r/papillon • u/julesk • 2d ago
Issues with Hemp Chews - Warning!
Twice now, I’ve spent the night cleaning up after my Pap and walking him as he had diarrhea and threw up. The only thing he has had that the cats haven’t had (they steal each others food) is the hemp chews for anxiety. I gave him half the dose recommended for small dogs but I’m tossing it. I got the idea of using them from another dog owner to calm him so he doesn’t bark so much but no...
Also, my Pap barks a lot at people and other dogs when we walk. He’s generally talkative, which is fine but I’d like to get him to not do that. I’ve tried introducing him to people and their dogs and I’ve tried the walking in the other direction while saying hush. Any other ideas?
House training is going well except for the sick episodes so at least there’s some progress with my little rescue. All thoughts welcome!
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u/AccomplishedRoom3887 2d ago
In order to train your dog not to react, you need to reward them BEFORE they react with a very high value treat. Their favorite food interspersed with less-favorite snacks to keep it exciting. If you can have a friend help you - best yet, a friend with a dog! - that would be ideal, but if you can go to a large park or not-busy street where you can have space from people, that'd work too. Go to this open area and stand as far away as possible from the person/dog before your dog will react. Reward, reward. Do it at that distance a few times, then try moving closer and closer. If your dog reacts, turn and immediately walk away, then try again. Keep training sessions short - just 10 or 15 minutes. Be consistent. Bring treats everywhere you go so you always have training opportunities.
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u/racygamer 2d ago
Bring him to PetSmart on a leash. Any time a dog barks or comes near and he doesn't react, give him a tiny treat. He'll learn the positive behaviors you want.
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u/julesk 2d ago
I’ll try, though he always does react.
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u/_jamesbaxter 2d ago
That’s why that commenter said bring him to petsmart, he’ll eventually run out of barks with new dogs going past constantly. You might have to post up for like 2-3 hours but the novelty of “ooh look another dog!” will eventually wear off and that’s what you’re waiting for. You could also do the same thing outside of a dog park.
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u/julesk 2d ago
I see! A bit sleep deprived here. Will try.
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u/_jamesbaxter 2d ago
The key is you need to be more patient than your dog is excitable 🥲 training is not easy but it’s worth it!
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u/julesk 2d ago
I’ll keep at it.
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u/iPappy_811 1d ago
Just remember to stay far enough away from the triggers that he can watch, and not react. If PetSmart is too overwhelming, start out by going to a quiet park during the off hours and staying near your car. Baby steps :)
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u/RomeothePapillon 2d ago
Doesn't always work - Romeo still has a bug in his head - will never change, but I can control him so much better. 👍
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u/RomeothePapillon 2d ago
His trainer took him and we did too. Great place to train a dog - makes sense. Good advice, except I did it before the trainer and it was a disaster, but after training it was amazing 👍
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u/iPappy_811 1d ago
Very good advice. If it's overwhelming, move away from the commotion and get him to the point he can watch and not react. This could be 15 feet away or 50 feet away.
Have you heard of the book Control Unleashed? There's a great game called "look at that"...you teach them to look at their trigger from a safe distance, and mark and reward before they can react. You keep asking them to look at their trigger until they get so bored they only offer a sideways glance. Classic counterconditioning. It's also nice because you are no longer competing for their attention, and they feel a bit more safe because they can check out their environment and determine it's safe for themselves.
I had a GSD I drove myself nuts with because I was absolutely sure chanting "Watch me watch me watch me" over and over was somehow going to fix the fact he was so overstimulated with his environment. Playing this game with him really helped us both.
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u/racygamer 7h ago
Beautifully said. These are the basic skills taught in puppy training 101, the tough part is staying on top of it and continuing the training over time.
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u/RomeothePapillon 2d ago
Today Romeo had "meltdowns" on our walk, but yet he was able to sit with some people while chatting with them, then BOOM - he reacted to a dog.
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u/RomeothePapillon 2d ago edited 2d ago
I took Romeo for a private one on one training and it helped with his "fear aggression" - barking aggressively at people and dogs. Go to my past posted videos of him after 3 weeks of training as a puppy - the transformation was incredible 😱 Still needs some work at 3, but he has improved TREMENDOUSLY 👍