JMFS

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?130-Thundershirt Posts #8 and 9 may help. I wonder if it could be that she's fearful she's being abandoned at the cabin since it's less familiar than the house. Less scented like y'all, foreign sounds and objects, and it could bring back feelings of being left at the shelter (without knowing her history there I'm guessing). When she's left alone at the cabin does she get free reign of the place, or do y'all kennel the pups? If you kennel them you might try a Kong stuffed with treats so she has something positive and comforting to focus on. I say if they're kenneled because they have that tension issue happening currently and leaving treats out would give them opportunity to get into it with each other while you're gone.

It took a good long while for my husband to start seeing the sense in training. He's always thought of dogs as being family members. Yeah, his "family member" Brownie (RIP you little bugger) is the Only dog to have bitten me, and that little brat bit me Three times. Once over a dryer sheet, which he loved to eat and I tried to get away from him, and twice in the kitchen because I dared to claim space as he was licking the floor. After the 3rd bite Brownie was barred from the kitchen. My feet are ugly enough without being all torn up, thank you very much. :o That's what not training dogs gets ya'. You're in danger, they're in danger, and no one is happy. Between Adrienne and my behavior modification trainer (for Momo) I know so very much more and our lives are easier, darn near harmonious, for it. Thankfully my husband is recognizing that fact and is now helping rather than hindering. It took about 18 (aggravating) months, but it happened so keep at it - humans Can be taught. :D

Hahaha! :D Truth! For the barking, what is it she's barking at? Just your husband, or other things, too? If it's attention barking I'd leave the room, wait until she's quiet, return. Rinse and repeat until it sinks in that bark = no attention. We're doing something like this with Abbi now that I finally have my husband on board (because he sees how awesome Adrienne's help has been where he rolled his eyes previously). Abbi howls, carries on, and sounds like a hyperventilating hyena when he gets home (she knows it has zero effect on me and she'll simply be ignored so she doesn't bother - only with him). It's an impressive lot of noise from a pipsqueak (10 lbs) and it drives me batty. We have a baby gate separating the kitchen from half the house and that's where she is when we get home. We wait in the kitchen until Abbi is quiet, which can be 10 minutes. Once she's quiet he can go into the office, set his things down, and if she's still quiet she'll get attention. If she starts up again, he comes back into the kitchen until she stops. Poor Gertie is waiting behind her ex-pen wondering what all the hubbub is about, though sometimes she'll join in initially! Abbi's had 11 years to rehearse this insanity so it will take time, but each session is getting shorter.

Ahhh, well you see, here's my take on it . . . your husband has been away allll day long and dogs have that short-term memory thing going on. When hubby gets home, Ollie is thinking, oh em gee, I haven't seen you in Forever, this is soooo exciting! Same flippin' thing happens when my husband gets home. We gals are hanging out in the office, chilling out, maybe listening to some 2Cellos, everything is fine and dandy. Hubby gets home and the office Erupts into a medley of claws on the floor, Abbi making unnatural sounds, Gertie wiggling all over her bed Trying to contain herself and mostly succeeding. All that order goes out the window! My Other thought on it is that they see him as One of Them. I'm the caretaker, the disciplinarian, the trainer, the Queen of the house, if you will. He's their buddy. They snuggle on the couch with him (because there's no room on my loveseat, mainly) and even when they enter my domain they're careful as to where they sit. On him they sprawl all over the place. The man is 6"1' and he gets the Tiniest section of the couch while the 10-lber and 45-lber hog all the room. I really do think it comes down to respect. They respect me and give me space because I'm the "brushing-feeding-Training-loving-baths" person. They flop all over him because he's a litter mate. :D It can also boil down to personality. Is your husband more excitable and energetic than you? Does he greet Ollie with a hearty hello and loving right off the bat? Does he maybe have enticing smells from where he works? My husband is on job sites all day so he brings home all sorts of sniffs for the dogs. The girls, being with me all day, get bored of my very predictable daily routine - I'm practically a fixture in the house because I'm working while they're lazing about. Hubby comes home and he's happy to see everyone because he's been gone all day. I'm still working when he gets home so I'm making everyone simmer down. Plus, they've been relaxing all day, building up their own energy. If you had a toddler's mentality and had been napping all day how might you greet someone new(er)? :D If I wanted to shake things up I'd make a change to the routine. Instead of taking them outside, dumping water bowls, refilling water, feeding, getting my own water, then sitting down to work I might take Gertie for a walk even just around the yard (Abbi can't, she just wants to sleep and we respect our elder's wishes) or to the dog park for half an hour, or perhaps Petsmart for a sniff fest. Maybe I could hide Gertie's food around the house instead of putting it in the bowl. A new toy - or just switching it up - I have her toys divided into two bins and I used to swap them out on Mondays. Bust out into a dance - that one gets Gertie going and she'll hop around and play bow when I go off the rails like that. Be unpredictable. When I leave for a spell and come home then Gertie gives me the same type of greeting, to a more subdued degree, as she gives my husband. She's calmer with me because that's how I've trained her and if she gets wild I leave the room until she settles. He doesn't care if he gets jumped on, licked, tail whipped, stepped on, or otherwise assaulted, so they don't hold back with him - he fosters that behavior (though he is beginning to get on board with training now, it only took a year, lol). The dogs also listen to me better than they do him. He'll tell Gertie to go to her bed, and she knows darn well what that means, but she doesn't believe he means it. He'll say it several times before I step in. I say, "Gertrude Marie, bed," and off she goes. Those are some thoughts on the matter based on my observations. I'm pretty low energy when it's work time and I think they sense that it's not play time. When I break out of the routine they gain interest.

Aw, poor pup. Give him some ear scratches for me. :) I'm going to throw out a couple suggestions to get you started. To acclimate him to the leash indoors try having the leash in your hand and offering a treat so he begins associating the leash with treats. If that's still too much for him you might try putting the leash on the floor and giving him treats, moving the leash closer as he gains confidence and eventually moving it to your hand. If he was at the vet's office then he was probably pretty well confined and now he's got this whole big world looming all around him and I'm thinking he'll need to be exposed to things bit-by-bit. You're not alone, though - and it can be addressed. :) Here's a post about noises and another fearful pooch: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?222-Potty-training-halted-by-severe-phobias&highlight=threshold For the pulling have you ever tried a front attachment harness? I absolute Love Gertie's. I couple it with this leash: https://www.petsmart.com/dog/collars-harnesses-and-leashes/leashes/kong-premium-pouch-and-bungee-dog-leash-48830.html and attach it only to the front loop (my harness has one on the top and the front). I can wear it around my waist so my hands are free for our walks. I bought mine at Petsmart without the bag and it was around $25 or 30 I believe. The harness I went with is the 2 Hounds Design Freedom No Pull Dog Harness & Leash. It comes with a leash that attaches to both loops for extra control. Here are some other helpful links I dug up from another post. It dealt with a dog barking at other dogs, but each of the links can be applied to a fearful canine, too, because you're still dealing with behavior modification, just fear instead of aggression: 2) Familiarize yourself with the process of desensitization: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/m...sensitization/ 3) Familiarize yourself with with process of counterconditioning: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/m...rconditioning/ 4) Here are other helpful behavior modification terms/methods to get accustomed to: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/m...-modification/ 5) Practice "look at that" first by looking at dogs passing by a window, and then progress to walks: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/m.../look-at-that/ 6) Practice attention heeling first at home, then yard, then on walks, then at a distance from other dogs: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/m...ntion-heeling/

Good morning, I found a post Adrienne answered about another dog who was fearful of the husband and thought I'd share: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?64-Our-new-dog-is-afraid-of-my-husband&highlight=fear

From what I've read around here, throwing him into an overload situation like a dog park might be a spell for disaster. I think it would be helpful to know what types of signs he gives when other dogs are around. Does his tail wag, does he salivate, does he stiffen up, what position are his ears in, is he snarling or just barking, etc . . .. Also, does he do the same sort of thing off leash? It Could be barrier frustration, where Finn is annoyed that he can't get to what he wants to inspect and that's aggravating him. Or it could be that he's truly aggressive. If it's the latter of the two then Finn would be set up for failure with all the opportunities a dog park provides. The last thing you want to do is add fear to the aggression if a fight breaks out and he's injured, or have it embolden him if he wins the bout. A dog park can still be useful even if you don't go in to the actual park. It's one way to safely gauge threshold because Finn can't get to the other dogs and they can't get to him so you can adjust the distance to where he's okay and start your desensitization training from that distance. Gertie is happy-go-lucky and never met a stranger so I have the same type of issue, but on the other end of the spectrum - she just wants to play. The end result is the same - leash tugging, barking, and lunging. We practice with a 50 ft lead in the yard as the neighborhood dogs walk by. I ask her, "what's that?" when they pass by and when she looks at them I give her a treat or praise. We're about 20 feet from the fence line before she can get a passing grade and the further away from her I am, the less successful she is. We started indoors and worked our way up to the yard. She doesn't bark at the waste collectors or mailman any more and she's Almost quiet with UPS and the yard crew now. It took several sessions of "what's that" and treats to get us to that point so it's definitely not an overnight thing. It took a couple months for us and it's ongoing training - they need refresher courses.

Have you discovered other sounds he's scared of, or does it seem to be specifically the clicker? The good news is that the clicker isn't essential to training - you can mark behaviors with other sounds or words. I've never used a clicker myself and instead use the word, "good!" I learned recently from my trainer that the word, "yes," is an easy one to use to mark wanted behavior. If you're dead set on using the clicker, or want to desensitize him Adrienne will have ideas for sure. We never quite know what strange things we'll discover with our rescue pups! One of Momo's greatest fears is doors and blinds or curtains that move when the wind blows. And for some reason, my Halloween bucket is, in Momo's, not to be trusted in any circumstance. It's never touched him, it only had the audacity to show up one day. :rolleyes: Gertrude isn't a fan of noises and it was a bear to train her to use the bells to let me know when she needs to go potty, though she still eyes them suspiciously when they move on their own. It takes time and patience, but it is possible to desensitize them to these things they fear.

Hello, Yes, that's your typical attention-seeking behavior and since your pup is entering the adolescence stages he's going to be like a teenage human - sometimes exasperating! You're on the right path to getting him to understand good behavior will be rewarded, unwanted behavior will be ignored. Here are a few of my favorite posts on the issue to get some quick info to you: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?196-Biting-and-Jumping&highlight=nipping https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?170-Grabbing-and-biting&highlight=adolescent https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?57-Biting-dog&highlight=adolescent Then the "How to Survive Your Dog’s Adolescent Stage" article: :) https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/survive-dogs-adolescent-stage/

Hello, What are some of the things that are happening? There are lots of issues that can happen with leash training and having some specifics will help hone in on the problems you're experiencing. Here are a couple posts I dug up to get you started: Biting leash: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?229-Biting-on-leash&highlight=biting+leash Heel: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?190-What-side-should-the-dog-be-trained-when-teaching-heeling&highlight=leash Excitability: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?156-Passing-other-Humans-or-Dogs&highlight=leash Reacting to the leash: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?101-Leash-training&highlight=leash Reactivity: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?98-Walking-nicely-training&highlight=leash

I can share insight as to the phrase you use and that's, use whatever works for you. The benefit to using a more common phrase is that other people will already know how to "talk" to your dog, but ultimately you're the one who needs to communicate so if touch works better than target, go with touch. For example, I have a friend who asked Momo for "paw." Momo looked at me as though to ask, "who is this guy?" When I told my friend Mo knows shake and high five, everyone was on the same page. My behavioral trainer kept using the word "free" for Momo, but I trained him with "break" so she had to catch herself numerous times. :D Momo also knows "okay" and the hand motion you would use as though to invite someone to go ahead of you. I say that to illustrate how smart these pooches are. She even went so far as to say, Oklahoma, Okra, Oh yay, and several other words starting with an O and he held fast until she said, "Okay." I personally use "touch" myself. I tend to stick with monosyllabic words because someone long ago told me they do better with single syllables and they're easier to say quickly, which can be fun for a game of Sit Down Up where I rapid fire the words and they follow through (some days better than others!).

Wow, he sounds like the kind of pooch for me - a perfect office mate! I'm guessing he's had his Veterinary check up already? It's rare, but I do know one Labrador Retriever whose name is quite apt for his demeanor - his name is Mellow. This boy couldn't have an exciting moment if he tried. When I walk into the flooring store there's Mellow, sprawled out on the floor right in the doorway, waiting for people to pet him. The most misbehavior he's displayed is placing his paw on someone's leg to get attention. Totally abnormal for a Lab, but that's his personality. Now, I will share that he was heartworm positive as a puppy when he was rescued and that May have a part to play in his chill personality, but it also could simply be how he is. As long as the Veterinarian says he checks out then I wouldn't worry. I wouldn't be surprised, though, if one day he suddenly comes alive and has loads of energy. I seem to remember Momo sleeping quite a bit when he was 4 months old and that was very short-lived!

Hello! If it's not a safety concern then I'd say it's personal preference. For myself, I like my dogs to be by my side as I'm less likely to trip over furry friends or get tangled in leashes. If you saw our first 15 minutes you'd think Momo wasn't trained one bit because he's an absolute mess from excitement. Gertrude would pull if I allowed it, but a gentle correction gets her right by my side. With Momo there is a Lot of stopping or turning around to go the other way to remind him he's following me, not the other way around. We could walk a mile and still only be 75 feet away from the house! He's that dog who's heaving and coughing because he's pulling so hard. He doesn't go on many walks because I exercise him in the yard or pool so his walking manners need improvement. He used to be pretty good and it only took about 10 minutes to get him into a good rhythm, but with having a large yard now that's changed. As far as letting them do their own thing it depends on what type of walk it is. When we do our 2 miles in the state park it's 100% business because I'm working towards a 12:30 minute per mile walk and we have 1:40 min yet to shave off our current time. That 12:30 is definitely not going to happen if my pooch is off smelling the flowers or going potty. I make sure Gertrude does her potty stuff before we leave for the park so there's less chance of needing to stop. Momo doesn't get to go on this one because it's Far too hot for him with all his fur, and I'd be at a 32-minute mile with him. When we walk around our neighborhood I stop every quarter mile or so to let them have a sniff break so it's a much more leisurely stroll. I still have them heel because I don't enjoy being pulled and because the road is narrow so I need them under control when cars or other people pass by. That's my input on the matter. :) Adrienne has some cool facts about heeling and why people started having dogs heel on the left as opposed to the right.

Hi there! Can you give us a little more detail? Does she just bound up to them and ask for attention? Does she drag you on the leash behind her to get to strangers? Is she jumping on them? Does she give warning signs that she's about to go introduce herself? That type of information will be helpful with developing a plan of action. :)

Silly question, have you slowed down the motion for her and / or let her smell the treat first? When she's turning her head, is she turning towards, or away from the treat?

In that case, here's the separation anxiety information: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?130-Thundershirt&p=572&viewfull=1#post572 BTW, I don't use the Thundershirt any more. I couldn't really got into training with it. For reactivity you're going to be working on gradually introducing her to stimuli while she's under threshold. I'll see if I can dig up a couple posts on that because I know they're around here somewhere! You've got some of the more common issues going on so there's plenty of info. :) The approach is going to depend on what type of reactivity, too. Is it aggression, or is it barrier frustration (he wants to greet these things but can't because of the leash or a fence)? Here's a post about lunging. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?203-Lunging-and-barking-at-children&highlight=lunge I did buy a front attachment harness and I'm in love with it. Gertie isn't a lunger or puller, but she does get excited and tries to get ahead of me, and the harness has greatly reduced that behavior. I got mine on Chewy because they had more colors than Amazon and an amazing return policy, just in case things don't work out. We all know how our dog looks is Very important (ha!) so color options was a big selling point. Really, it's more a psychological trick on people who aren't warm and fuzzy about dogs. I've noticed they seem to relax a little more around a dog who's got a little fashion happening. Here's the link to the one I got: https://www.chewy.com/2-hounds-design-freedom-no-pull-dog/dp/136937 Here's one about reactivity to other dogs: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?113-Over-excitement&highlight=lunge Then here's a slew of links to the training program from another post that deals with a related issue (theirs was more a resource guarding problem so I didn't bother with the post link): Threshold levels: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/m...eshold-levels/ Desensitization: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/m...sensitization/ Counterconditioing:https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/m...rconditioning/ Differential reinforcement of incompatible behaviors:https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/m...ble-behaviors/ Attacking other dogs on walks (I don't think this pertains to you, but it was lumped in with them so I kept it): https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/m...ng-dogs-walks/

I Think Adrienne is going to want to know what your training goals are so she has a point of reference to give you navigation advice. Here's a link to a similar question to get you started, though: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?46-New-puppy-on-the-way-some-questions I'll leave the rest up to the expert, though I do have a post somewhere around here where Adrienne gave me steps to addressing separation anxiety. I have to dash now, but I'll try to remember to look that one up. I Think it was under my Thundershirt post if you want to get started - you can try to find it with the search tool.

D'awwww! Look at those fluffy cuties.

To illustrate some of what Adrienne's said about dog parks, I'll share my story. Momo and I went to a dog park and we usually had a fantastic time. There were always little fights here and there but I never witnessed anything serious. Ours was one that allowed balls because it had a pond and a dock for jumping. You have a plethora of personalities amongst dogs And their owners. You have the owners who coddle and hide their dogs. You have people who act as though their dog is being accosted any time another dog comes anywhere near. I've seen people snatch their 30-lb dogs up when a Great Dane comes flopping over to say hi. There are people who have no idea where their dog has gone because they're too busy on their phones to notice. There are perfectly behaved dogs and people. There are people who encourage their dogs to beat up your dog when play fighting. There are know-it-alls who know nothing. There are wise people who can help you with your dog. It can be a confusing and harrowing time; however, it can also be a great time and a valuable asset in training socialization. We had one gal who was of the latter variety, kind of. She didn't encourage her dog's behavior, but she also didn't Discourage it. She thought it was funny. Momo isn't the strongest swimmer and he's had water trauma in the past. We joke that it's not Thanksgiving unless Mo has fallen into a pool because it happened 2 years in a row on that holiday. At the park I kept him in the shallow end of the pond where he delighted in digging up rocks I'd thrown in to the pond for him, and where he could keep his feet on the bottom. He liked to fetch the balls at short distances, but other dogs were usually faster than him and most owners didn't know how to get their dogs to wait their turn. This lady's dog would jump on top of Momo Every time I threw the ball for him. Poor Mo would be pushed under the water and come back up sputtering. This lady thought her dog's behavior was Hilarious and Cute. It was not. It was clear that Momo was Not enjoying the game. I let her know about his fear and that I had Finally gotten him to go in the water again and she just poo-pooed at my concern. We tried moving further down the way, but her dog always followed. I tried throwing a ball for her and Mo but she'd just get both balls. Usually we'd simply leave because it was downright annoying and the dog park was supposed to be a fun bonding time. For the following, this information is important: the park is small and contained by a well-maintained 8 foot fence and you can see the entire area, minus a copse of trees. You can see into the trees if you know what you're looking for. The third time at the park with this gal I decided I'd had enough. I swear she stalked the park just to see if we were there so she and her dog (who was really sweet, just untrained) could harass Momo. She also fell into that "too busy on her phone" category. One day after her dog had dunked Mo a few times I took a walk with Mo and her dog followed us. We walked off to that copse of trees so Momo could get entertainment from sniffing around. The lady didn't even notice her dog was following us. Her dog got to sniffing something in the trees and Momo and I left her there. We went back to playing fetch and it was So very nice to be able to do it without her dog jumping onto Momo. The lady Finally looked up from her phone - it took her the entire walk to the trees and back before she bothered to check on her dog. When she noticed her dog wasn't there she started panicking. Did I say a word? Nope. I knew her dog was safe because I could see the little yellow body amongst the trees. It may have been a little mean, but I would absolutely do it again. The dog was safe and the woman needed to learn the value of paying attention to her dog. We stopped going altogether because Momo is one of those dogs other dogs Love to pick on. He wants to be a leader but he's not equipped for the role and the other dogs seem to sense his uncertainty, making him a target. Once Momo started showing signs of not being able to handle situations (he'd huddle around my legs) I called a halt to the dog park trips. He's fine with other dogs one-on-one, but at the dog park it's usually a pack of 3 or more who kind of run around everywhere checking everything out and that's a bit much for him. Gertie, on the other hand, is likely to be one of the dogs in that pack. She's a little social butterfly who's never met a stranger so I have dogs on both sides of the spectrum. If you follow Adrienne's suggestion of walking the perimeter of the dog park you may meet a person or more who have well-adjusted dogs that can help socialize Zoey, and who may be willing to help you by working under Zoey's threshold. You may even be able to arrange a play date so she still gets socialization, but in a more controlled setting with less stimuli. A lot of us have been there, done that, got the t-shirt, and are happy to help.

So you have a social butterfly with herding tendencies. :) From what I've learned you're going to want to find a way to be more interesting than the dogs and desensitize him to the excitement of other furry friends who may be strolling by. Gertrude is still very much in training for this type of behavior. She is a chilled out dog Until certain things are present. The closer she is to me, the easier it is to get her to stay with me. Just this afternoon a girl was walking by our yard and there was Gertie, running back and forth along the fence line barking her ever-loving head off and completely ignoring me. The closer I got to Gertie, the more she'd come to me, but as soon as I'd turn around to walk back to the house that little stinker would start anew with the barking. When we were at Lowe's earlier today, though, she gave us nice sits when people wanted to greet her, and by the end of our trip she was in a down position at the checkout stand. That's the difference between a leash in an enclosed space and no leash in an open yard. Those wide open spaces present a bigger obstacle. To get her to ignore / accept the garbage truck (and giving me heart failure with her sudden barking) I set treats on the window sill every time she looked at them or started to bark. She began to see the garbage truck as a precursor to receiving treats. As time went by I phased out the treats and substituted praise and attention. Now she simply watches them do their thing. That's indoors. When we're Outdoors it's a totally different situation! Outdoors I've been working with her regarding squirrels because we have squirrels coming out of our ears and she delights in chasing them. That's fine and dandy until I have to clean up the remains. Gertie hasn't killed one, yet, but Momo has and it's sad and wasteful since there's no applicable reason for him to kill other than for the thrill of it and I'm not about that. When the squirrels had their drays (I think that's what squirrel litters are called) this Spring it was Quite a challenge and I was going out of my mind with Gertie taking off after them. I finally put her on a 50 ft lead with a martingale collar and fed her treats as the squirrels were twitching about enticing her to chase. Each time I saw her tense up I'd have her sit and when she did I'd give her a treat. Each time she broke the stay she'd essentially clothesline herself if I wasn't quick enough with increasing the tension. I also gave her an outlet for her prey drive by using a flirt pole. Each time she leaves the toy or drops it she gets a treat and praise. She can catch the toy, she can't catch the squirrels so the toy is more satisfying to her. We're 3 months out of the last dray and it's been blissfully squirrel free, but I fully anticipate having to do the training again. It took about 3 weeks of training, but she did get to a point to where I could get her to hold a stay even with 5 squirrels frolicking about. Other dogs should be Much easier because you can enlist their owner's help, or they'll at least understand what you're attempting to accomplish. I couldn't ask the squirrels for cooperation! I have the added difficulty of teaching her to differentiate crows from squirrels and chasing Only when I give the release. I can't stand crows and their damage so I want my dogs to chase those off But only when I tell them to. She did a great job of that today, but I did have hold of her collar so she was more receptive to waiting until I said, "go!" If you can find a friend to help you can start with their dog in the distance and have yours hold a sit. When he does, reward him. Bit by bit you can decrease the distance. Fair warning - it's boooooring training and it's repetitive because there are going to be plenty of oopses. If you do have a setback, increase the distance again and work on that until he's ignoring the other dog, or at least giving a nice sit / stay. I would definitely use high value treats like chicken or jerky for this since he gets so excited about other dogs. Like Cammidge said, leave is another good tool. That's what I generally try before asking for a sit and it does work well. Once she's done the leave I'll ask for the sit. That's the basic method. Adrienne can fill in (or correct) anything I may have missed like touching on socialization.

Yes, regular ol' chamomile tea. I look at the ingredients to ensure it only says "chamomile flowers," though several other teas are beneficial to dogs. When I'm going to be gone for a while I'll brew chamomile and lavender tea, then there's a Tulsi blend I give them sometimes to change things up and it's packed with all sorts of goodies. I looked up each ingredient before giving it to the pups because they can be so very different from us. Grapes and raisins, for example, can kill them quickly with renal failure. I occasionally get a hankering for Raisinets and those are kept under lock and key so there's no chance the dogs can get into my stash. At the beginning of each month I have a big bill week ahead of me and I need the girls to be less needy than usual. For those days I'll make a batch of tea that I can give them throughout the week. It's 4 cups of water, 2 pkts chamomile, 2 pkts chamomile and lavender, and 1 pkt of the tulsi with about a teaspoon of honey. They all drink it straight from the bowl - Abbi is 10 lbs and gets about ¼ c; Gertie at 45 lbs gets about 3/4 c. I play meditation music and give them something to work on, usually a marrow shin bone for Gertie and a toy with Zuke's minis or a Zuke's link for Abbi. So far so good - it's like a hippie fest over here. :D On normal days, though, I pour it over the food and let it soak in. As far as the whistling goes, if you can't whistle there are silent whistles or regular whistles that work just as well. It Is easier to be able to whistle with your lips because you never leave home without them. :D Abbi has her very own whistle, too. It's a little more melodic than Gertie and Momo's one or two-note whistles and I even recorded it for our Furbo so it plays for her when we're gone. I did a write up on how to silent whistle train, but it applies to any whistle or sound, really. I use it primarily for recall, though my brother will tell you his previous dog, Shelby, would sit when he did a certain pattern with the silent whistle. Momo is Very receptive to it and Gertie is getting there. She's a little more obstinate when it comes to finishing her sniffing and exploring, or rolling in disgusting gross stuff, than Momo is. Momo. Definitely Momo. And Brownie, when he was alive. Those boys would polish it off and ask for more. Gertie would have her fill and pass out next to the pile. Abbi would ignore it.

No worries - I know what it's like to have that afterthought. :D Monkey is a good name for cats and it's got so many nicknames. Monks, Nunks, Monkster, Nunker Dunker Doodle Doos (that last one may only be me - no telling what is going to come out of my mouth some days). Mine is a lover and he thinks he's a dog in regards to being a social butterfly. He's whistle trained just like the dogs; however, because he's a cat he prefers a more refined whistle, which is Bach's Minuet in G. I used to whistle that going around the house and all three cats would follow me - I have No idea why - and it stuck. Just Monks now, I thought the other two (Poot and Ripper) would be happier with the ex, who is a major cat lover. I was right, he spoils them. :) Wetting the food will definitely make it more enticing because that will release the aroma, making it more appealing. She may prefer the softer texture, too. Abbi likes it a little warm and I know her teeth are bothering her so it's probably more enjoyable to eat. The chamomile helps calm the tummy after a day of treats, and Abbi has arthritis just like me so we sip the chamomile tea to help with inflammation as well. I make it for myself and reserve some for the pups. All three of our pooches beg, but when we tell them to go to their beds they'll stop begging and go. I can't Stand it when animals (or my husband) stare at me when I'm eating so that was something on my "must do" list of training. Gertie has gone from sneaking peanut butter to sleeping next to my husband while we eat. He's got a much higher patience level and sense of humor than me when it comes to food. One day Gerts licked his sandwich. I would have been through the roof and skipped a meal. He just tore off that bit and set it aside. Ugh, gross! And yes, trainers (close your ears, Adrienne, hehe) are Insane with the treats. When we were working with Mo's behaviorist I had a whole chicken breast cut up and we blew through that and I had to go get my Zuke's! The gas was unbearable on training nights, lol. However, I have to say they get dogs to pay attention real quick that way, and I can understand why. Keep plying me with Ghiradelli Double Chocolate brownies, or steak, and even I might sit, stay, and heel! Probably not, but I say someone should try it. ;)

I don't have much on this one other than my experience with a picky eater. We wet her food with a little warm water, sometimes chamomile tea, and sometimes with a drop of honey. I've mixed bacon grease into her food - I'll dip a spoon into the grease, let it drip off to where the spoon is only coated with the grease and then what's left on the spoon I'll mix into her food. It's more about the smell than the taste and bacon grease isn't good for them. What else? I've taken the crumbs from the other dogs' food or the cat food and sprinkled that on top of her food - she eats a limited ingredient food so it's interesting to have different flavors. With less success I've buried Zuke's minis in her dish. She's got an Excellent nose and picks those out, but sometimes it's enough to get her to eat the rest of the food. Yesterday I mixed ¼ teaspoon of peanut butter into her food. And then on Other days all I have to do is start playing with her food and pretending to eat it and she'll come over to see what on Earth I'm doing. I have about a 75% success rate there. The last thing I can think of is getting her food soggy and putting it in a Kong - sometimes it's about presentation. And you can sneak a treat in the top of the Kong so they have to eat their dinner to get to the treat. I suppose one question would be how many treats does she get during training?

I feel your frustration with the constant moving. That would be Momo - he doesn't know the meaning of rest, even in his crate. At night he moves around the room, though he Used to sleep. I think the aches and pains of aging are starting to catch up. Anyway, before I get too distracted . . . my point is, I completely understand. That inability to settle is maddening sometimes! How does he do with drop it when he's Not being a little stinker and running away with the goods? How does he respond to squeaky toys, and have you tried a flirt pole? If he's receptive to the movement of a flirt pole you might be able to distract him from making off with his ill gotten goods, or if he likes the squeaks that might distract him as well. Chasing after him will definitely reinforce the behavior because chase is fun in canine eyes. What might he do if you tell him, "okay, bye," and walk into another room when he's trying to play keep away? I know you don't want him to eat the toy, but it could be worth a try just to see what he does. Or, and this is going to sound crazy, but what if you do something unexpected like start waving your hands in the air and whistling or making some other noise to get his attention? Sometimes we have to make utter fools of ourselves to break these guys of their wicked ways. Thankfully it's not a permanent state of being and after a few rounds they usually catch on. Have you tried cracker type treats, such as Goldfish - the Pepperidge farms snack. That's what I started both Momo and Gertrude with and usually we humans eat saltines or bread when our bellies are upset so I'm wondering if it might apply here. When he's nipping you on the couch, have you tried putting him on the floor? I'm not sure if he can jump up on the couch, but if he can you will likely have to repeat that numerous times before he learns bite = floor. Or what about turning your back on him when he starts his rambunctious behavior on the couch? For me that's a difficult motion, but you might be more agile so it's worth throwing it out there as an option. I hope that gives you a little something to chew on for now.

I'll be interested in the answer because Abbi does the same with our grandson. He's turning 4 next month and he's immobile from the waste down so he's stuck like Chuck when Abbi wants to have her way. We don't leave him alone with her, and he doesn't mind for the most part, but I'm still curious. She doesn't do it with anyone else and it's just like you say - frantic. These kiddos must be delicious!