Most Popular Q&As

Hello, I have a quick question. I am taking my 7 month old GSD/Mal mix through your Basic Obedience after completing the traditional classes. She did very well and continues to do very well. The issue I am having is she is very "goosey" (gets behind me, starts jumping around, hair goes up and doesn't really growl, but makes noise to get back) around people when they get within about 3-5 feet of me or her. I tell the people to ignore her, don't come any closer, back up and I put her in eith...

My compliments to you both for such an informative website! I have a 6-month-old high prey drive GS female. I've been doing the marker training since she was 9 weeks old with excellent results. I've purchased several videos including the "Tug" and "Retrieve." I've used the food throwing and rewarding inside and outside with great results. She will bring the tug back promptly inside without a leash, outside on a long leash, but when off leash outside she will stop about 3 to 5 feet and ...

My 3 y/o intact and 18 m/o spayed GSDs are contained in our small recessed fenced yard and exercised elsewhere. Our neighbors own a 4 y/o spayed Newfie and 2 y/o intact Pit Bull who run loose on their larger property. When their dogs run up to our fence, no reward or deterrent is effective to get our dogs to stop their fence fighting which has progressed to the males locking teeth through the chain links. Also, the fence goes up a rocky and now icy hill so that it is difficult to get to the d...

We got a black lab/spaniel mix 10 wks old, although the vet thinks lab/beagle. Puppy biting was pretty extreme. I had bite marks for 3 months--put him in crate for time out when it was really bad. I know puppies bite but he actually went upside down on the floor & snarled. It stopped after 3 mos. Had him spayed at 7 mo. Amazingly intelligent-learns in 1 or 2 sessions, knows 30 different things including picking up toys by name. Follows me everywhere, NEVER away-which I love. 10 mos old now. V...

Hello Cindy, I'm not planning on this happening again, but recently I walked past my dog who was lying on the floor. As I walked past him, he popped his head up and my knee clipped his snout. This was accidental, not intentional. It hurt him and he yelped. I felt very bad and went to 'apologize' (pet/reassure) and he growled at me! I told him in a low firm voice, 'no.' Then I left him alone to give him time to forgive me or forget about it. He doesn't growl at me; this is not a pattern. ...

Ed! In looking - mainly by fluke - in the 'questions/comments' in the sar section - just under Patti Thompson's pic of Deja working Fresh Kills.....a person talks about their 10 month old training in air scent. You replied that "10 months is way, way, way too young......". Uh - since when? I've been training air scent for almost 20 years now and always start them off extremely young - including my dog from Leerburg lines - and all have been exceptional air scenting dogs. I'm talking 4 mont...

We have a 12 week old dachshund puppy that is trained enough to sleep in our bed at night, but needs to be crated during the day to avoid accidents. It has been weeks and the dog drools about a cup of drool over a 2 hour period in the crate and is very nervous when we let him back out. He whines and cries the entire time. Will he get dehydrated? When we give him water in the crate he spills it every time. Does he need some sort of medication to calm his nerves? Any help would be appreciated. ...

We have two GSD's (a male and a female) age 9 months. They were spayed & neutered at age 6 months. We have used your training videos and the dogs have performed remarkably. They were house-trained practically overnight after we used the information from one of your videos. The new problem is our neighbors. They are old, cranky, and light sleepers. We have the dogs on a routine to accommodate our work schedule. We take them out between 6 and 7 am every morning to eliminate. Some mor...

Hi, I have an 11month old GSD. She has not yet been spayed? I am waiting for her to go through one heat. She is a bit shy and I spent a lot of time when she was very young having her meet and play with other dogs and I introduced her to lots of people. I would stand out in front of stores and ask folks to pet her and I would take her on walks where I knew there would be lots of people and activity. She is very gentle with my granddaughters and she is very sensitive to a correction....

Hi, I have received the 2 DVD from your site (train with food and play with tug). I just need some quick advice. I was doing the "out" command with my dog, but he was chewing the tug toy. I narrowed and clamped closer to the muzzle, I said no. But he continue to chew, I was holding it really still. Then, he start to chew on my knuckle (hand), I said no and he continue. This happened a few times and finally today (my hand got cut and bled), the chewing got so painful and I grabbed the...

Cindy, My dog has been on a raw diet for over a month now and I've noticed he's panting quite a bit. I've searched the website and looked over the books but haven't seen anything on this. Do you know of any correlation between excessive panting and raw? He seems healthy otherwise. Otherwise, the diet has been a dream. Earwax-gone, itching-greatly diminished, coat-like a puppy, I mean it is really noticeable. Thank you for teaching me about raw though Leerburg. I have already convinced...

My four year old American bull dog/pit bull mix when out will whine, cry or whimper at a low level; however you want to describe it, in certain situations. She wears an electric collar and a prong collar where ever we go. She requires a lower level of correction (usually under a level of 5) for she tends to regress or shut down if correction is too high. My trainer said that she may outgrow this since she is new to being brought a lot of places and has to gain more confidence. Should I be cor...

I have checked the forums and and the FAQ. I believe I know part of what you will say but I have questions regarding the nuances (if there are any). My 2 yr old cairn mix, who I have had for 2 months, has always had separation anxiety issues but on video camera he seems to get over it after about 20 mins... so I didn't care too much. Every once in a while he will go into the bathroom trash. Just recently I found out he urinated in one of the bedrooms. From reading the FAQ I believe you sa...

Hi Cindy, First I want to thank you guys for your wonderful web site and all the invaluable training information it's provided to me and my currently 12 month old GSD Max. To give you a little background, I've had Max since he was about 18 weeks old. I purchased your marker training, focused heeling, and Power of Tug videos and have completely used marker training with Max from day one. Currently, (thanks to the marker training) I have had very few corrections with Max. He is a house d...

Leerburg, Brief history: A majority of my dog training experience through the years has been the "old way" of thinking - and it is frustrating to think of all the mistakes I've made with some wonderful dogs - and how things could have been different. With that said, I'm committed to continually learning so that my future canine relationships will gain the maximum benefit. I appreciate the wonderful accessibility to information your site provides. I've bought several of your videos and have...

I was just curious about GSD hips and bones. What age is it acceptable to allow your GSD to jog with you? Engage in jumping outside of what he would normally? Lastly, does tie out work effect your puppy's joints? Mine is currently 8 months.

Good morning, Ed. I have a 22 month old GSD and have had her since she was 8 weeks old. She is obedience trained and has been trained in personal protection the past 8 months. I have purchased your Remote Collar Training for the Pet Owner DVD and a Dogtra ecollar. I have conditioned my dog to the collar as you recommend, and I am viewing the DVD a second time before actually training with the collar. I am confused on something you say in the video. You state that if a command is given and ...

What products do you recommend for heart worm prevention, flea and tick protection? I live in upstate NY in an area with heavy mosquito and deer population. I have an 18 month old Maltese/Shih-tzu pup that has already had surgery to fix a genetic hip and knee problem. I was lead to your web site when I was looking up info on diet, hip dysplasia, and knee luxation and read your views on immunization, diet, etc. I started making my own dog food with chicken, rice, vegs and "Balance IT" supp...

Hi, I have an apricot coloured GSD, she will soon be 7 years old. She is adorable with people, in fact so much so that I have to pen her when we have visitors after a while, as she wants a fuss all the time? My problem is I can't trust her with other dogs when we go out to the local woods for a walk. She lives with a greyhound, and I lost my male GSD a year ago. She is wonderful with them, and is very good with a stray cat that has adopted us, although I keep an eye on her with the cat, as...

Hello, We have an outdoor dog (beagle, cocker spaniel mix) that loves to dig. She digs anywhere and all the time. We have tried a lot of different things to get her to stop but because she is outdoor it is hard to catch her in the act. We have had to fence her in a paved portion of the yard in order for her to not dig while we are gone and can only let her out to play when someone is watching her. We have even hidden to where she didn't know we were there and used a shock collar to get her...