you, such as doing some fun treasure hunts https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/elementary/the-treasure-hunt/, letting him play with a Bubble machine (yes, there are bubble machines made just for dogs that blow bacon-flavored bubbles) or giving him a food puzzle to focus on (Kong Wobbler, stuffed Kong). - I would highly suggest carrying a portion of his kibble mixed with treats in a pocket or treat bag and work on engaging him in some replacement behaviors. Here are several replacement behaviors that can be life savers with nippy pups: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/replacement-behaviors-to-stop-puppy-biting/ You also want to train him to be more gentle with his mouth: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/train-dog-take-treats-gently/ Engage him in some bite inhibition games: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/bite-inhibition-games/ Get him used to being handled and touched: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/exercises-to-teach-puppies-to-tolerate-touch/ and keep that brain busy with training, brain games and some impulse control games: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/10-impulse-control-games-for-dogs/ and don't forget the importance of socialization as the time is ticking!: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/socializing-your-puppy/ Here are tips for pups who bite on the leash in case this starts to become a problem: I hope this helps! Keep us posted on how things go. Happy training! Best, Adrienne

Hi there! Welcome to the forums! Is Bluey biting when walking him on a leash or just regularly as you walk around the house/yard? If on walks, does he also try to bite the leash?

LOL! 😅😂🤣

OK, I can see why you are concerned about the rough playing behavior. If this happens when you would like to watch TV/take naps, it may help shifting your dog's routines, where TV-watching time/nap time is coordinated with your dog's quiet time. Have both dogs in an area to chill (separated from one another) with a stuffed Kong so that they aren't roughhousing around the house. I am glad to hear that there haven't been any fights, and that your puppy goes back to play if removed as that tells us he's not particularly intimidated by your poodle's play style. Yet, you are right that we don't want things to escalate. In regards to the rough play, you will have to work on a good recall, just like Jennifer pointed out, catching them *before* things escalate too much as which point they may be too focused on each other to listen. This of course will take some point to master to reach this level, however, you can also practice having your dogs attain a fluent response to the smacking sound https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/the-airplane-game/the-smacking-sound/ that tells them to rush to you for some tasty treats. You can give then give them some chill time in the yard, by tossing some of the treats around for a fun treasure hunt game. Sometimes, providing the dogs with a long tug toy can make for a calmer play session (less chances for grabbing ears). If one dog is lying down and the other approaches to start mounting, then a firm "leave it" https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/take-leave-it/ possibly enforced by you body-blocking (getting in the line of his/her approach to prevent access to your other dog) can help. You may need to be very repetitive in this (in other words, more "stubborn" than the dog), especially at first, but eventually the message should come across that when a dog is lying down no further play/interaction or pushy mounting is allowed. With some dogs who are very persistent, I use "off" rather than leave it as it has a bit more of a salient sound (sort of like a woof!). Of course, consistency (though close supervision and swift intervention) is paramount as if we allow the dog to sometimes approach/mount and other times not, the behavior will be put on a variable reinforcement schedule which means we have not only allowed rehearsal of the problematic behavior, but also persistence to pay off.

Thanks for the extra details, very helpful! So let's start with the ignoring during the recalls. In this case, we need to evaluate why that may be happening. As Jennifer pointed out, we need to constantly compete with the environment and find ways to make ourselves more salient than anything else. This is a life-time training ordeal and it has also a lot to do with relationship-building. Here are just some pointers to evaluate (not all of these may apply to your dog) -Too Many Distractions Dogs are blessed with strong senses and a natural curiosity which causes them to become easily distracted by things in their environment. We can't blame them after all: if we look back into our dog's histories we will notice how most of them were selectively bred to work along with humans for some sort of task such as using their eyes, ears and noses to hunt down animals or alerting us about the presence of intruders. Poodles were selectively bred as water retrievers. This means they were very attentive to the sight and scent of waterfowl. In the past a dog's overall alertness and attentiveness to her surroundings were extremely prized attributes, whereas, nowadays, we want our dogs to ignore just about anything and pay attention exclusively to us. It is therefore not an easy task to have dogs tune out things after selectively breeding them for the total opposite! This paradigm shift from worker to companion seems to have negatively impacted how we relate with our dogs, instilling in us higher expectations that can lead to frustration and resentment. We therefore need to give our dogs some credit for struggling to pay attention to us when there are birds, squirrels or rabbits scurrying around! -Fear and Anxiety If a dog doesn't feel safe and secure in his environment, he may be too over threshold to pay attention to you. This is a survival mechanism. When your dog is scared of something, he is fearing for his life, and therefore, a good portion of his brain will be focused on what matters the most: getting out of a situation safely. For sake of an example, getting your dog to listen to you when he's is uneasy about his surroundings is like asking a person who is phobic about heights to solve a math problem when on the last floor of a skyscraper. Cannot compute! -Playfulness Some dogs are so absorbed by their playing that they filter out their owners because they are having too much fun. This is often the case of dogs who are having a bout of zoomies as they're sprinting around the yard or dogs who are engaging in rowdy dog play with other dogs. It's like children who don't hear their mom calling them to let them know it's time for dinner when the kids are too focused outside playing a game of soccer. -Lack of Trust If you have called your dog in the past for things that your dog didn't like, you can rest assured that your dog will become tentative about approaching you. For example, if every time you call your dog at the dog park, you put the leash on him and leave, your dog will come to associate his recall with leaving which is perceived as punishment if he loves playing with his friends. If you call your dog only to give him a bath or trim his nails (and he hates those things), you also risk him associating these often negatively-perceived activities with his name. -Lack of Training One of the most common reasons why dogs ignore our recalls is because the dog has not received sufficient training. Coming when called is something that must be worked on for the dog's lifetime, as mentioned, it's a relationship building skill that gets better and better, the more you build a bond with your dog. It must be started from a young age ( ideally before the dog becomes adolescent) and trained in a variety of different settings and scenarios using the highest rewards so as to help the dog generalize it and become as responsive as possible. -Lack of Generalization If your dog listens to you at home and comes to you immediately when asked to, but then puts on his deaf ears at the dog park, she's likely not engaging in stubborn selective hearing. Most likely, she just hasn't learned the cue to come to you well enough to apply it to the park where there are loads of distractions going on. When you train a dog, in order to learn to respond to the cue well, it's important that she is taught to do so in a variety of places and around different distractions. The process is called proofing and once we have fluent responses to cues it's known as "stimulus control." In order to attain all of this, you need to gradually incorporate challenges such as adding distance and distractions. When a dog is trained to come when called or any other cue, it's important to initially start in a quiet area at home, then in the yard, then in fenced area, and then at a park with no dogs around/prey animals around before expecting the dog to respond in a park full or dogs are where there are critters. All this is done very gradually. If you just go straight from training in the home to the dog park, you would likely set your dog for failure. When you notice that your dog has difficulty responding to cues in a certain area, it helps to do a little troubleshooting. Maybe the dog isn't ready for that level of distraction, so you need to increase distance from the distraction, until you get more reliable results from that distance. Maybe you need to rely on higher value treats for that specific scenario. -Stuck in the Bribery Trap Does your dog come when called when you are waving a cookie or holding a ball, but ignores you when you don't have those items with you? If so, you may be stuck in the bribery trap. When we are waving a cookie or ball, we are sort of telling the dog, "Look what you get if you come here!" This is really not a biggie until that day we are caught for some reason without the ball. The same goes with presenting food, if we are stuck showing food to get the dog to come, we may be in deep trouble that day if we forgot to carry food. This is why we always want to fade lures such as food and toys gradually. So it's important to build up a strong recall where the dog comes when called, and then once he reaches us, we can then grab that food out of our pockets or show the a new toy or bully stick we hid behind our backs. Sometimes, we might not have anything with us to reinforce, but can use lots of praise, pats, let the dog chase us for a bit etc. for those occasional times we are caught off guard. As seen, there are several reasons why your dog may ignore you when you call her. Doing some troubleshooting to identify the underlying issue is important. Following are several tips for more successful recalls. 1. Start Easy Start by working in areas with little distractions. Your home's hallway may be a nice place to start. Gradually add distance and distractions. Baby steps. If your dog ever gives signs of struggling, she might not be ready for training at that level yet. Take a few steps back. If you primarily struggle with when critters are around practice setups that stimulate some prey drive, but in controlled settings. For example, you can practice recalls as a friend bounces a ball around, as a friend tosses rocks in field (mimicking the sound of critters in the fields), as your friend drags a stuffed animal tied to a string, as your friend manipulates a remote controlled car. You may have to run around a bit too to grab your dog's attention and make it fun to chase you and then reward with treats once she catches up. 2. Never Scold Your Dog! Let's say you call your dog, she doesn't come at first and then she finally does. You are mad at her for not listening the first time, so you scold her upon coming to you. This basically is the easiest way to teach your dog not to come anymore. Another common instance is when you catch your dog doing something bad and you call her to you in an upset tone of voice. The dog reads your anger or frustration and feels afraid to come to us. These are examples of the easiest ways to adversely affect your recall, in some cases even permanently. You do not want this to happen, keep your recalls always on a positive note. 3. Leave a Strong Impression Call your dog with an enthusiastic tone of voice and praise her lavishly as you offer a jackpot of treats tossed to the ground or feeding them one by one. If your dog loves her meals, let her out and wait for her to get a little bored of sniffing around. Then call her inside and let her find his food bowl already on the floor for her. When you have a new toy or a bone, hide it behind your back and call your dog to you and then praise and give the toy or bone. Be generous! Stingy rewards lead to lukewarm recalls. Find what your dog loves and provide it to reinforce your dog's recall. You want your dog's name to become music for her ears, hopefully to the point that she'll keep her ears always ready in hopes that you will call her to you. 4. Keep it Sweet and Fun Don't make your recall training sessions too long, as dogs can get drained out and be unable to focus for too long. Recalls should be fun and never tedious. Doing some short, but high quality recall sessions is far better than doing longer sessions with so-so responses. 5. Avoid The Bribery Trap You can show your dog what you will provide as a reward initially, but you then need to start hiding what you use from sight (a process known as fading the food lure), otherwise, you may be stuck with a dog who comes when called only upon seeing something he likes. What will you do if one day you're caught unprepared and don't have anything to offer? Keep your treats in your pocket or a toy behind your back. You may need to initially pretend to hold a treat in one hand when you call your dog, but then feed the food from your other hand by reaching for the treats in your pocket. 6. Call When You're Sure Your Dog Will Come Call your dog when you sense that he'll come to you. Pick times when your dog is more likely to pay attention to you. For example, calling her when she's actively sniffing with her head following a trail or when she's looking at a squirrel climbing up a tree, is not likely to work if you haven't practiced at that level of distraction yet. Your dog may also be spaced out when she is tired, thirsty or may have to relieve herself. Call your dog after she has gone potty, sniffed around, explored and is getting a little bored by the whole scenery. Alternatively, you can call your dog, give her some treats and then reward her by sending her back to explore if you think she'll enjoy that. 7. Run Away as Needed If you really need to call your dog in an emergency situation, resist the temptation of chasing her. Your dog will think it's a great game and will likely run away further. Instead, try grabbing her attention and running away. Most dogs can't resist a game of chasing their owners, especially if after running you start dropping treats on the ground and entice your dog to search for them up by shuffling your feet and pointing at them. Pretend you just found a buried treasure! 8. Practice in Fenced Areas Practice off leash recalls in safely fenced areas. If you dog not have access to a fenced area, you can rent some fenced spaces on SniffSpot.com. Start with some easy exercises such as rewarding your dog simply "checking in" with you. In other words, if at any time when your dog is in the fenced area, she approaches you, praise and reward with a tasty treat. Afterward, in the following sessions, you can start practicing recalls. When you must leave the area, make sure that, after you put the leash on your dog, you feed several treats in a row as you walk away and have a stuffed Kong or a bully stick to chew waiting for your dog in the car for the ride back home. If a fenced area is not an option for you in your area, you can always use a long line to train your dog recalls and reward voluntary check-ins. 9. Take Advantage of Other Dogs Since you have another dog sharing the household, you may find it helpful calling them all together. Although it may seem challenging calling two or three dogs at once, it actually may be easier considering that dogs are often eager to come when they see other dogs are getting rewarded for it. Their fear of missing out and a little competition may act as a very strong incentive. Of course, avoid calling your dogs together if they are prone to fighting or resource guard foods from one another. 10. Consider it a Big Investment A recall can be a lifesaver, it can literally save a dog's life! Commit to training a strong recall with your poodle enthusiastically rushing to you. Think of your recall in terms of piggy banks. Each time your dog comes to you, and you reinforce those recalls with things your dogs loves, you reinforce the recall and add coins. Every time you call your dog and he doesn't come to you, or you give little or nothing, or worse, you do something that your dog dreads, you'll weaken that recall and start removing those hard-earned coins. If you happen to do more withdrawals than deposits, at some point your dog's recall will be at peril. Don't let that happen!

Hi there, welcome to the forums! I have a few questions: What have you used so far to reward your poodle for coming to you in the past? Is she spayed or intact? Do you have access to any securely fenced areas? How rough is the play that has you concerned? If you remove your puppy from her when she plays rough, will he try to trot just right back to her to play again? or does he seem relieved and happy that you intervened? Is this play happening in the house? or outside in the yard? Have they ever hurt each other? or gotten into a fight? Have you noticed any body language or behaviors that concern you? like for instance, your puppy with his tail in between the legs trying to get away and your poodle continuing to chase him? Thanks!

Hi Benjamin, this is tough one, because these dogs are so outdoorsy and since they are selectively bred to be livestock guardians, there may be good chances that her previous owners kept her outdoors all the time, so we can only do so much to persuade her that the indoors is the best thing ever. Is there any chance you can erect a secure fence? I think that would allow the best compromise, so that she can spend time outdoors and be free to come in and out as she would like and just be. Other ideas that come to mind is keeping her on tie-out cable/trolley tie out with the door open and playing the treat/retreat game, where treats are tossed her way and then behind her with the door open so that she can come in and move away as she pleases without feeling trapped. The biggest reinforcer in this case is allowing her the freedom to go back outside. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/how-to-play-the-treat-and-retreat-game/ However, even with these supervision is always recommended, as no tie-outs are entirely dog-proof. Stakes can work their way out, trolleys may snap, and dogs may get tangled. So ultimately a fence seems the best option if she doesn't seem to like being indoors no matter what. Some Pry don't make good indoor pets (as much as we would love them) and trying to force them may backfire and sometimes lead to behavior problems. Editing to add, that a fence will need to be Great Pyrenees-proofed. If the fenced area is not large enough, some of them are able to figure their way out (even out of 6- to 8 feet barriers) because, not only they want to stay outside, but they want to go on "night-time patrolling missions." Something else that Pry owners have had some success with is, as mentioned, providing an indoor "lookout spot" where she can watch over from a window the entire home, door and outside area, or maybe looking out from the top of a staircase. Some Pry like to keep vigil in these areas and may spend quite some time napping there.

Hi Jennifer! Sounds like your dogs are playing soccer and using the fire pit as the "goal area," I am sure you're not thrilled about that. Are they kicking the dirt/rocks after peeing/pooping? Or just randomly by running around? Glad to hear that Esther is starting to finally calm down with the TV triggers. On a group for dog trainers, the topic of TV barking popped up recently with so many difficult cases. Some dog owners just gave up and started watching TV shows on the their personal phones with headphones. I don't blame them! One of the most successful approaches reported turned out being "click the trigger," starting with no animals on the screen, with the dog being conditioned to look at the tv and then look back at the owner and being clicked and rewarded, and then adding distractions (animals) to the game following a graded level of intensity hierarchy. There were though several reports of dogs being mistakenly clicked for barking leading to difficult to extinguish behavior chains. Next was engage/disengage and then just conditioning a calm down on a mat in a neutral room, then transferring to the room with the TV and then gradually desensitizing to the TV playing at a distance. If you think that inspecting the TV is ultimately helping calm her down, certainly keep doing that as long as safe to do so and not triggering her to escalate/establish new habits. Every dog is different, so what works for one dog may not work for another and vice versa. However, there is a very thin line though between not reacting/starting to react again so there are always risks to lose all progress made in a bat of the eye. Poor Gertie, sorry about her gums, she looks comfy though with the blankets. They can be cold for some time after anesthesia so maybe she's really OK with it. I remember checking Einstein's temperature a couple of times, because he was shivering after his dental. He refused to drink water from the bowl after that, I think he associated the water with the gum sensitivity or cold sensation. It's wise of you to keep her away from your other dogs until she's 100 percent. Best wishes for Gertie's speedy recovery and have fun in Vegas!

It could be that Heidi is getting a little confused or it could be simply that like you say "she's a step ahead of you." Some dogs can be very quick in their execution of cues and their expectations. It could be that's she's sitting and expecting to be immediately praised and rewarded with a tasty treat, so if the treat delivery is delayed for just a split second, she second guesses herself, and therefore slips into a down in hopes that that's the behavior that is going to gain reinforcement. With these dogs it can therefore be a challenge being quick enough to reinforce them so that they stop sliding into a down in hopes of getting 'things right." To remedy this, we can ask our dog to sit and immediately click our clicker before they even have time to think about lying down. The clicker informs our dog quickly that they got it right and that a treat is coming. Sometimes, dogs may slide into a down if the surface is slippery (working on a carpet can help) and some other times, they may be going down because they sense our frustration or in some "softer dogs" as an instinctive appeasement gesture in response to us staring at them or leaning towards them. Teaching a stay from a down position is easier for many dogs as it's the most comfortable position. If treats prompt her to jump, keep them in a your treat bag, pocket or in a closed fist so that she doesn't know you are carrying them (this of course once you're past the stage of luring and have faded the food lures). Make sure she never gets treats when she is actively jumping. You can even put the treats/kibble to good use, by carrying them in your pocket and when she approaches you, ask her to sit and toss a treat at a distance *before* she even thinks about lying down/jumping. Be careful not to inadvertently create a behavior chain. Behavior chains can be composed by desirable and undesirable behaviors and being aware of them is important to prevent them from establishing. If every time you ask your dog to sit, and your dog lies down or jumps, and you then prompt her to go back to sitting and you praise and reward that, you are risking building a behavior chain that may be difficult to undue. The dog soon thinks that "sit" means lying down/jumping and then propping herself back up/sitting and soon you're stuck with a dog doing "sit-ups!' or jumping and sitting. Be therefore very careful of what you reinforce. If she sits when you ask for sit, be fast to click and treat, but if she lies down or jumps, leave the area so that she gets no reinforcement. You can even use a verbal marker "uh-ho!" as you walk away. If she has lied down too many times when you said "sit" in the past, you may have to change the cue name to something else and introduce a new cue once she reliably sits. Best wishes for your training sessions, you can always post here for support. Happy training!

What an adorable pup! It does sound fear-based and you are doing a great job checking for her before sending her out and keeping a journal. If she is already reacting to things before going outside, start from inside, first with the door closed, then with the door open and with the option for her to come back inside to get her treats. Since she likes to use her nose, I would make it a game and tell her to "find it!" as you scatter treats around. Practice this firstly indoors so to create a fluent response before trying nearby the door. If she is still too over threshold, increase the value of the treats and perhaps ask your vet about calming aids, these can be natural supplements containing l-theanine, melatonin or alpha-casozepine or even by prescription for the most severe cases. Other options are DAP collars and sprays, Rescue Remedy, and lately certain dog foods and probiotics have been found to be helpful. Search and rescue is great for raising confidence in insecure dogs, you can start her with games of hide-and-seek: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/university/hide-and-seek/ More tips for fearful dogs: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/helping-fearful-rescue-dog/ Exercises to build confidence: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/exercises-build-confidence-insecure-dogs/ Here are some best wishes to hear about some progress soon!

Hi there, Welcome to the forums! Some pups may be more nippy than others, and it seems like your pup is very attracted to fabric. Ideally, we would train these pups some obedience skills so to redirect them, but this can take some time to train, so in the meanwhile I would suggest using the kibble toss/ball toss strategies explained in the article below at least until those obedience skills have been trained to fluent enough level. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/replacement-behaviors-to-stop-puppy-biting/ More games: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/bite-inhibition-games/ I would also suggest staying away from your pup (or keeping your pup in an exercise pen) when you wear that particular coat so to prevent rehearsal of the problematic behavior (turning coat play into a habit) or having a flirt pole handy so to keep her busy with that rather than your coat. Once your pup is better under control and attentive to your cues, you can then start adding wearing the coat to further proof her training. With these pups, I like to introduce a "watch and resist" game, where I ask them to sit and stay "nicely put" as they watch me wiggle the coat or scarf nearby their face around without them nipping. I then praise and reward their non-nipping behavior. Happy training! Best, Adrienne