Most Popular Q&As

I came to your web site hoping to find some answers concerning my aggressive German shepherd. I was very upset to see your answer for almost all of the concerned people are to putting their dog to sleep. This is a member of the family. We've had our dog for almost 5 years now, and a lot of the behavior some of these people described relates to our dog (Baldwin). His behavior upsets me, and concerns me whenever anybody new visits our home. But I don't think putting a dog down is the answer...

Hi Ed & Cindy, I am new to training and have an awesome 3 year old GSD. I have recently purchased The Power of Training Your Dog with Food DVD and had a question concerning treats. It mentions using treats that your dog considers high value. I see a big reaction with my Shepherd with hot dogs, so I have begun using them starting this training. My question is, is there ever a time you would go back to lower value treats during training? Or do you always use what would be a high value reward...

I have a 15 month old Mal. I am very impressed with his abilities and he seems to love people. He does nip on occasion when excited. This appears to be a friendly nip as he does it to me. I do correct him and the behavior is under control. He is excelling in obedience, does well in public, does not show aggression with other animals and until today, no food aggression. I say no food aggression until today, because my older son texted me at work and said Chase just attacked him. He texted me p...

Hello Cindy, Question: If I am training heeling and a correction needs to be made while we are walking, is the dominant collar an appropriate tool and will it allow me to give enough of a correction to get the dogs attention or do I need a muzzle with the prong? If the muzzle is the answer, can you help me with the correct size the dog is 13 mths and 110 lbs. History: I have a male Black Russian Terrier that I am taking through obedience training. He is doing well in...

Hi, I am hoping you can give me some advice about how to handle the fact that one of our dogs has decided to take over as pack leader over our older dog who has always been the pack leader up till recently. I have two dogs a foxy/jack russell that is around 12-15 years. He is a desexed male. We have owned him for about 9 years. About 5 years ago we were given a female (not desexed) poodle puppy. They have got on well all these years and the male has been the dominant dog of the two. Lat...

Why on earth does your page say that you think neutering is bad for a dog's health? Suggesting to owners that they shouldn't neuter is totally irresponsible given the global problem of strays and unwanted pets being put to sleep. There is a dog welfare crisis in every country which isn't helped by this kind of misguided advice. Breeders likewise are responsible for much of this overpopulation and owners should be encouraged to adopt a rescue dog rather than buy from someone who's purely profi...

Cindy, I always feed my puppy who is 18 weeks old now, from my hand during his training sessions. I use kibbles. Once in a while I pour wet food (high value food to him) to his bowl but he growls at me when I stick my hand in it. He does not do that when I pour kibbles to his bowl. Should I interrupt his wet food meal and feed him again after he stops growling?

I just finished watching your Aggressive dog video with my family (significant other and 11 y/o boy girl twins. We bought a GSD at 6 weeks old. He is beautiful He was the Pack Leader and I liked the way he maneuvered the pack. But shortly after we brought him home he became a dominant aggressive and handler aggressive dog. He is very strong willed. When I discipline him and give him a correction he will pounce, snarl, spit and bark at me with fangs showing. He is very frightening at times...

Dear Mr. Frawley, I've been studying the DVDs you've made with Mr. Ellis, I'm missing the two last one's that I'll be ordering by the end of this month, but I'm a bit stuck. Can you direct me to a training schedule, or better said a training sequence, to work with the dogs from scratch? I know that there cannot be a rigid sequence and that all must be adapted to the animal itself, but thinking about a perfect world what would it be the best sequence to train a dog. I ...

Cindy: I have a 15 month old female German Shepherd that is extremely dog reactive. When I have her out for a walk and she sees another dog she starts screaming. I don't know how else to describe it. People come out of their houses because they think that a dog has been hurt. She also pulls and is only focused on the other dog. This is what I am currently doing to try and stop this behavior: I have had private sessions with a trainer and introducing her to other dogs...

My 11 month old GSD lays down on the ground and refuses to get up when its time to go in the car. Today she mouthed me hard (drew blood, it was on my cuticle) when I tried to pick her up and put her in the back of my SUV. I've tried the following: removed the crate and replaced it with a dog barrier. Treats (high value), toys, excitement, moving my car to a different location and even coming to the car from a different location. Once she's in the car, she's fine. No whining or pacing. S...

We rescued a 2+ yearod abused lab/chow mix. He was not neutered or trained. After 3 years, he is both, and we've tried to make up for the lack of socialization. However, he still -- very rarely -- bites. He's fine and then something scares him and there he goes. I know we can't make up for his first two years of abuse. And I know the conventional wisdom is to put him to sleep. I wonder, though -- what if we removed some/all of his teeth? I imagine it's expensive, but I don't see why it's not ...

Hi Cindy, I want to start off by telling you what a great help you and Ed have been with my training! I love your videos, especially the Training with markers video. My question for you is, I have a female Dobie and I am unsure what the best reaction should be when she barks at people or noises (for example: people walking through the neighborhood at night or noises outside). I want my dog to be naturally protective and watch/alert me when she senses something is not quite right. W...

Hi, My female terrier dog is 6 years old. She was attacked on a local dog beach by a big dog that just ran in from nowhere as she was playing in the sea. The attack resulted in 3 stitches to her neck. Now my dog is aggressive with other dogs. If they approach her she tries to bite and warn them away. This is a problem as obviously many dogs use that beach and there is always a dog that approaches her. My dog does not initiate an attack, she just warns them off when they come too near. How ...

Hey, I have a question about your muzzles. I have two male hounds just reached two and they have been together since 2006 with no problems until now. It is a pecking order thing that has gotten worse one fight. I have wire mess muzzles that are working ok that I had to modify with a strap between the ears to keep them from pulling them off. I have several of your videos - dominant dog and becoming the pack leader. I have read and listened to all or your info on the site. Since using the m...

I have an almost six month old female German Shepherd that I purchased for my first working dog with high prey drive. She is not my first dog. I have a 12 year old shepherd too. They are never together. The pup loves food treats and she also loves to play ball. According to your videos she is a hard dog. When corrected she sometimes grabs your arm or hand in her mouth with a look like so what are ya gonna do about it? She has never growled . She has always been mouthy but we were able to ...

Cindy, My 4 year old GSD does not bother with two of my three cats. They are smart enough to know that he's a big goof ball, so they let him lick them a few times until he gets bored and walks away. He likes all the cats, BUT the third cat is too damn stupid to realize the dog is just being playful. He's not afraid of the dog, he just doesn't want to be bothered. Of course, the dog's natural prey drive kicks in when the cat runs from him. The dog would NEVER harm any of the cats, but how d...

Hi, I have a six year old intact male GSD. He is an excellent dog in all respects. He is well trained, respectful of us in our home, sweet tempered, and responds well to voice commands and corrections. We have one problem which is my fault, and I am wondering if there is a way to solve it. He barks at other dogs when he is on leash. He is not aggressive with other dogs when he gets to know them properly and has readily accepted other dogs in the house when we have had visitors. The problem...

Hello Mr. Frawley, My name is Michael. I am currently on active duty in the united states marine corps. I can all ways be found going threw your web site reading as much information as I can take in on dog training. With all the so called " trainers" out there you are by far the only one I would consider to let train my dog. To make this email short and sweet I came across an article entitled "Real men don't lynch" http://la.indymedia.org/news/2006/08/174957.php I have plans on ...

Hi, My husband and I have a four month old Boxer who likes to put his open mouth on our hands, arms, feet while playing, but he never clamps down. How should we discourage this behavior? We have been holding his jaw closed and saying "no biting" and then putting him in his crate, but this seems to be unsuccessful as he continues later on. What are your ideas on improving the situation? And now when we come to the crate to let him out, he has been cowering his head. We ignore this and ...