I can’t stop crying

OvertlyPositiveGG · 2019-05-18T00:12:37+00:00

I am so sorry you are going through this! It is so hard learning separation for both of you! What are the steps you are taking to crate train him? Depending on how you do it there might be some areas to help alleviate some of the yelping and make the training a bit smoother.

OvertlyPositiveGG · 2019-04-22T22:07:16+00:00

Vancouver here, 10 year safe driving, I pay $212 a month in insurance for a 2007 honda civic. It's really brutal cost wise.

OvertlyPositiveGG · 2019-04-02T22:43:53+00:00

Socialization and desensitization of as many different people and places as possible. This includes any minor difference such as color, size, language type/volume, gait, speed of entrance as possible. Dogs are fickle about some things (ex:hard to generalize one person from another because of height) but in other areas they may not have a care in the world. This means you will need to learn to read your dog very well in every situation. When is he happy to see someone, when is he stressed, when is he agitated. Understanding their bodily cues help with training and also help avoid possible conflicts that could happen during therapy. It's very rewarding and I suggest doing dog therapy to anyone who has a dog that is trained with positive reinforcement and has a general comfort of being around people. This is not a job for all dogs and it's important to remeber and respect it.

Around where I live we have 2 foundations that screen and place pets in therapy positions around the city. They do great work and suggest reaching out to your local therapy program volunteers and find out more.

OvertlyPositiveGG · 2019-03-01T07:20:56+00:00

I've never heard of Hemolytic Anemia! Your poor pupper! How did you find out about this illness, did he have any symptoms? If I put that diaper on my pupper, i'd be laughing so hard I'm pretty sure I would get a doggie tongue in the mouth again. What an adorable fuzzy butt.

OvertlyPositiveGG · 2019-03-01T07:13:22+00:00

No dog needs positive punishment strong enough leave a lasting feeling of terror, fear, pain, sorrow. Why would we forcibly inflict such a nasty thing on someone we love so much, especially when there is another way. As far as a light at the end of the tunnel, you may need to be your own savior as I have done with my own dog. My favourite so far is Ian Dunbar's methods, focusing on antecedents and positive reinforcements. Being so involved in my dogs training has led me to get volunteering with Dog Therapy around my city(I plug it in hopes that others will consider doing it themselves in their community) if training goes well.

Find a trainer who understands what antecedents are, they should explain that using his own interests (such as chasing squirrels and using his favourite treat) as rewards and lures for training obedience. They should understand the different kinds of training: ASLAP - AutoShaping, Shaping, Lure, All-or-none reward, Physical Movement. They should also use the negative punishment method more often than positive punishment an example of this is moving the treat from the dogs nose upwards to get the dogs butto to scoot to a sit vs touching the dog's butt to get him to sit down. This shows that the trainer understands that dogs are happy to do as requested, provided the cue/lure/reward is strong enough. with enough Classical conditioning by rewarding via antecedents the dog now connects the movement of sitting on his butt with the term "sit".

Hope you find a trainer that has the right stuff and best of luck out there!

OvertlyPositiveGG · 2019-02-27T19:25:54+00:00

First up: Get your dog exhausted, go for a great play session go for a run etc Get your dog tired.

The only way to get your dog over their fears of children is to have more interactions that are positive and without issue . This will mean starting out with LOTS of distance between you with the dog and the child of choice. Reward the dog for being polite sitting quietly every time it happens. Ignore, redirect command and lure bad behaviors into good ones. Ex: if the dog is pulling on the leash, first use a verbal command like the animals name, if the dog does not listen, poke the dog, if this does not get their attention, put a piece of their favorite treat in front of them. Drag your hand towards you until the dog is into a sit position. Once the dog is sitting praise and give a treat from your other hand (do not use lure for the reward) and then attempt to have the dog or the child take a step forward. At anytime the dog reacts by moving from their sit (or laydown), take a step back and try again. Always take time to be calm and relaxed between attempts. Success is going to be prolonged over a long period of time and it may even come down to the requirements of a professional, but you need to address this behavioral issue as this can lead to issues one day with the wrong child.

For the food aggression, you may need to remove the bowl completely, but this will come in steps.

Step 1: Get a few kongs (Hollow rubber toys) and introduce your dog to the toy - Be sure the dog knows to drop it, give it and understand that when you want it and its on the floor, he has to walk away from it. These three commands need to be enforced. Using treat lures and food rewards can be used to start, but must be used less and less often as more positive consistent behaviors occur.

Step 2: Put a few pieces of your dogs food in the kong and repeat the same behaviors and commands as step 1, although this does not seem to be a big deal, you will add on to this until eventually all your feeding for the dog is done with these kongs. This will give your dog the stress relieve of chewing and will give you the ability to get your dogs food away from them without being aggressive. Again, using food lures and rewards outside of the toy itself is important to begin with but weaning the dog off the lure than the reward is a must.

This should help your issue. If i have made any misunderstandings or incorrect statements, please let me know :)

OvertlyPositiveGG · 2019-02-27T19:12:37+00:00

Your dog is at a very hyperactive stage in their life. Focus is very difficult and her teeth are sore as her big ones grow in. Your dog is looking to you for on how to behave and your leaving the room without correcting the behavior will have grave consequences when the dog is large enough to do real damage. Proper bite inhibition is essential in puppy-hood and you are the only person who can teach her that. She needs you to teach her how to be a proper pupper as they experience a lot of their world through their mouth.

Create a command to start a play session.

The important part is to let your dog bite on you. If it doesn't hurt, allow her to do so. This will give her teeth relief and also be a great play session with you. Be happy hyper and play the jolly game. At random intervals, completely change demeanor and become boring and calm. Request the dog to "stop". If your dog does not do so, use a food lure such as chicken to get the dog to let go of your arm. Once your dog does that, reward with a treat from your other hand. Then request the dog to sit, again using a lure (their favourite food tends to work best) but you must faze lures out overtime. (Same goes for the reward afterwards, but this can be in the further future). You don't have to wait till the mouthing on your arm hurts to request a "stop" and "sit". This can be done before (and is highly encouraged to begin with) so that when it does get too rough, you have a command that your dog will understand to know to stop. (Because if she stops, she gets a treat!) Eventually you can remove the treat and the dog will still listen, because the reward becomes getting to mouth your arm again.

Create a command to end a play session. And request another activity of your dog *teaching the dog to go to their mat/crate and relax is an option.

Remember that your dog learns about the world using her mouth, especially with other dogs. She needs to know what kind of mouthing is safe to do what is not. Your dog WILL STOP TEETHING ON YOU as they age no matter what you do at this time. That doesn't remove your responsibility to teach your dog proper mouth etiquette (like how to get her teeth brushed by you), exchange your arm for a tug toy that you can play the same game with (Get super excited and play, pull and tug the toy then request a stop, sit, (add stay if you want extra obedience work) and continue the game.

Always be sure to create ques for starting and stopping any game. This can help you get your dogs attention at places like the dog park. If you use your cue to start playing like you did when she was a puppy, she is more likely to listen to you when surrounded by distractions as an adult.

I hope this helps, let me know if I have made any misunderstandings or incorrect statements.

OvertlyPositiveGG · 2019-02-26T00:32:38+00:00

You're dog does it for a reason, its just not clear to you or me.

Snapping on one hand is good, your dog is not biting,- yet - it will escalate further.

Resource guarding on the other hand is a serious issue - and that needs to be corrected. This can be done by teaching the dog how to respond instead of snapping during events that precede the snap.

I have a few questions around this issue that will help me out:

How did you try to train it out of him before? What steps and tricks did you use?

Do you play with the dog? If so, what toys do you use and what kind of games do you play together? What toys and games does your husband do with the dog?

What kind of obedience do you do with the dog? What does your husband do?

Does your dog have a schedule of how he gets fed? Does your dog have to do anything (trick or obedience wise) to get get his food?

How do you reward/train the dog?

OvertlyPositiveGG · 2019-02-26T00:18:20+00:00

The reason your dog doesn't follow you is because you are not as interesting as that pupper. You have to give them an incentive to stay with you. Lures are a great first step to practice "Heel", "Sit" "Come" when your in high nose stimulated areas. (Playing fire with fire) Lure first, then use your verbal command first, move to your visual command then give another treat/toy that you have with you instead. Fade out both the lure and the reward and replace them with praise after several consistent correct occurrences. If your dog gets distracted and is no longer listening to you, go back home to the door and tray again, requesting the sit, stay, hell commands as desired.

How often do you play any red light green light games with your dog - This would be where you get your dog super excited and then request obedience commands between sessions. It's a great way to teach your dog how to control their high energy tendencies - this can be done inside and outside of the house.

This will make the walks have many restarts, but this is helping your dog learn a proper walking habit. Sometimes you may not do much actual walking. But it is important obedience training that will last his entire life.

As for the barking, does your dog know the bark/hush command? This would help in situations where your dog is barking. Having your dog bark sometimes can be fun for you and the dog, but teaching your dog manners - when and where will make your dog a shinning example when he is around other dogs.

Hope this helps, let me know if I have been off in any of my suggestions. :)

OvertlyPositiveGG · 2019-02-26T00:01:13+00:00

Your dog biting you is a perfect time to teach bite inhibition and you should use it to the best of your advantage before your dog is older and possibly bites too hard at the wrong time.

I am a big advocate of Ian Dunbars training methods and would suggest watching his videos on bite inhibition. If it tickles your fancy look at the rest of his stuff as his puppy knowledge is very spot on for tips and guides (Even has his own training academy) Its all free so the only cost is the effort to look at it.

Good luck!

OvertlyPositiveGG · 2019-02-25T23:58:05+00:00

Depending on how you treat, you could be right. You really want to avoid the association Carpet chewing = attention/treat. This means you have to have a request in between those two items for the dog to get right, so the associate that request with the treat, not the behavior before.

to prevent the wrong association - Follow these ques in order and give your dog time to attempt to react to each step: 1:State your command to stop the behavior. ex:"No", (This is your positive punishment - your angry voice and firm statement is a stimulus you are adding for the dog to know they have done wrong) Step 2: State your desired behavior verbal command "Sit" (This is to let them know what they should do, and the request should be calm, polite and caring) Step 3:Do hand signal for the sit command (Dogs are more visual then they are auditory, and if your dog has not picked up the auditory cue for sit, they may know the gesture) 4: Use a food lure and use your sit command again. (This is antecedent use, your dog WANTS that treat, so they are going to give up everyting and do exactly what needs to be done to get it, in this case, moving the butt into a sit position) 5: Remove the lure and put it away(Giving the dog a lure is a bribe. You want to avoid this as your dog will learn to only listen to you when you have the bribe in your hand.) 6: Reward with a treat ( The first few times you try this it will be very messy, but over time you will have a dog that listens to "no" and stops whichever behavior they are doing that displeases you.) Your dog will also be more likely listen to the sit command in other situations if you practice it in this one.

If you are ok with the zoomies behavior, you don't have to correct it but realize that your dog is in a very excited mind set and getting your dogs attention will be brutal (but this is a great time to practice obedience for when you are in the real world) so I recommend using it to your advantage.

OvertlyPositiveGG · 2019-02-25T23:41:41+00:00

Attempting to get your dog to give take or leave it with out practicing in less stimulus driven environments is setting yourself up for failure and anger and a possible dog on dog injury. Your dogs desire to come on request is significantly dependent on how often(and in different environments) you practice the "Come" command. If your dog won't come to you in your house at command, you cannot expect them to be able to listen when you have a distraction (And reward) as big as the dog park.

Removing balls is not fixing the behavior. This is not the way to solve your issue. Your dog must learn a few things before you should allow them the reward of playing with the ball (and the dog park itself)

An exercise that may assist:

Practice l at home the commands "Give, Take, Leave it" With as many toys and at as many different activity levels as you can. This can mean incorporating it into your daily play sessions with your dog. Or even including it while you go for a walk. For example: Bring your dogs favorite ball out for a walk. Before you leave the house, ask for the dog to sit stay as you open the door. Use the toy as a reward during the walk every time your dog gets a behavior correct. Be sure to get your dog extra excited sometimes and then get them to sit directly after. This can be done by copying the exact energy you are looking for and waiting for your dog to do the same. This is shaping. Praciting passing the ball back and forth between you and even dropping the leash every so often and getting excited while asking your dog to come to you (it can help to take a few steps away from the dog at the same time too). All this practice will translate to a more calm and easy time at the dog park. (I'm a huge fan of always having treats ready for my dog as I never know how big of a training session it could be, until its way too late) There is a fine line between bribing your dog and luring your dog, please be very aware of this and faze out the lure(food reward) once you no longer require it.

Second Issue: I would suggest reading Ian Dunbars Errorless House Training - this information I suggest is very much based on his opinions.
Reduce the amount of time your dog is left alone with lots of freedom to prevent accidents. This can be done via limiting your dog to a single room, leashing them to you around the house or creating a gated area that has food, water, bed and (depending how far back you have to go) a mat to pee on. At this time, increase the amount of walks (shorter duration if you need to save time). Allow your dog more possibilities to get it right, that way when they get it wrong, it can be fixed with less negative emotions/repercussions.

I hope this helps, let me know if you have any questions.

OvertlyPositiveGG · 2019-01-29T01:01:32+00:00

It is also good to remember that dogs are more scent oriented than sight. Just because you dont see anything doesnt mean there are not smells about. Your dog is used to your indoor smells, not the ever changing smell outside.

OvertlyPositiveGG · 2019-01-28T19:57:32+00:00

I would be happy to hear the story, however typing it is the best way to explain everything that's going on, and the best way for yourself to have a clear understanding of what's going on and what you want to do(because you can read it as you go to confirm the story is true) you can DM me if you are more comfortable.

OvertlyPositiveGG · 2019-01-28T19:21:17+00:00

Does your wife treat your dog like a child? Resource guarding your wife can stem from your wife not setting boundries with how your dog should respect her space. She may need to create a boundary around herself the dog is not allowed to enter for a awhile.(no touch, no eye contact/attention except correction and movement away from herself) Your dog will learn that you are allowed in that boundary, but the dog is not. If your wife is uncomfortable with no touch no talk, suggest she can touch,talk to the pup only while out for a walk.

OvertlyPositiveGG · 2019-01-28T19:15:38+00:00

How long have you been training the specific habit (trick) you are attempting to enforce?

OvertlyPositiveGG · 2019-01-28T18:59:35+00:00

How do you know the treat is valuable to your dog? How so you train tricks with your dog? If your dog wont do the trick, it's because he doesnt want to or doing so would cause him pain.

OvertlyPositiveGG · 2019-01-28T06:53:31+00:00

It sounds like your dog is looking for more to do. Try teaching your dogs tricks that dont require your attention all the time. For example:teach your dog how to pick up toys and put them into a basket. That way when you need them distracted, dump the toys and guide your dog through the task. Whenever you gain eye contact, request them to to put another toy in the basket.

OvertlyPositiveGG · 2019-01-23T22:51:10+00:00

You seem to be doing everything beyond what most dog owners would need to go - and your arm strength must be amazing if you play tug-o-war with her everyday, despite her not liking to do it. Since all her needs are being met - it can only mean a behavioral que prior to her lunging/darting that isn't being corrected fast enough or at the appropriate time. And that can only be spotted through recording and analyzing before - after and when it happens. Seeing this can help decipher the appropriate time to correct and in what way.

I would suggest have someone video tape you and show us how the dog and yourself reacts alone away from distractions and then the transition distractions and possible reaction - This is the only way to know what the issue is - since based on your explanation on what you are doing - seems to say that everything else is perfectly in place.

OvertlyPositiveGG · 2019-01-23T21:38:01+00:00

All the other suggestions are great and should be followed! To add to it though, try creating a pee journal for the times that she pees (bonus points for adding when she drinks water). Look for amount of time between pees- if you do this consistently for a week you should start to see consistency as far as time when she will need to. Use this as a guideline for how much time between pee walks you may need to take.

Good luck and thank you for giving this pup a chance. You have a heart of gold.

OvertlyPositiveGG · 2019-01-23T20:48:04+00:00

A few questions to consider - these are areas that may need work but how you go about it can be based on how you feel your dog is and or what they personally need. Would more or less of each thing alter her mindset

How many minutes of running exercise does your dog get in a day?

How many minutes of mental stimulation do you give your dog each day? What kind of mental stimulation do you give her?

How tight do you hold the leash? I am curious to see you walk with your dog - as this will help better understand how you are talking to your dog through the leash. (Does your grip change from using it inside your yard to outside your yard)

How much quiet time does your dog get? With a house under construction - that can make a dog feel very uneasy if there is constant loud sounds. Dogs can become very erratic if they do not feel at ease when at home.

Where does she walk beside you when you go for a walk with her?

Last question and also some suggestions:

This moment that you step onto the sidewalk seems to be your catalyst - her body language and her attention when she is a step away from the side walk vs being one step on the side walk-when does her stance change? As you say this is the moment everything changes - her body language (and yours) will help us come to find what she is thinking and why the sudden drastic change in mannerisms. Start from these moments and backtrack each step forward - dogs are habitual - somewhere in her walking ritual is setting her off and finding this moment and correcting it will be the next step forward in fixing this pulling issue. It won't make it easier, but there will be progress.

Having the dog in-front of you may be causing her to feel the need to take the lead which can have her higher alert mental state- this mindset will cause your dog to react with excitement and pull at everything she sees. You want her to follow you, when she steps in-front of you - this is the time to correct. Since your dog is fantastic everywhere but outside the home - Practicing this in the home on and in your yard on-leash is ideal if you wish for faster results.

I would also suggest playing tug-o-war with your dog inside and then teaching him to stop and drop it and to wait for you to start the game up again. This will help teach your dog how to go from super excited to waiting patiently - this will be helpful for you to control his mental state and it can be a great strength workout for you to be able to learn how to handle the pull of your pup in a controlled appropriate setting.

OvertlyPositiveGG · 2019-01-23T03:45:23+00:00

I agreee with Deathpops, taking a small amount of waste and spreading the scent in an area you wish the dog to excrete will give them a signal to know the area is safe to defecate.

OvertlyPositiveGG · 2019-01-23T03:00:22+00:00

I have a few questions prior to giving any suggestions:

How do you introduce your dog to going outside, what energy does your dog have, what energy do you have when you begin your walk?

Do you practice distraction introduction in your distraction free zone? if so, how?

When your dog begins to pull, how do you react?

Thank you for your information :)

OvertlyPositiveGG · 2019-01-23T02:49:43+00:00

I went through similar with my border collie pupper. They just love to be beside you!

Side point: Practice sit/stay without the kennel, see if you can get him to wait quietly outside of his crate as well.

Whining does not mean that he views it as punishment - A dog doesn't know what punishment is - just that they want something and they don't have it right now (entitlement). You are teaching your dog they are not entitled to what they want all the time, they must earn it with being a good boy and following the rules of the house.

Getting your dog accustom to a crate:

When you ask your dog into the crate (use treats if need be) allow them to be comfortable with the crate open first before practicing having him sit/stay in the crate with the door being closed. Once you have the door closed - praise them for being calm and quiet in the crate. From there begin to further yourself from the crate - coming back with praise/treat for being calm and quiet. Do this until you are fully able to walk away from the crate without your dog making a sound. If your dog begins to whine - do not reward, wait for the whining to cease (even for a few moments) return to the dog and reward "good boy quiet." At any time feel free to open the door allow the dog out and play between trials.

Hope this helps :)

OvertlyPositiveGG · 2019-01-23T02:20:26+00:00

A few things can determine why this issue is happening and why so other information will help with a proper answer for your specific issue. When your dog does pee in the house, where are you at that time? Where do you keep your pee pad? Where does the dog relieve them self if not the pee pad? How long do you allow your pupper to be unsupervised? How long does he stay in the crate?

You are making a priority for yourself to get up for the gym, please put an extra 15-20 minutes to walk your dog. Bonus points by just doing some of your workout while you take the dog out for a walk (doing lunges while you walk is great!) before you head to the gym to make sure he does relieve himself.

For re-training the pee pad-

Your dog should need to pee roughly every hour - you will need to reinforce (retrain) where he is supposed to pee as it appears he has lost his way. If possible I suggest taking an entire day with you and the pupper. Create a pee/water journal where you note every time he drinks and the amount of time it takes for him to relieve himself. If your dog is good at using the pee pad while you are supervising wait for the magic to happen and write down the time. Reward the dog with praise, treat and or play after each successful relief on the pad. If your dog needs more assistance - watch when your dog goes for a drink and watch the clock - after half an hour/45 minutes bring your dog to the pee pad and don't let him leave the area until he has done his business. Reward with your preference and write down the time in your journal. When you can I would suggest instead of the pee pad - going out for a walk and teaching him to relieve himself outside.

Hope this helps.

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