Dog Sports Q&As

Mr. Frawley, I have a question about bite work and the times when a dog may show aggression towards it's owner/handler. I am currently training a Dutch Shepherd in Schutzhund. I have been training for only a year. I have very little experience. I have two very good people teaching me all phases of the sport. One day while I was watching one of these guys do an exercise where they had their dog on a leash while the helper teased the dog. The dog wanted the helper bad, but this was an exerc...

Hello Mr. Frawley, I have an 8-month-old Malinois and I have followed your advice on the two tapes I bought (bite work for puppies and first steps of bite work) and I have my Malinois biting very calmly and he will bite with a full mouth and just be so calm on the bite. I used to use the stick in the beginning but he was very nervous around it so I was informed by our decoy to stop using it, so I stopped for 3 months. Now I thought it was time to bring it out again since he was biting ...

Mr. Frawley, I have a raised and sold a litter of nine working German Shepherd puppies. I feel eight of the puppies had good temperaments. They were what I would call pretty HARD. They are not sensitive to correction and come back at you when you correct them or play rough with them. One pup is very sensitive. She has the most INTENSE prey drive and also is VERY food driven. However, she is very sensitive and will respond to a sharp "NO" or a quick shake on the scruff (this ...

Hello! You have quite a website. My question is about Schutzhund. I so rarely see breeds other than GSD's and Dobermans in this activity that it caused me to wonder; would it be possible for a breed not necessarily known for having a strong protective instinct to succeed in such a sport? For example, a Standard Poodle has an excellent nose, is highly intelligent and also very trainable. The breed isn't quite as heavy as some but is of fairly good size and is undeniabl...

Hi Ed, I attended a sanctioned USA local club trial Memorial day weekend and found it very disturbing. One of the entrants said he would not compete if he could not bring his own helper and the USA judge allowed it. The helper only worked his dogs, no other trial entries. It was very obvious to all that this was cheating, but no one spoke up. I am a fairly new member and I was not sure of this practice. One of his clients dogs that he was trialing also attacked another dog on the long...

I have really enjoyed your videos on puppies 8 weeks to 8 months and also Basic Dog Obedience. My puppy Shepherd is going great and really learning a lot. I read your articles on bite training. My puppy is very playful with my family and the neighbors kids. But he is very aggressive when it comes to tug of war and ball etc. He will go after a ball like a wild animal and go through anything to get it. The question is what should I concentrate on his first year. I have a Schutzhund training...

Can you tell me about the Czech Republic?s dog sport called ZVV? I see this title on dogs imported from the Czech Republic.

I have a male GSD with impeccable working bloodlines. How much do you charge to take the dog, when appropriate, through the three levels of Schutzhund training?

We have heard stories about drug use by Schutzhund competitors. What is your opinion on this subject?

I have heard about Schutzhund. Can you tell me more about it?

I have a GSD (actually a pup) in the Northern VA, Washington DC area, and I am interested in training him for Schutzhund I & II. Are there any clubs in my area, or do you recommend any local trainers to use along with your videos? The pup is now 13 weeks old and I would like to get started soon. Also, I am interested in watching a competition, any info will help. We enjoy your web page, it has helped us greatly and we will continue to tune in. Thank you. Craig and Tammy ....and Sgt...

Can you tell us how to pick a good Schutzhund club? We have several to choose from.

I have a 12 month old GSD female that I am gearing up for Schutzhund work. I refer to your excellent DVD's for inspiration, especially those by Bernhard Flinks, that I consider to lay the state-of-the-art ground rules for us. My female, aka Chinook, is coming along very nicely except in one area: bite-work. Her tracking is very, very good. Her obedience is as good as I can expect in a 12 month old bitch, but her bite-work is worrying. She goes in very fast, whether on a cushion or...

I need help with Protection Training! I have briefly reviewed your web site and downloaded your podcasts but I was hoping you could suggest some training or DVD so my new GS will Bark at the door, strangers etc. My previous GS was fabulous and performed all these functions perfectly with little training from myself. Unfortunately he passed away from Cancer this past summer and I am trying to train a new GS. The GS I have now I adopted so I do not know what happened in...

Hello, I live in Floral City, Florida. I own a car lot in Inverness, Florida that has been broken into several times. I recently purchased a 4 month old dobie. I am looking to send for training for two reasons 1 protection for me and family and 2 for protection at night at the lot against robbers who jump the fence. Do you provide this kind of training?

Hello, I have a three year old American Pit Bull. He has had Schutzhund training with a trainer in my area. He was a very good trainer but now has retired.My dogs training is not finished and not many people are willing to work this breed in Schutzhund. He is a great dog with solid nervs and has done a lot of bite work. My problem is he will not guard the yard. He loves everyone! I have encouraged him to bark at the door when someond knocks and he does. It seems like the only time ...

Hi Ed, I am moving to Indy from Texas. I have a SchH3 female that I adore. She is very smart and very loyal and very affectionate. I had her bred to a breed certified male SCh and she has had 4 great puppies, all with her smarts and demeanor. I want to get one trained specifically for protection ( as in elite protection) and perhaps tracking/rescue( I am firefighter). The only one I can find nearby that looks like I can trust is Al Gill, but he is too busy with police work. Can you...

Ed, This may be a stupid question but I am wondering if I can purchase a "trained" dog for my family's protection. I live in a desolate area and worry about my family when I'm gone. I have two nice dogs but they won't even bark when people visit (they are lab and ??? mix). If it weren't for the deer that feed near their underground fence (by the way it works great) and geese that fly in to feed on acorns I don't think you could get a bark from them at all. I love them but travel wi...

Hi Ed, I've spent the last several days reading as many of your Q & A sections, training articles and so forth as I can. Thanks for providing relevant and useful information, instead of just the usual sales pitch. My wife and I run a motorcycle dealership (as you might have noticed) that is located in the core of the city, and as such isn't always the safest neighborhood. We are not a 'tough-guy' motorcycle shop in any way, in fact none of our clients would qualify as a ster...

Dear Ed -- I just wanted you to know that your training tapes were very helpful and my Doberman has turned out to be an awesome dog. He's great around people, has a tremendous amount of prey drive, and is doing very well in beginning defense. I really owe a tremendous amount to your videos -- my trainer is amazed at how fast my dog learns and how much foundation I had laid in his early puppy-hood. I give the credit to you. I have a question my husband asked and I don't know ...