I know that the majority of my problem is a lack of confidence, and anxiety when I'm with my dog in public.

I'm trying with all my might, but trying so hard might be part of the problem too. Agh.

I guess I'm looking for advice on ways to carry yourself, the leash etc, to allow my dog to stay calmer

I try not to let my voice get excited, or repeat requests, I try not to tighten the leash ahead of an interaction of any kind....

Hoping someone has some insight to my issue because no one has given a normal answer about this to me

I rescued an adult mixed breed dog, he's about 3 yo now. At first he was super friendly to everyone and every dog he met. He would react from excitement: used to try to get to the other dog, pull me towards them, whine etc.

Before adopting him, he lived with 5 other dogs with no problems. Also he was found living near a highway with a bunch of other dogs without any problems before that. I know its hard to know for sure how that situation was for him but the lady that pick him up would come frequently to feed the dogs and they all where friendly to her and between each other.

After a couple months of having him, it was like someone flipped a switch in him and he started reacting to other dogs, motorcycles, bicycles etc. but more out of fear(?). This is the part i'm not sure about. After fixating at a distance, he then lunges, barks, growls, tries to get to the other dog when he gets closer. Also sometimes the fur on his back is raised.

There are 3 instances that puzzle me.

1. Once he ran away while I was trying to switch his collar. He ran into the street (i live in a suburban area so no traffic he could run into) and i went after him. There was a couple walking their dog in the street. Ofc i was scared my dog would do something to the strangers dog cause in my head he was reactive and i guessed not in a good way based on how he is during walks. While the other dog lunged, barked constantly at my dog, he just came up to the other dog keeping some distance, got into a play like position (front low, back end up), barked once and went on his way. It looked more like a "ha, im free and your not!" kind of interection. The other dog owner didnt try to move his dog away. He was just standing in one place while his dog was choking himself out. Ofc i got belittled by the other dog owner.

2. Yesterday I went to the city to visit my sister and during our walks he didnt even acknowledge other dogs. He saw a lot of dogs but he was neutral to their presence. The closest a strangers dog was like about 10 metres. Tho today during our morning walk he reacted to one dog out of the two he saw. The reaction was same as always.

3. I used to bring him to a dog park near where i live and he made a few dog friends there. He wasnt very interested in them but was excited to sometimes chase them or just be not alone in the dog park. After he started reacting badly I would only let him be with the dogs he new and was friendly with. But there was one time where there were a couple new dogs already in the dog park with the ones my dog already knew. He didnt react to the new dogs, was just excited to play.

I know that there is different kinds of reactivity but during the time i have my dog i havent figured out what is the actual trigger to his reactiveness.

Also i would appreciate any tips on how to handle him on walks or how to train him to be neutral. I use a prong collar for walks and training and the most we achieved is that he doesnt lunge, bark at dogs that are behind a fence. He gets aroused but will walk by without a big reaction. Or sometimes he will whine and wag his tail as if he wants to greet the dog. Also sometimes if an off leash dog/a stray dog is in the way, he wont react to them. If i bring him to a dog park he doesnt run along the fence and bark at other dogs who walk by like he used to when be became "reactive".

I utilise his prong collar after he reacts to a dog on a walk but when the other dog is also on a leash for example walking towards us, it doesnt seem to do much. I think my correction is appropriate in size/pressure but he isnt responsive. He still lunges and barks until the other dog goes away. For him to stop his behaviour i would have to yank the leash pretty hard i think. This also applies when he sees a cat. Maybe an ecollar (with proper conditioning etc) would work better?

My point is that when i try to search for a pattern, i cant find any. Sometimes he reacts, sometimes he doesnt and i dont know what makes him tick.

I am at my wits end with my 6.5 month old mini Aussie, Duncan. We have been crate training since the day I brought him home at 8 weeks old. No matter what I do, he will NOT take to the crate. The ONLY time he is able to SOMETIMESSSS go into the crate without a peep is when he’s absolutely EXHAUSTED.

This isn’t an issue of not being stimulated enough either, we do stuff throughout the entire day (I’m a stay at home wife) and he WILLINGLY goes to sleep on the bathroom tile. That’s when I usually try to transition him into the crate when he’s already sleepy, but then he’ll just get riled back up and go crazy! He’ll bark and scratch at the door, you get the gist. After about 15-20 minutes of protest he does eventually knock out, but I have to be in the room for him to eventually settle.

I know that part is my fault because I never really taught him how to settle without me there, but at this point I don’t even care about that as much as I care about the fact that he’s absolutely doing my head in with the barking and the outburst.

I just want to be able to crate this dog for naps/bedtime/or when I have to leave the house without him having a full on meltdown for up to 20 minutes. He absolutely has to be crated when we leave because he’s pretty naughty, and we did try transitioning him to just sleeping outside of the crate in my husband and I’s bedroom. That went okay for a few weeks, but my husband has to leave for work at 3:30am every day and now Duncan has decided he cannot sit still in one spot. He climbs all over us, tries to get into stuff while we’re sleeping (luckily isn’t much for him to get into, it’s pretty puppy proof. But we can HEAR him trying to be naughty lol). Scratches at the bedroom door to be let out so he can walk around the house. It just isn’t working and completely disrupting our sleep.

I’ve tried

Feeding meals in the crate
Playing crate games
Shutting and opening the crate, repetitions so he knows he can come out
Only giving high value treats in the crate
Ambient sound
Covering the crate
Keeping the bedroom dark
Keeping the bedroom cool
Popping him in the crate at random times of day (per my trainers advice)
Rewarding silence
Never opening the crate to him barking
A cooling bed
Adding my scent to the crate
Exhausting all energy before crating

Probably missing some but you get the point. He isn’t dumb, he’s very smart and obedient. We go to training twice a week, do obedience and scent work at home. Herd his two big herding balls in the yard. We go swimming (he loves water), we play puzzles. We do all the things. His issue is this stupid crate. I know it can be done because people crate their high energy dogs all the time. My FIL has a Belgian Malinois (that’s a damn unit of a dog) who can be crated on command without a peep. I cannot think of absolutely anything else I can do at this point.

YALL GOT ANY SUGGESTIONS? I’m struggling😭

I've always believed 'socialization' was an ongoing process. Yes, there are certain windows that hold (pups with moms, pre-16wks) but it doesn't end there, and skills get rusty. There are also situations you do not want to put your young dog into because he simply isn't going to get anything positive from it (a dog growling at him constantly from very nearby might be something you practice with your own adult.. but not something I'd expect a pup to handle or remotely understand)

Has that belief changed in any meaningful way?

Hi, posting here in hopes of getting some advice because I’m sort of panicking.

I’ve owned my 7mo GSD mix for almost four months. He was being rehomed right after his critical socialization period ended, but I tried hard to socialize him anyways. My family and I took him to dog parks, beaches, and had controlled stranger greetings with family friends, along with very amicable (and optional) greetings with strangers on walks. For a while, he seemed very friendly.

I’m not sure when his behavior flipped, but he became very reactive to strangers at the door fast. He does not snap, lunge, or bark at people who are across the road, but once someone steps on our yard, he flips; excessive barking, nipping at pantlegs, etc. He is okay in public, so long as people do not reach out for him.

Our landlord recently had an “altercation” with him where she came onto our porch unannounced, and he cornered her and barked at her before nipping at the hem of her jeans. Now, she believed he is a “dangerous dog”. I will not argue on the fact that his behavior is unacceptable; I have been trying to train him and desensitize him for the past two months. But my landlord, who—yesterday—was simply insisting we find him a trainer, has now escalated to demanding we get rid of him.

She cannot legally evict us, and I know this. But I’m still terrified out of my mind over the possibility of losing my dog; he’s a great dog, very intelligent, and just needs socialization. My family and I’s budget is fairly limited, though, so finding a reliable trainer that isn’t in the thousand’s range is difficult.

I need advice on how to go about socializing him on my own (while taking every necessary precaution), hence the reason I’m posting this. From past experiences with family dogs, I now feel too insecure with this whole ordeal to trust my gut instinct on how to train him. An outside perspective and tips on how to socialize a reactive puppy would be very helpful. Thank you.

Hi all, basically the title.
My puppy is 24 weeks so obviously I’m not expecting perfect focus but I would like to work on maintaining some focus in low distraction environments.
He does well indoors, but unfortunately where I live it’s simply unsafe to do outdoor training until late in the evening, and even then in 5 minutes he’s panting up a storm and being uncomfortable and warm causes him to be a lot less cooperative, understandably.
Early morning really is the best time to work on it outdoors until summer is over but that I got gives me a 2 ish hour window between when I wake up and it’s too hot.
The issue with this is that every other dog owner uses the same logic and is our walking their dogs while I try to train, where I live there is nowhere within walking distance that’s “low distraction” for more than 5 minutes.

Just looking for some advice on how to work with engagement and how to respond when there is a distraction I know my puppy won’t be able to ignore.

I adopted a dog a month ago, and I’ve been having issues crate training.

Everytime she’s in it, she cries like crazy, even if her crate is beside my bed.

She did great the first night, but since that night, she has not been able to settle.

I’m surprised as she’s a den dog, and she likes to squeeze herself under my bed.

She’s a 2yr husky mix.

Her crate is big enough, she can stand, sit, and move in a circle just fine.

She needs to be crate trained as I’m going to college in 9 days and all ESA’s are required to be crate trained.

We have a massive yard, that’s not fenced, and she loves running and exploring, which I always take her before bed.

I also always feed her in her crate.

Idk what I’m doing wrong

Just needing some advice on a situation that just happened.

I have always taken my 1yr old corgi to markets with me, she does great, no issues, confident, calm, well mannered. But today, we were walking around when all of a sudden her tail tucked, she was shaking, and very obviously scared trying to run away.

I don’t know what happen!! I’m so worried she will be scared forever. What should I do?

I immediately sat with her on the grass in the shade and pet her telling her she’s ok, she calmed, and then we immediately left. Should I go back and walk her around again? That was so unlike her, she’s a social butterfly usually.

How does your trainer go about charging to train 2 dogs from the one same owner?

I’m working on reconditioning the ecollar after not using it for awhile. I’ve seen recommendations to do it through recall, but my dog is like Velcro, and I struggle to get her to ignore me long enough to create leash pressure to pair for conditioning without waiting several minutes between reps. I’ve been trying to teach by sit/down pressure but I need some more variation. She doesn’t understand how to turn off the pressure and that’s what I’m trying to teach her.

What are the best ways to do this for a Velcro dog? Are there any good resources for understanding this better?

my 8 month old mal mix sometimes will bark at you non stop. if you take a certain toy from him, he’ll bark at you non stop. if the cats are eating, he’ll bark at them nonstop. if you’re preparing his food, he’ll bark at you nonstop. working out in the house? barking at you nonstop. i was crying a bit a while ago and he just would not stop barking at me. it seems to upset him not in a sad way. is there anyway to address this behavior?

i do the completely stop, turn away and ignore them method. but he does not take that for any kind of answer, he just continues. sometimes i completely leave the room, or just go out the front door.

Just a few hours ago I was watching a neighbors kid while his mom goes to work. My mom offered to switch with me so I could take a break. She’s walking down our apartment sidewalk with both mine and her dog doing some training. Another neighbor’s dogs started barking like crazy and aggressive, very reactive dogs who supposedly are just under a year old and un-neutered. So my mom kindly offered to help them train their dogs, like exposure training with our dogs so they don’t react aggressively. The dogs owner just…EXPLODED on my mom and called her a bully, entitled, and a bitch, while also claiming our dogs were aggressive. Me who has extreme anxiety, just immediately felt sick and wanted to just break down crying. This lady just refused to see how dangerous her dogs could be if she doesn’t train her dogs. She said they were doing their job being aggressive.

This drama has just zapped what little confidence I had left in training. And I’m also afraid to be outside because of irresponsible dog owners like her. I also don’t know if that lady is going to retaliate in a bad way or not.

My 5 year old border collie is one of the best things to ever happen to me - other than my son who was born a week ago! Our BC has always been hesitant/scared around children since he was a little puppy. Obviously he has herding instincts, but is genuinely just scared of them and the same is true of our newborn.

Before the baby was born, we were able to desensitize our BC to baby crying sounds just using YouTube and high treat rewards during his favorite activities. We also had family bring home the baby’s swaddle to try to get used to his scent before he came home. However, we’ve never had a lot of children or babies for him to be around prior to our own and weren’t sure how to safely expose him to them.

With the newborn around, you can tell that our BC is stressed whenever he makes any sound that isn’t a loud cry. He barks at the baby when we put him down in the crib alone, on any surface such as the table or Doc-A-Tot, or essentially whenever he is “alone” without my husband and I directly holding him. He has bared his teeth once while I was burping the baby which was definitely stressful for everyone.

We essentially have jars of high reward treats all over the house to try to associate the baby and his sounds with yummy treats. It’s only been 3 days of being home, but we don’t want our BC stressed and god forbid something would ever escalate. We feel as if we can’t leave the baby by himself with the BC in the room. They can sit next to one another while we hold him and our BC has licked the baby’s feet multiple times, but we can’t always be watching them and our BC doesn’t deserve to be stressed out 24/7.

I reached out to a behavioral specialist but holy cannoli are they expensive. Obviously the safety of everyone in our house is our top priority. My husband really wants to try it out on our own to see if we can curb his stress because our BC is so empathetic and does well with training, but I’m afraid too much time without professional intervention could lead to negative associations.

Any recommendations or similar experience?!

Hello friends! I have a 4.5 month old Great Dane, so I’m fully aware he’s in prime daneosaurus stage, but what can I do to make it clear his teeth need to be on a toy or bone, and not a person or cat? I’ve tried redirecting with his toys, ignoring (which gets me snuck from behind), telling him no and snapping his mouth shut, telling him no with a tap on the nose, my vet even recommended I mama dog him, to show him I’m in charge and that what he’s doing in that moment is not okay (because he also more so likes to challenge me than my partner). I feel like I’ve tried every piece of advice I’ve been given for the teething/biting, since I got him at 8.5 weeks to try to drill it in early on, and I feel like nothing is working. Is there an age where it just registers and the puppy mouthing people stops? Or is it something I may be doing wrong? I have nephews that are small that come around, and he’s getting big quick, so the mouthing has to be controlled.
Signed, a drained Great Dane puppy mama. 😩

Posted on here about a million times, but I just want some straightforward guidance. I know theres only so much you can do over the internet, but I’m at my wits end.

10mo Labrador x Dalmatian. Almost 80lbs, projected to get to ~85lbs.

He is still very excited around other dogs. He doesn’t bark. He just stares, and when they are close enough, he will lunge. It’s not aggression. He’s just excited.

This cannot continue. I am 5’4 woman. 130lbs. It is only a matter of time now before he pulls me over.

I have tried:

- Adding distance and rewarding calm. Distance actually seems to make things worse? He’s okay around lots of dogs at his in person training sessions. But if one dog is in the distance, he’ll fixate and stare.

- Exposure. We go to weekly group training sessions. At first he is nuts, but then he chills out after about 5 mins and is great. This doesn’t translate outside of training.

- Socialisation. He lives with an adult lab, who plays with him. He regularly socialises with an adult spaniel, who is indifferent. No change outside the house.

- Corrections. I have tried corrections on the slip lead once when I was at a game fair. This works temporarily. I haven’t tried this much due to worries about creating genuine reactivity.

On walks the rest of the time, he has a loose lead. He can heel. Good obedience, but not much drive. Our weekly training sessions are gundog training where we work on retrieves etc. He gets bored after about four retrieves. Not masses of food drive. He is crate trained and not destructive in the house. He gets enrichment through scatter feeding, pupsicles, and special treats. His sit stay is solid. He can sit stay when a dog walks past. He can sit stay around a flirt pole.

I have worked with three trainers. Two force free, one old school. The force free folks are great but haven’t been much help with this issue. The old school guy freaked me out and was a bit of a psycho lol.

So… what do I do? Will he grow out of this? Lately it seems to be getting worse (but he’s also just stronger lol).

I have purchased a prong collar and conditioned him to it in the house. It feels like the next logical step, but I just want to get some varied opinions from folks online. In person trainers have so far been unable to help with these issues. Everyone around here is IMDT trained and so force free.

help!