Most Popular Q&As

I have just googled for information on how to train puppies to not be afraid of some people, and one website made reference to your website. I am so hopeful that you can offer advice for our beloved puppy. We have a French bulldog/Pug mix that will be 1 year old in January. We bought him when he was 8 weeks old and he has been a wonderful puppy, maybe sometimes a bit hardheaded, but the sweetest most loving and personable dog we?ve ever had. He started out very friendly to everyone...

I have a question for you. I have an almost 10 month old GSD from very good working lines in Germany. He has been working towards his HGH and SchH titles and progressing very well. I got him at about 4 1/2months of age and he never made the 16 week bond with an owner but rather was with dogs at that time, he was given back to the breeder due to personal problems not related to the dog, he originally went out at 8 weeks. Well needless to say he was very independent and slightly doggy when ...

Hello Ed My name is Sharon, I work in the Israeli swat in puppy program for special forces. We have few malinois puppies in different ages, and we have some disagreement between us about the best age to put real pressure from a decoy on the puppy/dog, I'll be glad if you can answer from your experience with puppies and young dogs, what do you expect from a good (working) puppy to show you before you treat him as a mature dog and not as a puppy. What are the cues we need to see to say i...

I have a behavior problem with my ten month old mixed breed pup. She has the potential to be a good sled dog because she is very strong, but she chews up every harness I put on her. I can't afford much more, so its limiting how much I can really work with her on this. I enjoy recreation sledding and skiijoring, but she is capable of complete destruction of her harness in just the time it takes me to hook myself up or to walk to the back of the sled. She even chews on the front strap while...

Hi Cindy, Thanks again for all your wonderful support in the past. I have a wonderful, well behaved dog that I truly enjoy and I can honestly say it is due to the information I have gotten from you and your website. I do have a question about e-collars. I have a 2 year old boxer mix that is wonderful. I have trained him in the past with a Dogtra e-collar to solidify his recall and added security when we visit the mountains of Vermont and he is off leash. He was always oblivi...

I was told that you should not train a dog on meth very often because it would burn its nose. Does this caution hold any weight? If so, how often should I work with that scent? Also, I am a new K-9 handler training the pioneer for my department. My Chief is applying for a DEA permit. Once we receive the permit where do you suggest I get the narcotics to train with? Our city is very small we don't see a lot of cocaine, heroin, etc. I do however have all the meth I need. Thank You, Officer ...

Hello Ed, I am looking to get your input and suggestions, I have a female black Lab that is 12 weeks old. I am working with her daily on basic obedience and want to train her to be a drug dog for our department. Can you suggest which of your videos would be best to use, along with how do I know when I can start training her for searches? Alan

My girlfriend is sharing a house with 2 other girls. One of the girls owns the house, and she also owns a Vizla (a 3-year-old dog from a rescue). I understand the dog was abused by a prior owner. The dog has bitten the owner twice, once in the hand (about two weeks ago) and on both her cheeks (two days ago). After the first bite on the hand, the owner sought advice from a dog trainer that advised her to assert an alpha roll by ignoring the dog, not feeding it for a couple days, and then h...

Hi. I am not sure if this is the right format to ask you a question, but...it is all I see on your web site. If you might be able to help, please read on. If not, could you pass this on to the correct person (if there is such a person). My husband and I have read quite a bit of your information about aggressive dogs, and we are faced with a dilemma with our own dog. Boomerang, a neutered two-year old Australian Shepherd, appears to be "territorial" but also exhibits a few of...

What is the recommended age to with a puppy to start using the electronic training collar. I have a 4 month old female german shepherd. I was hoping to start using the collar around 6 months old, if that is a safe age. My main purpose is to train the recall. Thank you. Debbie

Hi Ed, I have been looking around your site and reading the various articles. I have a 4 year old Labradoodle (poodle X lab) I know it isn't one of the usual breeds you deal with, however I am in need of some advice. My dog was attacked as a puppy by 7 GSD's. I was out walking her and had let her off the lead in an enclosed space in order to do some training. A man with the pack of dogs walked up to the gate and came in. The dogs saw my pup and pulled the leads out of his ha...

Hi Cindy, Please share with me what methods you teach your clients to use when their adult dog (the K9 is K9 friendly and on leash) wants to meet this strange adult dog (who is on leash too) walking in their direction? Thank you, Ron

My puppy is very mouthy. It grabs my kids, my arms, my pants. What should I do to stop this?

Hi Cindy, We are house training our G.S. pup (13 weeks old) and he is doing quite well. Now, while in the house, he is either on a leash with me or in his crate. He has not had an accident since we began this practice but I'm not sure how to correct him if/when he does. In the past when I have caught him in the act, I would sternly say 'No - Outside' and take him out to his potty spot. Should my correction be more firm than this or this appropriate? Thank you, Adam

Hello Ed: I have a 50 lb English terrier mix (6 yrs), very sweet and loving when around people/strangers while in my house, backyard or on leash. Off leash, he chases anything that moves, typically ankles of people that are running, biking, skateboarding, etc. He is aggressive with other dogs. The most nerve racking is he goes after children. I picked him up from an unknown family handing out puppies when he was 8 weeks old. He was shy as a puppy. I've had dogs all my life, and if ...

Hi Ed, Is there a specific training video of yours that addresses how to train a dog to stay in his own yard (not to jump a fence)? I have a 1 year old (neutered) Lab-Mix, that loves to visit the neighbor dogs, chase squirrels, turkey, deer, etc. Our 3 acre back yard is fenced in by 4 foot fence - He leaps over it as if it's not there. We've installed an electric fence and he's not fazed by it. Currently he is on a leash and/or lead run. But I'd love to find a way to correct...

I have just perused your web site for the article on dog aggression and have a few questions that I wonder if you could answer. Some of the previously answered questions were close to mine, but they just did not seem to fit the situation exactly. I have a one year old female Germ. Shepherd. She appears perfectly calm around my girlfriend and myself. However, she raises her hair and growls at almost any dog she sees no matter the size. Other dogs cause her to tear into a frenzy. Also, she ...

I have a two year old mix -German shepard - terrier (we think) he was rescued from a garage at the age of about 3 months. We was somewhat malnourished, but was very friendly. My problem with this dog is aggression. He has attacked three times. First was by a friend who took his treasured stick from him. The friend was told not to take anything from this dog. Second was another friend who took a piece of pizza from the dog. He also was told not to. I have been working with a training school th...

Ed: First off I'd like to say that I am writing this on behalf of the dog's owner because she does not care enough to handle this matter herself. I will first describe the situation: The household consists of a human (sorry I felt I had to make the distinction) mother and a daughter (the daughter is an adult) and a 3 yr old Australian Cattle Dog male and a 2 yr old Border Collie female. I am the boyfriend of the daughter. Anyhow, on to the question. The male Cattle Dog is out of co...

Ed, I have a 10 week old American Pitbull Terrier (APBT). He is very aggressive toward strangers already. What I mean by this is that whenever someone walks by he will charge at them and start barking. If that person was to advance toward him he would start to back up, though. I like the initial aggression, but why does he back up and what type of temperament is he showing? Would he make a good dog for protection training?