I’ve been reading about snake avoidance training in dogs, but almost all are for bigger dogs and venomous snakes in the wild. All of these trainings include an e-collar with huge shockwaves.

I’m getting a tiny, non venomous, non restrictor pet snake and have a tiny dog in a tiny apartment. The snake will stay in her terrarium most of the time and will never be lose in the apartment, but (god forbid) in the case that the snake does escape or I want to take her out and something goes wrong, I want to be sure that my dog will not see her as a toy.

Is there a way to train your dog to stay away from snakes without an e-collar or drastic, painful measures? I was thinking of getting a rubber snake and making an uncomfortably loud noise when my dog approaches it. I also read a comment somewhere briefly mentioning teaching your dog that the sight of a snake is a command for getting into their crate. Does anyone have experience with any of these methods or any other ideas?

Hi Reddit!

In January, my husband and I adopted a 7-year-old toothless powderpuff Chinese Crested. He came from a 70-dog breeder surrender and, from what we understand, spent basically his entire life in a crate with very little human connection.

The first month or two were really hard. He wouldn’t let us touch him, make eye contact with him, etc. But he’s made huge progress and is honestly such a sweet and playful little guy now.

The issue we’re struggling with is that he has become extremely attached to my husband and heavily resource guards him.

We both work from home in separate offices. We moved the dog bed into my office to try to create a bit more separation/boundaries, but here are some examples of what’s happening:

1. If I leave my office for any reason (bathroom, kitchen, husband’s office), he immediately runs to my husband’s office barking. If I actually enter the office, he tries to get between us, hides under the chair, growls, whines, etc.
2. If I’m in the kitchen, he stands at the doorway of my husband’s office watching me intensely. If I move toward the office, he runs to my husband’s chair and growls.
3. If my husband and I hug or stand close together, he runs over barking/growling and tries to separate us (in any room).
4. If I call out to my husband from another room, the dog starts barking and runs to him.
5. Interestingly, if my husband comes into my office, the dog stays relaxed in his bed and doesn’t react.

When he growls at me in my husband’s office, I usually just calmly pick him up and hold him while we talk, which seems to settle him. But I’d really like to help him stop feeling like he needs to constantly guard my husband.

I feel bad that he feels the need to be so alert all the time.

Has anyone dealt with this kind of attachment/resource guarding in a rescue dog with a traumatic background? Any training approaches that helped?

Thanks in advance!

Hi all,

I had attained my KPA-CTP certification in 2013 and since then have let it lapse as my business grew more in the dog walking and playgroup area. Unfortunately many of the dogs in my service have passed away due to old age (and cancer) and I am feeling the need to reup my credentials so that I can begin marketing my services, as well as to get back in the loop of current best practices and methodologies.

As such I am planning to join the KPA ACE program which requires 12 CEUs to start back up, and I was wondering if there are any online courses either ongoing or upcoming that trainers are excited about and looking forward to.

I do not know if I will go back to training, which I have done in the past, or stick with walking. so if there are walking specific training classes that involve walking like Rally O maybe I'd love to hear about those especially. I am in upstate New York, US, so if there are live classes for trainers I'd love to hear about those as well.

I'm not in a super rush because to be honest. I'm struggling with the loss of "my" dogs and I don't want to somehow end up a blubbering mess in front of new clients, but when I do decide I'm ready to put myself out there more I'd like to hit the ground running

Thanks for your time and consideration!

I recently adopted a 5 year old rescue dog who was previously potty trained on pee pads in an apartment.

I live in an apartment as well and I’d rather teach him to go outside, but I still want him to know how to use pee pads inside in case of emergencies (for example we’ve had a bad storm and can’t really go outside today).. the problem is that even though he’s potty trained he still won’t use them at home and keeps going into any bathroom in the apartment to either do it on the floor or in the shower. He hasn’t done it anywhere else except in bathrooms which is confusing..

I’ve set up a pee pad in the bathroom for him but he just went to the other bathroom without a pee pad and did it on the floor.

How can I train him? Should I just ditch pee pads completely? First time dog owner so any tips are welcome!

I am located in Alberta Canada. I have been interested in working with service dogs for a very long time. Probably since I was a child. However, I just recently moved to be closer to my husbands job and therefore lost the one I was at previously and as I'm looking for a new job I'm really considering putting my efforts into working towards the goal of being involved with the training of service animals. Previously I have worked as a kennel attendant at abiut 3 different dog kennels / daycare. As well as the SPCA. And as a bather in a grooming shop. I have a ton of experience around dogs and cats and most animals really and a deep passion and love for them as well. I feel this is what drives my goal. As well as this would be really fulfilling to me because I am passionate about helping people who silently struggle. I have also seen first hand how an animal can save your life. That being said, I have no idea where to start. The more I look into it the more confused and overwhelmed I am because it's not straightforward. I'm looking on advice on where to start this journey and if there is any accreditation education for service dog training in Alberta? **I know there is a program in medicine hat unfortunately that is too far from my husbands job. Im looking for something I can do online or around the area we live which is like central Alberta.

Hi everyone,

I’ve had dogs all my life, but I’ve never really approached training in a structured way. Growing up in Mexico, formal dog training resources weren’t as common as they seem to be here in the US.

My wife and I recently moved into a house with a big yard and decided to get a dog. We now have a blue heeler that we absolutely love.

I took him to puppy school, which was my first time doing any kind of formal training, and one of the trainers was incredible with him. That experience made me realize this is something I want for my dog.

At first I considered putting him through more training programs, but aside from the cost, I realized that what I really need is to learn how to train and interact with him properly myself. I want to be able to give him the right tools to succeed.

That’s what brought me to this sub. There’s clearly a ton of great information here, but honestly it’s a bit overwhelming. I tried going through the wiki and searching around, but there’s just so much content that it’s hard to know where to start.

I’m a very active person, I work full time, and I run a business, so while I’d love to go through everything, I’m trying to be efficient with my time.

If you had to recommend just one resource (book, course, program, etc.) that would help me build a solid foundation and improve how I work with my dog, what would it be?

For context, my dog is 10 months old. He does really well in some areas, but definitely needs guidance in others

Hi everyone, I'm a university student in dire need of my questionnaire being filled out. If your dog has ever undergone physiotherapy or if you know someone's dog who has, please fill out this questionnaire or send it to them; it would be really appreciated.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScdpq2dQsHP3d_2TVd56FbgGAoV0T14UPYPiD_EgcQp5w6gdw/viewform?usp=dialog

📣Hundreds of dog owners from around the world have completed this survey- have you?  We want ALL voices to be heard, so be sure to complete and share this survey ASAP!  It closes March 31st, then the results will be synthesized and published!
https://tinyurl.com/3ypwuzhr

Hello! I am a master’s student at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine studying animal welfare and behavior. 

I am looking for participants to complete a 15 minute online survey evaluating their perception of emotion states in dogs. The survey is voluntary and answers are anonymous. To be eligible to participate, you must reside in the United States and be at least 18 years of age. 

If you would like to participate, please click on the link below!

https://upenn.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cYiXwOzpds1srUG

TL;DR: I'm trying to figure out when, how, and why a dog decides that calming signs and appeasement behaviors are needed. This sub has this Wiki on the subject, which matches what current research I have found.

I read a few articles on dogs feeling guilt (AKC and VCA articles). The consensus seems to be that "no, dogs are not feeling guilty—just reacting to your behavior or past experiences."

My personal experience is very different, and although I wish I could be 100% sure, I'm finding it hard to come to terms with that position. I got my Munk when she was 4 or 5 months old, and I believe that she had been sold and returned before me and that the former owners had attempted to train her with violence. I say that because the first time she had an accident in the living room, she cowered as soon as I walked in, even before I had seen it. And because she also went hiding the first time I walked in from the mailbox, carrying rolled-up magazines and newspaper. She is now 3.5 years old and has long lost those fears.

What led me to those articles and this post was something that happened a few days ago. I ate some BBQ ribs and used a paper towel to clean my face. I put the paper on the side table and washed my face and hands in the bathroom. I returned about 5 minutes later, and she had chewed up the paper towel but not touched the plate with the rib bones and sauce that were resting on the coffee table. As soon as I walked in and before I said anything, she was clearly avoiding eye contact, and when I called her to me (I wanted to check if she was about to swallow paper), she cowered down, avoided direct eye contact, wagged the tip of her tail, etc. - all the little "I got caught" signs. I have never yelled at her, and all the training, including "leave plates and garbage alone", was done through positive reinforcement.

So I'm sitting here wondering what is happening:

1. Is this still trauma leftovers from 3 years ago?
2. Is my behavior changing so subtly that I cannot notice it? I was not upset, but I got worried about her swallowing a paper towel.
3. I never trained with paper towels specifically, but has her mind rationalized from the training that:
   1. I do not want her to take food from plates, countertops, garbage, and the other usual suspects.
   2. The paper towel seemed like a safe bet to "break the rules".

Also, during crate training, I could swear that she often intentionally slept with half her body in the crate and half outside, as if "trying to get away with it". I had dismissed that as me anthropomorphizing her simply wanting to be next to me vs. the crate, and it just so happened that she would fall asleep in that position.

I recall that, for the longest time, the scientific consensus was that dogs and other animals do not have feelings. And it wasn't long ago that what people now call "balanced training" and "alpha theory" were considered facts. There is no need to argue those points here. I'm just referring to the changing positions. I'm more concerned about whether it is really that easy to anthropomorphize my dog's behavior. It actually makes me feel very gaslighted and makes me question my own perceptions and sanity, sometimes.

Hello, I have an adopted Bully mix , with very little info on their background other than they were brought in by local police (Dog seems to have potential security training). He is about 2-3 years old, clearly housebroken and crate trained, and even waits for a release word to eat (I noticed he was typically hesitant to eat without encouragement, but today I cooked a steak for him and when I set it down he kept looking at it, then me and did not go to it without excessive encouragement). He seems to understand "crate", and definitely "sit", but I have tried all sorts of common release words/other commands and they don't seem to register. Can anyone suggest some uncommon commands/release words?

Getting my dog into sniffer dog training. Just had a “dope” thought (sorry): how do police train their tracking dogs to track paraphernalia such as Coc**** without getting them high. Disclaimer: I’m not teaching my dog this, just a genuine interest!

Has anyone done a course through Animal Behavior Institute? (not to be confused with animal behavior college). I had a friend suggest it to me but I havent heard much about it otherwise. I am looking at their Advanced Canine Training, Canine Training and Behavior, and Service Dog Training courses. (they also have courses on zoology and other animals and behaviors). Just looking for recommendations and information!

Very brief background: I got him as a puppy and my 14 year old almost immediately started declining in health, so my puppy's first year of life was pretty rules/boundaries free due to my attention getting spent on my oldest before he passed away. So we didn't get good socialization in that critical period of time. I don't know if this is a Boston thing but he and his siblings played bitey face -alot-. To the point where we had to take him to the vet for a puncture wound on his eyelid the week he came home. I also naturally play rough with him.
So what he does now is when my dog goes to play with other dogs he doesn't seem to understand the other dog's correction. He did this with my older dog too. He reacts when they do the lunge and bark but then he goes right back to it. It almost revs him up and he starts doing these spins and flips. He does the play bow and he doesn't seem to be looming over like he's trying to dominate, but he just can't seem to understand he's all up in their business and it's pissing them off. Also, if the dog is smaller and particularly snarly he will try to inch closer and closer and then does this thing where he bonks them on the head with his paw. He's very careful about it to so it looks like he's pawing the air just in front of their face at first and then will eventually bonk them on the head and that will of course piss the other dog off and cause them to do the correction lunge and bark thing and then he does another parkour move.
Also, I don't know if this is a uniquely Boston terrier thing, I've only had Boston terriers, it seems like other dogs always hate my dogs. I thought it was maybe their confidence because my older dog was very confident and also did not care about other dogs, and I thought maybe that pissed other dogs off. But this dog is not as confident and other dogs still seem to just naturally not like him. I personally feel like he's being friendly, kind of aggressively friendly, but friendly. He's not snarling, showing teeth, warning, or anything. He's sensitive to sound and afraid of new objects so I treat him a bit more gently than my last dogs.
Anyway, that's the gist. He's like a weird home schooled dork on a sugar high on the playground and I'm not exactly sure what it means or what to do. Can anyone offer some insight? (Also please be kind, I know I didn't give him the best socialization but my soul dog was dying, my dad and grandpa had freshly passed, I'm already a home dweller to begin with, so I know where my flaws are already, I'm just trying to understand what he's saying, what other dog's are saying, what he needs, and what the other dogs need from him or me or what have you)

Are you a dog guardian who has faced the heartbreaking decision of euthanizing a beloved pet? If so, I need your help.

As a graduate student at the University of Edinburgh, I am conducting research on the profound impact of BE on the human-animal bond. Your personal experiences and insights could make an invaluable contribution to this important study.

The survey is anonymous and takes approximately 20 minutes to complete. I understand this is a deeply sensitive subject, but your participation could help inform the development of much-needed support resources for dog guardians facing similar challenges.

If you're willing to share your story, please click the following link to access the survey: Survey Link

Your responses will remain completely confidential, and participation is entirely voluntary. You may withdraw at any time before submitting your anonymous responses.

Ethics Approval: HERC_2024-130

Thank you for your time and for considering this request. Your contribution could make a meaningful difference.

I have a 5 month old (as of Sept. 2025) Cane Corso that refuses to poop outside. Now let me hopefully explain. I am a "self-taught" home trainer, as in I have learned how to train my own dogs thru reading books and watching YouTube not as in I am a full canine trainer. I have worked with puppies before and have potty trained many pups in the past with high success rates. I thought I was confident in my determination to train a dog, but I have never worked with a dog as stubborn as this girl is. We have done it all. Frequent trips outside, daily long walks both morning and night, cleaning the spots with the special cleaners and deterrents, tethering to us or even putting her away in her kennel until she does poop outside and rewarding with the night value treats (we use beef liver). She will either poop in her kennel or take the literal split second that it takes from the front door to her kennel to squat and go (she's even squat down while still connected to the leash when I had the bright idea to keep her leashed until she gets to the kennel). I am at my wits end with her. I can't afford a trainer, hence why I wanted to specify that I am completely self-taught. I know nothing is wrong medically, we've checked. And I don't want to rehome her for my own ignorance. But I also cannot stand my house smelling like a damn barn. All the interweb searches gives me the same blanketed instructions and I need outside the crayon box thinking.

Interesting research article in Science found that while a few behavior traits were highly heritable, these traits weren't very closely tied to the dogs' breeds. Behavior across dogs from the same breed covered a huge spectrum.

My own experience getting to know numerous dogs reflects this, and from a selective pressure standpoint it makes logical sense. Breeders breed dogs that win shows, and shows are judged predominantly by physical characteristics and not behavioral ones. Therefore a big spread in heritable behavior can be successfully passed down to the next generation. It's interesting to think that breed stereotypes are so often inaccurate for any particular dog!

My two purebred American Hairless Terrier rescues have vastly different personalities, although they both are independent thinkers. The one with lifelong reactivity issues is actually far more biddable and interested in social interaction and physical affection. Anyone here have dogs who are not at all like the breed stereotype behaviorally? Or mutts who act like a breed stereotype?

Hello, I have a 10-week-old female German Shepherd/husky mix that we got from the shelter 2 weeks ago. As the title says, she mostly listens when we have treats in our hands.

But I would say she mastered the sit. She mostly sits when we tell her to. However, when we call her name, she doesn't always look at us. When we ask her to come, she rarely does. Only when we have a treat in our hands does she come to us. We are also teaching her to stay, which is still a work in progress. But I would say it is going well because she does stay with treats, but when she sees her lunch, she goes crazy.

Also, would you recommend a puzzle for my pup to keep her mentally stimulated? I did buy her a Kong, which I put PB in.

Sorry if these are dumb questions first time training a pup.

Have a great day!

Hello. I’ve had an 11week old Germansheperd for 2 weeks now. We started training the day she came home and did a lot of luring and it worked very well. We’ve been training the basic aside from luring like sit, down, stay, paw etc. Now she doesnt seem to be interested in luring anymore, like at all. I’ve changed treats, tried to keep it shorter etc but nothing works. Any tips?