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Obedience Q&As

May 26, 2020

My 15 week old puppy has developed a chewy grip on the jute puppy sleeve. At 10 weeks old he would grip very well. How can I resolve this?

Hi Cindy, I have a 15wk old Shepherd pup. He has decent possession and will chase a ball, rag, sleeve. He arrived at 10wks of age and would grip and carry toys/objects well. As he's developed he has become very chewy, especially on the jute puppy sleeve. This has transferred to the leather rag but not the softer squeak toys. I can pull the sleeve/rag out of his mouth with only minimal effort. Obviously I do not want him to learn he can't win or that the sleeve is always going to be ripped ...
100% (6 out of 6)
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May 18, 2020

I’m getting a Malinois puppy soon, what do you recommend for socialization with other dogs?

Hi Cindy, I will be getting a Malinois pup soon & have been researching best ways to socialize it with other dogs. I have a another dog already which was heavily socialized with other dogs & has excellent social skills with any size/type of dog (she has even been attacked by a dog as a puppy unprovoked, & never changed/became aggressive in spite of it), but she's too dog focused which I want to avoid this time. I would not expect the pup would not be as forgiving like if attacked. I read &...
100% (11 out of 11)
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May 11, 2020

My 10 month old dog won’t bring the tug back when we play, he flops down and holds it between his paws. Do you have any advice?

Hi! I have a 10 month old gsd and we have been working on our tug game to eventually incorporate it as an obedience reward. I have purchased the Michael Ellis dvd on the Power of Playing tug with your dog and I am continuing to study it. I am very pleased with the course. The issue I am having with my dog is he won’t bring it back and I have studied the video where Michael demonstrates to tug a few times, let him have it, and encourage him to take even 1 step toward you, mark and play ag...
100% (5 out of 5)
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May 1, 2020

Does the Basic Obedience Course go into how to practice the skills being taught -- when, how much, how long, etc.?

Does the Basic Obedience Course go into how to practice the skills being taught -- when, how much, how long, etc.?
100% (3 out of 3)
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April 24, 2020

How do you keep the rubber tubs/touch pads from collapsing under the weight of the dog while you are using it for training?

Hi Cindy, I was wondering, how do you keep the rubber feed pan from collapsing under the weight of the dog? I purchased the rubber feed pan to teach rear end awareness. Every time my dog stands on it it collapses. In the videos you produced on the subject. You use the rubber feed pan but it does not collapse. I have resorted to several cut up 2x4’s screwed together. It works but is a headache. I figure you must have done something similar. But perhaps not so cumbersome. I would appreciat...
100% (4 out of 4)
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April 17, 2020

I watched a video of your puppy getting his nails done. My puppy won’t sit still. How do I start?

The pup in your Conditioning Your Puppy for Nail Trimming video looks older than my 11 week male rott pup. I just started charging the mark and yes for 2 to 3 days. My pup does not sit still as yours does in the video. I don’t want to force holding the dog down. Can you recommend next steps for training mine to sit long enough to accomplish what you are doing in the video? Should I start with sit and place and then add the sound of the dremel and work from there?
100% (8 out of 8)
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April 14, 2020

My dog will play tug with me and bring the tug back but when I go to grab it to reengage he drops it. How would I go about countering this tendency?

My dog will play tug with me and bring the tug back but when I go to grab it to reengage he drops it. How would I go about countering this tendency?
100% (3 out of 3)
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March 30, 2020

My dog has low food drive, a sensitive stomach and zero toy drive. I need to build engagement and I’m hoping one of your videos will help.

I have a 2 yr old bloodhound/coonhound/newfie mix with low food drive, a sensitive stomach, and zero toy drive. He has no interest in chasing a ball or playing tug, and not a great appetite. Does the Power of Training with Food video deal with building food drive at all? I've done marker training in the past with other dogs but was stymied by this one. I need to build engagement, and am hoping one of your videos will help.
100% (4 out of 4)
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March 23, 2020

At what age do you start introducing leash pressure to a puppy? And what equipment do you use?

At what age do you start introducing leash pressure to a puppy? And what equipment do you use? Thanks
80% (8 out of 10)
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March 17, 2020

My dog is excited and reactive to most dogs when she’s on lead, she wants to say “hi”. No one has been able to help me eliminate this behavior completely, do you have any advice?

Hi, my 3 yr old RR is (after years of training) still reactive to most dogs on lead, she wants to say hi. From 8 wks old she has been like this & despite every type of training (I have trained many dogs out of this habit with no problem) she has continued to be a challenge. She walks very well on the lead, unless we encounter a dog. As a puppy I briefly used a prong on her to calm her down and it worked wonders, that in itself taught her to walk well on the lead. I only used it for 1 month...
100% (12 out of 12)
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January 28, 2020

I'm having a hard time switching from food to toy rewards, do you have any suggestions?

Cindy, I'm having a hard time switching over from food to toy rewards. My dog will play tug with enthusiasm at the house, but when we are out she will show no interest if something else remotely interesting is around. I am trying to get away from carrying around food rewards and just keep a tug on me. It just seems like that will not be motivational enough for her. She likes the flirt pole but that's hard to take around. Do you have any suggestions on how I can increase her interest in toy...
100% (8 out of 8)
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January 14, 2020

Any suggestions for a 1 year old lab that engages well, takes the tug on command, and enthusiastically plays and outs well but will not bring the tug back to me?

This is a follow up question to using a tug for reward. To this point, my 1 year old lab engages well, takes the tug on command and enthusiastically plays and outs well. The problem I'm having is the return. As long as she is on a long lead, she never bales but her returns are unenthusiastic. She will also try to play keep away or stand in place and shake the tug or drop it a few feet away from me. I tried to shape with food but the moment she realizes I have food she drops the tug. I have...
100% (6 out of 6)
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January 6, 2020

I read an article that says using a 'no reward marker' is aversive to dogs and doesn't help tell the dog that they did not succeed or did something wrong. What are your thoughts on the matter?

Hi Cindy, I saw an article recently on the subject of marker training, specifically the use of a no reward marker or negative marker. The article argues that the use of NRM's while it may not seem like it, is actually "aversive" to the dog and that it does not help to tell the dog that they did not succeed or that they did something wrong. They said that dogs learn faster if just encouraged through what they do correctly. This is the first I had ever heard of this idea and I know you have ...
100% (13 out of 13)
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December 23, 2019

How do I teach the stay command to my dog?

Hi Cindy, I've purchased all of the Ellis DVDs and the Basic Dog Obedience DVD and the Marker Training DVD but still am unsure how to train the basic "stay" command - whether in a sit or down. All of the DVDs seem to assume the "stay" command has already been taught to the dog. Anyway, can you assist in how to teach the "stay" command so that I can move on to some of the more skilled obedience commands in the DVDs with my Dutch Shepherd? Thank you!
59% (10 out of 17)
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November 26, 2019

At what age should a Schutzhund puppy be introduced to burlap?

Greetings, Most of the puppy toys are not made out of burlap, I assume not to associate possible tooth pain with the texture of jute. At what age should a Schutzhund puppy be introduced to burlap? Thank you much for all the great work you do!!!
100% (5 out of 5)
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October 28, 2019

How can I improve my dog's food drive and motivation?

I take my dog to a training group where we train for an 1hr once a week it's mostly fun stuff, since we finished out good citizen scheme. But I still struggle a lot with her food drive and after about 45mins at training she just switches off and refuses all the treat I offer. She also will refuse to play at all at my training club. I've worked a lot on engagement, making her work for her food. She just has very little interest in food (sometimes she doesn't even want breakfast or dinner after...
100% (9 out of 9)
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October 21, 2019

Should I let my dog interact more with the neighbors because of the contact they will have, especially the person who may look after him from time to time if something happens or he needs to be looked after for a night if I am traveling?

I just got 10 week old Australian Cattle Dog. He has been home 5 days now. I read about not letting others not pet you dog and I have a question. I live alone in a rural setting in a neighborhood with about 4 houses pretty close by, so I interact with the neighbors a lot. One of the neighbors will be emergency contact for the puppy. I carry a tag on my key chain that says my pet is home alone please call .... and the neighbor will make take care of the dog. Should I let the dog interact more ...
100% (8 out of 8)
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October 14, 2019

What characteristics you would advise looking for in a PTSD service dog prospect in a litter of pups?

Hi! I was wondering what characteristics you would advise looking for in a PTSD service dog prospect in a litter of pups? I?ve selected an outstanding breeder, whose previous litters had pups that went on to successfully complete service dog training, so there?s a history showing promise in genetics. So as far as temperament, what specifically would you look for if you were choosing an ideal candidate? Thanks so much!
100% (8 out of 8)
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October 7, 2019

What treats to do you use when you train?

Hello, you've probably been asked this a million times but, what treats to do you use when you train? Thanks.
100% (11 out of 11)
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September 6, 2019

I am a graveyard electrician and I do most of the training and exercising with our puppy. The pup wakes at 2-3am when I get home and is instantly in full "drive" and the results of training her at this time have been phenomenal. But I do not know how healthy this is for her physically and mentally. Any suggestions?

Thank you for the recent correspondence and the great deal on many of the videos. We chose Ed and your basic and intermediate videos because quite frankly, my fiance and I are beginners. Our puppy however is brilliant!! We have our first GSD puppy, a female rescue from CA. We live in Oregon and my question pertains to our schedules. I am a graveyard electrician and I do most of the training and exercising with our puppy. The pup wakes at 2-3am when I get home and is instantly in full "dri...
100% (8 out of 8)
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