Most Popular Q&As

I recently started playing tug with my four month old BC. Outside of food it seems that's when I get the most focus out of her when training. It has helped me out tremendously in working on recalls, getting a solid out and building a retrieve (she does not like balls). The problem is now she is teething. Is there a soft enough tug that I can use if I lessen the intensity of the game or any other form of play that you think might be as useful? Thank You

We have a 5 month old Doberman, and a 6 year old Doberman. Both are house dogs, but we're also raising the puppy for protection work. Our breeder made us aware of your website, and I must say, it is wonderful!! I've had many dogs, and felt I knew how to train them. But your system of marker training is incredible! It has opened my eyes. Thank you for such a complete and thorough training system and website. We're following your DVD on raising a working puppy, and incorporating the advice y...

I did it. Went to a dog park. Against what was taught in the course. Everything was great for 2 months. My dog is a European Doberman, female, 1-year-old. Needs a lot of exercise. Today, she is great at the park until a woman shows up with a ball and a long stick for throwing it. My dog is excited, chases the ball, runs back to the lady, and jumps on her. She starts yelling and swinging the stick, kicking my dog. I'm running to grab my dog as she thinks the lady is playing. Not good, my dog ...

Dear Cindy, About a year ago we rescued a beagle/lab that had been shot with a shotgun and rifle. "Freight Train" had been passed through a couple of homes because he would run away through an open door or gate. We contacted you online for advice for dealing with him. You instructed us to keep him on leash for a long period of time to build a good relationship with him around food. He stopped running away and built up enough trust that we allow him supervised yard time with us. Yesterday a...

My 17 month old Dutch Shepherd has travel anxiety, she pants and won't relax in the 2nd seat of our SUV. She is in a safety harness and can lay down. I tried a name brand herbal calming product which did not seem to help, I'd like to avoid Benadryl or vet Rx. Chew toys or treats are ignored. Would it be o.k. to use the e-collar to break her thought process, say as part of saying down, (she ignores commands when so agitated) or would a tap or click make things worse? She didn't have any ...

Hi, my 3 yr old RR is (after years of training) still reactive to most dogs on lead, she wants to say hi. From 8 wks old she has been like this & despite every type of training (I have trained many dogs out of this habit with no problem) she has continued to be a challenge. She walks very well on the lead, unless we encounter a dog. As a puppy I briefly used a prong on her to calm her down and it worked wonders, that in itself taught her to walk well on the lead. I only used it for 1 month...

Hello, you've probably been asked this a million times but, what treats to do you use when you train? Thanks.

My German Shepherd puppy literally has to be under me ever second I am around. He will not go in the back yard without me to use the restroom, he stays under my feet, in between my legs while we are walking or standing still, he'll sit on my foot when I am cooking, washing dishes, cleaning, laundry, etc. Even when I vacuum the house, the vacuum cleaner noise doesn't deter him from up under my feet and in between my legs or following next to me. It's like he has to see me, watch me, and he lit...

I am going to be a new K9 handler his summer. My wife and I are expecting our first child in May and plan on picking up my K9 partner in July. We have a female German Shepherd and a male Siberian Husky. My question is I have been flirting with the idea of having an outside kennel and my k9 living out there. My thought process is that he can be well rested and not stressed with a new baby and two dogs when he comes home from work. Is that a good idea? I live in Iowa and also wondering what you...

I am looking for some guidance as to what type of training my dog needs. I have a female miniature Schnauzer/Maltese mix that will be 2 in January. She has recently began attacking our 11 year old poodle (also female). The poodle is sick with heart problems and the attacks on her are becoming more frequent. Millie, the mixed breed, also chases the cats and tries to go after them but not in the aggressive nature that she has with the poodle. The poodle now trembles when Millie is anywhere near...

I have an 8 month old male and he has reached puberty and he bites at his private area and tries to pleasure himself and whines while doing this. He does this a lot and we have a friend who has a female that just went into heat and they want to breed her with our dog... Would this be a good idea? Would it maybe help his problem and calm him a little? Thank you, Karri

Hi Cindy, We have purchased 2 of your videos and have been watching several of your free videos on training. We are volunteer puppy raisers for Canine Companions for Independence and have made great progress with our puppy and with our 2 other dogs (lab/golden mixes). We did have a question and have not found it on the videos (although I am sure it is there, we just haven't been able to come across it yet). After marking a behavior with "yes" she will look for the reward/treat. Is it o...

Hello Ed, This is a question about separation anxiety. I've been over all of the posts on your website and on the forum and I am still wondering what you would recommend as my next step with my dog, given what we've done so far. If you have the time to give me even a short answer, that would be great! I have your Pack Structure and Basic Obedience DVDs. I've been following your rules on pack structure and obedience and have a very well behaved 1.5 year old Australian Shepher...

Hi Ed, I am moving to Indy from Texas. I have a SchH3 female that I adore. She is very smart and very loyal and very affectionate. I had her bred to a breed certified male SCh and she has had 4 great puppies, all with her smarts and demeanor. I want to get one trained specifically for protection ( as in elite protection) and perhaps tracking/rescue( I am firefighter). The only one I can find nearby that looks like I can trust is Al Gill, but he is too busy with police work. Can you...

Ed, I just rec'd your puppy video and watched it today. What a super video to watch!! We got a GS puppy (10 weeks) 2 days ago. I only have a couple questions after watching (I know I'm not supposed to have any) :) On crating the pup, how long/often during the day should he be crated so he's used to it and it works effectively? I don't want to be using it too much. Does that time wind down as he gets older? The video states that with food up at about 6:00 and water by 7:00, h...

How do I determine if my puppy is 'sharp'?

My question is about choosing a helper. Should the helper be someone the dog knows, or not? I have read a lot of articles, and some say the dog shouldn't know the helper, some say they should and some say it doesn't matter. I have read a lot of your articles online and it seems you know what the hell you're talking about. I would appreciate it if you gave me an answer to this question. Sincerely, E. Jones SFC US Army

We utilize a muzzle and choke collar in training. She is dominate aggressive and used to be a fear biter however that is changing with socialization and the prudent use of a muzzle. The dog has been checked by a vet and the vet found no reason for this behavior. she was adopted from a shelter with very little background known. We have had to string her up twice. The problem of dominance shows basically when she is determined not do something that is asked of her even though she is fully c...

Hi Ed, First, I want to thank you for having such a wonderful site. I have read it frequently and learned a great deal. It is the first place I go when I have a question. I just read your section on Q&A on Fear Biters, and either I missed it or it did not address the situation I have. I have an 11-month old AKC male Rottweiler named Roark. We got Roark from my brother 2.5 months ago, just before my brother committed suicide. While I know that Roark was never mistreated, he d...

Dear Ed, Our family is in a terrible position and we have a very difficult decision to make. We have a 5 year old Wheaton terrier, Reilly, that is a sweet and very loving dog with our family. We have 5 children ranging from 9-19 and she has been incredibly docile with them. She was the tiny one in her litter and very scared of her siblings. In retrospect we should have known that this could become a problem. She has a very weak stomach and requires special food. We tried to board h...