Most Popular Q&As

April 3, 2014

My dog barks at other dogs when on leash probably because he was attacked a couple of times by off leash dogs. Can you point me to a DVD or an article that will help?

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...
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May 18, 2011

I have plans on becoming a trainer and want to become a k9 officer. How is it that hanging a dog and beating him forces him to respect you?

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 ...
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April 21, 2011

I have a pup who likes to leave his mouth open on our hands, arms, or feet while player but never clamps down. How do we discourage this behavior?

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 ...
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January 1, 2024

Recommended Family members misused the remote collar on my dog when I was on vacation ! Is my training ruined?

I’ve followed your recall and remote collar program and my dog is near perfect on recall mostly. He was very well behaved off leash on our property. We are very protective of the collar training only me and my wife but we left the dog with family for vacation who used old school shock punishment style and made my cattle dog collar-wise. Haven’t been able to break it. He now won’t come without the remote collar on and will hide from putting it on. The no longer coming without ...
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April 10, 2012

Recommended When do you start nosework with a puppy? Is there an odor that you typically start with? If so, when do you add the additional odors?

Hey Cindy, I got the new Nosework DVD and just had a few questions. I didn't see puppies in the video (maybe I just missed them). I have a new puppy so was wondering when you start doing nosework with a puppy? Also, is there an odor that you typically start with so the dog always smells that at first, then switch later? If so when, do you add the additional odors? Thanks so much. Its an interesting sport and think it could be a fun side sport to play with. Thanks as always, David
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December 2, 2013

Would you recommend training a dog for explosive detection after it failed out of a narcotic detection course?

Would you recommend training a dog for explosive detection after it failed out of a narcotic detection course? And if so, what could we do to ensure he is no longer alerting on narcotics?
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May 10, 2011

My breeder told me a puppy should be fed with protein content less than 20% so that she does not grow too quickly. What do you think?

Hi Cindy, I have a 4 1/2 month doberman pup that I'm considering feeding Force. The breeder feels strongly that the puppy should be feed adult food with a protein content less than 20% so that she does not grow too quickly. So I'm think of feeding her a little less of the Force than recommended but mixing in some fruits, vegetables, oils, yogurt, etc. (items that have low protein content). Could you please let me know what you think about this? I'm also considering the Keen...
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December 19, 2013

Recommended Our dog gulps down her kibble, do you have any suggestions on how to get her to chew her food?

Hi Cindy, I hope things are well with you. We are getting on great training our two dogs but we have a problem with our golden retriever who is now nearly three years old. She gulps down her food (we give her Hills JD nuts/kibble). We feed her twice a day, in the morning and in the evening. To try and slow her down eating, we have put a large smooth stone in the middle of her bowl and the nuts around it, this slowed her down a little at the start but she has gone back to her old ways and g...
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June 26, 2013

Recommended How do you get a dog to settle down in the house when you aren't training? My dog paces and whines in the house, I can't find the off switch.

Cindy, I have had a few high drive GSD. Great dogs, except when we are in the home relaxing. I am relaxing but the dog is pacing and whining. He never seems to be able to turn it off. I was not able to ever find his "off" switch. Can you help me with some ideas or make a DVD on how to turn your dog off when you are not working? Think there is a need for us novice dogsters. Thanks
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May 23, 2011

When can you start a puppy on the raw diet? Do you have to add enzymes to the food?

Hello, I found your site while looking for answers for our puppy's on-again/off-again "pudding diarrhea" and I will try the pumpkin you suggest. But my question for you is when can you start feeding a raw diet to puppies? Our cat eats a raw diet and its great for him. But our breeder recommends puppy kibble for the first year and our vet is aghast at the idea of feeding anything other than Science Diet >ick< ( e.coli, salmonella, etc.). We give our cat pancreatic enzymes on his food to ...
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May 17, 2011

Should I have put my dog to sleep? I feel terrible.

Dear Mr. Frawley, I was just reading an article that you wrote on your website and just felt like telling you my story. My name is Nicole, and my husband, Scot, and I recently had our 3 year old Staffordshire Bull Terrier (Rudy) put down for aggression problems. This has been the most painful decision we've ever made, and I am having a very difficult time coming to terms with our decision. We got Rudy from an out of state breeder that we thought was reputable. We had Rudy since he ...
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April 12, 2011

My boyfriend's dog is awful - he doesn't listen and bites me. What should I do? Is this dog even capable of training?

I have read through some of your articles and feedback to relative questions by your audience, yet I still have no idea what to do. I had been with my boyfriend for approximately a year when he came home with a 13 month old shelter pup (German Sheppard mix) which he named Shadow. From the get go it was obvious that this dog had some behavioral problems (he growled & tried to bite the vet at his first check up). [**A little of my history, I have NEVER been fearful of dogs. I have had extre...
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October 20, 2011

Recommended My son tried to adopt a dog from a GSD rescue and when the lady at the rescue saw my son's other dog wearing a prong collar she asked us to leave and told us she would have him banned from every rescue organization in the nation. Are prong collars really considered that bad?

Hi, Today my son, daughter in law, and I went to a German Shepherd Rescue by appointment after the application had been accepted. We were there no more than ten minutes when we were literally told to leave and that they would not adopt a dog to my son and his wife. She notice that my son's poodle mix had on a prong collar (which for their dog seems to calm him when he is around other dogs). She said that prong collars have been banned from being use with the AKC and if they ever showed up ...
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May 19, 2011

I don't see how allowing people to pet my dog is a bad thing. Can you shed some light on this subject?

Dear Mr. Frawley, My boyfriend and I adopted a 13 month old neutered male red Doberman less than a week ago. He's very well mannered and is progressing well with the ground work we've been doing with him. We've been poring over your material and following your suggestions since the second we've gotten him and things have gone well so far. I was reading your e-book on introducing dogs to cats and I noticed you made a comment about not allowing anyone to touch your dog for any reason. Thi...
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February 27, 2012

Recommended I have an idea for people who need a dog/people free area to walk their dogs without distractions.

Cindy, After reading an article about walking a new dog in an area without distraction, I wanted to give a recommendation. I take my 4-yr old GSD for a one to two mile walk each night through an industrial park near my house (too many stupid owners whose dogs 'just want to say hi' in my neighborhood). Yes, we have to get in the car and drive a couple of minutes, but we NEVER see people or dogs. Occasionally a police car will pass by and they might stop and chat for a few minutes, but...
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April 21, 2011

My 14 week old puppy has a biting problem. I’m trying to figure out if this is aggression or prey drive. Do you have any suggestions?

My question is related to a 14 week old German Shepherd Puppy, who has a biting problem. He is constantly chewing on hands, feet, arms, etc., and occasionally nips at the face. I can't figure out if this is an aggression problem or an over stimulated prey drive that needs more of an outlet. Regardless, it needs to stop before he gets uncontrollable. I'm trying everything (e.g., stiff correction, redirection, treats for positive behavior, exercise, putting him in submission, etc.), but all of...
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September 19, 2014

Recommended My dog is overly friendly and wants to say hi to everyone she sees. I want to compete in obedience with her, how many times a day should I work on engagement to see a difference in her behavior?

Hi, My almost 2 year old dog is very friendly. We are working on competition obedience and I plan on doing our first competition soon. The problem with her being too friendly is that she wants to say hi to everybody she sees. I have been watching "The Power of Training Dogs with Food" and "Focused Heeling." She is doing great when it's just me or when we are working with our trainer, but as soon as there are more people and dogs she looses focus. How many times a day should I be workin...
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October 7, 2014

Do the Kelp and Alfalfa Powder expire?

I have Kelp and Alfalfa Powder and I was trying to find out what the expiration date is? Or does it not expire? Thank you!
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May 18, 2011

I am being told that my daughter's pup's behavior of licking faces and chins is a dominance issue, while my intstinct is that it's submissive. What is your take?

My daughter has 14 week old Black Lab/Border Collie mix pup that she adopted at 9 weeks from a shelter. He is the runt of the litter, a full 5 pounds smaller than his litter mate, adopted by my son, (separate households). Ruben is a very happy, curious, energetic, smart puppy who likes to please and has done well with the limited training he has had thus far. My question arises because of something said by the teacher of the "puppy socialization class" the pups just entered. When a...
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July 11, 2014

Recommended My new 3 1/2 month old puppy goes beserk in the crate or ex-pen. Would an ecollar be warranted?

Good day, I searched the site and founds lots of interesting information. My question is about my new 3 1/2 month old Belgian Mal. Understanding that she is not in control of her bladder and bowels yet, I have trouble crating her overnight and leave her outside. If left in the crate she makes a huge mess and acts like she is being tortured. For whatever reason, she is happy going into the crate and sleeps in it outside. But, while in the house, if I place her in a crate or expen, even w...
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