Obedience Q&As

I bought your marker training dvd and started doing the training a few weeks ago. I'm having trouble because Kasey is soooo motivated to get the treats, that I don't feel that he's paying enough attention to me and what I am asking him to do. He was already trained in sit, down, stay, etc. before I started marker training. So I started with tricks like wave, play dead, high 5 - he learned those quickly because they were easy and now that I am starting to use it to teach serious things like 'w...

Hi Cindy. I got the Michael Ellis training with food DVD last week and have started watching it - thank you for recommending it, it's SO good! In the first chapter where he talks about the food, he says that in the beginning you will have to be giving a lot of food, so if he trains 3 times a day he'll just use their food for the day and then not feed them their meals. If we are using a lot of food in the beginning, and Kasey is raw fed (I feed chicken parts, hamburger, a gross slop...

Moose is a 2 1/2 year old mix, taken off death row at Animal Control. I've heard so many theories about what type of mix he is, that I've stopped guessing. He has already gone through two years of ongoing basic obedience training, and I consider him to be a well behaved/adjusted animal. I am currently starting him with marker training. Is there any advice you can provide me with to help me during this awkward time when the marker training and his previous training are overlapping/conflicting ...

Hi Cindy, Both DVDs are GREAT information! Michael makes training dogs seem so simple and easy. I can honestly say that I was one of those trainers that was ahead of myself in where I should have been with my dogs. They could do a lot but to be honest the TRUE engagement wasn't all there. I have been working on nothing but engagement and will be for a month. With that said. Since Prong Collars can kill engagement. Should I still allow them to wear the collars and never use t...

Hello, I have a WGSD that I adopted from the shelter. (I was there the day he came in)Since he was a puppy he was frightened in new situations and very anxious. He is a great house protector. But when I take him to stressful places ex. the shelter when I volunteer, or any place that's not at home. He ranges from being very anxious at the shelter and fails to listen, to sometimes frightened & tries to get away from the circumstances he is in. I know he can overcome this because he h...

Hi, my name is Michelle. I have a kind of complicated question to ask but I don't have anywhere else to turn to. I've been searching and went through a lot of different dogs trying to find the right dog to be a service dog for me because I have anxiety, depression, social phobia and I black out. For some odd reason most dogs I go around seem to perceive what I have as threatening. So my boyfriend saw this add online for a litter of rescued bottle feed 3 week old puppies and thought maybe me r...

Cindy We would like to fly our dog out to CA. for two weeks for our grandson; it was mentioned to us that he could fly with us if he was a service dog or a dog in training. We were wondering if you could share with us any insight to this. Or if their is a way you might know where he could fly. Our daughter is having her second child, and we will be on grandparents duty with the first child. We just love our dog who is mid size. I hope this question makes sense. Thanks, ...

A woman with a therapy dog gave me your web site address. I have an Australian Shepherd puppy that is wonderful with people. Because I am a teacher, I have been taking him to work and training him to sit with kids who have special needs. This women mentioned "home schooling" through your video program. What do you suggest? I need to have some kind of certification process so he can enter nursing homes and children's centers. She takes her dog everywhere and has cards of certification to ...

I bought the dog from a good breeder, (same as my last GSD), but from predominately a show line of German ancestry. Most of the dogs have Sch 3 pedigrees, so I do not think he will be useless but, is it worth even trying as he is not from a proven working kennel? And is there any way of assessing him? His prey drive is good, he is ballsy and mouthy and I am playing with him with appropriate toys, and socializing him.

Hello, I have a dog that has the largest prey drive and the strongest body I have ever had to deal with. He wants to go after every cat, squirrel and small yappy barking growling dog. He pulls all of the time not some of the time even with the prong collar on. I am not strong enough to hold him next to me and walk by me as I have buldging disks in my neck and back. When I try to resist him it hurts me. I have tried the halti collar and it did not work. I also have the gentle...

Dear Cindy, My wife and I have just adopted a rescue dog named Trouble. He is a 6 year old toy poodle. We also have another 4 year old toy. Trouble has bonded with my wife. He seems to be very cautious towards men. He is very scared of me and runs when ever I go near him. I keep a happy tone of voice when ever I speak to him. How do I gain his trust?

Hello. While searching the internet for "2 weeks after Neuter. my black lab is attacking me," I found your website and information on why dogs attack. I called one of your staff members today and told her my plight, she didn't know the answer so she guided me to your email address. Of all the websites I've searched, and all the phone calls I've made, some how, I've been lured to your site. Anyway, here is my story: 2 weeks ago, I went to the local humane Soc...

Dear Mr. Frawley: I have inquired with other trainers who have not helped me in my situation: One year ago I rescued a sweet 1 year old 100 lb. white Field Lab who is very, very laid back, sweet and wonderful. However, he does not get enough exercise even though I have a fenced in back yard. I take him to the doggy park but all he does is just lay on the cement and watch the other dogs. My problem is (I have a one story ranch) my basement is unfinished but I cannot get him to go do...

Hi, I was told about your DVDs by a dog trainer. We just adopted a 3 year old husky from the shelter, who counting us is now on the 5th home. She was given up by a couple in a divorce, given to a friend where she killed 2 cats, sent to the shelter and returned because of escape problems. I see no escape problems because I know she just doesn't know where she belongs and is scared of being left again. She did however in the first 3 hours of her coming home with us, she attack...

I have a two year old German Shepherd. This is a rescue dog that we have had a little over a week. It has jumped over my block wall several times. I have extended the wall height where I could. I would like to put an invisible fence on the wall. The German Shepherd Rescue of Orange County said you had a video on training for the invisible fence. I could not find it. I am assuming the Remote collar training is the one they were talking about. It is fine when we are around, but within minut...

Ed and Cindy, My name is Shona and I have been training SAR dogs for several years. We also rescue dogs, clean them up, put some obedience training under them and find them good homes. We were recently contacted about a pair of 8 week old wolf pups. When we went to pick them up the man told us he had given the pups an attitude adjustment. He also had the parents and a sister and brother from another litter. The male 2 year old was so scared he ran around trying to get away form eve...

I have read with interest your discussions on hybrids. I adopted a 6 month old male pup from our local SPCA in December. He was described as a ?White German Shepherd mix,? but looked pure bred to me at the time. I currently own a female GSD which I obtained from a breeder at 9 weeks of age. As Diablo (the male) has grown and developed the last 3 months, his body shape, fur, facial structure, some behaviors, and comments from other ?dog people? have led us to suspect he may be a low conte...

Good morning. I have searched the Q&A section and I have read about introducing a dog to the resident cats & your philosophy of dog training. I plan to do much more reading now that I have found your site. Here is my situation & I am hoping you can offer some advice? I am considering adopting a 6 month old Doberman Shepherd cross. She is in a shelter, found as a stray with her 2 sisters. She is good with other dogs & cats and unknown with young children. (I have 2 cat...

Hi Cindy, I have in the last 2 weeks taken in a rescue Aussie, I have my own Aussies. She was purchased at auction by Aussie rescue and was a puppy mill mom for an unknown amount of time. She is totally un social, doesn't care for or want attention. If given her own choice she would lay in a crate or dog house forever and not move. But I don't want that for her I want to at least make her secure or trust a little. Everyday it's like the first day she has seen me she cowers, ducks t...

You came highly recommended by a coworker and I could really use your advice. Last Saturday we picked up an 11 month old Australian Shepherd / Shih Tzu mix from the SPCA after being spayed. I have two girls one 8 and one 12 and a 13 year old cat. So far the cat and dog definitely do not get along and the dog has gone from constant submissive urination to becoming aggressive, hyper and even destructive. Unfortunately, I have had her crated all night and then again during the day while we w...