Dog Owner Chat V. 5

[Imzadi83]

Hello, I never usually post on these threads, but lately my mum and I have been doing some training with our two rescues and I thought I might ask for some advice on certain things if anyone has any info that might help.
First we have Mungo (Male), an 11 year old Jack Russell terrier who’s been in our family for almost 8 years now, and then there’s Midge (Female), a Jack Russell cross chihuahua who we’ve had for just over a year now (her age is a little more vague since they didn’t have the best idea by looking at her teeth, but we think she’s around 3 years old).

They get along very well for the most part, and getting Midge helped a lot of separation anxiety that was starting to return in Mungo as he aged, but it has caused a few more problems to arise. For the longest time, Mungo had convinced himself he was the alpha of the house, and getting Midge only strengthened this. Over the past month my mum has been training from an audio book, which has greatly improved this behavior through small but effective actions such as only leaving food out in intervals as opposed to all day, and not allowing them on the couch with us. He’s been stripped of any control he had over these things, and it’s really helped put him back in his place. Unfortunately he still barks and occasionally charges at the door when people leave (in the past he literally ripped off our letterbox hinge by doing this), and even though it’s gotten better, we’re still struggling to stop this behavior.

Another problem has been house training Midge. The rescue centre believes she was a stray living at a travelers site and probably had been her whole life considering she didn’t even know what a collar was at first. We’ve had her over a year now, but despite all our best efforts, she continues to pee indoors. We’ve tried consistent positive reinforcement, praising her every time she goes outside and giving her a treat, and completely ignoring her for at least 10 minutes when she goes inside. She seems to get the hang of it every now and again, and she doesn’t go inside for ages, but for some reason she will always revert back, and we’re not sure what to do about it. Catching her when she is about to go and taking her outside doesn’t help either, as she just won’t go anymore and stares at us blankly.

Midge also has a bit of a hunting instinct, other than bringing us a few dead birds and squirrels, this wasn’t really a huge issue until she recently chased a massive badger into its set, leading Mungo to follow her in. Thankfully we believe it was old and dying, so it didn’t cause them any harm, but had it been a nursing mother, they could have both been killed. We’ve been practicing a lot of recall, but when she gets scent it’s hard getting her back. She has to be on lead in most places now, which isn’t great since she’s very excitable and needs to burn energy. Unfortunately due to Mungo hating people getting close to my Mum, it’s hard to take them anywhere but those fields and woods though.

As troublesome as they are, I don’t know what I’d do without them, this picture is somewhat old, but it’s the best one I have of the two together.

2E67D130-4E3D-418C-A418-FDEE76C4F157.jpeg

Lovely dogs!

First off the dominance theory idea in dog training was debunked long ago. Mungo wasn't trying to be the "alpha" of the house. He was jealous/stressed/untrained. Them being allowed on the couch has nothing to do with a change in behavior, it's just a choice of whether your family wants them up there or not. Using dominance theory can be detrimental to a dog's psychological well being and the relationship between dogs and humans. I'm not sure what book you used, but step carefully...https://www.companionanimalpsychology.com/2017/02/dominance-training-deprives-dogs-of.html I highly recommend you let go of the idea of needing to dominate your dog and "put him in his place" and instead look for the root of what is causing his behavior and work with him to get him to behave in a more acceptable way.

For his lunging/barking when people leave is this company or do you mean he does this when you and your family are leaving?

If it's company I'd work on desensitizing him to people leaving. https://www.companionanimalpsychology.com/2018/07/what-is-desensitization-and-counter.html This should be done slowly and with him on a leash so he can be safely removed from the situation if it goes bad. For example you may have to start with someone standing up like they were going to leave, then toss a treat away from them. Repeat, do this often for short sessions with different people, but ultimately take him away before they actually leave so he stays under threshold (the point at which he has a negative reaction). When he's succeeding at doing that, then have them stand and take a step toward the door and throw a treat. Continue as above slowly adding one step closer to the door periodically as he's able to handle it.

Now if he's only doing this to you and your family that's a red flag that he's still be suffering from separation anxiety. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqPQKLh883s which will likely need to be addressed from more than one angle.

Midge's potty problem should first be addressed by seeing a veterinarian. She could have something going on physically (like recurrent UTIs) that could be causing the issue. If there is something physical going on that will need to be addressed first. If that isn't the problem my first thought is that you might be giving her too much freedom too soon. For example, if you have her in a crate, then she doesn't potty in the house, then you let her have free reign in the entire house, then she has an accident, then you go back to crating....and on and on. If something like that is the problem then you just need to go through the process of giving freedom more slowly.

Also what do these accidents look like? Is she getting overly excited and peeing? Is she only peeing by the door? In certain spots? Behind your back? At a certain time of day or during/after a certain activity? What do you do when she has one? How do you clean it up? And how long are is she required to go without a potty break? There's a lot that could be going wrong here, I'll link you to some videos and information that covers all the basics and some tips and tricks...

Potty Training - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvPiFcG7ROI
Housetraining 101 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZ0XEr4DGfs
Dog Potty Training - https://positively.com/dog-behavior/nuisance-behaviors/potty-problems/

For Midge's recall, it sounds like you need to work on proofing with distractions. The should be done slowly, and during training and until she's trustworthy off leash I highly suggest using a long line. You can also teach an emergency recall. I'll link you to some videos. Another problem may be that you always end the fun when you recall her. Obviously that may be necessary at times as you don't want to release her to go back after the animal she was chasing, but you should practice recalling her periodically and then releasing her back to go play. Another thing that may be hindering your progress is that your treats aren't good enough. Try a higher value (to her) reward that you only use for recall. Using a whistle as a recall cue when outside might also be easier for her to respond to then your voice.

What TO do and what NOT to do if your dog runs away and doesn't listen - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bXf5TZ3q28&t=246s
Proofing Game - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3a6cxHenoY
FUN RECALL GAME - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGD-LzcfI9w
COME when called with DISTRACTIONS! - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tV5qsH5tjYA
Train your dog to listen when you don't have treats - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-ezmzKZ8kM
Teaching Emergency Recall -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCLWtSiKldo
Reward Scaling - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7XxG5KchQ8


Also have you looked into Earthdog Trials, or the equivalent in your country? It's sounds like she has a nose (pun intended) for the sport. Barn Hunt, Jack Russel Racing, or agility might excite her too. Even if you didn't want to compete, the class would be fun for her and beneficial for your relationship.

Earthdog - https://www.akc.org/sports/earthdog/
Barn Hunt - https://www.akc.org/sports/title-recognition-program/barn-hunt/
Agility - https://www.akc.org/sports/agility/

I know this seems like a lot, please feel free to ask any more questions if you have them. Good luck.

[i<3 wolves678]

-snip-

Lovely dogs!

First off the dominance theory idea in dog training was debunked long ago. Mungo wasn't trying to be the "alpha" of the house. He was jealous/stressed/untrained. Them being allowed on the couch has nothing to do with a change in behavior, it's just a choice of whether your family wants them up there or not. Using dominance theory can be detrimental to a dog's psychological well being and the relationship between dogs and humans. I'm not sure what book you used, but step carefully...https://www.companionanimalpsychology.com/2017/02/dominance-training-deprives-dogs-of.html I highly recommend you let go of the idea of needing to dominate your dog and "put him in his place" and instead look for the root of what is causing his behavior and work with him to get him to behave in a more acceptable way.

Thank you so much for the information, we weren’t aware of how outdated that mindset was as unfortunately many sources we came across were telling us it was the correct way of thinking. We wouldn’t want to do anything that would cause harm to them in anyway, to clarify, we have never tried to physically dominate or punish them, or yell at them because especially considering we believe Mungo was physically abused before we had him, we know it wouldn’t do them any good at all. Fear is never the way to go with animals or people.
We’ll probably still disallow them from accessing the couch from now on, as it’s inadvertently helped with some other issues, but they do have a whole other couch and different furniture they are allowed to sit with us on as Midge is most definitely a lap dog and we felt it would be too cruel to not let them both snuggle with us.

For his lunging/barking when people leave is this company or do you mean he does this when you and your family are leaving?

If it's company I'd work on desensitizing him to people leaving. https://www.companionanimalpsychology.com/2018/07/what-is-desensitization-and-counter.html This should be done slowly and with him on a leash so he can be safely removed from the situation if it goes bad. For example you may have to start with someone standing up like they were going to leave, then toss a treat away from them. Repeat, do this often for short sessions with different people, but ultimately take him away before they actually leave so he stays under threshold (the point at which he has a negative reaction). When he's succeeding at doing that, then have them stand and take a step toward the door and throw a treat. Continue as above slowly adding one step closer to the door periodically as he's able to handle it.

Now if he's only doing this to you and your family that's a red flag that he's still be suffering from separation anxiety. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqPQKLh883s which will likely need to be addressed from more than one angle.

I’d say the former is most likely to help, as he does it with every single person who exits the house, regardless of how long they’ve even been there. We tried something similar to this in the past, but I don’t think we were consistent enough for it to help, so I’ll definitely talk to my mum about trying this again next time I’m at her house.

Midge's potty problem should first be addressed by seeing a veterinarian. She could have something going on physically (like recurrent UTIs) that could be causing the issue. If there is something physical going on that will need to be addressed first. If that isn't the problem my first thought is that you might be giving her too much freedom too soon. For example, if you have her in a crate, then she doesn't potty in the house, then you let her have free reign in the entire house, then she has an accident, then you go back to crating....and on and on. If something like that is the problem then you just need to go through the process of giving freedom more slowly.

Also what do these accidents look like? Is she getting overly excited and peeing? Is she only peeing by the door? In certain spots? Behind your back? At a certain time of day or during/after a certain activity? What do you do when she has one? How do you clean it up? And how long are is she required to go without a potty break? There's a lot that could be going wrong here, I'll link you to some videos and information that covers all the basics and some tips and tricks...

Potty Training - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvPiFcG7ROI
Housetraining 101 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZ0XEr4DGfs
Dog Potty Training - https://positively.com/dog-behavior/nuisance-behaviors/potty-problems/

I’ve heard that urinating in excitement or nervousness is a common issue with small dogs like chihuahuas, but that doesn’t appear to be the case with her. We’ve figured out she has specific times where she will go, but usually it’s in several different places around the house. We leave the back door open all the time, so she can basically go outside whenever she needs, but she doesn’t seem to understand or want to. As I briefly mentioned, we can occasionally catch her when she is about to go, as she starts pacing around near one of the spots where she has gone before, and we proceed to pick her up and take her outside. Unfortunately for some reason she just won’t go anymore, once we’ve taken her outside it’s as if she just doesn’t want to anymore, no matter how long we keep her out there.

She’s been like this since we first had her, and the vets that checked her at the rescue centre didn’t see any issues, but if it does appear concerning, we’ll probably have to take her again at some point.

For Midge's recall, it sounds like you need to work on proofing with distractions. The should be done slowly, and during training and until she's trustworthy off leash I highly suggest using a long line. You can also teach an emergency recall. I'll link you to some videos. Another problem may be that you always end the fun when you recall her. Obviously that may be necessary at times as you don't want to release her to go back after the animal she was chasing, but you should practice recalling her periodically and then releasing her back to go play. Another thing that may be hindering your progress is that your treats aren't good enough. Try a higher value (to her) reward that you only use for recall. Using a whistle as a recall cue when outside might also be easier for her to respond to then your voice.

What TO do and what NOT to do if your dog runs away and doesn't listen - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bXf5TZ3q28&t=246s
Proofing Game - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3a6cxHenoY
FUN RECALL GAME - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGD-LzcfI9w
COME when called with DISTRACTIONS! - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tV5qsH5tjYA
Train your dog to listen when you don't have treats - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-ezmzKZ8kM
Teaching Emergency Recall -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCLWtSiKldo
Reward Scaling - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7XxG5KchQ8

The biggest issue is that her recall is mostly good unless she’s chasing something, so I’ll definitely have to look into these, thank you for the links c:

Also have you looked into Earthdog Trials, or the equivalent in your country? It's sounds like she has a nose (pun intended) for the sport. Barn Hunt, Jack Russel Racing, or agility might excite her too. Even if you didn't want to compete, the class would be fun for her and beneficial for your relationship.

Earthdog - https://www.akc.org/sports/earthdog/
Barn Hunt - https://www.akc.org/sports/title-recognition-program/barn-hunt/
Agility - https://www.akc.org/sports/agility/

I know this seems like a lot, please feel free to ask any more questions if you have them. Good luck.

I’m not entirely sure if we have anything like this around here, as I’m in the southwest of the UK, but I’m sure there must be something considering how common farm land and keeping dogs for ratting is, so It’s definitely something I’ll consider looking into once she’s gotten better with the recall.
Again, thank you so much for all this information, this has been a big help c:

[Imzadi83]

-snip-

Lovely dogs!

First off the dominance theory idea in dog training was debunked long ago. Mungo wasn't trying to be the "alpha" of the house. He was jealous/stressed/untrained. Them being allowed on the couch has nothing to do with a change in behavior, it's just a choice of whether your family wants them up there or not. Using dominance theory can be detrimental to a dog's psychological well being and the relationship between dogs and humans. I'm not sure what book you used, but step carefully...https://www.companionanimalpsychology.com/2017/02/dominance-training-deprives-dogs-of.html I highly recommend you let go of the idea of needing to dominate your dog and "put him in his place" and instead look for the root of what is causing his behavior and work with him to get him to behave in a more acceptable way.

Thank you so much for the information, we weren’t aware of how outdated that mindset was as unfortunately many sources we came across were telling us it was the correct way of thinking. We wouldn’t want to do anything that would cause harm to them in anyway, to clarify, we have never tried to physically dominate or punish them, or yell at them because especially considering we believe Mungo was physically abused before we had him, we know it wouldn’t do them any good at all. Fear is never the way to go with animals or people.
We’ll probably still disallow them from accessing the couch from now on, as it’s inadvertently helped with some other issues, but they do have a whole other couch and different furniture they are allowed to sit with us on as Midge is most definitely a lap dog and we felt it would be too cruel to not let them both snuggle with us.

I'm glad you've found a comprimise so both you and the dogs can be happy.

For his lunging/barking when people leave is this company or do you mean he does this when you and your family are leaving?

If it's company I'd work on desensitizing him to people leaving. https://www.companionanimalpsychology.com/2018/07/what-is-desensitization-and-counter.html This should be done slowly and with him on a leash so he can be safely removed from the situation if it goes bad. For example you may have to start with someone standing up like they were going to leave, then toss a treat away from them. Repeat, do this often for short sessions with different people, but ultimately take him away before they actually leave so he stays under threshold (the point at which he has a negative reaction). When he's succeeding at doing that, then have them stand and take a step toward the door and throw a treat. Continue as above slowly adding one step closer to the door periodically as he's able to handle it.

Now if he's only doing this to you and your family that's a red flag that he's still be suffering from separation anxiety. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqPQKLh883s which will likely need to be addressed from more than one angle.

I’d say the former is most likely to help, as he does it with every single person who exits the house, regardless of how long they’ve even been there. We tried something similar to this in the past, but I don’t think we were consistent enough for it to help, so I’ll definitely talk to my mum about trying this again next time I’m at her house.

People moving around can be frightening for some dogs, especially small ones. My Chloe will let out a bark when guest move around. Luckily she's not aggressive so I give her a chewie to keep her busy when guests come. She'll still let out an occasional bark when people move around quickly but then she goes right back to her chewie, not even getting up to investigate anymore.

Midge's potty problem should first be addressed by seeing a veterinarian. She could have something going on physically (like recurrent UTIs) that could be causing the issue. If there is something physical going on that will need to be addressed first. If that isn't the problem my first thought is that you might be giving her too much freedom too soon. For example, if you have her in a crate, then she doesn't potty in the house, then you let her have free reign in the entire house, then she has an accident, then you go back to crating....and on and on. If something like that is the problem then you just need to go through the process of giving freedom more slowly.

Also what do these accidents look like? Is she getting overly excited and peeing? Is she only peeing by the door? In certain spots? Behind your back? At a certain time of day or during/after a certain activity? What do you do when she has one? How do you clean it up? And how long are is she required to go without a potty break? There's a lot that could be going wrong here, I'll link you to some videos and information that covers all the basics and some tips and tricks...

Potty Training - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvPiFcG7ROI
Housetraining 101 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZ0XEr4DGfs
Dog Potty Training - https://positively.com/dog-behavior/nuisance-behaviors/potty-problems/

I’ve heard that urinating in excitement or nervousness is a common issue with small dogs like chihuahuas, but that doesn’t appear to be the case with her. We’ve figured out she has specific times where she will go, but usually it’s in several different places around the house. We leave the back door open all the time, so she can basically go outside whenever she needs, but she doesn’t seem to understand or want to. As I briefly mentioned, we can occasionally catch her when she is about to go, as she starts pacing around near one of the spots where she has gone before, and we proceed to pick her up and take her outside. Unfortunately for some reason she just won’t go anymore, once we’ve taken her outside it’s as if she just doesn’t want to anymore, no matter how long we keep her out there.

She’s been like this since we first had her, and the vets that checked her at the rescue centre didn’t see any issues, but if it does appear concerning, we’ll probably have to take her again at some point.

Have you considered giving her a place to potty inside? Like a litter box filled with sod? That might help her understand she should only go outside. As she succeeds, at least 50 to 100 successes without accidents I'd say) you can inch it closer to the door. In general it sounds like she can't be trusted loose in the house yet. Either keep her crated or leashed to you so she doesn't have a chance to have an accident. Make sure you're cleaning the accident with an CO2 or enzyme based cleaner. And one that that helped me is the trick Kikopup mentions to do something else in the area the dog had an accident. Put their water/bed there, do training there, etc. as this can help her understand that is not a place to potty. Also when you take her out to potty try not to make her come back inside after she goes as some dogs will see that as punishing. Also you might try taking her to more novel places outside, if she always has to go in the back normally, taking her out front could encourage her to want to mark the area. Even a five min leashed walk down a driveway might encourage her to mark her territory. The fact that she's going at specific times is great, just watch the time and deliberately take her out before that. Also this could be a case where she just isn't comfortable going outside without you (or another trusted human) to pee. Will she go out to play by herself without a person?

Puppy Play Den - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYm7baUqpew

For Midge's recall, it sounds like you need to work on proofing with distractions. The should be done slowly, and during training and until she's trustworthy off leash I highly suggest using a long line. You can also teach an emergency recall. I'll link you to some videos. Another problem may be that you always end the fun when you recall her. Obviously that may be necessary at times as you don't want to release her to go back after the animal she was chasing, but you should practice recalling her periodically and then releasing her back to go play. Another thing that may be hindering your progress is that your treats aren't good enough. Try a higher value (to her) reward that you only use for recall. Using a whistle as a recall cue when outside might also be easier for her to respond to then your voice.

What TO do and what NOT to do if your dog runs away and doesn't listen - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bXf5TZ3q28&t=246s
Proofing Game - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3a6cxHenoY
FUN RECALL GAME - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGD-LzcfI9w
COME when called with DISTRACTIONS! - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tV5qsH5tjYA
Train your dog to listen when you don't have treats - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-ezmzKZ8kM
Teaching Emergency Recall -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCLWtSiKldo
Reward Scaling - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7XxG5KchQ8

The biggest issue is that her recall is mostly good unless she’s chasing something, so I’ll definitely have to look into these, thank you for the links c:

You're welcome, good luck. What you're dealing with is par for the course for terriers. *hugs* Just keep with it.

Also have you looked into Earthdog Trials, or the equivalent in your country? It's sounds like she has a nose (pun intended) for the sport. Barn Hunt, Jack Russel Racing, or agility might excite her too. Even if you didn't want to compete, the class would be fun for her and beneficial for your relationship.

Earthdog - https://www.akc.org/sports/earthdog/
Barn Hunt - https://www.akc.org/sports/title-recognition-program/barn-hunt/
Agility - https://www.akc.org/sports/agility/

I know this seems like a lot, please feel free to ask any more questions if you have them. Good luck.

I’m not entirely sure if we have anything like this around here, as I’m in the southwest of the UK, but I’m sure there must be something considering how common farm land and keeping dogs for ratting is, so It’s definitely something I’ll consider looking into once she’s gotten better with the recall.
Again, thank you so much for all this information, this has been a big help c:

You're welcome. You sound like your trying and willing to stick with it, and that's half the battle right there.

[nervousdog]

Hazel started her first round of Heartworm treatment today, and we just picked her up from spending the day at the vets . We brought her crate upstairs into our room, to minimize how many places she could travel too and how much movement it would be . So now her only locations will be our room and leashes potty time .
The other dogs in the household are free fed too, which means Hazel became free fed ( not to my liking- but it isn't my household so I had to adjust my routine to theirs as it was only fair ) . I wanted to be able to monitor her eating habits a bit more closely, as the other dogs will eat the food in her crate before they eat the food in theirs and I can never tell how much she's eaten . The water station is also downstairs and with her being bedroom or crate bound I felt she wouldn't get much water- so bringing the crate and an extra water dish up felt like the best route .

The vet tech said she did really good for them today though ! Was a real trooper ! She has daily medication to take and goes back to the vet eventually- I gotta look through the paper they gave me fully still .
I feel so bad because she is a super active dog and now she's gotta be stuck doing nothing or sitting in her crate . But it's for the best so I'll get over it haha . In a few months when she is healthy again then she can come out and run around and have fun !

[Imzadi83]

Hazel started her first round of Heartworm treatment today, and we just picked her up from spending the day at the vets . We brought her crate upstairs into our room, to minimize how many places she could travel too and how much movement it would be . So now her only locations will be our room and leashes potty time .
The other dogs in the household are free fed too, which means Hazel became free fed ( not to my liking- but it isn't my household so I had to adjust my routine to theirs as it was only fair ) . I wanted to be able to monitor her eating habits a bit more closely, as the other dogs will eat the food in her crate before they eat the food in theirs and I can never tell how much she's eaten . The water station is also downstairs and with her being bedroom or crate bound I felt she wouldn't get much water- so bringing the crate and an extra water dish up felt like the best route .

The vet tech said she did really good for them today though ! Was a real trooper ! She has daily medication to take and goes back to the vet eventually- I gotta look through the paper they gave me fully still .
I feel so bad because she is a super active dog and now she's gotta be stuck doing nothing or sitting in her crate . But it's for the best so I'll get over it haha . In a few months when she is healthy again then she can come out and run around and have fun !

Aw, poor Hazel. Heartworm treatment can be rough. (no pun intended) *hugs to you both*

[gamorasass]

Hi everyone!

Anybody have any recommended free or cheap online courses, webinars, etc. that they recommend regarding dog behavior and training?

I'm looking to educate myself as much as possible. I have a supporting account through IAABC (International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants) where I've been watching their webinars (free ones or cheaper ones with the membership), which have been great and informative and would definitely recommend for those looking to educate themselves.

I also found a free and reputable dog body language course here for those interested: https://dogknowledge.thinkific.com/courses/dog-body-language

But I am looking for more!! I follow LIMA (least intrusive, minimally aversive) based training, so things more along those lines would be great. Credible and reputable sources only please! I'm not looking for book recommendations at this time as I have far too many to get through already, haha. Thanks so much!

[Blue_Aussie]

^i don't know of any free courses but if you have any questions about dog behavior and such, feel free to pm me. I have been doing in home dog daycare, boarding and grooming for years, I'd love to help with whatever I can. C:

[Imzadi83]

Hi everyone!

Anybody have any recommended free or cheap online courses, webinars, etc. that they recommend regarding dog behavior and training?

I'm looking to educate myself as much as possible. I have a supporting account through IAABC (International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants) where I've been watching their webinars (free ones or cheaper ones with the membership), which have been great and informative and would definitely recommend for those looking to educate themselves.

I also found a free and reputable dog body language course here for those interested: https://dogknowledge.thinkific.com/courses/dog-body-language

But I am looking for more!! I follow LIMA (least intrusive, minimally aversive) based training, so things more along those lines would be great. Credible and reputable sources only please! I'm not looking for book recommendations at this time as I have far too many to get through already, haha. Thanks so much!

I'm not sure what cheap means to you, but Kikopup put out a lot of stuff https://dogmantics.com/shop/

There are podcasts available from KPCT https://clickertraining.com/taxonomy/term/1083

Looks like Victoria Stilwell put out podcasts as well https://positively.com/community/podcasts/

[Skysong]

This vanished off my posts list... odd.

Anyway! I’ve been super busy lately and haven’t gotten to post any updates on my guys lately.

Gizmo was put to rest about two months ago. His health issues caught up to him and his quality of life was just not there. So it was a hard day in the house.

My mom brought home a new GSD puppy. A male. My boy Thor, is male dog aggressive. So... good job mom.

Lilly has arthritis and on long term pain management.

Thor is overweight, but otherwise healthy. He’s lost almost 20 pounds though! He was at 125 now he’s closer to 107. His target weight is 95 pounds.

Lady has cancer and isn’t expected to be around next year according to the vet. She’s.... lumpy. My dad is seeing it and will talk to the vet about her QoL her next visit.

Tyler is.... well. Tyler is Tyler. He does his own thing and he’s healthy as a horse for a senior dog.

[Imzadi83]

This vanished off my posts list... odd.

Anyway! I’ve been super busy lately and haven’t gotten to post any updates on my guys lately.

Gizmo was put to rest about two months ago. His health issues caught up to him and his quality of life was just not there. So it was a hard day in the house.

My mom brought home a new GSD puppy. A male. My boy Thor, is male dog aggressive. So... good job mom.

Lilly has arthritis and on long term pain management.

Thor is overweight, but otherwise healthy. He’s lost almost 20 pounds though! He was at 125 now he’s closer to 107. His target weight is 95 pounds.

Lady has cancer and isn’t expected to be around next year according to the vet. She’s.... lumpy. My dad is seeing it and will talk to the vet about her QoL her next visit.

Tyler is.... well. Tyler is Tyler. He does his own thing and he’s healthy as a horse for a senior dog.

My deepest condolences on the loss of Gizmo. *hugs*