Behavior Problems Q&As

Hi, We just rescued a dog and are trying to crate train her and are in your "foundation phase" of training (in a crate or on lead at all times). The first few times she went into the crate no problems. Now, even treats can't get her inside. She doesn't seem to have a strong den instinct. I started giving her all her food and treats in the crate, but she won't go in when she realizes that I am going to crate her. My question is, how do I get her in the crate? I don't want to physically push...

Hi there Cindy/Ed. Big fan of your work. I know you do not advocate dog parks. I will admit I do frequent them from time to time. Anyways I was witness to what I believed was another horror story. An individual at the dog park was trying to water his dog. A 3 month old husky puppy belonging to another owner took over his water bowl. He kept trying to push it away, and when the puppy nipped at him he lost his cool and gripped the pup by the scruff of the neck, lifted it, shook it and to...

Hi there, I own an American bulldog male 8 months old and desexed. I have been having problems with him around some other dogs. He is very playful and loves other dogs, but doesn't know his limits. He will play with a dog and then grab their face or ears and won't let go! Some dogs scream, which makes him more excited and longer to let them go. He never has harmed them though, but it's such a problem people think he is aggressive and judge me as an owner. I'm highly contemplating a muzzle ...

I adopted a puppy at ten weeks, she is now about 4 1/2 month old Aussie mix, smart, driven, and loving. I've worked hard with her on basic training and socialization letting her interact only with dogs that are proven puppy friendly. Here's my dilemma. We take our older lab mastiff mix to get groomed at a place where they offer dog "socialization" (dogs pre screened and vetted). Elvis thrives in these types of places. I am much more cautious with my puppy, because she is a puppy. Today the ow...

Hi, I have a 2 year old female GSD that is almost ready for her BH title. I say almost because when she bites the sleeve or decoy, she becomes extremely aggressive. When she goes to bite, she starts growling and tries to shred the sleeve or suit or she tries to pull whoever is on the receiving end to their knees. She has gotten a hold of the handler/decoy few times on purpose also. Her obedience is excellent, but this level of aggression isn't acceptable for a Schutzhund trial. You can't t...

I have a peek that barks at everything. Is there a muzzle to use for a short nosed/pug nosed dogs? I don't want to stop all barking because I may need the warning if something is truly wrong. Just don't want constant barking.

Hi, My husband and I will be training a yellow lab puppy (later this year) to ultimately do therapy dog work. We've been educating ourselves about proper training techniques through your videos, articles and Q&As, as well as with service dog trainers and materials. My question is this: You stress the importance of engagement work while socializing a puppy and young dog. The dog should view other people as "furniture," as you've said. This makes perfect sense to us. However, if we ult...

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 ...