Adrienne Farricelli

Hi Manali, Thanks for posting here and welcome to the forums! I can sense from your post that you are a very dedicated dog owner and you really deserve a pat on the back for all the work you have been doing for both Spotty and Luna. It is not easy when we have dogs with an unknown past, especially when they have endured traumatic events, and it takes time to allow them to come out of their shell. I will be posting for Spotty's issues first. So this first post is for her. I will be quoting some of the issues you are facing for ease of reading. Text appearing in blue is a hyperlink that you can click on for more information. "She is extremely scared of firecrackers and rain." Noise phobias are not the easiest behaviors to tackle, especially when the sounds dogs are fearful of don't occur often enough for a desensitization and counterconditioning program to take effect as it can happen with fireworks. If the fireworks are just once a year, it may therefore help to try to buffer as much as possible sound by playing the TV or radio on and offering to the dog a place to seek shelter that helps the dog feel safe (play pen covered with blankets, bathroom or closet). We can sometimes try to work using recordings of fireworks to help the dog habituate to the sound, but some dogs can tell the difference between recordings and the real thing, but it may still be worth a try. Calming aids may turn helpful too, but severe cases of noise phobias may require prescription medications from a veterinarian to take the edge off. Here is the "hear that" method I use to desensitize and counter-condition dogs fearful of noises. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/fear-noises/ About the rain, is Spotty scared of the sound produced by rain or being out in the rain? "She is super duper aggressive around other dogs... I can never get her to stop barking or take another road or even a U-turn from the approaching dog without me pullling and dragging her away." Do you have dogs walking by your home window that Spotty can look at? If so, I would start from here. Here is an exercise you can try: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/university/look-at-that/ This can be the foundation of an exercise you can then try on walks gradually starting at a distance from which your dog is under threshold and then progress very gradually. Baby steps. Another problem, entry of Luna my second, meant they both always want to go in different directions and Luna still listens but Spotty doesn't. And sometimes Luna does have to go to places that she likes to, to pee and potty and then again I pull and drag Spotty. Walking two dogs together can be particularly challenging, also because dogs tend to feed off each others' emotions. So Spotty can negatively influence Luna at some point if she spots a dog and reacts, however, if Luna is more confident that can help too. If you have a helper who can walk Luna a little ahead, while you walk Spotty (who sounds like needs your guidance the most on walks) that would be helpful so that each dog can have the individualized attention they need. The other option is to walk each dog separately. It's been 24 days now since I've started your training. And Luna has shown immense progress.... I am very happy to hear that! Pat your back for a job well done and Kudos to Luna! So, Spotty still follows sit, stand, lie down, jump, paw and other paw but on her bed. Nowhere but her bed. Not even on my home floor. So, you can tell we haven't done a thing outdoors. I also took my time to understand what the root of this problem is and maybe try and fix it without bothering you. Read more of what you've provided and maybe apply those techniques. I tried everything from changing the reward and making it only high value. I also understood for all dogs reward doesn't necessarily mean treats and food. She loves head pets so I changed to that. I also got her super excited and played with her before starting her training. None of this worked. But today, I had one of my mattress lying on the floor and I thought let me see if that helps and help it did. She followed all the cues/commands she knows flawlessly and instantly. But here's the problem, anywhere outdoors, I obviously can't be carrying a mattress or even a thick quilt. It's already too much handling these two nutties down. So as much as I count that one step that she's taking towards training and learning, I don't know where to take it from here. Sometimes certain dogs dislike floors for some reason or another. Perhaps she doesn't feel much traction on the floor and this scares her or perhaps she doesn't like the cold feel or for some reason she had some unpleasant event take place in the past on a floor (arthritis pain?). We can only guess. The mattress on the floor is big improvement for her. Next, I would try with a non-slip rug and see how it goes. The jump from indoors to outdoors is quite large though, so you may need more baby steps. For example, you may need to bring a rug outdoors and practice there, before you try outside. The issue may be more deep-rooted though. Perhaps she doesn't feel safe enough outside to attend to your cues. Since you mentioned in the past she wouldn't walk farther than 300 feet, and the fact she reacts so strongly to dogs on walks, suggests a high level of anxiety. Here's the thing: dogs cannot cognitively function well they are anxious. It's sort of like asking a person terrified of heights to solve a math problem for sake of comparison. So we may need to work more on helping her feel safe in her surroundings through positive associations. I also read that the intensity with which a dog takes a treat says a lot about them. If so, Spotty takes treat I would say with anger. She does small attack like thing with her mouth to take them. She sometimes ends up hurting my fingers too. I don't think all these are good signs. Yes, a dog who takes treats quickly and roughly can be a sign of a dog being over threshold. However, it can also be just a matter of the dog never learning to take treats with more finesse. It can help to do this exercise with her: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/train-dog-take-treats-gently/ But you also want to monitor in what contexts she takes treats roughly to evaluate whether there is something that is preoccupying her. Last but not least, some dogs may have an uneven bite (malocclusion) and this may cause them to take treats roughly, but this is something your vet would have likely noticed on a physical exam. She has also not once showed any interest in any of the different toys that I get for her. Never. But she loves to play with me. I do this slow, stealthy hand movement which playfully provokes her and she gets all jumpy and runs back and forth on her bed. That's one other thing I've tried to do outdoors to get her to follow some cue, any cue. Didn't work. I take again the fact that she doesn't follow your playful movement outdoors as a sign that she is not at ease. Playing is incompatible with being anxious, meaning that in general dogs play only when they feel safe and relaxed. It could be that outdoors she is too hypervigilant about her surroundings and your play and training for this reason doesn't generalize and "carry outside."

Hi Erin Stone, Welcome to the forums! Life can get quite hectic when managing a household with toddlers and a new puppy, so you need a big thumbs up for being able to juggle all. For sure, never a dull moment there! In regards to your situation with your golden retriever puppy, it is not at all unusual as puppies are big biting machines at this age. When we bring home a new puppy at the age of 8 weeks, his life just prior to that to a great extent entailed rough and tumble play with his litter mates. Play with his siblings mostly encompassed biting the other pups' ears, tails and legs. Puppies would pin each other to the ground, chase each others' legs while running and grabbing tails using them as tug toys. Sounds familiar? Indeed puppies once welcomed to our homes, will seek the same type of engagement with us and all the other household members. So rather than tugging at ears and tails, puppies will engage by tugging at clothing such as skirts, pant legs, shoe laces and the drawstrings of hoodies. Often times, they will also bite any moving body parts such as hands, fingers, legs, ankles and feet. Toddlers are particularly fun to play with because they are full of kinetic energy, closer to the ground and in perpetual play mode. Actually, to put it bluntly, toddlers tend to overstimulate puppies. Their high-pitched voices and unpredictable movements cause predisposed puppies and young dogs to go into hyper-mode, and the more hyper they get, the more and they harder they bite. So how do we tackle this type of play biting? Here are a few tips: Because toddlers may struggle in understanding how the puppy should be handled and they may be too young to follow directions required for implementing dog training, and because puppies are also young and incapable of fully controlling their impulses, it is therefore up to us humans as parents to intervene as needed in these situations. So what can be done? We can try several strategies and see what works best or even use a combo of some. One of my favorite games for teaching puppies to control their impulses a bit more is learning to respond to a smacking sound made with your mouth. First, make a smacking sound and toss a valuable treat for your puppy to chase and eat. Repeat several times until you get a reliable response. Next, practice making this smacking sound when you are in the house and your toddlers are outside with an adult playing and your puppy watches them from a window. You want to basically do this exercise, only that your puppy is observing the children play rather than the Fedex drivers: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/university/look-at-that/ Practice then with your puppy on the leash as he watches your toddler walk around the house. Then practice with your toddler playing in the yard at a distance. Then practice with your puppy on a long line (longer leash) and then only once he responds reliably, you can practice with him off leash. Make sure to redirect your puppy before he has had a chance to latch on. Once latched on to your toddler's clothes, puppies are more difficult to distract. Once redirected, for longer pauses, rather than tossing a treat to chase, provide your puppy with a stuffed Kong to enjoy in a quiet area away from all the hustle and bustle of children play. Remind your toddlers to keep space when Rover is eating. In addition to this, you can try to ask your toddlers to stand "like a tree" and wait for the puppy to lose interest in them. Movement is what puppies are mostly after. If your toddlers are running around, your puppy will want to run around too and chase them. You can even try to turn it into a game of "Red Light, Green Light" reminding your toddlers to freeze when the puppy starts acting excited. Another option is to invest in a flirt pole. A flirt pole for dogs looks like a fishing pole with a toy that often squeaks at the opposite end. Many pups can't resist chasing this, so you can try providing access to this toy exclusively when out in the yard and make it a routine. With your toddlers acting boring and you encouraging play with a flirt pole or the promise of treats after making a smacking sound, your puppy may be helped in making a good choice. Implement management strategies so that both the puppy and toddlers can have some breaks from each other in the yard. Bring along a play pen, where the puppy can go spend some time alone and rest as needed. This is not for punishment, just a place the puppy can go to chill and and play/explore so that he doesn't rehearse the problematic biting behaviors. You can scatter treats in this area as a fun treasure hunt game or provide a Muffin Game. On top of this, make sure to teach your puppy how to be gentle with his mouth. Here are some puppy bite inhibition games: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/bite-inhibition-games/ and here is how to train your dog to take treats gently: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/train-dog-take-treats-gently/ Make sure your puppy receives enough exercise, training and mental stimulation (brain games). Exposing a fired-up puppy full of energy to playing toddlers is a recipe for biting, biting and more biting. It also helps to encourage your toddlers to play quiet games when the puppy is around. If there is a certain type of play that seems to get your puppy overly excited and biting, you can keep your puppy on leash with you at a distance as you entertain your puppy with some fun games such as at Airplane Game https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/the-airplane-game/airplane-game-training/. Make sure your puppy has opportunities to nap throughout the day. Puppies need a lot of sleep because they have lots of growing to do. Often, puppies who engage in a lot of biting are puppies who are cranky and in dire need of some sleep. If you are spending time in the yard with the toddlers and the puppy hasn't slept much earlier, this may be a good time to allow him some quiet time in a crate with a safe chew toy to gnaw on until he falls asleep. I hope this helps! Let me know how things go. If you still struggle, feel free to post again and we can do more troubleshooting and try different approaches. Disclaimer: Dogs and children should always be supervised when together. For stubborn cases or if your puppy or dog is exhibiting worrisome signs of anxiety or aggression, please enlist the help of a dog trainer or dog behavior professional. This is for safety and correct implementation of behavior modification.

Hello and welcome back! More and more dog trainers and dog owners are recognizing the importance of allowing dogs to sniff on walks. After all, we walk dogs mostly for their benefit, and not allowing them to sniff, which is their most important sense, is somewhat similar to asking a person to walk blindfolded. However, we cannot afford to have a dog who pulls left and right all the time wanting to sniff every bush or lamppost we encounter on the road. So what can we do? We aim to find a compromise and train them to sniff on cue! Here is how I train it, although every trainer may have their own version of it. Every now and then, when your dog is walking nicely by your side, walk towards an area that you'll be using for your dog's sniffing pleasure. Practice walking to this area on a loose leash. Make it a habit to say "go sniff" so that your dog understands that you are giving him permission to go on a sniffing adventure. When you loosen up the leash to the point of touching the ground most dogs will take to sniffing easily. Some dogs may need you to point to the ground or bush to prompt them to sniff. This is one of the easiest training cues you may ever train as most dogs know what to do when you let them approach an official "pee-mail" area. Make sure you give your dog a bit time and when he seems to be losing interest, say “let’s go” praise, and continue on your walk. Or even better, if you have access to a fenced area where your dog can safely stay off leash and sniff to his heart's content, walk towards this area, and when that leash is dangling in a nice slack "U," snap off the leash and say "go sniff." Most dogs at some point get tired of sniffing, so once the novelty is gone, this is a good time to call your dog and reward him. You can even use it as a reward. "Walk politely on the leash to that bush and you'll get to sniff it!" Now, while most dogs will sniff the ground without any problems especially if you take them to a stimulating area, some dogs may not get message. In those cases, yes, you can use a treat tossed to the ground to encourage sniffing, however, there may be chances that the dog learns to go on a treasure hunt rather than a sniffing adventure. So after eating the treat, they may be looking at you with a quizzical look as if they are waiting for another treat (especially if the dog is very treat-motivated and the value of the treat surpasses sniffing things).

7. We are using a crate only for the night. She whimpers a bit but then she settles after i go next to her and sort of reassure her. Is this ok? Can we avoid crate training during the rest of the day? Where is the crate located at night? I would not totally avoid crate training during the day, but at least offer the crate with the door open (latch it to the side so it doesn't scare her) and offer goodies in there. If you have another crate, even better, so that you do not need to transport it back and forth.This because a time may come when we need to crate her during the day to keep her safe from eating things/engaging in destructive behaviors when left alone and want her to feel comfy in there. Advanced planning is always good. Also, these positive associations may help her feel more comfy in the crate at night so it's not always associated with social isolation. Here is a guide to help a dog love the crate: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/love-the-crate/

5. Housebreaking seems to work sometimes, we can recognise when she needs to go because she starts sniffing around and we take her out, but there are times where she would leak inside. Again, if we keep consistency from our end, when is it realistic for her to stop leaking inside? Just as with children, dogs attain bladder control at different times and even here there are several variables. Variables include: How close the door is to where the puppy spends most of the time Whether the puppy is being trained to go potty on command (recommended) see here; https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/potty-on-command/ Whether a crate of the right size is being used (recommended) Whether an enzyme-based cleaner is being used to clean up messes (recommended, a great product is Nature's Miracle) Whether punishment-based are being used when puppy has an accident (scolding, pushing puppy's nose in poop, newspaper swatting). These methods encourage puppy to hide to pee and poop and inhibit pre-potty signs) Whether the puppy is supervised at all times Whether there are other concomitant forms of urination occurring (excitement urination, submissive urination) The size of the dog (smaller breeds take longer) Whether the breeder started good hygiene habits from an early age (creating areas for soiling, substrate preferences) Source of the dog (dogs from puppy mills, pet stores are harder to potty train) And more... In general, we expect full bladder control to occur once the until the puppy is 5 to 6 months old. If we were though to implement the perfect potty training system starting at 8 weeks, we would see accidents decreasing over the course of 3-4 weeks. A dog is considered in general fully potty trained once it has reached 4 to 8 consecutive weeks without having any accidents.

4. Sometimes she has bursts of energy and when this happens i take her out in the yard to steam off with her toys. How do i calm her down afterwards? is 15 minutes of this enough? You are likely seeing the beginning of the "puppy zoomies" although not to their full extent as when they get older. It's perfectly fine to allow her to steam off some energy in the yard. Once your dog is calmer, you can take her back inside. It can also help tossing her a ball until her tongue is sticking out panting, and then once inside, you can encourage some lower level of activity such as doing some treasure hunts games or getting a portion of her meal out of a Kong Wobbler.

3. Separation anxiety: sometimes i take her in the basement office with me when i work. I keep her in the room next to mine which is separated by a glass door so she can see me, but she still takes some time to settle down despite having a lot of toys and couch. Should i try easing her in for a longer time before i walk out, or should i ignore her? When very young, most puppies are very clingy to their humans, it's a self-preservation instinct. It would help to make sure her needs for exercise and mental stimulation are met prior to going in this room to ease her up a bit and settle. If feasible, therefore, a romp in the yard or a few games that tire her out may help. It may also help if, rather than offering a regular toy, an interactive toy such as a Kong stuffed with her kibble and some peanut butter (make sure it's not the sugarless type as xylitol is toxic to dogs) would be offered. It may help to place it on table so that your pup can see it and smell it while you are there with her, and then you provide it when you are moving to the next room. This to build some anticipation and to create positive associations (possibly easing a bit the anxiety) with you moving away. Sometimes, it helps to do gradual transitions to create positive associations with departures (for these dogs, even if they see us, they still sense them as being left alone as they always want to be underfoot) For example, you stay with her and sit on the couch, then you get up walk a few steps away toss a kibble, then once done eating, return Next, move towards the door, toss a kibble, once done eating, return Next, move towards the door, open the door, toss a kibble once, done eating, return Next, open the door, enter the next room, toss several kibble, close the door, once done eating, return Next, open the door, enter the next room, toss several kibble, close the door, sit on your chair, once done eating return Next, open the door, enter the next room, give the stuffed Kong, close the door, sit on your chair, once done eating, return And then you gradually build more time, stuffing the Kong in more challenging ways for longer lasting stays. If your puppy seems to be stressed, you may be going too fast and need to go back a few steps. Fortunately though, most puppies become less clingy as they mature. Starting at 4 months, they may enter the flight stage when they become more independent. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/flight-instinct-period-4-8-months/

2. What are some realistic timelines by when she is expected to stop biting, provided that we keep our redirection attempts? This is difficult to answer with accuracy because there are several variables. Just to give an idea, here are several: The puppy's breed and drive to bite (some dog breeds are more propense to biting, but there are also individual factors to keep in mind) The puppy's overall energy levels (more energy, more biting) The amount of training/exercise/mental stimulation provided (these outlets can decrease biting) The purpose of the biting (play, attention, exploration, teething, anxiety, self-soothing) The level of compliance of all household members (are all members on the same page?) Are there children in household? (Certain types of child play/activities may encourage nipping and allow it to persist) Are there family members encouraging rough play? (Wrestling games with the pup may allow biting to persist) History of physical corrections triggering defensive biting (scruff shakes, grasping the puppy's mouth, pulling the tongue) So as seen, there are several variables. On top of this, biting doesn't stop all at once, but is rather a gradual process. If we were to draw a chart, we would lots of peaks and the occasional valley, then more and more valleys as we measure the effects of our training. In general, we hope for most biting to be curbed by the time the puppy is 5-6 months, considering that round that time those jaws gain more and more strength and doggy adolescence is right around the corner.

1. Redirecting her to teething toys is no longer alluring for her, and neither rotating them (taking some away for a few days and then give them back). She keeps biting at our heels and hands, although sometimes she reduces the pressure and looks at me as if saying 'is this ok?'. Should I keep buying new toys at this stage to keep her interest in new things to bite? Am i expecting to much in expecting her to quit biting after a week she has been with us? Teaching a puppy not to bite, takes time. I know, the puppy biting stage seems to last forever, those puppy teeth are so sharp and sometimes it can be difficult to teach these pups other ways to interact with us that doesn't involve biting. Fortunately, with time, most puppies grow bored of this way of interacting unless we encourage rough play or allow them to perpetually keep on biting us without providing alternate activities. In order to better understand why puppies seem to be keep coming back to us for biting rather than chewing on their chew toys, it helps to take a look back into their life in the litter. At 9 weeks, your pup recently left his litter mates which entailed for a good part biting and chewing on each others' ears, legs and tails. A good amount of their day was spent this way, so once welcomed inside our homes, they'll want to play the same way with us. With no more litter mates to play with, these young pups are eager to play with us and they'll do so by engaging in the only way they are most familiar with: nipping! And this means they'll be nipping our feet, legs, arms, fingers, pants, skirts, hair, ties, hoodie strings and even shoe laces! Fortunately, by the time the puppies are ready to go to their new homes around 8 weeks, most have learned to play a little more gentle. This is because when they played too rough, their playmates squealed and withdrew from play. Play session after play session, bitey pups learned to bite with less and less pressure. However, us humans have really sensitive skin compared to their litter mates so these pups need to learn to interact with us in a whole new level. While it's true that puppies attracted to toys, once the novelty effect is over, they'll get pretty boring. If your puppy sees the same toys each day laying around, after some time they become quite irrelevant. Rotating them is a good idea, but if your puppy keeps going back to you after maybe playing with them a bit, it's a sign that the chosen toys may not be entertaining her enough, she has excess energy to disperse and she may need more mental stimulation. So let's look at what may be going on and see what we can do about it. Perhaps, the biggest reason why puppies ignore their toys and choose to bite us owners is the fact that toys are rather static and lack the level of interaction they crave. In other words, what stimulates dogs the most is movement. The average dog chew toy is pretty much static when it's laying on the ground and even if your pup carries it around, it's not likely to move around as much as you do when those sharp teeth make contact with your skin. Us humans therefore likely rank as the best thing around to play with, at least the closest to her former playmates she has left behind and misses playing with. Here are some tips that come to mind. Not all dog toys are created equal. Some toys are more attractive to others for specific pups. Particularly appealing toys may be toys that smell like animals (like tug toys made of real rabbit fur), toys that emit squeaky sounds (always supervise as pups have been known to ingest squeakers leading to costly surgical emergencies) or toys offering an intriguing auditory and tactile sensation when crushed (crackle toys such as water bottle toys such as Spot Skinneez Crinklers). Try offering interactive toys. If your dog is coming towards you with the intention to bite, stop him in his tracks by tossing the opposite way a ball the bounces so that he'll go after that or grab a flirt pole toy that he can chase and grab to keep entertained. You may find it helpful to keep several balls in your pocket ready to launch at a moments' notice or carry a flirt pole around your waist like a belt. You can also ask for a sit and toss a kibble for each sit. It is best to redirect your puppy before he has had a chance to bite since by then, he'll likely be too focused on biting than anything else. Teach your puppy alternate ways to interact with you rather than nipping. Hand targeting, tugging a toy with you and fetching are good options. Here is a guide: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/bite-inhibition-games/ Offer food puzzles. These can keep your puppy busy for some time and often require a dose of your puppy's daily allowance of kibble. Why not use kibble to keep your puppy busy by working for his food rather than just pouring food out of a bag and into a bowl allowing you pup to wolf it down with no effort? A great food dispensing toy is the Kong Wobbler. Play brain games such as the Bottle Game, Muffin Game and Hand Targeting. If possible, avoid wearing shoes with shoe laces, long skirts and wide leg pants. Instead, wear tall boots (like Wellington boots) and gloves: many puppies lose interest when biting on tall boots and gloves also because we are less likely to get hurt and move. Movement is what mostly attracts puppies so lack of movement makes feet/legs lose their big appeal. If possible, once your vet gives you the green light once your puppy has complete his vaccines, organize play dates with other puppies or even better, enroll him in puppy classes. This way your pup can romp around and play, learn new skills and drain excess energy while further refining his bite inhibition. Finally, consider tiredness and overstimulation. Young puppies need to play, be socialized and trained, but they also need to sleep and they can get cranky and bitey when they are tired, but unable to fall asleep. If all your puppy's needs are met, give your puppy a safe chew to gnaw on his/crate in a quiet dark room. Your puppy should find his/her off switch and should soon fall soundly asleep. Here are some tips for stubborn cases and puppies nipping children: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/topic/41-biting-clothes/?tab=comments#comment-121 https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/topic/96-nipping-at-ankles-and-pulling-on-clothes/?tab=comments#comment-385

Hi there! Welcome to the forums and congrats on your new puppy! I will try respond to your queries in the order asked. Please be patient as I address each issue one by one. I will start posting shortly (dog needs a potty break).

Hi there! Welcome to the forums! I love the name of your dog, tasted Roesti once and it was a tasty dish. It sounds like your dog may benefit from a desensitization and counterconditioning program. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/desensitization/ https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/counterconditioning/ For cases as such I like to start on simply looking at other people and dogs from a window, as detailed here using high-value treats with the goal of creating a positive conditioned emotional response. Here is how to get started: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/university/look-at-that/ Remember: if at any time your dog gets upset and starts barking, this is often a sign that he is over theshold, here is an important read on how to recognize threshold levels. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/ Once your dog does better watching people other dogs walk by the window, you can then move to the outdoors but always keeping distance and ensuring your dog doesn't go over threshold. Again, the aim is to create a positive emotional response (dog looking forward to spotting people and dogs because they predict yummy treats). Now, a disclaimer is warranted here, behavior modification comes with risks. When dogs are over threshold or in a highly aroused state, dog owners are at risk for a re-directed bite (sometimes just from being touched!) and other people around can be at risk too if not enough distance is taken or should people come too close or should the dog lunge forward or escape. For safety and correct implementation of behavior modification, it is therefore best to enlist the help of a dog behavior professional for in-person coaching and to ensure the dog is kept under threshold and not exposed to stimuli/situations that may be too overwhelming. About Pet Gentle, I looked at it and it appears to emit ultrasonic sound to stop barking. Now, it all depends on how aversive this sound is. If it's meant to stop the dog barking in its tracks as this product advertises, that signals it's used at a level for the dog to perceive it as punishment. It therefore fails to get at the root of the problem and risks paving the path for more problems down the road (e.g. dog associating now people and other dogs with an aversive sound, the onset of noise sensitivities, anxiety due to an unpredictable startle effect, reduced sense of safety and trust). I hope this helps, Let me know if you have any questions or need elucidations, Best, Adrienne

Anxiety related to car rides requires firstly recognizing what is making the dog anxious and then based on those findings, a step-by-step approach along with creating positive associations with jumping up and then getting in the car may be necessary. Here are some tips for dogs who are reluctant to climb inside cars: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/fear-getting-car/ If your dog is nervous in the car, it's important to rule out possible nausea due to car sickness. Often, rather than suffering primarily from anxiety, dogs get scared in cars secondary to car sickness. Often car sickness and motion sickness go hand in hand, leading to a chicken-or-the-egg dilemma (dogs can even have a combination of both!), but often behind a case of car phobia is a case of car sickness acting as the leading culprit. Dogs are naturally prone to car sickness because their sense of balance in their brain is much better than ours so they become particularly susceptible to the motion of cars. Puppies are particularly predisposed to car sickness, and many luckily outgrow it with help, but not all dogs outgrow it as they mature. Also, dogs who have never been in cars or very little may be more prone to car sickness. Dogs prone to car sickness tend to salivate excessively, lip their lips, yawn and drool. They may also pace, pant, shake, and swallow often, and some even manage to vomit. What makes things particularly challenging though is the fact that dogs who are primarily anxious, also tend to drool, pant, shake, whine and pace when stressed, so often it is not possible to entirely distinguish one case from the other. In general though, dogs who are motion sick tend to feel better once the car stops moving although it may take a little bit of time to feel better. Other dogs may be noise sensitive and may act fearful upon hearing car honks, the sound of traffic and even the clicking turn signal. Some dogs are scared of rumble strips and speed bumps. And then, some other dogs may be afraid of their insecure footing, like when you use the brakes and your dog doesn't expect it. Attention should be paid on whether dogs anxious in the car appear to act fearful of specific stimuli or situations they are exposed to when in the car. Of course, dogs may also have fear of a combination of things/situations and the fear may generalize from one thing to another leading to a form of generalized anxiety. And then, there are dogs simply anxious in the car because they associate it with going to unpleasant places. Dogs have a very strong perception of things and many dog owners swear their dogs know the way towards the vet's clinic and the way towards the dog park. When turning towards the vet, these dogs start panting and shaking, when turning towards the dog park, they start acting excited with happy anticipation. It therefore makes sense that, if you take your dog too often on car rides that lead to the vet's office or groomer, and he dreads those events, he may start disliking going on car rides. Wise dog owners may therefore remedy this by making sure to take their dogs also on car rides that lead to pleasant places, but there's a potential flaw with this approach: at some point, dogs may start acting anxious of being in the car just out of mere uncertainty. "Is this car going to to take me to the vet or to the dog park?" Uncertainty can sure be disconcerting because it’s often the not-knowing that’s the worst! Dogs may not think too ahead of time and in the same critical way humans do, but they surely are capable of associating one event with another. These associations are often so strong, that just the mere fact of being in the car may evoke the same fearful reaction as being at the vet, even if the dog is in reality being taken somewhere else! As seen, there may be several causes for dogs acting anxious of car rides. Treating the anxiety therefore varies based on the underlying cause. Below are some general tips that tackle various underlying causes of fear of car rides in dogs. If you suspect motion sickness, avoid feeding your dog at least a couple of hours prior to the car trip. Vomiting is more likely to happen when your dog travels on a full stomach. Motion-sick dogs may benefit from breathing some fresh air. Keep a window lightly cracked open, enough to allow some air in but without allowing your dog to stick his head out. Schedule frequent stops to help your dog feel better and avoid roads with too many bumps and curves. Motion sick dogs may also benefit from antinausea medications. Ask your vet for help on dosages and the right medications for your dog. Medications may include diphenhydramine (Benadryl), dimenhydranate (Dramamine), meclizine (Bonine) and a prescription medication known as maropitant (brand name Cerenia). For anxious dogs, you may need to implement behavior modification using desensitization and counterconditioning. This entails taking baby steps in a systematic way while also creating positive associations. Start by allowing some fun time in the car while it's stationary. Give toys and treats and then end all the fun once your dog is asked to go out of the car. Rinse and repeat several times. Eventually, turn on the car, while offering some high-value treats and lots of praise. Stop feeding the treats, once your dog is asked to get out of the car. Progress gradually to driving the car for just a few seconds while a helper feeds treats or gives the dog a fun toy. Gradually increase the length of these trips, but randomly mix in some short trips as well. If, at any point, the dog shows signs of anxiety, the process should be halted and the exercise must resume at a level the dog was able to tolerate and gradually built from there. Consider that behavior modification may take weeks or even months of daily training to see results. Effort should be also made to ensure vet visits and grooming appointments are made more pleasant. Fortunately, more and more vet clinics are committing to provide less scary environments through Fear Free programs. Look for one near you if it's an option in your location. Calming aids may be necessary for anxious dogs. Adaptil pheromones, Bach flowers calming shirts (Anxiety Wrap, Thundershirt), calming music and calming supplements may help. For severe cases, your vet may prescribe Alprazolam (Xanax), trazodone (Desyrel) or other medications meant to help your dog relax. If your dog shows fear of occasional events or specific stimuli such as the sound of the car honk or driving over rumble strips, have a helper sit next to your dog and feed a high-value treat every time the car honks or you drive over the strips. If you dog won't eat, it's sign that he's too over threshold so you need to take a more graded approach. For severe cases, it is best to consult with a dog behavior professional. Behavior modification is delicate work, if we don't do things correctly, we risk exacerbating things, not to mention the risk for bites when a dog is overly stressed/over threshold, therefore, behavior modification for safety and correct implementation should be conducted strictly under the close in-person guidance of a professional in the field such as a veterinary behaviorist (DACVB) or certified applied animal behaviorist (CAAB). These professional can also prescribe meds to help the dog be calm long the process. The help of a dog trainer using force-free behavior modification focusing on desensitization and counterconditioning and with extensive experience on aggression can be enlisted as well (although cannot prescribe meds, but may refer to a vet for that.)

Sometimes, you may stumble on small dogs who are reluctant to sit or perhaps back-up rather than sit when you're trying to train "sit." Here are some tips and ideas: -You can try to sit down on the couch and practice from there. Some small dogs are wary of feet (they may have been tripped over at some time or are just wary), other small dogs may not feel too comfortable when we loom over them from a standing position, so if we sit on the couch with the dog on the floor nearby, we are more comfortable and the dog may feel more comfortable too. -If your dog is comfortable around you in his space, you can try training him against a wall, large furniture or corner so that he has no space to back up and will end up eventually sitting (see picture below) -You can use shaping, meaning you reward very small approximations of the final behavior. So using your food lure, you would start feeding it for just looking up at first, then moving his head upwards, then lowering his back legs a bit until you finally get the sit, at which point give a jackpot of treats (several treats in a row to leave an impact). -If you think your new dog may be a little bit inhibited by something ( like hands near his face), you can try a training method known as capturing. You may need to be patient for this. This entails, sitting on the couch (with treats in your hand ready to give at a moments notice) and watching your dog during the day. If you ever notice him sit spontaneously, say "yes!" and toss a treat his way. With time, you should see an increase in the sitting behavior over time as he makes the connection of sit=treat. Keeping him on leash while you are sitting on the couch may help as he may get bored and a bit tired and hopefully sit. If you are still struggling with getting your small dog to sit, feel free to post on the forums and we can do further troubleshooting. A strong reluctance to sit may also need evaluating by a vet in case there's some sort of pain going on that may be preventing a dog from feeling comfortable enough to sit.

Hi all! Hope everyone is doing fine. The forums seems to be back up! I have received several questions in the meanwhile and thought to share some of the topics discusses here. Here are some tips for dogs chewing their beds. Dogs for a good part tear up their beds for the simple fact that they are fun to tear up. Just like children enjoy pillow fighting, dogs enjoy tearing up beds. Of course, for puppies the fun is even more! Basically, what happens is that when dogs destroy things like beds, stuffed animals, couches, it feels highly rewarding to them as these items are stuffed. This destructive behavior to a great extent stems back to a dog's past as hunters/scavengers. Despite being fed in shiny bowls, dogs retain instincts that are reminiscent of their past. When dogs are therefore shaking stuffed toys, breaking pillows apart and shredding their beds into pieces, they are carrying out instinctive behaviors related to hunting down prey animals. Ripping these objects apart and "de-gutting them" depriving them of all their "entrails" provides dogs with an exhilarating sensation that perhaps may feel similar to a deer hunter who has hunted down a prized buck. Moving forward what can be done to prevent further mishaps as such? Here are some ideas: -If your dog is prone to destroying her bed, you may want to skip purchasing any expensive designer beds for now, as it would likely be shred into pieces with no mercy. Fortunately, as puppies mature, they start perceiving objects around them as less tempting to play with (just as they slow down in playing with their tails). -Invest in a raised dog bed or try investing in an indestructible dog bed. There are several makes and models of "indestructible" dog beds available nowadays. Need some examples? Kuranda makes an all-Aluminum chew-proof bed and K9 Ballistics has a variety of chew-resistant and scratch-resistant dog beds and crate pads. Some are made of material that resembles bullet-proof vests and come with a warranty. -Some dog owners have had success using Primo Pads, special pads made of a special material that is scratch-resistant and not much appealing for dogs to chew and destroy. -Many dog owners of pups who chew beds and mats have more success using towels or non-stuffed blankets as soft surfaces. Dogs who like to build a "nest" before going to sleep may enjoy blankets as they can "shape" them as they want. -Buying fleece by the yard at stores that sell fabric may be another alternate option to dog beds. Dogs may not enjoy much chewing on fleece. -When left in a crate home alone, dogs who chew mats lining the crate are better off left without anything other than the tray or a cheap cloth towel can be tried. -Consider that many young dogs who chew up their beds outgrow the behavior as they mature. It might be just a chewing phase worthy of waiting out. After a while, once the bed is presented again (after several days of supervision), these dogs might no longer be interested in destroying it. - -Train your dog to go to her bed (there is a video on how to train this in the course) and distract her from chewing it by offering her a stuffed Kong or something else to chew on or stay busy while on it (Lickimats are popular nowadays). Once she is done licking/chewing, call your dog and remove the bed. Make it a routine every day to offer the bed, provide the Kong or chew toy and then remove the bed once done. You can do this during mealtimes (keeping the mat nearby so you can keep an eye on your dog) so that your dog learns to lie on his mat when you eat. The goal is to prevent your dog from rehearsing the chewing-the bed- behavior and offering an alternate behavior to focus on until your dog learns better behaviors. -Always supervise your dog when given a bed. This is to prevent him from ingesting parts (which can lead to potential intestinal blockages if parts are swallowed), but also to quickly redirect your dog to chewing a more appropriate item such as a safe chew toy (like a stuffed Kong or long-lasting edible chew) that you always keep handy. -Other fun outlets for instinctive behaviors and desires to hunt/scavenge are brain games such as the bottle game, muffin tray game and ball pit game (all of these are found in the brain training section of the course) -Supply a vast assortment of toys for your dog's entertainment. Rotate the toys to keep your dog's interest alive. Interactive toys are particularly appealing to most dogs. Puppies who are teething may get relief by chewing on a clean wash rag that is wet, twisted and then placed in the freezer. Always supervise to ensure your puppy doesn't ingest any parts. -Consider providing your dog or puppy with more training and mental stimulation. In particular, provide activities that satisfy his instincts such as finding hidden kibble, digging in a designated area where her toys are buried, putting her nose to work, getting kibble out of a bottle etc. -Consider that some dogs may misbehave when they receive too much stimulation and get cranky. Provide them with a quiet sleeping area and a chew toy to chill down and relax and distract from chewing the bed. -Train your puppy the 'leave it' command (found in the training section of the course) and tell your puppy that when you notice her intent to chew the bed. Supervise your puppy when on the bed and when you cannot supervise remove the bed. -Many dogs chew their beds when they are lonely and bored. It is not unusual for dogs to chew their bed when boarded in a kennel even if they never chewed their beds before at home. When left alone, best to not provide a fancy bed or for shorter absences provide it and offer a Kong to focus on. For longer absences, if feasible, invest in a nanny cam so that you monitor your dog when you are away and asses signs of progress. The Furbo camera allows you to even talk to your dog to redirect him and offer him tossed treats. -Finally, consider that even old beds are at risk of being chewed at some point if they develop weak spots or scratched areas that attract dogs.

Hello and welcome to the forums! I will try answering all your questions in order. 1) When you send your puppy out to potty it would be helpful to let your puppy spend some time in the yard before coming back inside. The reasons are several. Firstly, being outside is a life reward, something that your puppy is naturally drawn to and enjoys. Secondly, you can use spending some time in the yard to your advantage as a reward for going potty. If we let the puppy out to potty only to immediately call him to come back inside that may be perceived by your puppy as punishment and therefore it can be a big recall killer. Imagine the yard like Disney World to a child. You let your child visit Disney World only to let him use the latrines and then expect him to leave. Most children would rebel to this. It may therefore help if after going potty you let your puppy explore and spend some time in the fresh air so to stretch his legs a bit and sniff around. Once your puppy seems to be getting a bit bored, then that would be a good time to call him always making sure that we offer some nice reward keeping in mind how special the outdoors is to puppies. I like to call dogs inside and then let a rainfall of kibble/treats fall to the ground once inside so the dog can spend some time going on a treasure hunt. I also like it to make it a routine of letting puppies out in the morning and then calling them only to deliver their meals once inside. Now with puppies that are 3 months old, we must remember how big the world is to them. They get easily distracted so if we call them from a distance they may stop along the way. It helps to call them when they're near the door and entice them to follow us inside providing a memorable reward once they are inside. If for some reason you cannot allow your pup to spend some time outside, it may be better taking him out on the leash and then returning inside with you rather than risking burning a recall due to the puppy wanting to spend more time outdoors and feeling trapped inside. With young puppies who haven't learned a strong recall yet, you may need to find other ways to have them come back inside such as attracting them and letting them chase you inside in a fun game and then giving them some toys to play with or getting a flirt pole and letting them chase it and once inside letting them play with it. The main point in all of this being: always make it fun and rewarding to come back inside so that you can build the foundation for a good recall. The recall is one of the most important cues dogs learn so we want to always make it super fun and rewarding. It's an investment for that day we really need to call our dogs as in the case of an emergency. Start first in areas with little distractions such as the home and gradually build from there. You may need to practice more indoors before asking a recall from the yard inside. You can find tips for recalls here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/recall/ 2) With young puppies who aren't used to the leash yet and react strongly to tension, we may need to first condition them to accept the leash. For young pups who were never used to wearing a leash before, the initial resistance of the leash may be an odd sensation and it turns on their "opposition reflex. "The opposition reflex, as its name implies, is a phenomenon where an animal pulls in the opposite direction. There is belief that there is some biological reason behind the opposition reflex as it's triggered by the dog's fight, flight and freeze response. Pulling back (or tugging) on the leash will make the dog pull more forward (forging ahead), while pulling the dog forward will make the dog pull back (balking, with feet planted on the ground). So the objective in the case of your pup is to condition him slowly to this odd sensation. We therefore need to help these wee ones out a little so they don't go in panic mode. The goal is to gently teach your pup to give in to slight leash pressure. Practice in a room with little distractions going on. You want to be the most interesting feature of the room. Have some high-value treats and sit on the couch. No leash is on at this point. Make a smacking sound like you’re kissing the air with your mouth, then toss your dog a treat straight after. Repeat this simple exercise several times until your dog learns to associate the smacking sound with treats. You’ll know this is the case when, the moment you make the sound, your pup looks for his treat! Once you have a solid response, you can put on the leash. Now, practice the same exercise on the leash repeating. At some point, stop making the smacking sound. Your pup will likely lose interest and will try to walk away. As soon as minimal tension builds on the leash, make your smacking sound and deliver the treat. Repeat the same exercise several times. You want your pup to learn that giving in to leash pressure is rewarding so it prevents the pup from resisting it. You can then try this exercise while walking in a quiet room, any time your pup is lagging a bit behind or walking in front creating leash tension, stop, make your smacking sound and reward for loosening up the leash and coming to you for the treat. You puppy should eventually learn that the sweet spot next to you is extra rewarding, the leash is loosened up and he is rewarded. A win-win! Of course, it's important to work at the pup's pace. If at any part of this exercise you notice your pup is going a bit in panic mode, you need to take a step back and evaluate how to make the exercise a bit easier such as by using lighter pressure, or working in an area that is less distracting, or using higher value treats, or making sessions shorter, etc. 3) Pooping in the house, there are several possibilities. Here are some tips/ideas. -Take your puppy out first thing in the morning and at several intervals throughout the day. Don't forget to take him outside after eating considering that puppies have a gastro-colic reflex (meaning they tend to poop shortly after they eat) -Feed your puppy on a schedule. What is fed at a certain time is likely to predictably come out as well at a specific time. -Don't allow your pup the full run of the house. For a small puppy, your whole home is like mansion and it will be challenging for him to find his way to the door or his designated potty area. -When you can't supervise your puppy, make sure he goes potty first and then keep him in a crate, but not for longer than he can hold it. If you need to leave for longer than he can hold it, keep your puppy in a longer-confinement area such as inside an exercise pen with pee pads on one side and his bed/opened crate in the opposite side. -Remove odors of feces in soiled areas with an effective product that neutralizes odors such as Nature's Miracle. Olfactory traces of previous accidents may cause puppies to soil the -same areas over and over. -If your puppy poops in the same area, despite cleaning the area well, consider blocking access to the area by placing furniture or other bulky things on top. -Avoid using punishment-based techniques when your puppy has an accident. This may lead to puppies afraid to potty in your presence. -Reinforce outdoor elimination with praise and tasty treats and some time in the yard. -Teach your puppy to pee and poop on command. This can help expedite the potty training process and can come handy when your pup is an adult. You can find how here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/potty-on-command/ 4) For creating positive associations with nail trims I use what's known as "clipper training." https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/train-dog-love-nail-trims/ Hope this helps! Best, Adrienne

Hi there! Welcome to the forums! You are likely describing what sounds like barrier frustration. I agree with the trainer that most likely your puppy is eager to play and struggles when he can't, especially if once allowed to go play he plays nicely and gets along with the dog. Barrier frustration is sort of like a temper tantrum you see in a toddler who wants to play with his friends and cannot or who wants candy at the store but mom won't buy it. These dogs struggle and their excitement spills into what looks like a scary aggressive display. Fortunately as pups mature, they learn to control their impulses much better, but they need help. You can read more barrier frustration here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/barrier-frustration/ Generally, I help these dogs by working on distance with the dog under threshold and work on training an alternate behavior that is heavily reinforced. When I used to work as a trainer for a pet store, we worked on attention heeling exercises and used to the store aisles and other barriers to create distance between dogs. Training in the small training area was not much helpful because these dogs were way too over threshold to be able to focus. Sometimes, more difficult cases required working outside in the parking lot so that more distance was granted. You can read more about how to keep dogs under threshold here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/ Once you find that sweet spot where your dog is calmer despite being around dogs, you can start working on training attention heeling or asking for sits despite seeing the other dogs. I personally prefer attention heeling because the dog is in movement rather than static, but it's OK to mix in sits every now and then. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/heeling-attention-heeling/ You may also find the Premack Principle helpful. In this case, if you ever allow your dog to go play with a dog, you can ask him for a polite sit first before taking off the leash: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/premack-principle/ Impulse control exercises are also helpful: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/impulse-control-frustration-tolerance/ At 8 months, your pup is the adolescent stage, you can read about what happens here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/survive-dogs-adolescent-stage/ A time may come when he may no longer want to play much or he may no longer tolerate certain styles of play. Careful supervision is always important.

You're very welcome! With grooming, it also helps to give some kibble/goodies as well to create positive associations. One dog I had over for board and training didn't like to be brushed much but she needed it to prevent matting (she was a shihtzu mix) so we went slowly, first giving a treat for seeing the brush, then for sniffing the brush, then in the midst of petting her, I would pass the brush very lightly/treat, brush more/treat, brush several times in a row/treat, when I stopped brushing no more treats. Good things happened only when brushed. After some time, you could see a positive conditioned emotional response upon seeing the brush. She no longer dreaded it but looked forward to it because it meant good things! Gradually, I replaced the treats with giving praise and even singing silly songs while she was brushed but treats were given occasionally so to maintain the positive associations. With rescue dogs who are fearful, I use a lot of behavior modification using desensitization and counterconditioning making sure the dog doesn't go over threshold. You can read more about this here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/desensitization/ https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/counterconditioning/ https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/

Dana Dillon, Welcome to the forums, and thank your for fostering! It's a wonderful act of love to help out these dogs in deep need of help. I don't know how long you have had him, but it takes quite some time for these fellows to adjust to their new environments. The famous saying "slow and steady wins the race" applies well to these dogs who need to get out of their shells, but need to learn trust first. Often, newly rescued dogs go through what's known as the "honeymoon period" which is a time during which they may act pretty suppressed and many of their behaviors are inhibited. It's called that way because foster moms and new owners may be surprised about how well behaved their new dogs are initially (honeymoon), only to see their true colors come out once these dogs feel more confident. It could be, that with time, your foster dog may start opening up and act with a little more self-assurance. I wouldn't put him on the couch if that makes him act as if he's in trouble. I would wait for him to feel comfortable enough to eventually hop on there on his own. When he does, I would be careful not too move much and if he's not the startling type that reacts to hand movements, I would slowly place a couple of treats in front of him in hopes that he learns that great things happen when he hops on the couch. I would do the same with approaching your lap, if he approaches, have some treats ready to offer. With these fearful fellows, I hold treats on me all the time (treat pouch attached to belt) because you never know when they will do something confident. You don't want to miss any opportunities to reinforce confident/explorative behaviors! I have started to see a trend of small dogs who are fearful of being groomed/handled. Most likely something they perceived as traumatic may happen when they are groomed (not necessarily mistreatment, but just plain fear of being restrained, noises, other dogs barking, hair dryers, skin sensitivity etc.) I think it's important for them to find a groomer that takes the time to help these dogs feel more comfortable or skipping the groomer altogether and having the owner/fosterer groom the dog if the groomer can be avoided (not always depending on breed). You can find some tips/ideas to helping your foster dog adjust a bit in this article: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/helping-fearful-rescue-dog/ https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/exercises-build-confidence-insecure-dogs/ *A note about clickers; fearful dogs may find the sound aversive, so you may want to use a verbal marker such as yes or some other light sound such as that produced by a ballpoint retractable pen. However, one thing to consider is that not always what is done to help these fellows adjust more will "stick." In other words, once gone to their new homes they may go back to acting fearful. It would therefore be important letting the new owners know what routines you were using and sharing with them what helped the dog adjust. Hopefully, they can do the same and the dog will have a less challenging time adjusting, hopefully this time for good, in their permanent home! I hope this helps. Once again, thank your for fostering! I have fostered several dogs and it's hard work, but so rewarding! Best, Adrienne

I am so glad to hear that the jumping exercise has worked for you sa far! You need to pat yourself on the back for a job well done. It's a good idea to hold refresher sessions of this exercise every now and then since jumping is a strongly ingrained habit and it takes some time for the dog to remember to not act instinctively and remind themselves that it's far more rewarding to sit rather than jump. It also helps a lot to involve guests (briefing them on what to do) so that your dog learns to generalize the behavior to them too. Guests are often super exciting and their presence raises an extra challenge. The course is entirely online so you should have received login credentials shortly after purchase. If you haven't please contact support at: [email protected] You can find details on tools and the course outline here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/ The archive covers many common issues: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/ The course has an order to follow for practical reasons, but it is not necessary to follow it to a T, it can happen that a dog owner may have some more urgent things to train and it's OK to skip through (for example, a large yard needing to train a recall, or a dog who grabs things and needs to learn how to drop or a dog who pulls too much on the leash needing to learn heel). Also, it may happen that some dog may need to start on some brain games more than training certain tasks. So if you have a pressing issue, it perfectly OK to start working on that and giving it priority. And of course, you can always ask on the forum and start a new thread. For training and behavior, simply press the blue "post new thread button" found on this page: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?3-Dog-Training-amp-Behavior Happy training!

I am so glad to hear that the jumping exercise has worked for you sa far! You need to pat yourself on the back for a job well done. It's a good idea to hold refresher sessions of this exercise every now and then since jumping is a strongly ingrained habit and it takes some time for the dog to remember to not act instinctively and remind themselves that it's far more rewarding to sit rather than jump. It also helps a lot to involve guests (briefing them on what to do) so that your dog learns to generalize the behavior to them too. Guests are often super exciting and their presence raises an extra challenge. The course is entirely online so you should have received login credentials shortly after purchase. If you haven't please contact support at: [email protected] You can find details on tools and the course outline here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/ The archive covers many common issues: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/ The course has an order to follow for practical reasons, but it is not necessary to follow it to a T, it can happen that a dog owner may have some more urgent things to train and it's OK to skip through (for example, a large yard needing to train a recall, or a dog who grabs things and needs to learn how to drop or a dog who pulls too much on the leash needing to learn heel). Also, it may happen that some dog may need to start on some brain games more than training certain tasks. So if you have a pressing issue, it perfectly OK to start working on that and giving it priority. And of course, you can always ask on the forum and start a new thread. For training and behavior, simply press the blue "post new thread button" found on this page: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?3-Dog-Training-amp-Behavior Happy training!

Hello and welcome to the forums! There is really no rule set in stone on this, as there are many variables such as the task being trained, the age of the dog (younger dogs have shorter attention spans), the dog's training history (dogs who have never had any training in their lives may be more prone to struggle or get frustrated earlier), the breed of the dog (some breeds may be more biddable), the dog's temperament (a dog who is fearful/skeptic might need more time) and other factors such as the handler's ability in communicating with the dog, the training method used, the environment, the dog/owner bond etc. If your dog is fairly new to the whole idea of training, it is best to start with brief sessions, keeping them fun and upbeat and always ending them on a positive note. Watch for signs of boredom or frustration and keep an eye on displacement behaviors such as scratching an itch, sneezing or yawning. These are often signs that the task is getting too difficult or the session is too long and the dog is struggling. Generally, for a dog of this age (2.5 years old) it may help doing sessions that are no longer than 10 minutes but scattered throughout the day (like 2-3 times a day). Watch your dog carefully on how he/she does and gauge accordingly. Does he/she seem eager to being trained or is he/she giving signs of struggling? (if so you want to split the exercises in easier steps and make them briefer). You can initially focus on one task per session so not to confuse your dog, but the great thing about training is that once you have the basics down, you can mix and match tasks so to prevent your dog from getting bored. The course has an order to follow for practical reasons, but it is not necessary to follow it to a T, it can happen that a dog owner may have some more urgent things to train and it's OK to skip through (for example, a large yard needing to train a recall, or a dog who grabs things and needs to learn how to drop or a dog who pulls too much on the leash needing to learn heel). Also, it may happen that some dog may need to start on some brain games more than training certain tasks. You can surely start with the eye contact games: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/preschool/look-into-my-eyes/ https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/preschool/the-airplane-game/ And here is the recall: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/recall/ Worth reminding is also the fact that dogs are learning with every interaction so they are perpetually in "training." Play is training. Resting is training (because dogs retain what they learned while they sleep!). Walking is training, and even learning to be away from you is training. Happy training!

Great to hear your pup is doing so well and aced the airplane game! It can happen sometimes that noise-sensitive dogs find the sound aversive. The good news is that there are several options around this. You can keep using your verbal marker (yes!) or you can use a sound made with your mouth as long as you can easily make it often and keep it consistent. However, studies have found that clicker provides cutting edge precision and some advantages over sounds produced by us. So if you want to stick to the clicker, you can try the following: -You can try to keep the clicker inside a pocket. The pocket will help muffle the sound and make it less intimidating towards sensitive dogs. -Another trick of the trade is to put several layers of tape on the clicker, again, for the purpose of muffling the sound. The keyword here is going gradually, therefore, as the dog learns that the click brings marvelous treats, you can start peeling off a layer of tape so to allow the dog to get step-by- step used to the clicking sound. -For severely noise sensitive dogs, you can use a retractable pen that clicks. -Use high value treats to create strong positive associations especially during the charging process (click, treat, click, treat, click treat).

Hello, Welcome to the forums! We encourage forum members to post in the forums as other dog owners may benefit from reading other member's posts and to foster a supportive community. I'll keep an eye on for your next post, Cheers! Adrienne

If this is truly a case of resource guarding, considering that guarding is a serious issue that may lead to biting, it is important to enlist the help of a professional using force-free behavior modification techniques. The professional can assess the situation in person and provide one-on-one guidance on correct implementation. Having noted the importance of this, I will be posting some general guidelines that are just examples of behavior modification Very important is to avoid punishment-based techniques. Not implying that you are using these, but always worthy of pointing out for other readers or in case you may encounter somebody suggesting these. While it may be tempting to scold a dog for growling or even use some physical, confrontational techniques one may have seen on television shows, these methods will only create more problems. While at first glance it may look like these methods work, what is really happening is that, when a dog is being punished for growling, one is suppressing an important warning signal without tackling the underlying emotions. This often leads to a dog who bites without warning. On top of this, physical methods can cause a dog to start perceiving the owner as unpredictable and untrustworthy. This may trigger hand-shyness and defensive aggression. A word about negative punishment -removal of something the dog likes (lap) contingent upon the undesirable behavior (growling). While it may make sense to get up the moment a dog starts growling at other dogs approaching when on the lap, this can also have some negative repercussions. Sure, it may work in some cases, but not always. While it's true that one is interrupting the unwanted behavior this way and providing a consequence by doing this (getting up or putting the dog on the floor), it's also true that by removing access to the lap when the dog growls contingent upon another dog or person approaching, may trigger the guarding to get worse. Why? Because there are chances that the dog may associate the approach of other dogs with losing access to the lap, leading to negative emotions as his biggest fear of losing access to the warm, comforting lap is coming true. Using management to prevent rehearsal is important. This simply means not putting the dog in the position of practicing the undesirable behavior. So in the case of lap guarding, it is best to avoid keeping the dog on the lap and instead training the dog to go to his mat/bed instead. This comes helpful, especially while you are seeking the intervention of a dog behavior professional. Changing the emotional response. Sometimes, management may not be enough. Perhaps dog owners want the dog to stay on the lap, what to do in such a case? The goal of behavior modification for lap guarding is making great things happen when other dogs approach using desensitization and counterconditioning techniques. Once again, for correct implementation of behavior modification (it requires some level of skill and one-on-one personal guidance) and for safety (bites can happen if you're not careful enough!), it's important seeking the assistance of a dog behavior professional such as a veterinary behaviorist (DACVB), a certified applied animal behaviorist (CAAB) or a dog trainer using force-free dog behavior modification. We also don't want dogs to be over threshold during the process, which is also why we want a professional on our side. You can read more about these methods here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/desensitization/ https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/counterconditioning/ https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/ Now, lap guarding directed towards people overall is much easier to tackle than when it's directed towards other dogs. This is because, with people, we can instruct them on what to do and not do, and this helps tremendously in paving the path towards success. With lap guarding directed towards dogs, things are more challenging. Other dogs may approach quickly and giving the lap-guarding dog treats while on the lap may lead to the lap becoming more valuable from the guarding dog's perspective. Not to mention, the other dogs may want the treats too and may therefore approach more which can obviously lead to problems. In this case, it's important to use a systematic approach making sure treats happen contingent upon the appearance of other dogs. How can this be done? For example, an assistant can be employed to walk another dog towards the lap-guarding dog, but initially from a distance. Treat delivery starts upon seeing the other dog and treat delivery abruptly stops when the other dog leaves. In words, this is what we are looking for, although in reality, in a dog's mind it might not be exactly expressed like this, but it gives the point: "Good things happen when other dogs come near, when they leave, all the good stuff stop. Conclusion: Dogs make great things happen, so I like having other dogs near!" Distance is then gradually decreased based on how comfortable the lap-guarding dog appears. In the whole process, it's fundamental ensuring the lap-guarding dog is kept under threshold and that the process proceeds at the dog's pace. Again, for this reason, it's important to seek the guidance of a dog behavior professional so to reduce chances for the dog going over threshold and going back and forth in the process as criteria is raised gradually. Consider potential for regression. It is not unusual for setbacks to happen when working on behavior modification. This phenomenon is known as regression, and it's most likely to occur in novel situations or situations that weren't practiced (a new dog approaching when your dog is in your lap, approaching too fast) or when your dog is particularly stressed, sick or tired. It's also important to hold "refresher sessions" every now and then so to maintain the progress made and ensure those good feelings about dogs being near the lap remain solid in the dog's mind. Now, something that needs to be considered is that you have had your dog for only two days. Your dog has likely lots of stress hormones in his body and he has to adjust. Chances are, he may need some time to get used to the other dogs and not perceive them as a threat. Right now, it could be that all he knows is that your presence reassures him and that he is seeking some stability and your other dogs stress him out. There may be chances that as time goes by, he may no longer feel this way and this behavior may reduce, but then, maybe not, maybe he is prone to lap guarding and it didn't happen in the foster home because she/he wasn't allowing him on his/her lap, or maybe this person didn't want to disclose it (it happens at times). Another thing to be on the lookout is your other dogs reaction to this new dog. In general, it is best not to give particular preferential behavior to new comers as this may trigger "jealousy" in the dogs being owned for longer. It could be your dogs are sensing this and they are approaching in a bit of an assertive way ("who is this new dog who is taking over ad laying on our owners lap?"), and your little fellow is sensing that. It might therefore be best to just give this new dog attention when the other dogs aren't around (like when they are taken on a walk or or out in the yard) as too much attention in this delicate introductory phase may cause squabbles at times. Here are some general guidelines: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/introduce-dog-new-dog/ So for the time being, it may be best to prevent rehearsal of the lap-guarding behavior especially during this introductory phase and having a plan in place on what to do if this behavior persists. In the meanwhile, it may be best encouraging him to sleep on his own bed/mat. If you plan on doing training and games with him, it may be ideal providing your other dogs with something pleasant to do in the meanwhile so that it doesn't look like you are spending more time with him and giving him all the good stuff. For example, your other dogs can be crated at a distance and each provided with a stuffed Kong in the meanwhile as they wait their turn being trained. Walks are also another good way to encourage bonding between your dogs (for safety, initially have one family member walk your new dog while your other dogs are walked by another).

Hello and welcome to the forums, First of all, thank you so much for rescuing, it's always heart-warming to hear about dogs being welcomed into new homes and becoming cherished members of the family. It's always a bit of question mark with these fellows, not knowing much about their histories and upbringings. We can assume though that things must be quite stressful for them being initially surrendered, and then going into a foster home and then once again in their new homes. It takes an adjustment period for them to acclimate and get used to all the new sights, sounds, smells and acquaintances. It sounds like you are describing a case of resource guarding (guarding possessions that are perceived as particularly valuable). A warm, comforting lap may be as valuable as a bowl of food or toy. What makes me think that you may be dealing with a case of resource guarding is the fact that he is growling and snapping and the behavior seems to occur contingent upon being on your lap and other dogs approaching. It doesn't seem he does this when he's on the dog bed or couch and other dogs approach from your description. Now, with resource guarding, things get somewhat challenging. It's a behavior that you want to address considering that the more your dog rehearses the behavior, the more it's likely to establish and put roots. This makes the behavior more difficult to eradicate compared to nipping a new behavior in the bud. The aggressive behavior may therefore exacerbate with time. A growl may lead to a snarl, then a snarl may lead to a snap and a snap may lead to a bite in the case of a dog not backing down to the earlier warning signs. On top of this, consider that dogs who guard laps from other people or dogs, may start expanding their behavior, to the point of manifesting their aggressive behavior from farther distances up to the point of even guarding an entire room preventing another person or dog from coming in from outside. Resource guarding is also strongly reinforcing. In other words, if every time your dog growls when another dog approaches and the approaching dog moves away upon hearing the growl, the growling behavior will reinforce. The growling behavior therefore strengthens and is likely to repeat next time, and the more your dog rehearses the behavior, the more it becomes habit-forming. For sake of an example, imagine carrying a luggage that has valuables in it. One day, a person approaches and tries to steal it from you. You hold on to it tightly and start yelling at the top of your lungs "Thief! Thief!" This scares the thief who lets go and runs away. Since this method proved successful, chances are good that you would employ the same strategy if the same scenario happened again. I will be posting some more details on how resource guarding behavior directed towards laps is tackled in the next post.