Most Popular Q&As

Dear Mr. Frawley, My name is Matt Fisher and I am a new K-9 handler for the Wooster Police Dept., in Wooster Ohio. My department purchased my K-9 from a "dog trainer" in Ohio and needless to say I have been less than impressed. My dog Ringo is about two and he has needed some serious overhauls. We've had to overcome a serious sleeve fixation and I am currently working on changing his tracking from footstep to tracking through drive. Luckily for me my friend Doug Hunter a K-9 for the Way...

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 ...

When I play tug with my 10 month old German Shepherd, she is starting to yelp and whine while holding on to the bite toy. She is pulling stronger than she ever has. Her prey drive is at its highest point also. So I do not know if she is whining because she wants the toy badly or maybe she is in pain. Is this common? Is it a good or bad thing? Sincerely, Sven

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...

Ed, Quick question. I have a 9 mo GSD Male about 80 lbs. He has been great, very good with our 1 year old and very out going, has not shown signs of bad nerves, etc. Recently though he has been getting a bit possessive of his kennel I think. He has snapped at my wife twice when she has tried to reach in and pet him in his kennel and he gas growled at me twice (never snapped) and yesterday he barked and snapped at my sister when she tried to pet him when he was in his kennel. He has...

My dog suffers from Demodectic mange. Is there a homeopathic remedy I can use?

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...

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

We have a 3 1/2 month old rat terrier mix. While it seems we have broken her of her "mouthing" biting she is aggressively biting more frequently. When she has been aggressive with me (growling, etc) I have taken her by the scruff and told her "No" or "Settle down" in a very stern voice. We have 4 kids ages 4-11 and she has bitten each of them several times and in an aggressive way at least once. Sometimes they have "deserved it" because they were bothering her at inappropriate times but j...

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 a German Shorthaired Pointer that is extremely well behaved. He is very submissive with the family. As a pup and even now he submits to family members readily. He was never dominant. I have never known him to fight viciously. I am defiantly a dominant owner and am a strict disciplinarian. I make him wait to eat, walk through doors, etc. He is extremely well behaved and obedient. At home, he barks when strangers and dogs go by. He growls at the door. He does not like when too many s...