Hi Ali. One of the thing that can be really helpful in calming a dog who is high level excited is to calmly hold them still by the collar in what we refer to as a Calm Freeze. It’s best not to say anything or make eye contact, actions speak louder than words here, and keeping your interactions to a minimum is important. It’s really tempting to tell the dog off or give them a command but in this scenario they are just not in the head-space to listen and it will all fall on deaf ears. If your dog is really wound up though, moving him away from the other handler and walking in a few square metres, changing directions often, can be a really helpful thing to calm and re-focus a dog. Best…Doggy Dan

Hi Wendy,

This sounds like a classic case of Separation Anxiety and is something we cover in detail on my Membership Website. Using treats and toys often won;t distract a dog from it;s sense of responsibility, and that is what causes separation anxiety in all dogs. They feel responsible for the safety and survival of their family and when they are left alone at home they feel incredibly stressed about the fact that they are unable to perform that role. It’s kind of like the parent of a toddler worrying about them when they are lost, frantic is a word that springs to mind. My website TheOnlineDogTrainer.com shows you very clearly how to overcome this behaviour…maybe take a quick look…its a $1 trial for 3 days…all the best Doggy Dan

Thank you

Al

Love reading about training your dog. Our dog is an 8 year old jack Russell – rescue dog, who had 5 owners before us. We love him dearly and have had him for 6 years – he is now 8, but he has a very unfortunate problem. When we go out, we put him on the veranda. We leave him food in a food ball and water.
He literally screams when we close the glass doors and throws himself against the glass.
As soon as we are in the car he stops.
Unfortunately he does not play with toys except a ball which we give him a game before leaving and about 5 games during the day..

We need help – what to do.

Regards
Wendy Leahy

Hi Deanna,

This all sounds a bit frustrating and overwhelming for you, but it is even more so for dog. Imagine feeling responsible for the survival/safety of your human pack and you had to do that job in a world you do not understand. Anything that is man-made is completely alien to dogs and they can over-react to the slightest thing out of sheer panic. The solution is to show your dog that it’s your job to make the decisions that keep the pack/family safe and they don’t have to worry about anything other than following your lead. The behaviours you mentioned are all common for a dog who believes they are the decision maker/leader. So you can change these behaviours if you wish to and give your dog the ability to relax and trust you to look after everyone. Best, Dan

Hi John, thanks for the positive feedback and glad you are enjoying the whistle and training http://theonlinedogtrainer.com/whistle-dvd-lanyard-special-offer/
My suggestion is this…set yourself and your dog up to win…so if you KNOW she isn’t going to come then don’t blow the whistle. You have to see it like lifting weights – you need to build up to the heavy weights so start small and easy. Is you want to do the equivalent of a timeout at the park you can always take away her freedom by putting her on the lead…usually works very well, (just for a minute or two, then release her) Hope that helps, regards Doggy Dan 🙂

Hi Sharn,
you are welcome. Thanks for your kind words. I think you may be missing the fact that if you step in really early and calmly use timeout for the dog who is the main instigator and just use a very short timeout it will dissipate the rising issue very quickly…give that a go. I think you’ll find that both dogs understand where you are coming from 🙂
Cheers Dan

Hi Natasha, you are welcome, thanks for your kind words. The “training part” to stop the mouthing is pretty simple. As soon as your dog touches you or your clothes with teeth take her calmly and put her into timeout. Couple of minutes should do the trick, then let her out and ignore her. A puppy over 16 weeks should no longer see “play mouthing” as a game. Its the same as letting your 3 year old child mouth other kids gently is not a good idea. The bigger picture however is that a clear foundation about who is in charge and who is the decision maker will make all the future training easier and more effective. So I can’t urge you enough to check out my complete training program for $1 http://theonlinedogtrainer.com
All the best whatever you chose to do 🙂

Hi Laurie, when dogs meet they clock in as either a leader or a follower…this is true when they meet dogs at the park and when they meet humans. There is usually no aggression or dominance involved and its not wrong, its just nature, they are pack animals as opposed to a shoal of fish where every fish is equal. The way you meet and greet your dog is crucial to how every other part of your training goes. Its hard to explain the complexity of what to do (which is why I spent so long filming it all) but basically you really need to ignore her until she is relaxed. The same applies with the feeding, you don’t want to be rewarding an over excited, whining, anxious dog or you are rewarding the unwanted behavior. If you really want to get on top of things check out http://theonlinedogtrainer.com and follow the 5 golden rules. I am pretty sure that they will transform her based on similar dogs I’ve worked with. Regards Dan