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@ramya There's a book called "barking: the sound of a language" that I found to be very useful. It walks through scenarios in which a dog barks, how it may sound and how to explore possibilities and options to meet the needs of the dog. I personally loved it. It was also the best among other...

@ramona78 This is interesting but I think it's quite possible your dog associated the backdoor area as a place to self regulate. If my assumption is correct What you have probably unknowingly done is actually witnessing a testament to dogs choosing healthy coping strategies when viable options...

@christopherb This! In addition I noticed my dog would go through his array of tricks with a single specific prompt in the presence of treats and food which struck me as really weird. And bringing him back to focus was a lost cause after that. Glad to know I'm not the only one who noticed...

@christopherb Thank you for coming into this thread so articulately. How did you figure out that your dog was getting over aroused with obedience training?

@maizeemay My comment was based on observation of the dogs body language I see regularly on my walks. It's sampled over a significant period of time and it's usually always the same set of dogs. The comment was made from the point of view of the dog trying to communicate a need in a moment and...

@oceanwaves None taken. Though there are other ways to bond with a dog that are more calming. And in cases of reactivity where everything has been tried, I still feel it's a valid recommendation to stop obedience training due to the mechanics of thresholds and arousal.

@jamiem This is a rather unpopular view but there's a few reasons why I feel obedience training is not the solution for some dogs. A dog around it's triggers is unlikely to obey because it's over threshold and will not listen. The only thing it's doing is frustrating you because she won't...

@jamfitz001 I feel you on your description of the first 5 minutes. I was surprised that I was even capable of feeling so pissed off. But the process has made me extremely empathetic and I've been able to reflect and drop my judgements on so many topics. The sniffing frustration analysis was...

@jamiem Couple things Drop tug and fetch for 2 weeks to a month . Substitute with treat search and toy search. If she's uninterested, let her be. -Definitely drop the wrestling. -Drop the obedience training. -Just do the walks Some dogs can't handle the adrenaline rush and are wired...

@shelly48 If you are looking at it from a purely reactivity perspective, there is no evidence that a neuter will improve reactivity. In fact the body of evidence seems to point in the other direction. Neutering at a young age also has shown a correlation to increased reactivity and aggression.

@katrad2011 That is best. If you are keen, you can try in 2-3 weeks and gradually introduce once you feel your pup has become more acclimatised to your home and pull back if it's not working and try after a while again.

@jamfitz001 If it helps at all, I don't have patience either. My trainer advised me not to walk the dog the days I don't have patience. So I skip the occasional walk if I know I'm going to get antsy or take a shorter route and it's eased up a lot of the pressure. Apparently, interrupting a sniff...

@seanmonty I agree with this. My dog is calm if I ask him to find a ball but goes bonkers if he sees a ball being thrown. We played a fair amount of fetch before I stopped and I think the antsy athlete description is accurate for my dog and it's an obsessive pattern that I likely programmed into...

@markwp This. Crate training is a management tool from a guardian perspective but when viewed from a dog welfare and lived experience perspective, it has the potential to be a consistent stressor in a dog's life. It matters how and when a training is done too. The dog has to be cognitively...

@lizlugo51 I do this too! Funnily he organically learnt wait and let's cross without having to "train" him. It was more communication than conditioning if that makes sense at all. The poor trainer had to rewire and reframe my views constantly towards communication than conditioning.

@jamiem What's your typical day like with your dog?

@johnny1973 Assuming your dog is reactive, don't want to be "that person" but your dog is telling you it wants to sniff, you should allow it at the 10ft an hour and see where you land. Especially if you have a scent hound. Thought I'd share my experience. My trainer would make me stop dead...

@joshuawithmartin For me, I also can't unsee dogs not being allowed to sniff. Everyday I see dogs pulling towards a tree to explore a scent and it being yanked off to continue to walk with discipline. It's actually quite sad.

@gtr1963 When there are 5 dogs in the equation, it's imperative to not create competitive scenarios. Heck, that's my advice for even homes with 2 dogs. The way I see it, the fetch triggered the competition and dogs violated each other's space and led to a fight. The fight put your dog way...

@pixeloriousspriteson I switched Fetch with decompression walks. Only one reason, hip displasia. Had him diagnosed at 1.5 yrs once I found out about it. I hated giving it up but damn the sniff walks are amazing. And I switched to "find the ball" which makes him more purposeful. It's the same...