My dog is barking every time he hears a noise in the hallway of our building. Everywhere says “reward him when he stops” but I don’t understand how to do that
I am slowly going insane and I'm running out of options. Ive had my dog for almost 5 years now. I got him at 7 months but he had no training at all by the previous owners. He is my first pet, realizing that the previous owners taught he horrible habits and gave him no training. This has been rough to say the least. He is VERY nervous. He likes people but scared by EVERYTHING, this makes tough, and delicate. For a Long time, about 3 years he was great. Walking great, meeting people, still nervous but no real problems. When I moved to a new place everything slowly changed. He would not respond to commands the same, ( i know not repeat myself) he would generally stop taking Commands all together, id start to do training at home, perfect, walk outside i dont exist. The issue is that he is now barking and pulling twoards dogs. I brought him to daycare when I went on a trip, no issues, had a great time he said. Go to a park, no issues again.
But if we are walking I can't get him to stop. He was ignoring ANY treats outside. I started using little hotdogs, he will eventually start spitting it out after 5mins. Now he doesn't eat them at all outside. Everything was going so good but its progressively getting worse. He's nervous all the time, but chooses when to listen.
(For those saying he might be too scared. He will literally look at me then go to sit, but stop and turn away. He knows the commands but is choosing not to listen) ive tried just standing until he goes to do it. After 3mins I will then say the command again.)
I need help, this is beyond frustrating after the hours on hours of being outside already.
Hey guys wondering if anybody has creative tug game ideas or if any trainers you know of who post about fun tug games that help with obedience.
Just looking for fun creative ways to implement toys in training more that I may not have thought of .
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Sorry if this isn't the right place to ask, but I figure dog trainers probably know a decent bit about dogs!
In laws have rescued a dog. He might not be staying with us (household has five kids young kids, four cats, and another dog & 7 adults/older teens). We're trying to figure out if he can stay. He seems friendly, just insane.
My MIL took him to a pet shop on his collar (she'd just picked him up) and he was pulling something awful. A girl in the store let her know he'd do better on a harness, but to "watch out" for ones that damage bone structure.
None of us have ever heard that before. My in laws have always had dogs with good recall and they rarely walked on leash, and definitely never wore a harness.
The dog is is a french bulldog/pittie looking thing. Stocky.
I work in construction and my SO works in the office 3 days a week. So during those days I take my 2 year old pitbull terrier rescue to work. It has helped tremendously in crate training and leash training. And she is getting slowly more comfortable around men.
The problem is my work commute is about 1.5 hours each way. So I wake up at 5 Am to get to work. My dog has growingly gotten very annoyed at the thought of leaving her crate. It has gotten so bad that she refuses to leaves and growls at me if I annoy her enough.
I have moved her crate out of the bedroom. I have started to turn the lights on then walk away. I have bribed her with more treats than I think she can stomach. It has gotten to the point where I’m 45 minutes late to work. And she is just in the crate all day.
She has not been trained to stay home by herself. Every time we do that she poops and pees on the house.
What is my best course of action? Let my SO take her out leave her in the crate for 8+ hours? Train her to be out of the crate alone in the house? Try a different approach with waking her up?
Any and all help is appreciated
Hello all, I have some questions regarding loose leash walking.
Backstory: I have an 8 month male Golden. High energy. We did some training classes and in home trainer as well. Got one for walking but they liked “force” and corrections and started talking about how he’ll “need a prong collar” so I stopped that. The only force free trainer I can find in the area seems to be defunct.
The main problem: he starts to walk good by my side, I reward and he instantly leaves my side. Like getting the treat means it’s okay to leave. I will stop abrupt turn/stop to reset him but it kinda just repeats ad-nauseam.
Things I do:
- start the walk with some simple commands indoors to get him listening like: touch, heel (I use “by my side”), sit.
- have him sit and wait before going outdoors. I open the door and he can only start on my command. He has this down.
-I kinda mix up the methods when he’s pulling. Sometimes I abruptly turn around and wait for him to be by my side, or stand still until he comes back. Sometimes use a touch to get him back near me. Always rewarding for good behavior.
-I always reward by my side.
-once repositioned, give my heel command, make him do it as long as I can (usually a few steps to maybe 40 feet) and then reward before he can misbehave.
THEN, with that reward he’s like “fuck yes I’m going to do my own thing”.
I understand he’s an excited dog and walks are meant to be enjoyed but it seems he doesn’t make progress in three training walks.
These are in specific training walks, i also do sniff walks with a different leash, and I do other trainings/play/etc. I use good treats and a clicker or a marker word depending on mood. He knows both.
If anyone has experience with this I would appreciate any advice. I have a feeling it’s just going to be “it takes time” which might just be a reflections on me.
i have a 10 year old poodle-bichon mix who unfortunately has the worst separation anxiety. i’ve been training him and trying to get him used to being by himself but it just feels like there’s no hope since my family has had him since he was a baby and was practically never left alone.
my older sibling had him for awhile before i took him in and he was like a purse dog, he went everywhere with her which is why i think he has the anxiety in the first place. i feel like my only hope at this point is also taking him everywhere with me because he just can’t be alone. i’ve tried leaving him for increments of 1 min, 5 min, 10 min and coming back. i’ve also stopped making a huge deal about leaving and coming back (making sure not to give into his whines and barking when i come back) i’ve given his favorite chews and treats while i leave. it just all feels hopeless.
has anyone had success with training their senior dogs with separation anxiety? does the training just take longer? any more tips?
I have a 3-year-old Doberman with high prey drive towards cats. He is normally a very chill, very well-mannered dog. I’ve completed various dog training coursework with him. He has a solid come and leave it command. But when it comes to cats, and particularly when he locks on/eyes glaze over toward one, I can’t get him out of his trance.
I would otherwise just leave this alone and keep him away from cats, but my boyfriend and I have discussed moving in together, and he has a cat.
Anyone successfully work through or minimize a dog’s prey drive so that they can cohabitate with a cat? I’m not expecting perfection, but would also prefer he not kill a cat.
My rescue dog is between 1-2 years old and I have had them for a few months. They came from living on the streets and have never been a pet. They have good behaviors and undesirable behaviors like any dog and I can deal with and understand most of the undesirable ones except for their CONSTANT stimulation seeking. Wow. It’s so intense. We have been working very hard on sit / down until they relax and fall asleep which does work, but they never choose to go on their bed by themselves and very very rarely they will choose to lay down by themselves.
There pretty much isn’t an object in the house that doesn’t stimulate them. Even if they are on their bed they will lick lick lick the bed unless I say “leave it” and I have to usually remind them to “leave it” 5-10 times until they finally stop.
My ideal behavior would be that after my dogs needs are met (to what I would consider a reasonable extent: 2 meals a day, one hour of exercise, 1 training walk, 1 training session, 1 structured play session, 1 settle session with earned chew treat) she can just chill in the house without direction.
Right now, she must be in her crate (she’s great in her crate!), on her bed or on a tether in the house NO other option is safe for the house or her (or following her around non stop room to room). Her trainers told me that she will likely always be this way (and they have helped hundreds of dogs) and that I will need to give her direction and external regulation likely her whole life and she may never be a dog that can hang out and chill.
I really want to see if I can beat their odds on that. Anyone with a similar crack head dog please please give me any advice I have already spent so much time and money on this dog I don’t want to give up
We recently adopted a 5-year-old retired breeder Bernese Mountain Dog. She has a clean bill of health from the vet, but we're really struggling to help her settle in with us and our other dog.
It’s been 5 days and she is barely eating. Initially, she’d eat a little bit out of my hand, but now she won't even do that. We are offering the exact same kibble she had at her previous home. Luckily, she is still drinking water.
Beyond the food strike, she is terrified of everything (small noises, leaves moving, etc.) and is ignoring all the commands her previous family said she knew. We understand her being a breeder dog along with major change in environment is a major factor.
Our first rescue adapted to us by day 3, so we are feeling a bit lost and worried. We know it takes time, but does anyone have advice on how to get her eating again and help her build some confidence? Suggestions on food will be appreciated too.
I dropped both of my dogs off today for day boarding, and I’m feeling really anxious about how it went.
They’re littermates, both 11 month old terrier mixes, and both rescues. We originally adopted Teddy about 3 months ago, and ended up adopting his brother Beaux about 1–2 months later. We definitely didn’t expect to have both of them, but we absolutely love having them together.
Beaux is a great dog. He’s a little nervous and timid at first, but warms up quickly and will usually start playing with people almost immediately.
Teddy is more complicated. He has a lot of anxiety and fear reactivity, which we’ve been working really hard on. We train at least 3 times a week, going to places like Lowe’s and other public areas and rewarding him for staying calm around people. We walk every morning and do a “training walk” where we work on his reactions.
He has made HUGE progress. He’s good around my family now, he’s okay with people walking by us outside, and in public he usually only lets out a few barks before redirecting to me. He picks up on training so quickly and honestly impresses me every time.
He’s also under 20 lbs, so he is a BIG barker. But it is very clearly fear based. At home with us, he is the sweetest, cuddliest dog ever. He just has a really hard time with unfamiliar people.
We have a trip coming up and unfortunately can’t bring them. A dog sitter isn’t really an option because of our living situation and someone coming into our house would probably be much harder for Teddy anyway. My dad occasionally comes over to let them out, and even though Teddy knows him, sometimes he refuses to come out and just stands there barking at him.
About a week ago, we did an evaluation at a more “boutique” style daycare/boarding facility. They called us after only 8 minutes and told us to come get him because he was overwhelming them and scaring them. Obviously we did, and instead booked him at our veterinarian’s boarding facility. They know his history, his vet is on site, and I felt much more comfortable with them.
We also started trazodone 3 days ago, 50 mg alongside his training, and the difference has been INCREDIBLE. He responds so well to us and has been doing amazing.
Today was supposed to be a trial day of boarding before he stays there next week.
When we first walked in, both dogs did great. Teddy wasn’t barking at all. But when one of the employees came over to put his lead on, he completely flipped out. I could tell the staff member was visibly nervous, and I felt absolutely horrible for both of them.
They were very sweet about it and took him to the back. Once he was back there, he actually did much better. He stopped barking, got on the scale easily, and seemed to settle down. Beaux settled almost immediately and was already playing.
Teddy did struggle when he saw me leave, so I followed them around a corner and then quickly walked out so he wouldn’t keep watching me.
Now it’s been almost 3 hours, and he still has about 7 more hours there today.
I’m honestly terrified. I know one bad experience doesn’t erase months of training, but I’m scared that this is going to set him back or make him even more fearful. And I’m also terrified they’re going to call me later and say, “He did okay, but we can’t board him.”
Has anyone dealt with a fearful/reactive dog who eventually learned to tolerate daycare or boarding? Did a rough first drop-off actually end up being okay? I could really use some reassurance right now.
My resident dog Lilly is 10 years old. I've had her since she was a puppy. She is a big mutt. We believe golden retriever, Australian shepherd, & lab. She has always been shy and anxious towards new people and other dogs. We recently took in a bordie collie, Phoenix, who needed to be rehomed by a family friend. She is 3 years old. Phoenix has been in our home for a week now. We had them meet on neutral ground. Phoenix was crated/penned for the majority of the time the first few days. They socialized with Phoenix on the leash around the house and outside. I then let them socialize while leashed, but it dragging in case I needed to step in. They only interact without barriers when I can supervise. Lilly freaks out if Phoenix tries to enter the living room. Barks and gets agressive. Has started a fight there. Another fight broke out when Phoenix tried to walk through a doorway that Lilly was standing in. I had just taken them both out on a walk, with another person assisting so it was one person per dog. We got home, and Lilly got agressive and started a fight because Phoenix tried to get water at the same time as her. They have had plenty of time socializing where they've been able to play together without any issues. Have laid next to each other, been petted together, pottied together, etc all without any incidents. Phoenix is crated at night, and in a pen while I'm at work. Lilly has always been afraid of being confined. She is now completely fine with Phoenix penned and crated. I seperated them after the most recent fight. Lilly went up to the pen five minutes after I let her out of the room whining to play with Phoenix. They are now completely fine and seperated. I'm not sure how to proceed. How do I get Lilly to stop resource guarding? Does she need more time? Should I just keep them seperate for multiple days? Any help is appreciated.
We rescued a 1 year old Great Pyrenees/Australian Cattle Dog mix about 6 weeks ago. She was found as a stray in Texas and now lives in our apartment in NYC. I don't think she was a stray her whole life because she lovvvessss all people, kids, and dogs. She's super well-socialized, not fearful of them whatsoever. That being said, I don't think she's ever lived in a house. There's been a lot of things she's had to adjust to in our apartment (let alone NYC at large), like stairs, shiny floors, small bathrooms and hallways she doesn't like, etc. We also have two cats we are working on introducing her to, but right now they're separated on different floors, and she's stressed by them, which may be my answer right there. Our apartment is fairly big considering we're in the city-- we have two floors and it's probably ~1100 sq ft. She's getting more and more confident every day, and we work with an in-home trainer along with 3-5 training sessions a day. We recognize she is a working dog and we really try to give her a job most of the day. Her obedience and walking skills are getting really good.
One thing that's been a challenge is that she sometimes gets into a panic where she wants to escape. This is usually in the evening during her "witching hour(s)" where she does standard puppy stuff like getting mouthy, getting into stuff, ignoring commands, etc. What's not standard is during this time she will try to escape out absolutely anything-- the tv, small windows, mirrors, the front door. Even when we're home with her, right next to her. It gets worse if we give her a high-value bone; then she reaaalllyyy panics and wants to bring it outside with her. She woke up from a dead sleep at 5am today and started trying to escape, which was the first time it's happened in the morning. She's 50 lbs and she ends up knocking everything over, and getting dangerously close to breaking the tv, not to mention the emotional toll it seems to be taking on her. She's usually visibly stressed, panting, whining, pacing, etc. We try everything-- bones, kongs, tug, puzzle toys, snuffle mats, walks, sniffaris, training, quiet time, sound machines, crates. When she wants to escape, it's like lights off, no one's home.
Has anyone else dealt with this? Wondering if she just needs more time to adjust or if there's a way we can help her feel more secure here. I know her breeds are working dogs and she probably wants to be outside protecting the farm at night, which might have been what she spent the first year of her life doing.
Hi all,
Ive recently welcomed a 11 month working cocker spaniel into my life, he was a family pet and unfortunately was needed to be rehomed due to marriage breakdown and an overwhelming amount of energy. I, having a decent amount of knowledge of working cockers, decided to take him in.
He is chaos, just pure chaotic energy. I love him very much but training him has been a real eye opener. Keeping his attention is impossible, every distraction must be seen that second, everyone and everything's scary and im out of my depth.
The problem is, for me, is there's so much information out there of what I should and shouldn't be doing that im drowning in it all, specifically struggling with walking to heal, or just not pulling with his whole back, i dont need him by my side the whole walk, but want him to have some manners and not try to pull my arm off. We've tried stopping and waiting when he pulls, walking in the other direction, luring with a treat but im having a difficult time and I fear the pulling is getting worse, we've had him about a month now and I fear i am causing more problems than im solving.
I find text very difficult to read and keep my attention on so if anyone has some training videos they recommend I'd be very grateful.
We are also looking into a trainer but struggling to find one around my area that knows working dogs.
I adopted my dog from an older lady around 3 months ago. He is somewhat lazy, prefers to lay down, has never played with any of the toys I have gotten him ever. He loves to run and get the zoomies outside in the backyard and will run after the ball but never bring it back lol but has no interest in anything physical in the home. He is the most anxious, nervous dog I have ever had, and is destructive when left alone. Example: I can’t even go to the bathroom in my room ( which he can see me from when he’s on my bed) alone he will just come in the bathroom or stand outside of it till I’m out. He barks as soon as I close the door to leave for work. He has ripped up my Amazon packages, cardboard, a pillow, my blanket, my mail among other things.
Anyways, I worked from home for the first 3 weeks I had him and he never once had an accident in the house. His first owner was a retired lady who never left the house, then given to her daughter who is a stay at home mom. Both stated he was house trained and never had accidents however both very much aware of the separation anxiety and destructiveness when left alone.
During those first three weeks he was walked multiple times a day, never had an accident in the house. He was left with my sister while I went back to work 7:30-4 and she refused to walk him and he still never had an accident for the two weeks she had him. The first day, he stayed alone while I worked he pooped and peed in the house.
Some context: I was giving him food in the morning and night however he would only eat in the evening or at night. His previous owner said she only fed him once a day at 7pm, I’ve tried to switch his feeding schedule to two times a day and he literally just won’t eat unless it’s after 7 at night. I thought maybe I was feeding him too late and he wasn’t able to poop enough but he would poop at night after he eats, then poop in the morning before I go to work. I would come home and his food would be untouched, yet he pooped once or sometimes twice in the time I was gone.
I’m looking for advice here. I’m assuming he is potty trained but was never really taught that when no one is home you don’t poop or pee in the house because he was never really left alone because he was living with a retired later who told me she rarely left him alone at home, and with her daughter who was a stay at home mom who was always home. Both were able to take him on walks throughout the day, but the thing is when he was staying with my sister for two week, he never had an accident in the house and never pooped or peed in the house. The stay at home mom owner said that she would put him in the crate when she would leave to run errands and things because of him being destructive, but he hates the crate. I’ve tried to feed him in it and he didn’t eat for 24 hours.
Do I need to retrain him? Crate him while I’m at work? I’ve left him in a designated area and he escaped multiple times, left him in the bathroom and he ripped up the wood in the door frame, I just feel terrible leaving him in a cage for 8 hours. The cage he came with is enclosed and he can’t only see out of the front wires. So it’s like depressing.
His vet said it’s just anxiety and prescribed him 50mg of trazodone, which he was on before per his medical records.
I have 2 sweet angel baby pugs. The younger one, Gouda, is not quite 18 months old right now. My husband works from home, but can’t supervise them 24/7 while he’s busy working, so we have a playpen set up for them. He lets them outside into our fenced backyard to go potty and run around at least every 1-2 hours, with few exceptions on extra busy days. However, Gouda continues to pee and poop in the house. It’s not immediately following meal time. Many times, though, it IS immediately following a potty break. Within 10 minutes of coming back inside, she’s peed, pooped, or both. She doesn’t signal very well, either. Her main form of signaling is standing nearby and staring into your soul. The problem with that is my husband can’t hear her staring while he’s in his office working, so he will come out to let them go potty and find a mess.
We are getting desperate for some solutions. I thought about the bells, but not sure how that would work with them being in the play pen (it gets slid all around the floor, so not very stable and the bells would be ineffective).
She also refuses to get her feet wet, so mornings are often difficult just because of the dew on the grass.
I would greatly appreciate any suggestions or insight.
My dog is a 10 lb chihuahua mix I've had for 6 years, and my kitty was added 3 years ago and is now 12lbs and a bit bigger than the dog. They get along well enough that there are no safety concerns; they've never hurt each other, and I can leave them alone in the same room all day no issue.
The problem is that my cat has been obsessed with my dog since he was a kitten. Constantly trying to play with her, cuddle, and follows her around. She, on the other hand, tolerates him at best. It's a tough watch. Sometimes she will let him get close, but most of the time she will get up and leave or will show her teeth at him to make him leave. When he is extra persistent, she has even pinned him down and barked in his face (which is crazy because he is definitely bigger and stronger but lets it happen).
Sometimes she will play with him a tiny bit. Also, he likes to rage-bait her to get her to chase him around the house, and it can be hard to tell if she is actually mad or enjoys it. Probably both. She's never been the biggest fan of other animals, and usually prefers other humans. I thought over time she would think it was nice to have some companionship, but they never really became friends.
I have done some training! She used to growl or lunge at him when he came close (all bark no bite), especially if she was in my lap. So I started saying no and putting her down and giving him attention instead, or temporarily stop petting her and calling him near to give them both pets at the same time. I also reward her for being nice to him with treats or a play session. He now knows his best chance to cuddle her is when she is in my lap and will usually take advantage haha
Should I just accept she will never like him that much? Is there a way to train her to bond with him more? It's so sad to see him get rejected by the one he loves the most ):
I have had bad experiences with dog behaviorists (had a qualified degree/license, so no charlatan). We had a GSD with some behavior problems in the home; we consulted a dog behaviorist, and imo, she downplayed it. I remember the words: " She is a happy dog; she does not look that bad. I see far worse cases." She also prescribed meds, and my dog became a living zombie. There was no joy in this animal anymore.
6 months later, the behavior ended up in a total of 8 bites. Avoiding the problem became impossible because 1 trigger became 10.
At the end of the day, we consulted a balanced trainer; I know there will be a lot of comments about this. But the balanced trainer made our home safe again and set up places so that the dog was feeling more comfortable. Basically, making sure that the dog knows what to expect in these places. This made a huge difference. All these things fall within the realm of FF training.
After this experience, I feel like I don't understand the purpose of a dog behaviorist. I understand they can bridge the gap between medical and training, but a vet and a trainer who communicate with each other can do the same and cost less money.
Do dog behaviorists work with dogs in their training work, or work only theoretically? Do they need to work with these dogs and provide proof that they can help these dogs with training?
I have, for example, a master's in computer science with 3 years of professional experience; this dog behaviorist situation feels like someone who read about computers and never wrote a single line of code, telling me how to write code.
I would expect that a dog behaviorist is training, working daily one-on-one with these cases, actually having experience and solving/managing issues. But at that point, you have a dog behaviorist who is a dog trainer. But that does not feel like how it is in reality.
This post may come across as attacking; that is not my intention. I would rather like to understand the role of a behaviorist and why it is recommended over a dog trainer with loads of experience with behavioral cases. With that, I mean it feels like we first recommend a behaviorist, and with that behaviorist, we look for a trainer. While in the human world, we first typically go to a therapist, and he can refer to a psychotherapist if it seems necessary.
We’ve had our rescue dog for 9 years now (she’s 10). Despite all the horror stories you hear, she’s been absolutely magic.
There’s just one thing we aren’t able to fix. She barks excessively. We have a garden that overlooks a field and she can’t be left outside alone because she just constantly barks. And when she starts, she just won’t stop. It was largely fine, as the house next door to us had been dormant for 6 years. But we’ve recently had a family with another dog move in, who have decided to put decking out at the end of the field and our dog goes crazy. They recently made a passing comment that she barks too much and I am not sure what to do. I think we have got used to it, so it doesn’t affect us as much, but it must be really annoying for them as she just barks at them when they sit outside.
We’ve tried positive reinforcement to stop her barking, but it hasn’t worked, and I’m loathe to try a citronella collar because I’ve heard that it’s really hit and miss, and also don’t like the idea of punishing a dog for negative behaviour, but I really want to break this so we can all just sit in the garden and enjoy ourselves! Any advice would be really appreciated!
I'm at a loss for what to do about my Golden Retriever. She is 2.5 years old and has a history of eating things she should not eat. She has gotten SO much better about not eating random objects but I cannot get her to stop pulling out her fur and eating it. Typically she passes the fur but today she is going into surgery for the second time because it got stuck. She is on anti-anxiety meds because it definitely seems to be an anxiety issue. Both times she has needed surgery it was right after we went away on vacation and she was with a pet sitter which makes me think she was anxious about being in a new place.
I will be working with the vet to try everything else such as allergy meds and changing foods to rule that out. She is crate trained but rarely spends more than 4 hours in the crate. She also gets a couple of walks a day and we throw the ball in the back yard for her. I plan to buy her a muzzle to wear, however I'm not sure if it's safe for her to wear a muzzle in a crate if we aren't home?
Is there anything else I can do? Anything I'm missing that I can try?