How to Train Your Dog to Not Sleep on the Bed

Hello Autumn, Check out the video I have linked below. I would practice that video in reverse, practicing the leaving routing that leads up to someone exiting and rewarding calmness - like standing up, putting on shoes, grabbing keys or purse, saying good bye, leaving, ect...But instead of actually leaving when you or friends who are helping, do that routine, you will practice just the part of the routine pup has worked up to in the training, then sit back down and repeat the routine over and over and over again, rewarding calm responses from pup - to desensitize pup to someone leaving, until you have worked up to the entire routine, going outside, then coming back in right after. As pup improves you will extend how long you stay outside before returning inside gradually. Whenever you come back inside ignore pup and keep that calm - so pup doesn't just learn to get overly excited about the return too, but sees the entire process as boring and not exciting or anxiety inducing. Door openings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpzvqN9JNUA Desensitize method and Quiet method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bark Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

Hello Brandy, It sounds like its time to hire a professional trainer with experience with competing and resource guarding. Often addressing resource guarding and competing between two dogs in your home starts with providing a lot more structure for the dogs, like 1-2 hour Place command, feeding in separate crates, heeling practice, teaching commands like Leave It, Out, Drop It, and Quiet. Interactions between them should be more supervised right now, meaning that when you can't supervise they need to be crated or separated, then when you are present you are the one to make and enforce rules for who can be where, how they are expected to act - like leaving an area if getting pushy, guarding, hovering, ect...If either dog has ever shown aggression toward you in any way, including during their fights with each other, I would desensitize both to wearing a basket muzzle and have them wear a basket muzzle and drag leash right now when not crated, then when there is tension between them, you can safely intervene to instruct the instigator to leave the area, using the leash to remove them if needed. You can also reward them when you catch one dog being calm and tolerant around the other. Watch for subtle signs of tension - a stare, tensing body, lip lift, low growl, raised hackles, puffed up looking, stiff raised tail, body blocking the other. Often a fight will start with something subtle, but its those interactions that need to be addressed. Start by hiring a professional trainer with experience with aggression like resource guarding and dog aggression, desensitize them to wearing basket muzzles for safety, then begin working on obedience commands that you can use to both build their respect for you calmly, and later communicate the rules and expectations you have for their interactions at home. The goal here should be peaceful co-existence not rough play. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

Hello Erin, Check out the article I have linked below on teaching Come. Pay special attention to the Premack principle found in that article. Due to pup's submissive peeing, I would practice outside with pup on a long training leash at first. https://www.petful.com/behaviors/train-dog-to-come-when-called/ For the submissive peeing, check out this article. It can also be helpful to keep a drag leash on pup to enforce commands calmly around the house without having to touch pup directly (which is a big submissive peeing trigger) for a while too. https://wagwalking.com/training/stop-submissive-peeing Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

Hello, There is actually a good chance that she was rehomed because of this type of behavior. It sounds like she is used to resource guarding those locations. I would first desensitize her to wearing a basket muzzle. To introduce the muzzle, first place it on the ground and sprinkle her meal kibble around it. Do this until she is comfortable eating around it. Next, when she is comfortable with it being on the floor with food, hold it up and reward her with a piece of kibble every time she touches or sniffs it in your hand. Feed her her whole meal this way. Practice this until she is comfortable touching it. Next, hold a treat inside of it through the muzzle's holes, so that she has to poke his face into it to get the kibble. As she gets comfortable doing that, gradually hold the treat further down into the muzzle, so that she has to poke his face all the way into the muzzle to get the treat. Practice until she is comfortable having her face in it. Next, feed several treats in a row through the muzzle's holes while she holds his face in the muzzle for longer. Practice this until she can hold his face in it for at least ten seconds while being fed treats. Next, when she can hold her face in the muzzle for ten seconds while remaining calm, while her face is in the muzzle move the muzzle's buckles together briefly, then feed her a treat through the muzzle. Practice this until she is not bothered by the buckles moving back and forth. Next, while she is wearing the muzzle buckle it and unbuckle it briefly, then feed a treat. As she gets comfortable with this step, gradually keep the muzzle buckled for longer and longer while feeding treats through the muzzle occasionally. Next, gradually increase how long she wears the muzzle for and decrease how often you give her a treat, until she can calmly wear the muzzle for at least an hour without receiving treats more than two treats during that hour. Muzzle introduction video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJTucFnmAbw&list=PLXtcKXk-QWojGYcl1NCg5UA5geEnmpx4a&index=6&t=0s I would then hire a professional trainer who is very experienced with remote collar training, aggression, and also uses positive reinforcement along with those things. This training will likely involve having her wear the muzzle routinely during the day to keep you safe, as well as a drag leash. With the trainer's help and the safety measures in place, I would then work on teaching her the Off command and Place command. Once she knows those, I would then use the remote training collar as a way to correct her for not obeying your Off command or Place command when given, so you do not have to get up close to correct and enforce your commands. I would reward whenever she willingly obeys and gets off or goes to place on command as well. Place command: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O75dyWITP1s I would also crate train her and have her sleep in the crate at night, and during the day when you are away, either in the crate or in a room without access to the bed or couch - so she can't practice ownership over those things when you aren't there also. Once the aggression is being managed safely, then the new rule for pup long term should be no getting on couches or beds in the future. Keep an eye out for any other locations she starts to guard, like her own dog bed. She might be prone to attempts at guarding locations. Finally, with your trainer's help, I would work on your overall relationship with her, to help her learn what to expect out of living in your home. I would practice obedience commands and routines that help build respect and trust for your family. Some examples are: having her work for things she wants by obeying a command before you give it to her, regularly practicing obedience commands you would like her to learn (take 10-40 minutes every day that you can just to work on a bit of training where you are teaching new things or improving old skills, as a regular practice, like you would with a walk). Keep rules consistent and follow through on them - like no nudging to be petted or pushiness. Finally, keep boundaries a bit firmer for her then you might would with some other dogs - like not getting on the couch and being expected to go to Place and stay when told. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

Hello Roberta, First, start working on a reliable Come. Check out the Reel In method from the article linked below. Reel In method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-whippet-to-recall While working on Come also work on the door bolting itself. Attach a thirty or fifty foot leash to a padded back clip harness that he can't slip out of. Attach the other end of the leash to something sturdy like a stairway banister (the leash is a safety measure). With the leash slack and only there "just in case", act like you are going out the door. Start to open the door and whenever pup tries to go toward it quickly close it. Your goal isn't to hit him but he may get a slight bump if he is especially pushy. Practice opening and closing the door until you can open it and he will wait until it is open further. When he is waiting a bit, then get between him and the door and play goalie with the opening. Opening the door wide enough for you to get through, then whenever pup tries to get through firmly but calmly take several steps toward him to make him back up. By doing this you are communicating that you own that space and asking for his respect. Don't worry about bumping into him a bit if he won't move out of the way - your attitude needs to mean business without being angry at all. Once you can open the door and he will stay back and not try to rush through, then you can click and toss a treat. You will gradually practice opening the door more and more and blocking him from getting through and walking toward him to make him back up and wait. Take steps toward him until he is at least two feet from the door AND two feet away from you - those two distances often equal him giving you respect (and not simply waiting to get past you when you move), and waiting at the door (instead of trying to bolt). It will feel a lot like you are a soccer goalie, having to be quick and focused. When you can open the door completely and he will wait, take a step through the doorway. If he tries to follow, rush toward him, making him backup again quickly. This serves as a natural consequence and encourages him to stay back. If he waits patiently, then click and toss a treat as his paws. Practice at that distance until he will stay back. As he improves, take more and more steps, moving outside, onto your porch and into your yard eventually. Be ready to quickly rush toward him as soon as you see him start to move, to keep him from getting outside (this is why you back the long leash on him, just in case he gets past you, but for training purposes the goal is to keep him from getting out so he isn't rewarded for bolting). When he will stay inside while you stand in the yard, then recruit others to be distractions outside. Expect to stay a bit closer to him when you first add a hard distraction - like another dog walking past, a walker, kids playing in the yard, balls being tossed. Imagine what types of things he may one day see outside and choose distractions that are at least that difficult to practice this around. Expect to practice this as often as you can, along with Come for several weeks, not just a couple of sessions, until you get to where he is completely reliable with distractions like dogs and kids in your yard and the door completely open. A final activity you can practice is walking around places like your yard or a field and changing directions frequently without saying anything. Whenever he takes notice (at first because the leash finally tugs, but later just because you moved), then toss a treat at him for looking your way or coming over to you - without calling him; this encourages him to choose to pay attention to where you are and associate your presence with good things on his own, so he will want to be with you. The combination of practicing door manners, Come, and willing following works best. For many dogs practicing door manners with the long leash the was I described is sufficient but some dogs also need e-collar training not to bolt through doors to gain reliably. The training is done the same way with a long leash, but every time the dog crosses the thresh hold or tries to bolt, while you are rushing toward them to get them back you also stimulate the collar to give a well timed correction. In that scenario you would also use clicker training and rewards for staying inside to teach him what NOT to do (rush outside) and what he SHOULD do instead (stay inside). Anytime you want him to go outside with you, give him a command at the doorway that means it is okay to exit, like "Okay", "Free" "Outside", "Heel", or "Let's Go". Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden