Most Popular Q&As

Mr. Frawley, I am very glad to have found your site. I have spent many hours reading the great material you have posted. I have ordered and am waiting on your video Basic Obedience. Having read your philosophy and the basics of marker training and the three phases of training, I have one small question for you. Our dog is about a year and a half old. I have been on the scene for the last several months and gradually learning how the dog should be trained. Due to mishandling ...

Hello, I was wondering if all breeds, even toy breeds (Havanese) should be trained in the fashion described on your web site. I read all the puppy articles. One question I especially have is Should I get a prong collar or just try a normal one? Thanks.

I have disciplined my rott to the point that she is scared of me. When I walk towards her she turns the other direction, if she knows I'm after her she will pee. When she is next to me, any sudden moves by me causes her to jump. My cousin said I broke her spirit, is this true? And is it correctable? We also have a toy poodle/yorkie mixed and she likes to eat her pooh, how do you stop that? The main reason we got her was to protection.

Hi, We're doing really well with the training guides online and with the eBook. Our pup usually pees and poops when asked and when taken to the area we designated for this; however, two of our cats love more than anything to roll, tumble, wrestle and play with Jinx. When they are around, training is out the window! I have been just carrying Jinx back into the house to his crate and then trying peeing and pooping time again in about 20 minutes. Walks are hard too. The cats ha...

Hi, Thanks for all your helpful articles, DVDs, nice leather leashes, etc. I have a question regarding my second male labrador retriever. He is currently about 7 months old. About a month ago, I was trying to introduce the Dogtra Electric Collar into some training to advance things a bit. I used the collar one time for a short period (5-10 min) but after watching your Electric Collar Training DVD again, I believe I used it incorrectly. Instead of "Command," "No" and Quic...

Hello, I have a question with regards my 17 month old female Rottweiler. Jasmine is spayed, 72 pounds. She came from a reputable breeder of rotties in my area who breeds working rotts for schutzhund. He gave Jas to me rather than selling her as she was the runt of the litter with the stipulation that I have her spayed. I am currently working with Jas with an eye towards competing her in obedience trials. She and I are in a basic obedience class now and she is really doing well....

Dear Cindy, I have a 9 month old GSD, 60lbs, and I am interested to know if I am pushing her too much in training. She knows all of the basic commands for obedience and works well with an E-collar, will fetch and bring back the ball and will ?out? when told. I am trying to get her to ?heel? and look at me, but she is not interested even if I have a treat or ball. She is pretty good trying to get the ball away from me, but when she does she holds on and lays down while holding on. H...

We were wanting to ask you about something. As I had said in our previous email, we had ordered some things from you (DVDs, toys, treats, bait bags), however, we are unable to receive the food treats due to customs. But we are very disappointed not to be able to get these treats - they appear to work so well and I'm sure our puppies would have loved them so much. We realize it's out of your or our power to do anything about actually getting them in our country (Australia) :-) but we we...

Hi- thanks so much for the great site, I currently am spending money with you guys and will continues to do so to support a great resource. I know you get tons of questions and I have read through hours of the site on multiple occasions. I have a just turned 2 year old GSD male, not perfectly trained by any means but I am working on it hard. I really want to get 1 thing under control and its the pulling on leash. My dog will come when called, stay forever, sit, down all that on command an...

Hi, Let me say that I think your website is wonderful and full of great information. I have a problem with my 6-month old female Doberman and wasn't sure which DVDs and items to purchase for correction. My (dog's) problem is this: I have seen subtle signs of what I think is dominance around the house, but by all means not aggressive. We've been training her and she usually does OK - that's why I want to buy your training DVD. She needs correction big-time. She hasn't real...

Dear Cindy, How can I train an adult dog that it's Ok to leave his property? I have a 5 year old Rottweiler that refuses to leave our property. I have tried enticing him to come with me using food and toys. He'll have none of it! He just panics and bolts for home. When I hold him back he almost strangles himself on his collar. This makes vet appointments almost impossible. Any suggestions? Thank you, Fany

Cindy, What are your best drive building toys and are they different than your training toys. I don't like those tugs with a loop on one end because my dog tends to get to close to my hand. I like something that gives more space and distinction from my hand, like a ball on a rope. But this isn't a good drive building toy is it? What do you recommend ? Thanks a lot, Roz Memphis

Hi Ed: Dean Campbell here - long time since I talked to you. I bought Kato vom Leerburg from you years ago was a great dog. Thanks. Anyway, my wife has a 13 month old working line GSD male. She is using Michael Ellis approach to dog training, got the 1st DVD from you, will get the second when released. She want to get some tug toys to use with that training, do know what tugs Michael or you would suggest for his style of training. She is planning to attend a tw...

I have an 8 months old American Staffordshire Terrier... He knows basic obedience (sit, down, beg, stay) but I don't really know how to make him release the Frisbee once he got it? I have tried to throw one Frisbee while keeping another one with me to lure him to me. Once he got to me he released the one he just got to get the one with me and then I would throw the other one... This does not seem to be working. What is the best way to teach a dog to bring things to you and 'Aus' th...

Just watched the DVD, great stuff! Already notice a HUGE improvement in my dogs "out." One question, if you get to the point where you say "yes" and they aren't that interested, does that mean you "outplayed them" with it? Meaning, I should have stopped the game much sooner? Thank you.

Hi Cindy, I have a semi-stupid question for you. I can also ask next week but it is really bothering me. It has to do with the power of playing tug. I am a little stuck. Both my dogs like to play tug but they like other toys a little better. I know I can manipulate what they play with. On a normal day I will do a couple marker training session for behaviors with food and that is all fine. During separate sessions I use the tug working on having them drive it back to me. So i...

Hi, I looked through your Q and A and did not find the exact answer I am looking for. I will try to be quick. I have a 4 month old aussie/BC cross who I will be training for agility (and life skills in general). Right now we are just playing. She is not overly driven but does enjoy tugging, etc. The problem... and I do not really see it so much of a problem but she really prefers tugging on the sleeves of my sweatshirts over any toy that we play with. I tried using a glove.....

My patrol dog will down next to me, however, when I try to down him from a distance (like down a long hallway or while recall or when he's a few feet from me etc.) he runs to my side and just looks at me like a big kid and at times barks at me. He's never liked to down since I got him. It took good hard corrections to get him to lay down for me (when I first got him 7 months ago). Again its only a problem when he's in drive and searching away from me. If you get a chance to give a little ...

I am a police officer in South Carolina. I am in the early stages of training my K-9 with the assistance of an experienced K-9 handler. My question is, can I work my dog on the street before he is certified by a certified instructor. The reason I ask is I was told the state of SC does not require the dog to be certified. Also, could you email me a list of German commands for training my younger 4 month old pup. Thanks, PFC. Gerrald

I'm a police officer new to the K-9 unit with a new dog. I am having difficulty in getting my dog to feel comfortable in buildings, although it would be nice to say I'm still in patrol school, unfortunately I'm on patrol with a "work in progress" in this area. I am seeking all the help I can get; references, articles, etc. please. I have watched your tracking videos and found them to be very informative. I work in urban areas and have doubts as to a dog's ability under adverse conditions;...