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My two dogs are obsessed with each other. Whenver we try to train them either together or seperate all they care about is what the other one is doing. Its cute, but it makes it damn hard to try and get a dog to heel when it it walking backwards.

I know patience and persistence is a must, but really its impossible. No matter if they are totally seperate or in the same area, they will not forget about the other one and its impossible to keep there attention.

They can pay attention for like 1 second and then they are straight back to looking for the other one. If I just sit them down for 10minutes they will spend the whole time looking around for the other one.

How can I keep there attention?

For awhile, I'd try to train each dog seperately, working especially on attention exercises. For example, you can walk and give your dog a treat each time he/she is in heel position. Stand in front of your dog, hold treats in each hand, and hold your arms out beside you (like you're making a cross with your body)--then treat when your dog gives you eye contact. You can gradually extend the amount of time before giving a treat. I think if you do this long enough with each dog alone, your dogs will know that you are the source of good things.

In addition to ma's response one of the things we learned in Training class here is to put the treat infront of the dogs nose and bring it to your face and tell them to watch you. this will teach them to watch you and pay attention to you. you can then slowly move the treat farter and farter away from your face but alwasy tell them to watch you that will help them learn that you are the one they need to pay attention to. Good luck and let us know if you make any progress.
Sara and the zoo

This is not an easy problem to solve. How old are the dogs? Are they siblings? Very close in age? or aquired at the same time?

This will take time and patience and a lot of careful planning to work on. First, start with one dog in the house and the other outside on leash workign with you. You need to try to keep the dog from becoming anxious, yet learn that you are the best thing in the world. The other dog comes second to you when you are with this first dog. Play and play hard with this dog outside. If you can, have someone else in your house with the other dog playing as hard as they can with the other dog. Do this daily for about 2 weeks and maybe a half hour each time. Then, up the ante and maybe take dog #1 to a dog class while the other gets to stay home and play with someone while yo uare in class. Make sure you rotate which dog goes outside with you and which dog stays in. Find a class for each dog- agility would be great and do two different nights- one for each dog.

If classes don't work, go to a pet store and play. These dogs are very bonded to each other and as you said, it's nice, but can lead to a lot of trouble, especially if one has to go to a vet and stay overnight. The other won't be allowed to stay with the dog and if the dogs are only seperated when "traumatic" things happen, that won't help the situation at all.
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PHReign
Email me: HReign@pethobbyist.com" target="_blank">PHReign@pethobbyist.com
Dear dog,
I can not buy anything larger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think that I will continue to sleep on the couch to ensure your comfort. Look at videos of dogs sleeping, they can actually curl up in a ball. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other stretched out to your fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straigt out and having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space used is nothing more than doggy sarcasm.

>>My two dogs are obsessed with each other. Whenver we try to train them either together or seperate all they care about is what the other one is doing. Its cute, but it makes it damn hard to try and get a dog to heel when it it walking backwards.
>>
>>I know patience and persistence is a must, but really its impossible. No matter if they are totally seperate or in the same area, they will not forget about the other one and its impossible to keep there attention.
>>
>>They can pay attention for like 1 second and then they are straight back to looking for the other one. If I just sit them down for 10minutes they will spend the whole time looking around for the other one.
>>
>>How can I keep there attention?
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

It's vital that they learn to be apart. No matter what age or situation, dogs have managed to adjust to this, so yours can, too. It's much better for their mental health and even their physical health, as well as their ability to bond with humans. Just keep working them separately, and they will get used to it. You are doing what is best for them when you do this--hang on to that!
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47