Adrienne Farricelli

Hello Merritt.alan Are the accidents mostly pee, poop or both? Here you may find some tips on dogs who pee after coming inside (but some tips can also be applicable to dogs pooping after coming back inside too). You will need to be logged-in into the course to see the link. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/puppy-peeing-after-coming-inside/

Hello Merritt.alan, I replied to you in another thread but will re-post some of that info here, also because I see in another post the age of your pup is closer to 1 year now and that changes my answer in several ways. If Breege is still a puppy, wood is very attractive to chew on. Chewing in puppies is due to the puppy simply exploring the world with his mouth and enjoying various textures. Not to mention that puppies, just like human babies, go through a teething phase and have a strong need to chew and exercise their jaws. So many things going on! Puppies are curious beings, and as they develop, they'll want to explore the world through their mouths. Since they lack our manual dexterity and opposable thumbs, puppies will use their mouths to examine their surroundings. The teething phase in puppies generally takes place between the ages of three to six months. During this time, the urge to chew is very strong due to the eruption of adult teeth. Chewing can also facilitate the shedding process of the pup's milk teeth, and the legs of a coffee table may work perfectly for that! However, past six months, don't expect for all chewing to subside! There's another chewing phase right around the corner. Dogs will still want to chew between the ages of six or seven months and 1 year old, and at this age, with the adult teeth in place, the damage can be pretty substantial. There's belief that at this age, some jawbone growth takes place and affected adolescent dogs seek chewing as it feels good. There are several steps you can take to a stop a puppy from chewing wood furniture. These steps can be divided into three tiers: steps you can take when you are around to supervise, steps to take when you are not, and general steps that take a "holistic" approach to tackle any potential underlying causes. This multi-faceted approach leads to a higher rate of success considering that you are tackling the issue from different fronts. Tier 1: Steps to Take During Supervision When you can actively supervise, you will need to take steps to make alternative, legitimate items to chew on more salient than the wood furniture. At the same time, you may want to make the wood furniture less appealing. There are several ways to do so. 1) Don't keep the same toys around all the time. If you rotate them, your dog's interest towards them will be kept alive and he will seek them often. For puppies, make sure you use puppy-approved chew toys. Use toys of different textures and flavors to keep your pup entertained. 2) Another great way, to keep interest alive is to add some goodies. Pick food puzzles, interactive toys and treat/food dispensing toys that can be stuffed with goodies. Examples include, Buster Cubes, Kongs, Kong Wobblers etc. Most dogs will choose these rewarding toys over any piece of wood furniture. 3) At the same time, it helps to make the wood furniture no longer appealing. Some dog owners elect to spray wood furniture with bad tasting products, such as Bitter Apple Spray, Bitter Yuck or Cayenne powder/Tabasco sauce. However, these don't always work ( and some dogs even enjoy the taste!) and they require multiple applications. A better way may be to make furniture no longer appealing is by making it difficult to reach. Place some large objects (that are already around your dog and that your dog doesn't destroy) around the wood furniture to discourage your dog from accessing it. Alternatively, depending on the size of the table legs, you can try sliding some PVC pipe over the legs which dogs do not typically enjoy chewing. This is for a good part a temporary measure until the dog learns that there are better and more rewarding things to chew. Tip: if you own a young puppy, avoiding giving your pup sticks or chunks of firewood since your pup may grow up having a hard time differentiating between them and your coffee table's legs. 4) Teach your pup to"Leave it". While actively supervising, if you ever notice that your dog ever starts losing interest in the toy, and you see her heading towards wood furniture, stop her in your tracks with the "leave it" command. Here is a guide on how to train a dog to leave it. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/take-leave-it/ Make sure to redirect your dog to a toy and praise her lavishly when he makes good choices. 5) Sometimes dogs associate our presence with the training and also think that by moving away we are relinquishing "our claim" over an item, so as part of the proofing process it may help to add some distance to the "leave it" command. Move away from the wood furniture and test your dog. You may find a need to remind her to "leave it" as you move away. You can then ask her to come to you and sit and redirect her to a toy stuffed with some goodies or a treat you have held in your pocket. You can then further add more distance by leaving the room and watching your dog from behind a window or furniture or behind a wall. A well-placed mirror can turn handy too. This teaches your dog that "leave it" applies as well in your "apparent absence." If you have a remote monitoring system, you can further practice with that, by telling your dog "leave it" over the monitoring system. Don't count though on this working 100 percent if you leave the home for sustained periods of time and your dog grows lonely and bored. It is always best to keep wood furniture out of reach when you can't supervise or keep your dog crated, which brings to the next tier... Tier 2: Steps to Take When There's No Supervision When you cannot actively supervise, because you are working in another room or need to head out of the home, you must take steps to prevent your dog from engaging in the troublesome behavior. There are several goals for this: 1) prevent your dog from rehearsing the troublesome behavior (the more dogs engage in a behavior, the more it becomes habit-forming and chewing is often a self-reinforcing behavior) 2) to prevent your dog from learning that when you are away, there is no consequence for the behavior (you can't say leave it while you are away) and, 3) to keep your dog safe (chewing inappropriate items like wood can lead to injuries and costly surgeries as described a few paragraphs below). The Power of Enclosures Crates, solid baby gates, kennels, exercise pens are all enclosures that help keep your dog safe and out of trouble. It's important to ensure that these management tools are secure and solid enough to contain the dog. Getting used to enclosures can take some time, but there is a good return on the investment in the long term, such as when the dog needs to be confined due to an injury, travel, being boarded or simply kept safe during specific circumstances. Here is a guide on training a dog to stay in a crate: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/love-the-crate/ If you do not have access to enclosures, you can close your dog in a safe room in your home where you dog can't chew inappropriate items and he is safe from ingesting items that are potentially toxic or may cause a blockage. It is difficult to find a household item that hasn't been removed from a dog's stomach! Make sure to leave around safe chew toys to keep your dog busy while you are away. Warning: chewing doesn't only damage your expensive furniture but also can prove harmful to your dog even potentially leading to expensive treatments and surgeries. Your dog may get splinters in his mouth, parts of wood may lodge in your dog's esophagus, and if a large or sharp piece makes it down the digestive tract, it can cause puncturing of the stomach or intestines causing peritonitis or a blockage that requires expensive surgery to get out. Tier 3: Taking a "Holistic" Approach Many dog behaviors stem from unaddressed issues that need to be tackled. It sometimes helps to investigate and try to find out the exact underlying source of the problem so to address it accordingly. One thing worthy of evaluating is that sometimes chewing can be a sign of separation anxiety. With separation anxiety, the wood chewing behavior would be contingent upon being left alone. These dogs often show other signs such as nervousness as owners prepare to leave, overly exaggerated greetings upon the owner's return, and in between when being left alone, there may be pacing, howling, barking, drooling, inappropriate elimination and chewing. These dogs require an anxiety-reduction program to tackle the issue. While separation anxiety is quite common, it is also true though that it is often also overdiagnosed. A dog chewing when left alone, can also be doing so because of boredom. Many dogs were selectively bred to "work." For example, Labrador retrievers and German shepherds are high-energy breeds that need exercise and mental stimulation so to wear them out and ensure their basic needs are met. Playing brain games and going on walks (if your pup has finished her vaccinations and your vet says it is OK) before being left alone can help. While adding more exercise and mental stimulation may not resolve the chewing 100 percent, it can help keep the dog's mind a bit more off the wood furniture. However, with puppies, it's always best to crate them when left alone as they tend to get into trouble. Sometimes, dogs chew when they are anxious. It is always a good practice to record the behavior of dogs when they are left alone and see if there are any triggers. Perhaps there are noises that make the dog anxious and trigger the chewing, or perhaps the dog is anxious when the owners leave. These are just a few possible underlying causes that may be seen at times. I hope this helps! Best, Adrienne

Hello Stephanie, Welcome to the forums! Jennifer provided you with the perfect link (thank you Jennifer!) Things may feel overwhelming at first (lots of things to read through and do), but you'll get through it. You don't have to do all at once. Baby steps. You can always post here if you need assistance. Best, Adrienne

Thanks for the clarification, I always get alarm bells sounding off my head when I hear dogs tensing during behavior modification exercises. Let your behavior professional in any case know, as she may suggest some sub-steps (or other solution) to reduce that tension. I wonder if he worries about some other dog coming unexpectedly and stealing his goodies. I am sure Momo will love the extra mental and physical workout with all these great plans you have for him! Enjoy the rest of your weekend. Best, Adrienne

Great idea to put those trash cans out of sight. So tempting to a puppy, they must be perceived as a treasure chest to them! For stealing items off tables and running away, you can find some tips in this thread: I prefer to use "leave its" as soon as you notice an intent to steal. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?43-Thieving-Pooch&highlight=stealing Best, Adrienne

You are correct about being concerned about them taking off when off leash. So many bad things can happen, not to mention poisoning your cue should your dogs repeatedly not listen to your recall. If you have used your recall many times with them not listening, you may be better off switching to a new recall word and starting all over, training the recall in low distractions areas using the course material in the 101 obedience section. I have found there to be a connection between dogs tugging on the leash and taking off when off leash. Teaching your dogs (again individually at first) to walk nicely on leash will also teach your dogs to stick by you and check in every now and then. With training polite leash walking (and training in general) the bond increases significantly as dogs learn to walk politely and pay less attention to competing stimuli while focusing more on you. I generally restrict off leash freedom on hikes or trails (or other areas) to a limited amount of dogs and those dogs are the ones that have proven to be highly-trained dogs under excellent voice control and dogs with non-aggressive tendencies. Being off leash is a privilege and it should be warranted only when the dog has proven himself to not get into trouble when there are people or other dogs or around or wildlife to chase. Ideally, dogs walked off leash should be not interested in meeting other dogs and wandering too much and would rather stick to the owners' side. It takes lots of practice to reach this level of proficiency in training. For dogs who haven't reached that level of control, but whose owners wish to have them have a bit more freedom on walks to sniff around and explore, I suggest for safety to have a helper and walk each dog on a long line, (never texting or talking on the phone!) while always carefully scanning for approaching people and dogs or other stimuli. A long line should not be confused for a retractable leash, which is something I don't recommend using. A long-line is a long, light rope or cord that may range anywhere between 10 and 50 feet long. You can often find these in horse and tack stores as the one for horses may also work well for dogs, but nowadays more and more companies are crafting long lines specifically for canines especially for tracking purposes. Unlike a retractable leash, a long line encourages engagement with your dog and provides you with a "lifeline" for emergency situations. It also prevents putting your dog in sticky situations where things can get ugly quickly (for example approaching another off leash dog who doesn't appreciate your dog's way of interacting). Now, there are certain general guidelines when using a long line. Generally, I start with the shorter ones and increase length as the dog proves himself worthy of more impulse control and more polite leash manners. When using a long line, you will always need to be scanning for triggers ahead so that you can quickly reel your dog in closer to you for better control. I like to wear gloves to protect my skin from rope burn, but it's nice to see that lately some companies are making some long lines in leather which are much more gentle on the hands. However, the rope ones offer the advantage that you can tie knots every few feet that you can use to gain traction and hold on to have a better grip in case your dog takes off running. You will also have to keep a close eye that the line doesn't get wrapped between your legs or your dog's legs or your other dogs' legs other people if your other dogs will come along with other handlers/family members. Ideally, the line should stay to your dog’s side so to not interfere with movement. I always prefer to have dog owners train a cue that tells the dog to come closer rather than reeling the dog in. You can find in the obedience section how to train a strong recall using a long line here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/recall/ As always, when practicing recalls you will have to start training each dogs in lower distraction scenarios first. A good place to start is in the home, then in yard, then in front of the home and then on walks nearby the house and then on trails with the long line. Use high-value treats. Move to more distracting areas only once you have obtained a fluent response in the less distracting ones. If ever needed, if you call your dog and he appears distracted, you can reel your dog slightly putting pressure on the line to get his attention and the moment he gives in and moves towards you, provide loads of feedback and encouragement until he comes to you culminating in several high-value treats delivered in a row.

Hello, and welcome to the forums! Training a dog requires giving the dog lots of individual attention, especially initially. You will need to pay attention to what the dog does, concentrate on his progress and possibly carry several items in your hands (treats for luring and then rewarding, a clicker if you use it). On top of this, you need to focus on the dog's body language for signs of motivation, eagerness or tiring or stress. While there are many training methods nowadays, a popular one that yields fast results is luring (which is mostly used throughout the course), where a treat is used as a guide to get the dog perform a desired behavior and is then quickly faded to primarily being used as reinforcement. It would be close to impossible using two hands to lure two untrained dogs side-by-side without creating confusion. Additionally, it would become confusing using the clicker/verbal marker since both dogs will likely perform the desired behavior at different times. Another consideration is that in the initial stages of training, it is important to start training in an area free of distractions. To one dog, the presence of another dog or more dogs, is a strong distraction. As you can attest, some dogs tend to get into "pack mentality" and influence each other, feeding off each others' emotions. If for example, you are training in one room and one dog is reactive to a noise and takes off, the other dog will likely leave and go check things out with his buddy too. Soon, you are left with no dogs to train as these distractions have won over you. Not to mention, dogs may also tend to compete for attention. In a dog training scenario, competition may involve a dog owner's attention with the added bonus of the presence of a odoriferous treat bag clipped to a belt. Intrusions are almost a certainty with these dogs, with them getting in between repeatedly if no measures are taken to keep these dogs under control and out of the way. It is therefore important that, in the initial stages of training, each dog is provided with attention until he or she grasps the concept, and then, only then, other dogs can be brought into the picture. The more dogs in a household, the more crucial it is that all dogs are well-trained and well-behaved. You would therefore first select one dog to work with. In the meanwhile, you will have to find a way to keep the other dogs out of the way. You can keep your other dogs in another room, behind a baby gate, in their crates, tethered, or in the yard. If you choose to crate them, you can provide the non-working dogs with a safe chew toy or food-dispensing toy to keep them busy. They'll soon look forward to this training routine without getting frustrated waiting their turn to be trained. If you choose to use a see-through baby gate, from where your dogs can watch you train, consider that they may get frustrated and impatient and this may lead to barking which can be a major distraction. If your dogs though are able to stay calm, reap the benefit of having them observe your training. Studies have shown that dogs learn faster if they watch other dogs being trained. On top of this, by watching, the motivation for the other n0n-working dogs will increase by the time it's their turn. If your dogs have had some basic training and know how to hold a solid down stay on a mat, you can teach them to patiently wait their turns, laying on the mat, as you train each dog individually. In the midst of training, can pause and drop a treat on the non-working dogs' mats every now and then to reward them for being chill. The order in which you train is important. While it's good to vary, watch how your dogs are behaving and choose accordingly. If you have one dog who shows signs of frustration or impatience more than the others (whining, pacing, barking, scratching himself often which is a displacement activity) make sure you ignore him (tune him out completely) and go get him as soon as he is calmer. He should soon grasp the concept that patience pays off. Alternatively, you can enlist the help of other family members to help train each dog individually and even in the same room mimicking the group classes dog trainers hold. In such a case, make sure that all members are on the same page as to training methods and verbal cues used. Once you have trained each dog individually and they all have shown signs of grasping the concept and each dog has demonstrated the proficiency of being able to respond in the training room, but also in other areas of the home and the yard, it is time to add another dog. Which dog should you add though? You may be far better off picking as a combo your most proficient dog, and then adding in your next proficient one and so forth. Once you are done mixing up the dogs in combos of two, further raise criteria, and add a further dog until you have your dogs in a group. At that point, you can use an attention grabbing cue such as "dogs" (a cue that will come to signify that all dogs must collectively respond) followed by your verbal cue such as "sit" or "down" etc. You can then reward the fastest dogs to comply working down to the slowest ones. Group training works wonderfully for important cues such as all dogs waiting before you open a door, responding to a smacking sound when the postal carrier approaches, having your dogs all lie down politely on their mats during your meal times, asking your dogs to do a group sit/stay or down/stay and then releasing them and calling your dogs (watch them competing rushing towards you!) and even holding sit-stays for great group pictures. I hear you about the walks. A group walk with all dogs behaving nicely takes time, and it usually can't be accomplished until each dog has mastered the art of polite leash walking on an individual basis. To better understand why this is quite a difficult task consider that training a dog to walk nicely on leash requires careful monitoring of what the dog is doing and at the same time repeatedly scanning the environment. If the dog is pulling ahead, you will have to stop in your tracks to prevent rewarding the pulling, then get your dog back into heel position and start walking again as long as the leash is nice and loose. I like to nickname this powerful training method as the brake/accelerator system. A tense leash is your break and a loose leash is your accelerator. It is close to impossible to provide this feedback with clarity if you have one dog who is pulling while the other is walking nicely by your side. On top of this, if both dogs are pulling ahead, having both dogs return to you in heel position could lead to annoying tangling of the leashes. And then you have the emotional side of things as you have witnessed. On walks, untrained dogs are likely to repeatedly react to certain stimuli. Perhaps a squirrel or perhaps another dog coming your way or just odors distracting the almighty nose. Each dog is very quick feeding off the emotions of the other dog. All it takes is for one dog to prick his ears and watch attentively, and the other dog is on high alert in a split second and then you're left with two dogs tugging at full force. Again, in such a case the best option is to train each dog individually (or have a family member/family members walk one dog per person) so that you/them can work on polite loose leash walking giving one-on-one attention first. It may take time to proof against salient distractions and you may need to invest in special walking tools in the meanwhile such as front-attachment harness or head halters. I will be tackling the off leash topic in the next post shortly....

Hi Jennifer, Thanks for the update, I was wondering about how things were going. Please be cautious with these exercises if his body language is so tense. I would be nervous sticking hands in a food bowl with a dog sending these mixed messages. Let your behavior professional know about this before doing more. I can't really comment on the calling away as I am not familiar with that specific exercise and your behaviorists' approach. There are so many different approaches to the same problem. Kudos to Momo for rolling over! He sounds adorable, well, an adorable butthead :D

As mentioned, when dealing with dog behavior modification programs, each case may be different due to a variety of variables and may therefore require a specific protocol. Some dogs may require sub-steps to prevent escalation (eg. in exercise 1, initially feeding the treats to both dogs simultaneously). The protocols listed below are therefore just some examples that can be potentially practiced under the guidance of a professional. They are not meant to be used as a substitute for professional behavioral advice provided by a behavioral professional who has come into the home to assess the situation and design a custom-tailored program. Disclaimers aside, it's important to point out that in between sessions, strict management must always be in place to prevent rehearsal of the problem behavior. This means that the food guarder should be prevented from being put into a situation where she may be predisposed to guard. Also, any time a setback takes place during an exercise (e.g. dog manages to growl), this would be indicative of proceeding too fast in the behavior modification process. Further distance must be granted if closer proximity evokes the problem behavior. Also important to point out is that behavior modification requires maintenance. Maintenance sessions should be held every now and then to maintain all the positive associations. The first exercises involve desensitization and counterconditioning. You can read more about this here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/desensitization/ https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/counterconditioning/ The goal of desensitization is to take a step-by-step approach by systematically and gradually exposing the dog to the less intension versions of the aggression-provoking event, while keeping the dog under threshold. At the same time, positive associations are created so that the food guarder's emotional response to the approaching dog changes. In order to carry out these sessions, tethering or use of leashes with a helper are initially needed at least until the dogs are capable of responding flawlessly to an owner's requests to sit/stay and down/stay, come and other important cues. If there is fear of injury, dogs should be muzzled as an extra safety precaution. Exercise 1: The guarder is tethered or kept on leash by helper. The other dog is kept at a distance of a few feet either tethered or kept on leash by another handler. The owner holds a bowl full of some tasty treats. The owner feeds the non-guarding dog a treat first, and then immediately afterward, praises and feeds the guarder. This should be repeated several times and a brief pause should take place between the reps. The goal of this exercise is, after several repetitions, to create a conditioned emotional response in the guarder. In other words, through various repetitions, the guarder expresses positive emotions when the other dog is nearby. Trial after trial, the guarder comes to associate the other dog being fed with her being fed. The dog basically learns that, everytime 'Rover' is fed, then she' shortly fed right after, therefore seeing Rover eating means good things are about to happen! This is the opposite of before, when Rover's presence was perceived as threatening, evoking food guarding behaviors. Once the conditioned emotional response has been established, it is possible to move the dogs gradually closer and repeat the exercise, playing close attention to the guarder's body language for signs of tension. If there are any signs of subtle tension, more distance should be granted. A plan should always be in place should a fight erupt at any time. It is important to avoid touching fighting dogs and always keeping some tools handy such as a blanket to toss over the dogs, a bucket of water or hose to drench the dogs, or an air horn or pan covers to clunk together so to startle the dogs and stop them from fighting. Exercise 2: The guarder is on leash in a quiet room held by one handler who is reading or watching TV and not paying attention to the dog. The non-guarder dog (on leash as well with a handler) is introduced in the room. The handler of the guarder acknowledges the non-guarder dog "Oh look, here comes Rover! "The non-guarder dog is fed by his handler a tasty treat, while the guarder dog's handler praises and right afterward feeds the guarder dog a treat. The non-guarder dog is then taken out the room and treat delivery ends. The process is then repeated. After several trials, the guarder should show signs of a conditioned emotional response upon seeing Rover coming into the room. From dreading the other dog's approach, she now feels "happy" because she knows that the approach of the other dog signifies that treat time is coming. These exercises should be practiced in different areas of the home, always emphasizing that the approach of the other dog means treats happen, while departure means treats end. This is therefore done in an open-bar closed/bar fashion. Exercise 3: This exercise is a next step for dogs who guard food bowls. The guarder is on leash in a quiet room held by one handler who is reading or watching TV and not paying attention to the dog. One empty food bowl is placed on the floor next to the guarder, another one is placed at the entrance of the room. Several minutes should elapse with the handler ignoring the dog. The non-guarder dog (on leash as well with a handler) is introduced in the room by the food bowl at the entrance. The handler of the guarder acknowledges the non-guarder dog "Oh, look here comes Rover!" The non-guarder dog is given several pieces of kibble tossed in the food bowl while the guarder dog's handler praises and right afterward feeds the guarder dog several kibble in the bowl. Upon the guarder dog finishing the kibble, the non-guarder dog is then taken out of the room to emphasize that the delivery of food ends when he leaves the room. The process is then repeated several times every meal time spitting the meal portions so to get several reps until the guarder shows signs of looking forward to the non-guarder dog's approach into the room. Caution in this exercise is needed when reducing distance between the dogs and when the non-guarder dog looks at the guarder dog eating (he can be fed a treat every now and then to prevent direct staring). The non-guarder dog looking at the guarder eating can create setbacks considering that it means he has an interest in the guarder's food (this is ultimately something that can be worked on too later on). It is always best to maintain a certain level of distance for safety and to reduce the chances for setbacks. Even dogs with a history of not resource guarding should be provided space when being fed their meals. Food bowls should always be picked up after practice sessions and eventually real meal times to avoid conflict. Now, sometimes, a dog needs to learn how to withdraw from potential conflict. Most dogs naturally understand that a growl means "move away, I am not comfortable with you so close to my food," however, some dogs may underestimate things or they may willingly not wish to back down. Teaching the dog to avoid the guarder by using a verbal cue, if the guarder's growl doesn't work, may be a way to avoid conflict. A verbal cue such as "withdraw" or "leave him alone" should tell your non-guarding dog to follow you in another room or the yard where you can praise him and give a treat and then hang out with him there for some time. With time, the response should become more and more fluent to the point of the non-guarder withdrawing from the guarder even before you pronounce your cue. Resource guarding among dogs is a natural behavior that has been part of the dog's evolution. Often, conflict involves ritualistic displays and no harm among the parties occurs. It's the same as a child saying "this is my toy" to another child and it all ends there. The child has used her words rather than pulling hair or biting, and that may be acceptable, although the child can be eventually taught the virtues of sharing. In dogs, sharing though is maladaptive and could have led to extinction of the species. Rather than teaching them to share, we manipulate their environment and condition their emotions. Mild cases of food guarding can often be solved through management. More serious issues where dogs risk injuring each other and there is tension and fear in other dogs sharing the household, may require behavior modification. These cases often require the aid of a professional, using force-free, humane behavior modification. With your pup being 6 months, it is best to have this tackled sooner than later considering that things tend to exacerbate once dogs reach social maturity at 18 to 36 months. I hope this helps! Best, Adrienne Please note: some terms that are not very common are hyperlinked and clickable to provide an in-depth explanation. Thee keywords appear of a lighter blue color. You will need to be logged into the course to assess them. Disclaimer: behavior modification comes with risks. If you are dealing with any form of dog aggression, please seek the assistance of a dog behavior professional for safety and correct behavior modification implementation, custom tailored to your specific situation.

Hello Marissagrr, Welcome to the forums. I am sorry to hear you are dealing with these issues. They are not at all uncommon. It is not unusual for problematic behaviors to pop up when a third dog is added to a social group of two dogs. At 6 months, the puppy is reaching or has just reached the adolescent stage. You can read more about this stage right here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/survive-dogs-adolescent-stage/ With a history of being skin and bones and the runt of the litter, there are chances that food has acquired quite a level of saliancy. Food aggression is not at all uncommon in these dogs. We must remember that food aggression among dogs is a highly adaptive behavior. Wild canines who protected their food resources from other canines or competing predators, were those more likely to survive. Because food aggression has played a big role in a dog's evolutionary history, explains why this issue is often quite challenging to treat. There are various ways to tackle the issue of a dog guarding food from another dog; however, the most important piece of advice is to practice caution. Dogs who are guarding food are tense, and as such, they can react impulsively if touched, even by a well-meaning person. Should fights ever erupt, there are risks for redirected bites to people or children who are nearby. It is therefore important to consult with a behavior professional for an in-person assessment and treatment plan individualized for the specific situation to play it safe. With food aggression management is priority. It is far easier to manage a situation than attempt to completely treat a highly instinctive behavior such as food guarding between dogs. If your pup is prone to guarding food from other dogs, the best thing to do is to avoid giving high-value foods such as rawhides or bones when the other dogs are around and to feed meals and other goodies in a safe environment where the dog cannot be disturbed. Confinement options vary. Your pup can be kept confined in a crate, behind a baby gate or behind a closed door in a safe, puppy-proofed room. A locked door may be best in households with children. Care must be taken to confiscate any traces of foods left behind before releasing the dogs from their confinement areas and removing food bowls since for food-guarding dogs these may still be valuable despite being empty. Also care must be taken to remove all sources of possible conflict when the dogs are out of the crate. Children should be discouraged or prevented from walking around with foods that be dropped and cause tension among the dogs. If the aggression is mild and restricted to only ritualized displays (no history of harm,pup has good bit inhibition, there is no major tension and the other dogs not acting traumatized or fearful), sometimes, the solution is as simple as feeding the dogs at a distance from each other where no dogs are disturbed. If a dog eats faster than the others, he or she should be prevented from disturbing the other dogs. A ritual can be set, such as taking the fastest eating dog outside in the yard immediately after finishing eating or having all dogs who finish first perform down stays until released. Tethering the dogs during meal times can also turn helpful, although supervision is always needed when tethers are used. The rule of thumb, is no dog should be nosing around the other dogs when eating. When eating at the table, your pup should not be allowed to practice food guarding behaviors. You can train your dogs to patiently lie on their mats during meal time: go here for a video on how to train your dog to lie on a mat: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/train-dog-go-to-mat/ Alternatively, they should be kept at a distance from the table either through one of those extension gates made for dogs (you can still supervise them through them), or you can train your dogs to respect invisible boundaries during mealtimes by initially placing a long strip of yarn or a long ruler on the floor (make sure your dogs know "leave it" and "drop" to prevent them from stealing these! Instructions for the leave it and drop it commands are found in the main obedience section) and repeatedly reminding your dogs to not surpass it, until you can remove the strip of ruler as the dogs grasp the concept. Most dogs learn quickly how to respect these boundaries with practice. Although guarding food is a highly instinctive behavior and one that can be challenging to treat, there are some options to improve the situation, but these options require the intervention of a behavior professional for safety and correct implementation of behavior modification exercises. Each case may be different and may therefore require a specific protocol based on individual circumstances. I will cover a few of these options in the next post.

When you cannot actively supervise, because you need to head out of the home, it' important to take steps to prevent your dog from engaging in the troublesome behavior. This is for several reasons. 1) to prevent your dog from rehearsing the troublesome behavior (the more dogs engage in a behavior, the more it becomes habit-forming and chewing is often a self-reinforcing behavior) 2) to prevent your dog from learning that when you are away, there is no consequence for the behavior (you can't say "leave it" or correct your dog while you are away) 3) to keep your dog safe (chewing inappropriate items like wood can lead to injuries and costly surgeries as described a few paragraphs below). As a veterinary office assistant I have seen some dogs getting splinters in their mouth, not to mention blockages that require expensive surgery. Now to the "beefy" part: what can be done? I would suggest using some type of enclosure. Crates, solid baby gates, kennels, exercise pens are all enclosures that can help keep your dog safe and out of trouble. It's important to ensure that these management tools are secure and solid enough to contain the dog. With a large and powerful dogs as a GSD, a sturdy crate may be the best bet. Getting used to enclosures can take some time, but there is a good return on the investment in the long term, such as when the dog needs to be confined due to an injury, travel, being boarded or simply kept safe during specific circumstances. The course covers a section with videos on how to get your dog used to a crate, here is that section, (you need to login to view this): https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/love-the-crate/ If you do not have access to enclosures, you can close your dog in a safe room in your home where you dog can't chew inappropriate items and he is safe from ingesting items that are potentially toxic or may cause a blockage. It is difficult to find a household item that hasn't been removed from a dog's stomach! Make sure to leave around safe chew toys to keep your dog busy while you are away. Now, there are also other options. One strategy involves making toys extra appealing, while making the furniture less appealing. This should aid your dog in making "good choices." Now don't keep the same toys around all the time. If you rotate them, your dog's interest towards them will be kept alive and will pique her interest. For puppies, make sure you use puppy-approved chew toys. Use toys of different textures and flavors to keep your pup entertained. Another great way, to keep interest alive is to add some goodies to the toys. Skip boring toys. Instead, pick food puzzles, interactive toys and treat/food dispensing toys that can be stuffed with goodies. Examples include, Buster Cubes, Kongs, Kong Wobblers etc. Most dogs will choose these rewarding toys over any piece of wood furniture. However, these don't last very long. You may need to fill them in a strategic way that tires your dog out and take time in dislodging the goodies, and you may have to prepare several (use your dog's meal portion for calorie control) and perhaps even scatter kibble around the home to keep busy in a treasure-hunt game fashion. Here is the link to the treasure hunt game: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/elementary/the-treasure-hunt/ At the same time, you want to make wood furniture not appealing. Some dog owners elect to spray wood furniture with bad tasting products, such as Bitter Apple Spray, Bitter Yuck or Cayenne powder/Tabasco sauce. However, these don't always work (and some dogs even enjoy the taste!) and they require multiple applications. Another way to make furniture no longer appealing is by making it difficult to reach. Place some large objects (that are already around your dog and that your dog doesn't normally destroy) around the wood furniture to discourage your dog from accessing it. If your dog is targeting mostly the legs of tables, one option that I haven't never really had the opportunity to "test drive," is sliding some PVC pipe over the legs if they are small enough. PVC pipe is material that dogs do not typically enjoy chewing. This is for a good part a temporary measure until the dog learns to leave the legs alone. Other options involve tackling the root causes for the problem. For instance, if your recording of your dog left alone reveals that she is potentially suffering from separation anxiety, then, you'll need to invest time in doing behavior modification, and some severe case dogs require medication to take the edge off during behavior modification. If your dog is chewing as a reaction to anxiety from noises, then buffering sounds playing calming CDs or some white noise (radio on, TV on) can help along with possibly calming aids such as DAP diffusers, calming supplements etc. If your dog is chewing due to reacting to outside triggers seen from the window, then limiting window access and/or applying window film can help. If you believe your dog is chewing because she has associated your presence with corrections, then you may need to practice "leave its" despite your absence. If you have a remote monitoring system, you can practice with that, by telling your dog "leave it" over the monitoring system. Don't count though on this working 100 percent if you leave the home for sustained periods of time and your dog grows lonely and bored. It is always best to keep wood furniture out of reach when you can't supervise or keep your dog crated. Lastly, here's a tip worth mentioning: avoid giving your dog sticks or chunks of firewood since she may be having a hard time differentiating between them and your coffee table's legs. Hope this helps! Feel free to add more details if I haven't tackled a particular situation or need more in depth info. Best, Adrienne

Hello Alan Merritt, If this happens only when you are out, there are few things that I think are worthy of considering. I am listing a few possible causes for such behavior, and then in a later post, will add a few ways to tackle this issue. One thing worthy of evaluating is whether you may be dealing with a case of separation anxiety. It is always a good practice to record the behavior of dogs when they are left alone. With separation anxiety, the wood chewing behavior is contingent upon being left alone. These dogs often show other signs such as nervousness as owners prepare to leave, overly exaggerated greetings upon the owner's return, and in between when being left alone, there may be pacing, howling, barking, drooling, inappropriate elimination and chewing. These dogs require an anxiety-reduction program to tackle the issue. Recording the behavior when left alone and showing it to a behavior professional, along with providing detailed history about the dog, can help pinpoint whether this may be an underlying problem. While separation anxiety is quite common, it is also true though that it is often also overdiagnosed. A dog chewing when left alone, can also be doing so because of boredom. German shepherds are high-energy breeds that need lots of exercise and mental stimulation to wear them out (especially during their first 5 years) and to ensure their special needs are met. Walk your dog prior to leaving the home and make sure your dog plays several brain games. While adding more exercise and mental stimulation may not resolve the chewing 100 percent, it can help keep the dog's mind a bit off the wood furniture, however, more steps are often needed. (More of this later)... Another cause of a dog chewing furniture when the owners are out, are dogs who have a great need to chew and do so when left alone because they have associated their owner's presence with "corrections." So if say, when you are around, your dog goes to chew furniture and you get upset by it and correct your dog, your dog comes to learn that he can't chew in your presence. When you are out of sight though, all is good. Dogs like this aren't chewing intently out of spite or to be sneaky, but rather have simply associated the owner's presence with the correction. For many dogs, when a person walks away from something or a situation, it means that they are free to chew again and it's all fair game. Worth mentioning is also general anxiety. Dogs may be overstimulated or fearful of triggers and can therefore revert to chewing as a way of dealing with these emotions. Once again, recording your dog's behavior when left alone can provide important puzzle pieces. Perhaps, there are loud noises and your dog feels defenseless and chews to deal with his anxiety. Chewing can also be a displacement activity for dogs who are frustrated because they cannot perform certain behaviors such as meeting other dogs or people they see out of windows. Barrier frustration, is the name for this, and it can happen also when dogs are on leash or behind a fence and can't meet other people or dogs or chase animals. So next, let's take a look at some possible solutions...

Hello and welcome to the forums! I would first evaluate what is distracting her. In order to train efficiently, you first want to start in an area that is free of distractions. If there is too much going on, she can't focus and this may cause the behavior you are seeing. You are likely seeing too much latency, which is the interval between when you give the cue (you ask your dog to sit) and when the dog starts to respond to the cue and this can be due to the distracting area you are working in. The dog is likely in the state of mind of "What? did you just say sit? Oh, right, sit, here it comes." Your cue is masked by other things going on and you are not given 100 percent attention. Try taking a more graded approach, in other words, find a quiet area where she is better able to focus and responds almost immediately in the exact spot where you ask her to perform the behavior (in most cases, standing in front of the dog). Now, sometimes, there are really no overt distractions going on, but us owners are the "distraction." If this is a newly acquired rescue, there may be chances this dog may feel a bit intimidated with you standing in front of her and she therefore squirms away and sits a bit at a distance. If that's the case, you will need to take a graded approach, starting with her sitting at her comfort zone and then gradually asking for closer and closer sits as she gains more confident. You may also need to identify what if anything is intimidating her (posture, tone of voice etc) and possibly work on desensitizing her to that. We consider a dog knowing a command when the dog can perform it under several distractions, with distance and the dog doesn't confuse it with other commands so she might not be at that level of proficiency yet. It will come eventually. It sounds like she isn't at that level yet, so let's help succeed by taking smaller steps. If you are asking her to sit when she is distracted or at a distance, you want to start training therefore in a quieter area and at closer distances at first (unless she's not comfortable in doing that, in which case, you can start from her comfort zone and then gradually build the kind of sit response you want) and then you can add distance and distractions (and duration when you add a built-in stay). Happy training!

Jennifer pointed out a crucial piece of information there! Another tip that comes to mind is to never call your dog for things your dog doesn't seem to like e.g. don't call your dog for a bath if he hates water, don't call your dog to only have his paws trimmed if he dislikes that. Doing so will "poison the cue" which means it assumes negative connotations and the recall will weaken, meaning that your dog will be reluctant to come eventually. When you need to do these things, you can do two things: set up the environment so that you can avoid calling your dog altogether, for example, go on a walk and then once back, while you have him on leash, bring him to the area and give him a bath, or as you are giving your dog a belly rub and he is calmly laying down next to you, do the nail trim. Another option is to call your dog, but rather than doing the unpleasant activity straight away, spend a few minutes playing with your dog, petting him, asking him to perform a few tricks, doing anything your dog likes, so to break the association between his name being called and the unpleasant activity. At the same time though, take steps to make those dreaded activities more pleasant, e.g. give treats and lots of praise every time a nail is clipped, sing silly songs and make bath time a super fun activity etc. Potty accidents at this age can be due to several things: incomplete potty training, submissive/excitement urination (pup pees when feeling intimidated or excited), stress marking, separation anxiety peeing (it happens when the owner leaves the house) medical issues (urinary tract infections). Make sure you use enzyme-based cleaner to clean up messes. Also, feed on a schedule (same times each day) as this will cause your pup's BM's to become more predictable. Do you have a pattern as to when these accidents happen? Is it pee or poop or both? Right after coming inside? How long is the puppy able to hold it? Where do these accidents exactly happen? If you haven't visited the potty training corner, you can find it here, scroll down to puppies, and looked under potty training, and take a peak too in the inappropriate elimination section as it covers some other types of issues: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/

Hello Chris umpland, Welcome to the forums, At 7 months, your pup is entering doggy adolescence and therefore, things can get a tad bit more challenging because at this stage dogs tend to be more distracted as they are undergoing several physical and mental changes. You can read more about this stage here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/survive-dogs-adolescent-stage/ The best way to teach a recall is to make the dog's name music for his/her ears, in other words, make great things happen when your dog comes when called. These great experiences have to leave a strong impact on the dog to build a strong recall. Start in low distraction areas and then gradually move on to more distracting areas. Be generous: for enthusiastic recalls, I often reward with several treats fed in a row while happy talking. You can also create special set-ups to practice great recalls, for instance, in the morning, when you know your pup is extra hungry, keep him/her in the yard as you prepare your dog's meal and then call him/her inside while keeping the food bowl behind your back. Once your dog reaches you (at full speed!) praise him/her and then put the food bowl down. Once your dog responds well to this, you can ask your dog to politely sit before you put the food bowl down. The course covers recalls here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/recall/ Happy training!

I haven't heard from you, so I am guessing that you are in middle of big Christmas preparations and therefore thought to post a quick reply just in case you happen to stop by before the big event. If this is a new puppy that is under 16 weeks, your pup is in the prime socialization stage. During this critical window of opportunity, you want to expose your puppy to as many people, sights, sounds, smells, as possible, as these experiences will help shape the dog of your future. During the socialization window, puppies are less fearful to encounter unfamiliar stimuli and situations. The puppy is more likely to approach humans and objects and interact with them especially if he had a good head start while in the litter in the breeder's care. It has been found that lack of appropriate early socialization can result in problematic behaviors such as excess fearfulness and even aggression. A Christmas party therefore can provide the means for the puppy to encounter many different types of people who look, smell, or move in a way that's different from their breeders and new owners; however, it's important to pay attention to the puppy's body language and prevent exposing the pup to overwhelming situations that may induce stress or fear. Since a puppy under 16 weeks hasn't yet finished vaccinations, for safety, make sure that shoes remain outside as an extra safety precaution and that your guests wash their hands before handling the puppy. Now, a puppy should not be exposed to a potentially overstimulating party cold turkey. Exposing the puppy to a large crowd can be an overwhelming experience that may cause the puppy to feel stress or fear. Rather than being desensitized, there are risks the puppy may become sensitized, which is the opposite of what one wants to accomplish. This is why I asked how your puppy's temperament is as some pups may not be ready for such big happenings involving many people. This post therefore tackles a pup who is rather confident and easy going and has already met several strangers and faired well with them. Ideally, before exposing a puppy to a big crowd the pup should have been allowed some time to adjust to his new home and new few family members. Afterwards, friendly strangers should be incorporated starting with one stranger, then two, and so on and then a small group of people. So perhaps, you can introduce your puppy to a few guests as they arrive or a few guests once the majority have left if you want to take advantage of your Christmas party and turn it into a little "puppy socialization party". The goal is for your puppy to form positive experiences, but even well-meaning children or people may at times interact in certain ways that may be overwhelming and even frightening to a young puppy. Your pup therefore must be exposed to a variety of people who take time to follow clear instructions and who will hand feed, handle, and train your puppy in a positive way. Just as puppies readily absorb pleasant encounters, it is also easy for stressful situation to have a negative impact and shape fear. Generally, you should follow though these important considerations and rules: -Keep treats handy and ask for anyone interested in interacting with the puppy (who isn't?) to hand feed treats as the puppy is pet and given attention by the guests one at a time. In lieu of treats, if you are concerned about excess calories or tummy upset, guests may offer the pup his kibble if it's just around feeding time or a favorite toy as they give the puppy attention. With children, you will have to provide clear instructions on how to interact. Place your body between your puppy and child until the child clearly understands what to do. Remember: you are your pup's ambassador and you must monitor all interactions and ensure they go well and remain safe (for both people and your dog). -It's all about creating positive associations with as many different people and characters. You will therefore need to always keep an eye on your puppy's response to these people. In an ideal situation, your pup should look happy, confident and curious to meet each character. If you notice at any time any fearful body language or signs of stress, keep tabs on it and try the identify the reason (is the person tall, wearing sunglasses or a hat? was the person looming over the puppy?) Then, think about what you can do to ameliorate the situation in the future (e.g. feed treats every time your puppy sees people wearing sunglasses). You may want to jolt down any things that appear to cause tension or frightens your pup so that you can set up a counterconditioning and desensitization program (visit the article archive area for more info on these terms) with that particular stimulus or situations in the future before the socialization window closes. If your puppy shows any signs of fear or aggression, stop the interaction and consult with a behavior professional for in-person help. -Although this is a party, it's important not to promote puppy overexcitability (excessive jumping up, whining/barking and nipping). It's important to promote instead the puppy's ability to relax and focus despite the distraction of many people. So while it's great to create positive associations with a variety of people, it's also important doing so without promoting high energy inappropriate activity and excessive emotional arousal. Puppies can be encouraged to remain focused through simple, reinforced exercises. Easy exercises that can help promote relaxation and focus incluse ‘look at me’, ‘sit’, round-robin recalls (people sit in a circle and take turns calling the pup and rewarding the pup for coming) or hand-targeting which are all covered in the course. You can take turns asking these behaviors and having your guests ask them as well. Tip: Products that have a calming effect such as DAP (dog appeasing pheromone) diffusers such as Adaptil, installed a couple hours prior to the party may help the pup feel more at ease. -After several pleasant, yet controlled interactions, the puppy may start growing tired. It's always best to stop the interactions on a positive note with the pup wanting more, rather than the puppy tiring and requesting a break through withdrawal or avoidance behavior. It's therefore a good idea, at some point, to call it quits and give the puppy a break. When overstimulated, young puppies tire easily, get cranky and need a nice nap (which by the way, helps solidify the experience). Provide your puppy with a quiet spot away from the hustle and bustle, but still within hearing reach, where he can sit back, perhaps chew on a safe, age-appropriate toy before taking a little nap. It's good for the puppy to learn to relax to the point of sleeping while hearing people in the background. If your puppy though seems to have a hard time relaxing by all means provide him more distance. If this is a puppy over 16, that is confident and hasn't showed fear in the past weeks, structured introductions with a few guests willing to follow your instructions can prove beneficial as well. It has been shown that puppies past 16 weeks still benefit from structured socialization, and after all, this is something that should be continued for the rest of a dog's life. If your puppy has shown signs of stress, fear of people, noises sights or excess arousal, overexcitability etc in the past weeks, then the party may be too overwhelming to allow him to participate for now. Pups like this may need more remedial socialization and controlled settings than anything else and can be easily flooded and over threshold when exposed to intense experiences. He may be better off for now staying safely crated in the most distant room away from the hustle and bustle with a TV or radio on to buffer sounds and perhaps a blanket over the crate to encourage him to nap or relax. Providing him with exercise and mental stimulation prior can help him relax prior to the guest's arrivals. Remember to check on him every now and then to see how he's doing and take him out for potty breaks as needed. I hope this helps, Best wishes for a Happy Christmas, Adrienne

Hi sallyjkeinarth, How old is your puppy? And how is he/she temperament-wise so far towards people? Shy, outgoing, fearful, hyper? Just checking as my response will be based to a great extent on whether the pup is in the prime socialization stage or past it and his/her individual personality.

Hello Jennifer, It took seeing a veterinary opthamologist to diagnose the floaters. Yes, there are also specialists for dog eyes and many of them are awesome in treating eye conditions that vets may miss or have no clue about. I used to work for one back in the days and he had all this specialized equipment to read eye pressure and stain eyes to detect corneal ulcers etc. It was quite fascinating. Good deal keeping Momo in the room and avoiding putting your face close to his to say goodnight. You can never be overly cautious and I am a big proponent for that. Hopefully, this bed behavior is just a new thing that can be nipped in the bud. Some behavior modification processes can be slow, but sometimes they can be fast too in attaining results, only that it takes time for them to seep in and become ingrained. It takes some time for unlearning to take place and to establish new habits, but once you're on a roll and pass the initial slumps it is often downhill from there on (other than the occasional extinction bursts or spontaneous recoveries). I am a "crossover trainer" by definition so to say, who started with the alpha methods because back then this was way far more popular and almost a "fad." I learned the hard way some side effects that came with this method (dogs growling at me, snapping or acting tense and suppressed) but luckily I caught up on time before any damage was done to my dogs. Since I crossed over, I never looked back because the advantages were far too many. Wishing you happy holidays to you and your doggies. Best, Adrienne

Now, a disclaimer is warranted here: no matter how much training is done, dogs may always remain dogs to a certain extent. So we can teach them appropriate behaviors and we can teach them quickly too, but we can't expect them to be 100 percent foolproof especially when it comes to dealing with instinctive behaviors such as chewing items that feel good to chew. Faucets come with guarantees, but dog training cannot due to the unpredictability of animal behavior. Just like toddlers who end up opening cabinets if left unlocked, dogs may be drawn to be get into mischief, but not because they act out of spite, but because they act out of instincts. So here are some tips to stop a dog from chewing children's toys, but as a very first step it helps making it almost impossible for the puppy to make an inappropriate choice through management at least until training has reached a fluent stage. -Choose toys that are completely different. Because children toys and dog toys are very similar, Rover can be helped out if we pick toys for him that are completely different. If your dog is provided with stuffed toys made for dogs, you can't blame him much if he steals your child's teddy bear. So for example, if your children play with figurines and dolls, provide your dog with balls and chew toys purposely crafted for dogs. Picking toys that are particularly interesting (toys that provide enrichment) can also help make children's toys look boring in comparison. Rotating the toys also helps keep interest alive. Interactive toys that provide enrichment include many dog food puzzles like Buster Cubes, Kong Wobblers, Westpaw's Zogoflex Qwizl, Starmark’s Everlasting puzzles. With these toys, your puppy can be kept busy working on them. Words of caution: Puppies should be always supervised when provided with toys/ food puzzles. Puppies should be given age-appropriate chew toys that are suitable for their teeth (some chew toys are too hard). Caution is needed in giving these toys around children if there are puppies or dogs who resource guard or who are prone to it. For safety or when in doubt, provide toys when the dog is crated. -Store toys in different areas. Another way to help differentiate children toys from dog toys is to store them in different areas. Rover can be taught that children toys are stored in a chest or on a shelf, while dog toys are stored in a basket. -Avoid chastising the puppy for stealing toys. Punishing a puppy for getting a child's toy can lead to mistrust, tension and the pup may learn to associate your presence with punishment which means that he'll likely grab a toy and sneak off with it, chewing it under the bed or behind a couch. Also, harsh scolding may cause a sensitive pup to stop using its own toys and chews altogether. Instead of punishment, teach your puppy what you want him to do instead. -Train your puppy the leave it command and the drop it command. You can find how to train there here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/take-leave-it/ https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/drop-it/ As already mentioned, we can train a dog to leave children's toys alone, but mishaps can sometimes happen because toys are appealing and chewing is a strongly instinctive behavior. A well-trained "leave it" said the moment when we notice the intent to steal a toy can stop the puppy in his tracks, and if we're too late to say "leave it," and therefore, find the puppy with the toy already in his mouth, then a well-trained "drop-it" should do. -Reward your puppy for making good choices. Start with this easy exercise, get one of your children's toys and place it on the floor and then place your dog's toy next to it. Then, call your dog. He may be interested in the child's toy because it's something he doesn't regularly have. If that's the case, as soon as he moves towards it, say "leave it" and then redirect him to his toy by waving it excitedly to attract him. When he gets it, make sure you give oodles of praise. Repeat this exercise with several different children toys and then gradually add more and more children toys. -Out of sight, but not out of mind. Sometimes dogs associate our presence with the training and also think that by moving away we are relinquishing "our claim" over an item, so as part of the proofing process it may help to add some distance to this exercise. Move away from the toys and test your dog. You may find a need to remind him to "leave" the child's toys as you move away. If he does, you can redirect him to a dog toy stuffed with some goodies or a treat you have held in your pocket. You can then further add more distance by leaving the room and watching your dog from behind a window or furniture or behind a wall. This teaches your dog that "leave it" applies as well in your "apparent absence." If you have a remote monitoring system, you can further practice with that by telling your dog "leave it" over the monitoring system and then rushing inside to give him his reward. Don't count though on this working 100 percent if you leave the home for sustained periods of time and your dog grows lonely and bored. It is always best to keep children toys out of reach when you can't supervise or keep your dog crated. -Train your dog/puppy to swap and bring things to you. A great side effect that comes from teaching your dog to drop something and swapping it with something valuable to a dog such a dog toy your dog can have or a tasty treat,(read here for a guide on how to trade and take toys from your dog while reducing the risks for resource guarding: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/overprotective-of-toys/) is that your dog may come to learn to bring things to you. If your puppy or dog grabs a child's toy and brings it to you, make a fuss saying what a clever pup he is and swap it for a dog toy, a treat or a short fun game. -A word about"Scent Marking" Children Toys. Some dogs owners have had further success 'scent marking' their children's toys with a taste deterrent such as Bitter Apple Spray to remind the dog to leave them alone. They therefore spray the children's toys before practicing "leave its" or when leaving the room. Many dogs are deterred by the bad taste, they'll grab a toy, and therefore, then spit it out, but many dogs still find that the value of the toy and chewing worthy despite the initial bitter taste. On top of this, some dogs don't mind the taste deterrent and some taste deterrents leave residue, so that, should children put their fingers or toys in their mouths, they'll end up tasting it too, which is not good. -Baby toy/toddler toys consideration: it may be more difficult at times to train puppies to stay away from baby toys because, on top of being attractive to chew on, babies or toddlers may smear food on them or spit/regurgitate on them, which adds another bonus (yuck right?) making them extra appealing and therefore difficult to resist. With baby toys, it's best to simply manage for safety and hygiene matters considering the risks of dogs guarding toys from babies or toddlers and babies or toddlers putting in their mouths toys that were previously mouthed by dogs. Dogs often have bacteria in their mouths that may cause illnesses. -Provide training, socialization, exercise and mental stimulation. Puppies need socialization before the grace period ends at around 16 weeks. Here is a guide for it:https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/socializing-your-puppy/ Puppies and dogs who tend to seek out things to chew a lot are often bored or frustrated or anxious. It's important to provide them with sufficient training, exercise, socialization and mental stimulation. These activities will tire most puppies and dogs out. Puppies can then be crated with a safe chew toy to relax and have a nap versus getting cranky and misbehaving around the house. -Importance of supervision: dogs and children should always be supervised, no matter how small or how good the dog is. This is to prevent mishaps, rehearsals of problematic behaviors and to ensure that children are following the rules on how to properly interact with the dog. Last but not least, teach the kids too! Perhaps one of the most valuable and productive life lessons is teaching children to put toys away. We used to sing "clean-up" songs in day care for the tasks, but there's nothing like a puppy or dog to teach children to put toys (or other belongings) away. If the kids cherish something, they are better off keeping it off the floor and stored safely away so to avoid slobbery toys and/or destruction. This is a great motivator that is likely to remind children that the dog will eat toys or anything they leave out. This way, the puppy is safe and children learn to be orderly from an early age, and this organizational skill may carry on to other habits in life too! Hope this helps, Best, Adrienne

Hello Andrea.w1222 Welcome to the forums. This is a very good question! And it requires an individualized answer, as chewing children toys requires a different approach compared to chewing other household items. The problem with children toys is that, to a dog's eyes, a toy is a toy. In other words, dogs are prone to having difficulty discriminating children toys from dog toys since they often look very similar. It's not surprising, therefore, if a puppy gets up from chewing his own toy and goes straight to steal a child's toy laying on the floor. Dogs are attracted to novelty, and especially when they are puppies, they may seek items to chew on with different textures. It just feels good to them to hold and chew certain items. This makes children toys very appealing and the act of stealing and chewing on them, very rewarding. Dogs are also interested in children's toys because dogs have a natural instinct to shake and shred things apart and many children toys are filled with stuffing or internal parts which makes them irresistible to destroy. On top of this, it's important to consider that children's toys weren't crafted with puppies in mind. Some children toys can be downright dangerous especially considering a puppy's tendency to chew parts or even ingest them whole. Some parts can be choking hazards to dogs, and if the dog doesn't happen to choke, there are chances for a piece of toy to become lodged somewhere along the dog's digestive tract. With puppies this is even more likely due to their smaller digestive tracts. This can turn out to be a very expensive surgery and sometimes with complications. In an ideal world, picking up all children's toys when they are not playing with them would the the best option to keep the puppy out of harm's way. However, we are not perfect and things can get challenging with toddlers as they tend to scatter toys everywhere or hide them in the most inconspicuous places (I know this 'cause I worked in day care before training dogs). As already mentioned, puppies have a hard time differentiating toys meant for them from toys meant for children as they often look very similar so it's a bit of a far shot to expect them to not be tempted by a toy that a child has left aside, especially when abandoned on the floor. To a dog's eyes a toy abandoned on the floor is fair game as it means the child has lost interest in it, so why not put it to good use and gnaw on it? (Just talking from a doggy perspective.) Another option in this case is to simply install a baby gate so that the children can be free to scatter their toys everywhere without having to worry about the dog stealing them and breaking them apart. Children should be aware of the new rule that playtime must be confined to their enclosure and no toys are to be brought into the other areas of the home or else "puppy monster" will eat them. Children should also be discouraged from using their toys to play with the dog. This offers also an optimal situation because the dog is set up for success and can play with his own toys while he's spared from the heartbreaking risk of having to go to surgery when the issue could have been easily prevented. Management is a great option when it comes to stopping certain dog behaviors that are difficult to control because they are self-reinforcing and difficult to prevent 100 percent (you never know when your child may forget a toy on the floor and it can be quite a hassle being always on "toy patrol"). However, there's also a place for training if you're interested in pursuing this path, although it takes time, patience, determination and close monitoring. However, your puppy is pretty much a clean slate so this may be far easier than teaching a dog who has been chewing children's toys for many years and is expected to "unlearn" an ingrained habit. I will be posting about training in a little bit.

Having a behaviorist come to the home is the ideal option as he/she can assess the situation and coach you in person as to what to do based on his/her observations. Make sure he/she uses humane, force-free behavior modification as we don't want any more stress to take place. You are on the right track in redirecting him and rewarding him for the behaviors that you want. One important skill that I personally feel all dogs belonging to multi-dog households should learn fluently (where resource guarding food is not a problem) is the :"let's go grab a cookie!" cue. This cue needs to become strongly fluent so that it can be used for redirection as needed in those situations where things seem to be slightly "heating up." It first starts to be trained when both dogs are indoors in a calm state. The owner suddenly gets up from sitting and says in an upbeat tone "let's go grab a cookie!" while rushing to the cupboard to get a cookie (or other goodie) to dole out to both dogs out of a cookie jar. Most dogs don't need much training for this as they voluntarily follow owners who get up and rush somewhere as their instinct tells them something is going on. The behavior is practiced several times a day until it becomes very fluent with the dogs responding quickly, almost reflexively. Next, criteria is raised and the cue is practiced when the dogs are a bit distracted such as when they are paying attention to a noise, and then criteria is further raised when they are playing with each other. Once responsive indoors under distractions, the training can move on outdoors, when sniffing in the yard, and then when they are about to bark at some trigger or notice a person approaching. The goal is to get a very reliable response, so that "let's go grab a cookie" can be used anytime there appears to be tension among the dogs (such as the dogs beginning to fight over owner attention or over a toy) and the dogs can be redirected from each other and quickly switched over to another activity. It's important to use the cue at the very first signs of tension, as once the dogs are fighting, it may be difficult to distract them from one another. To answer your question on "Any suggestions on how to manage "cuddle time"? I would think for now as we are still at the adjustment time, give all attention out of Brewer's sight and make it very discrete (no smooching noises he can hear from another room). If you suspect Brewer may know what is going on, for benefit of doubt, you can make it a routine that when the pup is given attention downstairs, he is given a stuffed Kong or other long-lasting goodie to enjoy. Soon, he may come to look forward to the routine and this may start some groundwork on creating positive associations with you giving attention to the pup (yet, again don't make this attention-making time too exciting that he hears it from upstairs and gets too upset/frustrated about it) Then, as the dogs get more comfortable around each other, one way I have tackled similar issues in regards to potential attention/jealousy issues is by working on changing the emotional response in the dog who appears to be "jealous" (in this case Brewer). So for example, you would call your dogs, ask Mr. Jealousy to go lie on a mat (or in a crate) and provide him a stuffed Kong to keep busy, while you pet or train your other dog. Make it a routine. After several reps, he will look forward to watching you pet or train your other dog because it has come to signal oncoming goodies! Or if your dogs aren't prone to resource guard food, you may call them, ask both of them to sit-stay, pet your other dog while you feed Mr. Jealousy some tasty treats every now and then rewarding him for being patient. You won't have to give treats all the time, mostly at a higher rate initially to let him get the point and then every now and then you can reward to maintain the behavior (and prevent it from extinguishing). When treats are not used, make sure you praise him for being patient when he waits his turn. Your behaviorist will have likely a better insight on how to approach this based on your dogs' behaviors and their behavior histories.

I wish you good luck on the process, it's one of those things that takes time and it may feel at times like watching paint dry, but it's also rewarding in the long run when you see progress being made. If there are ever concerns about other dogs in the household resource guarding beds, food, interactive toys, please practice caution and do the exercises with the dog you are working with in separated areas. Mention Momo's recent snapping episode to your trainer, it sounds like he is acting protective of his sleeping areas. If you ever need him to get off a bed, mat or a piece of furniture do not use physical methods (collar grabs, pushing) but from a safe distance (where he doesn't feel threatened and can't snap) toss a treat on the floor or grab his leash from a closet or drawer or ring the doorbell (as long as this doesn't lead to scuffles with other dogs from over excitement). Or more simply, if he has a good recall, call him and reward him. It sounds like darkness puts him over threshold and is causing him to react before thinking. An exercise that comes to mind doing with your dog behavior professional is doing several reps of using a cue like "Hi Momo, it's me" and associating this with a treat just as you charge a clicker, and then using this cue when announcing yourself when you first entering the well-lit room followed by a tossed goodie, then doing several reps of this in the semi-lit room and then with increased darkness, and then, gradually increasing criteria, and possibly at some point, adding announcing yourself walking in the room with Gertie on leash just at the entrance (but extra care is needed here at this point so not to "poison the cue" with Gertie's addition so this may need to be split this further), but for the time being, yes, by all means play it safe and use management (crate) to prevent further episodes until you talk with your dog behavior professional about this. It's always best to nip things in the bud if this is a fairly new behavior. Sometimes, rather than doing lots of reps of behavior modification (especially on behaviors that are instinctive/unpredictable which can be to a good extent when darkness is involved, some dogs are just prone to react before thinking in the dark) it's more convenient and just safer to use use management, and a crate works well for this if he's content in there. One thing that comes to mind is that some dogs are reactive no matter what upon hearing tags from collars jingling. If Gertie has tags making noise, this can cause Momo to react. Sometimes, silencing the tags with an elastic band can help reduce this type of reaction, but then we must worry if Momo not being aware of Gertie's whereabouts can make him more reactive in the dark due to the unpredictability of not sensing her and then seeing her pop from nowhere. A vet visit can be insightful since you mention age. At 8, age-related issues can always pop up and some can cause dogs to be more reactive (hypothyroidism, changes in eyesight) Interestingly, not too long ago a dog that presented as being reactive and acting oddly was found to have eye floaters.

Tier 2: Protocol for Uncoupling Pre-Departure Cues Dogs are masters in reading body language and learning all the cues that culminate into our departures. It's therefore not surprising when they start acting nervous when dog owners get up, have breakfast, and then put on makeup, shave, brush hair, put shoes on and grab the keys. These are all pre-departure cues that put dogs on high alarm, as these cues have been chained one to another and associated with departures. Uncoupling these associations requires some work. The work encompasses desensitizing to the pre-departure cues and breaking up their associations with the departures. These exercises are done when not leaving the home. Make sure that you therefore have time set aside for this. To start, compile a list of behaviors you perform normally when going to work or head out and identify the ones your dog seems to react to. Then, place them in order chronologically, starting with the one that is farthest away from leaving the house. You will then work on exposing your dog to these behaviors starting with the first and then chaining them one by one until the dog becomes uninterested in them as they lose value due to them no longer leading to departures. For instance, if your list looks something like this: put on shoes, grab briefcase, grab keys and walk out the door, your exercises will look something like this: (please note, sit on the couch/watch TV is an example, you can do many other things that your dog associates with you being home like knitting, washing the dishes etc.) Put on shoes, sit on the couch, watch TV (when you sit down and watch TV or read a book or go prepare a meal, do so for a few minutes each time) Put on shoes, grab briefcase, sit on the couch, watch TV Put on shoes, grab briefcase, grab keys, sit on the couch, watch TV Put on shoes, grab briefcase, grab keys, walk towards the door, sit on the couch, watch TV Put on shoes, grab briefcase, grab keys, walk towards the door, touch the door knob, open the door slightly, close door, sit on the couch watch TV Put on shoes, grab briefcase, grab keys, walk towards the door, touch the door knob, open the door, take a step out, then back in, close door, return, sit on the couch watch TV Put on shoes, grab briefcase, grab keys, sit on couch, walk towards the door, touch the door knob, open the door, take a step out, close the door (with you outside), quickly reopen door, close door, return, sit on the couch, watch TV. Put on shoes, grab briefcase, grab keys, sit on couch, walk towards the door, touch the door knob, open the door, take a step out, close the door (with you outside), lock the door, unlock the door, return, sit on couch watch TV. Put on shoes, grab briefcase, grab keys, walk towards the door, touch the door knob, open the door, take a step out, close the door, lock the door (with you outside), and increase duration of staying outside gradually, but for no more than half a minute (always mixing in shorter absences in the midst of longer ones), then unlock the door, return, sit on the couch, watch TV. Note: If your dog seems upset by any of these behaviors, you may need to split them further. For example, if your dog is doing well up until you start opening the door (like you catch your dog whining), then, you may want to split the action of walking to the door in further segments (e.g take a few steps towards the door, return, sit on couch, then, walk to the door and stand in front of it, return, sit on the couch, then, walk to the door and touch the knob for a split second, return, sit on the couch, then walk to the door and open the door a bit for a split second, return, sit on the couch. Do this until the door can be successfully opened without the dog worrying about it. Tier 3: Exercises by the Door Monitor your dog for signs of distress These exercises are more difficult, and therefore, require dogs to be very well proficient at the previous tier level. Dogs should therefore have reached a point where they are fine with being left alone for up to half a minute as the owner stands behind the closed door. Because these absences are longer and more distractions are added (car engine starting), it helps to provide some high-value long-lasting goodies for the dog to consume such as a strategically stuffed Kong with layers (e.g a layer of cookies stuck at the bottom, kibble mixed with peanut butter, a cookie stuck midway, canned food, another cookie at the top). For longer absences, on top of a Kong, an automatic treat-dispenser set to release treats at frequent intervals can turn helpful. When providing goodies to consume for these absences, it's important to provide them as well while you are at home to prevent them from turning into a pre-departure cue signaling to your dog you are about to leave. At this point, it may also be important to use some form of remote monitoring so to assess how the dog is doing and keep tabs on progress and/or setbacks. Body language should be carefully assessed. Anytime a setback is noticed, it means that one must work more on a lower level until the dog is perfectly comfortable with that level. For example, if the dog becomes anxious upon being left alone for 8 minutes, more time should be spent practicing at lower times. Increments should be done in seconds rather then chunks of minutes always mixing in briefer times to make the exercises as variable as possible. Build the time gradually up to 30 minutes if possible. Arrivals should always be no big deal. Ignore your dog as you walk in and just go straight to the couch. Example of exercises: Put on shoes, grab briefcase, grab keys, walk towards the door, touch the door knob, open the door, take a step out, close the door, lock the door, start car engine, then unlock the door, return, sit on the couch, watch TV. Put on shoes, grab briefcase, grab keys, walk towards the door, touch the door knob, open the door, take a step out, close the door, lock the door, start car engine, spend a bit of time in the car, then unlock the door, return, sit on the couch, watch TV. Put on shoes, grab briefcase, grab keys, walk towards the door, touch the door knob, open the door, take a step out, close the door, lock the door, start car engine, move the car a bit ahead and then back into parking space, then unlock the door, return, sit on the couch, watch TV. Put on shoes, grab briefcase, grab keys, walk towards the door, touch the door knob, open the door, take a step out, close the door, lock the door, start car engine, drive the car around the block and then back into parking space, then unlock the door return, sit on the couch watch TV and so forth. Gradually increase more time spent away, mixing in shorter absences. A Word About Treatment For Separation in Anxiety in Dogs It's important to consider that slow and steady wins the race in behavior modification. It will take time, commitment and determination to attain results. The goal is to get a dog to be calm and reward that. Setbacks are always possible during behavior modification no matter how well planned the program. To reduce the chances of setbacks, it is best to perform separation anxiety exercises with the help of a professional for in-person evaluations and coaching. Once the dog appears calm in the safezone, it's time to generalize the behavior and practice in other areas of the house and with other family members.

Great to hear the dogs are greeting their Thundershirt with a wagging tail, sounds like you got a CER there (conditioned emotional response)! I am posting some separation anxiety protocols I have been using for some time. Of course, these are just general protocols as each dog may need an individualized plan and some exercises may need to be split into smaller steps. One of the most challenging parts of separation anxiety behavior modification is that it requires management when the dogs aren't in "training." This means that to "protect" the hard work and preventing dogs from rehearsing the problem behavior absences should be avoided during the behavior modification process. In other words, if you are at the point in the process where your dog can successfully remain calm in a room for 15 minutes in your absence, you may need to hire a pet sitter or have a friend stay with your dog if you need to stay away for longer. What Will Be Needed? First of all, patience, determination and consistency. Helping a dog suffering from separation anxiety is not an easy task. Many dog owners wonder how long it will take and there's no easy answer as each case is different. The more a dog has been rehearsing the problem and the more severe it is, the more work may be needed. Severe cases may require the addition of medications and the assistance of a professional as some dogs are just anxious at any time of the day on top of during owner absences. Interactive toys, treats, food, a mat, baby gates and some technological gadgets such as remote monitoring devices and/or automatic treat dispensers are used in the exercises. Although optional, the use of these technological gadgets come extra handy considering that they allow to monitor dogs remotely so to evaluate whether it's a good time to raise criteria or whether a dog is being pushed too hard. A safezone will also need to be established. This safezone is the dog's confinement area where the exercises will be performed. For comfort, it is best to use an area that is central to family activities such as an office, kitchen or living room. Dogs who enjoy their crate, exercise pen or playpen and love to lounge in it, can have it placed in the safezone as long as these enclosures remain open as some dogs with separation anxiety suffer from concomitant containment phobias. A safezone should be blocked out by a baby gate or in homes with open-plan layouts, a super wide gate may be needed. Tier 1: Protocol For Dogs Who Follow Owners Room- to- Room One thing many dogs suffering from separation anxiety share is extra clingliness, so much so, that many dog owners have started to nickname their dogs "Velcro Dogs." These dogs follow their owners from one room to another and like to sleep by their owners' feet so to be the first alerted when their owners are about to get up and walk around. This component of treatment for separation anxiety in dogs needs its proper protocol since it would be non-productive starting practicing outdoor absences if these dogs aren't even able to tolerate brief absences within the home. The goal of these exercises is to gradually build on distance until the dog can be left in a room while the owner is in another. On top of these exercises, it's ideal to encourage these dogs to sleep at night on their own bed or mat and sleep there as well during the day (rather than sleeping constantly on the owner's lap, glued to the owner's body or at the owner's feet). Note: some dogs are particularly attached to one person. To start the exercises easily, it is best to start with the person the dog is less attached to and then progress using the person the dog is attached to. Step 1: The first step entails having the dog to be able to relax and cope without following their owners everywhere. These dogs need to learn to perform brief sit/stays or down/stays on a mat or other comfy place while the owner walks around, but initially remains always in the dog's sight. Initially these sit/stays and down/stays should be very brief for just 1-2 seconds while the owner just takes a step or two away in various directions and then returns to reward. Criteria is then raised with the owner just walking a few steps away (3-4) and then returning to reward. Gradually, distance and duration can be added, but it's important to make sure to not make increases in time and distance predictable as dogs will soon come to predict this increase in difficulty and may grow incrementally anxious. To avoid this, mix in shorter (less time) stays and closer stays (less distance) frequently. For example, 2 second stay, then 4, then 3, then five, then 1, then 4, then 6, then 2 etc or 2 steps away, then 1, then 3, then 4, then 1, etc. Distractions at some point can be added as well. Clap your hands as you walk away, count to five out loud, turn your back to your dog, lift your arms, walk around your dog etc. If your dog ever breaks the stay just say a casual "oops" and send your dog back to the area where he was asked to stay. Resume the exercise, this time making it a bit less difficult before progressing to asking for more. Many clingy dogs follow their owners every time they get up from sitting. If your dog gets ready to follow you every time you are sitting on a chair or couch, and you put your hand on the arm rest or put down the remote, practice sit/stays and down/stays as you repeat these actions over and over. Then increase criteria, and start to get up repeatedly from your chair/couch/. Then get up and take a few steps and may be even walk around your dog and go back to sitting. These exercises should be done until fluent and the dog appears totally relaxed and no longer eager to follow. End the sessions with a jackpot of treats. Step 2: Gradually increase distance/duration. With longer duration, it's best to request down/stays to prevent tiring. Take more steps away (from standing or sitting) and for gradually longer times and start going out of sight. Ask your dog to down/stay on a mat as you briefly get out of view behind a wall or door for a split second, then return and reward. Repeat several times as you gradually mix in shorter absences and longer absences and shorter distances with farther distances, making sure to not allow you dog to detect an incremental pattern of difficulty. You can mix in brief errands too such as opening/closing a closet, grabbing a beer from the fridge or closing a window as long as they don't cause you to be out of sight for too long. These exercises should be done until fluent and the dog appears totally relaxed. Always end the sessions with a jackpot of treats. Step 3: Increase more the distance and duration. Install a baby gate, hide several treats around the enclosed area, send your dog there and have your dog explore his new confinement area and find the goodies. Leave the baby gate open for a couple of days so that the dog can freely visit and discover goodies in there. Next, practice briefs stays as you get in and out of the baby gate and return. Stay always in sight. Gradually increase the time you stay out as always mixing in briefer stays with longer ones, but not more than a minute in length. At some point, get out of the baby gate and start preparing a stuffed Kong that can be easily unstuffed in just a minute or so. Place the stuffed Kong behind the baby gate where your dog can see it and smell it and cannot get it. Your dog should try to get the Kong. Wait for a little bit of frustration to set in such as your dog trying to paw it or whine. Grab the Kong and give it to your dog as you remain in view at a distance behind the baby gate for 1 minute. Return inside. Repeat, reloading the Kong again making it more challenging to unstuff and then less challenging, so that you can increase the the time you stay out as always mixing in briefer stays with longer ones. Try to return when you know your dog is just about to finish unstuffing his Kong. Step 4: Start incorporating the treasure hunt game, using a portion of your dog's meals as outlined in the course. Have your dog sit/stay or down/stay as you get a portion of your dog's meal allowance and hide the kibble around. Have your dog watch you in anticipation and then as you leave the room and release your dog. Allow your dog to hunt as you are briefly out of sight. Return and repeat the exercise hiding the remaining portion of your dog's meal allowance and leaving as your dog goes on his hunt. As always, gradually increase the time you stay out of sight, mixing in briefer stays with longer ones, but not more than a minute in length. Alternatively, in lieu of the treasure hunt game, you can stuff a slow food dispenser such as a Kong Wobbler, Buster Cube or regular Kong with the kibble and let your dog work on it while you are away. At some point, start delaying your returns a bit so that your dog has finished hunting or eating from the Kong but doesn't appear to anxious about running out of food and being alone.

Hello stacey_schley83, Welcome to the forums! It's so wonderful that you have raised Brewer to be such a well-adjusted dog who loves to travel, loves people and cats. You need to give yourself a big pat on the back for accomplishing all that. He looks so happy in the picture with the ball. And Gigi is adorable, pom puppies are the cutest things. You scored great in getting a female as male/female combos tend to work best, but of course, this is just a generalization as with dogs we can't never make blank statements. It sounds like you are doing everything correctly in allowing them their own space to adjust to each other and giving attention to the pup when Brewer is not around. It sounds like Brewer has started to adjust more as you report his growling, barking, snarling and snapping behaviors have diminished. Feeding your older dog small pieces of treats or kibble (if he loves it) every time he hears the puppy move or vocalize when behind the baby gate or other barrier may speed up the acclimatization process as he associates the puppy with good things. If Brewer has been living as the "only dog" for most of his life, it will take some time to acclimatize to the new pup just as it happens with children when they gain a new brother or sister. He has been used to having toys of his own for all these years, and it sounds like he feels threatened when the pup approaches them. Generally speaking, mild resource guarding is fairly normal among dogs sharing the home as long as these criteria are met: it's ritualized (just noisy and nobody gets hurt, dog just goes straight to grabbing the toy to make his point), both dogs have a good history of bite inhibition, each dog respects the other dog's claimed belongings (giving distance as the other dog makes his point) and don't show signs of too much tension or stress (they don't get to the point of being overly worried or traumatized). For the time being, it may be best to keep toys or other things Brewer may resource guard (food bowls, buried items in the yard) out of reach. This because we don't want to add more stress to an already stressful situation (all new additions cause some stress to a certain extent) and cause the puppy to assume negative connotations: "not only is this new puppy invading my home but he is also trying to steal my toys and is getting more attention than me!" Stress reduction aids that can turn helpful for new introductions include DAP diffusers, DAP collars, Rescue Remedy and even calming music. As dogs get more comfortable with each other (this may take several days, weeks and sometimes months), it is possible at some point to introduce toys starting with toys that aren't perceived as very valuable, but only with dogs with no history of resource guarding or with mild cases where nobody gets hurt. Close supervision is needed and there should be a plan in place to prevent things from exacerbating (quick redirection, possible noise-making tools should a fight ever erupt.) Of course, if things start deteriorating with the older dog getting more stressed rather than less, it's important to consult with a professional for an in-person assessment. It is best to nip problems in the bud rather than waiting for things to get worse and reach a breaking point where things may no longer be manageable. One thing worth mentioning: it’s quite normal for an adult dog to “put the puppy in her place,” when the pup engages in some "rude" behaviors. Puppies are socially illiterate and often learn better social etiquette from adult dogs. These adult dog "lectures" should be mostly ritualized (more noise than anything) and shouldn't traumatize the puppy to the extent of causing fear. The puppy may temporary "apologize" by whining, yelping or turning on her back, but it all ends there and both parties are then back to normal. Although adult dogs often grant puppies a "puppy license," it's important to be wary of older dogs who are stressed by rowdy puppy behaviors and trying to repeatedly retreat. In such cases, older dogs should have a "safe zone" where they can go to and relax undisturbed. When pups are overly rambunctious, it often helps exposing them to the older dog only once a good amount of their energy has been drained out, allowing for more peaceful interactions. I hope the course and all the reading material turns helpful to you and your new puppy. Congrats on the new addition and feel free to post when you have questions or just want to share your dog's stories with other dog lovers alike. Best, Adrienne