Obedience Q&As

Mr. Frawley, 17 week old Weimaraner House with family of two adults and three children Adult Bichon Frise (three years old) Two adult cats (four & five years old) Very large fenced in back yard My wife and I recently purchased an 8 week old female Weimaraner back on May 19, 2005. During the first 2 weeks we had the puppy I purchased the Leerburg training video 120-D "Your Puppy 8 Weeks to 8 Months" and have been using most of your training techniques. I really have appreciate your t...

Hi Ed, I'm a long time follower of your site and I think it's good that you offer blunt/matter of fact advise. I have a 6 mos old female GSD from German working lines and so far she's been a wonderful dog. I do have a couple of concerns though; I came home the other night and had forgotten my keys in the house. I have a 3 year old son and a 7 mos old daughter and I knew they would both be asleep so I tapped gently on the door trying to get my wife's attention and not ...

Good Morning Ed, Just a quick note to say how very much we enjoyed your 8 weeks to 8 months puppy DVD. After having read your web site. from top to bottom, we did not agree with some of the more conventional issues, but your DVD gone a long way to make us understand these. I have a question though. Our puppy who is 12 weeks now, seem to scratch excessively, also bites his thighs, various vets have seen him and agreed that he does not have any fleas or skin problem and explai...

Mr. Frawley, I am in the process of training our 6 month old GSD with the use of positive reinforcement, prong collar and your training videos. In addition, we are attending an obedience class each Saturday. At the end of each session, anywhere from 10-20 dogs are allowed to run freely in a confined, secure area providing them with "dog socialization". I recently read the material on your site relating to dog parks and the injuries that may occur. My feeling is that I should not le...

Hi, We have an 8 week old labrador X collie, he is very well behaved and is doing well at house training, he mouths a lot with the children in play which we know he will grow out of when he is older but yesterday I tried hand feeding him a small piece of ham and he snapped at my hand and made it bleed. I am guessing he had to fight for his food with his siblings so I am putting it down to this and hoping it will not carry on but I am a little worried in case it does, we have...

Ed, You wrote, "I also NEVER allow a dog to come in contact with another dog unless my dog is 100% solid in obedience under extreme distraction (i.e. another dog is extreme distraction). Also I NEVER allow people to pet my dog." My question is how do you socialize the dog if the dog has never been pet by a stranger. If you don't take your dog around other dogs until he is 100% trained, isn't that a little late in life to begin socialization with other animals? Thanks, Vanessa

Hello Ed. When is the most appropriate time to start Training a golden retriever basic commands? I have read a lot of your articles on training and don't want to do any damage to her personality. We have been working on getting her to walk beside us during short walks around the block but we were told to invest in a choke collar to get her to stop pulling on the lease. She she is now 16 weeks is it to early for all of this? Thanks in advance. Lisa

Greetings; I have recently purchased a GSD puppy. I'm keeping him at the kennel I bought him from one month ago. He's now 5 months old. He's the alpha male of his litter, and very protective. Whenever any dog comes about 2 meters from us (him and I), he starts barking uncontrollably. I haven't trained him yet, since his breeder considers 6 months being the ideal age to start obedience training. He barks at any dog he doesn't know, big or small. Another breeder told me his barking reflects ...

Mr. Frawley, My wife and I own a 10 month old GSD. We give him plenty of attention in the afternoon after work. We take him on a two mile walk, play fetch the ball, tug, hide and seek, etc. We also bring him in at night and let him interact with us. However, it's the period that we're not home during the day that concerns me. We have a fairly large fenced back yard, but I know he gets bored and lonely by himself. Do you think it would be a good idea for us to get another dog so that he wou...

We have a 12 week old dachshund puppy that is trained enough to sleep in our bed at night, but needs to be crated during the day to avoid accidents. It has been weeks and the dog drools about a cup of drool over a 2 hour period in the crate and is very nervous when we let him back out. He whines and cries the entire time. Will he get dehydrated? When we give him water in the crate he spills it every time. Does he need some sort of medication to calm his nerves? Any help would be appreciated. ...

We have just acquired two 8 week old German Shepard pups, and I wish I had looked at your web site before purchasing 2 pups at the same time. What is the best way to ensure that the pups each get enough attention? Second question... the pups enjoy being in the same crate with each other. Is this a good idea?? Thank you for your advice. I have ordered your videos and can't wait to watch them.

Hi Mr. Frawley: First I want to say "Thank You" for sharing your extensive knowledge about dogs, particularly German Shepherds. I purchased my first GSD about a month ago (he's now 3 months) and I have applied many of your training techniques (either coincidentally on my own, or taken directly from your puppy video). He's turning into a wonderful family companion. I have to go out of town for a weekend (2 nights), and won't be able to take the puppy. My vet has kennel facilities, but I wil...

I have an 11 month old Akita neutered male. I am a first time Akita owner, I did not get him for protection (or for any status symbol for that matter, unlike some Akita owners) I got him based on a recommendation from a good friend and mostly because with the exception of the same sex dog aggression notable to the breed, I truly love the breed. He is a wonderful dog with a lot of great qualities and from what I can see doesn't seem to have many of the hardcore dominance issues that you sp...

Dear Mr. Frawley, Your web site is a wealth of information on GSD. It is the BEST - like an encyclopedia. Well, I have recently purchased a 6 month old female black/red GSD from a breeder in Palmdale, CA. The GSD has the sweetest temperament I have ever seen. I have had 8 dogs as pets in the past from toy breed to herding breed. This is the first time I have a German Shepherd as a pet. This female GSD is adorable;however, she is friendly to everyone including strangers. Is this good for...

Help I have a 5 month old GSD doing great with a Trainer, lost the trainer the dog obeys well with sit ,down,down stay, heel. does well on leash as far as walking and making turns to the right 90 or 180's but that's it for now. How does one make the dog turn to the left on a leash???? Or make a 180 to the left on a leash??? Maybe I am just dense I would appreciate a response. Thank You in advance.

Hi Ed, I just bought a 4 month old male American Bulldog. I have been checking out breeders since 1998, this pup came from one of the best performance breeders in this country. I told the breeder I wanted a dog to be a family dog and he was to be trained in personal protection. I bought the pup in late March when he was 10 weeks old, and it took the breeder 2 months to ship the pup to me. When I got the pup he seemed a little nervous, but I knew he needed time to adjust. I spent the fi...

Sir, I'm writing you today on a recommendation from a friend who trains military working dogs. I have a 11 week old female GSD. My wife and I purchased her at 7 weeks. Every night for the last 4 weeks, I have been up with her multiple times at night, trying to keep her quiet. She has food and water, and is outside with an adult female GSD (they get along quite well). Sometimes I'll bring her in and put her in a playpen with bedding (continues to whine). I've been spanking her consi...

I hope you can help me with my new German Shepherd puppy. When we got him he was 7.5 weeks and a he's a very aggressive chewer and biter. I've had a german shepherd before and do not allow puppies to bite and chew on anything but their own chew toys. I have never let him bite me or chew on me because he is "cute and little." We constantly were correcting him and telling him "no." One night my husband and I were playing with him rolling a ball around while he chased it. He went to the door...

Hi Ed I have just bought your video bite training for pups and I have a question about it. I have just started tying my 10 week old pup up with a milk jug full of marbles above her head and I have also been using the bamboo stick. Neither of these things phase her. She has awesome nerves and monstrous prey drive, but she will only go after the tennis ball on the string. She will not go after the hand towel. I have used the hand towel to play with her before but she really would ...

Mr. Frawley, I purchased a 5 month old male GSD from a breeder in NY. I have had him for a month. Sire is an East German Sch3, mom is a Czech companion titled dog. Problem: This pup skits and bucks when other leashed dogs/puppies approach. He may or may not allow people to pet him as well. No aggression towards people, but he can become very timid and jumpy, or just stand and remain oblivious to people around him. Always acts the same with other dogs. Stares as...