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Thanks again for addressing my questions! So, some more info:
1. I’ve started using your “don’t touch food” training to try to get Oliver to leave things alone on tables. We do continue to puppy proof, but sometimes it’s easy to set something down like glasses for “just a minute.” And Oliver lies in wait for these lapses! He also waits for times when we aren’t right on top of him so we can grab him. A common time for him to take things is when I’m making dinner. I see him dancing around the living room out of the corner of my eye, with his tail wagging furiously and I know he has something. Maybe this is just puppyish behavior that will go away on its own.
2. I will try distracting him with other behaviors with the towel. Other dogs I’ve had have attacked towels, and it does seem to just go away with time.
3. I think this probably goes along with #2–I just need to give him an incompatible behavior so he doesn’t jump on me.
4. I will try to get a video of his space-outs. Sometimes, I think it might be birds or something I’m not aware of. One day, he was frightened by someone who passed very close to him on a bike. The next day, it took about 10 minutes to get past the spot where that happened. He kept staring down the street like he expected the bike to reappear at any moment. I think sometimes it’s the memory of scary events.
5. I will finish the loose-leash walking course. Good to know that there are ideas in there for fixing the “ping pong” problem. I think I’m about halfway through it. He pulls VERY hard sometimes, and hitting the end of the lead with a lot of force is starting to cause some chronic issues with my shoulder. I’ve always walked dogs on Gentle Leaders, which (like the prong collar you mention) instantly fixes the pulling problem. I’m trying to avoid aversive methods with this puppy.
Final note on aversive training, also mentioned in the same Zoom meeting–so this works well with SOME dogs. I’ve had two big issues with using aversive training with my personal pets. One dog I have became excessively fearful, which I think was a result. Another past dog became very combative. We were ALWAYS in a war of wills. Everything that she had any control over became a struggle. Oliver has a lovely spirit and I know he would fall into the second category with aversive training. So, I am trying to use positive methods as much as possible!