Using a spray bottle on chewie

[JennaPenny]

Originally Posted by yorkietalkjilly

I'm so pleased that she's training well. If made fun and the dog sees obeying as super-rewarding - a big win-win, they quickly grow to love their training sessions, the intense interaction with you and before long, she'll likely push you to work her. Dogs with trainers using positive-reward techniques are extremely eager and happy to work, find it very fulfilling.

Personally, I don't mind my dog showing reasonable instincts of greeting and territorial protection messages, barking and growling at passersby, whatever the species, to say, "Hey, hi, there, I'm here! By the way, you're on my patch here, just so you know". It's natural for dogs to love to communicate with others and their bark and growl are the only way they usually can do so. I usually indulge a 1 - 2 minute initial communication session.

As dogs get older and if well-trained, well-behaved, usually don't bark over a maximum of 60 - 120 seconds at a time unless there is a real problem in their minds, such as utility workmen setting up on the street and beginning to dig it up! Even then a well-behaved pet has learned our boundaries for barking, how to control himself and won't go nuts barking for minutes at a time; but still may bark or growl from time to time if people or critters linger within his line of sight or scent(his territory), just reinforcing his initial message of greeting and territorial notice. Eventually the savvy dog realizes the ones that concerned him have not actually approached his home or tried to enter it, relaxes and finds other things to do, checking back from time to time.

Frankly, I kinda like passersby to know I've got a very alert little watchdog in my home and no approaching it day or night will go unnoticed, so I gladly tolerate most territorial barking Tibbe finds necessary! I've come to trust his instincts. He learned the 'bark/speak' & 'quiet' commands quickly but I rarely have to use 'quiet' anymore unless the garbage collection truck or stray cats linger nearby longer than he'd like !

Trying to reply fast, might come back for a better reply. It's not the barking that bothers us so much; it's the physical reaction she gets. Case in point. Jack arse and his devil dog- 10 minutes ago. I'm still working on her reaction with this guy. he stopped while I was training her, had his dog Sit, then he STAYED BY OUR WINDOW and stared. I had to kneel down glare and say GET AWAY FROM OUR HOUSE. Meanwhile, poor sweetie. she was shaking like a leaf, snarling, growling, barking, and whining. We are certain her drooling episode a few months back was from him. She gets physically ill from this. She was barking a bit about 5 months back, but this guy is a different issue, and he causes her to do this each time. I've had her not doing it almost every time. He is just a different story. It's hard to watch. Back to seeing if she's okay!

[Lovetodream88]

Originally Posted by JennaPenny

I won't yell at her or say anything after myself. I know she can't remember. When we were stopping her going, she literally wouldn't go for a long time. I upped her praises, to the point where it was clapping, fanfare, and treats. She hasn't had any accidents on the carpet in a month. Not urine. Poop, however, is a different story. I think, though, that she doesn't like peeing and pooping on the same areas. She'll do it maybe 75% of the time. My idea to put a new pad on the opposite side is working- so far, lol. knocking on wood.

Oh your pad training, I am outside training so it can be a little different.

[Lovetodream88]

Originally Posted by JennaPenny

Trying to reply fast, might come back for a better reply. It's not the barking that bothers us so much; it's the physical reaction she gets. Case in point. Jack arse and his devil dog- 10 minutes ago. I'm still working on her reaction with this guy. he stopped while I was training her, had his dog Sit, then he STAYED BY OUR WINDOW and stared. I had to kneel down glare and say GET AWAY FROM OUR HOUSE. Meanwhile, poor sweetie. she was shaking like a leaf, snarling, growling, barking, and whining. We are certain her drooling episode a few months back was from him. She gets physically ill from this. She was barking a bit about 5 months back, but this guy is a different issue, and he causes her to do this each time. I've had her not doing it almost every time. He is just a different story. It's hard to watch. Back to seeing if she's okay!

Have you tried closing the window and closing blinds or something else where he can't see in and she can't see out. I remember reading out that guy in another post and he sounds nuts honestly.

[yorkietalkjilly]

Originally Posted by Lovetodream88

Have you tried closing the window and closing blinds or something else where he can't see in and she can't see out. I remember reading out that guy in another post and he sounds nuts honestly.

Great idea. Sorry, I misunderstood thinking you were objecting to a lot of barking. Closing off her line of sight could very well begin to take the power of that image away, though she'll likely recognize their scented the moment they come outdoors and the cone of scent will get stronger as they draw nearer.

This is long but worth reading and considering some of the techniques to try to help your little one through fearful things or issues until she learns coping skills and you two form a bond and she knows she can trust you to keep her safe:

Trying to change her association to that scary neighbor pair's image and scent will be your next task but it's doable. I've told on YT many times about how Tibbe was near feral when I got him at age 9 mos., having spent that time according to the breeder I got him from, who'd been given Tibbe's breeder's whole kennel of breeding dogs to rehome. Tibbe was one of those neglected/abused dogs.

She told me that somehow she'd found out that Tibbe's breeder had neglected her dogs for the time Tibbe had been alive, keeping them outside in individual pens under an open-sided shelter(!) with basically nothing but food and water. So Tibbe's insecurities and fears all developed the moment he was taken from his longtime cage and suddenly thrust into the world and had to learn about rushing about inside cars, being 'trapped' inside a house, the sounds of TV's, doorbells, phones, A-C coming on, refrigerators, doors that opened & closed, strange people, etc. Everything panicked him to the point of drooling, shaking, running/hiding, screaming, fighting/aggressing toward anyone who tried to help him, walking in a semi-permanent crouched position and finally, just freezing, shutting down, tail clamped down to his body and staring ahead.

One by one, we worked in very short but frequent sessions of exposure to change his unpleasant associations with each thing he feared to something he could tolerate, then accept, cope with and finally, disregard. I used my presence, little eye contact, words or touch but just sitting alongside him and gradually offering him some Nutrical on the tip of a finger when he'd finally begin to shake less and relax even a bit. He was too nervous to eat much so he was always empty and eventually, the Nutrical appealed to him & he'd sniff and accept it when I put it in his mouth, often having to work his lips apart until he got the taste. I'd offer it 4 or 5 times and get up and take him away from the source of his fears and put him in his little 'den', a small airline carrier shell with holes here and there sandwiched between the den couch and the wall with the wire door left 3/4 closed so he could exit when he chose, never feel trapped. He'd go in there for refuge and feel safe from the thing we'd just confronted for however long he needed. Sometimes I had to tump him out and redirect him to vigorous baiting/play/challenges he was so comfy in there.

Enough repetitions of those types of short exposure with me beside him, a bit of tasty glucose to redirect his attention, up his blood sugar, improve his mood and then removal to his safe place began to teach him that whatever the terror, I would be there with him, usually fidgeting with the Nutrical or food to sort of distract him from his terror, eventually offer him some if he slacked from shaking, drooling, wanting to flee, momentarily, give him some more glucose boost and then whisk him away from the terror to his safe spot, where he was permitted to stay until he came out.

He eventually realized he didn't have to endure his terror alone or for long, was fed mood-lifting glucose the moment he showed any sign of less terror & shortly removed to his safe spot. Gradually, he'd take bits of food or offered a squeaky toy pr I'd challenge him to tugowar or handplay instead of Nutrical and we'd stay a bit longer B4 he was removed and slowly working up to longer times spent enduring his fears until he began to see there wasn't really anything to keep fearing and turned the terror into just a thing or situation he needn't react fearfully to. Using variations on this technique, he learned how to cope with fears and eventually, no longer feared his world as we worked through each thing/issue, inside and outside, sometimes taking from a few days to 6 mos. plus to get past each terror.

All the while we were reinforcing our bond and teamwork with fun obedience training with positive rewards and he began to learn he could trust me to ALWAYS keep him safe. enrich his life with activities/puzzles/games/challenges and he began to enjoy living his life, not fearing it. To this day, certain new or odd electronic sounds can send him out of the room but he bounces back within minutes. Illness or feeling poorly can exacerbate his fear reactions until he's vetted, treated, well again.

[Eggette]

Oh boy I have a lot to learn! I'm getting my puppy on July 27 so I have time and these posts are a real helper!