Sorry for the late reply! Hopefully my experiences can help inform both you and /u/Katara012 on how to proceed with your own birds. I do just have to start with a small disclaimer though: obviously every bird and every situation is going to be different, so the biggest determinant of your success is going to be how well you are able to read your bird and act accordingly. I've found that reading books about bird behavior/body language, as well as watching videos of professional animal trainers, can improve your perceptions if you've not spent a lot of time around parrots in real life.

As for your own taming, never give up. Just learn to take steps back and go more slowly if necessary. So long as you can learn to respect your bird's boundaries, it's nearly impossible to truly ruin the taming process.

With Erwin, I was starting from square one. When I adopted him he had already gone through two homes and had rarely had good interactions with people. In his last home not only did he live 24/7 in the same tiny cage with a single toy and only spray millet to eat, but the only time he was held was when the family's child tried to grab and pet him. After a while they stopped completely because he would bite them in defense.

I'm telling you this because it helps describe the sort of state he was in when I got him. He was absolutely terrified of anything new or unfamiliar, including foods, toys, perches, people, you name it. This definitely slowed down the taming process, and makes it so that to this day I still have to be very careful in my actions when I am around him.

To start, I gave him a solid two weeks after bringing him home before I began interacting with him at all. This was to get him used to me, my home, my other birds, and the daily routine. At this time I left his cage door open whenever I was home. I wanted him to learn that here he was free to explore and also to start acclimating him to new situations to try to deal with his intense phobias. I also found later that in general he is way more receptive (and less terrified) when training occurs outside of his cage. I think it has to do with the fact that his cage is like his "safety blanket" and inside he remembers many of the bad hand/human interactions he had in the past.

Anyway, after two weeks I began clicker training. This is my go-to method for taming and bonding with any new bird, as it is an easy, hands-off way to get bird comfortable with you without pressuring them with your hands too early on. If you are interested in learning more about it check out this book. The first step is introducing the clicker. To teach Erwin that the sound of the clicker = a treat I began to "click" and drop a "ball" of millet into his food bowl a dozen times or more a day. It's good to note here that I did make sure to remove all millet from his normal diet so it would be reserved as a treat alone. This can make a bird more motivated in general. At first he would just run away as fast as possible to the back of his cage when I approached, but within a few days soon realized that I wasn't any harm. Even though he still wouldn't come to my hand to take the treat, he didn't run away and instead sat quiet and frozen on his perch until I walked away to go get the treat.

After a few more days I decided to move to the next step and get him to take the treat from my hand. To do this, I used a long millet spray so he didn't have to approach too closely. Because he was used to me enough to not run away, I began clicking and letting him nibble the end of the millet. Over the course of a couple of days, I slowly decreased the length of the millet until he was eating small portions from my fingers.

Now was time to start teaching "target". The reason why I like to teach this command before jumping into "step-up" is it is hand-off, it makes a bird feel more comfortable with you because it is pressure-free and allows them to make their own decisions, and it is an important tool used in learning many other tricks/commands. To do this I had to be very careful about reading Erwin's body language, so that I didn't inadvertently create a negative experience by making him uncomfortable. For example, I started by bringing the target stick as close to him as possible before he began leaning away/backing up. Once I had this initial distance (about 6 inches or so), I would "click" and treat half a dozen times, each time moving the stick away and back so he got used to the motion. Once I noticed he looked more relaxed (instead of standing straight up, frozen in place, he would lean forward or shuffle his feet to try and grab the millet when I offered it) I began decreasing the distance to the target stick. Finally, I was able to put it right in front of his beak, and being curious as most budgies are he nibbled the end of it. That earned him LOTS of praise and millet. Once I knew he could do it I would only click and treat if he touched the stick. Soon, he would become visibly excited when I whipped the stick out, and would run forward to start training. I was able to move the stick around his cage/playgym and have him chase it.

The final step was step-up training. To do this, I used a similar method as the target training, except I conditioned him to my finger by luring him forward with the target. I made sure to click and treat every small milestone, whether that be him approaching my hand, him putting one foot on my finger, then both feet, then letting me move him from place to place. A couple times he became spooked and flew from my hand, crashing into his cage where he huddled breathing hard. During these moments (and any other that resulted in a training session gone sour) I made sure to NOT chase after him, jerk my hand, or yell. Instead I talked softly in a reassuring tone, made sure to move extra slowly, and didn't not force him to go near me or resume training. That way we could smooth over the incident with as little drama as possible, and replace it with more good interactions.

At this time not only does Erwin willingly step-up 95% of the time, but he will even sit on my finger and preen/chirp/fluff up if I'm standing or sitting still. He runs over at breakfast and whenever I'm giving attention to my other birds. I'd like to think that he gets jealous and wants to be picked up and fawned over like everyone else. :) Since I've had him I've only been bitten three times, all of which were my fault for being too pushy. And not only does he now play with a variety of toys, eat a healthier diet of Nutri-berries and sprouts, he can do a couple tricks (ring a bell and pick up a ring), and in general acts like a very happy, settled budgie.

Having multiple short training sessions each day definitely sped up the taming process, as did housing him alone and having my other birds around to show him that I wasn't a threat.

Dang, well this was long. I just hope it can help you build a better relationship with your own bird. Again, while your timeframe may vary, I have no doubt you will see similar successes so long as you respect your bird's desires, understand it's motivations and body language, and have lots of patience. Good luck!

Virtually any dog in the universe can fit the criteria of what you described, but all breeds have their little variations.

For example, my favorite breed is the German Shepherd. And there are German Shepherds that do really well in apartment life, and others that don't. If you go to a breeder for your dog, you're going to want to find a breeder that emphasizes pet quality, safe, sane dogs. The difference between a Labrador from hunting lines and lines bred for therapy and service dog work is night and day. If you go to a shelter to adopt a dog, I would recommend taking a qualified trainer with you that's well-read on selection testing dogs, and most of all, use the resources at your disposal. Talk to the people who run the shelter and/or the rescue. They have the most experience with the dog. They will be able to help you the best.

With the two breeds you mentioned (Golden Retrievers, specifically) keep in mind the shedding issue. Labs shed too, but Golden's are just about as bad as Shepherd's (which are both, very bad.) If you have carpet, be prepared to vacuum everyday. If you intend to let your dog sleep with you on the bed, or chill on the sofa, be ready to clean your furniture daily. Your clothes will be covered in hair if you do not. Your boss will not like you showing up to work wearing your dog.

Also, please, if you haven't already, look into your apartments restrictions for pets and dog breeds, and keep in mind that if you intend on moving, you will be taking your dog with you. I love all breeds of dogs, but apartments do not. Rottweilers, German Shepherd's, Doberman's, Pitbulls (and mixes) come under notorious scrutiny when moving. For your future dogs sake, pick a breed or mixed breed that your landlords are cool with.


Some of my favorite books include:
Dog Training for Dummies which is a very basic introduction to how dogs learn, and explains the different methods available to you in an unbiased manner.

Some of my personal favorite books include:
How To Be Your Dogs Best Friend by the Monks of New Skete.
The Art of Raising A Puppy by the Monks of New Skete
The Divine Canine by the Monks of New Skete

If you haven't already guessed, I'm a huge fan of the Monks of New Skete. The put huge emphasis on calm, structured leadership and positive method obedience that works in real life situations. Plus, they're German Shepherd people. Double points.

Animals in Translation by Temple Grandin.

Dr. Temple Grandin is a high-functioning autistic that teaches at Colorado State University's veterinary science department. I've taken several classes with her, and her understanding of animals is absolutely impossible to challenge. This book is more about genetic theory and science-backed training methods. It's good reading material if you want to know more about animals (she discusses dogs and livestock in detail) but is not a training guide. She also has a lot of technical articles available on her website here.

Inside of a Dog by Alexandra Harowitz. This is a cursory introduction to canine ethology. It is not a guide, but if you want to know about how dogs think (how dogs can "smell time" for example) this is where you start.

How to Speak Dog by Stanley Coren emphasizes communication with dogs, backed in animal biology and evolution.

Canine Body Language: A photographic guide by Brenda Aloff describes in vivid detail what dogs are "saying." It's not a training guide, but will help you understand your dog much better.

Katz on Dogs by Jon Katz, a great common sense training guide to working with dogs in the home, and outdoors.
Soul of a Dog also by Jon Katz, which goes into greater detail on the personal side of working with dogs, with very helpful examples.

Imagine Life With a Well Behaved Dog by Julie Bjelland. Great book on structure and positive method dog training.

Natural Health for Dogs and Cats by Dr. Pitcairn was one of my college textbooks and it's a great start for dog nutrition and chemical-free health care for dogs. This is not a training guide, but nutrition and health are just as important (if not more) than training, so I figured I'd share.


With the exception of the first book on the list, all of these books are fairly detailed. I would highly recommend the Monks of New Skete books before any of the others. But they're all very good.

Additionally, you can read many of the articles on the AKC.org website regarding dog training, and Leerburg has some great comprehensive advice on training the working dog, which can also be applied to training family pets. He also sells a variety of videos and ebooks on the same subject matter.

TL;DR How To Be Your Dogs Best Friend & The Art of Raising A Puppy explain everything you ever need to know about training a dog, ever.

The dog's ability to cope with stresses, deal with new/unexpected things, and interact with new strangers/dogs as an adult depends on two primary things: genetics and socialization. There are some dogs that naturally tend toward the anxious, reactive, suspicious end of the spectrum. There are others that naturally tend toward the stable, friendly, unshakable end of the spectrum. Every dog should be socialized to make the best of the genetic foundation you start with.

Socialization is more than just exposure. Your puppy class may have even done more harm than good, if he spent the whole class afraid and overwhelmed every week. Socialization should be about exposing the dog/puppy to new things at controlled, manageable levels (so maybe starting at a distance or at a low volume, or starting with a single very calm decoy dog or single very calm dog-savvy adult that totally ignores your pup) and making the experience positive and fun, so he enjoys it. Work at the level the dog is okay with. It's also about setting up and helping him overcome little challenges, letting him "win" the situation to build confidence. It's okay for him to be a little nervous at first sometimes, but the situation should feel safe enough and be positive and rewarding enough that he recovers and wiggles within a few minutes. If he spends the entire time he's exposed to the new person/dog/whatever feeling afraid, that can simply teach him that that sort of person/dog/whatever is something to fear.

• Patricia McConnell article (PDF) on how fear begins in puppies
  
• Paws4u post about genetics + experiences contributing to fear
  
• The Cautious Canine (McConnell) (pamphlet on fearful/anxious dogs)
  
• http://fearfuldogs.com
  
  A starting high level plan at this point would be:
  
  
• set him up to feel safe. Crate train, if you haven't yet, to give him a safe spot to hide and relax. If he doesn't yet love his crate, take the door off and only use it as a spot for fun, safe things. Feed him there, hide treats for him there when he's not looking, put the most comfortable dog bed there, cover it so it feels more secure, and position it in a place where he will like to use it as a bed. Other things that might help him feel safe include using Dog Appeasing Pheromone sprays/collars and playing white noise like static and fans to minimize how often he's startled by noises. When he's in his "safe spot" (crate), there are no strangers, nothing new/scary is presented, nothing scary happens. Helping him feel safe in at least one context, so he can retreat there if he's overwhelmed, is a step people tend to forget but it's really really important. Work on a mat settle if you need a more portable safe spot in addition to your crate. Fired Up, Frantic, and Freaked Out does a good job of explaining how to do that.
  
• Countercondition and desensitize any of his fears to whatever degree you can. If you're working on fear of noises, stick with lower level noises like youtube videos of fire alarms on very low barely audible volumes. Follow each with something fun or exciting that makes him wiggle. You say he's not terribly food-motivated, but something gets him excited when he feels safe at home (toys/play maybe?)--use whatever that is, and keep the noise level very very low until you see a solid conditioned emotional response (he wiggles automatically when he hears the noise). If you decide food is still the best option, using high value food like lean chicken, liver, low-fat hot dogs, and low-fat cheese will work better than anything crunchy or most commercially available dog treats. If money is tight, tubs of raw chicken liver (fry or bake, then cut into tiny little bits before using) will be the best bang for your buck because they're cheap and highly palatable for even the pickiest dogs. Remember to decrease how much he's fed to make up for the added calories, and/or feed all of his food by hand for training exercises. You can also cc/d him to being handled, which sounds like a good idea given that he doesn't even like you touching him much. His life as a dog will be less stressful overall if he enjoys or at least isn't afraid of being touched. one example of counterconditioning paw touches. a kikopup example with collar reaches/touches/grabs
  
• Get him on board with willing husbandry behaviors. Teaching him a nose touch is a good start, because it lets you guide his head willingly with no physical force, by asking him to willingly nose your hand. That's also an easy way for him to control distance and initiate a positive interaction, and is a behavior he can (eventually) practice with other people too to become acquainted. When he can touch with his nose, work on a paw target too--that's a nice lead in to paw handling, because it lets him initiate the paw touching on his own.
  
• Look into BAT 2.0 and other methods that give the dog as much space and time as he needs to acclimate to someone/something new. Treat and Retreat is another good and easy technique, especially good for meeting new people. He's not going to "get used to" socializing by being forced into it; that can actually make things worse. Methods that give him space and time and let him learn to make decisions will help more than anything else.
  
• Talk to your vet about meds. If your dog is fearful and anxious all the time like you describe, you should at least make yourself aware of pharmaceutical options. That won't take the place of training and isn't a permanent solution, just helps training go more smoothly in some cases.
  
• Rethink socialization, as noted above. Whatever additional socialization you do with him as an adult should give him as much time and space as he wants, never forcing/encouraging him closer to new things than he's comfortable with, and focus heavily on the experiences being positive, easy, and having him walk away feeling good and confident about whatever he was being exposed to.
  
• Look up some trainers in your area. I know money is tight, but just be aware of the good trainer options near you in case you need them later, or your money situation changes, or you decide to allocate some of the medical fund for behavioral issues, or whatever about your situation changes. How to find a trainer. Some of my advice and references did mention using food, but it's generic advice. Food is a reinforcer for any living thing that eats, it's just a matter of how it's used and how excited the dog gets about it compared with current stresses. If a dog normally takes treats (say, will eat chicken off of the floor at home when there are no strangers or loud noises present) but can't take treats from a stranger, then that tells you more about the stranger being too overwhelming than the treats not being reinforcing. Even if he's less excited about food than average, having a non-food-motivated dog does not make him un-trainable by any measure, if you choose a good trainer--the trainer would need to work with you in person to identify what reinforcers do work for him in place of food.
  
  edits: clarity/wording, fixing scatterbrained thoughts.

We recently adopted a puppy in and live in a condo as well and feel your pain! This book helped us out initially Training the best dog ever

To date we've specifically found the following helped:

1. If crate = home to them, then they won't pee/poo in it:
   To get our puppy to like her crate and think of it as her home we spent time using treats to lure her in, hand feeding while she was in it and giving her special toys/treats while in it. She definitely whined a lot at first if the crate door was closed and we were in sight. So we went back to basics and used treats to reward her when the door was closed, then took steps back and eventually were able to walk away (book explains this well). Now she just goes in there whenever she's tried or if we stand next to it and point, she really likes it!
   
   
2. Get the right size crate:
   Others have mentioned this before. Our puppy is a Great Dane so our crate is already massive, but has a divider so we can expand it.
   
   
3. X-pens help your sanity:
   We have a flexible one around the crate so we can play with her in a small area and it's where we spend most of our time. Very very rarely does she pee in this area and when she does at least it's contained to an easy to clean up spot vs whole condo. It also forces us to be near her which is easier to pick-up on her cues and can whisk her outside easier.
   
   
4. Log everything!:
   We had a journal the first couple of weeks and noted the time of every meal, nap and pee/poo. It really helped us learn her schedule and set a routine that worked for both of us. I know they say to take them out every hour when you first get them, the more you learn their routine the longer you can stretch those durations. She'll actually sleep 8 hrs straight if we take her out right before she goes to bed and of course immediately in the morning.
   
   
5. It's hard to over treat a puppy:
   After a month with the puppy we signed up for a basics class to make sure we were doing what we could correctly. I thought we were treating her a lot, but I was so wrong. The trainer used so many treats in one session! Every tiny movement that got closer to the behavior we wanted she would treat. It helps take the guess work out of hoping they pick-up on what you want them to do. The vet also confirmed we shouldn't worry too much about over treating them, since they are growing.
   
   
6. Not all treats are equal:
   Stella and Chewy are like crack to them and the trainer used the Vital Essentials Freeze-dried Duck Nibs she really likes those and it's the same protein she eats. Treat them after they go outside.
   
   
7. Get to know your neighbors:
   We have a small condo with only a couple of units. The other dog owners gave us advice on good spots to take them. All were pretty understanding of our growing pains and I think felt reassured when they heard the effort we put into training, so they know this less than ideal behavior is just temporary. But who knows we live in the Midwest where everyone is passive aggressive.
   
   Anyways I hope that helps! Do share if you find anything else that works. Our puppy isn't perfect, but that first week was the hardest and can tell you it gets better!
   

I suggest the main thing you need to do is to train your dog to sit as a way to say please. You want to reach the stage where she will automatically sit when she wants something you've got.

To train her, start by using tasty treats: microwaved chicken breast cut up into tiny pieces is cheap and easy, you can also keep something like cat kibble in your pocket. Learn how to use a treat as a lure: hold the treat tightly under your thumb, against the tips of your fingers, then put the treat at the dog's nose and move the treat very slightly away from her encouraging her to follow a couple of steps, and then release the treat. Next, train her to sit using a treat as a lure: the hand motion becomes the SIT hand signal (I use a signal that looks like doing up a zipper) and add the verbal cue 'sit'. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksBLKi6lj1s

Practice in lots of short sessions throughout the day, and reward her well if she ever decides to sit spontaneously. This should only take a day or two for your dog to be able to sit without a lure, with just the hand gesture and the word SIT. From this point on, keep the treats hidden until she is sitting, and then reward her well - she should soon get the idea that sitting is a great idea, and will probably start to do it happily when there is nothing else exciting going on. Over time you can transition from treats to 'life rewards': ask her to sit before you give her anything she wants: a toy, throw of the ball, attention and pats, a walk, food, water, etc.

I recommend you get a couple of baby gates for the house: put one at the door to the kitchen, or wherever you prepare her food. This will protect you and will be a really useful training tool. Once the baby gate is installed, before you get out her food, use a treat to lure her to the other side of the gate. Shut the gate. Ask for a sit. Whenever she starts to bark, stop what you are doing, and ask for a sit. The first few times, you can reward the sit with a treat. After a few session she should get the idea that barking stops you from preparing her food! Ask for a sit, when she does say say GOOD and keep preparing the food. When the food is ready, put it down on the floor, ask for a sit (if she has trouble focusing on anything but the food bowl in front of her, you might need to be patient.... or even use a piece of chicken as a lure, just for the first time in this extra difficult situation), and then open the baby gate, at the same time as you release her with a word such as OK or FREE. After a few weeks of doing this you should find that she will automatically sit when she sees food being put down for her.

Another good time to practice this is when you come home and she's keen to say hi. If she is not crated while you are out, set up a baby gate so she can see you come in the door but can't reach you. When you are inside and have shut the door, ask her for a sit before you go and say hi.

If you keep practicing this in a range of different places (not just where there are baby gates!) you will probably be able to do away with the baby gates after a few months. You will also find that if you consistently ask her to sit before she gets something she wants you won't need to use the treats to reward the sit for very long!

Additional tips:

• Get a copy of Sophia Yin's book How to Behave So Your Dog Behaves https://www.amazon.com/How-Behave-Your-Dog-Behaves/dp/0793806445
  
• Make sure you have a dog toy (something like a rope toy or other toy she can sink her teeth into) in every room of the house. If she puts teeth on you or your clothes, give her the toy and then 'be a tree':
  
• Telling her No / Stop and putting her in time out all give her the interaction she craves so they encourage the barking and biting.
  
• Train her to 'leave it', and to to 'drop' an item she has in her mouth https://www.reddit.com/r/Dogtraining/wiki/calm
  
• Train the Protocol for Relaxation - item 5b on this page: https://www.reddit.com/r/Dogtraining/wiki/calm
  
• Make sure she is getting plenty of physical and mental exercise throughout the day. Long sniffy walks, playing fetch or chasey games, short training sessions (start with the building block behaviours and then see those Kikopup videos for inspiration), and provide lots of enrichment and interaction proactively so she doesn't have to ask for it!
  
• Switch to giving food in something she can chew on - biting and chewing is super important for puppies. Put kibble in empty plastic bottles, or cardboard tubes with the ends folded over. Invest in some Kong feeders to put her food in (start with just a couple of pieces of chicken and gradually make it harder - eventually you can soak the kibble and stuff it in with a couple of bits of chicken).
  
  Good luck to you and the family!

I can't imagine why she would publish false information, but I guess maybe-possibly-potentially she did this to further an agenda of some sort? I haven't read much of her work as I'm not Wiccan, but it's enough to know she and people like Koetting (A grim-dark edgy emo occult author who charges like 800$ for his books) are to be avoided like the plague.

Any other books I could suggest?

• Call of the Horned Piper by Nigel A. Jackson Is a great read if you're interested in "traditional craft". He details the making of several important witching tools, from the stave (A staff of sorts, usually forked at the top) to the besom (a broom) to the athame (A Ritual Knife) and a bunch of other things.
  
  
• Treading the Mill I have not yet gotten my hands on this, but I see it often enough in trad. circles and even other authors recommend it so much for beginners, it's worth including.
  
  
• The Devil's Dozen: 13 Craft Rites of the Old One by Gemma Gary Gemma Gary is a highly respected author in the field of trad craft and Ye Olde British/Celtic traditions. Her books are eloquent, delightful, and historically sound, and honestly I consider her fairly unmatched in the field of British craft. I don't know if I would necessarily suggest her as the first author you should read, but she's definitely good and you should check out her works if you have the chance.
  
  
• Animal Speak by Ted Andrews A book on animals and the spirits of animals, it's a good solid read especially for beginning work with animal spirits and familiars. Once again, if you're into that.
  
  
• Sarah Anne Lawless's Blog - If you want to do some reading on the subject of Trad Craft, Sarah Lawless's blog is a good source. I believe her blog also has a list of recommended books for beginners too, if you want to check that out. :)
  
  I have other suggestions as well, but they're much more specified to trad craft, like Liber Nox, The Visions of Isobel Gowdie, Cunning Folk and Familiar Spirits, or New World Witchery's Blog, but I think you've got a good handle so far!
  
  Good luck on your path. :)
  
  
  

My top suggestion isn’t actually to buy supplies, but rather to look through resources that speak to advancements in dog training in recent years.

We’ve come a LONG way in terms of understanding how dogs learn, how we can form the best relationships with them that lead to the best performance possible, etc. There are a lot of outdated techniques that are still popular (the idea the you have to be “dominant” over your dog, jerking on the leash to stop a dog from pulling, stepping on his paws to stop him from jumping, etc.) that don’t work even close to as well as modern dog training techniques. Following more modern techniques that use shaping, clear reward markers, and are built on an understanding of dog behavior, you can start training an 8 week old puppy on day 1 at home, and you’ll have a pup that cheerfully does incredible things in the training at even at a very young age.

So the best advice I have is actually to read this book by Sophia Yin: Perfect Puppy in Seven Days

I also recommend this book, by the same author: How to Behave so Your Dog Behave.

There are lots of online resources you might check out as well – Zak George and KikoPup’s respective YouTube channels are two. Fenzi Dog Sports Academy is also a fantastic resource that is something of a new model in dog training… rather than once-a-week classes, these are online classes that break training down into small pieces and help you incorporate them in day-to-day life, which can be much more valuable than an hour-a-week course at a local trainer. They have courses like this one that can help you get your bearings in understanding the fundamentals of behavior; this one is aimed more at raising a dog sport puppy but would probably be a great foundation for any pup.

Hope this helps! Good luck with your new pupper!

>why is a 20g high a bad place to start?


I originally thought that a 20g-high tank was 20" wide; but a 20g-high is 24" wide, while a extra-high has a 20" width. When buying lights, you'll have a much easier time finding fixtures in increments of 12".

My first reef tank was a 29g, which I think is a perfect starting size, but a finding 30" lights at the time was a pain.


>Im not looking to go BIG. i already have big for fresh water, and thats where im sticking since i have this tank as an extra and want to make use of it.


Just pushing the concept that the larger the tank is, the more stable it is. Go with largest tank your available space and finances allow.


>I plan on educating myself as much before i start, so i know where to start as well, so all opinions are great, thanks!


Awesome starter book: The New Marine Aquarium: Step-By-Step Setup & Stocking Guide


>And as far as patient, yes i plan on it. Looking for something that will slowly become a beauty, and something i can just sit back and watch life take over really. I plan on maybe 2 or 3 fish if that, small, a few shrimp or a star fish, and some coral, but i realize there are fish that destroy coral so im learning which are good which arent.


One of my beliefs is if you want a fish tank, build a fish tank. If you want a reef tank, build a reef tank. Try to pick fish based on how they can help maintain your reef, not just look cool. I love me some gobies and blennies.

Think about starting with soft corals. Zoonathids, Green Star Polyps, leathers and mushrooms are all great starting corrals.


>Why do you say bare bottom to start with also? I also want to have this as a self filtration tank also, that requires less maintenance once its stable and set.


I like bare bottoms because they're very easy to clean. If you really want to have substrate, I would still recommend going bare until after your rock is fully cured.

>and he told me that our dog was an alpha at the shelter

This is also extremely concerning to me. Alpha/dominance doesn't exist in this way. The dog doesn't think "he can do whatever he wants" because he's "the boss". He's a scared and abused dog who doesn't respond to commands he doesn't know. That's not him being a boss. That's the people around him being idiots when it comes to dealing with a dog like this.

>so it makes me hesitant to say that we are necessarily at fault for (maybe naively) thinking he was just going to be a happy go lucky dog who wasn't going to give us any "issues."

I don't know why you'd think this, knowing his back story. He has been abused. Abused dogs have issues, ESPECIALLY with people who repeatedly ignore their warnings and push them past their comfort zone. Which you've done, over and over, with this dog.

>I think I'd like to maybe keep him for at least another week and see if the situation ends if we try to coax him to move without physically moving him, by using treats or other means.

I think that's... Well, I don't know what to think about that. I think you and your boyfriend have significant gaps in your knowledge of "problem" dogs, which makes another bite incident more likely. But if you're really going to give it an honest effort, then here's what I can tell you:

1. Don't pick this dog up, or physically coerce him to move (including trying to drag him on a leash) in any way. Your efforts to get him to go where you want or move off of a piece of furniture should be ENTIRELY positive, and you should use treats to lure him where you want him. If you can, don't let him up on your bed in the first place, until you've worked on building a bond with him. This may require baby gating him out of your room so that he can't jump up on your bed.
   
2. Read up about alpha/dominance theory. It's not useful, and operating under its premise is going to cause you to misdiagnose your dog's behaviors. Here's an article that explains the origins and evolution of the alpha myth that may help you understand where we are now as far as dog training methodology. Here is a very in depth look into dominance (and why you shouldn't be using it to train your dog) by Dr. Sophia Yin. I'd also suggest that you order the book How To Behave So Your Dog Behaves by Dr. Sophia Yin.
   
3. It's a little late, but you should do a two week shutdown with this dog starting now. The two week shutdown can be flexible - you don't have to follow ALL of the rules. But you should definitely follow bullets 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9. Caveat with 7 is that you don't need to CRATE the dog after exercise, but you should give him time to decompress without forcing him to interact with you.
   
4. It would be smart to treat this dog like he will have a negative reaction to all common fear triggers. These include reaching towards his head/collar grabbing, resource guarding, etc. Please note that everything I suggest here should be done after the two week shutdown. Here's a quick exercise you can do to work on collar grabs. Here's a guide about dealing with resource guarding and exercises you can do to combat it.
   
5. Speaking of resource guarding - a big part of building trust between this dog and you has to do with resources. If he's eating, do not touch his food, or him, in any manner. In fact, give him a five foot space that you do not enter when he's eating. If you give him a bone or toy (which I wouldn't advise, but just in case), give him space when he has that bone or toy, and do not touch it unless he brings it to you. If you want to remove the bone or toy from him, lure him into another area with a high value treat while your partner picks up the object to avoid a confrontation.
   
6. As it says in the shut down, do not do ANY training with this dog right now. No commands at all. Instead of training, what you can do is passively reinforce good behavior. If he's laying calmly in a room with you, tell him "good" and toss him a treat (without approaching him). When you walk into a room he's in, throw him a treat (without approaching him). Basically, teach him that when he's calm around you, or when you walk into a room he's in, good things happen.
   
7. Speaking of space - make sure you give him his space. If he's laying calmly somewhere, leave him be (besides throwing treats). If he approaches you for pets, then pet him. You want to teach him that you respect his space, which means that you don't walk over and randomly pet him every five minutes when he's resting.
   
8. Make sure he's leashed BEFORE he leaves the house. Always.
   
9. Have high value treats in your pockets or within your reach at all times so that you can use them to reinforce good behaviors and lure him when you need to.
   
10. He needs to be muzzled at the vet's office for everyone safety. You can start conditioning him to wearing a muzzle after the two week shutdown.
    
    There's probably more, but that's a good starting point. You need to make sure that you're 100% committed to making this work, and believe me, it's going to take a lot of work. One thing you definitely need to understand - this dog now has a bite history, and will have a bite history for the rest of his life. You could go three years down the road without another sign of aggression, and you should STILL never physically pick him up or move him, because he IS AND ALWAYS WILL BE a bite risk. You can absolutely work through, manage, and improve these behaviors. But you always need to remember that these triggers won't ever completely go away, and they need to be respected always.
    
    Edited to be a little kinder in my wording.

We have gotten Hugo back in to classes - he went through a full Puppy Kindergarten when we first got him (despite the fear issues, we persisted, though I wish now that we'd better understood what was going on), and then in the last month or so we've started doing more advanced obedience training. My hope is to start him on Canine Good Citizen training in a couple of months (around when he turns 1), not a bad outcome for a dog who was initially too scared to even let people approach.

Based only on my experience, I would say that it makes sense to wait a couple of months before you get her into a group training environment - but I'm not a pro. I would suggest finding a trainer in your area who has experience with shy/fearful/aggressive dogs. (I add aggressive only because the three are often very closely linked, and it may help with Google.) Find someone who uses positive reinforcement training -- "dominance theory" training has a tendency to backfire with fearful dogs, and can actually cause aggression issues down the road. Have that person do a one-on-one session with you, and ask them to evaluate whether it makes sense to jump into a group training environment.

Regardless, I would absolutely start doing training on your own.

I've found Training Positive to be a good resource - his YouTube channel hasn't been updated in a long time, but I think he does a really solid job of breaking training down into tiny steps, and explaining well how to teach each of them on the way toward the intended behavior. This video covers the basic of obedience training - how to lure with food, how to mark the behavior that you want, how to lure into a position, how to introduce verbal cues, and so on from there. I should note that it actually covers weeks of work, but it also has a few small digressions that explain the why as well as the what, and that can be helpful. He has other videos that talk about specific behaviors in more details, and there are a bunch of other, similar videos out there that walk through more specific parts of the process (teaching sit, teaching down, etc). Others may work better for you.

Do a paired choice preference assessment (Like this or like this) to figure out what treats your dog REALLY likes, and make sure you always have some of those high-value treats around. They'll help with training.

At this point, Hugo hasn't eaten breakfast or dinner from his bowl in about 4 months. They're just 10-15 minute training sessions. "Sit" - perform the action, get a couple of kibble. "Down" - perform the action, get a couple of kibble. "Stay" - get a couple of kibble every 5-10 seconds, with the delay between rewards lengthening as we go. And so on. Every bite of food is an opportunity to ask for a behavior, take advantage of them.

My experience with Hugo is that working for his food makes him extremely happy. He loves being asked to perform. And, it makes him more comfortable with other situations. If we're somewhere and he starts to get nervous, I take him aside and have him do "puppy pushups" - Sit, Down, Sit, Down, Sit, Down, ... - until he calms down. He forgets about whatever is making him scared, and focuses on doing the thing that will get him treats.

It takes so much time, but it's so worth it!

She's such a cute dog! Do you know anything about her background, breed, age, etc?

[Edit - forgot to mention two books that I really appreciated: The First 100 Days With Your Puppy and Click to Calm]

I'm no shaman but I do have this book the whole first half is pretty much how to become in touch with your spirit animal, so that's a pretty involved question. But I'll review what it says about the heron if you're curious!
>Heron
>
>Keynote: Aggressive Self-Determination and Self-Reliance
>
>Cycle of power:Spring
>
>Herons are part of a group of birds called "waders." It is a bird of the marshlands and shallow waters. All waders have similar physical characteristics-long, thin legs, long necks, and sharp bills. These characteristics are important to understand for those who have a heron as a totem.
>
>Legs enable animals and people to move about on the earth. They are the symbols of balance, and they represent an ability to progress and evolve.....The long thin legs of the heron reflect that you don't need great massive pillars to remain stable, but you must be able to stand on your own. This is especially significant for those with a totem of the great blue heron, as it is a lone hunter.
>
>...It is important for for anyone with a heron totem to explore various activities and dimensions on earth life. On the surface, this may seem a form of dabbling, but those with heron totems are wonderfully successful at being the traditional "jack of all trades."
>
>This ability enables them to follow their own path...The way you live is not a structured way, and does not seem to have a stability and security to it. It is though, just a matter of perspective....If one way doesn't work, then another will. This heron people seem to inherently know.
>
>Heron do not seem to need a lot of people in their life, nor do they feel pressure to "keep up withe the Joneses" or be traditional in their life roles.
>
>The great blue heron is considered the king of the marsh, although the short-eared owl has been known to readjust a heron's viewpoint....innate wisdom of being able to maneuver through life and control its life circumstances...a need for those with this totem to follow their own innate wisdom and path of self-determination. You know what is best for you and should follow it, rather than the promptings of others.
>
>The irises of the eyes will turn from yellowish to bright orange, as will the legs. Meditation on this color will provide a lot of insight as to its role in your life

If this resonates with you I suggest getting that book I linked. It's got tons more info.

Congratulations, your birdie loves you and it’s only been a month! Lots of birds haven’t settled into their new homes in that short of a timeframe, so you’ve clearly got a sweet bird and you’re doing something right to bond with her. Not whistling or talking after a few weeks doesn’t mean it won’t happen. You can keep working with her, but you also can’t force it. Even if your bird ends up being male, every bird has a different personality and different preferences. Some simply don’t want to whistle or talk. They’re still just as wonderful as companions.

If you want to keep bonding with your bird and maybe help her learn some other tricks, consider clicker training and target training. I like this book as a guide. Used copies abound if it’s too expensive new. Dog training clickers are cheap and I’d use a chopstick as a target stick for a tiel.

It’s not the same as whistling, but helping your bird learn other skills may help you shift your focus a bit. Once you’ve clicker trained and have her responding to the target, tricks like teaching her to turn around or wave are fairly straightforward. You just have to remember to be patient. Keep training sessions short (10-15 minutes) and end on a positive note. Remember that your primary goal is to have fun and build a special bond with your bird!

Please don’t fill your house full of birds until you find one that whistles. 😉 Enjoy your sweet tiel! Keep working with her to help her come out of her shell and bond with you. Love her for everything she is!

Hey there! Congrats on the new pup. We just got ours, and we're using the book How to Train the Best Dog Ever. Training is going well so far on day 5 (she's 8 weeks old). She is really smart and a bit strong-willed, but man: she catches on fast.

Last night she slept through the night for the first time (yay!).

Do: prep your house by hiding shoes and anything below knee level. She is mouthing (light chewing) on about 75% of what she can reach. My girlfriend or I are with her at all times right now, so we quickly give her a toy when we see her biting anything. She REALLY likes running right by our feet, and it looks a lot like she's trying to herd us all ready.

She really likes the crate, as well. We got a blanket from the breeder that was in the enclosure with her and her siblings, and that's in her crate, which we feed her treats and snacks in and around. I think when they first come from the breeder, they're already used to some sort of barrier, so I think it's probably a great time to reinforce that the crate is a good place where fun things happen. We don't give her treats when she comes out--she shouldn't expect rewards when crate time ends, or she'll make a positive association with leaving the crate (learned that from the book!).

She really is pretty wonderful, and I wish you luck with your pup! I just posted a pic of Hazel aka Hazelnut aka Purple Haze in the main subreddit.

Hope this helps!

Edit: a word

One of the main concepts in modern dog training is setting your dog up to succeed, as well as reinforcing desired behavior with rewards.

Setting your dog up to succeed builds confidence. What this means in terms of training are things like taking small steps when teaching commands.

For instance, if you’re trying to teach recall or stay, you start with training in close proximity and gradually add in distance and distractions. You wouldn’t jump from the dog coming when you call from across the room to expecting them to come when you call outside when there’s a squirrel to chase.

It also means not giving them the opportunity to do something “naughty” like pottying in the house or chewing on things they shouldn’t through management on your part- taking them outside more often or keeping things out of reach or crating/gating them to a certain area when you can’t supervise.

Positive reinforcement training builds trust and a strong bond between you and your dog. Pay your dog in treats, praise, or play when the are behaving the way you want them to. Dogs also do well with expectations and structure, and some dogs, especially the less confident ones, really need that to be happy. It’s up to you to teach your dog what you expect of them and to be the leader. (Don’t confuse that with ‘alpha theory’ though.)

As others have already said, taking a basic obedience class would be a great idea. Just make sure you choose one that uses positive reinforcement only. (‘Balanced’ training utilizes adversives like shock, choke or punishment.)
The benefits of taking a training class are largely about training you to effectively train your dog, and you’ll need those skills throughout her lifetime.

Also, if you want a better understanding of dog behavior and training in general, I highly recommend the book The Other End of the Leash: Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs by Patricia McConnell.

Congratulations on your new kitten! I'm also a relatively new cat owner (about 8 months), but have learned there are plenty of things you can do to keep an indoor cat entertained.

A good place to start is looking into cat towers, climbers, and window perches – according to cat experts like Jackson Galaxy, cats build confidence by being able to traverse a room freely in their own spaces. Cat tunnels and even cardboard boxes can provide provide fun hiding spots if your cat is more of a "bush dweller." Cats are natural explorers, so try to picture your apartment or home from your cat's point of view (think both vertically and horizantally) and provide plenty of points of interest.

Examples: My cat loves watching the neighborhood from the window on this perch. You could even hang a bird feeder outside to provide extra stimulation. Mutlilevel cat towers and climbers also increase a cat's engagement with his envirnonment (you can also install DIY cat shelves).

It's important to play interactively with your new cat to bond, but make sure he has some toys to keep him occupied when you're not around as well. My cat loves this toy and there are plenty of other independent cat-puzzle toys out there. The more stimulated a cat is, the less behavioral issues you will have.

I hope this helps! I would reccomend that any new cat owner look into the TV show "My Cat From Hell" by Jackson Galaxy and/or read the book Think Like a Cat by Pam Johnson-Bennet.

Congratulations! It will be exciting and tiring and overwhelming and so much fun. Don't feel bad if you ever get stressed or overwhelmed, it happens to many people and does not mean you will be a crappy owner.

For videos, I love kikopup and lots of people here watch Zak George as well.

A few overall things - physical stimulation (exercise and playtime) is important but so is mental stimulation! Things like classes, puzzles, trick training, etc... are really beneficial and can also tire out a dog. A properly exercised and stimulated dog is much likely to behave better and be easier to work with and train. Just be careful to take lots of breaks and not over exercise a puppy as it can affect their joints and development. Also, patience and consistency really is key. Be firm and consistent with your pup and as /u/mushroom_fae says, think about the kind of adult dog you want to have.

I also suggest keeping a good supply of an enzymatic cleaner such as Natures Miracle or Anti Icky Poo. Many cleaners don't really do a good job of getting rid of the mark or scent and enzymatic cleaners will deep clean pet messes so that your dog can no longer smell the residue and won't go to the same spot to mark repeatedly. Great for potty training and just to have around in general.

edit: also if you're interested in reading some books, I love Patricial McConnell! I've not read the puppy one but she has several that are great.

You've done a fecal, right? Not just what the vet sees in office but sending it out to the lab to check for things like giardia which can be impossible to see in the vet's office. You've also done a blood panel, yes?

 

How long have you had her? It can take a while for a depressed dog to cheer up in a new home. The best thing is to not push yourself on the dog, don't force hugs or snuggles. Let the dog come up to you. When she's under your bed, just sit down on the floor next to the bed with a book and read. Have some dog treats and give her one every so often, and definitely reward her if she moves closer. Does she move away from you when you sit down or does she just stay in the same place? If she doesn't move, reading out loud can help. If she moves away, you need to work on her trust. PM me for advice on that, I'm not going to write it all here if there's no need.

 

It can take 6 months for a dog from a shelter to get used to new circumstances. This book might help https://www.amazon.com/dp/1891767143?tag=vs-pets-convert-amazon-20

 

Cheaper at amazon but the book description is better here http://www.patriciamcconnell.com/store/Love-Has-No-Age-Limit.html You can email her at that site, she's an amazing behaviorist. She's got a doctorate in behavior (or psychology or whatever the degree is that she learned behavior in) and she's not like Cesar Milan who uses outdated theories on dog behavior. She is usually good about writing back. Starting with "I've bought your book but my newly adopted dog is depressed and I need help" in the subject line can't hurt ;-)

 

Does she accept walks? Does she shy away or struggle? If she accepts walks, take her on one daily, and include time for her to just sniff and explore. It can't hurt to make sure she gets some exercise but again, don't force her to be lovey dovey with you, dont force her out from that safe spot she's found under the bed.

Most of the dogs come up from the US to groups locally, although possibly not directly in Ottawa. I used to have a retired racer, but that was in Vancouver and we drove down to Washington to pick him up. You could try flagging down an owner as someone suggested, or contact some of the local rescue groups http://www.adopt-a-greyhound.com/info.html or http://www.gracanada.com/. You can expect a bit of a process in adopting, as the groups will likely want to do a house visit and you would go through a meet-and-greet to get to know potential dogs before adopting. I totally recommend adopting a retired racer, but as with any breed, you have to look at your lifestyle and see if that type of dog fits. This book is a good primer, but the basis of it is that greyhounds are super calm, very sweet, and very sensitive, which is great, but the flip side of that is that they can have separation anxiety (so if you are out of the house 10+ hours at a time, it won't work well) and aren't as "dog" like as people are expecting, a lot of people are surprised that they have to always be on a leash unless it is a completely fenced in area. They pretty much want to sleep most of the day (preferably near you) and despite what people think, they are very low energy, but bringing them to an enclosed area to run briefly and some walks is all it takes. Good luck :)

congrats on deciding to kennel train, we will never have a dog that isn't. all dogs are naturally drawn to the kennel as it resembles their den in nature. the biggest thing to remember (IMHO) is that the kennel should NEVER be used as a disciplinary tool. you want the kennel to be a happy place for the dog (treats help with this). second, a dog should only be in the crate for about one hour of time for every six weeks of age, consequently, the dog really shouldn't be left in the crate for an 8 hour work day until about 1 year old. an appropriately sized crate is the difference between crate training success and failure when the dog is young. a dog has a natural desire to NOT want to soil it's den - to utilize this in the crate training, the crate needs to be big enough for the dog to comfortably move around and lay down in, but not so large as the dog could pee/poop in one end of the crate and lay in the other end away from it. a full sized dobe will need a pretty large crate - you can either buy different sized crates as the dog grows or buy the adult sized crate now and use a divider or various sized cardboard boxes to take up the extra space until the dog grows into it.

i would expect that peeing on the patio instead of the yard is a confidence issue with the young pup and the dog will grow out of it in a couple weeks/months. the dog's natural instinct is to go to the bathroom in the grass, this will come. if you want to encourage it faster, put the dog on a leash while still in the house, open the door and walk the dog directly to the grass - do not stop on the patio. then walk the dog around in the grass until she uses the restroom and praise her for doing so in the appropriate spot. she'll learn quickly where it's ok to and not to go to the restroom.

to keep her off the sofa, first, she must be corrected every time she attempts to get on it, even with a single paw. second, any time she walks up to the sofa but does NOT attempt to get up on it you need to praise her for doing the right thing. our dogs are allowed to put their chin on the sofa but nothing more - i have friends that the chin is not allowed either. dobes are very smart; consistency on your part is key.

if you're so inclined, this is awesome.

You sound well-prepared! Going with a rescue group you know and trust is a great idea.

• I would second the suggestion to think about getting a dog-walker midday. 9 hours is really pushing it - especially if you get a smaller dog (with a therefore smaller bladder). If you do that, your schedule will be fine for low-medium-energy dogs.
  
• Yes, with mixed-breed dogs, visual ID is highly unreliable. The advantage of getting an adult dog is that their personalities and temperaments are pretty much set, so knowing the breed background really isn't as important as it would be for predicting the future temperament of a puppy. With a rescue group, they have their dogs in foster for a while (the rescue where I adopted mine had a 2-week minimum before the dogs were available, so they could evaluate them), so they should be able to tell you about their good and bad qualities, habits, likes and dislikes, etc. The descriptions in the ads are just a starting place - once you make contact, you should have more extensive conversation about the dog with the foster.
  
• Yes, once you've gone through talking about a dog and everything sounds good, do a meet-and-greet. Try really hard not to go to it already committed - do your best to be objective in evaluating the dog, and do not feel pressured to say yes and take the dog home right then if you're unsure.
  
• As for guidance about adopting an adult, I recommend Patricia McConnell's Love Has No Age Limit. She is a trainer and a PhD in animal behavior, and her books are excellent. This one is a nice booklet under 100 pages. Dogs are very adaptable, and can be trained and bonded with their owners at any age.
  
  Good luck!

Whew, ok, lots to unpack here.

First question: does your dad know you're about to give him a GSD puppy? You're signing him up for a pretty big 2 year commitment here (and that's just the puppy phase), so please make sure he's 100% on board with the idea of raising a landshark demon spawn before bringing it home.

Secondly, breed standard puts an adult GSD somewhere in the neighborhood of 24" tall and 60-80lb. This can vary widlly based on sex, line, and breeding quality. My poorly-bred GSD male is 29" tall and a scrawny 85lb. I've also seen some pretty petite females come through my rescue.
On the subject of lines, do you know what kind of GSD you're getting? There are various working and show lines, and the personality and structure of your GSD can come out all over the map. If you don't know the answer from talking to your breeder, run away, because you're not getting a well-bred dog. Poorly-bred GSDs are health and temperament nightmares.

Thirdly, the breed standard calls for a confident but aloof personality, but again, temperaments may vary depending on lines and breeding quality. GSDs need to be socialized thoroughly but carefully to lock in that confident-but-also-aloof sweet spot. Flooding your puppy with tons of new people and places will create a fearful adult, but so will keeping your dog locked up. I have seen lots of success using a puppy-led gentle exposure technique. Take your dog to lots of places, but don't make the novelty into a big deal. Don't force your puppy to interact with every person and dog you see, and call it a day if your puppy seems overwhelmed or scared. A puppy builds confidence by exploring on its own, you're just there to moderate the experience and make sure it's a positive one. I can't recommend a group obedience class enough for young GSDs...learning to focus in a controlled environment around other dogs is a valuable asset for future life skills. Consider finding a local trainer that does group positive reinforcement based training, or at least very positive-leaning balanced training. Avoid anyone who mentioned "alpha" or "pack leader" because that school of thought is outdated and disproven (but is holding on forever in GSD breed circles for some reason). Also avoid anyone who wants to put a prong or choke collar on your dog without evaluating their behavior first.

Honestly, if I were you I'd stop and do a little more research before bringing home a GSD. They're a little more of a "lifestyle breed" than your average family pet, and will find and exploit any weakness in your dog-owning abilities. Read some books (recommendations here: 1 2 3 4), talk to your dad, take a good look at your breeder, maybe find a local trainer with a good positive puppy class, and try again with a little more information under your belt.

> Any books or guides you recommend?

• A well balanced trainer so you can properly socialize the dog.
  
• Ian Dunbar's Before and After.
  
• The Puppy Primer and Perfect Puppy.
  
• kikopup
  
• zak george
  
• Pam's Dog Academy
  
• Donna Hill
  
• Training Positive
  
• Kristin Crestejo
  
  > Crate recommendations (we will be doing crate training)
  
  Crate Games and the weekend crate training plan -- adjust as necessary for your dog. Remember, never reward the dog for crying if you know they don't need anything (aka, they've been pottied, fed, etc).
  
  > What should we be prepared for? What will a rough schedule be like for having a puppy around? When do we start leaving the crate open and letting him roam all day?
  
  It can be a bit rough the first two weeks, but get onto a schedule you like ASAP. Feed at x AM, potty after, feed again at x AM/PM, etc. It'll make your life substantially easier. I take water away just before our last potty for the evening. You can start leaving the crate open and letting him roam after the teenage-angst-kill-everything phase. That'll vary by dog.
  
  > There are always debates on the best dog food for puppies and adults, so any input on that would be awesome as well
  
  For the first month, keep the puppy on whatever s/he's on. It makes it substantially easier. Too much change can really upset their digestive system. :) Honestly, I'm a firm believer in keeping your dog on what they do well on.
  
  > When we get him, should we take him right to a vet for a check up, to get established there or no? Are there routine/annual checkups we should be doing?
  
  I personally would. Shelters aren't always the most thorough in their examinations. It isn't really their fault. But, it also allows you to start the socialization process for the vet. Take lots of treats, and reward heavily during the exam - reward whilst the mouth is looked at, paws, etc. It's never too early to start that. Just keep him/her crated or off the floor until s/he's had all the vaccinations!

These are the books I read! The training the best dog ever was probably my favorite as it focusses on manners commands like recall, stay, leave it, drop it, yours/mine as well as socialization methods. Puppies for Dummies is a lot about the first week/month/year of dog ownership and includes training but also health info, nutrition, supplies, budget, etc. 101 tricks is basically a party tricks book, not focussed on manners more on obedience training/showing off to house guests. I think it's always good to read a book about your dog's breed too so that was my last one.

Training the Best Dog Ever: A 5-Week Program Using the Power of Positive Reinforcement

Puppies For Dummies

101 Dog Tricks: Step by Step Activities to Engage, Challenge, and Bond with Your Dog

The Australian Cattle Dog: An Owner's Guide to a Happy Healthy Pet (Your Happy Healthy Pet)

Check out /r/goldenretrievers

Goldens can be hell as puppies. They will chew everything and anything they can. There's a lot of different theories, but this is what worked for me: Set a puppy portion of the house and a non-puppy portion. You can do this with baby gates or stacking boxes, or what have you. Make sure that only puppy chewable things are in the puppy part of the house. Be prepared for puppy bites- they don't mean anything by it, but their little teeth are like daggers.

Consider crate training as well. In a couple of months, find a puppy level obedience class and go to it.

Reinforce the training at home. Focus on loose-leash walking and simple commands. This will take a couple of years for the pup to perfect.

Wear the puppy out every day. Easiest way to do this is with fetch or "puppy ping-pong" in which you and someone else take a stack of treats each and take turns calling the puppy from larger distances, or different places in the house. This gets the pup used to coming when called.

Read books. I like The Puppy Primer for general purpose stuff. Learn about dog psychology. Remember this is a lifelong investment that will take time, money, and lots of energy- but you'll get more back than you put into it.

Goldens, at their core, really really really want to make their masters happy. It's your job to teach the pup what makes you happy through steady limits and training.

Good luck.

1. If you want her to look at you, you click for that. If a person walks by and she does not bark at them, by all means click and reward that! But I would try to ask her to "look" as soon as you see her warning signals, before she goes over threshold, so that she is still able to hear your cue, process, and respond.
   
   
   
2. Definitely don't punish her for it, but I think you already know that. Do not click/treat for lunging and barking. You're right that it was good that she refocused on you, but try taking that opportunity to ask for another behavior (sit, hand target, whatever she knows well) and click/treat for that. Give her an opportunity for success and to take her mind off what just happened.
   
   
   Good move on the desensitization method. Just really try to get your own timing right, and work hard on her "look" behavior, strengthening it by first working on it in a low- to no-distraction environment, and then increasing distractions/things she's reactive to. If you have some people you trust to help you out, ask them to be your guinea pigs so you can work with her in a controlled environment while she's on a leash as they walk by or ride a bike by. That way you can predict what they're going to do (because you asked them what and what not to do), so it will cause less stress for you while desensitizing her.
   
   
   Here are some relevant resources that may help you:
   
   Across a Threshold Whole Dog Journal, April 2013
   
   Click to Calm, a Karen Pryor clicker book
   
   Feisty Fido: Help for the Leash-Reactive Dog by Patricia McConnell
   
   Behavior Adjustment Training by Grisha Stewart
   
   Clicker Training 'Look At That' LAT Game, a youtube video

Huskies, especially when young - require a lot of engagement to avoid the behaviors that people would associate with a bad dog/badly trained dog (chewing, using the bathroom inside, barking/howling incessantly, and other attitude problems). It's important that you give them things to do every day both physically and mentally, sticking to a schedule will help everyone involved - the dog will know something is coming and can wait instead of flipping out.

They're very smart dogs, work on obedience training (if you've never done this before, look for a local trainer and take some classes or buy a book - Training the Best Dog Ever is a decent little book by the person who trained Obama's dog among others - it focuses entirely on positive reinforcement, and then there are things like 101 dog tricks.)

Get them toys, use a puzzle feeder for meals, take them on as many walks as you feel like you can and reinforce the proper behaviors you want on every walk.

Huskies are working dogs, and like working dogs (and most all dogs) they want to know their job/role in the pack, trust you and your decisions, and do things that make you happy. They are your number one fan, and always down to ride or die.



^^^dog ^^^tax

tl;dr take it on walks a lot, play with it, positive reinforcement for behaviors you want it to continue, don't hit it or yell at it for 'bad' behaviors, make sure it has physical/mental things to engage it every day and it'll be your best friend for the rest of its life.

Puppy school (eg, at Petsmart) to teach him to "come" on command, etc. No puppy pads. cuz they encourage peeing indoors. Ours will potty outside, in any weather. NEVER punish for potty mistakes, but quickly whisk them outside to SHOW him where he should go, and then offer High-Value-Treat (meat, cheese, etc) the MILLI-SECOND they do it correctly. Praise at the right instant teaches them what behaviors you want them to repeat. Crate training is very important. It's a den, make it a happy place, not a prison. Read Dachshunds for Dummies, and other training books such as this excellent book. Watch Kikopup on youtube for training tips. Learn how to read dog body language, also known as calming signals. Learn the many benefits of raw feeding. Above all, give him love, and he will give you joy.
Edit: if you can, adopt another. Dachsies do better in pairs.

I strongly recommend not clipping its wings. It clearly can fly well so clipping it at this stage would be very cruel. It is one thing to clip a bird who takes no interrest in flying or has been given little opportunity to. It is quite another to clip a bird who knows how to fly. There is a strong possibility that clipping it at this stage will cause behavioral issues and/or depression. Make sure you give it at least an hour or two to fly around in your house each day.

If you end up keeping it, I hope it makes a wonderful addition to your family. They are amazing birds. Things will go better for all involved if you do as much reading as you can. Learn about diet and caging. Also I can't recommend learning clicker training enough. It is a a great way for you and your children to interact and get to know the new addition to the family. It will also help with general behavior. Perhaps reading something like this would be a good place to start.

I wish you the best of luck! By the sounds of it she is a very sweet bird.

Have you gone to any training/obedience classes with him or had a trainer/behaviorist work with him? That's a good first step. Look for a trainer or training class that favors positive, force-free methods over corrections. Most of his behavior sounds normal for a young, energetic dog who doesn't know yet what good manners are or why they're worth following. It makes perfect sense for him not to listen to you outside, too; everything else is just so interesting (picture a 10 year-old kid being told to focus on his homework in the middle of Disneyland). It takes a lot of work to get a dog to focus on you outside and near distractions. So patience, repetition, lots more positive reinforcement, and most importantly time and consistency.

The fear aggression is a bit higher priority, though. A behaviorist is good for this. There are also books and videos you can look into in the meantime, such as BAT 2.0 and The Cautious Canine.

There are a couple of other users mentioning the use of a shock collar. If you decide to go the route, put it at the absolute bottom of your list as very last resort. Punishment like that comes with a lot of risks, such as making fear and aggression worse and developing new triggers. Plus, it won't actually show the dog what you want it to do, so it will be a painful "no, don't do that" without showing what the right behavior is--that's achieved through positive reinforcement, time and patience. And you stay consistent with the +reinforcement, you likely won't need the collar at all. All of this in aside from the fact that I and many others do not accept shock collars to be humane or ethical. I don't believe in inflicting pain, and moreover, you can't fix fear with pain. Pain can only cause fear, and in an already fearful dog, that's a recipe for disaster.

One last thing: increase his exercise amount. He's young, so he's got lots of energy and craves and outlet for it as well as mental stimulation. Tiring him out every day will make him substantially easier to handle and train.

No matter what you choose, I wish you good luck. Training will be challenging, but it can also be so much fun. I hope the best for you and him both.

Here's my list of favorite training resources:

• Jane Killion (Great book: When Pigs Fly: Training Success with Impossible Dogs)
  
• Karen Pryor (Great books: Don't Shoot the Dog & Reaching the Animal Mind)
  
• Sophia Yin (Great book: How to Behave So Your Dog Behaves)
  
• Jean Donaldson (Great books: Fight! & The Culture Clash)
  
• Pat Miller (Great book: The Power of Positive Dog Training)
  
• Patricia McConnell (Great book: The Other End of the Leash)
  
• Ian Dunbar. He's done a lot of work with puppies and has a blog and tons of articles as well as a TED Talk.
  
• Zak George
  
• Kikopup
  
• Kristin Crestejo
  
• A great article on canine body language/calming signals: Calming Signals: The Art of Survival by Turid Rugaas.
  
• 101 Things You Can Do With A Box.

Yeah, a lot of rescues have odd personalities due to being raised, basically, like livestock.

They're certainly not rough-and-tumble rasslin' dogs like a lab or retriever. They wanna run for about 5 minutes once or twice a week, and lounge/sleep the rest of the week. They have terrible recall. Most of them, if they see a squirrel or a cat or something off in the distance, they're going to zero in and take off (35 mph in 3 steps). And then get hit by a car or get lost. So anytime they're out of the house, they need to be in a fenced-in area (yard/dog park) or on-leash. Those are the down sides.

For me, I picked a greyhound because they are the absolute chillest dogs ever. They love to see you come home and they'll greet you for a couple minutes, then just hang out near you. They don't chew up furniture, they don't demand hours of play/exercise every day, they're not yappy. (It was about four months from when I adopted my 6-y/o until I heard her bark for the first time.) All the rescues are house-trained. They can be mostly command-trained if you put in some time. I taught mine "sit", "stay", and "down", but "come" never worked outside the house. Also, they're raised for health and good genetics, so there aren't chronic medical issues like bad hips and stuff that you'll find in other purebreeds.

If you do start seriously considering it, I highly recommend "Retired Racing Greyhounds for Dummies" and "Adopting the Racing Greyhound". After those you should be pretty set on what to expect. Also, the rescue agency should work with you to find a dog that fits with your situations and what you want. (Some are not cat-safe, some are more high-energy, some are more comfortable with new situations, etc)

I'm really glad I adopted (and fostered). But rescue greyhounds are really unlike any other pet dog out there.

...Wow I just typed a lot, haha. Let me know if you have any questions!

A question for you to consider before I go into some recs for you: Have you considered the size of the dog relative to your flat? Small/medium dogs can be easier to manage in a smaller living space, and it’s important to consider personality as well (calm v. high-energy will help if you have to leave).

The solution my partner and I have come up with:

1. My job allows me to work from home a few days a week, so I can let our dog out or give her attention during the day.
   
2. On days when I have to go to the office and partner has to work, dog gets to go to dog daycare (which she loves)! The best part about this is that she comes home exhausted from the fun.
   
3. We adopted an older puppy (~8 months), which means she was already at an age where she could hold her bladder overnight. I do not recommend you start with a 3-month old puppy if this is your first dog. Between work and caring for what is essentially an infant, it might be a lot to handle.
   
4. With all skills related to your dog, start small and move up (ie, if you need to leave, try leaving for only five minutes and see what the dog does. Praise highly if they are calm and don’t destroy anything, and gradually work toward longer increments. If the dog doesn’t do what you wish, stay calm, and move back to practicing the last successful step).
   
   Another option that we did not care for, but many people recommended: hire a professional, trustworthy dog-walker to come by once or twice a day to give the dog emotional and physical stimulation, and let the dog relieve itself.
   
   I highly recommend a training guide (books or videos) if you do decide to adopt a new friend—partner, myself, and dog really benefited from Zak George’s “Dog Training Revolution” and he has many supplementary videos on YouTube as well.
   
   Tl;dr: I am a talkative dog person with lots of advice for managing a furry friend that you will either love or hate.

It would be adequate, but not ideal. Get as big a tank as you can afford, both price-wise and size-wise. More volume means more stability, the ability to select larger fish specimens, and, overall, less headaches. Sumps are great and if you can afford the extra expense/setup time, you will never regret getting one. You can get another tank, maybe 15 gallon, and put your skimmer/heaters in there, as well as more rock. It's a great place to add supplements and increase your water volume.

Read and research all you can now. It's much harder to change things after you've got creatures living in your tank. Two great, essential books: http://www.amazon.com/The-New-Marine-Aquarium-Step-By-Step/dp/1890087521 and http://www.amazon.com/The-Conscientious-Marine-Aquarist-Professional/dp/1890087998

To hold you over until you get those books: http://www.fishlore.com/SaltwaterBeginners.htm

The key here is patience. Yes, it's hard work, but most of the hard work is only at the beginning if you plan it right and don't rush it. Good luck! Feel free to ask me more questions.

Properly fitted chest harness should not allow that, we use easy walk harness both at home and in the shelter. It is mostly going to come down to counter conditioning. Have you tried feeding her out doors? Lots of treats while outside possibly play time with a favorite toy. It is very hard to give any real hard set advice with out being able to evaluate the dog in person.

I would look into possibly a dog behaviorist who would be able to write up a dedicated plan for your dog and her needs. One thing you can try is reward her for even looking at the door. Then start rewarding her for stepping towards the door. And then reward her for stepping out side, moving on to being calm out side. But again with out seeing the dog it would be hard to tell the severity of her issue or her triggers.

One of the best books on fearful dogs is The Cautious Canine. And a very nice online resource is fearfuldogs.com. Keep an eye out for weak nerves and good luck I hope everything works out for you and her!

EDIT: Assuming she does not have weak nerves and is still getting over her shelter experience there is hope. My boy was a breeder dog for 3 years, had never walked on grass, seen stairs, felt wind etc. We had to acclimate him to all of that. It took us better part of a year and that with prior training and dedication to the dog. Look into clicker training it can be a godsend.

Love Has No Age Limit-Welcoming an Adopted Dog into Your Home

Best $10 you can spend.

I love her books, and am always amazed to realize how little I do know.

My 10 year old Male Golden Retriever was getting into "fights" with the 3 year old Female Golden Retriever who is new to us, but has had a lot of Service Dog training. Irony is the new dog is a very passive Service Dog, and ignores almost everything. Everything was great for three weeks, but once the New Dog felt "at home" things slightly changed.

Older GR gets stressed during storms and likes hiding behind pillows on the couch. Younger Golden decided that was a pretty nice spot to hang out and chill, too. First storm... seemed like all hell broke loose. Lots of snapping at each other, thankfully no puncture wounds (that is more by accident).

Never pull a dog back by its collar, way too easy for a dog to whip it's head around and bite. If they have family jewels, grabbing firmly and yanking gets their attention. If Neutered/female... grab the base of their tail. Gets their attention and enough time to stop by the time they whip around they realize "oh, it's you". /u/beavizsla has an excellent point. You really don't "yank" but lightly grab to get them to stop what they are doing! In the heat of the moment, way too easy to pull to hard and cause damage.

Once it was pretty clear the "resource guarding" was both dogs wanting my attention, simple to let the older one keep his routine and the new comer to sit on the floor next to me. SD has two lives, one with a vest "I'm working, do not disturb" other is at home, no vest... time to be a silly dog. :)

Both are happy and doing great.

tl;dr: Get that damn book from Amazon and read it!

I'd like to think snow leopard... but I don't know. I have too many "relatable animals" to make it official I suppose. I try to read up on them and their spirit guidance-ness from my two books and I would say snow leopards most of the time, sometimes others like raven/crow, magpie or otter or some other random animal.

I like these books 1, 2. They're pretty good books from what I've read, lots of animals in them and not just North American wildlife or strictly mammals. Foxloft has some good mini descriptions.

Sensitivity, camouflage, agility. Snow leopard people tend to be introverted, quiet, observant, and independent. They tend to live partly in their own world, calmly perched above the small things that can easily consume day to day life. Snow leopard as a totem can teach us to overcome obstacles and navigate our lives with an agile, flexible step. (Foxloft)

It's pretty much me, spot on. I'm the quiet, 100% introverted one. I tend to keep to myself and just watch everything/one else do their thing.

Then of course raven, raccoon, kangaroo, red panda, wolverine, crow... bunch of other animals. Not always the whole thing like snow leopard though. I don't feel like digging out my books and reading snow mew parts right now... it is past midnight and I have work in the morning haha

I don't use corrections either. I would rather show the dog what to do rather than what not to do. My dog isn't perfect, but he is a great dog and I am very happy with the results I have gotten from using only positive reinforcement training. My dog and I do agility, rally, nose-work, parkour, and a ton of trick training. Positive reinforcement works it just takes effort and time from the trainer. The best example I can give for what positive reinforcement is to look up Sara Carson and her Super Collies. She only uses positive reinforcement and all of her dogs are amazing and she has a reactive/aggressive dog as well.

My dog has both fear and frustration based reactivity, although they start out looking different, they end in the same result of barking, lunging, etc.

I would refrain from using punishment/corrections to modify a dogs frustration based reactive dogs behavior because you don't want it to turn into fear. Your dog might not make the association that they are getting the punishment because of their behavior and may associate the punishment to seeing other dogs and this can turn into them thinking dogs=punishment so keep away from me!

Look into B.A.T and L.A.T training if you haven't already.

BAT training book by Grisha Stewart is a really good read for BAT training and she has some really good diagrams.

Replying to my own message to help you get started researching.

Good Owners, Great Dogs is a great first-time-dog-owner/looking-for-a-dog book. Costs a little more than ten bucks at amazon.

www.dogstardaily.com. Read ALL THE THINGS. They have great articles about introducing a dog into your life, playing games, training, tons of stuff. Absorb it all before going out to choose your companion.

www.dogfoodadvisor.com for help in choosing a good food for your new best friend.

Tip of the iceberg; there's plenty to take in. But I realized my original comment just said "hey, man, go do some research" and didn't point in a good direction. Those places will get you started.

And I am really hoping the comments thus far are helping re-shape your notions of adopting a canine and realizing what that really means.

Ours love love loves being outside at any time. She does a perimeter patrol multiple times a day, she’s been out there in snow, rain, thunder, none of it phases her. Very few potty accidents with her, she also has a service bell she rings when she wants to go out, and abuses that power when it suits her.

She is also a hunter and has saved us from multiple bunnies, birds, garden snakes and a rat. She’s still hoping for an elusive squirrel one day. She’s a very good girl and wants to be a good listener but all bets are off if she’s hunting, she can never be off leash outside except in the securely fenced yard and at the dog park.

She howls when her feelings are hurt. It’s the cutest thing ever. Someone left and didn’t take her in the car? Other dog doesn’t feel like playing? Baby howls.

She is crate trained and sleeps in a cat cave in the crate so she can be cozy, it was a great alternative to a pile of blankets for her.

The book Good Owners, Great Dogs was a helpful training guide for me when I got my first dog.

Why not try both? Any good trainer will encourage you to do a lot of work at home to support their advice. The sidebar has links for finding a good trainer. Before signing on to any training program, ask about their beliefs and techniques so you're sure you're comfortable with their suggestions ahead of time. Fearful dogs need a lot of quiet, positive encouragement. This site may offer you some good reading in the meantime. This is a great book too (The Cautious Canine: How to Help Dogs Conquer Their Fears) and is by one of the most respected names in animal behaviourism, if you're interested.

Toy play can take time. This thread may help!

Edited to add: BAT can also be very useful for fearful dogs, so if you can find a BAT trainer near you, I'd suggest you start there.

These two books written by Monks of New Skete, The Art of Raising a Puppy and Be Your Dogs Best Friend are worth their weight in gold. They cover what to buy as well as training methods for your dog.

Kong toys are brilliant. We use ours for training and have another that we fill with peanut butter and freeze. I consider this a frugal tip because it's the only toy our dog can't destroy.

Socializing your dog at the dog park costs only time.

In most major cities there are "clubs" for each breed and likely another club for rescue dogs. We took our mastiff to hang out with other mastiffs each Saturday. It was free.

You also need a good short walking/traffic lead and a longer park/hiking leash.

Good luck and thanks for rescuing a pup. It's a noble thing.

Books are a nice option that are generally pretty cheap overall, if not free.

What do you mean by very obedient? Do you plan on doing advanced training in the future? Like in dog sports? Do you want all the basics to just be SUPER DUPER SOLID in all locations? What kind of dog are you planning on?

If you're thinking about sports, I second the FDSA free ebook, but also suggest "Control Unleashed: The Puppy Program", and "The Focused Puppy". Both of these books' audiences are for the enthusiastic trainer who probably has a bit of experience training dogs. There will be a bit more training jargon and the like.

If you're more of a beginner, I really like "Perfect Puppy in 7 Days" or "The Puppy Primer". Then, I also highly suggest "Beyond the Backyard" as that really gets into the ways to get a dog that listens everywhere and not just when you've got a treat in the hand, or just in your house, etc. (Do note this book does assume you have taught the basics and instead goes into the proofing of behaviors in all environments, which is why I suggest that in addition to the puppy books)

Dogs are not good surprise gifts. If you're going to adopt a dog for the whole family, bring the whole family to meet it and bring the whole family to train it. One thing they don't talk about much in books is finding a dog that genuinely likes people and other dogs and finding a dog for first timers. Make sure you spend a good half hour with the dog and ask tons of questions about the dog's temperament from someone more experienced - if you have friends that own well adjusted dogs (probably not the one you mention in the post), bring them with you. Touch him all over to see how he deals with being handled, run with him walk with him one at a time, move slowly and confidently and look for signs of stress: http://www.maplewooddog.com/MDT/Articles/Communication-Handling-Articles/DogBodyLanguagePoster.jpg

You do not need to adopt the first sad eyes you see.

As for preventing behavioral issues like nipping, licking being a pest. You may want to start with a younger dog (10-24 months) who is less set in his ways and beginning to mature; more of a blank slate and willing to learn what is expected of him. It goes both ways, you must constantly train him what is expected in your household and how to distract him from doing things you dislike.

Keywords like this can point to a balanced dog: turnkey, easy going, relaxed, outgoing, happy, confident, playful, loves car rides, friendly, biddable, keen, young, good with people, good with kids, good with other dogs and cats, smart, spayed, aims to please, settles nicely, crate trained, house broken, watches tv :).

Stay away from dogs with keywords like these until you have more experience to care for their needs: special needs, shy, medical issues or allergies, reactive, fearful, may become aggressive, no kids, no cats, separation anxiety, needs lots of room, active homes only, growls, was a chained outdoor dog, not for apartments, suffered from parvo when young, epilepsy, intact, not for dog parks, not for off leash, needs lots of love, came from another country, strong prey drive, thinks he's smarter than humans.

For the more concrete questions: what to buy, what to do before the big day, how to introduce the dog to your home. Start with this book. It helped me SO much as a first timer.

http://www.amazon.com/books/dp/1891767143

Invest in some good positive training courses a month later and make sure the whole household knows they need to provide activity/food/walks for the dog. You might want to do some breed research and find what agrees with your lifestyle. Many shelter dogs are mixes, but it's good to at least know the breeds so you don't end up with a Husky, feral dog, wolf hybrid or sighthound as your first dog. Not that there's anything wrong with it, but they can be a handful for people with no dog experience.

Since you only brought her home today, I wouldn't judge her ability to understand where to potty quite yet. I definitely don't think she has a psychological problem. She's in a brand new home with brand new people and has absolutely no clue what's happening to her. Even dogs that were previously perfectly house trained for years tend to have accidents in the house after being in a shelter or rehomed. With a little decompression time, you'll be surprised at how much more of her personality you discover.

Since she's new to your home, you're going to want to introduce her to your home by slowly increasing her access to your space. Dogs won't potty in what they think is their home/hangout spot. You can start with a crate and work outwards. Whenever she isn't crated, having her tethered to you or closely monitored while tethered to furniture is a great start, too.

I'll link a couple of Zak George videos, too. It's way easier to explain techniques through video links. He's got great positive training tips, especially for dogs that are essentially blank slates. If you want to delve deeper, I'd read How to Behave So Your Dog Behaves or The Perfect Puppy in 7 Days, both by Sophia Yin.

Zak George on House Training

Zak George on Crate Training

Good luck! Congratulations on your new addition!

Here's what Dr. Sophia Yin says:

> At any point when Fido’s predictably lying down with the hand signal, add the cue word “Down” right before you give the hand signal. Make sure you say the cue distinctly but in a happy voice. Also, make sure you say the cue word before you give the hand signal that he already knows. If you present the two at the same time, a phenomenon called blocking may occur, in which he fails to learn the verbal cue because the visual cue (which he already knows) is more salient. That is, he will have no reason to learn the verbal cue because he already knows the hand signal.

> On the other hand, if you present the verbal cue first, then it will predict that the visual cue is coming. Once you present the verbal cue prior to the visual cue enough times and follow with a reward, he’ll respond to “Down” by lying down. You can test whether he’s lying down due to the verbal cue or whether he’s going on a visual cue by standing perfectly still with no body gestures and uttering the cue “Down.” If he lies down on a vocal cue while you’re otherwise perfectly still, then he knows that “Down” means lie down.

> If you taught down by just waiting for Rover to lie down and then rewarding the good behavior, then you can teach the verbal or visual cue by giving it right before you know he’s going to lie down. After many pairings, he will understand that these cues mean that he should lie down.

Oh gosh yes!

The Thinking Dog For clicker training and general stuff

Click to Calm Is great for dogs with aggression and behavioral issues.

Do Over Dogs is a must have for doggie foster parents

Shaping Sucess for raising a performance puppy (this one is a bit controversial but I think it has a lot of good things to say. A bit intense for most pet dogs)

I've heard Control unleashed is amazing but have never read it.

Most videos I have are agility based. So not much general training wise. I'd say Crate Games though is a must own for any dog trainer

Here's something super neat! It's like netflix but just for dog training videos! It's called http://www.bowwowflix.com/ . If you're serious about it but on a budget I'd check it out.

For the behavioural training, not the daily how-to's: Control Unleashed Puppy Programme by Leslie McDevitt. Absolutely adore this book and its author.

I also think Dr. Sophia Yin's Socialisation Protocol is invaluable for getting puppy used to his new environment. I have a very reactive, sound and sight-sensitive breed and she is literally bombproof in urban life thanks to getting her on a right start with this check list.

Best of luck to your coworker. You are doing a great thing, btw. You saw an issue and are doing your best to help out with the resources available. :) She's lucky to have you around!

You cannot safely have them out together until they are assessed by a trained behaviorist. Ideally a vet behaviorist (a person who has basically double credentials - not some tool who calls themselves a 'dog whisperer' after a year of 'working with dogs'. Someone who went to school to be a vet and also study animal behavior.), but a professional force free trainer who is experienced in aggression would work.

Remind you girlfriend of the vet bill you've already paid and ask her how many more just like that she wants to experience. Also, the blood and stress of more fights. If you try to just put them back together that will happen again. Guaranteed. Even if they seem fine when separated, if you won't know how to see the warning signs (and the bark/snap your lab did was probably the 10th or so signal...) and how to deescalate the situation (6 minute fight, water hose, human bitten, huge gashes...) then you should absolutely 100% not try to put them together at all.

Ok, done with scolding. Here's some constructive help.

Taking them to the vet was the right thing to do. Your catahoula x limping is likely because of bruising, and the vet couldn't have done anything about that. Treat her like you would if you got a bad leg bruise - rest, ice (if she'll let you), light exercise the next few days, and if the vet gave you any pain meds for her go ahead and use those as recommended. (NEVER use aspirin or tylenol, or any other OTC human medication on a dog unless your vet has specifically cleared it for the dog you are considering dosing right then.)

Ok, why this happened. Some people have mentioned possible dog aggression, IMO that's not likely. When I have seen cases like this (which I unfortunately have, and not uncommonly) it's often same sex dogs, although not always, and the younger dog is at or nearly a year old.

This happens because your older girl has been playing queen of the house and being a bit bossy. The pup has been a bit rude, but has gotten a 'puppy license' (aka - toddlers don't have to follow the same rules as adults). Now, her puppy license has run out and the older dog is saying "No. Stop that. You're an adult, you know the rules and this is MINE."

That doesn't make either girl right. In fact, they're both a bit wrong, IMO. Your younger girl was probably being a real PITA for a while before she got a serious warning, but your lab escalated things too far.

To have any chance of fixing things a few concrete steps need to be taken.

• Keep them apart until you have someone using force free training working with you and your spouse hands on and in person. Some of this stuff just can't be learned online as it's subjective, and sometimes down to experience/a detailed eye. You need that hands on training for the humans involved before you can safely try having them together.
  
  
• Crate and rotate. To keep them as happy as possible divide your home and give each of them time with you and your SO, play time, and walks.
  
  
• Both dogs need to be spayed. Once you've had one fight it's very nearly impossible to have two intact females coexist. Your best chance of future cohabiting is if both are spayed. Besides that, any dog who shows signs of aggression should not be allowed to pass on their genes.
  
  
• Exercise and training. Both dogs need to have their exercise and training needs met - which likely means increasing what you were previously doing. The 'fun' part is that now, since they can't be let out to run together, this will be a lot more work than it would have previously been. Sorry.
  
  
• Work on the lab's recourse guarding using force free methods. If you try to make this a battle with her it will get worse and you'll have killed your shot at cohabitating your girls. She must learn that people and (eventually) other dogs around 'her things' are a wonderful amazing thing, rather than a risk/threat. This can't be done with force or intimidation.
  
  If you can get some of those things started then you can buy yourselves some time to save up for a behaviorist or experienced trainer to work with. The biggest thing is not allowing a repeat event to happen. Behavior is like a big rock on top of a hill, the more it rolls the more it will roll, so if you are very careful and don't allow another fight it'll be easier to fix in the long term. The more fights they have the harder it will be to eventually have them together and loose.
  
  I know this will be a lot of work and stress for both you and your SO, but if you really focus on this and work through it you could be in a much better place in as short a time as a year. Both dogs with you, happier, healthier, and with you having a much stronger understanding of their behavior.
  
  If you don't put that time and effort in then you could easily end up rehoming your catahoula.
  
  Here's some reading and videos to get you started on working with your girls:
  
  https://www.amazon.com/Talking-Terms-Dogs-Calming-Signals/dp/1929242360/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1496795912&sr=8-1&keywords=calming+signals+on+talking+terms+with+dogs
  
  https://www.amazon.com/Other-End-Leash-What-Around/dp/034544678X/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=034544678X&pd_rd_r=AC0HWHZD1Z3G43JS30NW&pd_rd_w=SAA8r&pd_rd_wg=F8B3N&psc=1&refRID=AC0HWHZD1Z3G43JS30NW
  
  https://www.amazon.com/Cautious-Canine-How-Conquer-Their-Fears/dp/1891767003/ref=pd_sim_14_3?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1891767003&pd_rd_r=AC0HWHZD1Z3G43JS30NW&pd_rd_w=LkE4D&pd_rd_wg=F8B3N&psc=1&refRID=AC0HWHZD1Z3G43JS30NW
  
  https://www.amazon.com/Canine-Body-Language-Photographic-Interpreting/dp/1929242352/ref=pd_sim_14_5?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1929242352&pd_rd_r=AC0HWHZD1Z3G43JS30NW&pd_rd_w=LkE4D&pd_rd_wg=F8B3N&psc=1&refRID=AC0HWHZD1Z3G43JS30NW
  
  https://www.amazon.com/Feisty-Fido-Help-Leash-Reactive-Dog/dp/1891767070/ref=pd_sim_14_7?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1891767070&pd_rd_r=AC0HWHZD1Z3G43JS30NW&pd_rd_w=LkE4D&pd_rd_wg=F8B3N&psc=1&refRID=AC0HWHZD1Z3G43JS30NW
  
  https://www.amazon.com/Fired-Up-Frantic-Freaked-Out/dp/0985934921/ref=pd_sim_14_8?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0985934921&pd_rd_r=AC0HWHZD1Z3G43JS30NW&pd_rd_w=LkE4D&pd_rd_wg=F8B3N&psc=1&refRID=AC0HWHZD1Z3G43JS30NW
  
  https://www.amazon.com/Click-Calm-Healing-Aggressive-Clicker/dp/1890948209/ref=pd_sim_14_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1890948209&pd_rd_r=EFPYPPBXNZD3A5JB9205&pd_rd_w=A0y3X&pd_rd_wg=HP5o5&psc=1&refRID=EFPYPPBXNZD3A5JB9205
  
  https://www.amazon.com/Behavior-Adjustment-Training-2-0-Frustration/dp/1617811742/ref=pd_sim_14_3?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1617811742&pd_rd_r=EFPYPPBXNZD3A5JB9205&pd_rd_w=A0y3X&pd_rd_wg=HP5o5&psc=1&refRID=EFPYPPBXNZD3A5JB9205
  
  https://www.amazon.com/Control-Unleashed-Creating-Focused-Confident/dp/B000UCF53A/ref=pd_sim_14_5?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B000UCF53A&pd_rd_r=EFPYPPBXNZD3A5JB9205&pd_rd_w=A0y3X&pd_rd_wg=HP5o5&psc=1&refRID=EFPYPPBXNZD3A5JB9205
  
  https://saveabull.com/crate-and-rotate/
  
  https://imperfectdog.com/2016/01/12/imperfect-dog-introductions-crate-rotate/
  
  http://www.thedoggeek.com/2014/08/crate-and-rotate.html
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDeAKj2etMs
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJgod6CO8jU
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nyt2WLdQGs
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oU-WolM6cgg
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnBPlub1Jgs
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=255hotAlI5o
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6De7kEmOV1Q
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cGDYI-s-cQ
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_7dl4c-IrM
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bg_gGguwzg
  
  

When I first started my hobby, I picked up a copy of Saltwater Aquariums for Dummies. I found it to be MUCH more useful than The New Marine Aquarium. (If you're just getting into the hobby). I've always enjoyed The Pocket Expert Guide to Marine Fishes and the Marine Invertebrates as well. With the pocket experts, I find their information to be different from other sources that I use to research a fish before I make a decision to buy or not. A book that I can't seem to finish but always find myself skimming through is the Plankton Culture Manual. It can be a difficult read at times (for me anyways) but it's very helpful when you want to culture something.

I'm really looking for a book to help identify hitchhikers, but I can't seem to find one. Hopefully this thread turns a leaf. I've picked up the Reef Creature Identification books in hopes they would be what I was looking for, but they weren't.

The Nano-Reef Handbook Was a fun read as well. Gives you many ideas for the nano aquarium.

Last but not least, Algae: A problem Solver Guide has really helped when it came to figuring out how to battle algae or which algae would be awesome to have in a tank for decorative purposes.

I use this in combination with an approach from Dawn Sylvia-Stasiewicz. Key is obviously to keep pups attention on you, so doing eye contact exercises and cuing to sit and verbalizing sit are all really good throughout the walk. I don't expect him to have his attention on me 100% of the time at a perfect heel but I do want him to know to look back at me and stop when he pulls ahead of me. As soon as he pulls ahead and starts pulling on leash, I stop, hold leash to my chest and don't move. I let him sniff or look around and as soon as he looks back at me, I say "good boy!" and lure him back to my knee with a treat while taking two steps backwards - concluding in a cued sit (no verbalizing the "sit" - want him to learn that he gets rewarded for sitting at my feet). If there's something going on that's grabbing his interest I use Zak's method of acknowledging it and reassuring him and then reward calm behavior and eye contact. Then I proceed with the walk trying to maintain eye contact and slack leash for as long as I can!! I've had issues with getting my pup to walk in the first place, but when he does, this method seems to work and whether he's right next to me or a step ahead, he is constantly looking back at me.

Sort of, not really, is the best answer? I love doing readings for people as a party trick rarely, I have a general fascination with the occult and symbology and reading into things. But I’m not very spiritual as a person and it holds no real significance for me other than being something I love the aesthetics of, if that makes sense? So I’d hate to say that I am, when I’m not much of a practicer.

If you’re into exploring your spirituality though, and are open to all sorts of influences, I high recommend this book: https://www.amazon.com/Animal-Speak-Spiritual-Magical-Powers-Creatures/dp/0875420281

It’s about the symbology of all animals and what nature might be saying to you through it’s wild. I really love the book. Especially for self-reflection. Like, say I see a bluebird out of season. This book would tell me what that might mean based on what the bird represents, and you interpret meaning through it, it can really guide my mind at times.

Definitely just stay patient. I feel you’ll find the most meaning in tarot doing readings on yourself and learning to interpret that way. Thanks for humoring me!

Enjoy the benefits of conversion, including purrs, happy kneading, head butts, all sorts of amusing forms of playing, etc. Cats make great pets, and kittens are literally "aww-inspiring" with their adorableness.

If you don't have a lot of cat experience and plan on keeping this kitty permanently, I'd recommend reading the book Think Like a Cat by Pam Johnson Bennett. It's comprehensive, easy-to-read, and gives you advice for pretty much every possible scenario--including learning how to keep your cat from waking you up at night.

So first thing is first - any adversive methods such as a vibrating collar with a dog that has fear or anxiety is only going to backfire and promote more fear or anxiety. I would ditch that. You're potentially causing more behavior issues when it's used. Dog learns to hide fear rather than teaching the dog confidence.


So you have a dog that is likely reactive and fearful - and a lot of anxiety. So before we can get to work mode, we need to address the causes of the anxiety and get the dog back to neutral. So first thing, you might want to try doing a two week shut down with this dog. https://www.marshmallowfoundation.org/info/file?file=20866.pdf This is to remove all the stimuli that can keep causing stress levels to be high. Adrenaline - when it spikes up during a moment of fear or panic can take over 6 days for the hormone levels to return to normal. It's great that the dog is food motivated because that is going to make things like counter conditioning to specific things much easier... but right now - stress is so high, your dog cannot focus let alone retain the cues you're training. Dog is in fight or flight mode... So give the two week shut down an effort.


Meanwhile, you want to write down all the things this dog is reacting to... if it's potentially separation anxiety, check the links I provided below. Anything else, you're going to want to work on each thing separately using desensitization and counter conditioning. Again, we're trying to bring the fearful dog to a neutral place... work on building confidence and associating the list of stimuli with positive rewards. Any negative behaviors - redirect.... either remove the stimuli or remove the dog. Reinforce calm relaxed behaviors.


https://www.reddit.com/r/dogs/comments/48sglg/discussion_separation_anxiety/ has some great info that you may find useful.

Do take a glance over at /r/reactivedogs They have lots of helpful advice on how to manage some of these behaviors.


Some books that may help:
The Cautious Canine by Patricia McConnell

I’ll be Home soon by Patricia McConnell

Don’t Leave Me by Nicole Wilde


If after that two week shut down and working a bit you still feel a bit overwhelmed, it might be a good consideration to work with a certified animal behaviorist. https://avsab.org/resources/speakers-bureau/behavior-consultants-near-you/ and https://iaabc.org/consultants are great searches for one.

Is it possible to scale it back and just focus on your guys relationship with her first? It sounds like you are working really hard to socialize her in all aspects, but it may be overwhelming.

Kudos on the work you've done. Going from food possessive to being able to handle her food is huge! It sounds like you were very patient and respectful to get that sort of a result with her. That's what she needs right now.

Can you scale your socialization back for a bit? Maybe eliminate etra stress from other dogs and men until she feels bonded to you guys? She needs to be comfortable with you first before she can trust you enough to work on those issues.

An eample would be, if you are walking and see a man or another dog, turn away from them before she becomes nervous (starts staring). Don't wait for her to raise her hackles, cower, growl, whine, etc.

By moving her away from what she is fearing, she gains trust in your ability to protect her. It also teaches her to move away rather than feel the need to defend herself.

I highly recommend this book: https://www.amazon.com/Behavior-Adjustment-Training-Frustration-Aggression/dp/1617810509

Also, talk to a trainer. Just like u/edgepatrol said. These are difficult issues, especially for new dog owners. Yikes.

I recommend reading "Think Like a Cat" as this will fill you in with all your questions and continue to be a great reference down the line. Also check out littlebigcat.com and Jackson Galaxy's youtube channel, as well as some episodes of My Cat From Hell (many are available online) to get more insight into cat behavior. In short though, some highlights:

1. Cat's don't "get" discipline as a dog would. They aren't pack animals, so don't care what you think about their behavior or care about appeasing you. The best way to get a cat to stop a behavior is to manipulate the environment to make it unpleasant or change your own behavior. This is very hard for "dog people" to understand and takes some getting used to.
   
   
2. Feed 100% wet food. As this article will explain, cats are designed to eat 65% or more moisture in their diet, and get the vast majority of their fluids from their feed. Dry food is very high carb (even grain-free versions) and have a lot of plant matter cats have no use for and don't utilize well. Most vets I've worked with in the field agreed that ANY wet food was better than ANY dry food, and feeding wet food alone will keep your cat a healthy weight, prevent diabetes and kidney and urinary problems, all of which are very common in cats. Dry food's only benefit is cost and convenience for the owner (and no, it does nothing for the cat's teeth).
   
   
3. Play with your cat. You walk a dog, you play with your cat. Dedicate 15 minutes every day to playing with a wand toy (toys laying on the floor are basically considered dead prey and most cats won't bother with them). Da Bird, The Cat Dancer, and t he Cat Catcher are a few of my favorites and do a good job of imitating prey animals the cat would naturally hunt. Move the wand around and imitate the animal (ie: don't wave it in their face just to have them paw at it a few times...have it hide behind and under things and actually act out the animal). Get them moving around the room as much as possible, and some good jumps in too! By playing with your cat, you will eliminate a large number of problems head-on by giving them an outlet for their desire to kill things (it's what they were put on the earth to do, after all!).
   
   Good luck to you and your new kitty friend!

I absolutely loved Training the Best Dog Ever - lots of really good details and not just training the puppy, but preparing.

The other one I read and thought useful was After You Get Your Puppy (which is also a free pdf which you can order a hard copy of I believe)

I always grew up with dogs on a farm, and got my first puppy this spring, an 8 week old Cane Corso. I feel like the reading I did in both of these books greatly helped to set me up for success, and I would highly recommend. If you have a local library, you may also be able to borrow these from there.

> And any recommendations for a strong no pull harness?

Ruffwear FrontRange.

As for your issues, confidence building takes a lot of time. Weeks, if not months of work. This is a fabulous article that has helped me with my fearful fosters. This book is wonderful as well, and is by a GREAT, and really well respected trainer. This book is great too. All in all, it is about creating little steps and building them over time.

It doesn't sound helpful, but if you can minimize exposure to only certain areas until she's confident, that would go a long way! For actual activities, touch, find it, general training, etc are all great, as is just being 'present' and letting your dog take their own steps.

It's been 2 years, and you have been very patient! Only a bit more to go!

Dealing with cats is as much of a skill as drawing, for example. You can look at people who have been drawing for years and think "I keep seeing people working miracles with a pencil on paper and here I am, barely able to draw a straight line". But that's not constructive, anyone can learn to draw. Talent is a part of it, but only a small one. The rest is learning and practice.

I have been reading a ton on cat behavior over the past few years. The first cat I had (when I was 6) was really mean, he would scratch me and bite me, and barely let me pet him, and I didn't understand what was going on, and my parents made me give him away. I always wanted a cat though, and wanted to understand what happened. My current cat also came with some behavior issues, but surprisingly, all this learning paid off. He is the sweetest cat and I am clicker training him to sit and give kissies. I still have much to learn, and I am trying to share what I've learned with other people in the meanwhile.

I found Pam Johnson-Bennett's books to be great. I found "Think Like a Cat" in particular to really help me understand cats. I also found My Cat From Hell to be an interesting series, and it helps in seeing interaction directly, although be aware that Jackson Galaxy is not a certified behaviorist as far as I know, and he believes in homeopathic medicine woo, so take everything he says with a grain of salt.

Warning: very little good news ahead (sorry, going through some stuff right now which has me pretty fucking jaded on the subject, and while I do think my information is helpful, it is a bit more doomsdayish than really necessary--apolgies for that.)

Honestly a lot of shelter dogs will not show their problem behaviors right away. This is most likely not sudden, and probably the reason he was at the shelter. This behavior is not something that you caused, it is a behavior that he has learned a long time before you and is now displaying because of his level of comfort around you. It takes a LONG time to rehab a dog like that, considering his age, and sometimes it's not really successful, depending on the underlying causes of the aggression...so you must ask yourself are you really in this for the long haul or do you want to get a different dog that will be easier?

I would definitely recommend seeing a behaviorist not just a trainer for at least one or two sessions to get some practice under your belt for how to manage and treat this situation. The main techniques will be counter-conditioning to the presence of other dogs and redirection. Timing is KEY when doing this kind of training and if you do it yourself without being really shown how, you risk fucking the dog up more.

I rescued a dog from the shelter who seemed perfectly fine (although a bit unruly) at first. He started showing aggression to other dogs AND people after about 3 weeks. I took the DIY approach for about a year, decided I needed help, now 2 and a half years and roughly $15,000 in books, dvds, seminars, workshops, behaviorists, trainers, vet bills, training camp, training classes, etc I have decided to have him humanely euthanized for his own benefit, that of society at large, and also my own mental health. He is a super smart and amazing dog who I love dearly (hence why I have tried so hard), but to be honest he is dangerous.

I don't mean to scare you, and honestly, I ended up with a REALLY bad dog, way worse than most people would from a shelter. Dog aggression is quite manageable if you are willing to accept that you may not ever "cure" your dog, and make sure that he is kept away from other dogs at all times so as not to practice this behavior further. The fact that he has redirected at you is quite concerning, however, and should definitely be discussed with a professional if you do decide to keep this dog.

While you are looking for your behaviorist I would recommend the following books:

http://www.amazon.com/Behavior-Adjustment-Training-Frustration-Aggression/dp/1617810509

http://www.amazon.com/Fight-Practical-Treatment-Dog-dog-Aggression/dp/0970562969

http://www.amazon.com/Control-Unleashed-Creating-Focused-Confident/dp/B000UCF53A

These are the books that helped me the most dealing with my problem dog.

Thank you for your positive reply. This is a really good book on clicker training - I've used clicker training to teach one of my cockatiels how to fly (after he kept breaking feathers from falling like a rock), and my other two birds also responded very well to clicker training since they LOVE treats. You can probably get your cockatiels more seed motivated if you only offer seed/millet as treats occasionally, and switch their usual diet to a pellet diet (Roudybush or Zupreem naturals are good brands - but please be careful about the switching process). Also, this is a useful book on parrot training and behavior. Even if you aren't able to get the actual books/ebooks (though I recommend them) because you aren't able to use Amazon for example, you could also google search about clicker training/behavior, and you can post future topics here in the parrots sub to ask for specific advice. Don't give up.

You need to find a good behaviourist to work with you, this is a common, but very challenging condition to treat.

This is by far the best book on the subject, and explains how complex these cases are to manage.

What country are you in? You are probably best to find a veterinary behaviourist, and if I know where you're from I can help point you in the right direction to find one.

Even if you know how to keep it healthy this is only half the battle. You need to research your birds temperament and how to properly train it. This is not the place to constantly post asking for help with every single thing the bird does that scares. This shows a lack of knowledge regarding bird behavior and training that could cause you to hurt your new relationship. Before you interact with the bird any further you need to do some hefty research into bird behavior and training. We all love to help on this subreddit, but you need to be a problem solver when you own a parrot. Their behavior can change as they age and any parrot owner should have an in depth knowledge of bird behavior and training to negate any bad behaviors before they become a serious issue. This book https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1890948152/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 ""Getting Started: Clicker Training for Birds" is a great book to look into. Good luck!

*Edit to add that I never called you or would call you stupid, just possibly a bit uneducated. I'm not judging, I just want whats best for the bird and you so you can have a healthy happy buddy and a great relationship with them.

Meds aren't going to fix your dog's SA without training, but they can definitely help with training. I would recommend working with a behaviorist and picking up a copy of Treating Separation Anxiety in Dogs, I'll Be Home Soon, and Don't leave me!, as well as talking with your vet about medications. There are several prescriptions that can help with SA, and your vet is your best bet for finding one that works for you and your dog.

Since you have trazadone I'm going to assume you have already talked to your veterinarian about your dog's anxiety. If that is not the case, please discuss it with your vet.

The behaviorists are pricy, but they're an excellent resource and worth the money. I'd definitely stick with either a Veterinary Behaviorist or an Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist over a regular trainer, anybody can call themselves a trainer while CAABs and VBs have tons of education and experience. They can tailor advice to your specific dog and your specific household in a way a book or video cannot.

I am by no means an expert (I'm a vet tech at a general-practice clinic) but my go-to recommendations for behavior books are Decoding Your Dog by the American College of Veterinary behaviorists, (it has a chapter on house training and a chapter on separation anxiety) and The Other End of the Leash (it's about understanding dogs and how they think rather than specific issues) by Patricia McConnell. Patricia McConnell also has books (booklets? they're short) about anxiety and separation anxiety. I've never read the booklets, but she's a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist with a Ph.D, so they're probably a better resource than random internet sites even if they're not as helpful as an in-person consultation with a behaviorist.

Well I'm glad to hear it, and even more glad you weren't offended!

I'd go with these as good places to start:

Zak George

Puppy Primer

Don't Shoot the Dog

Other End of the Leash

Kikopup on youtube has a TON of amazing videos on puppy raising too. Well worth checking out. :)

I would recommend reading a lot, as there are some things you should have before the dog comes home and you should be prepared for the first day. This book is often recommended. Too often people have the mindset of "just wait and see what happens" and that can create a lot of problems down the road.

Is somebody going to be home with the puppy? He will need to pee every two or so hours, so if you both work full time I would recommend hiring someone to come let him out so housebreaking is less difficult of a process.

People are in your situation and post about it all the time so I'm going to copy something I said to someone recently:

"If I had to pick three things: be consistent, be patient, and socialize her.

Elaborating:
Be consistent. Don't let her get away with anything you wouldn't let an adult dog do (sleep on the bed, jump on you, bite at your hands). Don't let her up on the couch once and expect to be able to tell her "no" the next time without her being confused.

Be patient. The hardest thing for me to do was to accept the fact that the way you communicate normally often doesn't work for dogs. Yelling doesn't convey your meaning better. Saying "no!" over and over again doesn't help them understand. Remind yourself she has only been alive for three months, it's no surprise she doesn't understand how the world works!

Socialize her. Puppies need to be out exploring the world while they're young, so they don't become fearful or aggressive. This doesn't mean you take her to a dog park and plop her down in a group of dogs. It means slowly going out and meeting new people and animals and getting used to all sorts of sights and sounds - but all at her pace. Letting her get overwhelmed and fearful isn't socializing. A great way to start is in a puppy class. She's old enough to be enrolled in one. If you can, do one at a local trainer, not one of the big stores like Petsmart or Petco. If you can't find a local trainer, one of those stores is better than nothing but sometimes the trainers are really not that experienced.

I also recommend going to /r/puppy101 or /r/dogtraining and reading their sidebars and wikis."

But again, read a book written by a professional. There's no way a comment can cover everything you should know before you bring a dog home, or really, even before you buy a dog. If you plan on having your dog join you in therapy work, I hope you told this to the breeder and had them select the pup that had the best temperament for this.

Not trying to be nitpicky, but it's Beagle, not beagel.

Yes. They do. If you want some good resources that get sciency with it:


Alex & Me: How a Scientist and a Parrot Discovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence--and Formed a Deep Bond in the Process: Dr. Irene Pepperberg's studies on language and cognitive theory with African Greys. Alex could do complex abstract conversions with things like number and counting, for instance he knew what "5" is as a symbol and could equate it to a representation for a number of objects like x, x, x, x, x means there are "five" "x"s. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXoTaZotdHg


Conversations with Cosmo: At Home with an African Grey Parrot University of Georgia PHD who shares her life with her CAG, and has created a language for conversing with him she calls "Cosmish" which incluses tenses (future, past, future possible, etc.) and an number of other advanced linguistic constructs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyWYzuV6WYk


Gifts of the Crow: How Perception, Emotion, and Thought Allow Smart Birds to Behave Like Humans: A fascinating and highly entertaining book about cognition in corvid populations. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THE AUDIOBOOK if you've got a 6-hour road trip, it is GREAT.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0OAWFn02Lg


I've seen my birds pick up spontaneous conversational associations. The original Dr. Doolittle was fabled to "talk with animals" because he kept an African Grey and for grey owners, it's just accepted as "the norm" and taken for granted. It wasn't until I got Ollie, my "new" bird after losing "Smokey" the bird I'd had for most of my life that I saw the process develop again.


One striking example was "whoops". The second day Ollie was home, he broke a toe. He temporarily became clumsy as a result, so if I dropped or startled anything near him or he stumbled, I was very careful to say "Whoops, you're all right." Over time, it just became "Whoops". His toe healed and he regained his footing and I'd long since forgotten about it. At about 9 months old, he had his first molt of flight feathers. When I'd gotten him he had a HORRIBLE clipping, so his wings were useless. After his flight feathers came back in and he began fledging, I noticed him using "Whoops" whenever he had a shaky landing.


He was doing this on his own. Additionally, any time anything is dropped in his vicinity, he exclaims "whoops", if he's on me and I do something he's not expected "Whoops". The cat falls off the couch "Whoops". So I'm pretty certain, he knows that there are appropriate contexts for saying "Whoops" and he in those contexts he predictably says "whoops"...


This is one of probably dozens of examples, but, yes, based on both reading and practical experience with greys, I fully believe that they both TALK and cognitively use language.

I took my classes outside Toronto about 9 years ago (last time I had a puppy). Can't remember the name of the program sadly but there were 2 levels and I recall the second level was fantastic. What I definitely can recommend is the book Good Owners Great Dogs.

http://www.amazon.ca/Good-Owners-Great-Brian-Kilcommons/dp/0446675385

I highly recommend speaking with a certified trainer/behaviorist if you are worried about physical harm. Someone who is experienced in understanding dog body language could help you better understand when and why the aggression occurs, and especially how to alter this behavior.

For working on your own, the trainers we worked with highly suggested clicker training (here is an easy to follow book) and this book for clicker training to work on rehabilitation of aggressive dogs. We have a 90lb pit bull mix who was unresponsive to most other methods and the positive reinforcement and ability to "mark" desired behaviors immediately as with this training style really opened up a lot of doors for us. "Clicking with Your Dog" is laid out nicely with short sessions designed for shorter attention spans, and has suggestions for how to build up to each desired command from smaller ones. There is also a section with a sample daily schedule to show how you can work training into your daily routine, which is nice for people with busy schedules or those who don't prioritize devoting blocks of time to training. Training helped build a strong relationship with our dog and made him more of a family member; spending time training your dog could help you to feel a bond with your dog and not just like a guy whose job is to walk her.

Our dog generally doesn't bark at people passing close but sometimes does if they talk to us or try to approach. I'm very firm with people that they can't approach because she's uncomfortable and we don't want her to practice barking.

You'll want to recruit some friends to help you. You'll want to find the distance where your dog is comfortable passing people and give treats to your dog as you pass. Then you can move a bit closer and do the same.

Our behaviorist also advised us practicing a "pet" command. As we pet we would say "pet" so with strangers she'd maybe know what to expect.

I found Patricia McConnell's booklet helpful: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1891767003

Kikopup also has some videos about barking while out on walks: https://youtu.be/Eo-L2qtD7MQ

It also takes time. We've had our dog five months and last weekend she was around a large family event with very little uncomfortable barking. That would have been impossible with her a month or two ago but we've done a lot of practice passing strangers, other dogs, treating and I think she trusts us more and has more confidence.

Hahaha, thanks for the support. I get it though. Wanna make a dog owner mad? Tell them their dog doesn't feel guilt. Its been tested and proven but some owners absolutely refuse to believe it. My own SO and I almost got into a big argument over it!

Its a difficult concept for people. Emotional attachment and all that. It comes for a place of love and I try not to fault people for it unless the belief becomes harmful to the dog.

For anyone interested, I would highly recommend reading either of these books, especially the first. It really changed my view of my dogs and has made me and them so much happier! I'm reading the second right now and so far it's great too.

The Other End of the Leash: Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs


Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know

Also, check out r/puppy101, which has a nice FAQ/wiki with guides to basic stuff such as house training and crate training. And get yourself some good books. Sophia Yin's Perfect Puppy in 7 Days is nice. So is Patricia McConnell's Puppy Primer. There's also a free e-book by called Growing Up FDSA. I confess I haven't read that one carefully (been a while since I had a puppy), but I know that the author has a solid reputation, and I've heard good things about it. Good luck!

SECTION | CONTENT

--|:--
Title | How to Potty Train your Puppy EASILY! Everything you need to know!
Description | How to Potty Train a Puppy Fast! This episode is sponsored by PetFlow. Set up automatic pet food delivery today at http://www.PetFlow.com/ZakGeorge Enter code Zak20 when you check out to receive 20% off of your first order. Just choose your dog food. Decide how often you want it delivered and you’re done! Modify or cancel your order at any time for any reason! Support these videos by making a small monthly contribution on http://www.Patreon.com/ZakGeorge Thank you! Like me on Facebook: http:/...
Length | 0:09:47


SECTION | CONTENT

--|:--
Title | Potty Training: How to Train your Dog to RING A BELL to be Let Outside
Description | This video is sponsored by Potty Bells! Make house training easier and train your dog to ring a bell to be let out. Get your Potty Bells here! Potty Bells: http://www.pottybells.com?rfsn=365710.b0fb4 Get the book on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Zak-Georges-Dog-Training-Revolution/dp/1607748916/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1463152090&sr=8-1&keywords=dog+training+revolution OR visit http:www.dogtrainingrevolution.com for a list of booksellers. Support my videos by making a small contribution on p...
Length | 0:07:58


SECTION | CONTENT

--|:--
Title | Teaching Your Dog to 'Go Pee' on Command
Description | For more dog training and instructional videos like this, check Darcie the Dog Trainer out: On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CommuniCanine/ Website: www.communicanine.ca This week I'm sharing with you one my FAVOURITE life hacks - how to teach your dog to go to the bathroom on command! This has saved me so much time in waiting for busy or distracted dogs that don't want to make going pee a priority. Stay connected with Darcie the Dog Trainer on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CommuniCa...
Length | 0:04:30






****

^(I am a bot, this is an auto-generated reply | )^Info ^| ^Feedback ^| ^(Reply STOP to opt out permanently)

I wouldn't say they require more work or special care than most other dogs. There are a few things to take into account:

• 1. They don't have that second coat of fur (that causes dander) for insulation, so they will get too cold or overheat outside depending on the weather.
     
• 2. They have thin skin that will tear easily when injured (even after a small scuffle with another dog).
     
• 3. A retired race dog that has never been in a home before will need time to learn things like stairs, TV, ceiling fans, and not to potty in the house. Puppies grow up with all this stuff, but a 2 year old dog has only known the kennel. They learn pretty quickly, though.
     
     There are some great books out there if you're serious about it. This one and this one.
     
     Oh, and, if you do adopt 1 or more, be ready to become greyhound obsessed! Don't fight it! :)

Cats have a natural cycle that isn't often encouraged when they live indoors:

1. Hunt/Play
   
   
2. Eat
   
   
3. Groom
   
   
4. Sleep
   
   If you play with your kitty 10-30 minutes before you feed her at night (right before you go to bed), she's more likely to spend a good amount of time grooming and then settle down to sleep. This can help keep her from waking you up in the mornings.
   
   Every time you feed her before you're ready to get up, you're telling her that her actions give the desired response, and she should keep doing what she's doing.
   
   While the vacuum method can be effective, it can also be highly disruptive to everyone in the household and may cause anxiety and stress in your cat, causing her to act out in other ways.
   
   She will learn the hard way after your surgery that waking you up doesn't feed her, but you'll also need to make sure that you're not waking your sister up to feed her to get her to leave you alone. It may take an entire month for kitty to catch on.
   
   This book is excellent for learning cat behavior, and ways to deal with problems like yours.
   
   Good luck!

Love this book for dog training. We used the methods in it for our new pup and she is SO well behaved. Such a good doggo.

Training the Best Dog Ever: A 5-Week Program Using the Power of Positive Reinforcement https://www.amazon.com/dp/0761168850/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_qg-ZzbWJHG91S

Yes. Treats are a reward. Rewards come in various forms. You can make what you want the dog to do a way to get what it really wants. Reinforce good behavior using rewards - treats, play, belly rubs, letting the dog off leash etc.

​

I read Zac George's book and checked out some of his vids on Youtube for general behavior training. Grisha Stewart's video on BAT is what we mostly followed.

Have you looked into Behavior Adjustment Training (BAT)? I only started reading it but it seems like it might help. From what I gather, you figure out what the threshold is for your dog's reactivity and work from there. Like I said, I'm only about halfway through it but it seems like it would be helpful, plus it was a recommendation in the wiki.

Professional training is great, and being muzzle trained is also great - it sounds like you're doing everything right so far! I'd recommend getting a thorough checkup with your vet - it's always good to rule out the possibility that there may be an underlying physical cause contributing to bad behavior.

Our trainer highly recommends Karen Pryor's training methods, so I'm reading this book and it seems good: https://www.amazon.com/Click-Calm-Healing-Aggressive-Clicker/dp/1890948209

I'm new to this thread. Smelly is a 50lb mixed breed whom I adopted as a young adult one year ago. His main reason for reactivity is fear and he will bark, growl and lunge at unfamiliar dogs and people.

His trainer introduced us to behavior adjustment training. This book was a great resource for me. His reactivity is much improved. I can walk him 90% of the time without an episode.

Currently he still will lunge and growl if an unfamiliar dog gets within his comfort zone(~12 feet radius). His other triggers are people in narrow hallways and people who are not in motion. His hallway/elevator lunging has improved with clicker-training with ultra high-value treats.

My dream would be for him to have good dog manners and be comfortable in unfamiliar settings. It would be so wonderful to watch him romp in the dog park like I used to with my previous dogs. I would love to do some sort of dog sport with him.. but I can't imagine if he ever would be comfortable with all that!

Get Patricia McConnell's book Love Has No Age Limit. I promise it will help.

Patricia advocates POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT training. as /u/Splunken says, you should start REWARDING independence. Patricia McConnell's book will help you do this in all aspects of your puppy's life. Walks, leaving him alone, feeding time, chill at home time. For example, give your dog spontaneous treats anytime he is lying down being calm and not begging for attention. Say, "Good calm!" and throw a treat. When it's time to eat, have your dog sit politely, then put the bowl down. Say, "Good sit!" and give him his dinner. Use EVERY time your dog does the RIGHT thing to reward him. Generally ignore bad behavior, except for a stern "No!" when you want to interrupt his behavior (like when you witness him about to eat something he shouldn't).

Yeah Wicca isn't for everyone. If animism is what you're most interested in so far, that's a great start. You could look into Native American tribal cultures.

My favorite book in this field is Animal Speak by Ted Andrews. My dad had it in his collection and it was one of the most fascinating reads when I was a kid.

Yeah, that should be fine. I use this crap and it works great (and smells good too!). You can probably find a less insanely sized bottle at a pet store, or maybe elsewhere on the site.

If you're serious about getting your dog into shape, let me recommend this book. Everyone I've ever spoken to about it has nothing but good things to say and it was quite revolutionary 25 years ago, but it's not a bit dated and really ought to help you train your dog and give you some more insight into how they thing. The Monks have a puppy book too, which might be useful for you to skim the housebreaking and crate training chapters (at a book store!).

Also: no problem for the advice; it's meant for sharing :)

He's seen the human do it, and the human seems to get praise and attention for doing it. So he wants to do it.

After food, shelter and warmth, praise and attention are what pretty much all creatures want.

In fact, Alex the Parrot, was trained using a method wherein a human "model" would give the right answers to questions, and be praised for it; because Alex wanted the praise, he learned to give the right answers as well.

(Alex was also kind of a dick, particularly to the other parrots - in her book, Pepperberg recounts the story of a time when she was training another parrot and Alex kept on yelling out the wrong answers to confuse him)

He can improve with continued work, but given what is known about the genetic and developmental basis for fearfulness, I don't think he's going to outgrow it, ie, completely become a normally non-fearful dog.

It's important that you control socialization to make it all good. The outdoor restaurant was too uncontrolled, and resulted in more harm than good - the biggest positive was probably the encouragement it gave you that he could do well with large groups. That's important, but was offset by his having 4 unintended lessons in growling and barking and menacing children.

This book is often recommended for fearful dogs.

https://www.amazon.com/Cautious-Canine-How-Conquer-Their-Fears/dp/1891767003

Working with a behaviorist is very, very helpful.

You need to find out what your mom is using on them. A good flea medication should take care of this issue but it needs to be used preventively in the future. A bad one will do nothing or even possibly hurt the dogs. To kill the ones currently in the house a combination of ditimatious earth and vigorous vaccumming should get them along with a good liquid treatment.

Also there isn't any real reason you can't try to train the dogs without a class. Seriously a decent book, some treats and a clicker and you are good to go. I personally am a fan of Training the Best Dog Ever but anything with positive reinforcement will work. The youtube channel Kikopup also has great training resources.

I'm sorry you had such a short time with your friend. Parrots are awesome.

I don't know if the timing is right, but Alex and Me tells an amazing story. One of the kind that makes one wonder about the nature of the soul.

Peace

> I think I'm going to buy a book to familiarize myself with them so that I can be prepared.

There are two I recommend based on how you like to get your information:

• Cynthia Branigan's Adopting the Racing Greyhound: Kind of dry, serious and clinical, but a great reference to own.
  
  
  
• Retired Racing Greyhounds For Dummies: A more enjoyable read that is a bit less serious but informative.
  

> I've tried putting him in front of his mess and giving him a stern "no."

This means absolutely nothing to him. You got some great replies here, and I'd also recommend picking up a couple books on puppy/dog behavior - "Perfect Puppy in 7 Days" and "How to Behave So Your Dog Behaves" or checking out some Kikopup or Zak George videos on YouTube or reading the wiki linked in the sidebar from start to finish (depending on how you prefer to learn). There's a lot of basic knowledge you need to gain to understand how to best work with him.

This is great advice OP. I foster so have new dogs in the home all the time. Best to make the first week or two low key, get your schedule down so the dog has time to get used to it before you throw surprises in the mix. I also recommend starting off with whatever "rules of the house" you want from day one. ie if you don't want the dog in the kitchen or on the furniture, start that from the beginning so it's not confusing later.

Also, this is a great book if interested. https://www.amazon.com/Love-Limit-Welcoming-Adopted-into-Your/dp/1891767143

I really recommend the book Clicker Training for Birds (http://www.amazon.com/Getting-Started-Clicker-Training-Birds/dp/1890948152/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1410049591&sr=1-1&keywords=clicker+training+for+birds)

It was really interesting and very helpful. Check it out and I think you will see really great results (I did!)

She is beautiful!

Like someone said, they play hard and sleep hard.

For positive reinforcement training at home, you could start with something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Training-Best-Dog-Ever-Reinforcement/dp/0761168850/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Training+the+Best+Dog+Ever%3A+A+5-Week+Program+Using+the+Power+of+Positive+Reinforcement&qid=1563823551&s=books&sr=1-1

malena demartini's treating separation anxiety in dogs is written for dog professionals but has a couple treatment plans in the back that i've (sort of) implemented with my dogs (their issues aren't nearly as great as yours--my heart goes out to you & your pup). ideally someone is with the dog at all times (daycare, dog sitter or walker, family or neighbors, etc) while you work through the plan--that takes some finagling. she also recommends a treat & train or pet tutor (i can't remember which). there's also MIA the robot -- it doesn't solve your problem right now because it's currently gathering funding via kickstarter, but part of its function is to detect when your dog is vocalizing & then begin moving around the room while dropping treats.

if you're not seeing any positive changes (or not to a great enough degree) using the adaptil, i would also encourage you to talk with your vet about meds. when this was something i wanted to discuss with my vet, i had no idea where to begin. the overview on debbie jacobs's fearful dogs website was really helpful to me.

edit: it occurred to me after i posted my reply that you were looking for something that might lessen the severity of the separation anxiety immediately, so i don't think my reply is that helpful--sorry. :\

https://www.amazon.com/New-Marine-Aquarium-Michael-Paletta/dp/1890087521/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452143680&sr=8-1&keywords=the+new+marine+aquarium I think this is probably the best book, even after having multiple other books and 10+ years of saltwater aquariums I still find myself going back to it for minor refreshes.

Bigger the aquarium the smaller fluctautions so despite thinking smaller will be easier, thats actually wrong. When it comes to filtration Live Rock (I think rule is a # per gallon) also live rock. I wanna say on lighting you want 2-3 watt per gallon. I suggest you start off with some hardy fish (Nemo) and do a FOWLR (Fish Only With Live Rock) then when you feel more comfortable add some of the easier corals (Mushrooms, Some Zooanthoids, Leathers, Zenia)

goto www.reefcentral.com and research FOWLR also get multiple opinions

Since they already have the cat (kitten?) I would highly recommend the book Think Like a Cat. People think cats can't be trained, BUT THEY CAN. They should never scratch your furniture (scratching posts/ mats should be in every room) or go outside their box (it has to be cleaned twice a day, two boxes is always a good idea). Also, active play everyday is crucial. No playtime = they will fuck you up! Watching "My Cat From Hell" on youtube might help as well. Good luck!

You're doing okay!

My adult dog had some accidents, lots of separation anxiety and affection issues, and took a while to adjust (maybe is still adjusting)

Remind yourself that you care and have the time and patience to help this little guy. You're already doing so many things right.

And then start reading (though you sound like you have been). Read to inform yourself and read to stay motivated.

Try some Cesar Milan books for communication tips
Look up T-touch massage
This kindle book

Read a basic dog training book if you haven't yet? I like 'The Power of Positive Dog Training' by Pat Miller or 'Dog Friendly Dog Training' by Andrea Arden. They are just very basic training books, there are a lot of more specific books for behavioral issues.

Patricia McConnell (my favorite dog behaviorists) has a short book on adopting a dog and a second one on getting a puppy.

So, yea, check out the library. More productive than just the random excitement.

Awesome, looking it up on Amazon now!

Edit: [Here is the link to the book.](How to Behave So Your Dog Behaves, Revised and Updated 2nd Editon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004GUSDK4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_rbOmDb803BQ8A). If anyone reads this and wants to check it out, here it is. It’s pretty good so far!

I have been contributing to The Alex Foundation for years, ever since I read "Alex and Me". Dr. Pepperberg has worked for years to understand the intelligence levels of Parrots, and her dedication is phenomenal, though her funding has been uncertain, at best, and I would like her to be able to continue to learn about these amazing little characters.

If you decide to go this route, this is a great resource (I just finished reading it last night and it is an excellent book about positive training techniques that also delves into and uses research to discuss why negative (and abusive) training methods don't work. The author also has a ton of youtube videos showing how to positively teach different types of behavior in difference scenarios.

Zak George's Dog Training Revolution: The Complete Guide to Raising the Perfect Pet with Love

This is my absolute favorite dog book and it connects with his videos as well. The book is written in a more general sense that can be used with any dog of any age and it is really easy to follow.

Stop. Please do some research before diving into this.

This is a step by step book. It will help.
https://www.amazon.com/New-Marine-Aquarium-Michael-Paletta/dp/1890087521/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?keywords=michael+paletta&qid=1569031273&s=gateway&sr=8-2

I also recommend Martin A. Moe’s Marine Aquarium handbook. https://www.amazon.com/Marine-Aquarium-Handbook-Beginner-Breeder/dp/0982026218

Doing some research will be a lot better than me telling you that you are going at it wrong.

I also recommend keeping fresh water for at least a year beforehand to get use to the little things like testing, feeding, and water changes.

There's nothing odd about having multiple power animals.

If you're interested in learning more, I would recommend books by the late great Ted Andrews.

Animal-Speak: https://www.amazon.com/Animal-Speak-Spiritual-Magical-Powers-Creatures/dp/0875420281

Animal-Wise: https://www.amazon.com/Animal-wise-Understanding-Messengers-Companions-Anniversary/dp/1888767634

Two things:

Check out the book Control Unleashed. The puppy one is probably best for you, but also for anyone, because it's an easier read (according to my trainer).

Have some really "high value" treats available to get your puppy's attention. Walk away if you have to. There's not going to be a simple fast fix that automatically snaps your pup into non-play mode. It takes time and patience. Someone on here once said "I have more patience than my dog." I have to constantly repeat this to myself.

For training, my favorite:
How To Be Your Dog's Best Friend by the Monks of New Skete. They have another book about puppies and some DVDs too. Can't recommend them highly enough.

For an enjoyable, basic intro to dog perception/cognition:
Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know

That's absolutely untrue, Pepperberg's experiments with Alex were quite systematic and rigorous. It's not a light read, but if you want to learn more about the methodology of her work and the data gained, read The Alex Studies.

Additionally, the lab is having similar success with the other birds in the program, so while Alex is a heck of a story, I don't think he can be considered a fluke.

 
 

(Bonus: if you want a less academic and fluffier read, pick up a copy of Alex & Me)

First and foremost you need to either find a really good store that will support you through it, a good book, and/or a good local reef club. If there are no local clubs, there is a wealth of information at Reef Central online, though those guys are kinda jerks to new people.

A great first S/W book: http://www.amazon.com/New-Marine-Aquarium-Step-Step/dp/1890087521

A more thorough, but a little dense to start with: http://www.amazon.com/Conscientious-Marine-Aquarist-Commonsense-Successful/dp/1890087025

The one thing they seem to leave out of marine biology is captive husbandry. I'm sure you get a little exposure to it, but it's not like doing it yourself.

I'd highly recommend you read this book before you commit to doing/buying anything. It is by no means inclusive but will give you a feel for how the whole system should or will work.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1890087521

Once you've read that, I'd recommend reading the following article from Reef Keeping ezine. This will save you time and money on junk or unnecessary supplements.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/

Edit: spelling.

My bf used a book called “Training the Best Dog Ever” to train his dog, and he said it was an excellent book.

https://www.amazon.com/Training-Best-Dog-Ever-Reinforcement/dp/0761168850

I have read and highly recommend BAT 2.0 by Grisha Stewart. If you'd like more information about this training ideology, I can find some free sources online!

I live on a different coast, so I can't talk about AZ, but we've all been through this. Everything will be fine.

Get yourself a copy of the greyhound bible, Retired Racing Greyhounds for Dummies. Stairs are a completely surmountable obstacle. Yeah, it might be rough for a week, but they'll get the hang of it. As long as you're willing to put in the walking time (most orgs recommend 2 walks, 30 minutes each), a condo is a totally fine situation. Everything will be fine.

Honestly, I know you said finding a trainer isn't a realistic option - but it is the only way you are going to get real advice to help you figure this out. People on Reddit cannot see what's actually going on by a paragraph or two description of the problem. I've seen individuals read a ton of books to fix behavioral issues on their own though. It will take you a lot of research, but that's your best bet, if you don't want to find a trainer. Start here: http://www.amazon.com/Click-Calm-Healing-Aggressive-Clicker/dp/1890948209

Buy him Sophia Yin's book. It breaks down proper dog training in really easy to understand examples. It sounds like the training methods he's using are out of date and honestly a overbearing.

Thanks for the info. I bought a couple Sophia Yin books on kindle. Do you have any experience with How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend? It seems to be a "classic" manual. Just wondering if the info or techniques are outdated at all.

[read](How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend: The Classic Training Manual for Dog Owners (Revised & Updated Edition) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0316610003/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_FfLhzbGE7BR2S)

You could try using a front clip harness which will tend to turn the dog around when he pulls. I've heard that Canny Collars can be effective, but I've always worried my dog could hurt her neck if she sprinted for a squirrel while wearing one.

You might also need to try two different types of walks:

• Normal walks for necessary exercise / bathroom relieve where you put up with the pulling (for now)
  
• Training walks where you focus on proper leash behavior by stopping and standing whenever your pit pulls too hard and then only walking forward when the leash goes slack. The idea is to get the dog to associate a slack leash with freedom of movement and to associate the sensation of pulling with being unable to get where it wants to go.
  
  A few books that might be helpful:
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Training-Best-Dog-Ever-Reinforcement/dp/0761168850/
  
• https://www.amazon.com/When-Pigs-Fly-Training-Impossible/dp/1929242441/
  
  You could also check around and see if there is a dog trainer nearby that could do an hour training / consultation session (We did this to learn tips to help with our dogs separation anxiety and I think it helped)
  
  
  

We’ve never used pee pads. We take them out every 15 minutes to start, like for a day, then increase the time between outdoor visits. Set your alarm and get up a few times during the night for a while. The dog will be trained in a few days for the most part. There might be a few accidents in the next few months.

Edit add: Dogs seem to develop preferred places to go. Ours will only go on grass. So the job is to shape that preference.

Puppy Primer by Patricia McConnell is s great book & I highly recommend it! Dr. McConnell has had and trained many BC’s herself.

Also, yes... I admit I didn't read your whole post and I'm really bad about that. But I hope my advice is useful anyway. For a really great, short, concise training book try The Puppy Primer.

If you want to put a lot of significance into your 'sona, maybe go pick up a book similar to this one- I think it's the same one I used a long time ago.

https://www.amazon.com/Animal-Speak-Spiritual-Magical-Powers-Creatures/dp/0875420281

these kind of books go really in-depth about what characteristics are attributed to a given species, and you can use that to either pick one that matches your current personality, OR go for an animal with lots of qualities that you don't have, but want to develop.

As others said, you don't need to have just one or stay with the same 'sona forever. Whatever suits you. I've had about half a dozen fursonas over the last fifteen years.

And if you mostly are into it for the drawing, it's ok to just pick something you WANT to draw! Don't be a gryphon centaur with 3 sets of wings and 5 tails if that is going to be too frustrating to recreate on paper.

Have fun!

If you're interested in Alex the Parrot, there's a book about him, called Alex and Me, by Dr Pepperberg: http://www.amazon.com/Alex-Me-Scientist-Discovered-Intelligence/dp/0061673986 It's pretty interesting, and not very long. I recommend it.

Highly recommend Pepperberg's book, Alex & Me. Great read of what they went through together.

Is she the only dog? She's never been alone before.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Dogtraining/wiki/separationanxiety



Your placement rep should have some very good advice for you as well as other resource people in you adoption group.




This book by Patricia McConnell is often recommended for separation anxiety.

This one by Malena Demartini-Price is also often recommended.

My dogs are my friends, and we compete together. One sleeps on the bed, one is in a crate, one has her own sofa. The younger the dog, the more rules there are, and as they get older, the rules vanish, or are diminished. Rules for puppies teach self control and boundaries, and as the puppies get older they are so used to the boundaries that I no longer have to harp on them.

If you can order from Amazon this is a great puppy book.

If I go with puppy pads, do you think that I can tape them together on the bottom so that they don't shift/expose the floor? I've already looked into that book, as well as Good Owners, Great Dogs, and I'm probably going to purchase both.

Sophia Yin has some good books:
Perfect Puppy

How to behave so your dog behaves

Calming Signals by Turid Rugaas

Don't Shoot the Dog by Karen Pryor

Subscribe to Kikopup (and her website dogmantics), and Tab289 on YouTube to cover a lot of clicker training basics and basic behavior modification exercises.

Sue Ailsby's training levels website for a puppy training to-do list.

It sounds like this dog has separation anxiety. That can lead to destructive behaviors, sometimes leading to dogs being re-homed. A personal trainer would be the best solution for the dog, but reading this book is a good place to start: https://www.amazon.com/Good-Owners-Great-Brian-Kilcommons/dp/0446675385

I guess it might not count as "in nature", but in the book Alex and Me the author claims the bird could answer questions like "how many blue" things are there. This was from a parrot who was trained over many years though, not sure if parrots can do stuff like that in the wild.

The good news is that this sounds liike one of the most fixable problems ever.

I think you should read http://www.amazon.com/Think-Like-Cat-Well-Adjusted-ebook/dp/B005ERIIRQ/ref=la_B001H6NUGW_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1381275035&sr=1-1, as I feel it will give a good framework for solving this issue.

BUT, off that bat, and having read that, my advice is to try free-feeding (having a couple bowls of food/water available open all the time).

EDIT: it sounds like the kitty is hungry

I trained my pup through Zak George with his youtube channel and book and it worked brilliantly. He's 11 months now and he heels, plays fetch, comes when called, house trained in a couple of months. Can't recommend enough.

Youtube channel

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZzFRKsgVMhGTxffpzgTJlQ

Book

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Zak-Georges-Dog-Training-Revolution/dp/1607748916