Obedience Q&As

At what age/stage is it appropriate to start leash pressure training?

I have a young  Terrier just over a year old. All the training I’ve done to this point he’s doing well with. When he’s training at home anyway. The training includes basic obedience, including long sit and down. And dumbbell retrieve. I get him out to the park to do everything he’s learned and it’s like pulling teeth with him. He’s just not into it. What can I do? Thank you in advance for your response.

Hello, I have a 7-month-old GSD that I'm going to start training the recall with, I'm wondering if certain methods like restrained recalls can cause issues with separation anxiety? My dog is very well behaved in her crate and doesn't have an fearfulness being restrained by others but, inside the house she will continuously whine if I leave, even if other people are with her. If we're at the park, front yard or other public areas and I calmly walk away she will act out as though we're preformi...

I’m sending my 3 yr old GSD to training at a training facility next week for three weeks. I am told that they use e collars and prong collars which I have no problem w/. Just wondering since I have not tried a harness and I see you have quite an array. Maybe this question is premature but do you have a suggestion from your line of products? He’s super athletic and very strong and goes nuts when he sees another dog on walks. I feel much safer walking w/ him than by myself but to what end? ;)

Hello Cindy, I have a year-old German Shepherd. I understand the Continuous, then Variable, then Random Reward System. I have been using the marker training with her. I am finally at the Random Reward System with the Basic Commands sit, down, heel, here, stay, wait, etc... But want to start teaching some new commands like Flip Spin into the heeling position. Do I start over with the continuous reward system with the new commands and keep the Random Reward System for the known command...

Cindy, IS it a good idea to have two different commands for dogs ....... Au Pied ! for heeling in a head up focused eyes position, and Heel for a more relaxed longer lasting heeling of the dog? Thanks.

I’m training a German Shepherd. I am a quadriplegic in a wheelchair. I can’t use my arms or legs but I do have a power wheelchair so I can move a little bit. I can’t run from the dog and feed him with my hand. What I do is spit treats to him. It makes for a great eye Contact but after I give him the first treat, he checks out until I call him back for another command. If I spit a treat at him and he catches it then I can give him another one and he doesn’t check out. But once we miss ...

I have a question which I think could be interesting for various dog owners. My dog loves to be chased. It's by far her favourite game. It seems counter productive to play chase if one try to have a dog who loves to be near you, and hope to build a strong recall. Is there a way to use the chase game in our advantage? Can we transfer chase to a different game? Thank you

What's the best way to teach my adult dog not to jump on me or other people - looking for something that can be relatively fast learning for the dog?

Hello! I love your videos on youtube!! I had 10 years a Briard, now I want to get a doberman. I have 2 more years of university, and I have a lot of time. In 2 years I will have to work mo-fri for 8/9 hours each day. I want to jog or cycle with the dog in the morning before work. After work I want to excersize my dog, mentally/athletically and also do igp(especially in the weekend). Do you think I can get my dog to stay alone for the 8-9 hours per day at an age of 2 years if I train it fro...

Do you have any videos to teach the "out" or "give" command?

Hi Cindy, I am a new trainer looking for some planning/organizing help. I currently have 3 dogs I am training/sitting while owners are on vacation. I am having trouble keeping track in my head where each dog is at in terms of what they have learned, and what I need to teach them next. I have autism so I struggle with planning/memory so I think some sort of flashcard system like quizlet would help cue me if I get stuck training dogs... that's what I've come up with so far. I'm curious if you ...

Hi, how much socialization with other dogs does my almost 5 year old gsd need? He interacts with son's golden daily in short increments and is with me pretty much 24/7.

Hi Cindy, I would like to purchase some of your training videos for my young GSD. He is quite a handful. I am concerned because I am fearful I may have set him back in training because my trainer here has had me be pretty stern with corrections, even in the beggining phases when he was a puppy. Neither do we train with treats. I notice now that he is older, he no longer wants to "come" and is starting to run from me. Have I RUINED OUR RELATIONSHIP with my training? If I purchase s...

My local trainer is requesting I get a 6-foot leather leash. What width of a leash do you recommend for a male Shiba Inu? Thank you!

First of all, I want to express how thankful and grateful I am with the content that I've purchased. It really improved my game and the bond with my dog. I have a question about luring; my dog keeps licking my hand extensively while luring him (trying to get the reward, or at least taste it, I think). How can I stop this behaviour without damaging the lure work? I would like my dog to just touch my hand with its nose during the lure without licking my hand. Many thanks in advance.

Isn't there a video where Michael Ellis explains the best order for progressing a puppy/dog through his system? I can't seen to find it. Can you send me the link?

I just wanted to send a quick note thanking you for the dog park article. I was beginning to think that I was crazy or over nervous about it, but I absolutely hate the idea of dog parks. I get super anxious every time I drive past one and there's several dogs running around. I'm an RVT in CA, I worked an ER for almost 10 years. Probably that lead to my paranoia, but never in a million years would I ever take my dogs to a dog park. Another thing that is equally as stressful? When clients...

I want to be sure I understand Michael Ellis and Ed correctly and that is puppy bite training is used as an engagement tool or activity and that it is a precursor to obedience training. Once you have the dog/puppy really engaged then teaching the dog obedience is easier. I have an 18wk old Golden Doodle and I'm new to dog training. Right now he is very food driven and I have been using a combination of verbal and clicker training with food rewards. My goal is to have a happy well behaved w...

I have an 8 week old Malinois who I plan on doing IGP with. I introduced a ball today to see his retrieving behavior in a small space with a small throw. He loved the ball but he immediately grabbed it, lay down facing away from me and started chewing it. It looks to me he is very possessive over it (you could see it in the eyes and him facing away). No amount of encouraging would make him move or come near me (I've never taken things away from him only redirected to not encourage guarding). ...