s_wiss13

Thank you for all tbe great information. I will be sure to keep a close eye and praise him for going outside. I will also spend some more time making good things happen when the puppy is around!

The puppy things he has marked, is it the first time he has had access to them? I don't think it is the first time he has had access to them. He marked the corner of my bed but it was in the area where the puppy was and I had opened up the gate. So, in that case it was sort of the first time. Have both these episodes started in these past day? No, the first time was over a week ago and then today. Any recent changes, like are they spending more time together lately? No real changes in the amount of time spent together. Has the marking on walks increased since you had Jumpshot? I would not say there is an increase during walks. Quote

Hi, Maxx, my neutered, almost 6 year old is urine marking. I am sure it is due to the stress of having a new puppy in the house. Jumpshot has been with us for 3 1/2 weeks. Maxx is not a huge fan but mostly tolerating. The puppy has figured out not to mess with him too much but really wants to be his friend. I have made sure to give plenty of quite opportunities for all dogs. I read the article on Urine Marking and I think this is a combination between Territory and Stress. He has mostly marked the area where the puppy spends most of his play time. It happens to be in my room and it's been on the corner of my bed/comforter, and today, a box that I had used as a snuffle type toy for feeding Jumpshot. So twice in the 3 1/2 weeks. I'm hoping that this gets better with time and I will try to keep the area closed off when I can't monitor. Maxx is definitely a marker on walks. I am able to stop this by walking faster and using a gentle leader. Last fall, even before the puppy, I was getting ready to leave and we were outside in the yard, and he peed right on my leg and foot. He's peed on my bag after I've returned a few times. Any other tips? Thanks, Susan

I'm still working with Jumpshot and we are slowly progressing. I've started covering his crate sometimes and playing the music a little bit louder and it helps a little. He seems like he recovers just fine even if he does get ramped up. I'm trying to keep him under threshold as much as possible but sometimes it's not possible due to life events! But there has been no reluctance going back in the crate.

I brought in Harmonie's crate (Great Pyrenees) so it's bigger. I put it in the living room and put Jumpshot in it tonight while I was doing a few things around the house. He didn't get all upset in that one, he actually took a nap while I came in and out of the room. I was so relieved. I'm not sure that will always be the case, but it was nice to be able to move around for 15 minutes while he was quiet.

Thank you, Adrienne. This is so much great information! I'll continue to work with him and try to increase the time I'm away very slowly. I have already done a bunch of the things with the calming music, Adaptil, the snuggle puppy! He is calm when in his crate and he can see me. I just need to work through being able to slowly increase the distance and time away. I've tried to move him behind the gates and allow him to see me but he's already a climber and can get over them if he gets upset enough. I'll keep working and let you know how it goes.

Hi, I have a 9 week old Portuguese Water Dog, his name is Jumpshot. He came home a week ago. He has been doing really well. He sleeps in his crate waking every couple of hours to go outside. He is doing really well with potty training. I have the crate next to my bed. I am fortunate to be working from home so I have built a puppy proof play area surrounding my desk. It is working really well. One thing I'm trying to learn how to handle is his complete meltdown if I step outside the play area. Even if he can see me, he cries and cries. I have tried to give him some treats, a lick mat, a toy that dispenses treats to keep him busy for even 1 minute. But, as soon as I step out he ignores everything and the crying starts and he tries to climb out. If I talk to him he seems to settle some but I don't want to do the wrong thing and reinforce this behavior. I've tried to wait it out but it doesn't seem to stop long enough for me to go back to him. Am I expecting too much at his age to be able to leave the room or even the play area without the crying? I have read some of the other comments but I'm not sure what small steps I can take that don't put him directly over the threshold. Thanks in advance, Susan

P.S. After 2 days of being home, everything is back to normal. Harmonie tries to play with them but mostly just lets them be and no one appears nervous.

The reunion went pretty well. We all met outside and went for the walk. Harmonie was interested in seeing them, we kept walking and let her sniff them from behind. There was one small growl from her but no additional confrontation, we kept moving. She continued to show quite a bit of focused attention on them for a little while after we returned to the house and yard but no growling. Just for some context, I spend time in two places, home with all the dogs during the week and then I travel to my other home with typically 2 dogs on the weekends. I have a house mate that stays with the dogs. I usually take Poppie and Maxx with me on the weekends unless it's time for grooming. Harmonie shows no signs of the growling when I return each weekend with Maxx and Poppie, in fact she is excited and happy each time. I will definitely keep in mind using the towel to help with the smell in the future.

Thank you for your detailed replies. I will review them carefully and try to put some of the suggestions in place. I will be returning to Harmonie today after having the twins and Poppie away for the weekend to get groomed. I will try to have them all meet in the driveway and go for a quick walk to see if that stops the initial re-introduction issues. I can try that today because there will be someone home to help. I need to think through some options for times when I return on my own. Once I get through today, I will practice that a few times this week after short trips. Typically the only time this happens is if any of them need to get groomed or go to the vet. I'll keep an eye on her leeriness - I don't think she's going to be a show dog! But, I don't want her to feel fear. So far, I think it's more aloofness Thank you for the advice on avoiding the corrections when she's growling. That makes a lot of sense. I have a lot to read and understand and then a lot to put in practice. I sometimes find myself getting complacent since the dogs have the run of the yard and house and typically don't cause much issue. I do know I need to spend more time with her to keep her learning and a cooperative member of the family.

Hi Adrienne, Thanks for the response. Harmonie is definitely leery towards strangers, whether they come to the house, in the yard, or out on walks. When people come to the house, she pretty much keeps her distance. She will come up to them and sniff them and whether they ignore her, talk to her, or try to pet her, her reaction is just about the same. She just backs off. She doesn't seem overly nervous, she lies down and rests. When we encounter people on walks, she just keeps her distance. If someone asks to pet her and they put their hand out for her to sniff, she sniffs it and then backs off. I have a friend that comes over and doesn't make eye contact or talk to her and Harmonie just ignores her the entire time. I have another friend that talks to her and Harmonie will approach her when she's sitting down and she lets her pet her. Harmonie has access to our fenced backyard, we live on a farm, she spends a lot of time outside barking and keeping a watch on things. She comes in the house to check in and maybe take a nap, then back out. I have noticed her being startled in the house. One time she didn't know I was behind her and she jumped up and ran, then came right back when she realized it was me. She gets startled outside with a loud noise that surprises her but she doesn't seem to be scared in an ongoing way... more just a startle until she quickly figures out what it is. I tried to take her to get groomed last week and she was having no part of going into the building. She was pulling and I couldn't/didn't want to drag her in because I figured if she wouldn't walk in, she wasn't going to have a good experience once inside. I have made some mistakes with her grooming at home. She is known for getting really muddy outside and I have used the hose to spray her feet off - she has started really resisting this and now it's almost impossible. I have to go back to square one and take it super slow. Okay...on to the older dogs. All 5 dogs are spayed/neutered. I wouldn't say that the 12 year olds are showing much as far as aging. I do think Taffie's (female) eyesight might be a little worse than it was. Tigger (male) doesn't seem to be showing signs. Poppie is definitely showing more signs of aging but I don't see any issues between him and Harmonie. Taffie sometimes cowers a bit or hangs back until Harmonie goes away. Tigger doesn't seem to be affected at all. Tigger pretty much holds his ground. I would say after the initial encounter, they go back to normal. Most of the time they all just do their own thing. I don't think it has a lasting emotional impact. One thing I do notice is that Harmonie seems to intentionally sit (sometimes) in front of the dog door so that the others can't go in the house. About 2 times a day I hear someone bark to come in and when I go out, she is sitting right in front of the dog door. I think I have a lot of work to do... she has been a really good dog as far as being perfectly house broken, not destroying things, she doesn't jump up or anything like that...but, I haven't asked her to do much, she pretty much does what she wants. I don't take her too many places for a few reasons, the craziness of the world right now, I don't go anywhere and, having 5 dogs makes taking 1 or 2 more difficult. While I wait for your reply, I'm going to take a read through the exercises and make a plan to start slowly working with her more. If you have suggestions on any particular behaviors to start with, I'd appreciate the advice. She's not overly food driven or toy driven. The other day when I took her for a visit to the vet, I brought some cheese to reward her for going in and she had no interest in the cheese. As always, I so appreciate your expertise and friendly advice. Thanks, Susan

Hi, I have Harmonie, a 15 month old Female Great Pyrenees. We've had her since she was 3 months old. She was with her mother and litter mates prior to that. You gave me some advice about a year ago regarding socialization and she does okay, but not perfect. She is pretty leery of a lot of things and people but I've never seen her be aggressive when she is acting unsure, she just shies away. I think some of this may be breed specific but it also could have been something prior to her time with me - I do recall she was very shy and scared when I first brought her home. Harmonie was spayed after her first heat cycle per our veterinarian advice right after her 1st birthday. I have 4 other dogs all spayed or neutered, 2 smaller Shih tzu - Schnauzer mixes that are 12 years old, one female Taffie, one male Tigger, Poppie, 13 year old Portuguese Water Dog and Maxx a 4 year old Wheaten mix. I would like your input on a behavior that Harmonie has with the smaller 2 dogs. If I take Harmonie somewhere, either a short trip to the vet or a longer trip for the weekend, when she comes back home she growls and has a stand off with the smaller dogs. Tigger can be a bit growly back with her and sometimes she will try to pin him down with her mouth. Taffie submits and cowers but Harmonie will still growl a bit. After that is over within minutes, I never see any growling again until one of them leaves the house and comes back. If I take the twins and return, the same thing happens, Harmonie growls. She does not do that if I take the bigger dogs and return. It's only with the smaller dogs. I'd like to know the best way to address it. If I ignore it, they work it out within 1 minute. If I try to divert her, she still wants to get to them, and as soon as I let them meet, she growls, and then gets over it. It feels more like dominance than aggression. I just don't want to feed into it. They get along fine at all other times. I feed Harmonie in a separate room but just because she eats much slower than the other 4. I've never seen any food aggression from her. They get treats at the same time and never growl. They don't growl over toys. They don't growl if I'm petting them and the other comes up. It's just the reunion. If we all go for a walk and return together, no issues. Thanks in advance. I want to work on this, then I may have some other questions with Harmonie but I'll wait for now! Susan

Thank you, Adrienne. I will talk to the trainer when I first get there next week to see if we can avoid the situation. If not, maybe I will try to leave a little early to give me the best chance of preventing it.

Hi, I wrote in awhile back after just bringing home our Great Pyrenees puppy, Harmonie. She has been doing great, amazingly great. She got used to her crate and sleeps in it willingly. She only had 3 accidents in the house and hasn't had one for over a month. She loves to go outside through the dog door and spends time just sitting on the deck and watching. She reads the 4 other dogs in the house and knows when they want to play and when they don't. I couldn't be happier with the way training is going. I have been taking her to Puppy class for the last 5 weeks. She does great and seems to be a fast learner. At first she was pretty nervous about going, seemed timid and shy but usually not overly scared. Tonight there was a really loud dog in the store with an exceptionally persistent bark. The dog was 50 - 60 feet away waiting to go to the next class. Harmonie was very scared and did not want to come out of the training area. She actually peed on the floor. I tried to act normal and upbeat, trying to coax her out but she was so scared that she didn't want to go. I used a "that silly dog" voice and tried to get her to focus on me per our training but it didn't work that great. She eventually did come out (hugging the wall) but I'm wondering how it is going to be when we go back. She was so scared that I wasn't able to get her attention to sit or show interest in the training treats. Do you have any suggestions on how to better handle this? The barking dog has been there before and Harmonie was scared then too, but not as badly as she was tonight. I'm pretty sure the other dog will be there next week as well. I did read the article on Socializing Your Puppy and tried to introduce her to as many new things as possible but she seems pretty leery about a lot of things. We've introduced her to kids. She is scared at first but seems to adjust after a few minutes. She does okay when people come to our house but she's pretty shy at first. I want to give her the best chance to be well adjusted to things. I appreciate your help. Susan

Hi, I'm excited to see there is another Great Pyrenees puppy in the forum! Our girl is just a about 6 weeks older than yours so it will be fun to read your posts and learn at the same time. I was so surprised when Harmonie got used to the crate at night in such a short time. I followed the advice in the link you were provided and I'm still amazed that she goes in and seems to feel safe and comfortable in her crate. Good luck with your training and I look forward to hearing how things go. Susan

Adrienne, Thank you so much for the detailed and thoughtful response. I cannot tell you how impressed I am with the information you share both on your site and in the way you respond to each question. Having all this information in a personalized message, in one spot, will allow me to share with others that will also be training her. This has already been the best investment I have ever made toward training any of my dogs. My other 4 dogs do pretty well, but I know they have so much more potential if I work with them using the information that you provided - even though 3 of them are Seniors. I will keep you posted on my progress. I'm now going to read your post and information again and get started with some short, fun training! I'm also going to be telling all of my dog loving friends about your program. The Pyr in the picture you sent me is beautiful and sitting so nicely. I've posted pictures of the rest of the crew here. Have a great day!

Hi, I am having so much fun reading through many of the posts and learning a lot. Thank you for taking the time to answer with such detail. I wanted to say hi and introduce my dogs. I love dogs and have had such a great experience with most every dog that I have encountered. I'm looking forward to working and growing with Harmonie Moonstone, the new Pyr., age 3 months. Several years ago I rescued a Senior Pyr age 12 and he was able to live out his life 14+ roaming the fenced in yard and alternately sleeping on the deck and the couch as he pleased though the dog door. Harmonie has joined the family, Poppie 12, Portuguese Water Dog, Tigger and Taffie, 11, Shih tzu/Schnauzer's, Maxx, 3, Wheaten Terrier mix. It's been quite awhile since I have worked with.a young puppy, and never a Pyr. I will make my way through the training working on basic obedience. So far she is very laid back - I realize that may be the honeymoon stage but I'm enjoying it while it lasts. So far she does not seem very food motivated but I haven't tried much of a variety yet. Do you have any specific early training advice for a Pyr based on their unique breed traits? She's been home for 24 hours and she's had no issues with potty training yet. She figured out the dog door almost immediately and goes outside on her own (with me right behind her - through the regular door - to praise her). I haven't made it very far in my reading yet, but I have noticed that she wants to chew on plenty of things. I have toys and she is content and I'll get more soon. If I see her go for something that she isn't suppose to, like the table leg, do I say anything? For now I have just been swapping a toy. Do I stay quiet, swap the toy, and then praise? I'm just trying to figure out how to stop the behavior I don't want as well as encourage her to do what I do. Once again, thank you for all of the information that I am reading. Looking forward to working with you and everyone on the forum. Thanks, Susan