My dog's hotel meltdown showed our training gaps

We took a weekend trip to a pet friendly inn last month. My dog would not stop scratching at the door every time someone walked down the hall. He also barked at the ice machine, which meant multiple complaints from neighbors. I tried using his usual quiet command, but it did nothing in the new place. We ended up having to skip dinner out because I was worried he'd cause more trouble. This whole mess made it clear we need to practice settling in strange rooms. I guess more car rides to random parking lots are in our future.

3 comments

3 Comments

alexw741mo agoMost Upvoted

Been there. Try capturing calm at home first with crazy good treats, then take that show on the road.

alexh881mo ago

Training my labrador at the park used to be a total mess. I figured he needed to learn calm around distractions right away. Your point about starting at home with high value treats flipped my whole approach. Why did I ever think rushing outside was the answer? Now we build up slowly, and it's working way better.

tara_martin871mo ago

That rushing outside thing skips all the basic steps they need first.