Dog trainer: please help!

[SeymourDuncan]

I groomed dogs for 5 years...so I'm very good at handling the aggressiveness myself. We have no children so its not an issue until she does escape and that's if someone is stupid enough to put themselves in the position to get bit...granted they should not have to worry about that in the first place.

The only dog trainers around are like the Military/cop dog trainers...and they charge way more than my car cost at the dealership.

We both are as professional as a pet owner can be...and I have trained many other dogs for people with no problems.
And trust me. I have read just about every training manual and video out there with no luck...although she learns every other part of every new thing I learn myself..so I know I'm doing the right thing as far as teaching.

I highly disagree that all dogs are the same, maybe in general they are similar in certain ways but sometimes you get that dog that is different than the rest.

Kind I like that generally peaceful that randomly turns rabid and eats everyone...she's like that.

All I can gather from our last 3+ years with her is once she is focused on something it takes a very large distraction or physically touching her...so loud noises or grabbing her butt are not very effective on a loud afternoon when she focuses on something miles away.

But aside from paying the army I could try the shock collar I guess...it just seems kinda painful, I've seen my friends shock themselves and jump pretty good

 

[snapshot11]

For what it's worth I feel like while you have asked for dog trainer help... You have become defensive when people have made suggestions to try and help you.

I work/train police and protection dogs. While every dog is not the same (i agree with you) the principles for training every dog remain consistent. Someone else stated that a large part of dog training is training the owner (both physically and mentally) and this is true.

I think you need to review some of the comments you have made and re-consider your views regarding acceptable behavior for your dog.

You made the comment that your dog bites children because they are ignorant enough to try and take things from your dog. Kids are not the problem... your dog is. Your dog needs to be taught that possessiveness over toys or food is not acceptable. Furthermore you said that the biting is not a problem unless the dog gets out. As a responsible owner your dog should never get out... You are asking to have your dog become a statistic if it bites someone and has to be put down.

Bottom line is that you have a dangerous situation brewing and although it may be expensive to speak with a professional trainer, you have to decide if money is more important than your animals life and potentially someone else's well being is your dog does bite.

If you are bent on doing this yourself then here is my training advice if you still want it;

Crate training is a must (doggy underpants are not a good solution). Your dog needs to learn it's place and most dogs will not relieve themselves where they sleep. If the crate is the correct size and material (solid sides, reinforced door closures, and plenty of ventilation) there is nothing wrong with your dog being left in a kennel when you are not home. The dog may protest at first but it's important for you not to give in and not to reward when the dog is being vocal. Start with small amounts of time in the kennel and reward (let out) when the dog quiets down. Increase times and eventually your dog will be comfortable in it's crate.

Crate training will help with potty training but it's not the whole solution. Your dog sounds smart and routine will be key. After the dog eats your should take it out for a break. Use a command to indicate you want the dog to relieve itself. (I use "take a break" with my dogs). At first your dog won't understand but you wait until it goes. While it's relieving itself you reinforce with "good break" and then reward with a treat immediately after the dog finishes. Each time after eating (i recommend feeding twice a day not free feeding) take your dog out and say "take a break" then wait and reward. Eventually your dog will associate the act of going out after feeding time with the command and relieving itself. You apply the same technique when letting the dog out of the crate when you return home after some time.

You say your dog is distracted easily by people and noises. It's important that you train with your dog in different environments so that it learns to ignore all outside stimulants and just focus on you. As with everything you have to start small. You need to build engagement with your dog first. Meaning that your dog needs to want to focus on you more than anything else. Find what motivates your dog (either toys or food) but I find food works best. Start in your own yard so that your dog can be off leash and ask your dog to do things like sit, lay down, and tricks if it knows any. Reward after every correct behavior. Reward often and the sessions should be high paced and fun. You should move around a lot and get to the point where your dog is following you. After this becomes easy for your dog then introduce the leash and start taking your dog to new environments and playing the same game. Go to places like the park and public places, or pet stores that allow pets. Start on the outskirts far enough away where your dog still has interest in whats going on but not in the middle of the action. However keep in mind that if your dog has issues with children or other dogs ALWAYS keep enough distance that the environment is safe for everyone. You continue to work around environments and continually add more noises or busier places with more distractions. Each time you don't move on to the next level of distraction until your dog masters the previous one. Mastering means while your dog will remain observant or interested in whats going on around it, when you ask something of your dog it immediately responds. Remember always reward the behavior you are wanting Immediately.

Hopefully some of this helps. Your dog needs to have proper training and obedience. The come command will be taught the same way as other actions once your dog learns to ignore outside distractions.

Best of luck and if you ever want more tips feel free to PM me

 

[SeymourDuncan]

I'm sorry for sounding defensive. We have tried these things and they just didn't work out. Our other dog was trained perfectly with no issues...he isn't as smart but is more obedient.

As for her escape rate, we have not let her escape since the new house. Our old place had no fence to slow her down. I am very aware of the dangers of her aggression and we have tried getting her possessiveness to a minimum.

I will try the crate training again though and let you know how it goes. Its not that our dogs life isn't worth the cost of the trainer...its that the cost of the trainer is worth more than we can ever afford. $10,000 is there average cost and I'm not lying. What middle class person can afford that!?

So then what do you do over possessiveness? Just take away what it is she is getting aggressive over? If she is being mean like that I do take what she is growling about away. Usually I use a broom stick or I distract her with a sudden hand movement and juke her out.

She stops as soon as she doesn't have what she was growling over. Other than that I don't know what else to do

 

[snapshot11]

I feel for you I do.... Clearly you want to keep your pets and are trying since you asked for help. It sounds like you have tried a lot.

As I said before the fundamentals are the same however since each dog is different you have to find what works and gets through with each one.

I prefer to train for behaviors I want, rather than wait for the behavior I do not want to present itself. Meaning I would rather start working with your dog on giving her toys and food away to you whenever you ask rather than wait for her to be put in a situation where she is being possessive and then try to correct the behavior. The reason for this is because when the dog is reacting and being possessive it's not in the best frame of mind to learn the wanted behavior.

So therefore I would get some treats and a couple toys and once or twice a day I would try to have a "play" session with your dog where the "play" is as follows.... You present a toy and allow your dog to play with the toy for a small amount of time (about 30 sec-1min) and then ask for the toy back with whatever command you want to use. Keep it simple like "drop" or "Leave it". If your dog does not drop the toy (it probably won't the first few times) then reach down and grab the toy slowly (all of this should be in a calm manner without yelling or shouting) give the command again and wait for your dog to drop it. Many times dogs will try and tug or shake the toy. Don't let them. When they pull or shake they get gratification from the action and will continue to play. Make it as least fun as possible. It's a waiting game. You can give the command again but wait a good amount of time in between commands so you aren't watering down the command. Have the treats ready and as soon as your dog drops the toy or gives it to you mark the behavior with "yes" or "good" or a clicker if you prefer and reward with a treat. Then give the toy back and start again. Keep the sessions to no more than 10 min at a time.

Now this doesn't mean you don't correct bad behavior when it happens. Hopefully your dog wears a collar as I prefer having something to be able to grab the dog by to separate it from whatever is triggering the behavior. So if your dog reacts to something I would grab the collar, say "no" and then ask for the toy or whatever it has by command "drop" then take the toy away. If your dog tries to grab it while you have it taken away follow up with another "no"

This is all providing your dog is not actively trying to bite you. The idea is eventually your dog learns to drop or give you things whenever you ask. Knowing that they will get them back and that you control when.

The same applies with food aggression somewhat. When I got my new rescue puppy I would sit whenever I fed him and play with his food while he ate so that he knew that my hand near his food wasn't a threat. If he showed any sort of reaction (teeth bared, growling, barking) Then the bowl got taken away and I said "no". After a couple minutes I would give it back and start again.

 

[snapshot11]

Good Luck and as I said before Im willing to answer any questions you have by either PM or on this thread.

And 10,000 is outrageous for training a dog. I personally know some of the best trainers in my area and none of them charge that much. You don't have a petsmart or petco in your area? usually they have trainers that work in theirs stores and they are more reasonable. I can't believe how much they are gouging you in your area for training.

Also if you have access to internet you can go to leerburg.com and watch some of their free training videos that are always informative. You can search by training topic. (moderators I don't know if Im allowed to post other websites please delete it if Im not supposed to... Thanks)

Regards

 

[SeymourDuncan]

Yes, Von liche (sp) is the only local trainer. They are the guys that had a TV show and are very uptight. We live in a small town. Out largest building is krogers lol. So yeah, aside from online we have no affordable trainers.
There is a petco but they are not good at training dogs or grooming them.

So...I will try the play session. And let you know how it goes.

 

[sherita]

I've been training obedience dogs for over 20 years, and I've seen the evolution of training in that time. This dog has aggression and respect issues. Please avoid Petsmart and Petco trainiers, they are all "click and treat", and such training is not appropriate for a dog with issues such as yours.

leerburg.com was recommended, and I second that. I would also take the time to read the book The Koehler Method of Dog Training. I don't often recommend Koehler, but in this case, it seems necessary. This dog MUST learn to respect boundaries and people, before the ultimate happens, and this dog pays the price.

I believe you are trying everything you can do give your dog a good life. You are going far above what a lot of folks would do, and I commend you for that. Most folks would have already resorted to dropping the dog at the pound.

BUT, you are dealing with a dog that is going to bite, so you need to get a handle on it. Click and treat training isnt' going to cut it in this instance. Be very careful if you try the play session, since you remarked that you use a broomstick to take the possessed item away, I suspect that the dog is being aggressive towards you. Don't get bitten. The first thing I would do is put a drag leash on this dog, three feet or so long, attached to a sturdy collar that the dog cannot back out of. When the dog shows aggression towards someone over a thing it possess (toy, food, location), the drag lead will give you a handle to use, without putting your hands within reach of teeth.

This dog needs obedience training in the worst possible way. If you can get a solid sit, down, and stay.......then you will be able to get a handle on the possessive aggression. And the recall issues can be dealt with using a long line, and if necessary a training collar.

I would never normally recommend such harsh measures, but from what I am reading, it's only a matter of time before this dog injures someone (even if it's just a percieved injury). When that happens, the dog not only risks losing its' life, you risk losing everything you own if you are sued. Society has a very dim view of aggressive dogs. I wish you the best of luck.

 

[SeymourDuncan]

Ok I will look into these training videos.
And I'll replace the broomstick with a leash.

She literally does every trick in the book so I know she can behave. She even cuddles with both our cats and fake attacks them with her snout, flopping them playfully on the floor. She is even smart enough to know the cats have had enough. Haha. We really love the crap out of her.

Her aggression towards us is minimal. I use the broom stick mainly because its easiest to just swoop up her toy. She loves to run like a crazy maniac so the leash might be like a dangerous whip if she get a burst of that..but I'm still goin to try.
The weird thing is old toys she is fine with sharing with even our smallest cat...its when the new toys come into the pic that she acts possessive.

We have never abused any of her besides this "lack o training." We...well my girlfriend...brought her home at 6 weeks old so all of her behavior is on us. Yet another reason we keep her, love being on top of course.

She answers the door like everyone is her best friend..infact sometimes to get her to pee when she doesn't want to we invite someone over to meet us in the yard where she gets so excited she whizzes right away. This method is not something we would like to rely on, since not everyone is available every time we want her to release.

So yeah...these are all factors of our training behavior. The first year wasnt the best since I was upset about getting a dog at first on top of my already present dog training skills that were ignored by all involved in her life. So after about a year of this stuff I accepted that I am stuck with her. She'll be 4 in December so the last 2.5 years I have been really trying at something that took my wolamute only days to train, his only problem being his shedding. Can you train hair? Bwaaahahahahahahaha
Just kidding. I'm beyond expert with dog grooming. A whole other ball game if which i retired from. Too many fleas to bring home. Too little time.

Somebody here mentioned usin a remote control training colar to stop her when she takes off...is this wrong? Weve done the 30ft lead training and all that does is make her want to leave faster. My other dog didn't require any leash, although i leash him on walks because as perfect as he is if he smells a lit grill he literally destroys it, but even if he somehow had an entire bison in his mouth I could get down on it with him and he would wag his tail.
Is that because he is part wolf and his pack instincts are to share?

 

[snapshot11]

Well training in and of itself can be a frustrating process... It's a challenge for both the dog and the Owner. Turning your dog around is going to take you and your girlfriend working together and being consistent with your training.

If your dog shows the most reaction to the new toys introduced then I would work up to that unless you already have a "drop" or "leave it" command in place. Your dog has to learn this new command and will do best in a relaxed environment learning with the old toys. So start with the old toys and play the game I talked about before. Make sure you are immediately marking the behavior you want and rewarding with a treat. As your dog masters the game start switching it up using an old toy a couple of times and then using a new toy. Gradually work towards only using the new toys and until your dog masters the game using all toys.

Good for you is getting rid of the broomstick. Training is a hands on process and needs to be in order for you to accomplish your goals. Using the leash is going to allow you to keep your dog in close proximity to you. Don't be surprised if your dog tests the limits and resists the new training methods at first you just have to keep trying. Your dog is being introduced and asked to do something that is unfamiliar. It would be like retraining yourself to a new job. you have to give it time. If you are feeling frustrated during a training session then stop and come back to it later. Always try to train when you are calm and in a positive mood.

As for the remote collars I Have and do use them. However its important you use them correctly and know what you're doing. Timing is very important when either rewarding or correcting behavior. We talked about marking good behavior immediately with a "yes" or "good" or a clicker. The reason is because there is a very short time window (only a few seconds or less) when a dog will associate the mark with the associated behavior. If you get beyond that short time window then you aren't rewarding or correcting the right behavior. Does hat make sense to you?

Therefore when you use the remote collar if your timing in the shock is not accurate you could be correcting the wrong thing and ultimately creating a new problem for yourself. I have seen it before and you definitely don't want to end up with more problems than you already have. So if you are set on using a remote collar I would say you should use that website I recommended and watch several of the videos that are there on proper use and correction using an E Collar. Otherwise I would really try to stick with building engagement (focus) from your dog and using the other training techniques I've mentioned supplemented with plenty of treat rewards.

Keep the questions coming... :-)

 

[SeymourDuncan]

Can you open a training facility to train dog trainers to come here?

How do you train a female human?

If I do end up doing the collar training I am 100% positive I will have good timing...being a musician helps with reflexes and patience. Otherwise the dog would have eaten my arm by now haha. I have moved the broomstick out of the picture. Now it is a matter of waiting for the aggression, since its probably not a great idea to coax her into it?

As for crate training for the bathroom...we are working on getting a crate her size. She's an odd size...too big or too small lol. 40lbs stretched out haha. So, as soon as we find a crate we will do that.

Underwear progress: Im still not sure why these are so bad, our floor is much less whizzed on and we haven't found presents. She actually seems to be happy when we give them to her, however she still takes forever or doesn't go at all for the whole day outside, last night she pooped 4x in a row before bed, we put on her panties anyway, went to bed...well we woke up in the morning to a scatter of pebbly poo on the carpet and a dog with a full set of shorts...all solid as a rock luckily. Its seems as though she stores enough to build a wall. Through a whole day she goes at least 8 times. Some days all at once, others scattered through the day.

Now this is her behavior for when she needs to go:
We will be sittin down and she will grunt..we ask her if she has to potty..she grunts louder, perks up, and gets ready to go...we leash her up, take her out, and she stares at the wind...sniffs forever...chases bees...whatever. But rarely will she go when she tells us she needs to.

For 6 months I actually trained her to go when I whistled the Sanford and son theme song on command but she suddenly stopped one week. Never responded to it again

 

[sherita]

Ok, lets back up a bit and look at the housetraining issue. I might have missed it, but what is your feeding schedule with her? What type of food? And is she on any medications (other than the normal HW preventative and flea/tick preventative)? Is she spayed, if so, when was it done. I'm going to assume she has never whelped, since you say you have had her since she was 6 weeks old.

Remember, her crate doesn't have to be big enough for her to completely stretch out in. That just gives her a spot to poop and get away from it. She needs to be able to comfortably enter and exit the crate, and stand up without whacking her head on the top of the crate. As for sleeping, she's perfectly capable of sleeping without being stretched out to her full length (not that my dogs would believe that for a minute, nor would my cats).

You say that the 30' longline makes her want to leave faster. Please elaborate on this.

The underwear thing. They are not inherently "bad", but in this case, they are a crutch. And she has learned she can mess in them with no repercussions. I think you are dealing with a VERY smart dog here. One that is smart enough to have trained you, rather than the other way around. I've been there. I lived with working Aussie Shepherds for years. Smarter than most people, way more destructive. You seem willing to do the work, and I have no doubt that you can get this dealt with. Some of it might not be pleasant at the time, but in the end you will have a dog that is a solid citizen.

 

[SeymourDuncan]

Feeding schedule: she gets 3 cups ASAP in the morning and every evening at 6pm. My larger dog gets 4 cups.
They always have water due to the malamutes fur.

The leash problem started from her first walk. Pull pull pull!! I literally would stand still for 20 minutes before she calmed enough to let walk again. This is still ongoing, so when she has the 30ft leash it triggers her instinct to pull. We have utilized this "skill" to pull me on a bike but that also feeds her urge to pull or run. She never gets tired.

In a way yes...she has manipulated us successfully more often than a human should be. I was a straight A student in school for the most part and am usually the one in the room with the most common sense. The fact that she does this to us amazes me. She could easily play chess with the smartest of Australian shepherds haha.

The crates we found are shorter than her body or longer than it. Monday I'm calling some places out of town for her size. 43 inches from butt to nose. Most dogs around here are yorkie sized or Labrador and up. She's right there in akward dog size. Small enough for your lap and large enough to rip out a 3 ft leash stake right out of the ground.



This is her new place to go. Under the grape swing. Is this a sign she wants privacy? Haha?

 

[SeymourDuncan]

Yeah and her destructive phase was soooo bad but went away quickly.
Luckily our furniture was donated to us when we first got her. We came home once to the entire couch fluff everywhere..the couch looked like a sumo wrestler got massive lipo and no skin lift standing in the arctic tundra. We ended that phase by flooding her with chew toys, she also learned the name of all of them. Even subtle differences like bone and toy bone. She always grabs what we ask her to.

 

[sherita]

Ok, your feeding schedule looks good, so I believe we can mark that off the list of potential problem causers.

The first thing I would recommend is that you get a copy of the Koehler Method of Dog Training. Read it front to back, particularly the section on "heel" and working with the long line. Some of the methods in that book are really harsh, but I'm not recommending that you use them. However, the method of training heel, sit, and down, as well as recall are excellent, and the methods work very well for a hard headed dog that is very intelligent (which is what you have). Use praise as a reward. Make the right thing pleasant, and the wrong thing unpleasant. A lot of people want to use strictly click and treat, and to be their dogs best friend. This works well with some dogs (mainly those that are bred to serve/work with humans), but it does not, and never will, work with a dog that has assumed a leadership position (which this dog has done). Your girl is certainly trainable, and can absolutely become a model citizen. The process may not always be pleasant, or easy, but it can be done.

I've trained a lot of dogs with possession aggression, leadership/dominance issues. I've always reverted back to the Koehler method. Trying to use purely positive, or click and treat, on a dog with the intelligence and issues that your girl has, will only produce a dog that will eventually become an aggressive menace.

One of the methods I use is called NILIF.....Nothing in life is free. Make your girl perform a desired action in exchange for something it wants. Example, she wants a treat. She must perfrom an action that you command (sit, down) before she can have a treat. Change the desired action so that it doesnt' become rote behavior. If she doesn't do what you ask, she doesn't get what she desires. Period.

But first and foremost, I highly recommend you get the book and read it. You can quickly and easily solve the pulling issues, in about 15 minutes. Once she learns that she MUST obey, then the training will get easier.

 

[SeymourDuncan]

I will definitely get a copy as soon as I make it to civilization haha. Our town has a Kmart and a krogers....so lame.

I'm also a nilif believer. We have tons of treats, and a box of dog toys. When she does potty outside she gets a treat right away.
She also does have to work to recurve one indoors..
If I feel like giving her a treat she has to first sit, then shake (left then right), then she has to count to 1, 2, and 3 (bark..bark bark...bark bark bark.) once she is counted up I point my hand at we like a gun and go bang bang bang...she flops dead like a log. Then we say alli up!!! And she goes from log to pogo the. We make her sit one more time and she gets the treat. We worked up to this by starting on one trick per treat and now she doesn't even actually need the treat. We also have a good workout routine for her. She knows it as up down.
Basically she lays flat to begin and we say up! She standard on er hind legs, and then down! She goes back to flat.
Her hind legs are getting very muscular too. We also taught her long jump, and even to dig on command. Every winter she helps me build in igloo out of the snowplow piles by our home. I can point to what I want dug and she goes for it like there's no tomorrow. That was corrrwctive behavior from when she first dug a hole right in he middle of the lawn. Instead of kick her across the globe like a normal person we encouraged we enough to know she was "digging" and she stopped doing it without being asked almost immediately.

So those are just a few random examples of our reward methods for showing off.

Now for good behavior in general we don't tell her we are getting a treat so that she keeps doing what she is doing...then without interrupting her state o mind she gets handed a treat as well.

Aggression update: we had her in a position last night with a low sodium peanut butter stuffed cow femur. This is by far the most aggressive snack she has. One touch to her butt and it sounds like a Harley. She growls at the animals walking past, and at the reflection of her growling at herself.

We didn't manage to get the leash on before this, but here is what my woman did last night.
She rubbed her right between the eyes where the skin is thin and says "relax"

The dog went from hell hound to making this growly sigh. Almost like she said owwwww with a frown haha. It was really weird. But she kept rubbing her head and she gave up on being miss growly pants.

That was the first anger management of the night. The next one is where it gets...on a movie it would be funny but not to me in real life:

We were sleeping in our bed. The dog usually Occupies between us, usually by our feet under the blanket.
Last night I woke up. She was up at our faces sleeping so I per her head...she does not like being woke up at all. As soon as I touched her (the room was black) I saw her mouth open and her eyes light up as she started growling at me. Instinctively I immediately threw her off the bed because that's just what I do when someone scares me when I first wake up. Well she stopped growling because she was flying and of course she lands on her feet like the cats that raised her. ( that was the first problem haha, cats should never raise dogs that are smart). If I had been awake I would not have tossed her but growin up alot of us partiers had to develop sleep instincts so we did not get marker faces or whatever and she has been thrown in my sleep a few times.

So ill go find the book, I'll let you know how things go. You are alot of help!

 

[sherita]

The book has been out of print for a few years, so your best bet will probably be eBay or amazon.

There is no need to apologize for dog hurling when said dog is in your face baring teeth. It's a survival instinct on your part, and a lack of respect on hers. Here, the baring of teeth at human owner will result in human owner turning into crazy psycho person. It's not something I deal with often, my dogs learn early in life that they had best not go there. I live with 100+pound hunting Russian Borzoi. They are big, fast, and can be lethal. The males always want to try it on for size when they become mature. Normally it only happens once, because my reaction is enough to convince them that it's a Very Bad Idea.

So, no, don't apologize for pitching a dog that's threatening you. Frankly, I don't care if she likes to be woken up or not. It's your house, not hers. And, as your dog, you should be able to touch her at anytime, anywhere, whenever you want. It's up to you, as the human, to teach her that. And since she seems more than willing to use aggression to get what she wants, you may very well have to fight fire with fire (proper corrective measures, I don't mean hitting on her). When the time comes, corrections should never be given in anger, approach the situation in a very dispassionate way, with no emotion clouding your judgement. The book will go into much more detail on this than I could possibly write here. What it boils down to, is you are going to have to enforce YOUR rules for her. And you will probably need a fairly stiff backbone at first. But once she accepts that things are going to be changing, it will get much easier. She's smart and stubborn and dominant. You have to be smarter, more stubborn, and establish yourself as the leader. Once you do, life will be much happier for everyone, including the dog.

 

[SeymourDuncan]

Spray bottles are also a very good tool I forgot to mention. I am not afraid of any techniques, harsh or not...Its a matter of just finding the one that works and sticking with it. I'll check out online for the book. As a pup she drew blood once and I popped her in the jowls with a cupped hand. Made a wet slap sound and caught her attention. Since then its only other people she will truly bite so far it seems. But she gets very very close to wantin to bite me, my girlfriend is far less intimidated by that and gets up in her teeth sometimes. Freaks me out but she still has no scars.

Found the right kennel too! Training starts tomorrow after I make her a spot.

Bare bottoms or sand?

 

[SeymourDuncan]

Ok so here is my progress so far. I picked one problem to start. The irate issue I am working on is her need to pull.

Normally I cave in and she pulls me on a bike or a scooter, but for walks that is terrible. After reading a lot of articles and observing methods i found I need to pinpoint her first motion before the actual pull. This happens to be at her inner hips. So I wrapped the end of the leash around her waist and attempted to walk her...talk about control!!! After a couple days I think she will be manageable for my 106lb girlfriend.

As soon as she tugs the leash hugs her and she instantly slows. I do not tug the neck at all!!! No more hacking

Can't wait to move on to the kennel. The aggression is still going to e difficult.



"Live like tomorrow already happened. Yesterday is only 3 days ahead. Today will be here soon."

 

[Jenaleigh1]

Beagles and Labs are both hunting dogs. They LOVE to run. If she doesn't have the chance to just rip up a few miles/hundreds of acres every now and then she will remain anxious constantly. Also, labs are pretty high strung until they are about three. Chew toys sometimes help. Just give her a chance to mature and mellow out and she should be just fine. We have a young lab mix right now and he loves to wear a harness ALL the time. Same effect as a thundershirt I guess. We live on three acres currently and we make the loop around the yard several times a night to walk off the angst from being cooped up all day.

 

[Jenaleigh1]

Another thing that works with our lab mix is his "box." He LOVES his crate. I can tell when he gets a little stir crazy, because he will go to the garage door and want me to let him in the garage so he can sit in his crate. He used to fight getting in there but once he was used to it he loved it. He also has his own couch in the sunroom. He retreats there and hangs out.