Most Popular Q&As

Hello! You have quite a website. My question is about Schutzhund. I so rarely see breeds other than GSD's and Dobermans in this activity that it caused me to wonder; would it be possible for a breed not necessarily known for having a strong protective instinct to succeed in such a sport? For example, a Standard Poodle has an excellent nose, is highly intelligent and also very trainable. The breed isn't quite as heavy as some but is of fairly good size and is undeniabl...

Hi Ed, I really appreciate your online content. I've read a few days worth and still see there is much much more to go. I have a question about your 'no two dogs' article. The first line talks about an example like "no, do not get a second puppy to keep your older dog company," but the article mainly talks about how people shouldn't raise two puppies at the same time. I want to make sure if and what the distinction is. I am currently in the approximate position you me...

Hello Ed, I just wanted to run this by you, since you may have seen this condition in the many Shepherds you meet. My 5 Yr. Old Male German Shepherd, was chewing a rawhide bone Sunday night (April 1st) He barely chewed a small end, and then became suddenly extremely sick. Lethargic, Vomiting, collapsed on the floor, couldn't get up without yelping, etc. I rushed him right in to the Emergency Clinic here, and luckily they caught in time a nasty case of Gastric Dilation-Torsio...

What is your position on this puppy narcotics training program being promoted in Texas by the Texas Police Canine Association?

Hello, I read your web site and found the information very helpful. I did, however, want to place my situation before you. If you would be kind enough to respond it would be appreciated. My background with animals is fairly strong. I have worked for the Humane Society as well as with veterinarian, I have taken dog behavior courses through college and strongly believe in dog obedience classes, socialization from an early age and firm correction (very sharp words and correctio...

I have a nine month old Boxer-Lab mix, Zachary. He is fun loving - loves dogs and people, but I am wondering if I am making mistakes with him. I have been taking him to a local dog park since he was 4 months old. He loves it. This dog is fun loving and loves to play and romp with all dogs. But he is full of energy and he is very strong and some dogs don't want to be bothered. He will usually learn which dogs want to play and run and wrestle with him, but occasionally he will be too much f...

We have four indoor dogs- two male and two female. They're all mature. The female german shepard mix is constantly guarding the food bowls and growling at the others when they walk by. This, we believe, is the cause of the fights. The little male terrier never gets involved but the beagle mix and the retriever mix will fight her. Before we pay any more to the vet, what should we do to stop the food guarding? We've placed three bowls of dry food in three separate places in the house...

Hi Ed, Thanks for all of your great advise. Our golden retriever stays in our yard with an invisible fence. She barks at dogs and people who walk by. I haven't purchased the limiter as I think it would be too confusing. Any thoughts? Thank you, Karen

Below I have put my thoughts in email after reading your section on dominant dogs. I would appreciate your thoughts and ideas. I broke my comments into sections. My dominant dog: 1. Bedroom: My dog slept in the bedroom for first 6 months She is now 18 months and has been sleeping kenneled for the last 12 months downstairs away from master bedroom. She is not allowed to be in our bedroom. 2. Toys: She will 'drop' a toy if I command her to. She used to fight for it. This seems...

Dear Mr. Frawley, After reading most of your articles and email answers, I did not find anything on point that would help with my dog's behavior. I have a 15 month old spayed Black Lab named Lexi. My husband specifically picked her out of the litter because she was a very confident dog. We knew she was going to be a dominant dog and immediately crate trained her and joined the local dog obedience club. She was the star pupil in every puppy class and is the most well behaved dog whe...

I have a German Shepherd (not from you), he is 14 weeks old. After 9 weeks both of his ears stood up, not straight up, they actually leaned towards the middle quite a bit. However, a few days ago his left ear just went down and has not gone back up. Does this mean that he has a broke or lame ear now? This has me really worried since both ears were up, but now one won't stand. Is this normal, or did he hurt it some way? Will it ever go back up or not? Thanks for your help, and answers. Otto

I recently bought Michael's DVD on teaching the retrieve. She's all about retrieving, but she chews on the dumbbell. I switched to the PVC pipe like Michael suggested in the DVD. I've been working with her for two weeks using the PVC pipe and I'm not seeing any change in the chewing. I've tried reinforcing the hold by giving the command again and using my hand under her chin to hold her head up. She still continues to move it around in her mouth. Also, she's a maniac when she runs out to retr...

Cindy, I had emailed you quite a while ago with a question about a GSD female that used to love tugs and bite work, but suddenly stopped. You mentioned seeing the vet and chiropractor, which I did but still didn't seem to fix the problem. What it ended up being was a hormone imbalance, she had a "deformed" ovary. She had been left intact until this past week, and when performing the spay the vet noticed the problem. It was very large and misshapen. It was biopsied and was not cancerous, bu...

I have a problem with my three week old Yorkie. He was weighing 14.5 oz three days ago. I started your formula yesterday and he loved it. He gained weight. I was so happy, but he is still twitching and has lots of seizures. I feel helpless. I called the vet and they said he might have a shunt liver. Is there anything I can do to help him? I really don't want to put him down. I don't sleep, I feed him every two hours. Please help my babie Yorkied (AKA Peewee).

I have a new puppy. She is approximately 3 months old, HavaPoo. I have noticed in the last few days, she is showing some food aggression tendencies. I have a 15-year-old Yorkie/Poo and both are fed separately. Puppy fed in expen on the opposite side of the ex-pen from where the older dog is fed, which is outside of the expen. I want to thwart this immediately.

Do you have any training or suggestions to train my dog how to go for the ball and not the rope when using the ball on a rope toy? I have a Rottweiler with a huge toy drive. I would like to use the ball on the rope as a training aid for reward when training him. Right now, he keeps going after the rope and not the ball. I purchased the ball on a rope with the handle at the end from your site. I was hope you can point me in the right direction. Thanks.

Do you have any videos for working with super high energy dogs (usually happy, exuberant pit mixes in my area), perhaps a video with systematic protocols for helping clients? Thanks again!

I understand the reasons why a normal family or protection dog shouldn't be socialized by having strangers touch or feed them. My question is: how does a person socialize a puppy to be a therapy dog? This will involve being touched, hugged, handled, petted, fed, etc.- by children especially- (since the dog will be a READ therapy dog- http://www.therapyanimals.org/R.E.A.D.-Program.html#Q5150). Do I still just keep puppy in the vicinity of others and her attention focused on me, or do I nee...

Hi Cindy, I searched your site and could not find info specific to my situation, so here it goes. I bred a litter of pups this time last year. The pup I kept from this litter is 10 months old now. We have been having a difficult time housebreaking her. She continuously eliminates in the room were the ex-pen was kept were the pups lived until 8-10 weeks old. Right on the same spot (area) in the pen (when it was up)for poop/pee. The ex-pen was divided with sleep area, play/eating a...

I have a yellow lab which I'm trying to breed for three days. My family decided to breed her and vet told us that the fertile days are 9-13th. We tried the tenth day to breed her with another 2 year old lab, but he didn't know what to do.He licked her and did all other stuff, but he didn't hop on her. We were trying with that lab for three days in a row, but nothing happened so we tried with another 5 year old black lab. His owners said he mated before, so we thought it's going to be easier. ...