Adrienne Farricelli

Hello and welcome to the forums, Dogs who resource guard food, toys, people etc. do best with strict management, but if you can afford it, behavior modification with the help of a professional who comes in person to your home may be the next best thing considering that it can be difficult to always strictly adhere to management. Working on fear, anxiety, reactivity and aggression such as fights occurring among dogs sharing the household falls more under behavior modification rather than training. Training involves mostly teaching operant behaviors such as training dogs to sit, down, stay, heel, come etc. These skills can surely come handy in behavior modification when trained very fluently (like calling the dogs to you the moment you notice the first signs of a fight about to erupt), but if we don't change a dog's underlying emotions, it may be difficult grabbing their attention considering that they'll likely be too focused on each other and over threshold to be capable to listen. By presenting stimuli or situations in a less intense form and changing a dog's emotional response (through desensitization and counterconditioning), behavior modification paves the path towards learning so that the dogs can be better able to cognitively function. So let's look at some options: 1) Strict management. In your case, we know that new toys or chew treats are triggers. So management in this would mean a)not giving them any new toys or chew treats or b) giving them in a way that Ernie is prevented from rehearsing the resource guarding/ stealing behavior. This can be accomplished in several ways: For chew treats: -Each dogs is given a new chew treat while they are in their own separate crates placed at a distance from each other. -One dog is given a new chew treat while in the yard, while the other dog enjoys it inside the home (yard door is obviously closed so they can never get in close contact) -One dog is given a new chew treat while the other dog is walked, and then the other dog is walked, and the other enjoys the chew treat. For new toys: -Each dog is given a new toy to enjoy in different areas of the home but with a baby gate between them. Dogs are always supervised to redirect and prevent "discussions." For fighting over you: -Identify triggers. If they fight over your attention, give no attention to each dog in presence of the other. This means no petting, talking to a particular dog, when the dogs are together. Attention can be given when they are separated (and preferably out of sight of each other). Also, another family member can be in the yard playing/petting/giving attention to one dog, while another member gives attention to the other. Although management is ideal because it prevents rehearsal of the troublesome behavior (the more Ernie engages in resource guarding, the more it puts roots and establishes), implementing it can be at times challenging. It is mostly challenging when the exact triggers cannot be predicted (fights occur over things that cannot be easily removed) and because accidents may always happen (a door is kept accidentally ajar, a crate isn't latched, the dog jump over a barrier meant to separate the dogs). The other option is training. When fights are mild, and dog owners can always actively supervise, it is possible to train the dogs to respond to commands. 2) Training. As mentioned, training can work in some cases, but it might not do much in terms of changing emotional responses. In this case, commands that may come handy are the following: -Ernie can be taught to respond to a very fluent "leave it." Both dogs are told to lie down and stay and each dog is given a chew. The moment Ernie is given a toy/chew and Vera has it too, Ernie is repeatedly reminded to "leave it" the moment he attempts to get up and try to steal the chew. Body blocks can sometimes be used to prevent him from moving her way- but not to threaten him, just to block his view of her and encourage him to return to his place. Here is a guide on leave it: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/take-leave-it/ -Ernie and Vera can be taught to enjoy their chews on a mat and they must keep their stay on the mats until they have finished. Caution is needed here though as sometimes dogs may fight over left over crumbs, so if Ernie is done first, encourage him to join you out in the yard, until Vera is done too. Here is a guide on training a dog to stay on a mat: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/train-dog-go-to-mat/ -For toys, things can be a bit more challenging since toys aren't consumed, so they are longer around increasing the risks for fights. Preventing access to new toys may be best or if chew toys are given, dogs can be given toys behind a baby gate or both dogs can be trained to enjoy them once again on a mat and then the toys are swapped by the owner in exchange for a treat, that once again is given on the mat. The toys are therefore put away. -For attention things again can be challenging. Best to avoid situations that may trigger fights and investing some time in behavior modification. Now, training can work in some mild cases, but it can be difficult at times to implement because 1) dogs may be too focused on each other to listen so there are risks for fights to erupt 2) each dog should be trained each command at a very fluent level initially separately, and then should be able to respond despite the distraction of each other and then despite the distraction of having resources, therefore this takes time, 3) dog owners must be adept in recognizing early signs of a fight about to happen so to redirect at a moment's notice (if you are too late, they may be too over threshold to respond) 4) it requires always active supervision 5) no training is always 100 percent, as much as we train dogs, dogs are not robots so it can happen one day that a dog for some reason or another may not follow our directions. Since it takes time to train a dog to leave it and stay on a mat, for safety, it may help to have Ernie initially tethered (attached to something solid) so you have a back up in case he moves in Vera's direction. Vera may need tethered too in case she happens to get up and move towards him, potentially triggering a fight. Careful in tethering to furniture as dogs may easily pull the furniture with them. 3) Behavior modification. This mainly aims in changing the dog's emotional response (going to the root cause) usually through methods based on desensitization and counterconditioning. It should be done with the in-person help of a dog behavior professional using force-free behavior modification for safety and correct implementation considering that behavior modification comes with risks (risks for fights among the dogs, re-directed bites towards the owner). As with training, no guarantees can be offered on the outcome of behavior modification. You can see some examples of behavior modification here: 1) Dogs fighting over owner's attention: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/dogs-fighting-over-owner/ 2) This thread talks about behavior modification for dogs fighting over resources, read it all if possible as it goes in depth on prognostic factors and important considerations: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?249-inter-house-dog-aggression 4) Last but not least, it's a good idea to have a back-up plan if fights should erupt and we need to intervene. A loud noise can help such as using an air horn or clashing two pot lids together. It's a good idea to have these always handy. Some dog owners have success ringing a doorbell. Tossing a blanket on the dogs can confuse them enough to no longer pay attention to each other. Touching the dogs to separate them should be avoided as it can put owners at risk for redirected bites. These bites are generally not intentional but more due to the fact that dogs who are fighting are over reactive. So as seen, there are several options. You may find management to work best considering that these dogs are in your home during working hours and that the same effort needed in training and behavior modification may not be continued to be implemented once in their homes and that dogs may have a hard time generalizing certain behaviors from one location to another. Since Vera is impacted so much at an emotional level, keeping them separated may be the best option if the fights are difficult to prevent. A disclaimer is warranted here since we are dealing with several forms of aggression: caution is always needed when dealing with cases of aggression. Behavior modification comes with risks and therefore it's important to seek out the assistance of a dog behavior professional for safety and correct implementation. Muzzle training may be needed if there are risks for bites and a management plan is advisable while awaiting the aid of professional. I hope this helps. I will be covering the fence-fighting in my next post.

Good to hear she likes targeting! That's a good way to train her to focus on your hands in a more productive way (nose touching rather than nipping). You can do several reps of this game and toss her kibble as a reward to give her a little exercise workout as well. If she's aiming mostly for the legs, it's because they move and she loves to play tug with them. Legs have become her best play buddy, the equivalent of another puppy to play with considering that, at this age, what puppies do is play all day long with other pups. Have you tried walking around with the flirt pole? The secret may be to catch her *before* she has the opportunity to latch onto your clothes. If you catch her once she's latched on, by then, she's likely deep into "croco pup modality," and therefore, too focused on the task making it much more difficult to redirect her. This means, as soon as you notice her coming towards you with the intent to grab your clothes, stop walking in your tracks since movement is what mostly attracts her. So as soon as you notice her intent- before she latches on- you can try to: -Wiggle around your flirt pole. Move it around in unpredictable ways while you add some funny sounds to make it super fun. Let her latch on to it and create gentle resistance, by tugging back when she tugs as that resistance is what keeps her going. Once she's latched, you can try to walk around holding the flirt pole and she'll likely lag behind tugging back at the toy at its end to her heart's content. -Toss a tennis ball the opposite side. Your pup should go catch it, leaving you time to walk around. When she comes back, have another ball ready to toss. Careful if she starts nibbling on tennis balls as many pups love removing the fuzz and ingesting parts. -Play some kibble-tossing games. As soon as she approaches you, toss a piece of kibble the opposite way. Once she comes back, keep tossing her kibble. Turn it into a fun game. With time, she may rush towards you with the intent of playing this game rather than tugging. -Let her target a target stick or a long wooden spoon. Hand targeting works well in training pups to interact with hands in a productive way, especially when sitting. Since when we walk around our hands are too high, an "extension" can come handy. Praise and reward with tossed kibble as soon as she targets the target stick or wooden spoon. -Add obedience exercises into the treat tossing games. This requires you to train her to sit. Once she comes your way, ask her for a sit and then toss the kibble the opposite way to reward her. Here's how to train sit: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/sit/ -If possible, once she sits, you can reward her also with an empty water bottle with no lid. Most puppies cannot resist the crinkling sounds produced by chewing on these. They make an economical. temporary chew toy. Always monitor your puppy when chewing if your puppy tend to ingest things and consider that excess chewing can make some parts sharp. To make the bottle even more interesting, fill it up with a portion of your puppy's daily ratio of kibble so your puppy will keep busy trying to roll the kibble out. You can read more about this fun game here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/high-school/the-bottle-game/ These redirection methods all require that you walk around with something when you are "actively training." When I have pups to train, I like to "wear" my flirt pole around my waist or around my shoulders like a scarf so it's always readily available. Treat bag with kibble just clips to my belt or pocket of my pants. Kibble can be also be kept in a pocket. Several balls can be easily transported in a small bag or pocket. When you are not actively training her to not nip, your pup should be kept busy in other ways, like playing independent brain games at a distance from you, sleeping in her crate, training other skills, exploring the yard, learning brain games, socializing (in a safe way, since she hasn't been fully vaccinated yet), settling on a mat with an interactive toy etc. Other flirt pole ideas: -Reserve games with flirt poles only for training her not to nip you. If you leave her access to it 24/7 she might get bored and pick your legs/clothing over it. -Make playing with the flirt pole extra rewarding. You can even train a "drop it" when playing with it. Simply let her play with it, then stop tugging back with it, say "drop it" and show a treat/kibble protruding from your fingers, as soon as drops the toy at the end, toss the treat/kibble. Then, progress to no longer allowing the treat/kibble to protrude from your hand, say "drop it" and as soon as she drops, toss the treat/kibble. Then further progress to no longer keeping the treat/kibble in your visible hand, ask her to "drop it," and as soon as she drops, get a kibble from your pocket/treat bag and toss it. Other general ideas that come to mind: -Consider that chew toys get sort of boring once puppies see them around most of the time. Rotating them helps keep the interest alive. However, if you need to redirect from nipping consider that regular chew toys may not be equally appealing to legs and loose clothing that moves around and creates resistance (dogs love to tug things that offer resistance!). It may therefore help to redirect to an interactive food puzzle such as Kong Wobbler, Buster Cube or regular Kong filled with a portion of your dog's daily ratio of kibble or the bottle filled with kibble described earlier. -Don't forget to train your pup some bite inhibition. This is a very important skill. A good exercise to train this using treats is here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/train-dog-take-treats-gently/ and here is one using toys: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/bite-inhibition-games/ -If you have the possibility, puppy classes ran by a reputable dog trainer (make sure steps are taken to prevent spread of infectious diseases) can provide pups with an outlet for their excess energy and nipping since they often get to play with other pups. They also further refine bite inhibition by playing with other pups. The main goal in getting a puppy to stop nipping legs is to teach the puppy that it's boring playing with them because there are far better forms of play out there that don't involve legs. So move less and make your toys move more. Wriggle them, toss them, provide toys that release food. With their strong urge to bite and play satiated with other forms of play, soon, puppies should outgrow the habit of chasing legs just as they outgrow the habit of chasing their tails. Finally, since you mention her getting cranky, 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 in her crate/exercise pen. You may need to cover her crate with a blanket and keep quiet if possible (TV or calm music playing can help) to keep her from getting too overstimulated and promote relaxation. Your puppy should find his/her off switch and should soon fall soundly asleep. I hope this helps! These puppy nipping stages sure feel quite long, but fortunately, it reduces over time if we help our pups make good choices and prevent turning nipping us into a strongly addicting game.

Sounds like a good plan! As you wait for it to arrive, make sure to practice targeting and all of the other games suggested in this thread. Keep us posted on how things go and what games your puppy seems more responsive to. Your puppy is very young and at this age all they want to do is play and that involves a lot of mouthing. At 9 weeks, those teeth are super sharp! Some dog owners wear tall boots (like Wellington boots) as many puppies lose interest when biting on tall boots also because when wearing tall boots 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. Make sure to allow her some quiet times to nap as cranky pups get super nippy. Provide her with a quiet area with not much noise, movement going on. A crate covered with a blanket is often needed for young pups who get overstimulated easily.

Hello Pagola1900, Cases as such can be challenging because it is difficult to provide the ideal settings that these dogs need to stay under threshold. You need to pat yourself on the back for all the progress made so far, your dog has surely come a long way! I like to start these dogs indoors by watching other dogs/people as they walk by the window and giving high-value treats to change their emotional response. You want to obtain a conditioned emotional response where your dog anticipates seeing the other dogs/people rather than dreading them. Here is an example of an exercise that can be helpful: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/university/look-at-that/ Then, you would progress to doing the exercise in the yard, and then on walks, preferably in a systematic way with a helper with a calm dog so that you can control the environment better and lower his anxiety. Walking gear is important too to help with your confidence in walking him if you feel a loss of control. My favorite walking gear is a no-pull harness with the leash that attaches to a front ring. There are several makes of models of these harnesses and examples include the Walk Your Dog with Love harness, the Positively No-Pull Harness and the Sensible harness. Since he doesn't hear you when he's over threshold, it's important to work with him under threshold (keep distance from triggers as much as possible) and prevent rehearsal of the lunging and growling behaviors. Here's a guide on thresholds: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/ Since he is struggling in thinking clearly, don't ask him to do anything special for now. Just feed high-value treats when he notices a person or dog at a distance. We want counterconditioning and desensitization to take full effect: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/desensitization/ https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/counterconditioning/ When he no longer sees dogs or people around, no more treats are fed. Open bar/ closed bar. Treats are contingent upon the sight of people and dogs. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/open-bar-closed-bar/ What to do if a dog or person is coming your way, but these triggers are too close for comfort and you are afraid they'll send your dog over threshold? The Emergency u-turn may help: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/emergency-u-turn/ It may also help to use objects around as visual barriers such as such as cars, bushes, trees, benches and dumpsters. Choose routes that have an abundance of them. Walk your dog around these to put distance and block some view of his triggers. Only once he is calmer and able to cognitively function, we can start asking for behaviors, for example, every time he sees a person or dog we can ask him to do several steps of attention heeling, making eye contact with us. Practice first in the home, then yard and then on walks and then around distractions on walks: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/heeling-attention-heeling/ For separation anxiety, please read up this recent thread: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?281-Separation-anxiety And brain games and clicker training works well for dogs who need to have their confidence boosted, here are more ideas: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/exercises-build-confidence-insecure-dogs/ Please let me know if you need any further elucidations on this. Behavior modification requires a gradual step-by-step approach making sure the dog doesn't rehearse the problematic behavior and keeping the dog as under threshold as possible. This requires close monitoring of body language. The most common cause for setbacks is progressing too fast and too intense exposure. The intervention of a behavior professional may be important for safety and correct behavior modification implementation.

*Thanks Jennifer for providing the link!* Hello, and welcome to the forums! I am glad to hear your dog is doing super, you have to pat yourself on the back for that as it's not easy to take care of rescued dogs as they often have some "baggage." You are right, I never heard of that breed, and when Google doesn't show any info either, we know that it must be truly very rare! Here are some more tips/ideas, based on your specific issues (stealing from counter tops). -First a word of caution. Please note that I am not saying you are doing this, but it's always worth mentioning also considering that other members reading may face the same problem and perhaps have tried some not-so-dog-friendly methods which are still very popular. So here it goes: avoid as much as possible getting upset. I know, it is easy to get angry when a dog steals food and it may be tempting to pry a dog's mouth open to release the stolen food-but refrain from doing that. This only teaches your dog to fear you and associate you with the loss of a high-value resource. It also encourages sneaky behaviors such as eating things she shouldn't have out of your sight. With time, your dog may no longer trust you around food (or any other high-value items) so he may start running away, hiding when eating, gulping things down very fast (possibly without even chewing, which may cause intestinal blockages) or at some point even engaging in defensive, resource-guarding behaviors culminating in aggression. -Skip booby traps. The old advice of putting a string of cans on the edge of the counter in hopes of the dog making them fall and getting started, is the best recipe for fearful reactions and even noise-phobias in dogs. -Keep the counter clear of food. This means no more food left near the edge (that's just like dangling candy in front of a child's face), just push it out of the way, or even better, keep no food at all there so that your dog's almighty nose won't feel tempted. -Erect a baby gate/exercise pen. It is not easy to keep counters always free of food. In my experience, many dog owners often start off with a strong intent, and then, as time goes by, they start slacking off and that is when "stealing" opportunities arise. By erecting a baby gate, Rover doesn't get to visit the kitchen with all its wafting smells and temptations: out of sight, out of mind! -Train your dog the leave it and drop it command. This can prove to be even life-saving if your dog is about to grab or has already grabbed a potentially toxic food (baker's chocolate, sweets made of xylitol). Make sure to practice this even when you are at a distance from tempting items (practice even with you out of sight!-(it may help to have a mirror or remote monitoring at first so to keep an eye on him even when you leave the kitchen area) and always reinforce by giving your dog something much higher in value (from your dog's perspective, not yours!) than the item left/dropped. You can find how to train this here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/take-leave-it/ https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/drop-it/ -Train an alternate behavior. We often tell dogs what not to do and invest very little time in telling them what to do. Since, most likely, your dog counter surfs when you are busy preparing your meals, why not teach your dog to lie on a mat and turn that into his favorite surface to receive goodies? This way, your dog will eagerly go there when you're cooking and you have established a desirable routine. Praise and reward your dog with treats (or safe people foods) given at various intervals so that your dog holds his stay there. This can help remove his focus from the height of the counter and rather keep it on the floor. Here is a video on how to train this: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/train-dog-go-to-mat/ With no more food left around the counter when you are not around, a fluent response to the "leave it" and "drop it cues," and food being fed only contingent upon your dog lying on the mat, with time, you should see a reduction in your dog's counter surfing behaviors. I hope this helps, Best, Adrienne

Hello, and welcome to the forums! The brain exercises in the brain training course per se aren't exactly made for stopping a puppy or dog from nipping, they are meant to provide puppies and dogs with more mental stimulation and training so that their minds are better exercised and so that they are provided with outlets for natural, instinctive behaviors. Brain games are though a great addendum to a training and behavior modification program. If your dog is a puppy and learning the ropes of bite inhibition, please take a look at these exercises: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/bite-inhibition-games/ And also read through the threads Jennifer suggested which offer a variety of methods to tackle puppy biting. Here is another one: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?215-Puppy-Bite-Inhibition Please note that puppy nipping isn't something that can be completely stopped in as little as 3 days. It requires time, consistency and redirection. We aim to have it solved to a great extent by the time the puppy is five months considering that those jaws get more and more strength by this time and doggy adolescence is right around the corner. In the meanwhile, it helps to find a way to redirect (flirt pole, ball tossed the opposite direction, kibble tossed one by one and brain games to encourage independent play). If your dog is an adult, or if the biting happens at specific times, please provide more details. For a more accurate answer, I would need to know your dog's breed, age, when the biting seems to happen the most, what has been tried so far, what you do when she bites. Don't worry to post long: the more detail the better!

Hi there, I am back, as I await further details, I am going to answer this based on both scenarios, (when you are wearing the treat bag/leaving it around the home). What you are likely witnessing is what is called a "behavior chain." Behavior chains can be an advantage, such as when a dog learns to do several desired behaviors in a row like grabbing a ball, bringing it to the owner and dropping it at the owner's feet. Problems start though when undesirable behaviors get mixed in. Basically, she thinks that nose touching (targeting) your treat bag is part of the exercise. There are many types of behavior chains that may occur inadvertently in dog training. Not all dogs elaborate training to the extent of forming such chains, but they do occasionally pop up. Here are just some examples of behavior chains: -A dog who jumps is taught to sit and is rewarded for sitting. The dog then learns to purposely jump on people and then sit in expectation of a treat. -A dog who pulls on the leash is rewarded for heeling next to the owner. The dog then learns to purposely pull on the leash and then heel for a treat, in a yo-yo-like fashion. The above behaviors share a common pattern: undesirable behavior-desirable one-reward. So how do we deal with behavior chains? If you provide reinforcement, that will maintain and strengthen the chain, making it more and more likely to happen, potentially turning into a bad habit, but at the same time, you are correct in thinking that giving no treat when saying "leave it" may weaken the behavior. There are several approaches that can be tried, but the most effective in my opinion is prevention. Here are some ideas that come to mind: -It's very important that she never gets to eat any treats from the treat bag when she noses at it. So if you leave the treat bag around the home, please avoid doing that. Below are tips based on the assumption that she noses at the treat bag when you are wearing it. -Now, a phenomenon to be aware of in behavior chains is that cues that predict a behavior that generates some form of reward (attention, food, toys), become reinforcing on their own. So in this case, the cue "leave it" may be reinforcing on its own. It may therefore help to omit the verbal cue "leave it" altogether and instead just turn around and leave the room for a brief timeout every time she tries to nose at the treat bag. You can even add a verbal marker "oops!" when she does that to tell her you are about to leave. Rep after rep she should learn that her pushy behavior no longer gains reinforcement without the risk of you "burning your cue" due to not giving any treats. -Add more behaviors. In this case, after the undesirable behavior occurs (nose touching the treat bag), the dog is asked several more behaviors (at least three) in hopes that the dog sort of "disassociates" the undesirable behavior from the reward. So in this case upon her nosing the bag, ask her to leave it, then sit, and then stay before she is rewarded. However,, this might not always work as hoped considering how cues potentially become reinforcing on their own in behavior chains. -Add a delay. In this case a delay is added in between the undesirable behavior and delivery of reinforcement in hopes of extending the chain and confusing the dog a bit considering that reinforcement is suggested to be delivered within 0.5 seconds of the desired behavior occurring for dogs to learn fastest. So after she noses, and you say leave it, you can try having her heel next to you with a treat at eye level counting for a few seconds first, and then gradually increasing up to five seconds. -Prevention: This is the most recommended strategy and perhaps the most effective considering that it prevents setting the dog for failure. This strategy aims to go a step ahead of the first chain, preventing the inappropriate behavior from occurring in the first place. So in this case, as soon as you wear the treat bag and you see her approaching you to nose your bag, ask her to target her hand. Reward hand targets often so that this behavior establishes more. When she noses it, you can always turn around and leave the room for a brief time-out. -You can remove the treat bag altogether and place treats in your pocket or in your closed fist held in your pocket. - You can do "distance rewarding" so you have no need for treat bag. In other words, you keep treats on a high shelf out of reach. Once your dog performs the behavior correctly, you give your verbal marker "yes" and then rush with your dog together to give the treat. The "yes' will act as a "bridge" so that your dog will know she performed the behavior correctly and that a treat is on its way. I hope this helps! Let me know how it goes. Best, Adrienne

Hello and welcome to the forums! It sounds like your dog is doing well sitting and holding the stay when people, dogs and golf carts are at a distance, but is struggling with these distractions when coming too close. Most likely, what is happening is that he isn't read yet for this level of distractions. When we train a sit/stay, it takes a certain level of proficiency to hold that stay despite challenges such as distance, distractions and duration. When all these stimuli (dogs, people, golf carts) are too close, these put your dog over threshold, which means he is too overwhelmed to being capable to cognitively function (think clearly). Here is a read on dog thresholds: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/ Often, we see such eagerness to greet in young dogs who haven't attained yet much impulse control and perhaps dogs who don't see much people on a regular basis (suburban dog syndrome). I have see improvements in such dogs, after taking them to trips to the city. Also, something to consider is that sit/stay might not work too well for dogs who are slightly anxious. What happens is that these dogs struggle holding their stay because they're not too comfortable holding still in presence of certain stimuli. They might feel "trapped" (especially with the golf carts which many dogs find a tad bit intimidating). These dogs may want to sniff and investigate people, dogs and golf carts as this reassures them so they can then go on with their lives. However, we may not want to encourage meeting and greeting everybody on walks as this will reinforce the pulling. You may have more success doing some attention heeling exercises rather than sit/stays as this gives your dog the opportunity to move slightly away rather than staying still. Use high-value treats to help your dog make good choices. Enrolling the help of some volunteers may help for creating setups. More tips on overenthusiastic dogs can be found here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/approaching-people/ Since your dog makes choking sounds, it may help to invest in a front-attachment harness (leash attaches to front ring in the middle of dog's chest area). Let me know if you need any further assistance! Best, Adrienne

It surely would be interesting seeing what happens if you take Abbi out after your other two dogs are out and about and busy. But then again, they might just go straight to greet her perhaps if they haven't found anything else that's more interesting to investigate/engage in but maybe they won't be too over enthusiastic. Happy turkey day to you as well!

Hello, and welcome to the forums, Is she putting her nose in the treat bag when you are wearing it or when you are leaving it around the home? Is she eating any treats when she puts her nose in it or does she stop the moment you say "leave it?" Thanks for these additional details.

Hi Jennifer, You canine crew is so full or personality! I love reading your stories about their interactions, they are always so rich of details! Poor Abbi though, it must feel challenging at times to share the home with two younger dogs full of energy. As to why Momo and Gertrude act this, way, until that day dogs can talk, we can't really never know exactly may be going on in their minds, but we can sometimes make some assumptions. Sounds like Momo may have trained Gertude to join in the fun in harassing Abbi! Interestingly, when we ask our dogs to hold a stay and then release them, what dogs do next, is usually what they find the most interesting and rewarding thing to do. Here's the thing: I think dogs love to be free to move about and just do as they please, so holding a stay takes a good level of impulse control. While they are holding the stay, and exercising great restraint, in the meanwhile, I think they are focusing on what they can do right next once they are released. Often times, dogs celebrate their re-newed freedom by enthusiastically romping around and I think this is what his happening with your dogs. On top of having a little "party" they are likely heading to where Abbi is because while holding the stay, they are likely dying to know what she may have found. Many times, when dogs see another dog sniff around, they want to be informed all about it. Since Abbi is the oldest and even a bit frail, there may also be a little competition going on sort of like "let's see what she found and see if there's anything good there we can steal from her" and that may lead to them pushing her out of the way and inspect that area. Just like when having toys, dogs want to have what the other dog has, so they may just want to "own" a little bit of her space and check it out for themselves. Once they get the idea, then they leave her alone and go on with their own business. Of course, this is just an assumption. Other ideas that come to mind is that since they are separated for a little bit, their strongest desire is to check her out again and gain some info about what she may have done. I once did a little experiment and separated Petra and Kaiser for a little bit when training, and the first thing they did once re-united, was to sniff each others' mouths as if investigated whether they were were fed treats and maybe even what type they were. There was a study done about this and it revealed that, when dogs touch noses, they are not just saying 'hello' but are actually investigating each other about their recent meals. 'Have you found any goodies around?" They likely deduce a whole lot from just a little whiff of their breath. So what can be done? I am thinking of various options to trigger a "detour": -You can try to pique their interest into something else. For example, let's say Abbi is out and they are holding their stay, you can start doing something that might be more interesting. With many dogs, I have found that just pretending to dig with my feet evokes their interest and engages them into starting digging too. If you have an area where they are allowed to dig, you can try this method by shuffling your feet around, making it sound and look like fun, and releasing them in hopes they'll come join you. You can even set this up as a routine, release them and say in a fun tone of voice: "let's dig!" This may give them a bout of zoomies, hopefully without involving Abbi. -You can try to make sudden movements to grab their attention (not too evident as to not break their stay) and then release them and start running around. (Word of caution- I am not sure if your dogs ever got into fights from being in a too excited state, so avoid this if they are the types to redirect on each other when hyped up.) -You can do a stay followed by a group recall so that they come towards you, but you might want to skip reinforcement with toys/treats to prevent fights between your dogs since Momo has a tendency to resource guard, just verbal praise and perhaps a game of them chasing you (again if they don't get too revved up which may revert into a fight) However, the drawback of this is that Abbi may want to join in the fun too if she's isn't too achy. -You can place something in the yard that may make them curious and warrant investigation. Like a colorful opened umbrella placed on the ground or a flag, but this would require you to get inventive and always place something new or different. -And then, just like you pointed out, you can just manage the situation and just take them out separately-which is likely the easiest option.

Hi there, Welcome to forums, Potty issues can be very frustrating to deal with. There can be a variety of causes for a dog of her age to not be yet potty trained. Is your female dog spayed? What have you been doing so far when you witness her having an accident? Is she crate trained? Does she ever show any anxious/stressed behaviors? Is she scared of anything in the yard? Do you have an invisible fence? Any big changes in her life after that month she was doing well being house-trained? Does she pee/poop out of your sight? Like under furniture, behind couches? Is there a certain pattern as to when her accidents happen? When you are outside? When you pet her? When she sees other dogs walk by the window? When she greets you? When she's left alone at home? Answers to these questions should help narrow down a few possibilities. I know you mentioned having her see the vet, but perhaps she may need some more testing just to be on the safe side and rule medical causes out. Like has the vet ever done an ultrasound of the lower urinary tract to rule out stones? Has she been screened her for intestinal parasites? Checked her for any pain in the joints/back? She is very young for back/pain joint/pain but always best to rule everything out considering that it sounds like she was doing pretty well for almost a full month. If nothing is medically going on, the other possible differentials leave us with some forms of possible anxiety peeing, excitement/submissive urination or just incomplete potty training, each of which may need a slightly different approach. I will be glad to cover more in depth these possibilities based on your additional info provided. Thanks, Adrienne

Hello, Welcome to the forums! At 7 months, we expect a dog to have developed enough bladder and bowel control to be capable of holding it. We need to do a little troubleshooting here therefore to better understand what may be going on. Just a few questions: 1) Is he neutered? 2) Is he peeing or pooping in the house? or both? How many accidents a day? 3) If he poops, are the stools nice and solid? Sorry, but this detail helps a lot! 4) Does he pee/poop shortly after being outside? What does he do once outside? 5) Does he get easily stressed? Is he ever scared of things in the yard? 6) Have you noticed if he pees at certain specific times (like when he sees you? when you pet him? when you give him attention? when you use a certain tone of voice?) Any additional details are certainly helpful for some troubleshooting, Thanks, Adrienne

You are very welcome! Your canine crew is adorable and your dogs are very fortunate to live in such a lovely place, there seems to be lots of space to romp around! If you need any help, this is the place to post. Best, Adrienne

Now with Remie, fights seem to occur quite unpredictably, leaving little space for prevention and knowing when, where and what to work on. It's not like the fights occur always in one spot and when the dogs are being fed or when the owner is preparing food. Rather, we have a history of Remie attacking Hannah over her regurgitating food (which we can never predict when it will happen), over bugs (which can enter the home at any time) and over smells (how can we know when Hannah will smell like something that excites Remie?). So we have little control over these things which can happen at any time, unpredictably. We also have the fact that Hannah, as a mellow retriever, has a rather "soft" temperament and seems to have a hard time bouncing back from an attack, causing her to be emotionally scarred. And then we must consider that these fights seem to be occurring with a certain frequency (four in one day lately). So we are left with a difficult situation and I think that may be what your trainer must have felt. Short of separating them and/or keeping Remie muzzled when together, there is possibly not much to do to prevent these attacks-but then, there is sometimes a shimmer of hope at times when muzzles are used astutely and dogs are supervised. If you decide to pursue muzzling, consider these general guides. First off, it's important to emphasize the importance of creating a very strong conditioned emotional response to wearing the muzzle. This means lots of pairings with treats/play when using the muzzle and gradually increasing time. If we leave a dog muzzled for too long without the dog being conditioned enough to it, this may increase stress, and we know that stress increases reactivity. You may have to keep your dog separated from your other dog until she can wear the muzzle comfortably. Next, something to consider is that it's important to ensure a proper fit (your trainer should be able to help with this) and the right type of muzzle. Some aren't crafted to be worn for extended periods of time. In general, you need a muzzle that allows your dog to breathe, eat, drink and pant. Panting is very important, consider that if your dog cannot open her mouth all the way (which can happen with a muzzle that is too small) she can overheat quite easily when it's hot or your dog is stressed or exercising. You also need a muzzle that your dog cannot get off. Important too is to recognize the fact that muzzles prevent dogs from biting, which is every dog owner's worst nightmare, but they are ultimately just a management tool that won't do anything to change the underlying emotional state of the dog. For sake of comparison, using muzzles is sort of putting a band-aid on an infected wound. This means, one shouldn't just relax and just let a dog be just because she's wearing a muzzle. Your dog can still hurt your other dog, your dog can still rehearse the problem behavior and your attacked dog can still suffer emotional repercussions, even if your dog is prevented from biting. I like to treat muzzled dogs as if they weren't. It's therefore important to still actively work to redirect, train and ultimately aim to changing the behavior along with its emotional response- if this is feasible considering that, in some cases complete rehabilitation might not be possible (with some dogs, you just can't train this out of them). Without intervention, the aggression is likely to only worsen overtime. As the dog rehearses the attacking, at a chemical level, rehearsal may bias the synapses, allowing it to occur quicker and earlier each time. Sure, considering the possibility that it may happen that complete rehabilitation might not be possible, you want to at least give it a shot, so once again enlisting the help of a dog trainer/behavior professional is important to see if you can work towards not needing a muzzle in the long run/separation in the first place- once again, if this is an option. However, on the plus side, when your dog wears a muzzle, you might feel more at ease and comfortable, which your dog may sense and help her feel more comfortable too. You may feel more motivated to train her to respond to obedience cues in presence of your other dog, rather than being paralyzed from fear of an attack that may possibly lead to a bite. You may learn to recognize signs of tension and redirect as needed before she goes into a full mode attack. One of my favorite ways to redirect at the first sign of tension is training both dogs to respond to a strong cue the moment a minimal sign of tension is noticed so to redirect them to something else. The cue is usually "cookie time!" where we rush to kitchen and both dogs are given a cookie (Beta gets cookie first, followed by Alpha), but in your case since your dog resource guards, it may be "yard time" or "let's go out!" as you rush all together in the yard or engage in some other activity that you know doesn't cause conflict. Alternatively, you could train Remie to respond strongly to a cue such "leave it" or "lie on the mat" where each dog goes to their own mats placed at a distance. Now to answer your question about muzzling her up all day, this is not easy to answer as there are lots of variables and factors. Muzzles are still a bit taboo, but more and more dog owners are embracing their use to increase quality of life when dogs suffer from being separated and doing crate rotates. Sure, lots of dogs are muzzled even when they do not have a bite history. I always muzzled all dogs I had at the vet for safety and many muzzle their dogs to prevent them from eating things in the yard or licking their wounds. It all boils down to how comfortable she is wearing it (it's just an accessory after all once conditioned to wear it, just as calming shirts, Elizabethan collars etc)) and how much you can supervise to ensure she doesn't rehearse the problem behavior. It is always possible to not make it an all-day ordeal if you give give breaks such as when not muzzled and kept away from your other dog, so she can be in the yard with you, spending one-on-one time with you training in another room, enjoying some chill time in a secure crate with a Kong, napping in a play pen, in the yard without your other dog, or on a walk (let me know more about her problems with the leash and we can do some troubleshooting). It helps to have secure baby gates/extended x-pens as gates so no dog ever feels left alone/separated from the rest of the family. It may be wise to engage her in pleasant activities when muzzled too so to make sure it doesn't predict something along the lines of "every time I am around Hannah, I am muzzled, so Hannah brings bad things along" considering how dogs are masters of associations. So these are just a few ideas that you may want to discuss with your behavior professional. I also want to share with you a Facebook group that you may be interested in joining that is known as Muzzle Up, Pup! - The Pro-Muzzle Community. Here you will find a supportive community of dog owners keeping their dogs muzzled, and some of them even for longer periods of times. Also, look up the "Muzzle up Project" website. These may help you make an informed decision, weighing in the prons and cons, but I still feel you would do best with a behavior professional helping you out to determine what options if any you have with her behavior. Disclaimer: behavior modification comes with risks. If your dog is aggressive, please use caution and consult with a dog behavior professional for in-person coaching, safety and correct implementation.

Thank you for the additional details, they are very helpful! I agree with Jennifer, that Remie has come a long way. She is doing much better in several aspects and you need to pat yourself on the back for helping her out. You listed a whole lot of improvements she has made and with her history that's a huge undertaking! I think the fact that this dog trainer/behavior consultant is suggesting a muzzle is mostly for management purposes and safety. Here's the thing: when dealing with issues such as resource guarding, behavior modification can be instituted, *but* the "prognosis" tends to vary based on several factors. These factors can have an ameliorating or aggravating effect on the prognosis. Examples of factors that ameliorate a prognosis are: the engaging in ritualistic aggression (all that noise made when dogs fight without an actual real bite occurring- basically dogs using their words), good level of bite inhibition (if the dog happens to bite, no serious bite wounds occur), early intervention (the earlier help is sought, the better), the predictability of the attacks and the attacks not occurring too frequently, a strong history of training, and the attacks not having much of an impact on the attacked dog (the other dog just shrugs it off without living in fear) just to name a few. These positive prognostic factors don't rely solely on the dog, but on the owner as well, so we have to consider in the likelihood of success such as owner motivation, time and commitment to follow through, owner's compliance and ability to follow instructions, a supportive environment (where all the family is committed to collaborate). As aggravating prognostic factors on the dog we have: a dog who skips ritualistic aggression and goes straight to attacking/biting (no growls, posturing, snarls), the dog bites on a higher level of the bite scale, a longer history of rehearsal of the problem behavior, attacks occurring frequently and unpredictably and negatively impacting the other dog. Of course, some of these factors have more or less weight on the prognosis. With Remie, I think one of the biggest positive factors we have is the fact that, as you mentioned, it sounds like she never got to injure Hannah, but there are several other factors that make working on this quite a challenge. The biggest I would say is the fact of the unpredictable nature of her attacking. OK, we know that she attacks when there is some resource around, but it's not cut and dried enough that it can be worked on in a systematic way behavior modification requires in order to succeed. For example, if I was working on a dog who was seriously resource guarding in a specific area, I would have the dog muzzled for safety for the exercises and I would work on using desensitization and counterconditioning. So let's say Dog Alpha (the resource guarder) attacks dog Beta when Beta comes in the kitchen and there is food. Alpha attacks Beta because she feels Beta is a threat who will steal her perceived belongings. Beta may have never really tried to steal food intentionally, but if Alpha notices her looking in her direction or any sign of interest in food or in the kitchen area, she reacts defensively. The exercises for working on this issue, might look like something like this (this is just an example): Dog Alpha is in the kitchen held by a handler on leash and another handler has dog Beta on leash as well. At first, dog Beta is walked at a distance where dog Alpha is under threshold (she sees Beta but Beta is at a distance where she doesn't feel threatened so she's rather chill). Every time dog Beta walks by, dog Alpha is fed treats. When dog Beta is no longer in view, food delivery to Alpha completely stops. Gradually and systematically, the distance is reduced. If Alpha at any time reacts, showing signs of tension, we know that she wasn't ready for that level of closeness yet, so distance is momentarily increased again, until distance can be gradually reduced again. At some point, Alpha starts learning that food is contingent upon Beta's approach, so her emotions start changing. Since every time Beta is around she gets tasty treats, rather than dreading her presence, she starts anticipating it. At some point, you notice a change in her body language, her eyes are softer, her muscles relax and you even may notice a tail wag--you are witnessing what's known as a positive conditioned emotional response. At some point, when the dogs are nearby each other, we can start feeding Beta a treat first, and right after one to Alpha. This helps Alpha look forward to Beta being fed because Alpha knows she will get a treat right after. If further progress is made, we may even get to the point of both dogs being off leash, Alpha being in the kitchen and anxiously waiting for Beta to arrive to join her in the kitchen to being given treats. With the owner doing several rehearsals of this, the kitchen fights are likely to reduce dramatically...yet, the innate tendency to resource guard might never be cured completely... so close supervision is always needed and maintenance exercises are need. Post continuing below...

Providing chew toys is the way to go with a puppy of this age. Make sure they are suitable for puppies (read the labels) as some may be too hard for young pups. Rotate the toys to keep the interest alive. At the same time, make sure that you don't leave out tempting non-legit things to chew (like shoes, slippers, rugs, wires) so that your pup can make good choices. Of course, there will always be items you cannot keep out of reach, such as the legs of tables, couches, baseboards and drywall. Since you just got your pup, for the time being, yes, you can redirect her to chew toys as soon as you catch her chewing, but even better, catch her right before she chews, the moment you notice her intent. You can do this by wiggling a chew toy as movement attracts puppies or bouncing a ball. As soon as she moves in the direction of the toy (making a good choice) mark it with a yes! and let her have the toy. Then, you can aim to train her the "leave it" cue as outlined here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/take-leave-it/ So for chewing, once she understands the meaning of "leave it" you can then just say "leave it" as soon as you notice her intent to chew, and as she successfully leaves it, mark it with a "yes" (or click your clicker after conditioning her to it) and reward her with treats/toys as you praise lavishly. Now, this often works when we are around. When we cannot actively supervise and must leave the room, it is best if the dog is taken along with us, crated or placed in playpen/ safe area with a baby gate and nothing around that she shouldn't chew. If we don't, the pup will likely be set up for fail and may chew inappropriate items or even manage to grab items they shouldn't have (what we consider stealing). Rep after rep these dogs may learn that, when their owners are away, they get to enjoy mouthing and chewing non-legit items uninterrupted. Here is a thread on stealing and how to prevent that: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?43-Thieving-Pooch&highlight=stealing Hope this helps! Let me know if you need any further assistance.

Hello Susan, Welcome to the forums, Harmonie Moonstone is adorable and I love her name! I have worked with some Prys (and Maremma sheepdogs when training in Italy) in the past and can tell you that they do have some traits that are quite unique. In order to better understand why they behave the ways they do, it helps to look at their fascinating histories. As you may already know, Pyr were selectively bred to protect flocks of sheep from predators and strangers in the Pyrenees Mountains between France and Spain. From livestock guardians owned by peasants, Pyr were later utilized by the French nobility to guard their estates. Their bulky presence and instinctive guarding instincts made them excel in this task; indeed, according to the Great Pyrenees rescue of Chicago, "Great Pyrenees are a guard dog by instinct, not by training! " With a history of being selectively bred to guard flocks of sheep and goats and working on their own with little to no human guidance in the middle of isolated mountain valleys, it's natural for this breed to have an independent streak, which can add a few challenges to training. Yet, this doesn't mean they are difficult or impossible to train. They just need to know what's in for them. By starting early and making the training enjoyable and fun, you are at an advantage. Here are some tips that come to mind: -Bulky as they are, Pry must learn not to jump on people and this is bet taught from an early age. You can find a guide on jumping here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/behavior-training/jumping/ and here https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/case-studies/02-maggie-assessing-jumping-behavior-desensitization/ -Consider that Pry are rather lethargic dogs, and as such, execute commands very sloooowly. Be patient. (This may be more likely seen later on once the puppy matures) -Use lots of praise and invest in high-value treats. Try experimenting with several treats and look for what seems to work best in keeping your Pyr motivated. -Motivation, motivation and motivation is what you need to help your Pyr succeed. Don't be shy in giving loads of praise and using high-value treats. -Keep sessions short and sweet. And always end them on a positive note. -Don't bore your Pry with tediously long training sessions and repetitive commands (cues). Ask for different cues and add treat variety into the mix so to keep him on his toes -Generally, the down and come cues are often the most difficult cues for this dog to grasp, but most learn these after some practice. -Generally, the sit-stay and down-stay instead are the easiest commands to train as these dogs are naturally calm. -This is a breed who should always be on leash due to its tendency for wandering. A Pry that doesn't come when called is not being spiteful or stubborn; rather, from his perspective he has more important stuff to do. -Train your Pry to sit nicely in front of the door before you open it. These dogs have a tendency to push through doors and rush out if not trained otherwise. You can start this once your pup is a little older and has mastered a solid sit/stay: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/college/open-sesame/ -Socialization is a must so the Pry can learn how to behave around strangers. Without careful socialization, the Pry may become suspicious of everyone. During this time, it's very important to get the puppy accustomed to many different people so as she grows she won't feel the need for making her own decisions about who is friend and foe. Without careful early socialization, a Pyr may become suspicious of everyone. Ongoing socialization though should still be implemented throughout the dog's life. Your puppy is at the peak stage pf socialization: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/socializing-your-puppy/ -Barking in these dogs is instinctive and natural; they were selectively bred to bark to send predators and intruders away from the livestock. A well-socialized Pyr will be less likely to unnecessarily bark towards stimuli that he recognizes don't pose a threat. As she gets older, and more serious in her guardian duties, she may benefit from this game if you don't want her to excessively bark at every trigger: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/university/look-at-that/ -Many Pyr are active at night because that's when most predators tend to be around. Nocturnal hypervigilance towards noises may turn into relentless barking. Bringing a Pyr indoors at night is a good option as inside noises are buffered. -As with other working dogs, Pyrenees need exercise and mental stimulation to keep their bodies in shape and minds stimulated. Fail to do so, and they'll find their own forms of entertainment and they won't be pretty. "An idle brain is the devil's workshop" goes the saying and this applies to bored dogs. If left to their own devices, you'll likely see chewing, digging and barking. Daily walks, interactive toys, foraging opportunities, training sessions, play sessions and durable chews will help keep the mind occupied. -Same-sex aggression is not uncommon in this breed and some Prys will also attack animals who try to trespass their perceived territory. This is something that may pop up once maturing. -Consider that Pry may be prone to escaping their yards. A secure fence and supervision is a good idea. Below are pics of a Pry I once had over for board and training, she was a bit slow initially in executing obedience exercises and sometimes she would take off and go by the door because she felt she had "more important things to do" rather than training. She also had very little motivation in coming when called. With the right treats and time, she started getting better and better. It was surely interesting working on a strong recall with her and another hound mix (another breed known for being a challenge to come when called), but after several trials I finally got the enthusiastic response I hoped for. I started also using the "life reward" of letting her out as a reward for executing some obedience exercises since at times going out seemed what she liked to do the most. Once out, she was on a mission "to patrol " the yard. I will address your other questions in the next post.

Hello Hridrika, I was thinking of you these days and wondering how things were going. Glad to hear you have enlisted the help of a behaviorist, hopefully you found one using force-free behavior modification. I was hoping she would come to your home rather than doing class with her, but sometimes they'll initially do an assessment/consultation out of the dog's home and then progress to the home or some just work from their clinics, so there's no rules set in stone. So sorry to hear Remie attacked four times. I am imagining she attacked your other dog Hannah? How is she doing with your husband? Any improvements with that? If ever thoughts of having her put down pop up, please consider that, dogs who are aggressive towards other dogs, are not vicious by nature, they often thrive in a home where they are "the only dogs." Sometimes, they may even do well with other dogs (like some female dogs do well with only males), so we can't rule that possibility entirely out. So if worse ever comes to worse, there is always the option of re-homing with the help of a professional who can assess/screen the dog and potential adopters (make sure to disclose everything, even the fact she had a hard time with your husband initially and has bitten-she might do better in a home with just a female owner and without kids). Just thought to point this out as sometimes dog owners may not be aware of this option. There are also many rescues who take particular breeds, but there are some downsides: one that, border collie rescues are often super full so some of them have to sometimes limit the amount of dogs they can take and two, the re-homing process can be very stressful for dogs, but steps can be taken to reduce the stress of it. The fact that the fights seem to occur the most when you are in the room is not unusual. Statistics support this (that most fights happen when owners are around) and this can be because of several predisposing factors such as a dog that may be guarding an owner, or perhaps one dog may feel more confident in presence of the owner (either one) or it's just because dogs prone to fighting are not usually left much alone unsupervised or one dog owner simply spends more time with the dog. Sometimes, one dog may also be more preoccupied in presence of an owner and therefore "walks on eggshells" so to say. Make sure to provide enough exercise, but most of all, don't forget about mental stimulation. Those border collie minds thrive on brain games, trick training and general training. Putting her nose to work can also be a tiring activity on those days when there is inclement weather outdoors. Treasure hunt games, food puzzles, canine nosework games (of course all brain games/training involving food is done separately from your other dog) can be fun activities for her. You asked my thoughts about muzzling her all day, but I would need more info. Has the behaviorist suggested doing any behavior modification while she's wearing it or has she talked about doing any of that in the near time future? Has she suggested a particular type of muzzle (with all day use, we need to watch for chafing of the skin and how well she does- as one thing is wearing it for just a brief office visit, another thing is all day)? Is this a veterinary behaviorist? DACVB? CAAB? What are her qualifications (don't need her name or biography, just things like certifications/what school she has graduated from). This can help me better understand what the goals may be. I commend you for your continuing dedication and determinism for working on this issue. It can be highly frustrating and even un-rewarding dealing with dog-to-dog aggression. This is something not all dog owners are willing to do, and the fact you are, shows how much you love your dog. Thanks

What a beautiful trio, so nicely composed for the picture! Glad to hear your dogs are learning so quickly, Happy Training! Best, Adrienne

Glad to hear you are seeing progress! With dogs who get anxious when we are away, we want them to learn better cope with our absences-even if very brief. We do this mainly through behavior modification using desensitization and counterconditioning. These terms just mean that we take baby steps to desensitize them (make less sensitive) and carefully gauge for signs of going over threshold (panting, whining, pacing, drooling, eliminating) suggesting we have pushed them too far. If we go too fast and expose dogs to situations they're not ready for, we risk sensitizing them (make more sensitive) because we are just convincing them that they are right to be anxious as we are exposing them to the absences they so deeply fear. The whole process obviously takes time and setbacks can occur, especially in those cases when we have no way to prevent them from being left alone for longer than what they are comfortable with (which is why it's best leaving them with a family member or other care taker initially for longer absences). On top of baby steps, we want to also insert counterconditioning which aims to change the dog's emotional response. From being overly concerned and anxious we want the dog to learn to relax, or at least better cope/tolerate when we are away. There are certain emotions and things dogs do that are on the oppositive spectrum of feeling anxious. For instance, dogs are unlikely to eat/play/sleep when they are nervous. So if we can expose them to very small absences and get them to eat or play with a toy that dispenses food, that's a little step in the right direction to help change over time their emotional responses. In a dog capable to hold a sit/stay and fluent with the "leave it"cue, I personally like to build anticipation so I would toss several treats on the ground while the dog holds the sit/stay and say "leave it" and release him to "go eat!" as I go out of sight for the duration of the dog eating the treats and then would come right back. The aim of this is getting the dog thinking "when my owner leaves, wonderful things happen." It also helps to gauge how the dog is doing. Is the dog eating the treats eagerly? Is the dog eating only the easiest treats to consume leaving behind those that take more time to consume? Is the dog eating quickly but nervously? Does he eat and then go straight to looking for me? Or does he sniff around in search of some crumbs or a stray kibble? I like to record the dog's behavior during my absence and his eating style from which I can deduce some info on his emotional well being. In a dog in the beginning stages of training (with not a great sit/stay and "leave it") I would prepare a muffin tin filling the holes with some smelly treats or some other irresistible foods and let the dog watch me prepare it. I would then place it on a tall table (if the dog is small), extending a bit towards the edge. The dog would normally stick around the table and perhaps start whining or even try to stand up to look at it or catch a whiff with his nose.That's fine: I'll take a dog who is a little impatient over suffering from the stress of full blown separation anxiety any day (we can always work on better impulse control and a good "leave it" later, which is much easier to work on). Once enough anticipation has built up, I would lower the muffin tin and let the dog enjoy the goodies within as I step quickly away. If the dog starts eating, fine, but if he starts eating but then tries to follow me as soon as he notices me leaving, I will remove the muffin tin and try again (and I may try to increase the value of the treats further or make them easier to access, maybe smear something to lick on the tin such as a bit of cream cheese (if the dog tolerates it) or peanut butter (careful with the sugarless types which contain xylitol, very toxic to dogs). After another trial or two, most dogs will start eating as they'll learn that access to the goodies happens only when I leave. Another version of this is for dogs who don't mind crates. I will place a bowl with some lip-smacking goodies inside the crate with the door locked and the dog outside. I will allow some anticipation to build up (even a bit frustration with the dog possibly pawing at the crate/ whining) and then I will approach the crate and open it and then leave briefly and wait till the dog is expected to finish and return. I can do this by using remote monitoring, watching from a distant window or placing a mirror that allows me to see the dog without him seeing me. If the dog struggles with this, off course, will re-evaluate what can be done next, such as split these exercises into smaller steps, increase the value of the food, and sometimes consider whether a calming aid (or prescription meds from a vet) may be needed for lowering that anxiety just enough for the dogs cognitive functions to open up and learning to be able to sink in. Moral of the story? Lots of baby steps and make great things happen contingent on your departures. Back to your case, if she slept in another room, I take that as a positive sign that she's likely starting to learn to relax despite you not being there or she can be tired from all the extra training and brain games or likely a combo of the two. Keep up the great work! As absences progress gradually(always mixing in briefer ones) there may come a point where the use of technology may come handy. Remote monitoring with a nanny cam or a Furbo camera (which offers the advantage of tossing treats) can help monitor the dog to gauge comfort levels and make adjustments to the plan as needed.

Thanks for the update, If she was struggling with your brief desensitization by the door exercises, going out in the yard without her could have been too much, but this is not surprising in a dog with anxiety. It is also important to do the desensitization exercises by the door that leads to the yard if you haven't done that yet. You would do the same exercises as you do with the front door. However, it would be important to to not expose her to situations she's not ready yet that trigger anxiety, so it would be best when you are not doing the exercises if another family member can be with her while you work in the yard. However, if she usually howled and now is barking, it could truly be you are dealing with some frustration rather than whole full-blown anxiety which is quite different (and can be a sign of improvement). The fact she sees you through the window can make it extra tempting to be by your side and causing her to protest about not being taken along. It can get really frustrating for them because if they are taken sometimes out in the yard and other times not, they struggle with this inconsistency which triggers barrier frustration. Most dogs love to spend time in the yard, especially when their owners are out with them, so it feels like a double whammy sort of punishment (being away from the owner, not taken out in a fun place) from their perception. In all honesty, even dogs who don't have separation anxiety struggle when their owners work in the yard without them and they see them through a window. If therefore you want to tackle this form of barking, as mentioned it helps to do the desensitization exercises here too. Start with very short absences and increase gradually over time (mixing in some briefer times), preventing your dog as much as possible from getting stressed. Use high-value foods to give during your absences and keep working until she learns to better cope with them, but this can take some time to accomplish considering that the desire to be out in the yard with you is very strong. And when you don't do the exercises, having her with a family member who keeps her busy in a different room (so that she doesn't see you through the window) can help a lot. It can even be made into a fun routine she might look forward to eventually with practice. As you get ready to go out in the yard, your family member prepares some brain games or gives her an easy food puzzle to solve. Once you come back, the exercises are done (you can schedule your return right when she has finished her food puzzle). I have used walkie-talkies for this task (asking my helper if the dog is almost done eating so I could strategically return with good timing). After some time, the helper/family member can also be gradually "weaned" meaning, he might get up briefly to leave the room while the dog is occupied so to gradually have the dog depend less and less on his subsidiary presence too. Is she still follows you everywhere, you can also remove value to her following. I do this by starting to walk randomly in circles or back and forth until the dog gets tired and then I go about with my duties once the dog has given up. Dog goes back to following? I resume my aimless wandering. I don't want to have a dog always underfoot to control all my moves in an obsessive/anxious manner, no thank you, I don't need a shadow who may also become a tripping hazard. It can take a little bit, but most dogs grow bored of this and get the idea. It can help to praise your dog once she gives up and even walk to her and hand feed her a treat if she settles nicely, but be careful to do this very calmly, as you don' want to trigger her getting up again and being back to following you around-- but even if does happen, worse comes to worse, another rep of aimless wandering should help settle her again.

Hello, thank you for the update. It is deeply appreciated! It looks like you are progressing nicely and that your dog has learned so much in just about a month. I will provide some thoughts and answer your concerns in order. If it's 8 days without accidents, then that sounds very promising considering your dog's history and the fact that you live in an apartment. Since she's close to six months now, has she gone into heat yet? Just wondering, because it sounds like she is going out a lot (you mention 10-1 times) and this can be because her instincts to mate are kicking in and she may want to urine mark to advertise her reproductive status/availability. If it's a hormone-based behavior, the good news is that it should decline as the hormones get out of her system. It might be worthy of mentioning this frequency to the vet though, just in case, if your dog happens to pee this often and in little amounts as sometimes this can be a sign of UTI (urinary tract infection). A quick fix for this would be to gather several balls (they can be found quite cheaply in some stores) and rather than having your wife risking getting her fingers injured as Abby tries to snatch it, have her toss another ball that she's kept behind her back. I have seen this behavior in dogs who want to chew something, and by placing it against a person's body, they try to get better leverage so that can use their back teeth more effectively. I wonder if she may be doing this? Hard to day without seeing the behavior. If so, you can try this: as soon as she does this behavior, point away and say "off," and if she doesn't, get up and leave. With time, she should learn that this behavior yields nothing. Eventually, she might give up and decide to chew it by lying down in another area. Dogs can hump for a variety a reasons, but if it seems to happen contingent upon the praise, you are right, it is suggestive that she may overstimulated due to excess energy or excitement. Sometimes, it may also happen that the humping may just be a sign of a cranky, tired puppy. Just like tired toddlers, puppies may start to misbehave when they are in dire need for a nap. Regardless, it's sure annoying, especially when moving triggers more humping as you walk away. If the praise is therefore truly the factor, you try can to: -Modify the tone of your praise. I know that praise said in an enthusiastic tone can motivate many dogs and induce them to party, but for some dogs prone to being overstimulated easily, certain tones can really rev them up. So you can try to send the message across using a calmer tone or you can try to whisper it or (even truncate it) and see if that doesn't trigger the response. -You can try to toss your treat at a distance rather than hand feeding it. The fact she's farther away from you might not make you a target as if you're standing right next to her. -Catch her before she even thinks about it. As soon as you praise/toss treat, and notice she's about to come towards you, toss another treat without any praise) and then another and then another to get rid of that excess enthusiasm/energy and channel her brain in something else. You can even use her kibble for this exercise. -You can also just skip the praise altogether temporarily until she calms down a tad bit and she is better under control (which comes with more training). Which brings to the next tip: start implementing more impulse control exercises so that she learns to engage in calmer behaviors. For example, have her sit nicely for her meals, have her sit by the door before going on a walk, have her sit nicely when putting on the leash. Don't lower the food bowl, don't open the door, don't snap the leash on, until she has her rear on the floor. Also engage her in more brain games. It's good to interact with dogs in play and be a part of it, but it's also good encouraging independence and using games that tires a dog's brain and provides outlets for instinctive behaviors such as putting the nose to work, searching and scavenging. Hope this helps, keep us posted and feel free to ask any clarifications/questions! Best, Adrienne

Hello Haaks, Welcome to the forums, It's very wise to start working this early so to "nip" the behavior in the bud. Here are some games that turned handy with a super nippy German shepherd: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/bite-inhibition-games/

You're very welcome. Feel free to post any updates/questions. Best, Adrienne