Most Popular Q&As

I have Puppies 8 weeks to 8 months and the series of building drive and focus. I love them but have a couple questions as a first time dog owner. I have a GSD working line puppy that is 13 weeks old now. She has soooo much energy that I'm having a hard time gauging how much exercise is too much. Right now, I'm walking her around the block about 3 times a day (sometimes I take her for a longer walk because she has so much energy) and I train her once a day in the backyard. I know I'm not su...

I have a 2 year old (65 lbs) Belgian Malinois. Have had trouble with him fence fighting. He pays too much attention to the dogs behind the fence because they are barking at him. I need to work on his recall. I have been working with someone that has me putting him on a long line and calling him when he starts to get too close to the fence. I was watching some of your videos on YouTube and I saw the restrained recall with the tug toy. Is there a video you recommend to learn more about the reca...

Hello, First, my wife and I wanted to thank you for providing us the information in Your Puppy 8 Weeks to 8 Months DVD and Obedience training DVD for setting us up with a wonderfully trained dog for life. The training has been fun and rewarding, so rewarding we are debating on doing more. We have a high drive doberman that just turned 17 weeks old yesterday. I have been interested in protection work and Schutzhund competition but we don't have any good trainers locally. Also, I am not su...

Hi Cindy, I was watching Michael Ellis' Focused Heeling DVD and it raised a question for me. In many pet obedience situations, we try to fade the lure as quickly as possible. I understand the reasoning for maintaining the lure for muscle memory, especially in heel work. I was wondering, in competitive training, if you prefer to do the same when building muscle memory for downs, sits, and other commands. I could see the benefit in the repetition for building better responses, then naming wh...

Hi Ed, I just finished watching your DVD "Establishing Pack Structure... and as eager as I am to start the program with my dog Ziva I have 2 questions/issues. The first is I work full-time, like most people, and in order to give my dog a little break from her crate and a mid-day potty break I have been using a dog walker. She visits for about 1/2 hour, takes her for a walk and bathroom break and returns Ziva to her crate when they're done. So I guess my question is that if during the gro...

Hi Ed, I have a three and a half month old Newfoundland pup and have recently ran into some problems while training her on the down command. Up until this point she has been very easy to train, learning sit in just a few minutes and generally being a very well mannered dog. I'm using a 12' training line and a prong type collar as well. She understands the down command but simply does not want to perform it and even bit me a couple of times while I have administered corrections. I have been...

Hi Cindy, Let me start by saying I love your website and the changes you made to the streaming videos are excellent. I have purchased various DVDs and equipment and thanks to you I have a very obedient and happy dog. I hope you can help me with a problem that just occurred with my 14 month old female GSD. She has good nerves and a wonderful temperament. She can go anywhere with me, experience different situations, meet other dogs and people without a single change in her behavior. She i...

Hi Cindy, I saw an article recently on the subject of marker training, specifically the use of a no reward marker or negative marker. The article argues that the use of NRM's while it may not seem like it, is actually "aversive" to the dog and that it does not help to tell the dog that they did not succeed or that they did something wrong. They said that dogs learn faster if just encouraged through what they do correctly. This is the first I had ever heard of this idea and I know you have ...

Hello! I can't tell you how much I appreciate your website and all of it's contents. We have a 9-week old Golden Retriever puppy and the information you've provided has given us such a firm foundation. Thank you! My question has to do with running. I know pups this age shouldn't be running/jogging until they're older, but what age is that? Also, is playing fetch considered running as well? I've searched your database but couldn't find this answer. I'm sure it's in there but I couldn't l...

Hi. Re Keeper Collar: What does it mean by it is not to "try out"? I have used a prong collar on my dogs - Labradors in the past (10 yrs ago) while in obedience class. I now have a 13 mo old Lab and thinking to try your keeper collar as it has smaller links then the one I have and it will be concealed. I currently live in a country where choke collars and prong collars are illegal. The keeper collar would hide the prong. I am using a harness right now and will continue but for some of my trai...

My 6-year-old yellow lab is a jumper so when people come by, I tend to restrain him to keep him close to me to protect the dog but also the people/bike/other kids/kids/etc from jumping. Last night, a guy walking toward us with 2 dogs came up to me and said it was ok and the dogs can greet one another. My dog has always been friendly; he's a gentle lab. But then my dog and 1 of his dogs got into a tiff with each other - it happened so fast that I don't know which dog started it though my dog h...

I had a question regarding a dog with small acts of aggression. She has had two incidents where she has shown acts of aggression on another dog. She is a Pitbull mix adopted from a rescue. The first incident, her normal trainer said she was correcting the other dog because it was biting the other dogs in the dog park. She did not hurt the other dog, she just would not let go. The second incident was the most concerning. She was at the dog park playing like normal until another owner w...

We have 2 one year old Dobermans from the same litter. We are having issues with excessive barking. They bark at every noise, person and other animal. Just to give some back ground information. We got the female first at 9 weeks. We later obtained the male when he was 7 months. We suspect that he spent much of his time in a kennel and did not receive much socialization. Therefore he is very timid and nervous around strangers and other animals. He has been displaying some fear aggression be...

Just a quick note about a mistake I made with my big, intact male and the lessons I learned. In retrospect, I had let pack leadership slip big time and was tolerating small problems like getting in the trash. This was the rescue dog I got when he was a year old and untrained. One night he grabbed my dinner off the dining table. I got angry and did something I very well knew (when thinking clearly without anger clouding my judgement) was stupid--crowded him, yelled, and hit him with my kne...

I have a 3 year old castrated Anatolian Shepherd, weighs 160 pounds; I weigh 110. I live part time (8 months) in Costa Rica, and I got him as a guard dog. He is great as a perimeter defense dog, because his size and bark are terrifying. Nobody breaks into my house. However, he has unpredictable episodes of aggression to other dogs. Worst with males, but has attacked females. He is trained in formal obedience, and has no trouble on airplanes, crowds, etc. He is great with people, cats, chicken...

Hi Cindy, Ever since I got my dog (Australian Shepherd mix - 8 months old) 6 months ago I've been on your website, watching your DVDs, podcasts etc nonstop. I cannot thank you and Ed enough for helping me overcome some of the issues I've ran into. She is a great dog and amazingly smart. The problem that I have come across with her which frustrates me beyond belief is that she is leash smart. I can bring her outside and when I leave a short 4 ft leash on her to drag around, she is amazing. ...

Hi, Last year a family member rescued a mini-dachshund vet estimated him at 4-5 months old from an abusive situation. The people in the house were being rough and generally neglecting him, allowing him to run loose and get into garbage, he was regularly "spanked" and smacked upside the head. In short these people lacked all common sense. When I got this pup he was obviously extremely submissive, submissively urniated at the drop of a hat and flopped on his back if a person even stood up...

Hi Ed. I've emailed you before and I've bought a few of your DVDs. Thanks so much for your continued assistance. Here is my question: "How do you feel about 2 pit bulls in the same household?" From what I have experienced (dog mushing, dog daycare, literature, hands-on experience, etc), as long as dogs receive plenty of exercise, discipline, and routine, they adapt nicely. I currently have a 8.5yr old GSD-mix male and a 3.5 yr old male Pit Bull. They get along GREAT! I'm thinking o...

Hi Cindi- what is the best food for puppy & adult malinois? Thank you

I am working my GSD in tracking right now and had a question on corners, I was wondering what your thoughts are. I went out with an RCMP handler and watched him do some tracking practice. When his dog would overshoot a corner he would start circling the dog. I started to use this in my own training with my dog when she would give me a negative. I then went out with my local club and after they watched this I was told not to do this as the dog should find the track again on her own so I should...