Obedience Q&As

Hello, I've read your information on aggressive dogs, but I didn't find anything that quite matched my situation, so I thought I'd see if you could give me some advice. My husband and I adopted a rescue dog last year. The dog is neutered, about two years old now and weighs 40 pounds. Over the past year, our dog (a mix, the vet thinks he could possibly be a shepherd/beagle) has taken an obedience class and had to stay at a kennel for a weekend when we were out of town, and in...

Good Morning, I am hoping that you can help me with what I believe is an unusual situation. Almost two months ago, we found a Shiba Inu running stray in our community... she was in beautiful shape but very skittish, scared, impossible to catch. We called every agency, checked every website, nobody was looking for her. My teenage children and I set out to gain her trust - it took over a month, but we were able to catch her in a crate - we had anticipated a bad reaction, but she ha...

After finding your website today I have discovered I have been doing a lot of things right when training our new stray and I have even more to learn. I plan to order the basic training DVD as well as one of the books. I loved when you said "Don't take a completely untrained dog to obedience class!" I had planned to wait about a month, or until he masters sit, stay, come, lay down and leash walking with me in the house, neighborhood and yard, and many of your comments confirmed what I ...

I have searched several forums to find some info on aggression issues in shelter dogs and haven't found anything specific to a rescue dog. We rescued a Sheppard last May and he has aggression issues with my 14 yr old daughter. We are not sure why this is happening only with her, we also have a 12 yr old son whom he has no problem with. He has bitten her about 4 times up to now and he strikes without provocation. We don't have much history on this dog as he has been in & out of shelter...

Hi Ed, I have great respect for your knowledge on dogs and am learning much from your articles and DVDs. Since I moved to TN to care for my elderly mother 3 years ago, I have acquired over 40 drop-off dogs and various other animals. We live in the country and needless to say there are many drop-offs (abandoned, abused and/or starved) in this economically depressed area. Many of the counties here have no shelters, including this one. And the lack of education, exposure and wi...

We just adopted a GS who is probably About 5-6 mos. Old. She was a stray and had lived with a family for a couple of months and they wanted to give her up to a good home because they already had 2 dogs. We've only had her a day, but we want to start out right. She is very shy and timid. We finally coaxed her into her crate and now she won't come out. She has always lived outside. We would like for her to live inside with us and our other dog who is a 5 yr. old mix breed. We have a collar ...

I just found your site and read most of it. I think it's given me some hope with my dog Woo, but I still have some questions. Woo is a 2 1/2 year old (approximately) pit bull mix. I've owned her about a year. Her original owners abused her pretty horribly, and then her " rescuers" neglected her to the point of abuse. Her first owners set her on fire. Amazingly she survived, and was taken in by some acquaintances of mine who were running a dog rescue. They're good people, and meant ...

We just adopted a GS who is probably About 5-6 mos. Old. She was a stray and had lived with a family for a couple of months and they wanted to give her up to a good home because they already had 2 dogs. We've only had her a day, but we want to start out right. She is very shy and timid. We finally coaxed her into her crate and now she won't come out. She has always lived outside. We would like for her to live inside with us and our other dog who is a 5 yr. old mix breed. We have a collar ...

Two weeks ago we adopted a 3 1/2 yr. Golden Labrador dog for free, from a reputable kennel. Before deciding on the dog, we asked: - Is he well behaved around people, other animals? Since we have 2 children, 2 birds & a cat, the dog had to have an excellent temperament around other animals and children. - Knowledge of commands, what? - Name, Address & Number of previous owner. - Medical History, shots, neutered, dates shots were last administered. - Exact breed lineage. - V...

Hello, I did read pretty much the whole site. Couldn't find a question completely like this one and it is probably something other people deal with. We have a really good GSD. She is easy to train and easy to live with. We have not had her that long, but she is 1 year old (rescued). When we kennel her for any length of time, she tries to get out of the kennel non-stop and barks non-stop. I understand that we can use the e-collar to fix the barking problem. Again, like...

I have a question. I have just started volunteering at a small shelter. The new director seems to like click-training with a clicker. She also likes using a head harness called a Gentle Lead (goes fairly tight on the mussel and behind the ears). Before I order the video are these methods consistent with your teaching methods? Please comment. Joyce Perry, Iowa

My mother has a 1yr old spayed dachshund. She is well behaved but has a problem that when she is hurt or scared by something (physically, like her lastest, a spiral fracture) she will go hide and not come out when called. She will lay and look at you, thumping her tail, but has to be physically removed frm her hiding place (crate, bushes, under the truck). My mother does allow she has good recall, but only when things like horse poop or playing with the cats are not more exciting. Then it...

Hi There, I always read your articles, but for some reason can't find one on this. I have a problem with my dog doing his Heir. He comes in fast BUT always sits crooked. I have tried to use food and toys. And I have tried corrections but can't seem to get him to understand. Do you have any suggestions? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Jennifer

Hello Ed, I am training my puppy - an 11 month old GSD - in SAR, and I am a beginner at this. A few days ago she did something very bad - she ran after a deer and was gone for 15 minutes. I know that this can only get worse, and I want to nip it in the bud ASAP. Do you have an article or a video that addresses this? I have received conflicting information from other trainers and the internet, ie: 1. Get an e-collar and correct her. (Sounds good, but how do I get a deer to coop...

I have a one-year old German Shepard. He is well trained to sit, down, come, etc. I can work with him at a strange location on a 30 ft leash and he still obeys. The only problem I have with him is a come when he is off leash and he sees another dog that he wants to play with. At that point I lose control and he won't come. I have tried a throw chain to get closer to him, but he could care less about that. He is also quite dominant in his play so I can't allow him to play with a smaller do...

Mr. Frawley, I can't imagine how many emails you receive so I will keep mine short and simple. My dog is 5 now and is very obedient. I have two questions for you, the first one is on the recall I just got done reading your q&a and saw similar questions but not the exact one. When I walk my dog in the afternoon we play with his ball or his tug and he is very good. If he can see another dog he will only sometimes break a recall( 1out of every 10). I have put him on the long lead and ...

Ed, I bought a female from you back in Sept. 99. She is 1 yr. old and I just read an article that said I should not lie on the floor and pat my dog or let her lie at my feet and lay on my feet that she may see that as dominance. She does not seem dominate to me but I wonder if these little things are slowing her recall training. She is a very beautiful female at year a very substantial bitch a lot of prey drive and a very hard bitch. Thank you very much for the time you put into br...

Dear Mr. Frawley, I was wondering if you could help us with a problem we are having with our 9-month-old GSD. We watched your obedience tape and have been working with her on the here command. We have put her on a long line and have treats and praise for her when she returns. One problem is, she knows when the line comes off, that she is free and will dash off, so we've been keeping it on. Another problem is... she has been running out through our front door and when I call her she...

I have written to you before, taken your advice and bought your Basic Obedience video. My 9-month-old GSD bitch is great in most respects (temperament & basic commands) however she has developed a serious habit of refusing to come when called. The situation is that we live on a beachfront where lots of people walk their dogs - there are also many parks nearby. Most of the time she minds (especially if I have a toy - she does not seem to respond to food) but sometimes she decides to keep h...

One of the dogs that I have, a German Shepherd/Husky breed named Tera (approx 2 yrs old), is always looking for an opportunity to get loose and take off. I have taken her to obedience school. She does respond, inside and when on a leash, to the command "come." However, when she is off of the leash she takes off. Eventually she does come home. I thought, at first, that it was because she knew there where cats that lived at a neighbor's house, which is true. When she does take off that is u...