Most Popular Q&As

May 19, 2011

You seem to discourage people with breeds other than GSD’s from the sport Schutzhund?

Mr. Frawley: I've noticed you've advised many people with breeds uncommon to the Sport of Schutzhund to "find a different sport." I am not a "little dog person," I like dogs that have purpose - plain and simple. But I've also opened my eyes up to see that the canine species is very diverse. It is rare, but I've seen breeds like the Maltese succeeding in Herding, Bulldogs driving flocks of ducks at the shows - and the same is happening to the sport of Schutzhund. I've seen Standard ...
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May 19, 2011

I have a 9 month GSD that I've now started to work some basic jumps (heights of 2-3 feet). Is it too soon to work jumps?

I have a question about training my dog with Jumps. I am looking to get my dog in a Schutzhund Club. At the moment the club that I am trying to get into is not taking anymore dogs at this time, so at the moment I've been working with my dog on how to build drive, retrieving, obedience and some basic bite work. I have a 9 month GSD that I've now started to work some basic jumps (heights of 2-3 feet). Is it too soon to work jumps? The dog has No difficulty making the jumps but I do n...
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May 19, 2011

My 10 month old dog is trained to track. Now it is time to train it in Air Scenting. I am having problems with control off leash. What should I do?

Mr Frawley, I have a 10 month old Bouvier that I am training for SAR. He is currently tracking but I am starting him on the basics of air scent off lead. My problem is that the older he gets the more the prey drive seems to have kicked in. Once he took off after snowmobiles while off lead and now he is starting to show interest in cars (crouching and attempting to lunge while on lead) I have started putting a prong collar on him and walking him by the road and treating him if he doesn'...
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May 19, 2011

Can you ever trust a weak nerved dog?

Ed, Our rescue dog has weak nerves - is easily frightened but less than we we got him 3 mo. ago. He is 10 mo. old. We are now doing GW per your article and he is living, eating in his crate that is in the dining/living room. I bought your Obedience video and prong collar and am doing all I can to train him right. Doing well with marker training, learning to sit going in and out of doors, etc. I have switched to natural meat and bone diet per your article, give Vit. E , Vit. C and F...
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May 19, 2011

For Vitamin C and Vitamin E supplements, is there anything specific with them to seek out for? Should I get a natural Vitamin C supplement or is any Absorbic Acid powder sufficient?

Hey how are ya? For Vitamin C supplement and Vitamin E supplement, is there anything specific with them to seek out for? For example, should I get a natural Vitamin C supplement or is any Absorbic Acid powder sufficient? And for Vitamin E, is the D-Alpha sufficient or do you recommend all the tocopherols? Thanks. Sincerely, Bobby
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May 18, 2011

My 6 month old female GSD has been showing signs of being weak nerved lately. What do you think?

Hi Ed, I'm a long time follower of your site and I think it's good that you offer blunt/matter of fact advise. I have a 6 mos old female GSD from German working lines and so far she's been a wonderful dog. I do have a couple of concerns though; I came home the other night and had forgotten my keys in the house. I have a 3 year old son and a 7 mos old daughter and I knew they would both be asleep so I tapped gently on the door trying to get my wife's attention and not ...
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May 18, 2011

Have you ever seen a dog that is afraid of traffic grow up to become a brave, confident companion? How have you dealt with similar problems?

Hello, Several weeks ago I was lucky enough to have come upon your website. I found it so fascinating that I have spent hours reading dozens and dozens of its articles. Your insight into the thinking dogs is in many ways unique and I have come to the conclusion, accurate although it differs from so many traditional views. I have already purchased several DVDs and books ("Your Puppy 8 weeks to 8 Months," "Basic Obedience," "Raw Dog Food," etc.) and consider them tremendously helpful...
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May 18, 2011

Our yellow lab loves to take your hand and wrist in his mouth and bites down and wants to lick you. Is this teething? How do we stop this?

Hi Cindy, Our yellow lab just turned a year old. He is a VERY ACTIVE, nice puppy, however sometime he loves to take your hand and wrist in his mouth and bites down and wants to lick you. He can also have this behavior when he gets excited when someone comes in the room and that guest wants to pet him. Is this teething, puppy or will he grow out of it? Or better yet how do we stop him and this behavior? Thank you, Lisa
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May 17, 2011

My dog is gentle and does not show any aggression except towards large trucks, buses, squirrels, rabbits, and joggers (not walkers). What should I do?

Hi. I have a 1 year old Red Setter named Lexee. She is a very gentle dog and does not show any aggression except towards large trucks and buses when we are walking or riding in the car. She also does this with joggers passing us?not walkers. I think she is afraid of the noise from the tires and has developed a habit of lunging and barking at them. There has not been any negative incident in particular to cause this. (That I am aware of). It just started and I have not been able...
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May 17, 2011

My police dog goes nuts when he hears fireworks. What can I do?

I have a question that you might be able to help me with. My name is Sgt. Brian Rudick and I am the K9 Unit Supervisor for the Hartsville Police Department, (SC). We have two crossed trained (partol/narcotics) GSD. One of our dogs goes nuts when he hears fireworks. Our dogs have received training around gunfire and the dog in question responds just as you would expect. At certain times of year when the general public likes to use fireworks (Christmas, New Years, and the 4th of July) he become...
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May 13, 2011

My dog's snout makes contact with the inside of the muzzle. Is this the proper fit?

Cindy, I ordered your German Shepherd Wire Muzzle size medium. I received this today. It certainly exceeds my quality expectations and think it is a wonderful product. Previous to purchase I had emailed Stephanie with my dogs measurements as to the directions on Leerburg.com. They are as followed: Muzzle length: 4 1/4"Muzzle circumference: 11-1/2"-12" My concern is that my dogs snout makes contact with the inside of the muzzle. Is this the proper fit? If you need me to snap s...
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May 13, 2011

My dog will chew his leash in half during a correction, what should I do?

Good Morning! We have been watching your DVDs, the Basic Obedience and the E-collar Training. I am half way through the e-collar DVD. We have a Pit Bull Terrier that is a dominant fixed, 2 year old male. A rescue dog. He is dog aggressive, but not people aggressive. He will cut a leash in half in a few seconds. We gimmy rigged a thick rubber insulation hose that fit on the leash area at the connection because he would get that leash in his mouth so quickly when he wanted to ...
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May 13, 2011

I have a deaf dog and I have problems with her pulling me out of the card. I keep her on a leash but she is so wild. What can I do?

Hi, I have a deaf australian shepherd and she is really a good dog except she can't hear. So I keep her on a reel leash or a run line. Am afraid she will get hit by a car or truck as she can't hear traffic. My problem is that when she gets out of the truck(on a reel leash) she takes off running so am wondering if a choke lease collar would be a training tool for her. She pulled me out of the truck onto the ground and am recovering from bruises. Did not beat the dog! H...
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May 11, 2011

My dog has developed a fear when traveling in the car. Is there a way to get to the root cause of the fear? How common is this behavior in dogs?

Dear Cindy, I have written with concerns about my daughter's dog previously and you have always been very helpful, so I am coming to you again. This dog was the runt of his litter. He is smart, sensitive, very attached to my daughter and has more a Border Collie than a Lab personality. His fear of walking on ramps and over metal disappeared after observing another dog walking on the ramp. Following your suggestions, we've seen substantial progress in his overcoming his fears...
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May 10, 2011

Is the Keen brand for Honest Kitchen not made with intense heat? Also, when I take my dog to the kennel, he is required to have his vaccinations. Any way around that?

I noticed that on your website it says that the Honest Kitchen brands verve, force and embark are not made with intense heat? does that not hold true for the keen brand that Honest Kitchen offers? I've also been reading up on the harmful effects of vaccinations and I'm seeing it's not good for my dog but this is my problem: When I take him to the kennel they require that he be up to date on all vaccinations. I have not seen any kennel that does not require that, at least anywhere ...
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May 6, 2011

I recently purchased a 5 and half week old GS pup. The pup has had loose stool [pudding like] since we brought him home. Can you please help me.

Hello Mr.Frawley, I was told to look you up because you could give me some solid advice. On 1/30/2011 I purchased a 5 and half week old GS pup with a very impressive background from West German blood lines and father being a Va champion. The pup has had loose stool [pudding like] since we brought him home. On 1/31/2011 I took him to the vet to have him checked for the health guarantee. The vet said he was a healthy good looking pup and gave him his 1st set of shots. This dog...
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May 3, 2011

I jog with my 6 month old puppy every day. When I try taking my 2 1/2 month old pup jogging she acts afraid. What can I do?

Hi Ed, I've just bought the video Your puppy 8 weeks to 8 months. Let me tell you that I have a 6 year old bitch, I jog with her every morning, last morning I tried to do the same thing with my 2.5 months old puppy, I took both dogs for jogging but the puppy seems to be afraid in the park so he's screaming all the time, if he hears another dog barking he runs away like looking for his home should I keep on taking my puppy for jogging or should I wait until he is older? Thanks for y...
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April 29, 2011

Our 10-month-old is aggressive to other dogs. Our vet and a police K9 training facility recommended us to use the ecollar but our trainer disagreed. What do you think?

Cindy, I wanted to get your opinion about our 10 month old female German Shepherd, Indi. She has begun to be aggressive towards people and some dogs. When she is aggressive towards people she is on leash and when they get close enough, that I guess she perceives as too close, she will lunge and snap towards them. She is not quite as bad with other dogs but does show some of the same behavior. We were attending training classes at the local pet store to learn the basic commands, which sh...
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April 28, 2011

My trainer thinks that we should put our 2 1/2 year old GSD to sleep because he has bitten me. What do you think?

Dear Ed, I have a question regarding our German Shepherd. He's 2 years old now and weighs 108 pounds. He wasn't socialized as a puppy, so we are taking him to a trainer because of fear biting and aggression with people in the yard and house (he hadn't been aggressive toward my husband, our children, or myself.) The trainer has been helpful, and we've seen a lot of improvement. The last time we went for a session, she told us that our dog sees my husband as a leader, but doesn't see me as o...
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April 28, 2011

We have done a lot of training, but we have one main problem of prey-drive quirks and his want to get things. Will he get any better with age?

Hi Cindy: We have a 2.5 year old male Belgian Malinois (neutered), who comes from a line of fairly high drive dogs (several of his siblings were sold for police work). Our dog has had very extensive training. We've purchased many of the Leerburg videos dealing with drive, focus & motivation, conflict, to name a few; we have put him through all the obedience classes from Basic through Advanced, worked privately with a very good trainer, and also with another trainer, a retire...
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