Most Popular Q&As

Ed, I have one very quick question to ask you about. I know I can get other peoples input on your web board, but it's yours I interested in. You have been around the block many times, and I'm sure you also know a lot of other top level dog trainers that have as well, but when is the earliest a person should let their pup work with a helper? I have just about every one of your videos on this topic, and I think I know the right answer, be the reason I'm asking you is that there's a l...

Hi Cindy, I have a 17 month old GSD who I have had since he was 7 weeks old. I have trained him in protection work as well as obedience and agility. In obedience and agility he is doing fine but in protection I have huge control problems. He is extremely highly driven in the presence of a sleeve, even when the sleeve is not on a helpers arm. I have been doing a lot of control exercises in the presence of the sleeve but not rewarding with the sleeve, using a ball as the re...

Hello, I just read your article about introducing dogs. I was glad to hear that I'm proceeding in the right fashion. Just one problem I have is my resident dog (15 year old pom) Is stone deaf and has only 1 eye. My new dog is an 18 month old pom. NO commands are not heard. Any ideas for this delicate situation? They are separated. They bark hysterically at one another upon sight. Thanks. Cathy

Hello, I've been reading your articles on your website about adding a new dog to your home, but I'm still having trouble. I have two female Standard Poodles, and am thinking of introducing a new male standard into our home. My girls are 6 and 3, the new dog is about 7 months. My eldest dog, Tasha, is sweet, even-tempered... we say the younger one, Maya is a toddler... full of mischief, into everything, but so, so loving and fun! They get along sooo well... they are actually ...

I am looking for a 6-10 ft leash (preferably leather) that is not hand held. I need a leash for hiking which leaves my hands free for grasping and crawling rocks. However, my state is very strict about leash laws. Do you have any suggestions?? I saw your police officer leash, but it doesnt look very long. Please help. Thank you, Tanya

Would you tell me if the Ultra Light Weight Trainers Vest is meant to attach the dog or dogs to the vest around my waist? I have two large dogs and it is difficult for me to walk them together. If this is not the correct item, do you know of a product such as this? Thanks, Lisa

I frequent your site often and own several DVD's--thank you for providing such excellent resources! I just finished the "Your Puppy 8 weeks to 8 months" and listening to the pod cast on marker training. When teaching a new behavior, when do you suggest is best to "name" that behavior and give it a command word? For example, when teaching a "sit," are you saying sit before the dog knows the associated motion, as you guide it into position with food? Or, are you waiting until ...

Hi Cindy, Our male lab has had 8 litters he sired and 10 good ties with several females. He has not been able to tie in over a year, just slip ties. I had the vet check him and though he always had topical protection he got Anaplasmosis. His sperm count is high but the motility was about 2 %, he is being treated with doxacyline for a month. The vet thought a fever from the disease did this and he should recover. Have you ever heard of this before with these affects? After two doses...

Hello Cindy! I have a question about what supplements to give to a young Bernese Mountain Dog with hip dysplasia. (Can't ever remember how to spell that!) This is my mother's dog and she is giving her novox for pain, but I'm thinking that she needs something else besides that. What would be your recommendations? Thank you! Jael

I have been purchasing the honest dog food, "Embark." My last order was 10lbs. My 5 mos. old puppy loves it but I have a concern which brings me to a question I hope you can help me with. Is it normal for the dog to have anywhere from 3-5 bowel movements a day? These are not small, but very healthy so I wonder if she is getting the nutrition from the food before she passes it. She has no gas or anything, just what I have mentioned. Sometimes I do add ground turkey as you mentioned previou...

I am new to the raw diet and I am planning on doing more research. Please could you let me know if it would me OK for me to mix The Honest Kitchen with his kibble and if so how long can I do this. We are also on a tight budget and not sure if we can afford to just feed raw.

I wanted to know, on your website it says for up to 70lbs 2 3/4 dry cups while the bag of embark says up to 4 1/2 cups. We have an American bulldog that is 6 months old and weights 65 lbs. What do you suggest for the amount. If we adjust to 4 1/2 cups for his weight, is it fine or is that too much? We also have a 10-yr-old English Bulldog. He likes it much better with dry kibble mixed in it. Is it okay to just keep mixing his food this way?

Hello Cindy, I just ordered several items from Leerburg and now I've decided to get your raw diet foods. My 4 yr. old German Shepherd just had a scary attack of bloat symptoms which stopped after I gave her Mylanta Gas and she ate a lot of grass. She is on "Life's Abundance" dry kibble-all my five dogs and 3 cats - can you add the food to my order? If you could guide me to get started (I read the site but not sure which to go with) I would give them raw meat and vegetables, yogurt ...

I have a GSD that has dry itchy skin and is scratching a lot. I used a special shampoo from the vet which others have asked you questions about and it did not help. Which kind of Honest Kitchen would you recommend? I was looking at Thrive and did not know if that would help with the dry skin and scratching I described below in the email I sent you yesterday or if I should use a different one of the Honest Kitchen types of foods. I was looking at the Red barn meat rolls product for usin...

Cindy, I was wondering if you have heard of EVO from Innova it is grain free and how it compares to Honest Kitchen. From there web site they don't recommend feeding EVO to large breed dogs under 2 because it is low in carbs. Is this true with honest kitchen? I have a GSD that is 21 months old and I am looking for a grain free food. Have you ever had any problems with E coli from the raw diet, lately it seems that there has been a lot of e coli recalls? Thank you for your...

Dear Cindy, At what age do you suggest that a female be spayed (if at all) when she is going to be used as a personal protection dog. I am getting lots of mixed info on this one. I have only had males before and have always left them unaltered. I obviously want her to be the best that she can be. I do not want to make a mistake and spay her if that might make her less of a protection dog down the road. If you could get back to me as soon as possible that would be great. Thanks for y...

I have a 10 month old male lab. I recently read information on the risk of bone cancer, thyroid issues and other issues that could be related to neutering your puppy too young... 4 to 6 months. The research (studied with medium to large dogs) showed that the dogs that were neutered at one year had a 65 to 75% chance of not having some of these issues as they age. Our lab is very active (teenager). How do I know if I have an aggressive dog? I am watching your video on Pack structure... I l...

Hello Cindy, I am a pet sitter in NJ. One of my clients has two wonderful GSD rescues. The other day after heavy rains the backyard where they are let out by me was pretty muddy. They needed to do their business and so they were out having a grand time for about 20 minutes. I brought them into their kennel room and did my best to get the mud off, but they were quite muddy. I contacted the client to give her a heads up that the dogs were muddy and might need a bath. She came h...

Cindy, I was looking at the biweekly newsletter and saw the herbal and holistic vitamins. I have a 4 year old beagle and she sometimes gets a little over excited and anxious when I bring her out to places. I am a trainer and she is getting much better with the help of training. She has no phobias or extreme anxieties, but I was wondering if maybe one of the calming or anxiety pills or supplements that you have may help out a bit. As long as its 100% natural I have no problem giving...

Hi, Big fan of the website. I love it. It has really helped me and my wife. I have a bunch of your DVDs, but I do have a question. My wife and I have a 10 month GSD. We just had to take him to the vet yesterday for a minor limp he has with his front paw. He was weighed and is currently 85 lbs. He is a great dog, lots of energy and no dominance issues. The vet checked his leg and didn't see anything wrong with it. She gave us some muscle relaxers to give him until next week and if...