Adrienne Farricelli

Hello there, and thanks for the update. It's great that Oreo has been learning so many things! Kudos to you! Let's see what we can do to fix the two issues you are facing. 1) Many dogs (and many puppies!) behave oddly when around food bowls. If this is a completely new behavior, there are a few things to evaluate. Are you using a new food bowl? Some dogs act weird around shiny food bowls as they see their reflections in it and get startled. Sometimes, it's an issue with the food. The dog may have simply gotten tired of the food or may be complaining if there's something missing (eg. dog used to get some canned food mixed in with the dry or has it topped with gravy). These dogs are simply hoping for a better food and then, once they notice no better foods arrives, once they find it on the floor they'll eat it. In some cases, it can be a sign of mouth pain. At 5 months, your puppy is still teething, so maybe some gums are a bit sore. If you feed treats during the day, it could be he isn't very hungry yet. Some dogs are just plain picky. And the more you try to coax them to eat, the pickier they act. If he refuses to eat from the bowl at meal time and you make the mistake to hand feed him, he will quickly learn to wait for you to give in and hand feed him which can become a difficult issue to overcome. It is great to train a dog to eat food only once you put the food bowl down and your dog is calm and waiting. This teaches your dog to be calm and not get in your way for meal preparation. If you ask your dog to "sit" before putting the bowl down and say OK, you have rewarded the calm sit. You mention though "Sometimes when we feed, we will drop down the food, requiring Oreo to look at us." I am guessing you are dropping a piece of kibble versus giving access to the whole food bowl during meal time and therefore let him eat only when he looks at you? If you have made this a sort of meal-time ritual, then he may be simply waiting for his ritual. Dogs have habitual creatures, so they like to repeat things. It could simply be he just finds it more fun to "work for his food" once it's on the ground. Many dogs refuse food from a bowl and rather eat it from the ground. In such a case, you can try to skip the food bowl altogether and let him eat his kibble scattered around the home in a treasure hunt fashion or you can use the kibble to fill up an interactive toy such as a Buster Cube or Kong Wobbler. Many dog owners love to use snuffle mats. More and more dog owners are relinquishing their food bowls for more interactive games that meet a dog's natural instincts to "scavenge" and work in search of food. It falls under canine enrichment. One thing you can do is try to transfer value from the floor to the food bowl by doing his looking at you training as usual, but this time instead of dropping the reward on the floor just strategically drop it into the bowl and let him get it from there. Then slowly start increasing the amount dropped into the bowl at a time until he's finally eating mostly from from his bowl. As a very last resort, if it's really important for you that he eats from the bowl you may need to be strict. That would mean, putting down the food bowl, saying "OK," giving him 10 minutes to finish it up and then taking the bowl away, even if he hasn't eaten any or has left some. Then repeat in the evening. This teaches him that if he doesn't readily eat, he loses his opportunity until next leal time. You want him to be extra hungry so make sure not to give any food during the day. Sometimes, to increase saliency, it may help to place the food bowl behind a glass door or inside a closed crate. Your dog may visit several times in hopes of getting the food. Not getting the food makes it extra valuable. When you then open the crate or the glass door at meal time, your dog may feel more compelled to eat because he desired it during the day. Possible solutions for issue number 2, coming up in the next post. ..

Hello Jeanette, Welcome to the forum! Sorry to hear you have been have trouble potty training your chiweenie. Smaller dogs can pose more challenges in the housebreaking department than larger dogs. You need to give yourself a good pat on the back though for the patience and effort and the fact that you were able to train her to ring a bell when she needs to go outside. At 10 months old, she should be capable of holding it for a good amount of time. It sounds like you are only out for a short time, so that shouldn't be beyond her physical capability. There are some things you can do to try to remedy the present situation. 1) Make absolutely sure she is empty before you leave the house. Training her to go potty on command as outlined in the archive can come extra handy for this. If your girl was able to learn to ring a bell to go outside, I am pretty sure she can learn to go potty on command eventually. This may take a little time to train because dogs need to become aware of the fact they are going potty versus doing it automatically without much thinking involved, but this conscious control comes with lots of positive reinforcement and repetition. It is well worth the effort in the long run though as it provides the peace of mind knowing that your dog is empty when you are out and about. 2) If your dog has proven to you that she is able to hold it for a certain amount time, but then has accidents only when you are away, there may be more than a potty training issue going on. It may be worthy for you to record her behavior when you are out and about and then watch it carefully to see exactly what she is doing when left alone. She may be nervous in your absence perhaps pacing back and forth acting restless, panting and these may be signs of separation anxiety. Dogs with separation anxiety tend to urinate when they are left alone. Some dogs with anxiety also drool a lot and at times dog owners think a small puddle on the floor is urine when in reality it is only drool. 3) If your dog is seeing other dogs from windows or hearing them, she may be marking her territory. Now, not all female dogs urine mark at this age, but some may do. Urine marking is a dog's way to laying claim of things but it also plays a role in helping a dog feel more comfortable. Urine marking can be distinguished by actual peeing to empty the bladder by the amount released (usually small amounts in different places) and the fact that it occurs in response to certain visual or odoriferous triggers. 4) Make sure that you remove all traces of the previous pee accidents. The smell of previous pee accidents tells your dog "here is your bathroom" and therefore can cause her to pee on these areas over and over. There are many products that will remove the urine smell, however those with ammonia should be avoided since ammonia mimics the dog urine smell and may actually encourage marking behaviors. Effective products that contain enzymes should remove the majority of the odor. Using a black light will ensure that no spots are missed. This way all the odors will be neutralized and your dog may feel less compelled to pee over previous accidents. 5) Set her for success. If your dog keeps peeing when left alone, this makes the behavior stronger each time because practice makes perfect. Peeing is reinforcing. If she is crate trained, and you are leaving for very brief periods of time, there's nothing wrong in crating her if she has learned to love the crate or at least tolerate it fine. This lowers the chances for pee accidents, keeps her safe in the house and may reduce some anxiety if she associates the crate with a comfy place to chill out. Many dogs feel a big responsibility when they are left alone in the house. They will likely spend a lot of time barking at all the noises and go back and forth towards the door. This can be stressful to some dogs as they feel vulnerable until their owners come back. 6) If your dog is restless when left alone, there are chances she drinks a lot of water. More water, more chances for accidents. This may be a contributing factor to consider if she's left with a water bowl. I would therefore consider these possibilities. Recording her behavior is a good start because it shows you how she feels emotionally when left alone. It also shows you whether she drinks and how and when she pees. If she seems very upset, stressed or frightened, she might do better confined in a crate with a blanket covering the crate for an extra sense of security. Providing her with a stuffed Kong can help keep her busy and happy. Anxiety aids such as DAP diffusers may help and playing calming CD's to muffle noises if present can help her feel less stressed. However, if she seems quite distressed, you may have a case of separation anxiety on your hands and this involves a much more involved protocol to tackle. I hope this helps, Let me know if you need any further assistance, Best regards

Hello, Welcome to the forum and thanks for reaching out! At 4 months old, puppies are rambunctious balls of kinetic energy and they are always seeking opportunities to play. I can understand your frustration with the situation especially considering that it makes it difficult to walk around because movement is what triggers this behavior. This can be indeed both play and a need for attention, after all, needs for play and attention can sometimes go hand-in-hand. Being so small, Chi's and other small dogs get to interact only with what part of us is closest to them when we are standing and walking around. To tackle this behavior you would need a multi-faceted approach. As you may have read in several of my articles, I am a big proponent of preventing rehearsal of problem behaviors. This means that one important step is to prevent the biting of feet from happening in the first place. This because, the more puppies and dogs get to rehearse behaviors, the more these behaviors become ingrained and difficult to overcome. If not tackled, there are risks that this biting behavior may become the puppy's default way of interacting with you. So let's see several approaches. One is to provide more mental stimulation and brain games so that he'll seek these activities and obtain an outlet for his need to play and chase things that move. Puppies have big needs to explore things with their mouths and chase things that move. Play is a way puppies get to practice hunting behaviors that would have come extra handy in the wild once adults. They pounce, chase toys and other objects that mimic prey. There are many helpful ways to channel these needs in the Brain Games section. If I were to pick some games that were particularly helpful for your pup's situation, I would engage him in some games that put him to "work" such as the Bottle Game, the Muffin Game, and the Treasure Hunt Game. On top of that, make sure your puppy is getting some fun training and exercise during the day. If your puppy knows "sit," you can find how to train it here: training a dog to sit, then The Jazz Up and Settle Down Game may also be a fun game to play to help him learn a touch of impulse control. And don't forget socialization too (like parties with people coming over your home, puppy classes, pet stores (carry him in your arms if he hasn't finished his shots) as he's right near the closing time for that. Games, training, exercise and opportunities for socialization should wear him out and provide outlets for his basic needs. With brain games that allow him to chase things and get rewards out of them (like kibble out of a bottle or a Kong Wobbler) he should seek them more and more which can turn your legs pretty boring after a while because he gets more out of these activities when he's bored. On top of taking the edge off when your puppy is excited and hyper, you need to train a replacement behavior. You are on the right path ignoring him when he bites, but most likely, that's just part of the game for him. If you are walking and you stop and ignore him, he may get perhaps a bit bored temporarily, but most likely he's back to pounce into action, trying to nip your feet the moment you walk away. There are several replacement behaviors you can teach and make them very rewarding so that your feet will no longer be as attractive to him. Here are a few suggestions: 1) You can try with Targeting. Since he's small, you can teach him to target a target stick or long wooden spoon you can carry when you walk so that you can keep his focus off your feet but on the wooden spoon instead. 2) You can teach him to do some attention heeling inside the home (no leash needed), if he can stay so focused on your feet, he can eventually be taught to stay focused on your eyes. Every time he makes eye contact with you, you toss a treat across the room so that he gets workout too. Now, with the short attention span of puppies, don't expect to get long attention, but just a quick glance works. You can start by stopping in your tracks asking for attention and then add gradually motion (walking) as you progress. Here is how to teach to look into your eyes and then apply it to attention heeling. 3) You can purchase a flirt pole or simply attach a safe stuffed animal-like toy to a stick and let him play with that as you're walking to keep him focused on that. Toss him treats when he chooses to play with that rather than your feet, especially initially, then you can do that intermittently. 4) Ask him to sit when you see him approaching your feet and toss a treat away do this as often as needed. You should see an increase in the sitting behavior and a decrease in the feet nipping behavior overtime. You may have to try several of these and see what works best. Teaching an alternate behavior is important because dogs cannot misbehave if they are busy making eye contact or sitting! By providing outlets for his energy and needs for mental stimulation, preventing rehearsal of problem behavior and reinforcing appropriate behaviors, you should eventually start seeing a decrease in the feet-biting behavior. I hope this helps, Good luck! Let me know if you need any further assistance. Best regards, Adrienne

Hello Joi, and welcome to the forum! You are right to be concerned about Finn's past, but the good news is that he is lucky to now have a dedicated owner like you who is dedicated to making some changes for the best. The Brain Training Program will help build a strong foundation and will help in boosting Finn's confidence. The training components being reward-based, will also help build a stronger bond with you, and with him trusting you more and more, this means that you will become a stronger "influencer" in his eyes which is a great aid for when he acts fearful of things. For when you are out and about, encountering several of his triggers, you will have to invest some time in performing what's known as "remedial socialization." A graded approach moving at a slow pace to keep up with his comfort level is fundamental. A good place to start is reading about threshold levels. Getting very familiar with that thin, imaginary line that separates reactive behavior from less reactive behavior/calmer behavior is important and the goal should be to try as much as possible to stay beyond that. With your dog under threshold, you will have to expose him then to lower intensity levels of things he fears through what's known as desensitization. To power things further up, you want to implement as well counterconditioning. You can start at home for some issues since many of the items you mention he's scared of are things you may have indoors or in the yard. So for example, here's an exercise we do a lot with puppies. We place an upside-down chair (or any other item that may evoke a fearful response), and at a distance from it, from where the puppy is not overwhelmingly intimidated, we start praising and rewarding (with high value treats) initially for simply looking at the object, then slightly approaching it, then investigating it and then finally we throw a jackpot (several treats given at once) for interacting with it (sniffing it or pawing it) for whatever brief time that is. Now this requires some finesse, trying as much as possible to prevent the pup from going over threshold and systematically controlling the situation in organized set-ups so to protect the pup (and all his progress) from any mishaps (eg. the object falling and creating a setback). If at any time a setback occurs, that is a sign we have progressed too fast at a level the pup wasn't ready for, so we need to take a few steps back to remedy the situation. On top of that, it's important how treats are given when the puppy is investigating the object. Tossing treats so that the pup gets closer to the object is a no-no because this may stimulate approach-avoidance behaviors which you can read more about here: approach-avoidance. Treats are best tossed away from the object. Only once the pup learns to trust the object more and after seeing a conditioned emotional response (almost an eagerness to interact with the object because it has attained a strong reinforcement history) we can think of starting placing high-value treats on the object itself. You may also find targeting objects helpful to boost up his confidence. Targeting exercises are found in the Brain Training Course. Start with training him to target your hand, and then progress to using a pencil, a ruler, a branch etc. Other helpful reads are the Jolly Routine , Open Bar Closed Bar and the Treat Retreat Game. Tackling his issues therefore takes a multi-faceted approach. On one hand, boosting his confidence internally through positive-based training and brain games, and on the other hand, working on his triggers directly but using a graded, systematic approach so to progress at his comfort level. I hope this helps! Let me know if I can be of any further assistance, Good Luck with Finn and happy training! Adrienne

Roberta Huber, I hear you! Puppies can be a handful when they are nippy. At 7 months, your pup is at the peak stage of the beginning of doggy adolescence. This is the teenager phase, a midway stage between puppy-hood and adulthood. Physically, your pup has her adult teeth, but she still has a strong urge to chew on everything. It sounds like you have become her favorite human impersonation of a tug toy. In other words, I feel she is having a blast in "activating" you every time she nips. It's likely all a great game to her! At 7 months, dogs also are full of energy. They are in perpetual-motion and although you own a smaller sized dog, it may feel like it takes lots of stamina to wear her out. If you haven't done already, it might be a good idea to get her walking first thing in the morning when you take her out of the crate. Have her sit, put the leash on and go on a nice walk to tire her out. This should help take the edge off. Then, once back inside, you can have breakfast while you provide her with a mentally stimulating activity. No more food bowl. From now on, a portion of her meals will be served in a Kong Wobbler (if feeding kibble) or a Kong (if she eats canned food). Leave the remaining portion of her meals to reward desirable behaviors that do not involve biting you throughout the day. Basically, offer opportunities for alternative behaviors that will keep her focus off of you. Make these activities very reinforcing so that she'll pick them over nipping you. Try training her to target your hands rather than nipping. You can find how to train this in the main course: how to train targeting. Every time she targets your hand, toss a piece of kibble across the room so that she gets a workout. You can also introduce a target stick to keep her focus off your hands. Other great activities may include the Airplane Game where she learns to look at you and focus on you rather than the tasty cookies you'll be holding and Jazzle Up and Settle down where she gets to learn more impulse control. You also want to teach her to engage in activities that do not involve you, but rather encourage independent games such as the Muffin Game, Bottle Game and Bobbing For Treats. In other words, you want to encourage independent play away from you but also teach her that all interactions with you should involve non-nipping activities that are highly reinforcing. Hands are to target rather than nipping, when she's interested in biting your clothing, stop walking in your tracks, ask her to sit (or maybe perform a cute trick), praise and toss a piece of kibble across the room. You can even try a flirt pole to redirect her and encourage her to play. Basically, you'll be enticing her to play with a toy dangling off a rope instead of with your clothing/feet. There are many options to keep her focus off of you. It may feel tiring the first days to provide all these alternate behaviors, but as the days go by, she'll be more and more eager to engage in these activities and will pick them over you because they have attained a strong reinforcement history. I hope this helps, let me know if I can be of any further assistance. Adrienne

Hello Diana, Welcome to the forum! From your description, I do too feel that his behavior stems from fear. Veterinarian offices are small places and give dogs little room to move away. The invasion of space that follows during the examination further aggravates things. Not to mention, negative past experiences (shots, otoscopes inserted in ears, thermometers in humiliating places, blood draws etc) and then you always have a chance that your dog with his powerful sniffer picks up all the alarm pheromones secreted by other scared dogs there. Your dog's behavior at the vet is not unusual. It might be helpful for the future to have your dog muzzled at the vet's office just to play it safe. While dogs may still do harm while wearing a muzzle, vets appreciate this because it gives them a sense of security. I have all my dogs muzzled trained (even the sweetest Labs I have fostered) because you never know when a muzzle may come handy especially for painful or invasive procedures. Dogs can act in unpredictable ways when they are in pain or have fear. I am not sure based on your description whether your dog allows you to touch his face or not or if this behavior is targeted mostly at strangers and vets. If he's fine with you touching his face and has never shown you any signs of aggression, you can try habituating him to wearing a muzzle by following the steps below. You can work on teaching your dog to accept a muzzle by letting your dog initially target the muzzle, (look up the targeting portion of the course, you would apply the same training as when teaching to target hands/target stick) and then letting him insert his muzzle in it slightly while feeding treats through. Then, you would feed treats for wearing it around the muzzle but only for brief periods of time. Then, you can clip it on briefly and feed treats ( make sure you give no treats when the muzzle is off, only feed treats while wearing it) gradually increasing the time your dog wears it. Go very gradual in the process, stick to your dog's pace and make sure to create positive associations with it. You want your dog to look forward to wearing it because that means he gets lots of praise (oh, look how good you look wearing it!) and is fed goodies. If he doesn't like you to touch his face, one thing to consider is whether this behavior may be medically-induced. You mentioned allergies, and there are always chances that allergic dogs may have ear infections and dogs with ear infections often resent being touching by their head area or face. Ruled out medical causes, it sounds like your dog's behavior at the vet's office following the shots were also defensive in nature and stemming from fear or a reaction/surprise from the pain of the shot or a combo of both. Now while muzzles can help the vet feel safe and prevent a dog from potentially biting, on its own, a muzzle doesn't really teach a dog anything. It's important to not fall into the trap of "oh, he's wearing a muzzle, so you can do anything to him now." Along with a muzzle, it's important to implement some behavior modification. For a case like your dog, I feel the best approach is using a combination of desensitization and counterconditioning. (Click on links to learn more) Desensitization entails exposing to less intense versions of what triggers the fearful behavior. Counterconditioning entails creating new positive associations to replace the negative ones. It takes some time for new associations to sink through, but implemented correctly these methods are very powerful. For safety and correct implementation it's best to have a professional in person guide you through. I have personally accompanied a few times dog owners at vet offices to coach them through forming all these positive associations (after practicing at home for quite a bit of course!). If I was dealing with a case like yours, I would first start teaching your dog to associate the approach of people and their hands with great things. With the muzzle on for safety, I would walk towards your dog while you feed him tasty treats. Then, I would make an about turn and walk away and you would no longer feed treats. I would do this several times, until your dog learns my approach signals treats. Then, once I reach a closer distance, I would move my hands towards his direction and drop a treat his way. I would keep approaching, dropping treats as I move my hands towards him from a distance he's comfortable with. I would repeat several times until he starts looking forward to me getting closer with my hands and dropping treats. Then, I would start getting even more closer, move my hand closer to his face and drop treats. I would repeat this several times. If at any times he gives the slightest sign of discomfort of me being too close (being over threshold), I would take a few steps back and resume from the point. After ward, (based on his progress) I would perhaps touch his face very slightly with one hand and simultaneously feed treats from my other hand (or the owner can feed treats). I would repeat this several times. Then, I would delay a bit the timing of the treat feeding. I would touch, and then a second after hand feed the treats from the other hand. I would then increase gradually the type of touch (longer lasting, targeted at different parts of the face etc) and then feed treats from the other hand (or owner feeds them). I would repeat several times. If at any time, the dog shows a minimal sign of discomfort or growls, that would signal to me he's not ready yet for that version of intensity yet and I would have to take a few steps back and make extra sure we are not proceeding too fast. Too many "ooops" moments can create setbacks. Then, I would start increasing criteria, I would start doing things that may mimic a vet's visit. I would slightly touch his ears with my hand and feed treats (or the owner feeds them). Touch around his eyes, feed treats. I would walk around him, toss him a treat. Touch his back, toss a treat. Then, I may introduce objects. A pencil for instance, I would let him sniff it toss treats. Then, I would touch him with the pencil in the shoulder area as if giving a shot (feed treats) and so forth. A plastic lid from a bottle can be used to mimic a stethoscope. I would place the lid on the chest area while the dog is fed treats. Repeat several times. I would then increase the duration the lid touches the chest area and feed treats for that. The goal is to create very strong positive associations with what happens at the vet. Now, this is just an example, every dog seems to need an individualized approach. I would pay a lot of attention to the dog's posture/body language to make sure I am not going too fast. With some dogs I may need to work more on certain parts, where others may be fine. The process may take days, weeks or months depending on several factors such as for how long has been uncomfortable being around humans and being touched, how food motivated the dog is, how quickly the dog makes the associations, etc. If feasible, having another person (preferably experienced with behavior modification) rehearse this makes it even more likely for the dog to retain all the formed associations (through a process of generalization). After this part is done (keep holding rehearsal sessions every now and then to make sure it "keeps"), I would then suggest visiting the vet's office every now and then (with no vet visit following) simply just entering to say hello to the front desk staff and feeding treats ther. This is to just take the edge off and let the dog feel/think "vet's offices are not always bad, sometimes, I just go there to get goodies and nothing bad happens!" Sometimes, you can find a vet or vet tech willing to practice things with you before a real actual visit. If you are lucky, some experienced vet techs have taken courses on dog behavior (some are even dog trainers!) and will make sure to not go too fast and won't get too upset if there's a little "oops moment" and your dog growls a bit. Best to avoid vet techs who are inexperienced or those who are all in 'doggy love' and talk all excited, want to smooch your dog and get all close to your dog's face. Some dogs may like this type of interactions but IMO many do not. Always keep your dog muzzled for safety, and have the person mimic a vet visit (just a very quick but sweet and positive visit maybe) while you feed him tasty treats during each part of the visit as practiced beforehand. For the actual vet visit, you would therefore continue all this training while your dog is safely muzzled. It is best to keep the muzzle on even when your dog seems more comfortable just as an extra precaution. Every now and then, make sure you let your dog wear the muzzle at home or briefly on a walk or during play so he doesn't associate the muzzle with only vet visits. Take it as a refresher course to keep him happy about wearing it. I hope this helps, let me know if you need further assistance, Best regards, Adrienne Disclaimer: behavior modification comes with risks. For correct implementation and safety (and the safety of others) please consult with a behavior professional for an assessment and in person-guidance.

Hello Oreo! At 9 weeks it sounds like Oreo is engaging in totally normal puppy behaviors! Of course, with all things training, you will hear different opinions from one trainer and another. If you are looking for a second opinion though here are my thoughts. It is great your pup is being allowed out of the crate only when he is calm. This way you are reinforcing calm behaviors, great job! It's totally normally for a puppy to want to run around, especially after eating! These are affectionately called the "zoomies." Now, some dog owners like to have a "no crazy playing in the house" rule and let their pups or adult dogs get rid of their excess energy outside in the yard. Others, accept the "zoomies" playtime in the home and even enjoy watching their pups have fun. So it's up to you whether you want to allow it in the home or not. If you are concerned about your puppy getting hurt by running around and bumping against furniture, by all means, let him run in areas where there's more room such as in a safely fenced yard or with a playmate in some other areas with open space. Otherwise, your other option is to channel this excess energy in other ways. If this energy remains trapped in the body, there are chances all this kinetic energy may be released other ways (whining in the crate, excess jumping, chewing the bars of the crate etc). So draining this excess energy is important. You can take your pup for a car ride, let him play with a playmate (preferably a pup of close age who is vaccinated, a great way to refine bite inhibition!) have a fun pup party letting him meet many different people (at this age he is in the prime time of his socialization period, so make sure he meets all sorts of people of different age groups, remember that the socialization period ends at 12 weeks) and then of course, brain games! Rather than letting him romp around like crazy, since this happens reliably after dinner-time, why not take a portion of his kibble from his bowl (or even the full portion) and put it to use? You can use some kibble to ask him to sit, "yes!" then toss a piece of kibble or you can place all his kibble in a food-dispensing toy (like a Kong Wobbler) and let him work on it. The chewing behavior is also totally normal puppy behavior. The toy stimulates his prey drive, so he likely loves to see it bounce in the air, chase it, stalk it and bark at it. Food dispensing toys may cause less crazy behaviors as the pup will likely focus more on getting the kibble out. When he barks before pooping, do you know exactly what he is barking at? Are there neighbors outside or sudden noises that trigger the barking? Do you have a doggy door or is he out with you supervised?

Not all dogs enjoy being handled and this can often stem from a negative experience. Mind you, not from your perspective, but your dogs'! We often forget to put ourselves in our dogs' shoes and this often leads to unexpected problems. We may assume that picking up our dog to put him in a place he doesn't want to go isn't a biggie, but from Rover's perspective it may be. After all, who enjoys being pushed, shoved or forced into an area against their will? A puppy may be more accepting (or at least tolerant) of being moved from one spot to another, but as time goes by and the dog matures, he may resent being handled in certain ways, especially against his will. At some point, there are chances the dog may react defensively and a bite may cause more serious harm. Hence, it is more productive working on creating a verbal cue that tells your do to follow you to a certain spot or lie on a mat placed in a specific area rather than physically picking the dog up, pushing him or grabbing him by the collar so to move him to a specific spot. Don't forget to reward your dog for complying to your verbal cue! It's also important working on making the place more pleasant (less noisy, feeding treats there, adding toys) or changing the area altogether if needed.

This is the place to swing by and talk about anything dog other than behavior and training. If you are new to the forum, you can introduce yourself here and talk about what brings you to the wonderful world of canines. What breed is your dog, how old is he? Post even a picture if you wish. Share your experiences and discuss with other passionate dog owners as you.

As many readers may recall, I am a big proponent of "nipping behaviors in the bud." This morning I witnessed a young German shepherd who was barking at me and my friend as we walked by the fence. This may not be too relevant, many dogs bark at people walking by property lines after all, and this is a German shepherd which is a breed many people expect to bark at people because of the breed's role as protective guardians. As we turned the corner we stumbled upon the owner who reassured my friend who appeared startled. She told her that her dog does that to everybody all the time when she's let out in the yard and not to worry about it. Now, if many dogs perform this behavior and people expect it in a breed as such, where's the concern? I see several red flags here. One big one is the fact that this was a young German shepherd most likely under 5 months old. The dog was taking a frontal approach, barking with raised hackles and the head held high. The barking was acute and repeated, in a tone denoting nervousness and anxiety. Another problem was the passive role of the owner. The dog wasn't given any guidance at all from the owner's side. The dog was left alone to face the circumstance and most likely this scene repeated several times a day when she was let out. This is a dog who at such a young age is rehearsing problem behaviors that will most likely escalate if no swift intervention is taken. While this dog isn't likely dangerous at such a young age (it would likely take a good amount of courage for her to bite) she has the potential to become so as she matures if she isn't provided with guidance.

Ever wondered what's up with dogs and cameras? I had a client of mine ask me once why her dog acted always weird when she was having pictures taken. This is not unusual. Many dogs seem to hate having pictures taken. Most likely, the answer as to why dogs act shy in front of the camera lies in the situation: the camera is there, intrusively pointing towards the dog with its big "eye" staring at them. The camera is ultimately a strange object that most dogs are not very familiar with (most likely you get it out only a few times every now and then). Add on top of that the odd noises produced and the abrupt flash and you have the recipe for fear or suspicious behaviors to set in. Dogs who are well acquainted with the camera have learned that it's not a dangerous object (albeit a bit intrusive) so have come to tolerate its presence. Some dogs may act curious and come sniff the object. Others may act frightened towards the camera if they have an instinctive tendency of acting suspicious of any novel or unfamiliar stimuli. And here comes the explanation as to why dogs are often seen in pictures licking their lips, yawning and turning the head to the side when having pictures taken. These dogs are sending signals left and right that they are not too comfortable with the camera and the whole situation. But what to do if your dog hates having pictures taken? Your demeanor and over all attitude can help! Tell your dog to say "cheese" literally speaking. Make it a habit to feed your dog some tasty treats (cheese if it's your dog's favorite) every time you get the camera out. Then, progress to giving treats, when the camera is pointing at your dog at gradually closer and closer distances. Do this several times over several days until your dog seems more relaxed. Finally, toss a jackpot of treats once the picture is taken or right after the flash (if you're using it). The flash will soon begin a signal that treats are coming! Oh, and by the way, don't forget to put the commands trained in the obedience 101 section to good use! Ask your dog to sit and stay or lie down and stay when posing for pictures or perhaps even ask him to do a cute trick such as "shame on you" as shown in the tricks section. Happy picture taking!