Most Recent Q&As

Hi Cindy, I looked through the barking Q/A and didn't find anything on young pups - 12 weeks. Initially, regardless of how often I would take him out, my dog would poo while in the crate as he caught on that it would get him out. After isolating him for 24 hours and only taking him out for potty breaks, he figured out to poo outside with lots of praise and fun accompanying. I brought him back out into the living room to be part of the pack and he has been fine about this since. Recently...

I am getting a 8 week old Belgian Malinois pup in a couple of weeks. At what age do you recommend that I begin feeding him bully sticks?

I have an 11 month old GSD that hasn?t been socialized much. He is a rescue; I got him at about 4 months old and have had him out in public, but he needs obedience training. He is non-reactive to other dogs, cats, children etc. I want to try and train him to be a service dog (I suffer from PTSD) as he appears to have a very good temperament. I purchased the Michael Ellis self study Training with Food. He is too old for the puppy video you have and was wondering is it too late to train him for...

My German Shepherd puppy literally has to be under me ever second I am around. He will not go in the back yard without me to use the restroom, he stays under my feet, in between my legs while we are walking or standing still, he'll sit on my foot when I am cooking, washing dishes, cleaning, laundry, etc. Even when I vacuum the house, the vacuum cleaner noise doesn't deter him from up under my feet and in between my legs or following next to me. It's like he has to see me, watch me, and he lit...

Hi, we have a 9 month old Berger Blanc Suisse. She is so smart and we are just in love with her. It is our first Shepherd, and our first herding breed, so we are learning a lot! We are struggling with her confidence and building it up. We will be moving in a couple of weeks, so are excited to finally have that whirlwind over and get settled and really hone in on training. Not that we haven't been doing anything with her just not as much as we anticipated with everything going on. Is the Raisi...

My four and half-month-old lab puppy has started barking while training. I don't think that I have accidentally cued this, and it may be frustration or excitement. But I want to make sure it doesn't become a habit, as it will not be acceptable in an obedience ring. I start each session with engagement. Any suggestions?

I was wondering if you could provide some more information about the Michael Ellis On the Road event that is being held at Leerburg in December. How does this program compare to the various courses offered at the Michael Ellis School for Dog Trainers? Is there a certification offered after completion of this event? Does the format of the class include both lecture and hands on work with dogs?

Hi Cindy, I have been looking into purchasing a working bloodline pup for some time with the goal of going as far as possible with obedience training. The breeder I chose is overseas and currently has an ideal puppy but says they need to wait another month before shipping her to the US, at which time she will be 4 months. In your opinion, how much of a difference does delaying training impact the overall results?

I have a GSD who can be quite reactive when on-leash and who tends to 'check out' on walks. I've used a number of Michael Ellis DVDs for training so far and off-leash he has good engagement, recall and is not particularly reactive around other dogs. It feels like I lose all engagement once he is on the leash. I am currently using a check chain, which is helping to a degree with his pulling but nothing I do (pop the leash, walk another direction, ask him to 'watch') helps when it comes to r...

Hello, my dog has a very high food drive, which has aided us in the obedience training we have been doing as he is very motivated by it, but often, particularly if I am using a high value reward, he tends to ?hand mug? or bite at the hand to get to the food. I have been teaching him by offering the food, saying ?no? and pulling it away repeatedly if he snaps and ultimately feeding him when he is gentle. It?s not been highly effective, though. What do you recommend?

Should I have eye contact in competition Long Sit and Down Stays?

Hi Cindy, FIrst of all, thank you so much for answering my previous question about multiple people in the household and inconsistencies when training a puppy! You were incredibly helpful. I've now purchased 3 of the DVDs from Leerburg (started with "Raising your Puppy" by Michael Ellis) and am now working on Ed's, "Basic Dog Obedience" DVD. Next will be "The Power of Training Dogs with Markers." I'm so appreciative of this material! Ok - so question is, my puppy automatically offer...