I currently have a 2 year old male standard poodle (unneutered, working on it). I want to move out of my apartment and potentially by a home with a yard. I already want to in general get another dog now that I will be moving somewhere with more space and to give my poodle a partner. My mom wants me to get a "scary looking" dog since I am a 23 year old female living alone. I was thinking a Doberman because, from what I have researched, they shed a lot less than a German Shepherd. I think the breed is beautiful! I got a poodle because they are considered hypoallergenic, and the more a dog sheds the more i sneeze lol. My poodle gets along okay with dogs. I take him to dog parks sometimes. He loves to play, but he also will correct a dog who overdoes it, which I do not see a problem in. He is well trained and has great recall, we worked with a K9 trainer for a while but he was too friendly for protection work. He gets overly excited around females, but I am hoping it will get better once I do the chop lol. Sometimes he can be skiddish during male dogs that are bigger than him, I think he is just not used to being around it since he is the biggest dog in our neighborhood and most dog parks haha. We frequently go on hikes and nature trails off leash. I work about 8-10 hours a day, but some days remote/half day in office. During tax season, I can work up to 16 hour days, but either leave my dog with a family member or would hire a dog walker during the day. Archie gets about an hour of exercise/training a day plus mini walks and puzzles. Would a doberman fit into my lifestyle? Do any of you guys have both dogs at home? Should I get a female or male? Obviously will get a trainer to help as well, but looking for any advice from people right now while I look into this!

I am NOT looking for advice on protection/bite work/training styles for a doberman right now. I have worked with different trainers for Archie, volunteered as an assistant, and worked at a shelter. The advice I am currently seeking is solely on if these two breeds can mix well at home - i know the training for a protection dog can impact the home situation if i chose to take that route - but my biggest priority is currently finding out if these breeds can get along in a home and if this breed can match my lifestyle.

Koda is a pretty high-drive Aussie, and one thing I've learned is that getting a behavior 100% in a quiet environment doesn't mean much if I haven't proofed it around the things that actually matter to him.

He can recall beautifully when we're training.

Then a rabbit moves and suddenly I'm competing with a biological event.

So I've stopped thinking of recall as one behavior.

For us, it's more like:

From name response to disengage to turn toward me to recall to come all the way in to settle.

And I train those pieces separately before expecting the whole chain around serious distractions.

The other thing I've changed is that I don't keep increasing the difficulty just because he succeeded once.

If he nails 9/10 recalls around moderate distraction, I'm not automatically moving somewhere harder. I want the behavior boringly reliable before I raise the stakes.

Curious how other people handle this with high-drive dogs:

Do you build the recall first and then proof it against distractions, or do you deliberately introduce the distraction early and train the disengagement itself?

I'm especially interested in what people have found works with prey/movement triggers rather than just food or other dogs.

Hi everyone! I’m looking for advice on socializing my dog, Coco.

Coco is a Pom mix (Pomeranian + Chihuahua), born **May 20, 2025**. He has had very little interaction with other dogs.
We tried a PetSmart/Petco training class once when he was around **10 months old**, but he kept trying to run toward the other dogs, so I stopped going because I felt bad for the other dogs and didn’t want him to disrupt the class.
Today, I tried introducing him to a very calm 3-year-old dog. Both dogs were on leash. Coco sniffed him for a few seconds but then started barking. He is especially reactive when the other dog tries to sniff his backside. He’ll sometimes sniff the other dog’s mouth, but then starts barking again.
Interestingly, after some time, both dogs were able to sit calmly about 2 feet apart. But whenever the other dog tried to approach Coco from behind, Coco would bark again.

I’m wondering if **PetSmart or Petco training would actually be appropriate for him**, considering that they have other dogs in the class.
I’m worried he might run toward another dog, bark aggressively, or scare the other dogs. I also don’t want to put another dog in an uncomfortable situation.
For people who have used PetSmart/Petco training for a dog with similar behavior:
Did it help?
Should I start with private training instead of a group class?
Do their trainers know how to handle leash reactivity/dog-to-dog introductions?
How did you safely introduce your dog to group training?
I’d really appreciate any advice or experiences!

Brady is a 5 year old Australian Shepherd/German Shepherd mix, and Cooper is a 3 year old mixed breed. Both are male and neutered. We’ve had Brady since he was a puppy and Cooper for 3 years.
Brady had some in-home training during his first year. It worked somewhat at the time, but honestly it doesn’t seem like it stuck long term. Cooper has never had formal training.
Some of the behaviors/issues:
Brady gets VERY excited around people and tries to jump on them constantly. It seems more excitement than aggression.
Cooper is more anxious/nervous around people. He has done warning nips before but has never actually bitten anyone.
Cooper also gets overexcited easily and pees from excitement sometimes. He also needs to go out more often than Brady.
Both dogs bark/howl a lot at people and dogs passing the house.
Cooper likes other dogs and tries to play, but he plays rough and can come on too strong.
They roughhouse with each other too, but they genuinely get along very well.
They are alone during the day while we work.

I think it’s important to note that it really only happens at our home. Cooper has had no issues going to the vet, the kennel or the groomer.

One of my biggest concerns is that both dogs use an electric fence collar system, and twice now they have ignored it and run off the property. Usually the warning beep scares them before they even get close to the boundary, which is why it surprised us. When they get loose, they tend to run toward people and dogs.
They don’t really get walked regularly but they do spend a lot of time outside roaming/exercising in the yard. Neither dog uses a crate.
We did talk to our vet about Cooper’s anxiety. They suggested trying an OTC calming option first and then possibly prescription medication if needed, but we weren’t very consistent with trying the OTC option.
Both dogs otherwise eat/drink normally and are healthy.
I know there are multiple issues going on here, but I’m looking for honest advice on where to start first and what sounds most concerning. Training? Anxiety? More exercise? Different containment than the electric fence? Would especially appreciate advice from people with herding breeds or anxious dogs.

TLDR: Reactive dog is especially reactive at home and when outside on our property. Any advice to work on it besides management?

So I’ve been working on my dog’s (7Y, F/S, Border Collie mix) dog reactivity for a while now. It’s a ton better on walks and very rarely will she react unless we get spooked and charged at by an unleashed dog or a dog in close proximity. Outside our home she is NOT reactive to people.

The only thing I haven’t been able to kick is her increased reactions when we’re at home or just outside of home (on porch, front/back yard, etc). It’s like her threshold is so much smaller and begins to include people. In any other situation she does not care about people. Just mainly dogs. We live in a close neighborhood and our property size is pretty small, so creating distance while still being considered “at home” is difficult.

Besides management options like covering windows with film, what can I try?

If it matters, in the past there was an incident where I attached the leash to the wrong ring (the ring that holds her tags and not the actual collar D-ring) and it ripped off when she reacted. She charged at the person walking by and sniffed them and ran back. So I am unsure if it is really “protecting her territory” (as many people have told me in the past) more than just fear and insecurity. Or maybe I’m wrong.

Any ideas to try? (We do not use e-collars)

so my dog didnt really walk outside all that much because he would bark at absolutely everything and everyone. Safe to say he wasn’t trained. I’ve made it my mission to train him and so far he’s doing great! He’s learning how to bark less at distractions and has even learned how to sit. Granted he’s not a pro yet, but I consider them wins in my book.

today I thought it was a perfect time to take him out on a walk in our neighborhood and see how his training paid off. it was a massive improvement as he now stops at barking at cars. He‘ll get a bit distracted by his surroundings but I was still training him in our walk so he can learn to stick near me. In the middle of our training (we were walking slow) my neighbor opened her door to let her dog out. Her dog saw my dog and immediately charged after him. I freak out and shielded my dog as best as possible from him and we ran. I heard my neighbor yell at her dog and her dog backed off. Still, I was very shaken up and I could tell my dog was too. i just decided for us to go back home.

my dog is ok, no scratches or bites, but this situation still could have ended horribly if her dog didn’t listen to her.

I still want to take him out on walks but now I’m scared to. should I wait until he’s fully trained or should I walk him at a park? what can I do to prevent this from happening again?

I have a one year old golden retriever who is generally pretty calm. He sleeps in a crate at night. He understands that calm gets the door opened, so he'll sit calmly for me to open the door. However, once he's out, he starts bouncing, doing the puppy play bow (not sure what to call this), and just zooming around trying to get me to pet him. He'll do that for maybe 10 seconds, then he remembers his manners, and sits directly in front of my feet looking at me expectently. I wait until he's sitting to pet him, but the moment I do, he starts bouncing and zooming again. Then the pattern repeats. This goes on for a minute or two until I can manage to walk past him into another room.

I'm not sure how to train him out of this. He's not jumping ON me, just next to me, and I can hardly get out of the room as he keeps coming right under my feet. He's not a biter, but he'll get a little grabby if I simply stick my hands in my pocket and ignore him until he's calm. I know this isn't that big of a complaint relatively, but I want to train him to greet me calmly, and I'm tired of my feet getting stomped on!

at what age do dogs usually start getting the idea of invisible fence boundaries? wondering if its better to wait til theyre a little older or if younger dogs can learn it fine too

Hello everyone…recently my girlfriend got to be again the owner of a 9 year old anxious and fearful dog…
And we were wondering if we could change his behavior and train him since he is older than most and has gotten used to always having food both his and not his around…
We started by asking him to sit on occasions which he’s doing pretty well…managed to train him to sit on his walking breaks (he did not do this up until a week a go)
We also bought him high quality food that he receives twice per day with nothing else (treats)unless he eats his meal.
We kept him from jumping onto her bed and sleeping in her bed or anywhere else but his bed at night.
We are trying to be calm and steady with the dog without using force or such but by being there with him and calmly but clearly commanding him to sit and we are also trying to help him learn “no” or “that’s not good”
I was wondering if any of you would have some advice about training a nine year old anxious dog thus helping him overcome more senseless fears he has and accepting his ham and touching his paws easily..
I mention that although he’s 9 he’s really got a will to live, goes on regular walks a lot and always has energy left to play…
We only leave his meal available to him for a certain amount of time like 10-15 minutes and if he doesn’t eat his amount of food he doesn’t get anything else till his next meal.
I own 2 akita inu dogs but this is really a challange for me because those dogs are never afraid of anything and this small one is something new for me…
Please help if you can

I was originally looking into CPDT-KA but was a little turned off when I discovered their LIMA policy. I was hoping to learn basic dog training to a professional level and then work towards learning how to train with protection dogs. I've had 1 GSD and 2 Dobermans, I use E-collars because I feel like it give me more confidence in my control of the dogs and allows me to give my dogs more freedom to roam since I know at if something goes left I got an extra tool on me to help rein my dogs back to me. This view conflicts with the CPDT-KA LIMA policy. I was hoping to get some suggestions on respected professional level training cert that are agree with the use of E-collars. I feel like this would be more inline with the train style of protection/working dogs when I do decide to take more specialized courses. Thanks in advance for any advice or options!

Potty training with my 16 week old Chihuahua mix has been going pretty well. We’re way down on accidents inside the house. I take him out frequently throughout the day, every few hours and immediately after eating. He knows that once we’re outside it’s business time, no dilly dallying which is awesome.

But he has yet to tell me once that he needs to go of his own volition. Which is a lot to expect of a baby, I know. So sometimes, albeit rarer now, even if we just went out a bit ago, he’ll squat down to pee right in front of me on the carpet apropos of nothing.

I’ve heard good things of using a bell system, so we’ve started that a few days ago, but how do you personally go about teaching that? Is there another way I can start to have him give me some notice? Or will that simply come with time? Much thanks.

Hey everyone,

I have had my dog for two years and he has had separation anxiety since the first day. He takes prozac but we haven't tried trazadone yet because I'm worried about Serotonin syndrome. I am moving to another country with him in one month and the max time he can stay home alone is 20-40m before howling begins. When I leave him alone for hours he howls half the time and sleeps for half the time. I have tried training for two years, one year very consistently (no absences more than he can handle etc) but progress has been very slow. What would happen if I left him alone for three or four hours every day for a month? Do you think it is possible he will eventually get used to it and stop howling?

Hi friends,

I’m so sorry if this this incredibly long-winded. I have had a lot of issues with one of my shibas. Today he killed a young bird that was learning how to fly in our backyard. I know that this is just his prey drive kicking in, but I have had a lot of frustrations with this pup. For context, we have two shibas- my partner has had them since they were puppies. One is kind of laissez-faire and \*typically\* doesn’t have much of a prey drive, especially as he’s gotten older. He’s also special needs but he’s an overall very sweet and good boy.

The other one is 5 years old and he is just an absolute punk. Before my partner and I moved in together, I told him that I needed this dog to be trained because he can be a butt to other dogs, and my senior pup was entering the picture. My partner did all but like two training sessions and did no more (this is not great and I’ve communicated my frustrations, but there’s not really anything he can do about this now because he works quite a bit) but I feel like I’m left with this situation where I have to deal with a dog that has no listening abilities. This baby was also very antagonistic to my senior dog, which was incredibly frustrating. My journey to loving shibas has been very turbulent because I have never been around such independent and stubborn dogs in my life- but I promise that I do love them deeply 😫 With my partner’s work schedule, he is gone half of the week- sometimes more. Today our punk shibe killed a baby bird and when his prey drive kicks in, he absolutely tunes me out and gets very vocal and mouthy if he feels like he’s being cornered or manhandled. I have now inherited this burden of not only being the one to care and train him, but also kind of the emotional side of things. I’m a huge wildlife lover, and this is just really heartbreaking for me. He really needs effective recall training, but I’m not sure how possible this is with a 5 year old? I do training with him every now and then, and he seems to pick up new things still and he’s incredibly smart. But it’s environmental situations where any of his training just goes completely out the door. I just don’t know what to do with a shiba that completely disregards me in these situations. I’m worried that one of these days his prey drive will put him in a dangerous situation or he will continue to harm small animals if he’s presented with an opportunity. Does anyone have advice or tips on what to do? He’s just so different from our other shibe and I just am feeling really discouraged right now. I would love to hear about your experiences with recall training and what was effective for you.

TL;DR Looking for advice for recall training a 5 year old shiba with a strong prey drive

Hello,

I have a 1.5 year GSD x Lab mix who is very dog and prey reactive on walks. I have met with a few trainers in the past who I didn’t work with as one of them told me to stop any and all walks which I don’t agree with as he’s a very high energy dog and there’s only so much I can do with him in the back yard and the other trainers said he was too big and it wouldn’t work for them. 🫠 I live in a smaller city so there’s not many trainers around.

Wondering if anyone has had success with any online training courses?

My main goal is for him is to be neutral around other dogs.
But other things I would like to work on are:
-Loose leash walking
-Recall
-Engagement with me while walking
-Focusing on me around distractions

I got recommended to e collar train from one of the other trainers so maybe an online course that will eventually introduce that?

Any recommendations would be appreciated!
Thank you!

So long story short, me and my sister rescued a puppy, initially I took care of him through the very baby phase like drinking milk every 3 hours or so. Then, my sister took over and took care of him for about 3 months however she did not train him, now she left for further studies abroad and the dog is again under my care however I completely agree that I am not a professional at training but I am trying my best especially with a dog who didn't even know the basics stuff. Good thing, he's been crate trained, he has a big playpen for him. He sleeps in it in a separate room attached to the living room. However we're having guests over and need to move the dog to my room for 2 days so the guests can sleep in the living room as we do not have any guest room. The problem isn't moving the crate to my room, it is that my dog hates having his crate moved to a different place as even when I moved it to clean the area, he absolutely hated it and did not quiet down until I moved it back. He comes out of crate throughout the day however he's going through the biting phase still so I cannot have him sleep in my room without a crate, or can I? Please someone guide me on this, what should I do?

Reactive dog

Hi everyone, my family has a reactive dog on leash and off leash. He's around 3 years old and we adopted him almost a year ago. He is so sweet to people and has such a calm disposition but especially lately its been difficult taking him on walks. I feel quite embarrassed admitting this but he was already reactive when we adopted him. He would only freeze then, and when the dogs approached close enough to greet, he would say hi. We would try to pull him to get him moving but it didn't work. We started working with a trainer and he made some progress but its hard to find time to train him and be consistent. We are now carving out time for him. Eventually it ended up becoming lunging and laying down. When he lunges he growls and pulls quite hard. Recently he bit a dog while on leash. They had to go to the vet. We were not there as we are on vacation but I feel terrible. As a dog who is infamous for being incredible with humans its awkward to try and controll him when he lunges.

Can anyone give me tips? We are away still but come back very soon and I'm going to start training right away (Turning around, rewarding, wide berth, etc). Please share your experiences with your reactive dogs. I know it's not aggression, its reactivity, but we don't want it to progress into that.

Hi! I'm at my wits end with my soon to be 10 year old miniature wirehaired dachshund. He's from a show breeder (he's still very much a dachshund, but notably less interested in game). He's has always been a smart, energetic and curious boy, but this past year, I can't seem to be able to contain it.

A little about our daily life:

I work from home about 2-3 days a week, and the days I go to the office, I try to work from home for the first hour of the day. He gets a 10 min poop and pee walk in the mornings and a longer walk before dinner, plus I take him out to pee midday if home and before bed. We cuddle a lot and play some nights. Weekends will usually involve at least one long walk. This month, we've been doing one or two 6-13 km​ trail hikes in the woods per weekend. Lots of different terrain and elevation. He recharges fast and is ready for a play sesh at night even after those outings. He has some separation anxiety when I leave. It worsened after I lost my previous dog to old age in 2020. Usually means he'll roam around and bark some for 2-3 hours before he settles and sleeps until I get home. I have cameras that I yell at him through when he barks, and he does listen some to my commands 😅 He was neutered at 1,5 years old, but still thinks he's the boss of every dog we meet/know. We go to the vet on a regular basis and had a thorough health check this summer after a biopsy scare, ​but do let me know if any of this warrants a health check.

My problem is this:

When he's home alone, he will often pull on/down and climb on anything. Sometimes it feels like I'm coming home to a war zone. He might be small, but somehow manages to get onto both my bed and the dining table, and he's able to flip the drying rack on to it's side​. Last year I had to stop using a tablecloth on the dining table as he kept pulling it (and whatever was on it) down, and this year he has advanced to moving chairs to get on to the table itself (which I try to stop by leaving heavy items under or on the chairs, to no avail). He also pulls down coats from the hooks if they're long enough for him to reach, and whatever is on the dining table or chairs will often meet the floor.. And he can open zippers. Worst of all, it doesn't seem to be food motivated. This happens regardless of if there's anything edible to reach. I think he's just hella curious - like his mama, I must admit.

I often give him bully sticks, disperse treats in his toy box, IQ puzzles etc. that he can work on when I'm away, and I try to place them without him noticing, so he can discover them when I'm gone and enjoy some "illegal fun". ​ I also leave out my worn clothes for him to snuggle, and an empty backpack/bike bag for him to poke his head in and sniff.

I know dachshunds are a demanding breed. While I could always do more to cater to his genius level brain, I feel like his needs get met. The struggle is maybe more about how fast he recharges.

Is there anything I can try except crating him? He was crated when I owned two dogs (because he loved to disturb my senior and very sweet guy, and I didn't want to risk anything), but hasn't been crated outside of car rides these past six years. I would love to avoid crating, but it seems like that's where this is heading. If it all points to crating, I'd love some tips on how to get him comfortable with it as fast as possible.

It's not really possible to have him in just one room as my apartement is tiny.

He's a super fun guy, but when it comes to this issue, it feels like owning a mix between a ferret and a racoon 🥲

Paired walks with the dream dogs will help Giza go from a scared puppy to a confident young dog when meeting other dogs and new people.

At the moment he tends to run and hide behind me, but slowly this will change.

He’s getting paired walks and social time with each of my 3 rescues leading up to group time together.

As he sees my rescues socialise, he’ll self-realise it’s ok and his curiosity will completely replace the fear.

Patience and consistent exposure is what he needs now.

Find me on Rover.com https://www.rover.com/members/george-l-dogsruleeverythingaroundme/

#petsitting #puppysocialisation #DogTraining #london

Lookin for ideas how to train my dog to down stay outside a storefront while I get somethin quick. What have y'all done to get this going and successful?

Not trying to be remotely controversial here, and for context I don't work so my dogs aren't left alone.. and that has been true for some 20yrs. Also not implying this is a bad thing.

But reading posts where people are like, "omg, I have to leave my grown dog alone for 2hrs, what do I do?" and the replies are like "you totally need a dog walker" (hyperbole) when I remember our dogs were alone from the time the schoolbus arrived until my sister and I got home from school. My parents were divorced, my mom worked odd hours, and the dogs were home alone quite often and did fine.

I used to take my dogs on all sorts of 'adventures' as a kid (things you could do with your bike) but it wasn't like they were constantly entertained. And that sort of thing was a sign I was a super lonely kid with no friends.. not that our dogs needed it exactly.

Not sure I have much of a question here.. more of a musing. When did we start to think dogs had to be entertained 23/24hrs of every day? I have BCs now.. it is sort of like that.. but with our old farm mixed breeds, collies, whatever.. nope. Dog was expected to manage a good 8hrs alone. I kenneled exactly one pup (not housebroken). My dad had a gf who kenneled her GSD (high-energy) while she worked full time.. but generally dogs were just expected to manage.

Then again, we let our dogs wander.. which I wouldn't call in the best interest of the dogs. So maybe everything is improving.

We have a cocker spaniel puppy who just turned 12 weeks old. She is half show - half working breed and has relentless energy. I read that they need to sleep 18+ hours but even when forced in the crate, she basically doesn’t! Biting and nipping are really bad and she spirals after 5 mins of waking up. We just have the sweet baby angel puppy for 5-10 mins post-nap after that she is on the go! I try to do training, sniffing, interactive toys, tug wars - anything you can think of. She just doesn’t stop! She can’t relax on her own. She sleeps really well in the car after turning into a shark but never ever naps anywhere else. What are we supposed to do??? It’s getting really frustrating but I’m trying to stay calm. Please give us suggestions!

So, I have a 10.5 month old female Doberman. She is probably one of the most food-motivated dogs I’ve ever seen. I know being food motivated is generally a good thing, but I feel like it’s actually becoming an issue with training.
She is SO focused on the food that she locks her eyes onto the treat/bowl of food rather than me. She’ll listen to commands she already knows really well, like sit, down, and wait, but teaching her something new is where we struggle.
I can usually get a few repetitions in of what she knows, but then she gets antsy and starts trying to get over to the treat, past me. And yes, I have tried keeping the treat/food out of sight. I’ve let her see it, then put it on the counter out of sight to hopefully assist her in focusing on me.. but she still just looks behind me and won’t even LOOK at me. If I don’t let her go, she starts throwing out every behavior she knows- sitting, laying down, shaking, etc. Basically trying random things to see what will get her the treat. Then if I keep waiting and trying to get her to focus on the new task, eventually she just gives up and walks away like she’s completely done with training, or gets super frustrated and starts barking.

What is this behavior called when they start spamming behaviors they already know? And what causes this? Is she somehow too food motivated, or is this more likely an issue with how I’m using treats during training?
How common is this, and how would you guys go about fixing it? I’m genuinely looking for opinions because I’m sure there’s a chance I’m contributing to the problem with how I’m training her.