The Official Uncertified Dog Training Thread

[serviceguy]

hey @serviceguy i guess i missed this one somehow with all the personal stuff I had going on the start of the new year.

is this any better its been a few weeks? seems to me something triggered her or got her spooked and she took off either from fear, anxiety, excitement or a combination of all of them. It's really hard to judge without meeting her since I don't have any way to assess her personality.

on a related note my dog training brain kicks in and tells me that you would benefit from some good recall training with her. by this i mean the ability to have her come to you on command in a way that is not negative or a punishment. combined with this I would also suggest an "emergency" command - down with loud voice. Believe it or not, dogs can lay down much faster then they can sit and laying down is a more natural position for them - they spend a lot of time doing this.

Hopefully this is not taken as criticism since you asked for ideas. I see the symptoms only on your messages here (running away, wont come back, fear/anxiety) so this is only based on my experiences working with all kinds of other dogs.

Hope this helps and Miss Bailey is doing OK.

I do appreciate the input, and I do deserve some criticism because we did not go through we some of the exercises that our trainer gave us to work with, only to get stuck having to use the leash 100% of the time.

She's doing Ok, I do believe the big issue for her is focus/structure. She ran out of the house because she had seen somebody and wanted to check her out, the previous time it happened it was a guy across the road. We were supposed to train her to stay focused providing made up distractions rewarding her every time she wasn't getting distracted (which would also cover the pulling during walking, she 'going' for something), but that never really happened...unfortunately lots going on here too, so poor Bailey fell behind.

 

[iman29]

I do appreciate the input, and I do deserve some criticism because we did not go through we some of the exercises that our trainer gave us to work with, only to get stuck having to use the leash 100% of the time.

She's doing Ok, I do believe the big issue for her is focus/structure. She ran out of the house because she had seen somebody and wanted to check her out, the previous time it happened it was a guy across the road. We were supposed to train her to stay focused providing made up distractions rewarding her every time she wasn't getting distracted (which would also cover the pulling during walking, she 'going' for something), but that never really happened...unfortunately lots going on here too, so poor Bailey fell behind.

Life happens and of course the training gets lower on priority.

I do believe she have proven you can train or teach dogs at any age so it’s not that you missed any chances it just might take a little longer once you can get some consistent structure going.

 

[ebarker9]

So my dog has all of a sudden been acting very differently.

The past few weeks, he's become extremely clingy, particularly with me when my wife is away. He has periods of anxious panting and shaking, he's getting up and down a ton, he's hiding under the table. He insists on going for walks up our street and then randomly refuses to move from different spots. Previously he was very content to hang out in his bed, which overlooks our driveway and neighborhood, for a lot of the day. His energy level is definitely down a bit from when he was younger (think he's around 11 or 12 now), but he still sprints around like a nut, attacks soccer balls etc, and eats/drinks fine.

We were on vacation last week and had him with us. He seemed pretty normal there, so some of this does seem like it's routine/environment based.

We've done normal vet stuff to make sure that there isn't a medical reason why he might be anxious or in pain. He is now on antibiotics for a tick borne illness, but that doesn't seem to be related. The vet mentioned the potential to put him on an anti-anxiety medication (think it was Xanax), but I'd like to make sure that we can't manage it without medication before resorting to that. My usual answer for anything with him is "more exercise" but even doing stuff like chasing him around on the bike in the yard doesn't seem to be enough to tire him out enough to where he's not anxious.

I'm trying to figure out if there are any other things to try. I don't want to be trying to soothe him when he's nervous all the time, partially because I can't be spending half my day doing that when I'm working from home, but also because it seems like it can just further feed the behavior. So I mostly try to change the situation, get him to move to a different room, take out a toy, whatever just to try to break him out of his pattern. Poor guy may just be getting a little senile 😂 🙁

 

[gmb3]

So my dog has all of a sudden been acting very differently.

The past few weeks, he's become extremely clingy, particularly with me when my wife is away. He has periods of anxious panting and shaking, he's getting up and down a ton, he's hiding under the table. He insists on going for walks up our street and then randomly refuses to move from different spots. Previously he was very content to hang out in his bed, which overlooks our driveway and neighborhood, for a lot of the day. His energy level is definitely down a bit from when he was younger (think he's around 11 or 12 now), but he still sprints around like a nut, attacks soccer balls etc, and eats/drinks fine.

We were on vacation last week and had him with us. He seemed pretty normal there, so some of this does seem like it's routine/environment based.

We've done normal vet stuff to make sure that there isn't a medical reason why he might be anxious or in pain. He is now on antibiotics for a tick borne illness, but that doesn't seem to be related. The vet mentioned the potential to put him on an anti-anxiety medication (think it was Xanax), but I'd like to make sure that we can't manage it without medication before resorting to that. My usual answer for anything with him is "more exercise" but even doing stuff like chasing him around on the bike in the yard doesn't seem to be enough to tire him out enough to where he's not anxious.

I'm trying to figure out if there are any other things to try. I don't want to be trying to soothe him when he's nervous all the time, partially because I can't be spending half my day doing that when I'm working from home, but also because it seems like it can just further feed the behavior. So I mostly try to change the situation, get him to move to a different room, take out a toy, whatever just to try to break him out of his pattern. Poor guy may just be getting a little senile 😂 🙁

Anything to do with the thunderstorms around the area the past week or so maybe?

 

[ebarker9]

Anything to do with the thunderstorms around the area the past week or so maybe?

Nah, it's been longer than that. He actually doesn't care about thunderstorms, but will absolutely lose his mind if there's a fly in the house.

 

[serviceguy]

This thread has been quiet for a while, time to stir it up a little...

I finally got around and sourced a 26' retractable leash...my question for the official MTBNJ.com dog trainer (AKA @iman29 ) is if it is possible for Bailey to be responding much better to commands when on the retractable ? We use it only in the park, she will wander away from us (but rarely to the full extend allowed by the leash) but when called she will happily come back to us (sometime on the second call if not the very first). Teenager rebellion to constraint (leash)?

 

[iman29]

This thread has been quiet for a while, time to stir it up a little...

I finally got around and sourced a 26' retractable leash...my question for the official MTBNJ.com dog trainer (AKA @iman29 ) is if it is possible for Bailey to be responding much better to commands when on the retractable ? We use it only in the park, she will wander away from us (but rarely to the full extend allowed by the leash) but when called she will happily come back to us (sometime on the second call if not the very first). Teenager rebellion to constraint (leash)?

thanks for reviving this thread @serviceguy ! ironically in the last week or so I have 2 new clients I am helping with puppy/juvenile training so always good to sharpen my skills even if virtually.

without meeting Bailey L or watching what you are doing different when shes on the extended leash, think about the sequence how you are calling her back (tone of voice, command/voice pattern, reward) when she comes back and compare that to when shes not on the leash. You may even be sending an unknown signal to her be it a small tug on the leash or something which she clearly understands what you want her to do.

I demonstrate and teach recall training using extended leashes for this purpose which can then translate into off leash recall skills as well. This typically starts off with a short leash and a gentle leash pressure accompanied by a command *Baily Come* so the dog can associate what this all means. Then as the dog masters the recall you extend the distance she can be away and repeat the drill. within a few days/weeks/sessions depending on the dog, you would be able to let out the full leash distance, or somehwhere in between and have the dog come back within 3 tries.

It seems she's got some idea of what recall means, so maybe consider using the opportunity to reinforce and master it more, and then test it in a controlled area like the yard. Just be sure when she doesnt get it quite right (and it will happen) not to unconsciously reward her with petting or treats or verbal praise.

Hope that all makes sense and answers your original question/statement.

 

[serviceguy]

thanks for reviving this thread @serviceguy ! ironically in the last week or so I have 2 new clients I am helping with puppy/juvenile training so always good to sharpen my skills even if virtually.

without meeting Bailey L or watching what you are doing different when shes on the extended leash, think about the sequence how you are calling her back (tone of voice, command/voice pattern, reward) when she comes back and compare that to when shes not on the leash. You may even be sending an unknown signal to her be it a small tug on the leash or something which she clearly understands what you want her to do.

I demonstrate and teach recall training using extended leashes for this purpose which can then translate into off leash recall skills as well. This typically starts off with a short leash and a gentle leash pressure accompanied by a command *Baily Come* so the dog can associate what this all means. Then as the dog masters the recall you extend the distance she can be away and repeat the drill. within a few days/weeks/sessions depending on the dog, you would be able to let out the full leash distance, or somehwhere in between and have the dog come back within 3 tries.

It seems she's got some idea of what recall means, so maybe consider using the opportunity to reinforce and master it more, and then test it in a controlled area like the yard. Just be sure when she doesnt get it quite right (and it will happen) not to unconsciously reward her with petting or treats or verbal praise.

Hope that all makes sense and answers your original question/statement.

Yep, does make sense. No shortage of rewards when she's compliant. I'll try an identify what I do differently with the retractable but your explanation does make sense, it was like day and night from the regular leash.

 

[iman29]

So this has been quiet for a bit but thought I would share.

I decided a few months ago to start trying to find opportunities to share that my side hustle is dog training. And while I have no formal certifications I have tons of experience to share so why not go for it and put myself out there. I also have started the process to get a nationally recognized training certificate and part of this is logging 1:1 training hours which I have begun to do.

About 2 months ago I came home from the office and saw one of our neighbors we know from around the block getting dragged by her new little dog. I waved hello and she came
Across the street and we caught up and chatted a bit since our kids went to school together but now they are all post college age. Her dog was barking and pulling all over the place. I casually mention my dog training skills and she was immediately like OK when can you come over.

We’ve done about 4-5 sessions since then and Barley (1 year old Cava-Poo) has gone from timid and afraid of me and pulling and barking, to a much better behaved leash walker. He also no longer goes to run out the door when it’s opening he sits and waits. The owners are so happy he has come so far in a short period. We’re on a break because he seems to have some allergies causing hair loss and rashes so he can’t have any food other than Rx and I don’t want to stress him out any more. Plus the owners are paying huge vet bills right now they certainly don’t need to be paying me too.

Next up is Pepper (1 year old schnauzer) and her older brother Samson (12 year old schnauzer). One of my friends mentioned me to someone at his daughters softball game and within a week or so I was there for our first intro session. Pepper barks incessantly , and not only dominates the older dog but does a lot of resource guarding and way too aggressive Play fighting. And she has some pretty bad separation anxiety from The wife since they are home together most of the time. Through our first 1-2 sessions we introduced how to put on and off a proper walking collar (martingale) and leash and the basic rules of using gentle leash pressure to influence the dogs behavior with positive rewards only. We also worked on correcting conflicts between the two dogs when they flare up and play becomes too dominant.

Last week we spent time starting to fix the resource guarding of food by showing Pepper she only gets the food when she’s calm and she is not allowed to “own it”.

I was so happy to get this text message yesterday from the owner who told me she could not believe that this picture could ever happen without Pepper growling and snapping at Samson (who wants to eat her food). He is also being taught that he has his own and what’s hers is NOT his unless he’s told he can have it on command.

It’s very satisfying to get this feedback from owners who all tell me the same things that the dog doesn’t listen and they do it on purpose. I’m mostly happy for the dog because they are starting to have humans that understand them better and now know what to expect rather than frustration and anger.

Happy pups indeed. More to follow.

Anyone you know needs a free assessment let me know I can do virtual or in person and my rates are reasonable and I have many references. !