Reddit mentions of Nina Ottosson by Outward Hound Dog Smart Treat Dispensing Dog Toy Brain and Exercise Game for Dogs

outward hound puzzle puzzle starmark puzzle 2

Hey!

I totally know where you’re coming from. we brought home our toy poodle 2 weeks ago (he’s 11 weeks today) and I am home with him during 9-5 hours while my boyfriend helps out evenings and weekends. The first week I genuinely considered returning him because I felt so overwhelmed despite doing an absurd amount of research and having had 2 other family dogs where I wasn’t the primary caretaker lol. The breeder had him potty trained and crate trained and said he was the first of his litter to run to the food bowl but the first week he came home with us he whined in his crate + playpen, pooped on the floor and became a finicky eater lol

I can say even though I’m still struggling with a few things (he’s a pretty shy pup who's not food motivated, hates his playpen, and doesn't understand kongs lol ) I’m feeling better and seeing sooo much progress in our little man since he first came home.

Here are some things that work for us:

Crate training: This will take time and will also require some patience and understanding on your end - there will likely be whining and the best thing you can do is IGNORE IT - this is of course as long as your puppies needs are met - before ever putting him into the crate make sure he’s peed and isn’t hungry/thirsty. The #1 thing you need to be aware of is that if you let him out while he’s whining he will associate whining = attention/freedom.

• Crate games Personally, we didn’t use crate games because when I tried I felt the same frustration lol. We have a T-shirts that smell like us in his crate + his favourite (safe) toy that he can only cuddle/play with while he’s in there to make it attractive place. Our dog isn’t food motivated either but we’ve discovered dehydrated raw treats are like crack to him lol. We use a high value treat (dehydrated raw beef liver) to lure him into the crate while saying “bedtime” and then we close the door. He’ll whine during the day sometimes when he’s overtired but never at night and actually goes in willingly on his own to relax.
  
• Nighttime: set alarms before he starts whining. In our case we sleep at 11pm and have alarms for 2am, 5am and 7:45am - you’ll need to monitor when he starts to whine and set your alarms for ~10-15 mins beforehand to avoid reinforcing whining. I also recommend sticking to night time crating rather than playpen to work off a dogs need for consistency.
  
• Enforced naps: these are a god send. Pups need to sleep roughly 18-20 hours a day. For every 45-1 hour that your puppy is awake lure him into his crate for a 1-2 hour nap. I use a wyze camera (https://www.amazon.ca/Wyze-Wireless-Camera-Android-Version/dp/B076H3SRXG/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3J0J18TA1JUKO&keywords=wyze&qid=1565737568&s=gateway&sprefix=wyze%2Caps%2C246&sr=8-3) to monitor any sounds/movements in his crate and make sure I get to him to let him out to pee before he has a chance to start whining on his own. (Currently typing this as he’s napping away lol). You will get some free time to do as you please + puppy will wake up refreshed and happy (note: less nipping, more attentive!)
  
• Note: even if you successfully lure him into the crate he will likely still whine at times - I G N O R E. I can’t stress this enough. The sooner he learns whining = no reaction, the sooner he’ll learn to settle and nap. First week our puppy whined ~5 minutes each time, now it’s ~30 seconds max and MUCH less frequent. Consistency is key.
  
  Routine: Like I said our pup is awake for ~1 hour intervals throughout the day. Because pups do better with set schedules, I follow the same routine every hour and he seems to be doing better with this routine. Essentially what we do is : Wake up, pee, Train (5-10 mins max with his kibble or toys - like your ours isn’t food motivated but enjoys WORKING for his food, other times he’s more willing to work for toys so that could also be worth a try), fetch (physical exercise indoors), Train (5-10 mins max), play, leash train (indoors), play, pee, nap.
  
  
• Physical exercise: A tired pup is a happy pup - but keep in mind there’s a fine line between proper exercise for a puppy and overstimulation - we’ve been doing 5-10 minutes of indoor fetch every hour awake and it looks like the perfect balance for us - you’ll have to play with this figure a little to see what works best but I promise the whining is bound to decrease if he’s already sleepy before crate time
  
• Mental stimulation: poodles (and poodle crosses) are prone to getting bored without enough mental stimulation = excess whining. Mental stimulation includes feeder toys, puzzle games AND training. Our guy doesn’t really appreciate his kong lol but we have this (https://www.amazon.ca/Smart-Treat-Dispensing-Exercise-Ottosson/dp/B0711Y9Y8W/ref=sr_1_5?crid=1ZZNTTRIW62SD&keywords=nina+ottosson&qid=1565738495&s=gateway&sprefix=nina+ott%2Caps%2C230&sr=8-5) and we bring it out once or twice a day - sometimes he won’t even eat the food in the holes but he likes figuring out the puzzle lol
  
• Instilling independence: Okay so this is an area where I’ve noticed a BIG change since taking it seriously. The more you work on training commands, the more independence you’re installing in your pup. The more independent he feels, the more he can handle being alone, the outside world, scary interactions, etc. I’m not sure if you’ve done any puppy socialization classes or are looking into puppy training but I’d recommend finding a reputable one in your area and giving it a try. For training at home, we've had a lot of success with: https://www.youtube.com/user/kikopup
  
  Other tips:
  
  
• Bully Sticks: these things can be a god send if you need some time to yourself. The first time we gave our puppy one he went wild for it and left us alone for an hour. The second time, he held it in his mouth and whined his face off lol. We realized our mistake was making it available to him too frequently in a short period of time. Keep high-value items like this a special occasion treat to maintain it’s value.
  
• Toys: rotate toys. Have 2-3 toys out for a few days at a time, and learn which ones he gravitates to. You’ll discover which toys are high value + by rotating them he’ll get excited when his fav one from a certain batch is back in his turf. Take the high-value ones and make them crate only toys if they are safe to be played with unsupervised!
  
• Kong: I wish I could give you advice here because the Kong was a god send for our other dogs. The advice that’s been given to me is teach him how to use it. Youtube is good for this but at the end of the day, some dogs just don’t like the kong. If you do want to use this or other puzzle feeders/treat toys DON’T increase the value of the treat if he’s disinterested. He’ll learn that he can ignore his kibble/low-value treats and hold out for the better stuff and you’ll end up with a finicky eater.
  
• Daycare: Find a reputable one in your area bc it sounds like you need a little break and some socialization will be good for the little guy if you’re not looking into puppy classes or socialization classes.
  
  Hope this helps in some way shape or form, feel free to message me if you need to vent, compare puppy problems or ask any questions :)

I’d focus on all around confidence building at home - obedience group class is probably overwhelming for a shy dog, so set your expectations low for slow progress in a class environment.

First of all, I’d implement a Nothing in Life is Free regime at home for now. It sounds harsh but for a fearful dog, knowing what your expectations are can reduce her anxiety and earning affection/privileges successfully by doing what you want her to will help her build confidence and trust in you - which should translate to her looking to you for leadership in all situations.

Work on reinforcing/teaching basic commands at home with really high value treats, lots of short training sessions (90 seconds to 5 minutes each session multiple times a day if possible) and way more reps than you think necessary. Once she has a command down, you can work on transitioning it to the world outside your home.

Puzzle toys are also an effective way to help build confidence. With shy/fearful dogs, we typically feed all meals in puzzle toys - solving them helps boost their morale. The Starmark Bob-a-lot is my favorite for meals, but Kongs are a good option too and the Planet Dog Orbee-Tuff Snoop Dog Toy is another great one.

Nina Ottosson makes great puzzle toys for treat puzzles (too small to feed full meals), with varying levels of difficulty. There are also tons of DIY puzzle toys on the internet. Anything that works her brain and requires her to think through to solve will help her become a more focused, confident dog.

Hopefully all of the above will translate into increased focus and confidence in class too, but if not, you might want to consider doing some in home training if you can (obviously with the caveat that in home training is expensive af, especially compared to group classes, so I totally understand if this isn’t an option). If group classes are your best option, don’t worry too much about her performance IN class, just focus on doing the homework and building up her responsiveness at home and then slowly transition to the outside world.

With regards to men, it’s probably not something you can completely “solve,” but if she’s food motivated and you have male friends she doesn’t know, ask them to come over and hand feed her. This is one of the most effective ways to build a bond. When men are around, have them give her high value treats and ignore her as best you can, so all good things come from men. But let her take it on her own terms and don’t push her either. Contractors can be scary - generally they’re wearing work boots, carrying big/loud/heavy objects, etc., so that may be a situation you just want to manage instead of trying to train her to be more comfortable - just keep her crated or confined to an area where your contractor won’t be, maybe put on a noise machine or the radio and give her a frozen Kong or bully stick to keep her calm when they’re around.

Not all of this will be helpful or apply to you and your dog, I’m sure, but these are some of the things I find the most successful with my fearful fosters! Best of luck to you and your pupper! You sound like a very dedicated owner 💕

Training? Learn shake/salute/wave/tricks that don't require moving too much.

I like plastic puzzles like this but it's easier to find the wooden ones.

We've been having the same struggles with our 12 week old lab! He will only start to eat his kibble if something (boiled chicken, rice, carrot, etc) is mixed in with it. Once he's eaten all of the treats from it, he'll leave the kibble, despite the fact that he's still hungry. However, put that exact same kibble into a puzzle toy, and he eats it right up!?

We've been putting his 'leftovers' into this puzzle toy and he loves it. Always finishes his kibble.

My dog was inhaling her food to the point of horking and gagging every time until I got her a slow feeder [similar to this one] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N2BEPD8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_yRb-Bb7Z93DRC) but it got too easy for her. Lately I've been feeding her food in [this puzzle] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0711Y9Y8W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_7Sb-BbY9PZQM1) where she has to remove the bones before getting a few pieces at a time.

We use the large KONG Extreme Dog Toy, Medium, Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000GUDZO2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_sQ81AbHCEGYVC, trixies flipboard 2 TRIXIE Pet Products Flip Board, Level 2 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0054Q9TMA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_RR81AbJEX56X9. treat ball OurPets IQ Treat Ball Interactive Food Dispensing Dog Toy https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003ARUKTG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_oS81AbJ0XDRE8, a treat hiding thing Dog Smart Treat Dispensing Dog Toy Brain and Exercise Game for Dogs by Nina Ottosson https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0711Y9Y8W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_MS81AbJWBH0TC, a rolling nibble kibble PetSafe Busy Buddy Kibble Nibble Meal Dispensing Dog Toy, Medium/Large https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001F0RRUA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_FT81AbYG9PW7N, a self toy KONG Rambler Ball, Large (colors vary) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BBGRT4Q/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_wU81AbYC200R4, and a large tug a jug PetSafe Medium/Large Sportsmen Tug A Jug Pet Chew Toy https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01K4KZ8M0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_LV81AbFBTP67F.

The kong I use spread treats inside because dry treats last only a few seconds.

Trixies flipboard is low to meh at getting her attention, sometimes she doesnt care for the food to bother with it.

Iq treat ball she finds a way to break, pushing into a wall, chomping on it, the moment you look away.

The hide a treat thing is easy for her.

The nibble kibble is the same as the treat ball.

The kong rambler she easily pulls the ball from its station and the toy is moot, now its just a ball.

The tug a jug becomes a weapon that she whips around until it smashes open.

The one thing I have noticed that can keep her attention is a pile of wood we have outside. Inside that pile of wood is chipmunks and squirrels that she messes with until I call her over. I'm thinking that she enjoys live toys? Or does she it as just something for her to herd.

Not great but way way way better. The anxiety is still a big thing but the toys and treats are better (not great, she’s so picky and it’s so hard to figure out what she likes, but better) and she’s more confident now - doesn’t keep her tail between her legs anymore. It seemed like time really does help with the treats and confidence, but Jesus it sucks for all involved. We found that cooked chicken is a very reliable treat. And greenies! She loves greenies. Thank god.

I’m just going to info dump you in the hopes something helps (I'm guessing at timelines here if I say something like 'it was a few days' so if they don't line up, that's why).

We had to trial by fire it - we can’t call out of work. It’s terribly hard to leave her when I can hear her crying the whole time, but the poor dog kinda just has to live with it and I hope it’s not too much emotional damage. It’s been about 3 weeks now and the downstairs neighbors tell me that she only cries for the first hour I’m gone now instead of the whole time.

On the plus side, she totally loves her crate now; it’s her den. She’ll go into it when she’s bored and lie down and nap, or bring chicken into it to lie down and chew on.

After 2 weeks, she stopped walking with her tail between her legs and a couple days ago starting actually playing with other dogs we run into when walking (which is great except many dogs are aggressive and I'm worried they're going to teach her to be aggressive...).

She’s eating now, which is cool. At first she would only eat cooked chicken (Costco + slow cooker ftw), and then we went through various different dog foods till we found one she liked. She would only eat a bite at first but a bite was better than nothing. After about a week, she eats about half a cup at a time. We have her eating this: https://www.chewy.com/taste-wild-pacific-stream-grain-free/dp/181318

The vet said we have to teach her when mealtime was and put the bowl down and then pick it up 15 minutes later, but not to start doing this until she's actually eating because calories + feeling safe is more important (vs feeling already anxious AND hungry).

She also likes some toys now - she’ll sometimes chew on a bacon flavored nylabone (turns out nylabones come in flavors, btw. She likes the bacon one and ignores chicken), and we got her a Go Dog stuffed dragon and a whale that she LOVES - but she tears them apart in about 5 minutes, and I have to keep sewing them back together; don’t leave your dog alone with them! It’s cute; she carries them around like a teddy bear. It helps a lot with the emotional support, I think. She also likes puzzle toys. But this all started pretty recently. Before that, she would just mope around the house and we would feel like shitty parents. (She still mostly mopes and we feel like shitty parents). The first toy I got her to like was a PB filled kong, and she would only eat it if we were holding it. After several days, we got to being able to put the kong down (huge accomplishment) and as long as we were still standing next to her, she would keep at it. As soon as we took even a step away, she would leave it. But after some time, that got better. She’ll take it to her crate now. She still doesn’t play fetch or like balls. So for us, in the order we got her to like them, she likes PB Kongs, and then she loves her whale and dragon, and she likes the puzzle toys. The nylabone is a recent development and she’s not hugely a fan but occasional chewing is better than none. Because she doesn’t eat treats, most of the commercial toys are useless, since they’re all treat dispensers. We started with this puzzle and put chicken in it. https://www.amazon.com/Outward-Hound-Ottosson-Smart-Puzzle/dp/B0711Y9Y8W

Whenever I see anything she vaguely has an interest in, I capitalize on it. I noticed she likes to look out windows, so I’ve opened all the curtains that I can and leave them open so she isn’t too bored. Hopefully. She still seems bored 90% of the time :/. We still feel pretty shitty as parents because she does the puzzles really quickly and really only likes the whale and dragon, but I have to keep taking them from her because she keeps tearing through them.

I read a ton about separation anxiety and talked to the vet:

• They tell you not to make a big deal out of leaving and coming back, but it’s impossible because she follows us to the door crying when we put shoes on and runs to the door barking when we come home.
  
  
• I try to make sure she has a bunch to do when I’m gone (filled puzzle toys and PB kong and nylabone). It’s hard because she doesn’t actually LIKE anything, for a long time she ignored it all entirely, but it makes me feel better that it’s there, even if I come home and it’s untouched. I leave the curtains open, at least.
  
  
• They tell you to leave in small intervals - less than a minute if needed, not more than ten minutes - so the dog understands that you’re coming back. The trick is to try and come back before she starts whining so she doesn’t think the whining is what brought you back, but this was impossible because she starts whining literally as soon as the door shuts.
  
  
• Turns out the suggestions of like, the radio or TV or music doesn’t actually do anything for dogs in terms of company unless you’re using it as a cue that you’ll come back - like, you turn the radio on right before you leave and turn it off when you come back, and eventually she learns that radio on == they’re coming back. But we don’t want to do that for the time we inevitably forget to turn the radio on…
  
  
• I try to minimize the amount of time we’re gone - I’ve been going in to work a little late and coming home a little early whenever possible. I feel terrible.
  
  
• TONS of walks or runs (couch to five k, I’m coming for you) before we’d go out to hopefully tire her out so that she just naps while we’re gone. I read somewhere that “a tired dog is a happy dog” and if nothing else, a tired dog is one that’s only going to cry for 2 hours and then fall asleep. Unfortunately she has fucktons of energy, so I am tired way before she is, but I try. Importantly, the vet said you can’t walk her only before leaving because then she’ll just learn to hate walks. So we walk her and get back about 20 minutes before we leave, and we walk her as soon as we get home.
  
  
• What was most important, I think, was separating crate training and separation anxiety training. One of the sites I read talked about this, and how if you lock them in the crate when you leave, they’re going to 1) associate crate with anxiety and 2) hurt themselves trying to get themselves out of the crate. We found this to be pretty true, she hated her crate and would tear up whatever was inside of it when she couldn’t see us in it. Since we needed her to like her crate, love her crate, think of her crate as her den, we kept the crate in the doorway to our bedroom, so she wasn’t next to us but could see us, and we only put her in the crate when we went to sleep from 11pm-7am - not shutting the door until right when we were getting into bed (already teeth brushed, etc) and letting her out right when we get out of bed. We put Nylabones and a PB kong in the crate, which she ignored for the first week but made us feel better. We got her to go in the crate by herself by baiting it with tons of chicken, like a piece of chicken at the edge of the crate, then a little further in, then all the way in the back, etc. Then I’d shut the door only a little and keep my arm in there and keep giving her chicken, (it’s a lot of chicken - skip dinner). Keep slowly shutting the door, keep giving chicken, when the door is shut just stay next to it and give chicken and be reassuring. Then lights off and straight to bed. If you dilly dally, she thinks you’re locking her in her crate and leaving without her - especially if you leave the room to pee and she can’t see you. My boyfriend was really insistent that her crate can’t permanently be in the room, but if we moved it she just cried; I found a guide online that said that if you move it a bunch that it’s too much change for them, so the idea is small amounts of change that they don’t even notice and to just move it a couple inches a day, so we’ve been doing that, sort of. We left her in the doorway for a week, then slowly an inch, literally an inch, at a time, moved the crate back so that she could see a bit less of us each night. Last night we got the crate around the corner and she couldn’t see us at all and it went okay! Yay. Our goal is a different room down the hall, so I’m going to keep moving it a little at a time - it’s not just being able to see us but also the change is scary. (It gets hard to navigate around the crate in the hallway but hey two weeks tops left I hope).
  
  During the day, when we’re gone, we originally barricaded her in the kitchen but she figured out how to get out (she jumped the baby gates), so we just dog-proofed the house as best we could and now we let her run around and cross our fingers she doesn’t hurt herself.
  
  Aight I have to work but throw any questions (or ideas!!!) my way.
  
  
• edit, I just realized how long this is. Tl;dr: Time helped toys and treats (though we’re having great difficulty finding toys she likes), and she loves the crate, but the anxiety is still a huge problem.