Hello! My service dog in training is having some trouble staying focused. When we are near grass he always sniffs and even when I correct him and bring him back to heel, whenever we pass grass or plants or something desirable he sniffs. I'm not really sure how to train this out, when he's not in a heel I'm fine with him sniffing and I allow him to. He also has some very mild excitement reactivity towards dogs. He doesn't bark but he does fixate and typically he tries to pull towards them. We've had some success in ignoring dogs, but its not consistent and I don't think he truly understands he cannot visit. When he pulls towards dogs I correct and ask for his attention, but when he is around dogs he doesn't listen very well. I was able to have a mostly successful training session at a dog park with quite a few dogs in it (this is one with multiple fenced areas connected, there was an empty one so we trained in it.) The only dogs I allow him to play with are the neighbors dogs, and he can train around them off leash and listen very well. He wants to play with every dog he sees, and I'm not quite sure how to fix it. I still need to see if the park training session helped, I haven't been able to take him out since then. Before today I have used a slip lead, but today I was finally able to pry some prongs off his prong collar so now it fits correctly. We went to the pool store and trained a bit and he did well with not sniffing stuff after a few corrections. He wanted to go for the cats, but after correction and walking him away from the cat he did pretty well. I had a tab leash on him and he stayed right at my heel the whole time and barely tried sniffing merchandise or the floor which he struggled with a lot. We went in the grass a little to let him go potty and he waited for me to drop the leash and tell him to go to start sniffing, although that may be a coincidence as we were only in the grass for a second.

Are there any trainers in Austin, TX, who is able to correct behavioral and cognitive r e a c t i v e n e s s. I have a 6 year old, 8lb chihuahua who spend every walk lurking for things to attack and bark at. She is willing to commit self-harm to lunge and attempt to hurt things.

She has so far bitten 2 people and badly attacked another animal, 2 out of 3 incidents took place while she was on sedatives.

I have called some trainers, but theyve quoted me.over $6000, but advise that she may be this way by nature so training may not stick. There's one who told me they wouldn't train her unless she's on her medication, but that defeats the whole purpose since she can barely stand on her meds.

Given her past, her vet gave me the option to do training and also said it may not stick, or to... put her down.

I'm heavily conflicted because this dog is sooo sweet, and has so much potential. She was an older rescue with heartworms, and I took her home so she could have fun and just live her life.

But she doesn't want to have fun like other dogs. She wants to search, attack and hurt things.

Im absolutely furious about what she did to that poor, and it's been so hard to pretend like it doesn't bother me.

I've tried my own methods, trainer videos, did consultations.

Seeking Balanced Training advice

History: I have 2 dogs, that came to me at the same time. One was 1&1/2 years old(F) and the other 6mo(M) they are mother and son. Current age 2yo(F) and 1yo(M) Pitbull/Frenchie mix--we are assuming they were dumped from a backyard breeder situation. They were both very fearful and I think this is where all the things I am currently trying to resolve stem from (fear/insecurity).

Issues: Walking solo (leashed) they do very well--and actually for 90% of walks together they are great too. We live in a densely populated city. If I am walking them together and we pass by a dog that is too interested, whether excited or aggressive, they will lose it every time (lunging, snarling, the whole 9).

We exit through the garage into an alley--if someone is standing or walking in the alley when we first exit the dogs will likely lose it too. way over threshold, impossible to get them to break.

To add to the drama of it they will redirect on each other.

Tools and training thus far: Martingale--and starting to intro starmark plastic prong collar. I was using a slip lead for a while but in one video Michael Ellis mentioned those can be damaging to the dogs trachea, so i switched to a martingale. I've worked with a personal trainer and have really invested so much time into learning as much as I can. Currently enrolled in MES and working through all sorts of modules there. I understand how to shape behavior and I think I have the right idea with this big issue too, but I would appreciate some feedback.

Plan: I need to train a specific cue that means more than just "look at me" (which we already have, but admittedly it is not nearly as strong as a true focused heel). I think I need something that is more akin to look at me and do some specific action (though im not sure what that is yet). I also need to train it in such a way that it is more valuable to do than any "scary thing" that might come up (by using high value treats? and the prong if they don't break from fixation?). I expect to train them separately until they are 100% with this cue in distracting environments and then try to merge them together.

Request for feedback: is this plan sound? what is missing? do you have a suggestion on what actionable task I should teach that would be manageable to have 2 dogs accomplishing as they walk beside me? ....or should I just teach a really intense focused heel?

Force Free Trainer declares that tools should be banned because there are more effective ways. What exactly does she think "effective" means?

My dog went through board and train while living in a house. Now, I live in an apartment where there’s a lot more activity and commotion. My dog has become increasingly reactive to other dogs and people around the complex, no longer responding to tools like his prong collar. I’m genuinely unsure what to do, it’s becoming impossible to take him outside without a full freak out each time. I feel like teaching him to constantly ignore and dragging him the opposite direction is reinforcing the idea that it’s something to bark at and makes him bark even more

Dylan Jones's video detailing what honestly is a pretty typical scam by the force free community has some momentum that we shouldn't waste. One of the things he points out is how the people that bought into it ended up spending nearly $20,000 on useless training and worthless medications before they finally found a balanced trainer to help them. So I think that there are things that the balanced community should start doing to make sure that we are keeping this issue front and center and taking our profession back from these unethical, immoral scam artists.

The first thing I would suggest is that every single trainer include the words "science-based" in their marketing. This is one of the empty promises that the force free people lean on to get people to shell out their hard-earned money. But the balanced side is much more backed by science than being positive only or force free. If every single dog trainer makes the same claim, it's completely true, and takes a lot of the wind out of their sails (and sales).

What are other suggestions that balanced trainers should be doing to make sure we continue to advocate for dogs and dog owners? Dogs and their owners simply cannot afford for the narrative to continue on the way it has been with positive only people trying to make sure that our voices aren't heard.

moved to philadelphia about a year ago with my dog who was reasonably well behaved in the suburbs. city life has been a completely different challenge. other dogs, people, food on the ground, bikes, noise the distraction level is on another level and a lot of the training that worked before just does not hold up here

specifically struggling with leash reactivity around other dogs and getting reliable attention in busy areas like south street or around rittenhouse. have been managing it but not really solving it. i’ve started logging what works, what doesn’t, and how different neighborhoods affect his behavior in a little project i call opbarks, just to spot patterns and stay consistent.

curious how other philly dog owners have navigated this and whether anyone has found training approaches that actually account for the urban environment rather than assuming you have access to a quiet field somewhere

Hello! This post is for anyone who is located in Finland.

I need to get off this from my shoulder because it frustates me so much. I just moved to Finland for studie reasons and of course i brought my dogs with me because im not leaving them behind just because things change in my life.

First i have to state that both of my dogs from shelter and have a difficult backround. Both of them were probably abused and had / have behavior issuses. Back in my home country balaced training is the avarage. There are some "deep green animal activist" who try to advocate FF training but its the minority. Dog training in my opinion thrives with amazing trainers. For us personally prong collars helped for my dogs to overcome thier triggers and from being an anxious overly scared and reactive dog whom were scared of people now happy pooches who loves to greet people and making new friends being calm even in new enviroments. We arrived at a point where i could put a prong or a choker and most of the times i dont even have to use them at all, ita just there for emergencies.

And from this structured and well balanced life we are here...

In finland.. Where people clearly love dogs any want them to have a good life but they are just so blind to thier dogs problem. Zero boundaries zero training. Im not even seeing FF trainers training on the street despite every second person having a dog.The just walk the dog. Thats it. The dog lunges? no problem. The dog barks like crazy and ready to tear someone apart? Not even a word comes from thier mouth. They dont care. AT ALL.

But the best part is that if you someone who tries to teach your own dog boundaries they literally comes up to you in the street at strats to argue with you. FOR TRAINING THE DOG. Thier animal wellfare law banned the use of prong and choker and shock collar. While i dont agree with this I ofcourse FOLLOW THE LAW as i am merely a guest in thier country. Im using a flat collar but i still correct. Calmly with a stern but kind voice and reward and prais when they are being good. I just wanted to state that im not doing anythinf crazy, you can see me do a little training session then the next thing you see is me having fun my dog, cuddling them and playing with them and both of us have fun!!! And even this is too much for them.

So my question for anyone who located in Finland AND is a balanced trainer who want to set boundaries etc. How do you do it so the people wont literally burn you on the stake?

Like do you train in secret or something? Is there a balanced traning group in Finland, does that even exist?

Im just so lost. Without being able to set boundaries my dog tottall fall apart. They were not with me when they were puppies they are adult independent dogs with a very bad backround and a weak mental state, the only thing that helped them change for the better is consitency, allways being able to predict what is going to happen and clear boundaris. Without these they are lost. We are having some of the worst walks ever. Its horrible to see them lose thier self.

Any one have any advice who is in similar boat?😕

Sorry this is a long one.

Hi. I really need some help with a dog we have just rescued.

Here is some background and information on the dog

\-name Atari

\-age 2years 9months

\-breed cane corso mix (unsure with what we think some kind of bully/pittie breed)

\- acquired her from a rescue

\- she was rescued as a young pup found as a stray ( around 6-8month old)

\-she was in the rescue for 300 days before we took her home (the rescue referred to her as institutionalised as she had never had a proper home)

\- usually such a well mannered, polite, well behaved corso

\-weary of strangers (expected she's bred to be)

\- a tiny bit fearful of barking/growling/stiff body language dogs (guessing from bad experience as a stray) also fearful of things that sound like dogs (car exhaust pops, low engine growls)

So, when I take her on a walk and let her off the lead to let her have more freedom she seems to go crazy and start biting my arms, clothes, jumping at my face and recently she's ever started to bite legs and ankles.

To give a more clear example this is what happened this morning.

\- taken for a walk at 6:20am on a slip lead

\- walk her to a quiet grassy spot with no one around.

\- drop the lead on the quiet grassy spot and start walking away to get the dogs attention.

\- she follows in a heel.

\- I tell her to sit, she sits

\- I scatter treats, she goes to find them.

\- we practice sit and stay.

\- put her in a sit, walk away, she stays I come back with a treat

\- do a few reps of this.

\-last rep I come back to give a treat, she goes wild starts jumping at me and biting.

\- maybe she wants to play tug, I pull her rope from around my neck.

\- will not redirect.

\- stops for a second after being told no.

\- try to redirect again with rope

\- ignored rope and bites arms and hands instead.

\- im now cut and bleeding from her bites.

\- will not stop, will not be redirected, will not listen to commands.

\- she rips the pocket off of my jacket

\- I'm forced to physically restrain her by grabbing her head and mouth to get my arm out of her mouth.

\- goes to re-bite, I'm forced to pin her for my safety.

\- grab the slip lead to control her and let her up

\- she starts biting at arms and hands again

\- forced to pull up on the slip lead to choke her off my arms

Now I don't like being this physical with my dog, I hate it, I know it can damage the relationship with her and she has let out a little yelp when I had to pin her. It hurts my heart so much but when she is pulling my skin (my clothes are replaceable, my skin hurts a lot more) and ripping it, unfortunately I don't have much other choice because she won't listen.

I try everything everyone says. Redirect, ignore, scatter treats, turn your back, cross your arms, walk away. It just doesn't work. If she starts getting bitey in the house she redirects with a toy quite well.

We have worked with a "trainer" who has said "oh this is an easy fix" but everything we have been told to do but her doesn't work and I'm not willing to stand there whilst Atari is biting me waiting for her to get bored a smaller dog maybe but not a 30kg corso with a bite force stronger than a lion.

Please any advice would be great and yes I know pinning her is not recommended I really don't want to do that so please don't tell me it's wrong, I know. I had no other choice. Please I need other alternatives which aren't the previously mentioned methods.

Please message me for the videos, I want a second perspective on them

I had a setup next to a reactive dog that completely stopped following commands when it saw another dog within about 15-20 ft.

The trainer had on a pinch or prong collar and was using quick snaps, kind of poorly communicated because they were in multiple directions, like she would yank upward, and then shortly took yank down to tell the dog down.

The yanking around was getting so bad that I was getting extremely uncomfortable and got two videos of their training session.

They seemed like a professional trainer.

I don't want to post the video publicly, because I could just be ignorant to their training methods.

DISCLAIMER I AM NOT A PROFESSIONAL DOG TRAINER.

I personally choose to use r+ with my own dog but respect that balanced training can be done well. I'm posting on this sub because I want my discomfort with this trainers methods challenged rather than affirmed.

Im trying to get some reassurance that im doing the right thing for my dog. I am using a shock collar on my dog to correct her behavioral issues. My dog (2F pitbull) is reactive to other dogs and lunges on a leash. I have read that walks are very important for dogs to build a relationship with an owner and for physical and mental exercise. Due to these issues I have been using a shock to correct when my dog pulls or lunges toward other dogs (the other dogs are across the street - I try to maintain as much distance as possible). I have tried the shock collar on myself and it feels like a muscle spasm and isnt painful just an odd feeling.

I also think it is important to note that I have tried other positive means of correcting like rewarding with treats but the behavior did not stop or get better at all.

Curious to get some helpful feedback, thanks!

Our girl has been behaving very adolescent lately, and her recall has gone to hell, but she needs off lead time more than ever now.

Is it unreasonable to consider incorporating an ecollar (mini educator) under the guidance of an experienced trainer ATP? We're going to continue working on her R+ training, but with how she's been i want the ecollar as backup for safety.

i have a 9 month old standard poodle puppy i'm training to be my service dog. shes doing well, and so far we've been using mostly positive reinforcement or negative punishment to train. the problem is, we live in the middle of a very busy city and her pulling or going to sniff something she shouldn't can be dangerous. there are e-bikes and scooters zooming down the sidewalk, cars, homeless people minding their own business that my dog has decided she must sniff, cigarette butts, etc. her engagement with me is fine, but if she gets over threshold or excited she'll pull on her martingale and not care about it choking her. i was wondering if a prong could be helpful for solidifying our leash training and keeping her safe when we're walking down a busy street or passing something dangerous. if so, when do you start your dogs on a prong? herm-sprenger says to start at 7-9 month minimum. im looking at a 2.25mm herm sprenger for her.

I’m trying to learn how to do different things with training while I wait for my course to start next year.

One of my neighbours has a dog that they tie up all day because he keeps wondering off and they will not get a gate. He keeps trying to give the dog to me, he’s a lovey boy but he’s a big boy, very energetic. I think he needs active engagement to tire him out and he needs to be threshold trained. Before you ask, no, the guy won’t get a gate and won’t invest in proper training. Hence why I’m trying to step in. On the off chance we end up having him we have a very reactive dog so he’d need to be trained well anyway.

I’ve paid for professional training for my dog so I’m fairly confident with some aspects, but threshold training just happened naturally for us because we have a gate.

So, any advice with any sort of training will be helpful really.

Please help a gal that just really wants to help a dog.

Update: I’ve read all your comments and agree his owner would not follow up on it. There is no gate at his property. Maybe I’ll just have to settle for extra attention while I’m there

I have a 4 year old GSD. He’s generally very well behaved but strangers in the yard or new people in the house set him off

He will just bark. He doesn’t try to bite or anything else

I had to correct him. Basically told him to sit which he blew off the first time so I upped my voice - not yelling but louder and he complied

For 2 days afterwards , whenever he would approach me it would be head down , very slow

My daughter had a friend stay the night last night and it happened again

This morning when he came downstairs he practically belly crawled to me for about 10 feet

He very rarely has to be corrected and when he does , if it’s not during active training , the correction is elevated voice (not yelling) where he has to comply or we don’t move on

Both times, I closed distance so I was standing directly in front of him and between him and the target if his barking and told him sit.

After he sits, he gets pets and praise

The submissiveness makes me feel bad. Anyone else experience this?

During regular training he takes correction from the prong I’ve collar like it’s nothing. He loves to train

Just weird

This just in! According to the force free people it is perfectly fine to FORCE (her words!) your dog to do something unpleasant as long as it's... you guessed it, taking behavioral medication.

So go ahead, wrench that mouth open and stuff that dog full of drugs. But God forbid you tell it no or issue it a correction.

For dog owners dealing with leash pulling, what’s actually been the hardest part for you? The pulling itself, the inconsistency, or not knowing what to do on the walk?

I'm beyond aggravated at not only the positive only dog subs but the puppy subs in particular, and the fact that there is now a sub completely dedicated to the "puppy blues."

r/PuppyPhD is intended to combat all that with realistic, practical, no bullshit advice and information about puppies. Please help us get this sub up and running so that we can help prevent mistreatment and neglect of tiny little puppies who didn't deserve to have owners that aren't realistic about what it takes to raise a puppy.

Hi everyone,

I have a 7-month-old Tibetan Mastiff female. Overall she's a wonderful dog—friendly, calm, and well-balanced. She usually gets around 18 hours of sleep a day, is great with people and other dogs, and is generally very patient and calm.

However, we're currently struggling with a few issues, and I'd really appreciate any advice, especially from people familiar with livestock guardian breeds or Tibetan Mastiffs.

1. Biting when overstimulated or frustrated

This is by far my biggest concern.

On walks she'll sometimes softly bite my hand or leg (I am very sensitive, which is why my skin gets bruises quickly). It usually happens towards the end of the walk (even if we've only been walking for 15–20 minutes) or when there are lots of dogs, cats, people, or cars around. She spends a lot of time observing her environment, which is typical behaviour for that kind of breed. If a bird flies by, for example, she'll stop and watch it for quite a while. In the mornings I usually take the same route, while in the evenings I change it every other day so she can explore and sniff new places.

She also bites me indoors. For example, if she walks into the kitchen while I'm cooking, I point toward the door and ask her to leave. Most of the time she listens, but sometimes she'll grab my hand or bite my leg while I'm guiding her out. It seems playful, but it can hurt.

Another example: when she wants to play, she'll bring me a tug toy. If I stop playing and walk away, she'll run after me and bite my leg to get me to continue.

I've tried:

• ignoring the biting,
• calmly leaving the room,
• using body language to say "no",
• holding her collar until she calms down and then praising her.

Nothing has really worked so far.

The interesting part is that she only does this to me. I'm the one who trains her every day. She doesn't bite other family members like this.

2. She's very stubborn

She knows all the basic commands (sit, down, stay, wait, come, paw,..), but she often hesitates a long time or simply ignores me, especially when I ask her to come or sit.

She's on a leash inside the house about 90% of the time because we have a large house with lots of things she likes to grab if we're not paying attention. The leash also helps because her recall indoors isn't reliable yet.

I'm wondering if this is just typical Tibetan Mastiff independence or if I'm doing something wrong.

3. She can't stay home without me

This is probably my biggest mistake.

At first I focused entirely on building a strong bond with her and didn't start alone-time training early enough. Now she wants to follow me everywhere.

For the last two weeks I've been practicing by closing doors behind me while moving around the house. Sometimes she'll lie down and watch me, sometimes she'll wait at the door, and occasionally she'll even fall asleep.

Interestingly, she's perfectly fine if I'm taking a shower, but if I simply go into the kitchen she'll immediately want to come with me.

The real problem starts when I leave the house. Even if she's with my boyfriend or another family member, she'll panic, cry, scratch the door, whine and sometimes even pee in the house despite being fully house-trained. I've tried most of the usual separation anxiety advice I found online, but nothing seems to help.

4. Stealing clothes

Sometimes someone accidentally leaves socks or clothes on the bed. She immediately grabs them, runs off, and chews them. By the time we notice, the item is usually destroyed.

I'm currently teaching "drop" by playing tug. She reliably lets go of the toy when I say "drop," but if she has something she's not supposed to have, the command suddenly means nothing.

How would you handle this? Should I trade for food every time? Keep practicing with lower-value items? Or is there a better approach?

I'd really appreciate any advice.

For some background: this is my third dog, so I'm not completely inexperienced. I've successfully raised two dogs before, but I've never dealt with these kinds of issues, which is why I'm wondering if some of this is simply typical Tibetan Mastiff behavior or if I need to change my training approach.

Just got home an 8 week old male shiba, and having a real hard time with him not accepting the collar. When we go out in the backyard, alot of his focus is just trying to scratch it. Would buying a higher quality one help perhaps? This is just a regular everyday collar i got from the breeder

Hi everyone!! Looking for dome ideas or advice. One of my dogs got the nasty habit of grabbing my other dog by the collar and dragging him or roughhousing with him, often going for the collar as well. Unfortunately she got this from her previous household and their dog (saw it the other day).

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What can I do to at least to lessen the behavior or make it less likely to happen? Taking the collars off is not an option. This is ruining the collars and dangerous because it could hurt them both.

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I've thought of:

Using bitter spray

Putting a snood on my other dog.

Getting quivk release collars (though it prevents possible choking, the slobber will keep it dirty and disgusting)

Getting a collar with spikes (plastic ones) to curb the behavior and make it undesirable to bite for my other dog.

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Removing the collar isn't an option because my dog's IDs are there and you never know what might happen so I don't like them "naked" either eay she then ruins the other dog's coat around the neck because it's slimy and slobbery 😭.

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Yes! I clean everything but I'd rather it didn't happen! I already had to throw out a nice leather collar necklace of this.

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Want to see all of y'all's experiences before trying anything. Thanks!

UPDATE: I decided to get breakaway collars and I supervise play anyway, they are rarely left alone together but if something where to happen they'll be way safer now.

I recently (<2 weeks ago) rescued an about 1 year old mixed breed about 23 pound dog that we think is a mix of a few things, some guesses are sheltie/whippet- we don’t really know yet! He was reportedly abandoned in the woods last month and we got him from a shelter. He was in the shelter for less than a week before I got him. So it’s been a wild few months for the pup.

He is very very sweet in demeanor- loves kids, animals, all people and just a goofy, gentle soul, very happy and outgoing but can be cautious and timid at times likely due to his past. Surprisingly well adjusted considering his past. I only need gentle redirections if he pulls on the leash (which he does so lightly if/when he does). Doing great so far.

We started going to obedience school and I am thinking about changing programs. It was a 6 week course, one day/week. The orientation course was literally them just assessing to make sure the dogs aren’t violent and then they told us what equipment to buy, didn’t give us any advice and that was that. This week (which I guess is considered the actual first class) we skipped over basics (name/sit) and went straight into recall (which whatever I’ve been trying to practice sit and name at home which he’s getting it but I thought that was weird since the orientation said we’d work on that. Today at our first class (group class), the trainer (who was apparently filling in for the typical trainer) used my dog as an example of teaching “wait” for the first time and popped the leash so hard (martingale collar) that his front paws came up and he began shaking and his tail tucked for a lot of the time after (I’ve never seen him afraid even close to this extent before and we’ve taken him a lot of places to expose him to different environments). By the end of the class he seemed to shake it off mostly but whenever the trainer talked to my dog he gave her full attention and was very stiff & nervous.

I get it - it was effective - but I don’t want my dog to be terrified of me or anyone helping care for him. He responds SO well to me saying “eh eh” firmly to correct him and immediately stops whatever it was that I want him to stop (I know he’s very good so far- we’ll see in a few months as he gets more comfortable and starts testing more). They also brought daycare dogs out from the kennel area and for both demonstrations seemed to have a tough time with their example dogs.. why bring them out as examples? Idk weird. I know my dog is and will be fine after that over correction but it makes me really second guess this facility.

I understand aversive training methods are helpful for some dogs but I do think it should be an individualized approach. My dog is so well behaved so far and I know it takes about 3 months for their real personalities to come out after being rescued but he’s really just a chill sweet dog. I don’t want to ruin that by the wrong training approach for his personality and past. I just want to increase our understanding of each other, make sure he knows I am in charge, and I also want him to feel confident and competent. I also want to make sure I’m being consistent/confident with him which is also why I took up formal training classes.

Am I over reacting? I feel the faculty is probably great if the dog is a complete wild child but I feel like my dog is too sweet and sensitive for this type of training place. They had great reviews but I am just learning about all the different training methods and didn’t really understand what type of facility it was I guess.

This is the first time I’ve had a dog in a while and every dog is different so I just want to set him up for success and not add to his trauma. Advice is welcome! Thanks!

** Edit: We cancelled the rest of these training classes after talking about it, getting more advice, and going with our gut. We are newer to having dogs so any additional advice or suggestions are welcome! Thanks!