Adrienne Farricelli

Thanks for the additional details, they are very helpful! Although Harley is small, we need to consider that even small dogs can bite and that aggressive displays left untreated may potentially escalate. Also, on top of biting, we need to also consider the emotional toll on the other dogs who may develop fear and avoidance behaviors. This may or may not be your case depending on how resilient your other dogs are, but there is surely always some level of impact. So we want to work on this, ideally with the help of a behavior consultant for safety and correct implementation of behavior modification. If Harley is with you most of the time, and fights erupt when you place him down, this can be an easy fix through management. The goal of management is to prevent the rehearsal of problem behaviors. When dogs repeat problematic behaviors such as attacking other dogs, these behaviors put roots and establish. Soon, they become default behaviors and part of a dog's behavioral repertoire. In other words, the more dogs rehearse these behaviors, the more they get good at it. Management works well when we deal with aggression manifesting in specific contexts that can be avoided. In your case, here are some options: 1) You can have a helper/family member keep the other dogs away from the door area at least for a bit until all dogs are chill. Maybe have the helper keep them in yard. This way you can place Harley on the floor with no other dogs nearby to trigger competition for attention/over excitement. 2) You can carry Harley and place him in a crate or another room for a bit. This is to prevent rehearsal of the problematic behavior. Let him have a goodie while there such as a stuffed Kong or a safe chew (with easy access by the door on a high piece of furniture so that your dogs cannot get it) so he doesn't feel like he's being punished. Now, management just avoids rehearsal of the problem behavior. If carried out well, we can reduce incidences in those specific contexts which makes for a happier co-existence, but if we actually want to work on this issue, we would need the intervention of a behavior professional. It would be interesting at this point determining whether Harley's behavior is contingent upon being placed down, or due to your other dog's approaching to greet you or upon you petting/giving attention to your other dogs. It can certainly may also be a combination of several. To test what this behavior is evoked by, we would need to see (under the supervision of a professional for safety) what Harley does when: 1) He is placed down from being in your arms at home when your other dogs are nearby in other non-greeting circumstances. 2) He walks though the door with you (without being in your arms but on leash or off leash if you have a fenced front yard) when you come home and your dogs are approaching you. 3) He is placed down from being in your arms when your other dogs are approaching but you give your other dogs zero attention (you just come home, without looking at them, talking to them, touching them as if they were invisible). Depending on what triggers the behavior, behavior modification may consist of the following exercises or a combination of some: 1) Harley is not carried but walked through the door (if being at a high level makes him feel more confident and more likely to attack your other dogs, this may solve the issue). 2) You don't give any attention to your other dogs upon coming home (if the attention given to your other dogs triggers the attacking). 3) You walk through the door with Harley and as soon as Harley fights with the other dogs, you quickly exit the door (so there is nothing to fight over, if the attack is due to Harley acting protective of you). You rinse and repeat this exercise several times until Harley understands that, contingent upon his attacking behavior you leave, whereas, when he doesn't attack instead you stay inside and even proceed to walk. At any sign of conflict, you make steps back towards the door. I am personally not too much of a fan of this method, because it means that initially we would let Harley rehearse the behavior for several trials. 4)This is based on desensitization and counterconditioning. You have a helper keep your other dogs on leash. You practice giving several treats in a row every time Harley is placed down and sees your other dogs approaching. The helper then leaves with your other dogs and no more treats. Treats are always contingent upon the other dogs approaching. 5) You create a strong conditioned emotional response (through associations with treats) to Harley seeing your other dog's approaching first with him in your arms, and then with him placed on the floor. This requires a detailed, step-by-step approach using desensitization and counterconditioning. Your other dogs must also learn to stay at a distance especially initially so to prevent fights over food. These methods incorporate training, so it may take some time to get fluent responses to the point of him ignoring your other dogs. Your other dogs must also learn too to respect boundaries and understand to not interfere getting into the way as this can provoke fights over food. 6) You train Harley to go to his mat (right by the door area) upon being placed down where he receives a safe, long-lasting chew while you enter the home and you are greeted by your other dogs (but you give no attention). You can make this a routine so that Harley looks forward to coming home and your other dogs approaching. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/train-dog-go-to-mat/ 7) You train Harley some other alternate behavior and reward that with high value treats. For instance, you enter the home and train Harley to do several steps of attention heeling as you hold a cookie at eye level as you navigate past your other dogs and then let Harley enjoy the goodie on a mat or crate. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/heeling-attention-heeling/ As seen, there are several methods to tackle this issue, and all in all, it really depends on several factors based on what triggers Harley's behaviors, how intense the behavior is, how the other dogs react to his behavior, how adept Harley is learning new behaviors around distractions, dog owner compliance (how committed and how likely you are to follow the instructions given by a behavior professional) and ability to manage the dog's environment. Due to the complexity of all this, this is why the intervention of a behavior professional is always recommended for cases of dogs attacking other dogs or owners due to safety, the need for accurate assessments and correct implementation of behavior modification.

Did you try this form I posted last time? If you put in your zip code it should pull up an extensive list of force-free behavior consultants: http://petprofessionalguild.com/Find-a-Member

Hello and welcome to the forums, Kudos to you for helping a shy and terrified dog turn into a dog who is more confident! I like that she has learned to look at you upon spotting people on walks. With other dogs, if your dog is truly fond of being around them and wants to play, you are likely describing a dog who is displaying what is known as "barrier frustration." You can read more about this here along with tips on how to deal with this issue. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/barrier-frustration/ I would not encourage her to run up to other dogs. Not only because this greeting styles can make other dogs uncomfortable (and she may greet the wrong dog who may even attack her), but also because by encouraging this behavior, you are increasing the likeliness of her throwing her barrier frustration "tantrum." In such cases, distance is your best friend. If you keep distance from other dogs, your dog is more likely to be calmer and this leaves space for her to cognitively function, so that she can learn to engage in alternate behaviors such as sitting as other dogs walk by, or doing some attention heeling. If we allow her to greet in this overexcited state of mind, we will be reinforcing that excitement along with the whole package of lunging, snarling etc. and these behavior will put more roots and become more difficult to eradicate. Once she has learned to better control herself, then we can start working more closely around dogs and encourage calmer behaviors. Group dog training classes or Reactive Rover classes are a great way to accomplish this as your dog will have to learn to pay attention to you for several weeks while in presence of other dogs. If you have some friends who own dogs, you can also practice some great structured impulse control exercises like having your dog walk in circles around the other dogs calmly, or weaving in and out nearby them. You will have to do this in small incremental steps otherwise we would put her to fail. High-value treats are needed to help the dog make good choice and reinforce desired behaviors. If any time her behavior seems to start breaking down, that is often indicative that she wasn't ready for that level of a challenge yet. So a few steps back need to be taken. Finding some good walking buddies (where the dogs just parallel-walk without interacting) is also a good way to allow dogs like yours to learn to act calmer. Please note: a phenomenon we need to be aware of is an "extinction burst." If every time, your dog has seen other dogs in the past, she pulled towards them reaching them successfully, expect her for some time to pull harder, bark and lunge more forcefully than before in hopes of reaching them. It's important to be determined and prevent her to go greet the dog (use a front-attachment harness if she drags you), even better, keep distance from other dogs so that she won't reach that point that triggers her pulling and desire to greet behavior.

I can hear your frustration. And poor Hannah must be living in fear now of being attacked just for choking or yelping out of pain. It would be best to keep them separated until you can get help. Have you had any luck finding a force-free behavior consultant to help you out? I am afraid that things will keep getting worse without the intervention of a behavior professional who can assess your dogs and decide what's best based on a thorough history-taking and assessment. Unfortunately, it is beyond the scope of any online program dealing with aggressive displays due to safety concerns and need for in-person evaluations.

Hello and welcome to the forums, It can be tough when we have older dogs and a younger dog who is full of energy and acts like a bully. Younger dogs are notorious for pestering older dogs and sometimes it can help draining these youngsters' energy a bit so to take the edge off before allowing them to be all together. If the bullying is excessive, it may be worthy also keeping them in separated areas so that your older dogs can relax without worrying about Harley bothering them. At their ages, they deserve some peace and quiet. I would consider erecting a baby gate or pen to allow them at least some moments of relax. This should also prevent Harley from excessively rehearsing the protective behaviors you describe. Protective behaviors where a dog reacts aggressively to other dogs and people approaching, requires behavior modification. This often requires the intervention of a dog behavior professional in person for safety and so to correctly implement the most suitable methods based on observations. When owning two dogs, the addition of a third dog often triggers changes in a social group and these dynamics can sometimes be complex. Based on personal observations, a variety of methods may be employed. Here is a read showing several methods: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/dogs-fighting-over-owner/ I particularly am a fan of using desensitization and counterconditioning for this case, open bar/closed bar may help. The goal is to create positive associations when your other dogs come near you. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/open-bar-closed-bar/ So in the case of you sitting on the couch, with the help of a professional, it may help to keep Harley on leash and feed him treats every time the other dogs are walked by on a leash by a helper. When the other dogs are out of sight, no more treats. Treats happen only when Harley sees your dogs approaching. Gradually, over the course of several days, the other dogs are brought closer, until we reach the point where you can pet them and feed treats to Harley simultaneously, sort of what I do in the video in the bottom of the article. Of course, extra care and protective measures are needed if Harley is protective of food as well. Your dog behavior professional may be able to assist with that. At some point, you may be able to pet your other two dogs while Harley enjoys a stuffed Kong at a distance while laying on a mat. When you cannot work on the issue, it is best to prevent rehearsal of the troublesome behavior. This means, that you may have to keep Harley and your other dogs in separate areas and rotate the time you give them attention. So upon coming home, you may wish to keep Harley in a separate area if you wish to give your other dogs attention (make sure he doesn't see/hear you giving the attention) or you may give Harley attention while your other dogs are kept in a separate area. This is temporary until behavior modification starts kicking in and Harley has learned to look forward to giving your other dogs getting attention because he is giving some goodies while you do that. If your dog is showing protective behaviors towards you when your husband approaches, you want to do something similar. Here is a behavior modification plan for a dog who is barking when a person is entering a room. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/dog-barking-someone-enters-room/ And when you need to start a conversation with your husband, make treats happen contingent upon you starting to talk. When you stop talking, no more treats. If calories are an issue, use Harley's kibble if he likes that. You want Harley to want your husband to come near you, sit next to you and talk because wonderful things happen around him when that happens. When he then stops talking, gets up and leaves the room, all these good things abruptly stop. The Look at that game can turn out handy for the barking you describe if the barking is addressed towards people/other dogs walking by when at the gas station. You can start practicing this at home when Harley sees people other dogs from the window and then you can progress to doing the same exercise in the car, with the car initially parked at a distance from triggers so that your dog is under threshold. Here is the look at that game: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/university/look-at-that/ and here is a read about threshold levels in dogs: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/ I am glad that you have taken the time to read the whole program, that is quite an accomplishment! Now, you need to apply all of that, which is the biggest hurdle, but it's all a matter of taking baby steps for you and your dogs. Harley and your other dogs surely benefit from learning as much as they can. I suggest starting Harley on the LAT training for the car barking, and at least starting the obedience 101 sections. If you can teach your dogs to do a group sit/stay (you first train sits individually, and then add an extra dog and ask two and then three), you have certainly a strong tool for teaching calmer behaviors which can also help a lot in reducing the excessive excitement and overarousal. Training after all, is all about teaching impulse control and lack of impulse control is often what can trigger squabbles in multi-dog households. Now, a disclaimer is warranted here. Since behavior modification may be challenging to implement and there are also risks for aggression directed towards the handler/other dogs/other people, it's important that behavior modification is carried out under the guidance of a behavior professional for safety and correct implementation.

It sounds like the nip to the face was play behavior. It may help to not play with her on the floor or with the face too close to hers. Also, prevent over arousal during play. You can still have your dog play and have loads of fun by offering games that are more structured. For example, you mention that she has learned to sit. When she comes towards you with a ball or toy in her mouth, how about asking her to sit and then tossing another ball? Other fun games to play that are structured and may keep her mouth busy and prevent her from nipping are using a flirt pole, hand targeting (reward by tossing kibble/treats at a distance for an extra workout), and many of the brain games. You will find these threads helpful since they are teeming with tips for puppy owners facing similar challenges: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?196-Biting-and-Jumping https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?206-Crazy-puppy! https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?170-Grabbing-and-biting https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?166-Puppy-Jumping-up-Grabbing-me On a side note: interesting behavior of her nipping when she has a ball or chew bone in her mouth! Usually, when the mouth is occupied with these toys, there is little space for the dogs to be able to still nip. Since Abby is 5 months, she is nearing the onset of doggy adolescence. If you feel like as of lately things are getting somewhat more challenging, this can be why! Here is a read on what to expect during the dog teenager stage: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/survive-dogs-adolescent-stage/ Hope this helps! Let me know if you need any further assistance, happy training!

Hello and welcome to the forums! Please do not feel like a failure, actually, many of the behaviors you are describing are very common in puppies of this age and countless dog owners ask for help for the same issues you are facing! Indeed, if you do a search on this forum you will find lots of puppy owners going through all the things you have described. Owning a puppy is sort of like having a baby, puppies need loads of redirection and they can be a handful. So let's take a closer insight in some of the behaviors you are facing. Pee accidents: You mentioned she is having potty accidents, at least one pee accident a day. That's not really that bad, especially from a puppy coming from a pet store. Believe it or not, you have just mentioned an actual sign of a dog needing to go potty. Indeed, many dogs when they need to potty will stop playing and walk away to wee. This because they have an instinct to not pee where they eat, drink, play or sleep. People call this a denning instinct. Now, if you lived in home with easy access to a yard, you could quickly redirect her as soon as she walks away from her toy to join you in the yard and get her to potty, but it sounds like you live in an apartment so the extra seconds it would take to walk down would likely not work to prevent the accident. It may help to write down when she is most likely to have these accidents and prevent them by taking her out like 15-20 minutes prior. Also, make sure to use enzyme based cleaners to clean up her messes to prevent her from establishing an indoor potty area that smells like "bathroom" to her. Also consider the area where she is when these accidents happen. If she in a small area by the door (like gated off with a baby gate or pet gate), it may be easier for her to navigate towards the door and alert her need to potty than if she is in a very large room far away from the door. Next, let's focus on her tugging on the leash: It sounds like your pup is playing with the leash. In order to succeed in reducing this behavior, you will have to explore ways to make engaging games and activities extra rewarding so that she chooses these activities over playing tug with the leash. I will provide some tips for curbing this behavior. Often, when dealing with this behavior it helps to take a multi-faceted approach, in other words, we tackle it from different angles. It may also take trying different methods to see what works best. So here are some tips. -Exercise: Make sure your dog receives a sufficient amount of exercise and mental stimulation during the day. Dogs who are exercised and provided training and mental stimulation (brain games) are less tempted to engage in undesired behaviors because their needs are met. It can be overwhelming at first knowing where to start, but the good news is that once you start, you're then on a roll and it all gets easier from there. You can start working through the Training 101 exercises and work your way through the brain games following the order in which they are presented, however, you may find it helpful skipping through some training exercises and brain games to use some particular ones that come particularly handy for the issues you are facing. You may also find that your dog prefers some brain games compared to others or that some are more suitable for your dog. This is fine. Go with what your dog seems to enjoy. Provide Interactive Toys: These are toys that often contain food or treats and make the dog "work" to get the goodies out. These toys can make dogs "picky" about what they want to play with. In other words, over time, the leash may become boring to play with because it doesn't smell like treats and there's nothing to work for. Of course, this is not a quick fix. The leash may still be attractive to some dogs no matter what, but if we use other strategies to make the leash boring, success may be easier to attain. Divert With Treats: When you are on walks, you can divert your dog's attention by playing alternate games. The moment you notice your dog is about to bite the leash, divert her attention, and start tossing some treats on the ground; tell her to "find them!" This can be quite a fun game to play and rewarding if you use hard treats that she can chase around. Divert with Targeting: hand targeting(or using a target stick) is an easy game to play with and if you train it fluently at home, chances are, once on leash in the yard, your dog may choose to engage on this activity versus tugging with the leash if you use high-value treats. However, your dog may go onto going back to leash tugging the moment you stop the targeting exercise, so you may need to do several reps in a row to keep her focus off the leash. Here you can find how to train targeting: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/preschool/targeting/ Divert with attention-heeling: this may take some time to master, but is another exercise you can train and it can turn helpful in redirecting your pup to this rather than leash tugging. The best part is that you'll be training a great behavior that can turn helpful in many scenarios (e.g. when walking past distractions etc). You can find how to train attention heeling here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/heeling-attention-heeling/ Be patient: You should expect a few "bumps" along the road. Your dog may revert to her old leash biting antics every now and then, but this is normal. If you persist in rewarding the alternate behaviors with high-value treats, you should see a gradual and steady increase in the desired behaviors and a gradual decrease in leash biting. Avoid Pulling: Avoid pulling the leash out of your dog's mouth as this will only create enjoyable resistance. In other words, your dog will enjoy tugging even more. You can try to train though the "Two Leash Method" instead. Basically, use two leashes. When your dog grabs one leash, release it, and use the other (allowing the former to drag); this prevents the creation of tension which lures dogs to bite. -Let your dog carry something. Goldens can be very mouthy dogs and they may enjoy carrying things. Letting your dog carry objects (tennis ball, toy) while walking can help reduce the leash tugging behavior. -Change texture. Many dog owners have had success reducing leash tugging by slipping a long piece of PVC pipe over the leash as dogs do not like to bite hard textures. Another options is to invest in a chain leash or adding a lightweight piece of chain to the leash as dogs do not like to bite the texture of the chain. I will be adding shortly tips on the nipping and jumping shortly in a next post.

Jennifer provided several excellent solutions for your pup's "yard mowing habits." This is a habit we want to curb considering that ingesting these in a large amount can trigger digestive issues and even intestinal blockages if eaten in large amounts or without chewing much. Pine needles are also irritating and sharp to the dog's delicate GI mucosa. According to the Pet Poison Helpline, they can be irritating to the dog's mouth and digestive system, resulting in vomiting, diarrhea, and drooling. Removing as much of this material from the yard as possible can help manage this behavior, but this option many not be very feasible if you have a large yard. However, there is a special tool known as "the comb" (sold by pinecomb.com) which is specifically made to remove pine needles. This may help remove a good percentage, but even if it may not remove all pine needles from the whole yard, at least you can rake a good portion free where you can take your dog on leash and practice "leave its" without worrying about excessive accidental consumption. It sounds like your dog is looking for opportunities to scavenge. Redirecting your dog to rewarding activities that are more fun than scavenging for acorns, pine needles and all the alike may also help. I am not sure of your yard's setting, but maybe you can set up a Treasure Hunt game and encourage your dog to go on a kibble hunt. Here is a guide on teaching the treasure hunt game: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/elementary/the-treasure-hunt/ Investing in more brain games can also provide an outlet for dogs who love to forage. When outdoors, try to engage your dog in a fun muffin game https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/elementary/the-muffin-game/ Shell game:https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/college/the-shell-game/ And bottle game: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/high-school/the-bottle-game/ You can also set up a ball pit game outdoors: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/elementary/the-ball-pit-game/ You can also stuff a Kong with some goodies or bring out a Kong Wobbler filled with kibble to allow your dog to get some fresh air and put his mind to "work." Providing a safe durable chew can also work well as a way to distract and seek out more valuable resources than yard debris. Of course, you will need to monitor your dog during these games and make sure that after your dog finishes playing, that he doesn't go back to his pine needle and acorn eating habit. However, if we can at least prevent rehearsal for a good part of the time he's out, we heighten the chances that he'll pick to engage in these activities more and more so to make good choices. Praising him when he makes good choices in picking one of these activities also works as an added incentive to make them more enticing, in hopes of making the eating yard stuff less enticing. For desperate cases, dogs can be taught to wear a muzzle when going out so that they cannot ingest things that may be potentially harmful to them. Basket type muzzles in particular, allow dogs to pant, breathe and some models even allow dogs to drink water. While this can work, it's still important to provide dogs with ample of opportunities to "scavenge" so to not create frustration due to their needs not being met.

You are describing the typical character of Prys. The last Pry I trained, had little interest in being trained and wanted to just pace outside and patrol. I had to experiment with a variety of treats to grab her interest and train when it was was very quiet as any noise seemed to distract her and prompt the 'I gotta check that out' instinct. One of the biggest rewards for her was to be sent outside to do her little property inspections so I trained briefly, praised, treat and then out. We can't blame them though: they were selectively bred as livestock guardians, protecting animals and patrolling their properties from predators. Like the Maremma sheepdog they are quite independent thinkers, but your mix with a Labrador may have mellowed down these independent traits a bit, buy you certainly have an interesting mix! If she hurts Charlie during play, it may just because of her sheer size. When large dogs play with smaller dogs, they should ideally self-handicap, but some dogs may not have this endearing trait. How does she hurt him? Does she bite him? Body slam him? Pin him to the ground? Does Charlie whine or yelp? If so, what happens next? Does Bella seem to acknowledge he got hurt or seems to not care? Also are they really playing? In some cases, like when greeting the owner, one dog may "attack" the other. It may seem like 'play," but in reality there is some level of conflict going on. If you look at the video at the end of this article, you can see what I am referring to. Let me know if you see this happen when you enter a room, train one dog or pet one. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/dogs-fighting-over-owner/

Hello, and welcome to the forums! Reactivity on lead can be due to a dog wishing to increase distance due to the dog being fearful/not comfortable or a dog wishing to decrease distance, due to the dog eager to meet other dogs and people but being frustrated due to the leash restricting him. This latter case is called barrier frustration. For ease of navigation, I will post you some links for both scenarios: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/behavior-training/barking/other-triggers/ https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/barrier-frustration/ For both cases, it's important to work under threshold: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/behavior-training/barking/other-triggers/ Make sure to stop by the obedience 101 section where all the obedience training is enclosed. Attention heeling in particular can turn extra helpful in your case. This tread about tempering rough play may be helpful to you too: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?67-Tempering-Play&highlight=tempering Feel free to post any questions or specific tips as needed. Best, Adrienne

Glad to hear they were crated. It's so unfortunate that they had to fight over regurgitated food, but many dogs perceive it as still food even though it sounds gross to us. If this happens often shortly after meals, we may have to factor this in and therefore crate her for a bit longer. If this is something new, it could be she is eating very fast in fear your other dog gets to it. Often, eating fast is a main trigger for dogs regurgitating their meals. Of course, if it happens often, it warrants a vet visit as well. It is awesome that you have muzzle trained her, as that's a great plus. All dogs should be muzzle trained regardless of temperament. There are several force-free behavior consultants in the Ontario Canada area. If you put your zip code in this search page, it will pull up various professionals. Look for one specializing in aggression/behavior modification as not all dog trainers do behavior consults. http://petprofessionalguild.com/Find-a-Member Keep us posted on how things go! Best wishes.

Thanks for these additional details. If she has a plastic bowl and you have had her for so long, it *may* be safe to exclude a fear of the food bowl. We can always exclude this theory by offering the food in a different bowl/surface just in case. So you are you calling her for her meals letting her sit and then she gives you the guilty look and goes under the bed when the bowl is placed on the floor? If she is not too eager to eat her food, there are chances the recall may be somewhat weakened by this. So again, we need to think about what's reinforcing from her perspective to use our recall/sit cues at their full potential. When dogs are less eager to eat, it's always important ruling out medical issues (dog may have tooth pain, neck pain), to play it safe. Some dogs may be just picky (sometimes this occurs when dogs are fed table scraps or adding things to their food bowls), but if she has never been this way before, it's best to give the benefit of doubt. Once medical issues are ruled out, one may then consider whether switching food or adding some tasty additions can help entice her to eat. Once this is sorted out and she's eating eagerly again, then the recall and sit can be resumed. In the meanwhile, until things are sorted out, we can just do regular meal preparation without asking anything (most dogs will still come upon hearing us grab their bowls and placing kibble it it). We can always reserve sits and come sessions using things our dogs enjoy more. Or, we can try to use her meals for brain games. Some dogs eat more eagerly if they must "hunt and scavenge for their food" such as doing a treasure hunt or muffin game or placing the food in a Kong or Kong Wobbler. You can find a lot of food bowl alternative ideas in the Brain Training section of the course.

Thank you for the additional details, they are very helpful! It sounds like she is doing very well with her recall overall considering the strong distractions of the park. You have to pat yourself on the back for that. It's not easy when there are distractions around. I also like that you have incorporated heeling exercises in her play and that then you reinforce her heeling by tossing the ball. It sounds like your dog is loving this, especially if she seems to enjoy the heeling part too. In regards to the episode by the exit of the park, it sounds like she acknowledged your recall cue, but perhaps she was a bit over threshold from the enthusiasm of being in such an overstimulating place and wanting to enjoy a bit more freedom. You are correct to be concerned about her associating the ball with the leash. Not only, I will add another component of concern: there is the possibility that she may associate the recall cue with the ball and the leash. So not only she might think along the lines of "oh, every time the ball shows up, my leash is put on," she may also think: "every time I am called, the balls shows up and I end up with my leash being snapped on. This reasoning can therefore likely put her recall in peril. So what can we do in such a case? We can work in breaking up the links of the chain so that our dog doesn't leave with a "bitter taste in her mouth" so to say. In other words, we break up the associations a bit so to end on a positive note. Here's are some tips/ examples of what can be done. -We can do some trials of fun recalls with no leash attachments. In other words, we call the dog, let the dog play with the ball or feed some high value treats and then send the dog again off to play again. Many dogs are pleasantly surprised when we send them off to play again, especially if they are still eager to play/explore. This builds up trust that not all recalls and ball games end up with the leash being snapped. -When it is time to leave, we can call the dog, snap the leash and engage in something the dog loves to do. Establishing a desired routine makes for dogs who look forward to it. For example, we can allow the dog to play with the ball for a while on leash or swap to a rabbit fur tug toy and let the dog tug as you walk away, or perhaps you can both go on a sniffing adventure or a "treasure hunt walk" where we toss some treats here and there. If your dog sees mealtime as the perk of the day, we can even coordinate park time with meal time so that when we leave, we walk directly to the car where our dog's bowl of food is there ready for him to enjoy or we can let him find a stuffed Kong to work on on the drive back. Generally, we can say that we are doing something right if the dog eagerly comes to us despite distractions. In other words, we have tapped into our dogs' mind and found out what really motivates them. Dogs have a hierarchy of things they enjoy so we often have to experiment and find what we can use to outrank competing reinforcers (play with other dogs, off leash freedom, sniffing areas). Sometimes we can even take steps to also lower the value of those competing reinforcers (for example, we can call our dogs when they got tired of playing, when they are done greeting, when they have burned excess energy) so to set up the environment in our favor. As final note, while showing a ball can help in situations when our dogs are a bit reluctant to come and in areas of distractions we haven't worked much yet, our final goal should be not relying on visual promises so to not fall into the bribery trap. So it would be important working in areas with little distractions on building a recall without the need of showing a ball or food to get our dog to come when called. We still provide the food or toy during these training sessions, but the food or toy is hidden in a pocket or behind our back. This helps build a foundation so to cover for that day we might be caught unprepared and have no food or toys on us. Running away (in other words, enticing the dog to chase you, never run after your dog) is also a great incentive to get a dog to come when called as many dogs cannot resist the exhilarating feel of a chase and once the dog catches up with us, we can then reinforce the behavior by feeding some treats or engaging play with a toy.

I am so sorry to hear about the incident. I was hoping you were using a crate to feed them food at the cabin as outlined in the tips above considering their history of getting into fights. It sounds like poor Hannah is not getting hurt physically, but Remi's behavior is certainly leaving emotional scars. Hannah is being bullied and she likely fears now to do almost anything in the home. It is not fair for such dogs to live this way. In such cases, strict management is important especially when feeding food and giving any attention. This means, rotating the dogs (taking turns with the dogs keeping them separated when you give food/ affection or other conflicting situations) and not leaving them together at least until you can get a force-free dog behavior professional to help you out in person. Aggression among dogs sharing the household is complex, and implementing behavior modification correctly is not very easy and it can put dogs and owners at risk too. It's unfortunate, but sometimes two female dogs do not get along. Border collies (and mixes who inherit a lot of border collie traits) in particular can sometimes also have very controlling personalities towards other dogs. They also need lots of mental stimulation (brain games) and exercise, and when they are bored, they are more likely to engage in troublesome behaviors. In a previous post, https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?249-inter-house-dog-aggression&p=1209#post1209 a sample of a behavior modification protocol was offered when your dog was acting acting protective of you when you were sick in bed, how did that go? Were you able to find a force-free dog behavior professional to help you out? A similar behavior modification program can be implemented with a dog who barks upon hugging. You would approach your husband and slightly hug (very briefly and with minimun contact) and toss treats, when the "hug" ends, no more treats. Then you hug for a little longer,with more contact and toss treats for the duration of the hug. If your dog ever barks, it's sign that you have progressed to fast and need to take a few steps back going back to slighter hugs. The exercises are repeated several times until you see the onset of what's known as a conditioned emotional response. In other words, your dog looks forward to you hugging because it means great things are about to happen (treats fall from the sky). This is based on the open/bar closed bar method: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/open-bar-closed-bar/ As always, safety is paramount. 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 always advisable while awaiting the aid of professional.

Scurrying into the bedroom and sliding under the bed sounds sort of like a fearful behavior. Usually, dogs who are spoiled with table scraps will just turn their nose to the food, not go hiding (unless they really dislike our attempts in trying to coax them to eat). Are you using a metal bowl? Some dogs for some reason may get frightened by it either because they see their reflections on it or their metal tags hit the bowl and startles them. How long have you had your dog? Sometimes rescued dogs were used to eating from plastic bowls, but even dogs who have eaten from metal bowls all their lives may sometimes get spooked if the bowl happens to fall or roll over. It may be interesting seeing if she'll eat the food if you place it in a plastic bowl or if you use your dog's food to stuff a regular Kong or a Kong Wobbler or you scatter it around in a treasure-hunt fashion as outlined here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/elementary/the-treasure-hunt/ or maybe try the Muffin Game: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/elementary/the-muffin-game/ Please note: you will need to be logged into the member's area to view these links.

Hello and welcome to the forums! When we think our dogs have selective hearing, there may be other dynamics going on rather than a dog who purposely decides to pose a deaf ear, so to say. In other words, it's not like dogs are rationally reasoning in the terms of "I won't answer when my owner calls me (or asks me to perform a sit or down) because I have better stuff to do." Since you mention her selective hearing happens in active environments such as at the dog park, most likely we are looking at two common scenarios: your dog may have not generalized the behaviors she has learned to distracting environments (these dogs generally just need more proofing) or your dog may be over threshold. There are of course other possible factors to consider, which I will cover as well. Let's take a closer look into both dynamics, shall we? First off, a word about reinforcement. If we are attentive to dogs, we will notice that they perform behaviors that provide some form of reinforcement. In other words, dogs do what works for them and therefore they seek stuff they find rewarding. Indeed, the solution to selective hearing in this case, is often making yourself more reinforcing than the environment. Not an easy task, but doable if you practice a lot albeit distractions and provide loads of reinforcement. Practice makes perfect. With lots of practice and a strong history of reinforcement, choosing to be attentive to you despite the distraction has the potential to become a no-brainer that's almost reflexive in nature. Dogs Don't Generalize Well If your dog listens to you at home and comes to you immediately when asked to, but then puts on his deaf ears on at the park, she's likely not engaging in stubborn selective hearing. Most likely, he just hasn't learned the cue to come to you well enough to apply it to the park where there are loads of distractions going on. When you train a dog, in order to learn to respond to the cue well, it's important that she is taught to do so in a variety of places and around different distractions. The process is called proofing and once we have fluent responses to cue we call that "stimulus control." In order to attain all of this, you need to gradually incorporate challenges such as adding distance and distractions. When we train service dogs to respond reliably to cues, we start in a quiet area at home, then in the yard, then in a park with dogs at a distance, and then we use the perimeter of the dog park (where dogs are playing). All this is done very gradually. If we just go straight from training in the home to the dog park, we would set the dog for failure. When we notice that a dog has difficulty responding to cues in an area, we usually do a little troubleshooting. Maybe the dog isn't ready for that level of distraction, so we increase distance from the distraction until we get more reliable results from that distance. Maybe we need higher value treats for that specific scenario. Maybe we have asked too much at once. Maybe we can use what the dog is attracted to as an advantage and provide that as reinforcement? For example, your dog is attracted to bush to go sniff, why not ask your dog to sit at a distance from it and then reward that sit by loosening the leash and telling the dog to "go sniff that bush!" Things to Keep in Mind Is your dog normally quite obedient, but she seems to sometimes have moments when he looks spaced out? Well, dogs also have their bad performance times just as people do. At times, a dog who cannot seem to focus may be tired, thirsty or may have to relieve himself. So make sure your dog has a chance to drink and relieve herself before training him. And make sure you don't make those training sessions too long, as dogs can get drained out and be unable to focus for too long. When Emotions Get in the Way Consider that the big outdoor world can also be at times a scary place, so your dog may also be past her "paying -attention threshold" as she's focused more on things she's concerned about that may be perceived by her as a threat. Things that look minor to us may be major to dogs. A dog can be worried about that bouncy, hyper dog that is playing nearby, or the kids running back and forth or the big guy who is talking with a deep voice. Stress from a perceived threat can cause a dog to “shut down," effectively freezing her until the threat goes away. In this state of anxiety, the dog ceases to learn and becomes more insecure and frightened. Imagine for a moment, being able to play a piano piece at home and then you're invited to play the piano piece in public in front of a large crowd. If you are excessively anxious about performing in front of people, you might not be able to perform as you normally would. In a similar fashion, dogs who are too excited can be over threshold too. These dogs just need more impulse control and training as well reinforcement provided when they are calm. So these are few possibilities to think about. Avoid repeating commands. A word about repeating commands: This is something that should be avoided, and if you attend a dog training class, you may notice how instructors will likely remind dog owners over and over not to repeat commands. There reason for this is simple: when we repeat commands, dogs learn that we only mean it when we repeat them. Here's an example: So let's say you have taught your dog to sit. You are very proud of your dog and decide to show your family and friends how well-trained your dog is. You say the word sit, and right as your dog hears the word, his precious bottom hits the floor, you then praise and pet your dog. Your mother-in-law, who has missed the show, asks you to perform the action again and you say ''sit!'' Your dog is now a little bit distracted by the nice tray of cookies your mother-in-law has put on the table, so you repeat the command ''sit!, sit!'' Once your dog sits, you are happy he remembered the command so you give extra praise and pats. The next day arrives and your dog is asked to sit again. You say ''sit'' and your dog looks at you as if a little bit insecure. You repeat the command 'sit' 'sit' and this time your dog sits promptly. Happy your dog has remembered the command, again you praise and give lots of attention. Your dog is happy too and does a happy dance. The same scenario happens over the next days and you start wondering why your dog is no longer listening the first time you say sit. The answer is pretty simple: you have simply trained your dog, after a series of repetitions, that the actual command is now ''sit, sit, sit'' and no longer just "sit," just like the child has learned not to attend to mom the first time she tells him to do his homework. However, it's not really like your dog is putting you off, so do not blame your dog for being stubborn for not listening the first time. Very likely, if your dog could talk she would be saying something along these terms: ''You have recently taught me the command is ''sit, sit, sit'' so when I don't sit right away, please consider that I am simply politely waiting for you to finish the command!'' So try to be very self-conscious of what you are saying. Try your best to really pay attention on how many times you say the command and stick to only saying it once. If your dog is spaced out, work on the issue by introducing distractions gradually and working in areas where you are more likely to get an immediate response. I will be tackling the food issue you are facing shortly in my next post. In the meanwhile, if you would like to go more in depth on the topics discussed, here are some links: Understanding dog threshold: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/ The process of generalization: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/ Troubleshooting for dogs ignoring commands: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/ignoring-commands/

Hello Jennifer, I am not sure where the notion that service dogs don't get rewarded with treats comes from. I have personally worked to prepare service dogs for disabled veterans and used treats/food as reinforcement. My continuing education often involves attending live and recorded webinars and can attest that most service dogs are trained tasks with food at some point in their training journeys. Many of the organizations within assistance dogs international are heavily based off of food rewards. Now, training service dogs is like any other form of advanced training. You will therefore find service dog trainers who use shock collars and lots of negative reinforcement and positive punishment, while others use only positive reinforcement/subtracted punishment. It's unfortunate, but the dog training industry is not regulated, and therefore, there's a lot of conflicting info. There is no law dictating how service dogs should be trained, so handlers can do it whatever way they want, but ethical and effective service dog trainers do use food and do so consistently, although, it's worthy precising that the food is often moved from a continuous schedule to an intermittent one, after the initial training phase, so that praise and affection along with other positive reinforcers can be used in between "recharging sessions."

Thanks for posting her preferences. If she's up for chasing cats, squirrels and birds then she has a good level of prey drive and we channel this with toys. A flirt pole can therefore be very tempting for her and we can use that for teaching several cues such as drop it, leave it, and to reinforce sit/stays and down stays. If she gives you lots of tail wags when you tell her "naughty," you can also use that to your advantage. Experiment with what tones of voice she likes and throw a party with her when she performs a desired behavior. Etsy sellers often sell a variety of tug toys made of rabbit fur and even sometimes squirrel tails that you can use as a lure to train sits and downs and then reinforce the behavior by praising and letting her play tug with it or tossing it in the air. Finally, something to point out is that the value of food as reinforcement for behaviors can be built. I have worked with several dogs who weren't interested in food initially, but who started associating food/treats with fun learning and engagement to the point where they started finding even low value treats and even kibble more interesting than before. If you have nothing against training with food, I will be glad to provide you with a variety of troubleshooting ideas (would need more info though on how she is emotionally, her background, history, where you got her, how long you had her etc) and tips to make food more interesting. However, if she's truly one of those cases of dogs who prefer high energy games like tugs and toys or social praise, it's perfectly OK to just use whatever makes her more happy than anything else.

Thank you for the details, Below are some tips and ideas along with some elucidations. Thanks, I was wondering if your vet was aware of her literally starving herself some days because there are so many dogs that are believed to be picky, when in reality they have some digestive issues or other health issues. Not saying, it's your case, but it's always something to think about. At times, these issues are uncovered only after seeing an internal medicine specialist. When my dog once got picky, we saw an internist and a battery of tests revealed that she had a digestive issue and meds solved her issues and she was back to feeling OK. Apparently her nausea created a strong taste aversion with some foods, hence she grew tired of foods and was always willing to try a new food, until she associated that as well with nausea, and a new taste aversion was formed until the next food was tried and so forth. Long story short, my regular vet just brushed it off to aging and we spent several months trying new foods until I had to tell my vet that I had a gut feeling something more was going on and asked her to refer me to a specialist. As a former vet assistant and dealing with dogs suffering from IBD and other GI disorders, picky eating just raises a red flag to me, especially when it's a new behavior in a dog who previously had a normal appetite. You mentioned though that these episodes of reduced appetite occur when "I have to change her outing(s) schedule". Can you provide more details on this please? Is she prone to anxiety, stress? Do changes in her life upset her? Below are the links to the studies I was referring to. I have access to the entire study as a member of a research group, but can sum it out using a quote from Linda Case: "The authors conclude that while domestic dogs have adapted to a scavenging lifestyle, they appear to have done so without giving up a strong preference for meat. They suggest that while the domestic dog has indeed evolved to more efficiently digest carbohydrate and exist on a carbohydrate-rich scavenged diet, they continue to be strongly attracted to the smell of meat and preferentially select meat-smelling foods. (Not surprising at all to most dog owners; but again, good to have science backing up experiences and beliefs). Anyone who lives with and trains dogs is aware that dogs are almost universally attracted to meaty foods and treats. Trainers use these preferences to select different levels of “treat value” for dogs and almost invariably, the treats that are of highest value to a dog are those that have a meaty texture, smell and (we assume) taste."~Linda Case-end quote https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03949370.2015.1076526 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03949370.2015.1076526 Not saying that you should feed your dog meat, just providing a reason why meat/meat-based treats are often used in training and why dogs may find certain carb-rich diets pretty bland. Of course, only your vet or veterinary internist should decide whether any changes in diet can benefit her. Thanks for taking the time to provide the list. Seaweed emanates quite a strong odor that I have found dogs are attracted to. Have you tried to use that that as an individual treat for training? Since you mention she loves coconut oil (my sweet Petra used to love it too!) that can be tried too in small amounts to lick off your hand or a wooden spoon. I have had some dogs who are crazy for peas, especially if I tossed them and they got a kick chasing them around and then eating them. A Dalmatian I trained once instead went bonkers for carrots. Ideally, we use food because it's a primary reinforcer and it provides clarity with no need for learning to be involved. Not to mention, it's readily available and nothing's best than putting your dog to work for his food. Just a dog's meal gives you like 25 to 100 (depending on kibble size) opportunities to reinforce desired behaviors. Now, as mentioned, food isn't the only source of reinforcement we can utilize. There are many other options we can look for, so no worries! I will be posting some more non-food ideas for training based on the extra info you have provided shortly in my next post. Please standby.

When dogs have altercations, it is helpful to recognize what triggers the fights. You have already noticed it's triggered by toys and even certain circumstances such as your miniature poodle going to drink only to come back and notice that the Havanese has "stolen" the toy and then they get upset and a fight ensues. When dealing with dogs stealing toys from each other and fighting there are different ways to tackle this, and once again, it's based on several factors. Are the dogs really fighting or play fighting? Are they getting into noisy fights but nobody gets hurt? Is the yip because your dog gets hurt (check for puncture wounds under the fur) or is the yip just a way for him to say "I am sorry, didn't mean it, please don't hurt me!" Are they actually fighting and getting hurt or is one dog being bullied and suffering emotionally? To find the ideal, individualized method, it is always best to consult with a dog behavior professional committed to using humane, dog behavior modification methods for a careful in-person evaluation considering the risks for injuries involved when trying to modify dog behavior. Dogs are opportunists, so when a dog gets up and leaves a toy unattended, the other dogs sees this as an opportunity to "steal" it. Stealing though may not be the most appropriate term here, considering that from a dog's eyes, a toy left around unattended means the other dog might have lost interest to it so he relinquished it and is therefore authorized to take it. Just to share some stories, Petra, my female Rottweiler, would get quite creative in trying to steal Einstein's toys from right under his nose. Her stealing was more bold as she did it right in front of him. She would suddenly go to the door and bark as if she heard someone, then as Einstein joined her, she would rush to the toy he left behind and steal it. Sometimes, she would rush to us and ask for attention. She would flop over and ask for belly rubs and she knew Einstein loved to join in too for his portion of attention. As soon as he joined in, off she went to steal his toy. Finally, my favorite tactic of hers: she would start barking at Einstein because she wanted his toy bad, and then she would go on to howl. Now, as you may know, howling is quite contagious among dogs, so Einstein would join in to howl as well. The moment he opened his mouth to howl, the toy dropped out of is mouth and off she went to steal it. Now, Einstein fell for this a lot initially, but then he started to smarten up: "Hey, I am not going to fall for this anymore." So as soon as he dropped the toy and started to move away from it and noticed her starting to approach, he would bark and make some big growls as he rushed back to get his toy again as if saying "No, not this time! Forget about it." These episodes although very loud, fortunately, were just the dogs using their "words." They solved very quickly, no feelings were hurt and the dogs never showed signs of emotional upset or fear. Of course, we always monitored them, in case things got out of hand, but fortunately, they never needed intervention other than maybe once or twice in their lifetime when they got too aroused over play. So when it comes to toys, in ideal situations, one dog grabs the toy, growls and the other dog gets the message and backs down "OK, I got it, you can have it". Dogs who won't back down despite serious growls are often young puppies who haven't learned to take growls seriously (older dogs often let them get away with this by granting a temporary ''puppy license") or they are older pups getting a bit bolder and daring, underestimating the other dog's growls or just trying to challenge them. Since this pup is a new addition, your older Havanese may not be used to the idea of having to worry about toys and food. Although dogs like to have play mates, it always feels like a bit of an intrusion when a new dog joins the household. Sort of like an only child having a new baby sister join the family. Feelings may be a bit hurt. This is understandable, and we shouldn't expect dogs to really share as we do. Giving both the same toys won't cut it, because it's just a dog's nature to want the toy the other dog has. Why, is a bit of a mystery, but I assume it's because the toy another dog has is moved around and anything that moves is extremely attractive (try to pick a toy and wiggle it around and your dog will come running leaving behind idle toys that are laying on the floor). On top of this, dogs love to tug on toys too, not to mention the fact that dogs like playing games of keep away where one dog grabs a toy and challenges the other dog to try and get it. Solutions to this problem once again vary, as mentioned. * For play fighting, no intervention is usually needed, but monitoring is always a good idea. * For minor squabbles, if they are just noisy, there are no injuries and dogs don't appear to be emotionally upset, no intervention may be needed. Although these dogs may seem to have a handle conflict resolution, close monitoring is still a must though to ensure things do not escalate, requiring redirection. *For mild fights, there are several different methods. A dog who repeatedly tries to get a toy when a dog is growling may be trained to heed the warning and can be redirected to another activity away from the dog. Another approach is to give the dog whose toys are stolen, oodles of attention so that he eventually learns that "sharing" leads to something even better. Training both dogs to respond to a strong cue the moment tension is noticed can help redirect. I like to train dogs to respond fluently to a cue such as "Cookie time!" where we rush into kitchen and both dogs are given a cookie, but since your dogs have a history of guarding food, it may be best to train something like "Let's go out!" as you all rush into the yard and spend some time there. If you run a bit too towards the door that's a plus as most dogs can't resist following owners. These cues work best at the first signs of tension, if things progress too much, the dogs may be too focused on each other to listen. Of course, this training takes time to get it to a fluent level, where they respond to the cue almost reflexively. Redirection may also be needed when dog play gets too rough (lots of vertical play with the dogs up on their feet a lot may require redirection), when there is bullying rather than play and also when play is getting too long. Sometimes, when dogs play for too long, they start getting tired and cranky, and this may lead to squabbles. Often, one dog gets tired, decides he wants the toy for himself to lie down and chew on, but the other dog keeps wanting to interact. So if you notice that the altercations happen when play sessions are too long and the dogs aren't taking much breaks, it may help to redirect them to another activity (go out in the yard, go for a walk, separate them and give them a stuffed Kong each to enjoy in a crate etc.) Here are some other ideas for redirection and tempering play: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?67-Tempering-Play&highlight=tempering+play Then, as it may happen in some cases, no intervention may be needed. These cases though should be carefully evaluated by a professional. I am not very comfortable recommending this latter, because many times dog owners are told to "let their dogs work it out on their own" by professionals, this has sometimes led to dogs getting injured or emotionally scarred. The logic though is this: with some mild altercations, a dog who doesn't take growls seriously learns through trial and error that, when a growl is ignored, the dog may escalate and this may lead to a bite (hopefully inhibited, maybe an airsnap or a soft correction but that gives the point). In an ideal situation, the dog learns the "lecture" and peace is eventually restored because growls are now understood. Problems though start when the dog giving the correction is too harsh, the other dog on the receiving end is too sensitive, or when the dog given the correction bites back defensively or gets more daring as he matures and doesn't back down and keeps trying. So there are several risks with this approach. Now, when dogs fight, it's best to have a plan in place so nobody gets hurt. When separating fighting dogs, there are always risks for a re-directed bite. This bite is not intentional, it's just that when two highly aroused dogs are fighting, any hand getting in between them, risks getting bitten by mistake. So we may need to use a loud sound like clashing two pot pans together (this is what I have being using mostly, I keep them always handy in the playroom) or an air horn. Some dog owners toss a blanket on the dogs to confuse them and hopefully get them to dislodge, others ring a doorbell. *And then, finally, we have serious fights. For serious fights toys are removed from the equation. In other words, toys are not given when the dogs are together. Dogs are given toys when they are in separate areas. As seen, there are several factors to consider. I wished things were clear cut and easy to tackle, but when dogs interact in a household and there are fights, things can get quite complex because there are many different dynamics going on. This is why the intervention of a force-free behavior professional is recommended for both safety and correct implementation of behavior modification. Disclaimer: behavior modification comes with risks. When dogs are aggressive or fighting, play it safe and consult with a dog behavior professional for an in-person assessment, safety and correct implementation of behavior modification. There are many dynamics going on in dog behavior and an individualized approach is often necessary based on a several factors.

If she was able to start her chew that would be good news as many dogs who are very upset of being left alone won't even touch food. I would count this as progress. The lack of noise is certainly something to pat yourself on your back about as it's sign you are in the right direction. The Thunder shirt unfortunately isn't a cure-all, it's just meant to aid in behavior modification, and it doesn't work with all dogs, although it can help take the edge off in some. I imagine both dogs were crated separately while being in the cabin and given the chew? The fact of being crated can play a big factor as dogs who lie down and kept busy are less likely to bark. If the crate smells like home, that also may help provide a sense of familiarity to a not-so-familiar place. So these are all benefits.

Hello, sorry to hear the classes were not as expected. Was it mentioned to the trainers that Remi wasn't comfortable having other dogs nearby? Usually, in such a case, steps are taken to provide further distance from the other dogs, and sometimes the addition of a visual barrier can help. It is certainly not a nice experience to go through that for both you and your dog. As mentioned, in a previous post, training classes (with the right trainer of course) can help dog and owners bond together, but if the trainer is also a behavior consultant that's a big plus considering that training is mostly about teaching dogs to perform desired behaviors such as sit, down, stay etc; whereas behavior modification falls more around fixing behavior issues and tackling the underlying emotions. Sure, dog trainers can help dogs gain better impulse control and more frustration tolerance, but a dog trainer who specializes in behavior problems is a plus, especially if they have experience in reactivity/aggression. Considering Remi's issues, private classes versus group classes may be less stressful and dog trainers should accommodate them if you feel Remi may benefit from some one-on-one attention and you need individual advice on working on her issues. However, something to consider is that often the initial group classes are the worst, and as the classes progress, the dog often improves if the trainers take some steps in helping your dog feel less stressed (by providing distance from other dogs, taking some time in helping you create some positive associations). Also, as the dogs learn better to improve their impulse control things should improve, but of course, that's not always the case. Some dog trainers/behavior consultants may come into the home to help out. If your dog is calmer at home and doesn't do well around other dogs this may be a starting option. I agree, that this "dog behaviorist" is one I would run away from. Bite scars are just proof that he has failed many dogs refraining from reading their body language and putting them up for fail. Sounds like a balanced trainer who will readily use negative reinforcement and positive punishment without giving it much thought. Clicker training classes can also help in boosting confidence. You can find some great clicker trainers from the Karen Pryor Academy website's directory. https://karenpryoracademy.com/find-a-trainer/#!directory/map The Pet Professional Guild is also another good resource for force-free professionals offering behavior modification: https://www.petprofessionalguild.com/Zip-Code-Search

Thank you for taking your time to post your update! I am very, very glad that you have been able to walk Finn by the fence area without going crazy. You are evidently doing things right and this is big progress for a dog like yours! But in regards to the latest episode, sigh...If can put a coin for every case of an off leash dog ruining progress, I would have one big, heavy piggy bank account. I probably already told you of the stories of service dogs gone bad because of off leash dogs, so I better not get started there. It is extremely frustrating and you can ask many dog trainers and they have hundreds of stories of off leash dogs wrecking havoc to the most systematic plans. I hear you and can't blame you for being upset. I would be too. Actually, I must confess that at times I broke down into tears when I was working on dog-dog reactivity cases and the quintessential off leash dog (or leashed dog with dog owner being dragged along) came to put a dent in the progress. However, as much as I was upset, fortunately, it took a couple of more reps of behavior modification done right with dogs at a distance to get us to the point where we were before. Here are some things I had to do though for a case I worked on a while back when I lived in a difficult area. For safety of the dog I was working on and the off leash dog, I had to swing by my neighbor and ask at what times it was safe for me to work on the dog's reactivity without encountering hers. We found a compromise. On top of this, I made sure my dog was muzzled just in case and I made sure to scan the environment carefully and do emergency u-turns as the sight of any off leash dogs. I also was equipped with a special spray to keep dogs away carried on my belt and on the other side I had some bully sticks/miscellaneous high value treats (like hot dog slices) to toss to any dog before making an approach in hopes the food would interject the dog's plans to come closer. It also may help to have a harness that says ''caution" or "nervous" to remind people about having a dog that needs space (although a muzzle should suffix, but it doesn't hurt to have more). Short of becoming a midnight walker, (that's what owners of reactive dogs often do to avoid other dogs on walks), I think the option of talking to your neighbor in the apartment should help at least manage this part of your dog's walk so that you can continue working in areas where there are leash laws in place. Relegating a dog in the yard is done for some severe cases when it's too stressful for a dog to walk, (exercise is provided through training, play and brain games, some dog owners also use treadmills), but usually this is temporary, long-term, there may be risks for other behavior issues to pop up. Have you tried to contact any of the dog professionals that Jennifer posted in one of your posts a while back? It looks like some are far, but there are chances they know somebody else closer or they may be willing to find a compromise. Of course, make sure they are force-free professionals using positive-based behavior modification. I can ask too on a dog training group I am part of and will let you know if any names pop up.

Thank you for the additional details, When we see altercations among dogs sharing the household things can get quite complex. There can be a variety of dynamics going on, and the best bet is always to have a professional take a thorough history of the dogs assessing the interactions among the dogs in first person and then suggesting a behavior modification protocol based on a variety of individual factors (for example, the level of bite inhibition the dogs have, their age, how severe the fights are, what triggers the fights, owner compliance, time etc). In general, when we see altercations it's important to carefully evaluate what we are truly seeing. For example, we may be dealing with a case of rough play that usually doesn't require intervention, mild altercations that require close monitoring and then more severe ones that require management and some require even separation. I will briefly go though each scenario. In the first scenario, rough play, we need to consider that dogs do play rough and a compounding factor is that when dogs play, they borrow some behaviors and postures that are seen in real fighting (growling, showing teeth, inhibited biting--that doesn't puncture skin). Sometimes yips may be heard when play is too rough, but it's usually not because the dog really gets hurt (other than perhaps a small pinch), but because he's asking the other dog to play less rough. In general, the other dog backs down once hearing that or the other dog leaves for a timeout. For novice dog owners not used to seeing dogs play rough, it may be easy to assume the dogs are fighting. Play fighting over toys is common. One dogs has a toy and teases the other dog. The other dogs tries to get it, and is greeted with loud growls. The other dog may bark in frustration because he wants the toy and will try a variety of tactics to steal it. In general, these are the easiest cases to deal with. Nothing is really needed in most cases other than monitoring and possibly redirection if things are getting rough and one dog is not backing down. In the second scenario, dogs are playing but they get into mild squabbles. At some point, play may get too rough or one dog may decide he is done playing and he wants the toy all for himself. This dog may lie down with it to claim it. Or perhaps, like in your case, he may leave the toy around and go to drink and then rushes towards the toy barking with intensity to tell the other dog to stay away from it or he may get upset the other dog has stolen it. Here's the thing, dogs aren't good at sharing and you can provide hundreds of toys of the same type but one dog will always want the toy the other dogs has. However, in this scenario, although the dogs get into mild squabbles they can be loud and scary, but nobody ever gets hurt, and on top of that, no dog gets emotionally scarred (meaning that no dog starts acting frightened.) What dogs are doing in this case is "using their words." They are engaging in ritualized aggression, they are basically trying to solve conflict without harm. One dog gives a warning growl and the other dog gets the message. These cases can be tackled using close management, close monitoring and redirection. Then we have the more serious altercations. The fights occur frequently, almost on a daily basis, dogs have little bite inhibition and cause puncture wounds. One or both dogs may be emotionally scarred, meaning that they become hesitant to interact or they may get tense. These cases require strict management, and possibly, separation of both dogs. Often more serious fights over toys happen when one dog is in possession of a toy or food and growls, and the other dog ignores the warning and doesn't back down. Your case sounds like it falls in the middle, although of course, I cannot evaluate accurately. So here are few tips that come to mind. Let's start with the food bowl issue. 1) Management of feeding area. It is stressful for dogs to eat too close together, but more than closeness, there's nothing more stressful than dogs getting into each others' bowls. So if you can place a barrier of some type in between them or feed them in separate areas that would be great. Here's the thing: if we keep the dogs rehearsing the food guarding, the behavior will put roots and persist. Tension during mealtimes tends to get worse rather than better if we do not intervene. From growling we may go to biting if the other dog doesn't heed the warning. Ideas for separating are using baby gates, extended pet gates, exercise pens, feeding in crates, feeding in different rooms etc. but since your dog are quite small, you can even try placing large boxes in between them. 2) If one dog finishes the food faster and tries to move towards the other dog barking, whining or pawing towards the area separating him, it helps to distract him. Something I like to do is provide that dog with a Kong Wobbler or one of those slow-eating food bowls so to keep him busy until the other dog is done. 3) Once both dogs are done, remove the empty food bowls. Some dogs even fight on empty food bowls. I like to give each dog a small treat right when I remove food bowls, to prevent food guarding towards people. Once the food bowls are removed, then the barrier can be removed. Both dogs will likely go straight to sniffing each other's eating area. This should not lead to conflict if there is no trace of food. I will be providing some tips for the toy issues in second post shortly. In the meanwhile, here are some threads tackling similar issues that may be helpful to read: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?193-My-two-dogs-fight https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?176-Stealing-recall-walking https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?111-Dog-dislikes-to-share-toys

Greetings, and welcome to the forums! So sorry to hear your pups are not getting along! I have a few questions for you to better understand the situation. Have the fights been mostly just noisy or do the dogs actually end up hurting each other? What are they doing when they are fighting? Are the fights very frequent? Are they both male dogs? Are the fights over food happening when they are fed? Where are they fed normally? Is food always left around? When they fight over toys what are the exact dynamics? Is the new puppy coming close to the older puppy when he has a toy?Are they both playing with a toy? Are they both rushing towards the same toy and fight? Thanks for the details!