like realty agents with theri location location location motto, when dealing with a pup patience patience patience is the motto. Fisrt you should always call your dog to you before putting a leash on NEVER walk to your dog to put the collar or leash on. This way your dog will be seeing you as the top dog. Next let your dog walk around the yard with the leash on if your pup is having a hard time walking with you and the leash. This way your dog will become desensitized to the leash. Have the leash be associated with a good time. Once when my dog was running free during a soccer game (hunting gophers) I called him to me and click the leash on without issue - a nearby woman was astounded daying she can never get her dog to do that, it is always a chore for her. I said my dog associates the leash with going for a walk or a ride in the car, two of his most favorite things. So - find some happy things to associate your dog to the leash with. Next when actually walking your dog on a leash, put the leash up around the back of his ears like you see the people in the dog shows doing. Have the dog learn to walk by your side this way, no pulling you and yanking you all over. When a car comes by, I taught my dog to stand still, I would say "watch the car" which means "stand still and dont move" I dont want him moving in case he is away from me and a car comes between us, he might get hit. If I teach him to stand still and wait for safety he is less likely to get run over. I can use this command when other dogs are nearby as well, it allows me to get a leash on him until I determine the dogs friendliness. Good luck

There are many different reasons dogs eat poop and sometimes only certain kinds of poop. Cat, rabbit, and goose can be like candy to certain dogs. Some dogs eat their own poop or the poop of other dogs they live with, it just depends. Sometimes giving them stuff like pineapple, pumpkin, tabasco sauce, or even the pet store pills/powders like Forbid can work, but usually the dogs don't care or can even like the extra added garnish. Human toothpaste should not be given to dogs and is not meant for dogs or humans to swallow. Most dog toothpaste is supposed to taste appealing to them so you can brush their teeth. So I'm surprised this would be a deterrent. However, just like with the poop all dogs have unique dislikes and likes when it comes to taste. The best solution is to pick up the poop immediately. If it's not possible to clean up the poop, then you should try to avoid letting the dog into the area with the poop. This may mean that you will need to take the dog on walks instead of letting them loose in the backyard. You can try training them to stop but it may be behavior they revert back to if the training stops and your not outside to correct them. It's important to limit contact because other animals can carry parasites and bacteria that could be transferred to your dog and or even to you- if your dog eats some and then licks your face.

Llama: You obviously have no real idea of canine behavior when they are alone, as you admittedly say you never let your dog from your side. I sense some "that's not the way we did it back when I was young, see...?" Crate=Den (So long as it's done properly and ALWAYS with a positive reinforcer). Where do wolves, coyotes, etc sleep and spend 80% of their day? THEIR DEN! It's a natural thing for them. For most breeds, the outdoors would be a great place to live if we all had no jobs and 20 acres of protected land. That's just not the case, and for that matter, most breeds are so domesticated that outside is NOT the optimal place for them 24 hrs a day. That said, the crate for 8-10 hours everyday isn't optimal either. Furthermore--and to the point of your post--I'd be willing to bet that all those people who can leave their pups out in the yard or a rural setting give the dog a den of some sort: a dog house, a pad under the porch, a nook in the barn, a nice shady spot under a lawn chair...well, I think you get my drift. However, a crate used as a CAGE to house an animal 100% of the time IS cruelty. Crating is MOST CERTAINLY NOT! Let's be sure and make these lines of demarcation perfectly clear: CAGED isn't the same as CRATED (even if the same housing structure is used) as we all know the unsettled nature of a caged animal vs the demeanor of a crated one. The crating method gives ANYONE who cannot watch their dog 100% of the time the ability to set the pup up to WIN at the tough things in their lives, i.e. potty training, not being destructive, feeling safe and secure and thus well-adjusted, etc, etc, ad nauseum. Go to any dog sporting event: Show, Agility, Frisbee, Obedience, Flyball, etc and look at how the best of the best dog owners and handlers house their dogs...wait for it...IN CRATES!!!!!!! Dogs sleep 15-18 hours a day depending on breed, age, etc; thus, one could argue that you forcing your dog by your side every minute of every day isn't allowing the dog the true rest it needs. I'd bet he wishes he had a crate to get away for a moment's peace sometimes...Let's not even mention the safety issues (for both pet and owner) of not crating the dog while traveling. All this isn't so much to attack you (but it was fun considering your lack of knowledge/misinformation on the subject) as to say that with tens of thousands of dogs euthanized in shelters every day, working families have no right to adopt a pet and save its life while enriching their own? Are YOU mad? Where is the good in that dog's life once he hits the autoclave? I submit to you that Fido would pick the crate 100% of the time rather than death, even if it was 8-10 hours a day...but if your master's not retired, then too bad puppy dog. Llama says to hell with you. After 20+ years as a cop, I'm one year from a well deserved retirement myself and I've been lucky enough to have 4 wonderfully unique, well adjusted and socially adept canine companions over these last few decades and each was crated with excellent results and loved their den until the end. All while I worked full time. My current little buddy, Marco, a 3 month old Chocolate Lab is responding well to crate/potty training, too. He gets 40 minutes of walking/offleash play before i go to work, a 10 minute walk by a friend and another 30 minute walk on my lunch break, then at least an hour on the trails or dog park in the evening, not to mention all his potty breaks. As he is a pup and demands my FULL attention, when I can't give it or need a break, in he goes with his Kong and he relaxes. The crate is simply another tool in the arsenal for developing an awesome and well behaved friend for life. All that being said, if you can watch your puppy 100% of the time all day everyday, then there's no need for a crate...otherwise, have fun and I look forward to hearing what all the uncrated pup has destroyed/eaten/soiled... Jay

Thanks everyone. When she has managed to escape the collar, the collar is open, so the clasp is somehow coming undone. This has happened a couple times when our daughter has been watching her, and I just assumed she hadn't done the closure properly. But I did the buckle this morning myself. And, after she escaped the first time, I am certain I did it properly the second time, with no hair getting caught, etc. So it's either defective, or she's doing it with her paws which is very hard to believe. I've tried pulling it apart myself and it won't pop open--but I guess I'm not as strong as a determined 7-lb puppy. I have a call in to the manufacturer to find out if it's a break away. Luckily this has only happened while we're in the house and not on a walk. Thanks for your help!