Adrienne Farricelli

Hello Manida Morrell, This is an excellent question! Warning--this may be long because it's not one of those things where a straight answer can be given. There is really no clear-cut answer to the general question of "is it OK to allow a dog to sleep on the bed" because whether it's a good choice or not, ultimately depends to a great extent on individual factors such as a dog's behavior history and temperament, how the dog owner relates and interacts with the dog etc. There has been for some time an outrage of dog trainers making claims that letting a dog sleep on the bed will turn a dog into the "alpha" and that it will give rise to a plethora of issues with dominance being the most concerning. The belief likely stems from the outdated credence that dogs who are placed on high furniture, such as beds or couches, feel as if they are in control of the world (courtesy of the height advantage) and this puts humans on the lower end of the rank. Trainers who adhere to these views are often those who believe in the old dominance theory, which is based on outdated wolf studies (Shenkel's studies on wolves in captivity) that have long since been discredited over the years courtesy of more recent research (David Mech's studies on wolves in a natural habitat). On top of this, the Associations of Professional Dog Trainers Position Statement on dominance reminds us that dogs are not wolves, and that the practice of comparing dogs to wolves is ultimately comparable to relying on chimpanzee behavior to explain human behavior. On top of being outdated, adherence to dominance theory has led to the belief that dog owners must “show the dog who’s boss” and engage in physical corrections to correct or prevent "dominance displays"and these often involve alpha rolls, scruff shakes etc. which risk paving the path to an adversarial relationship. Studies have shown that such practices often lead to potential fear, anxiety and /or aggressive behaviors from the dog. APDT also reminds that when dogs behave the way they do, they don't do it out of a desire to be "alpha," but just because those behavior provide them with some form of reinforcement in some way. Reinforcement may be positive or negative. In positive reinforcement, behaviors that lead to a consequence the dog finds reinforcing, tend to strengthen and repeat. For example, dogs who jump on people are not doing so to attain rank, but just because they can get closer, say hello and perhaps get some attention (reinforcement). Dogs who pull on the leash are not doing so because they want to be in charge of the walk, but just because it's reinforcing to sniff things and explore. All these dogs have in common the fact that they just haven't been given the opportunity to learn better manners. When it comes to beds and couches, dogs who want to sleep on them do so, not because they have a desire to attain higher rank, but simply because they are comfy and it allows them to be closer to their family. Many dogs also enjoy being in bed or on the couch with their owners because that's when they are often pet and given attention. Now, with dominance out of the way, does this mean it's always OK to allow dogs on bed? No, there are several dogs I wouldn't recommend that. Coming in the next post are a few examples.

Hello Mddoc, welcome to the forums! Here's the other thread on countersurfing with some more details: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?43-Thieving-Pooch&highlight=table Best, Adrienne

Thanks for the update, congrats on the progress! Progress just happens to go that way, you see little glimpses of improvements here and there initially, but as time goes on, if you keep being consistent in creating positive associations and reinforcing desired behaviors,(while preventing rehearsal of the undesirable ones e.g. if he's howling and carries on, don't let him go say hi or you'll be reinforcing that behavior and allow rehearsal), you'll see these glimpses get more and more frequent. (Thanks Jennifer for posting those breathing exercises, we all seem to forget to breathe deeply enough when we are tense!)

Hello and welcome to the forums, I am so sorry to hear about these recent happenings. It can be very disheartening witnessing dogs being attacked. While there can be no certainty whether Zapote decided to attack because of the past attacks directed towards him, if he was previously a very social dog with no history of attacking, it could very well be that he is stressed from all these recent interactions gone wrong. Even among service dogs who have proved themselves as being "bomb proof," just one negative encounter with the wrong dog could lead to emotional repercussions that may take a very long to overcome. For several good reasons, many dog trainers and behavior consultants are not very fond of the practice of taking dogs to dog parks. While dog parks may provide dogs with a good opportunity for socialization and off-leash exercise, the biggest drawback is the risk for altercations. Fortunately, many altercations are mostly loud and no dog gets seriously injured, but these sure are often enough to cause dog owners concerns about their dog's physical and emotional wellbeing. Not to mention, there are risks as well to humans who can become victims of re-directed bites should they get in between two or more fighting dogs. What triggers fights at dog parks? There are several factors that act as triggers. According to a study, excess mounting led to aggression 85 percent of the time, then you have dogs with different play styles which may cause discrepancies, dogs with play skill deficits, and simply dogs who are pushy, guard resources from other dogs and simply dislike each other. From what you describe, it sounds like Zapote was unfortunate to have encountered dogs who were prone to reacting towards certain behaviors or prone to resource guard. It sounds like he had no fault. The first incident involved a dog who was trying to steal a ball, another incident involved a dog blocking him from play (possibly a dog trying to play the "fun police" role), and finally the dog in the woods perhaps was acting territorial or simply was dog-reactive. Now, we don't know for sure what happened with the smaller dog incident. The dog walker may just be interpreting things his/her way. Usually, we don't post labels and intent without at least knowing the exact trigger that evoked the fight. In behavior modification terms, we call this the "antecedent." For example, when several dogs are walked together, it often means unfamiliar dogs of different sizes and temperaments are put together. Not always these dogs are a good match. There are many triggers that may evoke fights on walks and these include environmental factors (dogs may redirect on other dogs when they see a stimulus that arouses them), accidents (a dog may accidentally step on another dog's paw or the leash may get tangled with another dog causing fear and subsequent fight) or just plain simply personality discrepancies (dog walkers should always screen dogs walked in their care individually to ensure there are minimal clashes). Even once the antecedent is found, there is little literature to back up claims about dogs being picking up fights just to "prove themselves." What we know for sure though is that, while dogs seem to heal well from scrapes and bites, there are emotional scars every time a fight occurs and these may be difficult to overcome. Fight after fight, tension insidiously accumulates. A traumatic experience could potentially undo years of behavioral training and confidence building. There is a high possibility with these negative encounters of the making of a dog-reactive dog, not because the dog needs to "prove himself," but just because of tension associated with negative encounters. Yes, dogs can develop a fearful emotional response after such encounters. It's therefore important to protect Zapote from any future negative encounters as much as possible. I would suggest skipping the dog park and if you wish him to have fun walks and play sessions, then stick to a handful of good dog friends that have proven over the years to have gotten along well with your dog. As it happens in people, best a few good buddies you can count on that many superficial acquaintances that haven't proved worthy of trust. Your dog trainer/behavior consultant (look for one using humane, positive behavior modification to prevent things from getting worse) can help you better assess your dog's behavior and interactions with other dogs and help find suitable playmates. You want the right type of dogs for remedial socialization after negative encounters. If the assessment reveals that your dog is tense around other dogs, then prior to scheduling play and walks with other dogs, behavior modification may be carried out to better manage and protect your dog's emotional wellbeing. Hope this helps! Best, Adrienne

That is a great idea, this is usually what I do, but each case can be different. Yup, slow and steady wins the race in behavior modification! You are doing very well. Thanks for the update. Sends pats to your dogs from me. And Happy Thanksgiving!

You are very welcome! Yes, if her bite is very powerful, please use the utmost caution. Wearing gloves can help, but if you she bites so hard that you are concerned about anybody getting hurt in the process, please have a dog professional guide you through in person for safety. So great to hear that she has so great owners who are also an ambassador for the breed! Best wishes and Happy Thanksgiving if you are abroad. Adrienne

The difficulties you are encountering are likely because of closer encounters and him being over threshold, on top of likely the fact that he's not ready to perform those exercises despite the distractions which means that he requires more "proofing" under threshold and under milder distractions until he has the exercises down and responds to them in an almost reflexive fashion. The more reps done, the more progress is made. Here are a few more tips based on what you have reported. These should help you see progress, but you need to be very careful in "protecting him" (and your hard work) from encounters that allow him to rehearse the excited behaviors. The more he rehearses, the more difficult and long the process takes. If he has been rehearsing this behavior for several years, then progress may take some time to emerge. -Increase the saliency of the treats. Experiment with several high-value treats. Find what really piques his interest and makes him drool. Consider that what works at home and in the yard, won't likely work in overly stimulating environments. You may also find it helpful coordinating the sessions when your dog's stomach is empty so to increase saliency of the treats. A full tummy is not very motivating. -Decrease the saliency of the dogs he is exposed to. Once again, this is mostly done by increasing distance. I know this is not easy at times as things can't always be under our control. I would start monitoring who walks around your neighborhood and see whether there is a pattern. Maybe the lady with the bike walks her dog every day at 11 AM. -Another way to decrease saliency is to practice often. Daily walks are important. Seeing dogs only every now and then increases their saliency. There is a phenomenon known as "suburban dog syndrome" which takes place in dogs who live in suburban areas and are reactive to seeing dogs and people because they are not frequent sights. If you walk him only on weekends things get more difficult. A daily walk, even if short (10-15 minutes) and just seeing one dog at a distance and him showing a bit of progress and you can call it a day. -Other things to consider is what the dogs he is exposed to are doing. If you are at a dog park, it may be too much for him now seeing dogs who are running, chasing balls or playing. Also, there are often too many people and smells. We take service dogs to train at a park around dogs playing and running at the end of the basic program to see whether the dog retains what he has learned in a less distracting setting. A dog running next to a bike may also be too much for him right now. Ideally, you should start with exposure to dogs who are just being calmly walked. If your dog gets excited at home seeing dogs pass by the fence or window, you may want to also work on that using the "look at that dog" exercise. -Decrease hyperexcitability before the sessions. If he is a ball of energy before walks, he will be harder to control. Drain a good part of his energy by playing games in the yard that have him running and panting. Let him drink and then go on the walk. -If the park is the only place you can practice, park in a quiet spot and monitor your surroundings. If you see only dogs on leash being walked, if feasible do several small laps on the sidewalk area (until he relaxes a bit) versus grassy areas paying close attention to your surroundings. Scanning the environment for upcoming dogs is important to progress. Don't go yet to grassy areas yet which is where many dogs urine mark and your dog is likely anxious and wants to sniff to learn more about dogs in his surroundings. -If despite practicing with dogs at a distance, he still has a hard time concentrating in performing exercises, then let's just start with a more "raw" form counterconditioning. Maybe his emotions are too high and there is an element of worry interfering. For now, let's not ask him any particular behavior. As soon as he sees a dog at a distance, at the first few trials, stick the food in his face right in front f his mouth. He will likely eat, albeit nervously at first. Watch your fingers. Some dogs lose a bite of bite inhibition when nervous. If this is a concern, wear gloves. Do this every single time he looks at a dog. Make it crystal clear that the food is contingent upon looking at the dog. Look up Jean Donaldson's open bar/closed bar method: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/open-bar-closed-bar/ At some point, upon seeing a dog, he may start looking at you for his food. If you can, now start adding a smacking sound and bring the food at eye level. Mark/praise for making eye contact and deliver the food. -if you have a hard time, you can try this exercise as well inside the car. Sit next to him, and every time he sees a dog, deliver food. Then, try adding the smacking sound/eye contact element until you start getting a response. -If he gets worked up at any time, there's not much you can do to get him a calmer state at that point because that's what he has been doing for so long. His adrenaline is pumping and with those hormones around, there's not space for cognitive functioning. This is why we want to avoid full exposures for now as they allow rehearsals. Turning the other way calmly and walking at a faster pace can help regain some focus. You mention last time he calmed down pretty quickly, that's progress if he usually takes some time! -An exercise I have been doing with reactive dogs is a form of "look at that on the go" when there are dogs behind on walks. Every time the reactive dogs turns around to look at a another dog walking behind at a distance, I feed treats as he's looking behind. Hope this helps cover more basis! Best, Adrienne Disclaimer: for safety and correct implementation, behavior modification sessions should be done under the guide of a dog behavior professional. If your dog is reactive, fearful or aggressive, please consult with a dog behavior professional for hand-on assessment and guidance.

Thanks for the extra details, they are very helpful! You have described to me a dog who has always gotten over-excited when he sees another dog on a walk to the point of you being unable to walk him without your husband. In a case as such, since we are not 100 percent sure (based on his past negative experiences) whether his behavior stems from a desire to decrease distance and therefore, meet the dog, or a desire to increase distance because he is not comfortable around dogs, it helps taking a middle-of-the-way approach. As a starting point, I would suggest that if you are walking him on a regular collar, to switch him over a front-attachment harness. This is not your regular harness, it's a special harness where the leash attaches to a clip in the middle of the dog's chest. A front-attachment harness main advantage is that it gives more steering power than a collar since it controls the dog's shoulders and chest area. As a backup for very energetic dogs, many dog owners find it reassuring to attach the leash to both the harness and the collar. Now, why a harness? If we look at a dog's shape, we'll notice that the dog is more horizontal than vertical. The dog's horizontal shape makes the dog have a more stable center of gravity which makes them harder to control. Us humans, on the other hand, are quite at a disadvantage because we are vertical beings with an unbalanced center of gravity which makes it easy for us to lose balance when the dog pulls. The harness allows the leash pull-point to be closer to the dog's center of gravity, allowing us better control. More control equals more confidence in dog owners who might have been discouraged by excessive pulling. However, more control doesn't mean problem solved and therefore there are other important points to consider. You are on the right track in practicing "watch me" in the yard. "Watch me" can be a handy and overall easy exercise to use when there are other dogs around. I am not sure whether you have taught it along with a smacking sound to grab your dog's attention or not. I have found the sound important so that the dog look into the eyes on cue to the point of being almost a reflexive response. This exercise is covered in the "look into my eyes" exercise found here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/preschool/look-into-my-eyes/ Next, if you and your dog are up to it, you can practice attention heeling, which is basically a "watch-me" in movement. You can start practicing inside the home along a long hallway before trying in the yard. Attention heeling is covered in the course under this section: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/heeling-attention-heeling/ Another great exercise to do at home with an overexcited dog is the "look at that game" that you can find here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/university/look-at-that/ Now, while these exercises are quite easy in the home or yard, things can get more challenging once "out in the real world." You will have to use higher-value treats when outside to get your dog to look at you, sit and look at you or walk and look at you. You can find high-value training treats in many pet stores. Chicken, low-sodium organic hot dogs, liver, are some favorites, but consult with your vet if your dog has a medical condition or your dog has a sensitive tummy. Once out, this is where baby steps are needed. These baby steps are good for the handler as well, as they allow time to gain more and more confidence as the dog goes through daily, incremental milestones of progress. One of the most important guidelines when working an over excited dog on walks is keeping in mind distance. Distance can make a difference between a dog going bezerk and a dog keeping his calm. It is therefore important to learn where a dog's threshold line is. You want to keep Beau at a distance from other dogs where he sees them, but remains calm, at least calm enough to cognitively function. You can read about dog threshold levels here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/ Once the dog does well at a certain distance for some time, it's time to decrease distance. Caution is needed here to prevent setbacks. Setbacks are always a possibility, but they should be considered just an "oops moment" and nothing more. They signal that the dog wasn't ready that level of exposure just yet. Take a step back or two increasing distance again. As problematic as being anxious may appear to be, I have found that anxiety has also its plus signs. For instance, when a handler is anxious about a dog acting out of control, more caution is taken in avoiding exposure that leads to a setback. There are therefore less "bold moves" compared to handlers who don't care about a dog's reactions. An anxious handler is also more likely to watch for signs of the dog being over threshold. Things are easier in a structured setting versus an unpredictable one. A dog popping from a corner will have both you are your dog unprepared. If you have a friend with a very mellow dog you can practice with, have her hold her dog on leash at a distance your dog is under threshold and practice the exercises. If all goes well, over several sessions, you can decrease distance and perhaps do parallel-walking exercises with you on on sidewalk and your friend on the opposite side. You can then progress over more sessions, to walking next to each other with the dogs at opposite sides to maintain distance between the dogs. Having a plan, should a setback occur, can also help reduce anxiety. A common plan is to make an about turn at the first signs of trouble should a dog be approaching. If a dog is following, walking at a faster pace sometimes can help the dog be less focused. Reducing excitability on walks takes a multifaceted approach reducing excitable behaviors in other areas of the dog's life. So yes, train your dog to be less excited at the sight of the leash. Grab the leash several times of the day and just place it next to you as you watch TV or read a book. Do this several times a day. When your dog relaxes, praise and give him a treat. Implement dog impulse control exercises (like sit before opening the door as explained in the Open Sesame game found here:https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/college/open-sesame/ Train him to sit before eating, before snapping the leash on, before going in the car and do these exercises every day. Exercise him and do several brain game to keep his mind stimulated. If your neighbors have a dachshund that causes fence fights, keep your dog on a leash to prevent him from doing so. Keep him at the farthest distance from the fence line. If your neighbor dog barks, make a smacking sound and practice "look into my eyes". You don't want your dog to be rehearsing excitable or impulsive behaviors, but desired behaviors that involve impulse control. Training an excitable dog requires often evaluating many scenarios that trigger impulsive behaviors and turn them into training opportunities. I am not sure whether you walk both dogs together or not, but if both your dogs are overly excitable, it may be easier and best to walk them separately to prevent them feeding off each others' emotions until they are bother better under control. Finally, keep in mind that changing dog behavior takes time. Embrace progress and its exhilarating feeling, but don't get too excited that you progress too fast. Going too fast is often the main reason why there are setbacks. Slow and steady wins the race. And don't forget to pat yourself on the back after each session for a job well done! Hope this helps! Let me know whether you need further assistance. Best regards, Adrienne

Thanks so much for the update. It sounds like things are progressing nicely. If he wasn't ever used to hear you say "OK" to release him to eat, it may take a bit for him to learn the new rules of the house. Rushing to the food bowl when the food bowl is put down can also be a part of a dog's resource guarding behavior repertoire (on top of just being a hungry dog) as the dog tries to eat quickly so to prevent anybody from stealing his meal. So it may take a bit for him to learn that waiting a little bit doesn't mean losing his meal. Caution when progressing to chicken, it may be too valuable for dogs prone to resource guard. Maybe check with your trainer if he's ready for working around such high-value food and mention to her if you notice challenges with him being unable to wait, just to play it safe. So nice of her to offer taking him to learn flyball! He should love that. Don't be discouraged by Gertie's squirrel chasing. "Ooops" moments can happen and one day one may see progress and then a setback the day after. It seems though as if she was doing OK with the Li'l Smokies. I wonder if the setback may have occurred due to the use of peanut butter pumpkin treats (maybe she finds the other treats higher value?) or the fact that she was at the furthest part of the yard and she was too over threshold and at a distance from you to make a good decision. Distance is always a challenge in dog training/behavior modification.

Hello Jillgrobo, Welcome to the forum! I hear you. Walking an excitable dog who pulls and lunges at the sight of a dog can cause quite an adrenaline rush in the handler. So much so, that owners of reactive dogs are often referred to as " the midnight walkers" due to the strong desire to avoid such situations and therefore walk dogs in the wee hours of the night or early morning. Just to confirm: when you mention overexcitement, it means your dog is dog-friendly, and barks, lunges and pulls when he sees other dogs because he wants to meet them? Does he have a history of playing well with other dogs and getting along with them? Any times he doesn't get along with them? Also, does he have a history of meeting other dogs on walks? Does he go to the dog park? These details are helpful. Just asking because the behavior modification protocol between dogs who pull, bark, lunge at other dogs from the sheer excitement and frustration of wanting to meet them (distance-decreasing behavior) is somewhat different from the protocol of dogs who pull, bark lung at other dogs because they don't like other dogs (distance-increasing behavior).

Sounds like a great plan! Your dogs are very lucky to have such dedicated owners. Kudos to both of you for being able to implement leave it and drop! Ash sounds like a very smart boy and it seems like he's learning that stays, leaving toys and dropping toys can be equally reinforcing (or even better!) activities. He's making great choices and training after all is part of being able to control his impulses.

The way the issue is tackled, as mentioned, depends on the dog's modus operandi when it comes to stealing. Depending on each individual case, it may range from doing nothing, to providing plenty of toys, limiting the opportunities to steal through redirection, close supervision when toys are provided, and if necessary, separating dogs (tethers, baby gate, different rooms) so that they can each enjoy their toys in peace and safely. Depending on the situation, owners of dogs who steal may be instructed to take different approaches. To find the ideal, individualized method, it is always best to consult with a dog behavior professional committed to using humane, dog behavior modification methods for a careful in-person evaluation considering the risks for injuries involved when trying to modify dog behavior. Usually, in the case of stealing out of play, this behavior is not harmful, as long as no harm is done and both parties seem to have fun. After the dog "steals," the other dog chases aiming his attention towards getting the toy and the dogs keep playing this way and having fun. Keep away is a popular way dogs play. When dealing with dogs stealing toys from other dogs in a more serious manner there are two objectives to reach. One entails teaching the approaching dog not to steal other dogs' belongings, and the other entail teaching the dog whose toys are stolen to relax. Care should be taken in not punishing the thief, considering that he may associate the punishment, not with his stealing behavior, but with the other dog, and this can exacerbate things creating more tension (and potential fights) rather than making things better. Not too long ago, (true story) an owner decided to use a shock collar to correct her dog for stealing toys from her other dog. She applied shock the moment the dog got his mouth on the toy. These dogs never had a fight in their life, just minor "vocal disagreements" over toys. Shock after shock, the dog stealing started attacking the dog he was stealing the toy from. Another worrisome scenario is the dog owner correcting dogs prone to stealing toys out of play by removing the toys. This may lead to real resource guarding towards the owner because the owner assumes a negative connotation, and therefore, becomes a threatening entity that removes resources. . "Doing nothing" may therefore work fine only for dogs who are playing and sometimes for dogs who simply have minor vocal disagreements. The dog stealing may say "I want that!" and the dog whose toy is being stolen may allow that, saying in non-verbal body language: "Here, you can have it, I can care less about that!" These once again are dogs who generally place a low value on the toys which sounds like the case with your golden. For mild cases, it is possible to give to the dog stealing toys oodles of attention when the other dog is playing with his toys so that he eventually learns that patience pays and sharing leads to something even better. A leash can provide better control and prevent attempts to steal until the behavior of looking at the owner for treats is well-under stimulus control. Giving treats might therefore be a great way to create positive associations while the other dog is approaching or playing with toys the dog considers as "his." For example, the moment the other dog interacts with his toys, you can make a smacking sound with your mouth and feed your dog several high-value treats in a row and loads of praise "good booooy" as you feed them. Another example? You are playing fetch and the ball happens to go to other dog? That means smacking sound with your mouth, and several treats fed in a row with praise until the other dog drops the ball at your hand. While helpful, caution is needed though with this approach if your dogs have a history of aggression. Have a professional help you out, and if one or both dogs have a history of resource guarding food/owner's attention, skip this method. There are several cues that can also be trained to prevent the dog from stealing toys. If one dog has a toy, the other dog should be given a cue to "leave it" and come to the owner for attention/rewards. "Leave it" is covered in the obedience 101 section. Again, this may be fine as long as this doesn't provoke food resource guarding. Other helpful cues are solid responses to “stay” behavior and going to a mat to enjoy a stuffed Kong while the other dog plays. Sometimes, mild cases of a dog stealing toys from other dogs may benefit from engaging both parties with a long tug toy, one dog tugging on either end. Dogs learn to enjoy "sharing" in this case as the game is all about creating "resistance." Once one dog has access to the toy, the fun ends as there's no longer "resistance." However, for some resource guarders, the value of stealing the toy and having it all for themselves may surpass the fun of tugging with a pal. Providing interactive toys (toys filled with kibble/treats such as a Kong) to both dogs at the same time may provide an option where the dogs get to "play" in peace as their focus is on their own toys rather than each other. However, care must be taken to prevent the dog prone to stealing from approaching and trying to "steal the toy" from the other dog should he happen to finish first. Best to have a precaution in place such as a baby gate between both dogs, or the dog prone to stealing on a tether or leash for the most aggressive cases. A dog prone to stealing may be also be trained to lie on a mat with his treat-stuffed toy and not get up until the other dog has finished his. Giving some treats every now and then may reward the dog's patience. Providing plenty of toys and keeping them always out can sometimes help make toys less salient for very mild cases. This is based on the principle that scarcity is what increases the value of toys. This works sometimes, but not always and can be risky with some dogs. In my experience, it works better as a preventive way more than a treatment. Some dogs just want the toy the other dogs has, no matter what. They can even each have the same exact toy, but the other dog just wants that one. This sounds like Ash. Care is warranted with new toys as these can be very valuable compared to ordinary toys seen on a daily basis. And of course, management is always the safest option. If you are unsure how your dog may react, but want your other dog to play with toys, keep him in a crate or behind a baby gate to enjoy a chew or stuffed Kong while your other dog plays. Once your dog is done with the chew toy, stop the play session and remove the toys to prevent squabble. If you do this often, he will come to look forward to your play sessions with your other dog and his toys as it means "goodie time" as this good time is always contingent upon play time. Now, a big disclaimer is warranted here: cases where there is potential for aggression or any intent to do harm, require the intervention of a professional who can come to the home to assess the behavior in person. Behavior modification comes with risks and in-person coaching is needed for correct implementation. Keeping dogs separated when having toys or other resources (sticks, empty bottles) may be the best approach so to keep the dogs safe and preventing the resource guarder from rehearsing troublesome behaviors over and over.

Thank you for the additional details, they are very helpful. It's a difficult situation with dogs who steal toys because stealing overtime gains a strong reinforcement history and practice makes perfect when a behavior is rehearsed for some time. When it comes to dogs who steal toys, I usually tend to categorize them in three categories: dogs who do so to play, dogs who do so just because they "can" and dogs who do so in a serious manner and who are willing to use aggression just to get what they want. Let me first go a bit more in depth with each. Play behavior among dogs can sometimes get quite rough and even out of hand. It can sometimes be difficult recognizing dogs who are playing from dogs who are fighting or have the intent to fight because things may get especially rough with some dogs. Also, to make things more challenging is the fact that during play dogs use barks, growls, air snaps and inhibited bites which are often seen during fights. The main difference between rowdy play and fights is often the intensity and lack of metacommunication, that is, communication about communication. A dog stealing toys in play may often do so to provoke the other dog in a fun game of chase. When toys are around, dogs may have fun stealing each others' toys and taking turns having access to the toy. It often starts something like this: dog A is chewing on a toy, when dog B approaches and starts barking in the dog's face. Dog A may not want to play but dog B can't take "no" for an answer and may persist in seeking out other strategies to gain access to the toy and these may even entail air snapping and lunges. Usually dogs who steal as part of a game use metacommunication under the form of play bows, high-pitched barks and loose body movements that emphasize that they are just engaging in play and there is no ill-intent. This form of stealing generally is not harmful, as long as no harm is done and both dogs seem to have fun. Once the dog steals the toy, the other is after him chasing. Scenario number two entails dogs who steal just because they can. Relationships among dogs often are based to a great extend on what they can and cannot get away with it. When two unfamiliar dogs are introduced in the household, they will be testing each other over several days to understand how each will react to a given situation. Access to resources (food, toys, owner's attention, sleeping spots) is often something that requires careful evaluation. Now, not all dogs stick the same value to resources. Resources may have a different "price tag" among dogs. This is what makes relationships among dogs rather fluid rather than fixed. Your golden may care less if Ash steals a toy from him, but Ash may have well understood through the years that he needs extra caution when approaching him while he is eating and that doing so may be somewhat counterproductive. Some dogs may therefore allow the other dog to get away with some behaviors and this may include having their toys stolen from under their nose. Now, we don't know for sure what's going on their minds but it may be something along these lines "Want my soggy, slimy toy? Go for it, I can care less about it!" Sometimes a careful evaluation is needed though, as these dogs may give up the toy just out of blunt intimidation: "Here, take it, this toy is not worthy of fighting over, I don't want to be harmed. You scare me when you approach me this way." These dogs may display a fearful body posture, ears back, lip licking and yawning as an appeasement signal. These dogs are being bullied and may lead a tense life. Third scenario: Sometimes, a dog stealing other dogs' toys is doing so to be a "bully." This dog may use threatening displays to get what he wants. The body language is "serious" here with the dog's body stiff and an intimidating posture. The dog may have an arsenal of increasing threat displays. The dog may start with a growl denoting "Give me your toy or else..." then, if the growl goes unheeded they may progress to an air snap, which is technically a bite that the dog deliberately "misses" and then. may even come a bite, which is hopefully inhibited (no damage is done). This type of behavior may have evolved over time after rehearsing it with several dogs. It may start with a dog stealing toys "just because he can" generalizing then to other dogs and expecting the same outcome. Because several mellow dogs find it unproductive to fight back, the dog soon learns to steal more and more and the behavior gains a strong reinforcement history (access to the resource). Big problems start though when the other dog objects which may lead to two outcomes: the dog attempting to steal to withdraw (OK, I changed my mind, I no longer want your toy!) or fight back (what did you just say?). Dogs with a tendency to steal should not frequent dog parks or be put into situations where they get to rehearse the stealing behavior ultimately causing it to reinforce and potentially resulting in squabbles or serious fights when practiced with the "wrong dogs." Now, how to handle stealing toys will vary based on what type of stealing we are dealing with. I will be listing shortly some options. For tempering rough play, you may find these tips about redirection in this thread helpful, but these are just for rough play with no aggression: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?67-Tempering-Play&p=230#post230 ​

Hello Holiver0711, Welcome to the forum. I have a few questions to better evaluate things. Do you know by any chance yet whether this new puppy will be a female or a male? What breed? When you state "Ash will take the toy away from other dogs sometimes" what other dogs are you referring to? Dogs at the dog park? Dogs of friends? What does your Golden do when your husky tries to get his toys? Has your Golden ever rebelled to the husky's behavior? If so, what happened next?

Hello, Welcome to the forum, It sounds like poor little Eri is terrified. It takes some time for some pups to gain enough courage to start exploring their surroundings and regain normal functions (eat, drink, eliminate). Her body right now is in fight or flight mode and all those stress hormones are causing her to instinctively give priority to being safe. This means that some physiological functions are temporarily shut down. It is not unheard of for some fearful dogs to not pee for up to even 36 hours. You are right to be concerned about her not peeing, poop can wait, but pee is important. There are chances though her bladder isn't much full if she hasn't drank much. There are also chances that she has peed in her crate but you can't see it because she's lying on it. Shelter dogs learn to pee in their kennels so they just go when they have to. In any case, yes, you will need to do everything possible to help her relax and learn that she is safe. Here are a few suggestions: -Keep noises at a minimum. -Talk in low voices -Try your best not to cough/sneeze in her presence -Walk and move slowly -Wear shoes that make little noise when walking -Keep the crate with the door open (you may have to attach the door to the crate so she doesn't get scared in case the door happens to move) -Keep some high-value treats out of the crate to entice her to come out -Avoid direct eye contact, leaning down towards her, talking in excited voices -Once she's more comfy, keep a blanket or mat in the crate, the noise produced when walking on the bottom of wire crates may scare sensitive dogs and make them reluctant to walk out -Once she's more comfy, teach her to learn to not to fear to be praised, say things in a reassuring tone of voice such as "what a good good girl! awww, look at you!" and drop a treat from your hand. You can then use praise to encourage her and provide positive feedback for exploratory behaviors. -You may have to kneel down at her level when you interact with her at first. -You can try a pheromone plug-in diffuser for fearful/stressed dogs such as Adaptil If you are planning for her to go potty outside, in an ideal situation she should follow you out, but she may be too fearful to go out there for now. You can try placing pee pads/newspapers around just in case as she might be used to going potty when she feels like it and where she is after being in the shelter. If she soils in the crate/house make sure to clean the mess up with an enzyme-based cleaner like Nature's Miracle. You will likely need to start potty training from scratch once she is more comfortable in her surroundings. Training can wait for now as it's priority that she learns to feel safe in her new home. When dogs are in such a fearful state, their cognitive functions shut down anyway and this impairs learning. She needs some time to de-stress and get rid of those stress hormones. All teaching for now should focus on creating positive associations with her environment. Learn what triggers her fear and work on making those situations less fearful. If you find several triggers, you can me make a list and I can suggest how to desensitize and countercondition her to those once she's comfortable in taking food. Once she is more comfortable, you can then start to do some of the basic, elementary brain games and start the obedience 101 section. Here is a read about fearful dogs: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/helping-fearful-rescue-dog/

Oh, and forgot to mention a little trick of the trade: if your dog is hyper excited about kibble, you can also tone down its value a bit by offering it when he's on a full stomach. In other words, you can try scheduling his training right after he has finished his meal. For example, you train him right after his morning meal, and if you are concerned about calories, you can take out a portion of his evening allowance of kibble so that he's simply working for part of his meals.

Thanks for the update! Those exercises sound like an excellent start for a desensitization and counterconditioning program. Slow and steady wins the race when it comes to behavior modification. Hopefully, the air won't be too polluted tonight ;) Always love reading your posts. Best, Adrienne

Hi CouponQueen1956, It sounds like you sure got a handful! All puppies nip and it's a normal stage of their development, albeit your case sounds to be on the extreme side. Sometimes this happens, especially with working lines of purebred puppies. I hope it's just a matter of rough mouth and that she is not exhibiting any signs of aggression. I suggest to stop smacking the nose and holding the snout or other physical interventions as these can trigger defensive aggression in the long run as the hands are perceived as aversive. It sounds like your puppy is persistent and by biting you when you are standing still she is trying to engage you back into moving. While yelping can be effective with many puppies, it doesn't always work with very determined or "drivey" puppies as the yelping increases their arousal because it makes us humans sound like a hurt animal. If the yelping seems to increase arousal or doesn't seems to work, then it might be time for plan B. The fact that she grabs stronger when you stop interacting with her, may be an extinction burst (see the glossary section for this). Basically, it can be her way of trying to engage with you more. If you freeze and stop interacting and she grabs stronger and that gets you moving (hard to stay still if the bite hurts!), then her stronger bites are being reinforced. "If I bite stronger, my owner finally engages with me, yay!" To prevent this, you would have to persist and be determined to not move at all to prevent her from getting any reward history, but I know this can be a challenge, especially when those sharp teeth hurt! You may be better off therefore giving a shot to redirection at this point, trying your best though to catch her before she has had the opportunity to latch on. Now, you mention that redirection doesn't work: Generally when a puppy doesn't respond to redirection, there are some possibilities: -The puppy is too over threshold -The puppy hasn't been trained an alternate behavior that is fluent enough (this may take some time to train) to replace the problem behavior -The toy offered to redirect is too low value in respect to nipping -Treats offered to redirect are too low value in respect to nipping -Games offered to redirect aren't rewarding enough -The activity the pup is being redirected to is too brief. -There hasn't been much consistency among family members. If the behavior is allowed sometimes yes and sometimes no, it puts it on a variable schedule, which means persistence is being rewarded. -Children are encouraging the nipping by playing with the pup in chasing games/play with hands/moving fast away when puppy grabs pants etc. -The nipping is being rewarded by moving away or providing resistance (which is what encourages dogs to latch on more as we become human tug toys to them) Here are some tips: -Try redirection using high-value toys. Trying to redirect using a regular toy that likely your puppy has always access to can be rather boring compared to your clothes she can play tug with. Instead, try walking in the room when you expect her to come towards you to nip, and as soon as she is close to you, freeze (become motionless) and offer her a stuffed Kong (Kong toy stuffed with smelly goodies like peanut butter mixed with some kibble and dog cookies stacked to make it hard for her to get the kibble out), rather than just a regular toy. This should occupy her for long enough for you to walk away and keep her busy. A Kong Wobbler/ Buster Cube filled with a portion of her daily allowance of kibble can also come handy once she learns how to get the kibble out. - You can also try to engage her with toys that add movement into the game such as a tennis ball tossed in the opposite direction (make it extra fun!) or a flirt pole (stick with a stuffed animal attached one end). The goal is to find a way to make these toys much more interesting, rewarding and fun to interact with than your body. -You can also encourage some fun games that are also rewarding. Here are some fun ones: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/m...ibition-games/ -Training a replacement behavior can also come handy. You can try with Targeting, which is explained in the Brain Games sections of the course. Since she's a young pup, you can teach her to target a target stick or long wooden spoon you can carry when you walk so that you can keep her focus off your body but on the wooden spoon instead. - You can teach her to do some attention heeling inside the home (no leash needed), if she can stay so focused on your clothes, she can eventually be taught to stay focused on your eyes if you make the activity rewarding. Every time she makes eye contact with you, toss a treat across the room so that she gets a workout too. Now, with the short attention span of puppies, don't expect to get long attention, but just a quick glance works for now. After several reps, she should approach you to make eye contact in exchange for a tossed treat, rather than focus on your clothes. -If she loves her kibble and you are training her indoors and have time, starting today, start using her kibble and putting her to work for it. Place her full morning portion in your treat bag and put her to work for every single piece if feasible. Depending on the size of her kibble you may end up with 50 or more opportunities to reinforce desired behaviors. By the time you are done, she should be ready to nap and you should be able to fill up your treat bag with her evening portion for later on. You can use this portion to fill up interactive toys or do more games/training. Now ask her to sit when you see her approaching you and reward by tossing a treat away. Do this as often as needed. You should see an increase in the sitting behavior and a decrease in the nipping behavior overtime as sitting and catching tossed treats are more fun! -Teach that gentleness pays. Place a smelly treat or kibbles in your hand inside your fist. Ask your dog to sit (this helps her to remain calm) then present the closed fist to your dog, keeping it slightly under her chin. If your dog bites your hand, continue keeping the fist closed. Be persistent and patient. Once your dog stops biting and nibbles gently or licks your hand, praise, open the fist and release the treat. If your dog has an alligator mouth, for the sake of safety wear gloves for this exercise until he develops a softer mouth! However, it’s also true that gloves may blur sensation and you may think he’s not biting when he actually is! -Remember that learning (of good and bad behaviors) always takes place in all your interactions with your puppy. You may find it helpful to carry a treat bag filled with some kibble on you at all times so to provide opportunities to make good choices. This for the most part initially until you puppy learns to seek alternate forms of entertainment. -Make sure you provide outlets for pent-up energy. Games, training, exercise and opportunities for socialization should wear her out and provide outlets for her basic needs. With brain games that allow her to chase things and get rewards out of them (like kibble out of a bottle or a Kong Wobbler) she should seek them more and more which can turn your clothes pretty boring after a while because she gets more out of these activities when he's bored. -Also remember that puppies need to sleep too. Sometimes, when they are super nippy, they just may be cranky and in need of a nap. Give a pleasant time-out in a crate with chew toy. Chewing should relax her and make her likely to sleep. -To tackle the biting when you go grab the leash, practice some fun leash grabs. Do several in a row. Everytime you go to reach the leash, (use gloves if needed) use your other hand to hand feed her several kibbles in a row. Feed her some as you are walking her as well after the leash grab, preferably doing some steps of attention heeling. This should redirect her for some time if she is trying to nip for play, but can also help cancel out the negative connotations the act of grabbing the leash may have assumed in case you have used the leash to correct her. Now, I must be honest here in saying that 3 days or more is not enough to start seeing a significant reduction in nipping. It generally takes several weeks or even months and the reduction in nipping to a certain extent is part of of the pup maturing and understanding that we are not playmates to play with using their mouths in a rough manner, but that we are a different species with thin skin and that we play and interact with them in different ways. You may have to try several of the above options and see what works best. Redirection to a rewarding treat-dispensing toy or game that uses treats should be quite easy at this age if these activities are made rewarding. Teaching an alternate behavior is also important because dogs cannot misbehave if they are busy making eye contact or sitting! It may take a bit of time though to teach these alternate behaviors fluently but it is sure worth the time and effort. By providing outlets for her energy and needs for mental stimulation and reinforcing appropriate behaviors, you should eventually start seeing a decrease in the nipping behavior. Keep track of it so to measure whether things are getting better with time. I hope this helps, Good luck! Adrienne

Sounds great! That mix sure sounds like good potential. Bless your heart for rescuing. Keep us posted on your progress with her. Best, Adrienne

Hi Dan, Welcome to the forum! Fetch is one of those things that may be easy as pie to train if you have a dog naturally inclined to retrieve items, or it can be quite challenging and frustrating if the dog isn't predisposed. While fetching a ball is the classic example of the game, it can be virtually taught with any objects and the object can be dropped at the owner's feet, in the owner's hands or inside a container such as a basket. While fetch per se' isn't covered in the course, the Tidy Up brain game is based on the same concept of getting a dog to pick up something and bring it back. The tidy up game is covered here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/einstein/the-tidy-up-game/ and here you can find how to train a dog to "take" https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/einstein/the-tidy-up-game/ and here how to train drop: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/drop-it/ For a good reason the Tidy Up game is placed at the Einstein level of the course: fetch is a combination of several exercises chained together that requires the dog to know first how to pick up an item, bring it to the owner (recalls come handy here) and drop the item with more or less precision depending on where the owners wants the item dropped. Now, as mentioned, there are cases the dog is naturally predisposed to retrieve and in that case things get much easier, but many dogs will just look up at their owners with a clueless, blank stare. The difficulties encountered may likely be why fetch is not typically trained in basic obedience classes, but in some more advanced training classes such as service dog training (dog must be able to pick up dropped items for people with a disability), bird dog training (retrievers must bring back downed fowl) and in the sport of Schutzhund (dogs must retrieve dumbbells) If you are new to training and your dog doesn't appear to be naturally inclined to fetch, it might be best to leave this exercise for now as it may lead to confusion and frustration. Fetch may take several sessions to master and often in a step-by-step approach that may be quite unrewarding in the initial stages. However, if your dog is already trained to pick up items, drop them and you are up to the challenge, feel free to post here for some specific assistance and troubleshooting.

Hello Kamilla86, thanks for the update. At 8 weeks, your puppy is very young and hasn't attained yet much bladder and bowel control so it's pretty normal to have some accidents here and there. It's is also not uncommon for some puppies to pee and poop when back inside. There can be several reasons for this and it may take a bit of investigative work to find the exact cause. Here are a few possibilities: -Your puppy is overstimulated when outside. Perhaps the area designated to go potty may be too over stimulating for the puppy, and with puppies having short attention spans, they can quickly get distracted. With all this sensory overload, things to sniff and explore, and the excitement to stretch their legs, young puppies may get distracted to the point of forgetting that they need to go potty. Only once back inside the home, where things get dull again, they realize the urgency and have an accident right there on the spot. Tips: Avoid talking and interacting with your puppy when she is sent out to potty. If you want to praise your puppy for going potty, don't interrupt her, do so only after she has completely emptied her bladder and bowels. If you play in the yard with your puppy, make sure you play after she has gone potty. If she is focused on eating grass, you can keep her on leash (if she's used to it) and take her to an area without grass if feasible. Move her away enticing her to follow you when she starts the grass-eating behavior. Walk her around the yard. It's a known fact that movement increases motility. When she goes, lots of praise and reward and let her then off leash to play and explore. -She may be looking for her puppy pad. This is a little known fact, but puppies tend to form a substrate preference by the time they are 8 and a half weeks old. This simply means that puppies develop a preference for using a particular surface to use as their potty by this age. So if your puppy is used to using pee pads inside, she may be be simply looking for her familiar pee pad even once outside. You can try bringing a pad outside and see if she goes and if your goal is getting her to potty exclusively outside you can start gradually transitioning her to grass by taking outside a pad and encouraging your puppy to use that. Gradually, the pad may be reduced in size or may be covered gradually with more and more grass until the puppy learns to exclusively potty on grass. -Try training your puppy to go potty on command. This can take a bit of time to master but it will help on many occasions in the long run: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/potty-on-command/ -Consider that grass is irritating to the digestive tract and some puppies with an upset stomach may be attracted to grass. Too much grass may also cause blockages in small puppies if eaten in substantial amounts. Mowing the grass short may help discourage the behavior. While puppies may eat grass out of pure curiosity, should your puppy appear ill or have signs of GI issues, you may need to have her see the vet to tackle the underlying cause. -Use the right cleaning products for cleaning messes indoors. Puppies having accidents in the home after being outside may be smelling a previously soiled area which entices them to go in the same spot over and over. Make sure you use an enzyme-based cleaner that removes all traces of odors. -Avoid scolding a puppy for having accidents. This only teaches puppies to pee and poop when you are not around. Puppies peeing or pooping inside the house after being outside may be holding it when supervised outside, and then once inside, they may poop inside behind a couch out of sight or their strong urge to go by now has overridden their fear of being scolded. -Last but not least, if this is happening often, since you know exactly when this behavior takes place and you can anticipate it, keep the door open when coming back inside and promptly escort your pup back outside so that she can eliminate there. This gives your pup a chance to succeed by showing her you want her to go outdoors. Make sure you lavishly praise and reward when she eliminates outdoors. Hope this helps!

Hello and welcome to the forum! I wished there was a one-size-fits -all answer to this question, but there is not. How long sessions should last and how many reps of each behavior to do tends to vary on an individual basis. Variables to consider are how much training the dog has had in the past, energy levels, attention spans and other factors. For instance, how is your dog's attention span? Is he easily bored? You can generally train your dog as long as your dog gives signs of enjoying it and isn't getting bored or frustrated. Watch for displacement behaviors such as yawning, scratching or licking or getting distracted and walking away to drink water or eliminate as these can be signs things are getting too difficult for him or he's getting bored. Nothing is worse for a dog than a tedious training session that is boring or too difficult. With a dog of 7 months, the attention span is much longer than a much younger puppy, but he's in full swing adolescent stage which can sometimes be a bit challenging. You can read about doggy adolescence here:https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/survive-dogs-adolescent-stage/ Since it sounds like he is new to training, you can perhaps start with several (like 4 to 5) 5-minute obedience training sessions spread out throughout the day for now and gauge how it goes. How many sits you can get in this timeframe depends on latency (how quickly your dog sits upon you luring or cueing him to sit) and whether you are doing other activities in the middle. You can then try to increase the time gradually but if the dog shows signs of struggling or feeling bored, by all means it's fine to shorten sessions and reduce their quantity accordingly. And as always, it's best making sure to end the session on a positive note and always when the dog is still interested. This builds a strong desire and eagerness to learn. Consider that things can get boring if you are only doing reps of sits for treats. You can add some variety by adding some recalls into the mix or asking for sits and sometimes rewarding them by tossing the treat on the ground in a game of "chase the treat" rather than hand-feeding it. You can also schedule training sessions that coincide with your pup's energy levels. For instance, most dog wake up with lots of energy or they may get the "zoomies" after finishing a meal. These are good times to take advantage of this energy bursts and train some fun recalls. Then, as the dog gets a bit tired, you can focus more on some stationary exercises such as sit. Once the dog is relaxed more, then you can resume with some more kinetic energy exercises such as polite leash walking. These mixed exercises feature shifts in energy that are more in tune with the dog's activity levels and therefore can help maintain interest. On top of training different behaviors, it's important to also train them with different people and locations. Family members if feasible should be involved and take turns asking for behaviors. While training should start in a quiet room, it should progress to involve various rooms of the house and the yard and then outside the home. Teenager dogs strive on mental stimulation, so on top of training obedience, make sure to introduce several mentally stimulating brain games as outlined in the course to keep him occupied and tire out that brain! Hope this helps, Happy training!

Quoted: "I was able to get her to sit on the sidewalk with me and watch the squirrels. She eventually went into a down and I rewarded her big time for that one. We're also working on not being an irritant to the man who rides his bicycle by our house. She dd have a relapse due to a brave (or dumb) squirrel who decided to make a run for it right past us. Sit, come, leave it, went unheard." That is great progress that she was able to sit with you and watch the squirrels! Kudos to you. She is likely not ready yet for squirrels running right past her though, as that level of closeness takes time and instincts prevail. It might not be too easy to practice in similar real life scenarios, because you might not run into too many squirrels bold enough to do something like that again. Practicing some leave its with a squirrel -like flirt pole in the home and then in the yard may come handy to rehearse such happening in hopes that in the future she may be more responsive to you if she can generalize flirt-pole training to a real squirrel.

Yeah, it can be confusing because the use of food is related to both concepts and in both cases there is some form of fading going on. In fading the food lure, we are removing the food lure's presence in guiding the dog into the position we want. The food lure in this case is a prompt, a visual aid to help the dog perform the behavior. So if we are using food in our hands to guide our dog's head upwards with the nose almost pointing the ceiling so that the rump hits the floor, we are using a food lure as something for the dog to passively follow. Food in this instance (shown as a guide to follow) should be used for very brief periods to prevent over dependence on it. We do just a few reps with the food shown in the upward nose -to- back to the head motion, and next, we try to guide the dog into the sitting position using the same motion as when we were holding food, but this time we are empty handed. There is no food, but the hand gesture is the same. Once the dog sits, we then deliver food using our other hand. The sight of food is now out of the equation. The dog no longer expects to see it protruding from our hands. From what you describe, it seems like you are on the right track. Good job in catching what was preventing her from performing the behavior! On the other hand, when fading giving food on a continuous schedule and moving to a variable schedule, we are no longer giving food as a consequence for every single successful behavior, but only part of the time in an unpredictable manner. By the time we are moving to a variable schedule with the dog performing the behavior reliably, (like 8 times out of 10 when we say sit), quite some time has passed since when we were using food to guide a dog into the desired position. We have long ago therefore faded food used as lures. To be a bit technical, the food lure to guide the dog into a sitting position is an antecedent (something presented before the dog performs the behavior) that then becomes a consequence (when the dog is given the food after he sits) meant to reinforce the sitting behavior. On the other hand, food given on a continuous or intermittent schedule is just a consequence (something given after the dog the dog performs the behavior to reinforce it ). All operant behaviors (things we teach dogs or behaviors dogs learn on their own) are made of antecedents-(things that evoke the behavior such as food lures, cues or hand motions,) then the actual behavior (dog sits) and the consequence (a treat, life reward, conditioned reinforcer, something that the dog has been taught to enjoy through positive associations).

Glad to hear. Happy training!