Most Popular Q&As

We are a family of 2 adults, and three children ages 7, 14, and 19. We bought a male German shepherd from experienced breeder about 8 months ago. He is developing pretty normal. However we have number of points of concern. He had been biting us from a very young age. We read that it may be normal in young puppies. But this behavior had been persisting occasionally until now. It looks like a game, no one gets hurt, but some times it's pretty painful. He couldn't be admitted to an obedience cou...

Hi Cindy & Ed, I ordered two dog training DVDs (puppy & pack structure) from you guys and they are fantastic! Both really opened my eyes to what I've been doing wrongly. I have a 4 month old female Boston terrier/pug mix, who has quite a personality to match. She recognizes my husband as leader of the pack but not me. I admit it is my fault as I babied her so she only listens to me at times and even growls at me when I tell her to stop doing something like jumping on the couch or l...

Hi, Sorry to bother you, but I have one question. How do I find out if my 2 German Shepherds see me as the pack leader? I've had them for 4 years now since they were 5 weeks old and immediately started training when they were old enough; Schutzhund, search. I sometimes get a feeling that they don't see me as the pack leader. I saw your sample video on pack leadership with the puppies and the bone. They are not aggressive towards people taking they're food away, but sometimes they don't lis...

Good morning. I have read at least 20 articles that you have written and I finally got fed up when I read the ones on introducing a new dog.... Although what you say "can happen" I think you fail to realize that 80% of all dog owners do not have the time, knowledge or inclination to follow your very restrictive training rules. I have personally had 7 dogs in my career and I have always brought a second puppy into the home without any incident. I am also a member of a lot of dog owners groups ...

I have a question. I have just started volunteering at a small shelter. The new director seems to like click-training with a clicker. She also likes using a head harness called a Gentle Lead (goes fairly tight on the mussel and behind the ears). Before I order the video are these methods consistent with your teaching methods? Please comment. Joyce Perry, Iowa

Hello, I did read pretty much the whole site. Couldn't find a question completely like this one and it is probably something other people deal with. We have a really good GSD. She is easy to train and easy to live with. We have not had her that long, but she is 1 year old (rescued). When we kennel her for any length of time, she tries to get out of the kennel non-stop and barks non-stop. I understand that we can use the e-collar to fix the barking problem. Again, like...

Hello, I just ordered two of your videos, "Bite Training for Puppies" and "The First Steps of Bite Training," and I'm eagerly awaiting their arrival. I have a question that I have posted on the message boards and asked several trainers about all with varying responses. First of all I have a Belgian Malinois pup age four months. I want to eventually train him for personal protection since I own a retail business. I also like the idea of competing in a sport such as Schutzhund...

If you will, please voice your opinion.. I have a 3 yr. old GSD, German lines, who got his SCH I 2 weeks ago. We had never practiced a "judge" coming in on the B&H which was not real intense to begin with...we had only been working it for some 6 wks prior to that (once or twice a week). At trial the judge caused him to leave the blind and I had to give the reverie command again.. he went back in and was satisfactory. He does well on the courage test, attack on handler, etc. Now, in...

Hi Ed, I just finished watching, how to raise a working puppy, and building drive focus and grip. They were great videos. I plan on buying preparing your dog for the helper. At what age should the information in that video be applied to my puppy. I will be building his drive, but what is a good age to start working the puppy on preparing him for the helper. If it's best that I wait until the puppy matures a bit, then I will wait and get the video later. I am getting my puppy in two...

My dog and I just passed the BH test and are now training for Schutzhund 1. A problem I am encountering is this: my dog doesn't bark easily at the bark and hold, so we went back out of the blind to build the dog's drive to bark through the helper standing in front of the dog cracking a whip while I am holding on to my dog. The dog starts barking and wants to go for the sleeve, but can't right away because he is supposed to sit and bark. But he gets really frustrated and starts to look aro...

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 am a little confused on the method to use for my Schutzhund tracking dog. Should I use only food drops in the footprint or a food drag?

Hi Ed!! My husband and I recently purchased quite a few of your videos and I must say that I have learned so very much from them. I do have a tracking question for you though. My 7 month old GSD bitch does not pick up the food drops. She'll put her nose on it and then pass it by. I was thinking that she's just looking forward to the "payoff" at the end, so instead of putting her food there I have replaced her supper with a toy, hoping that she'd start picking up the bait again. so ...

I just read the question on the dog outing the sleeve when the motion stops - I am having the opposite problem where my dog will not out the sleeve after carrying it. I have worked all her foundation with an excellent helper and we have tried almost everything to get her to out on command. He even had a very experience & good handler handle her to see if I was the problem but she did the same thing to him. She has an extremely strong grip and does not want to give the sleeve up. I ...

I have a 12 month old GSD female that I am gearing up for Schutzhund work. I refer to your excellent DVD's for inspiration, especially those by Bernhard Flinks, that I consider to lay the state-of-the-art ground rules for us. My female, aka Chinook, is coming along very nicely except in one area: bite-work. Her tracking is very, very good. Her obedience is as good as I can expect in a 12 month old bitch, but her bite-work is worrying. She goes in very fast, whether on a cushion or...

Mr. Frawley, I wrote to you about my 6 month old Rott. Thanks for your advice. Just finish watching your (Bite Training Puppies). My question now is that I just got the pup when it was already 6 months follow your videos, my pup has no play drive. I tried playing with the sack, but he has no interest in biting the sack. How should I start his play drive with his behavior? He has a lot of avoidance when I try to follow your instructions on the video. What should I do?

Mr. Frawley, The breeder from whom we purchased our dog, suggested we check out your site or contact you about a problem we are encountering with our pup, Jake. I have been a reader of your site and have gotten a lot of wonderful info from it. Background. Jake's dad is from a Czech line. We obtained Jake when he was 11 weeks old. We were unable to make the trip until then and the breeder agreed to keep him for us. When we went to pick him up he seemed a little shy but not mu...

I have just purchased your DVD's on Basic Obedience, Raising a Working Puppy, and Training Focus and Drive. I have previously owned a working line GSD, but had adopted him at 6 months old, well after he had been started in training towards Schutzhund titling. Due to unfortunate personal circumstances, he had to go back to my co-owner and was later placed with a disabled man for personal protection. Therefore, I haven't learned everything I need to know to title my new GSD puppy, who is a ...

Dear Mr. Frawley, I recently purchased and watched your DVDs, Your Puppy 8 Weeks to 8 Months and Establishing Pack Structure with the Family Pet. I also was on your website and read an e-book on socializing puppies. I am left with an unanswered question, which is why I am hoping you will respond to my e-mail. I have a 17 week old female German Shepherd puppy. I purchased her at 8 weeks of age from a breeder in Ohio who also does a lot of work with breeding and training dogs ...

Hello Cindy I have two questions: 1. My nine week old puppy acts like he is scared of walking on the leash. He will walk for about a minute then sit and won't go anymore. He would rather let the chain choke him then come. If I pick him up and walk a few feet and put him down he will again walk for about a minute then do the same thing. He has a lot of energy and I want to drain some by walking but I get no where. When I'm in my back yard and I let go of the leash, he will fo...