Most Popular Q&As

Hello Cindy. It is always a pleasure to get your newsletters. Today I have a quick question. My dog does not like to wear the prong collar. He does not mind me putting it on him. I followed your instructions on how to fit it. At first, he does great. You can walk him with just one finger on the leash, but after a few minutes, he scratches like mad trying to get rid of it. I can redirect his attention and he will stop for awhile, but soon after, he scratches again. It looks l...

Hi Cindy! I have a friend who has a Dachsund from HELL. She's just a year old, so still a pup. Disobedient as the day is long. So, I told her owner to go get a prong collar. The thing is, I think he got one from PetSmart. I can't get it to fit right without taking out too many prongs. Then it digs into her neck. How long is the shortest one you have? I prefer the quick release kind, for obvious reasons. We did use the one he has on her for a while last night, and she did get the me...

Hello Cindy, I have a 13 week GSD. She's a long hair that we imported from Germany. I've bought a lot of wonderful things for her from your web site including a good selection of DVDs. She's definitely got a mind of her own and even at 13 weeks was starting to pull so hard on the leather collar that I order your puppy prong collar and a dominant dog collar as a safety back up. Here's my problem. It's her coat. The sliding ring on the dominate dog collar stays tight on...

Dear Mr. Frawley, I would like to purchase a quick release prong collar for my dog. My question is, what size link should I order for my dog. Her neck measures 17 1/2 inches. The medium fits up to 18" and the large fits 17 to 20". She is possibly a Rhodesian Ridgeback mix. Her coat is a bit like a Shepherd but shorter. With her ears down she looks like a Rhodesian and with them up, she looks like a Malinois. She weighs 68 pounds and looks a bit dainty, but she is anything but! S...

I have a 7 month old GS puppy who, when he was younger, was harshly corrected several times by shaking the scruff of the neck. At about 12 weeks old the dog bit me while being corrected, I don't know if it was out of anger of fear. That situation was quickly settled with even more aggressive shaking. Now when the dog is doing something that he perceives as wrong and is called to me he kind of cowers and even urinates a little until he realizes he is not going to be corrected and even if he is...

Ed, I am raising my puppy to be a protection dog. I heard that you should keep people from petting your dog when you go out in public. My puppy is 10 weeks old and whenever I go out in public everyone wants to come up and pet him and say awh, he's so cute. Should I keep people from petting him? What should I say to these people? What should I do with the pup? Charles

I have a 9-month GSD that I bought for personal protection. She doesn't seem to have a mean bone in her body. Did I waste my money?

Mr. Frawley, I have spent hours and hours devouring all that is available on your website!! Totally outstanding. I am a disabled person, was gifted a pure breed GSD pup. I am doing obedience work with him. Very smart and eager to work with me. No issues thus far. Sit/down/stay/heel are all going well. He is just shy of 5 months now. I will be taking him to triple crown here in Texas when he is about 8 months old. They have a trainer there who has worked with service dog partners (not bill...

Mr. Frawley, I belong to the Peak Schutzhund Club in Colorado Springs, CO. I have been looking for information regarding training Dobermanns in schutzhund. If you have or can direct me in the right direction I would really appreciate. Thanks, Pat

Do you think that we should initially use muzzles when handling a newly bought 1-year GSD? I know, with some dogs, this won't be necessary. Thanks, Basheer

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...