Let’s take a look through a dog’s perspective; A stranger knock on the door, the dog runs to the door, the person walks into the home and they pet the dog. In your dog’s mind, the act of petting the dog is a reinforcer for barking, so, the dog will think that if they bark at the door, they will always get pet. You will need to desensitize your dog to someone knocking at the door. Try This! Lightly knock on the door, if your dog does not bark or respond, click and treat. Once your dog has this down, you can move onto the next step. This time, knock a little louder! If your dog does not bark or respond, click and treat. Once your dog has this down, you can move onto the next step. Now, you will need two people in order to do this part. Have someone go outside and knock on the door while you and your dog are waiting inside. if your dog does not bark or respond, click and treat.

Just like humans, stress during pregnancy can get passed to their newborns. If a dog does not get their basic needs met and missed the prime socialization period, behavioral problems can occur!   First, I’d ask the following (what I call the “trifecta”). Is there a genetic component? Were the parents fearful/ anxious? Sometimes we don’t always get to meet the dogs’ parents so we try our best to use any information that we have. Was the dog socialized before they were 6 months old (did they meet new people/ dogs and experience new places/ objects? Was there trauma within the first year or so of the dog’s life (this can be a one-time startle or something severe like being injured)?   Here are some options; Contact your pet’s veterinarian or behaviorist for medication to help decrease brain activity to help your dog calm down. If you are not able to get your dog to the veterinarian then consider a mobile veterinarian who can come to you. There are some other methods you can try in the meantime such as a Adaptil Pheromone Spray, Adaptil Collar, Adaptil Diffuser or Calming Supplements such as Calming Care. Once your pets brain activity [...]

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This could be an auditory type fear. An auditory type of fear is when your dog is startled and becomes fearful of a sound. Here are some things you can try to help your dog; Create a journal and write down each time your dog reacts to the TV to see if you can isolate the sound so you know what the trigger is. Start counterconditioning and desensitization like in this FREE video on How to Desensitize Your Dog to Loud Sounds here: https://vimeo.com/410212531 You can also check out Truly Force Free Animal Training Understanding & Helping Your Reactive Dog Webinar here: https://trulyforcefree.com/product/webinar-understanding-helping-your-reactive-dog/

This sounds like normal puppy behavior and not aggressive behavior. 7-week-old puppies need about 18 to 20 hours of sleep per day in a quiet environment. Create a daily schedule for you and your puppy. A way to ensure enough sleep might be to create a routine. Here is an example; Morning Schedule: Wake up Take puppy outside to go potty and give them a high value treat when they go potty. My dogs LOVE the Lamb RedBarn cut up into pea size pieces. Provide a food toy such as a Kong Wobbler, Kibble Nibble Ball or Kong filled with your puppies’ breakfast and let them work on that while you get ready for your day. Once you are ready and your puppy has eaten all of their food you can take puppy outside to go potty and give them a high value treat when they go potty. Now you can start to play or practice training with your puppy. If you are leaving for the day, you can put your puppy in an Dog Pen or Crate in a quiet place so your puppy can sleep for the next 2 to 4 hours. Mid-day Schedule: Take puppy outside to [...]

What’s the difference between a Fear Free Certified Practice and Fear Free Certified Professional? The basis of any successful Fear Free experience is the successful completion of one of the Fear Free Certification Programs. Our Fear Free Certified Professionals work in various capacities—veterinarians, technicians, customer service staff, practice managers, trainers, groomers, pet sitters, and more. Each individual is responsible for maintaining their certification. Some veterinary hospitals have one certified professional, while others have their entire teams certified. Fear Free Certified Practices take Fear Free implementation to the next level—from an individual to a joint effort that requires the entire practice team to work together to achieve certification. Fear Free Certified Practices will have successfully implemented Fear Free into all aspects of their business: culture and leadership, client education, staff training, facility, and patient visits. To meet this level of commitment and implementation, practices must measure up to Fear Free standards and will receive an on-site visit from a Fear Free Practice Certification Veterinarian to review the achievement of standards. To search for a fear free veterinarian near you click here.

Anyone can say they are a dog trainer as this profession does not require a license.

Not all dogs want to be around kids.

Instead of thinking of this behavior as an “obedience issue” try to start looking at it as an “emotional issue”.

The first thing to ponder is if this is medical. If your dog is in pain they will not perform well. We would recommend contacting your veterinarian and they may want to perform X-Rays to see exactly what might be going on and what the bones are doing. From there, depending on what the issue is, they may refer you to a Orthopedic Doctor, Canine Physical Therapist or Neurologist. Glucosamine for joints can help keep them healthy but will not help if it is a more severe medical or neurological issue. For more information, check out Truly Force Free Animal Training’s FREE Webinar “Do You Have Compassion Fatigue?” here: https://trulyforcefree.com/webinar-do-you-have-compassion-fatigue/