Struggling with 7 month old puppy pacing and whining

[DIANE LINDNER]

I am really struggling right now with my 7 month old German Shepard Mix rescue. I have literally tried everything I can think of or read up on. The main time that it occurs is when I try to sit at the dining room table to do my crafts.  My house is open concept so even when I am at this table she can see me from everywhere. I have tried to just ignore her for over an hour. I have tried to take her out to use the restroom but as soon as I sit back down it starts again. I have tried to give her a special bone or treat to chew and put a dog bed near the table. This is all after I use slow feeder bowls for meals, treat dispensing toys, play dates with other dogs and walks. However, nothing has worked. But as soon as I sit on the couch she stops and lays down. I am really struggling so any help would be appreciated. 

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hi Diane Lindner,

Welcome to the forums!

You puppy at 7 months is at the dog adolescent stage, and this time can be very trying to us dog owners. You can read more about this stage here:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/survive-dogs-adolescent-stage/

So it sounds like, upon sitting at the dining room table to do crafts your dog is pacing and whining? To better help you, can you please provide some extra details? 

Is this a new behavior or has she always been this way?

For how often in a week and for how long (minutes, hours) are you doing your crafts?

Are you using tools that make noise or products that emit certain smells?

When does the behavior exactly start? When you sit down, when you start doing the crafts? When you use a specific tool?

What have you done in the past in response to this behavior (other than taking her out)

How much does your dog sleep during the day?

Is your dog crate trained? Can you use an exercise pen? If you are using these, what is your dog doing when in there?

What happens when you give her the bone? Does she refuse it? Does she finish it too fast?

Thank you. 

 

[DIANE LINDNER]

Thank you so much for taking the time to help me! It has been a bit trying with her lately but like you said is to be expected! Lol I hope some of these answers give you more of an idea of what I’m dealing with and how to help! 
 

She has always exhibited this behavior with me sitting at the dining table far as I can remember. I am on disability so I am home quite a bit. I usually sit there at least once a day to work on something and I will usually be there for an hour or so. I do not believe that there is any specific sound or smell that bothers her. I am either doing diamond art or paint by numbers but it doesn’t matter which one I’m doing….Cosmo’s response is the same. Once I sit down the pacing seems to start fairly quickly and just doesn’t stop. I think one time it went for over an hour because I was trying to fully ignore her to see if she would calm herself down at all. The different things I have tried include ignoring the behavior, getting a second dog bed that I put near the end of the table where I sit so she can be close and put her favorite toys there, giving her a “special” bone like a Himalayan salt bone or cow knee cap, putting her in her cage with a kong filled with peanut butter  and treat dispensing toys. When I do give her the bone she gets very excited to take it but then she just starts pacing and whining with it in her mouth. She will stop for short periods to chew it but no longer than 30 seconds and then she is back up pacing. 
As for her sleeping during the day I would say maybe 4-6 hours during the day. She is crate trained. She is in there when I am not home and at night I have a cover for it and she has done well. I do not have an exercise pen but I do close off all the rooms during to day so she has a limited area to play in. 
 

I hope this helps and I appreciate any help you can provide! 
 

Diane and Cosmo

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hi Diane and Cosmo,

Thank you so much for the extra details, they are very helpful! Please see your statements in bold and my observations below. 

She has always exhibited this behavior with me sitting at the dining table far as I can remember. 

Sooo....if she has been performing this behavior for as far as you can remember, we are dealing with a strongly established reinforcement history. In other words, the behavior has been rehearsed for quite some time, and the more they are rehearsed, the more ingrained and established they become. This makes them more difficult to overcome, compared to behaviors that have recently started from fresh and can be better nipped in the bud, so to say.  So it's not going to be easy. 

I do not believe that there is any specific sound or smell that bothers her. I am either doing diamond art or paint by numbers but it doesn’t matter which one I’m doing….Cosmo’s response is the same

There can still be some issue associated with smells although, we may really never know, so speculating on this won't get us much anywhere but thought to bring it up as a possibility.

Just to share some anecdotal evidence: when cooking lamb meat, I use high oven temps and the meat tends to make a lot of smoke due to its grease content, so it would turn on our smoke alarm. Our Rottweiler Petra, hated the sound of the smoke alarm, but I think it was for a good part also because my husband upon hearing it, would get up with a sense of urgency and go open all the windows and doors. It took a couple of times for this scene to repeat, that Petra started acting anxious whining and pacing anytime I was cooking lamb meat even if the smoke alarm never went off as we took precautionary measures such as opening all windows before or covering the alarm with towels. 

This just to say, that some dogs can quickly learn to associate a particular activity with something they dislike, even if what they dislike doesn't always present itself. I know some dogs who get anxious in response to certain smells such as solvents, strong glues or paints. Einstein used to get anxious upon smelling skunks after being skunked once. Single-event learning.  He never forgot. 

Once I sit down the pacing seems to start fairly quickly and just doesn’t stop. I think one time it went for over an hour because I was trying to fully ignore her to see if she would calm herself down at all. 

Ignoring works well for behaviors that are reinforced by attention. However, when ignoring a behavior that has established, it would take some time for it to extinguish and you must be aware of the phenomenon of extinction bursts. 

Here's the thing: our attention can be very reinforcing to our dogs, and that includes attention of the positive type (praise, petting, food, toys, caringly making eye contact, sweet talking to our dogs) or attention of the negative type (looking at the dog sternly, scolding the dog, pushing him away, getting any type of angry/frustrated reaction from us.

With this in mind, in order for ignoring to work, you would need to therefore be totally unaware of your dog. This takes a certain skill,  and be even not feasible, especially when the barking is sustained and very loud and we live in a tight-knit neighborhood You may need to wear headphones to endure the barking and remind yourself to not look at your dog or interact with her in any way when she is barking. All family must be consistent and on board in not giving the dog any attention of any type when the dog is demand-barking. 

When a dog has been receiving attention of any kind for many weeks, months or even years, and now you are totally ignoring, an extinction burst will often take place and this may at first appear as if ignoring  is not working.  An extinction burst in dogs, is the phenomenon of behaviors getting worse before they are getting better. As bad as this sounds, it's actually a good thing if you know how to tackle it.

For sake of an example, a mom who always gives in and buys candy for her toddler when she cries upon visiting the grocery store. Then, one day the child's dentist notices the candy is ruining the child's teeth. So from the next day, no more candy.  At the store, the toddler therefore cries, and cries and cries in hopes of candy, and then eventually starts throwing a super big temper tantrum at the store (behavior getting worse)., since the crying is no longer working as before.

What happens though if, after several days in a row, the mom is super determined to not give in? After the crying has gotten temporarily worse, it eventually extinguishes just like a fire that is deprived from oxygen. 

Moral of the story: if you decide to totally ignore your dog's barking expect the behavior to get worse before it gets better. During the extinction burst your dog may bark louder and for longer or she may even try new behaviors in hopes of regaining his attention. If you stick to the plan though, after such increase, you should see the behavior gradually declining and then eventually extinguishing.

What happens though if during an extinction burst, you happen to inadvertently give any attention? This would be a recipe for disaster!

The reason is because now, you will have reinforced persistence. In other words, back to the toddler example, what would have happened if the mom would have given in and bought candy right when the child had a tantrum, yelling and screaming to her embarrassment? This would have caused the old behavior of crying for candy to make a quick comeback, becoming even more established than before! Now, if mom decided again to be more determined to not buy candy, she would likely have to go through more intense yelling and screaming behaviors  because the toddler has learned that if he insists, and reaches mom's breaking point, he can finally get what he wants. 

Sure, dogs may not intently think in such a way, but extinctions bursts are a real thing and we are deemed to encounter more hurdles if we inadvertently reinforce a behavior during this delicate stage. 

Now in your dog's case though, the behavior may not be necessarily  attention-driven, there may be some element of anxiety at play. Pacing and whining sounds more like anxiety versus a more confident demand-barking. So an ignoring-the- dog strategy may not work well, and even if it would, I wouldn't recommend plain ignoring as a stand alone method as it's likely to cause lots of frustration. 

"As soon as I sit on the couch she stops and lays down"

This seems to prove that there's something about your activity that is disturbing her.  If she were to want attention, we would expect her to also do so when you sit on the couch. However, if you have been petting her and giving her attention on the couch and ignoring her when crafting that can bring attention-seeking back to being a strong possibility. 

So I have further a questions (sorry, this is quite a puzzle, but the more puzzle pieces the better!)

-What do you do on the couch differently? Are you petting her, giving her attention when there?

Many of us have an established habit of petting dogs automatically when we sit on the couch. It soon becomes a desired routine, so there could be chances a dog may be whining/pacing in anticipation of us sitting on the couch, especially if we always sit on the couch after crafting or at the same times every day. 

-Have you ever tried working from a different table? I don't suggest trying to do the crafts on the couch because we don't want her to associate it with that since she settles so nicely there. Just trying to exclude a possible issue with a certain table. 

-Do you wear different glasses when you work at the table? Anything that changes our appearance can sometimes upset dogs. 

-Do you do crafting mostly at a certain time of the day? Is it a set routine? What do you right after? Like if you feed her meal right after, she may be whining because she may want to be fed earlier. Even if you keep on crafting and then feed her, she may think that her whining worked in getting you to feed her.  If you sit on the couch right after, she may also think she has gotten you to join her thanks to the whining. 

-Have you tried crating her with a stuffed Kong at a distance from you (in case there's some smell that bothers her). Have you tried placing a blanket on the crate? In case there's something visually bothering her. 

-After how much time of her whining and pacing, do you sit on the couch? She may be tired/exhausted by the time you go there after all the pacing and whining. 

-Can you sit on the table without her whining when you don't do crafts? Like for eating? 

Thanks again!

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Also any additional info/detail you can think of, will be extra helpful! Like if your are facing away from Cosmo when you sit down for crafting. What products/materials you are using. Any solvents? I used to paint and turpentine used to be very strong. Do you use a craft light? Any equipment that could be letting off light, sound or vibrations? Any other pacing/whining in other circumstances? Have you ever accidentally scared the dog while crafting (e.g. dropped a box of beads on the floor)?

 

What we are looking for is a possible antecedent that may be setting the behavior so it can be tackled correctly. 

[DIANE LINDNER]

Good afternoon! Thank you again for taking the time to work through this with me! A lot of what you said about the ignoring not working or not being the problem makes sense. I was also thinking that it at be some sort of anxiety behavior but just not sure why either! Also the ignoring when crate trading worked fairly well and quickly with her but this is not doing any thing this time! As for some of the other questions here we go! 
 

What I do when I sit on the couch really differs. There are certain times Cosmo will come and sit in between my legs, others she will just sit on same couch. I do not always pet her on couch either. There are times I eat meals or snack on the couch and she knows she gets nothing at this time, food or pets, and she will sit on the other side of the couch. A lot of the times when I come to the couch she goes and lays on the other couch where I am not or lays on her bed or the floor. But I would say I don’t pet her or give her a lot more attention on couch than I do the table. 
 

As for working at another table, I don’t have another table but I have done some crafts on the kitchen island with not as much problem. I am definitely higher up and moving more with the crafts I do there. I did put one of her beds next to the island and she would lay there which is why I put one near the dining room table but that didn’t help. But the island is not really a place I can do the stuff I am working on now. 
 

The timing of when I am at the table really varies along with what I do after. I really can’t think of any pattern. I may have fed her once of twice in the middle but because it was time for dinner. But that may be part of the problem. 
 

I have tried a peanut butter stuffed Kong in her crate before. She was good while eating it but when done she started going crazy in her crate cuz I was still there. Her crate is always covered on all sides when she is in there when I leave, when I’m home and when I leave. 
 

I would also say the time she has been whining and pacing varies before I sit on the couch. I am on disability so I am home quite a bit but I do volunteer and get out daily. It is just me and Cosmo so she is not getting mixed signals from other people living here. 
 

When I sit at the table for other things, which is not very often, I have not noticed the behavior. I really only sit there to eat if I have friends over and then Cosmo is very interested in the food and people. 
 

Other details of the crafts….diamond art has just a canvas, diamonds and application pen but no smell at least to me; the paining I do is just paint by number canvas with basic acrylic paint in individual tubs; no extra crafting light but the dining room table overhead light is on; she does do the whining if she sees a person or dog outside through the window but not much pacing otherwise; and finally I can not think of anytime I scared her while crafting. 
 

Hopefully some of this has helped and look forward to continuing our puzzle! Lol

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Thank you for the extra details!

 

I was hoping to get an "a-ha!" moment with something jumping out at me, but so far I see nothing really salient that grabs my attention. 

 

Only thing that come to mind is whether the diamond art may have parts that shine or shimmer creating maybe some lights on walls that may cause your dog to react to them. 

 

And then wondering what happens if you just sit at the table and read a book or eat a small snack. Sure, the sitting at the table may evoke the behavior since it has a strong rehearsal history, but it would be interesting to know whether once she notices you're not doing any crafts she may calm down. This could help us pinpoint whether there may be an issue with the actual crafts, BUT, there may be chances that issue may be also the length of time spent there crafting, so there may be chances that she might just decide to pace and whine even if you sit there for an hour to read. 

 

 We can surely do several trials to see whether there are some common denominators so to find the triggering stimulus/event. This is done by conducting several trials with somethings not present, and then present, to see if it makes a difference,  but this can turn out to be a tedious task, because basically, you may have to try to do crafts standing up, try doing a completely different craft for a while (like a puzzle), try not using any paints, etc. and see if this makes any difference. 

 

So far with all these details there doesn't seem to be anything particular that seems to evoke the behavior other than you sitting at the table and crafting. So if the behavior occurs reliably when sitting at the table and doing crafts, then there's something in there that evokes the behavior that we may never really know, so we may just have to accept the whole stimulus package of you sitting there and crafting as being the ultimate triggering event. 

 

It could be that your pup being a GSD mix may have a bit of some that protective behavior, sort of like feeling that she has some type of "duty"  to perform so she is unable to relax until you settle down on the couch and relax too. Only then, she can put "her guard down." 

 

If there was an element of attention seeking, it could be that, by ignoring Cosmo and then giving up, (meaning giving her attention of any type), you may have inadvertently shaped longer duration of the behavior with the dog carrying on the pacing and whining for a longer period of time, since it was ultimately rewarded at some point.  But even if you never gave her attention while crafting, just the fact that, after an hour of her whining/pacing, you stop crafting, she may come to believe that her whining and pacing achieved that (sort of like dogs who bark at the mailman come to think that their barking sends the mailman away, when the mailman just had to leave anyway!). 

 

 Remember the toddler in the store example? If mom gives up and buys candy after 1 hour of the child crying, the child will cry for longer and longer. Even if the child doesn't cry for the whole hour, but just on and off, or never cries at all,  but he resumes or starts crying when he notices mom is almost done shopping, and she gives in and buys the candy then, that would have strongly reinforced the crying. 

 

So in these possible stimulus package cases, one way we can tackle this is by using DRO or DRI, that is, differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) or differential reinforcement of incompatible behavior (DRI). 

 

Basically, in the first option, we aim to reinforce any other behavior that occurs other than the pacing and whining.  In the second option, we reinforce any behavior that prevents her (and therefore, is incompatible) from pacing and whining ( for example, a dog can't pace if we ask them to lie on a mat).

 

This would require you to give up hour-long crafting sessions for some time, since as mentioned, the more a dog rehearses a behavior, the more it puts roots and establishes. An errorless approach where the dog is put into the position of not feeling the urge to pace/whine would be therefore be important. 

 

So during the day, you can place a bowl of kibble/treats on the crafting table (if he doesn't jump on the table, otherwise keep in your pocket/treat bag) and you can ask Cosmo to lie on a mat nearby.  Here is the guide on training dogs to lie on a mat:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/train-dog-go-to-mat/

 

Praise and reward by dropping a kibble in between his front legs for laying down there. Gradually add duration, but don't sit at the table yet, Do several reps of this and then start sitting at the table for just a few seconds while your dog lies on the mat, but don't do crafts yet.  

 

Do several reps of this, you can ask your dog to go to her mat, (tell her to stay if she knows that), you sit at the table, count 1-2-3 then get up and feed a treat in between her paws. Rinse ad repeat, gradually increasing duration, but make sure to add shorter duration stays on the mat so your dog doesn't feel like the exercise is increasing in difficulty.  So it's like 3 second stays, then 5, then 8, then 4, then 6, then 10, then 5, then 12, then 7 etc. Try to build up to at least one minute. These are cases that need to go very slowly. The biggest setbacks occur when we go through the process too fast.

 

Then, one day, have your crafts already set on the table area, ask your dog to lie on the mat, sit down and pretend to work on the craft for a little bit, careful not to push it too much, start easy-peasy going back to holding a stay on the mat for a few seconds since you are raising criteria by adding the increase in difficulty, which is you crafting. 

 

Do several reps always mixing in briefer stays on the mat with the longer ones. Now, as you increase duration on the mat, you would need to provide foods that take longer and longer to eat. So you may start with kibble (if she likes that) otherwise start with treats and then progress to a cookie, then a little pumpkin on a Licki-mat or inside a Kong, then progress to a cookie in a Kong, then layers of cookie, peanut butter in the Kong, then a bully stick, then maybe a Kong filled with frozen layers of peanut butter and kibble/treats (which is one of the longest treats dogs get). If your dog struggle with any of this, go back to something she's more eager to eat and is less difficult to extract. 

 

Now, I know you mentioned, your dog will pace/whine carrying bones in her mouth, but in this case:

1) we are going at a more gradual pace, so she should be calmer and better under threshold: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/

2) we are skipping bones since many dogs won't chew things that are long-lasting as a bone when they are anxious, but may do better with things that take less time to chew. 

 

If she struggles eating anything, take that as a sign that she's too anxious. She may need the plan to be split into smaller steps or calming aids like supplements such as l-theanine to help lower the threshold. If she is too anxious, learning new behaviors becomes difficult and even close to impossible. 

 

At this point, you'll need to strategically time your crafting sessions with when your dog finishes chewing. Make sure to do this  *before* your dog has a chance of rehearsing the pacing and whining behavior. We want to use an errorless approach where we help the dog not rehearse the undesirable behavior. 

 

The above is using desensitization and counterconditioning. 

Desensitization means using baby steps: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/desensitization/

Counterconditioning means creating positive associations:https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/counterconditioning/

 

It could be that your pup bein a GSD mix may have a bit of some protective behavior feeling that he has some type of "duty"  to perform so she is unable to relax until you settle down on the couch and relax too. 

 

Another good exercise may be capturing calmness. You can simply put a leash on your dog and sit down on the couch and ignore her. Wait for her to lie down. Once she lies down, provide a treat in between her paws. Keep placing a treat between the paws several times,  gradually increasing the time between one treat and another. If your dog gets up, ignore and wait again for her to lie down again.

 

You can then increase criteria and try doing this exercise at the table, as you're sitting down.  If she starts getting anxious, though split things further, and start with the chair at a distance from the table and gradually move it more and more closer to it. Keep capturing calmness. Make it short and sweet, at first, and gradually increase time.

 

You can then give longer lasting treats as you sit there, but don't do crafting yet. Keep it easy. The end goal is placing a mat near the table and trying to coordinate enjoying goodies there as you craft. At some point, you can remove the leash. 

 

Other tips/ideas that come to mind:

-Plan to stop your crafting sessions only when at least 20 seconds of quiet non/whining non/pacing has occurred. This so to not reinforce her behaviors. 

-After crafting, don't rush to sit on the couch or feed your dog so to not create anticipation for these behaviors. Do something boring, like washing your tools and spending some time doing something neutral to your dog. 

-Teach your dog better impulse control and frustration tolerance. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/impulse-control-frustration-tolerance/

-Coordinate your crafting with times when she is more calm. 

-Invest in a remote treat/kibble dispenser like Manners Minder and use the remote to dispense treats when you craft and your dog is at least 20 seconds with no whining/pacing. 

-Alternatively, if you can multitask and keep a hand free and clean,  you can place a bowl of treats/ kibble by your table and randomly toss a kibble treat in your dog's direction, every time you hear/notice at least 20 seconds of silence and no pacing.  

-If this above difficult, you can try investing in a Pet Tutor which is an automated feeder that can be coordinated with an app that detects barking so to release a treat when the dog remains quiet for some time. Here is a video: Positive reinforcement to treat barking with Pet Tutor®

-Consider that severe cases of anxiety may need prescription meds and possibly the intervention of a professional for correct implementation of behavior modification. 

-When worse comes to worse, have a helper walk your dog in the hours you are crafting or see if a friend can bring over a playmate and have dogs play in the yard as you craft. 

 

I hope this helps you! In the dog training world, there is a saying : "be splitter and not a lumper" which means it's important to split exercises into smaller steps rather than lumping things together. 

Keep me posted!

Best,

Adrienne 

[DIANE LINDNER]

Thank you, thank you, thank you!! I will definitely give some of these a try and keep you updated! I really appreciate all the time and thought you have put toward Cosmo and I! Means a lot! 

[Adrienne Farricelli]

You are very welcome! Cosmo is very lucky to have such a dedicated owner who is willing to put in the time in helping him be more at ease! I hope things work out for you.

You may  sometimes need to use more than one approach and see how it goes. Baby steps. Consider that as you're working on the issue, it's quite normal for sometimes the behavior to come back every now and then. That's a phenomenon known as  "spontaneous recovery." With time these should subside and you should see more and more of the desired behaviors if all is implemented correctly. If though he keeps on acting antsy, it may be time to take a few steps back and make things easier for him and see how it goes, or in some cases, possibly go back to the drawing board, assessing whether a different approach may be needed. 

Keeping track of the behavior is helpful (like creating a basic graph depicting how much whining/pacing takes place over the course of several weeks). This allows you to carefully assess whether there is a steady decreasing trend. Factor in whether any stressful events take place in his life (e.g. fireworks, then being left alone for some time, then loud neighbors coming over) as those can cause setbacks too as the result of trigger stacking. 

I am always here if you want to post any update or have questions. 

Best,

Adrienne 

[DIANE LINDNER]

Hello again!! I just wanted to check back in with an update and to get some more advice or guidance. I have been trying a variety of the techniques you discussed but nothing seems to be helping and she is actually getting much worse. The pacing is now throughout the day no matter where I sit or what I’m doing. She had also suddenly been growling and barking randomly at the TV up on the wall. She also is doing the growling and barking when looking out the window. I have tried redirecting her with commands and treats or praise but sometimes she is so focused nothing will stop her include I physically get up and block her from seeing whatever she is fixated on. 

i have tried the calming chews as you suggested which do work great. I just don’t know if I should rely on them. I just feel like such a horrible owner. I try to provide her with everything she needs. Any more advice would be great. Thank upi

 

 Cosmo and Diane

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hi Diane,

Thanks for the update. 

Can you please provide more info on exactly which techniques you have tried so far for the whining when doing crafts, and how often/how long you have implemented them and what your dogs exactly does when you tried implementing them? 

In your first post you said "The main time that it occurs is when I try to sit at the dining room table to do my crafts." In which other circumstances has the behavior occurred in the past even though at less frequent level?

Are there any new things going on in the home? Please list anything you can think of (new sounds, inclement weather, possible critters in the walls, new pet in the neighborhood, increased itching/scratching etc).

Is the barking at the TV or outside the window a totally new behavior? 

Can you identify any triggers she sees when she's barking out of the window? or when barking at the TV?

What have you been doing exactly in response to when she barks at the TV?

Is she spayed?

Does she have any fears/phobias that you know of, like when out on walks?

It is good to hear that the calming chews are working great, in which scenario have you noticed improvement using them?

How long is she walked each day, plays with other dogs and is provided with training and brain games? Please provide some specifics for each so I can have an idea of how her day is. 

Does she calm down when you sit on the couch?

Please don't feel like a horrible owner, some dogs can be extra challenging, especially during the adolescent phase when there are a lot of changes occurring. We can just try to do our best to help them. Some cases may need help at a deeper level. 

 

[JMFS]

I echo, "please don't feel like a horrible owner!"  Out of the five dogs we've had, Esther is making me feel like I don't know Anything about dogs!  However, I my Momo and Gertie are evidence to my ability to train.  Even my husband's Dachshunds eventually came around, but Esther is . . . special.  Not only do I have Adrienne's wonderful advice and help, but I have a trainer who comes to our house and Esther is Still a hot mess.  She nearly went through the television last night because of a dog in a show.  You are not alone!

I was going to recommend a bed, but I see you already tried that.  Gah!  I'll be watching this thread for sure.  I have a feeling there's going to be some excellent information forthcoming.

The calming chews can be phased out once she's able to self-soothe.  For now think of them as a training tool to keep her under threshold while you and Adrienne troubleshoot. 

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Alternatively, if you can multitask and keep a hand free and clean,  you can place a bowl of treats/ kibble by your table and randomly toss a kibble treat in your dog's direction, every time you hear/notice at least 20 seconds of silence and no pacing.  

For a GSD, especially, this one sounds like it would be a winner.  I don't see the Hide and Seek aka Find It game posted.  That may be a good one, too.  It would give purpose to her movements rather than pacing.  GSDs are fantastic at that game!  You may even try it before you craft, and perhaps outside where it's more challenging.  Or a flirt pole - those hit brain work, play, and exercise.  I think of the flirt pole like the "Jazz up,  Settle Down" game because the pup gets all excited, gets to play, then has to sit to reset the game.  It's Esther's all-time favorite.

I have also been using "Quiet Moments" by NaturVet. https://www.chewy.com/naturvet-quiet-moments-simulated/dp/45344  It's a spray that emulates pheromones to calm Esther down so I can get some work done.  I alternate it with a lavender essential oil spray: https://www.indigowild.com/zum-mist-lavender.html  The lavender spray calms Me down, too, because that nervous energy of Esther's drives me bonkers!

That brings me to my closing - how do you react to her pacing?  I don't mean ignoring, but do you tense up?  Roll your eyes?  Pause your crafting to peek at her?  Do you watch her from the corner of your eye? Do you maybe sigh exasperatedly?  Your reactions could contribute - I know mine do with Esther because I get exhausted with the constant energy.  I often let out a big ol' sigh like, "omg would you just Stop?!"  She knows it's for her.  I'm a work in progress, too.

[DIANE LINDNER]

Hello! So sorry this took so long but I came down with this flu and upper respiratory thing that I thought was going to take me out for good! Lol still not great but at least upright long enough to answer some of the question because things here seem to continually be getting worse!! I need help! 
 

As an update… her pacing is much more consistent no matter what I am doing or where I am. I have tried different places to sit, different areas of the house and even sitting on the floor once just to see if she would calm down.  But you guessed it….nope just kept pacing and pacing and pacing.  She is also now panting a lot more with the pacing. She has also started barking excessively at the slightest noise, people walking by or just randomly at the TV. I have tried taking her outside in the backyard on a long leash so she can explore which she seems to love but as soon as we come back in the pacing and panting starts again. I have been using the calming chews which help but sometimes not very long and I can’t give her more due to dosing. 
 

Is it normal for an 8 month old puppy to all of the sudden become fearful and protective? She was never a barker until a month or so ago. Some of it seems protective and some seems fearful. She is also suddenly not jumping into the car which she did for months and barking at people who come in the house. I know I’m a lot with all these issues….I just am so lost and no one I have here between friends, puppy day care workers, dog walkers, and trainers at puppy preschool have any real answers for now. I get a lot of oh she is a puppy and keep working on training her. 
 

So to being to answer some of your questions from the last post…here we go!!

The first thing I tried while I was crafting was to change the craft a couple times (different days and times) to see if that affected anything but it did not. Next I worked on trying the DRO exercise which seems to work for short times but as I got to longer times I had more difficulty. I have a hard time finding chews that she does not plow through. But as you know the bones she likes to chew on tend to lead to her pacing with the bone. 
 

Next I tried the leash and treat activity. This also worked as I was doing it but as time gets longer it was hard to keep her focused. But with all of these or other things like walks or long leash plat outside as soon as done she is back to her anxious behaviors. 
 

As for new things in the home I have racked my brain but there really has been nothing new. The house is brand new ( finished building and moved in last August) so have not had critter issues or many other changes. And yes the barking at the TV, people or dogs walking by and now at any little noise is brand new! I really didn’t know she had a voice in her for the first 4 months! She was not protective at all either. People could walk in the house with no issues at all! Now all of the sudden she is very protective. 
When she does bark my reaction is to say quiet one time and then give her the come command. When she comes I give her a treat and then another command. But she will usually just go right back to barking at the window or TV. 
 

Cosmo was Spayed in the middle of Jan 2022. 
 

I have not noticed any fears that she has in the home or on the walk. A couple of times it has seemed like she is a little fearful of tall guys who come in the house but it is not consistent. Nothing on walks that myself or dog walker has noticed. 
 

As for her day she is walked once or twice for 20-30 min. I also spend an hour or so in the back yard with her on a long leash allowing her to sniff and roam. She is a big fan of sticks so I have to make sure she doesn’t eat too many! I also feed her all her meals in slow feeder bowls (I rotate between 3 different patterned bowls) or a sniff mat. I also play the hide and find game with her some days. During the day I have different toys that dispense treats or toys with puzzles. She also has a number of plush toys she loves. I keep them in a basket and she will poke through and pick out toys and chew them and then pick another. She does love her toys. I try to switch the toys out every week or two so they seem “new” to her! Lol I also use frozen peanut butter Kongs in her crate maybe 1 time a week. 

She is still pacing when I sit on the couch too now

Finally I have been giving her the chews when she just won’t calm and nothing I am doing seems to help. It says I can give her 1 a day so I cut it up into 2-3 pieces. I give her one piece to see if that helps calm her. 
 

Again I really appreciate any and all advice. I am really struggling certain days feeling like maybe I’m the wrong person for this girl but I love her so much! I did just buy a tie out stake to place in the yard to give her more time outside as the weather is improving. I just want to do right by her. She goes to doggy day care one day a week, puppy preschool one day and has a dog walker for a longer walk during the week since I am limited. Looking forward to hearing from everyone. Thank you so much. 

[DIANE LINDNER]

Just another side note….I know all dogs have different levels of affection and show it in different ways but I’m just hoping Cosmos lack of affection isn’t because I’m too hard on her or not giving her what she needs. I am truest trying everything!! She is just not a cuddler but she shows affection in different ways im guessing. Thanks 

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hi Diane, thanks for answering all those questions. See my observations in bold

"So sorry this took so long but I came down with this flu and upper respiratory thing that I thought was going to take me out for good! Lol still not great but at least upright long enough to answer some of the question because things here seem to continually be getting worse!! I need help! "

Oh, my! So sorry you have been feeling so ill. I am glad that you are feeling better now, sending you best wishes for a speedy recovery. 

"As an update… her pacing is much more consistent no matter what I am doing or where I am. I have tried different places to sit, different areas of the house and even sitting on the floor once just to see if she would calm down.  But you guessed it….nope just kept pacing and pacing and pacing.  She is also now panting a lot more with the pacing. She has also started barking excessively at the slightest noise, people walking by or just randomly at the TV. I have tried taking her outside in the backyard on a long leash so she can explore which she seems to love but as soon as we come back in the pacing and panting starts again. I have been using the calming chews which help but sometimes not very long and I can’t give her more due to dosing. "

The more you describe this, the more it seems to confirm anxiety, especially now with the accompanying panting. There seems to be something that is really making her anxious. 

"Is it normal for an 8 month old puppy to all of the sudden become fearful and protective? She was never a barker until a month or so ago. Some of it seems protective and some seems fearful. She is also suddenly not jumping into the car which she did for months and barking at people who come in the house. I know I’m a lot with all these issues….I just am so lost and no one I have here between friends, puppy day care workers, dog walkers, and trainers at puppy preschool have any real answers for now. I get a lot of oh she is a puppy and keep working on training her. "

If this barking started a month or so ago, we should consider age but also several other factors. At 8 months, this is a delicate stage (that is, the adolescent stage). We see increased independence, decreased responsiveness to trained cue/prompts, high energy, increased impulsivity and this is a stage where we also see some onset of territorial behaviors. 

There is also a second fear period that occurs around this time (6-14 months)

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/fear-periods-8-10-weeks-6-14-months/

German shepherds have a history as guardians, which makes them predisposed to being extra vigilant and very attentive to their surroundings. 

At this age, they become  more and more alert and may sleep more lightly, easily awakening and possibly reacting to any sound. They may "react first, and think later. 'In other words, they'll be fast to sound the alarm towards a perceived threat, even if there is really no actual danger present. This is likely because despite their heightened responsiveness to triggers their ability to control their emotions is still in an immature state.

It is important letting the dog know that it's OK to alert us, but then we will take matters in our hands and they need to no longer worry. If we give them the green light, they may start reacting to every sight or sound, which can become overwhelming and easily out of hand. 

More on territorial behaviors is discussed here:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/prevent-reduce-territorial-aggression-dogs/

When you are not training, she should be prevented from accessing windows unsupervised (at least until she has learned better behaviors). Covering the windows is a good way to prevent a dog from rehearsing unwanted barking behaviors. There are many privacy window covers available that make windows look nice while preventing your dog from barking at passing triggers all day. Blinds and curtains often don’t work, as dogs may still detect movement and can easily move them aside with their muzzles. Dogs who are reactive toward outdoor noises do best being kept in a room far from the road, with a blowing fan or switched on radio/white noise machine nearby to drown out any outside noises. Will she still bark at the TV if you put a calming music station on with no visuals?

The first thing I tried while I was crafting was to change the craft a couple times (different days and times) to see if that affected anything but it did not. Next I worked on trying the DRO exercise which seems to work for short times but as I got to longer times I had more difficulty. I have a hard time finding chews that she does not plow through. But as you know the bones she likes to chew on tend to lead to her pacing with the bone. Next I tried the leash and treat activity. This also worked as I was doing it but as time gets longer it was hard to keep her focused.

OK, so seems like the actual craft you do has no impact on her behavior. She simply struggles with you sitting down no matter what you do. It seems like DRO worked to some extent, but you struggled with the longer times. This is very common, and one of the main reasons we often give up. It takes some time for behavior changes to occur and establish to replace the older more established ones especially with a long history of rehearsal (looks like you mentioned she has been doing this as far as  you remember) . Chews or longer lasting things you can experiment with  include: 

-Lick mats; you place some canned dog food on them and let your dog lick them

-Muffin game: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/elementary/the-muffin-game/

-Feed a portion of her kibble in a Kong Wobbler

-Snuffle mats: you hide kibble/treats here

-Bully sticks (she may walk around whining with these) but some dogs will lay down and chew them 

-Automated treat/kibble dispensers (like Manner Minder/ Pet Tutor) can help add duration and they can keep dogs engaged since they can be set to drop/launch treats at random intervals. This may help provide a purpose to replace aimless wandering. 

It would be important stopping the sessions (you sitting doing crafts) *before* she has a chance for whining, so she doesn't come to think that her whining got you to stop. So try to time your sessions with her foraging time, stopping just a bit before she has finished and redirect her to something else like exploring the yard. 

"But with all of these or other things like walks or long leash play outside as soon as done she is back to her anxious behaviors."

"As for her day she is walked once or twice for 20-30 min. I also spend an hour or so in the back yard with her on a long leash allowing her to sniff and roam. She is a big fan of sticks so I have to make sure she doesn’t eat too many! I also feed her all her meals in slow feeder bowls (I rotate between 3 different patterned bowls) or a sniff mat. I also play the hide and find game with her some days. During the day I have different toys that dispense treats or toys with puzzles. She also has a number of plush toys she loves. I keep them in a basket and she will poke through and pick out toys and chew them and then pick another. She does love her toys. I try to switch the toys out every week or two so they seem “new” to her! Lol I also use frozen peanut butter Kongs in her crate maybe 1 time a week. She is still pacing when I sit on the couch too now."

This seems like a more generalized anxiety issue, sounds like something that needs to be tackled at a deeper level. I would suggest a vet visit to rule out anything medical. Let the vet know of her behaviors and see if they can run several tests to exclude anything medical. A referral then to to a veterinary behaviorist may help pinpoint the source of the anxiety and sometimes these dogs need prescription meds to keep them under threshold enough to allow behavior modification to be effective. 

As for new things in the home I have racked my brain but there really has been nothing new. The house is brand new ( finished building and moved in last August) so have not had critter issues or many other changes. And yes the barking at the TV, people or dogs walking by and now at any little noise is brand new! I really didn’t know she had a voice in her for the first 4 months! She was not protective at all either. People could walk in the house with no issues at all! Now all of the sudden she is very protective.  

Relationship- wise, it could be that she feels like she needs to take matters into her own hands and this may cause anxiety sometimes. German shepherds and their mixes can be very in tune with their owners and sometimes they have the uncanny ability to sense any weakness/illness on our side. It could be your dog has sensed that you were coming down with this flu and this exacerbated things. This happens more often than thought, we see dogs becoming more anxious and protective when owners get pregnant, ill etc. 

When she does bark my reaction is to say quiet one time and then give her the come command. When she comes I give her a treat and then another command. But she will usually just go right back to barking at the window or TV. 

I think she may benefit more training in certain contexts and around distractions. For instance, it sounds like she does well when you say quiet one time and then ask her to come to you. When she comes to you, you can give the treat, and then ask another command, like how about asking her to lie down and stay (like on a mat?) The stay command could come handy to increase duration in several of the exercises you are doing, here is the guide on sit/down stay:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/stay/

You can see it applied to lying on a mat:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/train-dog-go-to-mat/

If she breaks the stay, she is re-told to go  back to the mat until released. Don't make the stays too long so to set her up to success. Mix in shorter stays with longer stays so she doesn't sense an increase in difficulty.  

Now, if this behavior is due to some form of generalized anxiety, then attaining results can be tricky. Once again, it's almost close to impossible gaining access to a thinking mind when a dog is way over threshold due to anxiety. But the fact that you are able to get her away from the windows is a good sign. It shows a level of responsiveness, only that it needs to be built on. If she is responding to certain triggers outside the window it is easier to manage than whining for no particular reason. Have you noticed any triggers? 

Impulse control training can often help dogs attain better control of their emotions:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/impulse-control-frustration-tolerance/

Cosmo was Spayed in the middle of Jan 2022. I have not noticed any fears that she has in the home or on the walk. A couple of times it has seemed like she is a little fearful of tall guys who come in the house but it is not consistent. Nothing on walks that myself or dog walker has noticed. 

That's good that she seems chill on walks. So it looks like most of an this anxiety behavior in happening indoors.

I have dealt with several dogs showing anxious pacing and panting behaviors in the home, in particular these 3 cases come to mind and I will list what were found to be the triggers:

1) 9 month old Great Pyrenees often pacing and panting and wanting to go outside. I chalked this behavior up to her wanting to check out noises. This breed was selectively bred to protect sheep from wolves so they are often in high-alert and are eager to patrol properties especially in the evening. Here you see how she signals her desire to go check things out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1J9xJS78yvw

2) 8-month old German shepherd. He was often panting and pacing. This seemed to be caused by a variety of possible issues: 1) the owner's husband often got frustrated from his nipping since a pup and would get angry yelling at the dog and the vet told him to alpha roll him and do scruff shakes and I suspect this pup eventually was stressed and very uncomfortable being around him, the wife told me he often asked him to "get out" when he had enough, the outdoors soon became a place where he felt "relief" 2) he suffered from panosteitis, which is sometimes referred to as 'growing pains" and this pain caused him to often pant, 3) he had a very dense coat and being in Arizona, was often "hot" and wanted out especially at night and owner often had a fan running or let him sleep out on the warmer days. 

3) 10 month old mixed breed recently taken from the shelter, wasn't very comfortable being in the home, maybe never been in one before or had a doggy door or who knows what. She was constantly pacing and panting and I started reinforcing an alternate behavior, in this case morphed her pacing into going inside an agility tunnel followed by a fun treasure hunt game.

You can see her pacing behavior and redirection to an agility tunnel in this case study with videos. Maybe Cosmo is looking for a job and an agility tunnel may help her too? Hopefully this case study can help provide some inspiration/ideas. 

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/case-studies/01-sadie-whining/

"Just another side note….I know all dogs have different levels of affection and show it in different ways but I’m just hoping Cosmos lack of affection isn’t because I’m too hard on her or not giving her what she needs. I am truest trying everything!! She is just not a cuddler but she shows affection in different ways im guessing. Thanks "

Can you please provide a few extra details on what you mean by "’I'm just hoping Cosmos lack of affection isn’t because I’m too hard on her" and " I am truest trying everything?" Have you used by any chance used any training methods/tool using corrections, perhaps suggested by some puppy day care workers, dog walkers, and trainers at puppy preschool? Also, are you noticing any calmer behavior/less pacing whining on days she is walked more or taken to daycare? On days she doesn't do any of these activities does she seem better or worse? 

"Finally I have been giving her the chews when she just won’t calm and nothing I am doing seems to help. It says I can give her 1 a day so I cut it up into 2-3 pieces. I give her one piece to see if that helps calm her. "

Again I really appreciate any and all advice. I am really struggling certain days feeling like maybe I’m the wrong person for this girl but I love her so much! I did just buy a tie out stake to place in the yard to give her more time outside as the weather is improving. I just want to do right by her. She goes to doggy day care one day a week, puppy preschool one day and has a dog walker for a longer walk during the week since I am limited. Looking forward to hearing from everyone. Thank you so much. "

A tie out stake may help her enjoy more time outdoors, but we watchful if it increases her reactivity. Carefully evaluate how it impacts her. Does she seem more relaxed after spending time outside or more anxious? If you take her out on a long line, you have the benefit of creating more bonding time as you have the opportunity to  reward her for checking in with you (give a kibble/treat when she comes to see you in the midst of sniffing and exploring). With a long line you can also put her nose to work by first hiding kibble around the yard and then telling her to "go find 'em!"

I really appreciate all your work and dedication to help this girl. It's normal to feel hopeless certain days, I hope that as you feel better and gain more strength you'll be rewarded with some more desirable behaviors. It often starts like a little glimpse of progress here and there and then a little bit more and then some more and then more and more, up to where the new desirable behaviors start outranking the non desirable ones. 

Sometimes, it takes us carrying kibble/treats in our pockets all day so we can capture the wanted behaviors. Last dogs I boarded/trained would pace and bark the first days looking for the owner (mild separation anxiety). All it took was to play a kibble toss game (I have dog sit and toss a kibble for several reps) and he got much better and we were able to remove an anxious state and transform it into a more "operative one.." 

I hope this helps, 

Best,

Adrienne 

[DIANE LINDNER]

Again thank you so much for your time, understanding, knowledge and advice! I have begun to tease through this email and keep you posted! Just hearing that s9me of the things going on “make sense” with her age helps. I just really want to make her life the best I can and I good thing for both of us! So thanks again and I will be in touch soon! 

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hi Diane,

It's wonderful what you are doing to help Cosmo. I hope that you'll soon see some glimpses of progress with her situation and that they steadily increase. It may feel like our lives revolve so much around the dogs initially and it can feel frustrating and emotionally draining at times. Keep us posted. 

Best wishes,

Adrienne