Most Popular Q&As

I have a four year old German Shepherd that wears a prong collar. I have consulted with a vet and behaviorist to be sure that it is fitted properly. She began wearing a prong at about age one and after realizing the restriction, hurt herself once or twice and now just jumps straight up and down in the air when she is out of control for her fear of other dogs. (Trust me...something I have worked on) but the point is she never hurts herself with the prong collar. My concern is th...

Cindy, We have a very small female puppy (~12 lbs @10 weeks) and are working with her to encourage prey drive as a start for protection. She seems to have good prey drive for moving objects (compared to my last dog and my friend's GSDs) and is crazy for the leather bite rag. I want to take it slow with her development since my last dog was damaged by a well respected trainer starting defense work too early (this is just my opinion and suggestions from other working breeders of this type of...

Hey there, Let me just start with a big thanks for the wonderful website and DVDs you've created. They've been a huge source of information for me and they really help me a lot! If it wasn't for you, I would've been raising my Beagle the "old school" way and would probably have had a sadder dog to live with. I'm sure he is also very grateful for you teaching me better! :) I've read most of the stuff you wrote about the all natural, raw diet, and I have just one thing i had a problem ...

I have a 3.8 pound Morkie. She will be 7 months on the 23rd. She is a good dog. Lot's of personality but...the housebreaking has been a nightmare. I started crate training her and she was peeing in the kennel at night even though I walked her during the night. Then she stopped doing this and recently started again. She was kept in the crate during the day and walked once sometimes twice a day until I got home at 3:30. But she has always had accidents in the house no matter how many times I wa...

How often should I give a search command during nosework?

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...

Hi Cindy, I have two dogs with Perianal Fistulas. Both are White German Shepherds, Mother and Daughter. I am thinking of switching them over to the all natural diet and buying your DVD to help the transition for us. We have always fed Solid Gold being told it was the best out there for our dogs, but something is wrong, last year we had to put a dog down with SIBO (only 22 months of age.) She basically starved to death from the overgrowth of bacteria in her gut. She had Perianal Fis...

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...

We have had a serious incident where one of our dogs has gotten into a fight and killed the older dog. We had a 14 year old female mixed breed (Bichon) that at one time was the dominant dog. We also have had a Lab for 7 years. We just (4 months ago) brought a new rescued puppy into our house(Lab/Chow mix). The two older dogs have gotten in small fights before and the Lab has been more dominant over her lately. Yesterday, we had an incident when all three dogs were looking out of ou...

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...

My 5 month old Aussie puppy is obsessed with my 4 year old Aussie. It’s not aggression—just the opposite: she is demanding to play. But it not like a polite request. Instead she grabs a mouthful of the older dog’s fur and won’t let go. If she gets anywhere near the older dog, her eyes light up and she pounces, jumping and biting. On the other hand, she is very uninterested in me and no treat or toy can get a rise out of her. The older dog puts up with her for the most part but sometim...

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...

Cindy, I have read the article about introducing new dogs into the home. At the current time, my girlfriend and I have two adult cats, and an 18 month old male collie. The collie is playful and energetic and not dog aggressive. I am considering getting a male GSD puppy around 8 weeks old to add to the mix. Would you anticipate the same rank structure problems with this age difference between the two dogs, or am I going to have to get a female? Thanks! Jeff