Most Popular Q&As

I have a question, I had set up a plan to breed my dog with another Chihuahua male her size. I brought him to our home and they tied up at least 4 times I know of. I brought him home yesterday and this morning I let her out to go potty and one of our neighbors dogs tied up with her. My question is with me breeding her a day or two before even though the neighbors dog got a hold of her she should already be pregnant from the male Chihuahua so do I have to worry about this little mistake after ...

Hi, We just got our 23 week old papillon. She took to the crate right away and for 2 weeks now has not had an accident in the crate. She even seems to enjoy her crate time. There have been numerous times that she has gone in during her play time when the crate door was open. My question is this: She is only allowed in the family area of the house which includes kitchen (which is tiled) and family room (which is carpeted).?We have caught her in the act of relieving herself in the family ...

Good morning Cindy, I am currently working with a Dachshund puppy 5-month-old in regard to potty training. So far I was able to work with the client to establish a potty schedule and while client at home with puppy to have the puppy on a drag lead. He does no longer use a diaper as well the potty pads that he was trained on by the breeder are no longer spread out throughout the house. The only place that he frequents now are 2 spots in the kitchen. He lives with 2 other dogs therefore I mark...

Hello Cindy, my 6-months old puppy eats plastic bags when she finds them in the (only) field she can run off-leash. She already swallowed one and we caught her trying on several more occasions. As an alternative to keeping her leashed at all times, since she does need to run some (GSP), the vet recommended a basket muzzle. Which one do you recommend that would prevent her from eating things? Thanks.

Hello Cindy, Our vet explained earlier today that we should have Olga spayed to prevent the likelihood of her contracting uterine or breast cancer. Really? We made a reasoned decision two years ago, before Olga’s first birthday not to have her spayed. What specifically do you suggest we tell him on this serious matter regarding our Olga, her health, and her longevity? Note: This is the third vet we have gone to with Olga over disagreements with a specific conventional veterina...

In the puppy bite work class Michael tells us to stop playing tug when they start teething. Today my 17-week-old pup lost a very small baby tooth while we were playing. So, my plan is to stop all rag-and-tug play and work on tracking and obedience. My question is how long will this process be and how can I monitor the situation?

Hi Cindy, I have a question regarding tug play. I've taken Michael's course on tug play, but I am having trouble generalizing it as a reward. My dog plays reasonably well and is excited to play tug in the absence of distractions. But if I try and use it as a reward outside of my backyard/my garage(training area) then he shows zero willingness to engage. He will sort of half engage in my front yard, but he won't really bite with commitment... even if I tease him with it. He looks right by m...

In the puppy bite work class Michael tells us to stop playing tug when they start teething. Today my pup lost a very small baby tooth while we were playing. So, my plan is to stop all rag-and-tug play and work on tracking and obedience. My question is, how long will this process be and how can I monitor the situation?

I have a young  Terrier just over a year old. All the training I’ve done to this point he’s doing well with. When he’s training at home anyway. The training includes basic obedience, including long sit and down. And dumbbell retrieve. I get him out to the park to do everything he’s learned and it’s like pulling teeth with him. He’s just not into it. What can I do? Thank you in advance for your response.

Pls suggest a pinch collar size for adult Rottweiler

My Belgian Malinois puppy is 13 weeks old. I am planning to do Schutzhund with him. I have been playing with him with the flirt pole and soft tug toys to engage him. He will chase the rag but mostly grabs it with front teeth, not a full grip and then lets the toy go. He won't tug on it. And if he does catch it with a full bite he lets it slip out or he wants to lay on the ground and play with it instead of carrying the toy. What would be your suggestion to encourage him to bite with a full mo...

I understand the merits of hand-feeding puppies as much as possible to build value on me the handler. When feeding raw, what do you suggest as a means of doing this? I have tried using gloves but there is definitely huge advantages of using kibble in this situation as it’s so convenient. I’m sure you have come across this before and wondered what answer you guys have come to for this.

Hi Cindy I just have a question about when you should start training your puppy with the sit and down etc. Do you start straight at the 8 weeks or do you start with engagement at 8 weeks and after a few weeks of engagement, play and bonding you start training the real things like sit, down , stay etc. love to hear from you ! Greetings from The Netherlands

Hi. Will the information in the Puppy bitework dvd apply to non-protection breed/sport puppies? I just want to learn how to properly start playing tug with puppies.

Hello Cindy, I have a German Shephard cross labrador his ears was up within 2 months old but one has dropped and sometimes comes up he is 7 months old and his left ear is down could you advise what I should do to make it stand back up please. Thank you

Hi, I purchased the Power of Playing Tug DVD and it has helped me a lot especially on the out as I didn’t have one prior to watching. My dog has a high drive for the tug, bites well in any position, outs ( most of the time !! ), will do obedience and heel work for it, brings it straight back when I throw it but if I let him have it from tugging without throwing he gets possessive….. any suggestions/advice greatly appreciated. Thank you

Hey Cindy, hope you are doing well. I have a (almost) 11 week old GSD pup and wanted to know when to implement the recall training in Michael Ellis's "Raising Your Puppy" videos. We have house and crate training taken care of and I am playing tug with her, that she enjoys. I just wanted to get an idea of when we should start the recall training. Thanks Cindy!

Hi Cindy, we will be bringing an 8-week old Boxer puppy into our family (pet dog) in about a month. We’ve started ordering supplies-crates, toys, equipment-but have a question about the actual trip, which will be a 3-4-hour drive. My understanding is that the safest transport would be in an airline-style crate (which we will have) but it’s a full size-we just plan on putting a large box or something to prevent it from being a pee station until the puppy is bigger. What’s your advice for...

Hi Cindy - I'm rewatching Ed's DVD on your puppy 8 weeks to 12 months - and have a question on how far I should be walking our 10 week old German Shepherd puppy. She loves to walk but I see we shouldn't over do it. Just a general idea - a couple of blocks, 1/2 mile? Thanks in advance

Hi Cindy, I have an 8 week old purebred German Shepherd puppy. We've had the puppy for almost a week now and he is pretty OK to spend time playing in his ex-pen when he is inside and not on leash (this is usually after we have been playing outside for a while trying to blow off some steam). Usually for a minute or two when he is first put in the ex-pen he will have a bit of a short tantrum before flopping down and taking a nap or chewing one of his toys. We try to ignore him and not give him...