Behavior Problems Q&As

Hi, I have a 6 month old Akita Inu. She's a really friendly dog but today there was an incident. A lady came into the park holding her little dog up in her arms like a baby. My dog wanted to play with that other little dog and kept leaping up to the lady to play with her dog. Eventually she got hold of that puppy's tail and held on causing the woman to lose her mind and accusing me of being unable to control my dog. What do I do in a situation like this?

My 6-year-old yellow lab is a jumper so when people come by, I tend to restrain him to keep him close to me to protect the dog but also the people/bike/other kids/kids/etc from jumping. Last night, a guy walking toward us with 2 dogs came up to me and said it was ok and the dogs can greet one another. My dog has always been friendly; he's a gentle lab. But then my dog and 1 of his dogs got into a tiff with each other - it happened so fast that I don't know which dog started it though my dog h...

Hi Ed and Cindy! I have a 17 month old springer spaniel that I am having some problems with recently. As far as obedience and engagement he is awesome, our relationship if great. He has 2 legs on his BN title, his CGC and is entered in his first agility trial in a few weeks. My problem is that he has no off switch and we are struggling with exercise in these -50 wind chill days. He has also begun to guard me and I am not sure how to handle that. He gives a hard stare to other dogs and grow...

Here's one a good many of my friends, both general owners and breeders are having. It doesn't matter if the offending Male dog has been fixed since it was a pup or if its still intact. The problem begins with an obsession with a female dog in the household and then you have a male suddenly lifting his leg and marking. How do you handle this behavior to put a stop to it?

I recently acquired a new dog (4 y/o lab/shepherd mx)) from my son who got her 2 1/2 years ago from a rescue group. I brought her home because she nipped my grandbaby & I felt she deserved another chance. The problem is she and my 14 y/o Border Collie/Aussie mix HATE each other! The new dog is now dog aggressive with most dogs (especially if they run up to her) although she gets along with my little terrier mix and does not bother my 3 cats. We keep them separated, either with the crate or on...

My four year old American bull dog/pit bull mix when out will whine, cry or whimper at a low level; however you want to describe it, in certain situations. She wears an electric collar and a prong collar where ever we go. She requires a lower level of correction (usually under a level of 5) for she tends to regress or shut down if correction is too high. My trainer said that she may outgrow this since she is new to being brought a lot of places and has to gain more confidence. Should I be cor...

My 11 month old GSD lays down on the ground and refuses to get up when its time to go in the car. Today she mouthed me hard (drew blood, it was on my cuticle) when I tried to pick her up and put her in the back of my SUV. I've tried the following: removed the crate and replaced it with a dog barrier. Treats (high value), toys, excitement, moving my car to a different location and even coming to the car from a different location. Once she's in the car, she's fine. No whining or pacing. S...

I have been reading different articles on your website and wish to purchase a DVD but only have $ to spend on one maybe 2. I have a 6 month old part lab, part Tibetan terrier with loads of energy. I also have two boys one 5 and one 2 with loads of energy. I need to be a pack leader. I am not with my pup. I am great with my kids. A friend recently suggested the leash training. In the house and outside to establish I am the leader. We do not have a fenced yard and the kids and I were playin...

Good Morning Cindy, My question is this: How do I deal with people who put there hands on/ want to pat my Shepherds? When I walk them (separately), and stop to talk to someone, many times a person will reach out to put their hands on the dog. Despite my telling them to leave the dog alone and putting the dog in a down position, this still happens. Example: I stop to talk to my neighbor, put the dog in a down position, and her husband comes over and puts his hands in the Shepherds face. He ...

My 2 y.o. German shepherd female is getting bored when at home alone... even if just for a few minutes. She gets plenty of exercise and eats well. She is a very high drive working dog. Any thoughts on things I can do to curb this undesirable behavior? I have taken video while I'm gone and some of the things she does : she dumps the laundry, chews on a brush, takes a kids permission slip, and chews a couple foam ornaments.

We have 2 one year old Dobermans from the same litter. We are having issues with excessive barking. They bark at every noise, person and other animal. Just to give some back ground information. We got the female first at 9 weeks. We later obtained the male when he was 7 months. We suspect that he spent much of his time in a kennel and did not receive much socialization. Therefore he is very timid and nervous around strangers and other animals. He has been displaying some fear aggression be...

I just recently adopted a 5 year old basset hound from a lady that is getting married and moving in September. She had a special request when I picked up the dog. She wants to let me have the dog but she wants to see the dog from time to time because she is very attached to the dog and she wants to transition away from the dog slowly. To give you a little background, the lady went through a divorce 6 years ago and she was awarded custody of her daughter, but her ex-husband took the dog. That ...

Hi Cindy, We purchased an Educator ET300 Mini Ecollar from you a few months ago, and the collar that goes around the dog's neck is made like a belt. We were wondering if you have a collar that would fit through the Educator ET300 Collar that snaps (like many cat collars are made) in place instead of buckles. This dog is a hard dog, and despite the commands that he knows, insists on fighting the buckling part of the Ecollar when we put it on him. In fact, he jumps and bites in play anytime ...

Hello, I am thinking of purchasing the bark limiter for my 130lb german shepherd. I will be living in a basement apartment where the family above me has a newborn and needs predictable quiet time. With the collar on, can the dog drink water without the shock? What about chewing a bone? Thank you for you answers.

Hi Cindy, I have a 16mo GSD. A month ago, someone charged my dog for "fun" at a family party. Initially, my dog cowered, and everyone got a pathetic laugh. That same person who charged my dog, could not stand up from a sitting position without my dog jumping up on all fours and barking aggressively at the previous perpretrator. My dog could not relax while that person was present. This person told me that I had a serious problem with my dog. I laughed. Today I took my GSD to the vet. Th...

I have a question about drinking water as it pertains to the groundwork/pack structure phase of training. I work nights 9pm - 7 am. When I get home at 7, I wait about 20 minutes and then feed my dog. Regarding water, should I keep water in the crate when the dog is in the crate? Or should I put a dish of water in the crate several times a day and then take the dog out to go pottie after they have drank? What would you do?

Hi, I have an apricot colored GSD, she will soon be 7 years old. She is adorable with people. In fact, so much so, that I have to pen her when we have visitors after a while, as she wants a fuss all the time. My problem is I can't trust her with other dogs when we go out to the local woods for a walk. She lives with a greyhound, and I lost my male GSD a year ago. She is wonderful with them, and is very good with a stray cat that has adopted us. Although I keep an eye on her with the cat...

Hi Cindy, I have a 14 month intact female Rottweiler. She was crate trained, and was relatively neutral in terms of her love of the crate. Suddenly in the last 2 weeks she is obsessed with the crate. There is no food or treat in the crate, and with the bedding removed her behavior is identical. She will spend more than half of the day inside the crate with the door open. She often runs back into it when she is out, with intensity. When she is taken outside her energy is great. Her appetit...

I have an 11 month old Standard Poodle. We originally got the dog for our 16 year old daughter. As many kids do, she promised to care for and train the dog. We attended a 12 week training course. None of us has been consistent with the training. Other than sitting, downing and waiting he is very disobedient. I.e. barking all the time while outside, jumping up on the counters to steal food, jumping up on us, etc. etc. I feel like I need to take control of this and be the primary trainer. Pleas...

Just a quick note about a mistake I made with my big, intact male and the lessons I learned. In retrospect, I had let pack leadership slip big time and was tolerating small problems like getting in the trash. This was the rescue dog I got when he was a year old and untrained. One night he grabbed my dinner off the dining table. I got angry and did something I very well knew (when thinking clearly without anger clouding my judgement) was stupid--crowded him, yelled, and hit him with my kne...