You may have been told that dogs are not allowed on beds, that it makes them dominant. It turns out that's not actually a true statement. If you want your dog on your bed, or your couch, or anywhere else in your home, that's your right. You get to set the boundaries. Just be consistent. Watch this video for ways to help make that comfortable for all involved.
Are your dogs getting along well or do they sometimes freeze and stare at each other or even get into fights? Watch this video for ways to help keep the peace at your home.
Note: this could be a life-and-death situation, depending on how seriously your dogs are going after each other. As always, please consider hiring a dog trainer near you if your animals are in danger.
Walking two or more dogs at once can be a real pain but there are ways to make it easier. Watch this video for some useful tips on walking more than one dogs at a time.
If you have more than one animal to train at a time (like multiple dogs, your dog and your cat, your dog and your son...) it can be very helpful to use something called "stationing" to keep them from mobbing you. This is also useful for dogs who fight in the home...more on that later. Watch this video for several useful tips for training in multi-dog or multi-species households.
Does your dog wiggle and jump around when you're trying to put her tracking harness on? Or maybe he's afraid of his winter dog boots and you have trouble putting them on? Whenever you need to put equipment on your dog, I recommend training your dog to actively participate in getting that gear on himself. Active cooperation is better than passive acceptance. Watch this video to learn how to teach your dog to put on his own gear.
Muzzles can be used to prevent dog bites in situations where you are unsure of how your dog will react. Dogs should be trained in advance to be comfortable wearing muzzles, and this video explains how to do that. Muzzle training is actually a good idea for all dogs and puppies, because dogs who are injured can be unpredictable and may need to be muzzled.
Never put your dog in a situation where you think it's likely he or she will bite, of course. But when you have prepared your dog for a greeting and you believe everything will probably go well, or when your dog needs emergency medical care, a muzzle can come in very handy.
Animals, including dogs, bite for a whole lot of reasons. The severity can be anything from a puppy play bite to a bite to kill. Watch this video to learn some of the reasons animals bite and what you can do to prevent bites.
When Bean was younger, he kept finding little 'snacks' in the yard. Sometimes he would even bring little frozen chunks of dog feces inside and try to bury them in the couch! Fortunately I caught all of those before they thawed...eww. I'm happy to say that the training worked and he is no longer a poop eater.
Aggression is "intent to do harm." Most of the time in dogs, barking, growling, and even biting are ritualized ways to get another person or dog to go away. This video gives you a starting point on what to do if your dog is showing signs of aggression or 'reactivity.'
Note: this could be a life-and-death situation, depending on the severity. As always, please consider hiring a dog trainer near you if your dog or anyone else is in danger.
Does your dog bark at you for attention? Maybe he drops the ball and barks at you to throw it, throw it, throw it? This video explains how to look for more polite requests for attention and other ways to teach your dog to quietly let you know what he wants.
Even though many dogs chase cats, that doesn't have to be the case in your home! The easiest variation of not chasing cats is to teach your dogs that "their" cat is part of the family and not to be chased in the house.
Note: this could be a life-and-death situation for your cat, depending on how seriously your dog is going after the cat. As always, please consider hiring a dog trainer near you if your animal is in danger.
Many dogs freak out when they're home alone because they were not eased into being on their own; they were never specifically taught how to handle it. Addressing full-blown separation anxiety takes time and patience. Preventing separation anxiety before it starts is a lot easier and that's what this video is about.
If you have a puppy or rescue dog, I highly recommend that you watch this video right away and start putting the tips into practice, *before* you have a real separation anxiety problem.
"Wanna go for a ride?" We often think of dogs jumping around excitedly when they hear that phrase, but some dogs are afraid of riding in cars or trucks. This video gives you safe car travel tips and some useful advice on how to help your dog get over her fear and get back on the road.
Dogs who have trouble hearing or seeing can still be perfectly happy in a family. Contrary to popular belief, dogs with sensory impairments can still function in society, but we do need to make some changes to the way that we communicate with and train those dogs. With some effort, we can help them to safely navigate their lives.
This video teaches you how to do "Conditioned Relaxation" with your dog - basically training the dog to connect certain sounds, smells, etc. with a feeling of relaxation. It can work for babies, kids, and even adult humans, too. Try it!
Does your dog chase after things without even a backward glance to see if you're there? Does he pull your arm out of the socket as he dives after a squirrel or other dog?
Do you bring your dog over to other people's homes, or want to start? Watch this video before you go. It's chock-full of training and management tips to help your dog be a polite, safe houseguest.
Fireworks can be terrifying for dogs. This video explores some tips to help you get your dog comfortable with fireworks. It's best to watch this video a month or two before fireworks start, so you have time to train, but it also gives you some ideas of what to do to help your dog on the day fireworks happen.
Have you ever come across off leash dogs on your walk? It's fun to walk with your dog running free, but your dog being off leash may actually endanger other dogs or animals. Shouting "he's friendly" is not enough when the other dog is on leash.
This video gives useful tips to help you keep your dog and others safe. It's the neighborly thing to do whenever you choose to walk your dog off leash.
There are a ton of different dog training contraptions... clickers, choke chains, harnesses, long lines, e-collars, ex-pens, crates, and more. Which ones are right for you and your dog? Which ones can cause problems or harm? This video gives my recommendations on how to choose dog training and management gear.
If you are expecting a baby, congratulations! Not all dogs are keen to have a baby around, and even the happiest of dogs should be prepared to have another little human in the house. Having a baby will dramatically change your daily routine, which can be stressful for your dog. This video gives useful ideas to make your baby's homecoming peaceful and easy.
Getting a new dog or puppy? Start out on the right paw, because first impressions really do count!
Take a few minutes to watch this video to get some tips on how to best introduce your new dog to the existing animals in the home. Following the tips in this video will help you prevent problems before they start, by avoiding fighting and reducing stress for everyone.
It's very common for a dog to protect his prize resources. The good news is that "resource guarding" - growling, snapping, biting over food, toys, socks etc. is the easiest kind of aggression problem to solve in dogs, unless you use punishment. Watch this video for some useful advice.
Hint: It's not a contest. Using force can backfire and lead to people getting bitten, especially kids. The trick is to teach your dog that sharing is awesome.
This video shares tips on choosing the best dog trainer, groomer, vet, boarding kennel, or other service for your dog. You are your dog's protector, and you owe it to her to choose her caregiving team wisely.
Does your dog fight you when you try to trim his nails? Are you not even sure how to do it right? Or does it seem like a stupid thing to do, anyway? Check out this video for why and how to trim your pet's nails.
Does your dog freak out when you try to trim her nails or brush her? It doesn't have to be that way, and there are much better options than just holding her down until it's all over. This video goes through ways you can specifically train your dog to be a cooperative and enthusiastic partner for grooming. This helps prevent bites but also helps your dog stay comfortable and calm.
Your dog's experience at the veterinarian's office doesn't have to be full of panic and fear. This video goes through ways you can specifically train your dog to be a cooperative partner in his veterinary care. This helps prevent bites but also helps your dog stay comfortable and calm.
One of the bests way we can show our 'best friends' the love they deserve is to keep them safe. We often think of dog safety as being about keeping people safe from dogs, but what about the other way around? Watch this short video for 10 essential ways to keep your dog, cat, or other animals safe.
Do you have trouble getting your dog to move? I notice this "donkey dog" problem most with bulldogs and other short-nosed (brachycephalic) breeds, but it can happen with any dog, especially puppies. This video will explore this problem from the dog's perspective and also give you tips to be able to walk *together* with your dog or puppy.
Do you live in an apartment or condo with your dog? This video has some useful tips to keep your dog quiet and your neighbors happy. It also has great tips for getting past distractions and safely in and out of your building. This is especially useful if you have a dog with reactivity issues.
Do you know your dog weighs as much as an elephant in a car accident? Is your dog safe in your car or truck? Take a moment to watch this video for some life-saving automobile travel tips for your best friend.
If you have trouble figuring out what's causing your dog to explode with aggression, frustration, or fear, you might be missing an important variable: trigger stacking. Check out this short video to learn how stress piles up for dogs.
A dog door (or cat door) can be a really convenient way to fix your housetraining problems, but there are some things you should know before cutting a hole in your door or wall. This video goes through the do's and do not's around pet doors and also explains how to train your dog to use the dog door.
Potty problems? Your dog can ring a bell to let you know when it's time go outside. This video explains the perks of teaching your dog this trick and goes through some easy steps to train your dog to ring a bell.
Stop right there! Does your dog dash out of the house or pop out of the car as soon as you open the door?
Wait tells your dog that he should not get out of the car, leave the house, etc. It is different from Stay, which is about holding an exact position. This video explains some reasons to train your dog to Wait and teaches you how to get your dog to be an expert in patience.
Does your puppy steal socks? Does your dog run after the ball to fetch, but run around and not give it back?
If your dog has something in her mouth, you can do some training so you don't have to end up playing tug of war with your favorite shoes. Drop is not something dogs are born doing on cue, but it's easy enough to teach a reliable Drop. This video goes over 3 ways to train your dog to quickly drop whatever is in her mouth!
Touch is one of my very favorite dog training tools. Instead of physically grabbing your dog to get his body into a certain position, you can train him to touch his nose, hip, foot, etc. to a target. This is great for a range of things, from coming when called, to putting the harness on, to grooming and vet care. Touch is essential for all dogs.
Dogs have played with each other as probably as long as the species existed, but dog parks are a relatively new phenomenon. Dog parks are usually fenced in and can be great socialization locations but they also have a fair number of risks. Please watch this video before taking any dog to a dog park, particularly those who are most at risk - puppies, dogs with fear issues, and rescue dogs.
Dogs should socialize with all kinds of other dogs, but how do you get them together? And what if you just want to have friends over and they're bringing their dog? Coordinating play dates can be a great way to set the dogs up for success and fun. This video shares some of the most useful tips to keep in mind for dog play dates.
Play with other dogs is excellent physical and mental exercise, and that can solve a lot of behavior problems. Dogs also learn a lot from play and so can you! But how can you tell they are playing and be sure it's a good experience for all involved? Check out this video for a look at how to supervise safe play between dogs.
Does your dog bark nonstop when you have company, or jump up like their feet were made of springs? The safety and training tips in this video will help you have visitors to your home without feeling like you're living in a war zone or a circus! Continue reading (Video 44) Have a Happy & Well-Behaved Dog with Guests→
If your dog is destroying your house or looks 'depressed' it may be that you just don't have enough mental stimulation. Brain games are excellent for preventing separation anxiety, teaching dogs not to chew your furniture or other items, and just generally making your dog smarter and happier. Dogs and puppies are not natural freeloaders - they would rather work for their food than lie around all day doing nothing. This video has several practical ideas to solve behavior problems and help your dog have more fun!
Teaching your dog with positive reinforcement doesn't mean that you have to be a food dispenser for the rest of your dog's life. Part of reliable dog training is having your dog listen to you without having treats in your hands or even needing to feed all the time. Humans, dogs, and other species don't work for free, but there are a lot of reinforcers out there besides for just food. These tips and tricks will help you wean off of constantly treating your dog for every single behavior. Continue reading (Video 40) When Can I Stop Using Dog Treats?→
In the Office Hours, I answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
I like the consent approach to nails you mentioned in the Consent seminar earlier today. I am currently trimming my dogs overly long nails a tiny bit once a week with his begrudging agreement or tolerance. How would I retrain for consent, while still keeping his nails short enough. He already has long nails due to long quicks (I assume from me not being good enough about nails when he was a puppy).
I was worried about a scratch board hurting his paw pads?
What's your favorite treat reinforcer right now for the dogs?
I also talked about:
This is the last office hours for now! Thank you all so much for being here!
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
In the Office Hours, I answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
What is the best way to quiet a dog that is barking out of concern or worry ie he hears fireworks. In the past I have checked out the noise for him and tried calming touch which works somewhat. Now I have a sick cat and would like to be able to cue a quiet verbally while tending to the cat. I tried capturing quiet and putting it on cue but this doesn't carry over to worried barking. Any ideas?
How would you handle off leash dogs approaching you and your dog while on a walk?
What are your thoughts on the pet tutor?
I've got a big question for you today 🙂 When you bring home a rescue dog that is known to be fearful but otherwise has an unknown number of behavior issues what do you think is the most important thing to do or not do in the dog's first couple weeks in their new home in order to get things started off on the right foot?
Hi Grisha, I was hoping for a little advice on forming a group to do BAT set ups. We live in Kodiak, my pup is a bit of a 'tarzan' dog and is leash reactive in a frustrated, anxious way. Is it OK to do some Bat set ups with other leash reactive pups? Thank you!
I also talked about:
Doorbell training for dogs using differential reinforcement of alternate behavior (video from the same session as last week's office hours)
5-second rule for petting (video of dog in Spain)
Live training with Bean (briefly).
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
Pet Tutor - I also talked about it in the 2/16 office hours, with sort of a demo.I mentioned several remote treat dispensers and cameras. The Pet Tutor (use coupon code grishastewart for Free Shipping), Petzi Treat Cam, and the Pet Cube. Pawbo does look like a better option for video because it records and sends to dropbox and may have sound on the video. Petzi does not do video and Pet Cube does not have sound on the videos, but both have sound in live streaming. PetCube keeps adding more good features tough.
NOTE - I don't recommend using the laser feature with dogs on any of the devices. Laser pointers can create obsessive-compulsive (OCD) light-chasing behavior in dogs that's very hard to get rid of.
Building Blocks Members get instant access to video lessons, live Q&A, and more!
In the Office Hours, I answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
I did 2 BAT session with a 1/2 familiar trigger(person) with my dog. the last session she started to vocalize excitedly (telling me that she knew the person and is ok with her)when she saw the trigger but she didn't wag her tail. So I didn't let her go up and continued the BAT session coming up to 1-2 meter to trigger. When do I know is a good time to let her go up to trigger?
My other question is: Could you do a video on bringing a person( trigger) into house and how a session in the house would look like (close up BAT work)??? I really would love that and its so much better to learn from a video than just reading it in the book. thank you sooo sooo much.
Hi Grisha, I hope you don't mind me asking but how long would you say it took you with Peanut to improve his reactivity using BAT and how much time on a daily basis did you spend working with him? I have had Lily who is rescue for nearly 3 years now but only discovered BAT about a year and a half ago and have been working hard but there always seems so many setbacks and so much to learn.
How could I use BAT on our daily walks? I have a rescue pup, he is two years old and seems to get very anxious with other dogs if he is on leash.
We try our best to avoid situations where he goes way over threshold but its reeally hard here.
I couldn't find the info about upcoming European seminars, where are they held?
I also talked about:
Doorbell training for dogs using differential reinforcement of alternate behavior.
In the Office Hours, I answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
Looking for some advice on the best way to manage and potentially simultaneously reduce stress on my dog during a bathroom remodel in an apartment. I've been staying with him in a separate room and rewarding calm behavior in addition to trying to toss treats or give small amounts of peanut butter after hammering, drills, etc. But not sure if it will be beneficial if he is too close to the stimuli.
Seeking cat empowerment advice: Positive ways to help my cat curb her vocalizing at mealtimes? Right now I'm relying on negative reinforcement and I'm not comfortable with it (ie, I leave the kitchen or food goes away when she starts yowling, etc.) I'm about to start her on food toys so expect that will help, and feeding her in unexpected places at unexpected times.
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
Does your dog sit at home, when you have a cookie, but not when you are out on a walk or when guests come over? With a fully trained cue, you should be able to get reliable behavior in just about any situation, and definitely not just when you have a treat in your hand. If your dog isn't responding to your cues, that doesn't mean he's stubborn, stupid, or dominant. It just means that you have missed an aspect of your training. Watch this video for tips on building reliability, for dog training you can trust. Continue reading (Video 39) Top Tips for Reliable Dog Training→
Cues like "Sit," "Down," etc. are how we ask for behavior (similar to commands but different, as you'll see in this video). Cues are signals that tell the dog that a specific behavior might earn a reinforcer. A cue can be anything the animal can perceive - hand signals, spoken words, random sounds, doorbell, scent, etc. This video will teach you how to add a cue to a behavior that your dog is already performing, as well as transfer from an old cue to a new cue. Watch my 4 Ways to Get Behavior video to teach them to do a behavior in the first place. Continue reading (Video 38) This Means That: How to To Add a Cue to Behavior→
Clicker training uses a marker to tell the animal that the behavior was correct and has earned a reinforcer. It's a way to say "YES, do that again!" But sometimes dogs, cats or other animals are afraid of the clicker sound. In this video, Grisha goes over ways to help pets get over their fear of the clicker - and how to train in the meantime. Continue reading (Video 26) How to Fix a Dog’s Fear of the Clicker→
Positive reinforcement is very effective, but how do you get the dog to do something that you can reinforce in the first place? One outdated option is to just force the dog into the position, like picking up the paw or pushing the dog into a sit. It 'works' but there is an emotional cost when you force behavior instead of setting up a situation where the animal will offer it. Fortunately, humans are pretty smart and have developed much more empowering ways to get behavior! Watch this video to learn how to use 4 essential ways to get non-verbal animals to offer behavior: shaping, luring, capturing, and modeling/copying. Continue reading (Video 36) 4 Ways to Get Your Dog to Do a Specific Behavior→
Does your dog or cat like the way you play? Are you sure? Each animal has his own preferences about what kind of play is actually fun and which kind is boring or even stressful. In this video, Grisha gives some tips on how to play with dogs other animals, how to know they are enjoying the games, what kind of play to avoid, and how to use play in training. Continue reading (Video 28) Play With Me! How & Why To Play With Your Pet→
In the Office Hours, I answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
I have 2 dogs who both will resource guard certain toys. The dogs have only been living together for 3 mos. They have gotten a lot better at reading each other since they met, so now they can play/chew near each other. Does it matter if we are particular about who gets what toy? What should I do if one dog's toy falls off the couch and the other takes it? I want to make sure I'm not messing up.
After a "let's go" encounter where another dog has gotten a bit too close, is it beneficial to 'return to the scene of the crime' after the other dog has passed by, to reinforce that particular location has no bad 'mojo' to it? Or do you feel it doesn't really matter?
Are you going to do a video about the CleverPet?
I also talked about
The future of the office hours and Facebook group.
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
In the Office Hours, I answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
My dog is getting more and more scared of sudden sounds outside. He has always been very worried when we go out for a walk and I have done a lot of counterconditioning and games to make him feel more confident and safe. It was going fine but now thanks to the hunting season things are getting worse. I can’t make him relax anymore once he gets scared until we get home.
Dog Sanctuary/rehab facility. We are going to "rewrite the book" if you could do this what would your "must haves" be for the dogs. In whatever capacity - environment, staff, supplies, set up. If money is no object what would be your top requirements? Thanks in advance!
My dog is cautious by nature, especially of new things, yet he enjoys going on walks in new areas. After this past new years he was traumatized by fireworks and I feel it affected his nervous system for some months. I backed off on the training and tried to do calming things and empower him and set up a lot of routine. Now we are getting back into agility training and it is recommended to introduce him to one new thing everyday. I would imagine there should be a balance between routine and novelty. He is 3 1/2 years old. Ive had him since a puppy. What are your thoughts on this situations and your thoughts on how to handle the balance between routine and novelty for all dogs, but especially one like him, sensitive. Thanks
Hi Grisha, I think you said (or I read it somewhere else) that for the time I'm doing loose leash training with my dog, I should attach the leash to the back clip for training sessions and to the front chest clip in situations where she might pull. Do you think this makes a big difference for the dogs or is it just an "emergency" solution?
Can you elaborate on the B complex vitamin benefits?
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
My Anders Hallgren interview is in the library for Animal World Superstars (ABBA Pro members)
Anders Hallgren's book, Stress and Anxiety in Dogs is available on his website and also on Amazon (authors earn a LOT more from their own websites, so order there if that works for you)
In the Office Hours, I answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
I've heard trainers promote fetch as a form of exercise. I've recently taught Astra to fetch but to provent it from becoming a fun activity away from me, I've play a tug game when she comes back and do othr behaviours. Was interested in your thoughts on fetch?
My dog unfortunately got the chance to chase a chicken at the beach a week ago. He caught it by the tail feathers before I could get his attention, neither chicken nor dog were hurt. I feel like he's been more tired than normal since then. Is this normal. Could he have just over stressed his system and it's taking a while to recover?
To be fair he had a big weekend before the Tuesday beach outing. Nosework trials sat and Sunday and agility class Sunday evening. More than his normal schedule
Why "good choice" instead of "good boy?"
Do you have a resource for where to buy and how to fit a muzzle (for a small Bean sized dog)
In the Office Hours, I answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
What are some of the ways to minimise distress to dogs when partners split up and one leaves the family home?
This might seem like a strange question but I have heard you mention using a zig zag approach when approaching the Helper but how do you do this approach if the dog is not doing it on their own . So ... we lead the dog ? That doesn't seem what you would mean
Hi Grisha, just thinking about the Bat theory test [for CBATI certification]. I have the outline for the PSA side of the certification process but is there a guide as to what is covered in the theory part? I.e. is it all about BAT theory & usage or does it include other areas such as learning theory, body language etc. Just trying to judge whether ready to take the plunge. Thank you and looking forward to November 🙂
When I go off leash bushwalking with Astra, she's not interested recalling for food or a game. This has limited how much off lead walks we can do. Today I started a game of tossing the treat but fainted moving in different directions to get her excited. It worked quite well, but I'm wondering what else I can try apart from jumping around like a crazy owner (haha) and using super high value treats.
We have a question for anyone who has moved from an apartment where the dog always had to be taken out on leash to potty into a house with a yard? Our friends' Bulldog, Duke, won't use the yard at all. It is all grass with cement walks on both sides and a cement patio. He did go when we brought our two female dogs over but wouldn't go again once they left. Any ideas to help get Duke to potty in his new yard? Thanks!
I walk a female Poodle. I usually carry my little female through her house to the back door which is where we start our walk. One day I decided to let her walk through to the back door. Can you tell me why, when they were outside the female dog lifted her leg & peed on my smaller female dog? Just wondered what was going through her head? Interesting.
In the Office Hours, I answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
am having a problem finding the appropriate back attachment harness for my 9 pound poodle. (breast bone 15 ')I have ordered many and sent them all back.
Any tips on a small comfy BAT harness?
My dog (9 months old) is really great when my Yoga students come to the house. He's calm, doesn't jump up and greets everyone nicely. I can have up to 6 people come at once and have worked very hard at teaching him that this is appropriate behavior when we have guests.
However, we had a house painter come to give an estimate and this morning a friend came to look at doing some other work in the yard and my dog LOST HIS MIND! Help!
We have a question for anyone who has moved from an apartment where the dog always had to be taken out on leash to potty into a house with a yard? Our friends' Bulldog, Duke, won't use the yard at all. It is all grass with cement walks on both sides and a cement patio. He did go when we brought our two female dogs over but wouldn't go again once they left. Any ideas to help get Duke to potty in his new yard?
I watched the BAT Feature FIlm "Walk with me" and there's one thing I haven't understood. I love the concept of giving your dog time to sniff around and just let her determine where she wants to go and to sniff. Just how can I tell my dog, without frustrating her, that now is not the time for BAT but for a brisk walking pace?
I also talked about:
Is it okay to have your dog above you while you lie down?
Training the Down cue with Zuki (and double-dog training using stationing)
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
Online Seminar: Small Dogs Rule is today October 4. Webinar for all dog lovers, with discounts just for ABBA members. Recording is available for purchase after the seminar.
Building Blocks Members get instant access to video lessons, live Q&A, and more!
In the Office Hours, I answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
Does the crate training section of the Empowered Puppy Raising course cover preventing separation issues in general? It's one of my weak points and I'd like to make sure I'm as educated as possible in prevention methods before I get a puppy.
Also, I assume the "crate" training can be applied to any containment space for the puppy, like an ex-pen, since your views on crates have changed?
I registered for the BAT 101 training course and began watching it yesterday. So far the material covered has been great. During the video there is mention of what zone the dog is in, for example he is still in the blue zone, however I never saw the zones explained and did not see a handout.Is there a handout that covers this or is this covered somewhere that I can reference?
Can you go through the words of the BAT song? [original song video posted below]
I know each case is individual, but in general, what steps do you take when you have two dogs fighting in the house? Now that the second dog is an adolescent the two dogs have started to argue over resources.
We were at your LB seminar and you mentioned the importance of providing dogs with the opportunity to "potty" during the day. We had a 6 x 10' wire mesh kennel built right outside the house with a dog door but can't get them to "potty" there while we are at work. Any ideas to help train them? It is cement with a 2x10' strip of river rock. We did try putting a piece of grass in but still no luck.
What do you recommend for a dog who resource guards against the husband when food is on the table? Husband doesn't have great skills. He's tried tossing treats when he comes in the room, but timing etc is off.
In the Office Hours, I answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
Unfortunately, for those of us that do not have the money or many close friends and family that are comfortable with dogs, let alone reactive dogs, could you please advise how we are able to do the BAT setups without assistance?
This questions relates to the fact my dog has chased cars, which I'm doing car desentisation with her, can a dogs emotional state change with verbal encouragement and massage? Last night she trigger stacked about noises in the country, some of which I couldnt hear. I used treats which she took and she came to me and accepted my massage and cuddles but did still bark and growl.
My dog is terrified by strangers and lunges and barks at them. Also she has nipped a person before. Now, I am in the process of starting BAT set ups soon. But in the meantime, until she is lots better with strangers, if she has to go to the vet, what would be your suggestions of how to make her not completely loosing it at at the vet?
Limited BAT set up areas that have people and dogs but can be at a safe distance. Large field surrounded by trees/shrubs, in between field and trees is walking path. She zooms in field from one sniff to the next going closer to path. Do slow stop but then have to redirect as she wants to be on path nearer trees. Is it OK to keep redirecting back to field area? No other venue w/safe distance.
I also talked about:
BAT leash skills video demo
Dog begging at the table
For next week: Hi Grisha! I know each case is individual, but in general, what steps do you take when you have two dogs fighting in the house? Now that the second dog is an adolescent the two dogs have started to argue over resources.
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
Register soon! Online Seminar: Small Dogs Rule, October 4. Webinar for all dog lovers, with discounts just for ABBA members.
In the Office Hours, I answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
How can I teach my dogs to stop playing with each other on command? My daughter and I got puppies 1 month apart almost two years ago. They have been raised separately (for the most part) in the same house. Sometimes the male gets too rough grabs the girls scruff and wont let go. We try to stop him but he runs from us and goes back to play rough again. Timeouts made him aggressive.
Am I doing the intermediate marker correctly for the chin rest in this video?
I also talked about:
Teaching a dog to like the ocean or other water
Dogs and people who won't drop toys
What to do if another dog comes up at the beach to play
Getting Zuki to stay outside on her own without me (and how that's related to getting dogs to come back inside - see this Facebook post for the question about Milo)
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
I'm halfway through teaching a series of Teamwork seminars on the West Coast. I made a coupon code for the recording of the online version to save $10. Use TWONLINE to save $10 (in addition to your member discount)! The coupon is valid for one more week.
Building Blocks Members get instant access to video lessons, live Q&A, and more!
In the Office Hours, I answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
We are needing some creative ways to stop play-biting. Maybe I made that word up, but our foster/potentially forever dog bites like a puppy. But he's not a puppy and his big teeth HURT. I am covered in bruises from him chomping on me.
I've come to the conclusion that playing "fetch" is the devil's work. Park loves to play fetch, but it seems to set off a behavior of getting way too excited, charging me, jumping and biting. I know this is also partly a product of boredom, but it's horribly painful in the meantime. He also does it after he poops, I guess that's really exciting to him, also!
Has anyone actually tried the orapup tongue brush? What's your feedback?
My new dog has an extremely lovable disposition under layers and layers of anxiety and reactivity. We are committed to Pepper, and came across BAT from our Vet that recommended it. She has presented the biggest challenges to date of any dog we've ever had...we are reading BAT 2.0 and it's a little over our heads with ALL of the things.
How do we feel about doggie day care? Our vet offers it, I'm just a little hesitant.
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
I'm headed out to teach a series of Teamwork seminars. I made a coupon code for the recording of the online version to save $10. Use TWONLINE to save $10 (in addition to your member discount)! The coupon is valid for two weeks.
Building Blocks Members get instant access to video lessons, live Q&A, and more!
In the Office Hours, I answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
Is It okay to have two break cues back to back. This evening I broke Astra out of her crate in my van, clipped on her lead and said another 'break' for her to jump down out of the van.
I've recently determined that my guy Arnold is really only reactive (lunging / raised hackles) towards other dogs when they look at him. How might I use that knowledge to make the most use out of our BAT set-ups?
I also talked about
Body language in several videos, including dogs at a music festival and a dog and pig "best friend" viral video from Facebook.
In the Office Hours, I answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
Wondering if you could speak about your feelings on the different certifications out there for dog training and pro/cons things to look for? So many more choices and haven't researched as much as I would like. Other places conversations can get heated, but your forum is of conversation and education so I am hoping for some insight as I decide who to renew/join for the new year.
What camera do you use to record your videos, is it a go-pro? I'm looking to get one to use slow-motion in order for my own knowledge and be able to watch training sessions after so I can breakdown the body language and spot things I missed.
I have noticed that when Spice is chin targetting the towel on her chair her tail is very low and as I progress it slightly tucks under. She doesn't take her head off the towel to ask for me to stop and her face is very relaxed. She actually presses her chin down harder to indicate I can keep brushing etc. I feel she might be conflicted in some way, how would you approach this?
I also talked about
The resource guarding from Bean directed at Zuki in my last office hours. I replayed it and went over body language.
In the Office Hours, I answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
What vet handling do you do with Bean? I've been working on chin rests, eye and ear treatment, checking and brushing teeth, lifting her tail for a temperature but check, nail clipping. Do you have any other suggestions?
One leash skill I need to work on is relaxing the line after a slow stop. Usually this is pretty easy but sometimes Freyja inches forward as soon as I begin to relax the line. I slow stop her either because she is going straight toward the other student dog, or heading that way due to a scent or treats on the ground. How many times should I attempt to relax the line before switching tactics?
I also talked about
Chin targeting as the Monthly Challenge. This is really great for grooming, vet care, stand for exam, and other body handling.
I did some chin target training with Bean and Zuki jumped up while we were working. Bean told her off so I talked about how to work on that issue. I will go over the body language in the snarky moments in live office hours next week.
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
BAT Chat next week, August 16, 2016, free for all Pro members, no special registration required. I recommend you send a video in advance if you want me to analyze it during the chat. Info is on the link.
Vet visit stress tips is a Member Library video with ideas to help your dog relax at the veterinarian's office.
In the Office Hours, I answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
How do you make meal times less exciting?
My dog started "telling off" intact male dogs when he was around 2 years old. He has mostly limited this behavior to our neighborhood small dog park. He approaches the dog, freezes and then bark/growls lunges. Oddly afterwards the dogs always want to come back to him! Off leash is the main problem. I do my best to not to let him rehearse this behavior, but how do I handle this?
I am new to BAT but am reading through the 2.0 book and wondering how to go about helping my lurcher Ziggy. He seems to be a frustrated greeter with some anxiety, he is fine on a lead greeting older or disabled dogs, dogs that appear quickly, dogs from the side or behind. What he doesn't seem to know what to do about is dogs approaching head on. He goes into a low stalk position then lies down. When the other dog approaches he either jumps up to say hello or lunges towards it and barks I suppose it depends on what the signals are from the other dog. I am not sure how to address this using the BAT method I wonder if someone can point me in the right direction please. He does this off lead too.
Follow-up: He does have a really good recall but in this situation he seems overaroused and doesn't listen as well? Yes he's a small dog
Follow-up: I have done the scoop up and it seems to make him worse? The scoop up seems to intensify him wanting to get to them like revving him up.
My dogs bark at noises they hear outside when they are in the house. Examples: neighbors talking, car doors closing, kids playing....It drives me crazy! We have the dogs go their mat when they bark and if they do, they get a treat for being quiet on their mat. However, this has not decreased the barking. How do I recondition the desire to bark?
Follow-up: What if you don't hear the sound. Do you still cue mat and treat. Because I think my dog would figure this pattern out and want to bark to get the chance to work for a treat
Follow-up: Do you have any examples of sounds that are music but have background variation to help with the sound desensitization? Is Through a Dog's Ear a good one?
I know that you are a big believer in TTouch and massage for relaxing dogs. I have read that sometimes even a few seconds of TTouch can cause a dog to feel the need to move, since it creates changes in the dog's nervous system. How can one tell if a dog sensitive to touch is improving, even slowly? (It is not easy to apply the 5 second rule in this case.) Thank you.
Outside of times when people are interacting with a dog in a household, is it of consequence if they continue an oral dialogue with the dog?
For example, outside of cues and letting the dog know, "A dog is coming," "We are going out," does it make voice interaction more salient if the humans do not just speak in general to the dog unless they are conveying information.
1) What size bell are you using on Bean in your "Dog Collar Debate" video and does it impact his ability to hear you? 2) Can you discuss the relative merits/disadvantages of using a cued "go sniff" as other dogs are approaching in non-BAT scenarios (the ground, not the other dog)? I don't want to lose a learning opportunity but dogs seem more likely to ignore us in that posture.
What would be the down side to leaving a puppy with mum and siblings till 12 weeks old?
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
Topics for questions: All things business! Includes running or setting up a dog business (legal set up, marketing, setting rates and policies, structuring and selling your services, working with clients, etc.). Veronica and dog*tec work with dog trainers, dog walkers, dog daycares, boarding facilities, pet sitters, and other canine service providers. Continue reading Veronica Boutelle (pet business advice) Recording→
In the Office Hours, I answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
Congratulations on your new dog! What will you be focusing on with her first? Also, you mentioned that you wanted to have her be at a lower body weight. How will you work on this? Thank you
I'm moving from Seattle to South Korea this Friday where there are many stray dogs, cats, and many triggers for Oreo like bicycles approaching from behind. I will leave with family(on 3rd floor). Also, there will be many people and cars, coming and going since there is a hardware store on the 1st floor. What can I do to help her adjust to new environment and introduce my whole family to her?
Do you feel it is good for a dog's mental health to have another dog to live with? Would you have sought out another dog anyway if your sister wasn't looking to re-home hers?
I also talked about:
Meeting Zuki (with video of her first barky reaction and changes)
Introducing Bean and Zuki (with video and live commentary)
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
Dog Diet tips from Jason Nicholas at PreventativeVet.com
In the Office Hours, I answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
My dog keeps playing with a leash on our walk. Whenever she does that, I immediately stop moving, but she doesn't care about it. Now, she thinks it's more fun to play with it since we recently switched to a long BAT leash. What should I do?
You mentioned in your last Q&A that you being the handler in a BAT setup would just cause frustration for Bean. I was dogsitting and thought i could practice a BAT setup with my dog even though i knew there wasnt going to be a problem. I used my daughter as the handler. My dog was so frustrated that she couldnt get to her and the intro went bad. Should I use an unfamiliar person as the handler?
A colleague and family, (2 children have a dog with both fearful and reactive tendencies. Recently family members were away, (a change in the dog's schedule,) and the dog both eliminated on the carpet and was 'mounting' the bed in the parent's room? Would you think that the mounting of the bed could be related to feelings of anxiety due to the sudden change? No urinary tract infection... TY
Once your new dog arrives, how would you determine when you can leave her and Bean loose together when you are not home?
I'm at the point in muzzle training where Freyja is wearing it and I'm building duration by using movement (a "wait" and then recall cue). At this point I'm not sure what is better for making the muzzle seem "normal", wearing it longer and longer around the house, or taking the training outside and using it around exciting things? So far I have stopped each session before any pawing happens.
Our dog has suddenly started resource guarding against other dogs; sticks, toys, food etc. This only happens when he is really over aroused. We are working on it using Jean Donaldsons suggestions in Mine + Fight. But I am interested in why it started? Around that time he was snapped at by another dog for going near her ball, can dogs learn these behaviours after being on the receiving end of them?
My question is how to handle my dog when he shuts down in agility class due to fear. Fear is either from flies or bangs that surprise him and sound like fireworks. He has different levels of shutdown. 1. Stress, but will intermittently take treats, 2 won't take any treats, 3. tries to go back to the car.
What would you suggest for an English setter, who is great in the house and in the backyard, but loses his brain walking on a longline with birds present.. He "sets" beautifully, then rushes to the bird and can't be redirected. He can do Touch at times, unless the bird is close
I also talked about:
Plans for introducing Bean and the new dog
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
In the Office Hours, I answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
Could you demonstrate the thing with Bean and the treat?
do you believe in dogs having a hierarchy?
Hi Grisha! Ref. your video 'I change my mind about crate' - When using it with a puppy for potty training, would you say that you would never use a crate that is only big enough for the dog to turn around or only use this if the dog is going to be inside the crate for no longer then 2 hours?
Hello G! Two questions: 1)Ref. Guarding/Territorial in general, is it true that bitch vs bitch would b more territorial than male vs male / female 'coz they're natural function i.e. protect their pups 2) Is it true that if two bitches start 'arguing', there's more chances for them to get into a proper fight then two male dogs due to the same reasons as question 1? Thanks x
Pups who haven't had vaccinations and vets that say they can't go on the ground....I was always told that they should be carried around and introduced to ppl whilst in their arms to help with socialisation. [Talk about that in the context of the arms as a safe space, which was discussed in the small dogs video]
To what extent should dogs work things out on their own and when should the humans step in?
Could you talk a little about over-arousal and how we can help our dog (jrt x 1.5yr) be calmer in situations he finds exciting. We've done a lot of mat work, protocol for relaxation and LAT which has helped considerably at home but he is still acts crazy and unable to cope (with things he would usually be fine with) when over-excited. eg. sitting in cafe or friends house.
"Goals" for BAT setups.
For BAT setups, is it appropriate to have a fairly specific 'goal' in mind? Or is it simply best to let things unfold as they may, be observant, and prompt/react as appropriate to keep stress low?
If you do sometimes have 'goals', what are some examples?
I also talked about:
Using an intermediate bridge to work on relaxation (video example was brushing Bean)
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
In the Office Hours, I answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
Last time you talked a bit about gauging a dog's stress level by whether or not they would take treats. I feel like my dog will always take treats, no matter what. I feel that her stress indicator around food is that she starts to take treats faster and harder. Could I be misinterpreting this? Or is taking treats not as reliable an indicator in dogs who have shown high arousal around food?
My dog has become really sensitive to jingling collars because my of my neighbors dog. She has resorted to fence fighting (although she cannot see the other dog because we have a 6 foot tall vinyl fence and the other dog does not fight back). What is the best way to handle desensitizing the sound of the jingling collar and prevent her from fence fighting? Would you use real collars or sound?
It is great to hear your answers to all of the questions. Would you say that it is best to hold small dogs with their feet down / heads up?
I'm wondering on the thought of one dog correcting another, if one dog lunges and growls, is it okay for the dog it's growling at to growl back? That just happened to us. I'm halfway paranoid that incidents like that would be the "last straw" and turn Louis dog-reactive. Although, I wanted to growl, too, but that makes people stare.
I've gotten to a point my cat will take a kibble from my hand so I can start doing clicker training with her. but oh my I'm going to get a tooth through my thumb. It came to mind to try offering the kibble with tweezers to save my finger
How can we teach my dog to stop resource guarding me? In the course of attempting to address it traditionally (corrections) we actually increased his reactivity in general. Now that we're doing BAT things are already rapidly improving but I'd love to address the resource guarding if possible.
My dog does this thing when no one is in except for me. She stalks me in a room and won't rest. I feed her, take her out, talk to her etc but she won't rest. She walks around the room staring and me and submitting if I look at her. I suspect she's trying to manipulate me and take control but I sense she's trying to tell me something. It's weird. Maybe I'm over thinking it. Only started a month or so ago and she seems well otherwise
In the Office Hours, I answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
Following up on Scent detection question.. What do you think of the all clear behavior? (IE: Dog does search. If he finds scent offers sitting facing the scent. IF no scent found in the space Dog offers go to handler and lay facing his feet )
I saw Ken Ramirez talk about this and I love it! Dog always has a way to have success, less false positives trying to get a reward. Thoughts?
Tracking: does anyone who uses the BAT leash skills to teach less pulling on leash do tracking? Generally when I see people and their dogs tracking there looks like a lot of pulling on the leash to go forward following the track fast. Does tracking style (pulling, running) affect bat leash walking style or does bat leash walking style (gentle, easy going) affect tracking style?
Thank you for this opportunity to ask questions. It is a great learning experience. I would like to see more of the BAT session from Sweden. Also, at what point in BAT set-ups could you introduce 2 dogs where one dog is wearing a muzzle, and still feel that is is fair to the dog wearing the muzzle? (That the dog with the muzzle would not be under social pressure if s/he wanted to disengage?)
I know when you were first doing on-leash walks with Bean on the long line you were able to have Peanut off-leash, but is it possible to use the same kinds of leash handling skills with two dogs on leash? Do you have any recommendations for walks with two dogs and one person when they just can't be off leash (like in the city)?
Warning, question about dog testicles ahead! Since Bean is still intact, have you done any cooperative care work with him for having his testicles examined? I recently talked to someone who lamented that her dog was fine with having her (the owner) handle them but would not let the vet or anyone else do an exam. How do you generalize this? It seems like an awkward thing to ask your friends to do.
When I asked my earlier question, ( r.e. playtime for 2 dogs,) I was curious what your thoughts would be if the dogs were off-leash, with 1 dog wearing a muzzle?
Is this something that you might do, after multiple BAT sessions?
I also talked about:
Body language in a video of Bean meeting a new dog
Some things I noticed at the Alaska Wildlife Rehab Center near Girdwood (south of Anchorage)
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
Interview on scent detection with Monique Masoe (pro members)
Somehow I didn't mention environmental enrichment as the main solution to stereotypy in animals kept in zoos, kennels, etc. It's also great for dogs in your own home.
Building Blocks Members get instant access to video lessons, live Q&A, and more!
In the Office Hours, I answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
My dog has been showing unusual signs of fear (like fearful of a black string on the floor). I think she might be going through another fear period. Should I help her see it is not scary and if so how should I do it?
Football. Is red card positive or negative punishment? you add card, but the actual consequence is to leave the game. And yellow card.. you stay in the game but have been warned (punished as it may have undesired consequence later). does it work like some sort of conditioned punisher, like "no!" in a dog world?
Here's a question, is there ever a time we can work on having the decoy dog walk towards the student dog? The dog is now better if the dog is not paying attention or walking away but walking past is still challenging. Can you lead the dog towards the other dog (at a big distance)?
I'm in the process of hiring a new trainer to help me with my BAT setup experience. They are offering a "BAT class" with another reactive dog which has also been doing BAT work for several months. I have full faith in the trainer (she mentors under Katie Grillaert - who is one of the best I know), but still a bit concerned. What questions can I ask them to help me overcome my own trepidation?
I've heard that sliding around on slippery floors is not good for the development of joints in growing puppies, is this true? I have a set of hardwood stairs that are very smooth and slippery and I worry about my hypothetical future puppy. Will I need to carry him up and down the stairs for his safety? (P.S I'm really enjoying this place, thanks so much for all your hard work 🙂
I’ve been using the Premack Principle to improve Lucy’s response
to “Here” with distractions. She loves to chase squirrels so we “sit/stay” and “check it out” at trees. Now I’ve added “here!” before “check it out”.
Running into some difficulties with her deciding to check it out by herself.. abruptly !!!! She is pretty good with loose leash. Are the squirrels just too exciting to train with ?
Went over a BAT set-up video (Vizsla & Kromfohrlander)
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
Some research on Preparedness (pre-installed fears, or things we can more easily develop fear of). "The fear module is preferentially activated in aversive contexts by stimuli that are fear relevant in an evolutionary perspective"
In the Office Hours, I answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
What do you do if your dog will not move when he/she sees a trigger fairly close? I was walking my dog in an empty park and suddenly a few kids showed up behind us I tried to move her away but when they got closer she froze and would not move. I put treats to her mouth and she maybe took a step. I just kept feeding treats and kept trying to get her to move. Not sure what to do in that situation.
I've read a lot about the importance of early handling, pretty much from the moment puppies are born. All the videos I've watched of 2-3 week old puppies being handled have shown the people just reaching in and picking them up (gently) and handling them. I assume at this age it is too early for the "5-second" rule. So my question is at what point does the "5-second" rule become important?
Hi Grisha! Where can I post videos of my BAT setups for feedback? I did a session for my PSA but the wind picked up and audio is terrible, but I'd like to see what you think of the setup. And Bean looks like he has a tissue (not that I'm a tattle tail)
This may be too big of a topic for your office hours, but I'm VERY intrigued with the article that Leonard Buzz Cecil posted on your ABBA Facebook site re: the work that Dr. Karin Klaver is doing on the theory of 'reconsolidation' of fear events and how to use that knowledge in BAT training... maybe... someday??? 🙂
tongue flicks: always a stress signal, or can they be an appeasement or contentment signal sometimes too?
You were speaking about managed puppy playtime last week. What if there are loose puppies and the puppies still on leash start barking? What would be the best way for the owners to mange the puppies who become over-aroused in the indoor play area as you described it? Thanks!
I have one puppy in my puppy class who's method of playing is humping. How do I get him to change his method of play and keep it a happy experience for him? I usually redirect him out of the group for a moment and then let him go back in. What would you do?
Can you talk about the second dog you are adopting? Thanks!
In the Office Hours, I answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
Do dogs know the differences in time, ie. 30 minutes vs. 1 hour, 2 hours etc. when left alone in the house? Do you have any other useful tips on leaving dogs alone.
Hi my malamute has really bad separation anxiety how am I going to be able to leave him
My dog is attacking specific friends of my Children. She seems to snap at them and sometimes bites them. She is a rescue puppy From spain. How can I handle This so that those kids can come relaxed in my house?
(comment based on the dog park question from last week)
It's great for any animal to interact with same species, but the dog park is not always the only option
Grisha what do you think is more important on a walk if I have limited time; letting the dog sniff and explore or getting exercise in?
(in response to description of managed puppy play from last week)
Having trouble for some reason visualizing the puppy/intros in a "class" situation. Do you have another explanation of this somewhere? I think I'm understanding that the puppies are initiating the communication, yes?
I am working with a number of clients who have reactive small breed dogs - chi mixes and poms. Have your experiences with Bean given you any special insight or recommendations for doing BAT with small dogs? Thanks.
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
In the Office Hours, I answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
My dog is generally disinterested in small puppies. If a puppy is off leash in the park and one wants to meet my dog, I will kneel down to be next to him and gauge his interest / protect him from the jumping. The puppies nearly always jump up and lick me right in the face. Can you please speak about this? Would this be the puppies attempt to obtain information from me at eye level?
My australian shepherd who has been in car rides since he was a puppy and hasn't had any issues (never nauseous, no excessive drooling) other than some excited whining during the first part of the ride has just started to bark at a few different things outside of the car (a woman near the window he was looking out of at a grocery store, a bicyclist + an open convertible w/ people). Best way to manage?
A friend has an adopted dog who came from his first home with a fabric toy 6 years old. The dog still plays with this same
exact toy every single day, even thought it is now just a piece of fabric. They think it provides a kind of security for the dog. Have you seen this before, i.e., a dog who uses one specific "toy", and will not accept a newer version of the same item throughout his life?
I attended your Team Work seminar in NYC.
You have spoken about the human's tendency to put his/her hand out when meeting a dog. Did I understand you correctly that a dog can smell a person as well from 2-3 feet away in an environment--then if the person reaches his/her hand toward the dog, which the dog might find aversive and/or confusing?
There's a dog park being created close to where I live, and they're looking for input on how to help make it a safe environment. Any (realistic) suggestions on behaviors that should be prohibited or monitored?
How do I manage the leash skills on a walk where I need to just go a certain direction or walk past distractions? In BAT we don't lead the dog but what about those situations?
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
In the Office Hours, I answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
My dog is a mini Aussie about 1 1/2 years old. She is dog and human reactive. I have been searching for a positive based training method and stumbled upon BAT and am very excited. We haven't yet been able to do a BAT setup. My question is this, how do I get my dog to stop barking at me and my family when we come home. I know she is barking out of excitement.
When on a walk my dog will look at me and whimper. I'm not sure what she is trying to tell me. I have been working with letting her choose where to go. Do you think she is looking for direction or maybe she doesn't like the environment? How do I help her love the outdoors? (She is 1 1/2 year old mini Aussie)
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
In the Office Hours, I answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
Do dogs know how much time is passing (ie when alone in house 1/2 hour vs 1-2 hours)
I like this! its fun. its like when my dad watches sports and they do highlight reels and play by plays except in this situation it actually benefits me because I understand. I would like more of this. Maybe students could send in videos of their dogs if they are interested in interpretations and doing this (what you are currently doing with your video) could be helpful
In the video that you showed with Zita, Bean and the other small dogs (last week), if one of these dogs were barking excitedly the entire time, would you consider that part of his/her play style, or would you consider the dog to be over threshold?
My dog is generally fearful, but gets snarly & lunges at dogs. BAT work is helping. I was wondering, however. Since he is also generally fearful around new people, would it be advantageous to have him meet the helper dog's 'handler' in a separate session before working with a new helper dog + handler?
We have known our neighbour since we both moved in (27-30 years) and have a great relationship. Her dog is also fearful reactive to dogs.We got new fences a few years ago that dont show through (each panel slides and snaps together so you cant see through). This cut down on the fence fighting although there is one spot where there is a bit of a peep under the fence where my dog will go to and freeze and then flip out.It seems to be he can hear and or smell that our neighbour dog is out side. Help! (from the ABBA Facebook group)
I also talked about:
Bean with cows and horses (video with cow)
Bean being a little snarky with a German Shepherd puppy (video)
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
The prize I was trying to locate for you guys was the SqueakNSnap bear, which lets you take a photo using a squeaky toy plugged into your phone. These are the prizes for the May Monthly Challenge.
Petzi Treat Cam, and the Pet Cube - Pawbo does look like a better option for video because it records and sends to dropbox and may have sound on the video. Petzi does not do video and Pet Cube does not have sound on the videos, but both have sound in live streaming. NOTE - I don't recommend using the laser feature with dogs on any of the devices. It can create obsessive-compulsive (OCD) light-chasing behavior that's very hard to get rid of. If it's just a short-term thing you might also just try setting up a Skype account for your dog and use your computer.
Building Blocks Members get instant access to video lessons, live Q&A, and more!
In the Office Hours, I answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
Hi Grisha, Can you help me select the best harness for my 9 lb poodle - she's very reactive to other dogs and squirrels!. I have been training with the sense-ation, front attach harness.
I have read, in your 2.0 book, that the perfect fit and balance are good. I don't think I am comfortable using the front and back attachments. Do you have a video that may help me use this type of harness.
I am not sure how to teach my dog not to guard things from other dogs. (not an issue with people) She guards her food, water, bones, toys (esp. squeaky). I don't bring her to my friend's apartment anymore because she guards things in their house from their dog. I manage the situation by keeping her separate from other dogs whenever these things are around, but I'm dying to work on it with her.
I also talked about:
Body language with a toy (chase/play and resource guarding between dogs) - play by play [I apologize for the funky sound on the second clip]
BATting myself for grief
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
In the Office Hours, I answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
Due to inexperience with loose-leash walking and fearful dogs, I've conditioned Sunrise to be a reluctant on-leash uphill walker (long story, I had some questions about this about a year ago but finally identified the issue - no medical issues and is fine off-leash). Any suggestions on counter-conditioning her distaste for uphills? It's unfortunately impossible to avoid them here 🙂
Our town has a dense population of urban wildlife, particularly deer, who live in wooded spots all over town in close proximity to our homes.
Deer can excite my dog as much as any dog. In the backyard, I've been working to desensitize her off-leash when
the deer surprise us. I would love to hear your thoughts on this for on and off leash training. Thank you.
I have a foster dog who's life goal is to eat anything that he can find, regardless of if it is edible or not. He was born with PRAA (had surgery in november) and just has a sensitive tummy so it is really important that I do not let him eat things. Especially the kitty poop that is hidden around my apartment complex.Last night I tried bringing him out on his muzzle in the hopes that it would prevent him from eating things. It worked great to stop him from eating the mushrooms that were growing, but when he found the poop all he did was smash his muzzle into it to eat it.Obviously this is disgusting. The only thing I can think to do would be to find another muzzle with a solid, flat front part. What do you guys think? I'm ready to pull my hair out here!
This same dog is obsessed with licking things inside the house as well. If I let him, he will lick my carpet (which is full of dog hair and my very long hair, which then gets caught up in his poop) all day long. I assume he is licking because of a tickle in his throat due to PRAA.If he is out of his crate, I spend the entire time watching him out of the corner of my eye so I can tell him to leave the floor alone. I allow him to lick inside his crate.
He has gotten better about not licking the floor in the past few months, but it is only because I spend every waking moment watching him and telling him to leave it. If I can't watch him I put him inside his crate. That includes just going to the restroom because he takes that opportunity to vigorously lick the floor under the chair I was sitting in. It gets old really quickly. What else do you guys think I can do about this?
I also talked about:
Advocacy for our dogs
Peanut's passing and what I am glad I did for him at the vet's office
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
In the Office Hours, I answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
When/why is it effective to lead in a walk?
In Basic Position in Bat with a small dog would it be okay to relax your shoulders and breathe, but still keep your hands up to avoid the leash going under the dog (and potentially getting tangled)?
BAT gives dogs a great opportunity to have canine friends. Can you please speak about why you think this is so important?
What are your suggestions for someone who is going to a community (for a few weeks) where there are off- leash dogs, and one next door that has little to no supervision ) runs through the yard and over the deck (#*!) ? My solution has been avoid and have my dog on-leash, and use BAT 2.0 at home to try to decrease reactivity to other dogs. My dog is improving but this situation is a concern!
Follow up on question from last Q+A. The question was about having 2 dogs meet, in the hopes of avoiding a fight.
When you described having your dog meet a second dog for a microsecond on leash, what you be your advice for preparing the dog you are handing to move in an urban space? I know you call it Mark and Move, but a microsecond is a very short time frame.
Could You please suggest a method to teach a dog not to eat any food from the ground or from the human without a presence of his owner? My client's dog is at risk of being poisoned by his neighbor when being left in the garden so we are looking for ways to prevent this. The ones I've found are unfortunately aversive ones, and I am not convinced of using them. Greetings from Poland.
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
In the Office Hours, I answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
I am hesitant to let my dog greet other dogs (both on leash) because I anticipating a wagging tail quickly followed with a snarl. I am doing the BAT 2.0 techniques with the leash skills and the farthest I am letting her go with it is to look at dog, followed by an appropriate behaviour and then moving away. I don't know how to interpret whether or not to go closer and often she wants to.
You said that you train a "A dog is coming," cue differently from " another cue that could mean for example "A person is coming", or a cue that means, 'Something in the environment is going to change.' Can you please explain how you have trained these to Peanut or Bean?
Thank you for sharing about Peanut's lymphoma on FB. Would you be comfortable explaining what his symptoms were and how you determined how you would treat it / what course to follow for treatment?
When on walks if Astra sees/hears something she's not sure about she'll look back at me. What should I be doing to best reassure her/show her it isnt anything to worry about? Camling signals, 'it's okay' cue, etc?
Could you explain the steps you would use to teach the dog to ask permission before they jump up on the bed, cough etc?
You spoke about not patting a dog' and saying, "It's okay," when a dog is in situation where he/she is not 'feeling okay'?
What would be a good team approach to 'avoid' this at the DVM both for the DVM and the vet. nurse?
What would be a good team approach to 'avoid' when the veterinarian or receptionist pats your dog on the head?
In the Office Hours, I answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
Hello Grisha! I have a 1.5 y/o aus. shepherd that has some sound sensitivity issues. I plan on doing counter conditioning--but, my question is: What is the best way to handle a larger dog that is mid-walk and is triggered by a sound (i.e. basketball bouncing)? I'm afraid bolting and dragging me all the way home is reinforcing because he gets home and feels "safe" but don't know what else to do.
I feel like I am constantly taking things out of my puppy's mouth (5 month lab). What can I do to get him to stop chewing everything!
My puppy rules the house already. He brings me the food bowl to say it's time to feed him, and I do. He sleeps in my bed. Is that okay?
My dog is becoming a cranky old man. He's 8 and when I pet him sometimes he groans or even growls at me. One time he even showed his teeth. Is there anything I can do about that? Or is it normal?
I have a dog that's really playful. A lot of other dogs seem to growl and snap at her but she's just trying to play. Should I do anything about it or just let them work it out?
I also talked about
Chemo in dogs
New body handling training for Peanut
Bucket list for your dog
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
In the Office Hours, I answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
I'm interested in what kind if positive training you can do with horses. I take my younger siblings horse riding and we've changed riding school due to the way the horses were treated (and I didnt think the horses there liked to riden). Is it possible to use only positive reenforement with horses? Have you done any work with horses?
I've been very protected of what other dogs Astra meets and as of yet, she's never really said hello to any dogs on our walks, mostly because I'm terrified I'll misread the other dog. I've taken her to 22 puppy classes which she's progressed through very well. She has an older adult dog friend who she gets on well with and we're doing on going classes (usually two a week). Is this enough?
Follow-up: If surprised or too close, Astra will get a barky and growl at dogs. Her confidence is improving, but she's still timid. My question is if I rarely allow her to say hi to dogs (close contact) on walks would this have a negative effect? You talk about dogs not always needing to have face to face greetings. If her main contact with dogs is at classes, will she get reactive on walks?
Can you please speak about the, "It's Okay" cue?
Can we do BAT set ups indoors? If so, what might a few examples of that look like? (Are there ways, for example, to help a very exuberant 10 month old female German Shepherd to learn to better handle her longing to be with (and often overcome) our senior smaller miniature poodle? I know of some things we can do together outside for BAT setups, but could use some ideas for inside.)
You have described Peanut as having reactive tendencies before your BAT work. How were you able to use him in your KPA classes and have other handlers hold his leash for exercises?
The person who is showing me how to use the 15ft leash is having the dog make the decisions, and I just follow her with the leash and let it out as far as she wants. This is fine when we have open space, but one, I live on a busy main street, and two, I am trying to have her not pull and when I put her back on a 5ft, she is at the end of the leash. Do you have any suggestions on having her not pull when I put her back on the short leash?
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
In the Office Hours, I answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
This was a special session where I shared video of two scenarios. One was a sequence of off leash greetings that I posted to the Facebook group. Links to the clips on Facebook: One, two, and three. (Must be logged into Facebook and a group member to see them)
ref. video 2 (B with other dogs). If you were able to repeat this situation, is there anything you would do differently to make Bean more confortable / not to growl? Is there a way to teach your dog in situ? For instance, would mark & move be useful? But then, isn't the growl in this situation OK as those dogs are over him?
Ref. video 2 (Bean meets the dogs).This is the exact type of situation where Boston will growl at other dogs. We've done BAT which helped but also avoiding as much as we can these situations. The issue is that I don't enjoy my walks anymore because I feel I'm constantly avoiding . So when/how do you know that it is OK to let them learn between themselves as you suggest on the video?
I also talked about:
Videos of a BAT set-up with coaching by Ellen Naumann, CBATI in Los Angeles
Videos of Off Leash greetings with a BAT dog
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
Please log in as a Pro member to see the recording of Grisha's March, 2016 interview with dog trainer, canine masseuse, TTouch practitioner, and canine fitness instructor Lori Stevens below.
If you are not yet a member, we hope you will join us for the live interviews and other great features of our school. Click here for membership info.
In the Office Hours, I answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
In follow up to Friday's question about dog walkers walking multiple dogs, what are your thoughts about meeting the dogs' needs when the multiple dogs being walked by the walker are off leash on an under-populated trail? Sunrise is terrified of these packs, your comments made me wonder if she's picking up on something from them. Typically the dogs are from different households.
One last question --you spoke about 'mimicry' with dogs. As a puppy, would Bean be most likely to mimic, Peanut, another puppy, (i.e. dog,). or you, as the purveyor of good things, (i.e. scritches, massage, food, play, etc.)?
A friend of mine has 2 rescue dogs. When they rescued the second dog they started having issues with marking behavior. Both dogs are neutered males. Niether are crate trained and may have a bit of separation anxiety. Assuming there are no urinary tract health issues would you work on crate training and strict supervision first? Possibly bellybands, but what if they rip those off?
I also talked about:
BAT leash skills in New York City (videos)
Adapting the BAT leash skills to use with a 50 foot long line (videos)
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
Belly bands for dogs can be disposable or washable.
In the Office Hours, I answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
Can you recommend any dog training curriculum software you like to organize training sequences for dog trying clients ? Thank you!
Great to meet you in NYC. Loved the Teamwork seminar! Great that Bean slept through. At the seminar, you said that humans tend to lead their dogs even when intentionally trying not to. How could one avoid leading their dog in a set-up, when your dog does not notice the decoy dog and you want to make sure your dog does?
When you showed the video of Bean on your bed in the hotel room waiting for the delivery, was Bean on the bed because you thought that he would be less likely to be scared of the delivery person if he was sitting on the bed, (i.e. at a higher level than on the floor?)
Ever since we took your class, we have practiced with a happy "Treat Party" / every single day in the park, with treats every single time. I notice from your video in Pennsylvania that Bean responds to your recall much more immediately at a longer distance. Should we try higher value treats?
When you showed Bean off leash, in the forest, you used a food reward that looked like 'bacon' on screen to lure him away from eating something in the forest. What was it?
What would your advice be for a person who wants to be a professional dog walker--should they train as a dog trainer or as a CBATI?
When on your trip, would you ever leave Bean alone in a hotel? Will you take him on your international trips?
What was/is the process for a dog to become a professional service-dog? Does Bean need to be zipped into his carry bag under the seat in-front of you for take-off and landing? What is the brand of the HUGE portable crate that you used for Bean?
Bean is so cute in all of your videos. When you are at home in a relaxed environment and during the course of the day you want to reward Bean for being calm or not barking etc., and you want to reward him with food, would you use medium stakes food, rather that it be his favorite thing ever to eat?
In the video with Peanut where he has a food puzzle that looks like a huge block, what was it?
What are your thoughts about dog coats and whether smaller dogs need them or not?
I have a colleague who wants to seek the help of a trainer both for behavior issues with his dog and also for non-compliance (toward the dog,) on the part of his family members, including his partner and children. He is procrastinating on seeking help because he heard that the longer the dog has been doing the behavior the longer / the more work it will be to train the dog new behaviors. Advice?
What is your advice for dog walkers who want to walk multiple dogs from different households, in a city, (not in a park,) at the same time in an urban area? Does it work?
Bean and Peanut look great together at home. What do you feed them from that glass bowl? I have not been able to find cheerios without sugar. Where do you purchase it from?
In the Office Hours, I answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video: [Not live because I'm traveling for the Teamwork seminar tour]
I just saw the interview with Helen Zulch and what hit home was the dog addict. Since we moved (he has had problems with stress) I focused on contact or unprompted check ins, but accidentally created a heeler. When it's dark, windy or wet the "all done" is not very effective and he gets frustrated if he doesn't get to heel and be rewarded. Should I let him choose on those days?
A friend allowed my puppy up on the couch while I wasn't watching. Now she jumps up on it. What's the best way to undo this?
Just a follow up on my couch jumping question, my puppy is mostly in her play pen so I have prevention in place. The couch jumping has happened when I have her out of the play pen for some training or a short break. I will probably do some sitting on the couch with her in a drop on a lead, but it's when she's on the couch, I'm not sure what's the best way to get her off.
Apologies if I missed this in a video, but did Bean travel with you in the passenger part of the plan and no cargo? Just curious. Do you recommend not travelling with your dog in cargo?
Is hiking with you dog off leash rewarding for the dog? Are they're any benifits? I've been on a couple of bushwalks with my puppy and she does a lot less sniffing, as she's making sure she keeps up with me. I walk fairly slow.
In your recent ' Premack Principle for squirrel chasing', you use the chasing as a reward [here and here in the Facebook group]. My question is how can you do a reverse of this using premack, if premack is possible in this scenario? So in teaching self control or steadiness exercises around other animals to NOT chase, can premack be applied? i.e might include dogs around livestock, gundogs not to chase game birds, cats on walks 🙂
Hi Grisha, I am currently working on, no excessive barking at the neighbors dog -which is in the back yard. Any tips that I can use to train her on quiet ( I am using "leave it" command). But wondered if I can teach quiet or no bark? -
The other dog does not bark back which is great. I usually have to manage the situation by bringing her inside
In the Office Hours, I answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video: [Not live because I'm traveling for the Teamwork seminar tour]
In the past I have avoided training automatic sits as a part of greetings for young puppies (I just used a 4 feet on the floor protocol instead), because I was concerned that the automatic sit would take away the puppy's choice to walk away or use their body language to communicate they were uncomfortable during those critical development times. Any thoughts?
I also talked about:
Trigger stacking and how to minimize stress for your dog during travel.
Teaching Bean to do a down-stay for someone coming to the door. I did live training of this for about 20 minutes in expectation of a real visitor. This session culminates in the delivery man arriving with my dinner at the hotel. We got a tiny little woof but he held the stay. Yay!
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
UltraCalm collar by Pet Acoustics (sold by the same company that sells the Pet Tutor, so you can use the grishastewart.com coupon at checkout to save 6.6%)
Next week is also recorded, and then I'll be home again for live Office Hours. Here is my seminar schedule.
Building Blocks Members get instant access to video lessons, live Q&A, and more!
In the Office Hours, I answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
I am new to practicing BAT 2.0 with my min rescue poodle. (She is reactive to other dogs). It seems when she see's another dog from afar (before threshold) she pulls towards the dog (her choice). Should I continue to use BAT 1.0 and reward (verbal or treat) when she looks at me and walk away? She's ok with a few small dogs in the neighborhood but there are some that she wants to stalk.
I´m doing BAT sessions with a female mixed pitbull and the last time it seems to be more closer to plastic dog, but still have some bad episodes on the week with some unleashed dogs. It was the fourth BAT with her. I´m afraid about doing well the BAT because it took more time than I expected to be closer to the dog, but she was wery fine with another dog on weekend, even she growled without react
my Border some times is reactive with neighbors, some others not. Even when we are in the car, he is reactive with some persons. I think he didn´t like to be with me in the car. What mental exercises can you suggest?
I also talked about:
training Bean to jump up on my luggage as a Safe Zone (demo throughout the office hours)
Dr. Helen Zulch and stress, including negative side effects of glucocorticoids.
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
The Animal World Superstars interview I mentioned with Helen Zulch was awesome! Click to view the recording if you are a Pro member.
Here's a link to the article I mentioned that Helen co-authored about stress in dogs and cats
In the Office Hours, I answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
We are formally converting our third bedroom (and old garage) into a full on mud/kennel room/office. How much consideration do you give the paint color in regards to what colors dogs can see? We do have one very anxious senior who is on Prozac and we use Hemp CBD as well. We are leaning towards a color called Pool Tile from Valspar, which is a lighter teal/blue.
We would like to be able to record visual and sounds of the dogs while we are gone. Since my office will he in there, we can use anything that connects to the desk top or wireless. I've read lots of weird hacking stories about various monitoring options, so would like it to be very secure from that.
There was a post a while ago in here [Facebook] about a remote treat dispenser for working on sep angst or other challenges. I think it was Grisha who had ordered one... any recommendations would be welcome. My wee girl seems to be escalating despite all the usual methods... need to find some way to engage her brain without being in the room. I've been considering this one...(Pawbo)
I also talked about:
BAT Leash skills in busy areas (like at the airport, with luggage)
Bean's trip
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
Colors - dogs see the world mostly in yellows, blues, and grays. Here's an Animal Wellness Magazine article on color therapy that may help.
I mentioned several remote treat dispensers. The Pet Tutor (use coupon code grishastewart for Free Shipping), Petzi Treat Cam, and the Pet Cube - Pawbo does look like a better option for video because it records and sends to dropbox and may have sound on the video. Petzi does not do video and Pet Cube does not have sound on the videos, but both have sound in live streaming. NOTE - I don't recommend using the laser feature with dogs on any of the devices. It can create obsessive-compulsive (OCD) light-chasing behavior that's very hard to get rid of.
The next Animal World Superstars interview for Pro members is with Dr. Helen Zulch from the UK on February 23 at noon PST.
In the Office Hours, I answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
Hi, Grisha. There is a school in front of my house, therefore a lot of noise daytime.The problem is that my dog gets very stressed when hearing those kids screaming , she just walks around the house growling, barking here and there..Haven't noticed that before as I am usually at work daytime. I was thinking leaving radio on to cover up those sounds.. Any other tips?
My client's dog behaves aggressively with other dogs sometimes, usually but not always with dogs bigger than him. He is a medium-sized pit bull terrier. He is also aggressive with wildlife, tangling with bears and raccoons and won't disengage. What are the most important things to do and consider in the face of selective aggression to other dogs and such a strong reaction to wildlife? Thanks.
In the Office Hours, I answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
my dog is reactive to entire male dogs. Is this a common thing? He is an 8 year old border collie x dog, neutered when he turned 7 by the rescue I got him from.
Hi! What is your answer if a client ask you to teach his dog to go off leash? I'm thinking about the other dogs on the walks...
following up on Kelly's question [from last week - about reconsolidation] do you start your sessions this way now ? ( 10 minute exposure) place away and start your session
did Bean initially bark like crazy when he saw a dog ? Does he read the signals of the other dogs well?
My girl has learned well a "thank you" cue for stopping barking. (i like her to bark for a short period of time) I am not getting a sustained stopping of barking. She barks - I say thank you and she comes to me for a reinforcer but once done finding her cookies on floor she goes back to door to bark more.. How can I get the barking to stop for longer?
another question , I feel lifting the dog up who wants up is fine. esp if they feel safe , others feel doing this makes the other greeting dog feel more frustrated as your dog is elevated . how would you handle the other dogs that may jump on you to get to be Bean?
not fully related to training, but I'm curious about what kind of diet you usually use for your dogs (kibble, wet, commercial raw, homemade raw, etc). thanks!
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
In the Office Hours, I answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
Hi Grisha! On the FB group, I asked how common it is for a dog not to wag its tail as a sign of 'hello/happy' when interacting with other dogs (my dog will usually wag his tail while barking as a warning sign). Some members replied that some dogs are like that. I was wondering (1) what was your thought? (2) Do you think it can be taught so that he learns to initiate plays w/ other dogs nicely?
How do you train a dog to pee on cue? If using a clicker for instance, would you click when he starts peeing or at the end? I have managed to teach my dog all sorts of cues but this one seems impossible.. He's house train but he'll take his time when we are out to pee and sometimes I sadly don't have the time for a walk and it would be great if he could do it on cue.
My 5 month dog tends to stop during leashed walks since day one. She walks next to me on loose leash, no pulling, but frequently she'll stop and look around (no triggers found so far). We've worked on "let's go" and giving in to gentle leash pressure, but often i have to wait. Apart from that, she's very good walking off leash and won't separate too much . Any advice?
I was watching Joseph LeDoux interview for the umpteenth time(it was sooo good) Can you explain your understanding of it in terms of a BAT set up or other training so I am clearer on it.
(What I am hearing is expose a fearful dog to the trigger (follow dog) at under threshold distance and then take a 10 minute break. Now go back and start a BAT Session)
Please log in as a Pro member to see the recording of Grisha's January, 2016 interview with dog trainer Emily Larlham below.
If you are not yet a member, we hope you will join us for the live interviews and other great features of our school. Click here for membership info.
Don't miss our February interview with Dr. Helen Zulch, behaviorist from the UK, of Puppy Life Skills fame. February 23, 12 noon to 12:45 pm PST. We also have some great upcoming online and in-person seminars.
In the Office Hours, I answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
I use the Mendota leash for BAT setups AND also for our daily walks. I often walk
out in a park where my dog has lots of room to roam (on leash.) There are areas where we transition from wide open space to narrow sidewalk beside traffic. I’m having difficulty with these transitions. Once we establish the long loose leash pattern of walking Lucy doesn’t want to walk beside me.
When it’s icy outside how can I teach my dog to move slowly so I don’t fall?
Have you any tips for helping a fearful dog relax in the garden if a neighbours dog is barking? Whats the best way to teach BamBam not to bark back if he hears next doors dog? We've not moved in yet so have a few weeks to work on it and the last thing I want to do is let him in the new garden to either hate being in there, or to just be really barky when outside.
Hi Grisha. I just finished watching BAT workshop. My dog Lola is a rescue, I believe here reactivity is down to bad socialization growling, lunging on leash then over excitement when she does meet other dogs. Of lease she lunges straight in, no manors. But this is not with every dog of leash. When under training until issue is resolved would Lola not be allowed to greet other dogs?
My puppy seems to like belly rubs a lot. When she meets new people she'll sometimes go into a belly roll. I don't know whether it is a good thing or it means she's scared. Often she doesn't move immediately away from the person. Could I read this as a 'i love belly rubs' behaviour? How can I know when she's scared? Ears back, etc?
I have a client with two one year old German Shepherds, littermates. About a month ago one of the dogs started behaving obsessively. He chases his tail and runs around things like cars and trees all day long. What is the best way to help this dog stop this heartbreaking behaviour? Thank you!
I also talked about:
Off Leash BAT
Play time with dogs doing splitting to calm down others' play
And Bean was a goofy nut with his new crate - watch him at about 22:20
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
Walk With Me - feature film (streaming video, also available on DVD from Tawzer)
In the Office Hours, I answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
I'm trying to do a BAT setting to work with my dog who's reactive with puppies. My main issue is that my dog will react to a puppy that comes running towards him. Any advice on how I can do the setting to teach him that a puppy running towards him it's ok? I know BAT needs to be boring , how do you manage that when the puppy is not calm and that's what makes Boston reacts.
My neighbour has two dogs, one human-freindly, but dog aggressive and one who I've always avoided because it's given aggressive behaviour in the past. As I was patting the human-friendly dog today, the other was watching me, ears pinned back, winning and straining towards us. I didn't know how to read that. Can wining be related to aggression?
I've seen your video where you talk about toilet training and how you have two cues for the two functions. I'm a bit confused as to how that works. Does the dog learn which you want and does it? What is the advantage of two cues?
We walk our dog on a field and most of the time can stay well away from other dogs. When we haven't left enough space, BamBam lies down facing the oncoming dog. We try everything we can to get him up and moving but nothing works except for pulling him away. Usually, 'find it' and 'lets go' work when he is under threshold but what to do when he is over threshold?
In one of your videos you said you tied a kong to the end of Peanut's lead. Did it encourage him to chew on your lead? How would your prevent that?
Hi Grisha, may I have some advice on how to force free training my dog to enjoy his shower? We only have a bath tub with a shower jet. So he can't freely come in and out of it. We've tried adding some cheese in a tube (cheese paste?) and treats while washing him. But he still doesn't enjoy it and will go to his bed where he knows we won't bother him when it's bath time... Many thanks!
I was recently reading about oral hypo sensitivity in humans (leads to a lot of chewing and biting behavior in kids) and it reminded me of retrievers. Have you ever seen any research on oral hypo sensitivity in dogs as it relates to chewing, mouthing, licking, carrying toys frequently, or coprophagia?
You always have creative solutions. My dog has shy tendencies and does not like things over his head. He had a hot spot on the his lower hock, (i.e. very far from his mouth.) I treed to use soft and gentle cones, to prevent him from biting it, but they were not long enough, so had to use the traditional one from the DVM. Any, other ideas for the future?
Have you ever tried BAT where the client dog very small such as a Chihuahua? How would you work that out? What size helper dog would you use? How would you work on food rewards, if the dog became full easily?
Part 2-DVM cone shaped collar
Day one of my dog wearing the transparent plastic cone collar, (only) large dogs have been growling or barking at him. What could they be responding to? Small dogs have not.
Maybe you have any suggestions about stressless vaccination? Couldnt do it today as my dog is too afraid due to recent painful nail clipping. I have two weeks until the next shot. My plan is to go to the clinic everyday to desensitize, do you have any tips? the vet cannot even touch her, I'm considering doing the shots myself.. thanks!
Hi Grisha, do you have any tips how to train the stay (especially long duration) with a very active / excited dog? Thanks
Many people say that this is good, for dogs with shy tendencies, (not in competition.) What are your thoughts and why do you think it works? Could it be part of a BAT set up?
If a dog has shy and reactive tendencies and is also 'velcro' dog around his owner, would that make sense to you?Would you see it as something that needs modification, if the dog does not have separation anxiety when his owner is not home.
If by misfortune, my dog pins down another dog. What would you recommend me to do? Would you remove my dog and ignore the behaviour
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
Real Dog Yoga webinar. All members get discounts on registration for our live and recorded online seminars.
In the Office Hours, I answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
i have conditioned my dog to the door bell and he no longer barks at that but he has moved onto barking when we speak to the person at the door and he also barks at us as we get up to answer the door how do i stop this. thank you
Just a thought about projecting your dog from other dogs, if you had a not friendly dog (off leash) came racing up to yours, could your train your dog to leap up into you arms for those occasions? Would that be empowerment or do you think it could create a negative association?
Bean and Peanut are so adorable together. What happens if Bean rings the bell to be let out of his crate and no one is at home, to let him out?
Or, do you take the bell away when no one is at home?
My client is pregnant and expecting their newborn in May, Im helping them prepare there dog with obedience training and socialization to the new noises that come with a newborn(crying etc.). Anything else you would recommend?
My dog TT is doing a chin over behaviour with other dogs. He's a big dog and puts his chin on the shoulders or back of another dog. They don't like it but he's not very good at taking the hint. I ask him to leave it when he does it, not always successfully as he gets very excited. Any insight into this behaviour? He is 6 and likes other dogs.
7 month old female has a very strong Coprophagia behavior. She will poop on a walk and as soon as she's unsupervised, will poop in the house and eat it. She will poop multiple times in the backyard, come inside and if allowed back outside, will immediately poop/eat. I've given her instructions about management and training but welcome your suggestions to make sure I'm not missing anything.
I have seen other dogs put their heads under another dogs chin what do you think they want to achieve with this?
How do you think puppies and adult dogs should be introduced? Should puppies be kept away from most adult dogs to avoid potential fights?
Does doing a lot of BAT from an early puppy age make the dog be ore aware of where you are and stay closer to you off leash?
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
Real Dog Yoga webinar with Jo-Rosie Haffenden is this afternoon. All members get discounts on registration for this live online seminar.
Please log in as a Pro member to see the recording of Grisha's December, 2015 interview with Greg McKeown below.
If you are not yet a member, we hope you will join us for the live interviews and other great features of our school. Click here for membership info.
Don't miss our January interview with Emily Larlham (Kikopup on YouTube). January 26, 12 noon to 12:45 pm PST. We also have some great upcoming online seminars.
In the Office Hours, I answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
How can I avoid separation anxiety? I wear the same work uniform for work every day. My usual routine is get dressed, make lunch and breakfast then go to work. When I get my puppy, should I establish this routine with her (I'll have holiday time off to help her settle in), i.e. dress in my work clothes but not leave the house? How do I prevent it happening when I work?
Very excited about your cross-country training sessions, minus dogs. Can you please describe in more detail? How many participants will be at each event?
I know you demo's 'Leave it' and 'Take It' with Bean a few weeks back on the Q&A. Can you please talk about translating leave it, when one's dog comes upon a tasty treat in the street? The 'Leave it' at home, does not appear to translate to my dog in the new and unexpected context.
With noise desensitization (audio recordings) could you string a few noises together and slowly increase the volume?
Bean playing catch it is amazing. How do you actually teach it?
When applying BAT 2.0 to dogs are overly aroused and super excited to see people or other dogs would all the same principles apply? Are there any alterations to the technique or suggestions that you'd make for those dogs in particular?
How do I get my little puppy interested in me and treats when we are out.
She is 10 week. And only interested in small branches and other things like that.
Inside much better. But only 2 or 3 times then she loose interest
Special topics:
I did a demo of treat catching with Bean
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
Real Dog Yoga webinar with Jo-Rosie Haffenden is December 15. All members get discounts on registration for this live online seminar.
In the Office Hours, I answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
I believe that in the language of the exposure therapy researchers ... there is a similarity between "extinction " as they use the word and counter-conditioning as we would.ie that the "memory path" connected to a stimulus gets relearned, establishing a different path ... (and the original path still exists, but is lessened in "strength")
Great video of Bean testing out the boots on the snow. Could a person teach that skill to an adult dog? What brand are the boots? They look really good!
Is there any behaviour issues with getting the runt of the litter? Anything to watch out for?
The puppy I've tentatively chosen from the litter seems to have less fur on her nose area (I don't think there were any noticeable bald patches). I've been told this will require suncream to prevent sunburn and cancer. Have you had any experience with this? Is it manageable to live with a dog like this?
My last dog was very territorial and couldn't handle people hugging me or me mucking around with my little brother whose nine (pillow fights, wrestling). How can I train my new puppy to know that this behaviour is okay?
Until what age, on average do you think that dogs can still learn novel ideas?I do not mean tricks, but new skills or new cues?
I was playing fetch and tug with a dog this week. She would bring the toy to me and then when I went to pick it up, she'd pounce on it and it would become a tug game. From her body language (slow wag, ears forward, no growl) I didn't think it was resource guarding, but can tug games be mis-interrupted?
Any suggestions re coping mechanisms when we're in a position that's inescapable and beyond what I've trained Sunrise to handle? Think icy driveway/running to breakfast on taut leash. I didn't have time to "BAT" breakfast or train a strong enough hand target (heel) before our driveway turned to ice, and now I have a confused pulling dog who doesn't know why her human won't run with her.
Multiple dog household resource guarding, when the resource is me. Any tips?
Hi! I have a Border Collie Male with 5 years old and recently we moved from city . He has shown great reactivity toward people who visit us . I can´t see what triggers the behavior, as sometimes happens with people in the street too, but others dont. Last week we went to play with frisbee and he saw a gardener and barked very frantically. We started playing with the idea of having another routine.Follow-up: forgot to mention that he don´t like to see people running or my husband going away when we are in the park. I think that I have to teach him to stay calm under different triggers.
Special topics:
I did a demo of tug with Bean
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
Real Dog Yoga webinar with Jo-Rosie Haffenden is December 15. All members get discounts on registration for this live online seminar.
Dog boots:
Here are the silicone dog boots I had in the video. I liked how it was easy for him to get his own paw into them. But I think they aren't warm enough.
The toys you saw on the video were the Holee Roller (with a GoDog Dragon toy stuffed inside and the one I tugged with was a dinosaur from Kong that I don't see online. No "chewproof" soft toy has proven to be chewproof in my house, though. 🙂
Building Blocks Members get instant access to video lessons, live Q&A, and more!
In the Office Hours, I answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
When my dog gets wet, either from rain or from a bath, (which he does not enjoy,) he is very cuddly and physically playful. Normally, he is more inhibited about this kind of physical interaction. Is this common?
Looking into buying a dog crate for my puppy. Should you have two crates, one for home, one for in the car, or could you use one soft fabric type crate for both scenarios?
Is it best to travel with a dog in a car crate and train a puppy to like this, instead of on sitting on back seat or in car boot?
Where is the best place to set up my puppy's play pen and crate within my house? I have a small living room (the most ideal pace), tiny bathroom and spare room. I want to focus on training the puppy to be left alone as I work during the day. Should I put the puppy in the living room or spare room?
If your dog barks at a some trigger out of fear or frustration and you give your dog a treat, do you reinforce the barking? The food is not reinforcing that emotion, but what about the behavior?
Today we were working with BAT and the "decoy" dog was becoming restless, jumping up and wanting to play. This was very exciting for Lucy. So we intuitively and spontaneously changed our pattern and started moving more parallel, not walking, more like figure 8's....to give him a break. My question is -is it ok to change the basic circular BAT pattern? What would you have done?
Special topics:
I talked about some of the points from Joseph LeDoux's interview and work, especially reconsolidation and the possible benefits of "compound extinction" - working with more than one trigger stimulus simultaneously. This also brought some follow-up questions.
Can you explain how Joseph was using the word extinction?
Would exposure to multiple dogs be related to flooding?
Is this the same kind of extinction burst that isn't favored on Susan"s hierarchy?
To pull up the memory, are you trying for arousal or just under threshold exposure to the trigger?
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
In the Office Hours, I answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
How do you divide your time between Peanut and Bean together and individually, to make sure that you can work with them on individual skills?
Following my previous question about 'find the treat' and your explanation, I have a client who asked me if the fact of teaching her dog to look for treats (on cue or not), wouldn't encourage him to scavenge?
My dog is eating poop. She only does it in the winter, and she brings them inside! What can I do to get her to stop this disgusting habit? (coprophagia)
Special topics:
Bean's dog boots
Office hours switching to just Tuesdays from now on
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
Which of the videos here outlines a good training plan for an adopted dog with key skills to train?
When do you begin to use "all done" -cue with the crate training, when the dog wants out of the crate but you deny it?
If you have a dog and want to adopt another, what is the best way to introduce the two dogs, length of time needed to judge to tell if it will be a match?
Hello, My dog and I have joined a Responsible pet program which involves visiting schools teaching kids how to be safe around dogs. Spice needs to stand for pats being stroked from neck to base of tail. The children approach her. She stands still but tail is a bit low. How would you approach training her to love this? Thank you 🙂
I'm bringing home a puppy and preparing for the house training stage. I had a high reactive dog who was rehomed because of dangerous aggression, one triggers was my back yard with two aggressive next door dogs. Kept my previous dog inside while at work. Will be home for the puppy for a few weeks, but what happens when I go to work, toilet training wise, if he's an inside dog? No dog flap.
For toilet training a puppy in an apartment situation (plus having to leave the house for work), does the fake grass system work? Is there other ways to house train?
Hi Grisha, I've taught my dog the cue 'find treat'. It works really well to distract him. He gets VERY excited when he hears it. So I wonder if that level of excitement isn't counterproductive with the idea of calming him? Thanks 🙂
(Follow-up for Spice) Would teaching Spice to target something ( target stick) while being patted be something you would try- so when she stops targeting the kids are instructed to stop patting?
Special topics:
Bean's new crate
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
Bean's new travel crate is technically for a medium-sized dog, but I like to use large crates for longer confinement. This is the largest that fits in my car. I also mentioned I'm covering it with fleece and a Space Blanket when he's alone in the car, with a seat heater underneath the crate. He is seat-belted in (not in the crate) when the car is moving.
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
How do I motivate a prey-driven, social greeting driven dog to want to pay attention to me on walks and in public? The dog wants nothing to do with food when she is interested in these other things.
My puppy keeps stealing my socks. How can I get him to stop doing that?
View the list of upcoming BAT Chats for pro members of ABBA. The first one is today, November 12. Participating by watching, sharing video, etc. is a great way to improve your BAT skills.
Building Blocks Members get instant access to video lessons, live Q&A, and more!
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
An Animal Welfare Act has been approved in a second Canadian province to outlaw animal ear cropping and tail docking. I know that this is also true in certain European cities where you have taught. Do you think that this might become law in some (or all,) American cities also?
Watched the great Eric Brad recording! Imagine that this is hard to estimate, but if a person went from being a traditional trainer to being a positive reinforcement trainer with the same dog, what would / could the reaction be in the dog initially? And, how long could it take the dog to buy in?
My 3 year old Border collie cross is extremely fearful of parachute jumpers and wind surfers on the beach. We have to run off the beach. I have bought a kite and have been able to get her used to it on the ground but she gets very anxious when it lifts 1-2 meters off the ground. After she has seen a kite or parachute jumper she scans the sky for 2-3 days. She is ok with aeroplanes 🙂
Last week, in the Q& A. I think that you said, 'That you train for life?" Does that mean that you will be training Bean and Peanut for their entire lives?With Peanut and dogs who are older, would you recommend, teaching new and slightly more challenging things to them, related to their skill set?
Jump up for Bean. Thanks for that great demo.What do you think about teaching this for small dogs to be on a box or table for cooperative care?Would that be more comfortable for a small dog, or is it the same of the owner sits on the ground or floor?
I run a dog daycare and when a new dog comes in, everybody rushes to the fence and starts barking. What are some ways to get that to stop?
I'd like to do some concept training with my dog. How to you teach a dog left or right? What else can you teach?
Special topics:
Training with positive training but then using corrections when the dog "knows it."
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
View the list of upcoming BAT Chats for pro members of ABBA. The first one is Thursday, November 12. Participating by watching, sharing video, etc. is a great way to improve your BAT skills.
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
Cousins have an intact, puppy mill, mini-poodle in their building who has not been trained and has sadly bitten people and other dogs. If the family who own him had him neutered do you think he might develop less fearful and aggressive tendencies or would that not change without training?
BAT for a hyper-greeter/jumper. I'd appreciate advice on implementing BAT in a very small apartment for a 4-year-old female bulldog who is unable to calm down when guests come over (jumping/licking/in your face) for over 2 hours! We have started working on Dr. Overall's relaxation protocol, self-control (choice) exercises, etc. I've recently purchased the BAT 101 and Barking Mad courses and read through them (haven't started practicing with her yet). I'm just not clear on how to implement the techniques in our tiny apartment since I have the feeling that if I use Mark & Move I will increase her frustration if I move away, and if I use moving a step towards the guest as a reward for relative calm, she will also not be able to handle it.
My dog is biting at the vacuum cleaner. How can I fix that?
I am thinking about getting another dog. How many is too many? I have 4 already.
When I teach Stay, I'm seeing some stress signs. Should I worry about that? If so, what should I do?
Special topics:
Bean Jumping into my arms (talked through the jumping video)
Answering Facebook question related to my barking video: Grisha, do you think Bean thought that barking was part of a shaping exercise even though he did not get reinforced or was he already frustration barking before this video? I was wondering if he thought maybe it was a behavior chain not negative reinforcement. I've noticed that some dogs with extensive shaping backgrounds often get into some odd superstitious behavior and chains.
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
View the list of upcoming BAT Chats for pro members of ABBA. The first one is Thursday, November 12. Participating by watching, sharing video, etc. is a great way to improve your BAT skills.
Building Blocks Members get instant access to video lessons, live Q&A, and more!
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
Wondering your thoughts on amputation of a rear limb for a cat. Looking for your input from emotional/quality of life/behavior/adjustment tips perspective. We aren't sure if we will need to but the vets assure us that "cats adjust just fine." Our kitty doesn't have front claws (a move I regret but didn't know better at the time.) In case that's a factor.
If I cue my dog to go to her place when she's feeling uncomfortable around our soon-to-be crawling kiddo, and then reinforce her for going to that place- will that help her learn to retreat when she's uncomfortable? Plan A is to manage kid 100% of the time to keep her away from dog but I like the idea of teaching Sonar a skill that gives her some control as well.
Based on the example that Susan gave in her talk about traveling being exciting or draining depending emotions as an antecedent- does it follow that using abrupt interrupters like "NO!" actually lessens the likelihood that your dog will be able to follow the next cue?
Munich the Doberman is healing from a severe UTI and a round of strong antibiotics. He's lost his appetite and really only wants to eat when he's working. He will eat pretty readily when the food is a reward for a cue. The vet has cleared him healthwise so do you have any suggestions for returning to eating from a bowl again. We have tried different kibbles and raw to entice him-no luck.
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
My dog has shy tendencies, (he shuts down when there are too many novel stimuli, too many choices. We have been doing the BAT leash work and your assignments for 15 months. Maybe he is anxious on city walks from being able to make too many choices in areas when there is too much stimulation?? What would you recommend--for example LLW, 'Touch' 'Heeling'?
Crates: I have read in the past that crate sizes should be (x) times the size of your dog, i.e. much smaller in relation to the dog's size. I noticed in the YouTube video you showed in the Q+A last Tuesday, that Bean's crate is much larger than he is. Can you please talk about what you think is the right size create for a dog?
Is your 'Modern Dog Training' talk--How do we sign up for it?
Trying to 'problem solve by using,' LLW, 'Touch', as an experiment to see if this structure reduces the stress of from walking in urban areas... But, his response it to take treats more 'frantically', (i.e. super fast, intense, tapping my hand harder,) which may indicate more anxiety?
He is acting hungry to starving all of the time?
No medical cause.
Special topics:
Summary of answers to the questions that I was going to ask Susan Friedman during her Animal World Superstars interview: What are some common mistakes made by trainers who are experienced but not familiar with behavior analysis?What are some mistakes made by behavior analysts that are not experienced with hands on work with that species?Behavior Analysis applies to all species of learners. When you are working an animal behavior case, do you ever stop and do a formal functional assessment of the caretaker’s behavior?
Beck: Your Humane Hierarchy prompts me to try to reframe society's long-held beliefs about the behaviors of all species. I wondered if you could comment on "cry it out sleep training" for human infants.
Alexandra: I have a dog that whines incessantly while travelling in the car. How do I address this and get him to be quiet?
Who do you want for your next guests on Animal World Superstars?
Training Bean
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
BAT has really improved my reactive, however I feel like my calm dog has been tagging along on a lot of the reactive dog stuff and has not had the chance to do activities that suit her. Do you have any advice/suggestions on how to juggle training schedules so that both have a fair chance to spend quality training time while still making steady progress with the reactive one.
My dog with shy tendencies has a strong and positive reinforcement history for the cue 'find it', with our BAT work. Now I want to reinforce him to 'leave it,' ( to avoid eating food on the street and in the park.) He is confused. Can you make any suggestions?
In BAT setups you let your dog greet the decoy dog. How does the dog know in real life whether he is allowed to greet the other dog walking towards us or not? Or does the greetings in setups bring this kind of problems at all? Do the dogs begin to want to greet other dogs?
BAT setup is easier when the decoy dog is sitting the whole time. Should there be more movement in some setups or not necessary?
With two shy, but friendly dogs, would you use ninja BAT to let them greet? How abot two puppies, who both are shy, but friendly. How to let them greet?
My dog, who is very people friendly, is reactive whenever another dog behaves reactively towards another person.This is particularly the case with dogs he knows and looks up to. He then barks and lunges back and forth (conflicted). At this point, his amazing recall fails (though I can call him off a running deer!).Can BAT help with this?
Special topic:
All Done signal
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
Dr. Susan Friedman was today's guest at the Animal World Superstars interview session for pro members.
View the list of upcoming BAT Chats for pro members of ABBA. The first one is November 12. Participating by watching, sharing video, etc. is a great way to improve your BAT skills.
Topics for questions: Fundamental principles of learning and behavior (Behavior Analysis) and how to apply that learning to all species, Humane Hierarchy (she wrote it), bird care and training. Also see the research info below.
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
Can you talk a little bit about doing following-BAT? I had some opportunities to do this ninja-style today. Since moving toward the trigger is ok when following... Should I watch for arousal differently?
When you have done a successful setup with the decoy dog, would it be good now to practise everyday walks with the decoy dog? And how would you practise? Parallel walkings?: walking directly toward each other, following the other.
Welcome back! I know that you spoke about snuffle park experience, and I cannot remember in which section it was here. I queried it and looked in the online classes that I am in. Can you please re-post the link?
This question is about Peanut and Bean. When people, give more attention to Bean, (as a puppy,) how do you balance this for both dogs to avoid jealousy?
For people with dogs with shy tendencies, how do you recommend evaluating a helper dog to practice with, (not to adopt,) who can help the dog with the shy tendencies to practice?
The best way to introduce two dogs to each other is off leash? What is another one is a shy one?
Special topic:
What's the best way to talk to people about their own dogs when they don't know they need help
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
Snuffle Park - here's the Karen Bailey video I mentioned.
Dr. Susan Friedman is our next guest at the Animal World Superstars interview session for pro members.
View the list of upcoming BAT Chats for pro members of ABBA. The first one is this month! Participating by watching, sharing video, etc. is a great way to improve your BAT skills.
Building Blocks Members get instant access to video lessons, live Q&A, and more!
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
All of that travel sound exciting! Bean got so big! Can you please talk about day to day difference that you saw between dogs in domestic life in Europe and in the US?
When multiple dogs live together how much do their behavior and states of mind influence the other/s? I see that if one of my 2 dogs react to something the other one is likely to do the same. My female also seems to mirror my male dogs emotional state. He doesn't seem to be as effected by her.
When dog is friendly but shy with other dogs, in BAT setups there is no problem greeting the decoy dog as in a while they want to circle to the decoy dog. Is it good to greet the decoy dog in first BAT setup? Shoud parallel walking be done with strange dogs? No greetings?Part II: With a friendly, but shy dog, would it be good to do a paraller walking without greeting (get used to walking with a strange dog) and then continue with BAT kind of sniffing in a large grass area with greeting?
I live in a downtown area and my dog is very good about dogs there. When we visit my mom in the country, he barks at other dogs? Why is this and what can I do about it?
What do you do if your dog is about to lunge out at another dog or person? (Say you are surprised)
Special topics:
Importance of warm-up session for BAT set-ups
Monthly Challenge: tooth brushing
Check out the play video with Bean and Peanut at the end
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
Dr. Susan Friedman is our next guest at the Animal World Superstars interview session for pro members.
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
Could you tell more about Contextual reactivity?
What's the best way to recover after an incident of barking or fighting?
My friend and I want to introduce our dogs. What's the best way to do that? They are not reactive but I want to see what you would advise.
Can you talk about the BAT chats a little? What kind of video do you want?
What do you think about training conferences that allow dogs to attend? I'm planning on going to one but am not sure I should bring my dog?
Special topics:
BAT as a way of life, versus a technique for specific training
Bean toilet-papering my house
Update on Bean and Peanut interactions (with some body language questions for the ABBA Facebook group)
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
Dr. Susan Friedman is our next guest at the Animal World Superstars interview session for pro members.
View the list of upcoming BAT Chats for pro members of ABBA. Participating by watching, sharing video, etc. is a great way to improve your BAT skills.
Building Blocks Members get instant access to video lessons, live Q&A, and more!
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
It is my understanding that many countries do not crop ears and tails of dogs, while the US still does.
Can you please share any insights on this?
Hi Grisha, would you be able to write the names of the equine trainers/behaviorists that Katie mentions? I tried google, but don’t think I’ve got the spelling right.
Can't seem to teach 'off' without 'chaining' it...any suggestions?
My dog keeps jumping up whenever someone comes home. How do I teach him to stop doing that?
NOTE: Be sure to watch for the end for a fun bonus. To ponder: why did I back away with Bean after the recall? There are a few reasons.
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
Check out the Empowered Equestrians Facebook group - nearly every single R+ horse trainer is on it, and the group can point people in a lot of directions for further education.
I talked about how to give your dog more interaction. The Petzi Treat Cam is one of the gadgets that lets you dispense treats online to your dog. I haven't tested it though.
Please log in as a Pro member to see the recording of Grisha's September 22, 2015 interview with Theresa McKeon below.
If you are not yet a member, we hope you will join us for the live interviews and other great features of our school. Click here for membership info.
Topics for questions: TAGteach, teaching skills to people
"One of the things I love about Theresa is that she's not one to rest on her laurels. She is always looking for ways to keep improving. Her techniques for teaching people were outstanding 10 years ago, but now they are even better." - Grisha
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
"Shh be quiet." I am advance planning before training. I am concerned about behaviour chains. As in a dog working out I get reinforced
for being quiet on the Shh cue and I can make the Shhh cue happen by barking. Tips on avoiding this please?
During a BAT setup is staring from the student dog at the decoy dog
an ok thing (because she might eventually disengage on her own?) or a not so good thing (because she might bark)? Lucy wants to stand and stare and will sometimes disengage. Perhaps if the line is so fine that kissy
noise or Mime could excite too much then I can assume I’m too close to the other dog…?
What are your thoughts ?
I went over some topics of my own:
Contextual reactivity
Why we want to avoid the label of "aggressive dog" or "shy dog"
Rant: Socialization as something we DO to the dog versus an opportunity we create
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
What if you have to put pressure on the leash to "lead" them away?
I recently took my reactive puppy to a supposed "positive reinforcement" trainer because he said that he was experienced handling reactivity. However, he told me that if she ever tried to bite him (she has not tried to bite anyone, btw), he would allow her to bite his gloved hand, then force his fist down her throat. Is this normal? I feel like I should find a different trainer.
My puppy is great when walking in busy city. But when walking in our own quiet street, she barks and jumps when seeing a person or a dog. This barking begins as soon as the puppy sees the person and hard to make it stop 🙂
How is Peanut doing? (In answer, I talked about Peanut's food intolerance results from the cool Nutriscan test)
I went over some topics of my own:
Zig-Zag version of Mark and Move for frustration, predation, and generally pulling on leash
Rant about how "positive" trainers should apply empowerment principles and maximize reinforcement / avoid positive punishment when looking to change human behavior
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
If your dog likes to chase e.g. birds, deers, and you keep him on a long leash (10m). What should be done when the dog sees the prey? Should you give him a cue like "sit", "wait" or recall? Or how to practise using the long leash that the dog begins to listen the owner? What if dog gets too excited and can´t listen, so you can´t get any better but of course the dog can´t chase (long leash).
With BAT with your own dogs, what types of responses to triggers have been intellectual responses where they make a choice to react in a certain way because they have learned that this achieves their desired outcome ? And what responses do you feel were involuntary responses, like a reflex action to a trigger ? And your thoughts on BAT for reflex actions and intellectual responses.
what is the cost of the on line webinar you sent out notification about?
I went over some topics of my own:
Play time with Bean
Zig-Zag version of Mark and Move for frustration, predation, and generally pulling on leash
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
I went over some topics of my own:
Videos of puppy Bean playing with his (ridgeless) Rhodesian Ridgeback friend (regular speed and slow motion). I talked through the body language and discussed self-handicapping during dog play.
Training and enrichment for senior dogs.
Videos of Bean camping with his dog friend Lily.
Rant: dog collars high on the neck are 'effective' because they're painful.
Which camera do you use?
Do you see pieces come off your antler chews?
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
The two clips of Koa and Bean playing yesterday are Here and Here on My YouTube Channel (please feel free to share those on Facebook and such)
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
If your dog freezes when another dog comes by, you should call your dog away? I sometimes see dogs that sit or lie down when we come by and the owner can't get them to move. Should the owners call the dogs away? Those are calming signals (sit and down)?
I talked about several topics:
Introducing my dogs to my friend's dog for a camping trip, building up to off leash interaction with BAT.
Functional assessments (antecedent, behavior, consequence) and how I'm using that to work on my puppy chasing our cat.
How dogs will stay for attention and petting even when it's annoying or scary.
Accidental punishment when you meant to give a reinforcer, and how that often sabotages coming when called.
Training all the time in little bits vs. set training times.
When we practice for desensitization near cars, Lucy, who is good with a relaxed leash, speeds up once the car passes us. Do you think this behavior points to being too close to the cars?
This discussion about the cat is very helpful. I was taught to build duration but that's requires the animals to be still Which doesn't happen often.
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
Whoa. Fixed action patterns. Where can I read more about those?
I just watched your off-leash-hiking video from a few years ago, it was helpful. Do you have any suggestions for keeping your dog closer while hiking off-leash? Sunrise loves to take off at high speeds to explore - thankfully her recall is pretty good. What can we do to keep her closer?
Is whining always sign of a stress?
When your dog´s tail is wagging but body is stiff, this is good time to call your dog? Why is the tail wagging? 🙂 Usually when the tail is wagging, it is a good sign.
Can you please speak a little about different countries' practices vis-á-vis of spay and neuter, and how we can find out more information? How is it that intact male dogs do not fight?
#bat . dog reactive dog, goes through all stages of BAT and becomes great friend playmate with 1st stooge dog, who made play invitations. 2nd stooge dog weeks later. progress Through BAT stages, all set ups, over weeks. Get to a certain distance, and reactive dog just looses interest in other dog. Just wants to play with handler, toys etc. Stooge dog very calm, and relaxed, but has no interest
What do I do if my dog is rubbing his butt along the floor?
I talked about crate training and the All Done cue.
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
You said that he is intact. Do you plan to neuter him? At what age?
BAT with Lucy in her wire crate in the car. (She's very reactive to dogs in the street.)
I'm turning around...giving her treat for quiet. Moving the cover back and forth when I can...could you share some more ideas about how to work with this? Thanks!
We have an intact adult mini-poodle in our building. The dogs appears to have fear and reactivity issues. The male owner uses a retractable leash. The dog lunges out at other dogs and at owners who pick-up their dogs whenever the dogs sees dogs or people. What could be a tactful and gracious way to manage this? No one else in the building is taking action, although this is stressful for the mini-poodle and all other building dogs... including mine.
When a dog is trigger stacked or a situation has occurred where he/she gets stressed, what are the best tools to help the dog relax again and reclaim balance? Sometimes it happens that the trigger or the situation is no longer there, but the dog still feels stressed.
You mentioned in a previous broadcast that temperament is generally "set" by the age of 3. If a person were looking for a good family dog age 3 or older through a shelter, what type of tests or traits would help them make a good decision? (Family = small children.)
Reviewing focus "watch me" and Lucy stares at the treat. How do I get her attention away from the treat and back to looking at me? Or does that even matter?
(RE Find It in the trigger stacking question) It would seem like the dogs would still know where the food came from due to scent on the food. Were there any theories on why it was more relaxing if they didn't see the food scattered by the handler?
I talked about the PetCube and how I used it to stop Peanut from barking at Bean while I was out at dinner.
I went over a video of Bean playing with some small dogs, and how the trainers running it do a great job facilitating confident players.
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
PetCube is the one I have but there are also other two-way audio cameras, like the Fujicam and the Petzi Treat Cam that lets you dispense treats! Those two have better reviews than the Petcube. That's probably better than trying to combine the Petcube and the Manners Minder or Pet Tutor (Pet Tutor is the only one with remote capabilities, just be sure to get the Bluetooth add-on). For the Pet Tutor, you can use our special coupon code grishastewart.com to save $25 on the floor base model.
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
It is a shelter's mission to get dog adopted.
Would you recommend that shelters or some other profit or non-profit organization counsel people in the realistic costs associated with adopting / owning a dog? Training, food, toys, crate, veterinary visits, exercise etc. Or, is is better to leave it to chance that people can afford these things as they come up?
Can you geek out just a little more regarding the difference between resistance to extinction and keeping a behavior strong? This is my first time discussing them as different concepts. I guess I had somehow inferred that the way to make a behavior most likely to happen was to move to a variable reinforcement schedule. That's suddenly been called into question in my mind now.
Can you talk about or suggest some idea's on how to motivate a dog to play or eat treats when not motivated by either. Yes I know a lot of it is the dognis stressed or overexcited, but how do you start to teach the dog to play?
What is the range of the pace of progress you have seen for dogs who start their first setups at very far (100 yards plus) distances? What is the range of final outcomes you have seen? What types of factors impact the pace of progress and outcome?
If you have a dog that is showing some aggressive behavior around other dogs but it tends to happen more when the owner is close to the dog. Would you do BAT to help this dog? And would you handle things any differently? Almost as if the dog acts like she is possessive of the handler.
Can I have suggestions on how to extinguish a superstitious behavior? I'd like to have sit and down as a calming behavior but my poodle has so much energy that I get a constantly wiggling butt. [Supersititious behavior is butt wiggling, fidgeting back feet and front feet. He thinks excitement is part of the cue]
You have said that you set up a walking group via facebook to help socialize your dogs. How do you set this up without getting handlers that have no clue about dogs body language and training in general. Or how do you set these up without getting a group of dogs that are just not a good mix for each other?
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
Is CC needed or is Mark and Move ->"find it" enough for a dog barking other dogs if you can´t do BAT setups, just ninjaBAT? With CC I mean Bar open-Bar closed -technique where you feed the dog when he sees the trigger.
This is a question for working with a private trainer:
So, if my dog has issues with reactivity, and a trainer wanted to work privately in my home, it would be acceptable for me to say in advance, "I would like you to please show me how to do the technique, but I prefer that you do not approach my dog. My dog would be too scared and he would be too overwhelmed to learn."
Part 2: Can I ask a private trainer to meet my dog and me outside in a neutral area, if my dog has issues related to reactivity? Would that be acceptable, if i know from experience that my dog would feel less comfortable if a new trainer enters our home, a space where my dog is comfortable?
Do you think the Balance Harness posted in our online group by... I think Lenni... is strong enough for occasional lungers? I'm using the Freedom Harness now but I think it might rub a bit under my dog's arms.
Our puppy is doing great with everything except other dogs when passing by in our walks or in dog events. She can M&M with a distance. But when other dogs come closer, she does not want to M&M or recall, she just watches the other dogs until barks very boldly. She plays with other dogs weekly and is having fun. Should continue work with a distance?
BAT BOOK, second edition.
When will this be published? Where will we be able to purchase it?
Once my reactive puppy warms up to guests in the home, she will bounce, nip, play-bow, and yap at them. I think she is trying to initiate play, but it's understandably annoying and potentially scary to my guests. Why does she do this? What's the best way to teach her to behave politely around new people?
I don't currently have opportunities to do real setups with dogs, and Ninja-BAT is rarely an option when my dog's threshold is still very far. However, BAT has helped me see that my dog has far more triggers than just dogs. If we spend time on our walks doing Ninja BAT to people, is she also building skills of "how to BAT" that will help us when we can eventually work with dogs?
I know a mishandled positive interrupter can become part of a chained behavior. What are some good ways to avoid this?
Is peanut also still on a 100% reinforcement schedule for recall?
Have you trained with Bean SECs? Could this be useful with noise plays from the phone (e.g. sound of dog barking) and people walking by your yard? Anything sudden you can think of?
I´m now doing CC/M&M again with my dog when we get out of the car. I do it 10 minutes and then break in the car and another 10 minutes and then we leave. I keep him in a bit tight leash if grass is near. Otherwise more slack. Does this sound a good method? He is eager to go to sniff and bark, but I won´t let him. I reward also all the eye contacts and we walk a bit.
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
Please log in as a Pro member to see the recording of Grisha's August 25, 2015 interview with Eric Brad below.
If you are not yet a member, we hope you will join us for the live interviews and other great features of our school. Click here for membership info.
Topics for questions: Crossover trainers (how and why to change to modern training, how to reach clients to help them cross over), general work with clients
"Eric Brad has a great training style and I like his focus on training competition dogs without turning them into robots in their everyday lives. I also wanted you to be able to be able to ask him questions because he is a crossover trainer and can help us communicate more clearly with people who haven't yet switched to training without intimidation, from the perspective of a man who has been there, done that." - Grisha
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
Can you explain more about "frustrated greeters" What typical behaviours do they exhibit? What causes these behaviours? Along with the BAT leash skills & working on one on one greetings, what else can be done to help these dogs? Do you have any videos of the greetings required for these dogs on the site?
[I started to answer this last Thursday. Today I went over a BAT session with a Rhodesian Ridgeback and Bean.]
When working with the people who are training for the CBATI certificate, who do you teach the trainer to use positive reinforcement with the clients, i.e. be good teachers as well as good trainers?
Bean was adorable rolling on his back with the toy you gave him in the Q+A on Tuesday.
When working with a client whose dog is fearful or reactive, how should a trainer demonstrate, rather then approach the dog or hold the leash which could be too scary or stimulating to the dog? How can an owner explain this request to the trainer?
how much staring should you permit in passing another dog on a walk. zen is clearly in the yellow to orange zone. if were to not interfere she would start wagging her tail and want to approach. if I try and move her I have to pull her away. she keeps turning back). I am concerned about the other dog and the staring.
I worry about trusting other owners if we were to try and greet the other dog
part 2
at the vet's office, in parking lots etc she walks right by other dogs when needed to get from point a to point b. her staring is the same as with people she is obsessed with. there is part of this that is pure zen behavior and just not normal.
I went over some puppy socialization info (handstands and hairdryers).
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
Question about the dog events. If the male dogs begin to fight, is it because they are uncomfortable being there among other dogs in the first place (issues with other dogs also outside dog events), or because they are just males that are put too tight space together although no issues with other dogs outside dog events?
I feel I am constantly using treats on our walks. I reward walking calmly beside me, giving into leash pressure, offering stopping and waiting with eye contact, I use kibble for the easier things and high value for tougher ones. I am afraid that we are stuck and that I can't gradually decrease the constant treating. We live in the city with lots of distractions. What are your thoughts on this?
Bean is really adorable on the Bosu ball. Was great to see that Peanut can also do different activities with the same ball.Can you please describe the "Honeymoon Period" after adoption that you described in the last Q&A session: What it means and how long the period can be?
I want to generalize my question to selecting a dog for temperament once inside a reputable shelter. Many people speak to have lost a dog they loved and cherished after 10-14 years. After 1-4 years of recovery, they are ready are ready to adopt another, but they are not trainers. How do they select for temperament? Shelters need to adopt dogs out and many are not legally allowed to recommend one private over another other then suggesting ADPT or CCPDT lists by zip code.
Bean seems to really enjoy sitting at the highest peak of the Bosu ball.Does he do that generally, or is it just during the Q&A?
I know that some animals like to sit on high peaks to watch activity at home. Would you say that this can be true of certain dogs also?
If you have done many successful setups and dog shows no reactivity at all. How do you begin with real life? Not using the survival skills anymore?
I went over some videos of Bean - the end of a BAT set-up and some recall training.
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
Can you explain more about "frustrated greeters" What typical behaviours do they exhibit? What causes these behaviours? Along with the BAT leash skills & working on one on one greetings, what else can be done to help these dogs? Do you have any videos of the greetings required for these dogs on the site? [I will answer that again next time since only the second half made it into the recording]
What exercises can be done on the bosu ball that you had in the last Q & A with an older / larger dog?
Would you have an idea about grooming setups? I use the leash to steady Lucy when I'm trimming nails, cleaning ears etc. Afterwards she seems to hold a grudge and doesn’t want me to put her back on the leash to go out. I am trying to be very careful not to pressure her into accepting grooming but she doesn’t love it yet to be sure.
Follow up on Spiral from X-pen to teach
"go- around",
"play a fun and enriching game," and
"build my dog's confidence."--
TY! This is working out great for my dog. I am glad that we do not have to it away after practice, (like a prop each time,) since we live in a small space and fitting it into a closet it not easy and is very noisy, which would my dog
Follow up on adopting for adopters who have had one dog in the recent past who is no longer alive, but who want to adopt from a reputable shelterWould you say that they could:
1: Spend time learning dog body language to be able to gauge once meeting dogs in the shelter?2: "Foster to adopt" to see if it is a match, before agreeing to adopt the dog?
Part 2:
3:i: possibly interview several force-free, humane, positive trainers
ii: select a trainer in advance who has experience reading dog body language,
iii use the trainer as part of the selection process for help in the shelter with many or few available dogs, even if this means more than on visit
iV work with that trainer once the dog settles inWould this be the process?
I went over an on-leash play session with the "leash dance" with Bean and a chihuahua X.
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
FitPaws has wonderful exercise equipment for canine athletes, puppies, and older dogs: the giant balance disk is great for senior dogs. I also like the Agility Peanut for younger dogs.
Bosu Balance Trainer - that blue pilates 1/2 ball thing behind me that I talked about
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
If I cue my dog when he is distracted by something, does this mean I reinforce my dog to go the distraction? Am I in fact cuing the chance for my dog to earn reinforcement when my dog is seeking reinforcement away from me? I am rewarding the behaviour of my dog ignoring me? 🙂
Would it be good to put keep-away on cue as a fun game, with a dog who wants to play keep-away/chase-me with a toy? Or not to play it at all? Of course you would also teach to retrieve.
Hi! I rescued a street dog from Mexico 6 months ago. he has learned that we are the head of the pack and won't snap towards us, but hasn't learned that with kids. Any suggestions how to get him to realize that kids are in charge and not him? He will snap but not bite. Not good for sure!
Bean is adorable and always looks so happy on YouTube and here. Obviously you have done everything right since you adopted him. Can you please talk about your selection process and advice for the novice adopter? How to evaluate an adoptable dog?
Bean is adorable and always looks so happy. If you are not using the x-pen for the spiral game, do you have to put it away and out of sight?
My understanding is that when one is not using a training prop, the item should be out if sight. Would you agree, or is that too rigid a way of thinking?
Thank you for all of the help and responses!
can you address sniffing as a stress behavior. I know it is usually thought to reduce stress. I am still trying to determine why zen is so obsessed. does she do this because she is stressed or is she so overstimulated that it becomes OCD? this relates to my unanswered facebook post last Saturday
Links I referred to in this session (or could have):
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and shown here. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
Part 1: It is so interesting to watch Peanut and Bean both in the Q&A and on your Youtube channel.Would you say that Bean barking at the vacuum and at the lawnmower etc. in your videos are normal puppy behaviors at his age?At what puppy age would you say that these types of reactions were beyond a normal scope of reactions?
What about in a dog over the age of 2 years old?
Part 2: What might you recommend for a dog who is fearful of these things? Perhaps the owners just adopted an adult dog and s/he indicates that s/he is not comfortable interacting with these objects / sounds / new people / dogs?
I implemented adding the box & find it with a treat to run away.
Turns out the issue is that he does not like the taste of the toothpaste, (3 diff. brand.) When I use creme cheese he is fine with it. I will email some Veterinary Dentists for possible recipes for toothpaste that I can make. Do you have any other suggestions?
What do you do if an off leash dog runs at you and you are scared? Will acting scared make it more likely to attack?
How would you teach your dog to do more of a casual "hi there" then move on greet as opposed to a intense sniff the person for five minutes one?
Grisha gave an update on training with puppy Bean
Links Grisha referred to in this session (or could have):
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and provided here for easy access. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video on this page.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
Lucy is clueing into setups before she even gets out of the car. Should I change locations often for BAT setups to prevent this scenario?
So interesting watching your Q&A as you work with Peanut and Bean in real-time.
If you say, "Go Around", as Bean walks his spiral, at what point would you think that you could say "Go around!" and have him be able to do it?Would this change from cue to cue and from situation to situation?
Bean acts so funny behind you during the Q&A's. In one, rolling on his back.If a person was not planning on ever doing any competition ever with their dog, would you think that the essential cues listed in your training video (this site,) would suffice?For example is there a reason to teach 'heel,' if one can do BAT leash work in all situations?
I have given more control to my dog e.g. by letting him decide which way to walk at least in one our daily walks. He made a decision e.g. not to walk where the other dogs are barking. When telling this to my friends, they do not understand how I can let my dog control and be the boss. How much control can you give to your dog? I like giving my dog choices in various situations.
We had a tremendous success near a unofficial agility competition area. I followed my dog, he made great choices and we entered the competition area with other dogs for a while! I almost cried 🙂 My dog air sniffed the other dogs and went a bit towards the other dogs that the leash tightened. I did M&M. Is that correct? I petted my dog and then he did a couple barks. Why is that?
Based on a response from last week's Q&A, why would one observe more people in NYC using traditional training methods than in other parts of the country?
Why dogs get zoomies? What is the meaning of zoomies?
Could you demonstrate how to shape interaction/play with a toy?
Links Grisha referred to in this session (or could have):
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and provided here for easy access. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video on this page.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
Do you use a lot of fake dogs (big toy dogs) in training? And in what kind of situations?
You are a public figure and a dog trainer, educating the public. If you were in a major city, SF, Chicago or NYC for example, and you saw an owner doing traditional training with a dog or puppy in a public place would you offer advice and how would you do it?
It is so interesting to see Peanut chewing on different toys in many of your videos. Is this common for adult dogs?
How do you keep him interested in these toys? Does it relieve stress and / or boredom?
how do leash handling skills differ when using the symmetry line for two handed attachment. you demonstrate the bow wrapping up of extra lead in the walking video. I can't seem to achieve this with the double leash. I do seem to need leash to let out in both hands though. what is the best way to handle this?
I'm working on confidence issues and loose leash with Munich, my doberman. Should I forego regular obedience training: stays, directed jumps, heeling, etc? Also, I use a flirt pole and ball fetch as supplemental exercise/reward or is it too exciting for a dog that I want to learn impulse control and calmness?
(follow-up) where would you put the coupler?
My older dog has advanced greatly around other dogs. Now I can move him pass other dogs with a treat in my hand. Just standing aroung other dogs with some distance, he looks at the other dogs and offers me head turn with eye contact which I mark and then throw treats to the ground. So he is still in a working mode with the eye contact? We should get away from this working mode? 🙂
My dog loves to chew on bully sticks or edible Nylabones or play games with his boxes when food is hidden or food puzzles. He is not interested in any toys, balls, is afraid of squeakers. My understanding is if a puppy is not used to playing with toys early on, hard to teach these skills later. Could you please comment?
Links Grisha referred to in this session (or could have):
Please log in as a Pro member to see the recording of Grisha's July 28, 2015 interview with Louise Ginman below.
If you are not yet a member, we hope you will join us for the live interviews and other great features of our school. Click here for membership info.
Topics for questions: Zookeeping, husbandry training (blood draws, nail trimming, etc.), big carnivore training, pet dog training. Also see the bio info below.
"Louise Ginman was kind enough to give me a tour when I spoke in Sydney a few years ago and I loved the training that her team was doing with the big cats, bears, and other carnivores. She showed me how they were training a big lion to present his side to them so that they could take a blood draw. I figure if they can do that with animals that can eat us, we can certainly teach our own pet dogs!" - Grisha
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and provided here for easy access. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video on this page.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
Does bean spend time is a crate?
How is peanut dealing with bean spending time with you? This is the period of adjustment I find so exhausting.
Have you taken Bean and Peanut on a walk together yet? If not, when are you going to walk them together?
Could you tell about ninja BAT?
Toys: I am curious what Peanut is chewing on in the videos? Bean has one also, but it must be great for an adult dog to like it so much. Also, how does Peanut know the toy Bean has is exactly the same? (You said that this is how to keep Peanut from stealing Bean's toys when they are together.)
Unfortunately my puppy has started to bark at people and dogs walking by. When we are at a distance sniffing and walking, puppy can look at calmly and make good choices. When the people and dogs suddenly walk closer or walk by, she begins to bark. She doesn't move away, she jumps and barks until I cue her away with kissy noise. How to handle this?
About survival skills. My dog can't do focused walk or "find it" when seeing another dog coming by and we have no room to move away. He wants to see the other dog. Is this breed issue, stress issue or not practised enough? So LAT has helped us when passing by other dogs closely. Also warning my dog before he sees a dog, makes my dog more aroused. I have not been able to use the warning.
To my question about the puppy barking: I have now used Mark (when we are too close just for looking the trigger) and then called away and moved away. Before any barking.
Links Grisha referred to in this session (or could have):
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and provided here for easy access. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video on this page.
Dog training and care questions in this video:
Peanut and the puppy playing together is too adorable. I am trying to use the Premack principle when brushing my dogs teeth. He loves playing with his food boxes from the puppy class last year. How can I transfer that reward for allowing me to brush even for a second or two?
why is peanut outside?
how do you get a dog used to people running past them and the dog not alerting towards them as if they would like to run towards them.
Should LAT be taught for every dog? For certain worrisome situations where increasing distance can´t be possible?
with another dog I carried a mat. would you recommend that. I did the Leslie McDevitt place concept 'place'
how does look at that integrate with BAT. I did leslie's program
Asking about the Voyce collar Joey spoke of. Would this collar be of use to evaluate stress and anxiety in a dog, or would a simple heart rate monitor be as effective?
You mentioned that the NEW Symmetry Line that you sell line has a brass clip and how this effects conductivity. Can you please elaborate on what this means.
Did the rescue organization place a chip in Bean before you adopted him?
How would you teach your dog to do more of a casual "hi there" then move on greet as opposed to a intense sniff the person for five minutes one
How to get success in puppy class? That the puppy gets positive experience and less stress. We are bringing the relaxation mat with us. What else?
Grisha talked about how she could have helped Bean relax more at last night's party at her house.
Links Grisha referred to in this session (or could have):
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and provided here for easy access. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video on this page.
The audio in this video gets out of sync partway through. Sorry about that!
Animal training and care questions in this video:
Train the dog you have today. Could you tell more about this!
Bean is adorable. Did you speak about the Adaptil collar yet? I am slightly behind.
can you please demonstrate how to us the symmetry line with two points of attachment, how could I use it with a head halter and front attachment of the balance harness? would this be the best transition to just the front and back attachments. I see how it would not put pressure on the heck if used with the halter? would you attach it there and slide it through the front ring?when demonstrating the symmetry line please show both methods for two points of attachment. one is as a long line and the other double reins it would appear from the pictures.
My dog is excited when opening the car door. Should I wait my dog to relax and drive off? Not to let my dog out every time? So he can not anticipate that he is going for a nice walk. When he anticipates, he offers me a "relaxing" position when he really is not relaxed but just offering a wanted position to get to the walk.
About the Adaptil collor for bean. Can you please speak about it's use and any studies that have proven it's effectiveness? My understanding is that it varies from dog to dog and it is hard to judge if it is having a calming effect.
I have a client who refuses to take treats on a walk. His wife will carry treats, but he won't. Do you have any suggestions to get more compliance?
Grisha also talked about what she's realizing from having a new puppy again
Links Grisha referred to in this session (or could have):
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and provided here for easy access. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video on this page.
The audio in this video gets out of sync partway through. Sorry about that!
Animal training and care questions in this video:
When coming out of the car, I let my dog "go sniff". When he sniffs, he barks. When he marks, he barks. When he walks, he barks. I did previously CC for everything in the environment my dog looked for more intensively and it did help. Now my dog is barking again. Should begin again with CC? How to help my dog?
I am wondering if I am missing something in ways to get zen's attention when her head is in the ground. I can't get it up to even make eye contact. this is my biggest issue in moving on when she darts to odor.
I have tried, treats, squeaky toy, verbal command, leash techniques, if she darts as I am saying no she does not respond she gets the jackpot reward, the odor.
When training BAT for environmental triggers- bikes, golf carts, lawn mowers etc. that fit into a broad category like moving objects, is it ok to reward calming signals, head turns for whatever comes? As opposed to one bike or single golf cart at a time? I seem to be getting pretty good results but want to make sure. Also, Sophia Yin suggested treating “high” so the dogs look at you…do you ?
When we arrive at a place I leave zen in the car. she goes nuts jumping around with excitement even though she is belted in. I don't know how to prevent this other than taking her out first with me or seeing if a food type toy might distract her. she jumps around like a maniac. suggestions?
Follow-up to first question: My dog finds the thrown treats when out of the car, but when goes sniffing, he gets excited and barks and if sniffs more, gets more excited. Sniffing does not relax my dog that usually relaxes dogs 🙂
Follow-up to the Zen car question: it only happens when we get somewhere and there are other dog in the area etc. she is fine if I just stop. we can't fit a crate in my car for her anymore. she got too big.
Bonus: Grisha showed off-leash BAT with Peanut and an adolescent dog.
That's also really interesting with the car...as it could be a functional reward? Would be interesting to mark in the car. Can you do that without moving?(Lucy rides in a covered crate.)
How have you been working on getting Peanut to accept puppy Bean into the family? How's it going?
Links Grisha referred to in this session (or could have):
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and provided here for easy access. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video on this page.
The audio in this video gets out of sync partway through. Sorry about that!
Animal training and care questions in this video:
What are the first things Grisha is going to teach the puppy? 🙂 And why?
How to teach a dog self control or practise better self control? Older dog or a puppy.
I believe that most of my 20-month old doberman's reactivity is immaturity and leash frustration. I have a huge walnut tree in my yard which is squirrel central so everywhere we go outside he is scanning up for wildlife to chase. The leaves rustle in the wind and he is piloerect and on his toes at least. He rarely will play "find it" in this state. Should I allow this in the yard?
First my puppy was a bit scared of people and dogs. We have worked with the socialization with our friends and their dogs and now puppy wants to greet every people and dogs we meet in our daily walks. Should I still mark & move as done before when puppy was scared? I don´t want the puppy greet everyone in our walks and we have not let her greet. How to avoid frustration?
We are keeping our puppy off leash in forest. How to work that puppy learns and becomes a habit to stay with us when off leash? We are giving treats when puppy walks close to us and playing with toys.
Question about the squirrels. Could Mark & Move help with this also as it helps with a lot of things 😀 Meeting squirrel is a stressful thing anyway (barking, whining,...)?
Links Grisha referred to in this session (or could have):
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and provided here for easy access. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video on this page.
Animal training and care questions in this video:
What is the best way to take your puppy to his first dog event like Match Show? We have now been at the edge of the Match Show just looking at a distance other dogs and hearing all the voices.
I thought the puppy was a girl and she had a brother. did you end up with the brother instead? if so why?
what kind of food puzzles do you suggest for a raw diet? I find that hard to do.
why does your dog have a hard time recognizing people? is that normal?
My dog is chewing up the house. What do I do to get her to stop?
How are you going to exercise your new puppy?
Links Grisha referred to in this session (or could have):
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and provided here for easy access. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video on this page.
Animal training and care questions in this video:
Why is it so important to adopt from Alaska? Why not drive with Peanut to another stare to select?
Is it okay to pick up your puppy after puppy disengages from something (car going by) and there is no space to move after marking, but you notice that puppy is scared and circles between your legs? Or just comfort on the ground?
If an off-leash dog is pestering my dog, and the other owner is not paying , I find that in the worst case by tossing treats away to get the other dog to leave us alone, (as we went over in class), the dog instead follows-us. How can I make this tool more effective?
As a trainer why do you think people would be resistant to train their dog / puppy / learn more about why their animal does certain things that annoy them? The local trainer (one town over,) who people use privately *most often* and *pay well*, has no education, no animal training / no affiliations: CCPDT / APDT, no website, and uses all traditional methods. Why do you think people do this?
Continuing on your thoughts about people's resistance to training / my curiosity about it.)If the answer is lack of education, I have easily shared the link to this site with 60 or more people / shelters / organizations telling them about the one month free trial for the people / shelter scholarship. 1% have followed through.
What if my dog does not sniff calmly, but goes fast forward when I don´t throw treats and sniffs randomly? How to do BAT setup with this kind of dog or relaxed walking?
How do I get my puppy to stop going into the trash?
Grisha also talked about what she's done at home to prepare for her new puppy at home, her plans for the puppy's first hours with her, and what she's going to do to set the puppy and Peanut up for success.
Links Grisha referred to in this session (or could have):
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and provided here for easy access. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video on this page.
Animal training and care questions in this video:
We got a Goldendoodle puppy for our children a few months ago. She adores my 8-year-old son but tolerates my daughter, who is 6. I'd like to get another puppy for her. How long should I wait before getting another puppy?
Regarding the Goldendoodle puppy - How do I train the new dog to be my daughter's dog?
My 14-year-old female Pug mix has suddenly become aggressive towards the cat whenever the cat comes near her food. It's a little dangerous for the cat, but mostly dangerous for the dog. I'm afraid he will scratch her eye.
How do you teach heeling?
How do you do Mime Pulling without a leash?
Demo: Grisha's new toy, the iChime
How do you choose a good animal rescue?
Bonus video: relaxation after play
Links Grisha referred to in this session (or could have):
Please log in as a Pro member to see the recording of Grisha's June 30, 2015 interview with Jean Dodds, DVM below.
If you are not yet a member, we hope you will join us for the live interviews and other great features of our school. Click here for membership info.
Topics for questions: Thyroid - including behavior, nutrition - including functional foods (see new book below), and any vaccine issue
"I invited Dr. Dodds to the Q&A because she's one of the greatest veterinarians of our time. If you have a dog with reactivity issues, you may or may not know that one of the reasons may be a thyroid issue. If you have ever had your vet send in a sample for a fancy thyroid test, you have Dr. Dodds to thank! She also has a brand new book about food that may change your world." - Grisha
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and provided here for easy access. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video on this page.
Is play with humans good break behavior during a training session?
Can you help me understand the mechanics of increasing duration in Focused Walking? I’ve read the book, watched the video, and am trying to figure out that one piece. Sunrise reliably Touches on cue while walking, the treat she gets following the marker serves as a release. Should I increase the time/distance between cue and marker? Marker and reward? Both feel weird to me. Thanks!
When my dog is in the middle of a "reaction", she often will not respond to me. Afterwards, she is so exhausted she goes practically limp. Is it ever a good idea to just let her bark it out instead of trying to distract her? Then, go on to the sitting, or other activities?
How to select a great dog trainer. If you have many options to choose from, for example more than one CBATI trainers what should one look for and expect?
How does one become a good client?
My dog barks at a sound out side the home. Should I ask him to "leave it" and pay for food reward? Will my dog learn to look for a food reward when hearing the sound?
I was watching TV last night with my dog beside me on the couch. When my boyfriend tried to sit down, my dog growled at him. This has never happened before. What should I do to fix this?
Links Grisha referred to in this session (or could have):
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and provided here for easy access. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video on this page.
Animal training and care questions in this video:
How to begin relaxation with the puppy? How to begin teaching the calmness? Reward all the calm behaviors?
What are some ways you can improve latency in a dog that keeps delaying to sniff the ground for any dropped treats?
What do you think of practicing with sheet metal and flashing lights to prepare for Thunderstorm Phobia?
How often should you do set-ups/BAT walks (walks where you are able to do only BAT 2.0) to have the most success?
I am having trouble transferring Survival skill behavior learnt to outside. We have practiced the behaviors lots and he can do them very easily at home even with added distractions. However, outside even in a familiar place with no triggers he is not food or toy motivated. If it’s really high value he will come in eat it then go right back to what he was doing but it was obviously not rewarding enough. These behaviors are mainly for when he passes triggers on walks or when he gets worked up over a interesting smell. Ideas?
have you been able to master a squeeze tube and two handed leash walking. I have had a hard time with it.
Grisha's topic: choosing a dog (more on this later)
Links Grisha referred to in this session (or should have):
Animal Magnetism (the video in this article shows a way to use massage to shape relaxation)
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and provided here for easy access. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video on this page.
Animal training and care questions in this video:
can you demonstrate the two patterns you drew out for me and how to use them. I am still unsure. I understand the patterns but not how they can change the reaction of the dog.
Grisha's topic: fireworks
If puppy has bad experiences with another dog (barking) or puppy gets scared of bigger barking dogs running around loose. How to manage, that puppy doesn't get fear issues towards another dogs when growing up despite some scary experiences?
I have a 6 month old Labrador puppy. How do I keep her from jumping up on people?
When you introduce a young dog to an old dog, can you just let them work it out, so the new dog will learn his lesson and back off?
What do you think about dog parks?
Links Grisha referred to in this session (or should have):
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and provided here for easy access. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video on this page.
Animal training and care questions in this video:
How to teach puppy to respect boundaries in the yard? Puppy is never left alone in the yard, but would like to teach to respect the boundaries.
What is your favorite way to decrease latency?
What was your favorite single experience as a dog trainer?
How do you use the More Please Signal to condition scary sounds?
How would you teach a dog to walk on a Treadmill?
Thinking about getting my own dog training facility. So far I have just been teaching private lessons. Any advice?
Links Grisha referred to in this session (or should have):
Please log in as a Pro member to see the recording of Grisha's June 2015 BAT seminar below. This was a free bonus event for our members, with the recording available to Pro Members.
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and provided here for easy access. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the rest of our videos. (Special: get a free year of membership with the Empowered Animals BAT 2.0 video series)
Normally only members can see these recordings, but I'm making this one public because this is such a critical topic and could save someone's life. Thanks for watching and sharing! I know you are all busy. 😉
I have a horse that will not load in my trailer. How can I get him to go in?
Do you have an examples of what Carly spoke of? Getting your dog to sit as part as sound desensitization. If I could see it, I would understand much better.
I moved my horse to a new boarding facility and she is cribbing more than she did before. Is there anything I can do? Do you know why this would happen?
What is cribbing?
What are the differences between training horses and dogs?
What differences have you noticed between dog culture in the US and in Italy?
My dog waits calmly in the car to jump out. When he is out, he gets a bit nervous and excited. He has hurry to the grass area to sniff and mark and some barking. And still is a bit nervous as we continue our walk. How to make him more relaxed when out of the car? I have done some scratching until he notices me and has checked the environment. Is there better ways?
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and provided here for easy access. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video on this page.
Animal training and care questions in this video:
I have marked and moved all the Look Aways my dog does after staring something more intensively than usual. Is this correct? Our main issue is other dogs, but I have marked and moved also "triggers" that aren´t so big issue.
If my dog sees a trigger that is coming closer to us and my dog begins to sniff the ground intensively, I mark it and move?
How do you deal with coprophagia? I'm looking for more info.. causes and especially on what best positive ways there are to train not to eat it...
Grisha also spoke about up-close BAT training, coming when called, and the 5-second rule
Next week: Katie Grillaert will be our guest to answer questions about horses, grad school, and running a dog training business while you are in another country. (She has a business in the US but recently moved to Europe).
Links Grisha referred to in this session (or should have):
Mark and Move information on the Empowered Animals site
Building Blocks Members get instant access to video lessons, live Q&A, and more!
Does your dog ignore you? Does he turn away when you're talking or otherwise appear to be 'stubborn' or 'dominant?' Why won't your dog listen? This video will go over ways that you can turn those questions around and think about how to motivate your dog to want to respond to you. As usual, the answers apply to other animal species as well. Continue reading (Video 27) He’s Not Listening! Problem Solving for Motivation & Training→
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and provided here for easy access. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the rest of our videos.
Normally only members can see these recordings, but I'm making this one public because this is such a critical topic and could save someone's life. Thanks for watching and sharing! I know you are all busy. 😉
What can we do to help our friends in the industry?
Why do we measure success by who can be the busiest?
How do you recommend dealing with the frustrations and disappointments that come when you have a dog who will never been normal because of damage done by illness.
What is your opinion about raising a performance puppy? Puppy has to tug even if he does not want to. Eventually puppy tugs as there is no alternative not to tug. Puppy can not say "I don´t want to". Otherwise the puppy learns to ignore the owner´s wishes.
Depression is linked to a lack of controllability and predictability, exactly the sort of thing we try to build up for dogs in BAT. What do you think about that?
In BAT basic position, our shoulders / elbows are relaxed. With a small dog, can we cheat that to avoid my dog getting tangled in the long leash?
What are some good resources on this topic?
Here are some of the links that Molly wanted to share with us:
QPR Gatekeeper Training (how to talk with others who might have compassion fatigue or depression)
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and provided here for easy access. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video on this page.
Questions in this video:
My dogs fight with each other sometimes just when I let them outside. What can I do to make them stop? [Grisha did a training demo with Peanut about teaching a release cue by name, as originally mentioned by Patricia McConnell in the resources mentioned below.]
Grisha's topic: Overstimulation versus understimulation, what's the right amount of training and what should we focus on? Also has information on shaping.
I'd like to work with our local shelter. What are some tips you have for getting a shelter to pay attention to you, as a trainer?
You see things that others do with their pets. When do you say something?
Next week: "In BAT first position, our shoulders / elbows are relaxed. With a small dog, can we cheat that to avoid my dog getting tangled in the long leash?"
Here are some of the links that Grisha referred to (or should have):
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and provided here for easy access. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video on this page.
Questions in this video:
How to handle two dogs and one owner with BAT Leash Skills in a daily walk? 🙂 I have not yet seen all the Films. Perhaps there is somewhere information for this..?
zen is getting worse. when she sees something she will not move
I have had to go back to moving her with my knee. waiting her out we would be there for five minutes. treats, mime pulling, mark and move have already been tried. help!
Dog training is hard.
We have been using the MPS of hid bed to brush my dog's teeth since class last spring. Now when he does not want to have his teeth brushed anymore. Tried different treats, a new spot. Tried Premack with indication of his favorite game after brushing. None are working. No dental problems. Suggestions?
Question about "Sprinkles" game and frustration practice: my dog is becoming excited during "find it" practice used to calm down. It seems animal scents are distracting her and she is occasionally becoming super excited and dragging me over to a nearby tree to chase squirrels. I really need "find it" as a tool with her and don't want to mix my messages .... Help?
Parkour. European style. Where can we learn more about this?
I have a six month old Golden Retriever and she learned how to walk on the leash within a week of us getting her (8 weeks). In the last week or so, however, she has taken to just plopping down and not wanting to move where we are going. Generally, she only does this on bathroom breaks, not actual walks. I know she needs to go to the bathroom, and I know she isn’t hurting because she will walk on walks and when you go where she wants to go, but this is DRIVING ME CRAZY!!All in all, my question is – do I just need to retrain her how to walk using silky leash or something similar?
Here are some of the links that Grisha referred to:
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and provided here for easy access. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video on this page.
Questions in this video:
is there a trick for using a clicker, giving treats and a leash that you are manipulating two handed?
How do you housebreak a puppy? My lab puppy is very sneaky. She keeps peeing on the carpets upstairs and behind the furniture.
My dog hates having eardrops put in. She runs away from me when I just bring out the bottle! How can I get her to hold still? She doesn't look like she will bite me but I don't want to have to chase her down.
My parrot Marley screams when I get home. What can I do to help him stay quiet?
My rabbit is chewing on all of the wires in my house. I'm afraid she's going to shock herself. I keep everything unplugged right now but I don't know what else to do. Help!
My 5 month 50 lb. rescued pit puppy won't stop biting my husband and me.... we have tried yelping, slowly turning away and removing ourselves from the situation but he continues to follow and bite us and the bites are getting harder..please help!
Do you have any cues/skills that you would recommend to teach "city dogs" where frequent issues like trigger stacking, close encounters, sudden environmental changes, sidewalk restrictions, and the lack of environmental enrichment and exploration opportunities occur?
Here are some of the links that Grisha referred to:
Please log in as a Pro member to see the recording of Grisha's May 26, 2015 interview with Claudia Fugazza below.
If you are not yet a member, we hope you will join us for the live interviews and other great features of our school. Click here for membership info.
Topics for questions: Social learning, functional imitation, ethology, breeding research
"I first heard of Claudia Fugazza at a seminar I was teaching in Italy. The trainers there couldn't stop gushing about her. I invited Claudia to be a guest on ABBA because she does research on one of the coolest ways to train - using imitation. How great is it that you can teach your dog to copy what you do?" - Grisha
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and provided here for easy access. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video on this page.
Questions in this video:
My 5 month 50 lb. rescued pit puppy won't stop biting my husband and me.... we have tried yelping, slowly turning away and removing ourselves from the situation but he continues to follow and bite us and the bites are getting harder..please help!
I am trying to train my large puppy not to pull on his leash...any suggestions?
How to introduce a puppy to a older dog? We are having a puppy in 3 weeks so I would like to know the right way to introduce the puppy to our older dog.
Carly spoke about other times to practice sound for desensitization. Can you please discuss? Thanks.
I am having a sheltie puppy in three weeks. I have heard that shelties like to bark 🙂 How to prevent the barking? How to teach a dog not to bark?
Do you use environmental cues? Would it be useful to teach a puppy that when he sees a another dog, you get treats from owner? Always when puppy sees a dog -> click -> treat ? Puppy begins to think : "a dog -> means owner has food -> go to owner".
For next time: Do you have any cues/skills that you would recommend to teach "city dogs" where frequent issues like trigger stacking, close encounters, sudden environmental changes, sidewalk restrictions, and the lack of environmental enrichment and exploration opportunities occur?
Here are some of the links that Grisha referred to:
Does your dog do things for the dog trainer but not for you? Part of the problem may be timing. For example, if you treat too early or late, your dog may be confused or could even be learning a behavior you didn't mean to train. This video goes over some essential tips on timing, to make you a more efficient animal trainer. Continue reading (Video 35) Efficient Dog Training: How to Save Time with Good Timing→
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and provided here for easy access. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video on this page.
Questions in this video:
My 3 year old Dalmatian is exercised off lead in countryside. He was a friendly dog but began growling and lunging at young dogs when he was about 18months. Consequently I put him on lead if I saw a trigger approaching. Over the past year this has become much worse. He gets anxious when I attach his lead and he now lunges and barks at any unknown dog we meet. I don't know how to help him. I probably should have said: he's a nervous dog and before the growling began would always give unfamiliar dogs a wide berth so he wasn't put on lead very often.
What to do when our dog chases our cat? Does it for the fun of chasing. Cats usually stop walking when dog approaches.
How about "Leave it"? Dog likes to put something icky in his mouth and I want him to Leave it. How do you teach that in ABBA?
I've worked hard on cc-ing nail clipping so I really enjoyed More Please. We've made good progress, but what do I do about getting her nails trimmed before she willingly allows me to do so? I end up "undoing" all of our good work!
Here are some of the links that Grisha referred to:
Find a CBATI (Certified BAT Instructor) on Empowered Animals
Do you need help with grooming, vet care, or teaching your dog to be comfortable with touch? We can create a positive association using basic classical conditioning, but we can take that a step further to give the animal more control. The More Please Signal is a way for animals to cooperate in their own training and care. It's a very important concept for dogs, cats, and all other species, so please watch this video! Continue reading (Video 33) The More Please Signal Will Change Your Pet’s Life→
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and provided here for easy access. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video on this page.
Questions in this video:
my dog targets readily in non stress, non excitement situations.
she also sits or looks at me following the word slow on a leash. when excited she does neither fluently. I am using the premack principle to prevent darting to odor and causing physical harm to me. I need a transitional stage in these situations. how can I accelerate practice and success?
What to do when do wants to chase rabbits or another prey? I keep my dog in long line, but how to help my dog in his arousal when seeing rabbit or prey? I would like to keep my dog sometimes off-leash, but can not because my recall does not work when dog sees the rabbit.
What to do when my dog begins to bark to people who stop to say hi! to us when we are on our walk? I use to treat my dog fast but there comes the barking when I am talking to people.
what do you do if you are working on hand target as permission and creating a chain. then all of a sudden you get no response. after backing off to just the target, still nothing. do you assist and almost put your had on her nose? the last one should always end on a positive note I would think
there is often no warning for the demise. (she is doing it correctly over and over again and then stops doing it.)
I am starting your BAT 101 course and it is so great. Could you explain again why you grab under the leash and show us what that looks like? Is it okay to do it another way?
My dog keeps digging up my garden. I have a 3 year old German shepherd/husky mix. She has made a mess of my tomato plants. I am afraid if I plant more, she will just dog those up too. Help!
For next time:
My 3 year old Dalmatian is exercised off lead in countryside. He was a friendly dog but began growling and lunging at young dogs when he was about 18months. Consequently I put him on lead if I saw a trigger approaching. Over the past year this has become much worse. He gets anxious when I attach his lead and he now lunges and barks at any unknown dog we meet. I don't know how to help him.
What to do when our dog chases our cat? Does it for the fun of chasing. Cats usually stop walking when dog approaches.
Here are some of the links that Grisha referred to:
When your dog barks at the doorbell or your cat hears the can opening and comes running into the kitchen, that's likely because of respondent learning, also known as "classical conditioning," a type of learning where one event is paired with another. You may be able to change your pet's association with the doorbell, for example, by using a "counterconditioning" process: consistently following the doorbell sound with treats. This video explains how to use this cool scientific principle for socialization and the rehabilitation of fear. Continue reading (Video 30) Building Your Pet’s Confidence with Classical Conditioning→
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and provided here for easy access. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video on this page.
Carly Loyer was the special guest expert in this Q&A Session.
Questions in this video:
Do dogs grieve? My older dog died recently and I think her "sister" is depressed. They were not really related, but they were very close.
My dog and I were in your online class. Can you please offer more suggestions of what my dog can be doing, while I play sounds, such as thunder storm noise for D/S?
do you have any tricks up your sleeve for when a dog becomes 'deaf' to a request that she knows only too well, well enough that if you tap your foot or say "what did I say" it gets performed. (Grisha answered last week as well)
My dog is a 3 yr old intact Leonberger. He is a show dog and registered therapy dog. In classes, at shows, dog events, he is non reactive. But if we encounter the random dog on walks,or get too close he will sometimes bolt, pull away and run to the other dog to sniff. If surprised indoors by a dog, he may bark and lung, then be fine. We are taking a break from therapy until this is resolved. help!
I've been trying to teach my dog to walk nicely on a leash and I have tried giving her treats when she comes back to me. She is not pulling as hard any more, but she'll run to the end of the leash, stop, and look back at me for her treat. As soon as she gets the food, she heads right back to the end of the leash again. What am I doing wrong?
What are the best ways to keep your dog from jumping up? I keep trying to fix my dogs jumping and I feel like she will never stop jumping up. She is already six months old.
My dog is chasing my cat in the apartment. It's kind of funny because they are the same size (he is a small Jack Russell terrier). But I think it scares the cat. How can I teach him to stop thinking she is a squirrel?
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In this video, Grisha gives an overview of counterconditioning, "Behavior Adjustment Training," and "Treat and Retreat." These three useful techniques are used in different ways to rehabilitate fear of people, other dogs, surfaces, body contact, etc. These techniques are essential for professional dog trainers and pet owners alike.
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and provided here for easy access. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video on this page.
Questions in this video:
do you have any tricks up your sleeve for when a dog becomes 'deaf' to a request that she knows only too well, well enough that if you tap your foot or say "what did I say" it gets performed.
My niece is terrified of dogs and my dog is also scared of people. How can I bring them together?
I have two Westies, male & female 5 years old. I have had the boy for 3 years and the girl her whole life. When they are out at the fence or in the house and someone goes by, they both bark and then he turns to her and attacks her. What can I do?
I made a training mistake the other day. I let my dog off leash before he was ready, so I had to go catch him. This guy stopped to help -- he was only helpful because he just terrified my dog into running back to me. He told me that I had to be more dominant. What could I have said in that situation?
I know plenty of people use BAT with horses, but what about miniature potbelly pigs? I use BAT with dogs all the time (fear, reactivity, and aggression are my specialties) and I have clicker trained a pig before (that was super easy), but I have been asked if I can help someone with their 2 Male PPs that are not fans of strangers (to put it lightly).
My cat is terrified when I take her to the vet. I have to shove her into the carrier because otherwise she will flip out in the car. She yowls the whole way. What can I do?
Here are some of the links that Grisha referred to
Tug is fun to play with your dog and it is a great motivator for force-free training, but is it safe? In this video, Grisha explains 5 rules to keep tug safe without losing the fun. Continue reading (Video 32) 5 Essential Rules for Tug Games→
Most modern training relies heavily on treats. Do you just give up if your dog or cat doesn't like your treats? The solution is not to switch to punishment, but to find a better reinforcer. Unless your pet is lying around like a lump and doesn't even eat, there is a reinforcer he will work for. That reinforcer may just not be food because the individual animal defines what 'treat' means. In this video, Grisha explains some creative ways to find training reinforcers that motivate your pet. Continue reading (Video 25) No Treats? No Problem! How to Use the Premack Principle→
Grisha Stewart answers members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and provided here for easy access.
These sessions are normally for members only, but we have made this general member Q & A recording public for you. Please share it on Facebook or wherever you can, to help spread the word about ABBA. Thanks!
Questions in this video:
Do you have a suggestion to keep would-be petters away from your person-reactive dog when you're out on walks? I need tips for politely asking people to keep a distance.
I have a new case staying with me for a rescue that is highly human aggressive and moderately dog aggressive. a family down the road was not only still up but outside with their uncontrolled dog in an unfenced yard. I announce to the family (mother and 3 children) to please call their dog. Mom looks my way, says "I'm busy" and turns to go inside.How can I handle this without first feeling so angry that they are not respectful enough to a persons request to not allow their dog to approach but now to ensure their dog does not get close enough that my dog in training might attack?
My dog is triggered to frantically bark when we use a certain “pitch” calling out, such as: “Hi! I’m leaving now! Is that the mailman? Nice day!” Words don’t seem to matter, it’s more the “pitch.” Since we are often interacting with someone when her barking is triggered, it is hard to anticipate, stop interacting, and work with the dog. Wondering how to better handle this?
My cat bolts out the door whenever I open it. How do I keep her from dashing out! She's really fast and sneaky.
I'm trying to teach my dog Sadie to come and she does ok if there are not a lot of distractions. But on trails she runs up to the other dogs or chases after squirrels and will not come back. What can I do to fix this?
For next time: I have two Westies, male & female 5 years old. I have had the boy for 3 years and the girl her whole life. When they are out at the fence or in the house and someone goes by, they both bark and then he turns to her and attacks her. What can I do?
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We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and provided here for easy access. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video on this page.
Questions in this video:
can you demonstrate getting a dog to a committed stop. and then releasing the leash. with no stimulation I get an automatic stop. with stimulation I get oppositional pulling. on the street tonight she proved that she can respond to the braking distance in the leash without mime pulling. she will stop and look at me to get the treat if it is high value, so what I need help with is to stop a dog when they won't stop because they are too interested in something else.
My dog keeps escaping from the house and garden. How do I get her to stop this behaviour?
I am interested in getting a puppy. I need to get it from a breeder because I have 3 small children and a cat and we can't have aggression. What's the best way to choose a puppy?
Demand Barking (barking for attention) what is your favorite way to teach the dog to stop barking at their owner
Regarding the leash reactive Boxer: When given the chance to get close to dogs, she goes straight for the groin to sniff and then is completely uninterested in them afterwards, but her tendency of bee lining for dogs' groin scares the dogs and owners. Is there anyway to help her learn better manners around other dogs?
I like having my dog sleep on the bed but my husband doesn't agree. He says my dog already thinks he is the alpha. Any ideas for convincing him?
Here are some of the links that Grisha referred to
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and provided here for easy access. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video on this page.
Questions in this video:
I have a 2 year old tomcat who is spraying in my house. He was totally fine and now he's got this problem. I'm afraid we won't be able to keep him. We can't have urine everywhere. It really stinks and I read somewhere that cat urine smell is also bad for my baby. 🙂 Help!
if there are not a lot of questions can we address my puzzle question. zen has loved and mastered all the nina ottosson puzzles we own. we purchased the Mix Match Puzzle (apparently the highest level) and she does not have a clue. I have tried to break it down for her but have had no luck
My dog loves to play fetch but she never gives it back! She just goes after the ball and runs around, looking like she wants me to chase her. Or if it is a stick she just grabs it and then goes to lay down and chew it. How do I get her to bring stuff back?
My Boston Terrier does not like walking on grass. When I take him outside we walk and then at some point he lays down on the grass and refuses to walk. How do I get him moving?
I am a trainer. A client of mine comes to class with his four children and their Doberman puppy. He keeps reprimanding the kids and it's making the other students concerned. Help!
I am interested in getting a puppy. I need to get it from a breeder because I have 3 small children and a cat and we can't have aggression. What's the best way to choose a puppy?
my dog keeps escaping from the house and garden. How do I get her to stop this behaviour?
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"You have to enable and empower people to make decisions independent of you. As I've learned, each person on a team is an extension of your leadership; if they feel empowered by you they will magnify your power to lead." -Tom Ridge
There are two opposite forces that inspire behavior: attraction (I want) and repulsion (I don’t want). I like thinking of these as physical forces, like gravity or what happens when you bring two magnets together in different ways. One way pulls them together in a very strong bond. The other way pushes them strongly apart.
If you had one magnet and wanted to move the other one around without touching the second magnet, how would you do it? You can move the second magnet around very reliably if you use attraction. You can still move the magnet with repulsion, but pushing is less efficient than pulling, and sometimes shoves it in unpredictable directions.
Let’s go back to animals. By attraction, I mean that the animal is inspired to do the behavior. For example, there’s a smell across the room, so the dog walks over to investigate. The smell pulls him over. Or you ask the dog to sit and he does so because he has a history of getting treats for sitting. By sitting, he moves toward the opportunity to get a treat. It’s like the treat pulled him into sitting, so that’s why I call this attraction. Continue reading Animal Magnetism: Is Your Training Attracting or Repelling?→
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and provided here for easy access. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video on this page.
Questions in this video:
what are some good ways to teach a dog to respect new and temporary boundaries. we seeded spots on our lawn today and put up 2ft orange web fencing. much to my surprise zen jumped over the fencing in a running jump. I have taught boundaries with the word 'away' and C/T in the past but I would like to make sure she stays away when she goes out to the bathroom alone. what else can I do?
I have a reactive rescued dog that I have successfully used the original BAT methods with. She has gotten to the point where she will do an automatic calming signal (usually a look away) or look directly at me when approaching a trigger. I then reward her with more space or if when absolutely not possible, I manage her with counterconditioning, trick exercises, etc.I came across your instructions about BAT 2.0 and am a little confused- have you changed the BAT methods altogether? Or is BAT 2.0 simply another tool to have in one's toolbelt to use along with the original BAT?
I think it is harder to do BAT 2 in an urban environment or for sidewalk walking, than it is to use BAT 1
I love the Cheerios idea. Other low-calorie treat ideas? You touched on different philosophies in your Modern Training Video here.
If I am following advice about using treats for counterconditioning for a shy dog, can you discuss how to explain this to a veterinary nutritionist who would say, why feed anything but dog food?
I have a 6 month old Maine Coon cat. He is scratching the leg of my roommate's couch and my chair. How do I keep him from shredding the furniture and making the whole place look awful?
Here are some of the links that Grisha referred to
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and provided here for easy access. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video on this page.
Question in this video:
Do you have set ups for walking past agressive barking and growling dogs (behind a fence)? Especially if you can't bring distance between the dogs barking and your dog. We try to walk on the other side of the street, use a "look at me" command and her favorite toy to carry for her. But if cars drive past, we can' t change the side of the street.
Beyond what is on the site, what are suggestions for shy dogs who run away at nail filing / separately / or scissors, even with distance, duration, high stakes treats and a hungry dog?
HI, my puppy is 5 1/2 months old and he is having ongoing problems with the car. Currently he is calmer during travel but dislikes entering vehicle. I have used all doors, step, hand targeting, games with other dogs getting in the car. He does not seem to like being in a confined space and also has problems settling in his crate although his crate training is improving. Some fresh ideas may help.
fyi, I have done ttouch. I had no success and had a master come here. they worked with us for four hours and found only one thing that was helpful. everything , especially the wraps backfired.
I just got a new shiba inu puppy. She is growling at me when I touch her or try to put a leash on her to go outside. What can I do to make her stop growling and snapping?
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and provided here for easy access. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video on this page.
Questions in this video:
My 6.5 month old puppy is starting to be left for a few minutes in other rooms.... Pizza is on the counter and I step out of the room and come back to find my puppy jumping on the counter trying to reach the pizza. How should I react?
what are some common stumbling blocks you see for trainers who are looking to take their skills (working with dogs, or working with dog guardians) from the intermediate to the advanced level?
Is there a specific theory gap that is undermining the application of technique? Or do you see skill sets that are primarily limited by imprecise mechanics?
I am stuck on mark and move. the times it is best used and the connotations, it just seems ambiguous.
you can mark seeing something?
mark tuning away? that the dog initiates?
I am also curious about the timing. when should the treat be given or does it not matter.
I can see it being give at the moving away point but in the earlier stages to coincide with the marking almost as a lure.
How do I introduce my puppy (8 month English Mastiff) to another puppy (2 month Yorkie)? The little one is so small and my dog is so excited that I'm worried he will hurt her. This is my boyfriend's mom's dog so it has to work!
I have a 9 year old lab that is new to my house (mom's dog and the nursing home can't take her). Last night I left some bread on the counter and she ate it all! She was doing well but now she's constantly sniffing the area. What do I do? She wasn't doing this at my mom's house.
We have a 6 month old Greater Swiss Mountain Dog puppy. We started obedience training and leash manners with her this week, but she is still a big leash puller. The trainer says she's very dominant, so it could take more time. We have a baby and she is going to knock my wife down. Help!
Berners are trained to cart as well. Maybe Zen thinks I am cart
Zen does cart, she does not have some of her poor walking behaviors when carting, the cart is her armor outside. Why do you think that is?
I just got a new Shiba Inu puppy. She is growling at me when I touch her or try to put a leash on her to go outside. What can I do to make her stop growling and snapping? [partially answered - more next time!]
Here are some of the member videos Grisha referred to:
The recording of Grisha's April 28, 2015 interview with Joey Iversen is below.
These monthly interviews are normally for Professional Members only, but we have made this recording public. Please share it on Facebook or wherever you can, to help spread the word about ABBA.
Topics for questions: Dog reactivity, setting your human learner up for success, TAGteach, Pet loss, BAT, minimizing stress in a dog daycare, using scent activities to reduce stress
"I chose Joey Iversen as the first guest expert for this Animal World Superstars interview because she's one of my favorite trainers on the planet. She has a clear teaching style and communicates well with clients - not by accident, but by design. She has a lot of experience working with pet owners and trainers, she's smart, and she has her finger on the pulse of modern, ethical training." - Grisha
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and provided here for easy access. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video on this page.
Questions in this video:
Can you explain a little about the role of a dog's perception of "territory" in Empowered Desensitization?For instances:
I noticed that you usually have the decoy dog in place before the learner dog "enters" the setup.Can I/should I expect my dog to react differently on seeing another dog near her property (or near her car) vs seeing another dog at a similar distance during a walk?
On using empowered desensitization in every day life: is there a scenario where allowing a dog to stare out a window at normal neighborhood activities is appropriate? Would I use the beach analogy to make decisions here?
We have a bed that needs to be sold and it's leaning against the wall. Our cat won't stop climbing it! What do I do?
My puppy keeps running to the fence and jumping up at people. They he runs after them as they walk along and he barks. Is he being aggressive? What is the best way to fix this problem, or will he grow out of it?
My dog is shy and ‘find it’ has been great for him when walking outside. Now that it is spring, there is food everywhere on the ground and in the park.What to do when 'Leave it' is not stopping the eating of food, and 'Look' and 'Find it' are not enough. He was dieting and is at a perfect weight. We are trying to help him feel full, without gaining back the 2 lbs.
What are CEUs?
In the Q&A last Friday you demonstrated paw touches for nail filing. I am wondering if you could show or describe how you taught the rear legs. I just finished doing zen's nails and feet with a dremel and I do have a hard time positioning the rear. Also getting underneath the right rear foot for grooming. I do have her stand on a large size yoga block for round the fur on her feet etc.
How frequently should I be training my dog? I also have a cat and want to start training her. Is it the same for that?
Any recommendations for good treats for cats?
Bonus video tip: Nail Filing.
Here are some of the member videos Grisha referred to:
We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and provided here for easy access. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video on this page.
Questions in this video:
I am curious to know if you are aware of any support groups for the emotional struggles of owners of dogs with issues. I was drawn to the concept in the upcoming conference in Chicago.
When is it appropriate to use an activity to help the dog during a BAT setup? If it's the first setup is this a good idea? Would I use this to occupy them for part of the time, and then let them gather information during other parts?
How do you obtain focus for the activity if the dog becomes obsessed in the trigger situation or anticipating the trigger?
or would it be better to have the activity to lessen the obsession?
How do I file my dog’s nails?
Why did you decide to use a file rather than a dremel? does the file work on a big dog with really thick nails?
How do I apply that to a rabbit?
I see you trained your dog and your cat there. How do I train two animals at once?
Bonus video tip: training for relaxation using the Premack Principle.
Building Blocks Members get instant access to video lessons, live Q&A, and more!
Grisha Stewart answers members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and provided here for easy access.
These sessions are normally for members only, but we have made this general member Q & A recording public for you. Please share this page on Facebook or wherever you can, to help spread the word about ABBA. Thanks!
Questions in this video:
What is the best harness for my dog?
What’s the best way to bring a rescue dog home? Any tips for the first 24 hours?
My dog pees every time I get home. I tried to have him sit. What else should I do?
I've always been curious to hear more about Peanut's role in developing BAT.
Except for "Sprinkles" Lucy seems to start "working" around treats. Could you talk about that...?
Any advice about frustrated greeters on leash? I try to vary when moving forward, or back, and sometimes walk parallel, giving reinforcers for looking at me, or offering calm or sit for please. Sometimes Cai doesn't want food.
How do I give my dog a bath?
I'm advertising for a BAT practice dogs..have you ever done something like this? If so...what did you ask for...if not...what to look for? (I'm following up from our last class. and want to practice with Lucy more....but no one around to help…so I'm advertising locally....lots of students around here with dogs so I thought I would try that...) [Here is the link to the BAT groups that Grisha mentioned in the answer]
Free Sample members can check out more videos. Full student and pro members get even more features, including a discussion group, store discounts, etc. Click to compare.
Building Blocks Members get instant access to video lessons, live Q&A, and more!
[s2If current_user_cannot(access_s2member_level2)]We answer members' pet training and behavior questions in live sessions, which are recorded and provided here for easy access. Please log in or sign up for a Student or Pro membership to see the video on this page.[/s2If][s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)]
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Questions in this video:
How do I get my puppy used to wearing a leash?
Near the end of our walk there was one of life's surprises - a young man coming up the road kneeling on a skateboard holding onto his giant (lab/mastiff cross maybe dog) by the collar - dog running sideways trying to get to us, and barking. It was a scary sight if I was looking at it from Cai's perspective. She was not too sure to make of it. I tossed a bunch of high value treats on her snuffle cue on the grass in opposite direction, so she would be distracted (and give this dog a calming signal). It was fairly smooth. Any other suggestions in that kind of situation?
My dog is barking at people who walk up to us. What do I do?
There is a cat on a retractable in my neighborhood (not really a question but it got Grisha talking about retractable leashes).
what do you suggest for a dog who sniffs everything to the point of obsession. it is very hard to get her attention when she is sniffing obsessively. we did nosework to try and diffuse this but I am not certain it did anything. the issue is worse this spring than before.
Inara has a licker problem with people other than me. It's like she gets frantic in her need to greet people and lick their mouths, but then she'll also just do drive-by lickings of people as she walks by or when they're petting her. Not so good for therapy dog work! Some of her licking is very fast and energetic, and that's normally around people's mouths. But then she once that's over she seems to just enjoy licking people with long tongue strokes, any available skin she can get. It's quite annoying for the people being licked, understandably so. I've tried cheerfully sending her to her crate when she does, or redirecting her back to me with treats, but the licking seems very self-satisfying for her. Any ideas?
What about the spray that premier pets used to sell? [Does it work?] I don't know if they still do. I have it and have only used it to get rid of bees that were following us. (I am allergic to bees).
How heavy is the Symmetry Line? With all the fabulous rings does that make it heavy?
How do I keep my puppy from biting me when I put his harness on?
My cat is not using the litterbox now that we have 3 cats. What do I do?
What is your favorite aspect of ABBA? What are you most excited about?
Building Blocks Members get instant access to video lessons, live Q&A, and more!
In this video, Grisha goes over the pros and cons of hiring a professional dog trainer or behaviorist.
Hint: in most cases, the answer is yes, even with the excellent support provided on this site. A professional trainer helps with socialization opportunities and hands-on skills, and may notice things that you might otherwise miss -- even if you've had many dogs before. This video also gives you tips for how to choose a dog trainer.
Modern animal training techniques focus on helping animals WANT to work with us. This type of training can efficiently teach "dog obedience" type behaviors, set boundaries, and change problem behavior. But it also helps create two-way communication and meet the animal's needs. This video shows the power of the modern training techniques used in the Building Blocks Academy.
In old-fashioned training, problems are blamed on the animal being too dominant. Ironically, the problem is not that they have too much control over us, but rather, they do not have enough control over their own safety and wellbeing. In this video, Grisha explains what empowerment means, and why empowered animal training is so helpful for problem solving. Continue reading (Video 02) Empowerment: How to Build Cooperation and Trust→
Puppies are little chewing machines. We recommend puppy-proofing for any dog under 1 year old or dogs who have not yet lived indoors. In this video, Grisha gives tips on what to do to keep your puppy and your house safe. This advice also applies to kitten-proofing and preparing your home for any new pet that will able to move around your home. Continue reading (Video 09) How to Puppy-Proof Your Home→
Sometimes you need your dog to just stop jumping up, stealing the trash, or running out the door. If your first instinct when there's a problem is to yell at your bird or or punish the cat, definitely watch this video! These quick fixes (environmental 'management') give you time change pet's behavior long term using force-free training. Continue reading (Video 08) Stop It Now! Quick Fixes for Pet Behavior Problems→
In this video, Grisha goes over the list of the most important training cues for every pet to know, plus a bonus for dogs. Focus on early socialization and these 6 cues to strengthen your relationship and prevent a lot of problems before they even start. (p.s. cues are sort of like "commands") Continue reading (Video 24) 6 Cue Words that Every Pet Should Know→
Boundaries define personal dignity and integrity. They are rules about what we can and cannot accept. Boundaries define ways that we feel comfortable interacting, how we want to be spoken to or touched. This video explores ways to set boundaries with and for your pets. Continue reading (Video 23) How to Set Boundaries for Animal Care→
With some notable exceptions, pet training is getting more and more humane over time. That's why the more you learn about dog training, the more conflicting advice you seem to get! This video discusses the Humane Hierarchy and other useful ways to sort through fact and fiction. Continue reading (Video 22) What’s Really True? How to Handle Conflicting Advice→
Tired of living with a mouthful of biting puppy or kitten teeth? Don't worry, this is totally normal and it will pass with some simple, consistent training. In this video, Grisha explains some great ways to help teach young animals not to bite. Continue reading (Video 20) I’m Not a Chew Toy! How to Handle Puppy Biting→
Vet visits are the single most common terrifying experience for dogs and cats. This video gives several tips that you can use in your next visit and some that you'll need to train and practice first. Definitely watch this right away if you have a puppy, kitten, or other young animal. Continue reading (Video 16) Vet Visit Stress Tips for Dogs→
Kids and pets can have a great time together if everyone follows these simple rules for safety. Did you know that children are most likely to be bitten by a dog that they know? Practice being safe around every pet - not just 'stranger danger.' Continue reading (Video 14) How to Keep Your Child Safe Around Animals→
Dogs and many other furred and feathered animals are fun to pet! That doesn't mean they like us touching them the way we are doing it - if at all! In this video, Grisha goes through how to greet animals in a way that makes them feel more safe and happy. Continue reading (Video 13) Watch This Before Petting Another Animal!→
Learning when your pet is saying "I like that" or "more please" is really fun! Understanding happy communication gives you a better bond with your animals and also helps you meet their needs. Continue reading (Video 12) 10 Ways that Your Pet Says “I’m OK”→
Did you know that a wagging tail does not necessarily mean your dog is happy? Animals often ask us to back off because they are scared. Unfortunately, humans miss most of the signals and our pets have to bark, hiss, growl, or even bite to finally get the message across. Continue reading (Video 11) 10 Ways that Your Pet Says “I need space”→
Socialization is one of the key experiences that a young animal must have. Carefully get your new pet used to people, dogs, and other potentially scary things - early and often. Socialization is not just for puppies - this video is a must for every family with a young animal. Continue reading (Video 17) What is Puppy Socialization and Why is it So Important?→
Did you know you can keep other people's dogs from barking in class by calling your own dog away from staring? Grisha's etiquette tips will help you and your dog be good citizens in your training class.
In this video, Grisha shares some useful tips to keep your dog quiet in class and other situations. These tips can be used for barking and whining in training classes but also at home or when you are having coffee with friends. Continue reading (Video 05) Shhhh: 15 Ways to Keep Your Dog Quiet in Class→
Most pet behavior problems can be solved with this simple 3-step process. In this video, Grisha shares a system to help with jumping up, getting in the trash, and lots of other dog issues that drive you nuts. Oh, and you can probably use it with your children, too! Continue reading (Video 06) Problem Solving 101→
The Symmetry Line is an all-in-one dog leash that has many uses for emergency situations. The Symmetry Line is 16 feet (about 5 meters), has snaps on both ends and 2 moving snaps in the middle of the line, with 3 movable leather stoppers. It comes in many colors and is round and comfortable.
Tired of a barking dog? Socializing a puppy? If you want your dog to be calm around other dogs, you can help your dog practice being calm. In this 11-minute video, I explain Behavior Adjustment Training (BAT), which I developed to reduce aggression, frustration and fear in dogs and other animals. Continue reading (Video 31) Quick Intro to BAT 2.0→
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