Most Popular Q&As

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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July 20, 2011

Recommended When people get within 3-5 feet of my 7 month old pup she gets worried. She gets behind me, gets her hair up and makes noise. How do I get her to be ok around strangers?

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...
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July 20, 2012

Recommended When I play with my 6 month old GSD off leash she won't bring the toy back. Should I go to the ecollar for this problem?

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 ...
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September 3, 2013

We had issues with our dog biting when he was a pup, but it seemed to get better after neutering. Now after using Frontline he is acting very aggressive and growling & snapping at us. We're scared. Euthanize?

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...
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May 18, 2011

Our 12 week old puppy is very nervous when in the crate, whines and cries the whole time, and drools terribly. Will he get dehydrated?

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. ...
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May 13, 2011

Our two 9 month old dogs bark when we let them out in the morning. The neighbors are threatening legal action. What can we do?

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...
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April 28, 2011

At this point in my dog's life, I am unsure if I should continue trying to socialize her and get her used to strangers and not be so afraid. What is your advice?

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....
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August 13, 2013

Recommended I was doing the OUT command with the tug and my dog was chewing the tug. He wouldn't release and chewed on my hand so I grabbed the tug and smacked him on the head, now he shies away from the tug. What can I do?

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...
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May 2, 2011

Recommended Is there any correlation between excessive panting and a raw diet?

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...
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December 3, 2013

My dog whines when we're out. Should I be correcting this? If so, how to I make sure she understands that the correction is for whining?

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...
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May 20, 2011

My dog has always had separation anxiety issues but on video camera he seems to get over it after about 20 mins. Will crate training work for him?

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...
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May 3, 2011

What products do you recommend for heart worm prevention, flea and tick protection?

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...
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April 21, 2011

My dog has recently become afraid of a few things showing signs of submission. What might be the problem?

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...
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