on Basic Obedience

I try and answer every question I receive on dog training. I may often come across a little on the blunt side, (some may call it brash). That is because I consider myself an advocate for dogs and not dog handlers. I am an advocate for common sense dog training and not the latest fad that appears on the horizon. Good dog training is not rocket science. It's common sense.

Basic Dog Obedience $40.00+s&h

Question:

Hi Ed,

I have a problem with my 2 year old male GSD which I bought approximately 3 months ago. We started obedience training approximately 1 month ago but I am still having problems getting him to heel in direct alignment with myself he always wants to be approximately 1-2 foot in front of me. I started using right about turns which made him take notice of me then It was almost like he had eyes on the back of his head he could tell when I was turning so he turned. So I said fine lets try left about turn straight into him to get him to move back. He does move back into alignment for about 10sec and then moves about 1-2 foot in front again so every time he does this we do the left about turn straight into him again after 2 weeks of doing this for approximately 15-20mins a day. Not sure what to try if it is something I am doing wrong or something else.

Kind Regards,
Rayner

Answer:

Rayner,

Lets try something new with your dog.

Unless you are interested in dog sports there is no reason for him to walk next to your knee in a formal heeling position. Think about it - why should he do this? Because you want it is not a good enough reason. If all you want is a nice pet then all you need is a dog that walks on a lead without pulling your ass down the street. Here in our country we use a prong collar. I think in Australia prong collars are illegal. Not a big deal - laws like that only prove that most politicians are fools and smuggling is a lot easier than law enforcement leads you to believe.

If you want to get involved in dog sports then you have to get a lot smarter about dog training than you are right now and that cannot get done through emails.

One last comment - 15 to 20 minutes of training at one time is too long. Look at it like a lecture from your x-wife. What sounds better 15 minutes of misery or 1 1/2 minutes meaningful conversation about your kids?

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Establishing Pack Structure with the Family Pet $40.00+s&h

Question:

I am having some problems with my GSD. He's five months old and showing almost every sign of aggression and dominance listed on your site. Even as I am typing this he is giving my husband a hard time(growling and barking because he has been forced into a down position and wants to get up). I made the HUGE mistake of buying him from a woman advertising puppies in our local paper ....I didn't know I was making a mistake then...but I have certainly learned a lesson.

This may seem lengthy but I think I need to give you details. First of all I cannot afford training....not at all ..things are tight around here right now. I got him at 4 weeks old ...which I now also know was a mistake. So needless to say I know nothing at all about his parents etc.... Luke (the dog) has been trained to sit,stay,shake,down,high five, open and close cabinets and drawers when told to do so. He was doing all of this by three months old. However ...I think I made ANOTHER mistake by training him with treats ....right or wrong??? Uhhggg I hate to admit that I may have screwed up ....but ...I need advice.

Now that he is five months...he is starting to deliberately ignore what I ask of him(i started off with treats in his training...then weaned him from that and had him doing it when I commanded...his only reward being praise). He is also showing major aggression problems. He bit my seven year old tonight because she tried to take a piece of paper that he had chewed up...it was beside him,not in his mouth. That was certainly not the first time he has done that. He snaps and growls at the children,myself and my husband when we try and get things from him. He only growls louder and gets more aggressive when he is corrected. Sometimes he will actually drop things when told...then there are the times,,,,which are becoming more frequent that he displays horrible "our bursts". I really want to keep this animal,but I also do not want one of my children scarred for life. I understand that my daughter should not have been allowed to take something from the dog....she has been told not to do so. But...on the other hand I can't have the dog biting her that hard or at all because she did something he didn't like. I mean he really bit down..she has scrapes and bruises on her arm. I am more than willing to do what needs to be done at home ....I am not at all afraid of having to work with him.

How can I tell if this is just "normal" dominant behavior that can be corrected or maybe it's something that came from breeding? I fully understand the mistakes I have made where Luke is concerned. But now that I have him I do not want to shuck the responsibility of raising this animal. Not to mention that I love him a great deal. Oh yes ...I've read that neutering may help in calming aggression and might help your dog to not challenge your authority as often. True or False? Any advice to my email address would be greatly appreciated. I understand that there is limited info where email is concerned. I just don't have any clue as to whether to keep this dog or not. I would hate to be one of those people that gets a dog then gets rid of him or her because the dog is not perfect.

If you actually were able to read this lengthy email then I thank you very much,
Angela

Answer:

Training a pup with food is the correct way to start training. Weaning the dog off of food at 5 months is the wrong training. Use food to take something away from the dog – trade him what he has for a piece of food – PROBLEM SOLVED!

You can slowly wean a dog off of food but this is not something that needs to be done quickly or at a certain age. Fact is you can use food the entire life of the dog. Teach him that he can intermittently get food and praise – my gut feel is this dog like food more than your praise – probably because you have done so much training at such a young age. In my opinion you should also be using toys to train (assuming the dog likes toys) teach him if he minds you play with a toy. That gives you TWO TOOLS to use in training.

If you cannot afford training tapes (I would recommend my Basic Dog Obedience tape.
I would recommend my web discussion board.

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Question:

I have a 2 year old black lab mix that chases any thing that moves and will take off and not come back until he is ready. I do not want to use a prong collar. I think it is cruel. He doesn't pay attention when he sees a bird or anything else. HE listens to come when leashed but when unleashed he doesn't. What can I do.

Answer:

You can find him a new home where his next owner will have some common sense. With a little luck the new owner will obedience train this dog and realize that humane training with a prong collar or an e-collar is better for the dog than getting killed by a car or attacked by a pit bull.

You sound like you have a very nice dog. I hope he makes it.

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Prong Collars

Hi,

I have a deaf australian shepherd and she is really a good dog except she can't hear. So I keep her on a reel leash or a run line. Am afraid she will get hit by a car or truck as she can't hear traffic.

My problem is that when she gets out of the truck(on a reel leash) she takes off running so am wondering if a choke lease collar would be a training tool for her. She pulled me out of the truck onto the ground and am recovering from bruises. Did not beat the dog!

How can I train her without being mean to her. Need help. She is spayed and only 7 months old.

June

Answer:

There is no reason a deaf dog cannot be obedience trained.

Get a PRONG COLLAR read about them on my web site.

If I had a deaf dog I would train it with food, hand signals and a prong collar. Later an electric collar. Some of the electric collars I sell have a vibrating buzzer that could be used in training.

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How to Fit a Prong Collar eBook

QUESTION:

I am in a desperate need for a help with my dog. I was reading your article on internet and thought you would be able to give me some suggestion.

I have a male pomeranian. It is one year and six months old. I've had him since he was three months old. Since little, he is very very shy and intimidated around other dogs. Every day I take him to park where 20 other dogs are running around off leash. First few months he was just scared that he would be on my lap. After getting used to the situation, he started roaming around making little distance from me, however, would never go play with other dogs. When the other dogs came close to him, he just jumped back on my lap. Recently though, instead of simply run away from them, he started having the habit of barking and trying to bite other innocent dog who are just being friendly, and this habit gets worse day by day.

This morning he picked up fish bone on the road and ran away from me with it. After 30 minutes of chasing, I finally caught him with rage on my face. I grabbed him aggressively and he bit me. He had never done this to me no matter what. I could take away his toy, his water, his food, anything I want while he was enjoying them and he would've still not got aggressive at me like that, nor any other human being. He is not shy at all around people, young, old, male, female, as long as it was human being, he would love to play with them. (Last night however, he snapped one of my friend whom he used to like the best when she tried to pick him up).

I started using jerk chain a couple months ago since my friend who has a very trained dog suggested me to use it. I was wondering if all these aggressive behavior has gotten anything to do with it.

He had been couple times attacked by a big dog at the park, and two weeks ago by a German Shepard who had thank God muzzle. I think that changed his personality a little also.

Whether it's the jerk train or the attack by the other dog, is there anyway to bring him back to non aggressive attitude? I am willing to work with him on whatever it takes to remove any psychological damage I might have given to him. Please please help us..

Thank you

ANSWER:

These problems are all caused by you.

Read the article I wrote on my web site about dog parks.

You have not trained your dog well enough. Had you trained the dog he would have come when called. This has NOTHING to do with using a choke chain. In fact you should have been using a prong collar. I also suggest that you change your attitude on obedience training. What you are currently doing does not work.

If you would like to learn more about the principles of obedience training a dog, read the description for my Basic Dog Obedience video. You will probably find that you have not had the full picture on the steps of training a dog must go through before it can be considered fully trained. You can also read why I am not a fan of taking an untrained dog to obedience classes. I think if you read the testimonials on that tape you will see that my customers feel the same way.

Get this tape and a prong collar and train your dog and stop going to dog parks.

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Dog Parks eBook

QUESTION:

I have your Basic Dog Obedience Training video which is great and we are SLOWLY proceeding with our mix golden retriever/yellow lab. now 18 months-neutered male.

I have to use a leash from house to car and back as I can't trust him not to bolt if he hears a dog, and he usually hears one somewhere. Also I would like to control his barking at dogs when in the car.

I've been told a remote training shock collar will work. . He did learn quickly not to try to jump the back fence. Took only 3 contacts with the electric fence wire to convince him that staying away from the fence was better.

I would only need a 100 ft. range on the collar.

Questions:
1. Does the closeness increase the shock? I'm thinking of in the car.
2. Will it effect the implanted ID capsule in his neck?
3. Shocking him would be accompanied with a loud "NO."

I would welcome your comments.

Thanks
Bob

ANSWER:

All very good questions. I give you credit for thinking this through.

Here are the answers:

1 - The range a dog is from you has no effect on the stimulation. I would recommend a Dogtra 1700 NCP – its what I use and an excellent product. Don’t think you only need 100 ft. What if you really get a handle on the dog and decide to allow him off leash. Then he bolts.

2 - It will have no effect on your ID chip.

3 - You ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS use a No command before you shock the dog in training. When people use a collar to train it not to get into garbage or to chase animals they will often just shock the dog. I prefer letting the dog know before you shock him. The goal of our training is to teach the dog to mind a voice command. The shock is just a reinforcement if the dog refuses a voice command.

4 - If your dog is a level 5 in hardness – set the shock level to a 7 or 8 – not a 10.

5- Dogs always need higher shock levels the higher they are in drive. So a constant shock level is wrong.

Good luck

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Electronic Collars

QUESTION:

I have a Yorkshire Terrier who is a little over a year old. She is well behaved until it comes to grooming (although she is fine and calm with bathing). She tolerates it until it hurts (or she thinks it will) and then growls and snaps. She goes absolutely ballistic when we clip her nails. The bitter apple hasn't worked. Lately I have been putting her in the submissive position like they taught us in obedience training and she sometimes relaxes and sometimes struggles. What should I do?

Thanks,
Charlotte

ANSWER:

This is an obedience issue. The dog needs to be trained. You have allowed he to be stupid now you have to beat her up until she realizes that SHE MUST mind. My girlfriend is a groomer – she sees this ALL THE TIME. Dogs that act stupid with their owner because the owner treats the dog like a kid and will not discipline the dog. There are many, many, many people in your boat. Some can change some cannot (people that is).

If you would like to learn more about the principles of obedience training a dog, read the description for my Basic Dog Obedience video. You will probably find that you have not had the full picture on the steps of training a dog must go through before it can be considered fully trained. You can also read why I am not a fan of taking an untrained dog to obedience classes. I think if you read the testimonials on that tape you will see that my customers feel the same way.

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QUESTION:

I adopted a almost two-year-old, White German Shepard Dog from the local Humane Society. He has not been a problem dog as yet. However, after reading much of your site I found that I am in the process of "grooming" him to be a problem dog. I now firmly believe in basic obedience training for all dogs as well as owners. Here are some questions I have before purchasing advice.

1. So many sites claim White German Shepard Dogs are different than regular German Shepard Dogs and need to be trained differently, but don't offer sound advice as to how. I thought that the color gene was the only difference. Is there any truth to this controversy?

2. The odd thing about our dog is, he does not know how to fetch, play tug-of-war, or any form of constructive play. I am a single mother with a 5-year-old son and a 3-year-old son. The only time he seems extremely playful is when I'm wrestling with the boys on the floor or when we place chase in the back yard. He tries to pounce on me and jump back then jump forward when I wrestle with the boys, and when we play chase he just runs with us or he starts sprinting around the yard in laps. I know that I will be busy enough working with him on basic obedience, but I want him to have a sport, a job, something he can do to continue using his intelligence once we all understand and enforce obedience. Should I continue to wrestle with him? Will your basic obedience tape give any information on jobs or is there another source you recommend?

3. Since we have owned him (7 weeks) he has been crate trained. Currently we live in an apartment complex, but I have been working on a house for couple of weeks and we plan to move in next week. While I've been working at the house he has been accompanying me. Now that I have a yard (a huge yard) should I continue to crate him when we leave him at home, or make him an outdoor kennel run, or alternate between the two?

Thanks for offering your wisdom. Your site has been the best I've found.

Tiff

ANSWER:

You ask some very good questions and I will do my best to answer them and then put this email on my web site because the answers will help others.

These people that write that a white GSD needs to be trained differently are full of BS. To begin with they are not dog trainers or they would not make such stupid comments.

To train any breed of dog you either need prey drive (so you can reward with a toy in training) or food drive. Some white German Shepherds have food drive. Food can be used in obedience training but not in protection training. Food can also be used in tracking.

For a dog to be trained in protection work it must have prey drive. You will need to read my site for more information on that because there is no time to rewrite what is already on my site. Without prey drive a dog cannot deal with defensive drive – he has no way to release the stress caused from defensive work. White German Shepherds (most of them) have very little prey drive.

Dogs must also have good nerves. This means that things like loud noises, strange places, strange people make them fearful and untrusting. Most if not all white GSD’s have weak nerves. So combine no prey drive with weak nerves ad these dogs cannot be trained to protect.

Without food drive and without prey drive the only way to train a dog is with compulsion (force) This is a hard way to go and does nothing to improve the relationship between handler and dog. I hate that kind of training. It’s the old “JERK and PRAISE” kind of training. Stupid stuff.

You need to take your dog through an obedience program. My basic obedience tape is where to start. It is an excellent tape.

I would always recommend a dog live in the home. Especially when you have a crate and the dog is crate trained. That’s the perfect way to raise a dog. Playing with him the way you do will not hurt anything.

You should neuter the dog. This always calms a dog and will make him a better pet.

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Crates

QUESTION:

Ed,

Quick question. I have a 9 mo GSD Male about 80 lbs. He has been great, very good with our 1 year old and very out going, has not shown signs of bad nerves, etc. Recently though he has been getting a bit possessive of his kennel I think. He has snapped at my wife twice when she has tried to reach in and pet him in his kennel and he gas growled at me twice (never snapped) and yesterday he barked and snapped at my sister when she tried to pet him when he was in his kennel. He has not showed any signs of dominance otherwise. I can take his food bowel away without a problem and he doesn't mind me taking away his toys either.

So, this morning he gave me a low growl when I was putting him away and then reached in to test him. I gave him five or six real sharp corrections with the prong collar and then pulled him out and got on top of him while telling him how bad of a dog he was.

Do you think this is the right approach? Is this something I should be worried about? Could I be doing anything better to deal with this problem? Thanks!

Zach

ANSWER:

I think this was exactly the wrong approach.

You should be using food to get the dog to go into the dog crate. I have this opinion on dog training – WHY USE FORCE WHEN YOU CAN USE MOTIVATION? Force is the last option.

Getting on top of a dog to dominate him is stupid and dangerous. It may work on a 1 year old puppy. But what will you do if the dog is 2 or 3 years old – mature and pissed off? It’s a great way to have your face eaten by your dog – because that’s exactly where your face is – right in his face.

I suggest that you spend some time learning how to obedience train your dog.

If you would like to learn more about the principles of obedience training a dog, read the description for my Basic Dog Obedience video. You will probably find that you have not had the full picture on the steps of training a dog must go through before it can be considered fully trained. You can also read why I am not a fan of taking an untrained dog to obedience classes. I think if you read the testimonials on that tape you will see that my customers feel the same way.

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QUESTION:

Mr. Frawley,

Your training tapes seem to be aimed at large dogs. I have a very small dog. Would your methods work as well with smaller dogs and will I need to make adjustments for a small dog?

Maddy

ANSWER:

Dog training is not breed or size specific – it's temperament and drive specific. I have trained protection and police dogs since 1974 and the worst dog bite I got was from my mothers toy poodle.

Obedience training is exactly the same, the difference is that you would obviously reward a small dog with very small pieces of food. It is also harder on the handler because you are bending over all the time – hard on your back unless you put the dog on a ledge of a wall or a table or something to save your back – these are not issues with the dog though they are people issues.

If you would like to learn more about the principles of obedience training a dog, read the description for my Basic Dog Obedience video. You will probably find that you have not had the full picture on the steps of training a dog must go through before it can be considered fully trained. You can also read why I am not a fan of taking an untrained dog to obedience classes. I think if you read the testimonials on that tape you will see that my customers feel the same way.

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QUESTION:

We just adopted a 2 year old lab mix, un-neutered male. He is a very sweet dog, EXCEPT...the second he is free (outside), he bolts for the road. If we can immediately go after him, he will come to us when called. The problem is, we sometimes have to chain him up. He maneuvers out of his collar, digs under the fence and is gone! So far, he has returned a few hours later, but we can't keep this up! How can we train him to stay home? (He will get neutered later this week).

If this a habit that cannot be fixed, we will have to take him back. He does show some signs of past beatings. His history is: he was a stray, adopted out to a family with no fence-he, kept running away, they took him back. We'd really like to keep him, can you help??????

Thanks,
Kae

ANSWER:

These are handler problems – I should say they are training problems and not a dog problem.

The dog should never be off leash. If you have this problem, why would you ever take the dog off lead. Get a 20-foot line and clip it on every time the dog goes outside.

Obedience train this dog. If you would like to learn more about the principles of obedience training a dog, read the description for my Basic Dog Obedience video. You will probably find that you have not had the full picture on the steps of training a dog must go through before it can be considered fully trained. You can also read why I am not a fan of taking an untrained dog to obedience classes. I think if you read the testimonials on that tape you will see that my customers feel the same way.

You either need to put up a dog kennel with a concrete (or patio block) floor or stay out when the dog goes out. If you have a dog crate inside the dog does not have to be loose outside. You go out with him when he has to go outside. When he is finished he comes in – if you don’t want to fool with him in the house put him in the dog crate.

If you want to keep this dog in the back yard get one of the Innotek in-ground fences and attach the wire to the top of your fence – this will keep the dog back away from your fence. It will not go near the fence – if it does, it gets shocked. Problem solved.

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20 Ft. Cotton Training Lead $16.00+s&h

QUESTION:

Hello Ed,

I have searched your site this evening trying to get help with training my shepard not to eat antifreeze. We have horrible neighbors that just poisoned another neighbors dog with it. Alex is just like one of our children. My husband has done some training under a man in Oklahoma City and purchased Maxwell Rude Von Raughlen a Rottweiler. ( I'm not sure the correct spelling). At any rate, when Max passed away we got Alex. He done some training with him but was unable to spend the amount of time to fully train him in all areas. He didn't want to (not sure what its called) but train him to only eat food from his bowl made by only he or I because we have kids who feed him also. He is wonderful and extremely cautious about food. He rarely takes treats from us rather he inspects first then slowly begins to eat. He has worked with him and Alex knows his boundaries but at times when our girls ride there bikes he goes with them. I am afraid these people who do not like any animals will do this to our dog. Not only would it break my heart its just pure cruel for any animal. My husband says we have to place it in front of him let him know the scent and very harshly reprimand him so he remembers its a bad thing. If there is any other "training" or ideas to help us it would be greatly appreciated. I realize you're busy but if you could help in anyway please let me know.

Sincerely,
Buffy

ANSWER:

You will NEVER train this dog not eat anti-freeze. With that said your dog will not do this if he can not get on this mans property. So control your dog. Keep your dog in a dog kennel or a fenced yard. Do not let it go with your kids. They cannot control an adult Rott.

If you had to write me, you and your husband do not have the skill to poison proof your dog. It difficult for a professional, much less a novice.

I would have a friendly talk with my neighbor if I were you. I would tell him that I am doing everything I can to keep my dog safe on my property and as long as he did not poison my dog I would not burn down his house and car. People like this understand things more clearly when they fully understand the ramifications of their actions.

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QUESTION:

Hi Ed,

I have a 16-month old Boston Terrier and I bought your basic dog obedience training video. My BT obeys my commands very well when he is off leash at home and on leash on the street. He can stay on the street for 10 min. and the distance between he and I is about 50 feet, but I have a problem when I bring him for a walk and try the off leash work. My BT tried to run away. I trained him with a 20-feet long leash before and reduced the length of the leash to 3 feet and at last 1 foot, but when I tried to train him without a leash (a prong collar was still on his neck), he thought he got had freedom and tried to run away. I would like to know how to solve this problem and when do I know I can start to train him without a leash? My friend has a Pit bull, and he doesn't need to use a leash to go out with his dog, but his dog won't run away and stays close with him wherever my friend goes. Is there any method to train my dog to stay close with me when he is off-leash? Thank you for your help.

Justin

ANSWER:

No two dogs are 100% alike. That's one reason there is a difference between your BT and your friends pit bull.

The way to approach a problem like this is to not take the dog off leash for a long long time. Let it drag the line so it thinks its off leash but there is still a line there to grab. The fact is that there is very little reason for a dog to be off leash when you take him someplace. I never take my dogs off leash when I am out in public.

If (in training) the dog does run off you should always calmly walk after the dog (not chase him and don't get mad or excited). Walk after the dog and when you catch him you clip the line on him and automatically correct him all the way back to where you were when he ran off - even if it's a block away. The dog MUST LEARN that he will ALWAYS get corrected if he refuses to come when called.

If you have a need to have the dog off leash then you should get an electric collar and use it. But there is a protocol for starting and using this - I don't have time to go into that right now.

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Remote Collar Training for the Pet Owner $40.00+s&h

QUESTION:

Hi Ed,

I've read about not staring into the eyes of your dog,as it's suppose to be a dominating factor.In your opinion is this true and does it have any bad effects on a dog? Especially a GSD.

Thanks,
Peter

ANSWER:

You miss the point by a country mile! It's the handlers job to be dominant over his dog. This is called being the pack leader. 99.999% of all the behavioral problems that dogs develop result from a weak pack leader.

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QUESTION:

Hi Ed,

I just inherited a 2 1/2 year old Labrador Retriever who has had no obedience training thus far. Not even a "sit." Silly question, but is he to old to get it corrected? Can an older dog with 2 1/2 years of willy-nilly under his belt be obedience trained to be a well-behaved house dog?

Thanks!
Ken

ANSWER:

Dogs are NEVER to old to train. Here is the science on it.

You need to repeat an exercise 30 times for a dog to remember it - a human needs 7 times. When a dog has learned a bad habit and you want to change it to something else, you need to repeat the exercise 90 to 100 times for it to change the behavior. Most people will not make the effort and therefore say that old dogs cant be trained - when the fact is they are lazy and quit too soon.

If you would like to learn more about the principles of obedience training a dog, read the description for my Basic Dog Obedience video. You will probably find that you have not had the full picture on the steps of training a dog must go through before it can be considered fully trained. You can also read why I am not a fan of taking an untrained dog to obedience classes. I think if you read the testimonials on that tape you will see that my customers feel the same way.

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QUESTION:

Ed,

My Shepard is now almost 17 months old . He was born August 8th, 2002 . He's from a reputable breeder (von kenwald) but we are guilty of not socializing the dog enough. We live in the country and just don't have that many visitors. I've been thru basic obedience at a class and have been practicing everything in your Basic Obedience tape. I've now also just started another class for more socialization. The problems I have are as follows:

1) He knows all the obedience exercises and does them perfect at home around no other dogs. But when other dogs are there to distract him I can't seem to get his attention. He also has this bad habit of whining at other dogs. We carry a water spray bottle and squirt him each time he whines. Eventually he quiets up but does the exact same thing next class.

2) Here is my most serious issue. We took this dog to training class back in August and he was the most friendly and loving dog there . Kids, adults, and other dogs came up and he loved them. No issues. But now 4 months later we go thru the same class again to work with distractions and he is noticeably more aggressive. Growled at lady, loved another guy who came up and petted him, does not know what to do when other dogs come up to him. It seems he is not sure whether to play or attack them. If the other dog nips at him, he growls. Is it to late to neuter the dog and would that even help. We wanted to show the dog because he is beautiful but I don't want a liability.

We are going to continue to work even harder to socialize the dog and obedience train him. We won't stop till we have accomplished this.

I would sincerely appreciate your advise, especially on the neutering.

Thanks for your time,
Richard

ANSWER:

Your choice of obedience instructors was not as good as it could have been. There are three levels of obedience training. The LEARNING PHASE, THE CORRECTION PHASE and the DISTRACTION PHASE. You have failed to finish the training by not doing a good job in either the correction and distraction phase.

If you would like to learn more about the principles of obedience training a dog, read the description for my Basic Dog Obedience video. You will probably find that you have not had the full picture on the steps of training a dog must go through before it can be considered fully trained. You can also read why I am not a fan of taking an untrained dog to obedience classes. Get this tape and a prong collar.

If you do not have experience with a prong collar I have written an article on my web site that explains how to fit a collar, and how to take it on and put it on.

Your problem with aggression is that the dog is starting to mature. His nerves are not that good (a genetic issue) and his training is not finished. I DON’T ALLOW a dog to act aggressive in any way to other dogs or people. They learn very quickly that this is not a behavior that is acceptable. The fact is your dog is not ready to be taken back to this place. Use obedience classes for distraction lessons.

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QUESTION:

I have a 1 year 4 mo. old mutt who is very aggressive towards our visitors. We have been told she is chihuahua mixed with bisenji (forgive my spelling), and perhaps some fox terrier? She weighs about 20 lbs. Basically when guests enter the house she runs towards them barking and immediately dives to nip/bite at their feet. After the guests are in our home she is fine as long as they are seated. Obviously this is no way to host an evening for friends! We adopted her at about 7mos of age and have tried training her since we got her, but striking has no weight on her conscience, neither does yelling at her or ignoring her. What should we do? I fear she is actually going to bite down and cause someone to bleed someday. We have thought about 2 options: 1) obedience school 2) putting her up for adoption to someone who has few visitors- because with us she is the cutest most wonderful dog I've ever seen!

Please reply!

ANSWER:

Yelling and hitting have no place in dog training. This problem is a handler problem not a dog problem.

There are several things that need to be done to make this a part of your family.

1- Get a dog crate and use it with this dog. Train it to go to the crate when people come over (this is not the place to explain that process).

2- Get a puppy prong collar (we sell them on our web site) and train this dog.

3- Read the Q&A sections of my web site. You have a lot to learn about dogs and dog training. The web site is a good place to start. It has 3500 pages – not all of it pertains to your problem but there is a lot there.

4- Also read the archives on the web board. There are 4300 registered members.

5- Buy the Basic Obedience Dog Training video. You need this information and taking this dog to a training class is not going to solve your problem.

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QUESTION:

I have a Yorkshire Terrier that is VERY hyper. What do you suggest to correct a small dog?

ANSWER:

Dog training is not size or breed specific – it’s temperament and drive specific. I have written that about 300 times on our web site. Small dogs are no different than big dogs.

This means you use a prong collar for dog training. A nylon choke collar is not a training collar for anything other than aggression. It is not an obedience training collar.

There are only 3 obedience collars:

1- a flat collar (nylon or leather)
2- a prong collar
3- an electric collar

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Flat Leather Collar

QUESTION:

Hi Ed-

Having some problems handling my 7 month old and I wonder if you can explain them.

3 things happened today-

1. He's almost always on a leash, but sometimes I let him walk along as I'm going to the car or garage. I had him outside with me today for a minute as I went to grab something out of the garage- next thing I knew I heard a lady yell out --- hey!!! She was walking a dog and mine went over to see it. I walked over calmly and then grabbed him by the back of the neck and carried him back- this has happened before and I've always done the same thing to show him he CAN'T leave the yard. (the lady yelled because he almost got hit) He cowered and lied down on his back when I had him back safely- I let up a bit to try to reassure him, but he bolted again- I did the same thing- the lady goes, "now he's really scared." shaking him and firmly talking to him all the way back to our yard. Then he seemed ok in the house.

2. Later he was out with me and I went to brush my teeth- he chased the cat into the bath tub and I said "NO!" loud and firm... I was surprised that he peed as he left the room.

I don't understand him because sometimes he doesn't seem to mind correction at all- sometimes he frustrates me by repeatedly doing things I've corrected him pretty clearly for- then other times he cowers and even pees.

3. He was sitting with me while I was checking email in my room- he jumped up on me for attention I guess, but I sort of pushed him away- then he jumped up on my bed and peed all over the pillows and blankets-

I really yelled then and put him back into his crate- I guess its not good to put them in the crate as punishment- but it was all I could do not to crack him- putting him there lets me calm down.

He also has a cat crap eating problem- he actually sneaks now to get it because when my eyes aren't on him I listen to whatever he's doing- He knows he shouldn't do it because if I catch him, he runs back and cowers.

I know he needs obedience training. But what's the deal lately?
The bed peeing incident seemed totally intentional.
What am I doing wrong?

Appreciate your advise-
Chuck

ANSWER:

This is a handler problem not a dog problem. As you said you don’t know what’s going on.

There is an old saying "NEVER PICK A FIGHT YOU CAN’T WIN”. The same goes for how you handle your dog. Don’t set yourself up to fail. You seem to be doing this all the time.

1- Allowing the pup to be loose when you go in the garage begs for a problem – which is exactly what happened. The dog should be on a leash or a long line – it is never off leash.

2- The dog is a soft dog. Read the articles on my web site about a HARD and SOFT dog. You can read about this on my web site in the list of training articles.

3- The dog is not house trained. If it were he would not be pissing on the bed. Back up your training. Use the dog crate, read the articles and Q&A on my web site about house training.

4- Almost all dogs love cat shit. They look at it like a delicacy. Move the litter box to a place the dog cannot get into it.

Dog training is not rocket science. Its 99% common sense.

If you would like to learn more about the principles of obedience training a dog, read the description for my Basic Dog Obedience video. You will probably find that you have not had the full picture on the steps of training a dog must go through before it can be considered fully trained. You can also read why I am not a fan of taking an untrained dog to obedience classes. I think if you read the testimonials on that tape you will see that my customers feel the same way.

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QUESTION:

Dear Sir or Madam:

After reviewing your web site I learned that I should have contacted you guys about getting a German Shepherd dog to train in Schutzhund as my next purchase. I have had my German Shepherd mix that I adopted as a rescue from the local humane society. He is highly intelligent and has been trained by me and behaves perfect when on the leash. However, when off the leash he tends to want to do his own thing but obeys nearly 70% of the time. He's smaller than most German Shepherds which is a problem when it comes to defending himself. There are two neighbor dogs that roam and there have been a few near misses. I didn't know if there was any way yo train him to be more protective of himself because of his size. He is half German Shepherd and I don't doubt he's capable, but I just wanted some input from a kennel like yourself that deals in protective work even though that protective work is for people. Any assistance or direction you can provide is most appreciated.

Ann

ANSWER:

You have a basic misunderstanding on how things should happen. You need to become a student of pack behavior.

A dog must mind 100% of the time; not 70% of the time or it is not trained. (It's like saying a women is 70% pregnant.) This means you either learn the proper way to train the dog with a prong collar and a long line so that it minds 100% of the time, or your get an electric collar and teach it to mind 100% of the time.

As far as the neighborhood dogs go - I NEVER ALLOW my dogs to be around strange dogs. If strays come around it's my job as pack leader to run them off. It's not the dogs job to be TOUGH !

Read the article I have written titled DEALING WITH THE DOMINANT DOG. I believe you will find the answers you need in that article or in the Q&A section of my web site. There are simple solutions to these problems. The question is if you are willing to do the work necessary to make the changes that will fix the problems.

If you would like to learn more about the principles of obedience training a dog, read the description for my Basic Dog Obedience video. You will probably find that you have not had a clear understanding of the steps of training a dog must go through before it can be considered fully trained. You can also read why I am not a fan of taking an untrained dog to obedience classes. I think if you read the testimonials on that tape you will see that my customers feel the same way.

Ann's RESPONSE:

First of all, YOU must learn that when someone compliments your technique you don't reply back on how little you think they know. Second of all, you totally avoided my question. Why shouldn't a dog be tough? Don't people keep some breeds of dogs around to defend flocks of sheep against predators like a wolf? Duh! I'm sure you, as "pack leader", would be out there chasing off a wolf or a pack of wolves. IS the dog expected to cower? What good is he/she (by the way, a dog is not an it - is a human an it)? Let me ask, do you and your dogs share the same bowl? That's great, but I expect my dogs to defend not only me but themselves as well. Third of all, you might want to run a spell and grammar check next time you send a so called professional email. Thanks again for all your "help."

P. S. Let me know when you do find that 70% pregnant woman...

ED'S RESPONSE:

Dumb asses never stop amazing me.

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Dealing with the Dominant Dog eBook

QUESTION:

I was wondering if you could help me. I am having my dog trained by a very reputable trainer in my area. The pup is 5 months old and when the trainer works with the dog he does everything. When we work him we are causing marks on his neck. Some are scabbed over. It seems like we are not having great success with using corrections on this dog. We are using a choke collar and our trainer says that we should give him a good correction instead of many little ones. We are afraid to hurt him and now with the problem with his scrapes we are nervous to use this type of training. We were told to use more motivation that anything but the dog starts to bite us and jump. When we correct him he gets aggressive. What should we do? Is there a training collar you would recommend instead of the choker?

Thank you,
Tom

ANSWER:

Please – pass this on to your so called REPUTABLE DOG TRAINER.

You have a puppy. A 5-month old dog is a baby. To correct it the way you are talking about, is not only stupid it is asinine and one of the dumbest things I have heard in an email in a long, long time.

I don’t blame you – you don’t know any better. I blame this idiot who has you convinced they know something. ANYONE can train a dog with FORCE and corrections. That’s easy. Odds are you have probably destroyed the relationship with this dog – odds are it is not recoverable – at least not by you. Find it a new home and start again.

Here are a couple of very inexpensive videos that will make you realize why I am so upset with this fool that has worked your dog:

Your Puppy 8 Weeks to 8 Months

Basic Dog Obedience

I have this saying:

You need to be careful about who you listen to on training your dog. “Everyone has an opinion on how to train your dog – just ask your mailman, your neighbor, your hair dresser or barber, or your best friend – the problem is that very few people have the experience to back up their opinions which results in a lot of bad information being handed out”

Your Puppy 8 Weeks to 8 Months $35.00+s&h

QUESTION:

Hi Ed.

Thank you for the continually informative web site.

I'm currently doing obedience work with my 7 month old GSD female. She's a fast learner and eager to please, so I don't have much trouble with her. I do take her to training, but I've also ordered some of your videos. She passed her 100 yard down, stay & recall test with flying colors to graduate from puppy class. There is only one problem that I'm encountering that has me puzzled. When off lead, like doing the long down, stay, her recall is perfect. If we're just in the house and I call her to me from another room, she finishes in perfect position. She comes in straight and finishes in perfect position when off lead. However, we're now going to distance work on a retractable. For example, I'll have her in a heel, put her in a stand stay and continue to walk away from her, while extending the retractable until I'm about 15 feet away. If I give her the "come" command while on the retractable, she keeps trying to come into a heel position instead of the recall position. This is the only time that she does not finish in the right position when called to come. I just don't understand why attaching a leash is confusing her. I'm sure it's a handler problem, but I don't know what I'm doing wrong. Can you help?

Thanks!

Stacie

ANSWER:

You have identified a part of your training in which you went too far too fast.

1- I don’t like to call my dogs out of a stationary position i.e. the stand-stay and the down-stay. Rather it’s a clearer picture for the dog to have you go back and release the dog. They are more solid on the stay if you do this.

2- With the dog coming to a heel – start with the dog sitting 2 feet in front of you – then call it – when you can back up 2 or 3 feet at a time and the dog still comes to the front position then it understands.

3- Going into the heel position is best started by having your dog at your side in the sit position – you pivot to his front while he remains sitting – then give the heel command and help him in the learning phase.

4- Bottom line is you need to break down the problem and back up the training and it will come together.

With all this said – I don’t make pets do FRONT and FINISHES – no reason for this. But if you enjoy the work maybe you should go on to more advanced training.

QUESTION:

Hello Ed,

Our Golden Retriever who is almost two is still biting...we have tried everything! Sometimes it seems as though she is very serious and uncontrollable. In addition, she hates to walk. Whenever we attempt to go on walks, she jumps up over the leash and bites at our hands and refuses to walk as we try to fix the problem. Also, she is very timid around other people and especially other dogs. She does not show aggression, but puts her tail in between her legs. When attempting to take her places to get over her fears, she will not even enter the store, such as Pet Smart. One more problem is when we have her in the house, she is fine if someone is petting her, but as soon as we stop she bites. And if we even step away from her, she will go wild, running at very high speeds with her tail in between her legs all around the house. We are very frustrated with her and feel as though we can't handle her. Please help if you have any suggestions.

Thanks so much!

ANSWER:

This is an issue of an owner who is not assertive owning a dog that requires assertive training. A bad combination.

Most of the time people like you cannot deal with a dog like this.

This dog requires a prong collar, a good leather leash and a handler who is not going to be influenced by a dog that acts like this. You have had this dog so long and allowed it to act stupid so long that the dog is not going to be re-trained in one session. It will take a number of sessions. The dog needs to learn that acting stupid results in a hard multiple POP’s from a prong collar. The pops continue until the behavior goes away. In other words the dog is rewarded for being calm.

I am too busy to write down everything that needs to be done with a dog like this If you care to learn what my training system is you can get my 4 hour DVD Basic Dog obedience.You can see how to fit the prong at (http://leerburg.com/fit-prong.htm )

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5 Foot Leather Drag Leash $35.00+s&h

QUESTION ON DOG OBEDIENCE:

I have a purebred GSD that is 11 months old now. he went to puppy classes at 10 weeks old and has been going to socialization classes and walks with the class and he is fine around the other dogs and people. He wears a pinch collar and a choke collar when we are at home and he wears a Halti collar when we walk with the class. we bought the Halti collar because he went after a strange dog on the trail one evening.

Last night my wife had him out and he went after a dog that he has been around and has played with. He pulled so hard my wife lost hold of the leash (it was hooked to the pinch and choke collar) but he had his mind made up to go, hair standing and barking, he did not get into a fight but he would not listen to any command come, stop or down.

We also have a tri-tronics collar that we use it was not on him at the time.

This is not our first GSD and I know that they all have different personalities.

I am hoping that this is just a stage he is going through.

Any ideas that you have would be appreciated.

Thank you,
Bob

ANSWER TO QUESTION ON DOG OBEDIENCE:

The problem with a lot of people who own dogs is they do not have access to sound training advice. That’s what has happened here.

The following is a list of things that jump out at me from your email:

1- A choke collar is not a training collar. There are only three kinds of training collars : a flat collar (like a leather or nylon buckle collar), a prong collar and a electric collar. Choke collars are terrible collars and damage dogs neck muscles.

2- A halti is NOT a training collar. It certainly should never be used by a dog like you have. Diverting the dogs gaze IS NOT A CORECCTION

3- Dogs that are animal aggressive when on leash have RANK issues with their owners. They don’t respect the owners pack leadership. The pack leader decides when aggressive is appropriate – never a lower pack member.

4- A dog like this should never be take outside without his electric collar on – the best of all worlds is to make the dog wear it and NEVER Have to use the button. The biggest mistake in the world is to own one and not have it on the dog when you need it. In this case you have to change the way you approach the dog – it has to wear the collar ALL THE TIME and it must get a shock for even LOOKING at another dog. It cant EVEN LOOK at one much less fight. When you allow it to get to the fighting level the dog will think that the pain of the correction comes from the other dog and not from the handler.

5- Your dog is not obedience trained. If it were you would be able to stop the dog from doing this – and you cannot. The goal of all obedience training is to teach the dog to follow voice commands. So in not being able to stop your aggression with a voice command indicates your dog is not trained to distractions.

I would also recommend my Basic Dog Obedience training video.

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Electronic Collars

QUESTION ON DOG OBEDIENCE:

Hi Ed,

I'm a trainer/certified behaviorist in Virginia. I've been training dogs by the good old "German Methods" for years, since that is where I'm from. The way I deal with my dogs and attempted to deal with clients dogs with behavioral problems seem to be almost identical.

The reason I'm writing you is because I'm finding myself in a lose-lose situation. In the DC Metro area, everyone seems to have been brainwashed and wanting to do "positive reinforcement" as they call it only ...which of course is clicker training, bribing a dog constantly with food, not enforcing any groundwork and ignoring a dogs bad behavior. I'm about to lose my shit (pardon my language).

Of course they come to me once their dogs are screwed up and want me to fix it. However, at this point they are badly brainwashed, I manage to start formal training with them and their dogs. We even do what we call the "foundation session" during which we cover all important aspects of groundwork, trying to fit it into an hour long session.

Now for the tough part: Clients are simply not willing to correct their dogs, assert themselves as pack leaders and our training school is made out to be the school of "bad asses". It is becoming a rather frequent occurrence that I send dog owners on their after 3 lessons because they're not doing their homework and refuse to accept change. I do not feel that they deserve nor appreciate my knowledge and experience and that I shouldn't waste my time with individuals that are too selfish to really change anything to help their dogs.

I refuse to change my methods just to please 80% of dog owners in this area that want to "fix" their dogs with more modern methods as they like to call it.

My question to you is, do you come across many clients like that? How do you deal with them?

I'm very frustrated. Unfortunately, my business is not limited to working dogs. I find that owners of working dogs and/or herding dogs are much more willing to adapt. I don't like for my reputation to be the hard ass that can fix almost everyone's dog but they will have to be "harsh" and put prong collars on their dogs.

I would greatly appreciate your input. Thank you in advance for taking the time to read this and I look forward to hearing from you.

ANSWER TO QUESTION ON DOG OBEDIENCE:

You would be advised to learn to sell your services a little differently. The basic method of training is to go through a learning phase where the dog is either going to learn the meaning of the exercise through the use of food or toys or handler praise – then the distraction and correction phase.

In the learning phase you would be advised to learn to use MARKER TRAINING. Read my article on MARKER TRAINING.

Marker training is the same as clicker training, only you use your voice rather than a clicker. Then you explain the need for distraction and corrections.

This will point out the lack of understanding of basic dog training that these strict clicker trainers miss.

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QUESTION ON DOG OBEDIENCE:

Mr. Frawley,

I recently came across your site and have spent all morning reading your advice on training dogs with behavioral problems. I'm hoping you can take a moment to give me some 1-on-1 training. I have a 2-year old Smooth Collie who has been in obedience training since he was 12 weeks old. The obedience center we attend strongly encourages use of a Gentle Leader while training, and equally as strongly discourages the use of prong or shock collars. My problem is this: When we're out for a walk, the dog becomes uncontrollable if a bicyclist rides by us. He lunges toward the cyclist, hair standing on end, barking and whimpering. I've tried several different methods to regain control in these instances including diverting his attention by walking in the opposite direction, trying to get his attention with "high reward" treats and trying to be dominant over him by sitting him and standing between him and the path of the cyclist. I've also tried desensitization methods which work to an extent-especially if the biker/rollerblader is across the street or at some distance away. The problem is worst when there's an element of surprise like when the biker comes up from behind us or passes right in front of us. I'm well aware that I'm failing as an owner to control this behavior, but I don't know what other methods to try. I've recently considered using a shock collar on him, but he's a very sensitive dog (as collies can be) so I'm a bit leery about it. Can you please tell me if I should continue working with the desensitization method or if it's time to try something else?

Thank you

ANSWER TO QUESTION ON DOG OBEDIENCE:

The first thing you should do is discontinue doing business with this foolish obedience trainer you have been working with. Their position shows a complete lack of understanding on the principles of good dog training.

I shake my head at trainers who pass out this halty information and tell new pet owners not to use prong collars or training collars. There are only three kinds of training collars:

1- a flat collar (leather or nylon)
2- a prong collar
3- an electric collar

I don’t have time to educate you through email - my web site is about 5,000 pages and my web discussion board has 6,600 registered members - its very active.

If you want to learn the correct way to obedience train your dog you should get a prong collar and my 4 hour DVD on Basic Dog Obedience.

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QUESTION:

Hello. I have a lab mix who will turn 2 years this October. When I first got him I took care of him inside 24/7. Since then, he has been completely an outside dog. I will be moving into an apartment in August next year (2006), and I will have to keep him indoors. I was told by family it was cruel to do that to a dog. I was told it would be taking away the "freedom" he's had. So...my first question is...Is it cruel to change an outside dog to an inside dog. Second is it okay to crate train him being that he is not a puppy??? Thank you so much.

Candace

ANSWER:

I have a saying that I tell people – it goes like this” Everyone has an opinion on how to train a dog – just ask you barber, your mailman and your neighbor” The problem is very few people have the experience to back up their opinions. This results in a lot of bad information being passed out So people like yourself need to figure out who has the experience to warrant listening to.

Your family fits into this category.

Their comments are 100% wrong.

The fact is it comes down to how much you are committed to getting your dog exercise. I recommend an hour a day – let the dog wear a weighted collar (we sell them) – this gives the exercise more meaning.

The bottom line is that this all comes down to how much time you spend with your dog.

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Weighted Collar $49.00+s&h

QUESTION:

Hi,

I was wanting to buy your Basic Dog Obedience - Video 302 - 1 Hr. 50 Min. I have two small dogs 10 and 12 pounds. The 12 pound dog cannot wear a collar because of a trachea problem. Do you have any videos that would deal with this. How would I do a correction on her without a collar? I wouldn't think it would be possible to give a correction with a harness. I am doing positive food rewards with her now to get her to walk with the halter on. (she is very gentle,shy)

Thank You,
Terri

ANSWER:

The only trachea problems I have ever seen were from a choke collar. I explain in the training DVD that a choke collar (like a harness) is not a training tool. The choke collar is an abusive tool. A harness is an ineffective tool. Same thing really.

Get one of the mini prong collars we sell – this will not hurt your dog's neck. I explain how to use them on small dogs in the DVD.

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QUESTION:

Mr. Frawley,

I am very glad to have found your site. I have spent many hours reading the great material you have posted. I have ordered and am waiting on your video Basic Obedience. Having read your philosophy and the basics of marker training and the three phases of training, I have one small question for you.

Our dog is about a year and a half old. I have been on the scene for the last several months and gradually learning how the dog should be trained. Due to mishandling things in the past or whatever, when she chooses to not obey a command she will also move to evade me. Inside the house she can't get very far, but if it takes 5 - 10 seconds to catch up with her, is what she did still enough in her mind that a correction is still relevant? Or is she now only aware of running away?

Perhaps I need to shorten the time with the use of a drag line in the house, but she might still evade for a few seconds and when she does I'm no longer sure whether the correction is actually telling her anything about what I didn't like.

If this is already answered in your video then please disregard but otherwise please point me in the right direction. She is an 18 month old pit bull who was top dog in the house until I started to take that position from her. She seems to have recognized her place now, but the training was very haphazard and there was no correction/distraction used.

Thanks for all your fine work,

John

ANSWER:

You need to switch from a drag line to a leash in the house. The dog is NEVER off leash in the house -

You need to run this dog through the work I describe in THE GROUND WORK TO BECOMING A PACK LEADER.

The drag line comes after this. You have jumped the gun here. When not on a leash it's in the crate.

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Ground Work to Becoming a Pack Leader eBook

QUESTION:

I got this puppy in July. He was 3 months when I received him. I work 2 full time jobs therefore,leaving me with little time to train him properly so, I FOUND A TRAINER FOR HIM. HE WAS AWAY FOR THREE WEEKS IN TRAINING. I want to know if that was a good idea. He learned the very basic:sit,stay,down,and recall. The trainer instructed me that I'd need to work with him still. I was under the impression that if I sent him to be trained that this would do it,however the trainer said that my dog was somewhat stubborn and sometimes will not obey the commands that he was taught. My question to you is was this a waste of my hard earned money? I really love my dog and he is a good puppy I just need to know what to do from here? Do you have any suggestions for further training for my pup? And now also since I HAVE HIM BACK HE SEEMS TO BE VERY FRIGHTENED. He seems to be afraid of everything even sometimes his own shadow. Please give me some advice.

ANSWER:

I never recommend people send dogs out for training. This kind of thing happens all the time. I also recommend that you go to my web site and read the article I wrote on my philosophy of dog training. I think you will get some good ideas there.

You may be better advised to find a new home for this dog where the people have time for it.

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Ed Frawley's Philosophy on Dog Training eBook

QUESTION:

Hello, I was wondering if all breeds, even toy breeds (Havanese) should be trained in the fashion described on your web site. I read all the puppy articles.

One question I especially have is Should I get a prong collar or just try a normal one? Thanks.

ANSWER:

Dog training is NEVER breed specific. It is always temperament and drive specific. This means you train a hard Poodle just like a hard Rot. (You just don't give as hard of a correction).

Some soft dogs do not need a prong collar - most do.

There are only 4 types of training collars to consider:

A flat collar
A prong collar
A e-collar
A Dominant dog collar

No one can tell you what to do - you need to figure it out according to your training needs.

Get my Basic Obedience DVD and it explains this.

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Dominant Dog Collar

QUESTION:

My almost 5 month old miniature schnauzer puppy has been in puppy obedience class for 3 weeks. She is doing very well with her commands (sit, down, come) and up until this past Saturday has interacted well with all the other handlers and dogs in the class. However, at our last class, she growled at and bit the training instructor when she touched her feet. The bite did not break the skin or leave any red marks. I was very surprised by her reaction since she has never before displayed any behavior like this. She has been to the groomer once so far and was nothing other than a wiggly puppy. I have her on the table weekly for beard cleaning and brushing and nail trimming every two weeks – no problem. The previous week she was held and handled by all the other dog owners without incident. We have now been expelled from class and referred to a certified dog counselor with whom we have an appointment.

My gut feel is this is was a one-time-incident possibly spurred by any one of the following conditions:
- The instructor is a very, very, very large lady (Ellie did growl the first time she saw her).
- All the other puppies in the class are BIG (great dane, german shepard, doberman)
- All the other handlers had assistants or other family members with them (my husband was not able to attend this time - first time I was alone)
- Just as Ellie was dwarfed by the size of the other puppies, I'm a small person myself.
- I had stepped away from Ellie preparing to do a recall when the instructor approached and touched her. Her attention was focused on me.

I have talked with the breeder and the owner of Ellie’s father and they assure me none of the dogs they have ever bred have been aggressive – both
are very reputable breeders. I have a 4 year old MS (from the same breeder) that I have raised and obedience trained. He is Canine Good
Citizen – so, I’m not wet behind the ears in this regard.

Should I be concerned?
Lin

ANSWER:

You should tell the instructor not to touch your dog or it will bite her again. NO ONE touches my dogs. Why should your dog allow this person to touch her? Because she is a human? I don’t think so. Dogs are pack animals and this person is not part of her pack.

The instructor needs additional training. If you want my advice – don’t go back. Train your dog at home yourself.

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Who Should Pet Your Puppy eBook

QUESTION:

Hi Ed,

I am interested in purchasing a DVD from your site. I have a couple of questions about which one I should purchase. I have 2 dogs both 2yrs old. 1 is a Cavalier King Charles and 1 is a Maltese Shitzu.

They have both attended 10 weeks of obedience training with a halti/gentle leader collar. The dog trainer there recommended I get an electric collar for them as they bark incessantly at home and around other dogs.

My question is should I purchase your basic obedience DVD and a prong collar (which I have never tried) or skip straight to the electric collar and DVD. I have already decided to get an automatic bark limiter collar for them when I am away.

In hindsight I should never have bought 2 dogs at once, and I am now wondering whether I will ever be able to take them for a walk together.
Taking them separately is a huge hassle, as the one left behind plays up. - not to mention the one on the lead barking at everything in sight.

Thank you for your help
Regards
Emma

ANSWER:

I strongly recommend that you get my Basic Dog Obedience DVD before you start the e-collar training.

Get a prong collar for your walks. I call the power steering on dogs. I have an article I wrote that shows how to fit them.

Only get the Tri Tonic no bark collar. You can get cheaper ones but they are not worth the money.

The bark collar will work the day you put it on. The barking will be done.
For dogs that bark on the walks I would probably be using one of my dominant dog collars.

Read the article on how to fit these collars. In the beginning train with each dog by itself. I don't allow a dog to be stupid on walks. I wrote an article on corrections that you should read. You will see that I am not a fan of training with a H