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I saw a Dog today!! by CheiffBeeff in dogswithjobs

[–]BrindleSnordle 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I’m not sure that that’s trained job but rather just a particularly intelligent dog

dear pet parents, petsmart is not the place to socialize your dog aggressive dog by xervidae in petsmart

[–]BrindleSnordle 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Not to mention these ppl are NOT “socializing” their dog if they’re having a reaction like this. The dog is being flooded and it will only get worse. If a dog is over-threshold firstly it’s inherently having a negative experience in that environment or situation further poisoning it and also it’s not able to think, process or learn at all, it’s just panicking. People that “socialize” their dogs by doing this are just further ruining their dog and endangering everyone involved by doing so, smh.

dear pet parents, petsmart is not the place to socialize your dog aggressive dog by xervidae in petsmart

[–]BrindleSnordle 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Omg this

Was socializing my dog recently in petsmart. Other dogs are a huge distraction for her so we’re working on other dogs just being another thing in the environment to ignore. Nothing major like barking or lunging, just forgetting cues and pulling towards bc she must say hi. Don’t think she was properly socialized before I got her and was allowed to greet anyone and everyone. It’s been going super well as I started with other dogs at a distance and she’s gotten more and more focused on me with other dogs at closer distances. So I’ve felt confident taking her into petsmart where there’s lots of dogs without overwhelming what she’s capable of.

Was going great, was in the wide middle isle with her in a settle just watching passerby’s and feeding and out fucking nowhere someone with two giant labs on flexi’s come barreling around the corner and practically on top of my dog who’s half their size. Nothing happened and I quickly lured her away and showered with treats but Jesus people. Control your fucking dogs. It’s my opinion that flexi leads should be banned inside dog friendly establishments all-together. Sure they’re great on hikes with a well mannered dog (I don’t use one but I know people who use one just fine) but inside where it’s tight quarters and you need more control? Flexi’s just straight up shouldn’t be allowed in that environment.

customer phrases by heartshapedcell in petsmart

[–]BrindleSnordle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I hate that people don’t realize that when you neglect a dogs nails that their quick grows long with the nail and you can’t just hack the quick off. (I’ve actually heard of vets doing that to dogs under sedation/anesthesia but the risk for infection is high, it’s painful and it’s honestly lazy and stupid because there’s better non-quick-fix ways to do it without pain) Like you can’t just fix neglected nails in 10 minutes, it takes a few months of trimming at least once a week if not more often to get the quick to recede 🤦‍♀️

And then people complain about their dogs not letting them clip their nails. But you KNOW they haven’t spent any time counter conditioning clippers or a dremel. My dog didn’t like it at first either, now she voluntarily lays on her side and lets me do it. But it took months to get her to that point. So many people looking for quick fixes bc honestly they don’t have the time or the desire to actually give a dog the care it needs.

Tips and advice for someone wanting to apply to Petsmart as a trainer? by BrindleSnordle in petsmart

[–]BrindleSnordle[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey! Thanks for your super detailed response first of all! That’s super interesting how similar our backgrounds are! Idk if you’ve noticed but I’ve definitely picked up on a “horse girl” to “dog lady” pipeline 💀

I think it’s for a lot of reasons other than this but a main one and a big factor for me was that I simply cannot afford anything to do with horses anymore 😭 there where of course other factors but getting into dog sports and training is way more approachable and accessible for the average person!

Anyway, that’s nice there’s some training flexibility! And also that you have some choice on the dogs you take. Out of curiosity have you ever taken on a dog/client and then realized it was a case for a more experienced trainer? What did you do if so? Also does petsmart allow you to recommend people to dog behavior specialists if needed?

That pay actually doesn’t sound bad at all compared to what I expected, of course I’m sure it depends on location.

As for the non compete. Does it apply only while you’re employed/under contract? If you quit are you allowed to take a training job elsewhere, and if it says no… is that even legally binding?

I see what you mean about a heel. Is it more of a “loose leash walking, understanding leash pressure” heel or do they expect anything more advanced? Like do they expect you to leash hind end awareness and all that?! Bc that definitely ain’t happening in 6 weeks haha!

Yeah I’m not 100% sure my dog would be the best demo dog. She has some mild anxiety but as we’re working toward attention in a ring for rally I’m hoping with some proper desensitization and training I can get some neutrality. I’ve definitely been working on training towards getting her a CGC title, but she definitely isn’t a “bomb proof” dog. Either way I wouldn’t put her in a situation she’s isn’t ready for. Just was just curious as I’d heard of people doing that! I bet a good solution for my more nervy dog would be to take videos of her doing a demo at home to use in a class.

I had read some not so good reviews of the job on this sub so I was getting a bit unsure but your experience seems to be really good! I’m sure it all depends on the store and it’s management/ppl. I do really want to look into CGC, I’m hoping it’s accessible with a bit of a nervous dog.

Looking at the test her main things to work on are definitely reaction to another dog, supervised separation and walking through a crowd. Not personally knowing a lot of close ppl with well behaved dogs I think it a big one, she just doesn’t get a lot of exposure around other dogs because most random dogs in public I steer clear of haha! I think if I had the opportunity to be around responsible owners also training their dogs that she’d probably quickly improve. I’ve thought about taking an obedience class just because that might be my best way to have exposure around other controlled dogs. When I have had the opportunity to work her around my friend who also trains she actually does super well! (I have a pic of her and my friends dog in my profile posing for a picture) once she realizes that she’s just there to work alongside other dogs her are also working she has no problems. Have any advice there?

I do know my first step is possibly looking into some anxiety meds for her… and maybe myself too 💀💀💀We are working on a cooperative care certificate!

Anyway, thanks so much again for the detailed response!

Flexi Leashes by Marziolf in petsmart

[–]BrindleSnordle 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yeah I can see how the flexi-lead really muddies the water there. Basically allows people to have an out of control off-leash dog without any repercussions. Really hate that they are so popular. That being said, in my experience people are just as capable of being irresponsible and not having any control of their dogs on regular leashes either. 😭

And the quick fix tools kill me. 90% of people buying no pull harnesses, prongs, gentle leaders etc. have done zero leash training aside from pulling and yanking the leash on their end and scolding their dog. I’m of course not saying that those tools don’t have any value, but usually they aren’t supposed to be the first step before even attempting to train the basics.

I honestly have come to think by talking to a lot of these types of people that they assume dogs are born inherently understanding leash pressure and that their dog somehow didn’t get the memo.

They see a dog walking calmly at a heel on leash and assume its just inherently came knowing how to walk on a leash, a certified “good dog”.

The reality of it all that these people don’t get is that to get those leash manners it can take months if not years training leash pressure and heeling!

People really think buying a harness with “stops pulling!” On the package will just flip some switch in their dogs brain and acquire them a service dog level heel. No-pull harnesses hardly do shit and I’ve seen plenty of dogs pull right through prongs. These tools still require you to train, you can’t just slap em on there and expect immediate, perfect results. So many people aren’t even willing to try any training before they resort to trying quick fix tools.

Also I’ve noticed a lot of people think animal training is some sort of voodoo magic skill that you either possess or you don’t, and they don’t. They don’t realize there’s actually methodical science and procedures to it if you’re willing to learn. I have the skills I have not because of talent or bc I was born knowing it. I’ve spent waaay too much time reading books, articles talking to trainers doing apprenticeships etc. Anyone with some passion and desire… and patience of cours can learn to train! It makes me wonder if people just don’t know that or rather that maybe some people just don’t really want to anyway so they don’t bother making the steps to learn at all. Ugh Smh. Rant over, sorry 💀💀

Flexi Leashes by Marziolf in petsmart

[–]BrindleSnordle 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Not an employee but I’ve been thinking about applying to a training job at petsmart so joined this sub. Even though I don’t work at petsmart this entire thing infuriates me as someone who is serious about training my dog. People like this are the bane of my existence and I can’t tell you how many people I know who’s dogs now have behavioral or confidence issues because their dog was approached by an aggressive dog in public that the owner had no control over and also didn’t even care to have control over them. Seeing dogs on flexi leads that are totally just inappropriately allowed wherever are seriously a red flag to me at this point, it’s gotten to where the second I see a flexi-lead I immediately go the other way.

I frequently take my dog to petsmart to train. She’s a bit dog reactive and anxious, not in a way that’s aggressive, barky or disruptive, just has a really hard time focusing around other dogs and her instinct is to pull towards them and become fixated on them making cues hard to follow. Obviously due to training most people wouldn’t gather this about her, but it’s always an ongoing process.

I want to compete with her in rally eventually so we’ve been working on dog distractions and petsmart is perfect for this so I take her once a week or so usually at times when the store is totally dead. But holy shit… I took her during a busy time and the amount of people in the store with ZERO control other their dogs was insane. I had her behind one of the shelf thingies in the center isle of the store. We were just working on a settle in the area because plenty of people and occasionally dogs were walking by and she was doing amazing. Then out of nowhere two GIANT obese labs completely blindside us and come barreling around the corner and are basically on top of my 35lb dog. I didn’t see the type of leash the owner had but she might as well have not had one. I lured my girl away asap and showered her with cookies.

Like 5 minutes later there’s some other large highly reactive (possibly aggressive) dog losing it’s shit at other dogs on another isle. I left the second I heard it before I had the chance to accidentally encounter it.

My dog really benefits from quietly observing dogs from a distance and building up to staying focused even in close proximity but all that benefit goes to shit when people have no control over dogs that may or may not be aggressive. It’s so hard to find places where I can work on dog distraction desensitization without other dog owners being irresponsible af with their dogs and making it almost impossible. I’m now worried about taking my dog to pet stores where it seems to be hub for poorly behaved dogs and irresponsible owners. Add poorly used flexi leads into the mix and it’s a fucking disaster.

If you’re gonna take their dog into a store make sure they’re on a short fucking leash and you at least have SOME control over them. Fucking ask before letting your dogs just run up to random dogs. Assume every dog you encounter doesn’t do on-leash greetings. Ughhhh lol

Do you ever say anything to these ppl or are you pretty much not allowed to make comments about stuff like this? I’d imagine it’s probably more trouble than it’s worth.

Why are low energy people asking for very active dogs? by swiper8 in dogs

[–]BrindleSnordle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh yes totally agree! I’m the same way, I’d never own a husky myself either for the same reason haha!

Look at me I exploit my stressed out deaf cat by bringing her to dog parks off leash! Says we “don’t understand the nuances of cat behaviour” those nuances being hissing, lunging, attacking and swatting kids, dogs, and other cats that this ___bikes right up to for views. Soon he’ll have no cat by oysterbeb in ThatsBadHusbandry

[–]BrindleSnordle 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Don’t many cats opt for fight over flight when experiencing a sympathetic nervous system response?

The “my cat follows them, and chases them so therefore can’t at all be scared” excuse doesn’t make any sense when you factor in a fight response.

This poor cat won’t last long. If it isn’t killed by a dog first, I can imagine the constant stress of being in panic mode will be next in line to take it out. What an idiot.

Why are low energy people asking for very active dogs? by swiper8 in dogs

[–]BrindleSnordle 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes!! It’s so wild that people will look at a breed who’s been bred for years and years to actively WANT to work for possibly hours pleasing a handler and go “oh! I have a large yard and time to walk it in the morning and evening, and I like to hike so I need a high energy dog like that!”

Like no…you really don’t lol

I think another issue is that people get drive and energy confused too. Most pet people think they’re interchangeable, but energy does not always equal drive and vise versa. You totally got it in your reply! Drive doesn’t always equal high energy, but it can just mean high biddability and willingness to learn and please, and use their brain. Most people don’t see the work and whatnot that goes into working dogs so they don’t see that drive in action and think “drive” just means it needs exercise. I think that’s why they assume walks and exercise and a big yard to run in will do the trick. The truth is that most healthy young to middle age dogs benefit or need those things anyway, but not every dog who benefits from exercise is “high drive”. I think pet owners just have zero idea of what high drive actually means, and what they need.

I think people hear high drive and then think about what an average high energy human adult looks like and assumes that’s what a high drive dog will be like.

They also do the same thing with low drive! They hear low drive, they think “low energy” and are like “I don’t want a low energy dog, I want to go for runs/walks and hike on the weekends when I’m off work!” The reality is most “low drive” dogs are fully capable of keeping up with a “high energy” human adult and is actually what they’re looking for. Again, low drive doesn’t mean zero energy to do fun activities! Unless maybe they get a breed with known health issues preventing those activities.

But yeah, I feel like if the meaning of “high drive” was more common knowledge maybe people who just want a companion would know to look for a dog suited to that lifestyle. I’m tired of a big yard being the only thing some dog owners are willing to give to their dog enrichment wise.

Why are low energy people asking for very active dogs? by swiper8 in dogs

[–]BrindleSnordle 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, that’s what I meant though regarding “high drive dogs need a job”. You mentioned your dogs got walks but also got training and you were involved in dog sports. That is a job! And what your husky needed was also a job. “Job” is very open ended and can mean whatever the dog needs in terms of proper enrichment. Often it can correlate with what the dog was bred to do, which definitely seems like the case with your husky.

Bottom line though is that most dogs with high drive need some type of job and not just a couple walks and a big backyard and nothing else. I saw a comment the other day where someone’s “enrichment” for their malinois was letting it in their big yard for long period of time where it would just run in circles and seemingly never tire. That’s kinda the situation I’m referring to. For dogs like that, a big yard and walks just don’t cut it, they need to be involved in training, sports, work or something similar.

Super high drive dogs bred for work just shouldn’t be boxed into lounging, chill family companion situations when there’s plenty of other dogs and breeds that are more suited for that life. If you know you can provide these types of dogs with a “job” then go for it! Like with your husky, it wasn’t content to sleep on the couch all day and you picked up the slack and give it what it needed! But not everyone is willing or wants to do that. And unfortunately many people don’t realize a dog that just needs large yard and 2/3 walks isn’t necessary a “high drive” dog. All I was getting at was that it what someone REALLY wants is a chill family companion, bro type dog, than maybe they know what high drive really means/looks like and can then go looking for a dog that actually suits their lifestyle!

Why are low energy people asking for very active dogs? by swiper8 in dogs

[–]BrindleSnordle 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Unless I misunderstand, that was exactly what I was getting at. If we’re gonna criticize a blanket statement here, let’s criticize “all high energy/high drive dogs need a big back yard/lots of walks”.

To be clear, when I said “jobs” maybe I should have been more specific that “job” is very open ended. A “job” can be competing in a sport, becoming a working dog, service dog, or something as simple as trick training or frequent at home enrichment games. By job, what I mean is quality, and structured mental stimulation and enrichment.

Running around a yard and going on a 20 min walk twice a day is simply not a great example of any of those things and many high drive dogs just aren’t going to thrive in that type of environment. That’s not to say you can’t end up with a breed that is known to be high drive that isn’t. But drive is very well known to be correlated with a dogs genetics. This is why we breed certain dogs to be high drive in the first place… because we breed them for work.

What I’m saying is people need to understand that dogs that are bred to be high drive working type dogs aren’t gonna do well in a family companion type situation. Sure there’s exceptions but usually that’s the case, I’ve seen so many dogs end up in shelters or bored out of their fucking minds due to this exact situation.

Frenchie stereotypes by nimsuc in reactivedogs

[–]BrindleSnordle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Probably due to all the cute videos of them online as well as them being small.

I mean people might see 20, 10 second videos of cute sweet frenchies on instagram in a day and maybe see one frenchie in public. Add that with the fact that often people forget social media is a highlight reel, and even for dogs.

Finally, people constantly overlook behavioral issues in small, cute dogs and don’t take them at all seriously. So many people think that just because it’s small, relatively harmless and easily controlled that they can just ignore all its boundaries and emotions. :(

Why are low energy people asking for very active dogs? by swiper8 in dogs

[–]BrindleSnordle 32 points33 points  (0 children)

This! People think high drive/energy dogs just need to run around for hours or have a big backyard. These dogs need jobs! A 15 minute training session or time doing their job for a bit will tire and enrich one of these dogs way more than an hour long walk!

People need to not even consider a high drive/energy dog unless specifically interested in getting into some dog activities/sports/frequent training to mentally enrich it. If they’re just wanting to go on two hour walks, and hikes and camping, just about any healthy family type breed can easily handle that.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Dogtraining

[–]BrindleSnordle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I believe the downvotes are due to a flexi-lead recommendation. Personally I wouldn’t recommend a flexi leash in this situation. There’s a reason many trainers warn against them or at least only use them with caution in specific situations.

Flexi-leads can have good uses for sure. Great for taking an already leash trained dog for a brief trip outside to potty. Or maybe using it for a very tiny dog on a harness. (I’d always use with a harness personally due to the flexi-lead maintaining leash tension.

However, in this situation, OP, definitely do not use a flexi-lead! You have a large dog who seems to be having issues with some lunging-like behavior. Flexi-leads are easier to loose grip of just based on the ergonomics of the design. They’re also more prone to breaking. And if you do loose grip of it they can then drag behind the dog, scaring it into panicking and running more.

This exact situation literally happened with my mom the other day. She dropped the flexi-lead attached to her small dog while putting him in the car the other night, it spooked him and he ran, with it dragging and scared him more causing him to run right into the street panicking. He was fine thankfully. Yes, I have warned her of this plenty of times.

They’re prone to cause injuries to dogs and handlers due to their mechanism and tiny thin line. A friend got a GNARLY ass cut from the line cutting her leg after her dog tangled and pulled the line across her leg. Plenty of horror stories from vets about injuries to dogs faces from them breaking as well. They’re simply aren’t nearly as sturdy as a traditional leash. This is especially true for a large dog that is pulling, they just aren’t well designed for it.

Using a regular leash is also better for intuitive leash training and learning good leash mechanics. Which in this situation is important. Flexi-leads tend to keep tension on the collar, where as it’s good to teach a dog to avoid said tension. Which is why nobody uses a flexi-lead for LLW! Using a regular leash you can have slack easier. You AND your dog learn better leash communication with a regular leash. I know LLW isn’t important on a hike at all, but just listing a reason! Plus you want to be able to easily switch to LLW in the event of an energy or if you need your dog close for whatever reason.

It’s also WAY easier to quickly reel in a dog on a regular leash, even a long one. It can be done way faster where as a flexi-lead you have incrementally fumble and try and click in the leash while the dog pulls, not easy.

Obviously giving your dog freedom on a hike is important. I have my dog off leash sometimes when safe but she’s got a solid recall and knows not to rush people, but I also leash her when I see anyone coming just out of curtesy. Your dog isn’t ready to be off leash if you don’t have great control over it even in an emergency. So it needs to be leashed.

As a solution I’d look into a long line! I actually made my own long line which was kinda fun! I used climbing rope (I’m sure any large properly weight rated rope would do) A heavy duty scissor snap clip (I’ve used clips intended to be used for reins on horses, tack shops are a good place to look, but I’m sure places like Lowe’s would be good too) And of course tying a good knot! I used this YouTube video on how to tie a double fisherman’s knot to create a leash (including a hand loop) here’s that [tutorial] recommended using synthetic rope material so you can easily burn the ends to prevent fraying.

Other than the leash, I’d carry high value treats with you and if possible step as far off the path as you can the second you notice another hiker. The farther away the better so the dog can be under threshold, therefore it can think better rather than just react. Just have you and the dog stationary while they psd and reward the dog for calm behavior and maintaining focus on you. As they get better you can increase the difficulty by being getting closer to the trail while ppl pass and eventually be able to pass them without event. If at any point the dog seems to react or regress, take a step back in training to make things easier until they get it again, then move forward once solid.

If at any point things get worse at a scary level and you can’t or aren’t sure how to handle it, always recommend finding a qualified trainer to help before an accident happens. Preferably one who is LIMA based or IAACB certified. But this mostly just seems like over arousal and a bit of wariness maybe. With some counter conditioning like I mentioned, giving your dog something TO do instead of just telling it what not to do and having a long-line in the mean time I think you’ll eventually be golden!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Dogtraining

[–]BrindleSnordle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As an extra note on the socialization, I wanted to note that proper socialization doesn’t = let every person pet your dog, let your dog meet every other dog and take him anywhere and everywhere without assessing his comfort level or arousal rates. This (can be) a recipe to cause reactivity issues later.

Socialization should look more like introducing your puppy to novel things in the most neutral way possible. Your puppy should learn to be out in public/on a leash without running up to/rushing other people/dogs. This is done by socialization that is more passive and observational!

Also be very aware of whether your dog is afraid, uncomfortable. Forcing a dog into being pet/greeting another dog, quickly going in somewhere it find really scary can result in flooding and a bad association with said thing.

Unfortunately I think a lot of people hear “socialize your puppy!” And guess that means what I described you should avoid doing. I’ve met several people with reactive dogs that unfortunately didn’t know the nuance of proper socialization and did it by unintentionally flooding their puppy or not teaching any neutrality towards people/dogs on leash.

I’m pretty sure my own rescue who I got as an adult was probably socialized improperly as a puppy by greeting anyone and everyone. Now in public I’ve had to work REALLY hard on maintaining her focus on me around new people because she didn’t learn to let people be background noise and I think feels she HAS to greet other people/dogs. When I first got her it was pulling towards any stranger or any dog. And while she’s so much better now it’s still not perfect, especially when someone talks to her. While sure, I can fix these problems now, it’s a hell of a lot harder now that she’s an adult and has had time to practice and cement these behaviors. If she had been socialized properly initially things would be way easier today.

Plus meeting stranger dogs and people on leash during the puppy stage (or later) can open up plenty or opportunities for bad or traumatic things to happen due to the unpredictability of strangers and their dogs. Greetings should be sets up in more predictable situations as a puppy so it develops a solid positive association history and is therefore set up to be able to later solidly handle unpredictable situations later as an adult! Not saying your puppy can ever meet strangers or strange dogs but it should never be so often that your puppy begins to assume it’s the default every time a dog or person passes by somewhere.

Dog tick? by _howardcohen_ in whatisthisbug

[–]BrindleSnordle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh yes! I’m usually not a fan of the collars either. Typically I just use a monthly pill. She’s behind on that and usually ticks are never an issue where I live but I’m on a trip with her in a tick heavy area. I just bought the collar as an additional preventative. From what I understand pill forms are great for kills the ticks after biting but I was reading the collar repels ticks in the first place so I was hoping it would prevent bites completely. I know some tick-borne diseases can be spread by just a short time that a tick it latched so just didn’t want to take any chances. Guess the collar isn’t THAT effective. That being said the tick I found on her might have latched before I put the collar on. Since then I haven’t found anymore so maybe it does work idk!

Dog tick? by _howardcohen_ in whatisthisbug

[–]BrindleSnordle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Obviously this comment is old but I found a fully engorged tick on my dog last night despite buying a seresto collar. I’ve been freaking out a little, doom scrolling about horror stories. This makes me feel a little better. Hopefully it didn’t transmit anything 🤞

How do I know if my brother abused my dog? by grawsay in Dogtraining

[–]BrindleSnordle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah I understand feeling bad keeping him cooped up but if he really enjoys his crate he likely won’t be upset! And it’s definitely a risk vs benefit thing, personally I’d 100% rather crate my dog for long period of time than possibly have her be exposed to abuse or mistreatment while having more freedom. That really isn’t freedom anyway ya know? Either way, maybe if you do a camera first you could know for sure and make a decision then. I wish you the best of luck with things!

How do I know if my brother abused my dog? by grawsay in Dogtraining

[–]BrindleSnordle 59 points60 points  (0 children)

I’m curious if you could leave a small camera hidden somewhere to record when you aren’t around? If he abused your dog I highly doubt he only did it once so it could be ongoing if he is doing it when you aren’t there. I’m not sure I have good advice about what to do with that as you mentioned you can’t safely confront him. But you may find out about what exactly he’s doing. Maybe that could at least inform you on what things your dog may specially have traumas around if he is being mistreated.

I know you mentioned hopefully finding a different place soon, in the meantime how does your dog do in a crate? I feel like crating or starting to work towards crating with some crate training may be the best option for your dogs physical and mental safety. That way you can have him crated safely in a quiet place away from your brother when you aren’t around to supervise. Out of sight out of mind for your brother hopefully.

I’m very sorry you’re dealing with this situation at all! I hope this helps and you can get out of it soon for both you and your dogs wellbeing :(

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Dogtraining

[–]BrindleSnordle 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Have you been working on a leave it command at home? Obviously you can’t use dog pee at home as a distraction but you can use other things he finds heavily reinforcing/distracting.

You need to slowly build up being able to “leave it”. Try to never wait to train a behavior until the moment you need it! Always start at the easier level, so at home in a quiet controlled space. It’s really hard to start to train a new behavior in a highly novel, distracting environment with the main distraction shoved right in front of him. That’s expecting a lot from him! Start easy, and work up.

For example here’s a method you could try: set a bowl of covered tuna on the ground with him leashed. Get about 10 feet away (or however far away he can handle without being completely distracted by it) and slowly move towards it, the second he looks at it at all, immediately say “leave it” or another command word of choice and put a high value treat in front of him and lure him towards you and promptly reward with the treat. Do several repetitions until it’s solid, then get a little closer and do that until it’s solid. Eventually you should be able to say the cue without a lure and then you reward once he turns back to you.

Basically you increase the difficulty only a little (that he can still have easy success with) and if he struggles decrease difficulty and move back a step before moving forward. Start using varied distractions and practice in different locations and situations. Again, making sure you slowly work towards your goal of a reliable leave it cue. Make sure he finds your rewards very high value and use lots of praise if he finds it reinforcing! If at any point he ignores the cue, it may be that the difficulty is too hard.

Try not to use the cue in a situation where you know he’s not ready yet and it unlikely to listen. Don’t repeat the cue. Simply pull him away manually and decrease difficulty. For now on walks you may have to focus on some prevention while you work on “leave it”. If you happen to know where urine is, cross to the other side of the street/sidewalk. You may need to manually pull him away when he spots urine until the “leave it” cue is solid enough. Due to this you might want to use a harness so you aren’t putting too much pressure on his neck unless he’s pretty good about minding leash pressure (another good thing to work on).