Most Popular Q&As

Ed, I need a muzzle for a situation involving a rescue Bichon who I've adopted and who is a fear biter. He is difficult/impossible to leash by anyone but me. I thought the cloth muzzle could be left on while he was in his crate (it is a very large comfy den, which he likes) so that in the event I have to be away, he could still eat and drink, but not bite any caregiver who would be caring for him and having to leash him to go out for walks, etc. in my absence. He would have to be...

Hi Cindy, I have an urgent dog question I was hoping you can help me out. I have purchased and watched the Leerburg puppy training DVD and went through a few podcasts regarding introducing dogs. Yesterday I brought home a 3 month old German Shepherd puppy and in my home I already have a 2 year old Yorkshire terrier. I introduced them in my front yard with both dog on their leashes. However the problem I'm having is that my terrier is really scared of the German Shepherd puppy and s...

Hello, I'm having trouble with my 6 month old siberian husky. I recently bought a german shepherd/husky mix about 6 months also (new puppy). At first everything was fine my husky loved the new puppy they played forever. Finally when things started to settle I took out toys for both of them I gave the husky her toy and the new puppy his, as soon as my husky saw this she took the bone and growled at the new puppy. Now anytime the new puppy comes near her my husky growls at the new pu...

Hi: I have a sweet 12 year old mini poodle, who is starting to feel his age, with poor vision and hearing, but he remains sweet and funny. He?s about 30 lbs. I have a chance to get a little 1 year old female poodle and would like to, but my husband says it may break the older boy's heart. Any words of wisdom? Diane

Hi Cindy! What a great site you have. We have recently adopted an adult female GSD. She came from a very loving family going through a divorce that did not have time for her. She is well trained--electric collar, but missed out on much interaction with people outside of the family and very little if any socialization with other dogs. She has bonded with us well--I have a 16 year old son and 18-year old daughter. She does not obey them or my husband as she does me, but so far...

I have always had dogs, usually strays, but never trained or had one as a puppy. I would like to know from A-Z what books or dvds to start with. I am trying to do my homework before we get my first puppy. I have children at ages 2, 2 and 9. We currently have a Great Dane, age 6. I would like to get a German Shepard probably in 1 year or maybe 2. My goal is to have a well trained dog to protect the family, stay in our 1/2 acre yard and be good with the children. What are the ...

Hello, I have read most of your articles on bringing a dog into a home with other dogs, I have not been able to discover your suggestion on what to do if you have a new puppy. I have 3 dogs a 12 year old, a 7 year old, and a 3 year, these are the dogs that I have had for years I have raised all these dogs from less then a year old most since they were puppies. The 3 year old is the only one that I have questions on, he is a malamute and he is a big baby. The puppy I am trying to introduce ...

I have been reading many of your responses to questions about raising 2 puppies at once, and still have some outstanding concerns about my own situation before committing to adopting a couple of new family members. Up until a couple of months ago, I had 2 miniature schnauzers, Basil (13 years old) and Oscar (8 years old). Oscar succumbed to a rapid cancer a couple of months ago and passed away peacefully thanks to our loving vets. Basil was raised from a puppy with our previ...

Hello! I just recently adopted a 3 year old American Bulldog. She has never been around cats so introducing her to my cat Bob has made me nervous. I was reading about American Bulldogs and it says that they don't get along with cats unless they have been around cats and my friends are telling me to get rid of the cat or give the dog back. I just don't believe that because of a dogs breed they couldn't get along with a cat. I did read the article about introducing dogs and cats and so far ...

Hi Cindy, You've helped me before and your advice has been right on, so I'm back for more help :) We are adopting an English Springer Spaniel dog (about a year old) and she is a perfect fit for our family. We are so excited to bring her home. I've studied your site and Ed's article on ground work for adult dogs. I plan to follow that advice carefully. The dog comes from a home where they didn't crate train her, free fed her garbage food, and had a doggie door so she's not house tra...

I found your site and felt compelled to reach out. I had 6 dogs. All of my dogs are neutered or spayed and rescues. My oldest, a female German/Rotti mix died from Degenerative Myleopathy at the age of 9 1/2 in November (3 months ago). She was the only one that could deal with the American bulldog. He started urinating in the house after her death. We took him for tests, but the vet said he is healthy-but depressed. I recently began interacting with a Golden Retriever female puppy that was...

I have an 18 mo. old airedale that does excellent obedience work, except when she is on a field where lots of other dogs have been allowed to run around or walk on - including an obedience ring. She'll refuse to sit or down, side steps over patches of grass, and usually backs up when she does sit at a halt from the heel. Have you encountered anything like this before? I've been at "dog-run" parks and tried to force the sit and down, etc. At that point she usually shuts down ...

My name is Mohamed. I am from South Africa and love anything to do about animals. I may come across as a child but my excitement is to blame for that. My question is: Can a person train a dog in 3 weeks? I have seen several advertisements on the internet and was actually considering sending my 11 month old doberman for such training. The person I was considering was recommended by my training school. His name is Robert Lee and he further guarantees that the dog will maintain...

I have a male GS 15 months. His temperament is excellent. He is a very happy and a confident dog. Now that I have him it has become even more apparent that the female did not have good nerves. Anyway, I have started doing bite work with the male. That is going great. He has a full, strong grip. He really enjoys the work. I have been trying to do something with him every night (socialization, obedience, playing) he has so much energy! Now that the holiday are here my trainer is taki...

I have just purchased your obedience video and only have one question. How did you get the dog in the video to be so calm? My dog turns one this month. Is a lot of this age? When completing an exercise any praise makes my dog go wild - as you say in your video she stops thinking. Does this mean I should immediately move on to the next exercise if she is bored? When she does go wild I use a number 7 correction. In the video you had a level seven correction which you had thought some people...

I have two beautiful three year old labs. They are not trained except for the basic commands. I walk them in an open mesa area near my home every morning. The problem is they have begun not only chasing young rabbits, but when they do catch one they pick it up and clamp down, thus causing internal organ damage, which of course kills the rabbit. I am a nature lover and very upset by this behavior! I have thought of getting a shock collar and using this devise to get them to quit chasing th...

Hi, I have a few questions that I hope you'll be able to answer for me. I have a small dog that is almost four years old. He is very obedient in the home unless he becomes distracted by strangers, outside noises, etc. I understand that this means he is not fully trained. I've had problems with completing his training in the past mainly because of two reasons. One being that my fiance is inconsistent with reinforcing the training (for example I correct the dog for getting on the bed and the ne...

Ed, greetings from Miami. I need your advice on an issue that's driving me crazy. My GSD is now 11 months and is very playful and his prey drive is very high. My concern is that when we are in the backyard he becomes unmanageable with the way he plays. He jumps up and bites your hand and runs away like a speeding bullet and comes back and does it again. He doesn't get the message when I correct him and I do correct him hard. He has a prong collar and I sure yank the hell out of him and te...

Hi Ed, I've read about not staring into the eyes of your dog, as it's suppose to be a dominating factor. In your opinion is this true and does it have any bad effects on a dog? Especially a GSD. Thanks, Peter

Hi, I have a 4 month old (on Nov 1st) boxer puppy, Judah, who has just completed puppy kindergarten and is about to begin beginner obedience at my local dog training facility. He's doing exceptionally well in his general behavior as well as obedience, however in reading through some of your articles, you speak about a dog working obedience with drive instead of compulsion. You defined working with compulsion as a dog who appears to at best tolerate obedience training. I see so many...