Behavior Problems Q&As

Hi, I am a huge fan! Thank you for your advice and products. We have an 11 month old GS female and she is spectacular. Several of your DVDs have been amazingly helpful to us. Our GS is brilliant, sweet, trained, and a pleasure. Since she was a puppy, she pees from excitement when a new person greets her. She also does this when I come home from a business trip and she hasn't seen me in a few days. Several have told me that this is submissive urination and will hopefully go a...

Cindy, Thank you for taking the time to read my e-mail. My 1 year old female GSD has been with me every day since she was 5 months old. She has gone everywhere with me mostly Lowes and the credit union. Several weeks ago she became very shy of other people even those that she had been friendly with before. If I let someone pet her she will do a submissive pee right there with her ears laid back down low. Now she doesn't even want to associate with people and will pull away. ...

Hello, I have been perusing your web site, as I am wondering what to do about my dog's chewing problem. I got the dog from the Humane Society, treated her for heart worms, and figured the worse was over. However, she chews up paper (in any form--newspapers, books, mail, etc.) and wood (furniture, namely the coffee table). The dog in question is a 20 month old weimer/chocolate lab mix who lived most of her life at the Humane Society. I also have a four year old weimer, and th...

Hello, My name is Katrina. I have a three year old American Bulldog that is preparing to take the CGC test. I got her when she was six weeks old. Since day one she has been a submissive wetter when she gets excited or when anyone bends over to pet her. The vet told me that she would outgrow it when we took her for her first checkup, but she never did. I have even tried to have people to give her a treat as they bend over and pet her. I thought this would help eliminate her urinatio...

Hello Cindy, We have a GSD 2-1/2 yrs. She is trained in obedience and agility, is well socialized and is generally a very good, calm dog. She has always enjoyed catching insects and I guess that's normal. Earlier this summer, she caught a wasp which stung the roof of her mouth. We gave her an allergy pill and she was okay. But we would like to stop this behavior. When we want her to ignore something (like a barking dog in a yard as we walk, or a food scrap on the ground) we ...

Hi, We have a chocolate lab and he is very hyper...although he basically very good. We have a problem with him staying off the counters and going in the sink. He does not like the crate, he slobbers all over himself when I crate him and leave the house. He is 7 months old and I gate him an area of the hallway where he cant really do any damage but now he jumps the gate so I have been double gating the area. Sometimes he knocks the gates down. He also steals food from the table...

Hi Cindy, First off, thanks for all the great information on your web site and videos. I bought both Basic Obedience and Your Puppy 8 weeks to 8 Months and found them very helpful. Looking for some advice about by Doberman puppy. She's 16 weeks old and starting to show "stranger anxiety." If she is in our fenced-in yard off leash, and someone walks by the house, or she spots one of our neighbors, her hair stands up and she barks like mad. Even though she is a puppy, she ...

Cindy, We have a 4 month old German Shepherd puppy. Over the last 3-4 weeks she has been chasing her tail and barking. We purchased her at 10 weeks old and for the first couple of weeks she didn't demonstrate this behavior. We crate her when we leave the house and during the night, but she is out of the crate and on leash when we are home. We try to exercise her by walking her 2-3 miles per day, but that doesn't always happen. We have been correcting her by voice commands "NO" and ...

I'm nervous about putting my dog in the crate because the reason he was breaking out of the old crate was thunderstorm anxiety. I didn't see that referenced in the videos. I have sought help from a local specialist. But he thinks I should put the dog on prozac and xanax for the anxiety. I am fairly convinced that the pack structure program and training (along with the info about dealing with dominant dogs) will address the core issues. My concern is that he hurt himself in the crate in th...

Hey, I have two German Shepard aged 5 months. My problem is that they dig up holes in my lawn at night when they are outside on our front yard and not in their dens. I wake up every morning and see these huge holes in my front lawn, I don't know how to solve this problem. Your advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Ezzam

Hi Ed, Thanks for all of your great advise. Our golden retriever stays in our yard with an invisible fence. She barks at dogs and people who walk by. I haven't purchased the limiter as I think it would be too confusing. Any thoughts? Thank you, Karen

Dear Cindy, First of all, I've learned so much from your web site, your newsletter, and the Basic Obedience DVD. Thank you for continuing to make valuable information available. I have a wonderful, high energy, 4 year old Rottweiler. We live on a couple of acres and we have an Innotek fence (thanks again for the info on in-ground fences). The perimeter of the fence is about 30 feet from a road that runs past our home. Cars can go past on that road, doesn't bother the dog. Sa...

Hello, I have been reading a lot of your Q & A's. I am looking for some advise about your 7-8 month old Corgi Mix. He was a stray when he was found so we are not sure exactly how old he is. He is a real sweet heart in almost every way. Breaks my heart that he had a hard start to life. I have a 7 year old son who Meyer (our dog) loves to play with but I think he thinks my son is his litter mate. Meyer will nip at him in a playing way, not breaking skin or making marks, but it still ...

Hi there, I have an 8 month old Napolean Mastiff x American Bulldog puppy. He is a very friendly dog but when he gets excited he occasionally pees. He is a little nervous of new surroundings. He doesn't like going in the car and when I try to take him for a ride he lays down so that I have to lift him up and put him in which may be hard once he is full grown. He also throws up in the car if he is fed before a drive. What can I do??? Also, when I am at his level he gets reall...

Ed, You have been most helpful in the past. I read an article on your web site regarding 'tail chasing' where you indicated that the dog is just 'nuts'. We have a beautiful year old bitch Gretchen. She is walked miles every day, heels like second nature; has plenty of space to run; plays aggressively all the time with our male GS. She is not crated, and is rarely left alone. She just started pacing and chasing her tail in the last month. I am at home all day and she is ALWAYS ...

Hi, I have a one year old Rottweiler. He is great with my two young children but I can not get him to calm down. Our biggest problem is that he pees all over himself and anything else near him when ever he gets scolded. He does this more so with my husband than myself. The only time that it is really bad is when he is really getting yelled at. Not just a little "Hey knock that off!" Please help us if you can. Thank You sooo much, Jennifer

Hi Ed, We have 2 Shiloh Shepherds, 14 months old, bought together as pups before we knew that was a bad idea. They are great dogs. We trained them as pups and they've always responded well to basic commands. We have had minor trouble with the male being shy in new situations or around new people, but just handled it by keeping him away and ignoring him when people came over. We did a lot of training with him before he turned one-- taking him into a new place and giving him tons of ...

Mr Frawley, I have a solid black female GSD 12 weeks old and I have ordered the videos you told me to for right now. I can't wait to get them. I had a problem just now and I need advice. I have been making her sit before she gets her food and she has been on leash all times in the house and outside. I am thinking that I am the alpha male so far until I get your videos that might teach me different including your podcasts. She has came to me every time I have called her name at least 30 ti...

Hello Mr. Frawley, If you have time, I would appreciate your guidance with regard to our GSD. Belle is 5 years old, in excellent health, obedience and personal protection trained, and a loyal pet. Behavior wise we have one problem. Over the past 4 months she has become fixated on her tail. We have vet bills for Keflex and powder for treatment, we use a command or the nicker collar to stop her biting her tail, but cannot watch every single minute. Long story made short, she bites he...

I am wondering if you can help me on a training issue? I have a GSD out of Czech working lines and am not sure what the best form of correction for her is. I am told you can mishandle these bloodlines and cause the dog to become handler aggressive and later be taken to the ground by the dog. I do not want to mishandle her and cause her to be handler aggressive, or her to be scared of me or her to continue doing what she is doing. I want a dog to want to be with me, want to work for...