Hello Advay, Pup might be asking to go out because of the amount of smells and appearance of other dogs at the apartment complex. When you take pup outside, if pup going potty, then when you come back inside and pup asks to go back out and you take him, does he go potty again then? If pup is going potty each time, I would speak with your vet to make sure there isn't something causing irritation or incontinence like a bladder infection. I am not a vet. If pup is not going potty after that initial time you take pup outside, I would give pup more more chance to go potty, taking pup a second time, but keep it super short, close to home so pup isn't allowed to sniff or go greet a bunch, and to the point. Stay outside for no longer than 10 minutes whenever you take pup out and suspect they don't really need to go potty. After taking pup outside and ensuring pup really doesn't have to go potty, when pup cries, I would tell pup Quiet. If pup doesn't obey, then I would briefly correct with a puff of air from an unscented air pet convincer at pup's side. Avoid blowing it in their face and don't use citronella - only unscented air to interrupt the crying. Quiet method for teaching Quiet command: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bark Also, if pup may be bored or lacking in exercise, you can wear pup out on walks even more by adding in training practice during the walk - like a structure heel, sit-stay at curbs, Down Stay occasionally, watch me, turns and speed changes while pup remains in heel. Pup having to concentrate and focus on you a lot during the walk can take some of the mental energy edge away in addition to meeting that physical need for exercise. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

June 27, 2022

Hello Blake, It sound like pup needs a combination of off-leash obedience practice (which is practiced on a long training leash initially) to help manage the herding drive, as well as calm respect building for you to help pup let you handle situations around other people and dogs, and counter conditioning and desensitizing to people and running dogs. Commands like Leave It, Come, Quiet, Place, Down, Heel, and Out can help with impulse control, management, and build respect for you gently. Place command: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O75dyWITP1s Down-Stay: https://www.thelabradorsite.com/train-your-labrador-to-lie-down-and-stay/ Heel- Turns method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-poodle-to-heel Come - Reel in method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-whippet-to-recall Out - which means leave the area: https://www.petful.com/behaviors/how-to-teach-a-dog-the-out-command/ Leave It method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bite Quiet method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bark Check out trainers like Thomas Davis' channel from the Canine Educator online. I highly recommend hiring a professional trainer to help you in person with this. Look for someone who specializes in behavior issues like fear and aggression, has experience with herding breeds and teaching impulse control, works with a team of trainers and has access to well mannered dogs, like the trainers' own dogs, so there are "strangers" and other dogs to practice controlled settings with for training sessions, and who comes well recommended by their previous clients for behavior issue needs they had with their dogs. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

June 15, 2021

As a dog owner, you probably get upset when your dog growls. Your first reaction may be to suppress the growling by scolding or punishing the dog. This is never a good idea. By teaching your dog that growling isn't acceptable behavior, you're taking away its ability to warn you that it may bite. You may have heard stories about dogs that bite with no warning. But, in many cases, this is because the owners trained their dogs not to give a warning growl first. The key to getting a dog to stop growling is not to suppress the growls, but rather to deal with the underlying problem. Once the pain, fear, possession aggression, or territoriality has been dealt with, the dog will no longer need to growl. In-Depth Training Territoriality, possession aggression, and fear are serious behavior problems. Depending on the degree of the behavioral problem, the dog may respond well to a training program or may need a much more in-depth behavior modification program. A dog trainer or animal behaviorist can help you evaluate the dog, and determine the best course of action for dealing with these issues. As you work with this type of trainer, be as specific as possible as to what you think triggered the growling. The trainer will likely work with the dog to slowly condition it to accept the trigger and not growl in its presence. Next Steps While you're working to determine the cause of the growling, don't ignore it or it's likely to get worse. Be careful around your dog until you figure out why it's growling. Additionally, you may want to help your dog modify its behavior until the situation is under control. For example, if your dog always growls at the mail carrier, close the window shades and eliminate any sightlines while you work on the problem. If possible, eliminate triggers, avoid stressful situations, and caution others (both dogs and humans) to keep their distance in order to prevent a dog bite. For example, you may not want to introduce your dog to new dogs, bring it to a dog park, or host a loud party until you get help.

Feb. 12, 2021