Found your blog doing a search on the songwriters of a Chely Wright song. I've always been just as interested in the writer(s) of a song as the singer, and it looks like I've found a great resource in your blog. Looking forward to digging in. :)

Hi Morgan, check out the article here for the three tools. We love 'em! http://smartdoguniversity.com/?p=2827 We don't use this blog site anymore (hence the redirection to the new site where the article resides in it's entirety on the new blog! :) Happy new year!

Definitely get to the veterinarian to be sure everything is ok medically. If nothing's changed (schedule is the same, no new furniture, carpet, etc., no new additions to the house (people or animals), no new noises, painting, rearranged furniture...you get the picture, then the only logical explanation would be physical. Hope everything turns out well!

Hi Sara, Thanks for your comment. How does she do outside when you use the steps in the video? What are you using for the reinforcer (what kind of food)? --Laurie

Thanks for stopping in, Pat! Sorry to hear you're having house training trouble. I would never suggest limiting water to your pup or dog. Instead, I'd take him out much more frequently AND have a veterinarian look him over to be sure there's no medical problem. Limiting water can be dangerous for your pup. By the way, the blog has a new home! These posts (and comments) will soon be migrated to the new home over on the Smart Dog University website: http://smartdoguniversity.com/category/blog/

Forgot to mention: the blog has moved! Brand new website and blog design over at www.smartdoguniversity.com! This site is being moved (post by post) and will be shut down in the future. Please join us over at the new location where there's even more information!

Jane, thanks for stopping by! I'm happy you read the article and took the time to leave a comment. My couch begs to disagree that the 12 week old Labrador doesn't needs a crate. Different opinions are welcome here as long as they are shared respectfully. Thanks again for stopping by, I appreciate it!

Until you can get a qualified positive reinforcement trainer to help you (and I suggest sooner rather than later!) be sure you're feeding your food aggressive dog in his crate. Ideally, the crate is in a quiet room with no other dogs. Put the food in the crate, close the crate door, and then be sure no kitties or dogs can get into that room. When he's finished eating, let him out of the crate, remove the food bowl. Management is going to be a big part of the training plan and it will keep the other animals -- and people -- safe until you can get a trainer in there to help you. I urge you to find a qualified trainer in your area right away. This is a very serious issue and treatment cannot wait. Check out http://www.findagreatdogtrainer.com for a local trainer.

Jody, yes! So easy, so fun, so useful! So glad you're teaching it to puppies! :)

Yes, I love targeting, too, Pamela! Glad to hear targeting has helped Honey develop the confidence to work with scary things. It's a great application of targeting! Yay for Honey!

Yes, indeed, altering our own reactions to off-leash dogs can help diffuse the situation. Hard to do sometimes, though!

The bear spray is popular on the comment threads. I'll be looking into it!

Thankfully it all ended well. Sorry to hear of your experience. Experiences like this leave me shaking all day.

Oh yeah, I'm definitely not comfortable with dogs rushing up to other dogs -- or the owners who allow it. I'm with you there! Yes, if you don't have 100% recall on your dog, he shouldn't be off-leash. And yes, I also believe that no one has 100% recall on their dog. :) Therefore, I believe that dogs should be on-leash unless they're in a fenced area. Most municipalities have laws regarding on-leash dogs. I've found that people don't know the law or don't care to follow it. Which is a shame.

Michele, thanks for stopping by! I, too, have a leash reactive dog who does ok when she's off leash. She's allowed off leash in our fenced yard at at my parent's place on Lake Anna. That's it -- other than those two areas, that girl is leashed! Even with her on-leash reactivity. Her recall isn't 100% and I'd hate for her to run up --playfully-- to an on-leash dog and cause problems. Therefore, that chickie is on-leash almost all the time!

Thanks for chiming in, Kylee! As long as you can legally have your dog off-leash *and* you can call your dog away immediately from even the largest distractions, then you're within your rights as a dog owner.

Yes, well said Janette -- dogs are quite a bit like people: they don't like everyone who crosses their path. So true...

Yep, bear spray will work, I'm sure! I carry a dog repellant spray and thankfully haven't had to use it...yet. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I don't have to! :) I have considered bringing something a little more potent like bear spray in case the dog's aggressive and off-leash (my nightmare)! One of the houses I walk past has two GIANT shepherds that attempt to climb over the fence every time we walk past. I always go to the other side of the street when we pass them to put as much space between us as I can. And I have my spray at the ready!

Leashes would definitely prevent lots of problems...

Yes, Nikkavy, thanks for chiming in -- definitely those two spots only! I've found that so many people with aggressive dogs all take their dogs to the same place: the "deserted" parkland where "no one goes." Yeah, no one except people with dogs who are all aggressive! Yipes!

Aniviel, yes, on-leash reactivity is a real problem. My little Labrador is leash reactive as well. However, I can't let my girl roam the yard (except the fenced in area) because I'm worried she'll wander too far, or that some other neighbor has the same idea and their paths will cross. There's no good answer except long leashes in a quiet, low traffic area.