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Photo taken by Cindy Rhodes at a recent French Ring Seminar!

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The Building Drive and Focus Series with Michael Ellis THE POWER OF TRAINING DOGS WITH FOOD 3 Hours, 45 Minutes | $65.00

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This Week's Featured
Question & Answers
Our newsletter will always contain several featured customer Q&As from that week.

Have a question for Ed & Cindy? Try the Leerburg Search Engine. This search engine was written specifically for Leerburg by our in house IT manager. Our search engine is specific to Leerburg and only searches leerburg.com and the Leerburg web forum.

If you can't find the answer to your question by using our search engine,
you can email Cindy here at Leerburg at cindyr@leerburg.com
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Question: What are some good toys for drive building with my dog? Is a drive building toy different than a training toy?

Cindy,

What are your best drive building toys and are they different than your training toys. I don't like those tugs with a loop on one end because my dog tends to get to close to my hand. I like something that gives more space and distinction from my hand, like a ball on a rope. But this isn't a good drive building toy is it ?? What do you recommend?

Thanks a lot,
Roz

Answer:

I use many different toys for my dog, and there is no difference to me or my dog as to what they are. A training toy and a drive building toy are one and the same.

I like to mix it up, so my dog will play with me anywhere, with whatever item I happen to have. My dog should play with me and a plastic cup or pine cone if that's what I happen to have. Obviously, I'd rather use toys but my point is that if you get your dog used to playing with many different items it will become less about the toy and more about the interaction with you.

Also, it's a matter of training and how you present the tug as to how your dog targets it. This is going to be covered in detail in the newest Michael Ellis video. If the dog is getting too close to your hand, then you may be presenting the toy incorrectly. This will be released in the next several weeks, The Power of Playing Tug with Your Dog.

Some of the toys I use regularly are the following: but my dog may be more engaged with me than your dog is with you so your experiences may vary from mine.

Jute rolls
Firehose tug
Flat leather tug
Mini tug
Wing-a-Ball

I hope this helps.

Cindy

For more questions on this topic, see our Q&A on Playing with Your Dog and Q&A on Toys.

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Question: If I want my dog to see me as the pack leader, can I teach him to pull me skijoring? Some trainers say you always need to be in front of your dog in order to be the leader.

I have an alaskan husky who is 17 months old. He is a sled dog from racing lines- leaders bred to leaders. I am training him to skijor, and one of the most important things a skijor dog must do is be willing to lead, pull steadily, avoid distractions. I know many trainers say you should always walk in front of your dog to show you are the pack leader.

What's your take on this, when I've been training my dog to pull in front, but still respond to my commands from puppy hood? Do you agree that a pack leader must physically lead? Thought I'd ask since I saw your malinois skijoring on you website photos. Incidentally, I've always thought Malinois might make excellent skijor/companion dogs due to their athletic build and drive. Beautiful dogs!

Answer:

Training a dog to pull is a completely different issue than general pack issues.

When NOT working in harness, I'd expect my dogs to defer to me as the leader. Harness on means pull, harness off means to remember your pack manners.

My current dog does protection work, and he wears a harness for that...same concept. He can't very well run ahead of me to bite the bad guy if he's always walking behind me.

For more questions on this topic, see our Q&A on Working Pups.

Question: I’m so angry about what happened at the dog park, people with small dogs should keep them out of the large dog section of the park!

I found your site to be informative.  I am writing you today because after reading your sight and the references to the Plano Dog Park I would like to make a comment about some other dog parks in the Dallas Area.

I take my 8 month old American Bulldog Puppy to the dog park all the time.  I find that many people at the dog park do not follow the rules and then make you feel bad when your bigger dog "scares" their little dog.  It is COMPLETELY inappropriate for a small dog to be in the large dog enclosure.

My dog is not aggressive but she is getting to the age where she is getting big and strong quickly.  She plays well with other dogs her size or larger but is only good with little dogs who are not intimidated by larger dogs and will stand their ground and play rough with her.  She plays has played with a French Bulldog, Mini Schnauzer, Boston Terrier and Jack Russell.  All of these dogs were at the dog park in the larger enclosure and not afraid of large dogs.  She can scare the small dogs easily because she just comes running like a Mack truck and can easily knock me off my feet let alone a 15lb Poodle.

THIS IS THE REAL REASON I AM ON THE WEB SO LATE BECAUSE I AM STILL WORKED UP OVER AN ISSUE THAT HAPPENED TODAY....

Today, we went to the dog park in Addison, Texas and when we went to go in a group of 4 or 5 male dogs ran to the gate and started growling and barking at my dog as we were trying to come in.  She had no response since she is used to this.  We have two older male Dalmatians and she drives them crazy running and jumping on them.  She is just not phased by it and showed no aggression.

I pushed the dogs away and let her go in to run and play. None of the other owners even said a word to their dogs when we where attempting to come inside. I noticed a few dogs were there and they were large and the I noticed a problem.  An older gentleman had his two small poodles in with the larger dogs. I saw that they were hiding behind the bench that backs up to the fence. At the time, I did not know he also had a large dog in the BIG DOG ENCLOSURE. I should have just gotten back into the car and that would have been the end of but no I wanted to let our dog run around today. 

I know my dog is rough and it can be an issue with smaller dogs. She is a puppy and likes to roughhouse, so I explained to the gentleman that she had issues with playing rough smaller dogs and I would watch her but I did not want her over by them so please be cautious if you were going to keep them on this side of the park.  He said fine and basically ignored me. Sure enough the poor little poodles came out from behind the bench a few minutes later and my dog saw them and ran over to try and play.  I asked the gentlemen to move so I could get my dog out from under the bench and he said "Oh don't worry about it my dogs are fine"  I said no I wanted to get my dog out from behind the bench where his dogs were hiding because she is rough with smaller dogs when she plays. He responded to me with a "WHATEVER."

Sure enough one of his dog was scared and snapped at mine and lunged toward our dog..  Our dog then ran toward her and I grabbed her by the collar.  In all of the racket and fuss, all of the dogs came running over and this became a huge mess. Thankfully no fights only a little growling so no one or dog was hurt. (Later this evening we notices our dog did receive an puncture wound on her jowl and a bruise under her eye).

I apologized to the gentlemen and asked if the dog was ok.  He asked me "What my f***ing problem was?"  I was speechless because I was so mad.  I asked him why his small dog was in with the big dogs....His answer was I HAVE A BIG DOG AND TWO SMALL DOGS I CAN'T BE IN TWO PLACES AT ONE TIME!!! At this point I said read the sign....and walked away.

I am still fuming which is why I am researching dog parks on the internet at MIDNIGHT!!!  This is not the first time this has happened at this particular dog park. The last time we were there a lady brought her poodle mix in and the moment she let the dog down it started to yelp and ran away squealing to a corner of the large enclosure.  This caused a huge mess with dogs trying to chase him and I decided we needed to leave.  I found out the lady told another dog owner that her dog was afraid of other dogs (large & small) --- STUPIDITY!!! 

My husband says I should just stay away from dog parks because you can fix stupid. I am really starting to think he is right.  If the people would have gotten of their fat lazy behinds today and watched their dogs instead of sitting on the bench or their lawn chairs sipping their drinks maybe they would have seen the signs. Little dogs and big dogs don't mix at the dog park at all. 

Here I am trying to be proactive because I know she is going to try and play with all dogs and will be rough if given the opportunity. She is 65lbs and does not realize how big she is and thinks every dog is there to play with her.  For one, many of the people who have the little dogs are ignorant for taking them in the large dog area in the first place. Two, many owners do use the dog park as socialization for them and not their pets. Three, some people should not have had kids let alone dogs if you are not responsible bad things will happen.

We are experienced pet owners who at one time owned 4 rescued Dalmatians (2 Males & 2 Females).  Now we just have our two older boys and our little puppy. I have had numerous trips to the human hospital and animal hospital due to our boys fighting over territory in the house. Our one female Dalmation was very dominant and the other female was very passive.  I know the signs and know that today after 10 years of being together the only reason they don't fight is they are too old and lazy (14 & 16) but they do growl, snap and sometimes every now and then pretend like they are going to fight.  No blood is every shed but I am always on guard at mealtime for humans and feedings for dog and when they all congregate at the water bowl at the same times. I know that the boys are aggressive to males and I HAVE NEVER TAKEN THEM TO THE DOG PARK.  I know that they would never tolerate the craziness that happens there and would bite another dog or attack it.

I am smart enough to know that anytime there is more than one dog dominance will need to be established and if both want to be dominant than that spells T-R-O-U-B-L-E!!!  This is why I am so cautious with the little one but it only takes one time for a dog to be seriously injured or be killed.

I have decided that we will no longer be going to Addison Dog Park, The Plano Dog Park or the Dallas Dog Park.  I do not even think I will go to UNLEASHED - they new indoor dog park that is privately owned.  I don't want to take the chance and have our dog hurt another dog or be hurt by another dog.

I just wanted to vent.  Thanks for a good site and the intelligence to post all viewpoints.  I like that part the most.

Rae

Answer:

You can read our view of dog parks for the average pet owner here. 

We get more emails from people who have bad experiences than good.  Most people have no idea how to read dog body language and many of the people who take their dogs to the park have no control. 

I think your husband is right; you should probably stay out of the park. For me, they serve no purpose as I want my dogs to be interacting with me when we are out for some fun and exercise. I don’t want my dogs getting their needs met by strange dogs. If I want to proof my dog’s training with distractions there a lot of safer places to go and do that.

Personally, I think if you can’t control your big dog around dogs of any size then you have no business having your dog off leash around dogs at all to begin with.  Sorry if that isn’t what you want to hear but the size of the dogs in question should not matter. Your dog can easily knock you off your feet, but you let her loose with other people and dogs?  It sounds like an accident waiting to happen.

The fact that your own pack of dogs have fought enough over the years for you to write this scares me the most. "I have had numerous trips to the human hospital and animal hospital due to our boys fighting over territory in the house." 

I question your ability to deal with a dog park scenario, if your own dogs at home are fighting in this way. Please take some time to train your puppy and learn to keep her under control.

I’d also direct you to the search function in the upper left corner of the website. It will find posts, articles and Q & A’s that deal with your search terms.

For more questions on this topic, see our Q&A on Dog Parks.

 

*If you have a training question – write Cindy here at Leerburg at cindyr@leerburg.com

*If you have your spam filter on, make sure you set it to receive our replies!!!

*Our newsletter is a big success and we would like to send out a huge THANKS to our wonderful customers! Since beginning this newsletter our volume of email has greatly increased and you may have a longer than usual wait for a reply to your question.  We will answer; it just may take us a bit longer than you are accustomed to. In order to speed up this process, please condense your questions to a paragraph or two. This will make it MUCH easier for us to answer in a timely fashion. Your questions are important to us and we always appreciate receiving them.  If you have a medical issue or emergency, please consult with a health care professional right away. We can’t diagnose or treat sick dogs via email. Also, try using the search function on our site - it now searches the site AND the web board. Thank you. Ed & Cindy

Testimonials

I have had many dogs in my life, but this is the happiest relationship I have had with one since finding out about Leerburg Training.

Thanks. Wendy and Jinx

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I just wanted to thank you for the information about aggressive dogs you have shared on your website. I've only read the first few paragraphs, and already it's helped tremendously. I have an older hound (he seems to be a foxhound) who has trouble with dog aggression. It is making it very unpleasant to take him for a walk. 

He is doing better containing himself when we pass dogs who are aggressive and/or barking in their own yard. He seems to respond to "good boy" when we pass, as he contains himself. But he still has trouble with leashed dogs we pass on our walks, even friendly or disinterested dogs. I had been trying Casaer Milan's "calm assertive energy" idea, and it hasn't worked.  I kept thinking, it must be something I am doing wrong or he would stop. I am calm and assertive with him. Your article was a big help.  I got Beau when he was about a year old.  He was very very timid.  I noticed his ears were badly scarred with what look like bite or puncture marks, and he has a scar on his face. He may have been attacked by another dog when he was a young dog - that would explain his aggression. 

He is a good dog. He has turned out to be a great watchdog and he's great with my daughter. He loves his companion, a lab/whippet mix female, and he's good with our house cats (although he will kill feral cats). He has very expressive eyes, and he loves his family. Now I have someplace to start as I work with him.

Thank you!
Suzanne

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