Most Popular Q&As

Hi, I have a 7 month old German Shepard and I messed up some of his training. I just watched the building drive DVD and realized that it goes against everything I have done so far playing with my dog. His mother was a highly energetic ball nut, and none of the kids would play with her because she would nip at the toy. I could tell the pup had a high prey drive and did not want issues with the kids. I taught him to NEVER touch a toy in my hands and once retrieved, to drop it ...

Hi there, I read through a lot of your Q&A articles, but did not find anything that fit to my situation. I have a 3 yr old black lab that I found at a Lab Rescue organization. He is a wonderful dog and is very smart. He has trained well and is very obedient. When we first got him, he had separation anxiety. We have been working with him on this for about 7 months. He was on a 3 month course of Clomocalm which has seemed to really help along with the training that goes with it. We c...

Hi Cindy, I have a 7 month working line German Shepherd. I have been training him since I got him at 8 weeks old. He is wonderful at home and very obedient. However, as he got older his aggression towards other dogs increased. I have been working with a trainer who is very experienced and we have tried everything; a prong collar he gets more stimulated, a gentle leader did nothing, I tried rolling up a face towel and when he would start to stare at another dog, just before lunging I would ...

I have a 9 month old male GSD, he is from German show lines. He has a really nice temperament. But at this age he is fresh, he thinks its fun to jump on me. He rarely did this when he was 5 mos. old. I know he is just playing with me but its annoying. He's very gentle when he puts his feet on me, he jumps back then barks at me. I don't want him to think this is OK to do. I have tried the squirt bottle and the sports drink bottle with water it didn't work so I added a little bit of vinega...

Hi Cindy, I have an 11 yr old male Doberman and a 1 yr old female Malinois/GSD cross (neutered and spayed). Both have received their CGC certificates and get along well together. I would like to add a 3rd dog to the family. I was wondering if the sex of the 3rd dog was significant (which would be better) or whether the potential compatibility was more a related to the personality/temperament of the specific dog? Second question: Are there any recommended ages I should be looking for...

Hi Cindy, We have a 16 month old male GSD, (we picked him up at 12 weeks old), he’s great at home a great demeanor, playful. When we take him for walks, he barks at people. Strangely, in a couple of situations, when they came close with open palm and a non-threatening demeanor, his bark changed to a whimper, almost as afraid. We have been crate training Max and working on establishing the pack hierarchy. Please note, when we arrived at the breeder and initially met him, he did not ba...

Hello Cindy. I have a Bernese Mountain Dog who is reactive and you have helped me modify this behavior! Thank you. Now she (3 years old) has taken to tearing into packages around the house when left alone when we go out. It used to be about food but now she got into xmas ornaments. What do you suggest? I have done the following courses: Leash reactivity; remote collar training and marker training. Thanks

Hi Cindy! How would you explain 3 yo GSD female raising her leg slightly when peeing/ marking ? During heat as well as when not in heat. She does NOT dig/scratch the grass with her back paws after. Is it a sign of a dominant female? Anything to be on the look out for? Thank you!

Hi, how much socialization with other dogs does my almost 5 year old German Shepherd need? He interacts with my son's golden retriever daily in short increments and is with me pretty much 24/7.

I got a friend of mine the 6 inch training tab for her new Standard Poodle puppy. She’s never used one before. How would you describe how to use the tab and why/what it’s used for?

Good morning, Cyndi. First, thank you for the wealth of knowledge you share! We have an 8 year old male GSD and will be getting a female GSD puppy in the spring from the same breeder. We have purchased an extra crate, ex pens, and other items necessary to keep the dogs separate in the house until they can get along (with the knowledge it may never happen). Almost everything I have read online at other websites states that it is necessary to introduce the dogs on 'neutral' ground...

Good day Thank you for all the excellent training content. I have been training my pup since eight weeks old to do footstep tracking and he does it accurately and at a good pace. Not quite a tracking thru drive pace, but the dog is focused. I have been doing tracks in the country about 4-5 days per week. I was told that is too much tracking and should back off to 2 per week. However, my dog loves to track and I don’t think he’s being overworked physically by any means. ...

Hi Cindy, Which puppy harness is recommended in Leerburg's puppy training videos, and which size should be purchased for an 8 week old German Shepherd puppy?

Do you have a protection video that focuses on the job of the handler in training? Even such things as keeping long lines (we frequently use 2) from tangling in our dog's legs & equipment, how to set our dogs up quickly and cleanly so we don't spend time "futzing," how to quiet our dog after we out the sleeve and tell him to sit, how to watch the helper & our dog for maximum engagement, how much & timing of praising & correction, can all be helpful to "2 left footed handlers" like me. Thank y...

I recently acquired a new dog (4 y/o lab/shepherd mx)) from my son who got her 2 1/2 years ago from a rescue group. I brought her home because she nipped my grandbaby & I felt she deserved another chance. The problem is she and my 14 y/o Border Collie/Aussie mix HATE each other! The new dog is now dog aggressive with most dogs (especially if they run up to her) although she gets along with my little terrier mix and does not bother my 3 cats. We keep them separated, either with the crate or on...

Hi, I am having a small problem with my Obedience dog that, I don't want to become a big problem. During sit stays he is moving his front feet to the point that he "ooches" sideways. This is my Novice A dog... presently we are working toward our CDX title. This started after a dog went for him. I have been working with "safe dogs," but still moves. I have been to two seminars with Michael Ellis and bought all of his DVDs and numerous other products from Leerburg. Any suggestions you have w...

Hi Cindy, I'm getting an 8 week old Malinois in about a month (just purchased your Ex-Pen the other day). It will be my first working/protection dog. Although I don't possess near the training experience you have, I've trained 2 Chesapeake Bay Retrievers to Master Hunter in NAHRA as well as 2 German Shorthair Pointers that ran in field trials. These were (and 2 still are) my own personal dogs. I realize some aspects of this training are different from the breeds I've worked with, but I'm l...

Hi, I have a question about which sleeve to order from the Leerburg site. My dog is a 6 month old female Malinois. She is done teething, all adult teeth in. She loves to tug, but I don't think she has a particularly hard bite for a Mal. Which sleeve would you recomend to use for her? Thanks

I have a 1 year old female black mouth cur who had 12 pups on 02/20/12, 1 was still born and 2 more have since died. Can you tell me how many normally survive in a litter this large with a first time mom?'

First, let me say all of your videos/articles on engagement have made my life much easier, but I've run into something where I'm stumped, as is everyone at the dog school where I take agility. My 2-year-old Pit runs great for me at home and everywhere, except our dog school, where she will run for everyone but me. When I walk in the main agility ring with her, she stops and looks like I'm about to beat her. I can do my engagement exercises with her and get her engaged and playing with me,...