The Spotted Devil

You could try recording the sound of the lawn mower and playing it very quietly. Play with him - use food/toy rewards - and gradually increase the volume as he relaxes at the current level. Yes it will sound different to the live version but it is a good start. Whilst you are working on desensitising him I would take him for a walk whilst the lawnmowing is happening. Take your phone and ring OH when you are a decent distance away - you can work on playing with your dog and moving closer to the scary sound too.

Heh heh...it's like a Mexican stand off :D

Gorgeous! I save the hassle and just take mine swimming :laugh:

And living with cats with attitude...

Thanks for that suggestion! I haven't come across that one, I'll check it out now :-) Not everything works for every dog of course - do keep us updated!

Mr TSD was well and truly tested by Willow and Dolly, my older cat (18) and dog (17), who are no longer with us. I figured he couldn't be too bad when I caught him and Dolly wrestling on "the good dog bed." I'm not sure who looked more guilty at breaking the "quiet dogs inside" rule but they both accused each other of starting it. Willow wouldn't have a bar of him for more than 6 months - every other visitor she was fine with but he'd turn up and she'd stalk to the back of the house and HOWL. One day I came home from work early to find the pair of them snuggled up together. Willow had finally relented. Nothing's changed and our cats and dogs have him wrapped around their little paws :D I make all the tough decisions and do all the training. He gets to just love them, remember what to feed them, keep separated as instructed and be super supportive of my dog sports. It really suits him as he thinks they're the best but is not organised or home enough to have a pet and take full responsibility on his own. Now I get the tap on the shoulder when we're out: "I think we need to go. The cats will be wanting their supper."

Hoping for reincarnation at TSD's home now. Ha! You're not the first :laugh: The things you can achieve with a well timed chest scratch... My most beloved and dearly departed Brontë...

If you want to use treats (no matter what you are training) you are much better off asking for the behaviour you want, even for a few seconds, and then having a party afterwards and racing to get a treat from somewhere else. I do that for nail trimming when I have a wriggly or fearful dog/cat and it works a treat. Zig hates having his nails done but gets super excited when he sees me pick up the nail trimmers, stands patiently and then we PARTY! Same with Em and her recent ear infection/grass seed. She looks miserable but puts herself in position on the lounge waiting for the yuck because the party is worth it :)

We call ours "Proby" as in On Probation :D

And when you put pup out there give him something to do - stuffed Kong, frozen chicken wing to chomp on, cardboard box full of dry food to destroy and discover! Make it the best place ever :)

Sounds like you've made some good progress! I find those types of remedies (including Tryptophan based supplements) are good at giving you that extra 1% in retraining established behaviours particularly if the dog in question is anxious or "highly strung." I have seen products such as Troy Behave paste have good results but only in conjunction with plenty of behavioural modification.

Any crates/enclosures I have in the living area on hard floors. Isolating pup in the laundry may well lead to more than $200 worth of damage! Outside I just put up temporary fencing to keep pup in safe areas. Again, keeping them safe from ingesting something inappropriate or injuring themselves or destroying stuff I care about will cost less than the vet bills!

As part of domestication we have selected infantile features of dogs when breeding which helps maintain that "puppy" attitude way beyond what a wild dog or wolf would. Physical characteristics such as floppy ears and behavioural characteristics too.

Never. If you have a Dalmatian :laugh:

:laugh: Poor Nova!

Sounds like they're doing great Jules! When I have a pup I tend to make up a few Kongs in the morning/night before so I can give one out quickly as I'm bolting out the door.

At least you realise there was no point saying "quiet!" LL :laugh: You should have seen Zig's face when I played that video lol Personally, if I wanted to fix it I would work on crate games first...building impulse control etc. One bark and I would cover with a sheet. There has to be a consequence. Em barked in a sit stay once when I was walking out for a T- drill - just excited to be out training. I turned around, quietly put her leash on and popped her back in the car. She nearly swallowed her tongue as well as her bark next time Still working on quiet when I'm training another dog....improving but not there yet!

Ha! I was bitten by the retrieving bug in a similar manner! Even so my Em is not as well suited to that as she is field work - blows my mind to just tell her to "get on" and let her take care of the rest.

I prefer to feed lamb necks - Em demolishes them frozen :)

Freaking adorable!!!!

LAT (counter conditioning) seems to work equally well with situations that promote fear or excitement - most likely because they are both examples of arousal and can sometimes be intertwined.

My entire girl has had barely any discharge this time round and is not swollen either - very out of character and it's just fortunate I (and Zig lol) spotted that first drop of blood.The only change I've really noticed is that she's restless as all get out. Classic pro-oestrus behaviour for her but that's all I've got to work with so I'm prog testing.

OT and while we're enabling but you need to try an Exped Megamat. Best. Thing. Ever. They look so good! Incredibly comfortable and as easy to set up and pack up as they say.

Having built in crates in the X-trail makes traveling with the dogs SO much easier. I can lock the crate door but prefer to use a snazzy little device to lock the boot of the car open - enough to let fresh air in but keep curious hands out. Brilliant.

OT and while we're enabling but you need to try an Exped Megamat. Best. Thing. Ever.