Adrienne Farricelli

This is something that you want to nip in the bud as early as possible since your puppy is still young. Your puppy needs to learn to trust and that when you move towards her it's not to take away her prized possession. This is accomplished through conditioning exercises using desensitization and counterconditioning. The goal is creating strong positive associations, to the point of eliciting what is known as a "conditioned emotional response." In other words, rather than dreading you walking nearby, your pup looks forward to it because great things happen. For example, with puppies without a history of resource guarding, it's a good practice to feed the pup its meal, and every now and then, nonchalantly walking by the pup's food bowl and tossing some goodies in it. This is done often, once again to the point of creating a conditioned emotional response. This happens usually after several reps, when the pup starts wagging his tail in anticipation and looks happy as he knows that something really good is coming. It's also a good idea to do the same exercise when the dog is enjoying something valuable such as a chew or bone. Now, the above examples are exercises that can be done in puppies who do not resource guard yet, and therefore, as a preventive step, with pups who already resource guard, it's important to use caution and work at a distance, ensuring the dog is always under threshold and then gradually increasing criteria. Because working on resource guarding, falls under behavior modification rather than training, for safety and correct implementation, it should be conducted under the guidance of a behavior professional who can monitor the process and make suggestions based on observations. Until then, it may be best feeding your pup in an area where she doesn't feel the need to guard so to avoid rehearsal of the problem behavior. If there are children in the home, it may best to crate her during meals and instruct the children to not approach. Resource guarding is something serious that you want to address sooner than later as it tends to get worse rather than better. For the issue when sleeping, once again, you don't want to create rehearsal. This may lead to negative associations with hands. Like Jennifer pointed out, best to adhere to the saying "let sleeping dogs lie." Some other differentials to rule out may include your puppy simply not being comfortable being handled (many pups don't like to be touched, but this would happen as well when awake) or her resource guarding her sleeping spot. Dogs that resource guard sleeping areas typically exhibit aggressive behaviors when dog owners approach them while resting in their sleeping spots, which are highly regarded as valuable places. And then there are actual sleeping disorders affecting dogs that cause dogs to act aggressive, but this is typically upon being woken up.

So sorry to hear about this setback. Behavior modification is a systematic process that demands a lot of personal commitment and changing one’s own behavior in order to modify the dog’s behavior. In simple words, it's a process that requires a lot of self-sacrifice. The process also entails learning more about a specific dogs' body language, the dog's spatial limits, triggers and situations that are more likely to evoke problematic behaviors. A plan should be in place to prevent the evocation of such behaviors. I am glad to hear your husband wasn't too upset about this and that Remie showed a good level of bite inhibition. I would mention this to the professional you are working with so that she can suggest preventive steps/behavior modification and note it down in her chart. Remie has shown in the past that she wasn't comfortable with your hubby trying to hug her, and now she nipped when in the kennel and your husband reached towards her. These incidents have shown that she has a "space bubble" that she doesn't feel comfortable being invaded by your husband. I know your husband had only good intent, but that stretched hand coming in her direction was likely perceived as threatening to her just as when she was being hugged. With her flight option (ability to remove herself) not being an option, she therefore went into defensive behavior. In the future, it's always best to err on the side of caution in situations where one is not reasonably confident whether the dog will behave appropriately. Sometimes, if one dog owner is more skilled, this means actively supervising interactions so that the other is told to avoid doing something that may be counterproductive. When working with dogs reactive towards men, for example, I often have to guide my helper (which is often my husband) carefully telling him what to and what not to do. It can be frustrating for the person being guided, but it's in the best interest of the dog and ultimately also the dog and other owner's/helper interest since a bite can put a dent in the level of mutual trust.

Target opens a world of possibilities! It is often used in service-dog training as dogs turn on things, pull stuff, grab things, it can be used to train a variety of brain games and tricks (play the piano, shell game, hot and cold etc. Here you can see Einstein turning on a light: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/train-your-dog-to-turn-on-a-light/ I also use hand targeting in behavior modification to create positive associations with people's hands, to distract a dog who is getting a bit anxious or to get a fearful dog to stop focusing on something on walks.

Thanks for the details, they are extra helpful! OK, so your dog is on the left, so your reward zone will be next to your left knee. If you're holding the leash in your left hand, you can keep the treats in your right hand and do the swinging motion as seen in this picture where I have Einstein (only that in Einstein's case, we're doing the opposite since he's on the right). Another option is if you have a long leash is to let the excess leash go behind your back so can hold it in your right hand. I often used this method in classes, and the advantage is that when your dog pulls and is ahead, you can easily use your left hand to get lure him back in heel position. You can find details on heeling here if you haven't visited this page yet: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/heeling-attention-heeling/

Hello and welcome to the forums! In bold are your questions and below are my answers. I have been working on desensitization and counter conditioning with my dog Eskimo when he sees a trigger such as another dog. I am carrying a plastic bag of cubes of ham in my pocket. When he sees the other dog I tell him to look at me and then I say yes and give him a cube of ham. Do I keep giving the look at me command followed by cubed ham the entire time we are passing the trigger who is on the opposite side of the street? More than a verbal command, I prefer using a sound like a smacking, kissy sound of my mouth. It is faster and for a good part neutral, almost always in the same tone and doesn't seem to fall on deaf ears as our words do when dogs hear us talk too much. You can do a trial and see if your dog upon spotting another dog at a safe distance looks at you a split second before you prompt him. If he does, I would reinforce that, because at that point, what you are likely seeing is a conditioned emotional response. In other words, your dog has associated other dogs with treats and is therefore giving you the "oh, a dog! how wonderful, where's my treat?" Let's remember that this is behavior modification, so we are not rewarding operant behaviors such as "sits, downs," etc. but we are aiming to change the emotional response, so there's nothing wrong if the behavior takes place unprompted (without you saying it). I actually embrace this moment because I love seeing the change in the dog's facial expression once those positive associations are made! I call it the "Look at That Dog" (LAT) look. What about other triggers of his such as school buses, trucks, wheelchairs, strollers, people he doesn’t know? Do I need to carry bags of other treats for lessor triggers and save the ham for his biggest triggers (other dogs, buses)? This is tricky because, we really need to view things from the dog's perspective. Who is deciding whether dogs are more significant triggers than strollers? If it is you, what really counts is what your dog thinks. If you are absolutely sure that your dog is more intimidated by something than something else, yes, you can try to use lower value food for the lesser intimidating triggers and save the higher value ones for the most challenging triggers. You need to measure results though to be absolutely sure. Is the reactive behavior towards this specific trigger, really decreasing? If so, then most likely the food offered did its job. If results are so-so or there is no progress, you may need to go higher value. Now, you also need to consider other factors. If your dog on walks often encounters dogs, he may be on edge and high alert and therefore more over threshold and therefore a lower value treat may not do its job. Walks on their own may have come to assume a negative connotation, so you may still need to go high-value to get his attention and leave a mark. Also, on our last walk he walked without passing any trigger and he periodically looked at me without me having given the look at me command. It seems he is trying to condition me to give out ham because he likes ham or he is trying to figure out when look at me gets rewarded. Do I ignore these uncommanded checks ins completely or do I reinforce his look at me anyway and if so, by which method? I do like him checking in with me, but I don’t want to make the counterconditioning mistake of using the high value treat when the trigger isn’t there. We are currently trying to walk when many of his other triggers aren’t likely to be present. I don't think he is actively trying to convince you to give him ham in a manipulator fashion, but more simply has just learned how rewarding looking at you is, and since there are no triggers, he finds the behavior much more easier to perform. I wouldn't ignore this lovely eye contact, but would actually build on it. I would praise it lavishly and every now and then, I would insert some cued behaviors such as a sit and reward that. Chances are, these behaviors will get stronger so that as some point, you can start utilizing them to your advantage eventually around his triggers.

Hi Jennifer, How cool that you are training Gertie some Canine Musical Freestyle moves! She sounds like the type of dog who would enjoy that! To train her to turn around with you simultaneously, I would do the following: 1) Start gradually fading the food lure. In other words, do a few reps without the food protruding from the hand you are using for your spinning motion. Once your dog turns around, say "yes" and feed the food. Then, start using no food in the hand you use to make the spinning motion, but once the circle is complete feed the food from the other hand. Once you are able to do several successful reps of this, move to the next step. 2) Start making your hand motion less and less obvious, build up to the point where you can just sort of point and rotate your wrist to get her to spin. Do several reps of this, marking and rewarding the successful spins. 3) As you rotate your wrist in a circle, start spinning yourself as well so that you do it at the same time. Once she completes the circle, give her a jackpot of treats! You can then gradually turn the spinning motion of your wrist in some artistic motion that is not too noticeable to those looking, but that your dog is able to recognize. Of course, as with most training exercises, you may find the need to go back some steps and create some sub-steps as needed. Happy training!

Hi Pachira, Welcome to the forums! This is a very simple question, but the answer is that it depends. Are you training with your dog on leash or off leash? On what side are you planning to train your dog? Are you ever planning to compete in obedience with your dog? Are you doing the initial heeling exercises where you reward your dog in the reward zone by the leg or "attention heeling" where you reward your dog for making eye contact?

You are very welcome, Keep us posted on how it goes! Best, Adrienne

Hi Courtney2838, Welcome to the forums! It's really great to hear that your puppy is able to hold it for so long in the evening! Puppies struggle the most during the day when they're awake because they drink more and being active makes them potty more. It's interesting that the peeing seems to increase more in your husbands' absence. Perhaps he becomes more active when he is away? Maybe a little anxious? Perhaps he's more likely to "hold it" in your husband's presence? Sometimes, if a family member gets more annoyed than another over accidents in the home, the puppy senses that and tries to hold it for longer or sneaks out of sight to potty (check for pee accidents under beds, coaches, if you suspect that's the case). Other possibilities are excitement/submissive urination which takes place when puppies feel particularly excited (like during greetings-even after not seeing you for a little bit, when talking excitedly to puppies/praise etc) or as an appeasement gesture when we loom over a puppy or talk to them in a certain tone. You can read more about this form of peeing here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/submissive-urination/ And then, if this is a total new behavior, sometimes excessive, out of the norm, peeing may be due to medical issues, the most common being a urinary tract infection, but this is more often found in female dogs. However, in this case, the excess peeing would still occur in your presence and there may be likely other signs, but always worth mentioning medical causes, just in case. Since your husband leaves only for brief periods, it may be best to simply manage this situation by either taking your puppy out with you in the yard while hubby is away or bringing him out to potty, making sure he eliminates, and then keeping him in the crate with some safe chew toy (if you are crate training) until hubby returns. Also, one thing to consider, is that puppies often pee more than once when out. They may pee in one spot, then a little bit after in another, and then maybe another time. Often they are distracted when outside so they do a little dribble rather than emptying their bladder. If you take your puppy back inside too early, he may have therefore not completely emptied his bladder, so it's a good idea to stay outside more and while you're at it, you may find it handy starting to train your puppy to pee on command. Here's how: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/potty-on-command/

Hello and welcome to the forums! I have a couple of questions for you if you don't mind which will help formulate a more precise answer, customized to your particular situation. When you say she barks before leaving do you mean you are leaving the home and she is being left behind, or is she coming with you? When she starts barking super early are you still in bed? What are you doing exactly? Thank you!

Thank you for the additional details, they are extra-helpful! I will answer your questions in the order: 1) Crate training is important even if you are home most of the day. A time may come when you must head outside, do some household chores without your puppy being in the way or just want to keep your puppy safe when you cannot supervise. On top of this, all dogs benefit from being crate trained since a crate comes handy for car rides and dogs are also kept in cages if ever hospitalized at the vet (like before/after being spayed) or going to the groomer. Crates come also handy since puppies tend to get into mischief when young (just like toddlers!) and additionally, they can help a puppy learn to "hold it" a bit longer since by instinct, they don't like to soil the areas where they sleep. For this reason, it's important to have a crate of the right size (snug enough that she can't sleep in one corner and eliminate in the opposite one, but big enough to allow her to stretch, stand, lie down and turn around. Of course, puppies can only hold it for so much, so, if you must be absent for longer periods of time than how much your puppy can hold it, it's a good idea to provide what's known as a longer-term confinement area. As a longer-term confinement area, I like to use an exercise-pen with inside the crate left open (secure the door so it doesn't by mistake slam in your puppy frightening him) inside and some pee pads nearby. For sake of convenience, this confinement place is better off being on an easy-to-wash surface in case the puppy misses the pee-pads, so a kitchen or bathroom with tiles comes handy. You can also put your puppy there when you cannot actively supervise during the day for some reason. It's a good idea to get your puppy used to absences starting with brief ones. A good practice is to leave some treats or some kibble just out of the exercise pen so that your puppy sees and smells them and is eager to have them and then provide them right when you are about to leave briefly. Once you are about to leave, give them, then move away and come back once you hear your puppy is done munching. You can then repeat, place some kibble/treat in view behind the pen, provide them, hide behind a corner, hear your pup munch on them, and come right back. Continue by giving more kibble (scatter it around by tossing them so that your pup takes more time to find them) and gradually increase absences, mixing also some briefer absences too so that your puppy doesn't predict things getting incrementally difficult. So you can leave for 5 seconds at first, then 8, then 2, then 6, then 10, then 3, then 7, etc. When you must leave for longer, you can give longer-lasting chews (make sure they are safe for puppies) or toys that can be stuffed with food (stuffed frozen Kong, Kong Wobbler). Technology has made great strides in helping puppies and dogs who are struggling being left alone. The Furbo camera for example, allows dog owners to monitor their puppies/dogs while out so to gauge how they are doing and even have the camera toss treats at random times. For exercises to teach a puppy or dog to like the crate, you can find a guide here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/love-the-crate/ Now questions 2) and 3). If you know for sure that you don't want her to sleep in the bed, then it is best to get her used to being in the crate besides the bed sooner than later. The more she stays in bed, the more she might rebel to being in the crate. However, a few extra days or even up to a week more in bed as you get her more used to the crate during the day isn't a bad idea. If she hates the crate and is no longer staying in bed, that's a double whammy that may be just too much for her. Of course, the process of transferring from bed to crate is not without rebellion and things tend to rough if some steps aren't taken. One should expect pups to whine and some extinction bursts along the way if you have allowed her on the bed. Extinction bursts are sort of a toddler's behavior getting worse that day you no longer buy them candy when they cry, demanding it. It leads to a temporary worsening of the behavior, before things get better. The toddler may therefore not only cry that day you refuse to buy candy out of the blue, but his face may turn bright red, he may stomp his feet, and become hysterical, crying and screaming like he never did before. If you stick to your plan though and don't buy the candy, at some point the toddler learns that crying doesn't bring results. However, this is the "tough love" method and it's not ideal because it can create lots of stress. Now, with puppies, it's not really that they are misbehaving and being demanding or spoiled when they cry asking to be let in the bed- there's actually a good level of anxiety going on there so they need to get credit for that. They just seek warmth and the comfort of knowing they are not alone. After all, before coming into our homes, puppies slept in piles with their siblings and mom. They associate lack or warmth and isolation as being in peril. So they shouldn't be scolded or totally ignored as this can lead to the opposite effect, dreading the time in the crate. Not to mention your puppy at 10 weeks is in a delicate phase, the fear period, where traumatizing situations may have an impact. You can read more about the fear period here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/fear-periods-8-10-weeks-6-14-months/ Young puppies should be therefore provided with amenities that help create a pleasant bed-time routine (give a tasty chew when going in the crate) and remind them just once to go "night-night"so that they can hear your voice and know you're right there. For crating successfully, on top of the above tips on how to teach a puppy or dog to love the crate, you can try a variety of strategies to reduce her anxiety: -Place the crate beside your bed so that you can lower your hand and your puppy can sniff it/lick it through the cage bars and know you are there. If the top of the crate comes off, you can also pet your puppy until he's calmer and gets a little sleepy. -You can lie down on the floor beside the crate as you talk to your pup and pet him and then once calmer, you can go back to bed. -Try a Snuggle Puppy Behavior Aid toy. I use these for young puppies when they are separated from their litter-mates and looking for their litter-mates and mom. It has a heating pad inside and even mimics a heartbeat. Some new puppy owners report success as well wrapping a bottle filled with warm bottle in blanket and/or keeping a ticking clock to mimic the mother's heartbeat. You need to make sure the bottle is not too warm and that your puppy doesn't wake up and start chewing on parts. For this reason, I prefer the Snuggle Puppy which has the heat and ticking sound incorporated. -Use a calming pheromone diffuser such as Adaptil. This releases synthetic pheromones meant to mimic the dog appeasing pheromones mother dogs release which have a reassuring effect on puppies. -Place a blanket on the crate. Some puppies do well with this if they are awake due to lights and it seems to have a calming effect. -Tiring out the pup prior to bedtime can also help for some more restful sleep. -Practice crate-loving exercises during the day. Finally, being that she's a maltipoo, these teeny dogs have small livers and little muscle mass which predisposes them to decreased storage of glucose (toy breed hypoglycemia). It might not be too common, but they sometimes can be prone to low glucose which causes them to feel cold, weak and shaky. Just something to keep an eye on until they get a little bit older. I hope this helps, Let me know if you have any other questions! Best, Adrienne

Hello, and welcome on the forums, These are all great questions! Can you please tell me how long you have had her and what breed she is? This could help me better formulate my answers. Thanks!

Hello and welcome to the forums! I am glad to hear you are seeking information on how to prepare your puppy for longer absences. As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and I am a firm believer of the importance of preventing problems from the get-go, which means starting from an early age when the dog is a puppy. Beagles as you know have a history of being selectively bred to hunt in groups so they tend to like being in company, therefore, fostering some independence from a young age can be helpful. There are several things you can do to up the chances that your puppy enjoys a relaxed (or at least tolerable) in-home stay in his crate or exercise pen when you must leave the house. Here are some tips/ideas that come to mind: -If your puppy has completed his vaccinations and your vet gives you the OK, walk your puppy prior to leaving the house so that his exercise needs are met and he may be more likely to relax. If walks are not possible, make sure to play with your puppy and provide mental stimulation (brain games!) to tire his mind and body. -Make sure your puppy is "empty" prior to crating him. Give him time in the yard to pee and poop as needed. For sake of convenience, I always suggest puppy owners work on training their pups how to potty on command, here is how to train it: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/potty-on-command/ -If you need to leave for longer than your puppy can hold it, have somebody stop by to give a potty break or keep him in a longer confinement area (exercise pen) with pee pads. We don't want the pup to suffer holding it for too long as that can cause the crate to assume negative associations. -Turn on some calming music to help your puppy relax and to buffer outdoor sounds. There are many music CDs made for a dogs. A popular one is "Through a Dog's Ear." Make sure to turn it on half hour prior to preparing yourself and leaving so it doesn't become a predictable cue announcing your departure. -Placing a blanket over the crate can help some puppies relax. -It can help using calming pheromone diffusers such as Adaptil plug-in, collars and sprays. -Leaving a shirt that smells like you (and that you don't mind possibly getting ruined) can help provide some reassurance. -Provide some goodies your puppy can chew on that are safe and durable. Stuffed Kongs are a favorite among dog owners but make sure you pup learns how to get the goodies out some days prior. -Act neutral when leaving and returning from your outings. -Invest in a Furbo camera so that you can monitor your puppy and even talk to him while you are away. If your puppy is in an exercise pen you can even have the camera toss him some goodies! Other things that come to mind are some exercises to foster independence. Here are some: -Let your puppy spend some time alone in his crate or exercise pen for short periods while you’re home and get him really used to it. Never use your puppy's confinement area for punishment, always make great things happen when there to create a strong emotional conditioned response (a strong positive association) Here is a guide on teaching dogs to love the crate: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/love-the-crate/ -After your puppy learns to sit down and lie down, aim to teach your puppy some sit-stays and down-stays. Keep in mind that young puppies have short attention spans so just stick to brief stays at first gradually increasing them. -Encourage independent games at a distance from you, such as searching for goodies in a different room. You can start by asking your pup to hold a brief stay while your pup sees you hiding a couple of pieces of kibble in an easy-to-find-spot. Then, give him a release word. Go inside for 1 minute as your pup searches and eats. Then gradually, work up to more minutes, increasing the number of kibbles hidden in different places. If your pup can't handle the stay, decrease time. Read about the treasure hunt brain game: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/elementary/the-treasure-hunt/ -Place novel toys in other rooms or in corners so to reward esplorative behaviors away from you. -If your puppy acts like a Velcro dog, following you when you get up from sitting and as you move from room-to-room, follow these Velcro dog tips: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/following-owners-around-house/ -Play in and out games in the crate. With the crate open, toss a treat of kibble and let your puppy go get it. Repeat several times. -Gradually condition your puppy to being left alone starting with brief absences and building from there. If your pup struggles, it means you have pushed too fast and need to take smaller steps, so decrease the length of time. I hope this helps! Best, Adrienne

Hello and welcome to the forums, For dogs who tend to destroy things when left alone there are a variety of differentials. In other words, there may be different causes. Separation anxiety is a popular cause, but it is true that it is often over diagnosed. Typically, in dogs with separation anxiety we see panting, pacing, drooling, inappropriate elimination (pee and poop accidents), barking, whining and howling and some level of destruction when left alone (observable using a camera when the owners leave). The type of destruction taking place is also important. In dogs with separation anxiety, expect for it to especially affect the door from which the owner has exited through. Also, in the case of separation anxiety the problem behaviors tend to mostly emerge when the dog is left alone. In the presence of the owners, affected dogs may act clingy,but fail to exhibit any anxiety-related behaviors, at least until the dog owners starts manifesting pre-departure cues (putting shoes on, getting the car keys, etc). From your description, with your dog being two years old and mostly focusing on counter tops, rugs and couches, I tend to feel like it's more a matter of boredom and a strong need of mental stimulation. At your dog's age, your dog is in the full adolescent stage, so it's not surprising if he is acting this way. You can read more about the doggy adolescent stage here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/survive-dogs-adolescent-stage/ Now, why is the behavior mostly occurring when you are away? Most likely because your dog has learned to associate your presence with being told "no" or some other type of displeasure. Your dog is not doing this out of spite, it's just that he hasn't generalized the behavior in your absence and the act of snatching things and chewing them up has gained a very strong reinforcement history. You can find some tips on how to tackle dogs who steal, chew or destroy stuff when left alone in this thread: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?43-Thieving-Pooch In regards to displaying aggressive behaviors when strangers come to visit, it's important to tackle this soon before it gains a strong rehearsal history and becomes ingrained and more difficult to eradicate. You can find an example of a behavior modification plan I used for a dog who barked at a woman's boyfriend. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/dog-barking-someone-enters-room/ If the behavior starts the moment your dog sees a stranger approaching your property, you may find the "look at that' brain game helpful: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/university/look-at-that/ Because behavior modification comes with risks, a dog behavior professional should be consulted for safety and correct implementation. I don't cover too often the topic of walking dogs off leash due to liabilities and the risks for the dog gaining too much reinforcement from distractions if not done right. I generally restrict off leash freedom on hikes or trails to a limited amount of dogs and those dogs are the ones that have proven to be highly-trained dogs under excellent voice control with non-aggressive tendencies. Being off leash is a privilege and it should be warranted only once the dog has proven himself to not get into trouble when there are people or other dogs around. Ideally, a dog walked off leash should be not interested in meeting other dogs and would rather stick to the owner's side. The dog must also not take off chasing wild life. It takes lots of practice to reach this level of training. For dogs who haven't reached that level of control, but whose owners wish to have them have a bit more freedom on walks to sniff around and explore, I suggest for safety to have the dog walk on a long line, (never texting or talking on the phone!) while always carefully scanning for approaching people and dogs. A long line should not be confused for a retractable leash, which is something I don't recommend using. A long-line is a long, light rope or cord that may range anywhere between 10 and 50 feet long. You can often find these in horse and tack stores as the one for horses may also work well for dogs, but nowadays more and more companies are crafting long lines specifically for canines especially for tracking purposes. Unlike a retractable leash, a long line encourages engagement with your dog and provides you with a "life line" for emergency situations. It also prevents putting your dog in sticky situations where things can get ugly quickly (for example an off leash dog who doesn't appreciate your dog's way of interacting). I therefore feel that this training should be exclusively reserved to dogs who have proven an optimal response to a recall over time and have a strong history of loose-leash walking and self-control despite strong distractions. Both my Rottweilers were allowed off-leash freedom but only once they were past the adolescent stage and we had a very safe area to practice. I hope this helps, Let me know if you have any more questions. Happy training!

Greetings and welcome to the forums, Rushing towards the house is a behavior that is highly reinforcing because the dog feels safe there and noises are muffled indoors. This avoidance behavior is based on negative reinforcement, in other words, the dog seeks shelter in hopes of making the sound go away along with the negative emotions. Fear of sounds is highly stressful to dogs and is difficult to fix unless we take steps in making the sound less frightening. With firecrackers, things are a bit challenging because they only occur at certain times of the year, so we aren't left with much opportunities to work on it as compared to door knocks and other more common sounds. If you live in an area though frequented by hunters, you may be in luck, although the sounds occur unpredictably and at different distances when we instead we want systematic exposure. In hunting circles for example, owners of gun dogs get their puppies to not fear gun shots by shooting at a distance right when the dog is presented with his meal. This is done at every meal, until the puppy learns to associate the gun shot with something great. Recordings may be a good starting point, although they may not be as effective as the real thing. The goal is to systematically use desensitization (exposing to low levels of the stimulus in a gradual, step-by-step approach along with counterconditioning (creating positive associations). You can find recordings of fireworks sold commercially for this specific purpose. You can read about these methods here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/desensitization/ https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/counterconditioning/ Here are some samples of behavior modification for dogs with fear of noises: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/fear-noises/ This form of conditioning requires maintenance meaning that you have to hold refresher sessions or the fear of sounds may re-appear. Also, the real thing may be still frightening (real fireworks are much louder than recordings and may cause vibrations too) so you may still need to use calming aids to help your dog out. Calming aids commonly used for fear of fireworks include: -Thundershirt/ Anxiety Wraps -Pheromone plugins and pheromone collars -Calming supplements for dogs like those containing L- theanine -Calming music to buffer sounds Dogs fearful of noises may benefit too from confidence building exercises and brain games: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/exercises-build-confidence-insecure-dogs/ Severe cases of noise phobias may need what are called "event drugs," basically prescription medications you can get from your veterinarian to help your dog cope with isolated events such as Fourth of July or the storm season. On a side note, fortunately, lately more and more places are prohibiting the use of fireworks to protect pets and wild animals from these unnecessary fears. I still recall one day walking past an area where a big firework display was held the day prior and seeing poor dead birds on the ground. These poor souls must have suffered a heart attack. So sad! Send pats to your wonderful German shepherd for me, Best, Adrienne

Hello HarrietM, Welcome to the forums! Can you please provide more details about the biting when playing Frisbee? More precisely, what do you mean when you state "she doesn't mean to bite?" Does she accidentally happen to grab your hands/legs when trying to actually grab the Frisbee? Or does she seem to purposely bite, but doesn't mean to hurt you? If so, when does the biting occur? like when you are about to toss the ball? Once she gets a bit tired and loses interest in the ball? The behavior you describe of biting at you and the leash when leashed seems to fit the description of a dog who is in a state of high arousal possibly either due to excess energy, but sometimes can also be triggered by anxiety or frustration. It would be important seeing if there is an exact trigger that evokes the behavior. Have you noticed if it happens upon spotting other people or dogs you dog may want to interact with? Does it happen at the end of the walk? Do you always walk in the same areas? Do you stop sometimes to allow your dog to sniff? Is your dog fairly new to being walked on a leash? I don't think there's an exact section specifically on this, but similar cases have been discussed before in the forums: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?276-Aggressive-When-Cold https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?229-Biting-on-leash It sounds like though the standing still and raising your hands to avoid the biting is working, but since she's in an aroused state, perhaps it takes a bit for her to notice the consequence of her behavior (every time I bite, they stop walking/stand still and all the fun ends, so I must stop biting for the walk to continue). It would be therefore important to verify whether there is an exact trigger so we can prevent these episodes from happening in the first place and prevent rehearsal of the problem behavior.

I am so happy to hear about this update! Sounds like you are doing crate rotations and those are working fine for you management-wise and that your behavior professional is helping a great lot and that you are starting to see progress. This is awesome! And so glad to hear your husband is happy with how things are working out so far! The fact you mention Remie is dreaming now is also a very good sign as that means she's reaching those restorative REM stages. The sighing is also a sign I strive for in anxious dogs as it means they are learning to relax at a deeper level and are releasing stress hormones. Thank you for the update. Keep up the great work! Yay!

Hi there, Welcome to the forums! First of all, thank you for rescuing a shelter dog and for hiring a dog walker to keep him busy during those days you have long shifts! That's very thoughtful and I am sure Ben appreciates that! I have a few questions for you which can help me provide a more detailed answer. 1) When you say he had a 'huge bathroom mess' can you please be more specific? Was it solid, or more on the mushy side? Liquid? Don't worry about giving too much information- this is important information. 2) Are you feeding a different food from the food the shelter was feeding him? What food are you feeding him? 3) When you say the bathroom mess is 'new for him', do you mean that in the whole week you had him he never pooped in the house? 4) Is he showing signs of separation anxiety (e.g pacing when you are about to leave? overly enthusiastic greeting displays when you come back home)? Did the shelter mention the possibility of him having been surrendered due to separation anxiety? 5) On the days you work those longer hours, prior to going to work, are you ensuring he is empty (pees and poops?) Thanks for the additional details!

Using a clicker to train to ring the bell is not a bad choice, it's just that your puppy may not have attained yet enough bladder control to be able to recognize the urge on time enough to go towards the door and think about ringing the bell. Young puppies therefore may be playing in the living room one second and the next thing they know, "nature calls". This means that, the moment puppies realize the need to go, they're often already peeing on the spot. Young puppies are therefore prone to accidents because they don't have enough control. As it happens with children, full control of the bladder and bowels takes some time to develop and each develop at their own pace. When do puppies roughly achieve full control? This tends to vary from one puppy to another based on a variety of factors (breed, size, whether the breeder introduced the puppies to a certain material for elimination, whether a crate or other den-like enclosure is being used, schedule, cleaning products etc.). In general, we expect puppies to attain some level of control when they're about 3-4 months old. By this time, your puppy should show the ability to make an effort to not soil in the house. Full control may only come once the puppy is 5-6 months old, but in some breeds, it may only be attained once the puppy is 8-12 months. Now, your puppy is technically in the right age range to try to make an effort to not soil in the house, but there may be sometimes factors that may interfere with progress. For instance, the door may be too far. Where is your puppy kept during the day, when you are home to supervise? To a small puppy, being in the average living room is like being in a large park so imagine how it must feel for puppies who have the full run of the house! Expecting a young puppy to stop what he's doing to find his way towards a far door in a very large home to communicate a need to potty may be quite a long stretch. Even if the puppy makes an effort towards the door, by the time he gets there and you acknowledge him, he will likely have already soiled. Not to mention the fact that, it may take some time for young puppies to make the association with the door and going potty. Many times, rather than associating the door with going potty, puppies associate the door with exploring and playing in the great outdoors. For sake of comparison, imagine a child facing the gates to Walt Disney World. The child has been to Disney World many times, but what do you think will stick in his mind the most? The fun rides, the cotton candy, meeting his favorite cartoon characters, the music! He likely will therefore care less about using the rest room there, even if at some point he had to go potty! So while it's a good idea to train a puppy to go towards the door and ring a bell, in order for it to work in the way we expect it to work (to communicate a need to potty) we would need to meet 2 important criteria: firstly, the puppy must be able to hold it until getting to the door and thinking about ringing the bell, and secondly, there must be a strong association between the door and going potty (and not mainly going out to have fun in the yard!). So during the day, while inside the home, it would help to do some troubleshooting and finding out why these accidents are happening. Things to evaluate are: -Frequency: how often is the puppy taken out? There are peak times when puppies are more likely to need to go out and those times are after eating or drinking, after waking up from a nap and after playing. Young puppies may need to be taken out every half hour to an hour. -Location: is the puppy kept in an area that is close enough to the door? You may need to create a barrier so that your puppy is kept in an area nearby the door. Wandering in a too large area may impair the potty training process. -Ease of access: can you open the door quickly enough? If safe to do so, keep the door unlocked and the storm door open so that you don't have to go through turning a key or opening a second door that will make you waste precious minutes. -Recognizing the signs: Watch your puppy for the following signs: abrupt changes in activity, behavior, or play, sniffing, circling, whining, returning to a previously soiled area in the house. These signs mean you will have to rush towards the door and open it enticing your puppy to follow you. By the time you see these signs though, it may be too late! -Unobstructed views: do you have a clear view of your puppy at all times? Potty training requires always actively supervising the puppy so to guide him towards the door if you notice any signs. If there is furniture blocking your view, you may miss him going potty only to find messes later. By the way, an ultraviolet black light can come handy as it helps to spot urine in a dark room so that no spots are missed being cleaned up. Those powerful beagle noses know though! -History of punishment: is the puppy corrected when having an accident? Puppies who are punished for going potty in the home (such as saying "bad dog!" putting their noses in their messes, using a rolled newspaper) are likely to hide behind furniture because they are afraid to potty in front of their owners. Now, beagles can be rather "soft" dogs, so even if not punished, making some commotion ( like "oh, no! yikes! noooo!) when they have an accident may cause them to startle and decide to hide to potty from now on. When the puppy has an accident, it is therefore best to just hold any emotional remarks and just clean up taking steps to prevent the accident next time. -Schedule: are you keeping a schedule? If not, this may be helpful. Establish predetermined times when you will take the puppy out (every hour-hour and a half may be needed initially). Adhering to a schedule is extra helpful as it helps the puppy's body adjust to going potty at certain times. If your puppy ever has an accident, mark it down and consider preventing it by taking your puppy out to potty about 15 minutes earlier the next day. It helps to mark down accidents also so that you can measure how things are going. Are the accidents in the home increasing over the days? Decreasing? or staying about the same? -Crating: do you crate your puppy when you cannot actively supervise? Let's face it: it is close to impossible to always monitor the puppy. So after your puppy has gone potty outside and a nap is needed (puppies need frequent naps) take a break and keep him in the crate (if you have worked on creating positive associations with it and your puppy enjoys time in there). The crate in this case helps instill the instinct to "hold it." This instinct is based on the fact that puppies in general are naturally inclined to not want to soil where they sleep. In order to work well for this purpose, the crate should be of the correct size, that is, not too big that the puppy can sleep in it and potty in the opposite side and not that snug that it is difficult for the puppy to stand up, walk around and stretch his legs. Puppies who are crate trained, as they develop, learn more and more to control their urge to potty, going potty only once they are let out. Make sure to open the crate and immediately go out the door with your pup to encourage outside elimination. Note: All puppies will soil in the crate if they are kept there for too long. Also, puppies coming from puppy mills and often sold in pet stores are particularly challenging because of their history of soiling in their cages. -Reinforcement: are you rewarding your puppy for eliminating outside? We want to leave a strong, pleasant impression with eliminating outside. Make sure to stick nearby. Firstly because you want to make sure your puppy goes potty, and secondly, you also want to make the act of going potty very rewarding. Timing is important: right when your puppy is about done going potty, make sure to mark it with a happy "yes!" and then give your puppy a high-value treat. Proximity is important here to get the timing right. Ideally, you should have your puppy on the leash so that you can mark the behavior with "yes" and reward with a treat right away. Once your puppy has gone potty, you can then unleash him and allow him some outdoor time to explore. -Once again, aim to train to go potty on command if you can! One last thing to consider is whether your puppy is peeing from excitement or submissive urination. This is an important differential. In that case, you'll notice the peeing occurring in specific circumstances. You can read more about this form of peeing here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/submissive-urination/ I hope this helps! Your beagle is surely smart for learning to sit, lie down and shake so quickly! It just takes some time for those tiny bladders to develop sufficient control, but with some troubleshooting, we can often expedite things a bit. Let me know if you have more questions or need some clarifications, Happy Training! Adrienne

Hello and welcome to the forums! While bell training can be effective, one important consideration is that it may only start working once puppies are older and have the physiological and cognitive ability to "hold it" for longer and associate going outdoors with going potty. In other words, it works best when puppies are developmentally more mature and have their potty training almost completely pat down with a history of a strict potty training plan in place. When you state that bell training is "more of a game to him" do you mean that he asks to be taken out often but mostly to go play in the yard? Is your puppy crate trained? Where is he kept most of the day? What products do you use to clean indoor messes? Beagles have a rep for not making the easiest dogs to potty train due to their powerful noses, so it's important to use the right products. It is nice to hear that you have an older beagle which may work to your advantage. Often, older dogs can make great teachers in showing youngsters where to go potty. Since your puppy is doing great going potty outside right away, I would suggest taking advantage of that to train him to go potty on command. All you have to do is capture him in the act. You can find out how here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/potty-on-command/

You are very welcome, Keep us posted on how it goes! Happy training!

Hello, Welcome to the forums! How harshly is the older dog correcting the puppy? Does the puppy appear traumatized? Is biting involved or is it mostly a ritualized display that is more loud than harmful? These are all important considerations to keep in mind. From your description, it sounds like your older dog is open to playing and is just telling the puppy he has had enough. So the next question is: does your puppy respect that? What is he doing next? When it comes to the interactions between older dogs and puppies, there are a few things to be aware about. Puppies have boundless energy and they are prone to pestering dogs (and people, if no dogs are available!) in hopes for play. Usually, older dogs tend to put up with some obnoxious puppy behavior, letting some indiscretions slide, but always up to a certain point. A temporary "puppy license" is usually granted for young puppies meaning that older dogs may tolerate some behaviors from puppies that they would normally not tolerate from older pups. These older dogs may therefore close an eye for some puppy face jumping, tail biting, ear biting and climbing, but these puppy licenses in general tend to expire around 4 to 8 months. Of course though, until the day they grow halos on their heads, older dogs can only take so much. It is not unusual for an older dog to therefore lose patience with the persistent pestering that comes from puppies. Usually, these older dogs will use a warning growl or a snarl (showing the pearly whites) to teach the puppy some boundaries. These "leave-me alone" signs are loud but mostly meant to teach the puppy some ABCs of dog behavior. Mother dog may have started teaching these lessons in the litter, and older dogs may continue. This is why as trainers we often suggest that puppy play involves play among puppies, but also interactions with well-adjusted adult dogs who act as teachers and moderators. Should older dogs be allowed to therefore "correct" a puppy? Generally yes, but only if it's appropriate and mostly ritualized behavior. The adult dog just delivers the "lecture" without harming the puppy, and the puppy usually apologizes by stopping and sometimes "squealing"or rolling on his back just to say "I got it, see I am just a puppy and mean no harm!" Problems are often encountered when a puppy keeps pestering an older dog despite the older dog trying to send him away. These cases may need intervention (a time-out like you are doing) so to teach the puppy that messing with someone who doesn't have a lot of tolerance isn't correct. Other problems involve older dogs who have never been exposed to puppies before and dogs who may barely tolerate other dogs and a puppy is just be too much for them. These dogs may hide and try to avoid the puppy as much as they can and they may attack the puppy if the puppy fails to take notice of their warning signs of stress. Some older dogs may just have lower tolerances, they may have been under-socialized, they may be defensive, and some may even be resource guarding (attacking to protect their own food, toys, owners and sleeping spaces). Because it may be challenging at times to tell if the older dog is really engaging in harmless discipline or if there is something more serious going on, the intervention of a behavior specialist may be required. The behavior specialist may carefully observe the interactions between the older dog and the puppy paying particular attention to the body language of the older dog, what "infraction" exactly evokes the corrective behavior, whether the puppy appears emotionally traumatized from the correction, whether the puppy "apologizes" after the infraction displaying appeasement gestures, whether the older dog is accepting of the "apology," whether the puppy learns to be more polite from the older dog, and finally after all these observations, the behavior specialist can deduce whether intervention is necessary or not. Warning signs of trouble may be older dogs who do not accept "apologies," adult dogs who block the puppy preventing him to leave the room or escape, older dogs who manage to physically harm the puppy or grab the puppy by the neck as a toy. If the puppy doesn't bounce back to normal shortly after being "lectured" by the older dog, this may be sign that he is being emotionally impacted and intervention (separation) may be needed. A puppy shouldn't live in fear of another dog sharing the household, especially during such a crucial time as puppy hood. Mild cases may just require close monitoring and allowing the puppy to burn excess energy in other ways before sharing a room with an older dog. After draining excess energy, the puppy may engage in softer play. However, a right balance is needed as cranky puppies who are tired are also prone to misbehaving. Severe cases may require separation and even re-homing if the impact is too much. Unfortunately, not every adult dog can be fond of puppies. I hope this helps! Disclaimer: this answer is not to be used as a substitute for a hands-on behavioral assessment. If your adult dog shows worrisome behaviors towards your puppy, stop the interaction, keep both parties separated and consult with a force-free behavior professional to play it safe.

Hello and welcome to the forums, Yes, I agree it would be important to rule out any pain/joint issues. Also, does she seem to be fine once she is in your SUV or does she panic for all the car ride? Trying to find out if she's just intimidated by climbing in or the whole stimulus package of riding in it and going places. This brings me back to sweet memories of a client of mine who was getting tired of lifting her Lab mix up to get her into her truck and we enlisted Einstein (my Rottweiler) to help out. Have you ever tried using another dog to help her? Many times we underestimate the strong influence other dogs may have on our dogs' behaviors. If she has a favorite play mate who loves going on car rides and gets well along with your dog, it may sometimes help her just watching him/her go in and out of a vehicle to show that there is nothing to fear. Also, it may help to shape jumping up in case this is what she finds more challenging. You can find an article and video on how I did it here, but of course, practice this only if you are sure your dog doesn't have any joint/spinal issues or a conformation that somehow makes it hard for her to jump. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/fear-getting-car/ What really helped this dog for me was to push the back seats back so that she directly jumped on the floor of the vehicle rather than the seat. I don't know if you tried this already, but thought to point it out.

Hi there! Welcome the the forums! Is this a puppy or a young dog? We see this often in puppies who are very mouthy and love to explore the world with their mouths. Many dogs as they mature lose their interest in these things, although they may still seek them out if they don't have enough mental stimulation (brain games) and access to chew toys. As for tips/ideas, here are some that come to mind: One first step if your dog is indiscriminately and constantly on the prowl for ingesting sticks is to mention this to your vet as some dogs who eat odd things almost compulsively may be suffering from pica - an abnormal craving to eat items that are not food that may be caused by nutritional deficiencies, digestive issues and sometimes can be a sign of obsessive compulsive behaviors. Not saying your dog necessarily has this, but thought to point it out just in case. With health issues ruled out just to be safe, two very important life-saving commands you may want to practice, practice and practice and master up to a highly fluent level are the leave it and drop it commands. Start with easy to drop items and then progress to more and more challenging ones. You can find how to train them here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/take-leave-it/ https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/drop-it/ If your dog runs away, this is often a sign that your dog doesn't trust you when he has sticks either because he knows you will try to remove them from him, or he is just acting playful in hopes of you chasing him. If you have been chasing your dog or trying to grab things from his mouth, consider that this is not an optimal solution because it may lead to dogs who become more and more reluctant to relinquish items by playing keep-away, swallowing items before you can get them (very dangerous as these can be toxic things or dogs may ingest large items that may cause blockages), or even resource guarding when push comes to shove. Instead the goal is to have dogs trust us when they are carrying something because they know we often swap it for something that is far better. Is your dog laying down to chew on the sticks and spits parts of them or is he actually ingesting them? This can be dangerous if he ever happens to ingest large pieces or sharp parts. If your are concerned, in the meanwhile as you practice building a strong drop it command, a muzzle when outdoors can be a sensible solution that may come handy, but mostly for management purposes. However, while the muzzle can be a good management tool, it's not a solution. A muzzle (make sure it's the type that allows your dog to pant) should be therefore used as a temporary measure while investing time on perfecting the leave it and drop it commands. So to tackle the issue here are a few tips: 1) Practice leave it/drop it in the home in controlled setting until fluent. For example, you can have him on leash at home initially and create some setups like practice walking him past safe toys he usually sees in the home, saying "leave it" and praising and rewarding him for leaving them. Then progressing to practicing with new safe toys or other safe toys he doesn't see too often. Then practice off leash until obtaining a solid response. 2) Then practice leave it in the yard initially on the leash, then on a long line, and then off leash using toys once again, and then try to practice walking past toys on the ground on a brief walk on leash nearby your home. 3) Next, you can practice some set-ups: try to place some large sticks/rocks (that he can't grab and ingest in a mouthful) in some areas you walk with your dog and make a mental note of where they are. Practice walking past these sticks saying your "leave it" cue. You may have to use very high value treats to help with this distraction if sticks are very valuable to him. Remember that what you offer when trading needs to be higher in value than the item left. 4) As well as with leave it, practice "drops its" first in the home, then in the yard and then on walks using toys. At first, you will show the treat you will trade with, but then at some point early on, you need to say “drop it” without showing him the treat. This is important to avoid falling into the trap of dogs who won't drop until they see what they are offered. Make sure the action of dropping becomes almost reflexive. It's a matter of trust, so practice always with super valuable food/toys to exchange. These are all cold trials to prepare for a possible big day when we might be caught empty-handed. 5) On top of training a strong response to leave its and drops, it may help to offer your dog some mentally stimulating activities upon coming back inside. You can for example do any of these fun activities: Treasure hunt game: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/elementary/the-treasure-hunt/ Muffin game: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/elementary/the-muffin-game/ Bottle game: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/high-school/the-bottle-game/ The goal is that your dog will come to enjoy these activities so much, he won't be thinking much about picking up sticks to bring inside, but instead rushes to the door with his empty mouth ready to play these. 6) Be ready to swap if he still happens to carry a stick/stone. So every time your dog is about to enter the home with something in his mouth, ask him to "drop" mark it with a "yes!" and then reward him with something you have purposely kept near the entryway that will keep him busy for some time (stuffed Kong, safe edible chew, Kong Wobbler filled with a portion of his kibble, a toy that he doesn't have access often). So to recap, with a solid response to leave it, your dog should be prevented from grasping any sticks/stones in the first place, but if he does manage to carry one as he enters the door, you can always ask him to drop it, and swap the dropped stone/stick with a mentally stimulating food puzzle/ safe toy/ edible chew. In the meanwhile we also plan to offer some fun indoor games upon coming back inside in hopes that he forgets all about the sticks/stone in anticipation of playing the games. Hope these ideas help, let me know if you need any further assistance, Best, Adrienne

You are blessed to have such a wonderful group of dogs, with so many different personalities! Of course, pat yourself on your back too for a job well done! Sounds like you have helped these pups flourish and unlock their full potentials. I remember now about your little fellow Ollie, if I recall well he was struggling with doing number two outdoors when it's cold. How is he doing? I hope there's an improvement considering that winter is in full swing! Glad to hear that Mavis loves to play with other dogs! To answer your question, it sure may be worth it training your dog to take a bow (it's a cute trick anyway!), but there may be chances that, once it's learned and on cue, it may not occur spontaneously. In other words, there's no guarantee she may start using it on her own upon playing with other dogs. She might use it only when you say it. You can certainly try to remind her to take a bow before playing with other dogs though, if that's what you are planning. In that case, rather than giving a treat to reinforce the play bow, you can tell her to "go play!" and see if the other dogs are more accepting of what comes next. Here is how to train it: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/train-dog-bow/ On a plus side, something to consider is that there may be chances that your dog displays what I call "micro-play bows." You may not notice these, at a first glance. It takes a really careful eye and considering that your dog is small and so close to the ground this makes it more difficult to notice. Many times, these micro-play bows are noticed by recording the behavior. It may be worth a shot recording one of her play sessions and playing it in very slow motion. You may notice very fast lowering of the body before she starts sprinting or chasing. This micro-play bow is often noticed by the other dogs who interpret it as a meta-signal, an invitation to play and an indication that anything that follows should not be taken seriously. In regards to her fear of objects she's not familiar with, have you ever tried working on creating positive associations using a training method known as "shaping"? For example, with young puppies or fearful dogs, I would introduce an object placed in the middle of the room (like a box or an upside down chair) and then say "yes" followed by a treat for just looking at it, then I would say "yes' followed by a treat for walking towards it, then "yes" followed by a jackpot of treats for physically interacting with it (sniffing it, pawing it). For dogs who are particularly fearful, I would start this "game" first with objects the dog is familiar with, and then gradually progress to larger and stranger objects. This is an excellent confidence builder exercise, as the dog is never forced to interact (the dog goes at her own pace), but learns that investigating things can be quite rewarding. Normally, for shaping I would use a clicker, but if your dog is particular scared of new things/noises, you can just use a verbal marker for now. If you are interested, look up some basics on shaping used for confidence: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/exercises-build-confidence-insecure-dogs/ https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/clicker-training/ Here is a game that's based on shaping: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/university/hot-and-cold/ Happy training!